She was rooted to the spot, standing somewhere, but she knew it was somewhere familiar. She was out of her own body, and she could see herself spinning, spiraling through the air. The world was a kaleidoscope of movement and color. It happened in slow motion, she knew she would soon hit the ground and yet she couldn't stop her momentum as she fell. Her skin felt exposed and cold, and there was something sickly soft wrapped around her in a parody of clothing. Everything was fading, her vision, her senses. More frightening than anything else was the pressure preventing her from moving; from wailing her terror or even breathing as everything was swallowed into nothingness. As the world began to ebb into shadow she tried, frantic and petrified, to cry out, but her words and her sight were consumed in the same endless darkness.
Once again she drifted in the nightmarish abyss, isolated and lonely. She had seen her friends only seconds before, witnessed their gathering energies even. Now she couldn't see anything but night. Her limbs felt heavier than normal, but she took a step anyways, fear propelling her motion. The force that had bound her had released her, and she stumbled at the sudden shift before righting herself again. She was lost in this black sea, but she could feel herself again, hear her ragged breaths stark against the silence. Desperate, she screamed for help, for anyone or anything. But she received no reply, and the thought of being trapped in this place sent a chill through her. Assuming fetal position, she rocked herself in a vain effort to ward off the cold slicing through her. She was so very alone...
Just when she'd almost given up hope, her sight returned and she saw her friends again, albeit vague. There was a hood hanging over her vision, blocking out the edges and obscuring things in shadow. The image before her triggered shock and deja vu, but she couldn't remember where she'd seen it before, only that she never wanted it to see it again.
Her lover was lying face down on the ground, his cape shredded and his sword lodged in his flesh. A thick blotch of red surrounded the weapon, sliding down his armor and across the earth with serpentine grace. As a pool began to form she tried to look away, but found herself once again paralyzed. Her heart was in her throat, her breathing hitched. She could feel her soul writhing like a tortured animal.
The orange senshi, her friend, was drawing up power. She watched in fascination as the time-tested love-me chain appeared, which turned to horror as it was flung around her. Caught in its stranglehold, she began to struggle, betrayal burning like a lance through her. Turning she saw the blue, green, and red senshi, all in offensive posture as they prepared to launch their own slew of attacks towards her. She tried to tell them to stop, to plead or beg with her voice or eyes, but their faces remained unmoved.
Her closest friend was holding an elegant bow, notching an arrow in its belly. With grim precision she aimed the arrow at her heart, and again she felt her heart constrict. The arrow came alive with light, holy fire purifying it and damning her. She saw her mouth move, that classic face turn towards the blue senshi, but she couldn't hear what she said. But it only lasted a second, and in the next moment the arrow was hurtling towards her, air rent in half as it rushed towards her. It was so bright, so hot she could feel it burning her even before it hit.
With precious milliseconds left to untangle herself, she threw all her effort into breaking the heart-linked chain. The orange senshi tightened her grip, restricting her movements completely and letting the energy in the binding links bite into her skin. White hot pain sliced through her as the arrow hit, before Usagi bolted up, panting and eyes wide.
Feeling hunted, she pierced the darkness of her bedroom by clicking on her lamp, turning all the way around in bed before she was satisfied no one was in her room or trying to kill her. She held a hand up to her eyes, rubbing them and cursing her sleeping mind for playing tricks on her. The feeling of imminent peril did not pass for several minutes, and even after another 360 sweep she still couldn't shake the idea that her own senshi were going to jump out of the closet and murder her. Still breathing heavy, she laid back down, gathering her blankets closer. Reaching for her pillows, she built a barricade around herself, clutching her favorite stuffed toy so hard she could feel the fabric straining.
In her head she replayed the dream, telling herself again that it was just a dumb nightmare, and that she was being silly to give it so much thought. As she tried to recall more of it, she began to forget it as well, and soon it was almost entirely lost to her. Relieved that the memory was fading, and the desperate fear with it, she released her death grip on the bunny, moving a pillow back under her head. With only a faint vestige of it remaining, she settled back into sleep.
When she awoke hours later to the incessant beeping of her communicator, all she could remember was that she'd had a horrible nightmare. All details and residual emotions from the dream had faded with the stars, and Usagi was immediately distracted from trying to drag those memories back up by the conversation on the communicator. The sun was already high in the sky, but since it was still break, Usagi felt no impulse to rise from her warm barricade of pillows and blankets. She listened, still only half awake. The words she was hearing grabbed her attention though.
"...ambulance...need you here, right away!" Usagi forced the sleep away, trying to recall the first half of the sentence. It sounded like Minako's voice.
"Wait- where do I need to go?"
"Hikawa Jinja, and hurry up!"
Her fear rose at the dial tone on the other end. She wouldn't be getting anymore answers until she reached the shrine it seemed. She thought to try to call her back or use her communicator, but if she had already hung up on her once it probably wouldn't work.
Tripping her way out of bed, she changed clothes and rushed out the door.
oOoOoOo
Hotaru played tug-of-war all night with the puppy, thankfully keeping it from crying itself to sleep like puppies are prone to.
That is how they found her the following day, curled up on the floor with Mayu tucked up in her arms.
Michiru held out a hand to stop Haruka from flipping the television on. She pointed to the pair sleeping on the floor, giving Haruka her 'isn't that adorable?' face.
Haruka looked at the pair, grunted, and then moved to make herself some coffee. "Too early for cute," she muttered.
Michiru poked her in the side, before grabbing a blanket and kneeling down beside Hotaru to drape it over them. Mayu shifted at the change, yawning and opening up large puppy eyes to regard her. Michiru held a finger to her lips, but Mayu didn't know sign language yet. She yipped in greeting, crawling out from under Hotaru's arm to paw at Michiru, a black ribbon tied around one of her ears.
"Hmm...uh...wha?" Hotaru peeped one groggy eye open. "So bright in here," she mumbled, trying to shield her face with the blanket.
"That's 'cause its midday, pumpkin." Haruka had a decidedly mischievous glint in her eyes as she approached the girl, holding a cup of water in her hands.
"'Ruka, you're so cruel," Michiru stole the glass from the taller woman, setting it down on the counter. "She's just tired from staying up too late with Mayu." Haruka's left eye twitched at the weird name. Luckily Hotaru was already going back asleep, and she didn't see it. "Why don't you just take her back to her room and let her nap a bit longer." Michiru stood as the kettle went off, heading to the kitchen to prepare the coffee.
Haruka acquiesced, wrapping Hotaru up with infinite care and then folding her over her shoulder like a sack of potatoes. Michiru tried not to laugh at the picture they made.
Entering Hotaru's room, Haruka deposited her cargo onto the bed.
Hotaru's room had always struck Haruka as dreary, but then again, Hotaru was a very complex child.
She had always been private, sequestering 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. She was like a wraith, veiled in never-ending night where others could not see her.
Sighing, she brushed a lock of her daughter's raven hair from her eyes while she slept. Her room did suit her though, the firefly's glow of the antique lamps casting shadows about her blackened room. They danced to an eerie parody of puppetry on Hotaru's possessions, both ominous and soothing. Hotaru wouldn't stay young forever, and sooner or later, she was going to be faced with burdens beyond her abilities.
But for now, she was just Haruka's little girl, tuckered out from romping around too long with the new addition to their family. Haruka stood in the doorway a moment longer, basking in the moment.
She snuffed out the firefly's glow with the flip of the light switch.
She wasn't sure how many more days like these there would be after the battle they'd watched through the Aqua Mirror last night.
The polymorph foe didn't look all that menacing to Haruka, but the disorder amongst the senshi's ranks sure did. They were weak, failing to hold up their own weight, much less support one another. She knew that if they were thrust into a significantly dangerous battle, they would all fall together like a house of cards. It was a blasphemy on the title of senshi, and infuriating to the side of Haruka who still resented being uprooted from their home in Canada.
She wanted to keep her family out of it, namely, Michiru and Hotaru. But Setsuna and her damnable clairvoyance were always there to shatter their dreams before they'd even been realized.
"You're depressed today," Michiru commented, handing Haruka a cup of coffee as she reentered.
Haruka took a swig before answering, "You know I'm no good without this stuff," Haruka dragged in another gulp. "And I miss home."
Michiru didn't look very sympathetic. "Isn't home where the heart is? This apartment was the same one we had during our Mugen years..."
The thought soured Haruka's already dour mood, "Wonderful memories those are. Its always like this, we set up somewhere and then in comes Setsuna again, and there goes our slice of happiness."
Michiru scoffed. "You are depressed today." She poured Haruka a refill. "Well, if it brightens your mood any, neither of us has anything to do for the next few hours. She gestured to the mirror still resting on the foyer table, "I have it on the best authority."
Haruka gave her a wicked grin, "Turns out I'm not that tired after all."
Michiru smirked, "I thought not." When Haruka reached to loop her body within her arms, Michiru shied away with a teasing smile.
"Not so fast. I'm still waking up."
"Fast is more fun though," Haruka pouted. Michiru stifled a laugh. Haruka paused, listening to the silence again. "The winds are restless," she admitted, wrapping Michiru in her embrace as if to shelter her from them.
"The ocean has been roaring for days," Michiru agreed, tilting her head back into the crook of Haruka's neck. "I can barely hear its song; it has grown so chaotic these past few weeks."
Haruka buried her face in Michiru's teal locks, "Why couldn't we just keep her away from all this?"
Michiru shook her head, loosening herself from Haruka's hold. "She had to grow up sometime, and if what Setsuna says is-"
"Damn what Setsuna says," Haruka folded her arms in front of her chest. "She should sell out her own child for the future she wants, not ours."
"It isn't for us to decide, 'Ruka. Our princess is the most important. Hotaru would have taken her place beside us in battle another time, another place, even if we kept her hidden from the world for a few more years, because she believes in our princess too." Haruka's brows pulled down in a frown.
"I know all that, and I do believe in the princess…but Hotaru deserves a childhood."
"And I deserve a raise," Michiru quipped, taking the blonde's hand in her own. "But life isn't always fair."
"Well," her grey eyes held a devious glint, "I can't give you a raise, but I think its about time you got a bonus." She leaned in to seal the words with a kiss.
oOoOoOo
She could hear the sirens as she approached the temple. It galvanized her into a run, and as she turned the corner she saw an ambulance seated at the base of the steps, a stretcher being carried down them.
Usagi could hear Rei screaming from the top, clawing at the air. Two figures were restraining her, one blonde and one with raven hair. It was hard to make out faces from her distance, but she guessed the blonde was Minako.
Usagi took the steps three at a time, slowing as she came close to the stretcher. "What's going on?" The paramedics ignored her, continuing down the steps. When she was close enough, she made out the mop of messy brown hair at the top of the stretcher.
"Yuuichiriou..." she breathed, mouth parted in shock.
Running up the second half of the steps, she saw that Rei was still desperately trying to free herself from the other girls' grip, screaming and raving. "Let me go! This is my only chance to repay him for staying by me all week!"
Usagi's eyes softened at the plea. It was uplifting to know that despite recent events, Rei was still Rei. And it was just like her to never admit to her own feelings.
"Rei stop fighting us!" Minako was hanging onto her just fine, but Hitomi looked like she was straddling a bucking bronco. "He needs a doctor!"
"He just needs a good kick in the ass, he'll be fine." Rei continued to beg, still trying to fight her way free. Minako let out a grunt as Rei elbowed her in the gut. Usagi wasn't sure if Rei was convincing them or herself with the words.
"Rei-chan, what happened?"
Minako answered for her since Rei was still too busy struggling to notice the new arrival, "Yuuichirou wouldn't wake up this morning. We tried everything; Rei even threw a ward on him." Minako was failing in the attempt to conceal her amusement. She sombered again, "Something's wrong with him though, and they said they needed to check his responsiveness and do a toxic screening to determine if it's drug-induced or not."
Usagi's eyes widened. She had never seen or heard of Yuuichirou abusing drugs.
"He doesn't do drugs!" Rei answered her unspoken question, still trying to wretch free from Minako. The ambulance and paramedics were already gone, and Hitomi had let go immediately, but Minako seemed to be using Rei as a human teddy bear. "Release me!"
Sheepish at having continued to cling, Minako let the priestess go. "Whew! She may look sickly but this one's still kicking."
Rounding on her, Rei hissed in a deadly tone, "Sickly?"
Minako waved her off with her hands, "Just, ah, tired. You know." This seemed to appease Rei and she went back to checking her arms for nonexistent bruises.
"He does party a lot, he could be doing a lot of things you don't know." Hitomi tapped her chin, unaware of the building ire on Rei's face.
"HE IS NOT ON DRUGS!" Rei exploded, looming over Hitomi. Frightened, the younger girl shrunk away, as Usagi and Minako tried to calm Rei again.
Usagi watched Rei scowl before she turned sharp eyes onto the two who had restrained her.
"Who called them?" she asked. Her voice was monotone but her eyes were tumultuous. Minako could tell she was holding back her wrath.
No one said anything.
"WHO CALLED THEM!" Rei screamed again, turning wild eyes on her friends. Usagi took an involuntary step back.
"I did," came a tiny voice from Hitomi.
"Leave this temple," Rei ordered, "And don't ever come back."
Her eyes were watering, "But...Rei-chan..."
"I SAID LEAVE!" Rei took a seething breath.
"You're fired. Get out. Don't come back." Her hair was fanned out around her frame, and Usagi thought for a moment her eyes might set Hitomi on fire. Minako had no such concerns, and steered Rei away from the preteen who looked like she was on the edge of a breakdown.
"Don't cry; just find somewhere else to work. Rei is always like this, and she won't take it back just because you're young." Usagi left Hitomi and followed the other two girls into the shrine. Inside, she found them, and a sleeping Artemis decorating the window.
Minako led Rei inside and sat her down on a cushion, offering her a cup. Rei took it, tilting its contents back. She frowned down at the empty cup.
"Minako, there is nothing in here." Minako gave an embarrassed laugh, rushing off to make tea. "Our kitchen isn't safe with her alone in there," she muttered.
Usagi watched Rei in silence.
After another few minutes of that, Rei had endured enough. "What? Will you quit staring at me like that?" Usagi's shoulders slumped, but she nodded.
"I just thought that this might be...you know, the illness that's been getting everyone, and..." Usagi hesitated to say more. "I was wondering how Minako got here before me. She lives on the other side of-"
"Don't." Rei said, hands neatly folded in her lap. "Just because I had a vision of betrayal doesn't mean it will come to pass."
"I know, and maybe this isn't part of your vision either. I mean, the woman in your vision had black hair right?" Rei nodded. Usagi sighed with relief. "Well then it couldn't be Minako."
Unknown to both of them, Minako was listening outside the door, her grip on the tray tightening.
"Yuuichirou has been overworking himself all week since grandpa was..." Usagi put a hand on her shoulder so she wouldn't feel forced to finish the sentence. There was pain on her face. "My vision of a traitor is probably unrelated to this," she maintained.
Usagi fell back, eyes on the floor. "You're right. I shouldn't doubt Minako. She is my double after all." Usagi gave a weak version of her usual smile. "She wouldn't abandon the people she loves." Minako felt her eyes misting, those words hit a little too close to home.
"Tea's ready!" She didn't want to hear what else they might have said. She'd heard enough already. She lowered the tray, serving both of them. "How are you feeling, Rei?"
Rei sipped the tea, eyes closed.
"I don't feel anything right now."
"Well that's good right? I mean it's better than feeling something bad..." Minako's false cheer was misplaced in the somber atmosphere.
"Worse than feeling good," Usagi countered.
"Well, just give it some time. Once the doctors know what is wrong with Yuuichirou I'm sure they'll call and let you know." Rei nodded, although her expression seemed unconvinced.
"Rei-chan, do you need anything?" Minako was already standing up to leave even as she asked it. The sting from the words she'd heard hadn't quite passed yet, and she knew if Rei's temper flared up again she would no doubt be in the line of fire. The priestess shook her head, setting the teacup down.
"I'll get going then," scooping up the dozing cat, Minako headed out the front screen door before either of them could argue otherwise.
Rei gave her retreating back a searching look. "What was that all about?" Usagi shook her head in response, uncomprehending.
oOoOoOo
She grabbed another two eggs from the industrial fridge, cracking them with her nail and pouring them into the bowl. Right now, she had twenty minutes to finish making this batter and fry up at least three servings of pickles.
It wasn't her usual task to make appetizers or entrees, but Makoto enjoyed her job so she did not complain. She worked lenient hours, got to make all the pastries and desserts she could have ever wanted, and she and her boss were compatible on more than one level.
She did not enjoy working today, however.
She was still bleeding, although today she had been prepared for the leakage. There was pain radiating outward from her midsection, and she felt like crying every second she let her mind wander, which was quite frequent, since kneading dough, stirring batter and keeping an eye on the grill and deep fryer for smoke only required about half her attention. The constant smell of food was not helping her nausea either.
Pouring in a healthy bit of flour, cornmeal, and pickle juice, she tossed the mixture around. The pickles had already been laid out and dried, all she had to do now was soak them in buttermilk, dip them in the batter and dump them in the deep fryer.
She sniffled as she worked, again overwhelmed by her urge to cry. Whether it was from loss or pain, she didn't dare to guess. Dumping the pickles into the hot oil, she moved to check on her grilled chicken. It was starting to burn. She lowered the heat and flipped it over quickly, but it was already a bit overdone. In vain, she tried to scrape off the brown spots with the edge of the spatula, frustrated by her inability to succeed at even that.
"Go home if you're sick!" she heard someone behind her say. Turning, she saw it was the restaurant's maitre d, heading out the back door for a cigarette break. He was probably the one person here she couldn't stand, but luckily he was far from the kitchen for most of his time here.
She grabbed a paper towel, wiping her nose and washing her hands. They would send her home regardless of what she told them if they thought she was contagious. Having a sick chef in the kitchen was no good for any restaurant.
Moving back to the chicken, she grabbed the salt, pepper, garlic, and paprika. Blending the colors over the meat, she fished the chicken out with a tong and dropped it into a bowl to cool. Another staffer snatched up the bowl, already moving off to plate it.
She wasn't the type to point fingers, but she had suspicions about why her miscarriage had come immediately after Minako's arrival to her house. Artemis was not exempt from her suspicion either. Either of them could have slipped something into her food, her drinks. Makoto didn't want to think about it, but if one of the team was actually betraying the others and intentionally spreading illness to their families, she wouldn't eliminate the possibility.
With a sigh, Makoto gave the tongs and batter bowl a quick rinse before dropping them in the dishwasher.
If it was one of the two, she would wager it to be Artemis. When she'd been in the bathroom, at her worst, he hadn't done anything to help her. But then again, Minako was working to become an actress. She could just as easily have poisoned Makoto and then faked sympathy to avoid arousing suspicion.
Makoto frowned, spreading another batch of chicken over the grill.
The fact remained that she didn't fully trust either of them. She wanted to talk to someone about her suspicions, but she knew that if it wasn't Minako or Artemis, than the chances of it being one of the other girls' were much higher.
Thinking about it gave her a headache, and a guilty conscience. But at least it was better than thinking about her baby. Or, what could have been her baby…
Her eyes began to sting again and she swiped a furious hand across them, retrieving another egg to make more batter. She kept working until mid-afternoon.
As she headed back to check on the frying pickles for the hundredth time, her communicator began beeping.
oOoOoOo
Ami had stayed at the hospital overnight, and fallen asleep in the waiting chair despite the chirping of her communicator. When she woke up, she went back to pouring over her information on the polymorphs, trying to focus on the words in front of her and not the movements of every doctor in the hall.
She was so anxious to hear news on her mother that she jumped when her phone rang. Seeing the number on it, she didn't bother answering; she just stood and went to the front kiosk. "Mizuno Ami, here to see Mariko Mizuno" she said in a rush. The receptionist put the phone down, looking as haggard as Ami felt.
"She's stable, you may see her now." After leading her down a branch of halls, they stopped in front of the ICU ward.
Her mother was clinging to consciousness by a thread when Ami walked in. A shivering pile of blankets and cords, her mother looked so very small in the bedding and equipment. A group of heating pads was stacked above the blankets, so they wouldn't burn her skin. They still had an EKG machine beside the bed, but Ami noted to herself that the pulse was in fact strong again. Underneath the oxygen mask, Ami saw her smile at her arrival.
"Mom..." Ami sat at the edge of her bed, taking her mother's hand in her own. It felt like icicles beneath her fingers, so Ami wrapped her other hand around it to warm her up. She could feel tears pricking her eyes. Seeing the woman who had always been her pillar of strength in such a pathetic state, Ami's composure was fraying. It gave her a whole new perspective of Rei's suffering.
"How did this happen?"
Her mother shook her head, eyes sad. "..Don't, remember..." Her words were chattering like her teeth. Ami felt even more helpless at the pitiful response. She pulled the blankets up a bit higher on the shivering woman, a pointless effort.
"You know I can only stay for five, maybe ten minutes, but..." Ami brought forth her mother's favorite book from her bag, setting it down on the side of the electrocardiograph, "I brought you this, and this." Ami fished out her own favorite book from her bag, setting it down on top of the first. Her mother gave her a soft smile, reaching with one frigid hand to cup Ami's face despite her trembling frame.
"Thank you, Ami." Ami clung to the medical professionalism she had drilled into herself, trying desperately not to cry.
A pained moan came from the ICU patient next to her mother, breaking the moment between them. It was another reminder that while her mother might not be in the emergency room, she was in the next most critical place.
Sniffling, Ami brought her hand back down to rest with her mother's other underneath the massive amount of blankets and heating pads scattered along the bed. "Do you mind if I record some readings of my own, to see if I can determine what's wrong or what caused this?" Her mother just smiled, patting her hand and shaking her head. Ami wasn't even sure she understood the question by the glazed look in her eyes.
Ami knew she only had a few minutes left, so her fingers flew over the keyboard with record speed. She recorded a video feed of the EKG to set a baseline for her heartbeat, and pulled up a thermal and x-ray scan as well. She even dredged up some of her earlier programs, ones meant for biological composition and analysis. A tiny beep let her know the scans were finished and she skimmed the results, disappointment growing. "Its hypothermia," she said, putting the compact back into her bag. "But your body temperature is already rising; you are going to be okay." Ami wanted to smile in relief, but the puzzle of determining the root of her mother's hypothermia was still weighing on her.
Her mother nodded, too fatigued to argue. "Sound...disappointed," she mumbled, still struggling to force words out past her trembling lips.
Ami gave her a sheepish look. "I was hoping it would be something that made sense." She brought her hands back up to cocoon her mother's. "Something I could cure."
Another male groan interrupted them, from behind the same curtain dividing the sections of the ICU.
Irritated with the disruption, Ami stood up to go ask them to keep it down. Peering around the curtain, Ami's mouth dropped open. "Motoki?"
He was barely recognizable. His skin was blistered and lacerated, and he was quivering not unlike her mother. However, guessing by the irregular heart rate showing up on the monitor, Motoki was seizing. On auto-pilot, Ami moved forward, rolling him onto his side and calling for assistance while she disentangled the wires. Moving to the edge of the bed she looked over his chart, noticing he was on Oxycodone. For him to be feeling pain even while on such a strong medication...what had happened to him? She grabbed his spoon from discarded hospital Jell-O and slid it into his mouth, hopefully to prevent him from biting off his tongue, or choking on it if he vomited.
As a nurse rushed over to help her, Ami stepped back, picking up her computer again to scan Motoki, a theory already forming in her mind. Pressing her lips together, she compiled the data she'd gathered in the last week. She compartmentalized the data from the battles and the data she'd gotten from Grandpa Hino, her mother and Motoki. The beeping noise coming from her bag was at the back of her mind, she was so close to piecing it all together...
Her computer's correlation program graphed the trend, confirming her suspicions. Cold dread sank in her belly and she stepped away from Motoki and her mother.
"I think my five minutes is up," she said, standing at the edge of her mother's bed. "I'll be back again soon. Get better," she ordered. Ami rushed from the room, mind a million miles away. The beeping stopped. Her mother's dazed look followed after her.
Two floors above, Yuuichirou laid prone on a sterile bed. To an observer he looked just like another sleeping patient, but the chart at the edge of his bed told otherwise. Scribbled down in sloppy handwriting was the diagnosis: lapsing deeper into a coma.
oOoOoOo
Minako had been walking for a while now, unsure where to go. She wasn't in the mood to shop, and she didn't want to watch any more movies for at least a few months. The idea of going to the arcade had crossed her mind, but she wasn't in the mood to talk to any of the other girls if she happened to see them there. Usagi and Rei had soured her daily dose of trust with the conversation she'd overheard at the shrine.
As she passed a church, something pulled at her, urging her to take a closer look. Never one to ignore her inner urges, Minako headed up the main steps, curiosity piqued. She realized halfway that what she was sensing wasn't coming from the church, but from the graveyard beside it.
The blades of grass suspended in midair were the first clue. As they began to vibrate, Minako realized the shadow on the ground was coming from the invisible polymorph. This one had almost no vein network, which made it all the more dangerous.
There were no ceremonies in session, and only a few mourners about since it was a weekday. She blamed her bad luck at being the first to sight the monster on her lack of guardian, who was still using his injury as an excuse to sleep three times more than any creature alive. He had abandoned her when she left the temple, claiming he needed rest before slinking back to his cushion. Sidestepping into the hedges, Minako called out a transformation and emerged a senshi.
After alerting the others and shepherding the civilians away, she charged headlong into the battle.
It didn't take long for her to realize the serious error in her decision to engage the polymorph alone. With her vision screened by the visor Mercury had given her, she could see the creature was not a humanoid like the polymorph in the theatre, but almost completely human. It even had distinctive joints and digits, and if not for its camouflaging and consistency, it would have been just another grieving person in the cemetery.
The problem wasn't her conscience over attacking another humanoid monster. That had been quelled early on with Beryl's youma. Venus' problem was that this polymorph was almost three times faster than its predecessors, and seemed to have some degree of intelligence, and the combination was proving to create a very elusive and hazardous foe. As soon as she had a few seconds to breath between dodging its assault, she turned to return fire.
Calling upon her planet, she let a Love and Beauty Shock attack ram into the creature.
The polymorph snarled its rage at being hit, and blew a sphere of condensed steam into a tomb stone. Unfortunately for her, the tomb stone it blasted happened to be the one directly in front of her.
The headstone smacked into Venus, knocking her a few feet back and dislodging her visor. Her visor went skittering over the grass, and stopped with a metallic clack against another grave marker. As she scrambled to re-gather her equipment, the polymorph pressed its advantage.
With speed far beyond any of its former comrades, it fired off a string of steam attacks. The tomb stones were being blown apart by the assault, firing bits of rock and ceramic into the air. The polymorph had already caught one tree in the blast as well, which now bore a dark burn mark where the attack had collided and severed part of its trunk. Venus did not move from beneath the resulting rubble of the felled tree and gravestones.
As it powered up another attack, two figures stepped into its path.
"I knew she wouldn't hold it off alone for long, but really now..." Sailor Neptune raised her arms, casting a tidal wave at the direction she'd last seen Venus attack the polymorph.
"Bit tricky since its invisible," Uranus remarked, summoning her space sword and taking up a protective stance in front of Neptune while her partner brought forth her aqua mirror. Behind them, Sailor Pluto and Saturn arrived, coming up to help in the battle. Raising the mirror, the teal senshi turned it to reflect light onto the surroundings, pointing when she saw an abnormal flickering.
"Space sword blaster!" Uranus let the energy from her saber cleave the air as it hurtled toward the polymorph.
"Uranus! Neptune!" Two new senshi stood at the other end of the graveyard, one in red and one in a tiered skirt.
"'Bout time!" Uranus remarked, squinting to see whether or not her attack had reached its target.
Twice in a row now Venus had been the first one at the site of the polymorph. And twice in a row, Mercury had been absent. Mars and Moon bit down their suspicions.
Neither chose to reply to Uranus, instead launching their own attacks at the creature. With their visors firmly on, they didn't have to struggle to see the polymorph like the outers. The monster was enraged by the onslaught from all sides, but nowhere near defeated. Unlike its formers, this polymorph seemed to have more stamina as well. Instead, it decided to evade the multitude of attacks the senshi threw at it, firing off its own in between rounds. The barrage of steam it kept using was making the battlefield a scattered mess of debris and fog, and limiting mobility since incoming projectiles were everywhere. Constantly firing off individual magic, without the guidance of the leader of the senshi, was draining everyone present too quickly. Without being hit by a combined assault, the polymorph continued to endure and exhaust everyone present.
After an excruciating ten minutes with the speedy enemy, Sailor Jupiter arrived. If anyone noticed that Venus was nowhere to be seen, no one wasted precious seconds mentioning it.
The relief at Jupiter's arrival was short lived when another blast from the polymorph blew more tree bark into Eternal Sailor Moon's arm. She let out a cry, going down to her knees.
It would have been a fatal mistake if not for the razor-tipped rose that severed the incoming blast in half.
"Miss me?" Tuxedo Kamen swept out in front of her, using his cape as a shield while she recuperated.
As Sailor Moon arose, Sailor Jupiter was taking the temporary lull to ambush the polymorph with a vengeance. Without Mercury or Venus to discourage it, she was throwing herself into the battle as if possessed. Pounding the polymorph with one attack after the other, Jupiter's fury didn't let up even when Uranus swept in to swipe at it with her blade.
Uranus cursed, swerving sideways at the last second to avoid chopping off several of Jupiter's fingers. Jupiter was undaunted, screaming out another "Oak Evolution " as the polymorph dodged another attack. Saturn was lingering behind her foster parents, glaive held at the ready to deflect incoming steam bursts. She too was wearing out from overexertion.
Pluto caught the creature in the side with a physical blow from her staff as it evaded Jupiter's battering leaves. Somewhere a few meters away, a disoriented Venus was pushing her way out from beneath the chunks of stone and tree.
"We need…" Venus paused in a wince and gripped her head, shoving another piece of a destroyed gravestone off her, "surround it- combine attacks." Jupiter tripped over the wrecked tree, falling forward with a grimace.
"On three," Neptune held her mirror out in front of herself, keeping its reflection glinting off the polymorph so the other outers could see where to aim.
"One, two, three! Submarine Reflection!"
As everyone unleashed their own attack, the blinding light from Neptune's drowned out any view of the polymorph's demise. The inner senshi and Tuxedo Kamen all ripped off their visors as if burned, rubbing their eyes and blinking away sunspots.
"Is it gone?" Mars still held another arrow taut in the limbs of her bow.
"Yes," Sailor Venus hadn't righted herself fully yet, and was still using the remains of a tree to brace her upper half as she attempted to pull her legs free.
Uranus stood beside her partner, disdain plain on her face.
All her feelings of injustice at having to return to Tokyo for this supposedly lethal menace rose to the surface as she watched Jupiter stumble to pick herself back up. In the background the noise of tombstones being overturned furthered her anger while they tried to dig Venus free. They'd given up their home for this?
"You imbeciles," she seethed, "You can't even pull your own weight!" Uranus felt Neptune's arm on her own, but she yanked it off. She would deal with the repercussions later; right now she was too mad to care.
"We're doing more than you!" mouthed Mars, pointing a finger in the general direction of the outer senshi after dismissing her arrow. "You weren't even here for the first three fights!"
"We shouldn't be here NOW!" Uranus roared, barely in control of her rising fury. "It's your duty to deal with threats from within the solar system-and ours to deal with those that are foreign! We are here because you can't even wipe your own asses!"
Jupiter stepped in at this point, seeing red. "Excuse me? You think that we're not doing our part? We didn't ask you to come help us, we were doing just fine without you!"
"Oh yeah? Does Venus look fine to you?" Uranus' nostrils flared, her fists clenched. Venus was limping out from underneath the debris with Mars supporting her.
Jupiter threw a glance at her injured comrade. "She knew the risks of the job, she'll get over it," she snapped.
Neptune usually played the supporting role to Uranus in life, and this was no different in her eyes. "It is a privilege to be chosen as a senshi," she said, her lips thinning. "To be allowed to protect everyone we love… to be given the powers we are, enough to save the world time and time again, is an honor, not a job." She kept herself from sneering down at the inner senshi by pursing her lips to hold it back. "You claim not to need us, but your own teammates have abandoned you, and you can no longer keep our princess safe alone. Now I'll only ask once," She made sure to look into the eyes of every inner senshi. "Where is Sailor Mercury?" Behind her, Sailor Saturn had a look of dawning horror written with childhood openness across her face at the implication.
They looked back and forth amongst one another, but no one said a word.
"She probably saw what a cowardly bunch this lot is and decided she'd be better off fighting alone," Uranus guessed, before her eyes darkened. "Or maybe they were too weak to protect her, and she's already dead."
"SHUT UP," Sailor Moon shouted, holding her hands out to both sides, even though she was still bleeding freely from one arm. "Just SHUT UP, all of you!" Various expressions of shock and surprise flitted across the group: Sailor Moon had never lost her compassionate understanding, even in the throes of a battle or during a heated argument. Taking advantage of their silence, she continued in a more sedate tone, "We're all fighting for the same thing- Who cares about the differences in reasons. If we can't work together than we're not a team at all, we're just pathetic." Still, no one said anything.
Sailor Pluto took this as her cue, and stepped forward. "When I first came to warn you, I told you to keep faith in each other." Her tone was neither condemning nor accusatory, just a statement of fact. "It seems now I shall repeat this warning, to all of you." She shot Uranus a pointed look. "Believe in one another, or we will not all survive to see this enemy bested. Put your differences aside, remember where your priorities lie and work together, or else." There was an edge to her words, and everyone present felt a nonexistent wind blow through the graveyard.
Unable to resist one more barb, Uranus spat "And you call yourselves guardians?" before turning away. She was still holding her space sword threateningly as she walked away. Neptune did not look impressed by their behavior either, but she had too much dignity to insult the already disgraced team. Instead, she put a hand on Uranus' shoulder to restrain her, shaking her head. Uranus got the hint, but gave their group one more look of disgust before they both left. Saturn bowed to Sailor Moon before following after them.
oOoOoOo
It wasn't that she condoned his actions, quite the opposite. But she knew that if she were to involve any of the others, things would end poorly, for them as well as her. They weren't sneaky enough, and they weren't equipped to cope with this kind of evil, the kind born with human roots. Only she and Artemis had experience sleuthing out people like detectives from when they first searched for the senshi. And only she had the discipline to stalk a psychopath like this without losing hope or intervening.
She needed information more than she needed her morals.
So she followed her target, eyes intent on his every move. She knew he wouldn't kill again until he found someone worthy of his criteria. From what she had gathered, he had a taste for thugs.
And when he did find his prey, she was there to witness the murder as well. Another trophy for his mantle.
This time he had been much more ruthless than the last. His bloodlust was growing.
Last time had been quick, this time he was slow with his victim. Again, she watched the strange mottled texture appear around him in a cloak. It was darker than last time. He tormented the thug, dismembering him, maiming him. His attacks weren't only physical. But his power grew with each of them, like his sick hunger for justice.
The stench was making her empty stomach roil.
It was him though, she was sure of it now. She could feel it in her bones, see it in his empty eyes.
So she hid in the darkness, waiting for him finish with his carnage so she could leave without drawing his attention.
By the time the victim finally bled to death, she felt like she was going to puke. She couldn't stop the gagging noise that rose in the back of her throat.
Gleaming eyes turned towards her, his mottled aura still an ever present force around him.
Every hair on her body stood on edge. This man was extremely dangerous, clearly delusional, and magically gifted. And he had definitely recognized her this time. Without waiting to find out the full extent of his abilities, Luna dashed from the scene as fast as she could. He was chasing her; she could hear the pounding footsteps behind her, faster than any human should have been able to run.
To her luck, she saw a traffic light up ahead. She knew she had to take a risk, or he would certainly kill her.
Throwing herself in front of an oncoming vehicle, she felt adrenaline kick in. Her life was flashing before her, bright and white, sounds overlapping... She could hear Usagi laughing, Artemis apologizing. In another second she heard obnoxious honking as the car passed, and she bounded forward into the nearest shadow. Her pulse was deafening in her ears. Safely hidden in an alley, she took a second to catch her breath.
The man stood there, searching the area for the cat that had been following him for the past week. There was something about that cat he didn't like...
Luna wasn't going to wait until he discovered her new hide out. Nimble as all felines are, she leapt over the fence separating this alley from the one behind it, stealing off like a thief in the night.
oOoOoOo
She eyed the cut in her vanity mirror, as she always did. It didn't appear to have any bits of bark lodged in it, although the blood finally clotting around it was rather dark. She had always been squeamish about blood and guts, but for some reason, this one didn't seem so bad. Then again, she had been doing this for years, and this was not the worst of her injuries. Not even close, actually.
Moving into the bathroom, Usagi hummed to herself as she washed the cut on her arm with water, trying to lift her mood before she brought out the inevitable hydrogen peroxide. Soaking it in a washcloth like she had countless times before, she mentally prepared herself before hissing as she pressed it to the wound. "It hurts ow ow it hurts oowww it hurrrts!"
Thankfully, no one was home to hear her as she vented her pain.
It was hard enough to find time between her school work and personal activities to sneak off to fight monsters. The fact her family had no idea she was doing it, and hadn't for years, compounded the string of complications that was her life.
Reaching for a ribbon, she wrapped it around the slash instead of tying it in her hair.
The shrill ringing distracted her from tying the bow on it. Going into the kitchen, she picked up the landline phone, "Hello?"
"Am I speaking to Tsukino Usagi?"
"Yes?" Usagi was even more confused now. She didn't recognize the voice.
"This is Tokyo General Hospital calling. Both your parents and brother seem to have contracted a nasty virus and are going to be staying here overnight so we can monitor them in case this is something more serious."
"A virus?" Usagi didn't know much about biology, but she knew that viruses were like colds. Why were they at the hospital if they just had colds? "Are they okay?"
"Tsukino Kenji is in the best state. Tsukino Ikuko and Shingo are both on an IV drip with prescription antivirals, and Shingo has had some hair loss. Until we can determine exactly which virus is causing this, we cannot do anything to treat it further. You should also schedule a check up. " Usagi scrunched up her face in displeasure. "However..." the voice on the other end seemed reluctant.
"What is it?"
"...Their symptoms could be the result of exposure to radiation. If there is an active isotope somewhere in the vicinity of your home, it would be wise for you to stay over somewhere else for the night until we can check it in the morning." Usagi gasped, looking around the room as if she would suddenly see green vapor seeping out through the vents. Everything appeared normal.
"I will! Thank you," before anything else could be said, she hung up and dashed for the door.
Before she could reach the end of her street, she had crashed into Mamoru.
"What are you doing here?" she asked, picking herself back up.
"I came to see if you wanted to go get ice cream or..."
"I can't, I need to go. Next time, bye," Ignoring him, she headed back to the sidewalk.
"Usako," He caught her arm as she attempted to flee. "We need to talk."
"I'm BUSY right now, can't you see that?" she snapped at him, already stressed. His grip on her injured arm was not improving her mood.
"I meant we need to talk about yesterday," he said, backpedalling. "I feel like things didn't end right with us and-"
"I can't do this right now! Would you just let me go?" Yanking her arm free, Usagi turned her back to him.
"Why not?" he demanded, raking a hand through his hair. He hadn't slept well, going over in his head all the things that could have made her act like she had yesterday and how to fix them. MCATS were the last thing to worry about with Usagi acting the way she was. "What are you so damn busy with that you can't even give a minute to your boyfriend?" He knew he shouldn't throw her own words back at her, but he was hurt by her actions, and he knew if they let it lie it would only grow into further resentment.
"Oh PLEASE!" Usagi screamed, uncaring as people began to stare at their bickering. She'd been yelling at Mamoru since the first day she met him, but this was a different beast entirely. "You're going to lecture ME on not giving a minute to the relationship? After how you acted yesterday? You are unbelievable!" She threw her hands up into the air. Mamoru had the decency to look chastised even though he was glad she was finally opening up to him about it. "It's none of your business where I go and what I do with my time if you can't even spend one day a month with me without looking at other women." Mamoru's eyes widened at the accusation, and he opened his mouth to protest. Before he could speak Usagi continued. "I'm on my way to the hospital, my family needs me. And you obviously don't." With that, she whirled around, and began to dash away.
His mouth hung open, before he snapped it shut, chasing after her. Her words were like knives, since she had been the first one to assure him that he wasn't alone, that he wasn't just another orphan in a world with too many. She'd told him that she would be his family now, but it seemed she felt her blood ties were a higher priority. "Usako!" He made another grab for her arm but this time she predicted his plan and swerved to dodge him. She was running now, trying to put more distance between him and herself. Now officially panicking at the state of their relationship, Mamoru made one last ditch effort to stop her.
"I just wanted to make it right between us," he called out, hoping to appeal to her logic. Seeing that her steps had slowed, he continued, oblivious to the passerby's that were eying them as though they'd found the aliens amongst them. "I am really sorry about yesterday, but I can't undo the past. I should have done more, I should have, done something," he emphasized, tugging a hand through his hair again. "I wanted to-" he paused when she moved.
Usagi turned towards him, so slowly he couldn't hear her clothing shift. Her eyes were a deep pit of blue when she looked at him, almost swallowed by her swollen pupils. He suppressed a shudder at the look she gave him, so unlike her usual quick-to-rise smile. Those eyes held venom, and contrary to his feelings about his innocent Usako, and his direct bond to her soul, he felt fear. His survival instincts were on high alert, telling him that she would, without hesitation, hurt him. "Listen Mamoru, and really hear me this time. I, am, busy. I may overlook that you're a needy control freak on a regular day of the week, but today is not that day. Now leave me alone," She moved away from him and Mamoru felt as though she might disappear into the crowd. His helplessness exacerbated, he clenched down on his heart, which was screaming at him to follow her, that something was horribly wrong.
Something was wrong, he reasoned, her parents were in the hospital. But those eyes...she'd seemed so far from him, heartless and unlike herself. He brushed the feeling off; he knew when he was being ridiculous. It was probably just a trick of the light; she did have her back to the sun when she'd turned around. She would be back to her upbeat self once her parents were released, he told himself.
But it didn't feel like that. It felt the same as when Eternal Sailor Moon had fallen to the ground and was being attacked again by a polymorph, about to be blown to bits.
Mamoru had dropped the thought, but the sense that she was still in imminent danger stayed with him for the rest of the day.
oOoOoOo
Usagi demanded to see her family from the nurse in the front office. Her rudeness set the woman on edge, but she maintained polite professional responses and directed Usagi to the third floor where they were staying. This teenage girl was just worried about her folks, like everyone else who came here to visit someone.
The elevator was moving too slow. Usagi tapped her foot and squirmed with impatience, irritating the other occupants of the small elevator. When it finally reached the third floor, she pushed her way past two other people and ran down the hall even as a few of the hospital staff called out to her to slow down.
Reaching the door to their room, she didn't waste time knocking. "Mom, Dad! Shingo," She ran up to them, eyes like saucers. "Are you guys okay?"
Kenji smiled at her, "Hey little girl, don't worry, we're fine. It's just a bug" He seemed to be in the best shape out of the three of them. "I don't know why they insist on us staying here, it's expensive!"
Shingo was hooked up to three different cords, a banana bag draped beside him. Ikuko also had an IV, but she only had one needle in her arm. While both were donning weaker pallor than usual, Ikuko's hair hadn't lost its aquatic luster.
Usagi went over to Shingo, bending down by his bedside. "You guys have to get better," she said, teary. "You have to."
Shingo tried to ward her off with his hands but winced when the motion caused a syringe to sink in deeper to his arm. "Jeesh Usagi, don't be such a crybaby. We'll be fine now that they've got us on all these drugs." He gave the bag of fluids a baneful look. Reassured that he wasn't on death's door yet, Usagi went to inspect her mother.
"Expensive drugs," Kenji groused. His voice sounded gruffer than usual.
"As long as they get you well who cares?" Usagi said.
"I care. It's my hard-earned money we're squandering by staying here instead of at home."
"But dear," Ikuko reasoned, "Who would cook and care for us? Don't tell me you'd expect Usagi to be our nurse?"
"I could be a nurse!" Usagi volunteered, peeved by the insinuation that she wouldn't take care of her own flesh and blood.
"I think your cooking alone might kill us all," Shingo nettled, rolling away to avoid the blow she leveled at his arm. "Hey I'm il-" He broke off into a fit of coughing. Realizing what she'd done, Usagi lowered her arm, chastened.
"...Well I could order takeout for you, and give you lots of fruits. Or have one of the girl's cook for you," Usagi wasn't sure the others would agree to this plan of hers, especially with their own hardships, but she knew there had to be a way to make everyone happy and well. "And I could clean the house and take care of-"
"It's fine Usagi," Ikuko placated. "We are plenty comfortable, and despite what your father says, we can afford to spend the night here." Kenji shot her a dour look, but said nothing.
"I just wish there were something I could do for you guys..." Usagi bowed her head in shame.
"You could bring me my portable," Shingo offered, which earned him another swat from the bristling Usagi.
"The doctor says you need to rest. And playing your games isn't going to help you sleep." In her mind, Ikuko added 'or let us get any sleep with all the beeping flashing lights'.
"She's right," Usagi agreed, playing devil's advocate. "You can play those games later, when you can move your arms."
"I can move my arms!" Shingo protested, attempting to demonstrate but failing as he reached the limits of one of the wires. "Fine," he mumbled, "Don't do anything for me then. Some sister you are."
Usagi glared at him, standing and trying to hide how much that insult had stung. Her face was an open book though, and Ikuko read it from her without trying. "Well now that I know you're all fine, I guess I came here for nothing." In a flurry of hair and cloth, she slammed the door to the room behind her.
"She has been weird lately," Shingo commented, unapologetic as he scratched his head. He was pulled into another bout of coughing for his efforts to move around so much, even as strands of hair slipped from his fingers.
"Hush, you need to rest your throat. It's probably too sore already." Ikuko leaned back into the unyielding pillows of the hospital bed. Usagi had been different lately though. She was crying less, getting angry easier.
"It's probably all that time she spends with that college boy," Kenji said, brows furrowed.
Ikuko wondered if he might be right, or if there was something else in her daughter's life that might affect her so. It bothered her mother's nature to think that her precious baby might be going through something alone, but she knew that until she got healthy, there was nothing she could do about it.
AN: The grand finale is coming up next, and hopefully it will exceed everyone's expectations. Until then, feel free to make your own guesses about what is happening(and what will happen), I enjoy reading them. Thank you to all the reviewers for the continued support, and thank you MGray for beta-reading. Don't clean wounds with hydrogen peroxide. It scars, and burns, and oxidizes(mutates) the healthy cells its exposed to, meaning it degrades the DNA. Oh and the chapter title was a toss up between "Dissent" and "Descent," not a spelling error. I settled for the latter. :)
