Rei turned off the whistling kettle, pouring it into dainty teacups. A gentle rapping came at the door, before Ami stepped inside. Her hair was askew, her eyes red, and Rei could tell she'd been skipping meals...and maybe showers as well. Her crystalline aura was like a rain cloud clinging to her thin frame, but Rei didn't comment on the trouble she saw reflected in Ami's spirit.
Rei just smiled, "You're early." She proffered a cup of water towards Ami. Ami took the cup, reaching for a bag of Earl Grey before sitting down at the table, where she unloaded a small library of books onto the table.
"Thanks," Ami opened the top book, flipping to a bookmarked page. She opened her mouth as if she were about to speak, but then closed it again.
Rei turned back to the tea, preparing it according to her other friends' preferences. Her lips pressed together as she dropped Usagi's teabag in, adding a conservative one square of sugar. With a defeated smile she added another two, before placing the cups around the table in the unofficial seating arrangement of the senshi.
Rei sat down with her own tea, taking tiny sips while she watched Ami read across the table. It wasn't doing anything to clear her mind of its turmoil, so thinking the better of it, she stood to leave. She stopped just outside the door, leaning back in to speak to Ami who was still content reading her books. "Let the others in if they get here before I'm back." Walking down the hallway, she inched her grandfather's door open, peeking in and closing it again after seeing him rolled up on his side, asleep.
Moving farther out, she stepped outside, welcoming the fresh breeze. She had been up very late with her grandfather last night after revealing her secret identity, and the crisp air woke her tired mind up a bit. She was not the only one enjoying nature this morning.
She saw a ponytailed brunette leaning against a cherry blossom tree, watching her. "Has the fire shown you anything?" asked Makoto, trying to read Rei's answer from her impassive face.
The fire miko made a decision with herself then, shaking her head. "Only whispers, nothing concrete." If another meeting was held, she'd let them know about the full vision. There was no point to worrying them unless more enemies appeared, or the vision repeated itself. But hopefully this new enemy had already been defeated at the battle last night.
"How late were you up trying to get a reading?" Rei gave an elegant shrug, stepping past Makoto. She'd never been especially close to Makoto, and right now she didn't feel the need to tell Makoto that she'd stayed up all night with her grandfather, and told him her identity as Sailor Mars. That was a decision she'd made with the Kami, and she wasn't about to justify herself outside her own home before the meeting even started.
Rei paused to look back at her longtime comrade, taking a second glance her aura. Comprehension dawned on her face, "How long will you wait to tell the others?" she asked, a hint of excitement in her eyes.
Makoto stared at her wide-eyed and open-mouthed. "H-how did you know?" She lowered her head, abashed. "I meant to tell everyone yesterday." Nodding, Rei continued towards the temple entrance with the taller girl. "I brought cookies," she finished lamely, falling into step behind Rei.
"Then we better hurry before Usagi-chan and Minako-chan get here."
Entering the front room, they saw that Mamoru had snuck past them while they talked, and he sat peering over Ami's shoulder at the organic chemistry text she was reading. With an exasperated glance to the clock, Rei sat down to take a cookie from the platter Makoto had arranged. "Where are they?" she grumbled, folding her arms over her chest and glaring at the door. As if on cue, the sound of panting and laughter filtered through the screen.
"Aahh!" a female voice said, huffing desperately for air. "I know we're late!" she yelled, before collapsing at the top of the steps in a pile of limbs and blonde hair. Behind her another twin whirlwind rushed up the stairs.
"Still have..."panting as she looked at her watch Minako paused, "ten minutes ago." Minako helped Usagi to her feet again, "She's going to kill us."
"Or torture us," Usagi agreed, dragging her heels as they approached the temple.
"Or torture and kill you!" Rei stood before them, brandishing her broom. No one wondered when or where she'd grabbed it from.
Before Rei could damage either of them Makoto waved them towards the safety from the door, "I made cookies!" Both blondes edged around the fuming miko before rushing inside.
Usagi plopped down at the table, grabbing two fistfuls of cookies before shoveling them into her cheeks. Minako wasn't far behind her. Ami watched the competition for who could cram more food into their mouths with morbid curiosity.
Rei followed after them, still huffing. "I don't know why you two can never be on time." Sighing she sat down beside Usagi, taking a calming sip of tea.
"How is Artemis?"
All eyes turned towards Minako. "He's awake," she responded, guilt on her face, "He wanted me to bring him here today but he's still too weak to move around much. I promised him I'd let him hear the meeting though." She reached over and unclipped Makoto's communicator, clicking the orange Venus symbol.
"Can you hear us Artemis?" she said, propping the communicator up on the edge of the table. On the other end of the inch wide screen there was an image of a bandaged white cat.
"Yes," he said, too comfortable on his throne of pillows to move closer for better sound quality.
"Luna wasn't at central control," Ami said, patting Usagi's hand, "But don't worry, I wouldn't be surprised if she is just scouting out this new enemy." Her words were meant to be comforting but Usagi didn't look at all sad over the fact her cat had yet to come home. She was already reaching for another cookie, leaving Ami's hand on the table alone.
"Its okay. She'd just nag me anyways." Usagi shrugged, popping the cookie into her mouth.
"Well then, let's begin."
Ami leaned forward, "I didn't get a sample of the material the youma is composed of, but it seems as if they are made of an insulating, regenerative, and transparent shell. This camouflages them, which would have made them an extremely challenging foe if it didn't have those glowing veins. I found these at central control last night; they should help if there is another attack." Reaching further into her backpack, Ami produced a stack of thin visors not unlike her own. "These will allow you to see thermal energy, which should make it that much more difficult for them to hide."
Makoto tested out the visors, amused as her friends turned into red blurs. Usagi was balancing her pair on her forefinger.
"Not exactly fashionable," Minako complained, tucking her new night vision specs into her purse nevertheless.
"Why are they here, what is their objective? Something must have triggered this attack now."
"And the bigger question, where did they come from?" Mamoru added, taking Usagi's pair of visors with his own and putting them both where she couldn't break them.
"Its possible it was remnants of another type of youma we've already encountered," Ami hypothesized, tenting her fingers. "We never did return to destroy the hideouts of the enemies we've faced before, it could be that there were youma still within their territory that took the absence of their masters as a sign of freedom."
"Freedom to terrorize," grumbled Usagi.
"It could be a new foe though," argued Minako. "None of the demons have ever looked so...icky before." Ami murmured something about a bonbon.
"I don't understand how its possible for any new enemies to exist at all," Makoto admitted. "We already defeated Chaos, shouldn't that have wiped out all traces of negative energy everywhere?" she wondered aloud, her brows creased.
There was a long silence. Only one person in the room had been alive to see the battle with Chaos, and it was an experience she did not want to relive. "No," Usagi finally said, her voice a breath above a whisper. "Chaos lives in the hearts and minds of everyone, just like the light of hope does. It wasn't destroyed by that last fight at the Cauldron. If anything, it was born anew." A collective shiver went through them at her words.
"So we could be fighting Chaos all over again," Makoto seemed more troubled than the others by this news.
"Let's not jump to conclusions, the monster last night didn't have the same power levels as Chaos, in fact they weren't even close" Ami said. Makoto's shoulders relaxed. "It could be another child of Chaos though, like Metallia, Death Phantom, or Pharaoh 90. It would be unwise to let our guard down just because the youma seem weaker than usual." Artemis' fur ruffled at the remark, but he settled back down. "We should give this new foe the same wariness as any other we've ever faced."
"I agree," the feline said, "We don't know much about this new enemy, and I don't
want anyone to be caught off guard like Venus was last night."
"Hey!" Minako protested, sticking her tongue out at him. "I could have handled that blast just fine!"
"And then spent five years re-growing your new bald spot," Artemis noted, amused. Minako paled at the mental image.
"That still doesn't tell us what their motives are," Rei pointed out, trying to keep everyone on track.
"They could be after energy," said Makoto, tapping her chin.
"Or trying to get rid of it," grumbled Usagi, "It looked like all they wanted to do was fire off those steam blasts."
"Did they show any signs of having a specific target?" Mamoru asked.
"No," Ami shook her head. "They attacked civilians before we arrived, and when everyone was there they kept attacking at random. They only showed sentience enough to attack the weakest in our ranks," Makoto let out an affronted noise. "They don't have mouths to communicate with. I would not be surprised if creatures such as these were being controlled by a third party. I just can't imagine who would want to create such creatures, or for what purpose."
"For now, let's go on the assumption that there is someone else pulling the strings," Minako said, "How do we find them?"
"We could try to track the creatures, but that might result in more havoc." Ami shook her head at Makoto's suggestion.
"What if that was the only one, and no more attacks come? It could be just an isolated incident," Usagi offered.
"Well, since the monster can regenerate an entire new clone of itself from just a small fragment like it did at the park, I wouldn't be surprised if we find several others that broke off from the initial youma earlier. And if there is a source for these youma, it is even more likely." She continued, "Even if we planted a GPS tracker where they would absorb it, there is no guarantee it would stay within that monster the whole way back to their source, or that they even know to return to a third party after being initially released."
"But we have to do something!" Makoto protested, banging her fist on the table. The table shook under the weight, and Rei shot her a scathing look.
"Rei has the fire shown you anything?" asked Minako, trying to distract Makoto from her frustration before she broke something.
Rei scowled. "I couldn't get any reading from the fire for the past month, and last night all it gave me was a feeling of tragedy and drinking something cold." She paused and added, almost like an afterthought, "It seemed almost like the fire wanted me to leave even before it started showing me anything." She pressed her lips together, refusing to mention the flashing violet eyes at the end of the trance. If fate had a role for her to play in the evils ahead, she was going to fight it 'til her dying breath. She was ready and willing to sacrifice everything to protect Usagi, even if she had to sever herself from the senshi forever. If this was an isolated incident though, there was no point to causing the others more worry over a part of the vision that might not even come to pass.
"We could try to get a sample of the creature for Ami to analyze," Mamoru offered. "It might give us a clue as to where they came from, what they are, or who they came from." Minako nodded her agreement.
"There is no guarantee that the material they are made of wouldn't expand into another creature like this last one, or that it wouldn't disappear after they are defeated." Ami sighed.
"We'll try to get a sample anyways," said Makoto.
"There should be containment capsules in central control," Artemis said. "I know there are at least two of them, since both Luna and I arrived in them."
"I'll use those then," Ami agreed. "Their movements are amoeboid, and my scans indicate that they are filled with some type of liquid inside, likely that black slush that Jupiter fell into. That is where their energy stems from, but I'm not sure how..." Ami pulled out her compact, skimming through the notes and data she had made at the previous battle. "It could be related to the red nerve network underneath."
"Usagi and I are the only ones who can seem to hurt it," Rei added. "Is there some way we can make the other attacks more effective?"
"If we could break its shell, the yes," Ami said. "Unfortunately, the youma showed resilience to such attacks, and they resulted in a clean mass breaking off from the shell, which in turn generated the second youma. Its indented orbital hollows seemed to be the youma's only weak spot, and they are not fatal to it."
"Can we not call it a youma?" Usagi whined. "How about blobby yuck, or villian #1000?"
Mamoru smiled, wrapping an arm around her. "We haven't faced that many enemies, now have we?" She made a sound of reluctant agreement.
"I've labeled it polymorph in my notes," said Ami, "although if anyone has a better suggestion..." no one spoke.
From the shadows beside the doorway, a figure stepped forward. "Polymorph is accurate, as always Ami," said a smooth alto voice.
"Pluto!" Usagi exclaimed, her surprise written across her face. "I'm so glad to see you! How have you been?" Everyone was interested in her reason for the arrival, Pluto only appeared when necessary.
"I would love to tell you, but I have another meeting to attend elsewhere," Pluto gave a wry smile, before dropping it as her eyes darkened. "I came to warn you of the dangers ahead. This enemy is unlike any previous adversary," she made sure to lock eyes with each girl in turn, "You will be forced to fight with different rules, and no one here is exempt." She closed her eyes to hide the pain in them, "I will be there for the final battle, but I am needed elsewhere prior." The dark forest of her hair swayed behind her in nonexistent wind, adding to the feeling of unease rising amongst the girls. "Do not lose hope, no matter the odds."
After a pause, Rei leaned forward towards her, her eyes pleading. "Why won't you help us fight?" The fear looming over her about her own betrayal was being contained under a paper thin veil of composure.
"Yeah that is a good point!" Makoto chimed in, turning to stare at Setsuna with distrust. "You should always help us fight. Why didn't you help us fight Metallia and the Dark Kingdom, huh?"
Setsuna shook her head at their questions. "I am sorry, you will have to find your own answers. We are all senshi, if you can believe in nothing else, find faith in that."
The sound of snoring interrupted them. Turning towards the communicator, they all watched as Artemis slid off his pillow, landing on his uninjured side with a thump before getting up. "Ow," he grumbled, climbing back up onto his perch.
"Aren't cats supposed to always land on their feet?" Minako teased, clicking the communicator off before he could retort. When they looked back towards the other end of the table, Sailor Pluto was gone. Rei stared after the spot, feeling her apprehension over her vision multiply tenfold. Makoto looked nonplussed with Pluto's response.
"That's just like her," Makoto groused, "Showing up to give us some vague speech and leaving before she will even answer one question straight."
"She did say she had to be somewhere else," Ami defended.
"Yeah yeah..." Makoto seemed to mollify at the statement, but Rei could feel the stormy emotions lingering in her aura.
"There is something else my scans picked up that we should address," Ami said, her eyes flicking back up to Makoto and staying there. The silence that descended on the room was palpable as everyone turned to the brunette.
She squirmed under the scrutiny, wringing her hands under the table. Makoto wasn't sure if she was ready yet, but she knew that she was just delaying the inevitable. Apparantly, two members of the team already knew her secret. She was blushing and sweating, but she closed her eyes and pulled in a deep calming breath before opening them again with her usual confidence. These were her closest friends, and she had a promise with herself to keep. "I'm pregnant," she said, releasing her breath.
Minako looked like her eyes might pop out of her head. "You're WHAT!" she screeched, jumping over the table in her haste to tackle Makoto in a hug. Usagi was squealing with joy, clapping her hands together while both Rei and Ami exchanged knowing looks, smiling. "How?" Minako gave herself a mental kick. "I mean, who is he? How did you meet? When did this happen! I thought for sure I'd be the first one to lose my virginity," she grumbled under her breath. "I'm so happy for you! Is it a boy or a girl? Or do you even want to know? Is it too early to have a baby shower?"
Her words were coming out so fast now that no one at the table could keep up.
"He's..." Makoto lowered her head, "my boss." A hush fell over the group.
Minako was impressed. "No wonder you're so well off!" she goaded.
"How long?" Mamoru asked, almost wary of the answer.
"Just once!" Makoto blurted, blushing when everyone turned to stare at her. Realizing what Mamoru had actually meant, Makoto blushed harder. "I-I mean, it was a little over two months ago, we aren't actually dating..." She sighed, "We were both at the restaurant late, wine tasting and I guess I drank a little too much. Anyways, we went back to my place and..." she put up her hands, "It just happened."
"How romantic," Rei's sarcastic voice broke the atmosphere with the grace of a
hammer to glass.
"Hey, watch it, pyro," Makoto's eyes sparked. "I don't regret it. Maybe it wasn't a storybook romance, but I'm glad it happened. I've always wanted a family of my own, and this," her hand brushed over her stomach, "This was the perfect opportunity for me."
Ami spoke up, her voice hesitant. "But are you really ready to be a mother?"
Makoto nodded, "I've been ready for a while now. I just hadn't found the right time with the right person."
"But," Usagi intruded, careful not to sound insensitive, "Is he the right person?"
Makoto shrugged, "Right enough. He's attractive and smart and I've been working with him for a year now so I know he has all the qualities I want my kid to have."
Ami braved the question no one else had asked, "Does he know?"
Makoto shook her head, "And he's not going to. He could lose his job if anyone else found out, and I could lose mine too, and I need this job to afford having the baby." She sighed, more relieved now than before she'd revealed her secret even though she knew of the hardships ahead. "Besides, I don't know if he even remembers that night, or wants kids at all."
"You'll start showing eventually," Rei warned, "What are you going to tell him then to keep your job?"
Makoto shrugged. "That I've gotten fat off all the delicious food of course," she smirked. "I'll apply for maternity leave for the final month, but before that, nothing is going to bring me down." She beamed at them. Minako seemed overjoyed at the news, beaming back at her. Their smiles were infectious, and soon everyone at the table was congratulating her, and helping with plans for shopping and an early baby shower.
oOoOoOo
She pondered her namesake, Hotaru, a firefly. Personally, she didn't feel she fit the name.
She was always a gloomy child, who sequestered herself in her room with her multitude of lamps. Lamps that were meant to bring artificial light into the room with thick drapes to blot out the harsh sun.
But a firefly? A glowing creature which brought light into the darkness of night? She did not feel like a firefly. She felt more like a wraith, veiled in never-ending night where others could not see her.
Sighing, she brushed a lock of her raven hair from her eyes, watching the planes come and go over the tarmac.
When she'd been several years younger, she had believed them to be flying cars. She had thought that there were many different kinds of airplanes, great metal airships and smaller ones like the chopper. Of course, her flight of fancy had been cut short when she, Haruka-papa and Michiru-mama had left Tokyo.
That was her first experience in the machine called an airplane.
She had been seven then, and she didn't remember too much about the trip. She remembered the port where the airplane docked had been crowded, and that she'd had to walk through a strange gate that flickered different colors. She remembered the feeling of lifting off the ground, feeling gravity pull her back in her seat.
Now having successfully gone through airport security as a teenager, Hotaru could see the rosy hue of her own youth.
"How much longer?" She whined, bored already. Watching the crafts move around beyond the window in a parody of a dance could only keep her entertained for so long. She felt stiff from sitting for so long.
"Not much longer now, firefly." Michiru patted her shoulder, offering her a sketchbook. "Would you like to draw while we wait?"
A shadow fell over Hotaru's eyes as she took the sketchbook. Suddenly much older in spirit than body, Hotaru began to draw on a blank page, her skill exceeding her years. Michiru watched her warily, elbowing Haruka so that she would notice the change as well. This was happening more and more frequently.
They both loved their foster daughter dearly, but sometimes it appeared as if she had a split personality. Half of her soul was this young spirited girl, their little firefly. The baby girl who use to demand they feed her only noodlies, and who was growing into a feisty teenager.
But the other half...it was a darker entity. Capable of manipulating shadows and hearing whispered secrets, Hotaru's other half was the deadliest of all the senshi. More powerful than even the keeper of time, the wielder of the glaive of silence was hidden beneath Hotara's innocent violet eyes.
Michiru couldn't help but pity Hotaru for her miserable fate. She was the sacrificial soldier, only ever born so that she could die to save the rest. In her last life, her father had used her, making her the vessel for an alien parasite he wished to exploit. When his plan had backfired, he had all but abandoned her, leaving Setsuna, Michiru, and Haruka to take up the role as Hotaru's primary caregivers. Haruka and Michiru had been overjoyed at the opportunity to redeem themselves for how they had first treated Hotaru, even if the job of parenting had come a bit earlier than they'd hoped it would in life. Given that they were lesbians, they were unable to ever conceive themselves. And adoption in most of the countries they were legal residents of was still illegal, including Japan. Hotaru had been the perfect baby, very quiet and agreeable even when she was in her diapers. This was he second time they'd raised her now, since she'd again died an early death when Sailor Galaxia attempted to destroy the Earth and everyone on it, including themselves.
Michiru still had nightmares about that woman.
Haruka brought Michiru out of her thoughts, pointing to the finished sketch Hotaru was holding out to Michiru.
"Ouch!" Michiru hissed as she took the sketchbook back, having cut herself on the paper. As a bead of blood welled up, Hotaru reached forward, still in her trance. She held her hand over the finger, before releasing it. When she let go a second later, Michiru was not surprised to see that the wound had healed. She gave Haruka another sideways glance just to make sure she hadn't missed the transaction either.
In a blink, the seriousness was gone from Hotaru, and she huffed in indignation. "Why can't the planes just fly faster!"
Haruka gave her a sneaky smile, "Because then racing cars wouldn't be as popular as racing jets."
Michiru rolled her eyes, the last thing Haruka needed was another machine to tinker with and ride around at speeds that were too reckless for her sanity. She glanced down at the picture Hotaru had drawn, lashes lowering as she used her own abilities to try and see past the picture's outward appearance to its inner meaning.
The image was of a woman, with long hair and an angular face. She appeared oriental, given the slant of her bone structure, and the shortness of her frame. She was wearing clothes, but they seemed to fade into the background of the picture. In one hand she was holding a long pole, with a jagged tip, possibly some sort of javelin. Beneath her was a body, obscured by the shadows Hotaru had filled in around every open space of the picture. But Michiru could make out the thick dark spot on their stomach and chest, a mortal wound.
The part that really caught Michiru's attention though, was a small object in front of the woman's chest.
"Hotaru-chan, what did you draw here?" Michiru pointed to the smudge, leaning over so Hotaru could have easy access to the picture.
Hotaru gave the picture a bored look, shrugging her shoulders. "I don't know, it looks like a rock or something. Maybe its a necklace?" Puzzled, but not worried yet, Michiru passed the picture to Haruka.
"What do you think of it?" Haruka read the hint in Michiru's voice, that she shouldn't say anything that might offend the sensitivities of the artist who was sitting between them.
"I think it looks like a flower," Haruka said, nodding her head and ruffling Hotaru's hair. Michiru smiled at the benign analysis, entertained by the bantering that was ensuing between Haruka and Hotaru over how Haruka had ruined her hair. As she mulled over it, staring at the picture, she could see where Haruka had gotten the impression. There were faint edges to the tiny dot, like a lotus.
"Perhaps its a firefly," Michiru mused, trying to distract them. Instead, another shade of darkness descended over Hotaru.
Instead of speaking, she reached out to touch the picture. With one finger, she smeared the graphite from the woman's mouth to the body below, creating a dark line between them. She kept moving her index finger back and forth over the line, until the body below the woman was fully black. Michiru looked at the new image in trepidation.
"Flight 312 to Tokyo is now boarding," came a voice over the intercom, which snapped Hotaru back to herself.
"Finally!" she said, standing up with her bag.
Michiru closed the sketchbook, careful not to damage the picture. That line had some meaning, she was sure of it. She didn't dwell on it until they were on board the airplane, and even then, the connection between the line and the two figures still escaped her. She gave up midway through the flight, leaning on Haruka's shoulder and sleeping the rest of the trip. There was no reason to linger on the meaning of the ominous picture.
oOoOoOo
After hours of research, hunger finally won out over willpower. Ami's stomach churned as she put her notes about standard practice procedure away, it would not help her to keep going over them endlessly. Between her studying for her internship and her attempts to research this new foe, Ami was stretched to her limits. Putting on her slippers, Ami wrote a quick note for her mother and fixed it to the wall board by the front door before heading out in search of food. Her mother was unlikely to return since she had the graveyard shift tonight, but in case she did, Ami did not want her to worry.
It was around midnight, and so a trip through the nearest 24-hour grocery store was in progress when she felt the disturbance. Turning towards the ruckus, she saw that part of the energy drinks and bottled water aisle had been catapulted into the snacks and juice aisle beside it, a massive polymorph wriggling its way through the ruined merchandise. Several customers had been injured, although from her distance she couldn't tell if it was from the fallen shelves or the monster's attack.
This one was twice the size of the first polymorph, but had all the same characteristics. Given the indoor setting though, its size was turning what would have been a disorderly panic into an organized catastrophe. People were rushing for the exit in herds, and the polymorph was aiming for the densest groups, injuring several innocents at a time rather than picking off one or two.
On instinct, she reached to press the all call button on her communicator. At the last second, she paused, instead pressing the individual buttons of corresponding colors, omitting green. "Polymorph at the grocery mart on 14th street," Rei and Usagi nodded, Minako had yet to answer but Ami knew the other girls would fill her in.
Ducting into an overturned display, Ami called out her transformation phrase. Stepping forward, she pulled out her computer, analyzing this new enemy for any new threats or weaknesses. However, according to the data input she was receiving from her visor, it could be a clone of the previous polymorph down to the cellular level. Her stomach let out a rumble and she blushed despite herself.
The monster seemed unaware of her presence, and continued to fire off bursts of steam into the frozen food section. Ami helped the few remaining civilians out from underneath the toppled metal. There were only three injured still in the store, and the most troublesome appeared to be the fractured femur in an elderly man. Sailor Mercury let out a sigh of relief, supporting his weight as she carried him to an uninjured teenager before passing him off. "Leave immediately, keep everyone outside, don't let anyone else in until the police arrive."
Without warning, a searing pain rushed past Mercury's shoulder. Hissing, she whirled around to see the creature sluggishly rolling forward, camouflaged against the produce behind it. Once again, it was showing enough intelligence to target the group of three over the last injured occupant.
Mercury narrowly dodged another attack, typing into her compact this new information as her shoulder began stinging. Two voices behind her caught her attention.
"Hold it right there!" Sailor Moon and Mars stood in the main entrance to the store, giving their standard speech. A swirl of black at the edge of her vision alerted Mercury to Tuxedo Mask's arrival as well. Both girls seemed disoriented and Mercury realized neither of them was wearing the visors she'd supplied them with. Just as she was about to remind them, Mars pulled hers forth from her subspace pocket, holding it up to her eyes. Moon mirrored her movements, and once Mercury felt confident they could both detect the enemy as well as her own visor could, she went back to typing.
Mars jumped into the battle, wasting no time before firing a flaming arrow at the polymorphs indentations. The wretched black fluid frothed out again, while the creature still used its amoeboid undulations to slide forward. It was roaring its pain, and blasting holes in the architecture now that it was blinded. The origin of the sound was disconcerting, since this polymorph, like its predecessor, still had no mouth.
"Jupiter Oak Evolution!" A barrage of razor leaves slashed at the polymorph and Mercury's eyes narrowed. She had intentionally not called Sailor Jupiter to this battle, and yet it seemed someone else had taken the liberty.
"Venus Love me Chain!" With a relieved sigh, everyone looked over to see Sailor Venus standing in a hole blasted into the wall, her links of light binding the blob.
"We need a sample!" Mercury called out to remind everyone, reaching into her subspace pocket to pull out a jar she had retrieved from central control earlier.
"On it!" Sailor Moon launched her fully charged tiara at the polymorph, arm outstretched to control the discus even after it left her hand. As it hurtled towards the creature, she yanked her arm sideways, tearing off a sliver of gelatinous material.
While the glowing tiara passed the creature and spun back to its owner, Mercury noticed that the florescent lights on the ceiling were no longer functioning.
Jupiter lunged forward, scooping up the segment in a cloth from underneath some destroyed oranges, tying it around the gunk and hurling the cloth towards Sailor Mercury.
A groaning caught her attention, and for a second Mercury thought her stomach was protesting again. Then she noticed that the shelves were quivering. The building gave a groan of strain, and Mercury turned nervous eyes to the support pillars of the store. One of them had been cleaved by an earlier attack and lay in rubble, and another had a large chunk blown out. Looking back to the airborne cloth, Mercury held the open jar out, catching it deftly and slamming the lid on. She let it drop into her subspace pocket, already turning around to face the entrance. "We need to get outside, now!" The lights weren't functioning because the polymorph had blasted a hole in the wiring, and combined with the many others, the building was now a hollow block of Swiss cheese. Without two of its support columns, massive holes in its walls, and with many of the aisles already toppled, there is no way it would hold for much longer. At a run, Mercury grabbed Sailor Jupiter's hand as she dove for the nearest exit.
Another foreboding growl tore through the building before it shuddered under its own weight. Sailor Moon darted outside with Tuxedo Kamen, Venus not far behind them, and not a second too soon.
Mercury's breath died in her throat as the roof of the grocery store crashed down behind her, crushing everything inside. Whirling around, she saw with horror that only four people were behind her, not five.
Dust and debris billowed out in a cloak around the roar of concrete. Somewhere in the cacophony, Sailor Moon was screaming for Mars, and Tuxedo Mask was physically restraining her from running back to the collapsing structure.
When it finally settled, Mercury's visor picked up a figure emerging from the destruction, and she sucked in a deep rush of air. Sailor Moon was still fighting to free herself from Tuxedo Mask.
Coughing and hacking, Sailor Mars stumbled out, waving her arms in a vain attempt to clear the air around her. As one, Sailor Moon and Venus rushed forward to help her, both of them pulling her away from the ruined grocery store.
Their relief was short lived as a trail of black fluid appeared against the backdrop of rubble.
Running to the other side to prevent it from escaping, Sailor Mercury yelled to the others, "We need to combine attacks and finish it off before it can regenerate!" Everyone nodded, separating in a circle around it before using their remaining energy to blast the polymorph into dusty oblivion. It went down without a fight, only the smell of burnt flesh and a noise like wet mud giving away its former presence.
With the danger behind them, Sailor Mercury approached Sailor Mars, compact and visor already searching for injury. The few pedestrians around had fled to the street, and were now watching the proceedings in shock. Mercury knew they wouldn't stay back for long, though. Eternal Sailor Moon rushed to Mars' side, pelting her with questions.
"Who called you here?" Mercury spoke to Jupiter, her tone no nonsense as soon as her computer had confirmed Mars was uninjured.
"Me," Mars rasped, her eyes steely. "She's a senshi even if she's knocked up." After a bit of coughing, she stepped forward toward them, brushing the dust off herself.
"Nice, real sweet," Jupiter nettled from her place beside Mercury, rubbing her sore behind.
"I can ask a pregnant patient to avoid strenuous and dangerous activity, and since she hasn't been to see a doctor-"
"I'm still here you know!" Sailor Jupiter interjected.
Mercury continued undaunted, "It falls to me to make sure she and her child remain healthy and safe, even if that means revoking her transformation wand."
Jupiter crossed her arms, expression sour. "I'd like to see you try."
"You could have died tonight," Mercury informed Jupiter, her voice grave.
"Its my body, who are either of you to tell me what I can or can't do while pregnant?" Jupiter protested. Mercury's expression remained unrelenting.
"We need her," Mars insisted, siding with Jupiter. "If she hadn't been there, Artemis could be dead, or worse! And we wouldn't have your sample of polymorph innards," Mars narrowed her eyes at Mercury, temper flaring.
"The last thing she needs is for her friends, who are supposed to protect each other, to force her into situations like tonight." Mercury put her computer away, assured of Mar's health by her continued ability to argue.
"Its my life!" Jupiter countered.
"You've got more to think about than just yourself now!" Mercury was on the verge of bursting with righteous anger, the doctor in her disgusted at the thought of someone endangering a baby this way.
Mars' nostrils flared as she stepped between them. "None of our lives, not even her child's, is worth more than the lives of everyone in this city!"
"Enough!" Venus yelled, holding out her arms to silence the two senshi. "It isn't up to either of you," she turned to face the expecting senshi. "I can't force you not to come to any battles. As the leader of the inner senshi though, I can order you not to." She gave her a stern look, when Jupiter started to protest. "I think you already know that you shouldn't, especially if you care about the baby."
Sailor Jupiter looked like she was swallowing a bitter pill, but she relented, unfolding her arms. "Fine, I won't fight." When Mercury started to relax, she continued, "But I am still going to come to the battles. I'm a part of this team as much as any of you, and even if I'm not fighting, you might still need my backup." Venus looked displeased, and Mercury even more so, but everyone nodded.
"Senshi meeting tomorrow at three," Venus said. She pointed to the crowd gathering in the street. "We need to go though, before the police and press arrive."
"Or worse, the paparazzi," Mars griped, jumping away.
The others followed her lead, disappearing in different directions, leaving Venus standing alone in the parking lot. With a sheepish laugh at her slow reflexes, Venus left the scene as well.
As Ami returned to her apartment, she realized she still hadn't eaten anything. With a frustrated sound her stomach piped up its unhappiness. Going through the fridge, she foraged for something that was not expired, finally settling on a frozen meal. While it heated in the microwave, she thought back on the battle. Something seemed off, but she couldn't put her finger on it.
Dismissing it as her overtaxed brain playing tricks on her, she pulled the food out and began to eat. She would begin analyzing the contents of the capsule tomorrow, after she'd had a full night of sleep.
oOoOoOo
She crept up the porch steps, easing the door knob to open before tiptoeing into the kitchen. It had to be past 2 a.m. by now, and she didn't want to wake anyone up, especially Artemis who was still recuperating.
As she rounded the corner to the staircase, the hallway light came on. Momentarily blinded, Minako held up an arm to shield her face. When she lowered it, she saw both her parents standing at the edge of the staircase. A sick sense of dread washed through her.
"What were you out doing until the wee hours of the morning?" Her mother demanded, her arms at her hips.
"Or 'who'," her father said, disgust in his voice as he looked over Minako's nightdress.
"I-I was...with the girls. I guess I just lost track of time," Minako fibbed, sweating and rubbing the back of her head to emphasize her innocence. Inside she prayed her parents would buy it.
"Just like last week, and the week before that?" her mother challenged.
"I-"
Her father cut her off before she could speak. "I won't have my daughter becoming some cheap slut." Minako's eyes bulged at the accusation.
Before he could go further her mother pitched in, brows pinched. "You lie to us, use us and ignore us as you please. Well I've had enough. You are hereby grounded. No television, no phone, no friends and no dates. You will go directly to school and come straight home when it ends. You will not leave your room until we call you for dinner, and when the meal is finished you will go back to your room."
"What?" Minako's face betrayed her emotionally compromised state. She could feel bile rising in her throat, and salty burning in her eyes.
Her father still looked like he was chewing on something sour. "You won't be seeing those girls again either." He advanced towards her, savage in his movements, "I won't have it, not in my house."
"Okay," Minako's eyes turned cold, her face devoid of expression. She felt like bursting into hysterical laughter and bawling at the same time, but her years of practice acting reigned in her emotional turmoil. Brushing past her parents, she didn't wait to see the surprise register on their faces as she went up to her room and closed the door.
Artemis looked up as she entered, disoriented and unkempt from having his nap disturbed. She locked the door behind her, moving to the closet and transferring a heap of clothing onto the bed. "We're leaving," she announced, bending to pull a suitcase out from underneath the bed frame.
"Hhmuh?" Artemis rolled off his pillow tower, stretching to wake himself up. "Wha? Where are we going?"
"I don't know and I don't care." She moved to the dresser, rifling through it and grabbing certain items before tossing them onto the pile of clothes. Going over to the bed she shoved the stack into the suitcase.
"Minako..." Artemis began, his tone sympathetic. Minako and her mother had never really gotten along well, but recently Minako's father had begun to enter into their fights as well. Her parents had been fighting each other more than usual as well, as if it wasn't enough stress for them to fight with Minako already.
"Don't," she said, grabbing a pillow and blanket off her bed.
Artemis rethought the encouraging words he had been about to deliver, settling instead for silence while she packed. He wondered what Luna might have said if she had been put in a similar position, but the feeling brought nothing but longing for his missing companion.
"I'm leaving with or without you," Minako deadpanned, dumping a bag full of toiletries into the suitcase as well. She shoveled a mess of cords into the bag as well, throwing her phone and jewelry into the last pocket of space. Slamming the lid shut she lifted the suitcase up over her shoulder, heading towards the window. Lifting it open, she climbed to the tree outside, pulling the suitcase out behind her.
He knew it was never really a choice to begin with, he belonged with the senshi not her family, but for her sake he wanted both. It was disheartening to think that the senshi he was charged with protecting could not be saved from such decisions, no matter his guidance. With a weary sigh, he bit down on the corner of the friendship bracelet Usagi had given her for her last year, carrying it in his mouth.
Being careful not to injure himself further, Artemis hopped out onto the tree, butting his head up against her leg in silent support. She was old enough to know the consequences of this decision; he just hoped she was strong enough to deal with them.
oOoOoOo
She was tired, and she was starving, but the worst part was that she was dirty. She felt like a mudpuppy, a skulking, filthy mudpuppy.
Her target was a balding man in his early sixties, and he was approaching a burly man. Animal instinct warned her that this would not end well, so she moved a few feet further back. They exchanged a few words that she could barely make out, something about a cost and repayment. Sure enough, they began to struggle after that. The bulkier man had the clear advantage in muscle, and for a minute it seemed as if he would overwhelm the target. She felt her hope rise, maybe she had been wrong after all.
But the smaller man was pushing the larger one back now, inhuman with his strength. From her vantage point atop a dumpster, she could see a mottled glow around the man's body as he thrust the thug to the ground. Brutally, he began to pummel the criminal, only stopping when the other man held up his hands to beg. Disgusted, the older man moved away, turning to leave the massive man on the ground.
But the defeated man had a weapon, which he pulled forth as soon as the balding elder man's back was turned. It gleamed in the streetlight, although she couldn't tell if it were a knife or a gun. That was remedied soon enough when two loud bangs fired off.
Instead of falling over dead, the balding man began to laugh. It was a low chortle, as though he were amused.
If she had blinked, she would have missed it.
Her target moved, and in a flash the other man was dead, his head severed from his body. Any doubts she had about the supernatural origin of his abilities were put to rest, he was not human. He turned away from the man, stopping to look around. He appeared suspicious, but when his eyes settled on her, she felt a thrill of fear go through her.
In her head she chanted assurances to herself, praying he wouldn't see her.
Shaking his head at himself, he moved on. She was safe, he hadn't known.
Jumping down from the dumpster, she stretched out before resuming her hunt. It was going to be a long night, and she doubted this would be the last victim murdered during it.
Looking around, she noticed this area was particularly desolate, there were only closed shops as far as the eye could see, not one witness within sight. He must have planned it this way.
She had to keep both eyes on him, and do a better job at hiding her presence. If she got caught, then she couldn't gather the information she needed.
And she needed to know if he was who she suspected him to be.
Everything depended on it.
oOoOoOo
When Rei arrived back at the Hikawa Jinja, not even her fatigue from the fight kept her sixth sense from picking up that something was off. She hesitated at the top of the steps, looking around to sense where the feeling originated.
Everything was quiet, and the darkness of the forest that was usually a soft curtain around the temple seemed more like a looming shadow. It was then she noticed Deimos and Phobos were nowhere in sight.
With her fear now palpable, Rei rushed forward. She threw open the door to the main entrance, and froze at the sight before her.
The table had been covered with candles, but it looked as though they had been burning for quite some time unattended. Cherry blossom petals were scattered on the floor as if forgotten. Hitomi had her back the door as she washed dishes, unaware of Rei's entry into what looked like something from one of Minako's cheap romance novels. Rei stepped towards her, ignoring the candles. "Hitomi-chan?" she moved to the side to peer at the girl's face.
It was painted wet with tears.
"It was gonna, perfect," the preteen mumbled to herself, swallowing a few hiccups, her hands were wrinkled with soap and water. Rei guessed she'd been cleaning these same dishes for at least an hour. "It was...he wasn't..." she choked on a sob, the plate in her hands shaking. "He wasn't s'pose...to…" Rei wrapped an arm around the girl, shushing her and urging her to sit. Hitomi was too weak to resist, her small frame already trembling.
"Breathe," Rei rubbed slow circles on the girl's back, trying to calm her spasming sobs. After waiting a few minutes until the worst of her cries acquiesced, Rei spoke again. "What happened?" Hitomi tensed at her words, tightening the vice-grip she had somehow gotten on Rei's now sudsy skirt.
She opened her mouth to speak but only a strangled gurgle came out before she dissolved into another fit of tears.
Another door slid open, and Rei turned to see Yuuichirou standing in the frame, looking more disheveled than Hitomi. He was wearing his formal robes, but his sleeves were wrinkled and his hair had fallen out of its wrappings. His skin was red, his eyes puffy and haunted. When he saw Rei, he closed his eyes to hide his pain but Rei's second sight had already seen past it to its source.
A chill swept through her soul. "No..." she whispered, jerking to her feet even as Hitomi crumpled over herself, still in hysterics but now without Rei's body bracing her.
Rushing past Yuiichirou she ran reckless down the hall, throwing the door off its hinges in her rush to reach her grandfather's chambers.
"Grandpa!" she trembled as she saw the unmoving form in his bed, two ravens sitting on the railing to his porch, both looking down. "No..." it came out as a keening whine. Her senses were humming, and the combined despair welling from her two most trusted guardians only amplified her reaction. Feeling sobs wrench themselves free of her control, she managed to take two steps forward before the world collapsed beneath her. Racked with the force of her grief, she fell on the floor sobbing.
She clawed at the floorboards, screaming for him and wailing as her whole frame shook. She felt like she was suffocating, her chest was tight and her sobs were cutting her oxygen down to shallow bursts. Her vision was swimming beyond her tears, and the limp form of her grandfather appeared more deathly still than ever.
Yuuichirou followed in behind her, wrapping his arms around her as she wept and howled her anguish. He mimicked her earlier motions with Hitomi, silent tears covering his face as well, ignoring the pain in his raw palms and dashed hopes.
He had been ready to propose to her tonight, but given the turn of events, the gods seemed unfavoring. As he attempted to soothe Rei, he wondered if he would ever find the courage to try again after this horrendously ill-timed attempt.
Right now though, Rei needed him, and he was ready to stay by her side as long as it took for her to run out of tears.
It was nearing 3 a.m. when she finally passed out from exhaustion. Yuuichirou carried her to her own bed, pulling the blanket up and closing the door behind himself as he left.
Morning would come too soon for her, but he would be there when it did.
oOoOoOo
It was 4:37 a.m when Makoto woke up to her doorbell ringing. Makoto had always been a deep sleeper, but being pregnant had doubled her lethargy. Pulling her limbs out from beneath the comforter was more challenging than the earlier polymorph battle. Lumbering out of bed, she rubbed the grit from her eyes and answered the door, still half-asleep. She let out a large yawn, shaking her head to try and clear the fog. "Minako-chan?" she asked, noticing the suitcase at her feet and exhausted cat on her shoulder even in the dim porch light. "What's going on?"
Minako bit her lip, regretting the imposition already. "I didn't know where else to go..." Minako said, containing most of her internal distress to prevent it from leaking into her voice. It remained steady as she continued, "Do you think I could..."
Still half asleep it took an extra second for Makoto to realize what was happening. "Of course!" She ushered her in, taking the suitcase from her and gesturing towards the futon sofa. "You can stay however long you need."
Minako gave her a thankful smile, stepping inside the small apartment and setting her suitcase down by the door. Makoto flipped the light switch on as she helped Minako get comfortable.
Closing and locking the door, Makoto moved into the kitchen to light the stove under her kettle. She could tell it was going to be a long night. Bringing two cups of tea back out, she proffered one to Minako as she took a seat. "Want to talk about it?"
Minako took the tea, drawing in a deep gulp. "No." With a knowing look from Artemis, Makoto stayed put, waiting. "My parents and I fought," Minako began, taking in more tea. "They told me they'd chain me to the house, that I can't see you guys anymore, blah blah blah." Makoto knew Minako well enough to know that her blase words belied a deeper wound.
"I can't stay there anymore. They don't know I'm a senshi," Minako continued as Makoto and Artemis listened. "And I don't want to ever tell them. That would be just another thing to fight about." Minako set down her empty cup on the coffee table. "But of course I can't give up seeing you guys, as long as I'm still Venus anyways." Artemis' ears perked up as he moved to sit on Minako's lap.
"I thought you liked being a senshi," he muttered, curling up against her while she brushed his fur, careful not to touch the burn spot.
"I do," she amended, her eyes distant. Makoto watched her over the rim of her own cup, letting Minako get everything out before she spoke. "I just hate having to choose between my loyalty to my family or the princess." Minako gave a heavy sigh, her fatigue showing through her facade of nonchalance. Makoto stood up, taking the empty cup from the counter.
"You're lucky to have them, even if you don't get along with them," Makoto said, rinsing out the cups.
Artemis spoke up too. "I'm sure that if you give them some time, they'll come around. Your parents love you Minako. I just hope your distance doesn't push them further away."
Minako let out a weary puff of air, "As if that's possible," she said, laying down on the sofa. This was the first time she had run away, and Artemis could see she already doubted her choice despite her anger.
"Well like I said, you are welcome to stay as long as you like," Makoto said, smiling at her. "It will be nice having someone to talk to other than the plants."
Moving to her closet, Makoto pulled forth a spare blanket and draped it over Minako. "Sorry I don't have any extra pillows, but the throw pillows are pretty nice even-" Makoto looked down to see that Minako was already fast asleep. Smiling, she turned out the light as she headed back to her bedroom.
"Goodnight."
AN: A thousand thank yous to MGray for beta reading this for me. 3 I hope everyone enjoyed this rather somber chapter. Don't worry though, the stars can't shine unless its dark out, and I plan to let all the stars get their glitter in before this story is over.
