A/N: Hehehehe. The real fun begins.
Snowflakes
By angelwings1
Chapter 8: Fifty Layers Thick
..
When she had first arrived, there had been an unnerving feeling of imbalance. It was the nightmarish feeling she would get when her last pencil broke in the middle of a final exam, or when she ran into a dead end while she was being chased by unsavory characters. Even if she didn't know where she was, she knew it was wrong. She wasn't supposed to be there. That's why when she had slowly began to wake, surprise rippled through her. Suddenly, the world seemed to have fallen back into balance.
Her eyes snapped open. She anxiously stared up at the ceiling for a solid minute before she realized she was a new room. The ceiling was the same off-white, but it was slightly lower this time. She blinked twice and carefully turned her head. Her stomach twisted when she found out she was in a small bedroom. Dust floated down the sunlight spilling through the thin cracks of the blinds. There was a heavy scent of stale cologne and sandalwood filling the tiny room.
Her aching fingers slowly slid over the worn bed sheets and gripped the edge pf the mattress. As she carefully lifted her torso off the bed, she thought she heard the theme music of the twilight zone playing in her ears. Her mouth opened slightly and she scanned her surroundings. There was a messy desk of paper next to her head with a laptop buzzing in the corner. Random sketches of landscapes covered the blue-green wallpaper. There was a pair of bookcases heavy laden with volumes and notebooks with some radio equipment on the left shelves.
'Where…'
She jumped when she saw she was wearing a scuba wet suit. Tentatively, she pressed her fingertips on the thick material covering her thigh. The slight dampness immediately brought back the memories of the small tank. Her hand covered her mouth, remembering the feel of plastic pressing over her mouth. Had she been wearing this when she was in there? Had they dressed her? She quivered at the thought. They had stripped her!
She turned away. She didn't want to think on something she couldn't change. Instead, she focused on the room, wondering what had happened since then. There were images flashing in her head, but they were jumbled and disoriented.
Her bare feet brushed against a plush rug and she stood. Her body quaked and soon she was hunched over on the floor. Squeezing her eyes shut, she inhaled deeply. Nausea pushed against her stomach and she thought she was about to ruin the clean rug under her. She swallowed desperately and fought back the urge. She exhaled slowly through her nose. Her body was in a state of shock from her captors' handlings.
"Crap!" she hissed when a stabbing sensation passed through the front of her skull. "I need some painkillers!"
Once the pain passed, she sighed and peeled open her eyes. Her vision blurred for several seconds before she was able to lift back up to her knees. She swayed there for several minutes, content to breathe free air.
Free…
She was finally out of that hell hole. A frantic pray of gratitude raced out of her heart. Oh, she could kiss the feet of her rescuer. Her head swiveled to the door. Her rescuer had been that guy; the one she thought had attacked her in the warehouse. If he had attacked her in the warehouse, why did he now come to her rescue?
Her face twisted. Pushing off the floor, she struggled to a stand. She grabbed the edge of the desk as she swayed. She gritted her teeth and stumbled to the door. She burst through the doorway. Her eyes swept over the modest, empty apartment. There was no sign of her rescuer or anyone else, but it was evident from the scent of Chinese takeout she hadn't been alone for long. There was small pile of mail on the kitchen counter and several books scattered on the couch next to tangled blanket. He probably slept in the living room last night.
Steeling herself, she walked unsteadily across the room. She didn't know how long before he came back. Reaching the kitchen counter, she snatched up the piece of mail at the very top of the pile. Her eager blue eyes raced across the address. When the street name sank into her brain, she released a sigh of sweet joy. She knew this address. There was fifteen blocks between her and home. To finally know where she was, it was revitalizing. It was like the world had straightened and her limbs had strengthened. She had found a second wind.
The calendar on the nearby wall suddenly came into view. She blinked in disbelief when she saw what month was posted. Her head whirled as she dropped the letter. Spotting the television, Ami frantically half-raced, half-stumbled towards the adjoining room. She swept up the remote from the coffee table and prayed her absent host had paid the extra dollars for cable. The television droned with life and slowly revealed a shopping channel. She immediately punched in one of her favorite channels and waited. A familiar reporter smiled back at her as he began to go over the newest headlines. She almost too frightened to look towards the bottom-right corner of the screen where the 24/7 news/weather channel posted the date, time, and local temperature.
Her heart stopped completely.
Feb 13, 2007
4:34 pm
13 degrees F
Swollen tears slipped down her cheeks and she sucked in an uneven breath of air. She had been gone for an entire month? A whole month?
She thought of the girls, her mother, the hospital… What had been going on since she had disappeared? Surely, they had been searching for her. She knew Serena wouldn't rest until she had been found. Serena was probably inhaling coffee or caffeine pills to keep up with the search for her. Lita would be baking thousand of cupcakes to keep her mind busy while Rei knelt in the shrine's prayer room. The house would be spotless from Mina's emotional distressed cleaning.
Her heart wavered. Oh, how desperately she wanted to see them and her mother. Her mother would probably be sitting at home, clutching her favorite photo album. The staff would have forced her from the ER because she would be too out of sorts to work. She probably hadn't sleep in weeks.
"…the Red River Hospital has given no further comment since the disappearance of their brightest intern, Ami Mizuno."
Her head jerked upwards. There was a picture of her in her scrubs hugging one of the other nurses. The screen was slowly zooming in on her smiling face.
"Ever since Ms. Mizuno went missing on the evening of January 4th, the hospital has been making weekly public statements to beg for news on the intern..."
Her spirit lifted at the sight of the familiar white building.
"Unfortunately, five weeks of no information has strained on the morale of the staff. The intern's mother, a local surgeon, has taken an advised leave and refuses to give any further comment to reporters, but it is evident that hopes has grown cold for friends and family. Though the hospital chairman said they hadn't given up the search for Ms. Mizuno, there is a sad silence in the halls…"
She didn't realize new tears had rolled down her face. Her hand was over her mouth as she stared at the sullen faces of staff members going about their business within the corridors. She hastily hit the power button the remote. The screen blinked into darkness.
Dread settled into the pit of her stomach. She thought of what she would be feeling if one of her friends had been missing for over a month. She leapt up from the couch. When she tried to run to the door, however, the strength left her legs and she collapsed to her knees. Grumbling curses, she gripped the top of the couch and pulled herself up. With three unsteady strides, she had reached the door. She undid the bolt, turned the handle, and froze in the open doorway.
She wanted nothing else to race back to her friends and yell at the top of her lungs that she was alive. 'But…'
There were dozen of questions demanding answers. If she left this nameless man's apartment than she might loose her only chance of ever knowing what happened back in that hellish building. She was ready to forget that horrible month, but she would be a fool to think things were over. Someone had stolen her out of a park lot and had done random experiments on her. They knew she had special powers! They would come after her again.
Her head turned back to the living room. Her rescuer might have answers.
Her heart tore at the thought of her friends and mother sobbing over her disappearance. She grounded her teeth together. She wanted to go to them, but she needed to wait a little bit longer. A curse word screamed through her brain as she slammed her fist into the doorframe.
Forcefully, she spun around and closed the door behind her. She heaved a heavy sigh as she hung her head. She was so sick of waiting. Weeks of torture made her want to rip out the couch's stuffing. Her blue eyes drifted back to the countertop. Deciding that she didn't want to vandalize her rescuer's home, she hurried over to the stack of mail. She looked at the name the top envelope was addressed: Zachary Greene.
'So that's his name.'
The doorknob abruptly turned and she whirled. Her face quickly became hot as saw her perplexed staring at her while she held his mail.
"Find some interesting?" he questioned mildly with an eyebrow raised.
She dropped the envelope as if it was hot and scuffled backwards. Her eyes narrowed on the man. Part of her knew that this man was the same person who had rescued her and joy surged through her, but a deeper part of her soul was wary. There was something dark and foreboding hovering over the man. As he looked away and stepped into the apartment, she became edgy. Her hand curled as a tremor passed through her nerves. It was as if a bad memory of the man lingered out of reach of her brain.
She inwardly cursed herself for such foolishness. She had never met this man until that day in the alley. How could she have any bad feeling about him? Then, she hesitated. What had he said in the alley that day?
'You know who I am…'
She studied his profile as he closed the door. As always, she couldn't help, but admire his dashing features. Had she met him earlier in her life? Was there something she had forgotten that she should remember? She clutched the side of her head. Everything was so darn confusing.
"Maybe you should sit down," he stated gently.
She looked up and saw he was studying her with a look of genuine concern. His eyes were a deeper green than normal. She blinked rapidly before giving a small nod. He waited for her to step towards the couch, but when he saw her make no movement, he realized she was letting him lead the way. 'Probably doesn't want to show me her back and let down her guard.'
He could understand such a reaction after what she had been through. He shrugged before lifted up his hands to explain his absences. Her eyes lit up at the sight of a frappuccino and fresh take out boxes. The sight of food made her stomach roar with life. "I knew you had to be starving, but I also thought you might be still off balanced and need a jump start of caffeine."
She blushed, "Um…thank you."
Gingerly, she took the plastic bag of take out, but shook her head at the frozen coffee. "I really appreciate the thought, but if you don't mind, I really would love some of the water you have in the fridge."
'Her gift must be back to normal or else she's been looking in my fridge and spotted the bottle water.' He gave her a warm smile. "Hey, that's quite alright. I'll leave the frap in the fridge, in case you might want it later."
She stared at his back as he headed into the kitchen, "Thanks."
She hesitated before walking back into the living room, darting uncertain glances at the blonde man. He was wearing the same outfit from the alley: the leather jacket and red hoodie. As he hunched over, her eyes instinctively darted downwards. She immediately whirled around before her eyes were able to get a full view of his rear. 'I am not going to oogle this man! For heaven's sakes, he could be a psycho!'
Sitting down on the couch, she glanced back towards the kitchen. He had straightened and was heading in her direction with two bottles of water. She anxiously shifted under his steady gaze. He held out one of the bottles with a half-smile. She wondered what he found so amusing. As he sat down in the recliner opposite from her, she twisted off the cap and took a long swig. The clean taste swam down her parched throat, tasting as sweet as sunshine. Once half the bottle was gone, she sighed in relief.
"Never tasted so good," she mumbled.
He nodded, "I figured it would after a month of being hydrated by IVs and serums."
As she went to take another swallow, the bottle froze inches from her lip. Her hand dropped and her eyes narrowed on the man. "How do you know that?"
He placed the other bottle on the coffee table and leaned back in his recliner, "Well, that's what happened, right?"
She balked at his answer. "Yes, but—"
"So it's only natural that water tastes excellent after such a horrible episode."
She suddenly wanted to throw something heavy at his head. "Of course, but that doesn't explain how you know that?"
She shoved the take out aside, forgetting about her stomach. Pushing up off the couch, she bunched up her fists and gave him the deadliest glare she ever mustered. Anger she rarely felt was shooting through her like wild electricity.
"I just went through a month of Hell," she seethed through clenched teeth. "I'm exhausted and pissed. I'm ready to blow every pipe in this building so you better be straight with me."
He quickly threw up his hands, "Whoa. Please, calm down. I don't mean any disrespect. It just a lot to explain and I don't know where to start."
He looked down at the water bottle that was beginning to crystallize into ice. He licked his dry lips and warily glanced up at the fuming woman.
"How about from the beginning?" she grumbled. "Like, who are you?"
Trying to make no sudden movements, he slowly lowered his hands. Her powers seemed to have come back to full life in a matter of seconds. When she sank back onto couch with a drawn expression, however, he realized she was using a great deal of her depleted energy by the show. She was still very weak.
"On paper my name is Zachary Greene," he began quietly, pushing back his wild bangs. "But my birth name was Zoisite Greene."
Zoisite…that name…
"What do you mean?" her tone was skeptical.
He pushed off from the back of his seat and situated himself on the edge of the recliner with his elbows on his knees. "To explain I need to go back a little. Have you ever heard of the research group called the NVerse?"
She carefully considered the name, but she eventually shook her head. Sighing, he passed his fingers through his hair. "I didn't figure you would. They are a very private group. Almost a secret society. I don't even think the government knows about them."
"What do they do?" She asked though her mind already had a solid guess. Her eyes caught his hands shaking.
"I don't know the extent of their research." He looked down at his toes, "But I know one of their divisions was dedicated to biological advancements in humans."
Her eyebrow quirked, "Excuse me?"
"To put it plain, they were working on making super-humans."
"Super-humans? That sounds like twilight zone ridiculous."
"I'm totally serious," Zach stated with a tight face. "Besides, I think water manipulation is on the same level as the twilight zone."
"Whatever," she mumbled with a roll of her eyes. Her inner emotions violently twisted. Normally, she would never be so rude, but her exhausting was tearing apart her nerves. "I can't help that I was born with this gift."
"Whether you believe it or not, the fact of the matter is that they exist and they were the ones that abducted you."
Her head swiveled, "These guys, the NVerse, were the people who kidnapped me?"
His eyes became stone hard, "You were one of the first identified with natural…um…supernatural abilities."
"One?" she floundered. "You mean there are others they've captured?"
"More like investigated," he commented, reaching down for a folder lying under the coffee table. Her eyes curiously watched as he pulled out forms and photos. They were subject profiles. Ami glanced over the papers fanned out on the coffee table and was stunned to see the photos were mostly of young females. "They never actually kidnapped any of these people. You were the first. These others were only put under surveillance."
"I don't get it," she threw down one of the photos. "How did they start researching these people? What made them interesting enough to put under surveillance?"
"I don't know," he admitted. "I was never able to figure that out."
She looked up from the papers, "Figure it out? How do you even know about this research if it's so secret?"
"That doesn't matter right now," he leaned forward and began replacing the files back in the folder. Ami immediately pounded a fist down on tope of the profiles when he went to take it away. He stared pointedly into her fiery blue eyes.
"That answer is not good enough," she whispered. "Somehow, you're involved in all this. It's not hard to see that."
He sat silent, calculating the situation. "Let me ask you this, Ami. Do you believe I'm a friend or an enemy?"
The sound of name on his lips caused her toes to curl. She wasn't sure if she liked it when he said her name. It sounded too much like he knew her intimately.
"I haven't made up my mind," she answered honestly, her tone hard. "You saved me from that research facility, but I'm not ready to welcome you into open arms. The only reason I haven't attacked you is because I want answers."
His eyes went glassy, "Fair enough."
She was confused by his reaction. He almost looked disheartened.
"How about I explain to you exactly why you were captured?"
She frowned, "You're not going to tell me how you know all this?"
"You're not ready for that answer yet," he replied sullenly. Ami wasn't satisfied. There was something important about this man's identity. Was he hiding it to later trap her? Was this some sick psycho out to get his jollies? Or could he actually be a true rescuer?
She grabbed for one of the take out boxes. Yanking it open, she was surprised to be looking at Japanese noodles. She glanced over to him and watched as he finished picking up the papers. Had he known that she loved Japanese food? She could understand him knowing about her liking ice coffee because he must have seen her in the coffee shop that first day, but he also knew her take out preferences? She looked at him through the corner of her eye. Had he been stalking her?
'I doubt he would be willing to admit it. So there's no point in asking. It might be better that I keep quiet and see how things play out. After all, I'm in his territory. If I act like I'm going to run, he might pull the plug on this friendly act and put me in lock down.'
She quickly shoved a fork full of noodles into her mouth. Her eyes studied him from across her plate as she chewed. Sadly, the wonderful flavor was lost by her diverted attention. After her first mouthful, she said, "Okay, go ahead and explain why I was captured."
He smirked and she almost was tempted to throw her food at him. 'No one has ever been able to infuriate me so easily. I could understand Rei feeling this way, but not me. I'm not a spitfire like her. I never need to remind myself to calm down.'
"This is going to sound unbelievable, but I'm asking you to stay opening minded."
She gave him a perplexed look, "This is worst than twilight zone super-humans?"
"It leans more towards the psychotic level," he answered evenly.
Digging again into her noodles, she inwardly scoffed, 'I'm looking at the psycho.'
"You see NVerse people are under the disguise that they are a group of scientist, but in reality they're part of a very twisted cult."
She stopped in mid bite, "Cult? Like satanic?"
"There is very limited information on their type of religion, but I don't think you could categorize them as simply satanic."
"Then what are you getting at? Cults are case book typical, not twilight weird like you were implying."
"Well, when you look at the religion and its connection to you, then you will understand."
"Understand? I can understand if they thought I was a goddess because of my abilities."
"Actually, they think you are a lost princess."
Her eyes widened as the last word replayed through her head. 'Princess…'
"Princess?" she asked in a hollow voice. "What do you mean?"
'In my dreams…they had called me princess…but that was dream.'
"It goes back to an ancient religion, one that has been somehow forgotten through the generations. The religion is female deity based with astrology and mythology playing in the background. The only name, however, I have found for the religion is the Senshi."
Senshi.
"Soldiers?" she whispered. "That term sounds familiar."
"Does it?"
"What's the story on the Senshi?" she ignored the way his eyes' lit up.
"Well, the core of the story is that the universe or at least this galaxy is protected by a goddess known as the Moon Princess."
"Moon Princess? What does she protect the universe from?"
"Just your basic evil?"
"Evil? Like evil spirits? Evil aliens? What exactly?"
"I'm not sure, but the story hints to an evil that was once locked away."
"Hm," she mumbled, pulling out another fork of noodles. "So what else do they say about this Moon Princess?"
"Well, she's from a royal family, one from the heavens, and supposedly she is the one to protect a sacred crystal."
"This is sounding less like a religion and more of a fairy tale."
"Even so, the NVerse believes this to be a true story."
She slammed down her carton, "But why would they think I'm this princess?"
He sighed, "Supposedly, the princess can be revealed through the symbol on her forehead."
Ami's heart stopped. She thought back to the day when they had dumped her in the enormous pit of water. When she had nearly drowned, there had been a strange light and then her forehead felt like it had been split open. She had looked at her reflection and she had seen the circular planetary symbol of Mercury.
'Is it possible?'
"That can't mean me," she hastily interrupted. "I'm not the only person who could do these things—"
She instantly remembered the voices outside her water cell:
"See it. That proves she's the one."
"Yep. That's it, but does that mean we move to the next phase."
"They are discussing it, but they think she's already made contact with others."
Her hands began to shake. 'Oh no! They saw it! They saw it and believe I'm her!'
She blinked rapidly when Zach's voice cut through her panic, "My only guess to why they want you is because they hope to kill you and take back the crystal you, supposedly, use to protect the universe with?"
She snapped her face to him, "But I don't have any crystal! I've never had crystal except for the wine glasses my mom owns."
She flew out of her seat, the empty take out falling to the floor. Rubbing her hands together, she began to pace the floor. Her bare feet padded loudly across the wooden floor, matching the beat of her racing heart.
"I don't care what they think," she rambled. "I might have some supernatural abilities, but if I was some protector of the universe, I think I would know!"
She whirled so fast her blue hair slapped her in the face. She glared down at her blonde rescuer who was anxiously watching her.
"I'm no lost princess!" she cried with outstretched arms. "They've got this all wrong."
She grabbed a fist full of hair and hissed out an angry breath, "I can't believe this! I went through a month-full of torture for nothing!"
The anger and exhaustion from the past days bubbled up into her chest. It became difficult to breath. Shoving the hilt of her hands into her eyes, she tried desperately to hold in a powerful sob. Sadly, her body was unable to hold back the treacherous moan.
She was just so tired and alone. She wanted to go home. She wanted to see her friends. She wanted to go back a month and get back her life. She wanted to be a normal girl, who hadn't ruined her parents' marriage or killed her cat because she lost control. She wanted to be just a person.
Her emotions spiraled dangerously out of her will of control and blackness crept over her heart just as warmth wrapped around her and pressed her into a hard chest. Her body went rigid and her heartbeat began to slow.
"I'm sorry," a silky voice whispered along her ear. "I should have given you more time to relax. You've gone through so much."
She couldn't get her mouth to open. She could only stand silent, trembling in his strong arms and staring at the deep red color of his shirt. There was calmness in the cavity of his hold that slid through her body. 'How is it that one minute I'm terrified of him and then the next minute I've never felt safer?'
She inhaled the heavy scent of cologne and her eyes fluttered close. Something forbidden stirred in her heart. She leaned treacherously closer, her arms beginning to creep around his sides. Then, her brain began screaming at her and the warning bells broke through her dazed senses. 'Don't forget yourself.'
She pushed her hands into his chest. Hard.
Zachary withdrew, but his eyes were hidden. His hands held her shoulders loosely as he tried to smile, "Feeling better?"
She gently pulled the rest of the way out of his arms and drifted towards the window. The evening sunlight slid over her worn features in narrow, orange bars. The warmth of sun couldn't help her cold body. "I'm fine."
Her chin trembled, "My emotions are out of balance. That's all."
He didn't say anything. He remained irritably silent. Ami took deep breaths as she squeezed her eyes closed, "They're going to keep coming after me. Won't they?"
"Yes." The word was heavy in the air.
A cold chill ran up her spine. "Is there anything I can do? Can't I stop them?"
"As you said, you are not the only person who has supernatural abilities. The NVerse is stocked with more than scientists."
Her jaw tightened as she thought back to all the fights she had been through in the past with the girls. She was no damsel. She could take on these people now that she had her footing.
"If they come after me, I'll take them out," she resolved.
A hand grabbed her shoulder. Turning, she found his eyes pleading with her. "Please, don't be foolish. The NVerse isn't a group of stupid thugs from the streets. This is an elite enemy with similar supernatural weaponry that you have."
His fingers tightened as his tone grew harder, "You could have a chance against a handful, but they would be willing to send their entire staff after you."
Tears of frustration swelled in her eyes again, "I'm not this princess. I don't have any crystal. I'm a girl who has been trying to help others, not save a universe. What am I suppose to do?"
He leaned closer, bringing her closer into his cocoon of masculine smell and beautiful green eyes. "Run."
It had come out so softly that she almost thought she had misheard him. "What?"
"Run. Disappear," he insisted louder. "I can get you a new name, social security, and a home. We can get your hair bleached and maybe color contacts."
The thought of blonde hair was a little disturbing to say the least that she almost didn't catch the entirety of what he had said.
"W-We?" she stuttered as eyes wide.
His smile was tight, but his voice was gentle. She blushed when she got lost admiring his blonde waves framing his tan face. The golden sunlight made him look almost god-like. "I got you out. I'm not leaving you to get caught again."
Her eyes narrowed. "I am a big girl, Mr. Greene—"
"Call me Zoisite."
"Listen, Mr. Zoisite, I'm sorry to ruin your grand idea of rescue, but I'm not running. I have a life here with friends and family—"
"Who will all suffer if you return home." Her heart gave out the second the words were spoken. He was right. She had heard that small warning in the back of her mind, but she had shamefully ignored it. Perhaps it was likely that the NVerse would come after her and possible come at her friends so she would cooperate, but her heart couldn't let go of the people had first loved her. It would be better to carve out her heart than to say goodbye.
But at the same time…
"No," her voice wavered. "I c-can't."
"You can't protect them all, Ami," he stated softly. She stared up into his smoky green eyes, silently pleading for him to stop. She didn't want to hear the truth. "These people would be willing to kill your entire family if that meant you would cooperate."
Her defeated gaze dropped to the floor. She would die first before she let anyone of them get hurt. Her small hands curled into a pair of bone white fists as she held back new tears. Life wasn't fair to her. It was never fair to her.
"I know this isn't fair and it's a lot to take in, but it's your only option. If you go back, they'll track you down in a matter of days. They probably already have your house's address. They'll be a dozen eyes keeping your close friends under surveillance and the phones will be tapped. They'll have a team surmising what move you'll make next and then they will lay scouts out as traps. If you go back, they'll find you."
His hands dropped from her shoulders, "As it is, we're taking a large risk by dawdling here. They probably have my information and are sending someone here as I'm talking."
Her somber heart sunk further into the earth as if it was digging its own grave. 'It's like I'm in some bad movie.'
He carefully studied her silent form. She appeared to have calmed down, but he was certain it was probably because she was going into shock. His chest tightened as he thought of what she had gone through. Yet, again destiny was being unfair to her.
"I was lucky enough to get your things out of the NVerse facilities. I took the liberty of washing your clothes."
Her head turned to the window and she placed her back to him. His face grew dim, "I'll get your clothes out of the laundry room and give you some time to think. When I come back though, we need to move on from here."
He waited to see if she would answer, but as expected she said nothing. Shoving his hands into his pockets, he headed for the door. He wish there was more time so he could explain things further, but they needed to get moving before the NVerse close in on his apartment building. In an hour, they had to be out of here. Otherwise, his best efforts from the last month would be lost.
"All your other stuff is in my room sitting on the floor beside my bookshelf."
Then the door clicked close. She listened to the sound of her feet faded and waited till she had to strain her ear to hear him before she bolted for his room. Bursting inside, she frantically scanned the room, her heart hammering a mile a minute. Her blue eyes found his closest and she flung open the sliding panels. Her hands hastily yanked out the nearest bunch of clothes. A couple of hangers hit the floor, but she ignored them and focused on the fistful of clothes she had grabbed. After checking her options she chose a blue flannel shirt, an evergreen hoodie, and elastic running pants. She began to frantically get dressed. She didn't bother taking off the scuba suit she was wearing, deciding she would need the extra layer. By now, it was nearly dry so she didn't need to worry about hypothermia. Next, she looked down at his collection of shoes. To her dismay, his shoes were a little over two sizes too big for her.
"Crap!" she hissed before grabbing a pair of gray sneakers. 'Hopefully no one will look at my feet.'
She glanced at the mirror and saw how the clothes hung off of her body. It was easy to tell she was wearing the wrong size and that they had been thrown on in reckless haste. Curse her luck for being a petite woman. 'Maybe they won't look at me at all.'
Locating his horde of socks, she yanked on two pairs over her small feet. She hoped it would keep her warm and help fill up the overlarge sneakers. After tying the laces as tight as possible, she went over to where he had said to have kept her things. Her eyes lit up with recognition when she saw her shoulder bag. There was no mistaking the navy colored "A" stitched to the front of the gray material. She hastily knelt down and began to shuffle through the insides. As expected, all of her hospital forms were still there, but her stack of research on her and the girls was missing.
"Shoot," she mumbled before closing the bag. They had taken her research. Hopefully, they wouldn't be able to decipher the identities of the girls through her papers. If they had, then the girls would become a target. 'All the more reason to hurry back to the house and warn them.'
Throwing the strap over her head, the small woman pushed herself up. In her mad rush to escape the apartment, however, she failed to consider the distance between her shoulder and the side of the bookshelf. White hot pain shot through her as the edge of the shelves dug into her collar bone. The tall bookshelf swayed and several volumes fell loudly to the floor. She gasped when a particular large volume narrowly missed her toes. She stood there for a second debating whether to replace the books. Huffing, she reminded herself that she was escaping and had no time for such frivolous cleaning.
When she went to exit, however, her eyes accidentally caught sight of a small rectangular box on one of the higher shelves. Her feet planted into the ground as her eyes narrowed. The box had been carefully placed behind the books in its own secret hiding place. She glanced towards the door, wondering how much more time she had. 'Maybe five minutes…'
Ignoring her better judgment, Ami reached over and brought the box out into the fading sunlight. As she brought the box to her face, her heart skipped. It was made of fine black leather with a row of symbols stitched onto the front with silver thread. It was a Japanese word: Shitennou.'
Her eyes widened, 'Heavenly Kings?...What could he possibly have in here?'
Time stopped as she followed the curious urge to open the thin box. Slowly, the lid fell back and revealed it red cushioned inners carrying a collection of tiny stones. Her eyes passed over the various colors. There were four in all in several striking colors: golden amber, translucent white, royal blue, and smoky jade. 'What is this?'
Her focus unconsciously narrowed on the fourth stone, the jade. 'He had said something about a crystal the princess had.'
Somehow, she knew the stones in her hands were somehow connected to his story. She frowned at the thought. 'But how could they be? These are chunks of minerals, not crystal. And why does it say Heavenly Kings on the box? He didn't say anything about kings.'
As she mulled over this, she became unaware that her hand had reached for the jade stone. Something was drawing her to the innocent stone, some inner calling. When the pad of her fingertips delicately brushed the smooth green surface, a powerful shock of electricity raced up her arm. Crying out, she dropped the box.
The stones clattered across the hardwood while the box tumbled over to the carpet beside the bed. She was too overcome with the drums pounding her ears to notice. Ami instinctively clutched at her head as pin-like pain began to sear through her skull. Several curses flew through her head as she struggled to stay standing.
'It's like that time…that time in the tank.'
She stumbled to the left with her eyes screwed shut. 'What's happening?'
Her knees buckled and she hit the floor. With one head clutching her forehead, she gripped the side of the shelves. The world spun yet again and she nearly shouted at it to stop. Things didn't want to get easier for her.
'I shouldn't have touched it. I should have left when I had the chance.'
Forcing all her weight against the shelves, she precariously lifted to a shaky stand. She squinted through the pain and realized she was facing the mirror. The Mercurian symbol glowed brightly across the angry wrinkles of her brow. 'Aw, crap!'
She pushed away from the mirror so fast that her arm struck the side of the bookshelves. For the second time, an array of books tumbled out and nearly emptied the entire case. All thought of pain and panic disappeared when she spotted the handgun sitting innocently behind one of the remaining volumes. Without further hesitation, she swiped up her handbag and raced out of the apartment.
..
As she passed a set of officers exiting a diner, she unconsciously pulled the dark hood further over her face. They were laughing over some joke one of them had made when she walked by on their left. She prayed she looked like some guy who enjoyed oversized clothes. When she heard their feet still behind her, she located the nearest alley and ducked inside. Maybe they wouldn't follow her.
When she saw a nearby dumpster, she hastily ran behind it. Ami pressed her back into the cold stone wall and tried to calm down her heart. She was lucky to follow her instincts because when she peeked around the back of the huge metal bin, she saw the police officers pass by and glance down into the alleyway. They stalled for half a step, but finding the alley empty, they continued on their way.
She sighed wearily. She had been playing hide-and-seek for the last hour since she had bolted out of Zoisite's apartment complex. She passed her hand over her brow. Her headache had gone away along with the blue symbol. Unfortunately, her body was still weak, especially with all the running she had been doing, ducking in and out of alleys.
Her years of missions with the girls had forced her to learn the city's entire network of alleys and streets. It was helping considerably at the moment, but it was making her progress horribly slow. In the last hour, she had barely reached the halfway point between Zoisite's apartment and her house. 'I'm going to faint if I keep this up.'
She checked the front of the alley for spectators before rising and heading into its shadowy confines. 'As it is, I only have another hour or two before the sun completely sets. By then, it will be too cold for me to continue.'
As if they could hear her thoughts, her joints protested loudly as the cold sunk deeper into her bones. 'At least, I got some food and water in me before I ran out. Else I would have already fallen unconscious.'
Her vision blurred dangerously. She stumbled on an invisible line and grabbed the side of the nearest building. 'Maybe I could call the girls to come and get me.'
She pushed forward. 'No, he said the phones would be tapped. Things could become very bad, very fast if I call them.'
Her feet dragged as she turned left. Her eyes stared numbly as the ground as the mush of her brain swirled. The cold air was like a collection of needles in her lungs. 'I need to cross eight more streets before I reach our neighborhood. Maybe I could chance a bus.'
Her aching hand reached into her bag. 'Do I even have cash?'
Her knuckles brushed against a familiar object, causing her to stop in her tracks. Wrapping her fingers around it, the small woman pulled out her neon blue cell phone. She stared at it in consideration. 'Can they track a cell phone I wonder? I don't have a GPS in it so I don't think they could.'
She flipped open the cell and stared incredulously at the screen. There was Serena's smushed face smiling from behind a pile of cookies as if summer had never ended. It was absolutely Ami's favorite picture of her friend and she kept it on her phone since early June. Ami, however, wasn't staring at Serena's crumb covered cheeks, but instead at the bold white letters typed out across the screen.
"168 text messages?" she mumbled softly. "Is it serious?"
She went to open her inbox when a thought struck her. How could her cell phone still be on? She hadn't seen it in over a month. The battery should be dead or the phone company should have shut it off since she hadn't paid her bill. She scowled down at her best friend's face. 'Could they have kept my phone charge so they could see my list of phone numbers? Were they trying to find out who I associate with so they could track down other people with my gift?'
She thought back to the photograph they had taken of Lita. 'They could be trying to find her.'
Her finger hovered over the small button that would open her inbox. Inwardly, she began to debate the danger of opening up her text messages. She doubted they could track her cell phone's location and she wasn't calling another phone that they could run to and place a trap. There didn't appear to be any danger to opening her electronic mail.
She exhaled deeply, "Screw it."
She pressed the button. The screen blinked to a long list of names that had sent the texts. She pressed another button and her phone opened the most recent message.
Sender: Serena
Date: 2/10/07
Message: I miss you. 8:45:23AM
She swallowed down the lump in her throat. Shakily, she rolled down the list and opened another text at random.
Sender: Rei
Date: 2/6/07
Message: Every time I dream I hear you screaming. I don't know what to do. 5:01:32 PM
She scrolled down.
Sender: Mina
Date: 2/2/07
Message: We're trying to find to you. Please, don't lose hope. 11:52:04PM
Next one.
Sender: Serena
Date: 1/28/07
Message: Where are you? I don't know what to do. 1:13:13PM
Another.
Sender: Luna
Date: 1/15/07
Message: We've tried everything. We can't find you. 9:00:02AM
Next.
Sender: Lita
Date: 1/9/07
Message: We'll never give up. We'll find you. 9:54:33AM
She flipped the phone shut. Tears filled her eyes again for the millionth time that day. She needed to get home. Now.
There was the sound of feet approaching. Her heart jumped into throat and she hastily scuffled down the alley. She turned behind a corner and began to jog. The sneakers were difficult to navigate. Whenever she went to go right, only half the shoe would follow. She spent more time stumbling than running. She spat out the hair caught in her mouth and ran her hand along the side of the wall.
'I can't keep this up.'
Her vision blurred again. Blinking rapidly, she pressed her side against the building and breathed deeply. The air was crisp against her exposed skin. She tasted the cold and felt the prick in her lungs. She could feel water everywhere, but it was wild and free. It wasn't whispering to her like it normally did. It was jeering and dancing around her senses.
She shook her head. 'What's going on? Why does the water feel so wild? So fleeting?'
Footsteps clapped louder behind her. Blue eyes abruptly spotted the round cover of the sewer entrance. She blinked away her disorientation at the sight. It wasn't the most sanitized route, but it would be out of sight. Unfortunately, she had never taken the opportunity to learn the waterways.
It was her only option. Cracking her knuckles, she focused all her attention of the heavy slab of metal. She couldn't lift it with her bare hands, but perhaps she had enough strength to prop it open. The water giggled as she reached out for the icy concrete. It shifted and bulged, fighting against her command.
'Come on.'
It rolled forward after some prodding and slid its fingers into the crack between the lid and the entrance. Her head began to ache as she forced the ice to push up on the heavy circle. As it gradually lifted, its ting fingers engulfed the entire slab. The water shuddered and recrystallized. It was having trouble keeping its form. Her breathing hissed out from her nose as she bit her tongue. It took her nearly a full minute for the lid to be lifted off the ground. The metal circle hung a full foot above her on a thin stilt. It resembled the image of a lamppost.
Wanting to waste no more time, she slid into the hole and began to make her way down the lengthy ladder. Once she was completely in, the ice lamppost collapsed and the lid crashed back home.
Immediately, everything went black. Her hands tightened on the rungs of the ladder and her breathing began to speed up. Those times when she had been locked away in the darkness came back to haunt her. She suddenly couldn't find enough air to breath. The darkness was choking her.
'Calm down. The walls aren't closing in. This is just a normal reaction to the dark after what you've been through this.'
Her whimpered echoed in the dark expansion.
'Think of the girls. Think of how they're in danger.'
Her limbs shook as she forced her leg downwards.
'You can get through this. You're not a four year old girl.'
Her foot hit the floor, but she clung to the ladder.
'You have fought men with guns. You can handle a little sewer.'
Slowly, she pried her hands from the steel frame and took several unsteady steps back. She turned to the right and searched for the wall. Feeling the damp, icy concrete, she dug in her shoulder bag for her phone. She pulled it open once she had found it and flipped it open. The bluish light spilled out like a flashlight. She was able to see a good ten feet ahead of her. 'Better than nothing.'
With a heavy heart, she faced her worst nightmare ever. Ever so often she couldn't hold back her frightened whimpers.
..
She had taken longer than she had hoped, but when she had surfaced from the rank tunnels, she was bulging with energy. As time had progressed, her fear had forced her feet to quicken. Even though it was unnecessary, she had nearly run the entire two miles between her and her home. She was dirty, wet, and worn beyond her reserves.
She had begun to walk the last stretch of her path down through the street that ran parallel to one the house sat. Her eyes darted everywhere from beneath the hood, studying each figure walking sidewalk carefully. Everyone was covered in heavy layers, putting their shoulders into sharp wind as they hurried home. It was hard to keep her heart and feet steady as they passed her. Blood was beginning to collect in her mouth from her long hours of abuse to her lip between her teeth. The shadows stretched further down the way, casting a foreboding feel across her soul. She hurried her feet when there was only a block left between her and the girls.
'Wait! I'm coming!'
She began to trot, the over large sneakers slipping across the slick concrete. She gripped her hood as the wind tried to expose her identity to the world. Ami's vision blurred, but she didn't care. She could make the last block with her eyes closed. Colors became gray and shapes shuddered.
The house didn't appear soon enough. Her legs became full of stone and her lungs emptied. She hoped she didn't appear drunk and homeless to the unseen onlookers. They would probably call the cops on her. Then, it wouldn't be long before they connected her face to the tons of fliers posted on all the lampposts.
When she reached the wire fence surrounded the yard, she began to cry. There was Lita's small flower pot inside the kitchen window and Mina's bicycle was chained to the porch. She needed to stop and breath, but there was no use trying to stop her feet. She lurched past the open gate with her eyes firmly planted on the blurry shape of the front door. Anyone could be watching her. The NVerse could be down the street with binoculars, but she didn't care. She was home. Finally home.
She tripped over the lip of the porch and crashed into the door. She scrambled for the doorknob. She turned it, but it was locked into place. The energy in her limbs began to rapidly disappear. Her vision narrowed into a small black tunnel as the door stretched out of reach. Her fingers slid down the white chipped surface.
'Wait! Wait!'
Her fist swayed and missed the door as she fell. Her side hit the sunflowers on the welcome mat. The porch creaked under her as her body crumbled into a heap. Color faded to gray and shapes disappeared. Ami blinked once. Twice. And then she was unconscious.
'Someone…'
A/N: Woosh. That was a lot of pages. Hope you enjoyed. The next chapter will be out when I get rip it out of my brain.
