[mirage] seen by Ducky mirage (mi räzh') n. an optical illusion, caused by the refraction of light, in which a distant object appears nearby His eyes opened at the sound. He took in his surroundings, looking for it. He found only late morning light subdued by thick curtained windows. He was alone, in the bed, in the room. His breathing was loud in his ears. A smell. Curiosity pushed him out of bed and he padded softly out of the bedroom, bare feet finding comfort in the warm carpeted floor. The hallway led to a brighter room where the smell was coming from. And sound ... He knew that sound. A smile, unbidden and unconscious, pulled at his mouth while the the sound pulled at his heart. Knew when he turned the corner what he would find. ‘Mamo-chan! I was going to surprise you!’ Usako. [act 09: revolution // begin] Everything was still. Light posts bent, asphalt heaved into cracked hills, cars marred with dents, benches torn in half, buildings missing huge chunks of concrete. Everything broken. Everyone still. |to die, to sleep| It seemed as if they were dreaming, the way their bodies were in such deep repose. |to sleep: perchance to dream| Or so it seemed. |for in that sleep of death| Alive, but barely. |what dreams may come| ‘Can you tell the difference?’ Hotaru blinked at the question, her mind brought back from wherever it had wandered off to. Makoto was looking at her with an expectant smile. She was holding a plate of cookies, separated into two piles, the smell intoxicatingly delicious. ‘Ano ...’ A hand on her shoulder brought her confused gaze up into Haruka’s grinning face. ‘Here, Hotaru-chan, I’ll help you out.’ Taking a cookie from each pile, she handed one to Hotaru and ate one herself. A shriek answered her papa’s actions. ‘Haruka-chan! You already had one!’ ‘I’m helping.’ ‘How can you be helping when you only took from one pile?’ ‘Oh. Well I guess I should take from the other pile too ...’ Shrieks came again and Hotaru watched with amusement as Usagi chased Haruka around the room. The other girls took advantage of the situation and snuck more cookies from the plate. Michiru didn't even bother to try to stop them, only reaching over to take several more cookies for herself, handing a couple to her daughter. Hotaru giggled at the mischievous grin on her mama’s face, warmth filling her as she bit into the cookie. Home. It was extravagant and comfortable, the perfect home. Soft pillows on lush couches, soft carpet contrasting with smooth floors, pictures and books scattered around, evidence to life being lived within its walls. Michiru picked up a CD case that had been left on one of the tables, inserting the disc into the stereo system. A soft melody made its way through out the room. She still couldn’t get the sound out of her mind. The smell of hot tea brought her thoughts from sound to warmth as Haruka lifted Michiru’s own hands to take the mug. ‘Here. It’ll make you feel better.’ Michiru smiled gratefully at her lover as the blonde returned to the kitchen. The perfect partner. Perfect. She sipped her tea in contemplation. It had been a long day of repairs and cleaning but, looking around the temple in the dusk stillness, Rei was happy with what had been accomplished. Not everything on her list had been finished, but if she had been by herself, she wouldn’t have been able to do half of what they had done today. Sure, they’d had to clean up the mess from their impromptu cookie fight during lunch, but Rei couldn’t help but chuckle at the memory of Usagi’s cheeks bulging like a chipmunk in her attempt to “save” the cookies. What would I do without all of you? The front door slid open. She smiled, immediately setting down her cup and going to the doorway. ‘Tadaima.’ ‘Okaeri, papa.’ (In the stillness, she’d seen it.) (His plan.) (Lure her in by threatening the lives of her friends.) (Ari) (Rin) (Yuki) (Break her so she would use the ginzuishou.) (And fuel his revolution.) (‘I think Idealization has a much better tone, actually.’) (She spun around, shocked.) (He could hear her thoughts.) (He chuckled humorlessly at her reaction.) (‘Why do you think you can see into my mind when you couldn’t before? Because of your powers? Because you’re so strong?’) (He held her immobile with just a thought.) (Proving her wrong.) (She tried to struggle. But nothing moved. Strain was evident only in her eyes.) (Along with fear.) (‘My mind is only open to you because I am in yours.’) ('Because you allowed me in yours.') (You used me.) (His eyes rolled.) (‘Don’t give me that. You were doing the same thing.’) (No ... I wasn’t -) (He rounded on her like a lion.) (‘LIAR!’) (Roaring in her face.) (‘How dare you try to deny it! I, who can see your dreams, your thoughts, your lies!’) (‘You were trying to prove to yourself, prove to everyone that you could handle me all on your own.’) (Taunting) (‘You didn’t tell anyone when your friends died. You didn’t tell anyone when you found out how to go into the Ideal.’) (Accusing) (‘You used Yuki’s dream to lead to mine. And here we are. Exactly what you wanted.’) (She couldn’t deny it. Any of it.) (But this isn’t what I wanted.) (Tears streaming down her face.) (‘But it’s exactly what you asked for. You wished me to take away your pain.’) (He wiped away a tear.) (‘Your pain stemmed from your worry of your friends.’) (A wave of his hand revealed in the clouds their dreams.) (‘Your friends are fine now.’) (Hotaru singing along with Haruka and Michiru’s playing, Rei talking with her father over dinner, Minako wildly enjoying herself at a party, Makoto surrounded by laughing family members, Ami and her mother strolling through the park) (‘No pain, no suffering ...’) (‘And soon, the whole world will find happiness in the Ideal.’) (This isn’t right. I – I can’t let you do this.) (He traced her tears’ path down her cheeks.) (‘Oh yes you can.’) (He plunged his hand into her chest. The ginzuishou reacted with a blinding light.) (She screamed.) The mug slipped from her fingers, the crash muted by the sound tearing through her mind. Michiru was left gasping at the pain, the rush of fear and agony gripping her in a cold vise grip. sukete)(tasukete)kete)k(tasukete)(t(tasukete)t(tasukete)a(tasukete She felt hands on her shoulders, but she pushed them away. She knew this sound. Knew who it belonged to. A strong grip spun her around. Haruka. But the ripping and ringing in her ears was warping her eyesight. Warping her. Perfect. So perfect. Haruka was talking to her, she could see the mouth moving. But her voice was drowned out by the screaming scratching through her memories. The sound revealing inconsistencies. |lush couches, soft carpet contrasting with smooth floors| |the sound of the doorbell echoing inside the house| ‘Michiru, what’s wrong?’ Perfect. |their bodies pressed so close together they were almost one| |saw the tension in her stance, the denial in her v| ‘Let me help you!’ Too perfect. promise me one thing |I told you| Ocean blue met emerald. what? |No| And punched her in the face. come back [act 09: revolution // end] Ducky November 9, 2006 – November 18, 2006