THE BIRTH OF CRYSTAL TOKYO
Chapter 10: "Why"
A Sailor Moon fanfic
By Bill K.
Events seemed to play out in slow motion. Endymion leaped from the balcony. He'd seen the gun in the hands of the man who had been lingering just below, the gun pointing at Serenity's back. Serenity, her hands still raised and glowing silver, was turning toward the gunman, though how she could possibly know he was there was a mystery. Her silver energy was having some effect on the stampeding festival crowd. There was no longer any danger of more people being trampled. Sailor Mars couldn't steeple her fingers to use her attacks because that would mean letting go of Setsuko and risk the girl being swept away by the still nervous and skittish crowd. She produced a ward, but knew it would be too late.
The gun fired. The bullet sped toward Serenity.
And then it halted inches from her. The slug quivered in the air while Serenity brought a dainty hand down. She reached out and plucked the lead missile from where it was suspended, then closed her hand around it. A gasp of awe arose from the crowd.
The gunman stared in amazement. But he quickly recovered, attempting another shot. That's when the swing of a sword blade cleaved the pistol in half. Startled, the gunman fell back two paces. The sword came up and pointed at his throat. The gunman followed the blade back to the hilt. Holding onto the hilt was Endymion, his grey tuxedo exchanged for black armor. And he was not happy.
"Endymion," Serenity said gently. "Don't hurt him." Endymion flashed a glance at her, then returned his glare to the second assassin. By then, Mars and Setsuko had made their way to her.
"Mama!" Setsuko cried out fearfully. Serenity bent down to her and the girl leaped up into her arms. She cradled the child to her, then looked at Mars.
"He was behind you!" Mars exclaimed in amazement. "How did you know?"
"You saw him," Serenity smiled. "I was still experiencing what you saw." Astonishing, and yet completely obvious now that she explained it. Mars allowed herself to breathe again.
Serenity turned and, still carrying Setsuko, glided up to the assassin. Setsuko gave him a suspicious, sidelong glance, but Serenity looked him squarely in the eye.
"Why?" she asked. For a moment, looking into those liquid blue eyes, he wanted to tell her. He wanted to tell her everything.
"I want a lawyer," the man replied, his expression hardening.
Then Mars approached him. She stood before him and looked directly into his face. Though he tried to hide it, the act seemed to unnerve the rough looking man. He looked away, but his gaze returned. Mars' never wavered. It seemed like her violet eyes were trying to look into his very soul.
But after a time, Mars broke eye contact and looked away. She scowled and expelled a frustrated breath.
"I got the other one!" Jupiter called out. She approached them, shoving another man ahead of her while firmly grasping his collar. The man had the typical look of a street tough, but was sporting several welts on his face and one eye was closed from the swelling bruise around it. Mercury was converging from another direction and several Tokyo police officers, led by Superintendent Natsuna Sakurada, were forcing another, less tough-looking man forward.
"He looks considerably worse for the wear," Mercury assessed.
"He's lucky I didn't break his neck," Jupiter rumbled angrily. Then she cuffed the back of the other assassin's head. "Out with it! Who hired you?"
"I'm not saying anything," muttered the man. Jupiter cuffed him again.
"HOW WOULD YOU LIKE ME TO CLOSE THE OTHER EYE?" she snarled.
"Jupiter," Serenity said and shook her head when Jupiter looked at her.
"I'll talk!" Masashi Soriyama exclaimed. "I didn't want to be any part of this! They made me . . .!"
"Quiet!" the battered thug said sharply.
"It's not hard to connect the dots," Sakurada spoke up. "I recognize Kujima and Daikuroda both. They're both members of the Yakuza gang that operates out of Shinjuku. That's the gang headed by Yoshiki Morobishi."
"Morobishi?" Venus said, approaching close enough to hear. "I know his bunch. My record label has been after them for years for distributing pirate copies of my albums. We must have really stepped on their toes if he's resorting to this."
"The possibility also exists that this was a contract hit," Sakurada added. "Morobishi is suspected of being a broker for such things. We've just never had enough evidence to charge him."
"Of course, we really don't need it now, do we?" Venus smiled. She turned to Serenity and Endymion. "You're both the absolute rulers of Japan now. You really don't have to abide by the Constitution. You can bounce Morobishi and his two goons here right out of the country if you choose. Screw a trial."
Serenity looked to Endymion. Endymion silently passed the question back to her.
"It seems wrong," Serenity shook her head.
"You've got the power, Serenity," Jupiter said. "And it's not like they deserve mercy."
"DO IT!" called out several in the crowd. "THEY TRIED TO KILL YOU! THEY DESERVE IT!"
"But do I have the right to just punish them without giving them a chance to defend their actions?" Serenity asked them. "Just because I have the power, doesn't mean I always have the right to use it." To one side, Mars beamed her approval.
"We'll take them into custody, um, Queen Serenity," Sakurada told her. "We'll wait for your decision on how to proceed."
"That's fine. Thank you," Serenity replied. She turned to Endymion and handed Setsuko off to her husband. "In the mean time, perhaps I need to seek out this Morobishi-San and find out what can be done to alleviate this problem."
"Serenity, that . . .!" Mercury began to advise her. But Serenity didn't answer. She had levitated into the air and was gone.
"Well, they certainly handled that," Michiru stated. She and Haruka were watching the coronation on the television in the visitor's room at the University Hospital in Niigata. In order to keep the peace, they had arranged a visiting schedule with Gert Tenoh so each party could visit Junko during her convalescence. It was done only at the urging of Junko and the hospital staff.
"Dumpling's something, isn't she," Haruka marveled. "Our little girl has grown up."
Michiru gave her a wry smile. "Took her long enough." The woman checked her watch. "It's about time for your visit with Junko. She's getting out today, right?"
"Soon as they can finalize the paperwork," Haruka nodded as they both rose. "Which means they'll probably be still working on it next week." They headed for the room. "Glad Junko's getting out. She really had me scared there." Haruka shrugged to establish her macho image. "And Dumpling probably needs us to keep a lid on this 'Great New Society' of hers anyway."
"No one will hear how scared you were from me," Michiru responded indulgently. "My lips are sealed."
"Sealed with a kiss," Haruka added and playfully kissed her.
When they arrived at the hospital room, they found Gert being the doting father and Junko being the tolerant daughter who wanted to establish her independence and yet kind of liked being doted on. Upon noticing them, Gert's mood changed and he pried his shaky frame out of the chair. Leaning over to kiss his daughter, Gert then straightened and shuffled to the door. But at the door, he stopped Haruka from entering.
"A word please?" he asked distastefully. "Out in the hall?" Suspiciously, Haruka followed.
"Now what did I do?" the tall blonde grunted.
"If there is anything you want from home," Gert began, then corrected himself. "From where Mama and I were living, get it. I'm selling the property."
"So where are you going to live?" Haruka asked.
"Here in Niigata," Gert responded. Haruka gave him a questioning look. "I want to be near my Junko."
"Hey, look, one of the reasons Junko went to college was to be on her own," Haruka argued. "She wants to be able to do her own thing, be her own person."
"I let her be her own person," Gert muttered. "She is grown up, I admit it. But she is still my little girl and she still needs her father from time to time."
"She doesn't need her dad hanging over her shoulder."
"I won't bother her. I just want to be there in case she needs me."
"Gert . . ."
"She's all I have left," Gert choked out. There was a sense of desperation in his voice.
"She wouldn't be," Haruka replied coldly, "if you and Mom had been a little more understanding."
Gert looked up at her, his gaze hardened. "What's wrong is wrong. There's nothing to understand." Then he looked down and became an old man again. "Anyway, I told you. I'm going to retire and live here in Niigata. What you do with that information is your affair."
And he shuffled off down the hall. Haruka stared after him and prayed that she would never, ever be that broken and infirm. Entering the room, she found Junko and Michiru waiting expectantly.
"Did he tell you?" Junko asked.
"Yeah," Haruka said. "He's retiring up here because there's nothing left for him in Tokyo. You OK with that? You're the one who's got to put up with him."
"It was surprising, but I understand why he's doing it," Junko told her. She exhaled from the burden of it. "He looks so lost. I hate it that Mom died, but I really hate what it's doing to him."
Out of sympathy for her, Haruka grasped Junko's hand. The young college student clutched it tightly.
In a very lavishly furnished home in Chiyoda, at a very expensive desk in a very expensive personal office, Yoshiki Morobishi was on the phone. Two "assistants", men in dark, well-tailored suits and slicked back black hair, waited for him to finish his call. Near the door, Morobishi's wife, a still handsome woman in her forties with shoulder length black hair and an expensive dress, waited with their fifteen year old son, a sturdy youth with thick black hair and the navy blue jacket and gray slacks of a private academy in Chiyoda.
"You missed!" roared Jinro Takahashi over the phone. "Your men missed!"
"Then we'll try again," Morobishi calmly replied. "Some targets are tougher than others."
"Assuming she'll let you!" Takahashi exclaimed. "And what if this gets out? What if I'm implicated?"
"No one will learn anything from my end," Morobishi frowned. "Did you want to call it off? Because you'll pay either way."
"Maybe I want to contract with someone else," Takahashi replied.
"That's your choice."
"But what about the publicity? Sakurada's involved now, too! I can't risk a scandal!"
"If you stay calm and let your attorney speak for you, Sakurada can't touch you," Morobishi advised him. "But if you panic like you're doing now, you'll fall right into her hands. As for Sailor Moon . . ."
And on that note, Serenity materialized through the ceiling and came to rest in the center of the room.
"We'll talk later," Morobishi said over the phone. "Something's come up."
Morobishi's wife and son stared in shock. The two assistants drew automatic pistols from under their jackets. But a wave of Serenity's hand caused them to evaporate into the air. This caught Morobishi's attention. Momentarily awestruck, the two Gurentai recovered quickly and charged Serenity. Emitting a sigh of frustration, Serenity turned and pointed at the two men. Their charge came to a stumbling halt. Each one sank to the floor where they stood, sitting cross-legged with contented grins on their faces.
"Morobishi-San," Serenity said with deep seriousness. "We need to talk."
"Shiho," Morobishi said to his wife. "Take Kakeru out and close the door behind you."
"But," the woman began anxiously. Their son was still staring in awe at Serenity.
"I'll be all right," he assured her. "Sailor Moon is famous for not hurting people." After his wife complied, Morobishi turned to Serenity. "What did you wish, Serenity-Hime?"
"Why did you try to have me killed?" Serenity asked.
"What makes you think that?" Morobishi responded as he looked at the read out from an electronic device he'd placed on his desk.
"Two men tried to shoot me at the coronation festival just now," Serenity answered in a way that told him she knew more than a normal human was capable of knowing. "They're in your employ."
"Are they? I employ a lot of people, and I can't be responsible for their actions when they're on their own time," Morobishi told her. "Maybe they don't like you."
"Not everybody does," Serenity sighed. "But that's no reason to try to shoot me. Actually there's no real reason to try to shoot anybody. I'd like to think that differences can be worked out without using violence."
"Not everybody shares your views, Serenity-Hime."
"How can we resolve this?" Serenity persisted.
"You are assuming that I have some connection to this," Morobishi explained patiently. "As I said, I had nothing to do with any attempt on your life."
Scowling, Serenity turned to one of the assistants still sitting on the floor.
"Could you stand up, please?" she requested. The man complied happily. "Do you know who told those two men to try to kill me?"
"Yes, Serenity-Hime," the man smiled, overjoyed that he could help. "It was Morobishi-Sama. He issued the order himself. I hope that doesn't upset you."
"Impressive," Morobishi commented. "But a coerced confession isn't admissible as evidence in a trial."
"I'm not interested in that!" Serenity replied impatiently. "I just want to find out why. Why you and whoever else might be with you is so opposed to me becoming queen that you'd try to shoot me. Because if we could just discuss our differences, maybe we could reach an amicable solution."
Morobishi silently considered what she said. He glanced again at the device on his desk.
"Very well," he replied. "Since this device tells me you aren't wearing any transmitters or recording devices, it will be your word against mine. You and your husband intend to change things. Change how the government works, change how society may work. But what you've forgotten in your zeal to make everything better for everyone is that there are people who liked the way things were. They were happy with the status quo. They were comfortable with it. It, well, benefited them."
"Financially?" Serenity asked.
"Among other things," Morobishi nodded. "And you're going to change that. Every action has a reaction, Serenity-Hime. Everything you give to somebody is something that you take from somebody else. And they're not going to just smile and understand. Whether it's money or power, status or social morality, you're taking it from them and they're going to fight you. They're going to protect what they see as theirs."
"But can't they see that I'm trying to make everyone's life better?" Serenity countered. "Yes, it might mean sacrificing something initially. I'm sacrificing a life that I truly enjoyed. I never wanted to be queen. I never wanted to lead anybody. But they need me to lead, want me to lead. And if we just all work together and are willing to sacrifice just a little personal gain, I believe that this land can become a utopia of peace."
"You're talking to the wrong person," Morobishi told her. "I'm Yakuza. I'm an outcast. An outsider. I don't care about society because I've never had a reason to care. I prey on a society that has rejected me. If it goes up in flames, I'll just find new prey."
"You don't have to be an outsider," Serenity said. "Nobody has to be an outsider if I'm able to achieve what I hope to achieve."
"Maybe I like being an outsider," Morobishi smiled.
"Do you?" she asked. "I remember when I was working with the tsunami relief, that one of the first ones who stepped up to aid the survivors was the Yakuza, even before the government stepped in. Are you going to tell me you did that for profit?"
"Mother nature takes from everybody. She makes no distinctions," Morobishi shrugged. "People are different. Even you, Serenity-Hime."
"And are you one of these people that I'm taking from?" Serenity ventured. "Or was this just a business deal?"
"Business, initially. But you and your reforms and your police and your senshi are beginning to crowd me. We in the Yakuza have always had a response for people who crowd us too much. It isn't a socially acceptable one, but remember I am an outsider."
Serenity folded her arms over her chest. She stared at the floor for the longest time. Morobishi began to wonder what her response was going to be. He had read up on Sailor Moon, knew how powerful she was, and knew that her new guise of Serenity was even more powerful. But the Sailor Moon he knew of was always someone who sought peace first and resorted to the destruction of an enemy as a last resort and only when others were threatened. So far, this woman Serenity had demonstrated the same philosophy. But one of the things he had learned over the years was that people often compromised their principles if it meant getting something they really wanted.
"So, Morobishi-San," she began finally, polite as ever, "what would it take to get you to cooperate with the new government? Are you fixed on my death? Or would something else satisfy you?"
"You're willing to deal with the Yakuza?" he asked.
"I told you that nobody is excluded unless they exclude themselves," Serenity told him.
Morobishi thought for a moment. "Very well. We coexist. You tell the police and your senshi, especially that Sailor Venus, to leave us alone - - and we'll leave you alone."
"So you can steal and cheat and hurt innocent people?" Serenity replied, aghast.
"Is the person seeking to gamble innocent?" Morobishi asked. "Or the person seeking a prostitute? And doesn't the person who won't safeguard their property deserve to lose it, just as the animal who doesn't take precautions against a predator deserve to fall to that predator?" He chuckled. "Innocence is a matter of perception, Serenity-Hime. But those are my terms. If you accept them, I pledge my cooperation and I have a great deal of influence with the other gangs." His smile dimmed. "If you don't, then we are enemies."
He noticed Serenity's eyes drop and her brow furrow. What would be her next move?
Continued in Chapter 11