Makoto yawned, rubbing her eyes as she sat patiently in the student lobby awaiting her turn to be interviewed. She wasn't nervous, surprisingly, but she figured it was probably due to immense fatigue. After all, she was beginning to think the thin layered plastic chair she was currently occupying was a custom made mattress from Switzerland! Surely this was an extravagant hallucination otherwise she would have to ask the secretary where she could buy some of these lavish chairs for her own apartment. She laughed lightly to herself, sinking lower in her seat as time passed.
Could they really find the senshi? In all her years here, she never stopped to think that someday the police force would advocate a search for them. Heck, last she thought, she was under the impression that most people still thought them to be a hoax but now it seemed that people were starting to consider it. Within days people had started to flock around old newspaper articles about senshi sightings initiating their own private investigations. Thousands of websites were produced evaluating various claims of evidence that they existed and another few thousand popped up to try and prove that they didn't exist. Even the school was starting to gain attention as transfer students were endless, the administration office having difficulty trying to get them to go back to their own academies.
With all this hustle and bustle, Makoto had difficulty believing that the police could continue much longer. Though there were many supporters, there were just as many naysayers posted to criticize the population that believed in this parade. For Makoto and the others, she assumed, the senshi were probably in favor of the naysayers.
"Kino Makoto."
Tired green eyes looked up in response before she nodded and stood from her seat.
"Here goes nothing," she muttered as she entered the office for the interrogation.
Ami Mizuno sat quietly at her usual table in the library, books neatly strewn across her worktop as she skimmed lines and lines of text in search for what she wanted. It was a simple research paper and though students had largely preferred to use the Internet as a search engine for efficiently finding information, she still preferred to resort to the hard text she could actually touch.
"Hey babe, mind if I join you?"
A bit perturbed, Ami found it difficult to push an unbothered expression onto her cream features as she looked to behold the same chestnut-haired American that had elicited such a stale end to the previous day's encounter. For a moment her eyes also traveled to note the number of empty tables but disregarded the observation.
"S-sure," she hesitantly stated. She imagined she really didn't need to say anything given he was already grabbing a seat to sit down across from her before she even answered.
"Thanks," he smiled earning a small blush on Ami's pale cheeks. Despite her slightly annoyed feeling, she couldn't deny that he was quite handsome.
Astutely she snapped her head back down to search through the books on the table, putting an abrupt end to the realized fact that he was gorgeous. She repositioned her glasses as her eyes ravaged through the lines of characters, her finger occasionally taking part in the work as it ran alongside the text. A deep sigh escaped, her strong study habits resituating from their disturbance until…
"I hear you're the smartest person in this school."
Disheartened, she could feel her annoyance swelling once more. With a tight frown she scrunched her brow and again looked to Duo.
"I have the highest scores," she said. "But it doesn't necessarily make me the smartest."
"Aww," he droned. "And you're humble! Don't come across that too often."
"Oh," was Ami's simple response as she tried to return to her studies. Unfortunately, Duo seemed to be in a rather talkative mood.
"Do you have a boyfriend?"
Ami nearly choked at the question, his inquiries suddenly catching her off guard as a fit of coughs overtook her. Immediately she picked up a book and rammed her face behind it to hide her cherry red features. Though it seemed like an innocent question, it was one that had always made her react hazardously.
She cleared her throat, "No," she replied quietly. "I don't."
"You've got to be kidding me," Duo grinned, leaning over the table towards her with a hand lowering her book just enough to see her eyes. "With looks like yours I thought for sure you'd be taken."
Ami gulped uncomfortably and shook her head.
"Nope, besides," she muttered. "I don't have time for a boyfriend."
Duo laughed a bit and nodded.
"I understand."
He sighed as he sank back in his seat, pulling his hands behind his head. From the looks of it, he had no intention of studying and Ami couldn't help but notice this.
"So," he said trying to sound casual. "Does Usagi have a boyfriend?"
A light seemed to click on inside Ami's head as she realized why he had asked the random question. Of course! He had been eyeing her a majority of the time at the arcade and by Rei's description, practically drooling. Relieved, she felt her inhibitions lessen as her book lowered from her face.
"Technically," she started. "No."
"Technically?" Duo questioned with concern. "What's that supposed to mean?"
"To be honest, it's really none of my business discussing Usagi's love life but I will tell you this," she let out apologetically. "She is in love."
"What?" Duo nearly shouted but held back in remembering where he was. "But she was flirting with me!" he whispered.
"All the girls flirt," Ami shrugged, thinking nothing of it. "But I doubt that Usagi was doing it on purpose. You see she's very friendly and guys sometimes misconstrue that as an advance."
"She giggled at my compliments, surely she must've been hinting that she's open to a relationship," Duo tried to reason but Ami shook her head.
"Girls enjoy compliments. Laughing is simply encouragement for you to continue doing so, not an invitation to court them."
Duo could quickly see that Ami had an answer for everything as she effortlessly dished him counters to his claims. He heaved a disdained sigh, ruffling his bangs almost morosely.
"Friendly huh? And she's already in love?"
"Yes," Ami replied, thumbing lightly through the pages of her current book.
"Hn," Duo grunted. "We'll see just how in love she is," he mumbled to himself.
Ami scoffed, shaking her head and choosing not to respond to his statement.
"So have you guys been friends for a long time?" Duo asked, trying to gauge just how well Ami really knew Usagi.
"Ever since middle school," Ami replied. "I transferred here when I was fourteen and Usagi was the first to befriend me."
She smiled to herself as she replayed her first day. Of course their first couple meetings weren't exactly on the most normal terms, pictures of old demons flashing through her head. Her lips then curved a bit southbound as the current investigation was brought to mind.
"And Rei and Makoto," Duo said. "When did they become your friends?"
Ami blinked, rushing back from her silent meditation to ponder Duo's question.
"For a while it was just Usagi and I, aside from Usagi's other friends. One day we decided to visit the Hikawa shrine together and that's where we met Rei," she informed. "It was quite a rocky start," she laughed.
Somehow Duo wasn't surprised since it involved Rei.
"How so?" He asked.
"Rei's a priestess," Ami explained. "She has a sixth sense that allows her to sense evil spirits. I guess she felt one and had mistaken Usagi as a possessed soul."
Duo laughed. "What did Usagi do after that?"
"She was actually still pretty enthused," Ami smiled warmly. "She thought it was pretty cool that Rei had such an amazing sixth sense even if she was wrong."
"She didn't get angry?" Duo asked in surprise.
"No," Ami replied. "She was too busy raving about how Rei had psychic abilities at the time but trust me; they get into enough spats now to make up for those days."
"You don't say," Duo scoffed. "How about Makoto?" He asked carefully, almost letting slip "and Minako" whom he had yet to actually meet. Ami was a sharp girl and he didn't want to trigger any suspicion.
"Makoto transferred here a few months after we met Rei. Most students were afraid of her but Usagi never did follow the crowd."
"She befriended her," Duo stated.
Ami nodded.
"From what I understand, Usagi fell in love with her as soon as she spotted her homemade lunch."
"Her homemade lunch?"
"Makoto's a very talented chef. Despite her intimidating physical qualities and reputation, she's actually a fairly gentle person."
"To be honest I really wouldn't have guessed that," he admitted.
"Most people don't." She went to turn the page but caught her eye on an interesting title within Duo's book bag.
"Quantum mechanics?" She mused with interest.
Duo was in the process of responding until he felt a harsh squeeze on his shoulder. He clenched his jaw to hide the pain and knew without looking just who was standing behind him.
"Please excuse Maxwell for a moment, there's important business we need to discuss."
Ami watched innocently and nodded.
"Certainly."
Within seconds, Duo was trailing behind an irate Chinese man who led him to a shadowed area of the library.
"What're you doing here Maxwell?" Wufei managed to hiss through grit teeth.
"Studying," he shrugged. "What else?"
"She's not your target, you idiot."
Duo huffed indignantly, stuffing his hands in his pockets.
"We seemed to be hitting it off well enough. I'm pretty sure I could milk more information from her than you could."
"That's not the point," Wufei rebutted, his fists clenched so tight they were beginning to ache.
"Let's be serious, Wu-man," Duo jeered. "The target you guys gave me would slaughter me alive. She hates me."
"That's what we're counting on," the Chinese man replied sharply, his temples twitching at the degrading nickname. They both instantly stood up straight when a pair of students walked by and nodded in recognition. As they disappeared, Wufei sternly asserted his last statement to clue Duo that their targets were not up for negotiation.
Duo could not say anything, instead sighing in dismay and leaving the library. Wufei watched him as he entered the hallway through the exit, his trademark grin returning as though he were never bothered. He went to check for Ami and was surprised to find her just around the corner.
"Oh," she gasped lightly. "Sorry for sneaking up on you."
"It's no problem," Wufei muttered, looking stoically at her. A period of awkward silence ensued before Ami shook herself from it with a friendly smile.
"Well," she started. "Duo left his bag on the table and I just wanted to return it."
"I'll make sure he gets it," Wufei assured as he took it from her hands.
"Thank you Mr. Chang," she smiled.
Wufei raised a suspicious brow.
"You know my name."
"My curiosity is torture; I can never seem to drop a question until I find the answer."
Wufei 'hmphed' and slung the bag over his shoulders before turning to leave.
"Curiosity like that could get you into trouble. You should learn to control it, weakling."
Ami watched as he walked off and rubbed her head. He was quite a character and it was clear he had no intention of making friends…or at least not with her.
Minako was stunned. Purely stunned. Her eyes could not be pried off of him for the world and though she knew she would certainly get caught if he decided to turn his head, she didn't care. At least then she'd be able to see his whole face…
Her heart melted at the thought of it. What a gorgeous man! A dreamy sigh escaped only for Minako to suddenly sit upright at the realization that she didn't make the noise. Irked, she looked to her right to see one of her peers with her head propped up on the palms of her hands, small hearts throbbing in the pupils of her gaze. Then as if a veil was suddenly lifted, she turned to notice that a majority of the females in her class were also in the same position ogling at the new student. She huffed indignantly, folding her hands across her chest with a deep frown. She nearly had the urge to stand up and declare that she had seen him first but somehow she didn't think that would play out too well. Still frowning, she silently tried to figure out her odds but slowly lost focus.
He was so hot! Sakura had said earlier that he hardly spoke but when he did, his voice felt like the gradual rise of heat swelling from the pit of your chest upwards like the antsy excitement you get when a gripping love story finally reaches its climax. Oh how she wanted to hear him speak! His sweeping brown hair gently concealed half of his beautiful face, his muscles lean and body clearly well cared for. He towered over most the boys, only a couple matching him in height but none as appealing as he was.
From the angle she could see him at, it looked as though his eyes might have been a deep navy blue but the lighting was terribly strewn by his choice of hairstyle, which did well in magnifying his mysterious persona. The concluding bell drew the attention of every student even Minako and they rushed to pack their things. She watched in adoration as he stood up from his seat and silently found his way out the door. Though many of the females wanted nothing but to maul him in his walk, they were each too shy to try, which came as a shocking surprise for each of them.
In a daze, she sighed and walked mindlessly from her classroom to meet Usagi in the hall.
"Good afternoon Minako-chan!" Usagi chimed toothily.
"Good afternoon," Minako replied half-heartedly as her thoughts still lingered on an unknown new student.
"Are you ready for History?"
Minako shrugged not really feeling the desire to speak as her senses were consumed with one person. Usagi frowned in disappointment beside her and sighed. By the looks of it, Minako probably caught sight of one of the new guys, not that Usagi blamed her. They were pretty cute.
A sharp gasp suddenly jerked Usagi's attention, her head turning to her friend.
"What is it?" she asked.
"He's in this class too!" Minako whispered.
"Who?" Usagi questioned as she tried to look in the same direction as Minako.
"OHHHHH," Usagi droned with a nod. "So you like Trowa huh? Dang."
"Dang? What do you mean by 'dang'?" Minako panicked, Usagi inching away nervously.
"Well umm, I uh," she stuttered. "I kinda thought you would prefer someone else, hehe."
"Someone else?" Minako retorted dangerously.
To Usagi's luck, the teacher had called for her students' attention, the girls forced to take their seats as she passed out papers. Usagi sweat-dropped, her decision the previous day suddenly not such a genius move as all the girls glared daggers in her direction. Even Minako was starting to look at her skeptically despite the fact that she had originally done this for Minako's benefit, or so she thought. Apparently she was mistaken as she tried to hide her head behind her hand, which was awfully small.
"As you all know this next project will be done in pairs. So find your partners from yesterday and get to work!"
Minako's eyes trailed after the boy she now knew as Trowa and nearly gasped in betrayal as she watched him settle by Usagi's desk. Despite the pigtailed blonde constantly mouthing apologies, Minako really couldn't bring herself to forgive her.
AHEM. Minako jumped slightly at the sound and looked up to see an unruly haired Japanese boy standing diagonally from her.
"Partner?" She queried a bit unenthused.
A curt nod was given as he stuck out a hand.
"Heero Yuy," he said expectantly.
She hesitated a moment, somehow perplexed about how he could sound normal but look so misplaced as his stone cold eyes peered in her direction. With a small shiver, she shook herself from her silent inquiries and took his hand.
"Minako Aino," she said with half a smile. "It's a pleasure."
A deep exhale escaped the raven-haired female's peach lips as she stood staring at her reflection. The previous night had not been a good one, her anxiety for the situation at hand manifesting in her dreams. She had awoken with a start more than once, her chest heaving in panic until she realized the nightmares weren't real. As a person who often had visions, it was sometimes difficult for her to distinguish actual enlightenment from her own subconscious uncertainties.
Her ears suddenly perked, the door to the bathroom creaking open. She rushed to the stall to avoid being discovered, her pride never willing to allow others to see her so uneasy. Gracefully, she stepped onto the toilet, uncomfortably balancing herself with her hands firmly planted against the walls. She sighed, the lengths she went to in order to keep people from seeing her crack, she was beginning to think it might not be such a healthy habit.
"Did you hear what they were saying about the Aino file?"
Rei's head rose in interest. Aino file?
"Yeah, they reopened it last night after Nidaime visited their house. He seems to think the whole family might be hiding the daughter's secret."
Rei's mind started racing, her recollection of yesterday rapidly spinning through her thoughts. Minako wasn't with them last night and to be honest, there weren't that many Aino's in this district that these agents could be talking about.
A laugh sounded as the water was turned on, Rei straining to hear what else they had to say as she also tried to balance herself upon the toilet seat. She cursed when her heal squeaked against the porcelain and froze as she heard the water immediately shut off.
"Did you hear that?"
There was silence afterwards, no sound heard as Rei prayed that she wouldn't be discovered. Finally with a 'hmph' the agents luckily shrugged off their suspicions and resumed their chat.
As Rei's muscles were tested for endurance, she found herself growing more and more anxious by the amount of information the police actually had. When she heard the pair click out of the restroom she released her station against the stall walls and exhaled with a concerned expression. The girls needed to make ramifications quickly before the police were able to catch them on their suspicions.
"What a day," Usagi sighed, situating heavily on a seat at the girl's "seclusion" table of the arcade. Given Motoki's knowledge of their extra-curriculars he was more than happy to let them congregate for secret discussions in a place other than Rei's temple. "Do you know how much hate mail I got in my locker today? I probably would have gotten jumped too if it wasn't for Makoto always being by me."
Ami laughed lightly, knowing full well why the girls at the school had taken a temporary distaste for Usagi.
"You're very fortunate that Makoto had time to accompany you throughout the day," she said with a nod.
Makoto scoffed. "Even if I didn't have time," she muttered. "It wouldn't much matter since Usagi was shadowing me despite our difference in schedules. I would have never known she was behind me if I didn't hear her keep screaming 'Mako-chan will kick your arses if you get too close. She's very grumpy from lack of sleep!'"
The three laughed.
"Well, either way," Usagi started. "I'm relieved you're still with me Mako-chan. Minako might assassinate me when she-"
"Hey guys."
Usagi stiffened instantaneously, her fingers drumming nervously on the table as she gave an awkward looking expression caught between a smile and constipation.
"Minako-chan!" She chimed a bit too enthusiastically, earning a skeptical look from both Makoto and Ami. "How are you? Did you have a nice day at school? How was your walk?"
"Usagi-chan," Minako said softly as she shook her head. "You don't have to worry about anything, I'm not mad at you."
A great sigh of relief escaped Usagi's lips as she eased back into her slumped position.
"Thank goodness. I thought for sure you would kill me. I honestly thought Heero was more your type but now that I think about it, Trowa does kinda match your preferences…"
"Eh well," Minako sighed. "At this point I've realized I don't have time for boys. Especially with all this…stuff going on."
Catching onto her reference, the other three instantaneously frowned.
"Anything new come up?" Makoto asked.
Ami shook her head.
"No, not from my knowledge. How was the interview?"
All eyes zoomed to Makoto who shrugged nonchalantly.
"It was fine," she muttered, thanking her luck when Rei walked up and distracted everyone's attention.
"Well you look serious," Usagi commented.
"I just spent an hour holding myself up inside a bathroom stall. I'm damn tired so don't start with me."
"Rawr," Usagi hissed comically to earn a scowl from Rei herself.
"Why were you holding yourself up in a stall?" Makoto questioned with a raised eyebrow as Rei was never one to do such strange things.
"Long story," Rei iterated. "But that's not the point. I overheard some people talking about the investigation and it so happens they have a case called the 'Aino File.'"
Minako, as if caught off guard, suddenly began to cough, her heart jolting in threat of attack.
"Aino file?"
It couldn't be avoided. All eyes strayed in unity towards the blue-eyed soldier as if searching for an explanation. Ami, was the first to shake herself from the useless staring.
"That could be anything," she commented. "It doesn't mean it's directly tied to Minako."
"I was thinking that too," Rei replied. "But they kept talking about a guy name Nodaime who visited a family and reaffirmed that their target was 'the daughter'. I still didn't think much of it until they started talking about England and Sailor V."
Panic rushed across each of the girls as they seemed to have forgotten that small but crucial detail. In their ranks was a soldier who had been doing this work a year before either of them and it never occurred that a pattern so blatantly obvious was distinguishable to the outside eye.
"This," Ami took off her glasses in worry. "This is not good."
"I know," Rei stated, looking pointedly at Minako who had suddenly become void of emotion.
The young blonde didn't know what to think but from the look in Rei's eyes she could see that somewhere along the way, the raven-haired female had become slightly irritated.
"Were you even gonna tell us?"
Tension rose with the question, each person aware of the symptoms of one of Rei's hard to avoid anger flashes. Contrary to popular belief, she wasn't always angry because she hated people, it was quite the opposite. She was angry because she cared too much.
Minako looked strained, her usually bright blue eyes dim and indifferent.
"To be honest," she answered. " No."
The girls were shocked by the admission, Rei going deathly silent as she fumed in her seat. It could be seen how enraged she was by the response but by some great self control she held herself back from exploding.
"Minako-chan," Usagi spoke softly. "Why wouldn't you tell us this?"
Minako exhaled shaking her head slowly.
"If I told you then you'd all try to come up with some sort of plan to divert their attention from me."
"Exactly!" Rei cried out, no longer able to refrain. "If you haven't noticed, you're one of us. If they find you then they find all of us!"
"Not exactly," Minako replied, her jaw locking in resistance.
"What's that supposed to mean?" Rei's eyes narrowed suspiciously, Minako casting her eyes elsewhere.
"If you all remained clueless, then it would look like I was using you to hide myself."
"Minako," Makoto spoke up for the first time but went silent, a frown marring her features.
Usagi seemed to be a bit confused, her eyes troubled as she voiced her concern.
"Wh—" she hesitated. "What does that mean?"
"Minako was essentially framing herself to look like the only senshi amongst us despite the theory that we might all be senshi," Ami informed with a frown.
"What?" She seemed astonished to the point of discomfort.
Rei who was only getting angrier could not hold back.
"So you were trying to be the hero," she accused with arms folded across her chest. Her gorgeous eyes flared dangerously as it looked to be the foreshadow of an explosion. "God Minako-chan just because you're the leader it doesn't mean you have to do all these things by yourself! Tell us what's happening so we can help dammit!"
The last few lines were at such a volume that people had begun to stare, Motoki sweat-dropping as he inched over and tried to modestly warn them.
"Hey guys, it might be a good idea to keep it down. The air in here is getting a little stale if you know what I mean," he said, doing his best to avoid getting caught in Rei's rage.
"Sorry Motoki," Makoto piped up. "We'll try to keep it down."
"Thanks," he muttered before moving off to do more work.
The brief disruption helped quench a few flames from Rei as she found her seat once more and attempted to completely calm herself as Minako sat silently in contemplation. This was not the first time Minako had done something like this and it was painfully relevant to the others that some personal habits of theirs might end up leading to their undoing. Minutes passed without a word until Rei tried to carefully voice her viewpoint without getting angry.
"Look Minako," she started. "The police are smarter than we give them credit for and if we can't work together against them then they'll figure us out even if you try to persuade them that you're the only one. They suspect at least two senshi are in existence and if they find evidence against you then they'll definitely find evidence against another one of us until they realize that we're all in cahoots with each other. We can't risk you getting found out."
Rei looked sincere almost to the point that her eyes hinted at being watery but she stubbornly shifted her head in a different position to make her look like she could care less whether or not Minako believed her.
"Rei's right," Ami then spoke. "If we can't get our act together now and work together, then we don't stand a chance."
Slowly, Minako observed each of them, her head nodding in response. She knew what she was doing was intended for their good but Rei had made a valid point. There was no telling what else these policemen knew that they weren't telling so they had no choice but to trust in each other, something she had thought she had no trouble with.
"I agree," she whispered coarsely. A small smile crept across her lips and the others seemed relieved by her agreement.
"Then it's settled," Usagi said as chipper as ever. "We'll deal with this together with no secrets."
The girls nodded.
"Agreed."
Simultaneously, they stood up, each one having to go their separate ways to fulfill their different engagements. Another meeting was set at the temple where they would discuss their plan of action but for now, they would just have to lay low as the police shadowed Minako.
As they went for the door, a hand had caught Minako's arm, her blue eyes meeting with firm amethyst ones.
"I'm sorry," she muttered quietly to Minako. "You just can't go on throwing yourself into the pit without at least consulting us. You matter too, you know."
Minako couldn't help but smile.
"I know," she said.
Rei nodded as if appeased by her response. She was about to leave until she turned back around.
"I hear you got a crush at school," she grinned.
"And where did you hear this?" Minako asked, appalled.
"Ami, so I know it's true."
Minako scoffed.
"So," she said. "Why bring it up now?"
"You need a boyfriend," Rei blatantly stated. "To kill the superfluous amount of free time you have in your life."
Minako laughed as Rei turned on her heal to leave.
"It would be good for you!"
The blue-eyed female smirked. Maybe a boyfriend wasn't such a bad idea…
Makoto gulped in distress as she reached the outside of the arcade. Hastily plastering a smile on her face she waved goodbye to the girls and paused a moment before making her way home.
She hadn't the heart to tell them the truth about her interview with the police as it hardly went "well" as she said it had. Though if anyone could help her it would be Ami with her extensive knowledge of every subject, she just didn't want to burden them with the trouble. Even after the slight attack on Minako for doing something similar, she still couldn't overcome her stubbornness and relay the truth of her predicament.
She sighed, her lips curving into a stern frown as her brows scrunched in urgency. (1)
"Do you know of a boy by the name of Alexander Gates?"
Makoto sat rigidly as she was more than familiar with the person mentioned. Her heart leapt anxiously; sweat accumulating from every pore of her body. Feebly she nodded, shame-stricken and worried of what would come from admitting this.
"You do," the officer smirked. "I'm surprised you would admit it so willingly."
Makoto was quiet. Every inch of fatigue and grogginess had fleeted the moment she realized she might not be in such a great position with this investigation.
The officer opened a manila folder and neatly spread pictures of a badly beaten male across the desk. Makoto winced, her hands gripping the arms of the chair as she noticed who it was.
"Six fractured ribs, a broken arm, swelling in the nasal cavity, a bruised skull, punctured foot and internal bleeding."
Makoto gulped, her eyes cast to the floor.
"Sound familiar?"
The officer seemed to be taunting her as he sat smugly in his seat always giving that small smirk like he knew he had caught her in his grips.
"I don't see what this has to do with anything," Makoto spoke hesitantly.
A small laugh was earned as the officer leant back in his chair, bringing his hands up behind his head.
"Such a violent history you have and it's difficult for me to believe that you could just drop that bloodlust the moment you move to a new place."
"It's called a change," Makoto asserted harshly, her frustration beginning to surface. "People do it all the time."
The officer scoffed.
"A change," he laughed. "You're funny."
He let the silence reign in as he shook his head still smiling at the young female's claim of "change" and sifted through documents until she again was inclined to speak.
"I'm still not understanding what this has to do with your investigation."
The officer sat up straight, his hands now resting on the desk.
"Alexander Gates is the son of a very wealthy man. A recent school examination was given to him and he failed miserably. Angered, his father has declared his son's intellectual deficiency to a past injury approximately four years ago and is suing the person responsible."
Makoto's eyes widened in shock.
"What?" she muttered. "But I—he can't."
"On the contrary," the officer informed. "He can. A little lesson about life. Men with money control the system."
Makoto's heart was more than pounding, her mind jumbled with all that was happening. The investigation at hand was suddenly overshadowed as her own personal troubles rapidly surfaced. What would she do if Alexander's father really was going to sue her?
"However." The word seemed to cut it right on time as if orchestrated beforehand to be this way. At a loss and apprehensive, Makoto looked up. "There is a way we can help you get out of this."
Red flags popped up immediately, her jaw clenching as she was consumed with conflict. She didn't want to hear what it was he had to say but a part of her knew that if she didn't at least consider it then her future was likely to become hell as her past was beginning to creep up behind her.
"Shadow Minako Aino and find us proof that she is in some way connected to the senshi. Do this and we'll convince Mr. Gates to drop the charges."(2)
Makoto looked heartbroken as she stared at the card in her hand. The police officer had given it to her, explaining that she didn't have to agree immediately but the longer she waited, the harder it would be to protect her from the powerful billionaire that had also sought to incarcerate her. Her eyes started to blur.
She had wondered how Minako had become a target but from the arcade she now knew the reason. The thought of turning in Minako for her own benefit was despicable and quickly earned a direct refusal from Makoto herself from the moment she heard of the condition. But, as an aching subject, her conscience couldn't believe her. If she knew she could never do this to Minako, her friend and comrade, then why did she still keep the card?
She shook her head, shoving the dreaded thing in her pocket and picking up her pace with her eyes to the floor. A turn on a corner and her body rammed into another, apologies immediately coursing out as she scurried across the sidewalk to pick up what was dropped. Her hands and legs felt as though they were moving a million miles a minute, her heart frenetically beating as her body became more and more uncontrollably frantic.
Then, in a shocking instant, a gentle hand grabbed her own, forcing her to subdue her haste.
"Please," came a sweet voice. "Let me."
Makoto gulped, her rosy cheeks growing a deeper red as she looked up to meet the sincere blue eyes of Quatre from yesterday.
"S-sure," she replied reluctantly, allowing him to help her up from her crouched position before he gracefully recovered the spilt items.
He smiled warmly as he approached her, Makoto shifting with uncertainty.
"I think this is everything," he said. "I apologize for bumping into you so callously. I really should pay more attention to where I'm going."
"No," Makoto interceded. "It's my fault. I've just been so sidetracked I forgot the other people use the sidewalk."
Quatre laughed appreciatively at her unintended humor and nodded. A warmth swelled in Makoto's chest, suddenly becoming a bit shy as she tried to grab her things.
"Thank you for picking these up for me," she said.
Again caught by surprise, Quatre refused to hand back her things. Upon seeing her skepticism, he again smiled.
"I still feel guilty about bumping into you. Would it be alright if I walked you home?"
Perplexed, Makoto's cheeks flushed even more as she fumbled for a response.
"You don't have—"
"Of course I do," Quatre interrupted politely. "Besides, it would be a great honor to accompany such a beautiful young lady such as yourself on your walk home."
Speechless, Makoto could make no objection as she finally accepted his proposal to walk her home. He was a perfect gentlemen and for the time, her troubles were forgotten.
As Quatre walked Makoto home, he could see the officer from his periphery following them. He felt guilty for taking advantage of such a nice girl but a mission was a mission and he was never one to fail.
"She's ready," remarked the officer. "As vulnerable as a newborn kitten just waiting for a friendly person to lean on just like you asked."
Quatre looked wryly in his direction, sympathetic of Makoto's predicament though he planned it himself. Her history was surprising but helpful in manipulating her for the sake of the mission.
"You don't think she'll turn in her friend?"Quatre queried redundantly.
"Not a chance," the officer replied.
"I didn't think so either," Quatre sighed.
The plan was simple. In order to get close to Minako, they would have to get close to her friends. Each pilot had their target and for Quatre, he counted on her weak emotional state setting in so he could find a way in and gain her trust. The officer who shadowed the pair smirked lightly to himself.
"And here I thought you were the sweet one," he said quietly to himself in reference to Quatre. These boys were definitely better than he had thought they would be.
How it happened, she couldn't be sure as she was away for a majority of the day and it took place during her absence. Her amethyst eyes shriveled in terror, body tense and heart racing. Her grandfather was positioned at the table, back towards her as she continued to wonder what she had done to deserve such a horrible fate. Slowly she approached, trying to smother the churning in her stomach with as much self control as she could possibly assert. Still, it would not leave as her hands now started to tremble.
As if her throat was gripped by a vicious hand, she could make no noise, the eerie silence in the room cradling her in discomfort as she continued. One lone hand, pale and colorless, lifted to gently touch her grandfather on the back, a slew of mortified sounds threatening to escape her rasped throat. His body felt limp but quickly snapped up as a line of drool was wiped from the side of his mouth.
"Oh, Rei, you're home!"
Rei's teeth clenched, eyes flaring.
"Grandpa," she said dangerously.
"Yeah?"
"Why is there a boy in the guest room saying he now lives here?"
Immediately the old man started to laugh nervously knowing all too well that Rei never took well to males, freeloaders or flirts that didn't know when to stop all of which seemed to be a part of the newcomer's persona though Grandpa really couldn't tell if he was a freeloader just yet.
"Well," Grandpa started. "He didn't have a place to sleep and there's a lot of work to do in this temple that is getting a bit difficult for me—"
"So!" Rei burst. "I always do it for you anyways!"
"True," Grandpa nodded. "But you're so young! I don't wanna see you pine away in the temple with no time to hang out with your friends so I thought letting him stay here would not only be charitable but also a source of free labor!"
"You're unbelievable!" Rei remarked with an accentuated humph.
Duo could hear the argument, or rather Rei's lecturing, through the paper thin walls of the temple. Despite what Rei might think, he actually didn't like this either.
"I don't like this plan," Duo complained. "Why do I have to be the one stationed there?"
"Because," Quatre asserted. "You're the least likely to come off as suspicious…or smart for that matter. No offense."
"Yeah, sure," Duo groaned in discontent, dragging his feet up the temple steps.
He sighed trying hard to tune out Rei's yelling as he lay staring at the ceiling with his palms tucked under his head. Minako Aino was the key suspect and so far, her friends really didn't seem to fit in as players in this senshi business. However, according to their sources, the girls spent much of their time meeting at the temple after school so the pilots had no choice but to put someone in close range to investigate. Duo was just disappointed that it had to be him considering there was a raven-haired female that really didn't like him all too much. But, a job was a job and though he didn't like being in living quarters with someone who vehemently hated him, he disliked not being the first to unravel a mystery even more. So one thing was certain, if there was something to be found about these girls' frequent meetings, then he would be the first to know and for now that would comfort him in his highly unstable position.
"You what?" Rei shrieked, Duo wincing silently in his humble bed.
He turned over to grab the mechanism he purposely packed to combat what he anticipated would be Rei's loud objection to him staying. Quickly he anchored the headphones securely in his ear and dug around his bag for his music device. With a deep sigh he felt relief as her shrieks were drowned out by a serenading lull of music. Then, tension suddenly gripped him as the music cut off. Hastily he shot up as if caught in a nightmare and observed his device.
The battery was dead.
He rummaged through his things, cursing, as there were no batteries in sight but sighed in relief as he found a charger. With the plug in hand he skimmed the room for an outlet and sat mortified by his discovery, a recollection hastily accompanying his thought process.
"I must warn you," the old man said. "Especially if you're used to modern housing. This temple is a bit behind in technology. We just barely got rid of the outhouse and installed indoor plumbing!"
Duo groaned, rubbing his head in rising discontent. He fell back on his bed and angrily threw the plug in a random direction, a sharp female's voice echoing in his ears. His thoughts and emotions of the situation could all be summed in a single word as he lay staring in frustration at the ceiling.
"Damn."
(1) Begin Flashback.
(2) End Flashback.
Thank you for reading. I hope it was enjoyable! Also, thank you for the time you've taken to review, it is much apprectiated!
When Darkness Rises: Thank you for your review. It is true that Wufei currently is just a woman-bashing character when really he is more than that. I am planning on developing his character more throughout the story as he interacts with the girls since he does not appear to be someone that just opens up to people without some coaxing and I take his bashing as a facade that he uses to keep people away. And as far as language, I was thinking about it and now it kind of disturbs me to read a Chinese character speaking Japanese so in observance of this, I have decided to use strictly English apart from things like "chan" and senshi and so forth. The other senshi, hehe, I am still contemplating their involvement but it is likely that they will be making an appearance but unfortunately will not hold dominant roles like the inners.
Henio41: Thank you for the review and I'm glad you love it!
angelikamayuka: Thank you for your review. Mamoru was mentioned vaguely in this chapter and will definitely be explained later in more detail. Also, thank you for the comment about the scene with lots of characters. Those scenes make me nervous and it sooths me to see it wasn't half bad ^^; As for pairings, I have finally come to a conclusion! Actually, I've already written the end of this story now I must work on the middle things lol.
Love Angel 1705: Thank you for your review. I am extremely flattered by your compliment and am glad you enjoy this story and the one about Trowa. This story is set in their last year of high school but they've already defeated/faced Chaos. This is pretty much my attempt at a transition story from high school to adult living ^^ And I'm pretty sure the outers will be included in this fic.
Alycee Lanet: Thank you for your review. Mamoru will be explained later but as for Usagi and Duo, I don't want to give anything away XD My apologies!
Requiem of Fire: Thank you for your review. I do plan to finish this but I'm terribly superstitious and am afraid if I completely promise I will finish this something will happen to where I do not. It may not be done quickly but I certainly do not intend to extend this past this year, if that is any help. Also, I'm glad you like the story. It is fun to write and I'm excited to get to the end since I've already written the last chapter XD Characterization is also something I prize so thank you for your comment! But sometimes I think that I'm not always great at it and hope you will be brutally honest with me when and if those situations ever arise. As for your lengthy review, don't sweat it! I love long reviews as much as I love long discussions about interesting topics which is a lot! So thank you for taking the time to write all that!
anonymous: Thank you for your review. I'm flattered by your compliment and I hope this story continues to be likeable.
TopazDragon: Thank you for your review. Minako's scene with her parents and the agent had to be one of my favorites and I'm so ecstatic that you were gripping your seat during the whole ordeal. As for pairings, I've now got them pretty much sealed and hopefully I can write them well enough that they're not too unbearable.
angelic acquarian: Thank you for your review. I'm so glad you liked the last chapter and hope this one has matched or exceeded the prior. I'm also glad it made you laugh since I sometimes worry my humor doesn't translate to others well lol. Surprisingly, I have come to a conclusion on the relationships that will result from this story. Usually I'm terribly indecisive but I've found my niche and plan to stick to it. Hopefully it comes out well.
agoraphobia: Thank you for your review. I'm glad the last chapter made you laugh and that the change in moods was distinguishable enough. As for Rei, I have to agree. I don't think she would approach them like she had but I was hoping the stress of the investigation and the possibility of being watched were enough to validate her actions. And as you said it was kind of necessary in order for the scene to play out ^^; I apologize if she was a bit too out of character there since characterization is something I value. And family, I'm so happy you caught that! I actually plan to use the girls family situations a lot throughout this story since I don't often see the parents that are there appear much apart from grandpa and maybe even Usagi's parents. But the girls do have a lot of family issues so many that I'm eager to exploit them ^^; in a nice way of course.
Again, thank you all for reading. It is much appreciated.
4Shame