THE URN OF THE AGES
Chapter 4: "Yuki-onna"
A Sailor Moon fanfic

By Bill K.


Rei had the ward out and was ready to strike. Yoriko stood anchored to the spot inside the apartment, frozen into inaction by being discovered by the priest. Usagi, as usual, was totally confused and staring first at Rei and then at Yoriko, while Ami, Makoto and Minako pushed toward the door to scope out the situation.

Shingo, however, did not follow Rei's shouted instructions. It wasn't because he was similarly startled into inaction like his older sister. He moved protectively in front of Yoriko, blocking Rei's path to her.

"Move, Shingo!" bellowed Rei. "She's not human!"

"I know!" Shingo roared back.

That stopped everyone in their tracks.

"I know," he repeated more calmly. The neighbors across the hall were peering out of their door curiously. "Everybody come inside. There's nothing to be afraid of."

Once everyone was inside the apartment, Usagi turned to her brother with a look of utter shock and dismay.

"What does she mean?" Usagi demanded. "Yoriko's not - - human?"

Shingo lowered his eyes. "I'm sorry, Sis. I-I can't. I made a vow." Ami noticed the look of pride and gratitude that came over Yoriko's face.

"So that's it, is it?" Rei spoke up, her expression hard and uncompromising. "Then I'll tell. I'm not under any obligation of silence." The priest turned to Yoriko, who nervously stood her ground. "You're a Yuki-onna, right?"

Yoriko's chest puffed out defensively. Her expression hardened. As unearthly beautiful as she still was, now she projected just as much of an aura of unearthly menace. Surreptitiously Minako and Makoto summoned their henshin sticks.

"What's that?" Usagi asked desperately. She turned to Yoriko. "Yoriko, what's that? What does she mean? A-Are you doing something to my brother?"

"Yuki-onnas are ancient spirits," Rei explained, holding her gaze locked on Yoriko for the slightest false move. "They're the manifestation of people who died in the snow, come back to life in this form. They walk the Earth seeking to lure unsuspecting travelers to their deaths so they can feed on the traveler's life energy. She probably cast her spell on Shingo and has been feeding . . ."

"No!" Shingo barked. "It's not like that! I'm not under any spell," and he glanced tenderly at Yoriko, "unless you consider being in love a spell."

"You only think you're in love with her," Rei countered. "That's what Yuki-onnas do. That's how they trap their victims."

"I cast no spell," Yoriko stated sharply. Anger was visible in her eyes. Shingo went over and put his hand on her shoulder. It seemed to calm the creature. "I admit my intention was to lure Shingo to me when we first met. But," and emotions overcame her, "he was so beautiful. He tempted me and I stayed my hand. We became friends, and the more time I spent with him, the more I grew to love him." She looked directly at Rei, proud and defiant. "I do not feed on him. My love for him sustains my existence."

Rei remained silent, but she was studying Yoriko intently.

"I have sacrificed my existence as a Yuki-onna for the sake of this man," Yoriko proclaimed. "So long as he remains true to his vow to me, I will not feed on other humans. I will remain by his side, and love him, and cherish him, and grow old with him, and die when he dies."

"What vow?" Makoto inquired.

"That I never reveal what she - - was - - to anybody," Shingo stated.

"Oh, that's sooooo romantic!" sighed Usagi.

"Um, has anybody considered the possibility that she's lying?" Minako suggested.

In answer, Rei put her ward away.

"She's not," Rei said softly. "I apologize for my suspicions."

"You're a powerful priest," nodded Yoriko, "and my kind haven't always been trustworthy. And you were trying to protect Shingo." She smiled his way. "I think I'd do the same."

"Ohhhhh!" Usagi squealed. She raced in, caught Shingo around the neck with one arm, Yoriko with the other and hugged them both.

"So may we assume that this Kagura you warned us about is a Yuki-onna as well?" Ami spoke up, trying to direct the gathering back to its original purpose.

"Yes," Yoriko said, detaching herself from Usagi. "And there is no love in her soul for humans. She sees you only as sustenance to maintain her existence."

"But if she gets the Urn Of The Ages to grant her immortality like you said, doesn't that no longer become a problem?" Makoto postulated.

"Except for the hundred poor suckers she's going to use to invoke the thing," Minako reminded her.

"And I don't believe she'll stop there," Yoriko added.


On board a jet to Asahikawa, the five senshi in disguise reviewed what they knew and formulated a plan. Usagi and Ami had paid for the trip, as none of the others could afford it.

"You going to be all right there, Makoto?" Minako grinned. Makoto sat stiffly in her seat and gripped the hand rests until her knuckles were white.

"As soon as we land," Makoto choked out.

"I'm sorry, Mako-Chan, but the roads are still treacherous in the north because of the earthquake and the train would have taken too long," pleaded Usagi.

"Yes, there's no telling how close this Yuki-onna is to invoking this mystical urn," Ami added. "It indicates that speed is of the essence."

"We all promise to cry at your funeral," Minako offered with a sly grin.

"THAT'S NOT FUNNY, BLONDIE!" Makoto hissed through clenched teeth.

"Is there a problem?" the flight attendant asked, leaning in. Then she noticed Makoto. "Oh, is she afraid to fly?"

"I'm afraid so," Ami nodded sympathetically.

"Could I get you an eye mask and some headphones?" the flight attendant asked.

"Don't I get a last cigarette?" Makoto quipped nervously.

"But Mako-Chan, you don't smoke," Usagi said.

"It's irony, Bubble Head," Rei rumbled. Usagi responded with a wagging tongue.

"Many people who are nervous about flying find it easier to endure if they can't see or hear what's happening," the Flight Attendant persisted. "You might even fall asleep."

"No, I'll be fine," Makoto said thinly. The Flight Attendant nodded and moved off. "Or I'll die horribly, one or the other."

"That's that can-do attitude," Minako jabbed.

"I'm going to pound you, Blondie," Makoto snarled.

"If we can get back to this," Ami sighed impatiently. "Our biggest concern at the moment is how to track the Yuki-onna. Asahikawa has over 350, 000 people and as I said before, locating her as soon as possible is essential."

"You got any way to track her, Rei?" Minako asked.

"I wish I did," Rei scowled. "Yuki-onna don't put out enough spiritual energy for me to recognize unless I'm in the same room with it. And I haven't had any visions or premonitions."

"Maybe the police have some information," Usagi suggested. "If she's killing people, they must know about it. We could get a clue from them."

"I thought of that," Ami stated. "There are no unusual homicides currently on the Asahikawa books and nothing that would indicate a serial pattern."

"Maybe she just started," Minako shrugged.

"Or maybe she's being surreptitious in order to avoid discovery before she can invoke the power of the urn," Ami argued. "And the best way to do that would be to lure victims who wouldn't be missed immediately. That would indicate to me the street population, such as homeless, vagrants, and runaways. And if their bodies were found, assuming bodies are left behind, it would be assumed they died of exposure, since Yuki-onna kill by draining the body through hypothermia."

"Wait a minute," Rei said. "Remember when I flashed back to that time Usagi gave her allowance to that homeless guy so he could get something to eat? Maybe that was a premonition after all." Usagi's hands flew to her mouth in horror.

"I think we're on to something," Minako nodded. "But why would you be in Hokkaido in the winter time if you're homeless?"

"If you have no money to travel with, you'd have to stay where you were and endure the elements as best you can," Ami surmised. "Asahikawa may not have the homeless problem that Tokyo has, but it undoubtedly has its share."

"Then why didn't she just come to Tokyo if the pickings were better?"

"She probably wanted to stay up north where the cold and snow is," Rei judged. "Her power is greater in the snow and cold. She may even be spiritually bound to that region."

"We can investigate the shelters first and see if they've noticed anyone missing," Ami outlined. "If we find a concentration of missing persons, we can narrow our search."

"After we land and check into an inn," Rei added, noticing that Ami was too intent upon the problem to consider accommodations.

"IF we land," Makoto whispered nervously.


Shingo came into the room and looked for his house mate. He found her standing on the balcony of the apartment they shared. Despite what little she wore and despite the fact that it was thirty degrees with a howling north wind, Yoriko stood on the balcony and placidly looked out over the city. Her long black hair was a stark contrast to her pale skin, a paleness that almost rendered her invisible at a distance when she was outside.

He thought he understood why Yoriko was pensive. One of her deepest fears, and yes it was possible for even mythological manifestations of the spirits of the dead to have fears, was being shunned for what she was. She knew humans feared her kind, and with good reason. When she finally revealed to him what she was, Shingo had nearly ran from her. But she wasn't a monster. She had been human once. Her village had been attacked by marauding bandits and many of the villagers had been slaughtered. Yoriko had managed to escape the wrath of the bandits by fleeing into the snow-covered woods, only to die of hypothermia.

Yes, she had wandered the countryside for four hundred and twenty years, remaining young and animated by seducing unwitting men and draining their life force. That was monstrous. But he had gotten to know the simple peasant girl beneath the monstrous acts, as no one ever had. And that's what Yoriko was afraid of: That she would be made to pay for the monstrous acts she had committed now that she had renounced those ways and abandoned the immortality of the succubus for the contented life that was stolen from her four hundred and twenty years ago.

Yoriko felt arms slither around her waist. She leaned back against the warm, sturdy frame of the human who had helped her regain her humanity. Warmth weakened her, but it was a condition she preferred to what she had been. It had been so long since someone had cared for her.

"You don't have to worry," Shingo whispered, nuzzling her ear and neck. "Sis and the others will keep your secret."

"Yes," Yoriko replied softly, placing her arms over Shingo's. "I believe it. Your sister has a spirit to her that I've never seen in a person before. I just feel that I can trust her no matter what. But maybe the others . . .?"

"They're good people, and very devoted to her," Shingo told her. "They'll keep silent if she does." He squeezed harder. "It's like my dad always used to say: 'You can't expect trust if you don't give it. A match may burn you, but the alternative is a very cold night.'"

"And cold nights can be deadly," Yoriko added. "I ought to know. Are you cold? We can go inside."

"I'm all right," Shingo said, "as long as I'm cuddled up to you."

They stood on the balcony and stared out over Tokyo at night.

"Do you think Sailor Moon will believe them?" Yoriko asked. "About Kagura, I mean."

"Depend on it," Shingo smiled, unseen by his love. "Sailor Moon and my sister are a lot alike."

"I hope so. There's a side to Kagura that scared me even when we were both Yuki-onna. She's so - - callous. It scares me to think of her having the power that the Urn can supposedly grant someone."

"You could probably say that about most people," Shingo mused.

"Her more than anyone," Yoriko maintained. "I'm truly scared of the prospect of a world under her whim. Scared for what will happen to you."

Yoriko turned in Shingo's arms to face him.

"And scared for another reason," Yoriko said. She swallowed nervously. "Shingo, I may be pregnant."

Shingo stared at her, stunned, and for a moment Yoriko feared for the relationship she valued so highly. Then a broad smile bloomed on his face and Yoriko felt her breast swell with relief.

"P-Pregnant?" he sputtered happily. "H-How?"

"How does a woman usually become pregnant?" Yoriko said with a silly smile. "We Yuki-onna are very fertile, for spirits of the dead. It's one of the side effects of our, well, condition." She rose up and kissed him lightly on the lips. "Tell me how many babies you want and I'll bear them for you."

Overwhelmed, Shingo pulled Yoriko to him and hugged her tightly. Yoriko buried her face in his chest and clung to him.

"I'm going to be a father," Shingo whispered. "It's got to be a little girl. A little girl I can dote on . . ." Suddenly he pulled back and looked at Yoriko with concern.

"Yuki-onna only have human babies," Yoriko assured him, guessing her lover's concern. "And I'd love it if our baby has your brown hair, no matter what the sex." Shingo smiled again.

"We've got to get married!" he chuckled.

"I'd marry you today, Shingo," Yoriko said, "but it's not necessary. Don't feel obligated just because I'm pregnant."

"No, I've been trying to get my courage up for weeks," Shingo exclaimed. "I want to spend my life with you. I want you to have my name." He smirked knowingly. "And once Sis finds out, we won't have a choice."

"I don't understand," Yoriko said, happily confused.

"You will," Shingo chuckled. "It's easier to fight the rising tide than it is my sister when she has her matchmaker's hat on."


Hojo Amakanami crawled into his blue tent and huddled down for the night. Pitched out of the way in an alley behind a book and magazine store, Hojo hoped to survive another night in peace. The day had been good enough to him to allow him something to eat and a bottle of spirits to warm him on another cold Asahikawa night. He kept promising himself that he was going to move to the south one day, for the older he got, the more difficult it was to survive northern winters. But walking depressed him and hurt his aching legs, and he could never scrounge up enough money to travel without blowing it first on alcohol.

Sensing it more than hearing it, Hojo turned over and looked. Though it was dark and the alley was poorly lit, there was enough light to tell him that someone was outside. Feeling under his blanket for the length of pipe he always carried to protect himself, Hojo watched the shadow kneel down near the tent entrance.

"May I come in?" said a throaty purr of a female voice. It was strange, not that it was female. The silhouette against the tent was female. Nor was it strange that the female's voice was so sensual. What was strange was that the silhouette was very small, as if the woman wasn't wearing a coat.

"No!" barked Hojo. He recalled the rumors of some of the area homeless being preyed upon, though it was difficult to believe some of the specifics of the rumors. They had the predator as being everything from a vampire to cultists. "There's only room for me!"

"I'm willing to - - pay - - for my share of your bed," the woman responded. The tone of her voice left little doubt what currency she intended to use.

Hojo swallowed. Alcohol and women were the two vices that had sent him spiraling down to where he was now. Alcohol may have destroyed his career, but women had destroyed his family. The mere thought of enjoying another female got the yearning going again. He glanced again at the silhouette. She looked shapely enough.

Peeking out of the tent, Hojo looked up. There was a goddess in the moonlight. Her long black hair blew in the north wind. Her long, flowing, low-cut gown, gossamer and virgin white, blew in the same wind. The palest possible creamy chest heaved once. Framed against the black of her hair and the black of the night, her skin seemed to glow ethereally. A perfect, delicate hand extended to him. Dropping the pipe, Hojo got to his feet and stared.

"Why?" he mumbled. "I'm not much to look at. Not anymore."

She smiled, ruby lips dark and seductive against her pale skin.

"You're everything I've ever wanted in a man," she said, and the longing grew more intense.

Standing still as she approached, Hojo felt her arms fold around the back of his neck. Her breath was cool as her lips neared his. Her breasts felt good against him. Their lips met and for a moment he knew more ecstasy than his mind had ever thought possible.

Then he felt weak. His strength seemed to ebb. There was some initial confusion before he realized that it was her. She was doing it. She was sucking everything he had and everything he was out of him. Panic swept over him and he searched his alcohol-slowed mind for a means of escape.

"STOP RIGHT THERE!" a woman's command echoed through the alley. Kagura disengaged from her victim, holding him as he dangled limply in her arms while she surveyed this new threat.

Standing in the alley mouth were Sailor Moon and the four Inner Senshi. Sailor Moon had the Moon Tier out and had it pointed in her direction. Mercury had her computer out and her visor down, surveying telemetry. Mars stood between them, a ward in one hand. Jupiter was on Sailor Moon's left, her lightning rod extended and energy crackling from it, while Venus stood to her left crouched and ready to attack.

Kagura, knowing of the reputation of the Senshi, hissed a warning. Then her body seemed to explode in a thick cloud of driving snow. The snow flew at the senshi, pelting them with frigid ice and snow pellets.

Continued in Chapter 5