House Of Cards Chapter 1: Stacked Deck, a sailor moon fanfic

HOUSE OF CARDS
Chapter 1: "Stacked Deck"
A Sailor Moon fanfic

By Bill K.

Nihonbashi for years was one of the thriving business districts of Chuo-Ku, a hub of corporate enterprise and, sort of jokingly, one of the leading spots in Japan to commit "death by overwork". As such, it was also a lucrative area for the local Yakuza clan to sell methamphetamine to salarymen desperate to find a means to keep putting in eighty hour weeks.

Ayoshi Katagara was a successful department head for a Japanese insurance company. He followed all the orders of his superiors and brought his department in on sound fiscal footing. The company valued him highly and had him fast-tracked for upper management. He was married to a woman who felt abandoned by him due to his long hours and a son estranged from him due to neglect. Ayoshi Katagara was also a meth addict. At a time when he should be finishing the fiscal projections for the first quarter of 2019, instead he sat on a bench in the Ginza district and waited anxiously. After ten minutes which seemed like an eternity, two familiar men approached.

Both wore the uniform of the Yakuza low level tough: flashy suit, pompadour, sunglasses and cigarette dangling from a lip. While one stood by the bench and looked around, trying to be both menacing and inconspicuous, the other slid in next to Ayoshi.

"Back so soon, Katagara-Kun?" grinned the thug sitting next to him. "Must be having a rough time."

"Yeah," Ayoshi wheezed. He didn't want small talk from this sleaze. He wanted his meth.

"Well, whenever you need it, we'll have it," the thug replied. "We like to keep good customers happy."

Ayoshi pulled out a folded up wad of bills and slipped it to the thug. The thug responded with a small package slipped into Ayoshi's hand.

"Just to let you know," the thug mentioned casually. "The price is going up. Overhead, you know. Between Queen Serenity and Superintendent Sakurada, the cost of doing business is through . . ."

"This feels light," Ayoshi remarked.

"It's the same as you've always gotten."

"It's light," Ayoshi maintained. "What are you trying to pull?"

"Are you questioning my honesty?" the thug mocked. "I am truly hurt . . ."

"I paid for my stuff," Ayoshi reiterated, his manner growing more fervent by the second. "I want my stuff! I need it! I need my stuff!"

"You got what you paid for," the thug glared while his partner looked around nervously. "And you better apologize if you want to get any more."

"No!" Ayoshi gasped, lunging at the man and gripping him by his coat. "You're trying to cheat me! You think I'm stupid and pathetic! Give it to me! Now!"

The thug's fist cocked and shot forward, landing squarely on Ayoshi's jaw. It stunned him momentarily, but it only seemed to fuel the man's paranoia. He lunged again, grasping inside the jacket for the drug his paranoid mind knew was in there. The thug's partner came over and grabbed Ayoshi, jerking him away. As the salaryman was ripped away from the Yakuza tough, the Yakuza's .44 automatic pulled out of its holster and fell onto the bench.

For a moment, the three just looked at it, unable to believe what had happened. Then Ayoshi lunged and seized it. Instantly the seated Yakuza seized Ayoshi's hands, trying to wrest the gun away from him. The gun went off. Blood splattered onto Ayoshi as the Yakuza pitched over the armrest of the bench and fell to the sidewalk. People who had until that moment been trying to ignore what was happening stared or screamed. The other Yakuza tried to grab Ayoshi, but he wrenched away, turned and fired. As the other Yakuza fell to the sidewalk, sending panicked passers-by scurrying, Ayoshi got up and began running. In his withdrawal-fevered brain, he knew this was the end of his career and marriage, but maybe he could run far enough so the Yakuza didn't end his life.

In another part of the Ginza, crowds were gathered and lights were flashing. The touring company of Russia's Bolshoi Ballet was performing that evening. Attending the performance were the King and Queen of Japan, Endymion and Serenity, with Sailor Mercury augmenting the phalanx of city police and palace guards. Serenity wore a dark blue evening gown with a single strap and light blue opera gloves. Her blonde hair was up, piled upon the head of the Queen and seemingly balanced precariously. Endymion wore, as he often did, a tuxedo, this time in normal black rather than light gray. The crowd of people attracted by the event surged against balustrades and police lines to get a glimpse of the Royal Couple and, if luck were with them, actually touch them.

"I knew we should have teleported in," Endymion muttered under his breath as his eyes darted from one side to the other.

"Don't be silly," Serenity replied. "It's good that the people can see us. It makes them so happy." A woman waved at her from behind the police line. "Hi! How are you? Are you going to see the show?"

"Performance," Mercury corrected her.

"Whatever," huffed the Queen.

"I wasn't aware that you were a fan of ballet, Serenity."

"Well, I confess I don't understand a lot of it," Serenity replied. "But a long time ago, when I was fourteen, I wanted to be a ballerina - - for about five minutes."

"Oh?" Endymion remarked, surprised by this new revelation in his wife. "What changed your mind?"

"I found out how much work it was," Serenity swallowed. Endymion chuckled.

With that, a shot rang out. The crowd hushed and then began to surge away. The police surged forward. Mercury and the guards stepped in front of the Royal Couple to protect them. Three more shots cut through the fleeing crowd. Three civilians fell. And through the chaos, a voice could be heard.

"You won't kill me! I didn't mean it!" Ayoshi Katagara bellowed maniacally. "I just wanted my stuff!"

An officer charged him, baton in hand. Ayoshi pulled down the gun and fired, sending the officer to the sidewalk.

"Shine Aqua Illusion!" Mercury shouted, pointing her hand at the gunman. Her aim was guided by the visor over her eyes.

Instantly ice formed over the gun and the hand holding it. Ayoshi stared at the globe of ice around his hand, then began wildly shaking it, trying to dislodge the ice. And at once, Queen Serenity materialized before him.

"Please stop this," Serenity pleaded, appealing directly to him. "You're hurting other people and you'll hurt yourself, and I don't want that. What's wrong?"

"I-I need it," Ayoshi mumbled, staring down into Serenity's face, into those pool blue eyes. "I don't feel anything. Not without it."

By now Endymion was behind her, ready should Ayoshi make a move toward her. Mercury was just arriving and the police had surrounded Ayoshi and the Queen. Ayoshi didn't panic, didn't even notice them. He stood, mesmerized by those deep blue eyes.

"You're in so much pain," Serenity said. "What can I do to help?" Ayoshi just stared, his right hand flicking involuntarily at his side, obsessively trying to flick off the ice globe.

"Serenity, my scan is showing he's in withdrawal," Mercury advised her. "I would judge him to be severely addicted to methamphetamine. The drug-induced paranoia may have led to a psychotic episode."

"Let me help you," Serenity said. She raised her hand to his face, but Ayoshi pulled back. "I won't hurt you. But you need to rest."

"Rest," he muttered as Serenity touched his forehead. "What's that?"

Ayoshi slumped to the ground. Two police officers pulled him up and carried him away.

"Take him to a hospital, please!" Serenity called after them. "Now what about the others? There were people hurt!"

Unbidden, Serenity glided over to the fallen police officer. He was sitting up and rubbing his chest. She knelt down beside him.

"Are you all right? You were shot!" the Queen gasped.

"Kevlar vest," he wheezed out. "Stopped the shot."

"Oh, thank the gods!" Serenity beamed. And she was up and onto the next victim.

"Serenity, let the police and the medics handle it!" Mercury called after her.

But Serenity kept on. Several officers were working on a fallen civilian while a crowd watched. Serenity knelt down by the victim, heedless that she was kneeling in blood and it was staining her gown. One of the officers turned to her.

"I'm sorry, Queen Serenity," he told her. "This person is gone."

And tears trickled down the Queen's face. The public watched as she took a few moments to mourn this stranger, then saw her rise and head for where the other victims were. As she approached, an ambulance was pulling up. Several officers were doing first aid. Serenity could see it was a man and a woman, dressed to attend the ballet as she had been. They were both blond and fair, foreigners to Japan. The man was on a stretcher and being loaded into the ambulance.

"Is he going to live?" she asked.

"We'll do our best, Your Majesty," one of the medics told her.

"What about her?"

The silence was her answer. Sensing Endymion behind her, Serenity turned and buried her face in his chest.

"Why, Endymion?" she sobbed. "Why?"

And as always, Endymion was stuck for a sufficient answer.

In the Crystal Palace, Tatsuo Hiroyuke packed a suitcase in the quarters he'd shared with his wife of six months, Minako Aino. In a chair in a corner of the room, his wife watched him pack with growing distress. From his perch on a dresser, Artemis watched them.

"If you loved me, you wouldn't go," Minako said suddenly. Both Tatsuo and Artemis sighed.

"This is an important part," Tatsuo reiterated. "It's one that I want to do, on top of it being really good for my career."

"Then let me go with you!" Minako countered with a little too much vehemence. Tatsuo and Artemis both looked at her.

"I would love for you to go with me," Tatsuo replied with a gently smile on his achingly handsome face. "I don't know how much you'd do for my concentration, but I'd be willing to take the chance."

Minako flashed a timid smile.

"But the question is can the King and Queen spare you? This shoot is in Kobe," Tatsuo reminded her. "Artemis pointed that out and I think he's got something."

"Thanks a lot, 'Partner'," Minako scowled.

"Somebody's got to think of these things," Artemis huffed.

"I will never get used to that cat talking," Tatsuo muttered.

"I feel the same way about humans," the white cat quipped. "Look, Mina, quit playing the neglected spouse and just say what you're really scared of: You're afraid the minute Tatsuo leaves, Ace will move in."

"I AM NOT!" barked Minako.

"Is that true?" Tatsuo asked incredulously. "Are we that fragile as a couple?"

Instantly Minako was out of the chair and across the room. She folded her arms around Tatsuo and kissed him.

"No way!" she maintained. "I'm damn lucky to have you!" She smirked. "Almost as lucky as you are to have me." Then she darkened. "But you don't know him. You don't know what he's capable of. He's already busted up two marriages. I don't want this to be number three!"

"It's been six months," Tatsuo offered. "He hasn't shown up yet. Maybe he's given up."

"No, Ace wouldn't give up," Minako shook her head.

"Maybe he's dead," Artemis suggested.

"I couldn't get that lucky," Minako huffed. She looked up at her husband. "He's out there, planning something. The six months may be just for effect; a ploy to get us to lower our guard. Then BAM!"

Tatsuo stroked the back of her hair. "Do you know how paranoid that sounds?"

"It's not paranoia if it really happens," Minako countered. "Believe me, Tat-Chan, he's out there planning something," and she swallowed with some difficulty, "and I'm not sure I can stay strong against him if you're not here."

Tatsuo and Artemis both stared. This was a difficult admission from a woman who thought she was capable of anything if she put her mind to it.

"Tat-Chan, I love you," Minako declared, "but I don't think straight around him. If he shows up and you're not here, I'll probably end up doing something I'll really regret."

Tatsuo looked deeply into Minako's eyes. Then he turned helplessly to Artemis.

"Do you think the King and Queen would mind if Minako took a leave of absence?" he asked.

"All we can do is ask," the cat shrugged.

"Ask Serenity," Minako smiled. "She never says 'no', especially if it's in the service of true love." The blonde hesitated. "Just, um, try not to ask her if Luna is in the room."

They both heard Artemis chuckle in agreement.

At the hospital, emergency room personnel worked on the wounded man. Ami, in civilian form, assisted. Serenity and Endymion waited outside, while the squad of palace security assigned to them kept the press and the curious at bay. From time to time one would shout a question, but the Royal Couple ignored them. Serenity's blue gown was stained with blood and dirt, and her hairstyle was frazzled with loose strands of golden hair dangling to her bare shoulders. Cameras were banned completely and there was much grumbling among the press. As Serenity paced and Endymion tried to keep her from going in and healing the victim outright, someone pushed through the crowd until she reached the ring of guards. Recognizing the woman as Superintendent Sakurada, Endymion nodded and the guards let her through. She walked up to the Royal Couple.

"Any word on the man in there?" Sakurada asked.

"No," Serenity squeaked. "But Ami's in there, so he has the best care possible."

"What have your people managed to piece together?" Endymion asked.

"Our perpetrator is Ayoshi Katagara," Sakurada reported, "a middle manager with Mitsusaki Insurance. Apparently he was doing a drug buy in another part of the Ginza and it went bad. We found the bodies of two members of the Motoguri Clan. One of them had methamphetamine on him and his gun was missing."

"I thought there was a law against guns!" Serenity exclaimed.

"The Yakuza aren't big on following the law, Queen Serenity," Sakurada responded patiently.

"Ami said that he scanned as an addict in withdrawal," Endymion nodded.

"Is he getting help?" Serenity asked, turning for the first time away from the door to the emergency room.

"He's in the prison ward of a hospital over in Shinjuku," Sakurada said. "From what we've found, he's a model citizen with a pristine record." She sighed. "Of course, he wouldn't be the first."

"How so?" Endymion inquired.

"We have problems with a lot of salarymen cracking from the strain of eighty or more hour weeks," Sakurada told him. "Public drunkenness, sexual assaults on bar workers or other patrons, or drug abuse, usually meth. And Yakuza Clans like the Motoguri are only too happy to cater to their vices."

"Why haven't you stopped them?" Serenity asked, turning to the Superintendent again. "If they're hurting people . . ."

"Unlike you, Queen Serenity, the police still have to follow the rules," Sakurada replied. "We can't just clap Yakuza in jail without evidence or a trial. We harass people like the Motoguri, but we haven't been able to stop them. And if we did, another clan would just move in. This will be a problem as long as salarymen work impossible hours and need something to relieve the stress."

"I wasn't criticizing, Sakarada-San. I'm sure you're doing your best," Serenity offered. "It's just . . ."

She was interrupted when Tokyo Police Officers parted the crowd. Accompanying them was an eight year old boy. He was blond and fair and had the look of a frightened animal. Sakurada glanced at the lead officer and got a nod in return.

"That's Yuri Sakarov," Sakarada told the King and Queen. "His father's in the emergency room right now. His mother was one of the victims."

Instantly Serenity was across the room and kneeling before the surprised boy. He stared at her as if she meant to eat him. Instead she folded her arms around him and hugged him to her.

"I'm so sorry about your mother," Serenity whispered to him. "We're doing everything we can to help your father. Please don't be afraid. You're safe here. And you're not alone in all of this."

"How is Papa?" Yuri asked her softly, in perfect Japanese, clinging to the Queen. "Is he going to die, too?"

"Not if I can help it," Serenity said.

With that, she rose to her feet. Clutching Yuri by the hand, Serenity began to head for the emergency room. Endymion moved to stop her. Then the door to the room opened and Ami emerged.

"Ami?" Serenity asked hopefully.

"We did all we could," Ami said hoarsely. "The damage was too severe."

Serenity felt the boy's hand squeeze hers. She looked down to him. He looked up to her.

"Papa?" Yuri asked fearfully.

"I'm sorry, Yuri-Kun," the Queen whispered as she sank to her knees and again wrapped the boy in her arms. And together two strangers wept as dozens looked on and mourned for them.

Continued in Chapter 2