A/N: So I've had this on my computer for a little while. It's a little idea I have, so it would be great if people could let me know what they think. For people who are reading my other story, 'Change!' I hope to have chapter 7 up soon. Thanks!
Disclaimer: I do not own Sailor Moon.
It was shortly past midnight when the young woman returned to her apartment. After closing the door behind her, she let out a heavy sigh and basked in the silence that greeted her. Once her eyes had adjusted to the darkness, she removed her footwear and tip-toed around the piles of paper strewn across the floor to the living room. Around the corner to her immediate left was a couch. She unceremoniously dropped her bag on it and, for a moment, she considered pushing some of the materials aside to make room for herself until something from the corner of her eye caught her attention. The girl approached the terrace windows.
Beyond the glass, the city lights shone brightly. Minako Aino brought her hand up to the glass and quietly studied her reflection. It took several minutes before her brain could process what she was seeing. Tired, blue eyes stared back at her; despite all of the make-up she piled on that morning, it still hadn't been enough to hide the bags forming under her eyes or her usually pale complexion. Now that she thought about it, had she also lost weight? Biting her bottom lip, Minako went back to the couch and withdrew a magazine from her bag. She flipped it open to a book-marked page and skimmed the article beneath her picture. She read it again and again, and only stopped when she felt her stomach do a sudden lurch. She bolted to the bathroom and quickly felt herself lose what little dinner she had managed to force down earlier that evening.
Damn it all! Not again!
Minako gagged as she felt the start of another dry heave. She clenched her hands into fists by her side in an attempt to stifle her gasps. When the sensations had passed her eyes were left burning with tears.
I can't…do this anymore! I just can't!
In that instant all of the noise in her head stopped. The clock hanging outside in the kitchen continued to tick loudly as the seconds passed…
3 months later
In a growing urban center out by the country-side, the city folk were enjoying a beautiful summer day. The sun was shining, the birds were chirping, and the sun worshippers were out in the parks in droves to take advantage of the nice weather. A certain blonde was no exception. Off to the side of a park path, Minako laid low in a clump of bushes with a pair of binoculars clapsed firmly in her hands. Atop of her head was cowboy hat, held in place by a loose, thin strap. She was also sporting a pair of sunglasses, an orange patterned bikini-top, and denim short-shorts, which she was beginning to regret now that she was lying in dirt.
Minako raised the binoculars up at her surroundings. She looked at the tree tops for about a minute before she began to survey the people in the nearby vicinity.
Oh. My. God. That girl's swimsuit is soooooo cute! I totally got to ask her where she got it from. And oh. Oooh, look at that stud beside her. Like wow! …Wait, no! Birds! I'm supposed to be looking for birds! Minako mentally slapped herself for the umpteenth time in the past ten minutes. Honestly, it wasn't her fault that she was so distracted. She wouldn't be having such a difficult time if the birds were in the trees like they were supposed to be. This brought Minako back to her current dilemma. Seriously, what weirdo thought bird-watching was a relaxing hobby? She was already bored out of her mind. In fact, Minako swore that if she didn't see a bird soon, she would-
In that instant a brown-speckled flyer swooped past her line of vision.
"There!" Minako gasped. She leapt to her feet and chased after it. She zigged and zagged around the sun tanners and joggers and followed it into a secluded, vegetated area where she immediately lost sight of it.
"Drats! Where did it go?" She whispered under her breath. She heard a high-pitched trill and whirled around to find the bird preening itself on one of the higher branches. "There you are." She said as a smile crept across her face. "Now be a good little birdy and hold still..."
Minako was poised to take the photo when the sound of the adjusting camera lens caused its tiny head to perk up.
"Wait! Hold on!" Minako was startled when the feathery-fiend abruptly dive-bombed towards the camera in shrieks of protest. The girl yelped and hurriedly tried to backtrack but the heel of her foot struck a protruding tree root. She barely had time to register what was happening when she was sent rolling backwards and straight into one of the park's artificial ponds. Everyone in the near vicinity paused for a moment when they heard a soft splash followed by a loud shriek.
After changing clothes and gathering what little dignity she had left, Minako made her way downtown.
"Okay…That was a definite no for bird-watching." The blonde muttered as she crossed 'bird-watching' off of her list. Her list was split into two columns: one side listed the activity whereas the other provided some space for comments. Currently crossed off from the list included painting (too boring), sky-diving (chickened out), yoga (pulled a muscle), and now bird-watching (technical difficulties).
Minako was snapped out of her thoughts when she realized that she had reached her destination. For a moment she considered turning around and going right back the way she came from, but deep down inside she knew that she would only be delaying the inevitable. With that, Minako entered the café and slipped into one of the booths in the back corner. It wasn't long before a familiar, white-haired waiter appeared.
"Hey, look who's back." Artemis remarked. "I was wondering when you would show up. You're late you know," he pointed to his watch. "By say…oh, forty-five minutes."
Minako resisted the urge to punch his lights out and instead concentrated on putting on the sweetest smile she could muster.
"You know what? I'll have the usual if you don't mind."
The order seemed to stun him for a second. "Oh right, of course. Your wish is my command."
After pouring Minako a cup of chai latte, the young man slipped into the seat opposite to her.
"Right. So how'd it go?"
"How'd what go?"
"You know… the bird-watching? You said you were going to give it a shot today, remember?"
Minako feigned a thoughtful look. Okay, so maybe an hour ago she told him that she was going to go bird-watching. And Artemis might have laughed and said it was a plan doomed to failure because she had a five-minute attention span. And there miiiiiight have been a bet involved where loser had to pay for milk shakes. She peeked up from her drink. Judging by the look on his face, if he were a cat he would be purring pretty loudly right about now.
"Oh. Did I?" She innocently took a sip from her drink.
"That bad, huh?"
"Technical difficulties." She grumbled under her breath.
"Huh? What was that?"
"Nothing!" Minako shifted in her seat to sit a little straighter. "Artemis, I am proud to say that after some careful consideration, I decided that bird-watching wasn't my thing either."
"…You got bored, didn't you?"
"No." She answered automatically. Artemis arched an eyebrow. "Okay, okay, at some point I might've gotten…" she took a deep breath, "bored-"
"Hah! I knew it!"
"-BUT, that wasn't why I crossed it off my list."
"Yeah, sure it wasn't."
"It wasn't! I would've won but it was all that stupid bird's fault!"
Minako internally cringed the moment the words left her mouth.
"Uh…wait, what? Bird? What bird?" He noticed her changed attire again and his eyes suddenly lit up. "Oh…Hold on. Are you saying that a bird took a dump on you and that's why you had to…?"
"NO!" Minako nearly shrieked. "Oh my God, Artemis!" She couldn't help but cover her face in embarrassment while he burst out into laughter. "You know what, forget I said anything. You win, fair and square. C'mon, I'll buy you that milkshake now."
"Huh? H-Hey, hold on a sec! I'm still on shift so there's no way I can leave right now. But more importantly…are you really going to leave me hanging, Mina? You promised you'd tell me how everything goes, remember?"
"Yeah, but this is kind of…"
"C'mon. Aside from being pooped on, how bad can it really be?"
She looked into his big, blue, puppy dog eyes and sighed. "Look, if I tell you, you can't laugh, okay?"
"Okay."
"I mean it Artemis..."
"Waiter's honor." He assured her.
Despite her better judgement, Minako spilled the beans. Needless to say she instantly regretted it. Artemis was now doubled over the table and was shaking with stifled laughter. Yup, he definitely wasn't going to let her live this down.
"Hahahaha! Seriously? Seriously, Mina? You fell into the pond?! Wow…I wish I could've been there to see it!"
Minako glared at him. Her cheeks were tinged pink from humiliation.
"You're such a jerk! You said you wouldn't laugh!"
"I-I know…I'm sorry. I really didn't mean to, but-" He stopped long enough to take a few deep breaths and whipped the tears from his eyes. "Before you left, you said it was going to be a piece of cake, remember? I guess it wasn't so easy after all."
"It just took me by surprise, okay?" She huffed. "Anyway, can we please drop it now?"
"Sure. For now…" Before Minako could become violent he quickly said, "So, what's next on the list?"
The girl brightened at the change in topic.
"Photography."
Artemis looked thoughtful. "Photography, hm? That doesn't sound so bad."
"I know, right? It was a good thing that the camera wasn't damaged when…well you know." She coughed, and he chuckled in agreement.
"So what kind of pictures are you going to take?"
"Hmm…To be honest, I haven't really decided yet. Maybe some buildings or some scenery, maybe? What do you think? Any suggestions?"
"Your guess is as good as mine. Why not just take a few and see if anything catches your eye? Worst comes to worst, you can always try something else, right?"
"That's true…"
He checked his watch.
"Gotta go?" she asked, as he stood up.
"Yeah, sorry…The boss got on my case last time so I don't want to go pushing my luck. Anyway-"
Whatever he was about to say next was cut off when the lights in the café rapidly began to flicker and then abruptly cut out.
"Oh shoot, not again…" he muttered.
"Is it another blackout?"
"Yeah, looks like it. Hopefully it won't last too long this time. We had a lot of food go to waste the last time it happened."
"When was that, again? You said it was two days ago, right?"
"Right. The boss was really pissed."
"I bet."
"Mm…" He nodded.
"I wouldn't worry about it." She said, catching his attention. "It's not like he can blame you for it, right? I mean, it's not like it's your fault that these black outs are happening."
"It's not that, but I appreciate the concern. It's just…don't you think it's kinda strange that they haven't fixed the problem yet?"
She shrugged. "I don't know. Maybe it's more complicated than they thought it'd be and it's taking more time."
"But it's been over a week now." He glanced around to make sure that no one else was listening before he leaned in close. "You know what? It could just be me, but between you and me, I think they're getting worse."
"Worse? What do you mean by that?"
"Like, they're happening more frequently these days. And they seem to be getting longer too. I don't know. I just don't have a good feeling about it. I mean, doesn't it seem even a little strange to you? I also heard on the news that it's affecting other parts of the city now too."
"Really?" Minako tried to imagine it. From the way he described it, it almost sounded like an infectious disease.
"Yeah. I'm guessing you guys haven't experienced it on your end of town yet?"
"Not that I know of."
"Huh. Well, hopefully they'll fix it soon so you don't have to. Anyway, I gotta go. The boss is calling. I'll see you later?"
"Yeah, for sure. Laters." She waved and watched him disappear behind the door to the kitchen. As Minako got up from her seat she placed money down on the table to cover her tab.
A bunch of black-outs, huh? Well, that's sure inconvenient.
The lights above flickered once again and came back on.
Downtown
After leaving the café Minako diligently began her new hobby. As she strolled down the streets, she aimed her lens and started snapping away. Buildings, crowded intersections, happy couples dining in outdoor establishments, she was running through film fast but she felt little satisfaction. The photos were lacking something. As to what though, she couldn't quite put her finger on it.
As she continued her search for the perfect photograph her thoughts began to wander back to her previous conversation with Artemis.
Poor Artemis... He seemed kind of upset earlier. I guess it makes sense considering his job but it's not like it's his fault.
Minako aimed her camera and snapped another photograph. She didn't want to say it to her childhood friend, but wasn't he overreacting a little? The blackouts were probably due to a power outage, or a storm or something, right? Except she couldn't remember the last time they had a storm so it probably wasn't the latter, but still…Minako rolled his words through her mind again. Truthfully, she hadn't been keeping up with the news so this was all news to her. But if what Artemis said was true then she had to admit that it did sound a little strange. What if there was something more to it?
Minako aimed her camera lens again and this time it landed on a lone newspaper stand. She paused in wonder. The small voice of reason in the back of her head was advising her to leave this one alone. She had come all the way out here to find herself a relaxing hobby and relax, after all. Despite this though, she was beginning to have second thoughts. Since she arrived, when did she ever feel like she was enjoying herself? Relaxing was quickly becoming the new word for boring. Now investigation on the other hand, it had a cool, mysterious air to it. Investigative reporter – the words popped into her mind. Slowly, her lips curled up into a mischievous smile. Who said anything about abandoning photography for snooping? Who said she couldn't do both? She was a woman after all, she could multi-task.
Investigative reporter, Minako Aino, at your service!
She liked the sound of that. She could almost see the headlines now: 'Mysterious Blackouts!', 'A City Overcome by Days of Darkness!'. A little giddy at her own imagination, she finally gave into her curiosity and strolled over to the stand. Either way, investigating this case wouldn't be a waste of her time. In the worst case scenario, there would be nothing out of the ordinary and she could put Artemis's mind to ease.
Minako scanned the newspapers on display and was surprised to see something about the power outrages on almost every cover. How did she not hear about this?
Her gaze fell onto a single word within a column of text and it sent a shiver down her spine.
"…Monster…"
"Can I help you, miss?" The man running the stand asked.
Minako shook her head. "Ah, no thank you. I was just looking."
"Are you sure I can't interest you in something? You know, a beautiful girl like you might be interested in something a little more…erm, cheerful. We carry fashion magazines and the like as well, you know," he gestured to another side of the stand.
"Oh. Yes, I see. Well, that's very interesting and all but maybe another time perhaps?"
Minako left the stand and decided that it may be wiser to tap into a more reliable information source. She made a beeline towards the nearest internet café and quickly found herself a comfortable seat. The blonde briefly considered ordering something to avoid being asked to leave, but there was likely no point as she would be in and out within the next fifteen minutes. Or so she had thought. Several hours and two drinks later, she was still engrossed in her research. But now, her interest was seriously piqued.
Power Corp Official Update
Yesterday, Power Corp Inc. held a press conference at Power Corp's headquarters to present an update to the city's growing blackout problem. Their spokesperson, Mia Nakajima had this to say: "We at Power Corp are taking the matter very seriously. As of now, we have technicians working around the clock to determine the cause of these recent blackouts… On behalf of the Power Corp I would like to sincerely apologize for any inconvenience that this may have caused and would like to thank everyone for their patience…"
Aging Infrastructure to Blame!
…Recent reports from Power Corp have confirmed that the source of the blackouts is due to technical difficulties caused by aging infrastructure. More to come on this soon…
Blackouts a Growing Problem
…Despite assurances by Power Corp that the blackout situation will be resolved soon, Tanaka-san, the owner of a local meat shop, has joined the growing group of disgruntled food retailers. "This is simply unacceptable! Two times a day! Do you know how much business we're losing?! They (Power Corp) keep saying that they would fix this, but how much longer do we have to wait?" Tanaka-san is one of the many food retailers considering a class-action law suit against the company…
Blackout Controversy?
…Although city officials are promising a speedy solution to the blackouts that have plagued the city as of late, one employee, who wished to remain anonymous, tells a different story. "Yeah, sure. That's if they can get anyone to go down there. You sure as hell couldn't pay me enough to do that". When asked why he had such reservations, the employee replied, "I am telling you, there's something down there." He declined to give further comment.
Minako re-read the underlined words in her notepad and threw up her arms up in exasperation.
Argh! But WHAT? What is down there and where is this place anyway?
She had gone through dozens of articles but none of them elaborated on this tiny tidbit. Everyone seemed to be concentrating either on people's reactions to the blackouts or on the company's official statement releases. Minako rubbed her eyes, suddenly feeling tired and wishing that she hadn't stared at the computer screen for so long.
Minako powered down her laptop and slipped it back into her bag. As far as she was concerned, this case was far from over. When the information trail runs scarce there was only one thing left to do and that was to go to the source.
Power Corp Headquarters
Minako shortly found herself standing outside of Power Corp Headquarters. Needless to say, she was momentarily taken aback by how the building towered over everything else in the vicinity.
Wow, it's so big. I can't believe I actually came here. Wait, c'mon Minako! Pull yourself together. You're not backing out now, not after coming all this way! She gulped. Really, what was the worst that could happen?
The blonde stepped into a fancy looking lobby and spotted an information desk to the far left side. The woman at the desk looked up as she approached.
"Hi," Minako said a little nervously. "I'm covering a news story on the blackouts. I was wondering if there was someone that I could maybe talk to?"
"Which company are you from?"
"Um…Well…" Minako wracked her brains for an answer. "I'm a freelance reporter." She blurted out.
The woman studied her with an inquisitive look. Minako hands started to feel clammy. Could she really pull this off? Maybe this wasn't such a good idea after all. Maybe she should back out now while she still had a chan-
"I see." The woman finally said. "You'll want to speak with media relations then. They're on the 20th floor. You can get there by using the left elevator, which is just over there." She gestured.
"Great! Thank you very much!"
"You're welcome…" she said in a bored, monotone voice and went back to typing on her computer.
Minako crossed the lobby and stepped into the elevator. Her heart was pounding so hard that she swore it was going to burst from her chest any second.
Thank God! She almost melted into a puddle of relief right then and there. She then remembered that she needed to press a button. Now which floor did she say it was again? Was that the 20th or 21st? Hmm…Well, it shouldn't be that big a deal. If I get lost I can always ask for directions again, right?
She pressed the 21st button and the elevator doors closed. When the doors opened again she found herself staring into a long, carpeted hallway.
Now let's see…Maybe media relations is that way?
She wandered around the tightly knit cubicles until she came across a large office. She walked several steps past it when she heard someone say,
"The blackouts? Yes sir, we're working on it this very moment, sir!"
Minako halted in her footsteps and did a quick backtrack. Did she hear what she thought she heard? She knelt down beside the door and was delighted to find that it was open a crack.
"Yes sir. Uh huh…uh huh…yes, I understand. Goodbye sir."
The man sitting at the desk hung up the phone. His office was enormous and the suit he wore looked to be very expensive. Was he a high ranking manager in the company? Minako wondered if she could squeeze some information out of him. She swallowed. She had guts, but this would be something else entirely if she was busted. She inched towards the doorway to get a better view when his angry expression suddenly turned her way.
"Did you hear that?" He hit the desk. "You gave me your word that you would resolve this incident, so what's taking so long?!"
Minako held her breath. She realized that he wasn't taking to her but to another person in the room. She couldn't make them out so she supposed that whoever he was talking to was standing somewhere close to the wall.
"There's no need to worry."
Minako gasped when she heard the voice.
It's a she?!
"You have my word that the matter will be resolved by the end of today."
The man seemed to calm down at the news. "It better be…I'm paying you good money for this. Don't you forget that! You're dismissed."
Minako pressed against the door to better hear the other person, but she was caught by surprise when the door abruptly swung open. A woman dressed in a dark, purple suit emerged from the room and nearly stepped on her. Minako opened her mouth and was ready to shoot out a stream of apologies when her breath was caught in her throat. The person that the man had been talking to didn't look that much older than herself. And on top of it, she was gorgeous! Long-raven hair flowed down her back, ending just short of the business skirt she wore. Minako's gaze traveled up her long legs to her full, pink lips. Her complexion was flawless. It was a tad unfortunate that her amethyst eyes were staring down disapprovingly at her.
The woman noted the camera slung around the blonde's shoulders.
"You're on the wrong floor."
It took Minako a moment to realize that she was being spoken to. "H-Huh?"
"Media relations are on the 20th floor."
"Oh. I see…Sorry about that. My mistake hahaha…" Minako watched the woman turn away and begin to walk down the hallway behind her. She had so many questions. The man in the office was definitely talking about the blackouts. But he seemed kind of desperate. If the situation was so bad then why did he think some girl barely older than herself was going to be able to solve the problem? She certainly didn't look like a technician; she was dressed too fancily for that. Was she even an employee of the company? She wanted to know more.
"Excuse me." Minako called out to her. The dark-haired woman paused. "You probably already know this, but I was hoping to do a story on the blackouts. I couldn't help but overhear, but I was wondering if I could ask you a few questions?"
"As I've already told you, media relations are on the 20th floor. I suggest that you go and speak with them."
Maybe it was the tone in her voice, but Minako felt indignant. This person had answers and she was going to get them.
"I heard that you were going to fix the blackout problem."
She waited for the woman's reaction but she offered none. Minako decided to press her luck.
"It's not really due to aging infrastructure is it? In some news articles, your employees said there was something down there. Like there was always something lurking in the corner of their eyes, or feeling like someone was always watching them. I bet you know what it is, don't you?"
Amethyst eyes turned icy. She walked towards blonde and Minako felt her heart rate skyrocket when she leaned in. Her warm breath was on her ear.
"If you want my advice," she whispered in a low voice, "I would strongly recommend that you stay out of this. Don't go poking your nose where it doesn't belong."
With that, the woman resumed her walk and was out of sight before Minako could offer a retort.
"Wha-"
What the hell?! What a bitch!
Sometime later, Minako left media relations feeling tired, grouchy and just plain frustrated. After being misdirected several times by company staff she eventually found the official spokesperson, only to find the woman very unhelpful. During their entire conversion the woman only perma-smiled and repeatedly referred her to the company website for the official statements. When that didn't reveal any new information she went back to the man's office on the 21st floor, only to be refused a visit. In the end, she was forced to walk away without any answers.
Some ace-reporter I am. She thought a little glumly. She had a golden opportunity with that raven-haired girl earlier, but thinking back on it she wondered if the girl would have told her anything. The warning that she had imparted to her was very clear. The company couldn't be involved in something illegal could it? Maybe the raven-haired girl was the company's hired hit-person or what if she had ties to the mafia?
Minako was lost in thought when a flicker of dark-hair caught her eye.
Speak of the devil…
The raven-haired girl was standing in front of the building up ahead. The blonde watched as she shot quick glances to her surroundings before disappearing from view. With piqued curiosity, Minako ran to where she was standing and found herself in front of an entrance to an underground parkade. She skimmed the notice on the barricades warning individuals not to enter.
That's strange. What's she doing here? To top it off, it looked like she didn't want to be followed. A light bulb went off in her head. Hold on a second. This is the perfect opportunity! If I hurry, I might be able to catch up to her and finally get some answers.
With that thought in mind, Minako hurried down the ramp into the shadows.
Underground Parkade
When Minako didn't see the dark-haired girl, she assumed that she must have gone down to the next floor. As Minako ventured further, she began to notice a few things. Around the third floor there was a notable chill in the air. She thought it might be due to it being underground, so she put up with it. But then she came across a section with holes in the walls. Thick, black cables hung outside of the concrete cast. Some were still discharging electric sparks from their damaged ends.
"What happened here?" Minako whispered to herself. She had never seen anything like it. It looked like something had torn into the cement and ripped them out.
For once, Minako was starting to feel like she was getting in over her head. She checked her phone and found no signal. If she left now she could call the cops or someone to take a proper look at the situation. She would have too, if not for one nagging thought: She hadn't encountered a single person on the way down. That girl she was following was probably still down here somewhere. The thought bothered Minako. Even though she had been angry at the dark-haired girl, she just knew that her conscience wouldn't let her be if she left and something terrible were to happen to her.
Hoping to ease her nerves, Minako took out her camera and quickly snapped a few pictures. As she did, she suddenly felt like someone was watching her. She glanced over her shoulder only to find nothing there.
That's weird. I could have sworn- She immediately stopped that line of thought. The word Monster from the column flashed through her mind again. She took few deep breaths to calm herself. There were no such things as monsters. Her imagination was probably playing tricks on her because of all the spooky things she had been reading, right?
After hurriedly taking one last photo she moved on.
Two more floors down Minako encountered something else that she hadn't been expecting. It was one thing to be wandering around in a dimly lit space. But it was another thing entirely when all the lights were out. Halfway through the level she was on, Minako stopped short of that line. Beyond it, it looked like all the lights had been extinguished.
Minako swallowed hard. She was trembling and she knew it wasn't entirely due to the cold anymore.
"No. I-I need to make sure she's alright first. Then I'll leave."Minako continued to tell herself that as she pulled out her phone for some light. Nevertheless it didn't stop her from muttering a few curses about the girl as she groped her way through the darkness. It didn't make any sense. Why would anyone be in the place like this? There was something going on, and her gut didn't like it one bit.
Minako reached another corner and was about to make her way around it when she heard a noise. She froze. Nervously, she shone her light around but in the dark she could barely see anything.
What did the article say again?
"Like there was always something lurking in the corner of their eyes, or feeling like someone was always watching them"
The noise, she realized, was coming from the walls. It sounded as if they were humming. Minako nearly had a heart attack when she heard a voice. It was a human voice and she definitely recognized its owner.
Minako crawled along the wall towards the voice and soon saw a red light shining out from behind a corner.
"Do you have a name?" The girl's voice came again. This time she heard a deep, muddled voice reply in response.
Who is she talking to?
Minako gathered her courage and peeked around the wall to see who it was, only to clamp her hands over her mouth to keep from screaming. The light was coming from two bright-red eyes. They hovered high in the air and were surrounded by a thick, black haze. She could clearly see the dark-haired girl standing before it.
"I see. So your name is Jaedite. Tell me, Jaedite, why haven't you moved on? What do you hope to achieve by lingering here?"
"En-ergy…Give me ener-gy."
"But you've already consumed a large portion of this city's energy! Why do you need so much? What do you plan on using it for?"
"Need…more…moreee…"
The monster appeared to be becoming agitated, but the dark-haired girl stood her ground.
"Please stop this! Don't you realize what you're becoming? If you continue on like this, you'll-"
"Give me…your ENERGY!"
Minako screamed when thin, black arms burst forth from its form and charged the other girl. The dark-haired girl leapt back and withdrew a charm from her sleeve. "Repel!" In an instant the hands hit an invisible barrier and disintegrated in a backlash of wind.
"Who's there?!" Amethyst eyes whirled around and widened in recognition when they caught sight of her. She gasped. "What are you doing? RUN!"
It was too late. Minako could do nothing but watch in horror as one of the arms honed in onto her position. A black hand shot towards her and she squeezed her eyes shut in anticipation. There was a loud crackle and the monster howled in pain. Her blue eyes opened a crack. The hand lay suspended in mid-air as if something had severed it from the main body. A hand grabbed her arm and she turned to see the other girl by her side.
"Follow me!"
Minako didn't need to be told twice.
As they made a break for it the shadowy arms regenerated and gave chase. Minako couldn't see what was happening behind them but every so often the other girl would throw something over her shoulder that would temporary stun its movement.
"I see light!" Minako shouted and pointed ahead.
What should have been hope was suddenly replaced by dread. There were nowhere near ground level and the monster was right at their heels.
We're not going to make it!
However, when the pair crossed the line into the light, to Minako's surprise, the other girl dug her heel into the ground and spun around to face the charging monster.
"What are you doing?!"
The dark-haired girl pulled out another charm. Muttering several words quickly under her breath, she threw it into the darkness and the monster let out an enraged roar.
"It…It stopped." Minako stood frozen in awe as she watched the thing squirm against invisible bonds binding it into place.
Wordlessly, the dark-haired girl raised her arms and took a stance. This perplexed Minako at first, but then she caught sight of her shadow. She gasped. Although her hands were physically empty, her shadow reflected one of a bow grasped firmly in her hands. Maintaining a straight posture, the girl pulled her arm back into shooting position.
"This is your last chance!" She shouted to the creature. "Give up this obsession of yours and move on."
"Ene-rgy…Energy. Energy-Energy-Energy-"
Its black hands were beginning to push through the barrier. For a brief second Minako thought she glimpsed pain in the girl's eyes. The instant the hands broke through the barrier the girl released her arrow and it plunged straight into the center of its being. The monster staggered back, writhing in agony. Where the arrow had entered a hole was opening. Amethyst eyes widened when she caught sight of the sparks of electricity quickly spilling out.
"Get down!"
Minako felt herself being knocked to the ground. She instinctively grabbed the body above her as the area was flooded with electricity. When the rumbling stopped and the dust settled, the area was empty.
The soft sensation of curves pressing against her suddenly disappeared when the girl above her stood up. She surveyed their surroundings briefly before offering a hand to the blonde.
"Can you stand?"
Minako nodded. With the girl's help she shakily got back to her feet.
"So…Is it really over?" Minako asked once she was able to speak again.
"It is. No thanks to you." The girl replied coolly.
"What?"
"If I recall, I told you to mind your own business. You were lucky you weren't hurt or better yet, killed."
Minako bit her tongue. Yeah, but I only came down here because-
"Wait a second. Just what were you doing down here anyway?"
"I don't have to answer that."
"You were talking to that thing…" Now that Minako thought about it, didn't the girl seem unusually calm when she spoke to that monster? What was she doing with that thing when she was supposed to be fixing the blackout problem? It clicked. "Don't tell me that was your job!"
The dark-haired girl didn't even blink at the accusation. Instead, a small smirk graced her lips.
"Who can say?"
"You're serious… You really think that thing was responsible for everything?"
"Let me tell you something. In this world, there are some things that can't be easily explained. So sometimes when there's a persistent problem, certain experts are called upon to remedy them."
"So, you're one of these experts," she said slowly, trying to wrap her mind around what she was hearing. "Just to get this straight, you don't work for Power Corp do you?"
"Not directly, no."
Minako was puzzled at the change of heart. Earlier that day the girl had adamantly refused to say anything about the case.
"Why are you telling me this? Aren't you worried that I'll write about it in my article?"
"Not at all."
"…Why not?"
The girl looked at her as if the answer was so amazingly simple.
"Who would believe you?"
Her words were like a slap to the face.
The girl turned around and began to walk up the level. Tired and not knowing what else to do, Minako did the same and they walked the rest of the way in silence. When they finally reached the entrance of the parkade, the raven-haired girl didn't stop walking.
"Hey! Where are you going?"
"Home." She replied nonchalantly. "Maybe you should consider doing the same?"
So that was it? She was going to walk out of her life and everything was going to go back to normal?
"Wait." The word was out of her mouth before her mind realized it. To her surprise, the girl stopped. "I just have one more question. I never got your name."
Dark amethyst eyes met blue ones.
"You're the reporter. You figure it out."
And with that, she was gone.
Two Days Later
Rei was in higher spirits than usual today. The job was finished, the client was happy, and she had been recently paid for it. But best of all, she hadn't seen that blonde girl ever since. She still couldn't believe her. Despite her warning, she went and got herself into danger. What on Earth could she have been thinking? Well, then again, after what happened maybe she'll re-think something like that in the future.
Rei heard the doorbell ring. Seeing that her assistant was out of the office she got up from her desk and opened the door. She immediately wished she hadn't.
"Hey!" Minako's eyes flashed with triumph. "Looks like I've found you, Rei Hino."