Chapter 2 : A Slightly Darker Turn

Kris met them in the doorway of the breakroom, having pocketed whatever he made off his bet with Joonmyun. “Well, now that we have Venus back, it’s about time we all sat down for a little talk.”

Chanyeol gave Kris an incredulous look. “Now? Right now?”

Kris frowned. “I mean, I thought so.”

“As Prince, I say it can wait until tomorrow,” Chanyeol said firmly. “I just got him back.”

Kris’ face lit up with understanding and he nodded. “Okay. I’ll send out a message, we meet tomorrow.”

Lu Han peered around the doorframe. “And until then, would you mind moving your reunion somewhere more private?”

Kyungsoo blushed, and muttered that they would.

“We can go to my place,” Chanyeol said. He took Kyungsoo’s hand and led the way out.

Chanyeol’s house was just like any other on the outside, but on the inside it was weird. It was cold, and lacked personality. Kyungsoo shivered and clutched Chanyeol’s hand more tightly. “This feels wrong.”

“I know,” Chanyeol said. “It’s because it’s not my home, not really.”

They began to go upstairs, and Kyungsoo asked, “Exactly how much do you remember?”

“I remember more about the Palace than the planet, and more personal things than public things,” Chanyeol said. He opened the door to his room and Kyungsoo gasped. The walls were painted in swirling purple, blue, and green nebulous clouds. Tiny white stars were flecked across the clouds, and directly in front of the door was painted the silhouette of a castle, one that triggered another memory for Kyungsoo.

They were riding great winged horses, and Sehun was in the lead, but not for long. Kyungsoo urged his horse on, and they soon overtook Sehun, riding swiftly towards the castle.

Kyungsoo opened his eyes and saw Chanyeol looking at him in concern. “I’m sorry, I should have warned you.”

Kyungsoo shivered, and Chanyeol wrapped an arm around his shoulders. “This is a lot to take in,” Kyungsoo admitted.

“I remember. It took about two months for the flashbacks to stop weirding me out.”

Kyungsoo looked around the room again. “So, this was y—our home?”

Chanyeol smiled gently. “Yes, it was.”

“Where is it? In my head, so many things were just like Earth. I mean, in my memory.”

“I know what you mean,” Chanyeol said. He sat on his bed, and Kyungsoo sat next to him. “And it was a lot like Earth, because our people came from Earth. We were descended from Magic users, and after a few thousand years it became clear that Earth was not headed to a place that would be welcoming for us. We found a new planet, one that would welcome us and our Magic. You and I were born at a time where we were considered the twentieth generation to be born on the Planet. As for where it is, it’s within the Milky Way galaxy, but no scientist on Earth would be able to see it, not unless they somehow possessed magic like ours. Such a thing has never happened. Sometimes people of this planet have a little magic, but not enough to find us.”

Kyungsoo felt dizzy. He put his head in his hands, and Chanyeol rubbed his back. “This is all information Kris and Joonmyun will tell you about tomorrow. Today you fought a demonic plant, had your first flashback, then your second one, and fell back in love with me. Maybe it’s time to take a break from the big stuff.”

Kyungsoo lifted his head. “But I have so many questions.”

Chanyeol looked thoughtful. “How about you ask, and I decide if it’s something that should wait? Do you trust me with that?”

Kyungsoo thought back to the hour they spent kissing on the sofa. “Yeah, I trust you. Okay, so a few days ago you told me I was the twelfth Sailor, but it seems like Joonmyun and Kris aren’t Sailors. So am I the twelfth or the tenth?”

Chanyeol chuckled. “That, you can learn about tomorrow. Start smaller.”

Kyungsoo frowned. “Okay…you call me Venus. Should I call you Moon?”

“See, that’s a good place to start. You can call me Moon, or Chanyeol, or Prince.”

“Was your name Chanyeol in our past life?”

“No. Nor was yours Kyungsoo. None of us know our true names, that’s the last thing we learn.”

“And what happens when we learn our names?”

Chanyeol shook his head. “Another time.”

Kyungsoo groaned and flopped back on his bed, and gasped again at what was painted on the ceiling. It didn’t come with a flashback, because he had already seen it. “That’s the view on the balcony!”

“It was the view on a lot of balconies,” Chanyeol said. “The ballroom, and my own private quarters. You and I saw a lot from that balcony.”

Kyungsoo blushed at Chanyeol’s tone. “How long were we together for?”

“Ages. We grew up knowing each other, our mothers were good friends. Your family is of nobility, I don’t remember how, but we fell in love at a young age. I’m talking like, ten years old, as much as ten year olds can understand romantic love. We used to have pretend weddings. We would sneak into the throne room at night—”

“Did I live with you?” Kyungsoo interrupted.

“Sometimes,” Chanyeol said, frowning in concentration. “I think…I think your family lived with mine for a while. I think it was…after it became clear that we were in love, our parents let us stay together more often to see how our relationship would progress. I know we shared a room, a lot, even though we each had our own. And we’d sneak into the throne room and pretend to be rulers. We got engaged when we were nineteen.”

“Did we still live together?”

Chanyeol grinned. “Oh yes. We moved into our own wing of the castle the year before. There’s no taboo against physical relationships before marriage, that much I know for sure.”

Kyungsoo hesitated. “What happens now?”

Chanyeol’s grin faded, and he looked solemn, but not upset. “I can only imagine how this must feel for you. I’ve had some time to adjust to the memories. I want to help you in any way that I can, but a lot of this is going to be up to you. Now we continue on as we have for the last week. We fight monsters, deal with our memories as they come back, and remember what it’s like to be in love.”

“Do I still…should I stay with my family?”

“Yes, I think that would be for the best.”

Kyungsoo gulped. “How long will I stay with them for?”

Chanyeol shook his head. “Tomorrow.”

For the time being, Kyungsoo had run out of questions.

Sehun was usually the last to know anything, so it didn’t surprise him when he was the last to know that Venus was back. Yixing filled him in over the phone, just as Sehun was about to go to bed.

“Well, that makes all of us now,” Sehun said.

“Yup,” Yixing said. “Kris wants us all to meet up at the arcade tomorrow and talk about it. Got to get Kyungsoo filled in on everything.”

“He didn’t do it today?”

“Nah. The prince stole Venus away before it could happen.”

A memory flashed through Sehun’s mind, of all of them sitting around waiting for the prince and his lover to turn up, and teasing them relentlessly about their mussed hair and swollen lips when they finally did.

“I’m sure he couldn’t get Kyungsoo out of there fast enough,” Sehun said.

Yixing sighed. “I remember how in love they were. Do you think they’ll get that back?”

“I’d rather not think about it.”

“How come?”

Sehun burrowed under his blankets. “It’s not really my business.”

“But they’re your friends. Our friends. I think it would be sad if they couldn’t go back to how things were.”

“I don’t like thinking about it,” Sehun said quickly. “It’s just weird to think that someday, we won’t be living on this planet anymore.”

“I’m sure our past selves must have thought that, too. We just don’t remember.”

Sehun blinked back tears. “I can’t imagine doing this to myself voluntarily.”

Sehun knew he had been the youngest of the Scouts back on their home planet, and the others hand a tendency even then to baby him. Sehun remembered resenting it, but now he welcomed it. When Sehun had first gotten involved in this mess, he’d been scared out of his mind. The memories, the powers, the weight of responsibility, and the knowledge that someday he would leave his home and never return, it was too much for him. The one thing he was glad to remember was his relationship with Yixing. Sehun probably would have run away if it hadn’t been for Yixing being by his side through those first few days. Even now, when it got overwhelming, Sehun could lean on Yixing for support.

“You’re stronger than you think, Saturn,” Yixing said, snapping Sehun out of his thoughts. “I remember that about you. You’re very brave.”

Sehun knew he could be brave, but in his past life he had been a warrior. On this planet, he was just a sixteen year old kid.

“Does this mean we’ll go home soon?”

Kris looked up at Jongdae, and for a half second he saw the outline of armor on Jongdae’s frame. Then he blinked and he saw Jongdae barefoot, his pajamas rumpled, sleep clouding his eyes. Kris moved his notebook aside and Jongdae sat in his lap and curled against his chest.

“I think so,” Kris answered.

Jongdae smiled. “Good. I can’t wait.”

Kris couldn’t wait either. He and Joonmyun had nicknamed each other ‘The Keepers of Memories’ because they remembered the most. From what Kris remembered of his past life, he had a lot to look forward to upon their return. Earth didn’t hold much appeal for him, but he knew too well that it wasn’t like that for some of his fellow Scouts.

“Are you going to tell him everything?” Jongdae asked.

“We will,” Kris corrected. “All of us will be there.”

Jongdae sighed. “I hate this part the most.”

“I know. I do, too.”

“Will Sehun be there?”

Kris nodded. “We all will be.” Yixing would be there to help Sehun through it.

“Don’t you think that’s a little cruel?”

“No. I think if Kyungsoo feels the same way, it’ll be good for him to see that he’s not alone.”

Jongdae nodded. “That makes sense. I have to say, I like this rational side of you.”

But Kris could remember when he hadn’t been so rational, when he had tried to accompany Jongdae into a fight and the two of them had nearly caused a typhoon. He remembered that in the past, he and Jongdae had talked about going to a deserted planet and testing their strength. He could feel the power surging in their bodies even now, just because they were touching. The two of them were terrifying together, and apart even more so. Maybe not as bad as Joonmyun and Baekhyun, but still pretty scary.

Kris laced his fingers with Jongdae’s and squeezed briefly. “We still have to be careful. Venus is strong, and we don’t want to upset him.”

Jongdae laughed. “You can’t not upset him with this. We just have to hope that Chanyeol’s influence will be enough to keep him from going off the deep end.”

Kyungsoo let go of Chanyeol’s hand and rubbed his palms on his pants. His hands were sweating and shaking, and though Chanyeol reached for him again, Kyungsoo chose to sit on his hands. Having everyone’s eyes on him was making him nervous, and he had been a nervous wreck for most of the day.

“Alright,” Kris said, “We better get started. Kyungsoo, it’s time to tell you all the stuff you wouldn’t have believed before you experienced your first flashback.”

Kyungsoo sighed. “I’m so ready for it.”

Kris smiled at him. “I know it’s not easy. Here’s what we know. First, all twelve of us made the choice to be reborn on this planet. We don’t know everything, but what I remember is that a dark power born from the kind of Magic that inhabits our world came to this planet. Maybe for revenge against the people who forced our ancestors to leave. As Guardians of our world, we knew we could help keep our sister planet safe. It’s likely that the dark power also threatened our own world, because I can’t see us going this far otherwise, regardless of how responsible we felt for this planet.”

So far, it sounded reasonable, but none of Kyungsoo’s questions had been answered.

Kris continued, “We each play an important role in protecting not only the planet, but each other. Which brings me to myself and Joonmyun. We won’t transform for you, we reserve our transformations for times of great need. My Sailor name is Triton.”

Joonmyun said, “And mine is Deimos.”

At their names, a slight shiver passed through some of the others. Jongdae and Baekhyun cast dark looks at those people.

Kyungsoo frowned slightly. “Those names sound familiar to me.”

It was Jongdae who spoke next. “Aside from being Greek Gods, those are the names of planetary moons. Triton is a moon of Neptune, and Deimos is a moon of Mars. As Sailor Neptune, Kris is affiliated with me, and Joonmyun is with Baekhyun, Sailor Mars.”

“Affiliated?” Kyungsoo echoed.

Baekhyun said, “They derive their powers from us. Neptune and Mars are powerful planets, and powerful deities in ancient religion. In a way, our powers mirror those of the planets we were named for.”

“So, what’s Kris and Joonmyun’s power?”

Kris answered first. “When I transform, I’m able to use a horn—any horn really—to call forth great wind and water. Jongdae’s weapon of choice is the whip, and when I use my gift, he controls it with his whip. I have a memory of him conjuring a whip of water and wind and using it in battle.”

Kyungsoo glanced at Joonmyun, and from the corner of his eye he saw Sehun squirm slightly.

Joonmyun said, “Deimos is a God of terror. My gift is psychic powers. Whereas Kris’ gift is very wild and he needs Jongdae to help him control it, I don’t really need help controlling my gift. I can do a lot of things while in my Sailor transformation. I can read minds, I can impose thoughts and visions on other people. Theoretically, it is within my power to drive a person to madness. I can also use my power to guide Baekhyun’s arrows, if he needs it. He can hit almost any target, but if he needed to shoot someone who was hiding behind a wall, I could use my power to guide his arrow through the wall. It takes a lot of effort to use my power on one person. I know a technique we used at one point was for me to place a vision on one of Baekhyun’s arrows, and when the arrow pierced it’s target, the person wouldn’t feel pain, but would instead experience whatever vision was embedded in the arrow. I can’t remember how we did it yet, but I know it happened.”

“I’ve seen it,” Sehun said quietly. “I remember defending the planet from something, and I remember seeing someone who was shot with one of those arrows.”

He didn’t elaborate, but he didn’t need to for Kyungsoo to know that whatever Sehun had seen, whatever Joonmyun had done, it was terrifying. A chill went down Kyungsoo’s spine.

Joonmyun smiled gently. “I wouldn’t blame you for being afraid of me—”

“No,” Baekhyun interrupted. “There’s a reason Joonmyun was given that power, I’ve seen it in my own visions. He was trusted because he wouldn’t abuse it. He never has abused his gift, and he never will. Anything he did, he did with reason.”

Joonmyun turned his attention to Baekhyun. “We know that, but it doesn’t change the fact that I have great power and it can be scary, especially to someone new to this whole thing.”

“Are you afraid?” Kyungsoo asked.

“Me?” Joonmyun asked surprised.

Kyungsoo nodded.

Joonmyun smiled again. “Actually, yes. I’m very afraid of what I can do. I don’t like knowing about it, it probably wouldn’t stop me from using my powers to protect this planet, and my friends, and our prince, but it doesn’t mean I’m not afraid of it.”

Kyungsoo got the feeling that nobody had ever asked Joonmyun that before. It was quiet for a few minutes, and then Kris said, “This is why each of us are important to the team.”

Kyungsoo reached for Chanyeol’s hand again. Chanyeol rubbed his thumb across the back of Kyungsoo’s hand in a gesture that was so familiar.

“How long did we know each other? How did this whole thing get started?” Kyungsoo asked.

“Well, as prince, Chanyeol was born with the power of the Moon,” Kris explained. “On our world, royalty aren’t just for show. They actually lead armies, like the royalty of ancient times on Earth. Our royal family led two armies—a large army, and a much smaller, more personal army, almost like the Special Forces. This army doesn’t get their power from blood, rather it chooses them. Everyone on our world has power, we just have more of it. It usually becomes obvious around age ten.”

Kyungsoo whirled to look at Chanyeol. “Is that how we met?”

Chanyeol nodded.

“So I’m nobility and a Sailor scout? Does that happen often?”

Chanyeol shrugged. “Well, the nobility is a small percent of the population, but statistically speaking you probably weren’t the first.”

“Definitely not,” Joonmyun said. “We met as our abilities were discovered, though not all of us lived in the palace all the time. We moved to the capitol with our families to receive training, and after Chanyeol’s coronation we moved into the palace so we could guard him.”

That sparked another question from Kyungsoo. “So what role does my family on this planet play in all this?”

There was a collective flinch and Kyungsoo yanked his hand out of Chanyeol’s. He stood up and turned away from everyone, hugging his arms around himself. Whatever past memories he had, was it worth leaving his family for? He heard a muffled sob and glanced over his shoulder. Sehun had tears streaming down his cheeks. Yixing had his arm around Sehun’s shoulders, a look of distress on his face as Sehun continued to sob.

Kyungsoo looked away. “What happens?” He repeated.

“When we get all our memories back, and we think our true names will be the last thing to come back, then we’ll be transported back to our own planet. Our families here will forget all about us. Our presence will be erased from this planet.”

Kyungsoo heard a clatter and turned around. Sehun was on his feet and heading for the door. Kyungsoo stepped aside before Sehun could bowl him over, and Yixing was quick to follow after Sehun.

Kris gave Kyungsoo a melancholy look. “It’s something we all need to adjust to.”

Out in the empty arcade, Sehun buried his face in Yixing’s shoulder. “It’s just not fair.”

Yixing Sehun’s hair. “I know, my love.”

Sehun sniffled. “I love them.”

“I know you do. Maybe we’ll be able to work something out when we get home.”

Sehun’s shoulders shook as he cried, and Yixing wished he could heal emotional pain. He wished he could take it all away from his beloved Saturn, wrap him up in blankets and bubble wrap until nothing would ever hurt him again. Poor, precious Sehun.

Sehun lifted his head slightly. “Can you sing something?”

Yixing smiled. Even before, Saturn had loved his singing. He began to sing a lullaby, mixing Chinese and Korean, making up the Korean words he forgot with Chinese ones, sometimes English. He sang different songs until Sehun finally stopped crying almost twenty minutes later.

Yixing kissed Sehun’s head. “Never hide your tears from me, Sehun.”

“I won’t,” Sehun promised.

“That doesn’t seem fair,” Kyungsoo protested. Chanyeol reached for his hand, but Kyungsoo yanked it away.

Kris stood up as well. “It’s not fair, but there’s not a whole lot we can do to change it, not right now at least. Maybe when we go back, when we have our memories and full use of our powers, we can do something about it. For now we just have to work with what we’ve got. You and Sehun are new to this. I may sound horrible for saying this but it will get easier. With each new memory you get, your life on this world will start to seem dull in comparison. But we all know that this is upsetting, and we’re here for you if you want us to be. And if you want to be alone, you can go. Unless you have other questions that you can’t wait to ask.”

“I can wait,” Kyungsoo said, and he grabbed his bag and was out the door of the arcade in seconds.

Joonmyun walked home with Baekhyun after the group meeting. They lived in the same apartment complex, and they decided to hang out in the courtyard for a while. There was a wall where kids could play handball, but neither Joonmyun nor Baekhyun had a handball, so Baekhyun played with a rock instead. Joonmyun watched with a fond smile as Baekhyun threw the same rock at the same spot over and over. He would throw it at the wall, watch it bounce off, pick it up, and throw it again.

“Are you trying to make a dent?” Joonmyun asked.

“If it happens, it happens,” Baekhyun said tersely.

“What’s got you like this?”

“You know,” Baekhyun said.

“Tell me anyway,” Joonmyun pressed.

Baekhyun sighed. “I hate when they look at you like that. There’s nothing scary about you. I hate that you’re scared of yourself. You’ve never hurt anyone who didn’t deserve it.”

“I’m afraid of poisonous spiders. They’re just protecting themselves, but people have died from spider bites.”

“Don’t you get philosophical on me,” Baekhyun snapped, flinging the rock at the wall.

Joonmyun dashed forward and caught the rock. He tossed it aside and grabbed Baekhyun’s hands, lacing their fingers together. “I know it’s because you love me.”

Baekhyun’s shoulders slumped. “I want everyone to love you.”

Joonmyun smiled, and he leaned forward to press his lips against Baekhyun’s cheek. Baekhyun let go of Joonmyun’s hands and wrapped his arms around Joonmyun’s waist.

“I’m not scared of you,” Baekhyun said.

“I know you’re not. But I’m not mad at those who are. They’ll get past it, just like they did before.”

“I wish they’d hurry up.”

Joonmyun kissed Baekhyun briefly. “As long as I have you, they can take as long as they want.”

Kyungsoo ran into Chanyeol while he was on his way to school. He had spent the majority of the previous day lying on Chanyeol’s bed, talking to him, kissing him, and now Kyungsoo found himself turning away.

“I kind of want to be alone,” he said.

“I know, but you really shouldn’t be. I can help you, you know.” Chanyeol’s tone was pleading, and it brought tears to Kyungsoo’s eyes. “We can all help you, even if it’s just by being a shoulder to lean on. I want to help you.”

Kyungsoo sighed. “I don’t even know what to think. I just…I don’t know.”

Chanyeol smiled weakly. “Well, how about we start small? Do you really want to go to school today?”

Kyungsoo gave Chanyeol an incredulous look. “Of course not, how can I go to school when I just learned my family is going to forget about me?”

Chanyeol held out his hand. “Then let’s skip.”

Kyungsoo hesitated for a second, then took Chanyeol’s hand. “Okay.”

Chanyeol brought Kyungsoo to the zoo. For some reason nobody seemed to care that they were in school uniforms, and Kyungsoo didn’t care enough to ask why. Despite having wanted to be alone, he found himself glad for Chanyeol’s company. He provide a distraction, and it gave Kyungsoo a chance to organize his thoughts. By the end of the day, Kyungsoo had a plan of action. He was going to take things one day at a time, and one retrieved memory at a time. He would deal with new information as it came to him, and maybe as he remembered more, separating from his current life would get easier. He relayed his plan to Chanyeol, and Chanyeol approved of it.

“That’s kind of what I did, and it’s gotten easier for me. And like we said, we don’t know what we’ll go home to. Maybe we’ll be able to move back and forth between our home planet and this one. We’ll see.”

‘We’ll see.’ It seemed to be Kyungsoo’s catch phrase at the moment.

What are your thoughts so far?