"There's no sign of them anywhere!" yelled Sailor Jupiter in frustration.
The Sailor Senshi and Luna had been running around Azabu for what seemed like ages, hoping for a sign of their friend. They had debated trying to reach her on the communicator again, not entirely sure if it was the best idea. As Mercury had pointed out, calling her on the communicator could distract her if she was in the middle of a fight or, if she was incapacitated, it could alert Tuxedo Kamen to the fact that his hostage had a way of calling for help. Cursing the fact that they hadn't thought of that earlier, they finally agreed on the communicator as a last resort.
The group had reconvened on a deserted street in front of a closed storefront. Being in their Senshi forms, they felt safe at the early hour and were pretty confident no enthusiastic fans would badger them.
"Did anyone see anything, anything at all, that may have been an indication of a struggle?" Luna asked.
The others all glanced at each other and shrugged. "Well…" said Mars slowly. "I did see a broken window on a balcony, but that doesn't necessarily mean there was a fight."
"No," Sailor Mercury agreed. "However, we are in a pretty posh neighborhood, so any form of destruction is a bit suspicious."
Venus nodded. "I say we check it out. We have nothing else to go on."
They all agreed and tiredly followed Mars' lead to a very upscale looking apartment building. Mars pointed up. "It's on the eighth floor, I think, toward the middle of the building."
"Yeah, I see it," said Jupiter, the tallest of the group. "It looks like the whole window exploded outward."
"Come on then, let's go," said Venus, already preparing to leap.
"Wait! What if some innocent person is at home? What do we tell them?" asked Mars.
Mercury shrugged. "We just tell them we were alerted to some suspicious activity in the neighborhood and we wanted to check and make sure they were safe since we saw their window was broken."
The group murmured agreement. Jupiter picked up Luna and the Senshi began leaping up the balconies, towards the shattered window.
They landed on the balcony taking note of the broken glass. It looked as if people had crunched through the shards and the Senshi could see droplets of blood on some of the pieces.
"Ok, yeah. This is pretty creepy looking," said Jupiter, glancing into the apartment, which still had the living room fully illuminated.
"Hello? Is anyone home?" Mars called out tentatively, realizing belatedly that if Tuxedo Kamen were here, they would no longer have the element of surprise.
Receiving no reply, the Senshi cautiously made their way into the building. They glanced around, seeing no one. "Let's split up and search the place. If he's here, he may be hiding," instructed Venus.
The group nodded and quickly searched the rooms. They met up again in the living room, reporting the apartment to be abandoned. Luna jumped up onto the couch. "Is there any evidence that Sailor Moon or Tuxedo Kamen were here?" she asked the assembled superheroes.
"You mean, like this?" asked Mars, picking up a black top hat from the ground near a large armchair.
"Yeah, I would say that's pretty incriminating," said Jupiter, staring wide-eyed at the hat. They were in Tuxedo Kamen's apartment and Sailor Moon had apparently broken down the window in an attempt to escape.
"Well, anybody could own a top hat," said Mercury, though rather doubtfully. "We should look for more evidence to be certain."
"Well, how about the fact that there were obviously two people here?" questioned Venus, sweeping her hand to indicate the coffee table, which held two mugs almost full with coffee and hot chocolate.
Luna leapt over to the table and gingerly placed a paw in one of the mugs. "They're still a little bit warm," she commented. "Whoever was here didn't leave that long ago."
"Yeah, and they must have left pretty quickly if they didn't finish their drinks," noted Mars.
"Wait. If this is Tuxedo Kamen's apartment, why did he make Sailor Moon hot chocolate? It looks like they were settling in for a chat," questioned Jupiter.
Mars rolled her eyes. "Odango Atama probably thought they were on a date or something. At least she wised up when he asked her for her Rainbow Crystal."
Luna sighed. "As much as I hate to admit it, that scenario seems likely."
Venus frowned. Did they really have so little faith in their princess? Perhaps their attitudes had something to do with Sailor Moon's suicide attempt. If it did, she'd positively throttle the Senshi team, Jupiter's strength notwithstanding!
"Alright, I think our first step is to figure out Tuxedo Kamen's civilian identity. That way, if we don't succeed in finding him tonight, we can find him at any time," Mercury advised.
Venus was jerked out of her angry thoughts by Mercury's suggestion. "Good idea. Let's go through his stuff. Maybe he left his wallet around or something."
"It'd help if the guy had some pictures on the walls," said Jupiter, as she headed to search a small table near the door. "Who doesn't have photos on the wall?"
"Yeah, that is pretty weird," agreed Mars, heading towards the bedroom.
Mercury noticed some medical textbooks sitting on the table and bent to pick one up. Medical Humanities: Ethics and the Art of Medicine, she noted the title and then flipped the cover open.
Mercury was not one to be shocked easily, but she found her reaction comparable to the time during her sixth year of school when she had been bested by one point in a final exam.
Her mouth had fallen open, her eyes were bugging out, and her hands were shaking. It can't be!, she thought wildly, unwilling to believe the incredibly handsome and well-liked medical student that nearly every girl in Juuban crushed on was now her enemy. She read, and then reread the inscription on the inside cover of the book.
"Guys," she said weakly. "I found his identity."
The others crowded around her overcome with curiosity. She passed the book to Jupiter and Mars, unable to read it aloud. They silently read what had Mercury so shook up: This book is the property of Fuhurata Motoki.
"Mo…mo…Motoki!?" Mars screeched, unable to believe it.
"You know this guy? Who is he?" asked Venus, curious.
"Motoki is the manager at an arcade and fruit parlor where the girls like to hang out. Every girl within a ten block radius wants to be his girlfriend," Luna explained, rolling her eyes.
"I don't understand," said Mercury, almost desperately. "He's so nice and friendly and good with kids. His personality doesn't fit with Tuxedo Kamen's".
Venus had never met the guy, so she was confused by the Senshi's reactions. "Are you sure they can't be the same person?"
The Senshi shared a glance and Jupiter shook her head adamantly, though appeared somewhat distracted. "I would never guess in a million years that Motoki was Tuxedo Kamen," stated Mars. Mercury other two and Luna nodded in agreement.
Venus was about to call Mars on her propensity to put more faith in hot guys than in common sense, until she saw Luna's doubt as well. At least Luna wouldn't be crushing on cute college boys!
"Guys," said Jupiter, deep in thought. "This isn't Motoki's apartment. I've been to his apartment, remember? He doesn't live in Azabu."
The Senshi all stared at her, at a loss.
"Well, maybe Motoki is friends with Tuxedo Kamen and left his book here," Venus suggested.
Jupiter snorted. "I was just thinking that, but I can't imagine Motoki being friends with someone as dark and broody….as…Tuxedo…" she trailed off, her mouth opening in shock.
She glanced over at Mercury who was apparently having the same thought. "You don't think it could be…him…do you?" she said tentatively, staring worriedly at Sailor Mars.
Jupiter gulped, also glancing over to gauge Mars' reaction. "Well, I guess Usagi has an excuse to teach him a lesson now, huh?"
"He's my boyfriend! My boyfriend can't be an evil kidnapper!" Mars shouted, suddenly realizing just who her friend's were referring to.
Venus raised her eyebrows. "Your boyfriend is Tuxedo Kamen?" she asked, incredulous.
"Your boyfriend? You mean…Chiba Mamoru!?" shrieked Luna at the totally unexpected piece of news. She had almost hoped he was Motoki. At least, he'd probably be easier to reason with.
"Well, Mamoru-san isn't exactly her boyfriend…" began Jupiter.
"He is too!" argued Mars, defiantly. "We've been on two dates!"
"I don't think he really saw those as dates…" said Mercury, concerned. She hadn't realized how much her friend had read into Mamoru's motives. Ok, sure, they had had coffee at the arcade and had taken a boat ride in the park, but Mercury was under the impression that Mamoru was being friendly, not looking for a potential girlfriend.
Mars snorted. "Believe what you want, but he's still my boyfriend!"
"You have realized that your 'boyfriend' is Tuxedo Kamen, who attacked me and kidnapped Sailor Moon? Not a very good beginning to your 'relationship', now is it?" asked Venus snidely, completely enjoying Mars' horrified expression. She deserves it after the way she talked about her princess, thought Venus, completely unrepentant.
Mars crossed her arms over her chest. She knew she was deluding herself into thinking that Mamoru really cared about her, but she was loath to admit it to the other Senshi. She had hoped that if he began spending time with her, he would see her as more than a cute middle school girl. It didn't help that she was friends with Usagi. She loved Usagi as a sister, but she couldn't help the green-eyed monster of jealousy that roared in her chest when he lavished his attention on her best friend. Granted, it was negative attention, but attention nonetheless. This was part of the reason why she always called Usagi on all of her faults. In the back of her mind, she had realized that if Usagi shaped up, Mamoru would have no more reasons to tease her, and then he might focus more of his attention on his 'girlfriend'.
She mentally sighed. She knew that was a terrible reason to snap at her friend, but at least it wasn't the only one. Deep down, she knew that Usagi was the best friend anybody could ask for. She gave her love freely and unconditionally, asking nothing in return. That was all Mars really cared about. She didn't need Usagi to be sophisticated and smart to love her in return. It was just that she knew the bubbly blond was capable of so much more than she showed. Mars hoped that through her relentless teasing, Usagi would get her act together.
Suddenly, the same thought she had been suppressing all night resurfaced. What if it's your fault your dearest friend tried to kill herself? Perhaps you went too far with your criticisms.
No! She wouldn't think like that. Usagi knew that she loved her; she wouldn't choose to end her life over a few biting comments.
Mars was jerked out of her thoughts by Jupiter's voice. The other Senshi had decided to ignore Mars' internal musings and return to the problem at hand.
"Okay, we know that Tuxedo Kamen was here with Sailor Moon and we know that Sailor Moon escaped with Mamoru in pursuit. What do we do now?"
"We don't know that Mamoru is Tuxedo Kamen! Motoki could have other friends like Mamoru!" shouted Mars, still unwilling to believe the truth.
Jupiter put a hand on her hip and glared at Mars. "Mamoru is Motoki's best friend, they're both in medical school, and Mamoru's personality fits with Tuxedo Kamen's. How much more proof do you want before you'll abandon this school girl crush and focus on finding our friend?"
Mars looked away, ashamed. They were right and she knew it, but it hurt so much to admit the truth.
Mercury reached over and put her hand on Mars' shoulder. "I know this must be hard for you Rei-chan, but we can't let our personal feelings get involved right now. Finding Sailor Moon is the most important thing at the moment. Besides, I know that you know Mamoru never really saw you as a girlfriend in the first place, so you're not actually being rejected. He does seem to like you as a friend."
Mars looked up, fighting back the tears that were threatening to fall. "I know…I just wish it could have been more. Now we're enemies. We can't even be friends."
Jupiter's faced softened and she also reached over to comfort Mars. "It'll be alright. There's plenty of other fish in the sea." She suddenly smirked. "Like Yuuichirou."
Mars looked up, unable to hold back a slight grin. "We'll have to see about that one."
Despite her slight dislike for the Fire Senshi, Venus was still glad the situation had been resolved. She herself knew exactly what unrequited love felt like.
"Okay, we know basically what happened here tonight. Does anyone have any suggestions as to where we go from here?" Venus questioned the group.
"We could just wait here until they return," suggested Jupiter.
"I'm not sure if I like that idea," said Venus, deep in thought. "We don't know that he'll bring her back here. He may just decide to finish her off once he gets his hands on the crystals."
"Mamoru wouldn't do that! He's not like that!" cried Mars, although accepting the truth, still unable to believe Mamoru could be so cold-hearted.
"Exactly how well do you know this guy?" demanded Venus. "He sure had no qualms about attacking me!"
The three Senshi thought for a moment. To be honest they didn't know Mamoru that well. He seemed nice and polite enough and obviously had good qualities, since the ever friendly Motoki counted him as his best friend. Despite his reserved, almost broody temperament, he did exhibit some fire when confronting Usagi. It seemed the chipper blond brought out the worst in the usually calm and collected college student. They suddenly realized that this brief portrait they had of him at the arcade obviously wasn't the full picture.
"Okay, fine," said Jupiter, rubbing her temples. "But how are we going to find them? They're obviously not in Azabu anymore."
"Well, let's think. If you were in Sailor Moon's position, where would you go?" questioned Venus.
The other Senshi and Luna thought about it. "I would go someplace away from civilians. I wouldn't want innocent people to get hurt by my attacks," stated Mercury.
"What place could she go to that would be people-free?" wondered Mars.
"How about…the park?" suggested Jupiter.
"Of course!" Mercury exclaimed. "The park would provide plenty of places to hide and strategize without endangering anybody with a stray attack."
"Alright, the park it is! Let's go!" ordered Venus, turning around to run from the apartment.
It didn't take long to reach the park, since it was in the vicinity of Azabu. The Senshi leaped over the closed gate at the entrance and quickly took defensive positions.
Mercury took out her mini-computer and began scanning the area. "I should be able to see if there are other humans in the nearby area," she explained, noticing Venus' questioning look.
She nodded. "Good, this way we can take him by surprise," the golden Senshi said, almost gleefully.
Jupiter grinned. "It looks like she wants some revenge," she whispered to Mars.
Mars, though still somewhat depressed, couldn't help but grin back in response. It would be hilarious to see Mamoru's tuxedoed butt handed to him by a girl half his size.
"Alright, I've determined that there are four people in the park. There is a group of three gathered together off a bit to our right and there is another person far ahead of us heading in their direction."
The Senshi looked confused. A group of three and one alone? That didn't exactly fit what they were looking for.
"The group of three could be gang members or something and the other one could be a cop on patrol," suggested the Thunder Senshi.
The others sighed. "Well, we weren't for sure Sailor Moon decided to come to the park," muttered Mars, quite weary.
"Okay, then, let's call her and then…"
"Look!" shouted Jupiter. "Someone's coming!"
"It's the person by himself," Mercury informed them.
The Senshi crouched low, hoping to remain unseen. They really didn't have time for a confrontation with a police officer at the moment.
A male silhouette was steadily coming closer to them, though heading in a diagonal off to their right. He was still seemed to be intent on joining the other group people. He paused under a lamp and the Senshi gasped when the glimpsed him.
He was clearly from the Dark Kingdom, his uniform giving him away. As opposed to the other Shittennou, his ensemble included a cape and he had shoulder length silver hair, both of which were blowing in the still strong wind. He seemed to have sensed being watched, for he began to warily scan the almost empty park. Judging by the look in his eyes and the firm features of this countenance, the Senshi realized that this man was a hardened warrior and was not to be taken lightly.
Seemingly satisfied that he was alone, he continued his trek through the park. The Senshi collectively let out a breath.
"What is he doing in the park?" whispered Jupiter, hoping to remain undetected.
"Maybe he's collecting energy?" offered Mars.
"Don't they usually send youma to do that?" Venus asked, having never faced one of the Shittennou before, although this one appeared eerily familiar.
"Wait. If Tuxedo Kamen is after the Rainbow Crystals, then it's more than likely he's working for the Dark Kingdom. Perhaps he's come to meet Tuxedo Kamen," rationalized Mercury.
The others all stared at her, just now realizing how serious the situation had become. Tuxedo Kamen had always claimed that he was working for himself and in fact often fought Zoicite for the crystals. Yet now, it seemed like the Senshi had been prey to some sort of ruse by the Dark Kingdom.
"But there are three other people in the park, not just two," said Jupiter, hoping against hope that they were wrong about Tuxedo Kamen's loyalties.
"The third person is probably Zoicite, if Tuxedo Kamen was actually his partner this entire time," noted Luna, trying to fight down a feeling of panic.
Venus was extremely concerned, but trying not to show it. She wasn't sure how far along the Senshi were in developing their abilities, but it seemed doubtful that the four of them would be able take on Zoicite, Tuxedo Kamen, and this new arrival. They had no choice but to try, however. Their princess and the entire planet was on the line.
Venus glanced at the others and the all shared a grim look of understanding.
"Let's go," she ordered, and the four Senshi took off in the direction of the silver haired warrior.
