chapter eight: il est mon frère

Two explosions were apparently all that was needed for the kidnappers to get their job done. It was a full five minutes of apprehensive waiting before Aya finally gave the order to regroup in the van. Aside from a chunk of cement that had smashed the windshield, the van and its costly equipment was mostly undamaged. Immediately Aya began typing away, adjusting his ear piece with one hand as he did.

"Omi's unconscious," Youji surmised as he also listened. "He would've said something otherwise."

"Are we sure he's even with them?" Ken glanced out the broken window, glowering at the sight of the evacuating people. "He could still be in there."

"No," Aya said, "his position is moving."

True to his word, the green blinking dot on the screen was gradually moving farther and farther away. Minako frowned, biting her thumb as she watched the dot move. That was supposed to be her, not Omi. She was supposed to have been bait. It would've been easier, more convenient. What on earth had made the boy want to take her place?

"What's that noise?"

"What noise, Ken? People screaming for their lives?"

"Shut up, Youji, I meant that beeping. It's coming from…"

Abruptly Minako whirled out of her thoughts, scrambling to her purse. She hadn't heard it earlier, but that beeping now rang in her ears, loud and urgent although it was faint in actuality. She dug in the bottom of the purse before pulling out a watch. Her old communicator.

She flung it open, and Uranus's face came into view.

"Venus," she said, "I have a helicopter ready for you. Bring the whole motley crew. Around the left block, top floor of the Carlton. Five minutes."

And the screen turned to static.

Minako didn't hesitate; she pulled her henshin pen from her purse, raised it into the air and called out, "Venus Crystal Power, Make-up!" The familiar sensation of light surrounded her in rings, and seconds later she was skirted and high heeled. If circumstances were normal, she would've laughed at Youji's open mouth and Ken's bright red face (and maybe even Aya's slighty widened eyes, if she felt reckless enough) but Uranus had warned her—warned Venus. Five minutes.

"We need to go," she said sharply, and without waiting she was out the van. She could hear the hasty scrambling behind her; good, they trusted her. And hopefully, she could still trust Uranus.

xxx

"Hotaru," Uranus called over her shoulder, "make some room."

The petite girl did so without complaint, pulling her coat over her dress just as Venus slid into view. She was panting, the rush from the rotors blowing her hair all over. "Uranus!" she cried out as her companions appeared behind her, on edge with their weapons.

"Get in!" The older woman flicked a few buttons on the dashboard; the rotors spun faster. Venus didn't hesitate. She pulled her comrades into the helicopter, telling them it was alright, Uranus knew what she was doing. Hotaru silently watched them as they piled in; it would be rather cramped, but they would all fit.

Ken sat next to her, and immediately his eyes widened. "You—Hotaru!"

"Hidaka-san," she greeted. "How've you been since this morning?"

"What are you—where –?"

"Marine Cathedral." Hotaru looked curiously over at Aya. The red-head was holding onto his katana defensively, glaring at the back at Haruka's head as they took off. "Getting there by helicopter is the fastest way."

"How do you—?"

"I guess I should tell you now. I've been lying to you—Tsukiyono also." She raised a hand to the side of her cheek, bowing her head. "I hope you forgive me. I purposefully gave Tsukiyono the impression that I have no memory of this morning—but I do. And it was all an act."

Ken was still, staring at her, but his eyes were slowly smoldering. Venus was frowning, but Youji was too busy looking down anxiously at the ground below them to truly care.

"I sincerely apologize. I never meant to involve you, Hidaka-san. It was just coincidental that you were the one who saw me before Tsukiyono could."

"Who are you?"

That was Aya. Ken didn't trust himself to speak.

"Tomoe Hotaru," she said, ducking her head. "A pleasure to meet you."

"Hotaru," Uranus said through clenched teeth, "there are times when being polite is unnecessary."

"But Michiru-mama says if I don't be careful, I'll turn out like you."

"Sh-she said that? Really?"

"Hey," Venus said, interrupting them, "what do you guys want with Omi?"

"Information." Hotaru paused, worry inching into her expression. "I hope he doesn't think I'm a horrible person when he finds out."

"Information for what?"

"For Pluto." Hotaru folded her hands on her lap, looking back to Ken. "Hidaka-san, I really am sorry."

Ken merely grunted and turned the other way. He therefore missed the slight sag of Hotaru's shoulders, but Youji was keen enough to notice. He almost reprimanded Ken (even if she was a liar, she was still a little girl), but Venus opened her mouth to speak again.

"Why are you helping us, Uranus?"

"They have Neptune."

Venus apparently hadn't expected that; she closed her mouth, leaned back and kept quiet. Hotaru glanced over at her, her head cocked to the side as she studied the senshi. "It's nice to see you again, Venus."

Before she could reply, Uranus cut her off. "Hotaru, get ready."

The small girl smoothed out her lab coat. "Fujimiya-san," she said to Aya, and he tensed, his grip on his weapon tightening. "When the helicopter lands, the men will ask who we are. At this point I will step out and I'm requesting that you come with me."

"What? No," Venus argued, "Uranus, you're agreeing to this?"

"The Marine Cathedrale is still under possession of my father."

"You fa—"

"We're here," Uranus said sharply. She put the helicopter into descent, looking back at the others. "This doesn't mean that we're on your side, Weiss. Remember that."

"The feeling's unanimous," Youji replied, grinning at the irritated senshi.

xxx

Hotaru waited until the rotors had stopped whirring before she stepped out of the helicopter. The first thing to greet her eyes was the towering walls of the cathedral. The second thing was the half circle of men surrounding the helicopter, their firearms ready. Hotaru sucked in a deep breath, glanced back at Aya (who had followed her without a word) and stepped forward.

A shot penetrated the ground just centimeters in front of her foot. Aya started to pull his katana out; Hotaru motioned him with the slightest flick of her hand to stop. She kept on forward, instructing him nonverbally to follow.

Another shot stopped her in her tracks and she frowned.

"Stop where you are! State your name and business, or we will shoot!"

"Please don't shoot." Hotaru stepped forward again, ignoring the way the men glanced at each other. She could easily see they were wondering why a teenage girl just came out of a helicopter.

There were more shots, this time dangerously closer than before. "State your name and business!"

"I said please," she grumbled, stepping over the spot they had shot at. She took in a deep breath, finally meeting their gazes, knowing that her own was quite cold.

The look in their eyes seemed to stop the designated leader of the bunch. The men hesitated, making faces at each other awkwardly, and Hotaru led Aya to just beyond them, a couple of steps up the stairs. And then she looked back at him, nodding politely. "Now would be a good time, Fujimiya-san."

Wordlessly, Aya unsheathed his weapon and, in one smooth movement, struck down the nearest two men. Hotaru herself picked up a dropped pistol; she avoided a parade of bullets, ducked behind a startled man and clapped him over the head with handgun. He dropped down, and the shot he fired imbedded itself in his comrade rather than Aya.

Ken and Youji had tumbled out of the helicopter by then, and she pocketed the pistol, letting them do their work and finding refuge behind a short pillar. After all, it was what Setsuna had intended. She, Haruka and Michiru were only to play as assistants in this round, helping them complete their mission. It was only a stroke of bad luck that Michiru had been taken captive during the explosion...

The last of the men were down. Uranus and Venus were running towards the only entrance, the former barking orders at the other three. Soon they were all sprinting through the entrance, the darkness of the corridor closing in on them. Venus then brought a hand to her lips and kissed her fingers; a bright, glowing heart rested in the palm of her hand.

"You can use Love and Beauty Shock like that?"

She shrugged at Uranus. "Never tried it before. I'm guessing as long as no one else touches it, it's fine."

And then they were off again. Uranus seemed to be leading the way, her pace only matched by Ken. Aya and Youji were not that far behind, with Minako at their heels. Hotaru noted faintly that with every second that passed, she seemed to be trailing farther and farther behind. The light in Venus's palm was slowly getting dimmer—she tried to pick up her pace, but a cold feeling filled her. Something in the back of her mind was telling her to be wary...

And then Ken was there, his breath a little heavy, but he seemed fine otherwise. He held a gloved hand out to her, helping her straighten out. "Come on," he said, "you can get on my back."

Hotaru stared at him.

"Hurry up!" He didn't mean to be so testy; Youji had given him a weird look earlier for going back. Apparently the older man hadn't noticed the lack of the sixth member of their temporary team. As much as he didn't want to lag behind—as much as he didn't like her for lying to him so easily, for deceiving him—Ken couldn't just leave her there.

Hesitantly, Hotaru climbed onto his back. "I'm sorry. Thank you." He gave a noncommittal noise in reply, hoisted her up higher and darted off again. It wasn't long before Venus's light reached them; the group had stopped. The path was split three ways—the half-opened doors in front of them leading into the main hall, a smaller door on the left and a path off to the right. Uranus had her eyes closed, fists clenched and shoulders shaking. Aya seemed to be leaning towards taking the right path. He started walking, but Venus grabbed his arm, shaking her head. Youji looked back at the footsteps and raised an eyebrow at Ken carrying Hotaru, but wisely said nothing.

"What are we doing just standing here?" Ken wasn't sure why he was so irritated. He hefted Hotaru up a little higher; she was starting to slip. The girl gave him a small, "Shh," right into his ear. "She's thinking."

The short sword in Uranus's hand started to glimmer faintly. The tall woman opened her eyes and went off to the right. Wordlessly Venus followed. Ken didn't hesitate; he flew after the others, his speed still gaining on Uranus even with the girl on his back. It vaguely reminded him of soccer camp; he always had to carry Kase while running laps.

Uranus stopped hastily in the middle of the corridor. She held out a hand, tilting her head; Aya mimicked her. Then, after hearing the faintest echoes of footsteps, he said flatly, "They're coming in our direction."

"We need to split up." Uranus frowned, pointing at Aya and Youji. "You and you, go with Venus down this hall." She pulled open the nearest door, revealing a staircase leading down. "You and Hotaru come with me."

She was sending Aya, Youji and Venus down to meet those footsteps. Ken scowled, slouched under Hotaru's weight. He made to protest, but she was already hurrying again, her own footsteps becoming echoes. "Damn it!"

The other three were already down their designated path. The light slowly faded; they were clothed in dark again. Ken started to move, but he felt Hotaru slide away from him. "What are you—?"

"It's fine, Hidaka-san." He could faintly make out her form bowing. "I'll be alright. Make sure Venus doesn't make a speech when you find your target, okay? The Guardian Senshi tend to do that."

And then she was gone.

Ken sighed, having half the mindset to follow her, but his instincts told him Omi wasn't that way. He heard the distinctive schwing! of Youji's wire being unraveled. Without a second thought he hurried to the battle, snapping his claws out.

xxx

It was too quiet for Rei's tastes.

For the past half hour she had sat in the dark, knees curled up to her chest, staring at her dress. It was the only thing she could even remotely tell that existed in the dark; the white looked like a milky grey in the shadows. There wasn't any point in trying to find where she was; she couldn't see anything, hear anything, feel anything except the cement under her body.

"Rei," a voice called to her abruptly. She narrowed her eyes. "It's me. Hirofumi."

She responded with silence.

"I can get you out of here; they listen to me—just please, tell me you'll reconsider."

Was he the one that arranged all of this? It was a bit extreme if that was the case.

"Rei. I know you're there."

But how would he know if she were conscious? After a dragged out silence, his footsteps faded away, ascending up. So she was in a lower level. Not like the information would be really useful; she felt like she was trapped in a twisted version of death. It was too cold, too dry, too quiet.

"This place still has its same aura."

"Michiru?"

"Yes. I think I'm in the same cell as you. Can you not produce a light for us?"

Rei had forgotten, and she wondered how Michiru knew. Clenching a fist, she furrowed her brow, concentrating. A small spark flickered before a flame consumed her hand. The heat was warm, welcome; she brought her arm up, letting the light flow through.

Michiru—no, Neptune sat a good distance away, watching her mirror. She murmured a distracted yet nonetheless grateful 'thanks,' her focus pulled into her talisman. Rei sighed, relief washing over as she made her way towards the older senshi. They seemed to be in some sort of old fashioned jail cell. The walls were bricks of solid stone, but the bars that held them in appeared to be steel. Rei paused. The cell across from them was empty.

"Rei," Neptune said, "do you feel something from this place?"

"…no," Rei answered honestly.

"I don't either." Neptune frowned, looking up. "It's as if death itself has consumed this castle."

"Neptune?"

"You should transform." She held out her mirror, tilting it so the younger girl could see. "Uranus and Hotaru are on their way."

Rei hesitated, taking a glance. She could faintly see the two dashing in the dark. The Space Sword seemed to be glowing. Was it tied to the mirror? She shook her head, the fire in her hand extinguishing, but instead of replenishing it she thrust her hand into the air. "Mars Crystal Power, Make-up!"

She had missed the feeling of fire surrounding her body. The moment lasted too brief as the flames died away, licking at her heels before disappearing out of sight. Mars shivered despite herself and produced another flame, greater than before.

"We should blast through these bars."

"I was thinking the same." Neptune stood up, raising her arms above her head. "Deep Submerge!"

"Fire Soul!"

Both attacks rushed with each other towards the bars, and collided with a slam. The bars gave way in an instant, spilling to the floor in a loud clang. Mars cursed; she could already hear the—guards? enemies?—whoever they were, they were hurrying down.

"Mars," Neptune said gravely, "I hope you do not have a problem with killing." And with that she let another Deep Submerge plow through the already gathered men. The water rushed over them, freezing their bodies and cutting off their air supply. Mars froze, watching the spectacle with wide eyes; she was vaguely aware of Neptune taking her by the arm and pulling her through the mess.

"We need to hurry."

"R-right."

Neptune pulled her up the stone steps, their heels clacking against the surface of the ground. Mars was strongly reminded of the Nehelenia incident, when they had been all split up. Back then, they had been forced apart; now, they had chosen to pursue their lives in different paths. She wondered if it was mere coincidence that brought the Outers back into her life, or if it had been a stroke of fate.

They haven't changed, she surmised as she watched the back of Neptune's head. Neptune's instinctive nature was still sharp, sharper than her own. But while three years ago she would've had envy of the older woman and doubt at her own abilities, Mars only felt gratitude.

"Where are we?"

"Marine Cathedral." Neptune paused, glancing around. "It appears that we're underground."

"Marine Cathedral?" The fire in her palm flared. "But I thought—"

"This is no longer a church, Mars." Neptune started forward again, following the left path. "The underground cell room we were in and the tunnels we're in now were added. We've been keeping track of its construction for about a year now."

"Why?"

"Your brother, Takatori Hirofumi, has been plotting this with two other men for some time now. He staged the bombing tonight. By kidnapping people important to key figures and using a pseudonym, he's able to persuade politicians over on to his side."

"Hirofu—"

"It was Takatori Reiji's idea," Neptune said, and she tugged Mars over to her. The wall that the red-clad senshi had just been standing in front of blasted away, crumbling to pieces. The dust settled around them, and both senshi covered their mouths in fear of inhaling the age-old rubble. After the mess cleared, Uranus and Hotaru climbed through. Upon spotting Neptune, Uranus immediately locked her hands on her shoulders.

"I will kill that man for bringing you here."

"I'm fine, Uranus. Leave it to them."

"No."

"You shouldn't be so rash in front of Hotaru-chan."

"I'm not being rash, I just—"

"Where is he?" Mars brushed off her skirt, her patience wearing thin. She appreciated the fact that Uranus and Hotaru had gone through so much to find them, yes, but apparently her brother was the reason she was there in the first place. Neptune paused, exchanging a quick glance with Uranus. The blonde frowned and shook her head just the slightest.

"A group of assassins is on their way to Takatori right now." Neptune looked at her. "We can't let you get in their way, Mars."

"Where is he?"

"Mars," Uranus said, placing a hand on her arm. "It's his fortune to die tonight."

"Where," Mars repeated flatly, "is he?"

"The entrance to the secret side room to the grand hall." Hotaru fiddled with the pistol she had, not meeting the eyes of her guardians. "It's some ways from here taking the main path, but there's a shortcut through this hole we just made."

With a quick nod, Mars disappeared through the makeshift path. Uranus and Neptune exchanged another glance, more meaningful than the previous one. It seemed as if a brief, wordless conversation passed between the two before they addressed Hotaru.

"Why did you do that?"

Neptune's voice was not scolding; on the contrary, it was soft, albeit somewhat reprimanding. Uranus herself kept quiet, crossing her arms and pouting almost. It was her own way of trying to imitate a regular parent's expression.

"Hotaru? We agreed that Takatori Mamoru would be the one to –"

"Telepath-san just asked me now as a favor to tell her." Hotaru looked down at her feet, clasping her hands behind her back and looking all the part of a guilty child.

"Telepath-san? You mean—?"

"Tell that bastard to get out of your head!" Uranus scowled, wanting to grab Hotaru and shake her, as if that would draw 'that bastard' out. "Tell him I'll kill him if he doesn't!"

"Now that's not very nice, is it, Ten'ou-san?"

Schuldig himself emerged from the shadows, looking spectacularly amused as he eyed the three up and down. He wore a bright red coat in place of his old green one; the color, amazingly enough, didn't clash horribly with his hair. Nagi and Farfarello, still clad in their white tuxedos, trailed behind, both with expressions of utmost boredom on their faces. Upon their arrival, Uranus flipped the Space Sword in her hand and pointed it at Schuldig. Neptune sighed, bringing a hand to her head, preparing herself for the confrontation.

"Get the hell away from us."

"Uranus, be nice."

"But Neptune! You remember what he did to Setsuna that one day!"

"Yes, I do, and we've been fully compensated."

"It's not like he meant it!"

"Ten'ou-san, that just hurts my feelings." Schuldig smirked, raising an eyebrow at the infuriated blonde.

Uranus took a deep breath. When she spoke, her voice was rigid and controlled, as if she were fighting the urge to take her sword and stab him right then and there. "What do you want?"

"Nothing with you. Just here to enjoy the show." Schuldig stretched his arms over his head, yawning. "Her first kill isn't supposed to actually be so soon, but with the circumstances, I thought I'd see if I couldn't push things my way a little."

Neptune noted that Nagi was looking a little discomforted. "You mean for her to kill her own brother?"

Schuldig merely smiled. Cursing, Uranus darted off into the hole in the wall, stepping over fallen chunks of stone. Neptune paused to give the German a cold glare before following after the other senshi, taking more care and time into her footing. The remaining girl left in the tunnel stared at the three Schwarz members with rather large, violet eyes. Schuldig took it upon himself to break the silence.

"Why aren't you all sailor senshi like them?"

"Haruka-papa lost my henshin wand." Hotaru then bowed, smiling lightly. "It's nice to see you again, Schwarz-san."

Schuldig couldn't help himself; he started laughing. He always liked how she referred to them as one being.

xxx

When Ken caught up with the rest of his teammates, Venus let go of the glowing heart in her hand. It slammed into one man, throwing him back into the wall as the heart burst into a cloud of light. He slumped over, unconscious, and Venus blew another kiss. Ken had taken a second to watch the exchange; it was almost awe-inspiring, the way a small thing like that could take out a single man.

"Siberian!" Aya.

"Yeah," Ken called back, ducking a clumsy swing from a man and swiping at him with his claws. He threw himself into the fray, where Aya was impaling one after another after another. More ducking, more lunging, more digging his claws into bodies; he hardly noticed the man creeping up behind him. Only a second too late did he turn around.

Ken hastily brought up an arm, hoping it would somehow shield him from the shot. It never came; at the last second, the man was jerked back, his face turning purple before he slumped over. Youji retracted his wire, throwing Ken a quick, almost annoyed look before slinging another body into the air. "Always counting on me to bail you out, huh?"

"Shut up, Balinese," Ken said good-naturedly as he swung his arm at a man about to fire at Youji. The older man rolled his eyes, flinging out his wire again and tugging hard. The last man fell, the wire around his neck, as Aya swung his katana in one smooth motion. Then, with a nod to the other three, Aya ran forward again, stepping over the fallen bodies. Ken was first to follow after, and Youji trailed after. He paused, glancing back at Venus, who had stopped to retrieve a pistol from a fallen man. Then she straightened up, brushed off her skirt and fell in line.

The first intersection they came upon diverged to the left and right. Ken, eager to get moving, suggested that they split up. He received a negative response; Aya flat-out ignored him, Youji bluntly said no, and Venus closed her eyes. She folded one arm across her chest and tapped her forehead, frowning.

"Right, I think," she said finally. Aya looked at her, and she smiled sheepishly. "Did I mention I've been here before?"

"Why right?" Ken, impatient, sighed at Youji's question. He hit the wall with a fist, just for the sake of doing something; Youji shot him a dry look and he promptly ignored it.

"We passed the main hall when we entered. There was no one in there, so I'm guessing we're headed for the grand hall instead." Her frown returned, old memories of running down the corridors coming back to her. In fact, the very place they stood at had to be the spot where she and the other Inners had been stuck to the ground. Venus rubbed her backside, remembering the feeling of Sailor Moon jumping on it. "She's gotta lose some weight."

"What?"

"The right!" Venus said hastily, covering up her slip. And then they were moving again, running and passing small passageways. Soon the large, ornate doors were in front of them, and without a moment's hesitation Ken pushed them open. They creaked as they fell apart, and the two beings in the grand hall whirled around at the disruption.

Takatori Hirofumi's eyes widened at the sight of four individuals with blood on their outfits, none of which being the standard bodyguard uniform. He raised his pistol, firing once, twice, three times before realizing they were no longer standing in the doorway. Then he felt a sharp sting on his arm; looking down, he realized there was a wire wrapped around it. "Wha—?!"

Tsukiyono Omi, the other original inhabitant of the grand hall, took out a knife and swung it upwards. The wire snapped almost immediately. "Run!" he said to the older man. "Get out of here!"

"Omi, what the hell are you—shit!" Youji flung out his wire again, trying to get the fleeing man; Omi pulled out an array of darts let them fly, deflecting the wire. Ken was half running towards Hirofumi and half hesitating; what was Omi playing at?

"Hurry up—oniisan!"

Silence.

Aya, in pursuit of Hirofumi, stopped dead in his tracks. He glared sharply at Omi, disbelieving. The younger boy appeared guilty, his eyes even watering, but he held up his knives and darts with determination. Ken, flabbergasted, let his mouth flap open and close. He couldn't find any words to say. Youji had a cross look spreading across his face as he retrieved his garrote.

Hirofumi took his chance to depart. He scrambled for the entrance, dropping his pistol and stumbling slightly over his feet. The other men didn't seem to notice; they were too caught up within their own predicament. Omi took a deep breath, watching Hirofumi—his older brother—make his exit.

Then, "Hold it right there!"

All heads snapped up to top of the room, where a figure was standing in the open arch of the window. The moon silhouetted the figure, and for a moment they were all on guard.

"Kidnapping innocents and putting the hopes and dreams of others on hold—I won't forgive that!"

Venus's familiar voice rang out as she placed a hand on her hip and pointed with the other.

"Agent of love and justice, I am Sailor Venus! In the name of the moon, I will punish you!"

Oh, Ken thought as he watched her leap down. So that's what Hotaru meant when she said something about speeches. Nonetheless, it appeared to have an effect on Hirofumi; the man had gone still during her speech, and it was only when she had landed on her feet did he recall the situation. He started off into a dash again.

"Love-me Chain!"

A thread of hearts flew towards him, ensnaring him in its grasp. Venus held the other end, determinedly pulling tighter, looking over at Aya. That was all he needed; the red-head darted forwards, his katana ready.

"Mamoru! Help me, Mamoru!"

"Aya-kun!" Omi was close to pleading as he flipped out his darts. They soared just past Aya, colliding with the chain of hearts. Venus gasped, dropping down to one knee as the darts made contact; a tremor ran through her body and the chain disintegrated into little specks of light before disappearing. "Minako-san! I—"

Hirofumi turned on his heel and sprinted out the entrance way. Aya made a move to follow after, but Omi called out his name again. The older man made a jerky movement as he stopped, glaring back at Omi.

"Aya, it's no use. He's gone," Youji said in a low voice. He was helping Minako up, whose senshi uniform faded to ribbons before becoming her regular clothes. "Are you alright?"

"No," the blonde muttered, grabbing onto his arm as she blinked rapidly. "Our—our powers draw from our soul, I—"

"Then it's not safe for you to be in that form!"

"No, it's not." Minako took out the pistol she had retrieved earlier, frowning as she cast her eyes around the hall. "Omi..."

"Omi, what the hell is going on?" Ken could hardly contain the anger from seeping into his voice; he was indignant, his claws still fresh with blood as he made towards the younger boy. "You let our target go!"

"Ken-kun, I'm sorry—Aya-kun, Youji-kun, Minako-san—" A wave of pity filled Minako heart as the tears dripped down Omi's face. She made the slightest motion forward, but Youji pulled her back, shaking his head. No, his look said, he has some explaining to do. "I'm sorry."

"Omi, what—"

"He's my brother."

The expression on Aya's face, Minako concluded, was frightening. His eyes—those violet eyes that held so much vengeance, so much pain—widened. In surprise? Disappointment? Or was it fury? Was it an anger beyond rage, beyond hate? Omi ducked his head from those eyes, his shoulders shaking.

"I'm a Takatori."

Ken was looking from Aya to Youji, as if one of them would be able to snap their fingers and erase the conversation from existence. He let his claws fold back, shaking his head. It had to be a joke, some weird, twisted joke—or a dream even. He wouldn't mind if it were a bad dream.

"I'm a Takatori," Omi repeated, and Minako felt Youji slip away from her. All eyes followed the tall man as he stood in front of Omi.

"Oi," Youji said casually.

Omi lifted his head, his cheeks still wet, and Youji made a fist and punched him. The younger boy flew to the ground, and Minako ran forward, alarmed. Her heels echoed throughout the hall, the sound almost eerie to Ken's ears.

"Snap out of this funk. You're Tsukiyono Omi, aren't you?"

"Y-youji-kun…"

"Am I right? Aya? Ken?"

The older of the addressed two merely turned his eyes away. Ken looked almost bewildered as he glared at Youji. But before he could answer, a whirring sound met their ears. The front wall of the hall was shifting, heavily moving to the side. "What the hell...?" A secret passage? In an old church like this? It was as if a floodgate had opened; men were tumbling in from the other side, scorched and burning. Shouts and screams rang through their ears; in an instant, all five members of Weiss had their weapons ready.

When the wall had slid open halfway, they could make out the mess of bodyguards, the huddled group of hostages and the sailor senshi clad in red, shooting fire from her hands.

"Mars," Minako breathed, and in an instant she was through the new opening, her gun ready. Cursing under his breath, Ken followed, tearing his bugnuks through a suited man that was aiming for the blonde. He was ducking and swinging again, avoiding bullets as they whizzed past him. It was almost starting to be easy, he realized as he sliced through another man. It was almost starting to be easy to kill. What worried him was not that particular thought; it was the fact that he was not bothered by that thought that sickened him. The night had been particularly bloody, one of their worse missions. Did Takatori really have that many men?

"Ken!"

That was Youji. Aya would never forget to use codenames.

"The other targets! To your left!"

Right. The other ones. Kawa-something and Fugu-other. Ken pivoted sharply, driving his bugnuk up upon instinct; he was hardly aware of the spit and blood splattering his face as Kawa lurched forward under his claw. The man had a temporary spasm as Ken released him before he fell still. Ken straightened up, sighing. There were only four or five men left, one of them being the other target. His eyes subconsciously fell on Omi; the younger boy was throwing his darts and knives, left and right. He seemed to be trying to redeem himself.

"Mars!"

Minako, deeming that the last of the men could be taken care of by Aya and the others, threw aside her gun. She'd fired only a few shots, Ken noticed; her aim was off-center. The red-clad senshi glanced at her friend for a brief moment, shaking her head sharply as she released another flaming arrow. Ken watched as the arrow pierced the heart of the man Aya was about to strike down. The man burst into flames, and the second he made contact with the ground the fire extinguished.

"Mars," Minako said again, reaching forward and grabbing her friend's hands. "Stop."

The senshi let the flames in her hand fade in a puff of smoke. She wearily watched as Aya drove his katana into Fugu. Briefly she wondered who they were—who he was—and why Minako was with them. Aya retrieved his katana from the body, immediately focusing his attention on her.

"Who are you? Why are you here?"

Mars almost smiled at the familiar words. Instead she caught herself and looked away—she didn't want to look at his eyes. She knew she wouldn't she able to break eye contact if she did; they were too haunting.

"Mars?"

She hesitated. Minako's own eyes were blue. No, they were more than blue—they were the sky and the ocean all put into one. Like Usagi's. Minako and Usagi really were alike, she surmised as she watched Youji reel his wire back with a frown. They both had endless amounts of hope, even when they questioned their duties. It was almost envious.

"Minako," she said, "where's Takatori Hirofumi?"

Minako's breath caught in her throat and she gave Omi a fleeting look. The boy had tensed, unaware that he had slipped more of his knives into his hand. Mars frowned, but waited patiently.

"He's probably gone by now."

"What?" Mars grabbed her shoulders, her eyes fierce. "You let him get away?"

"Mars—what?"

"He killed all these people, Minako."

It was then the members of Weiss noticed that the hostages, huddled in the corner, hadn't moved an inch. Minako's eyes widened and watered, her hands flying to her mouth as realization hit. Her stomach fluttered, and she said in a soft voice her teammates didn't hear, "Rei."

Mars's own eyes were dry and angry. "I'll talk to you later, then."

She was out of the grand hall in a matter of seconds, and Aya frowned as Minako shakily made her way towards the lifeless body of Kumada Yuuichirou.

notes HAHA WHAT WHO DIED?

i mean. aw. omi. your family is so messed up.

the minako/outers focus is going to die down a bit from now on, what with the whole 'no-we-cannot-risk-your-powers' thing. doubt she'd be the kind of person who would readily shoot someone and not feel guilty about it. but things will be taking yet another turn for rei. cos things can't die down around the takatori family; they're too deranged for that.

crawford's and aya's big parts are coming soon, too.

thankyou for reviewing, and thankyou to my readers. :)