That morning, it seemed as if everyone was in mourning for the
Gordon family. As the cavalcade of limousines and vehicles made their
way down the freeway towards the church, passers-by pulled over and
watched solemnly and paid their respects. Inside the head limousine,
Damien looked out of the window and sighed. He never liked funerals,
and he had hoped that he wouldn’t have to do this again after his
mother died. Unfortunately, the rather quick autopsy performed on the
body showed that nature had other plans. Damien thought back to that
autopsy report and remembered the final words for cause of death. He
was relieved that it was natural causes, but he was also surprised.
His father was in relatively good health; he worked out regularly, he
liked to run the coast from time to time, and he did some part time
work coaching the receivers at Los Altos. It just didn’t add up that
someone who kept himself in good shape would just die so sudden. He
grimaced slightly, and that action didn’t go unnoticed by his sister.
“What’s wrong, Damien?” Andrea asked. Damien turned to her and
said, “Something’s wrong. I’m not buying that ‘natural causes’ excuse
anymore.” Andrea looked at him and said, “Damien, you’re beating a
dead horse. The mortician did a good job; I believe him.” Damien
looked at her and said, “Maybe so, but I still have a slight problem
with it. Has anyone else been in the bedroom since it happened?”
Andrea shook her head and Damien commented, “I want to take a look at
the bedroom when we get back.” Andrea glowered at her brother and
said, “Are you sure that’s a good idea? Damien, I understand that
you’re angry and all, but I don’t want you to go looking for a ghost
that doesn’t exist. Besides,” she added, “Since when did you become a
private investigator?” Damien smiled a sad smile at his sister and
said, “There are some things about me you don’t know, Andrea. I would
try to explain it, but I’d probably end up in an ‘I love me’ jacket
somewhere. Just take my word for it.”
Meanwhile, forgotten for the moment, Amy sat quietly and listened
to the entire conversation between Damien and Andrea and wondered if
Damien might be on to something. The NegaVerse could have attacked his
father to try to slow him down, but why? It seems that something like
that would only make Damien angrier. Then, she thought back to the
argument that he had with King Mercury only a few days ago...
* * * * *
“...Don’t forget to root for me. You know you’re my number one fan...”
“Why did you not tell him you were a Star Guardian?”
“...My dream is to play professional football, and my being a Star
Guardian is not going to get in the way!”
“...You must forgo the football and embrace the Star Guardians
full-time...”
“...My dream of playing professional football will be
revealed, with or without your support...”
“...You are a Star Guardian; as a matter of fact, you are the
leader of the Star Guardians, and it is your job-no, your right-to
ensure that the others are properly trained in the arts of the Guardian
Rites...I would never tell you anything wrong, so I am asking you to
trust me...you must believe me!”
“...The only person I’ll ever believe outside of Amy is my father,
and THAT AIN’T YOU!!!”
“Damien, I-”
“GO TO HELL!”
* * * * *
Suddenly, it all began to make sense. King Mercury wanted Damien
to stop playing football and become a Star Guardian full time. Damien
wanted to play football and only be a Star Guardian if it was really
necessary, and the only reason Damien would ever leave football was if
his number one fan, his father, died. Finally, she knew the answer.
Now, the only problems were getting it from the source, finding an
ulterior motive, and letting Damien know. She knew that it wouldn’t be
easy, but it had to be done.
Damien wasn’t going to like this turn of events at all.
* * * * *
Donovan Crawford was up early. Actually, he hadn’t slept. He had
actually managed to stay up to watch his favorite movie, watch some
highlights of his game, and even clean up a bit. It had been
easy...easy compared to what his buddy had to be going through. “I
really should be ashamed,” he thought. “I’m miserable, but no one in
my family is dead. I’m actually feeling sorry for myself because I
feel so bad for Damien. I can only imagine his pain; mine must only be
a fraction of his feelings.” Donovan walked over to his window and
noticed it had begun to rain. “Huh”, he said aloud. “Rain...great.
Perfect for a day like this. I wonder how Damien’s doing? I wonder if
it’s raining where he is?
* * * * *
On the way to the church, all Damien could think about was past,
present and future. In the past, Franklin Gordon had always been the
rock; the patriarch of the Gordon family. That responsibility would
fall to him now. In the future, he would be the one the other Gordon’s
looked to for leadership and to keep family traditions intact. “Why
does it ALWAYS have to be me?” he thought to himself. “Why am I always
the leader? The team captain. Even with this Star Guardian thing,
it’s still the same. All responsibility falls to me. Maybe...am I
responsible for his death?”
Damien was pulled from his thoughts and potential self-loathing by
the familiar feel of Amy’s small hand holding his. His eyes had begun
to water and he hadn’t even realized it. “Damn it,” he thought. “I
have to be strong for everyone else.” Amy smiled at him and gave him a
soft squeeze with her hand. She knew. He didn’t have to say a word;
she just knew what he was feeling. This had to be what true love was
all about. Just when he started to feel better about the day he looked
out the window and saw the church a few yards away. “Well, here goes,”
he thought.
* * * * *
She had to admit, it was a nice church. It was the type of place
she might like to get married in one day. Yeah right, as if Damien
would allow any guy within 10 feet of her without reading them the Riot
Act, in addition to addressing the “house rules”. He’d probably make
the poor guy memorize it and keep reciting it until he got it right.
Only then could he even call the house. Andrea Gordon caught herself
giggling softly. Then she remembered where she was and what they were
there for. She looked around to make sure no one had seen her; it
would be horrible to actually get caught laughing at a funer-
al...especially at something as trivial as future dating prospects and
big brother battles. Still, it was nice to get her mind off of
everything for a minute.
It seemed like everyone was crying, just a few minutes into it.
“Why is everyone crying?” she thought. “Why? Don’t they understand
that crying won’t bring him back? Nothing will. Just like mama. I
cried everyday and every night. She’s still not here.” She watched
her big brother perform the eulogy; he was steady as usual, until the
end, at least. He too had broken down. Even Amy was crying and she
hadn’t even known her father. Was she that close to Damien? Andrea
began to look around the church and she soon realized that the only dry
eyes in the place belonged to her. Then, she too became overwhelmed
with emotion. “Why?” she softly asked herself. Amy looked down at
Andrea and tapped her on the shoulder. “Why?” Andrea repeated to
herself. “Andrea, are you all right?” Amy asked. Andrea then stood
up, wiped her face with her sleeve and yelled, “WHY IS EVERYBODY
CRYING?!!!!!” A resounding echo that could wake the dead filled the
church. The choir stopped, Damien stopped speaking and everyone began
to stare at Andrea, whose face was tear-streaked. Andrea looked around
at everyone, let out a small whimper, and bolted from the church
sobbing. Damien made a move to go check on her, but Amy fanned him
back. Damien had a job to do. This was a job for her.
* * * * *
Damien decided it was best to bring his father’s eulogy to a
close. He wanted to check on his sister. He knew Amy would handle it,
and he appreciated that, but this was a family matter and Amy wasn’t
quite family just yet.
“I know that my father would be extremely happy with the turnout,”
Damien said. “He probably wouldn’t go for all the crying and tears,
though. As a matter of fact I’m sure that if he could yell at us all
for crying we’re doing right now, he would.” Small fits of laughter
swept over the church, as most of those in attendance knew Frank Gordon
well, and knew that his son was right. “But, Dad; you have to
understand that we all love you, and that we just can’t help it this
time. Maybe we don’t all have your strength, but that’s why you were
so important to us. God speed.” And the church repeated after him,
“God speed.”
* * * * *
Amy wasn’t quite sure how to deal with this. She had only met
Damien’s sister a short time ago and was completely clueless as to how
to approach her in such a hysterical state. She figured she’d have a
go of it. After all, this would be her sister-in-law someday...if
Damien knew what was good for him.
“Andrea?” Amy asked, tapping Andrea on her shoulder. Andrea was
sitting on the church steps weeping to herself and watching cars go by.
When tapping didn’t work Amy decided that the best thing to do was to
just start talking and hope that Andrea took it for what it was worth.
“You know Andrea,” Amy started, “I can’t say that I can identify with
your loss, because I haven’t lost either of my parents. But, I do know
about feeling empty; feeling like no one understands, and wondering why
things are the way they are.” At this, Andrea picked her head up and
listened to what Amy had to say. “My parents were divorced several
years ago. That may not sound like a big deal to you, especially now,
but if you think about it, there is a similar feeling of loss.”
“How do you mean?” Andrea inquired, her curiosity peaking.
“Well”, Amy continued, “In a way, I lost my father, too. He didn’t
die, but I haven’t seen him since. It’s just like he died. I watched
my mother as she was sad, and it made me sadder. And sometimes it made
me angry with him.”
“Yeah, like I was just wondering why people have to die, and why
people always cry when they do?” Andrea said excitedly. This brought a
smile to Amy’s face. She was getting through. “I can understand
that,” Amy said. “But you have to understand that people loved your
father just as much as you do. I can understand why you’re angry
though. You feel like you can just cry and cry and nothing will ever
get better.” Andrea frowned at this. “But, crying can help,” Amy
continued, “I think your brother needs to learn that, too. That’s why
I’m here; to be here for him. I’ll be here for you also, if you want.”
Andrea looked at the ground and then up at Amy. Where had Damien found
this girl...and why on earth did she like him? “Well,” Andrea thought,
“I’m glad she does. ‘Cause I like her too.”
“Hey, Amy,” Andrea started, “I know it’s early but...thanks sis!”
With that, Andrea threw her arms around Amy in a loving embrace. “Job
well done,” Amy thought to herself.
* * * * *
The memorial service had just come to a close when Andrea and Amy
reemerged from outside. Andrea ran up to her brother and hugged him
tightly. “Hey, sis.” Damien tried to manage. He was, after all,
choking. “ACK! Amy, can I have a little help here, please,” he
squeaked out. “Sorry, about that,” Andrea apologized, “I just had to
do that.”
“I know”, Damien replied. “Let’s go send Daddy home.” With that,
they exited the church and loaded up the cars for the graveside
service.
* * * * *
The rain had begun to pour in buckets. But the sky was a bit
brighter, an indicator that the worst of the rain had come and gone.
It would be over soon. Damien pretty much felt the same way about the
funeral...no, this whole day. The way he felt right now, it couldn’t
become nightfall soon enough for him. The best way to start forgetting
about one of the worst days of one’s life is to start fresh with a new
one. Yes, this day would be over soon.
As the pastor read from the bible, Damien abandoned his own
introspection long enough to notice a familiar phrase. “...ashes to
ashes...” There it was. That’s what they say at funerals, alright.
Then, this was finally it. His dad was gone. No sense turning back
now. “dust to dust...” Damien looked down at Andrea as she cried. He
glanced at all of his relatives and close friends who had come to
support him and celebrate the life of his dad. They were all there...for
him and his family. Damien then took at good long look at himself,
from the inside out. He wasn’t sad anymore, there was no room for
that. No sadness. No happiness. No fear. There was only room for
one thing in his life at that very moment...
* * * * *
Amy took a good look at Damien and noticed he was shivering. She
knew it wasn’t because he was cold. “Then again, maybe he IS cold,”
she thought to herself. “He doesn’t even look like himself.”
“Damien?” Amy questioned timidly. Damien only stood still. Amy
knew he had heard her and that’s when reality struck. There was no
room for her anymore, at least not right now. All Damien could think
about was death...and revenge.
* * * * *
“I will have it,” Damien thought. “My revenge. They will ALL pay
for this. My baby sister. My family. My friends. My life. I swear
on my father’s soul I will have it!”
“...in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit...”
“They will all die.”
* * * * *
Donovan rounded the corner and bolted down University Boulevard in
a hurry. The last thing he wanted was to be late for his appointment.
He promised Professor Bentley that he would be in her office for their
advanced studies meeting. Donovan was one of the best students in
Japanese Mythology, and he was really looking forward to meeting with
the “sensei”. They always seemed to have long, invigorating talks on
the subject of Japanese Myth. Besides, there was something he had to
ask his instructor…something that he knew would trouble the most
devoted instructor, but not Professor Bentley. If there was anything
that didn’t bother her, it was how her students viewed Japanese
Mythology. “At least the rain stopped,” Donovan muttered to himself.
“I wonder how Damien’s doing about now…” When he finally made it to the
Foreign Studies building, he decided to wait until later to wonder
about Damien.
As he scurried up to her office, he couldn’t help but feel that
something was wrong. It was almost as if something was different...or
something evil was around. He stopped in his tracks and made a cursory
glance at his surroundings. When he couldn’t find anything out of the
ordinary, he cautiously continued up to her office. When he walked in,
he was shocked at the shape the office was in. It was almost as if
someone had ransacked the office in hopes of finding something of
value. As he cautiously continued into the small office, his danger
sense kicked in and he began to wonder if he was going to have to fight
it out. He was in no way prepared to fight any NegaVerse mon-
sters...especially with Damien out of the picture for the moment.
“Mrs. Bentley,” he called out, “Are you in here?” He silently waited
for an answer before kicking himself and saying, “Of course she’s not
in here; this office is too small.”
“Oh, but I am,” a voice hissed. “I am closer than you think...”
Donovan slowly turned around and came face-to-face with a woman dressed
in clothing Donovan immediately recognized as the uniform of the
ninjitsu. Now, Donovan wasn’t exactly the brightest candle in the
candelabra, but he knew when something wasn’t right…and this definitely
wasn’t right. “Mrs. Bentley?” he cautiously asked.
“SILENCE!” the ninja bellowed. “The woman you knew as Mrs.
Bentley is no more. I am Ninjana, a warrior of the NegaVerse. I have
come for the Venus Star Fragment, Prince Donovan. You can either give
it to me, or you can die trying to protect it. Either way, you will
lose. Now, which one shall it be?” Donovan looked at her quizzically
for a moment, looked up to the heavens, and said, “Neither.” When
Ninjana looked confused, he shrugged and clarified, “I can’t give you
something I don’t have. I don’t even know how to unlock its power yet.
So, there’s really nothing I can do. Sorry you had to go and waste
your time like that, but I’ve got things to do and people to see.
Now,” he responded after turning to leave, “If you’ll excuse me, I-
GACK!” Donovan suddenly found it very hard to move any further, but
that was because he had an orange whip around his neck.
“You are not going anywhere,” Ninjana responded. Donovan suddenly
wised up and croaked, “Then again, why should I leave when everything
is going so well between us?” Ninjana giggled sinisterly, and Donovan
gagged out, “Could you loosen this thing up a little bit, please?”
Ninjana loosened her hold on him, Donovan took a deep breath, and did
the first thing that came to his mind:
“HEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEELLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLPPPPP!!!”
* * * * *
Nakorru walked towards the Foreign Languages building, determined
to find out if Donovan was all right. For some unexplainable reason,
he felt like something was going to happen, and he needed to be there.
Unfortunately, all of those worries were answered when he heard
Donovan’s blood-curdling scream. “Damn the bad luck,” he sighed.
“Time to go to action!” He ran into the building and made his way
towards the Japanese Mythology classroom. When he made it inside, he
saw exactly what was going on, and decided to give his assistance.
“Hang on, Donovan; help is on the way!” Ninjana turned to face him and
asked, “Who are you?” Nakorru grinned and said, “Don’t worry; you’re
about to find out.”
“Mars...Star...Guardian...POWER!”
A mystical transformation took place, and Kodanna Nakorru was
transformed into Prince Nakorru, Defender of the planet Mars. Prince
Nakorru struck his best good-guy pose and said, “Listen here, Ninja
girl; you may be cute and all, but your good looks aren’t going to save
you this time. You’re about to be taken care of…Mars style.” Donovan
looked at him and asked, “What, pray tell, is ‘Mars style’?” Prince
Nakorru thought about it for a moment before answering, “Mars style is
crispy on the outside, tender and juicy on the inside, and served with
a side order of French Fries.” Donovan wrinkled his nose and said,
“Sounds like chicken.” Prince Nakorru grinned and replied, “Tastes
like it, too. Goes great with a nice bottle of sake.”
“ENOUGH!” Ninjana yelled. If it was one thing she didn’t need
right now, it was two buffoons bickering over whether or not she tasted
like chicken. Prince Nakorru looked at her and exasperatedly asked,
“Do you mind?” A kitana blade materialized in Ninjana’s hand, and
Prince Nakorru shrugged and replied, “Apparently not.” Prince Nakorru
then pulled his own sword and said, “Sweetie, you don’t want to tangle
with me. I’ve gone up against the best Kendo students Japan had to
offer. I can beat you easily. As a matter of fact, I probably
wouldn’t even break a sweat. I don’t want to ruin my uniform that
quickly, anyway.”
"Fine," Ninjana started, "We'll just see who 'chickens' out first."
Satisfied that she had just exercised a bit of sharp wit, Ninjana
struck a confident pose and raised her katana above her head in preparation
to attack. Meanwhile, Donovan managed to gasp out a few smart-aleck
remarks of his own. "Aw, man, if that isn't the corniest...GACK!!!"
Donovan choked as Ninjana pulled a bit tighter on the whip around his
neck in protest. "No comments from the peanut gallery," she groaned.
However, Donovan's distraction, though involuntary, gave Prince Nakorru
all the time he needed for a pre-emptive act.
"Duck!" Prince Nakorru screamed as he tossed a fire-engine red
rose towards Donovan's head. "What are you..." Donovan screamed as he
instinctively dropped into a crouch. Suddenly, he realized that Prince
Nakorru had not been aiming for him, but at Ninjana. "YAAAAAGGGGHHH!!!"
Ninjana screamed as she dropped her katana and reached for her left eye,
which now had a fresh hole in it. With the slack in the whip loosened,
Donovan grabbed the end of it and snatched hard, pulling Ninjana off balance
and causing her to fall forward. As she fell, Prince Nakorru leaped forward
and kneed her in the stomach. Not to be outdone, Ninjana grabbed the back
of Prince Nakorru's head and quickly dropped to her knees, bringing his chin
down sharply on the top of her head giving him a nice headache. "That hurt,
you jackass!" Prince Nakorru growled, obviously upset.
Prince Nakorru toppled and Ninjana rolled to one side, snatching
the rose stem from her eye with one hand and grabbing her katana with
the other. She staggered to her feet and stood with her legs spread
shoulder length apart and held her katana up in front of her with both
hands.
"Now you've done it," Ninjana snarled, blood pouring from her left
eye. "You'll pay for this...I swear it!" With that, Ninjana's shape
began to shift, and fade. Suddenly, there were four more of her, two
on each side of her. Donovan crouched down on the other side of the room
and gasped. Prince Nakorru wiped his mouth, bloody from smashing his
chin against Ninjana's head, and stared. "Copies...or illusions,"
Nakorru thought, "They can't all be her..."
Ninjana noticed the look of confusion on her adversary's face and
smirked. "You can steal my eye, but let's see if you can do the same
to my new friends." Now the four Ninjana copies began circling Prince
Nakorru, sneering at him mockingly. Prince Nakorru looked unimpressed.
"You've got it all wrong, my dear. It's not your eyes I'm interested
in." Prince Nakorru paused for a second as the illusions continued to
circle him. Donovan looked on in confusion as Ninjana began cackling in
triumph.
"Hahahahahaha...You're finished, Prince of Mars. Say goodbye to
this world!" With that, Ninjana brought her katana down in a swiping
motion, indicating for her copies to attack, which they
did...unfortunately for them.
As Ninjana's minions began to dive at Prince Nakorru he continued
his meditative stance. "What are you doing, man!" Donovan yelled,
"They're going to kill you!" Donovan's cry fell on deaf ears as Prince
Nakorru continued his silence. Then, he opened his eyes and spoke.
"I call upon the power of Mars...grant me the power to destroy
this evil!"
Prince Nakorru held up his sword and spun it around in his hand a
couple of times before pulling it down in front of his face. He then
sliced the sword in the air, creating a flaming charge. "Mars Fire
Sabre..." As Ninjana's copies closed on him, Prince Nakorru moved as if
he were one with the wind, making four quick, precision slices in the
air.
"SLASH!!!"
Landing on one knee with his sword arm stretched out in one
direction and his free hand draping his scarlet cape over his chest,
Prince Nakorru posed heroically as all four Ninjana copies dissolved
into nothing, screaming as they went. Ninjana growled in disbelief. "I
can't believe that! How did you defeat them? Never mind, I'll kill
you with my bare hands!" Ninjana screamed as she charged at Prince
Nakorru. Prince Nakorru stood up slowly and turned to face her. As Nin-
jana charged at him, he stood with his legs spread apart, his arms drawn in
front of him, and his hands formed in a clustering formation. He then
began to meditate as a small red orb took form in his hands. Next, he
extended his arms over his head as the orb began to glow in intensity.
"What is he doing?" Donovan asked himself, rising slowly from his
crouching position to watch in amazement. As the glowing orb shone
brighter and brighter, appearing almost white with a red outline,
Prince Nakorru brought his arms back down to his chest and spread them
open wide.
"Mars...Nuclear...Fire...ENFLAME!"
Ninjana winced as the white-hot fireball raced towards her. She
tried to duck but it was just too late as she was bathed in crimson
flames, her blood curdling screams of pain signaling the end of her
evil. After the attack, Prince Nakorru dropped to his knees suddenly.
"Hey, you okay?" Donovan asked as he ran up to help. "I'm fine," he
replied, stumbling back to his feet. He then walked over to the
smoking husk that was once Ninjana, warrior of the NegaVerse and kicked it
a couple of times for insurance. "Yes indeed," he started, "Crispy on the
outside..."
"Not that again," Donovan said, slapping his forehead. Prince
Nakorru poked the steaming corpse with his sword, smirked at Donovan
and continued, "...presumably juicy on the inside." Donovan stared at
Prince Nakorru with one eyebrow raised and said, "You're sick, you know
that?" Finally, Prince Nakorru kicked the steaming corpse once again
and grinned. "Would you like some fries with this?" Donovan went pale.
"GACK!"
* * * * *
Later that night, Damien slipped away from his family and decided
to take a drive. He hopped in his father's car; a 1996 forest green
Ford Escort ZX2, and headed for the beachfront. He knew he wouldn't
get any peace in that house, so the best thing for him to do was to go to
his favorite thinking spot.
When he made it to his destination, he hopped out of the car and
walked over to a steep cliff overlooking the Pacific Ocean. Once
there, he began to get his own introspective of things, including what he
would do with the rest of his life. "I know I could finish playing there
and not miss a beat," he softly said to himself, "But, do I really
want to continue? I mean, would it be the same for me without
Dad? I know I said I knew what my final decision would be, but am I really
ready to throw it all away? They're saying I could win the Heisman Trophy
this year, but do I really wanna go for it? The last thing I need is
another piece of glitter for my mantelpiece. I, quite honestly, can do
without. I'd rather not have something else to dust off. However, it
would be fun to travel to New York and pick up the most prestigious
item a college football athlete could ever win.
"But, there's something else I'm forgetting about," he continued
as he reached for a rock and started playfully tossing it in the air.
"What about me and Amy? I love her to death, and I can't imagine
myself without her now, but what would she say? Would she be disappointed
in me? Would she down me because I gave up on my dream? And, what would
everyone else say about this Star Guardian thing? What the hell am I
supposed to do about that? I didn't want it. To find out that I am
the leader of the savior of the universe is the last thing I ever wanted
to know. I bet the stars if I didn't know anything about this Star
Guardian crap, Dad would still be alive, I'd be in Birmingham, and I
would have been the one to lead us against Bama State. That didn't
happen, though. Instead, I became a Star Guardian, my Dad's dead, and
I missed my first game ever.
"Well," he muttered as he threw the rock into the Pacific, "At
least I've got Amy now. She's all I have left." With that, he
continued to watch the sun as it peacefully set in the horizon.
* * * * *
Amy wandered around the Gordon complex in a daze. Everyone was
talking about the funeral, and sharing their good times with Franklin,
but there was someone missing. She knocked on Andrea's door and said,
"Andrea? It's me, Amy. I need to talk to you." Andrea opened her
door and said, "Sure, Amy. Come on in." Amy walked in and said, "Have you
seen your brother?" Andrea shook her head and said, "Not since the
funeral." She then noticed Amy's concerned look and asked, "Is
everything all right with you two?"
"He's missing," she said. Andrea just looked at her as she
continued with, "I went to his room to talk about some pressing issues
back in Birmingham, but he was nowhere to be found. I checked outside,
I checked the basement, and I even asked Darrien, but he didn't know
where he could be." She then looked at her with tears welling up in
her eyes and said, "I'm worried that he might try to do something to
himself." Andrea nodded in agreement and went to the phone. "I don't
know where he could be," she said as she began dialing, "But I know
someone who might."
* * * * *
"Take 'X' and divide that by two plus the imaginary number times
4y2, and you get...absolutely nothing!" Alex Rodriguez threw his
Calculus book across the room and said, "Damn it, I hate Calculus!
I've always hated it, and that's not gonna change now!" As he stood there
seething, his cell phone went off on his desk. Quizzically, he walked
over to it and answered without looking at the number. "Hello?"
"Alex, it's Andrea. Are you busy right now?" Alex gave a puzzled
look before asking, "Andrea who?" Andrea slumped her shoulders and
said, "Andrea Gordon, you moron!" Alex grinned and said, "Hi, Andrea.
What's up?"
"Damien's missing," she said, getting right to the point. "He
disappeared shortly after the graveside ceremony. No one's seen him
since. You wouldn't happen to know where he is, would you?" Alex
shrugged and said, "I have an idea." Andrea turned to Amy and said,
"He might know where he is." She then directed her attention back to the
phone and asked, "Will you come and get us?" Alex looked at the phone
and said, "I'm assuming you mean yourself and Amy, right?" Andrea
nodded and said, "Right." Alex grinned and said, "Cool. I'll be there
in about fifteen minutes." He then looked at the hole in his wall the
Calculus book made and said, "Better make that twenty. I've got a hole
to fix."
"Whatever," Andrea groaned. "Just get here as fast as you can."
She hung up the phone, turned to face Amy, and said, "Alex is on his
way. He might know where he is." Amy breathed a sigh of relief and
said, "I sure hope so." Amy mentally sighed in relief and wished she had
Andrea's naiveté. At least his sister didn't know the perils that fate
had in store for her brother. She did. She silently prayed for his safety.
* * * * *
"Did you take any theater in high school?" Donovan asked as Nakorru
sat in his apartment with an ice bag on his head. Donovan reasoned Nakorru
to be the biggest drama queen the world had ever seen.
"No," Nakorru answered. "Why?" Donovan shrugged and said, "You act
like you've just been shot. All you have is a headache." Nakorru
grimaced and said, "I don't believe you! I save your life, and this is
the thanks I get? See if I save you again, Mr. Ungrateful."
"Whatever. I still say all you need is a couple of aspirin, some water,
and some rest." Nakorru growled and said, "I don't have to sit here and take
this abuse!" Donovan looked at him, smiled, and yelled, "You're right! I can
just kick you out!" Nakorru grimaced at him and said, "You're doing this on
purpose, aren't you?" Donovan grinned and Nakorru groaned. "Out of all the
people that needed rescuing, I had to up and rescue you. Whatever it is I
have done to upset the gods, I, Kodanna Nakorru, am truly sorry. Please
forgive me for my wrongdoings!"
"Oh, shut up, drama queen!" Nakorru blanched and Donovan said, "What?
Do you really expect me to let you slide like that? I mean, come on!
Mr. 'tastes like chicken;' Mr. 'I'm a bad, suave man'! You get hit in the
jaw, you get a headache, and you start crying like a baby! No wonder Raye
tries to avoid you like the plague." Nakorru growled at him and said, "What
do you know! You have a beautiful woman after you, and you want absolutely
nothing to do with her! What's the matter with you, man?"
"I don't know!" Donovan retorted. "I'm not ready for this! I'm not a
celestial warrior or nothing like that! I don't know what I'm doing!" Na-
korru looked at him and said, "You act like it's a difficult choice, Donny.
How do you feel about her?" Donovan thought about this for a moment, but
before he got ready to open his mouth, Nakorru glared at him and
growled, "Don't you dare." Donovan blushed and answered, "I don't
know. Should I honestly feel anything for her? I just met her a
couple of days ago."
"What's your religion?" Donovan looked confused and said, "I don't see
what that has to do with the price of tea in China, but I'm Catholic."
Nakorru smirked and said, "That'll do it."
"What?" Donovan was utterly confused. He knew people thought Catholics
were different, but he never expected to hear it directed at him. "Catholics
are a unique religion," Nakorru began, dropping his ice bag on the table in
front of him. "You're certainly a physically fit one, but I'd expect that out
of all of you. I mean, you guys do bow a lot." Donovan glowered at him, and
Nakorru continued. "For some reason, you're afraid to admit your true
feelings, and I wish you'd let the mortal coil go and be one with your former
being."
"'My former being'? You mean, think as Prince Donovan, right?" Nakorru
shook his head and said, "You're halfway there, Donovan. You have to remember,
before you were Donovan Crawford, you were Prince Donovan, heir to the throne
of the Venus Kingdom. You must also remember that before she was Mina St.
Croix, she was Princess Mina, heiress to the throne of the Venus Kingdom,
and coincidentally, your future wife." Nakorru sighed and continued with, "I
guess that's why we didn't work out." Donovan shot Nakorru a quizzical look
and said, "You two dated for a while, didn't you?" Nakorru nodded his head
solemnly and said, "Yes, and 'Miss Pyro' won't let me forget it, either."
"You loved her, didn't you?" Nakorru shrugged and answered, "I guess I
did, but I don't anymore. I think Destiny was trying to tell us both to stop
it. We were getting too close, and we didn't know what we were doing. In the
end, we did something we would regret." Donovan rested his head in his hands
and asked, "If you don't mind-"
"Here's how it all started..."
* * * * *
Sixteen-year old Kodanna Nakorru wandered onto the track at the Crossroads
High Sports Complex and grimaced slightly. Even though he did enjoy working
with the school journal, he would have rather been covering the semi-annual
Martial Arts Tournament going on in Tokyo. Instead, they assigned him to the
45th Annual Spring Track and Field Meet. Quite honestly, he could have thought
of a thousand different things to be doing instead of covering this. Even
though they did have a heavy rival going with Crossroads High School in the
Azabu Juuban ward, he honestly could have cared less. He reached into his
pocket, pulled out his mini-recorder, and began to speak.
"As I walk the hallowed fields at the Crossroads High Sports Complex, I
get a mystic feeling of things before, and of things that will come to pass.
These are the grounds where, three years ago, we captured our first victory,
beating out Crossroads in their own home with a photo finish in the 200-meter
dash. This began a string of victories against our rivals, but this time
might be different. This time, Crossroads has enlisted in the assistance of
Tsukino Serena, one of Japan's finest. It will be interesting to see how this
will go, especially since Tendo Akane is running for Furinken now." He stopped
and looked to his right as the various different teams started to enter the
field. "Well," he spoke into the recorder, "Here come the teams now. I'll
see if I can get an interview with the head coach." He walked over to the
Furinken Track Team and sought out their coach.
Meanwhile, the students from the various different high schools in Japan
began making their way in the arena. They made sure to sit only in their
designated areas, aware of the rumble that almost happened at the last track
meet at the Tokyo Dome. The stigma of violence...and utter defeat by some kid
in Chinese clothes...still stuck with a couple of schools in the system.
A couple of yards away, Amy, Raye, Mina, and Lita made their way to
their seats, all anxious to see how Serena would do. They had seen her
practice, so they knew she was fast. The only thing they weren't aware
of was how fast she really was. They knew that this would be a major test
for her. "Where's Crossroads?" Raye asked. Mina surveyed the mass of
people on the field and said, "I'm not quite sure. I don't think they even
made it on the field yet." Lita smiled and said, "They'll make it soon
enough. We've got to beat Furinken this time. They got off lucky last
year, but it won't happen again this year." Amy turned to Lita and said,
"Maybe so, but it's not our fault our star runner blew out her knee on
the last leg of the 200-meter dash."
Nakorru wandered away from Coach Funaki and shook his head. He was a
brilliant coach, but sometimes he forgot he was talking to a beat
reporter and not some major magazine. "I guess I'll just bit and piece
some of his non-technical stuff together like I always do," he muttered to
himself. As he made his way up to the bleachers, he noticed a quartet
of girls chatting nonchalantly amongst themselves. He noticed one and began
to blush furiously. She had long blond hair, cute lips, and the most
beautiful eyes he had ever seen. "Snap out of it, Nakorru," he said while
mentally kicking himself. "You've got a job to do, and it doesn't involve
talking to cute girls." He grabbed an empty spot near the Furinken-Crossroads
dividing line and began to write down various pieces of information about the
meet. "This oughta be some good stuff," he said to himself.
The track meet went pretty much as expected, with Crossroads and
Furinken leaving the other high schools in the dust. Eventually, it
appeared that it was turning into a Furinken-Crossroads match, with the
other schools providing comic relief when necessary. Nakorru glanced up
at the final tally of the Women's Long Jump and nearly screamed. "I don't
believe this!" he bellowed, "Crossroads: 19' 27". Furinken: 19' 20". They
beat us out by seven inches! The readers aren't going to be too happy with
this article." He scribbled down the notes for the long jump and waited in
anticipation for the final event: the 200-meter dash.
"Okay, everyone," Raye shouted, "It's time for the 200-meter dash!
This is Serena's best event!" Mina nodded and said, "I can't wait to
see what happens. She's going up against that Tendo girl, right?" Raye
nodded and said, "Tendo Akane. She's supposed to be one of the best high
school runners in all of Japan, isn't she?" Lita answered, "Yes, but
she won't beat Serena!"
Nakorru was jotting away aimlessly until he heard that declaration.
He stopped and focused his attention on the four girls he noticed earlier.
I wonder, he thought.
Mina looked attentively at the girls continue their conversation on how
good Akane was and how much better Serena would be until she noticed someone
was eyeing her. She cautiously peeked her head around the others and looked
around, trying to find out who her admirer was. When she spotted him, she
patiently tapped Lita on her shoulder. When Lita aimlessly brushed her off,
Mina politely shrugged and yelled, "LITA!" Lita nearly jumped out of her
skin and asked, "What is it? Don't you see I'm in the middle of a-" she
stopped when she noticed Mina's starry-eyed look. "Are you going boy-crazy
again?" Mina didn't say a word; instead, she nodded her head in Nakorru's
direction and said, "Check him out."
"Check who out?" Lita asked before following Mina's gaze and finding the
guy she was so intently looking at. She turned to her and said, "He's pretty
cute, but he's not my type." With that, she returned to her earlier
conversation. Dissatisfied, Mina began tapping her on the shoulder
again. "Hey Lita," she asked, "Do you think I should talk to him?" Lita
looked at him again and said, "Go for it. But don't forget to cheer Serena
on. You know she's up against that Akane Tendo." Mina began to bubble up
with glee and said, "No sweat!" She then got up, excused herself from
the others, and sauntered over to meet the handsome man. When she got over
to him, she sat by him and meekly said, "Hi." Nakorru looked over in her
direction and smiled. "Hello. How are you?" She blushed and said, "Fine;
and you?"
"I'm doing wonderful now," he answered. "Allow me to introduce myself,"
he began. "I'm Kodanna Nakorru, and I'm a beat reporter for the Furinken
Student Journal. And you are?" Mina turned a funny shade of red before
answering, "I'm Mina St. Croix, and I go to Crossroads. I'm here cheering
on my best friend, Serena." Nakorru glanced at her and nearly fainted.
"You're friends with Tsukino Serena?" Mina nodded and said, "I've known her
for almost three years now. We've had a few rough times, but it's been
pretty fun in the end. I wouldn't trade her in for anything in the world.
How's your article coming?" Nakorru glanced down at the various pieces of
scribble he had jotted down and said, "Fairly well. I wasn't expecting us
to lose the long jump, but when the coach decides he wants to put someone
in who's virtually untested in the event, he has no one to blame but
himself."
"You seem to really know your stuff," she said. Nakorru nodded and
said, "It helps when your father is one of the best journalists in Japan."
He looked over at the field and motioned over to the starting blocks. "I
think your friend's race is about to begin." Mina looked over to where
Nakorru was motioning and said, "Yep. That's Serena, all right. But, who's
the little boy?" Nakorru stifled a laugh and said, "That's no boy. That's
Tendo Akane." Mina shrugged and said, "Whatever. She still looks like a
boy." That did it for Nakorru; he couldn't take it anymore before he keeled
over in laughter. Mina, on the other hand, was still confused. "What? Is
it something I said?"
"No," he responded after regaining a little of his composure, "You're
not the only one who's said that. Her own fiancé says she's uncute." Mina
smiled and said, "At least we know I'm not the-hey! She's engaged?" Nakorru
nodded and said, "Long story. I'd rather not go into it right now. However,"
he said as an idea came upon him, "I'd be more than happy to discuss it over
dinner tomorrow night. What do you say?" Mina said, "Make it a couple of
shakes at the Nobayura, and you've got a deal."
"Deal." They shook on it, and the date was made. Meanwhile, forgotten
for the moment, was the race at hand. Mina was still gushing over the fact
that she had a date with the cutest guy she had seen in recent years, but
Nakorru was busy trying to cover the race. Needless to say, it was a
transaction that was doomed for failure. Both of them were unable to catch
the winner of the meet, and Nakorru was left with the embarrassment to find
out from a second-hand source. It didn't matter to him, though; he had a
date with one of the most attractive women he had seen in quite some time.
The way he figured it, he'd make up for it in writing a spirited finish...one
that probably never happened in the first place. "Oh, well," he thought
aloud, "That's journalism for you."
* * * * *
"I had never enjoyed anyone's company so much as I did with
her," he said. "It was as if the gods were telling us that if there were
any two people that were made for each other, then it was us two." Donovan
looked at him and said, "That sounded sweet. Now, what happened to make
this match made by Buddha end up a disaster?" Nakorru lowered his head and
responded, "Well, that happened so quickly, that neither one of us knew how
to react, much less salvage something that we thought was so great."
"Lay it on me," was Donovan's reply. "Very well," Nakorru responded.
This happened two months after we started dating..."
* * * * *
"Nakorru?" Mina asked. Nakorru glanced up at her from his computer and
replied, "Yes, what is it?" Mina bounced over to him and said, "What are we
doing tonight?" Nakorru looked puzzled and answered, "I dunno; are we
supposed to be doing anything?" Mina shrugged and responded, "Not really.
I was just curious..."
"What is it, Mina?" Mina stared intently at the floor and said, "I was
just wondering if you...wanted to come over to my house tonight and...um...
keep me company?" Nakorru smiled at her from in front of the computer and
said, "I would love to...but I can't. I have to finish this article so I can
turn it in tomorrow." Mina blushed intently for a moment before continuing
with, "Well, when are your parents coming home?"
"In a couple of days. They're out of town on business." Mina looked at
him and sympathetically said, "You must get pretty lonely, huh?" Nakorru
stopped typing to face her and grinned, "Not really. They've been doing this
since I was about ten, and it hasn't bothered me yet. I guess I'm pretty
used to it by now." He then stopped and realized where this was beginning to
go and said, "All right, Mina; enough with the niceties. What the hell is
going on here? What do you want?" Mina began to shrink into herself; she
wasn't expecting him to react like this. "Well...I...I was wondering...um...
if you wanted to-" She never finished her sentence, because Nakorru took her
in his arms and began kissing her passionately. Mina thought about fighting
it, but her hormones took over and returned the kiss. The kiss went on for
a while until Nakorru suddenly broke it off. "Wait!" he said.
"What?" Mina asked.
"Are you sure you want to do this? I mean, because if we start, there
won't be any stopping until it's over."
"I love you," Mina breathlessly whispered. That being said, Nakorru
picked her up and carried her off to his bedroom...
* * * * *
"I thoroughly enjoyed being with her," he said. "I was actually in love
with her before that happened, but when we made love, that sealed the deal
for me. However, something wasn't right in paradise. Suddenly, she began
acting cold around me, and I was determined to find out why."
"Had you guys..." Donovan began, but Nakorru answered him before the
question really left. "No. That was the only time, and that didn't surprise
me as much as it did intrigue me. She appeared to enjoy it as much as I did,
but afterwards, like I said, she began to act pretty chilly. Then, one
day..."
* * * * *
"Mina!" Nakorru called out. Mina stopped in her tracks and turned to
face him. Nakorru instantly knew something was wrong. He hurried over to
her and asked, "Is everything all right? You've been acting pretty strange
lately." Mina looked deep in his eyes for a moment before shying away. "I
don't think we need to see each other anymore," she whispered.
"And why, might I ask, is that?" he asked, a clear expression of shock
plastered over his face. When Mina didn't answer, he grabbed her by the
shoulders and yelled, "Mina, why? Don't you love me anymore?" Mina looked
up at him with tears in her eyes and sobbed, "After what happened between us
the other day, I took a long, hard look at myself...and I didn't like what I
saw. I can't do this anymore, Nakorru. I'm sorry."
"But...you told me you loved me! You told me, and I believed you! What
was that? A lie?" Mina cried harder and whimpered, "Let me go, Nakorru. I
can't do this anymore." Nakorru's eyes glazed over and turned dark with rage.
He had finally had enough. He let her go and growled, "Fine. I hope you get
what you deserve in the end. It's not right to play with people's emotions
like that. One of these days, you're going to look back on this and realize
that this was a damn good relationship, and you blew it! Farewell, Mina St.
Croix. I hope whoever you end up with realizes that you're damaged goods and
unable to commit. It's too bad I had to find that out the hard way...after I
had put so much of me into this." With that, he shoved his hands into his
pockets and walked off without even sparing Mina a courtesy glance.
* * * * *
"I ruined her, and she ruined me. I turned into a recluse for a few
months. I wasn't able to concentrate on my studies, my writing, or my
martial arts. Eventually, I had to change my entire personality before I
self-destructed. The personality you see before you today is the one I had
to create to protect myself. I was never a ladies man, but I had to pretend
to be one, or else be ruined for life." Donovan looked at him and said, "Now
I can see why Raye's angry with you."
"How is that?" Donovan shrugged and said, "Well, you did kinda give
Mina the evil heave-ho. I don't think she deserved to get told off like that,
do you? Jesus Christ, you were cruel! Just because you got your little
heart stomped on doesn't give you permission to treat the girl like a cock-
roach and give her the mental equivalent of being hit with a frying pan! But
what's done is done; there's no changing it." Donovan got up and grabbed
Nakorru's ice bag. "What exactly are you going to do with that?"
"Dump it out. You sure aren't using it anymore." Nakorru looked at him
and asked, "What should I do about Raye?"
"Have you told her how you feel about her yet?" When Nakorru shook his
head, Donovan replied, "Well, that's a start. What's the worst she could do
to you; incinerate you? If she wanted you dead, she would've killed you a
long time ago."
"Well, if I could stand to be in the same room with Mina, then-" Nakorru
stopped when he noticed that Donovan began sniffing the air intently. "What
are you doing?"
"Smelling an excuse. Will you stop being so damn naïve and tell the girl
how you feel? I'll tell you what: when Damien gets back, all three of us will
go over to Raye and Mina's, and we'll finish this off once and for all. How's
that?" Nakorru thought about it intently for a moment before answering,
"Sounds good."
"Great. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have things to do, so I'll see you
tomorrow." Nakorru smiled, got up, and made his way to the door. Before he
left, he turned to Donovan and said, "Thanks for listening to me. I really
needed that."
"No problem; that's what friends are for."
* * * * *
When Alex's 1996 Toyota Celica pulled into the driveway, he was
surprised to see Andrea and Amy sitting on the porch, impatiently waiting.
He opened the door and began to step out when Andrea suddenly jumped up and
said, "No time for the cutesy stuff, Alex. Let's go find my brother."
"Fine," Alex harrumphed. "It's good to see you, too." He waddled over
to the passenger's side and opened the door for Andrea and Amy to
hurriedly climb in. Once Alex got in and started up the car, Andrea wasted
no time in asking, "So, where do you think he is?" Alex looked at her and
said, "When he was having problems with that girl in high school...what was
her name again..."
"Erica," Andrea angrily responded. "Right," Alex continued, "When he
was having problems with Erica, not to mention any other problems he might
have had, he would go to a spot on the beach facing the Pacific Ocean and
meditate. Now, I could be wrong, but if I know my best friend like I
should, then he's probably out there."
"What other problems could he have had?" Amy questioned, delicately
trying to find out more about her boyfriend. "School problems for one," he
answered. "He may have finished salutatorian, but that doesn't mean he
didn't have problems. He was constantly trying to juggle being a good
student and a good athlete...and that's probably why he frowns on anyone who
calls him a jock. He worked hard to get where he is today. It was almost
funny to see him push himself to the limits in weight training...while
reading up on a homework assignment. Personally, I don't know how he
managed it."
"Also, things weren't going right at home," Andrea added, picking up
where Alex left off. "He wouldn't say anything about it, but there was a
time, and I think it was shortly after mama died, when he got into major
arguments with daddy. Chances are he probably wouldn't remember it now, but
he almost walked out on the family. It took a swift kick in the pants from
daddy and me to straighten him out. But I think the stigma was still there.
Eventually, they made up, and all was right with the world. As a matter of
fact, I think that brought them closer together." They sat in silence for a
moment after that, until Andrea turned to Amy and asked, "How do you feel
about my brother? Honestly?"
"Well," Amy began, "In the beginning, I didn't feel anything for him.
You see, at first, I made the tragic mistake of calling him a 'jock'."
Andrea cringed at this, and Alex quipped, "And you're still alive?" Andrea
took that opportunity to jab him in the side and commented, "Of course she's
still alive! Quit being stupid! Anyway, it is a miracle that you two are
actually together after that."
"Yes," Amy agreed. "However, I think Destiny has a way of showing you
things you would normally ignore. It was almost as if someone...or maybe
even something was trying to tell us that we needed to be together." Amy
was carefully stepping around the Star Guardian-Sailor Scout issue, not
wanting to scare off someone who was fast becoming a new friend and
someone who could possibly end up being her sister-in-law one day. "Besides
that, he was always charming towards me...even though I did treat him wrong
at first. I even went so far as to tell my friends to try and get rid of
him for me." Andrea looked at her and said, "Well, that was cold."
"I realize that now," Amy continued, "But, I was unaware of what was
going on with me at the time. I now know that I do love him very much, and
that I do want him in my life. That's why I'm so worried about him now."
Andrea smiled and said, "I'm glad to hear that, because that's probably what
he's gonna need right now." They rode in silence for a little while longer
until Andrea noticed a familiar-looking car in the distance and said, "Correct
me if I'm wrong guys, but does that car's license plate say 'TSU 23'?" Alex
slowed down the car to a crawl and both he and Amy said, "Yep." Amy stopped
looking at the car and stared off into the sunset and realized she saw a
familiar figure sitting off to the side.
"There he is!"
* * * * *
Damien watched the sun continue its descent until it was only a speck
on the horizon. Satisfied with that, he got up and dusted himself off. "I
guess I should head back home now," he said. "I bet everyone's wo..." His
voice trailed off when he turned around and saw that he had three very
perturbed people standing in front of him. Stunned into silence, time
appeared to freeze as they stared down each other with four different looks
on each of their faces: Damien was in shock, Amy was worried, Alex was
nonchalant, and Andrea...well, Andrea was pissed. "How in the hell are you
gonna run off like that?!" she screamed.
"Watch your mouth," Damien sullenly said. Amy looked at him and said,
"We were worried about you, Damien. Is everything all right?" Damien looked
at Amy and said, "I'd rather not talk about it right now, Ames. Maybe later."
Andrea continued to stare a hole through Damien and said, "No one gives a
damn about what you'd rather not talk about, Damien! You had all of us
worried about you, and-"
"I wasn't worried," Alex said. "I knew where he was."
"Shut up!" Andrea retorted. She then turned back to Damien and said,
"You can't just up and run off like that anymore, Damien. It's time for you
to grow up!" Damien cocked his head sideways at her and coolly replied, "I
don't have to take this from you; I'm older than you are. Go home." He
began to walk past them, but Andrea wasn't finished. As he passed her, she
forcefully grabbed him by his arm and yelled, "I'm not done yet! Don't
walk away from me when I'm talking to you!" That did it for Damien right
there. Any calmness he had at the time was dissipated with that remark. Amy
looked at him and saw it coming. "Uh-oh," she whispered to no one in
particular.
"Who in the hell do you think you are?" Damien growled as he spun
around to face her. "Do you have any idea who you're talking to? I am
Damien Gordon, I am your brother, and I DON'T HAVE TO TAKE THIS SHIT FROM
YOU!" Andrea scowled at her brother and the two appeared to be sizing each
other up. Finally, one of them decided to move. Unfortunately, it was
Andrea. Amy and Alex stared on as Andrea raised her hand and slapped
Damien...hard. Once again, time appeared to stand still as Andrea stood
there in the traditional post-slap pose. Amy looked on in shock with her
hands over her mouth, Alex was amazed that she actually hit him, and Damien
was in another version of the traditional post-slap pose. Finally, Amy
snapped out of it and said, "Alex, you get Andrea. Leave Damien to me."
This was a very good thing to do, because at about the same time,
Damien began to turn and face his sister. No words needed to come out of
his mouth; the sheer look of rage on his face said it all. He and Andrea
stared each other down for what seemed to be an eternity. When his mouth was
able to form words, he growled, "Why, you disrespectful girl. I guess I'm
going to have to teach you some manners!" He never got that opportunity,
though. Amy and Alex moved like the wind and quickly separated the two;
although Amy's spearing Damien would have given a pro wrestler the chills.
Damien landed with a thud and growled, "LET ME GO!"
"Not on your life, Damien!" Amy straddled him and held his arms on the
ground, refusing to let him up. "Did you know you were about to blast your
own sister?" Damien struggled pointlessly and responded, "Whose side are
you on? She needs to learn respect for her elders!" Amy frowned at him and
said, "You're only six years older than she is. You're acting irrational."
Damien rolled his eyes and said, "Let me go, Amy. You can't hold me down
forever." Amy lowered her head to rest on his and said, "I have my ways."
Damien chucked and said, "You do have a way with words, Amy." She smiled,
realizing that he was losing his berserker rage and said, "What can I say?
I try." She then leaned down and kissed him passionately, taking any anger
and rage he possibly had left out of him.
At the same time Amy was trying to calm Damien down, Alex held Andrea
by her waist trying to do the same thing...but not with the same results.
"Will you just relax, girl?"
"No!" she retorted. "He had no right to say what he did to me! Just
because he's older than me doesn't mean I should walk on eggshells for him!
He needs to grow up!" Alex smiled at her and said, "Maybe so, but maybe you
should do the same, eh little lady?" Andrea suddenly began to calm down and
said, "I guess you're right, Alex. This has been a pretty stressful couple
of days here lately." Alex smiled at her and said, "I agree. Maybe things
will begin to cool off here now. Besides," he paused, looking off in the
distance, "I think Damien's finally calmed down." Andrea cocked an eyebrow
and asked, "Huh?" Alex didn't say a word; instead, he merely pointed in the
direction where Amy speared Damien earlier. To her surprise, Damien and Amy
were still locked in a passionate kiss, refusing to let each other go. "Don't
they make a cute couple?"
"Yes, they do," Andrea giggled. She decided to let them have their
moment for right now. If anyone deserved to be together, it was those two.
"Mom and Dad would be so proud of him," she said. "He's finally happy."
* * * * *
Serena was disturbed from her evening workout by her phone ringing off
the hook. "Darien, will you get that?" she called out. When Darien didn't
respond, she hopped up and stormed to the phone, muttering something inco-
herent about lack of common sense. "Hello?"
"Hi, Serena," Mina said. "Are you busy right now?"
"It's nothing that I can't hold off on," Serena said as she was doing
her leg stretches while she was still on the phone. "Why? What's up?"
"It's about Raye," she said, trying not to give up too much informa-
tion. Serena, on the other hand, was very confused. "What's wrong with
Raye?" she asked. Mina thought about it and said, "I'd rather not say it
over the phone. Can I come over?" Serena stopped her calisthenics, looked
around, and said, "If you don't mind my place being kinda junky, sure. I
don't mind." Mina gave an audible sigh of relief and said, "Okay; I'll be
there momentarily." With that, Mina hung up the phone and said, "This will
be over before I know it."
* * * * *
After everything had finally settled down, Damien left Amy and Alex
alone for a few moments to discuss some things with his little sister.
"Andrea," he began, "First of all, I want to apologize. I had no right to
say the things I said to you. I was speaking out of anger, and I should know
better than that." He cleared his throat and decided to forge on with, "I
guess I was so angry about losing Dad and not knowing what to do with myself
now that...I kinda lost it. I should've known better than to snap like
that...especially now that I'm the patriarch of our little part of the
family." Andrea nodded and said, "Big Mama asked me to stay with her."
Damien shrugged and said, "You're a big girl; you can do what you want. But,
if you move to Oakland, you won't be able to go to 'The Academy'."
"Do you have to call it that?" Andrea groaned. She always hated it
when he referred to his old school as "The Academy". "They didn't even call
it that while you were there." Damien looked at her and said, "Hey! You
leave my alma mater's name change out of this."
"They haven't even changed the name yet!" Damien grinned and said,
"Oh, well. It be's that way sometimes." Andrea groaned and said, "Stop
that! I wish you guys wouldn't say that anymore." Damien cocked his head
sideways and asked, "Why?"
"Well, for starters, it isn't even proper English!" she began, ticking
off ideas as she went. "Second of all, it's a phrase that's way past it's
prime, and third of all, it's stupid!" Damien shrugged again and replied,
"I won't make any promises. I refuse to." Andrea smiled and responded
with, "You always were the resilient type. So," she continued, "What are
you gonna do about football?"
"I dunno...I haven't quite figured it out yet. Part of me wants to
play, but another part wants me to quit because I don't have Dad's support
anymore."
"You'll always have him spiritually."
"I know, but it's not the same!" Damien retorted. "He was about to
come to the game in Missouri...MISSOURI! Do you realize how far away that is
from San Diego?" Andrea grinned and answered, "No, but I'm sure you'll tell
me."
"Very funny, smart ass." Andrea stuck out her tongue, and Damien said,
"Anyway, he would've been willing to travel halfway around the world just to
see me throw a football around."
"That's devotion for you."
"No, that's stupid. I tried to talk him out of it, but he insisted on
coming out. Look," he said changing the subject, "I'd rather not talk about
it anymore, so if you could catch a ride with Alex back home, I need to talk
to Amy for a little bit."
"You two are only going to talk, right?" Andrea asked sarcastically.
"Quit being cynical!" he responded, "Of course we're only gonna talk!"
Andrea smiled at him and said, "Okay, but don't be long." With that, Andrea
bounced off to gather up Alex so they could head home. On their way back,
Damien stopped Alex and whispered something in his ear. Alex nodded and
continued on to his car. Damien walked over to Amy and said, "Thank you."
"For what?"
"For everything. You were the one who comforted Andrea at the church,
not me. You were the one who stopped me not once...but twice from blasting
members of my own family when I couldn't contain myself. You were the one
who brought back peace and order to my section of the Gordon family, not me.
You have turned me into a better man, and for that...I thank you." Amy
wiped a tear from her eye and said, "I love you, Damien."
"I love you, too." And they stood there, embracing.
* * * * *
Mina showed up at Serena's house armed with ideas. She finally knew
how to get the Nakorru monkey off her back. The only thing she needed was
some friendly counseling, and the way she figured, she could get that for
free with the members of the Sailor Scout/Star Guardian team. Who needed
talk shows? She had her own personal counseling session! When Serena came
to the door, Mina quickly bounced in and said, "I need some advice, but I'm
going to wait until Damien and Amy come back."
"So...why are you coming to me for?" Serena was genuinely confused.
She sort of had an idea on what this was about, but she thought they had
resolved that little problem. Unfortunately, it was evident that they hadn't
even scratched the surface yet. "It's a tough decision that I'm going to
have to make, and I just wanted to catch you up to speed on the whole thing."
Serena patiently sat and listened as Mina broke the whole thing down from
beginning to end. When she finally finished, Serena whistled and said, "I
can see how that could cause a problem. Are you sure you want to wait until
Damien and Amy come back?"
"I'd rather get this out of the way as soon as possible. Who knows
when we'll have this opportunity again?" Serena shook her head and said,
"No; what I'm saying is...do you really want to trouble Damien with this
when he gets back? He'll probably be enough of a nervous wreck after
burying his father. This will probably only compound things."
"I have confidence that Damien will be able to help."
"Okay," Serena relented, "But don't be surprised if he goes ballistic."
* * * * *
Damien woke up early that Tuesday morning and started rummaging around
his bedroom looking for something. He wasn't quite sure what he was looking
for, but whatever it was, it had to be important. When he finally found it,
he gleefully grinned. "I've been looking for you two for a while! This is
gonna be great! Let me go; I don't wanna keep A-Rod waiting." As he quickly
got dressed, he scribbled a note for Amy to let her know where he would be.
When he was finally ready to go, he put on the "mystical" items and bolted
out of the house for his Dad's car. When Amy woke up a couple of hours later,
she found the note at her door and went to wake up Andrea.
"Whassamatter?" Andrea sleepily asked. Amy looked pitiful and said,
"Sorry for waking you, but Damien left me this note." Andrea read the note,
and when she was done, she solemnly said, "It looks like he's about to make
his decision."
* * * * *
Damien met Alex at the San Diego State University practice field. He
smiled as he realized that nothing had changed about it since the last time
he was here. He walked up to Alex and asked, "Guess what I found?"
"What?" Damien said nothing; instead, he merely held up his forearms
to display a pair of blue wristbands with the number five written on them
in gold. "Remember these?" Alex winced and said, "I can't believe you still
have those. They have to be...I don't know...about six years old?"
"Yep; Coach Hernandez said to keep them, and that's what I did. I
liked him. It was too bad he got demoted to Running Back's Coach." Alex
nodded in agreement and asked, "You ready for this?"
"Sure am. It's gonna be my biggest decision ever."
Moments later, after everyone had filtered in on the field for the
usual pre-practice stretches, Alex spoke up and said, "Before we begin, I
have an announcement to make. Making his way to the field is a legend in San
Diego sports history. He is an outstanding quarterback that led Los Altos
High to three consecutive state championships. He is one of the only freshmen
to be considered a Heisman trophy candidate, and he is also in the running
for the Heisman this year...and he's only a sophomore. He led his team to the
Builder's Square Alamo Bowl last year, defeating Texas A&M 37-30. He is one
of the best quarterbacks in recent history, and I'm proud to be able to call
him my friend. Here he is, ladies and gentlemen, from San Diego, CA, weighing
in at 195 lbs., wearing number five, Damien Gordon!"
"He always did have a flair for words," Damien muttered to himself as
he began running out on the field to a course of cheers and boos. Many
people on that Aztec team today were either teammates of Damien's at one
point, or victims of his precision passing. When he finally made it out to
the field, the coach walked up to him and asked, "What? Have you come to
your senses now?"
"Nope," Damien chuckled. "I just wanted to knock off some rust."
Pre-practice warm ups went as expected, and then they went right into
their separate parts of the field for the specific practices. The Quarter-
backs Coach was definitely impressed with Damien's skills, noting the fact
that he had gotten unbelievably better than the last time they saw him work
out. Eventually, they started moving on to specific plays. Damien seemed to
move with ease from one transition to the next, but something seemed wrong
with him. This did not go unnoticed by Alex, and he asked, "Are you all
right? You don't seem yourself today."
"Something doesn't feel right," Damien responded. "I know I need to do
this, but still...something's not right in paradise. I should be fine,
though." Damien started to walk off, but something stopped him. He suddenly
jerked, and seemed to be confused about his surroundings. Finally, he
said, "I'm ready to go back in."
"You sure about this?" Damien nodded, but said nothing. Alex looked
in his friend's eyes trying to find something, but didn't see anything good.
Damien got under center and began to call a cadence. The coach walked up to
Alex and said, "Does he even know the play?"
"I'm not sure Damien knows what he's doing right now." They both
watched as Damien hiked the ball, dropped back, and fired a bullet to an
unsuspecting tight end that was beginning to cut outside. The ball shot
harmlessly through his hands, but when the tight end looked at his gloves,
they were ruined. The sheer velocity of the ball sliced through them.
"Coach!" the tight end yelled, "You have got to see this!" As the tight end
left the field and the back up ran on, Damien quickly called another play and
went under center again. The coach showed Alex the gloves and asked, "Has
he done this before?" Alex shook his head and solemnly said, "Never."
Damien seemed to be in another world, not quite sure of what he was
doing. All he knew was that he was frustrated and he missed his dad. He
kept throwing unbelievable passes left and right, and more and more receivers
kept leaving the field with either ruined gloves or ruined hands. Finally,
he couldn't take anymore and, without hesitation, he flung the ball as hard
and as far as he could and left the field, throwing his helmet off as he left.
Alex looked at his coach and said, "I think he's done."
When he got to the car, he called his home and asked for Amy. When she
came to the phone, he said, "Make sure our bags are packed. We leave first
thing in the morning." He then made one more call, a call to someone he knew
needed to hear what he had to say. As the phone rang, he tried to compose
himself, getting ready to say what he had to say. Finally, the recipient
picked up the phone, and finally, Damien was ready.
"University of Alabama at Birmingham Athletics. Coach Watson Brown
speaking. How may I help you?"
"Coach," Damien said flatly, "It's me."
"Damien!" Coach Brown exclaimed. "I heard about your father. Are you
all right?"
"Yes. Could you do me a favor, Coach?"
"Sure, Damien. You name it, you've got it." Coach Brown sat in silence
for a moment, listening to Damien. He had a feeling that he wouldn't like
what had to be said.
* * * * *
Amy called Serena after she got off the phone with Damien and said,
"We're coming in tomorrow. Make sure we have a ride from the airport."
Serena agreed and asked, "How is he doing? Is everything all right?" Amy
sighed and said, "I'm not sure. I think he's angry about something."
"Did he tell you?"
"Not a word. I've never seen him like this, Serena. I don't know what
he's going to do now, and I'm afraid he doesn't know either."
"Are you sure," Serena gasped. "I'm almost certain," Amy answered.
"When I spoke with him, he seemed direct, but clueless. It was almost as if
he was unsure of himself."
"Well," Serena said, "Don't worry about the ride; we'll meet you there.
What time are you coming in?"
"About two in the afternoon." Serena sighed and said, "Gotcha! See
you tomorrow!" With that, Serena hung up the phone, and Amy set forth in
packing for the trip home. Deep down inside, she only wished she knew what
Damien was going to do.
* * * * *
Coach Brown hung up the phone and sighed. He gathered up the notes
that he took during their conversation and briefly flipped through them. "I
hope he knows what he's doing," he responded.
Sailor Moon: Legend of the Silver Star copyright 1997 Joseph Keith Seltzer and 2-Hype Productions. All rights reserved.