The Wild Boar Chapter 1: A New Start, a sailor moon fanfic

THE WILD BOAR
Chapter 1: "A New Start"
A Sailor Moon fanfic

By Bill K.

She had tried to keep what was happening out of the public eye. Queen Serenity was releasing Yoshiki Morobishi from Fuchu Prison and she didn't want the act to become a public spectacle for Morobishi's sake. Endymion was with her, as was Sailor Mars, Police Chief Sakurada, Prison Warden Kuroda, Morobishi's wife Shiho and their teenage son.

Unfortunately the every movement of the King and Queen of Japan was front page news. Despite her attempts at discretion, the press were waiting for the Royal Couple at Fuchu. Sakurada had to call in a squad of police to keep the throngs of reporters back.

"So you are a woman of your word, Serenity-Hime," Yoshiki Morobishi commented as the contingent walked down the hall of the prison to the front gate. "I find that - - encouraging."

"Don't give me the credit, Morobishi-San," Serenity smiled. "You took the step. You decided to stop being someone dedicated to violence and oppression."

"You left me little choice," Morobishi replied. "When the alternatives are embracing peace or incarceration, only the fool chooses the latter." He glanced over to his wife. "Although I was helped to see that wisdom by my wife. She deserves as much credit."

"Maybe more," Serenity shrugged.

While they walked, Endymion eased over to Mars.

"What are you seeing?" he asked the Senshi.

"He's sincere," Mars replied in a low tone. "It's not a step he's truly confident he can succeed at, but he figures it's his best alternative at the moment, just like he said."

"So there's a chance he could backslide?"

"I'm sure there is," Mars said. "But he's determined to give this his best shot. I think he's seen the future in Serenity and he doesn't want to be run over by it."

The contingent stopped at a guard's station just beyond the main gate. The Warden asked for and received a manila envelope from the guard, then walked over to Morobishi. Warden Kuroda was a rough-looking former police officer who seemed to expect the worst from everybody. As he approached Morobishi, his mistrust and disgust for the man was clear in his expression.

"By executive commutation," Kuroda said, handing the manila envelope to the inmate, "Prisoner Yoshiki Morobishi is from this moment no longer a prisoner of the Japanese Penal System and is a free man. Take this second chance you've been given and live your life right."

"I plan to," Morobishi replied, taking the envelope and the Warden's scorn unflinchingly. He turned to Serenity. "Your road will not be a smooth one in the coming years, Serenity-Hime. If you should need whatever small assistance I may grant you, please don't hesitate to ask. My family and I are in your debt."

"I'd rather you be my friend," Serenity said, grasping his hands. "Friends don't worry about fulfilling obligations. Friends help because it's what friends do."

Morobishi grinned in spite of himself, perhaps influenced by the words of the Queen, perhaps by her aura.

"As you wish," Morobishi nodded. "Although I'm not certain how my wife will feel about someone as beautiful as you being my friend." After taking in Serenity's modest grin, he glanced at Shiho and got cynicism instead.

They all exited the prison, and were immediately set upon by the press. Endymion read a prepared statement, outlining how the Royal Family no longer considered the Morobishi Clan a threat to public safety. He took no questions. The Morobishis got into a family-owned limousine and drove off. Chief Sakurada recognized the driver as Yonata Sato, a high-ranking Morobishi Clan member. She watched them drive away, then glanced over to the Royal Family getting into their limousine.

The Chief silently prayed Queen Serenity was right about this.

Moriko Iwabuki sat in a lotus position just outside the walls of the Crystal Palace, near the main entrance. The fox spirit, maintaining the appearance of Rei Hino's eighty-five year old great grandmother so as not to alarm anyone, would obsessively toss stones onto the ground just before her, oblivious to the stares she received from both the visitors to the palace and from the guards at the gate. With her gray hair pulled back from her withered face and her kimono hanging loosely on her slim frame, more than one onlooker got the fleeting impression of some imaginary creature from the scary myths of the past, in spite of Moriko's intentions.

Venturing out from the palace, Luna walked up to Moriko with a curious look. The cat's tail was straight up and she sniffed the air as she approached. The woman ignored her and continued to lightly toss stones before her. Finally it became too much for the cat.

"Um," Luna ventured, "excuse me, Obaa-San, but are you quite comfortable sitting on the ground?"

"It will be sufficient for what I am doing," Moriko replied with calm assurance.

"It's not a bit damp for you, is it?" Luna persisted. "It seems to me that there's still a bit of a chill in the ground. I wouldn't want you catch cold, and I'm certain Rei wouldn't, either."

"Your concern for me is appreciated," Moriko assured the cat as the guards at the gate looked on. "But I am quite well. You need not worry. I am much more hearty than my appearance would lead you to believe."

The cat inhaled, then exhaled with more frustration than she wanted to let on.

"If it isn't an intrusion," Luna asked, unwilling to drop the subject, "might I ask precisely what you are doing?"

Moriko smiled at some unspoken joke.

"It is a divination spell," the old woman replied gently. "I look through the eyes of Great Ikari to see if there is a threat to this hearth."

"Indeed?"

She turned to the cat. "I am Kitsune-zenko. For those who have invited me into their home to share their food and their hearth, I offer in return protection from those who would harm them. And since one of those in this hearth is my great-granddaughter, I am doubly compelled to offer such protection. Great Ikari would think less of me should I not." She scooped up the stones in her hand. "And so would I."

"And these stones allow you to see the future?" Luna queried.

"Yes," Moriko replied. "Not actual events. They give me - - codes, for lack of a better word - - that I interpret to gain hints into the future. I am not as powerful a seer as Rei-Chan. But Great Ikari grants me some small ability, praise be to her kindness and wisdom."

"Yes," Luna replied. "While your efforts are appreciated, is it quite necessary for you to do that here? You're causing a bit of a spectacle for the guards and visitors."

"Why? I do no harm," Moriko replied. "If my efforts can provide someone with a bit of entertainment, looking at the 'foolish old woman' practicing her ancient superstitions, I accept it. If my actions cause others to be suspicious or intimidated, I cannot help that. How I appear to others is often as much an illusion created by their minds as by my powers. I have learned over the years not to concern myself with the perceptions of others, particularly when my actions are important."

"I'm only concerned that your performing this ritual might reflect badly upon the crown," Luna argued.

In answer, Moriko gestured to farther down the gate. Gathered at the east end of the gate were six people in white robes, alternately bowing and chanting. They were members of the small but growing cult in Tokyo that saw Queen Serenity as a god walking upon Earth and they were there, as they were nearly every day, to worship her.

"Yes, well," sighed Luna, "some people can't be reasoned with."

Moriko smiled impishly and tossed the stones onto the ground again. This time, though, she seized up. The woman stopped, staring at the stones she'd just thrown down onto the ground before her. Luna noticed her expression of sudden unease. The cat glanced down at the stones, but they just looked like smooth ovals of onyx, garnet, opal and aventurine. Though she saw nothing, a glance back at Moriko told her that the fox spirit saw more. The woman absently stroked an ornate necklace she wore, three jade ovals in lavish silver settings.

"Is something amiss?" Luna asked.

Moriko responded by scooping up the stones and then pushing to her feet from the lotus position, a maneuver performed far more smoothly than her ancient appearance suggested. She turned for the palace, but Luna jumped in front of her.

"Did you see something?" Luna asked. "Something His and Her Majesties should know about?"

"Nothing definite," Moriko admitted. "I must consult with my great-granddaughter." The woman was about to enter the palace, but stopped and turned back to Luna. "I would recommend that everyone be alert for the next week or two. The shadow may pass without descending upon us. But it's good to be cautious."

Moriko went back inside. Luna thought for a moment, then raced in as well to consult with Artemis.

Artemis strolled into the quarters he shared with Minako Aino. The cat had just come from a consultation with Luna, who had relayed Moriko's premonition. Though they'd both checked every monitor available to them, neither feline could find any indication of impending trouble. The cat was tired and longed to find a warm corner to curl up in, but he knew the odds of that were slim. For Minako was a night person and she was psychologically incapable of passing the time alone. And, unless there was Senshi business (which there wasn't), a film or recording to promote (there wasn't), a script to learn (there wasn't), or a new man in her life (there wasn't), the task of partnering with Minako often fell to him.

But he found Minako curled up on the sofa, absently staring at a letter in her hand. This was unusual for Minako; the fact that he'd been in the room for ten seconds and she hadn't spoken to him was just as unusual. The cat's tail twitched out of curiosity. Padding over, he leaped up onto the sofa.

"Bad news, Mina?" he asked.

"Hmm?" Minako replied after a moment, just then realizing that someone was addressing her. "Oh. No. Good news, in fact." She took a few moments more to stare at the missive, which Artemis now saw was a printed invitation, and glanced his way. "Remember Hikaru Sorano?"

"Hikaru Sorano," Artemis said, turning the name over in his mind. "Isn't that the girl you palled around with in junior high before you met the Senshi?"

"'Palled around', Fuzzy?" huffed the blonde. "Hikaru was my bestest bud! If it wasn't for her, I would have flunked out of eighth grade! We were like this," and she showed Artemis her first two fingers crossed. "Then YOU came along."

"What did I do?" gasped the cat.

"You gave me that compact," sighed Minako. "Changed my life forever. Got me involved in fighting the Dark Kingdom. Me, a naive, innocent young thing with simple dreams of stardom."

"It's getting thick in here," muttered the cat. Minako tried to keep a straight face, but couldn't.

"Anyway, I became Sailor V and then met the other Senshi and became Sailor Venus," Minako explained, then stopped for a moment. "And Hikaru and I just, kind of, drifted apart."

"I know it was hard on you," Artemis offered. "It was hard on all of you. But it was worth the sacrifice."

"I know," Minako mumbled. Then she waved the printed invitation at the cat. "Hikaru's getting married. And she invited me to the wedding!"

"And?"

"She put this note in with the invitation," Minako continued. "'I know you're a big star now. If you can't make it, I'll understand. But I'd really like you to come.'"

"Well? You can make time, can't you? Unless a Senshi emergency comes up, of course. What's the problem?"

"Hikaru and I haven't spoken in almost twenty years," Minako replied. "I've been so busy with being a 'star', along with the Senshi stuff, that I lost touch with a wonderful person. Hikaru was always there for me - - ALWAYS! And I let her slip away because I was too wrapped up in me!" Minako glanced at the invitation again. "And yet she still thinks of me as a friend. Some friend."

"So go to the wedding and change it," Artemis told her. "Just because you blew the last twenty years doesn't mean you have to blow the rest of your time here. She's giving you a chance to reconnect. Take it." Artemis swallowed. "Because something could always happen and then you won't be able to do it."

"Yeah, she could get hit by a bus," mumbled Minako.

"I was thinking more along the lines of you," Artemis scowled, "given your line of work."

"What's so dangerous about acting? Crazy otakus, maybe," Minako grumbled. Then she realized what he meant. "Oh, yeah, the Senshi thing. Hey, Fuzzy, you know I'm indestructible."

"Write her back. Say 'yes'," the cat sighed.

"But I didn't invite her to either of my weddings," Minako moaned.

"You eloped!" Artemis huffed. "Both times!"

"Details."

"Mina! Go to the wedding!"

"All right! I guess if Hikaru went to the trouble of inviting me, it means she's not mad at me." Minako thought a moment. "Unless it's a trap."

The cat did a slow burn.

"Nah, she wouldn't do something like that!" Minako exclaimed. "I should call her and accept. That's more personal."

Minako pulled out her cell phone.

"I wonder what gift I should get. Maybe Serenity can help with that." She started to punch in the number, then made a realization. "Hey, cat, what's Hikaru's phone number?"

"Look it up!" Artemis called out as he slid into the hall closet to hopefully get some much needed peace and quiet.

Takeshi Ootsuka sat behind his lavish desk in his lavish private office, watching the wide screen TV mounted on the wall. On either side of him were his Yakuza bodyguards, for Takeshi Ootsuka was the Oyabun for Koto Prefecture. He was a broad, burly man with a craggy face that advertised like a road map each confrontation he'd engaged in during his life. His hair was black and thick, his eyebrows were black and thick, and his eyes were black and merciless. The man didn't smile much and when he did it made other people nervous. People referred to him as "The Wild Boar" - - but only behind his back.

On the television was a news report of Yoshiki Morobishi being released from prison. It was news because Morobishi was until his incarceration the most powerful Yakuza Oyabun in Tokyo. Even more, it was news because Queen Serenity had been there and personally released him, even though Morobishi had been guilty of arranging an assassination attempt during the Queen's inauguration in late 2015.

Takeshi Ootsuka scowled at the report.

"I knew we should have moved on Morobishi's territory when we had the chance," grumbled the man, his tailored suit rumpling as he fidgeted in his chair. "With Morobishi back, the opportunity is gone."

"Boss, you know it would have been suicide to try it," one of his bodyguards said. "Between the police and the Senshi, we would have ended up in Fuchu. Just look at what happened to Tetsunaga."

"Tetsunaga was sloppy," huffed Ootsuka. "And he wilted in the face of opposition from the government." He snorted and used his remote to turn off the television. "Abducting the Morobishi boy is the play of someone who's afraid to get his hands dirty. He got what he deserved." The man exhaled in frustration. "I should have listened to my gut and went after the wife. Taken her out, and the kid too, and just moved in."

"That would have brought Sailor Moon down on your neck, just like it did Tetsunaga," the bodyguard replied. "Violence just makes her take an interest that much sooner."

"Might have been my best chance, though. It's a cinch trying to lure her gang away from her didn't work. I'll say this for Morobishi, he commands respect and loyalty."

"Maybe we should just put a hit on her," the other bodyguard suggested.

"Brilliant. And end up like Morobishi did?" Ootsuka sneered. "What we need is something to equalize things." Ootsuka thought for a moment. Then he buzzed on his desk intercom. Quickly several lieutenants rushed in, all young toughs dressed in expensive suits. "Put the word out. Big reward for something that can take out a Senshi. But be careful. I don't want to tip the Senshi. Or Sakurada, for that matter. But spread the word as best you can."

"You'll have every grifter and nut job in Japan on your doorstep, Boss," gasped one of the lieutenants.

"I've got men to sort through them," Ootsuka replied. "Between Sakurada and the Senshi, they're just running receipts for the Pachinko Parlors anyway. About time they did something useful again. Now get going!"

The lieutenants bowed crisply and were gone in a flash. Ootsuka hoped something would come of this venture soon. He wanted Morobishi's territory so bad he could taste it.

Continued in Chapter 2