Senshi (Guardians)

Kyoko chan was sitting at a table under a street lamp in front of a small café. It was closed because it was past midnight. The restaurant was located away from the main street so there was no traffic at night. She liked the silence. It made it easier for her to concentrate on the pencil drawing she was creating on her sketch pad.

She raised her head a moment to look down the cross street and then to the sky.

I thought I saw a lightning flash … couldn’t be. It isn’t supposed to rain tonight.

Having rejected that thought, she went back to her drawing. A large moth had settled itself on the back of the chair across from her to rest from all that flapping around the street lamp. She was hoping to sketch the swirls and lines of its wings before it decided to go back up to beat itself against the light fixture again.

Why do they do that, anyway?

She looked at the moth and said, “Do ishite? Is it love that makes you beat yourself to death against the glass of the lamp? Why do you do that?” She asked it again.

Hearing no answer, she started to look down at her drawing when she saw another bright flash of light. Something shot past her eyes. It flew by so fast she couldn’t tell what it was. That didn’t really matter because it collided with the wall of the store front next to the cafe. The impact was so hard the ground shook like a small earthquake. The moth she was sketching abandoned the chair in fright and flew away.

She could see that something had imbedded itself in the wall. The noise of the impact reverberated from the nearby buildings.

As she looked closer she could see a man spread eagle, face first, embedded in the cinder blocks. Strange as that was, she also saw a pair of beautiful white wings spread to their fullest fourteen foot span.

As she walked toward it she thought, Tenshi? But why would an angel…

She didn’t get to finish that thought, because it gently fell backward, in slow motion, ending up flat on its back on the sidewalk. Her first thought was: Maybe I should run, but something about the angel made her stay. She stood staring, not knowing what to do or say.

She carefully walked over to it. The wings had disappeared.

I wonder if it’s dead.

“Ow,” it said.

Maybe I hallucinated the wings… and yet… She looked at the wall. There was a perfect imprint of a man with wings pushed into the solid brick. She looked down at him. She didn’t see any blood or apparent damage. His eyes were closed. She was about to bend down to see if he was still breathing when he said, “Genki desu ka?”

“Excuse me?”

He repeated himself in perfect Japanese, “Are you all right?”

She chuckled. “Shouldn’t I be the one asking that?”

“Why?” He kept his eyes closed and just lay on his back, debris from the wall all around him.

“For one thing, wasn’t that you I just saw fly into that brick wall at high speed?”

“Well, technically, I didn’t actually fly into the wall. I was hit by a proto-cannon blast and had no choice but to go wherever its force took me. The cowards shot me in the back.” He crossed his arms across his chest as if to emphasize his statement.

Kyoko chuckled. She looked at his face. His eyes looked kind of Japanese even though they were closed.

Maybe mixed Asian?

He sat up. Looked around and got to his feet. He brushed off the cement dust with his hands.

“Kind of a good thing that wall was there. Who knows how far that blast would have taken me? I could have ended up in Osaka.”

She chuckled again.

He looked straight at her. “After all I’ve been through tonight, I’m glad someone is enjoying themselves,” he said smiling

She started to apologize when she noticed his eyes. They were violet. Not just that, but electric violet. It was as though they had a small electric bulb behind them. Not bright enough to spook you out, but a gentle shine.

“What’s the matter?” He asked.

“Nothing… I…” She stopped, unsure of how to proceed.

“Oh, you noticed the eyes. Yeah, I get that a lot… it’s a family trait. My mother had them too. Do you mind if I sit with you a moment? I could use a short rest to catch my breath.”

“Dozo,” She pointed to the empty chair the moth had evacuated, walked back to hers, and sat down.

He pulled out the chair and sat down.

“Are you sure you’re okay? When I hit that wall, brick shards flew everywhere. Do you hurt anywhere?”

“Iie.” She shook her head, “Daijobu, but what about you? You must have hit that wall at over a hundred and fifty kilometers an hour.”

“A little over eight hundred actually; this isn’t my first proto-cannon run in. At least that first guy got me fair and square. That was on Achilles four, I think,” he looked into the night sky as if searching for the answer.

“You sure talk funny. Do you live in Tokyo?”

“Sort of… I have a place up against the mountains.” He looked straight into her brown eyes. His eyes gently glowed violet.

What am I going to do? I think I’m falling for this strange guy.

“So… What do you do for a living? You seem to be an artist. You must be really good to make a living from that.”

“No. I’m not working. I’m still in school. I’m a senior in high school.”

She saw his disappointed look and quickly added, “I was sick as a child so I was held back. I’m the only twenty year old in my school.”

“Oh,” he said in a relieved tone. “You’re still at home then?”

“No. My parents were killed in an accident, but they left me enough money to live on my own and finish my schooling.”

“Sumimasen,” He bowed apologetically, “It must be tough for you and I had to remind you. Gomenasai,” He bowed again.

“Iie, it’s okay. That happened when I was sixteen. I’m used to it now. No apologies are necessary.”

“Wait a minute! Have you had a coming of age party?”

“What? No. I know it’s popular with relatives and such, but I have nobody, so it’s kind of a waste.”

“Oh, no, no, no, no, Da - me! I think you should have one. You can dress up in a pretty Kimono and we’ll have a party.”

“To do that, I would have to have someone who actually cares, wouldn’t I?”

“Yes, but…”

“Well anyone that ever cared about me is Shinai. Except my brother, Shinto, I hope, but he disappeared years ago and I haven’t heard from him since. I don’t like to think about it, but he may be Shinai too.”

“Dead…? But what about school friends?”

“Iie…” She shook her head. “I have none. They make fun of me because I’m older. They call me Obaasan, Baka, and other names I can’t repeat in mixed company. My only use to them is to buy them beer – which I refuse to do – so they harass me.”

“Well, you certainly don’t look like a grandmother to me and you’re no fool, I think. The only bakas in that school are the ones calling you names. You are much too beautiful to be considered an old lady.”

She blushed.

“Sorry, Sumimasen,” He made a bow, “It kind of slipped out.” There was a slight awkward moment. “If it requires someone who cares, I’m it. I care. Every girl deserves a coming of age party. If those people at school are that way, I’ll invite my friends and we’ll do it up right.”

She laughed, “Baka!”

“Baka ta nanio?”

“Why am I calling you a fool?” She laughed again. “A room full of strangers celebrating my coming of age…” She continued laughing.

“Well… I’m not a stranger. I’ll be there… and even though you’ve never met my friends personally, you do know them… sort of…”

Kyoko laughed again. She suddenly had an Epiphany: “Chotto Matte.”

“Excuse me?”

“I get it now. This is a dream. I’m actually home in bed and you are just some wonderful crazy dream.”

He suddenly jerked his head toward the street he had been shot from.

“I, for one, am glad this isn’t a dream because I’ve met you, but in about thirty seconds I’m going to have to do something I really don’t wish to do.”

“What’s that?”

“Kill a Shnark. I’m not fond of killing. I prefer to find peaceful ways of solving problems, but sometimes you come across unreasonable evil that only listens to its own lust for death and destruction. Unfortunately, Shnark are in that category, and there’s nothing you can do, other than kill them. You should probably leave because this won’t be pretty…frightening and dangerous, but not entertaining.”

“This is my dream. I think I’ll stay.”

“Beautiful and stubborn, just like my mother… Don’t be offended by that. My mother was the most beautiful woman in Japan and being stubborn means you don’t give up easily; a good trait in successful people.”

She bowed a little, “Arigato, Tenshi.”

“You’re welcome, but I’m no Angel, Hime sama,” He pulled a little box out of his coat pocket and handed it to her. “See that red light?”

“Hai.”

“Press it”

“Okay.”

She pressed it and it turned green. A low hum filled the air.

“Okay, but what…”

“Personal force field, nothing can harm you while it’s on. You can sit and watch your dream in safety now. Whatever you do, please don’t press that button again until I’m through with this… Promise?”

She held up her pinkie, “Yakusoku.”

They locked pinkies and touched thumbs, “Yakusoku,” he repeated.

She sat back in her chair still believing she was dreaming. Then she heard the flapping of wings. The nightmare that appeared from the dark made her blood turn to ice. She sat frozen in fear. She no longer thought she was going to enjoy this dream. In fact she couldn’t think at all. Her sense of flight was working, but she couldn’t move her body to run away.