Chapter 5: Shooting Star
Kimi ha itsumo kagayai te ta
egao hitotsu chiisana hoshi
taisetsu ni crape ta yo (eien no starlight)
ano hiboku ha mamore nakute
kuyashi namida kora e ta dake
ita mi ga noku ru yo (wasurenai sweetheart)
[You have always been shining so brightly
Your smiling face is just like a tiny star
I have been treasuring it (Eternal starlight)
On that day I could not come and protect you
I just held my tears of regret inside
I am still feeling the pain (I won't forget you, sweetheart)]
Search for your love, sora no suishou
Search for your love, nakanai de kure
Search for your love, hontou ha,
dakishimetai no sa
[Search for your love, the crystals of the heavens
Search for your love, please don't start to cry
Search for your love, I really
Want to hold you close to me now]-“Nagareboshi He” [Shooting Star]-Pretty Soldier Sailor Moon Sailorstars.
Eric had finally gained control over his new form. Mostly. So now they were off again, swimming through the vastness of the open sea. He couldn’t deny that part of him was in heaven. Gliding freely, finally able to truly appreciate the beauty of the ocean without any of the complications of human frailty; it was indescribable. The rest of him was trying not to fear the worst, and not just for Ariel.
All except for one tiny part that was preoccupied with the awkwardness that came from spending a considerable amount of time without a shirt. Selene had told him to remove it a while before, as attire so blatantly human could draw unwanted attention. She had seemed annoyed that she hadn’t recognized the danger sooner. Eric had countered by asking if her choice of clothing wasn’t at all conspicuous, but Urchin had explained that some mermaids from other kingdoms did wear cloth instead of seashells, but mermen were always either bare-chested or clad in armor. He hated wearing armor, so shirtless it was.
This conversation had reminded Eric of how smooth Selene’s transition had been compared to his own. At his question, she thought for a moment before answering.
"Well, magic reacts differently with everyone. There are a lot of variables involved. In your case, it your body's first time channeling that sort of power, which tends to make things more difficult to begin with. Also, my particular brand of magic doesn't like to play nice with anyone who hasn't taken the time to make friends with it. Not mention the fact that transformations are tricky."
"Now on the other hand, I've changed form once or twice before this, my body's used to channeling powerful energy, and I'm very familiar with the magic that did the transforming. You see the difference?"
"I think so." Eric replied as they continued swimming, "But are you saying that with practice anyone can use magic?"
Selene shook her head, “No. It’s like anything else. Some have an affinity for it, some don’t.”
Urchin jumped in curious, “Well do I?”
This time Selene's answer was almost immediate “Actually yes. You do have some potential. You wouldn’t have heard my message if you didn’t.”
“What about me?”
“And me?”
Selene was torn between amusement and pity. “Sorry Flounder, Sebastian, but you two don‘t have that particular gift. I wouldn‘t let it get you down though.”
Eric whipped around as Flounder and Sebastian sighed in disappointment. For a second Selene had sounded different; younger, less jaded. Almost like...but that was ridiculous.
Daemon hated the mirror almost as much as he hated the cauldron. They made him feel like some cackling mustache-twirling villain from a fairy story. Unfortunately both tools had proven necessary, especially since maintaining his disguise was sapping so much of his strength.
“Mirror, mirror on the wall. I bid you now to heed my call. Show me the prince of this world who has the love of the one whose hair I hold.” He held out his palm, revealing the single red strand. It glowed briefly, along with the mirror. A moment later the light was gone and a scene played within the glass.
‘Hmm. They’re further along than I expected. Good. Selene will bring them where they need to be. She has as much to lose as I do. More even.’
A sudden noise on the stair broke his concentration. The picture in the mirror faded away, leaving only his reflection.
"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to interrupt." It was Ariel. She was standing on the landing and in her nervousness and position under the shadows of the torches, was the very picture of the little girl lost. As Daemon stared like a fool at the sight of such fragile beauty, he could physically feel his heart ache for her.
"Don't apologize. It's just been a while since I've had company."
Ariel fiddled with her hands before stepping into the light, tilting her head slightly, as if to gain a new perspective, "I was wondering if you were having any luck."
The young princesses saphire-bue eyes pleaded to him silently and he felt the familiar pain once more. Those eyes...they would be the end of him someday. One way or another, they would do him in.
"As it happens, yes. He's on his way back to you." The truth...in a manner of speaking.
"That's wonderful!" She lit up with hope and he felt sick inside. He could hardly stand to look at her, she was shining so bright.
"I suppose it is. To see someone you love after missing them; it's the most wonderful thing of all." He didn't mean to let his regret or bitterness slip out, but they did just the same.
"You must have loved her very much." Daemon had forgotten how intuitive Ariel could be. He'd have to watch himself, or she would see right through him.
"More than anything." There was no need to lie about that.
"Where is she now?" Ariel already knew the answer wasn't pleasant. Daemon could hear the pity in her voice.
"I lost her. Once to chance, once through my own stupidity, and finally to the darkness." All true. All hopelessly and horribly true.
"I'm sorry." Why did she keep doing that? Why?
His head was spinning and he stroked his forehead, desperately wanting to make everything stop, he asked her, "Please, don't apologize to me. I just can't. I can't..."
The reality of the situation had finally come to rest on Daemon's shoulders and he pitched forward with the weight of it before sinking to his knees.
It was all over. The plan had been doomed to failure from the beginning, he could see that now. There was no way to save the girl before him from the monster that awaited both her and her young lover.
"Are you OK?" In his delirium Ariel no longer resembled a lost child, but rather something sent from heaven.
"I'll be fine. I just need to rest." Standing was easy enough, but staying up wasn't. Fortunately Ariel was ready to offer her support, sparing him a second fall.
Daemon turned his head to gaze into those beautiful eyes that would forever condemn him to grief, and smiled, "I never understood how a mermaid could look so much like an angel." Then he passed out.
"Is this it?" The gold gate that seemed intricately woven rather than built certainly looked promising, Urchin was not known for his patience.
Selene, knowing this, didn't mince words. "Yes. This is the gate to the Nameless Isle."
“So how do we get in?" Flounder wanted Ariel back. It was bad enough that they couldn’t hang out the way they used to, but at least he knew she was happy.
Whenever they did see each other she would give him an extra-tight hug to let him know she missed him too. He bet when they found her it would be even tighter than usual and she‘d be sure to tell him how brave he had been, helping Eric and everyone rescue her. Thinking about what she’d say made him feel al little better, but before that, they had to find her.
"We just knock. But I should warn you, I've never traveled through with someone else before. I’m not sure what might happen. But no matter what just do the best you can and have faith that we'll all meet up again on the other side."
Urchin flicked his tail in resolution "All right. Let's do this. For Ariel.”
“For Ariel.” Sebastian snapped his claws, Flounder’s fins were all in motion, and Eric bobbed up and down as he nodded.
Selene rolled her eyes before knocking at the huge gate. There was a creaking sound as it opened, suddenly filling the water with a blinding light.
Eric opened his eyes. He was standing. That in itself was strange, since a few minutes ago he hadn‘t had legs. He had his shirt and shoes, which was nice, but still odd considering the circumstances. Looking around, he found himself in the grove by the lake where he and Ariel had taken a boat ride on her second day as a human.
“Not to seem rude, but do you really have time to be admiring the scenery?”
Turning Eric, found himself face-to-face with a stranger. The man before him was tan and fairly tall, with short dark hair, and brown eyes that twinkled merrily, but he wore a sardonic smile and his left eyebrow was raised in wordless question. His button-down shirt and pants were neatly pressed, and he was clean-shaven, but somehow still gave off an air of roguish charm.
“This place isn’t really...”
“No. It’s not really, but it’s a pretty good replica, if I do say so myself.”
Eric had often found other ‘men of station’ distasteful, and sometimes after a few hours the urge to punch one or more of them had been hard to control. H had spent less than a minute with this man and already he wanted to hit him more than all of the insufferable aristocratic idiots put together.
Eric was not by nature hot-tempered, but the events of the past two days would have pushed any reasonable man to his limits. He was finished cooperating. He wanted answers.
"You can skip the riddles and half-answers. I’m tired of them. Where am I, really and how do I get out of here?"
"At the In-between. And sad to say, this is one of those times where the only way to go back is to go forward. And the cryptic wasn‘t my idea, but there are rules even I can‘t break."
Eric’s anger dissipated slightly. "How exactly do I go forward?"
"Simple. You convince me you're ready."
This man had gone from sardonic, to defense, to matter-of-fact without missing a beat. He didn’t seem quite normal. But what was these days?
Still, the young prince wanted to know what he was dealing with. "Who are you?”
"We'll, once upon a time I was a demonic assassin, some things happened that eventually turned me into the Source of all Evil, then some other things happened leading to my being here. Anyway, you can call me Cole. Cole Turner. And Kid, if you think that’s farfetched, just wait ‘til you see what’s coming. It’ll be a scream.”
Author’s Notes:
Sorry for the lateness! RL interferes yet again. Anyway, hope you liked it.
Also: Cole Turner is a character from the TV Show Charmed that appeared from Seasons Three-Five, making a guest appearance in one episode of Season Seven. A slightly more detailed look at the character borrowed from Television Without Pity
www.televisionwithoutpity.com:
Coral, You're up!