Vincent made sure that Milei was safely in bed and sound asleep before returning to his workroom. Lately there had been so much inspiration coming from so many places, and he had no time to put all of his visions onto canvas. Elcid had walked in earlier, inquiring as to if he had seen Father Cloud, but unfortunately he had not. Ah well. Taking out another blank canvas, Vincent set to work, the paintbrush an extension of his body. Figures formed, some separated by long distances and some very close together. Vincent did not see them, as his eyes were focused on something only he could envision. ***** Dark Star XX – Love Once Lost… by Delfina Started by Lady Chaos Hosted by Improfanfic ***** Nesuni smirked to herself. Everything was working out perfectly. Her dear family would never suspect a thing. She braced herself for the powers that were rightfully hers to be bestowed, but they were not forthcoming. The man of the shadows had told her that this day would come and that she would soon be an equal with the Gods, but as it was, her demonic heritage was still denied her. She could tell that the other Stars were a bit concerned that the transfer had not occurred yet. It seemed to give them a little hope – that perhaps Kurayamino had not left this world after all. She shook her head in anger. The power was hers. She had been striving for this day every since she had met that darkly handsome man, Kichigaisakka. He had promised her so many things, if she did what he told her to do. If only she could remember… ***** Deciding to do a little sightseeing, Nesuni wandered aimlessly around Tokyo, taking in the culture and wonder of a foreign country. She had just finished her last semester of college, and this little trip to Japan was a graduation present from her grandparents. Her mother was from here, so she thought that it might be nice to see the land of her ancestors once in her life. Pausing at the doorway to a sushi bar, she tried to decide whether she should indulge herself now, or wait until evening when the rest of her group would be back from wherever they had gone today. She didn't really want to eat by herself, and they should be back from their shopping excursions any time now. Resisting the pull of the sushi, she started to head back to her hotel. Walking along the bustling streets, she was startled when someone bumped into her, knocking her down. "Oh miss! I am very sorry! It was an accident!" A tall, dark man with penetrating blue eyes offered his hand to her, "Gomen nasai! Sorry, I do not speak English very well, are you hurt?" Nesuni shook her head and accepted the proffered assistance. "No, I'm fine, thank you. You just startled me, that's all." The man sighed in relief. "That's very good. My apologies, again." "No, no, I'm all right, really." "Ah. Well, I noticed that you were heading to that sushi place, would you be willing to let me buy you dinner? To make up for me running into you like that…" he asked, his mouth quirking into a smile. Nesuni grinned. "Do you do that to all of the girls?" "Only the pretty ones," he replied, rubbing the back of his head somewhat shamefacedly. "By the way, my name is Kichi. Well, Kichigaisakka, but that is such a burden, is it not? You're very lovely, I bet your name is something as beautiful as you are, bringing to mind moonlight and stars and," he noticed Nesuni giggling, "I'm sorry, I'm babbling aren't I? Well I can't help but be in the presence of one such as yourself," smiling widely, he extravagantly offered his arm to her. "My name is Nesuni," she said laughingly, and accepted his arm as he escorted her into the restaurant. ***** If only Father Cloud had not interrupted her ceremony with the kitsune… she could be standing at the side of her Kichi as he ruled the world in a glorious reign! Frowning at that thought, she tried to remember more… it was all coming in bits and pieces… "Nesuni." She broke out of her reverie and looked into Hitomi's eyes. "Perhaps you should begin the purification rituals now." Nesuni blinked. "Purification rituals?" "Why yes, of course. The rituals are a vital part of the ceremony. You must be cleansed in order to receive the power, and fully utilize it. Fasting and meditating for three days should prepare you a bit, although the power is a great responsibility and nothing can truly prepare you for that." The other Stars nodded grimly. "You must be as ready as possible for it. We must also find the Queen of Heaven to complete it, and proclaim you a Star." Nesuni nodded in understanding. She got up quickly and exited the room to begin the preparations as soon as possible. The sooner she started, the sooner she would be finished and be able to be reunited with Kichi. As she left the room, the four remaining Stars exchanged glances. They remained silent until the sound of her echoing footsteps had faded away. ***** Kichi had made her stay in Japan wonderful. She had decided to stay an extra month because of him, and was enjoying every minute of it. He was 'The One'. She was positive, and she couldn't wait to tell her mother and grandparents all about him. He had two brothers, Nihana and Myoujou, whom he was very close to, and who she soon learned to love as well. They were all very friendly and outgoing, and often spent time together. He had his dark moments though, as well. Sometimes he would go into an unapproachable mood and would not allow anyone near him. When she asked Nihana and Myoujou about this, they simply shrugged. She thought nothing really of it, only tried to make Kichi happy. And then one day, Kichi asked her out for a romantic night out, just the two of them, and she knew she had succeeded in making him love her just as much as she loved him. On that night, she prepared herself so that she would look especially pretty. She hoped that tonight would be the night he admitted his feelings for her. He picked her up and took her to the same sushi bar where they had first met. 'How romantic! He remembers where we first met!' she thought, beaming as he escorted her inside. He was not speaking much, and she attributed that to nervousness. Finally, he broke the silence. "Nesuni, I have something to ask you." Leaning forward in her seat expectantly, Nesuni smiled. "Yes?" "I… I have to tell you something. About myself." He then proceeded to tell her a tale that seemed as though it were out of a fantasy story, and yet his penetrating gaze would not let her doubt him. ***** "Our sister is acting very strangely," Junta observed. "It seems as though she was almost happy that Kurayamino was dead and that she would become a Star." Hitomi frowned. "I don't think that she is the same person we, or Mother, thought she was." "Do you think that this means Kurayamino is still alive?" Zellar asked, a gleam of hope appearing in his haunted eyes. Atsuri looked at Zellar and sighed. "It is strange, that he would have disappeared so abruptly as that. The only ways his powers can be fully passed on however, is if he had died, willingly bestowed his powers upon another potential Star, or the Queen of Heaven saw fit to have them removed." "But Tenkou has not fully awakened yet, and it would take a great shock to cause her to do so at this point." Hitomi remarked. "I can think of but one other cause of this, and that would be Shiko. Yasha has not had such an opportunity, and the other Points are not active as yet." Zellar paled. "Let us hope that they are not going to become active. The battle is fierce enough with who is participating thus far." "Indeed, and the Stars are currently incomplete." Junta gazed off at a distant point. "We need a fifth Star again. No matter what has happened to Kurayamino, he is no longer a Star. Nesuni is the most likely candidate, unless Mother chooses to reassert her authority. While it is true that Kurayamino's powers can never be taken from him, except in certain circumstances, that does not mean that there cannot be a new Star. For that, however, we need the Queen of Heaven." ***** Tenkou stood over the body of Kurayamino, light starting to blaze around her. She did not notice the many hued inferno that was forming about her, as she knelt protectively over Kurayamino. "I will stay here. I will face whatever he faces. We are as one, and we shall forever more remain that way." Shiko gazed at the two lovers, and murmured. "Thou art truly the Queen of Heaven. Your love for him surpasses any other force that I may exert over you. Remember that. I once knew the powers of love myself…" sighing, she looked down at her clasped hands. "You may have his soul, I am in a good mood today, and love that has transcended the ages like yours is hard to find. If only we were all so lucky…" A mist rose about her, and her form soon faded to sight, as her voice floated out of the fog and issued one warning. "I am not your friend, nor your ally. If you stand in my way, Queen of Heaven, I will destroy you and all whom you love." Tenkou collapsed to the ground, sobbing as she clutched Kurayamino close to her. ***** Kichi sighed. Nesuni was such an innocent, yet she was the perfect tool. She loved him. Love. That was normally the power of the Queen of Heaven, but even he was affected by it. He once had love, he once was a foolish young man who had succumbed to its charm. If he wasn't careful, he would do so again. Shrugging, he dismissed the past and moved on with his life, trying to forget the lovely maiden who was stolen from his grasp after so many trials, so long ago… ***** Shiko watched the two lovers with a tinge of regret in her expression. She had experienced a love like that long ago… which is the only reason she let the two be together for as long as possible. Soon their love would be destroyed, just as hers had, but she did not want that upon her conscious. Even she had her limit. She recalled a bright young man with a golden voice, who had come against all odds to save her. Then she was snatched away from his grasp, never to see him again. She still wondered what had happened to him… Sighing she put the past behind her, and went to her faithful followers. ***** Vincent's eyes focused upon the image before him. Separated by a gulf of darkness were two lovers, reaching out to one another with outstretched arms. A column of light shone in the center, scattering rays through the darkness. It contained the Queen of Heaven hovering protectively over the fallen form of Kurayamino. Getting a strange feeling about this particular painting, Vincent wrapped it up carefully to share with the others. ***** Author's blurb: Sorry this part is so short, and so crappy. ^^; No pre-readers, and I was sleepy and rushed when I was writing it. Ah well. I know Lady C can handle it, right LC? ^_~