Most had their realms. She had never desired to build one for herself. She’d just wander around the world of youma, just as she did the mortal realm. Asking the refugee to imagine a home was damn near impossible. Everything that she built were only temporary shelters, but nothing lasting nor anything she felt comfortable staying in too long.

Besides, the vast sands weren’t too bad. She could see people approaching her from miles out as flat land stretched on to infinity. And those approaching could see her. She could barely make out the ruins to the east from where she was standing. Beyond that, the winds pick up violently. She always preferred watching sandstorms to thunderstorms. Thunderstorms were all bark and no bite. Mentally, she counts down to how long before the old structures become buried beneath tons of sand.

Leaving against a tree that was struggling to live amongst death, she sits relaxed. Far better than apathy of Tokyo, where she was placed for the moment. However, having her eyes gauged out was better than that. It’s not like they wouldn’t heal, but time wasted among those dull people was time that she would never get back.  Without a hat, her black hair seems more wild, especially with the raging winds.  She's abandoned the red scarf, but keeps the coat as the temperature begins to drop when the skies grow darker.    

A sound of what seemed like a hundred thousand ear piercing buffalo sounded suddenly right next to the relaxing queen of cows. When she would look she would see a mildly surprised teenager with a look that clearly said whoops on her face. Valdis stood in full youma form, however she was quite a site to see. She was wearing her normal black pants and a black tang top, and her dark red leather jacket. Black calf high combat boots covered her feet. On her neck from a silver chain hung a half of a broken circle with the numeral number I engraved in it. A custom made utility belt that went around her waist, and diagonally across her chest held an array of odd nick knacks. From a can of shaving cream, markers, tape, a roll of plastic wrap, jello packets, and other odd things obviously made for pranking. In both hand she held an air horn, her fingers on the trigger…answering the question of what the hell was that noise.

Slowly a lopsided smile grew on her face as a weak chuckle escaped her lips, as she cautiously returned the air horns to the section on the belt where she had pulled them from. She scratched the back of her head and took a couple steps back as she began to put distance in-between herself and the Zodiac Taurus who she now recognized from the boat.

”Errr….wrong Zodiac…sorry bout that….”

She completely meant that surprise attack to be on someone else. Her sudden appearance could be explained by the sudden port in that she had come accustomed to. So she literally had come out of nowhere. She had been figuring out how to actually port herself to different places in the youma world and back. To do that required a sense of where you were going to land, and the things around it. She had felt a familiar high energy signature and figured it was her Twinsy….apparently the familiarity was from the battle on the boats.

The air horn turns Taurus’ relaxed expression to that of annoyance. So much for the peaceful white noise of high speed winds. She half considers throwing the girl into the sandstorm until she hears an apology. With a sigh, she asks, “And which one were you looking for? Obviously not Aquarius or Libra. You don’t seem as mindlessly devoted or broken as one of their pets.” This one was given a lot of leeway by whomever Zodiac she tagged along with. Her eyes catch sight of the chain. She could recognize half of the symbol, but was surprised that he would accept the other half. “Oh, Gemini.”


The girl seems familiar, but Taurus has seen so met so many youma that it takes her awhile to guess from where. She hated that unnerving feeling of recognition without recollection. However, it dawns her. “Oh, yeah were on the boat. I am somewhat impressed that you aren’t on the bottom of the ocean or ripped a part by the short skirt squad. How’d you manage that one? And why were you on my boat to begin with?” As she speaks, the winds swallow up the edges of the ruins, making them disappear in a haze of dust.

Well that was a surprise, she managed to fog horn a Zodiac without getting her head ripped off…and surprisingly started to have a normal conversation with her…sorta. It would seem she had fortunately gotten one of the patient ones. She quickly made the deduction of which Zodiac she belonged to; she nodded showing that she was indeed correct.

”Yes I belong to Twinsie; however I wouldn’t mind running into Aquarious again. I have a bone to pick with her about her daughter.”

She laughed a bit when the look of recognition came across her face.

”I had already figured out how to port back and forth, one of them had attacked me when I was about to fallow you into the portal. While I was under I ported back. They thought that the one referred to as Oni had finished me off. As for how I managed not to get ripped apart by them, they think I am one of them. Since I haven’t caused and ‘damage’ they are under the assumption I can be ‘saved’”

She frowned a bit…it was not a lie in the least….it was pretty much the truth.

”To why I was on your boat I was there for curiosity sakes. I was minding my own business but your other lovely youma decided I was a part of the short skirts…. There were a LOT of freaking youma on that boat. I’m curious to why you didn’t just pile drive the rest into the ground. You could have done so easily. The short skirt squad are a bunch of ADD teenagers with no battle plans what so ever, and there lack of ability to fallow plans leaves much to be desired. They have raw power but that has its limits when not focused in the right way.”

“Belong?” Taurus raises an eyebrow. “You seem like a subordinate certainly, but not property. You have too much free will for that word though… Belong… Never say a man has ownership of you. It makes you less of a person. And I use person in the sense of sentient, autonomous creature.”

When the name Oni comes up, Taurus sighs, “The boy could use some training. However, I suppose you are lucky that he is so green when it comes his powers.”

The story seems off to her. If they had someone infiltrating the enemy group, then they should have been handled by now. All they needed to do was pick them off one by one. In addition, most teenager girls didn’t make a habit of exploring transport vessels.

She stands up, meeting the girl’s eyes with a firm gaze, “All my peers would tell you I am a paranoid person, but that is because most of them are snakes. So I’ve gotten very good at telling whether someone is bullshitting me. So what is the full story? What are you not telling me? Give me a good answer to that question, and I’ll answer yours.” Maybe she would throw this one into the sandstorm.

”Of course because I’m not an actual subordinate. Gemini marked me and has been teaching me to….embrace this part of myself….You are a very proud person yes? I like that”

Valdis chuckled at the fact that Oni was still green. Oni, Lance, Soma….it would be hard overcome those personalities to move forward. However it would seem like he was making a solid attempt to do so. For that she respected him for his continuous struggle.

”Yes….I suppose it was fortunate. He gained those abilities before me I believe….so technically I am greener that he is. I think morally however it would be difficult for me to raise a direct hand against that group.”

When Taurus stood to look her in the eye, a soft smile only grew on Valdis’s face. A deep chuckle escaping her soft lips. Taurus thought her peers snakes; it only confirmed Valdis’s theory that each of the covenant leaders each worked for their own reasons. Scorpio …to protect and restore his home, Gemini…had something precious to him which caused him to fight for the covenant…She wondered what was Taurus story? Would she find that this person would be one that she liked? What seemed complicated before only grew more thick and twisted as she found her way to the root.

”You and Gem have your suspicions…however he knows that I have fought with the short skirt squad as well. They like me have found their powers quite frequently, however you already know that. I took this form when aiding to bring down Scorpio…He had poisoned me previously after I tried to kick him in the head…and later I found out he had been messing with my music. So really I do not regret helping them bring him down”

She leaned against the tree and crossed her arms across her chest.

”When the white haired one under the sign of the moon purified Scorpio he and I spoke at length before he moved on. He channeled the memories of his life through me, all from the beginning. He was old….very old. I saw the time pass from his eyes I felt the conviction he had and his reasons for fighting. I saw wonders though his eyes and the ache in his heart to see his world reborn….I share his vision for the future now…however I still viewed the covenant as blood thirsty monsters who just wanted to watch the world burn beneath them. Quite honestly I am still on the fence about that however I’m not one to stick to my guns when new evidence is put in front of me”

She inspected her nails, she understood the reasons why this one would be suspicious. She did not blame her. So she might as well tell her the truth; she doubted this one would take any vague answers Gemini had been content with.

”I work at the shrine, the priestess is very aware of my current condition. She and my father view me as a monster…just how I viewed other Youma….I could not blame them…I know my story is long winded but bear with me. This all does have a point to it”

She had watched Tauros while on the ship, she seemed to be patient so Valdis was semi confident she would hear her story out to the end then wait to make a judgment.

”I eventually found myself in this realm due to a complete accident. It is where I met Gemini….he decided I was good for a few laughs by having target practice….then sending youma after me….apparently I amused him because I’m still around. He thinks I have potential…After a bit of chit chat I was surprised to gain the knowledge of what exactly this realm was… I found it quite and eye opener to learn that this dead hunk of land use to belong to earth… That was surprising, to learn that the realm the youma were trying to take over use to belong to them as much as us. Kind of makes one re think original views. I am a curious creature, I like to ask questions….Unlike Scorpio who I knew was an original occupant Gemini was not. I was curious to know why he wanted to join. He told me he had something precious to him….he hasn’t gone into much detail but he showed me he joined willingly…and for his own motivations. That encounter was what really started to get the gears turning.

Which brings me to the time I was upon your ship. I found myself surrounded by a mass group of panicked people. So I went to the ship and saw the youma embarking onto the beach. I have the ability to sense youma and was able to detect a VERY large amount of energy signatures on your ship. The short skirt squad hadn’t shown up on scene yet and from my view point it looked like there was going to be a complete blood bath….my village was slaughtered by a wave of youma when I was a small child…I despise tactics like that. It only harden my view that youma were monsters as they had made out to be my entire life.

So I snuck aboard your ship via one of the docking ropes, and snuck up to the control room and began to cause as much distractions as I possibly could before taking off below deck to cause more trouble. Really I was only buying time until the short skirt squad could arrive. I was having my jollys by placing ofuda, I work part time as a priestess, around your ship and watching others get burned much like I do on a daily basis. It wasn’t until I set a fire alarm off that one of your youma panicked and burst through the crate that confined her. It was the first time I saw a actual reaction from a youma that wasn’t mindless killing. I felt bad for her….To be put to her death in battle. I took pity on it and offered it a deal, if it was to get me out of there I would give her a way home escaping a meaningless death. She said she would be unable to because of the mark that bound her to you…I burned it from her arm and she saved me from twitchy mc twitch twitch that was after me for causing the trouble. I jumped up upon her just as the boat was starting to tilt, she was a spider youma so sticky feet helped. When we approached the front I noticed you had opened up a portal…so your underlings could escape. The youma I was upon told me it was because someone entered our battle that wasn’t on either of our sides….”

Her maroon eyes looked directly into the other woman’s eyes.

”You were not aiming for a blood bath that I first thought you were, you showed a level of caring for the ones entrusted under you that I had not previously seen before. The night I had met Gemini he imposed the ideal that there is no room for the weak mentality. Those who could not succeed were not worth letting live…You operated on a different level than that. Considering you were aiming to prevent blood baths for either side I chose to help. Which was why I created a barrier for the youma to be able to approach the portal safely….Silky butt and you have peaked my curiosity. I want to learn both sides of the story that started all of this. But frankly Gemini isn’t much of a history buff…nor doesn’t seem to care to learn.”

Valdis smiled once more.

”So that answers two questions, one asked and one unasked. It also answers why I’m not a complete subordinate. I interest Gemini, he sees potential in me however he is waiting and watching to see what path I take. Much like how you are watching the one named Oni and the offer you made him. Now is that a satisfactory answer?”

The laugh catches Taurus off guard for a second. The girl seemed remarkably calm, given the circumstances. Taurus wasn't sure if she liked or hated that trait yet. The explanation is fairly long, but an honest one from what Taurus can tell. Her temper cools. She could understand why someone would want to leave those details out. The girl’s questionable allegiances were problematic, but she could hardly blame Gemini. It’s not like Lance was on their side either.
 She smiles, “It’s a better answer than the kind I normally I receive.”

“First, I am not proud. I have many other flaws, but I don’t consider hubris as one of them. I just believe in maintaining one’s sense of self. The capacity to make our own decisions is important,” Taurus clarifies.

She looks back at the sandstorm.  The ruins are no longer visible.  It would still be some time before it reached both of them though.  “As for answering your question, the SPECTOR units complicated things. They are better soldiers than the one I brought that day. I was more prepared to deal with the traditional soldiers that I anticipated the JSDF to send in. The SPECTOR units would have ripped through a good number of the youma on board. In addition, completely decimating a SPECTOR unit would have gone against the plans of some of my colleagues, which I still need to consider despite my feelings about them. If you look at lives as a resource in war, then I would have wasted more than what would have been acceptable if I stayed longer. It takes a good amount of effort to bring back the lives lost as well. However, mostly they would have died for no good reason. I guess this gives you another question to ask to make us even.”

Valdis nodded to the smile of approval, it would seem that she had made the right call in assuming that this Zodiac would accept the straight truth smoothly. Her answer went on to explain why her underlings maintained their sense of self. She scratched the back of her head and giggled slightly at when she explained about the spectors being a surprise. However Valdis did not miss the fact that she said destroying the Spectors would have interfered with her colleagues plans. So there was indeed covenant members within the Japanese military. Her hunch had not been of in the least.

”It was my presence on the ship that caused the Japanese military to send in the Spectors. They were sent to protect and obtain me; however my youma self and my human self are separate beings….they ended up shooting at me instead which I have to say I found slightly amusing that my Daddy’s plan sort of back fired there. However if I am to assume what your feelings are about the Spectors then that is something you and I may have in common. I find the idea deplorable… “

It was official she like how this one thought as well when she wished to make the score even.

”I shall make it a good one then; what are your reasons….for fallowing all of this. Why are you fighting for the covenant?”

Blunt and straight to the point.

Her reasons. Taurus seemed to be talking about those a lot these days. Her rationale for joining was different from the others, stepped in political and personal meaning. “Wild fires. They used to be a natural occurrence before all this cold took hold of the world. They would wipe out large areas of vegetation. However, in the process, they would make space for new growth and clear out the old. It makes way for changes, new possibilities. Admittedly, it is a violent process though. There’s a reason people always saw fit to stop despite how much of a necessary process it might be.”

“This world. It’s due for some kind of change. I want to be one of the people who sees what comes afterwards. It’s not that I believe some utopia is going to be at the end of this. I just believe drastic upheavals of society are necessary for progress.”

“I hold no love for what this world is. Before the covenant, more unfortunate countries wager wars internally or amongst themselves while the wealthier ones sat and watched, not caring in the slightest. It was worse when those countries did care. People forget that the world wasn’t a wonderful place before the Covenant. There were some that lost their homes well before the Covenant showed up. At least with them, it was nothing personal. Not based in religion, nationality, ethnicity, or whatever else made up lines people chose to draw.”

“I guess this could have been summed up in a few words. I am a revolutionist.”

Valdis listened with unjudging eyes, this one was very rational. The end justifies the means type, she listened with a thoughtful expression. She wondered if this Zodiac viewed life just as a resource to use or if she did value it on another level. Was she rationalizing the deaths for her own conscience? Or was it really as grey as she made it seem. It did not seemed as if she enjoyed the devastation, however it was clear she believed it was necessary. On some level Valdis could relate to that reasoning.

”Back in my village, I lived with my mother in the poor parts on the outskirts of where the farmers were. I remember them burning there fields that were to be unused for the growing season, they did it to improve the soil quality for the next year’s harvest.”

So she could understand the fire analogy, her head turned towards the sand storm that was approaching. Her expression was calm, she could always port somewhere else if the storm got to close. However it was annoying to have to port back to the human world then back, it would be easier if she could figure out how to stay in the same realm. However they still seemed to have time to talk, then she would have to go find her twinsy she owed him an air horning.

”While I can agree on your sentiments on some level, along with agreeing that a large change was most likely needed. I do miss the warmness of spring….and the flowers. The death that this endless winter as wrought has destroyed much which will not grow back. The old forests of my homeland…untouched for thousands of years. That history is lost and irreplaceable, new life may grow in that area once more…but what was is most certainly lost…It was believed that we as a race had only discovered a quarter of the life that this earth has to offer. So much of that life was believed to be held in the regions with rainforest…undoubtedly not adapted to handle this climate. That life is lost now…a wild fire may allow for new life to blossom…but a freeze will not.”

Valdis had a very thoughtful expression.

”Gemini told me however that this freeze is a visual representation of what is in the masses hearts. The obelisks are just reacting to the will of the people. The people’s hearts were already frozen over before this massive winter came; as the wars came the winter just intensified. Do you not fear the damage wrought is the freezing kind that leaves just death in its path. Or is it that the goal is to only have the ones who are naturally adapted to survive the cold bitterness survive?...”

She chuckled and looked over towards Tauros.

”I’m just trying to understand motivations and end goals here. Gemini isn’t exactly the easiest to get those answers out of. Although I think he is like you in wanting to see change happen. While Scorpio one of the old ones who lived the Utopia that was just wanted to see his home back....The covenant has successfully wiped out the ways things use to be…when does your battle actually end?”

The more Valdis discovered the more she questioned. She could understand the reasons why others chose the covenant. She agreed with the reasons; a large change was necessary for progress.

”Did you know that there is an object that when used could reverse all of this…. A reset button if you will. I strongly disagree with that sentiment, all the pain and suffering and destruction as you said has its advantages to forge a new path. I think the covenant in all its destruction may have paved the way for some good to come of it. I believe it has become a very important of our pasts, if it were to end today I think that new world that people wish for could begin to grow. But that is what I don’t understand…if the entirety of the covenant had the same goals as say you or Gemini then they have already won the battle they are fighting for…what is it that keeps all of this going. Frankly it is that question that has me on the fence.”

She looked down at her clawed hand, the cow explained the humans involvement but unlike any war before another race came to mind.

”The youma are another piece to this puzzle, when this world was made anew and the infant race of man was created the Youma who occupied this earth were removed for the new race to be able to survive. However this”

She motioned to the dead world around them.

”Is worse than our frozen wasteland. There needs to be a place made for them however to include them on our planet would mean certain death to those who cannot defend themselves…it would be like sending a fox amongst new born chicks. Does the Utopia that the covenant hopes to obtain include a place for both races? Or just one for a superior race like you or me?....From what I have learned the end goal seems to be to bring this world and combine it with the human realm. The effects of that would be liken to reattaching a limb that has already been decayed. It would only bring infection to the healthy portion. This is the part of the covenant that I cannot bring myself to justify as being good. That is what the short skirt squad is fighting to prevent. However stopping it will not solve the problem, and will only delay the problem from coming about once more.”

Really this was more musing to herself then to the cow, but she had proven to be a patient listener so far. She was also the least likely to probably tank her for voicing her conflicting thoughts.

”As you can see I find myself in a very grey area. So I am searching for more answers.”

“Fire is only a metaphor for my politics. I admit that I don’t like the cold that much either. As for losing things, it depends on the things lost. I believe the destruction of nature was an unintended side effect.” It’s not as if she set out to make a new ice age. It was just something that happened. It never got warmer no matter how long she waited for summer to return.


However, she shakes her head about the freeze not creating something new. “No, you focus too much on what is lost. Life is resilient. Yes, things go extinct, but you don’t have an open niche for long without something taking it over. Mass extinctions do give birth to new life forms even in the coldest environments as with the more natural ice ages. That is not to say that I believe this is a good thing necessarily. I have no qualms with wildlife, and did not set out to destroy a large percentage of it. There will indeed be things that I miss that I will never see again. But I challenge the idea that life will not adapt.” She smiles, “But I don’t think you wanted to talk of ecology.”


The smile drops when she talks about the end of battle. “Theoretically, when the perfect civilization is made. However, I don’t believe in the fairytales of utopia. So practically, until I die. Not that there won’t be long breaks between battles.”


She looks out at the world that the girl motions, “Yes. There does need to be something better than this. I do not know what Utopia the Covenant hopes for, and I am sure it changes depending on who you ask. As I said, I don’t hold stock in that idea. I also don’t hold stock in the idea of ‘superior races’. Such ideas are problematic. I suppose my ideal would be for them to live as equals because that is what they are. To keep them segregated… that is not so dissimilar from apartheid, is it? The idea is also problematic, and has never worked out well in the course of history. Ultimately, if the Covenant wins the world and doesn’t reunite them, we would be damning them to a far worse fate. They would continue living here, but be forced to watch a world that they can never have.”


“Enjoy the gray area. There will never be a sufficient answer for you to navigate out of it. Once you enter it, it is where you live your whole life.”

”I’m sure it was an unintended effect…The obelisks from what I have learned were erected to amplify others innate ability to control chaotic energy. The Obelisks also seemed to have formed a link between this world and the humans, allowing the transfer of energy collected to pool of energy reserves. But …chaotic energy is just as it is named chaotic, it can have unpredicted side effects. The majority of masses like you wanted change but had lost hope. The side effect you see is a physical representation of what are in the hearts of the people. Already frozen over…”

She played with the end of her white hair with a frown.

”Which has me wondering…. The covenant has conquered the majority of the earth’s population. If a vision of a utopia has sprouted, then would there not me more hope? Or are they unable to fully envision the end goal… which would only seem to me that pretty words have been said but there has been no actual proof.”

Valdis laughed at the idea of challenging that life would not adapt.

”Life will adapt that much I am sure. But using your example, there have been mass extinctions on this planet before. Only a very few survived it to forge a new path. I am certain that would happen now if the fighting were to stop. But if things were to continue…if the effects that brought on this ice age were brought on by the people’s emotions what would happen if they were to completely give up?”

Valdis tapped her chin when her question of when the battle would end was answered, the cow did not see an end in sight…It had to be a bitter taste to accept that as ones fate.

”Have you seen this utopia being begin to take shape? Or has it just been pretty words…You are a leader are you not? Or has the red haired Queen not directed your goals? Why has it not been started, in the America’s where the citadel is…There are holes in this idea that make me hesitate. For example, Japan has taken a defensive stance, they had not outwardly gone to attack the covenant. Frankly I believe that was due to covenant influences so they could harvest the energy, however that makes me now question why the youma would suddenly start out right attacking. Specifically the Senshi, they are a different type of youma if you will, focusing on untainted energy that is significantly more potent that the chaoctic kind. It would make sense to guide them to help create this perfect utopia….I mean the covenant has specifically targeted each of the Senshi before they awakened, its usually these attacks that awaken them to begin with. Personally I think the whole situation could have been handled better, I would have approached them specifically and convinced them to join my side before making enemies out of them…..The type of energy they use would be more direct without unexpected backlash that chaotic energy seems to have.”

Valdis continued to watch the sand storm approach.

”I also don’t understand, you, Gemini, and Scorpio all have different reasons for fighting. How do the Zodiacs lead with such different motivations, how are you guys a united front…. That is one piece of the puzzle I am missing”

Valdis nodded, fully agreeing that something needed to change, it would seem Sophia had accomplished her goal in opening her eyes that the Youma were not the complete monsters she first believed….they were just a rank above on the food chain.

”I disagree on the superior part, Youma naturally are a rank above humans on the food chain. They can feed off of human energy, and use powers where the general masses cannot. It is like comparing a snake and a mouse, yes a mouse can fight and win….sometimes, but science tells us that the snake was specifically designed as the mouse’s predator. I do not believe that they could all live peacefully with humans, the more sentient ones maybe. However I fear this war has brought the youma into a horrendous light that the fear may be a hurdle they will be unable to climb. Understanding human nature…I do not believe the youma will ever be welcome. If every one were to have the ability to access the energy much like they use to when the earth kingdom was at its prime during the age Scorpio lived in…then yes they would be able to live as equals. However due to the war raged upon the moon kingdom and the results of their queens crystal. The new race of humans were born…without the ability to channel the energy as well as they once had, and its only become diluted with time. ”

She frowned, this Zodiac truly had ideal hopes….and her intentions were in the right place. Even if the means to it were more than a little gruesome. But she found she liked this Zodiac…

”I do not see a place for the humans in the Utopia that the covenant is paving the way for. They will go the way of the Dodo bird, hunted to extinction. However…if this piece of rock were to be revived….or a place found for the youma. A world where they could live in peace and prosper instead of this desolate wasteland…that would be ideal. They would not have to face segregation, they could form their own societies….then let communication form from there and let time heal the rifts this war has created…now that would be ideal….however I think that had been the goal when this realm was separated from the earth…but you cannot break off a limb and expect it to survive on its own. I believe another world would have to be found in order for that to work.”

She raised an eyebrow at the cow when she was told to enjoy the grey area.

”I prefer purple, however you say it like you yourself live in the grey area.”

Taurus shrugs, “I can’t know what goes on in the hearts and minds of others. However, keep in mind that it has been eight years of war for both sides. Hope is fragile, but anger is not. Eight years is enough to use all of the former to stoke the flames of the latter. After time, fighting becomes less about the end goal and more about rage. But this war is coming to a close, whatever that may be. I do not think we will see what happens if the world gives up completely. I wonder how many can sense that.”


Holding up a hand, Taurus stops the girl in middle of speaking about targeting the senshi, “You certainly made a big assumption. To my knowledge, the senshi weren’t targeted specifically. I had no idea that they were a player in this game until they were already awakened. I have never ran into an unawakened senshi and do not know how one would find them. They were most likely part of a random bunch of people being collected for energy. An odd coincidence, but still one nonetheless. Had we known about them earlier, then yes, perhaps this would have been handled differently. I don’t think it would end any differently though than it has. When they became a unified group, they immediately attacked us. They seem to have no other interest but fighting us.”


“Since when do you need to agree on things to fight a war? We all agree that this should happen, so we can save our disagreements until after all this is done,” Taurus muses.


Anger tears her away from her more thoughtful demeanor. “You really are Gemini’s protégé, aren’t you? Since when has the food chain mattered? Humans can be eaten by tigers, but one hardly considers the tiger the superior species. No, all that matters is ingenuity and perseverance. Not who eats who. In addition, the distinction between humans and youma is hazy. Whether you wish to acknowledge it or not, you and I come from human beginnings. That is something that is easily forgotten, but shouldn’t be. We are them. Divisions are imaginary things to make one comfortable with the violence. Make it more palatable.”


“But no, I don’t believe the youma will be welcome initially. However, I have never believed in taking the most comfortable route, and I think I made that clear so far. Humanity needs to be pushed to do the hard thing. Assuming that the separate communities will fix things themselves won’t work. As I said before, apartheid, separate but equal, you see just how those worked. I do not care if they do not like it. Progress demands it be done. They will get along eventually. Not that there won’t be more violence before then.”


“And yes, I live there. I consider the good and bad of my actions, and move forward with the internal philosophy that I have built for myself.”

”A close? I thought you just said you never expected this war to truly end, just long gaps of reprieve.”

She raised an eyebrow when she was stopped in mid-sentence. Only to be given a nugget of information that made a look of surprise cross her calm features. Her eyebrows scrunched up in thought, obviously perplexed by the other woman’s response.

”My apologies…however that complicates things drastically. While I can concede upon being targeted for their large energy signature I am hesitant to belief it was at complete random. You see that specific group the majority of them were awakened by two cats, advisors to the moon kingdom in the age of the Utopia that Scorpio hailed from….Someone knew that these cats were to awaken the senshi…in fact in a separate timeline they were supposed to awaken thirty years ago at the start of all this energy gathering. However in this time line someone knew to prevent the Senshi’s awakening they had to capture the cats and keep them detained. The cats were held prisoner on one of the Japanese military base….So yes I guess it was assumed it was the covenants doing….for with the cats left as they were…these wars would not have happened.”

She scratched the top of her head a deep frown etched on her face.

”The fact that as a Zodiac that you don’t know about it is …very unsettling. Scorpio knew about the senshi..as did your queen. In fact from what I have been told it sounds like I have a bit more of the picture then you…So much for answers. However perhaps I can shed some light on WHY they are attacking. It would be the past patterns of the ones that have fallowed your leader. The older Zodiac and your queen use to live on this land when it was the Utopia that they envision”

Valdis outstretched her hand, she felt and odd prickle. On the tips of her fingers were small purple sparks. She held her hand out and an image shimmered out in front of them. She recognized this vision…it was Scorpios past.

”Allow me to show you the events from the eyes of one who lived it. In a distant past unrecorded by history, there was a magnificent civilization on the Earth…. Magic was commonplace, all had their fill of food and medicine, and it seemed to be a pure utopia.”

The image slowly rose up to show the moon overhead, as the people from earth would see it. Nothing special about it, it looked as though it was the moon you saw today. But something about it was not quite right.
”However the only thing disrupting this utopia was the Moon Kingdom, looming overhead at night, watching. The people feared Queen Selenity's Silver Crystal, and their position on the Moon meant they had a huge tactical advantage. Contact between the worlds was forbidden, and to date the Moon Kingdom's people stayed far away from the Earth.”

The image shifted to a recognizable but younger face of Scorpio; viewing himself in a mirror before it switched to another image of a man.

”Jadeite was a diplomat the one you know as Scorpio, was a man whom kept the various peoples and the nations of the world united under the rule of the benevolent prince Endymion. He along with his brothers in arms of the Shintennou served as the generals of Elysion's forces, carrying a strong military tradition and the people safe.”

Soon the image in the air blurred and jumped to show a meeting where Scorpio and other generals were in discussion with a red haired woman. The woman was beautiful but had a clear and distinct darkness about her. She emitted anger and jealousy, but her eyes had powerful magic within them. They seemed hyptnotic,

”This woman whom I believe is your leader now, she gradually convinced all of those present that Endymion had betrayed Elysion to the Moon Kingdom, and the only way to save Earth was to destroy the Moon Kingdom once and for all...”

The image fades again...shifting about erratically. A moment of victory seemed to be at hand in the Moon Kingdom. A group that may be recognizable as the senshi, prince Endymion, and a princess-like girl in silver all lay dead while the vicious youma slaughter the residents of the Moon Kingdom without pause, mercy, or regret. It was a gory site…

”The battle had already been won however that did not stop them from consuming all until nothing was left. Only when Queen Selenity stepped upon the balcony with the Silver Crystal did it end”

There was a massive flash of light and then everything changed….The image once more jumped ahead in time. The red haired woman was back and the four generals that had fallowed her were reawakened.

”The dark queen began a plot a plot to take over the Earth to return it to it's original state. Of course, the humans whom had descended from both Lunarian and peasant blood needed to be extinguished, for they were slowly killing the Earth in their avarice and petty squabbles….”

Valdis let go of the image with a shaky hand, a shiver ran up her spine as she shook off the odd feeling.

”That golden age is the Utopia that your queen wishes to have returned to this earth. She does not wish to cohabitate but annihilate. Scorpio imparted the rest of the tale to me in his last moments. During the years that fallowed he collected the energy needed for the next phase…a goal to summon a greater power to subjugate the world with…and so the obelisks were born as well as the covenant that we know today. The Zodiac codes that you go by were adopted to reflect pagan mythology to help strike fear into the populace…”

She stopped when she was called Gemini’s protégé a small smile spread across her face.

”I suppose….I’m both his and Scorpios. I was given Scorpios memories to do with what I pleased…and I am now being guided by Gemini….and I believe the food chain has always mattered….humans have just been on the top of the chain for centuries now… A tiger can eat one human, but in turn the humans almost wipe out a species. I also believe you are focusing on just humanoid youma, really there ranges are much more vast then that, I just do not have the names for them. Youma as I see it is a broad term of classification much like a phylm…or they could be their own kingdom all together… But the intelligence levels vary drastically….”

If things were as the cow put it, things would be much simpler, the big picture wouldn’t seem as vast as it did to Valdis if that were the case.

”But back to the point of why the Senshi are fighting, they are trying to prevent meaningless annihilation….much like how it has happened in the past the convent has already won its goal…we could begin the cohabitation as things are now…I believe even if the covenant approached the Senshi now with the wishes to stop the fighting and begin a new start I don’t think you would be faced with much of a fight. They just want peace….I have not seen them attack once without there being a danger to the public in which they were trying to prevent. However I am unsure of their end goals as much as I am of the covenant. I do not agree with the sentiment of them erasing everything that has happened up until this point. That I believe is wrong….The silver queen erased everything to begin anew and now history is repeating itself…The pain and suffering everyone has endured so far would be meaningless for both sides. But they are divided without a conviction to move in one direction as a single unit, prides are abound aplenty…”

Valdis paused for a moment.

”If the covenant in its entirety had the same intentions as you do, I do not think I would hesitate to join you. If Scorpio had not given to me the knowledge that he did I think I would have joined as well….But despite all of that there were questions Scorpio had that went un answered and I now find myself wondering the answers of those same questions”

She poked in fingers, that was perplexing but useful. Now she would sit back and watch what the cow would do with this information. She seemed to have an intellectual mind that was not afraid to questions one’s own beliefs. In fact she found that she was enjoying this conversation.

”This conversation has me thinking now…as to why some Zodiac know more than others and who knows what.”

“Sorry if I misspoke. My war never ends. This war will at some point. There is a difference between the two,” Taurus clarifies, “And yes this means, I will eventually get to rid myself of those that I hate so much. I am fairly sure that Libra knows that I will take his head as soon as we no longer stand on the same side. I haven’t hid my feelings on that matter.”


Giving another apathetic shrug, Taurus says, “Perhaps, it was us. Perhaps, it wasn’t us. Either way, it is not a thing that I knew about. As I said before, I work with snakes, and I am not aware of all that goes on. These are not things that are relevant to what I wish though. As for the idea that the past was a Utopia, that is a pretty big claim. Or perhaps I should ask who it was a utopia for? I doubt it was such for all.”


Taurus watches the images and the explanation with little sympathy. However, her eyebrows furl as she sees an image of Endymion, and her eyes remain fixed on him. “How much do you about the prince?”


As soon as the girl stops speaking about Virgo’s wishes, Taurus responds, “Whatever she wishes now, it currently falls in line with what I wish. For now, that works for me. I will never come this close to pulling society up from the roots on my own. What comes after, well, I will decide my allegiances then if they should change.”


Taurus sighs. She doesn’t think she could get the girl to come to her side of the argument on the difference between youma and other creatures. “They are only a different species should youma and their normal counterparts not be able to produce fertile offspring. To my knowledge, that is a non-issue. In addition, a normal creature can become a youma. Blurry distinctions and I refuse to make arbitrary ones for the sake of my own comfort.”


Taurus shakes her head, “You misunderstand. I don’t want peace. I want change. If they wanted to join our side that would be fine, but as I said before I want wild fires and rebirth from the ashes. They want to go back to the way things were, and I hate that as a solution. As if that would fix everything…”


She wasn’t expecting the compliment. Her ideals were strange and violent as much as they were well-intentioned and progressive. Taurus smiles, “If you want to join my fight, you are more than welcome to do so. But my fight is far different than the others. That is not to say that I am not loyal. At this moment, I am quite so.”


The wind begins to pick up where they are, and Taurus begins to walk in the opposite direction of the storm. “I do not know. I am younger than Scorpio and Virgo. Perhaps knowledge goes the ones with age. Admittedly, before my birth as Taurus, I was born in the modern era.”