http://clampfix.fanworks.net/guests/quake1.txt </head><body><pre> LITTLE EARTHQUAKES: Chapter 1 The first things Minako noticed were a white blur before her eyes, a loud buzzing noise, and the feeling of being strangled. She sat bolt upright, scattering pillows, blankets, and a startled-looking Artemis in all directions. The buzzing was coming from a large digital clock next to the bed, whose red fluorescent display indicated 0630. Her eyes widened in momentary panic until she remembered that she didn't have school to hurry off to today. Still breathing hard after her rude awakening, she reached over to turn off the alarm and looked back over at Artemis, who was now on the floor trying to disentangle himself from the bedspread. "Ohayou Minako," he said brightly, making his way back onto the foot of the bed. "Yoku nemuretandai?" "Artemis," Minako began, a dangerous glint in her eye, "could it be that you were sleeping on my chest last night?" "Well," he said, switching to English, "the floor was so cold and hard, and you were soft and warm, and..." "Hentai!!" Minako yelled, creaming Artemis full over the head with a pillow. While the white feline moaned indistinctly, Minako smoothed her nightgown and sat up in straighter in bed, noticing that it _was_ pretty cold in the hotel room. Oh well, she sighed, no use trying to get more sleep now. Besides, she _was_ on a vacation of sorts, traveling without most of her friends just like the old days... Picking her furry partner up by his armpits, she dangled him at arms' length and smiled. "Next time, ask permission first, okay? I thought I was going to suffocate!" She hugged him back to her breasts, whispering into his ear "Just don't get used to it...you need a girlfriend, and I," she paused, plopping him back onto the bed, "need a boyfriend." With that, she hopped out of bed, blond hair out of its normal red bow and hanging nearly to her feet, and made her way toward the bathroom. "Check in with the others and see if anything new's up, okay?" she called cheerfully from around the corner. Artemis stared after her, blinking a few times. "Okay!" * * * At last, she thought. Sforzando, City of Light. A light that was death to all of her kind, which shone from this place to the very ends of the world, even to the stronghold of darkness in Kita no Miyako. Had the kekkai not been eclipsed by the avatar of General Bass, she would have perished thousands of miles before ever reaching this spot. But if she could make it this far, so could others. She pressed onwards, knowing that her pursuers could not be far behind. Sforzando sat in the center of a wide valley, nurtured by kind rivers fed from the snows of the surrounding mountains. Its massive outer walls formed a perfect hexagon, inner walls running between them in the shape of a six- pointed star. When the priests of the city united their power, it was said, nothing could breach the resulting barrier. That barrier was currently silent, though squadrons of troops stood atop the walls next to batteries of magical artillery. All the gates were closed and bolted from within at this hour: noone was permitted entry or egress. Not that she cared. * * * Clari walked the silent halls of the palace alone, absorbed in thought. The Dark Army had not yet poured forth from its citadel in the north, but after the collapse of Horn-sama's protective kekkai, their assault could not be far off. Horn-sama...her face had been firm with the reserve of a true queen, but he had seen the pain in her eyes, the same pain that had been there for the last fifteen years. Would she and Flute-hime ever be reunited? Could the bitter destiny awaiting her and her kingdom be averted? All they could now was wait and put their trust in Pandora's son... He abruptly froze his stride, smoothly dropping into a crouch with his staff in both hands. Breath still, his narrow eyes stared straight ahead into the gloom of the antechamber to the throne room. The presence he felt belonged to none of the rightful residents of the castle. "Reveal yourself!" Shadows began to swirl, flowing toward a spot in the middle of the room. The inky-black shape had no firm border, though its slender hominid outlines appeared somehow feminine. Two eyes opened in what should have been the face, pools of luminous violet bright enough to reflect from the polished floor. "Your business?" Clari inquired sharply. A commotion arose from somewhere out of sight, followed shortly by three squadrons of palace guards from the opposite side of the antechamber. They quickly fanned out to surround the shadow, holy spears at the ready. The shadow remained motionless, its eyes gazing into Clari's own. "I seek audience with the queen," came a voice like whispering wind, "regarding a most important matter." Several of the guards glanced around in a vain search for the source of the voice, the sound of their shifting armor resonating from the stone walls. "What matter?" "This," the shadow said, extending a tendril of darkness. From it dangled a jewel-encrusted golden amulet, glinting in the meager light. Clari's eyes widened in shock, but before he could speak a blurred human shape appeared next to the shadow and made a great slash at it with some sort of cane. The shadow vanished instantly, leaving the assailant balanced on the floor in the posture of his follow-through. The man turned to Clari, regarding him blandly from one good eye. "Clari-sama," the man said deadpan, "don't concern yourself with such nuisances at this." He drew himself erect, traces of an ironic smile tugging at his thin lips. "Fool," the voice came again. The shadow abruptly rematerialized several yards behind the one-eyed man, medallion no longer in sight. The man whirled around but halted in response to Clari's barked "Hold!" "Should this pendant leave my protection, it will return at once to its owner and become _ever_ so much harder to steal again. It's difficult enough to keep it here as it is," the shadow added. "I'm sure the esteemed Daishinkan _Clari_ will appreciate its significance." Clari regarded the shadow for a long moment, staff still at ready. "I will consult Her Majesty. Remain here. Parkas, keep watch." He spun on his heel and strode back the way he had come, soon disappearing from view. Parkas, eyes widened in disbelief, turned back to the intruder, still totally inert except for the faint swirling of shadow. Its eyes bored into him with what might have been amusement. After many minutes of silence, the massive doors of the throne room swung open and Clari's voice commanded "Enter." Parkas stepped briefly aside as the shadow drifted across the threshold, beckoning to four of the guards and falling into step behind. Glowing spheres of light illuminated the massive chamber, ceiling soaring over eighty feet above the white stone floor. The queen sat on a throne of gold on an elevated dais, an elegant powder-blue dress tightly encasing her regal figure. The shadow drifted to a spot close to the stairs to the dais and lowered itself to the ground as though kneeling. "You have traveled far," Horn stated, her voice clear and level. "I have been told of the item you bore here, against certain opposition. Tell me: why has one of the demons conspired against its lord?" "I seek an exchange," came the voice. "Freedom in trade for returning that which was stolen those fifteen years ago." The violet eyes remained fixed on the floor, shadows swirling gently. "I care not for the resurrection of Lord Kestra." "Freedom?" "Yes. From the domination of the rulers of this world, from the war they wage and the laws they impose. From this form not of my choosing... I seek passage to another realm." There came a gasp from the guards stationed at the periphery of the hall. "Im..impossible," Parkas murmured in shock. Horn's expression became grim. "Yes. I have that power. However...its use has been forbidden since the age of the Great Demons, several thousand years ago. For he who survives the journey, there is no returning." Her eyes softened a moment. "What is your name?" "I have no name," the shadow whispered, bitterness chilling its words. "From darkness I was born, in darkness I have been used, and to the darkness I return when I die. Unless," it looked up, violet eyes meeting Horn's own, "an alternative can be found." Once again the shadow revealed the medallion, turning its eyes downward and proffering it full-length on the throneroom floor. "I extend my sincere wishes for Your Majesty's success in the battle to come." Horn was silent for many moments. Would that Pandora's Box had never been opened, she thought. No...the fault was not Pandora's, but rather... She rose to her feet, holding her staff of office in one slender hand. Slowly she descended the dais stairs, Clari a tense three steps behind. Stopping before the shadow, she spoke. "I accept this bargain: passage to another world in return for my mother's omamori. Your wishes for our success are... appreciated." The shadow rose slowly, extending the medallion and lowering it into Horn's palm. It let go the chain, which fell into a delicate coil in Horn's hand, her fingers closing over it. From somewhere far, far away came an ethereal cry of rage, lingering for seconds before receding into the echoes of the room. "Summon the priests," Horn ordered. "Dawn approaches." * * * Artemis breathed a sigh of relief as he turned off the communicator. Usagi was really a good-natured girl who had been through far more than anyone could have expected, but he still had trouble thinking of her as the Moon Princess. Did any princess ever chatter as much as she did, or eat as much as she did, he wondered? Or act as scatterbrained, or get such poor marks in school, or... "Hello!" Minako exclaimed, breaking his reverie. Dressed in a trendy T-shirt and denim jeans, she came over from the bathroom and stretched out on the bed with her chin propped up on her arms. "Well?" "Usagi said that everything was going okay back in Japan. No supernatural disasters or strange accidents or anything. Just lots of shopping, eating with the girls, and dates with Mamoru-san. I just hope she's been actually watching the news instead of playing video games all night again..." "Don't worry," Minako replied brightly. "I'm sure she's paying as much attention as she can, and there's always the others to help her. Plus she's got Mamoru protecting her. Right now all we've got to worry about is this meeting with Interpol. That gang dealing crystal meth to school children...how horrible." She traded glances with Artemis. "I guess there's no shortage of demand for us, is there?" "_Professional_ demand, you mean?" Artemis's expression was concerned. He hadn't seen her like this very often. "Yeah...well, kicking the bad guy's ass is our job, isn't it? 'It's not just a tough job, it's a tough adventure', right?" "Don't you mean, 'It's a tough job, but somebody's got to do it?'," Artemis inquired delicately. "Umm, something or other like that." She smiled while Artemis shook his head in dejection. "Anyway, let's hurry or we'll miss our cab." Scooping Artemis up and nestling him on her shoulder, Minako hastened out of the hotel room, putting on her sandals and shutting the door behind her. * * * How he managed to unlock his apartment door while being over 95% asleep was something of a mystery, but he pulled it off anyway. That last can of Coke had kept him from having an accident on the freeway, but its influence was rapidly wearing off and leaving behind a person who hadn't slept in over 24 hours. '_Damn_ deadlines,' he thought sourly, using the bathroom and brushing his teeth entirely on autopilot. 'No way should I have to get to bed after six in the morning!' He trudged into the bedroom and collapsed bodily onto the bed, lying there in relief for some time before pulling off his clothing and burrowing under the covers. Despite the heavy vertical blinds, lonely shafts of sunlight still intruded into the shadows of the room and into his thoughts. Utsukushii yoru... He smiled grimly. Not at this hour. As he drifted off to sleep, his last thought was, 'My mistress's eyes are nothing like the sun.' </pre><p><a href="./">Back</a></p><p><a href=http://www.dreamhost.com/donate.cgi?id=216><img border=0 alt="Donate towards our web hosting bill!" src=https://secure.newdream.net/donate1.gif></a></p></body></html>