OF HUNTERS AND THE HUNTED
(A Sailormoon Alternate-Universe Fan-fiction) - sequel to "I Know A Secret")
OHAH-OHAH-OHAH-OHAH-OHAH-OHAH-OHAH-OHAH-OHAH-OHAH-OHAH-OHAH-OHAH-OHAH-OHAH-OHAH-OHAH-OHAH-OHAH-OHAH-OHAH-OHAH-
DISCLAIMERS: "Sailmoon" does not belong to me! It never has, and never will. The copyrights to
Sailormooon belong to it's creator, Naoko Takeuchi, and a list or manga, animation, and toy firms
that I can't even remember!
I hereby proclaim that I am borroqing the Character of "Severus Snape from the NARRY POTTER series
of the author J. !
WARNING! be character-death in this story (by the end)! Since I tried my best to shred the seasons of
Sailormoon in "I know a secret", I will be re-writing Season 3 in this story! If you have not read "I know a Secret",
yet, please read before reading this :)
NOTE: IF NEEDED, I will past a Japanese-glosssary later. As for the main-terms:
"Ookami" is Japanese for "Wolf" (actual translation is "Laughing god").
in our tory, it will mean WEREWOLF.
"Kyongshi" (or "Dancing Corpse", from the Chinese) can either be thought
of as a VAMPIRE or ZOMBIE! In this story, "Kyongshi" equals "Vampire".
"Mahutsukai" means "Magician", or - in this case - a witch of wizard.
OHAH-OHAH-OHAH-OHAH-OHAH-OHAH-OHAH-OHAH-OHAH-OHAH-OHAH-OHAH-OHAH-OHAH-OHAH-OHAH-OHAH-OHAH-OHAH-OHAH-OHAH-OHAH-
Chapter 3:
"Severus? Dimande? Minne?" Usagi commanded as she began her tale "This started.. the latest change in Ami.. three months ago. Hai. At first,
Ami-imouto did not wish to tell me this demo! Did not want to have okaasan see what happened. Did not wish to bring back hurtful-memories. Iie!"
"That.. sounds like our daughter." Professor Snape grinned to his wife before turning to face Usagi. "So, now! How did this change start?"
"As I said," Usagi said, "it started - three months ago! Before Ami meet Tagorma! Tagorma would have told Ami-chan this would happen if she
could have demo! Sereniti-imouto warn me this might happen. I warn Imouto this might happen! Ryo-kun old Ami-imouto thios WOULD happen! Not enough
warning demo? Anyway:
"Ami and Saeko-kaasan were returning from a late-night run around Juuban when both women saw a couple of visitors at their front-door. Ami growled
out low and defensively as she stepped in front of her mother, shielding the older-women. Saeko stroked Ami's blue coat, trying to calm her daughter.
"'Goshinpainaku!' Saeko whispered reassuringly. 'Could not even if they wanted to. Demo. They are not here to hurt you or me, my Ami! Even from here,
I can see them fidget. They are more frightened of us than you are of them."
"Ami just whined and whimpered and nodded in agreement.
"Then, in an effort, she told me later, to regain herself, Ami-chan started to qietly chant:
'Do not kill them.. Usagi needs imouto.. Do not kill them.. Usagi needs imouto.. Do not kill them.. Usagi needs imouto...'
"'Komban-wa, Hino-San!' Saeko greeted the pair as she and Ami made it to the door, slowly massauging her tempels. 'Komban-wa, Aino-San! Darkness falls!
Would you two girls care to enter? I will make some tea.'
'Ara.. Hai. Hai!' Minako stuttered.
'Arigatounissai!' Rei answered at hyper-speed, kowtowing clumsily to Saeko and falling back onto the hedge as a result.
'Do not kill them.. Usagi needs imouto.. Do not kill them.. Usagi needs imouto.. Do not kill them..' Ami-chan continued to chant. Saeko-Sensei noticed
that the chanting was now accompanied by labored breathing demo.
"Rei slowly got up - fighting what appeared to mother and daughter to be a case of vertigo - and started apologizing to the Mizunos again
and bowing.. with the same result as before.
"Ami took a deep breath to calm herself, slowly letting it out before she spoke from the safety of the doorway:
'Rei-chan? It would probably be best if you went inside and found a place to sit down before apologizing and hurting yourself beyond the
point where my mother's skill in repairing you is severely tested! Come!'
'Hai, Mizuno-sensei!' Rei meeped out, as she and Minako went inside the Mizuno-house.
"'Kamisama!' Ami breathed in as Saeko slowly closed the door. "They will find a way to kill themselves before morning-light!'"
"These are the Hime's Senshi?" Snape growled out, as Dimende and Saffiru snickered.
'Quiet, Aishiteru," Saeko caressed Severus' shoulders. "The best is yet to come."
"Anyhow!" Usagi continued, trying not to giggle, "As soon as the Ami entered the house, shepherding Rei and Minako, Saeko closed the door carefully,
she then withdrew to the kitchen to prepare tea. Someone in the family room was going to need calming! And, Saeko was sure it was not going to be their
guests!
"So? She kept an ear open to the family-toom. Her hearing might not have been as accute as Ami's, but working in a hospital for so long, she had
trained herself in how to listen for warning-noices! And, she was sure she had heard her daughter chant in a low tone:
'Do not kill them.. Usagi needs imouto.. Do not kill them.. Usagi needs imouto.. Do not kill them.. Usagi needs imouto... Do not kill them..
Usagi needs imouto.. Do not kill them.. Usagi needs imouto.. Do not kill them.. Usagi needs imouto...'
"Soon, however, the uneasy - truce, if you will - was broken!
"'Ami-chan', Minako wailed. 'Why do you noot speak to us anymore? I thought we were friends?'
"'KAMI-SAMA!' Saeko whispered as she zeroed in on a medicine-cabinet and asperine, 'Aino Minako is worse than Usagi!'
'If I was not your friend,' Ami said in a low measure tone, 'you would be dead! Usagi would be searching for new Senshi dano!'
'After what we did to Saeko-Sensei demo?!' Rei all but screeched. 'We DESERVE to be tested! To prove our loyalty! Hai!'
"And, Saeko almost staretd to massauge her tempels. Did the miko really just say what she thought she said? Ami had told her, she seemed to remember,
that Rei was intelligent and stable!
'Tested?' Ami croaked out, the replied in a deadly whisper, 'Last tine we fought? You wound up as Sailorsenshi POPCICLES!'
'Does not count!' Rei snapped out as Minako nodded her head in affirmation. 'Kyongshi held possession of us! We could not react! We DEMAND rematch!
HONOR demands rematch!'
'You were still FROZEN when Usagi used GINZHUISHOU on you!" Ami pleaded. "Listen to yourselves!'
'We were not that frozen!' Minako waved her hand.
"Ami-imouto began to hypeerventillate:
'I cannot! I would be.. guilty of murder! You would FREEZE to death!'
"Rei looked at Ami slily:
'Cannot'. Hai. Will not because Ami-chan cannot! Hai.' The miko taunted the young ookami." Usagi related, mimicking Rei perfectly:
"'Knows fire will stop ice every time. Knows I will win.'"
At the point in the story, Severus Snape turned in askence to his estranged-wife - and hissed:
'Why in all the nine rings of Hell are they not dead?!'
Saeko shrugged her shoulders. "Mesume's choice?"
Usagi continued as storyteller:
'Nani-yo?' Ami's voice came out dangerously low and slowly as sshe slipped out of her chair. "You.. will.. win.. koinu? You had trouble even keeping
UP with me, first time! Hai!"
"That was first time!" Minako retorted. "Mot this time! This time we know your Modern Operendi!"
"That's 'Modus Operendi', Minako-chan." Ami sighed.
"Hai! That, too!" Minako smiled. "Need to prove first time was worm!"
"'Worm'?" Ami's head popped up, a strange, sudden fire in her blue eyes. Slowly, the young girl growled out. "A.. 'fluke'?"
"Hai! That's the word!" Minako clapped.
"So? My almost freezing you to death was fluke?" Ami exhaled, then imhaled.
"Hai." Minako waved Ami off. "Should NEVER have happened."
And Saeko counted off ten seconds.
"KAASAN!" Ami cried out as loudly as she could, standing as streight and tall as she could. "PREPARE for TRIAGE! I am takng inouye to park for
OBEDIENCE TRAINING!"
"Remember, musume!" Saeko called from the front-door, trying to kill a laugh. "Baka are team-mates!"
As the trio came to Juuban Park, Ami quickly and gracefully spun to face Rei and Minako: Alright! You two baka to wish prove yourselves to me!
Let's play! First thing demo! Henshin! Hit me with the best you have! I will not kill the helpless. Iie."
"'Helpless'?" Rei and Minako meeped out. "We are not..."
"MERCURY POWER!" Ami called out as the other two were gaping. "MAKE-UP!"
"Ara..", Minaako stammered. "I think you made her mad, Rei. Saying that we would win!"
"ME?!" The miko stopped short to face her partner. "YOU were the one who called her beating us a FLUKE!"
And Ami, stared, wide-eyed, at the two Sailorsenshi!
"There you go, Rei-chan!" Minako put her hands on her hips. "Always picking knots!"
"That's picking nits, Minako-chan." Rei groused.
"Why would I pick gnats?!" Minako responded. "Amyway! That is not important, now!"
"Stop BARKING, inouye!" Ami called out, arms across her breasts and heel tapping the ground. "Henshin.. before I lose what patience I have left!
Usagi will be left with only TWO other Senshi dano!"
"M.. M.. Mars POWER! MAKE-UP!"
"VENUS POWER! MAKE-UP!"
"MARS FLAME.."
"VENUS LOVE-MEEEE..."
"MERCURY... SHABON SPRAY!"
".. ARROW!"
".. WHIP!"
The Shabon Spray Fog was getting thicker and colder around the two Senshi as Mercury deftly leapt straight into the night sky, out of range of
the Martian arrow and Venutian chain.
A minute went by where not a sound was made. Then, Sailormercury spoke:
"Is that.. your best.. imouto? I expected worse."
As Mercury's image seemed to shimmer somewhere in the fog, Rei reacted:
"'Rin - Ryou - Rou - Sha - Tai - Kai - Shi - Retsu - Sai - Zen," the dark haired miko chanted slowly, taking aim with an ofuda, "AKURO TAISEN!"
"Sailormars then slapped the ofuda against where she thought Sailormercury's head was.
"'ITAI!' Minako cried amd whimpered. 'What are you DOING to me, Rei-chan! That HURT!'
"'Ara.. Gomennissai, Minako-chan?' Rei meeped out.
"'Venus.. Love-me.. WHIP!'
"A Venusian chaain suddenly cut the fog - and straight to the miko's face!
"Rei just had time to dive out of the way of the chain!
"'nani-yo?!' Tri screamed. 'ARE YOU trying to KILL ME, Minako-BAKA?!'
"'What weree YOU thinking of, slapping that OFUDA on me?!' Minako countered.
"'That was.. an accident?' Rei meeped again. 'Friendly fire?"
"'Fire was not friendly!' Minaako groused.
"'Koyngshi-Senshi fight among themselves? Forget about me?' Ami's whispered chirp seemed to come from everywhere in the fog, and nowhere.
'So sad.'
"Her whisper then became a shout of defiance: 'SHINE... AQUA... ILLUSION!"
A Sudden blizzard fell upon the park, as two Senshi ran for their very lives!
'Nani-yo?' Minako gasped out. 'Mizuno-San is trying to KILL US!'
'You.. THINK?' Rei huffed. 'K-k-k...keep running.. BAKA!'"
"It would have been easier just to kill them, outright!" Professor Snape softly chuckled.
"Hai." Saeko smiled at her husband. "Not Slytherin-way demo. You have said, many times."
"Hai." Severus grinned slily. "We'd MUCH rather have someone actually LEARN something!"
"Hai!" Usagi nodded to the couple, smiling. "That is Ami-chan! 'Better to learn than to die!', imouto says." She then continued her tale:
"As Rei and Minako ran away from the lake, the Miko spun around to face her attacker:
'FIRE SOUL!'
The mystic fire-of-Mars seemed to melt some of the ice and snow. Some of it. a little bit. very little. Just enough to see...
'Minako-baka!" Rei shouted in triumph! "I see a way out! Down by the lake! Come!'
'WAIT, Himo-chan!' Minako stood staight and tall, a statue in a icestorm, her palm in front of Rei's face. 'Do not GO! Might be Trap! Hai.'"
"Hime no Venus decide to pull RANK at that TIME?!" Saffiru gasped, as Esmerodo almost died of laughter.
"Saeko-koi?" Snspe commented. "Help the green-haired hyena recover her breath. And, her decorum."
"Hai, Severu!" Saeko bowed, and went to aid Esmerodo.
"Usagi-Sama?" Dimande asked bluntly. "How have the Senshi survived for this long?"
"Ginzhuishou." Usagi bowed, then continued her story, much to the amazement of some of the listeners:
",Could be trap! Hai!' Rei snapped at Minako. 'Take chances outside demo! Do not wish to freeze to death! Come!' Then, grabbing Minakop's
wrist befor the blonde could resist, the miko ran through the doorway of ice to the lakeshore. outside! Five seconds later, the doorway sealed
up into a wall of ice and snow.
'Was beginning to wonder if Senshi were smart enough to stop arguing and start running!' Mizuno Ami clapped, a cat-like smile on her face.
'One point to Rei-vhan for running to safety! Another point to Rei-chan for saving Minako-Baka! Baka receives NO POINTS! No forethought to evade
trap, and no thinking and acting at same time to escape trap! Needs Senshi refresher-course! So sad.'"
At this point, both Saeko and Severus were laying on their backs. laughing hysterically:
"She is musume!"
"That's my daughter!"
"Hai!" Usagi grinned. "By this time, Rei was wanting to run ANYWHERE! More she looked into Ami's face and eyes, more she wanted to run.
Try to get some kind of head-start in chase. Minako was different case demo:
"'Nani-yo? Refresher course? For WHAT? Am I not leader of Senshi?! Reason I am leader! Hime-no-Mercury just.. Defensive-Strategist!'
"'Defensive-Strategist?' Ami raised an eyebrow. 'Surprised Hime-no-Venus remembers big-words. Demo! Best defence .. is good offence! Know when,
where, and how to take fight to enemy. Put them on defensive. Hai.'
"'ENEMY?' Minako screeched, then stood a few seconds, as still as a statue, before calling out:
"'VENNUS.. Love and..'
"'Too LATE for that, BAKA!' Rei hissed as she jerked on Minako's arm.
"'Nani-yo?' Minako screeched, again. 'Rei-no-BAKA! You made me...'
"'Shabon SPRAY!' Ami cried out defiantly, sending to surrrounding park into a dense fog."
"You were saying?" Makoto minicked Rei perfectly, then mimicked Minako just as well. "Forget what I said!"
And Severus and Saeko went into another spasm of laughter!
"ANYHOW!" Usagi took control of herself and her audience. "Rei and Minako started running through the trees, or, tried to! Kept running into trees
demo! Kept getting turned around by fog dano! Soon, girls were turned around towards the lake.
"'Itai..' Rei whimpered. 'If I run into anymore trees, I will die of concussion!'
"'We.. are next to water..', Minako whizzed. 'We can try to awim to other side.. Risk being frozen to death demo!'
"'Frozen to death... beaten top death...' Rei pondered. 'Frozen to death... beaten to death... Frozen to death... beaten to death... Frozen?
Beaten?" Rei then stripped down to her undergaments. 'Cold or no cold.. I swim! Come on, Minako!'
"With that said, Rei-chan ran into the lake, followed closely by Minako-chan! Then, as they actually started swimming, a slender blue ookami leaped
into the water.
'Still willing to run, to fight!' Ami though as she swam. 'Good for you, Rei. Hai! Good for Minako. Good for USAGI! Waters still cold demo. Not good!
You and Minako will die of hyupothermia! NOT GOOD! Even I smell kyongshi in you! You die. Kyongshi come out! Even kyongshi-shiro can be dangerous when
fledgelings. Especially, when frightened and un-tutored! That, we cannot hai. Iyaa.'
With thought, Ami henshined into her human-form, then dove and swam past the struggling forms of Rei and Minako. Then, she broke the surface ahead
of them, and sped towards them like a tordepo!
'BAKA!' Ami gasped as her head and shoulders broke the water. 'Grab onto me before you have,' she panted, 'a chance to freeze to death! Hai!'
'A.. A.. Ammmmmiiii?' Minako and Rei stuttered and slurred.
'Don't talk!' Ami said before henshining, yet again. 'Just GRAB!'"
At this point, Saeko and Severus were howling like ookami, themselves, rolling on the ground helplessly. The Kurotsuki were almost hyperventillating
with belly-laughs, while the other listeners chuckled.
"Anyway!" Usagi continued, after stifling her own giggles, "Ami brought Rei and Minako back to shore at the point where the swimmers started, pulling
two shivering Sailorenshi towards a blazing hibachi.
'Dry off as best you can!' Ami chirped out. "Called Kaasan before I dove into lake after you. Hai. She will bring car to take us home! Before that demo",
,she then ordered, 'give me your arm.'
'Our arms?' Rei's voice hit the stars! "Naze?"
'To keep Nippon safe nazenara!' Ami answered. 'Reactions still tell me you suffer from hypothermia! Hai. Will not take chance of two Kyongshi-no-baka
roaming over Tokyo. Iyaa.'
'Kyongshi?' Minako asked fearfully. 'I thought demo..'
'Usagi ano Ginzhuishou burned away spirits of kyongshi-kuro. Hai. Spirits of Senshi-shiro.. stay demo.'
'Kyongshi... shiro? ITAI!' Rei winced as Ami bit into her. 'We would become.. blood...'
'Iede. Not blood-farmers, dream-hunters demo!' Ami corrected Rei, much like a school-teacher.
'There is no difference!' Rei screamd out. ''We.. still... hunt! Dammit!'
'Dream-Hunters do no leave corpses!' Ami snapped out, then added in a lower voice, 'Taitei?'
'Taitei?' Rei hyperventillated. Taitei nande?'"
As Usagi was telling her story to an enrapt sudience, Naru, Ami, Rei, and Minako joined the group on the shore of the pool.
"'Kyongshi are creatures stuck in their past nazenande! Memories of kyongshi-shiro can effect dreams of others dano.' Ami explained. 'Pasts Kyongshi live
in is past that killed Senshi! Dreams of others could become nightmares to them. Not good for anyone. Iyaa.'
'NANI-YO?" Minako now screeched. 'We hurt others in dreams? We hurt ourselves? We are DOOMED! We are DAMNED! We are...'
'QUIET, inuoyne!' Ami spoke up! 'SIT!'
'Demo..?" Rei and Minako continued panicking.
'I said QUIET, Inuoye!" Ami snapped out. 'I also said SIT! Do not make me have to use leash right away!'
"And two Sailorsenshi sat down on the ground rather quickly!
'Arigatounissai!' Ami smiled. "Now? Okaasan should be at entrance to park. DANO! Since I was the one who bit you? I am now pack-leader, as Usagi-Sama
is mine! That is good, because Usagi has enough to worry about with me and Makoto-chan! Now! Rei-chan? Minako-chan? HEAL!'
With that, Ami walked out of the park, followed obediently by Rei and Minako.
'I ask one thing?' Ami added. 'Usagi needs not know of this? Hasi? Has too much to worry about, as it is?'
'Hai!' Rei and Minako agreeed."
After the chuckles and applause for Usagi and Ami died down, Saffiru raised his hand to ask a question:
"Tsukino-San? If the Senshi agreed not to tell you what happened, how did you learn of it? Are you Telepathic?"
Minako, then Rei, AND LASTLY Ami slowly - hesitently - raised their hands. as the Kurotsuki clan once more burst into laughter!
"Iyaa. I am no telepath, Saffiru-kun!" Usagi bowed. "Minako-chan told me part of story, later." Usagi said. "Then then went to Rei-chan to verify
what Minako said. Then, to get a full story, I went to Ami!"
"You went to our daughter?" Professor Snape asked. "A wise move, Tsukino-chan! But.. why aren't the other two dead for telling you? Didn't they agree
with our ami to keep what had transpired a secret?"
"Iyaa. I tell Ami to not kill Senshi. Rei want to die from embarassment after she had to tell me her story. Want to take Minako with her dano. Almost
did! I thought emouugh damage was done. No need for executions. Hai!"
And the Kurotsuki roared with laughter!
"Ha ha.. Hold!" Rubeus gasped " Pa.. Pa.. Pray pardon, Miss Tsukino, but, I just remembered the story! You already had Miss.. Snape.. and Miss Kino.
When was Miss Kino turned into Ookami?"
"Two weeks after first fight with Kyongshi-kuro!" Makoto answered Rubeus. "We though we had defeated all Kyongshi-kuro! Should have known better.
Run into two more Kyongshi-kuro in Ginza demo! I put silver knife intok yongshi-baka that bit me .Other Senshi fight Kyongshi as Usagi take me tp Tsukino-
house, bite me and watch over me."
"So, what happened to the other vampire?" Rubeus asked, turning his gaze to Ami.
"Ami-musume happened to Kyongshi-baka." Saeko said with a feral grin.
"So?" Severus asked. grinning at his wife. "What happened to the idiot-vampire?"
The Senshi, Tsukinos, Saeko, Ryo, Naru and Kana, and Umino all shouted as one:
"KIBBLE!"
Oosaka Naru then called out:
"Hate to interrupt story-teller gomennissai! Senshi-tachi need to learb to fight Neptonians demo! Baruche-sensei? Come hwlp tech Senshi art of trident
and net!"