Disclaimer : Yeah, I do own some of the characters in this story. But not Sailormoon and its characters. They're all rightfully belongs to Takeuchi Naoko.


"Let see…from here, the best possible way back home were; the short route, this road should lead straight to the onsen behind my house.No threat no entertainment. Boring. And the long route, I believe it will end in the farthest side of the Twilight Forest.Full of dangers and unknown beast.More training." She nodded, half considering her option.

"Tch, if only I wasn't so short of time.I'd be taking the long route for sure." She continued walking.

After hours of walking in silence, she found a small hardly inhabited village along the road.

"Gah, I wouldn't pick this route if I knew there's a little village nearby.What a bothersome."she grunted.Looking for a place to spend the night.

"What's with all that commotion" she spares a glance at the passing parade.

"Strange, this village doesn't seem the kind who held a parade that big tough." She observes it nonchalantly.

"Whatever" she whispered to the darkness.

The now experienced assassin has overly grown fondness to dark place and solitude. As her body accustomed to the nature surrounding, she hardly interact with common people.

Whereas a village quite lively with all the activity and not-so-bright oil-lantern enough to pissed her off.

"I'm leaving first thing in the morning." With that,she tried to ignore the unusual surrounding to some sleep.

------------------

It has been quite a long time, indeed.

"This smell, this feeling, this sensation…"she closed her eyes in remembrance.

"I wonder if Otou-sama's at home or away for some mission.Did he even remember to tell me where the exam will be held soon" she chuckled.

It was then, as she reached to open the front gate to her house, she felt a threatening force right behind her.

In a split second she can feel the air reverberated as an object slashing through the air horizontally from her left.

She can feel it, it's a katana. She can tell its length and even its thickness just from the unseen movement.

Less than an inch before the katana managed to cut her into two, she disappeared. So fast that even her shadow hasn't yet dissolved from her previous stand, she already appeared behind the culprit with her hand holding her precious kunai, attached to her attacker's neck.

She smiled wickedly.

"Have I gotten stronger, father?"


-England-

"How long did they intend to cage me up here."minako asked one of the maid.

"Be patience miss, your parents just want you to be healthy enough to be able to play outside.Its not like what you think."

"But it's been a week. And I'm in full health, see? I was just got too fatigued back then. What's so big deal?"she snorted unhappily.

"It's for your own sake, miss.And whether it's a big deal or not, that is not for us the maid to decide. Now, may I excuse myself?"

With the matter being said, the maid left the room, leaving a frustrated minako alone.

"That's it. I've had enough."

Minako starts to tie her bed sheets together in knots. So it will act like a rope as she tightens it toherbedand began her way down the window.

"To think that they put me in the attic,geez…" minako didn't estimate how far the sheet goes down, and when she had reached the end of it, feet still dangling in the air… "Ooops, miscalculation"

Made up her mind, she jumped and landed with a loud thud.

"Ouch!"she quickly shut her mouth with her hand, hoping nobody heard her. Her klutzy attire surely hasn't changed.

Feeling safe, she scurried to the corn field not too far from her house.

"I've always want to get to this place. It looks so dashing from my room, and now I'm here, this place sure is amazing" she giggled.

"I wonder who the owner is" she pondered, her feet take her exploring the tall corn field.

Missing the flow of time,minako's taken aback when someone sneaked behind her and grab her shoulder.

A man one head taller than her,with an ill-fated appearance, his clothes pretty much crumpled and his breath reeks of alcohol.

"Are you alone miss?"he slurred.


-Back in Nippon-

"What have you done, Hino Rei?"

Surprised, Rei know full well that she had done something terribly wrong when her father called her by her full name.

"Ah, gomen."she withdrew her kunai. "I just want to make you impressed" she admits.

"You know that's not what I meant." His voice full of surpressed feelings.

"What's the tense for?No welcoming hugs? I'm home, otou-sama" she smiled.

"What have you become!"he continued, pretending not to hear a word his daughter said. "I didn't believe the rumors at first. But now, I can no longer deny it. You smell the death itself. And wretched in innocent's blood. You're pathetic. You're no longer the proud of the Hino clan."

Lightning struck, she just cant believe what she just heard."How?What do you mean by that?Isnt it natural for an assassin to soaked in blood?It is our fate to seek and kill!"

"Look at you. I believe you no longer have your intuition; you had discarded your heart with mortal satisfaction. You hunger for power and thirst for battle. You have lost. You will never become a kunoichi.Mark my words."

She felt the blood drained from her face and her head spin from dizzyness. "Why! What have I done wrong! Almost everyone ever heard of my name afraid of me.I'm pretty famous as an assassin. Have I lack of strength, power?"

"You have forgotten the basics, haven't you? Yes, you spread fear everywhere you go. Neither respect nor gratitude. A ninja shouldn't be spreading malice. We kill to protect those whom we had lost, and for those whom we don't want to lose. I see you still haven't found a master yet. You wouldn't understand."

"Do not speak so lightly about me." She hissed. Eyes flashed an intent to kill for a brief second.

"Hmph, well…it can't be helped if you're not on my side.At least tell me where the Kunoichi exam will be held, I'll fulfill my promise my mother myself."

"Don't you dare speak of Shizuka's name ever again!You already failed us. From now on, I forbid you entering this house."

"Just because you didn't tell me the place, don't expect me to bow to you and begged for it. I'll find the place myself.Have a good day, Hino-san."

Leaving her house, she let her feet decide the direction.

"That old man,he must've gotten his headknocked orsomething"she jumps to one tree to another. Further inside the forest. The twilight forest.


-England-

"Uh, no…I went here with my brother,yeah…he's around here somewhere, so-uh…bye." Taking a pivotal turn, she ran as fast as she could.

Duh, let him buy it…let him buy it she chant as she ran.

Unfortunately, as she glanced behind, the man insists on chasing her.With an even faster pace than her. Or is it herself that unable to run fast.

"Losing the strength to run anymore, she decided to hide between the tall plants. Panting hard, she tried to regain her breath, hoping the pursuer wont find her. She can see her farm from where she hide,so close yet so far.

Certain she was saved; she used her last strength to run again. Destination,to her farm.

It was only one more step, before she felt a hand grabbed her from behind and drawn her back into the cornfield. "Found you, missy. Calm down,I just want to play with you for a while. You're such a fine lady you know that?" His hand start to roam its way around her body.

Now fully aware she's in grave danger, minako shouted. What came from her mouth even shocked her. Yes, she had called her name. Her guardian's name. Her childhood bestfriend's name.

No longer there to help her, to accompanied her as always. "Why'd I have to remember her at time like this" she whispered.

No longer cared about the man hovering above her.

The time he almost ripped her clothes apart, agun shotcan be heard.

"Layanotherfinger on her and I'll blow your head off"

It was Sendou. Standing dauntlessly behind the man, pointing his gun right at her attacker's head.


Hino Rei

"This forest sure is vast. And to think I felt like I own this place back then" she grimaced.

"Are? Wasn't that yesterday's parade in that small village? I see, the mountain bandits got to them,eh?"she watched from afar as nine brusque man killing the parade members, steals anything that is precious, as the remain members tried their best to fight back. Circling the last carriage, as if protecting it.

"I hope they had the force to win though. Now I'd better get some shelter. Seem its going to rain soon."

Another hour of walking further into the twilight forest, sent her to an even strange place.

"Where am i? I don't recall ever know this place."she continued investigating the place. "What on earth?" her mouth agape.

Laid before her very eyes, was an abandoned Shinto shrine. Thewalls had worn out, half of the building had decayed. Even the gate's pillar's been heavily crawled by wild plants.

The floor was badly damaged and there's some animal nest here and there inside the shrine. Its clear that the place has been abandoned for ages.

"Perfect. No more sleeping on the tree branch. You can rain down now. I don't care."she said to no one in particular.

Finding herself a nice spot to rest her tired body.

------------------

Not long before she managed to get some sleep, she can hear...no, feel someone's runningfrom the distanceat her direction.

At first, it was only one person. The steps light and seems in a hurry.Its a girl.That far, she can predict it. Then it occured, that there's another seven people pursuing the girl.Their steps heavy and hard.

"Let me guess, It's the bandits again. So someone manages to escapes, huh? Well, I don't want to have anything with them. As long they don't disturb me by making strange noises in my ear range. That is."

She jumped to the attic. Not far from her previous position. And shut her eyes to sleep.

The first person, the girl, entered the room. No more steps can be heard. Clearly she's observing the place for a place to hide.

Followed by a mass of steps that belongs to the seven bandits. Their breath ragged and their clothes wet from the thundering rain outside.

Rei can heard every single sound from her previous place.She knows exactly what's going tohappen.

"You have nowhere else to run ojou-chan.You even found ourselves a nice secluded shelter."He looked at her like a predator to its prey.

"Now, as a gratitude, let us show you what love means"he laughed maniacally.Two of his comrades already take hold on the girl's arms from each sides.

"See let me help you removed your clothes. You're soaked wet already."

Removing her torn kimono while groping her all over the place, he keep on laughing.

That laugh's disgusting me.Reiintended to retreat to another side of the shrine so she can't overheard them.

Opening one eye, her vision accidentally fell to the now naked girl.

Long golden hair wavering in the air.

"Minako…"she unconsciously said.

She didn't know what had happened herself. All she know was, she's standing in the middle of the room.Once again soaked in blood.


A/N : I guess you alreadyknow where's this going to lead. Dare to guess who's blood soaking Rei's body?

Come on, gimme a piece of your mind guys. Is it good? Is it bad?

-Akai Hime-