It was surprisingly warm in the car, he thought.
"There's a towel behind you, so wipe yourself off, alright? - It's going to be a long ride... Ah, Endy dearest?" "Yes?"
"You do have a driving license, don't you?"
Chiba Mamoru stared. And laughed.
"I do."
He'd never been expected to drive the car in any of his kidnappings, before...
"It's been a long time - Beryl"
The red-haired woman just laughed, scarlet eyes glittering.
She looked younger then when he had last seen her, he thought. She was - someplace in her early twenties, now? Maybe.
- About Usagi's age?
Scarlet tresses cascading down - ahh, yes, that was Beryl. He remembered the rose garden, then. So vividly.
And yes, her eyes were still bright scarlet...
"I met you in the rose garden. Once."
Beryl blinked, and smiled.
"There were just so many of those rose gardens, Endy dear - I mean, there is such a thing as overdoing things. Even if roses were your clan's house flower..."
True, that.
"Alright, we're going to be driving for a long time now, I'm afraid - maybe you should try to take a nap, Endy dearest? I'm not going to be able to stay up for ever, you know."
Chiba Mamoru sighed, feeling more like "Prince Endymion" by the pico-second. Or rather, just plain old "Endymion" without the "Prince" part - Beryl'd always do that to him...
Look, Beryl, you happen to be trying to kidnap me right now, correct? You are not supposed to do such things as make the kidnapee drive the car. Or fall asleep with him in the same car.
"...As you wish, Beryl. But just one thing..."
"Oh, yes. Here."
Mamoru wondered then if she was reading his mind. Or maybe it was simply that he was just that easy to read, even without mindreading?
The image of his to-be daughter floated in the Crystal ball, snoring faintly.
"...Thank you."
"No problemo, my princeling."
Beryl grinned, looking very much like the woman he had known, once upon a time.
Lady Beryl of Silverlake. That had been her name, once.
Mamoru blinked, then. Why had he remembered that now?
They drove, and they drove, and they drove.
The only thing Mamoru could tell was that they were past Ibaragi by now, which was pretty damn far, as far as he was concerned.
And now they were in the mountains.
And it was still raining. What the hell.
"Beryl? Beryl, I've gotten to the X on the map..."
Come on and wake up, Beryllium. And don't tell me we're lost.
Not now, please.
"Uh...whazzat..."
She pushed her hairs out of her eyes, the gesture suddenly making him desperately miss Usagi.
"We're where you told me to go, Beryl."
"Oh...Alright. We're right near the 'Port-point, anyway."
...Alright, then.
"...Hold my hand?"
He looked at Beryl's hand. It was a rather big hand, considering the rest of her wasn't so large.
Big hands, big feet, herself not so big. That was Beryl.
Yes.
He took her hand, and closed his eyes and the power flowed around them.
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(Posted Mon, 07 Aug 2006 11:22)
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