Tokyo 2014
One year later
It was orientation day at Tokyo University. Beryl licked her lips as she looked at the free BBQ set up, had her fill of delicious faire, and then purchased her favorite Hazelnut Delight coffee; a ritual she adopted since first enrolling at this prestigious university three years beforehand and won her undergrad in music theory, cinematography and English with honors.
Trestle tables were set out on the outer rim of the central courtyard, these manned by a collage of people every bit as interesting as the students they were attracting to look at the magazines, AV gear, brochures, jewelry, clothing, musical instruments, food, wine and other cool stuff on display and for sale. All this activity taking place close to where the cafés, Sushi bars, restaurants, computer and book vendors prostrated themselves before the massive student library and services buildings.
For Beryl, this was a new and exciting year. She had decided upon a six-tiered postgraduate course in music and Media, closely on the heels of her previous achievements that would offer her plenty of challenges she looked forward to with relish.
As she was a rising rock star, climbing the charts, there was far more to her than a sexy bod, great voice and songwriting ability - not to mention her skill on the electric guitar and several other instruments. She wanted to manage her own musical career as her songs shot up the Origan Charts in Japan, and then she would take Europe and the US then the world by storm; that was the plan. She likened the start of the semester to a Sakura blooming in spring.
The students were smiling as they sat at a vast array of outdoor tables on the concourse. The girls decked out in various outfits: jeans and skirts, elegant to sexy, basic denim stretch and boot jeans. So cosmopolitan it was, and Also proving popular as always: Hello Kitty socks, tops and sandshoes, not to mention those devotees of kawaii and their plushy ensemble tethered to packs, skirts, and jackets, tied to the hair and cell phones, bags and other items. Oh and there were the first year chicks, applying make-up, or reading magazines and pointing to those people they recognized attempting to get their attention.
Tokyo University was a beehive of activity that morning.
Beryl laughed as she sipped on her coffee, crossing her legs and breathing in the atmosphere and watched the guys drinking her in as they were doing with other females; some of these girls, like herself, lapping it up. Some blushing and still others stoic and annoyed, showing their displeasure by burying their pretty faces in books and papers.
She looked on, seeds planted for a new series of friendships and working relationships sprouting all around her. It was magic watching it unfold from her place outside the Lucky Lizard Café in the central hub of the campus forecourt.
A dance band was playing a set of popular Anime themes and the sun was warm and inviting. She sighed and continued her vigil, catching the many young faces as they came and went. Some excited, and others nervous, and still others dancing to the music in the court’s heart where the stage had been set up. Beryl could see the differing expressions of the international exchange students and the first years. You could always tell these apart from the usual more experienced campaigners as the latter chatted companionably with old friends. Some foraging through their packs, checking to make sure everything they needed was there.
Smiling, she thought about the class with Lady Usagi. Beryl was keen to prove to herself and to those detractors she was more than just a pretty face, curvaceous and blessed with a great pair of long tanned legs and luscious vermillion locks and stunning crimson eyes. Couldn’t they see this was simply a case of possessing beauty and brains as well as nerve that got her through her undergraduate course with a distinction? She loved playing the vixen, a role that got her plenty of attention. Sometimes she would retreat into herself. She was happy. She had the hottest guy on campus. He was one hell of a keyboard player, and the band would soon be on that stage doing a charity performance before traveling to Greece during the first semester break. It was all arranged and she was keyed up and looking forward to the whirlwind tour of Greece and seeing and performing in the ancient city of Athens.
Beryl’s thoughts traveled back to the events of the year before, how long ago now it seemed to her in that moment. The meeting or class felt more like the chapter of a secret society gathering than anything else it appeared to be. It just felt that way.
She pondered Nemesis, and what it might mean, or meant. Was it in her past or future? It was as if she were in a fantasy film. Did all that really happen? She shrugged, and looked forward to meeting Usagi for lunch the next day when she’d be on campus to talk about what happened, the woman had been away from her computer before the Christmas or silly season as the people of the west often termed it when the city was flooded with tourists. Usagi was on some kind of sea adventure, and she would share her memories of it promising to show her photographs and souvenirs, all Beryl’s emails had been ignored until the day before when Usagi finally made contact apologizing for her absence. Beryl replied, telling her it was cool and that was when they arranged to meet up to chat about the reading and girly stuffies.
Thinking of Kunzite’s many exploits, Beryl laughed aloud and won a smile from a gorgeous fair-haired American guy who looked to the lovely sound and flashed Beryl a winning smile. She raised her coffee cup in acknowledgement and winked, closing her eyes and sipped on her favorite beverage once more, utterly content and swinging her shoe precariously on the end of her big toe.
Then a shocking vision of two young people, one looking a lot like Usagi, driving a sword into her chest by throwing herself upon its crystal blade she had somehow managed to position with such small, but strong hands made Beryl jump.
‘All that blood, those eyes, wide and staring!’
At the young woman’s feet, a young man, her prince obviously, he looked like Chiba Mamoru, but was a little younger and stone dead. She knew they’d loved each other, and this was a lover’s suicide pact. She began to cry.
She shook herself, tears streaming down her cheeks; wiping these away she struggled to regain her composure. Looking sultry and wistful, she sighed. She wouldn’t allow the visions- as disturbing as these were - to rain on her new sun splashed day.
---
She walked around the grounds, sitting in on various presentations, the music and cinema she found fascinating, all this to dampen the dread that crept into her heart.
Why these visions continued to haunt her, she didn’t know.
‘I would have thought that bringing all this to the surface would have freed me of the nightmares, but no, they’re just getting fucking worse!’
Stomping past a couple of confused first years, wondering if somehow they’d offended the fiery redhead. Beryl strode into the gymnasium, presented her student card to the desk clerk and proceeded to a locker where Ami Mizuno was seated wearing a pair of white shorts and a ice-blue tank top, pen tucked behind her ear, silver rimmed glasses perched on the tip of her nose, she had been writing up some kind of check list.
“ha-hmmm,” Beryl coughed, wanting to make conversation with somebody and this girl was as good as any in the large chamber.
“Yes, can I help you?”
‘She sounds like one of those librarians or airline hostesses, but she’s sweet, I’ll go easy on her,’ she thought and smiled, taking a seat beside the studious girl.
“Beryl Canoga,” she said, and the girl looked up, her glasses falling into her lap.
“Ami Mizuno,” the girl stammered.
“I know, J-rock diva and all, but…” she leaned over and whispered in her ear, “I am human you know, and don’t bite; that is, unless you want me too, but I’m straight so don’t freak out,” she cackled, and the red-faced girl stared, shook her head and laughed uproariously.
“I-I’m sorry, for being so rude, but I am honored to meet you,” she beamed.
Then Beryl saw the girl in a soft sky-blue dress, a sapphire tiara upon her head, and two figures on the throne, and a hooded monk of some kind with the most evil looking eyes smiling at Ami as if he were a lover, or parent.
‘No he’s not her lover, but could be her father - Eep! How the hell could a girl turn out so sweet and have a father like that creature?’ then remembered where she was.
Just the same, the scene was oddly disturbing aside from the stoic expression on the king’s face, not so much a doting parent, but a caretaker, emasculated by infertility she knew this, but didn’t understand why. The Mercurean King, it was Mercury, she knew without question; was that of a harsh and bitter man. The woman, a shrinking violet with magenta hair that pooled in her lap, quite beautiful, with huge green eyes seemed to be both afraid and awed and quite taken with the tall robed stranger with the huge dark eyes, so black these made Beryl shudder. She came back to herself and coughed, blowing her nose hoping Ami hadn’t noticed her trance-like state.
“Glad to meet you, Ami,” she looked at the page, scrawled in an elegant hand, “Whatcha doin’? Looks like a shopping list, and yeah, you into mall trolling?”
“As a matter of fact, I and several of my friends are going shopping later tonight; Cherry Blossom Festival you know, would you like to come along?” Ami said; a hopeful expression on her face.
“Sure, why not,” she picked up the list in the girl’s hands and signed it in several places on a blank sheet attached to said list, “Now, you’ve got a personalized message here Ami, and you can cut these out and give the others to your friends!”
“That’s awfully nice of you, but-“
“I know you’re just not the type to impose; it is quite all right. I have good instincts.”
“Wow, so you want to do a work-out? I’m just going through my regime trying to figure out what I need to restock the cupboards and fridge at home – want to work out together?”
“You try and stop me!”
“Okay, but don’t forget the open market, there are many things to see and do there, buy some really cool items, you in?”
“You bet woman, looks like I’m going to like you Ami Mizuno!” she smiled, pulling her tee-shirt over her head and opening up her bag to produce a pair of pink shorts and a white tank top. “Great way to work off the free food in the campus food court!”
