AN: Picking cut-off points for these chapters is a bit of a trick. I posted this a lot more 'free-form' over on SB CrW, but oh well.
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Mizuno Saeko walked into the lobby of Mobile Police Forces Division Two's offices, the only branch of the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department that carried heavy combat equipment as standard, and approached the receptionist's desk directly.
"Excuse me," She said politely, "But who would I need to speak to if I'm concerned someone I know may need the protection of this division?"
"Either captain Goto, or captain Nagumo," The receptionist, a pretty young woman wearing an informal kimono of all things, said as she looked up at Saeko, "Captain Goto is currently in; would you like me to see if he is busy?"
"Yes please," Saeko said with a smile.
"Have a seat," The receptionist said, gesturing towards one of the lobby's rather spartan chairs.
Saeko did so, though only a few minutes passed before the receptionist called her name, and then guided her to the captain's office further within the building. The captain's office was not far, and once she was ushered in, she found herself to be facing a man utterly at odds with her expectations. He was tall, almost too tall to be Japanese, built more like some of her western coworkers at the hospital, his expression was lackadaisical at best, and he wasn't so much sitting in his chair as he was lounging in it.
"'Lo there," Goto said casually, making no move to stand to greet Saeko as she entered, "What can I do for you?"
"Well, Goto-san," Saeko said as she appropriated one of the chairs in front of the man's desk, "I am rather concerned for my daughter's safety, and was wondering if you had any officers who were interested in earning some extra income when they're not officially 'on the clock.'"
"Possibly," Goto said with a lazy shrug, "Depends on what you're looking for."
"I've checked the laws," Saeko said carefully, keeping a sharp eye on Goto's expression, "And legally, there is no functional difference between a police officer who is on, and off duty, so long as he follows procedures. I have concerns that my daughter may find herself in trouble, but hardly enough evidence to formally request an escort or intervention on the part of the law. I also happen to have a great deal of money, however, and was thus hoping to hire some unofficial protection from the law."
"And you came to the most heavily armed division of the Tokyo Metropolitan Police?" Goto said mildly, "I'm not going to hire my officers out as muscle for you, Mizuno-san."
"I'm not asking for muscle," Saeko said, shaking her head sharply, "All I want is for people armed with more than pissant little revolvers watching out for my daughter, and if she gets into a situation that merits it, intervene to no greater or lesser extent than they would in any other crime-in-progress while on duty."
"So basically," Goto said with a faint smile, "You're looking for bodyguards capable of carrying assault rifles and making arrests."
"You could put it that way," Saeko said with a sharp nod, "I'm willing to pay half-again an officer's normal hourly wage. Do you think any of your men will be interested?"
"We'll see," Goto said with a lazy grin.
((()))
"So," Luna said as she studied the four girls in front of her who were standing in the private part of the Hikawa Shrine's grounds, "As I have mentioned before, Venus is elsewhere, and acting under the guidance of my counterpart, Artemis. With the four of you gathered as well, that makes all of the Guardian Senshi, though only Usagi amongst you has transformed yet."
"I've seen Maho Shoujo," Makoto said flatly, still radiating some clear displeasure with the black Mau as she held up what looked like a novelty pen, "I take it these have something to do with us 'transforming'?"
"Yes," Luna said with a nod, "You are the reincarnation of Senshi Jupiter, Hino-san is the reincarnation of Senshi Mars, and Mizuno-san is the reincarnation of Senshi Mercury. If you will all raise your henshin wand, then say the name of your planet, and 'planet power, make up,' you should transform into your appropriate forms."
Makoto gave Luna a look, one which very clearly said 'seriously?' without a single spoken word. Rei held her 'henshin wand' between both of her hands, directly in front of her face, as she closed her eyes and attempted to feel the flows of energy within the odd artifact. Ami just studied the device curiously, recognizing the classical sigil of Mercury from Roman mythology on the end of it. Unusually for her passive disposition, she was the first to actually use the item, calling out the named transformation phrase.
A few seconds of disorienting light-show later, she was clad in a white blouse that fit more like a swimsuit, and a blue skirt shorter than anything else she'd ever worn in her life.
"Charming," The elder Hino said, shivering slightly in his seat, "Though that is a lot of power you are channeling right now, young lady. Do you have any idea what to do with it?"
"Not really, Hino-san," Ami said shyly, her body posture curling inwards in reaction to feeling overexposed by the skimpy outfit, "I don't suppose you could teach me?"
"Sorry girl," Hino said with a shake of his head, still shaking slightly from the pressure of Mercury's power, "I know some charms for warding, purification, and detection, but that's about it. I manipulate ki more than 'proper' magic anyway; I very much doubt there are more than a handful of 'true' practitioners left in Japan, and I further doubt they have a fraction of the power you do."
"You might be surprised," A new voice cut in, and everyone's attention turned to a tall blonde man wearing what looked like a dress military uniform and cape, "Recently four more of us have arrived."
"You," Hino said calmly, standing and striding forward to place himself between the newcomer in the girls, "The sense of your power; you were the one on the bus."
"I was," The man said, a positively fiendish grin coming to his face, "I am Jadeite, general of the Dark Kingdom, and since you have been kind enough to gather all of the Senshi in one place, I'm afraid I will need to kill you now."
((()))
Waiting idly in their patrol car at the base of the stairs to the Hikawa shrine, Izumi Noa and Ohta Isao both started violently as a reverbrating crash sounded from the shrine above, followed seconds later by a thunderclap.
"Shit," Ohta growled as he kicked his door open, before blitzing around to the back of the squad car, and popping open the trunk, "And you said I wouldn't need the SAW!"
Izumi was already halfway up the shrine's stairs.
((()))
AN: Shit happens man. Nasty shit.
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When I woke up, I was in pain. My 'HUD' informed me that I had 30 out of 165 Life Points, and was at a -269 All Action Penalty due to critical damage. Due to the added difficulty, the most basic of tasks had taken on a difficulty of 'Almost Impossible,' and the sheer amount of pain involved in just breathing drove the point home with excruciating clarity.
Opening my eyes, I could see nothing but a washed out, confused blur of colors. I called out, attempting to draw attention, but my words were mangled; I tried to sit up, to grasp something with my hands, but all I managed was to thrash around weakly. Even that little was too much, and exhausted by my efforts, I passed out again.
((()))
"He woke up briefly today, Mizuno-san," The receptionist on the phone reported, "He wasn't awake for long, but he moved pretty much every major muscle group, so sensei thinks he'll make a full recovery."
"Thank you," Saeko said, exhaustion plain in her voice, "My daughter could certainly use some good news. You can expect her to be by to visit later today."
((()))
The second time I woke, I managed to remember that I had paws, not hands, and that the rest of my physical 'malfunctions' were at least in part because I was stuck in the body of a cat. I didn't really manage much more, aside from suffering the pain in my chest. Thankfully, it was not long before I passed out again.
((()))
"Is he aware of the world around him?"
"Were not sure yet, Mizuno-chan, but he's conscious for longer periods every day."
"...It's kind of scary, like when I first found him."
"Hai, I've read his history. He really tends to get into trouble, doesn't he?"
"Mmm."
"Or maybe it's just that some Kami cursed the Hikawa shrine. Did you hear what happened to it?"
"I was there."
"...Oh. Is that were you were injured?"
"Hai. I was one of the lucky ones though..."
"...I'll leave you alone with your cat now."
((()))
The pain faded slowly. By 'slowly' I mean I could gradually perceive the pain's recession from period of consciousness to period of consciousness. It wasn't fun, at all, but eventually it came to a place where it was bearable at least. A more coherent awareness of the world around me developed as well; just enough that I could tell I was being kept at the Vet's office, before I started waking up in the Mizuno home again, specifically, to Ami feeding me.
She had done it before, when I was crippled the first time, but hadn't known I was sapient. Now, with her aware of the fact that I was more than 'just' a cat, it was both one of the most humiliating and intimate experiences I'd ever had. Humiliating, because I was so utterly incapable of taking care of myself that I needed such coddling, intimate, because I hadn't received that kind of direct, personal care purely because someone cared for me since I was a young child.
Despite the continual intense pain from the wound Jadeite had inflicted on me, part of my heart insisted that having that kind of compassion displayed towards me made it all worth it.
((()))
When Jaeger finally recovered enough to start responding to her questions, gesturing with his tail for writing material, Ami was so happy she nearly cried.
"Jaeger-kun," She breathed as she lay the cat on the dining table, and placed a pencil and piece of paper alongside him, "...um... ...can you understand me clearly?"
'Yes,' Jaeger wrote out, though his writing was a lot sloppier than usual, 'How long has it been?'
"Two weeks," Ami said, a smile spreading through her voice and across her face, "I was so worried, we nearly lost you!"
Jaeger awkwardly extended a paw over to Ami, and rested it on her hand.
'I'm sorry for worrying you,' He wrote, 'But one of the Dark Generals was moving to abduct some people and I needed to act as soon as possible. What have I missed while I was out.'
Ami told him; Jaeger hissed.
((()))
The Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department Headquarters was a large building, though not unusually so by Tokyo standards. It was easily large enough that the Superintendant General, one Sakurada Natsuna, could easily arrange for people she wanted to see to 'lose' any inconvenient tails, be they press, political, or police officers who didn't know how to keep their mouths shut in front of said reporters and political hacks.
It took a good twenty minutes, after entering the building with her cat in hands, for Mizuno Ami and her mother to reach their destination, guided by a rotation of officers that Natsuna personally considered trustworthy. Said destination was a mid-sized conference room, already occupied by Tsukino Usagi and her parents, Makoto Kino, a stony-faced Hino Rei, and the Superintendant-General herself, along with two aides. Quite unusually for the TMPD HQ, a second cat was already on the conference table when the Mizunos entered, though it took Jaeger only a second to recognize Luna once she turned towards him.
"Ohayo, Saeko-san, Ami-san," Sakurada called with a gentle smile as they entered, "How is Jaeger-kun doing?"
Jaeger flicked his tail, and Ami smiled hesitantly back at the older woman, though she was too intimidated to actually speak. Ami had, of course, heard of Sakurada Natsuna; it was impossible not to, given the young age at which she had risen to her rank, especially given that she was a woman in a culture that largely still held quite strongly to its patriarchal roots. Natsuna was barely in her mid-thirties, and like many Japanese women, looked much younger; Ami didn't particularly have the eyes to see it, but Saeko readily recognized that the woman spent a considerable amount of time on her appearance, and not just to look good, but to achieve a look that served a particular purpose.
Natsuna was gorgeous; slender of form, with wide, brilliant blue eyes set in a smooth, softly shaped face, and sleek, glistening hair done up in a bun that was both attractive, and professional. Saeko had worked with any number of professional women, some of them on the top of their career track (including herself), and knew how to read the image that the woman was trying to project. Dressed in the female version of the dark blue uniform that all TMPD officers wore, with the notable addition of four gold stars on the collar, she conveyed an image that was pretty and attractive enough to appeal to people who would see her in public appearances and apply little enough thought that the positive impression her physical appearance made would be all they remembered, while still remaining professional enough that more prejudiced chauvinists would not be able to accuse her of either pretending to be a man, or being too 'girly' for the job, and maintaining a commonality with the officers under her command by wearing the same uniform they did.
All of it was topped off with a force of presence, a force of personality that made it subconsciously clear that she was in command of the situation, that she was in charge, and held authority wherever she was. Saeko had projected the same sort of aura at times when dealing with conflicts at the hospital she worked at, but never with anywhere near the intensity or ease that the other woman did. Since meeting the woman for the first time over a week ago, Natsuna had come to represent a kindred spirit on a different path to Saeko.
To Ami, Natsuna was just intimidating.
"He's well enough that he's asking about what's happened while he was insensate," Saeko eventually said for Ami, nodding towards the large cat the girl was cradling in her arms, "And yesterday he started being coherent for hours on end, so he should be up for briefing us."
"Good," Natsuna said, gesturing towards a pair of chairs just on the other side of one of her aides from her own, "Have a seat, and let's get started."
Once the Mizuno women were seated, and Jaeger was placed on the table beside a set of writing implements, Natsuna's attention shifted to the Maine Coon, and despite feeling a little silly (even after regular conversations with Luna over the last week), she addressed the cat directly.
"So," She asked, "Jaeger-san, Luna tells me you have intelligence available regarding the 'Dark Kingdom,' specifically that you have already revealed at least some of their objectives, and some of their force disposition."
Jaeger nodded, and just for the sake of establishing his status as more than an overly-large cat, wrote 'yes' out on one of the provided sheets of paper as well.
"Good," Natsuna said with a nod, "Luna here has briefed me on what she knows, and the situation thus far is as simple as it is grim. Eleven days ago, an individual by the name of 'Jadeite' attacked the Hikawa shrine via offensive magic, specifically attempting to kill the resident Hino family and their guests. Due primarily to the sacrifice of Hino Sousuke, the proprietor of the shrine, Hino himself was the only fatality that Jadeite was able to inflict."
Rei's face slowly reddened and her jaw clenched, as anger and grief warred within the girl; Natsuna turned a sympathetic look her way before continuing.
"Due to the actions of officer Izumi Noa," She said, her voice grim, "And private citizen Kino Makoto, Jadeite was killed before he could do more than injure any of the others, though supernatural defenses on the parts of the surviving occupants had a great deal to do with it. Normally, the account of a single officer and a handful of civilians wouldn't bring such an incident to my attention; as sad as it is, Tokyo is a city of thirteen million, and there are too many murders amongst that number to draw my personal attention. What did bring it to my attention..." Natsuna gestured towards one of her aides, and the man activated a very modern overhead projector, which spread an image of the pulverized rubble of the entire Hikawa shrine, as well as a fair bit of the shattered forest on the hill around it, across one wall.
"Whatever form of magic this Jadeite fellow used," Natsuna continued, her voice and face conveying deadly seriousness, "It caused detonations almost on a level with a fuel-air-bomb. We've had the JSDF and the USJF crawling all over the site, and due to press coverage, at this point, it's functionally been declared the site of a terrorist attack, whether it truly is or not." Natsuna leaned forward, and stared down at the Maine Coon on the conference table in front of her, "The eyes of the nation are on this city, and the only reason that my political detractors aren't screaming for my removal due to failure to accomplish anything after this, is the fact that the JSDF and USJF have returned just as little result as my officers have. None of the other organizations involved are willing to even consider the possibility of supernatural involvement in this mess, despite the eyewitness accounts, despite the irregularities of the blast patterns, and I'm not handing Luna over to the Diet as 'evidence.' What can you give me to help us fight this threat before political infighting cripples us, Jaeger-kun?"
((()))
The woman was sharp. Every bit as sharp as Saeko, but unlike the senior Mizuno woman, Sakurada Natsuna had dedicated herself to a career in criminal justice, and she clearly knew a lot more about what to ask than Saeko did, which was hardly surprising. I filled her in on pretty much everything, including the names of the seven 'Great Youma' hosts, and the fact that Usagi was the princess Luna was looking for.
That got a bit of a reaction. Sakurada kept things on track though; she didn't even have to shout in order to do so. She moved on to the enemy's location, objectives, and capabilities, and once she did that, she got a bit of a funny look on her face, and then asked the hardest question someone had put to me since I arrived in this time and place.
((()))
"If you knew all these things, Jaeger-kun, all the different things magic was capable of, why didn't you prepare for them when you ambushed Jadeite?"
The cat paused, and lifted his tail to write out a response, before twitching, and lowering it. Then he raised his tail again, before twitching again, and lowering it; the pattern repeated itself three times before Jaeger finally wrote something out, though it wasn't what Natsuna expected.
'I'm sorry,' He wrote, 'What was the question again?'
Natsuna leaned back in her seat, and began tapping her lips thoughtfully with a finger. Most of the room's other occupants looked on in confusion, though Saeko winced, and a look of dawning horror came across Ami's face. Natsuna spent a few minutes looking around the room, gauging the others' reactions, before one of her aids tapped her on the shoulder.
"Yes?" She said mildly.
"Aino has just arrived," The aide said quietly, "She should be here in ten minutes."
"Thank you, Nara-kun," Natsuna said with a small smile, before turning towards Jaeger again, "Now as I recall, Jaeger-kun, some being has laid a powerful curse upon you, limiting your own magical abilities?"
'Yes,' Jaeger replied, 'A powerful dragon lay three curses upon me. One to turn me into this form you now see, one to bar my access to psychic disciplines, one to bar my access to the paths of magic.'
"Can you tell me what affect that has had on your ability to think about the practical uses and affects of magic?" Natsuna asked.
Jaeger twitched, and stared at her. And continued to stare, until Natsuna frowned prettily and sighed, before turning to look at the Mizunos.
"How long has this been happening for?" She asked, noting that Jaeger twitched again as she asked the question.
"...For about as long as we've known he could communicate," Saeko said with a scowl, "I already knew he had mental problems, but it wasn't clear just what they were."
"And what are they, Mizuno-san?" Rei asked, her tone painfully dispassionate.
"As best I can tell," Saeko said, "And keep in mind we're trying to psychoanalyze a cat here, the curses are keeping him from making the jump from the theoretical understanding of magic, to the practical understanding of what it actually does."
As soon as the words were out of Saeko's mouth, Jaeger screamed. It was as much a snarl as a scream; a cat's throat simply wasn't structured like a human's, but it was a shrill, piercing sound that caused thos around the table (and Luna atop it) to recoil violently nonetheless, while the twitches Jaeger had been experiencing intensified into a spastic fit.
"Does anybody here know how to restrain a cat?" Natsuna shouted, her hands over her ears to block out the painful sound of the cat's screeching, "He's going to hurt himself!"
Makoto lunged halfway across the table out of her chair, and slammed her hands down onto Jaeger's shoulders, pinning him in place, though it did nothing to stop the yowling.
"Waaahhh!" Usagi burst out, "So loud! Make it stop!"
A small panic ensued amongst the civilians, and one of Natsuna's aids withdrew a tazer from inside his coat, glancing at the Superintendant-General meaningfully, but she shook her head. Just over half a minute later, Jaeger's fit ended, and the cat flopped onto his side, panting tiredly.
"Well," Natsuna said softly in the startling silence that ensued, "That little question is answered, I think. Makoto-chan," she turned to face the younger Mizuno, "Could you and Ami-chan please take care of Jaeger for the time being? However limited he may have been by the curses he suffers, he has already given us all of the information that we need to make a plan."
Both of the teenagers nodded, Makoto gently sweeping the large cat off of the table and into her lap, Ami sidling closer to converse quietly with the much larger girl.
"So," Natsuna said, turning her attention away from the distressed cat, and towards Rei, her expression regretful, "Our first objective will be the recovery of these 'jewel's Jaeger spoke of. We may already have one of them in our possession, but in order to be certain, I'll need you to authorize a full autopsy on your grandfather's body."
"That's unlikely to reveal anything," Luna put in, "The jewels were used as focal points for metaphysical seals. While the full magical theory is beyond me, either because I was never that advanced in sealing magic, or because I've forgotten, I'm pretty sure that the jewels shouldn't be physically present."
"Unfortunately," Natsuna said grimly, "Given the nature of the threat we face, I can't take that chance. I assume that if the gem did not manifest upon his death, it will have instead fled with his spirit until such time as it reincarnates anew?"
"...I think so?" Luna said hesitantly, "Spiritual metaphysics weren't my strong point before my long spell in stasis."
"And that is a certainty that I cannot take a chance upon," Natsuna said, staring the cat down, and ignoring the part of her that said the conversation she was having was utterly absurd, "If the jewel is lost to both us and the Dark Kingdom, we need little fear a global-scale threat, but must fight powerful magical foes, apparently concealed beneath the ice caps, with mundane resources and the magical abilities of empowered girls who barely have reached the cusp of adulthood. If the jewel is not lost, then the entire fate of the world depends on who gains control of the seven first. I am not willing to believe any location in this world is beyond the reach of such powerful foes capable of teleportation."
"Do it," Rei said, her voice harsh from the strain of emotions within her, her face stretched into a frightening scowl, "My grandfather gave his life to protect us. It is the tradition of my family to cremate our dead, and he would be most displeased if we risked the entire world over what was done to his remains before cremation."
"Thank you, Hino-san," Natsuna said formally, "For another sacrifice on all of our behalf."
A somewhat strained quiet fell over the table for a few seconds, as Natsuna conferred with one of her aids via whispers, then he stood and left the conference room. Fortunately, the quiet did not last long, as the door opened again less than a minute after the man had left the room, admitting another blonde teenage girl, this one carrying a white cat with a crescent-shape on its forehead.
"Welcome, Minako-chan," Natsuna said with a small smile, "Have a seat, and we'll catch you up on what's been happening."
((()))
AN: Remember, the author has long-since decided to leave 'canon' manga content behind. Keep that in mind before you make knee-jerk reaction posts in regard to things referred to by various characters.
((()))
From a purely physical perspective, the brain is not supposed to be able to feel pain; it doesn't have the receptors for it. I've heard many times that patients only receive a local anesthetic for some forms of brain surgery (so that they don't feel their skull being sawed open), so that they can give surgeons feedback on what the surgery is doing to them.
This either does not apply to cats, or the curse put me under some form of metaphysical pain like nothing I have ever known before. It was bad enough that I was literally insensate to the world around me, all eight of my senses utterly overwhelmed by the deluge of pain, my thought processes scrambled, until I faded into a sort of half-awareness.
Oddly enough, the first thing I was aware of, was that a mechanical addiction was being fulfilled; a few seconds later I became aware that this meant someone was cuddling me; a few seconds after that, I could make out brown and blue hair above me. It took a few more seconds to make the mental connection that Ami and Makoto were holding me; nearly a minute for my vision to clear enough to make out their features.
I groaned, feeling more than a little pitiful, and the sound came out as a pathetic mewl, which inspired Ami to pick me up from their laps, and cradle my head up against her shoulder. I lay limp in her grip for several minutes before I fully regained my senses, finding that Natsuna was briefing Aino Minako about the situation at hand.
((()))
"...Sooo, you've dealt with a Dark General here, but there's three more, then the boss-monster?" Minako summarized.
"I suppose you could put it like that," Natsuna said, "But the focus is really much more on the jewels. From what Jaeger-kun has provided us with, they are the decisive pieces on the field."
"Maybe," Minako said, making a slightly disgusted face, "But I can tell you for sure, that Dark Kingdom stooges won't give up until they're dead. We'd probably be better off getting one of the jewels, then using it as bait to take out the rest of them, instead of trying to get all seven and splitting our forces up."
"I'm hesitant to agree, Minako-chan," Natsuna said, "But you are the one with the most experience fighting the Dark Kingdom's agents. Do you have any advice on how to fight them?"
Minako's eyes went flat, her expression dead, her mood dying such an abrupt death that even Natsuna flinched.
"Yeah," Minako said quietly, "Check everyone you know, and I mean everyone, to see if they're an infiltrator."
"Well then," Natsuna said, a hint of sorrow in her voice, "We'll start with that. I assume you have a means of discerning whether an individual is a traitor or not?"
"That'd be me," Artemis said, leaping down onto the surface of the table, "And if she remembers yet, Luna as well."
It was at that point, that Jaeger yowled, and rolled himself out of Ami's grip and onto the table as well, before crossing to stand beside Luna.
"Great Spot!" Minako exclaimed as she got her first clear view of the larger feline, "What kind of cat is that?"
"Jaeger-kun is a Meinkun," Ami supplied helpfully.
"He's huge!" Minako said, her eyes widening even further when Artemis crossed the table to stand beside the other two cats, allowing her to see that no, Luna wasn't just very small for a cat.
"He's American," Ami said, raising a hand to hide a giggle.
"Ohhhh," Minako said, nodding with understanding, "That makes sense."
"Matters of size aside," Natsuna said, a small bit of bittersweet humor returning to her, "We'll start with myself and my aides, before moving on to every single other member of the TMPD in this building. With what I have in mind, we can't afford any security leaks."
((()))
I'm not entirely sure what Luna and Artemis used to check if others where infiltrators, but it was some kind of magic or another, so it didn't matter that much to me. What I had, on the other hand, was the Eyes of the Soul, and when you walked right up to someone and stared at them with said eyes, you could tell whether or not their Ki was flowing in natural patterns damn quick. My basic ki-sense was pretty decent too, but there were ways of fooling that.
It turns out Natsuna's caution was justified, we did find one infiltrator Youma working in the TMPD, specifically inside the records department, which gave them access to all past cases with no restriction. It also made it fairly easy for them to get information on current investigations without too much trouble, they could just ask for copies 'for the archives.'
I'm still not sure whether the Dark Kingdom is being run by very sharp planners, or idiots. It's hard to tell at this point. Either way, Natsuna made it very clear that she wanted to try taking the Youma down with conventional weapons before bringing up the magical combatants; combat experimentation was necessary at some point, and thus, the Youma's boss was directed to call her down to the firing range for a proficiency test...
((()))
Natsuna liked having a firing range in the very citadel of her power (also known as the TMPD Headquarters); not only did it allow her to maintain her skill without having to interrupt her own schedule too much, it also allowed her to accomplish many other things without undue fuss, such as what more or less amounted to an assassination. There wasn't really much else to call it, when four magical girls were waiting in the wings, just in case the two snipers with anti-material rifles couldn't get the job.
Assuming, of course, that the identified infiltrator actually proved to be a Youma; as much as Natsuna believed in establishing trusting relationships with the people she worked with, as a matter of principle, she was not willing to give a kill order just on the word of a cat that hadn't proven its ability to her personally yet. Even if she was willing to put that much trust in an as-yet unproven ability on the part of a sentient talking magical cat, doing it without further substantiation would cost her her job when one of her political detractors heard of it. Which they would sooner or later, nothing stayed secret forever in Tokyo.
Fortunately, not only had Artemis been correct when he identified the Youma in her ranks, but Jaeger had been right when he laid out his basic psychological profile for Youma; arrogant, conceited, and very impulsive when provoked.
"Look!" Luna gasped as 'Officer Mamono' stepped into the firing range, "A Youma!"
The 'woman' glanced around the firing range, saw no visible signs of humans within, then turned a predatory sneer on the female feline.
"Look," 'She' said, her voice mutating into a guttural growl as her body twisted into a warped monstrosity, "A Mau all alone in-"
The thundering report of a .50 caliber sniper rifle cut off the rest of the Youma's words, much like the round the weapon had fired cut through her head. A head which rather than spewing blood and brains, disintegrated into dust, followed rapidly by the rest of the abomination's body. Natsuna had not exactly disbelieved what the others had told her, but this, this was something she had needed to see before she started issuing orders that would carry throughout the city at large.
Especially given the stakes that they were, in fact playing for.
"Well boys," Natsuna said aloud as she stepped out from behind one of the sniper's blinds, "It look like heavy ordinance works on them without the need for magic, so that's good." A small smile broke out on her face before she continued, "Also, they're ugly, which is good because we'll be able to pick them out in a crowd, and bad, because ew!"
((()))
I could see the change, when Natsuna shifted from 'reasonably confident' that we weren't bullshitting her, to 'committed.' Her body-language changed, the look in her eyes, and she shifted from small-scale to large-scale planning as soon as we left the firing range in the basement. Apparently, she keeps three different task forces, each with their own sub-divisions, ready for 'go do' tasks; a mixture of quick-response teams and discretionary manpower. One of them is occupied, one of them has two of its divisions engaged in rapid-response reactions elsewhere in the city; the third, with more than a hundred men and women comprising its force, has been dedicated to tracking down the first of the jewel-bearers, while the magical contingent tries to figure out how to extract them.
The first one they decided to track down is a priest named Peter Gabriel (no relation to the singer), an Anglican Vicar in Yokohama. Natsuna is having her 'collection team' operating under the belief that his parish has been identified as a potential attack site by the same group that hit the Hikawa shrine; it's the truth, even if not exactly for the reason that they suspect. In the mean time, I need to repair the damage done to my puppet swarm; It's not the best combat capacity ever, but it's the best that I've got.
((()))
Makoto had never watched a cat carve wood before; it weirded her out a little bit, but she was thankful for the distraction, given what was happening in the other room. Watching Artemis and That Cat try to figure out just what Jaeger was doing went beyond distracting, into downright entertaining.
"Look," Artemis said, clearly frustrated, "I'm not trying to say your work is pointless, but I still don't understand how charging wood with the damn things' food is going to allow you to hurt them."
Jaeger's tail flicked out and wrote down a simple response, 'Have you ever tried to eat something with claws that really did not want to be eaten?'
"That's different," Artemis said, rolling his eyes in exasperation, "Youma sap life-energy with a touch, even if you touch them with a claw."
'How many amongst the moon kingdom were trained to use their ki as a weapon?' Jaeger replied, setting aside a small carved limb, before picking up another small branch to gnaw and claw on.
"...None," Artemis admitted, "I don't understand how it can make that much of a difference though."
'Makoto,' Jaeger wrote, his tail flicking towards the small desk that occupied one corner of the lounge they were waiting in, 'Could you toss me a pencil from that desk?'
"Sure," Makoto said shrugging before crossing over to the desk, fishing a pencil out of a cup filled with writing utensils that lay atop it, and tossing it across the room towards Jaeger.
It was intercepted halfway across the room by a puppet with a knife, which sliced it in half, then caught both halves, and drew them around to where Jaeger was working.
"Some of the sensei I learned from," Makoto said carefully, as Artemis stared at the animated doll in confusion, "Said I have very strong ki. I generally thought they were talking about my drive to be strong, but sometimes it seemed like they meant something more than that, but I wasn't sure what. If that's using Ki, not magic, then maybe you can tell me what kind of ki they meant?"
Jaeger turned to look at her, one paw deftly pushing the branch he was working on around in his mouth as he skillfully gnawed on it, and after a moment, his eyes began to subtly glow.
'Ki can be used subconsciously to make a warrior stronger, faster, tougher,' Jaeger wrote out, 'All I need to do is look at your energies to see that you have learned to do all three. It is highly likely that the only reason you were able to injure Jadeite at all, is because you are literally supernaturally strong.'
"I don't know if I like that," Makoto said, "Does that mean I've been cheating in sparring matches?"
'No,' Jaeger replied, 'Anyone is capable of what you have done. Only those of truly great determination will actually achieve it, however. It is no more unfair than a first-dan sparring with a fifth dan.'
"I guess-" Makoto began, but was cut off by Natsuna (with her ever-present pair of aides) and Rei entering the room, a brilliant jewel clutched in Rei's white-knuckled hands.
"The jewel has been recovered," Natsuna said grimly, "We're going to have to start attempting extraction methods with the police."
((()))
Hurry up and wait. Luna, Artemis, and all of the assembled Senshi were working on trying to get the rainbow jewel out of the vicar; I didn't really have anything to do with myself except for making more puppets. Fortunately, it wasn't hard to convince Saeko to buy me some raw steel, or Natsuna to let me use the small machine shop in the TMPD headquarters (it was there to support the motor pool). I had to experiment a fair bit, between using the assorted machine tools and my own ki-augmented claws and fangs, but I was able to craft some reasonably high-quality puppets without too much trouble. The moon was moving towards new, so working at night helped.
Before long though, I'd managed to rig up something I was more than proud of, this time not a swarm, but rather a single, powerful beast of a thing. It took me three days to make; if I hadn't been of supernatural endurance, it doubtless would have taken me even longer, because I ended up operating on not a whole lot of sleep. Some of the TMPD officers who were 'in' on Natsuna's operation came by to watch me work sometimes; I suppose it's not every day that you see a giant cat building a giant metal cat.
I think I may have pissed off Saeko with how much metal I used though.
((()))
"My queen," Nephrite announced grandly, "I have successfully divined the source of our troubles, and Jadeite's defeat."
"And that would be?" Beryl demanded coldly, gazing dispassionately down at one of her three surviving human(ish) subordinates.
"It would appear that a third Mau survived the destruction of the Moon Kingdom, oh so long ago," Nephrite said theatrically, conjuring an image of a shaggy cat with a gesture, "One who retained considerably more knowledge and ability than the pair of courtiers who've been advising the reincarnated Senshi thus far."
"I assume you have a plan to deal with this nuisance then?" Beryl asked, her icy tone making it clear that 'no' was not a valid answer.
"Of course, my queen," Nephrite said simply, "A plan as simple as it is direct; wait until the Mau is alone, and then teleport in and seize him; the only question is whether you would prefer him dead or alive?"
"Alive!" Beryl declared, "If this wretched creature knows of secrets of the time before the Fall, we must have them."
"Of course, my queen," Nephrite said, bowing deeply, "Then I have your leave to devote our full resources to this plan?"
"Do so at once!" Beryl demanded, "I do not wish to see your face again until you can bring me word of your success."
"By your command," Nephrite said, saluted, and then teleported away.
((()))
Supernatural awareness only goes so far. Being able to see the very life-force of a being is a great boon; having senses that are literally paranormally sharp gives one an excellent edge in battle. None of these things matter of your enemy catches you (literally) napping, and their method of insertion to the battlefield is teleportation.
Being outnumbered three to one, when each of your foes is more powerful than you individually, is just gratuitous.
Nephrite, Kunzite, and Zoicite all teleported into the room where I had been cat-napping (the living room at the Mizonos), which fortunately was not a particularly subtle entrance, and I snapped awake instantly. I've always been good at not freezing up when a sudden crisis pops up in front of me; not always the best at making the right snap decision, but I always make one. Memories of pain connected with my confrontation with one Dark General drove my reaction to having three show up surrounding me; I bolted.
I hope Saeko doesn't mind the broken window too much.
((()))
"You were right, Nephrite," Kunzite said rather grudgingly as he stared out of the window the cat had just smashed its way out through, "I'm already annoyed with the wretched little ball of fur."
"Fortunately," Zoicite said, gesturing sharply towards the cat that had just landed on the street below, "We have ways of dealing with such nuisances."
A writhing mass of darkness erupted around the cat, pinning it in place; the creature struggled, but the bonds held, and the three Generals teleported down to street level. Unfortunately, the bonds did not continue to hold, as the cat sank its fangs into one of the ribbons of darkness pinning it down, tearing it apart, and then tearing free. Zoicite launched a second mass of shadows at the creature, but it slashed them apart with its claws and fled.
"Why must I be surrounded by incompetents?" Nephrite moaned as he snapped his fingers, summoning a considerably larger mass of shadows, then flicked it at the fleeing feline.
The larger shadowy mass cocooned the cat totally, and though it thrashed about within its prison, the more powerful bonds Nephrite had conjured endured.
"If you're willing to waste your energy on such an overpowered spell, of course it will be more effective," Zoicite returned with a sneer.
"If it's effective," Nephrite said flatly as he walked over to pick up the bundle of shadows, "And a lesser effort isn't, it's hardly a waste, is it?"
And with that, the trio disappeared, captured cat in tow.
((()))
"Well," Natsuna said as she studied the 'crime scene,' such as it was, "This may make things significantly more difficult."
"May?" Saeko said, a tinge of disbelief in her tone, "Jaeger knows pretty much everything we're planning, not to mention the identity of all the jewel-bearers. If they get him to talk-"
"If," Natsuna said pointedly, "We've been operating on the assumption that he's been telling us the truth for some time now; and do you remember what he told us about his personal history?"
Saeko grimaced as she thought back to some of the things the large feline had told her and her daughter, before the police or any of the other senshi had been brought into the conflict.
"Exactly," Natsuna continued grimly, "I rather doubt they'll be able to force him to crack. If they do however, I intend to be prepared."
"How so?" Saeko asked.
"Jiro," Natsuna said with a smile as she turned towards the named aid, "Please get ahold of Admiral Burkhalter's aide."
((()))
"The Mau in question, my queen," Nephrite announced as he dropped the bundle of writhing shadow in Beryl's throne room.
Beryl raised a disdainful eyebrow towards Nephrite, who correctly interpreted the gesture, and shaped the ribbons of shadow binding the cat such that its head was exposed; it hissed at all of them, but did not speak.
"Cur," Beryl scowled, "I will give you one chance to discard your foolhardy loyalty to the dregs of Serenity's," she spat the name like it was a curse, "Ruined empire, and swear loyalty to myself."
The cat stuck its tongue out at her, and Beryl's expression turned murderous.
"Very well then," She growled, "I will have what I need of you without your aid."
So saying, she began to chant and twist her right hand about, smoothly flowing through the motions of a potent spell, wisps of darkly gleaming energy beginning to flow from her hand into the bound feline. Its struggles to escape from Nephrite's binding spell redoubled, and as the first of the wisps reached its eyes, it burst free, only to descend into an epileptic fit as the magic touched its mind.
"What is this?" Beryl demanded as she glared down at the spasming creature, her painted lips twisting in distaste, as though she had bitten into something of an utterly wretched flavor, "I know that you lack the power to resist my magics..."
She stepped down from the dais on which her throne rested, her eyes beginning to glow as she studied the supernatural aspect of the creature before her. A hint of surprise showed for an instant on her face, before her glowing eyes narrowed in concentration, and she slowly circled around the cat as it regained control of its limbs.
"I," She said, faintly thoughtful, "Have not seen a magic such as this since before my mentor died, and even he would not go to so much trouble to curse a mere advisor. You are more than you seem, little Mau, but I will know what soon enough."
Another spell, this time a longer one, flowed from her lips and hands, and pages began to coalesce around her, swiftly stacking themselves together into a thick tome; when a spine and cover appeared over the magical book, the spell was complete, and Beryl plucked it out of the air. 'Jaeger' was inscribed on the cover, and Beryl wasted no time in opening the volume and consulting the table of contents. Which, to her displeasure, comprised almost twenty percent of the pages with anything actually written on them, but what she discovered on those pages swiftly overcame her displeasure.
"Well then," She said, glancing down at the cat for a moment before returning her attention to the tome, "Not a Mau at all, are you? A human cursed into the form of a cat, and beyond that, your own not-inconsiderable magical abilities tightly bound. You never were a subject of the Crystal Throne, were you?"
The cat hissed again, but shook its head.
"And you're mute. I do suppose that a common cat would lack a Mau's ability to speak," Beryl continued, a shadow of speculative interest spreading across her face as she spoke, "You truly could be a worthy vassal, once the curse upon you is lifted."
The woman gestured again, and a set of writing implements appeared in front of Jaeger.
"Now that you are capable of responding," Beryl commanded imperiously, "Where are you originally from? With whom do your loyalties lie?"
'My loyalties lie with my God and the ideals I derive from His creed,' Jaeger replied, 'Before they lie with any liege.'
"One would suppose that a dimensional wanderer such as yourself would lack both a sovereign to bring with him," Beryl mused thoughtfully, "Or a domain capable of following," she paused, her demeanor shifting in a more imperious direction again before she continued, "But you are now in my domain, and thus you must answer for your actions in interfering with the work of my subjects."
'Your subjects were assaulting people without just cause,' Jaeger replied, 'stopping them was simply the right thing to do.'
"You have no right to interfere in the work of my agents!" Beryl snarled, "Earth is my domain, and you have no title or standing to challenge my commands!"
'Do the people swear allegiance to you or your throne?' Jaeger asked, 'Does the currency carry your image? Do the flags bear your crest? You claim sovereignty, yet I see no proof of your authority."
"Usurpers," Beryl hissed, energy beginning to crackle around her hands, "I will bring them to heel in time."
'So you say,' Jaeger said, flicking his tail dismissively, 'Yet others ruled before you did, and many would doubtless call you an usurper. If you come to hold actual authority, and rule as a wise and just monarch, I will be willing to serve you in some capacity; there are many shattered nations around the world that could use a strong ruler, and likely would welcome such. Japan is not such a nation, and all I have seen your vassals do is sow destruction.'
Fury, outrage, and something else that Jaeger could not quite identify warred in Beryl's eyes, long moments of locked gazes stretching onward, until Beryl finally broke the gaze first.
"Nephrite," She commanded imperiously, "Take this creature to our maximum security cell. He shall remain their until such time as our realm is restored, and then he shall prove the truth to his words."
"At once, my queen," Nephrite bowed, seized the cat by the scruff of his neck, and then disappeared.
((()))
AN: Oddly enough, by the time I was writing the last third/quarter of this fic, I'd actually forgotten about the scene where the TMPD infiltrator Youma was revealed/destroyed. I'd thought that I had intended to include such a creature, then forgotten to do so. Funny how things like that can work, isn't it?