A/N: I forgot to mention that Haruka and Michiru are a married couple in this story. I remembered that after rereading a line in this chapter. We may expand on that later or save it for another story. Anyway, enjoy the chapter.
Crystalline Nightmare
Chapter 7 - Attack of Arrogance
"Raquel!" Yakedo sobbed. "Don't you see that Carey loves you!? Don't you see that she's your soul mate?!"
"I don't see how that's true," Sui quipped. "I mean, didn't Carey just cheat on Jacob with Raquel? I mean, hello, they just had hot, lesbian sex. How does that make them soul-mates?"
"Uh, duh." Kitanai rolled her eyes as she wiped at some spittle from the corner of her mouth. She had awaken from her slumber long enough to catch a bit of the new show. "Isn't it obvious? At the beginning there was a lot of foreshadowing that Carey was gonna pick Raquel in the end."
"But Raquel's her twin sister. How wrong is that?"
"Soap operas are confusing." Moroi deduced. "But...strangely addictive."
--
Rei awoke with a startled gasp; another nightmare, but not one the enemy had sent. This one was an actual vision. She grabbed at her chest, searching for a gaping wound, but there was nothing. She raised a trembling hand and placed it on her forehead, taking a deep, calming breath. She was so sick of these stupid visions, so sick of everything.
And what was with the whole Princess of Mars bit? Rei's eyes widened. Maybe her past-self had...a lover? That would be...quite awkward, to say the least. She shook her head and tried to discard the whole thing from her memory.
"Mmm, Rei-chan," cooed Usagi. An arm was lazily swung over Rei's waist. A pile of blonde hair rested on Rei's stomach. A light snoring was heard. Rei calmed down and watch the innocent blonde sleep by her. Her hand gained a mind of its own and petted Usagi's head. She tried to shove out any negative thoughts about them being hurt or separated. She achieved that after a few minutes of nothingness. Pure, sweet nothingness.
--
"Is that better?" Makoto asked Ami, who was tightly tucked into the sea of blankets. A frozen gel pack rested on her head.
"Yes, thanks Mako-chan," Ami said warmly. The sound of a microwave rang.
Makoto opened the microwave and lifted the bowl by its edges. Cautiously she approached the bed and seated herself beside Ami. A spoon stirred the soup as steam drifted into the air. Ami took a whiff of the soup Makoto had brought. It smelled delicious.
"Good thing I brought my homemade soup. It's a little old but it should taste fine." Makoto filled the spoon with broth and headed for Ami's mouth. Ami's lips parted and allowed the liquid to slip down her throat. The onion soup was laced with notes of garlic and rosemary. She chewed on the chunks of carrots. Never before had eating soup felt so good, and never before had she been spoon-fed, from what she could remember.
"Do you like it?" Makoto asked.
Ami nodded vigorously, to the point where her gel pack rolled off of her head. Makoto giggled and put it back on her head.
The soup was devoured quickly, and Ami snuggled into bed with a full belly. She smiled removed the gel pack. "Thank you Makoto-chan. The soup was delicious."
"Aw, shucks," Makoto grinned. "Keep going. My ego took a beating today." Ami giggled again.
--
Morning came, and it was a blessing, to say the least. Sleep was rare, and their healing abilities were taking a heavy toll, and more than one Senshi had bags beneath their eyes.
"...'Kay," Rei began in a flat voice. "Show of hands; who's utterly pissed off right now?"
Half the table raised their hands.
"Thought so."
"This is beginning to get ridiculous," Michiru commented, sipping delicately at her coffee. "If what that creature last night said was true, we're in for a hell of a road-trip."
"I hate this!" Minako wailed, latched onto Setsuna's arm like moss on a tree. The Senshi of Time didn't seem too bothered by the close proximity. "I really just wanna get to the final battle already."
"Not a good idea," Makoto raised a finger. "If these guys are the minions, I'd hate to see the Head Honcho behind them."
"My assumption is that they're trying to tire us down so we're weak during the final battle," Ami stated, stirring a spoon in her tea.
"They're doing a pretty good job so far," Usagi added wearily. Her head fell onto Rei's shoulder, which she was too tired to shake off.
Haruka said bleakly, "We have no choice but to stay strong. Easier said than done, but it's the only way we stand a chance."
"And unfortunately we'll also have to keep moving," Setsuna said. "It takes longer for the enemy to track us if we don't stay in one place for too long. Even staying somewhere overnight is risky, but we do need our rest."
There were some groans but ultimately everyone agreed this was true. The remains of breakfast were eaten and the Senshi headed toward a bus stop, none of them entirely sure where their next destination was.
--
"The Senshi are moving," Kitanai announced flatly. "What is our next course of action?"
The other three were still engrossed in the world of soap operas. Kitanai waited for a response but didn't receive one until the show went to commercials.
"Well, seeing as how some of the Senshi are immune to lust," Moroi began, making a reference to Haruka and Michiru. "Let's appeal to another emotion."
"What is your suggestion?" Sui asked monotonously, eyes fixated on the television.
"Pride," Moroi said, lips curled deviously. "The Solider of Uranus seems chock full of it, as does The Senshi of Fire. They'll stand no chance against it."
"Ooh, so can I go tell Tokui now?" Yakedo jumped in, exhilarated. She pounced on the couch will a child.
"Yes, you do that," Moroi said. Just then the show returned from its commercial break.
"After this episode, of course." Yakedo faced the television once again.
--
Everyone ambled on the bus when it pulled up, shuffling to the middle. Ami and Usagi were out like a light as soon as their heads were rested against the shoulders of their travel buddies. Setsuna was back to thinking of a way to combat their enemies while Minako was staring at the scenery.
It was quiet. There was an lining of guilt in the air; after all, for a night, they had been forced to fight...each other. It was terrifying and heartbreaking all at once. Setsuna could still feel the dull ache in her stomach, and wondered, briefly, what sort of pain they brought upon the legions of youma they killed everyday. Yes, youma were cruel, vile, evil beings that were better off dead, but the fact was, they were living, breathing, sentient beings. They were capable of pain, of hate. It made Setsuna wonder if they were any better.
She closed her eyes, her hand slipping into the cradle of Minako's.
Shame was something that she detested.
--
"Tokui-chan!" Yakedo sang as she skipped into the chamber of the Shichi Zaiaku. "Oh Tokui-chan, where are you? You're up next to take out the Senshi! How cool is that?"
"Really?" Blue eyes lit up. "Good. I want to crush them in the palm of my hands for what they did to Aiyoku..."
"Eh, you're angsty today aren'tcha Tokui-chan?" The red-haired girl pouted. "It's like I'm surrounded by a buncha sad-saps! Moroi-chan's angsty, Sui-chan's angsty, Tokui-chan's angsty...jeez! You people need to lighten up! Watch SpongeBob or something."
"Yakedo," Tokui growled, her nose-ring catching a bit of light. "Get out before I kill you."
Yakedo sneered. "Like you could."
Knuckles cracked. Teeth as sharp as knives were revealed. Ocean blue eyes flared with an angry, hateful energy. "Believe me, Yakedo," hissed Tokui. "I could. Very easily. Retreat before I have to do so."
Yakedo's muscles tensed up. Apparently Tokui wasn't fooling around. Nodding, she stumbled out of the chamber, babbling something. The youma cackled, anticipating the little play date with the Senshi.
--
Makoto felt unusually jumpy. She didn't feel safe anywhere. At any time, any place, one of their foes could jump out and threaten all of their lives. The fight with Mercury last night made her feel like she'd never felt before. Typically Makoto had no problem whatsoever brutally attacking her enemies. But when the enemy was embodied in one of her friends, there were complications. She didn't know whether to slap Mercury and show no mercy or hug her and cradle her in her arms. Guilt wouldn't leave her alone, and she didn't know why. Had it been another of the Senshi, maybe Makoto would have forgiven herself by now. But there was something about Ami that made all of her emotions stronger. Her happiness increased when Ami was around. Sadness was harsher when she was away. All of this confused her. She shook her head as if trying to rid her head of the delirium.
The thoughts must have tired her out, because she too was soon in a deep slumber.
--
Tokui tapped her foot impatiently on the curb. According to those lazy girls that were supposedly higher in rank than her, the Senshi would be getting off at this stop. A piece of gum jumped around in her mouth while fast-paced music blared through her headphones. If she had her way, she'd track down the exact coordinates of the bus and then invade it. That would be much more exhilarating than waiting around for some weaklings. But at the same time the waiting allowed her time to get pumped. She felt blood race through her veins in anticipation. She'd give these Senshi hell. She couldn't wait.
Tokui squinted. A large vehicle was approaching. Whether or not it was a bus, she couldn't tell. She hoped it was, otherwise she'd explode from impatience.
The hulking mass soon came into view, and with her keen eyes, Tokui could make out the vague writing on it, along with a bus number. Indeed, the number matched the one the creepy twit Kousetsu had given her. With loud hiss of compressed air, the bus came to a stop before her. Tokui hid a sadistic grin, wisps of raven black hair drifting into her eyes. She tossed her head to get rid of them, before stepping onto the bus and clacking her gum three times in a row. A head rose up sharply; amethyst eyes glittered with annoyance at the sound. Just to piss off the girl, Tokui clacked her gum again, watching the girl with the fiery eyes growl beneath her breath. She sauntered down the aisle, her eyes darting from face to face; Love, Ice, Water, Thunder, Time, Fire, the Princess herself...Ah. There. Tokui plopped down in a seat across from the Senshi of Wind, her lips curled into a faint smirk.
"Hey," she greeted, her voice thick with a fake, Brooklyn accent. "How you doin', 'hon? Know where this pile o' junk's headed?" She clacked her gum again, the stud in her nose catching a glare of light.
Haruka peered at the stranger suspiciously. She was getting bad vibes from this girl. She glanced over her shoulder at Michiru, whose head was propped against the window, her eyes shut. Turning back towards the girl, Haruka finally answered, "What's it to you?"
Tokui frowned, feigning hurt. "Aww, c'mon sweetie, I don't bite." She leaned in towards Haruka's face. "Not that hard," she added in a low voice. A wink followed, much to Haruka's disgust.
Haruka grunted and moved closer to her lover.
Annoyed, Tokui scanned the bus for another open seat near another Senshi. There appeared to be an empty one beside the Senshi of Fire. Perfect. Her lips curved into a sadistic smile. Once the bus stopped, Tokui scurried to the empty seat and took the seat next to Rei.
"Move," Rei grunted simply as she tossed a glare at the woman who sat beside her.
"Too late dawlin'," Tokui snickered as the bus began rolling. "Once this thang stawts movin, I can't do a thing about it. So, let's get to know each other, huh?" She popped her gum again.
Rei growled. "Could you quit that?"
"What?" Pop. "This?" Pop, pop, pop. The Fire Senshi's eye twitched in aggravation.
"Yeah," she snarled. "That. Could you quit it?"
Tokui stopped, her lips quirked in a vicious little smirk. She leaned back, cracked her neck. Then she reached into her pocket and grabbed a small bit of purple powder between her fingertips. With a casual flick of the wrist, the small amount drifted into the Senshi's uncapped water bottle, dissolving in the clear liquid in seconds. Rei reached down, grabbed the water bottle, and sipped at the tainted water within.
Tokui smiled.
The bus halted. Tokui seized this opportunity to dash to the unoccupied seat behind Haruka. She too had fallen asleep. Her head rested on Michiru's shoulder as she snored lightly. Looking down, Tokui noticed an open palm belonging to the Wind Senshi. She sprinkled a meager amount of the violet dust into Haruka's hand. Using the end of her hair, she gently tickled Haruka's nose. As planned, Haruka used the hand contaminated by the powder to scratch at her nose. Tokui heard a snort, indicating Haruka inhaled at least some of it. She chuckled quietly.
"The next stop is where we get off," Setsuna announced, rising from her seat at the front of the bus.
There was no response. Only total silence. It seemed most, if not all, of the Senshi were asleep, so she left the job of being the wake up call to Minako. She knew from experience she was all too good at that.
Rei licked her lips as Setsuna's announcement rang through the air, a weird, tangy taste in her mouth. She blinked her eyes rapidly, rubbed at them with her hands. "...Freaky water," she mumbled to herself, capping the water and setting it aside. She chose that moment to look down at the top of Usagi's head. A small smile graced her lips and she fought the urge to pet the shorter girl's hair. The bus halted again, one more person climbing aboard and finding a seat somewhere. The odd woman from before sat down across from her, again, and that just ticked her off.
"Make up your mind," Rei snapped. "Are you going to sit here or not?"
"I'm just here to say, dawlin'," the woman said, her lips quirking into a smirk. "You don't need them, do you?" The accent had faded, almost as if it hadn't been real to begin with.
"What?" Rei frowned.
"Them. You know; the people holding you back." She grinned. "Your friends. They aren't really friends, are they? After all, where would you rather be, right at this moment? Think carefully."
Rei opened her mouth to say "Right here, I'd rather be right here you bitch", but what came out was...
"Going after the creatures who started this mess. But Setsuna says it's unwise."
"Well, that's not good," the woman said. "Aren't you the one who sees everything? Who's Setsuna to say what you do? She isn't your princess. In fact, I'd think you'd be a better leader than the little twit on your arm." The woman's green eyes seemed to glow. "You know it's true..."
Rei gaped at Tokui. "Yes," she replied in a robotic tone. A few seconds later she blinked and shook her head. Something strange had just come over her, but luckily she managed to shake it. "I mean, no! Who are you to be talking to me like that anyway?!"
Tokui leaned into Rei, lessening the gap between them. "I'm just tellin' ya what you know you deserve, dawlin'. You're smart, courageous, not to mention pretty." She stressed the last word and winked. "People just slow you down, ya know? Think of what you could do without all these twits..." She stroked Rei's chin and glared at her until her violet eyes met her green ones. The glow grew stronger, maybe because the woman was closer to Rei. She found herself nodding and falling into a hypnotic state...
"You're right," Rei replied, her eyes losing their fiery, lively spark. "I don't need anyone. I am better than them."
"Yes," purred Tokui. A sadistic grin formed on her face. One Senshi down thus far. It was only a matter of time before all would be going according to plan. Her eyes drifted to her next victim, who was about to exit the bus.
Leaping up from her seat, Tokui blocked Haruka's path. "Where are ya going sweetie? We barely got to talk." She did her best to conceal her mischievous grin.
"Away from you, finally," Haruka muttered, attempting to pass. Tokui didn't budge.
"Not so fast, m'dear," she said darkly, her eyes giving off an eerie glow.
"Excuse me," Michiru's voice calmly cut in. Said woman slipped between them, her aqua eyes like daggers as she glared at Tokui. "I believe she doesn't desire your company, ma'am."
"Phew," Haruka breathed beneath her breath. "Thanks, hon..."
"Aww, shucks hon," Tokui cooed. "I just wanted to talk to her. Can't you give me a break?"
"You can get your breaks from someone else," Michiru practically hissed. "Preferably not my wife, if you don't mind."
"Someone's possessive," Setsuna muttered quietly from behind them.
"Wake up, stupid." Usagi squeaked as a hand roughly shoved her from her sleeping position. She shook the sleep out of her eyes and look up to see Rei, glaring down at her with the meanest look on her face since their middle school days. "Don't slobber all over me."
"R-Rei-chan?" the blonde whimpered.
"Aww, you gonna cry?" the miko teased. She snorted. "Don't be such a baby, jeez."
"W-what's wrong with you?" Usagi asked. While Rei had been mean to her before, there was always a current of gentleness that kept the barbs from being harsh. Now...now though, things were wrong. The gentleness was gone from Rei's voice, and Usagi felt her lip trembling a bit. "R-Rei-chan?"
"Wrong with me?" Rei snarled. "Nothing is wrong with me. You're just a big useless wimp."
Usagi feebly attempted to fight back tears, but some managed to slip out and roll down her cheek. Rei was never this cold, even when she was angry. She whimpered, causing Rei to glare at her. Upon looking into her gaze, Usagi noticed her eyes seemed empty. They lacked the fiery, passionate persona Usagi admired so much. Frantically she looked around the bus and noticed Haruka and Michiru talking to the unknown woman. Immediately Usagi suspected she had something to do with Rei's bizarre behavior.
"C'mon, dawlin', do you really need this broad standing up for ya?" Tokui sneered, pointing at Michiru. She fixed her eyes on Haruka, her eyes flashing. "You're strong. You can handle things yourself. You don't need no one."
Haruka felt an indescribable force drawing her eyes towards Tokui's. She felt all thoughts and feelings drain from her body. The words Haruka wanted to blurt out in protest vanished. They were replaced by those of Tokui. Suddenly, no one else mattered. She didn't even recognize the aqua-haired woman standing so close to her.
"What are you doing here?" Haruka snapped, yanking her hand away from Michiru's. "Get out of my way."
Michiru flinched. "What? Haruka..." She gently touched the fabric of the sandy blonde's t-shirt. "I..."
"Don't touch me!" Haruka snapped. She brushed her hand on her jeans, as if there was a filth on her hands from Michiru's touch. "What the hell are you doing, anyway? Do I even know you?"
Michiru gasped, and suddenly, it felt like the world had been ripped from her feet. She grasped at her heart, and mumbled, "H-haruka...what are you talking about? Y-you know me...It's me. Michiru."
"Tch," Haruka scoffed. "Whatever. I don't need you, whoever you are. Just leave me alone." She turned and barked at Tokui, "Get outta my way!" Tokui hid a grin and stood aside, allowing Haruka to storm out of the bus.
"Haruka!" Michiru shouted. "Wait! Haruka!" She raced out, running towards Haruka.
"Aww," Tokui pouted. "Was it somethin' I said?"
Michiru shot Tokui an unforgiving glare before racing after Haruka. She wouldn't let her get away with whatever she did.
To be continued...
