To See Without Eyes: Chapter 10
Written by Elen-Di
I have to say, having written two full length chapters in two days is the fastest I've every typed this story. (Referring to chapters 9 and 10.) Isn't that pathetic? But anyways, for editing reasons (and to see if people will review… hint hint) I spaced out the posting schedule. But oh well… :)
Finally, this is the chapter where things start to pick up, for reasons you shall soon see. Of course, things don't pick up everywhere, but exciting things certainly start happening. Thanks to all who reviewed chapter nine!
This chapter is dedicated to Sapphiregirl-san, author of the MAGNIFICENT fic, "For Love or Duty." It's sadly not finished yet, but I am in LOVE with it… it's so amazing! So go read that too! And leave her a review begging her to update!
Disclaimer: Shh! Naoko Takeuchi sold Sailor Moon to me! Don't tell! Shhhhhhhh…
--.--
"Hey Mamoru." Usagi shuffled her desk so that it met his at the side. He looked up from the anatomy textbook he had been perusing.
"Yes, Odango?"
"Have you always worn glasses?" she asked curiously, tapping the glass with a fingernail before he realized what she was doing.
He flinched back, not anticipating the gesture. "Ah, no, not always… I only wear them for reading. I got them in the seventh grade."
She poked his side. "You senior citizen, always studying! What's wrong with you?"
He poked her back. "Did you come over here just to bother me, Odango? Cause if you did I'm going back to my book."
"No!" she said hastily. "I actually wanted to ask you something – are you and your friends going to the arcade today?"
"Probably, but I don't know for sure. Why?"
"Well, Ami and I are going, and a friend of mine is meeting me there and I thought it would be fun for her to meet all of you loonies as well…" she trailed off, seeing is expression. "What?"
He shook his head. "Are you trying to publicly humiliate me and yourself? Do you KNOW what my friends are like in public?"
"If you're referring to Jadeite, yes," she sniffed. "As for the others, they're not so bad."
"Ha," Mamoru muttered darkly. "You haven't seen Nephrite and Zoicite together long, I can promise you that."
"Why? What do they do?"
Mamoru peered at her sideways. "Are you sure you want to know?"
Usagi threw up her hands. "What is the deep dark secret about? What's so bad about those two?'"
"Calm down, Odango, before you break my eardrums," he told her. He shut his textbook with a snap. "Nephrite and Zoicite are friends, mind you… they just have a very… argumentative relationship."
From his tone, Usagi inferred that he was putting it diplomatically. "So what do they do?" she asked curiously. "Yell at each other in public, or something?"
Mamoru sighed. "Put it this way, Odango. They're about twenty times worse than you and I ever were."
Usagi's eyes grew very round. "Oh."
"Yes, oh. As I was saying, they're my friends, but they're not the best for public socialization, if you catch my drift."
"What do you mean by 'drift'?"
Mamoru rolled his eyes. "Never mind that. But do you get what I'm saying?"
Usagi shrugged. "More or less… but I still want my friend to meet them! I like your friends!"
Mamoru chuckled. "And I think they like you too, Odango. But that's not very difficult."
Usagi gazed at him with startled eyes. "Was that… dare I say it… a compliment?"
"Go back to your manga, Odango," he ordered, heat creeping up his neck and face.
She obeyed him, but not without a last look of elation in his direction.
--
"Come on, Zoicite, you can do it, you can do it!" The cheer met Rei's ears as she opened the door to the arcade. She frowned and went inside, not sure what to expect. This was the one Usagi had meant, right? She did say, 'Crown Arcade'…?
She looked to her right where the cheers were coming from, and this sight met her eyes: a group of teenagers were gathered around a videogame, at which one youth with long blonde hair played furiously. To his left a girl with – was that blue?! – hair watched anxiously, and to his right was Usagi. It had been her voice that cheered the youth on.
Rei began to walk towards the group hesitantly, then froze. She recognized the teenage boys who were gathered around the video game, especially one. And that one was Jadeite. Two others she recognized, the dark haired one she'd run into and the brown haired one. One she did not know, the one with pale blonde hair who was taller than Jadeite.
Something must have alerted them to her presence, because all heads except that belonging to the boy who played the game turned in her direction.
"Rei-chan!" Usagi cried joyfully. She bounded towards the frozen girl and embraced her enthusiastically. She stepped back and her brow puckered. "Rei-chan, are you all right?"
In an abrupt movement, Rei grabbed Usagi's shoulder and swung her so that both their backs faced their curious audience. "You didn't say he would be here!" Rei hissed, despising the tears that threatened to creep out of her tear ducts. She would not cry in front of any of them, especially him.
Usagi looked bewildered. "Who, Rei-chan?"
Then Rei remembered that Usagi didn't know that she had met Jadeite and his friends once before. She flushed unhappily. "I'm sorry Usagi-chan… no one."
"You know one of the guys?" Usagi asked curiously. Rei shrugged unhappily. Usagi gazed at her with concern. "If you want we can go somewhere else…"
"No, Usagi-chan. It's okay." Rei did her best to smile, but her frozen lips refused to form the proper shape, causing her smile to be twisted.
"Are you sure?" Usagi said.
"Yeah." Rei inhaled deeply. She could be mature. She could face him without making more of a fool of herself than she already had. She could do this.
She told her unconvincing smile to stay on her face, then turned around to follow Usagi towards the group of teens. She refused to look anywhere Jadeite.
"Everyone," said Usagi enthusiastically as they neared the curious group, "this is my good friend, Rei-chan. Rei-chan, this is Ami," she indicated the blue-haired girl, who smiled and nodded in greeting, "Zoicite," motioning towards the one who played the video game. He nodded at her quickly then turned his attention back to the game. "Nephrite," the brown haired one nodded to her, recognition in his eyes, "Kunzite," the pale blonde one she didn't recognize, "Jadeite" she absolutely refused to look at him, "and Mamoru, although you can call him Mamo-baka," Usagi jerked her head at the dark haired one Rei had run into that night. "I think that's everyone."
"Pleased to meet you all," Rei said and bowed, looking everywhere but at Jadeite. She could feel his gaze burning a brand into her forehead.
"The pleasure is all ours," said Nephrite, smiling cautiously at her. His look told her clearly that he remembered exactly who she was. "Would you like to join us? We're trying to make sure Zoicite loses."
The words were barely out of his mouth when there was a loud beeping sound and the large bolded words "GAME OVER. PLEASE INSERT TWO TOKENS," flashed across the screen of the game. Zoicite groaned and banged his head on the control panel, and Ami suddenly looked panicked. She slid a hand where Zoicite's head was about to land next so that it wouldn't meet metal. When his head swung back down, it landed on her palm instead.
"Stop that," she scolded him. "You'll give yourself brain damage."
"I'm sorry, Ami," he said morosely. "It's just that I shouldn't have lost," he threw a furious glance in Nephrite's direction, who guffawed, "to that stupid game."
"What game is it?" asked Rei curiously.
Usagi made a face at the machine. "It's called Bishōjo Sailor Senshi… I started playing it one day cause it really looked cool, but then it got really hard and I couldn't beat it! And then it gave me this stupid t-shirt that said 'You lose!' on it!" She growled at the machine, and Rei fought to keep from laughing.
PING!
"See, look, here it comes," Usagi told her as Zoicite picked up the bundle and opened it. He showed it to the group, and Nephrite, who had never seen this part of the game, burst out laughing. Black words scrawled "YOU LOSE!" on a blue background.
Ami tried to comfort the distraught Zoicite, but even she couldn't help smiling behind a hand as everyone else around them chortled.
"Would you like to try, Rei-chan?" Usagi offered. "Even though it's hard, it's really fun."
Two things influenced her decision. First, it meant she could turn away from Jadeite and have an excuse not to look at him for a very long time. Second, she hadn't played a video game in a very long time, and she was rather tempted to play. "Sure," she said.
Usagi handed her two tokens, which Rei inserted. The game started by asking for her gender. When she gave it, the game gave her five female characters to choose from.
"Who did you play with?" Rei asked Usagi.
"Oh, that Sailor Moon character," she said absently. "But I lost with her. Ami won with Sailor Mercury, although she strategizes more than the other characters."
Rei ran a critical eye over the character list of names and descriptions. In the end she chose Sailor Mars, and began to play, noting ironically that her element was fire.
--
1 HOUR LATER
--
"Wow, Rei-chan!" Usagi practically shrieked in delight when the words "YOU WIN!" flashed brightly across the screen. "That was amazing!"
Rei grinned in spite of herself. She hadn't beaten a video game in a very long time, and it was good stress release. The hour had flown by so that she hadn't even noticed how long it had taken her to win. She had even managed (although this may have been caused by Usagi's presence again) to forget all the details of the past several days.
The game emitted another loud PING! and a red bundle came out of its slot. Rei opened it with interest and smirked to see purple letters spell out "YOU WIN!" across the red background.
"Good job," said a quiet voice immediately to her left and Rei jumped. She turned her head and saw Jadeite standing very close to her, his face carefully neutral.
Rei's spirits sank. She couldn't deal with this, she didn't want to hurt him again but at the same time she wished he would just leave her alone but then she would hurt too, and what if he hated her and –
"Are you all right?" His question broke the mantra of her thoughts. She flushed.
"Fine," she snapped.
He scrutinized her carefully, but she avoided his eyes. He was too close, and Usagi, not noticing, had been drawn into an argument with Mamoru. Rei looked for an escape route, but was promptly distracted by what he said next.
"Do you hate me?"
Her eyes snapped to his, and then she regretted it. She read the guilt and confusion and anger there and knew she had caused it. "Why would you ask something ridiculous like that?" she snapped, trying to defend her actions to herself and failing. She had hurt him!
"Well, given your actions towards me, that would be a logical conclusion," he said impassively. "Do you?"
"Of course not!" she said before she could stop herself. She looked down at her shoes and wished fervently that she could be hundreds of miles away on a sunny beach where nobody could find her.
Cool fingers hooked themselves under her chin and pulled her face up to face his. She couldn't move.
"Please," he said quietly, "don't push me away. I don't want to stay away from you, can't you see that? As friends," he added quickly when he realized that had probably come out more strongly than he'd meant. Or that she was ready for.
Rei bit her lip. She did want to see him, but she was also afraid. Too many strange, confusing things were happening and she didn't know how to control them. Or perhaps she was afraid because she couldn't control them, and she knew it. More than anything she just wanted to be able to control something in her hectic life, and Jadeite was a rogue piece of the equation.
But he's giving you a choice, a voice inside her argued. You control how close he is. He's leaving that up to you.
And besides, another voice added, you'd be much sadder without him. Admit it.
I might be, Rei told the voice huffily. Aloud she told him, "All right."
When she saw the disbelief in his eyes, she added, "We can be friends. But let me lead, please."
Nothing could have prepared her for the blazing smile that settled on his face. Rei couldn't believe it. Why was he so happy?!
Because you agreed to be friends, duh, said a third voice. Some psychic you are.
But Jadeite's voice betrayed none of the blazing happiness that shone from his face when he said calmly, "Friends."
His hand outstretched in an offering. Rei took it, and they shook, both feeling far more relieved than they would care to admit to the other. And for the first time since her father's aide had crossed the shrine's stone courtyard, Rei felt truly happy.
--
Later that night, as Mamoru watched the news in his living room with Jadeite and Nephrite, he noticed that Jadeite seemed multitudes better than he had in the past several days. Ever since seeing Hino Rei in the arcade, he had been his normal self, joking and making fun as if nothing had ever happened, his eyes sparkling merrily. Ami had left while Rei played her game because she had cram school, but Rei and Usagi had left an hour after Rei had beaten the game. They had joined the boys in the café after that, and Mamoru had noted that the tension between Rei and Jadeite from when she had first entered had evaporated.
"… and police have now revealed that the fire that burned down an apartment complex this past Saturday was set deliberately. Police are looking for suspects while the family members of those who died cry for justice. Shin-san, do they have a list of the victims?"
Mamoru's eyes became glued to the television and he turned up the volume as the three youths listened more closely.
"Well, Nobu-san, it appears that two families were caught in the second floor as well as three individuals. Police have not given the family names at the request of their relatives but the three individuals are identified. Two were burned beyond recognition except for dental records and the third is believed to have been lost among the wreckage because police have not been able to find her complete remains. The three individuals have been identified as Tanaka Satomi, Ueno Kazuki, and Negave Beryl. Police…"
There was a ringing in Mamoru's ears. I couldn't have heard correctly, he thought, staring at the anchorman in horror. That can't be… she can't be dead…
"Nephrite," he said tremulously, "who did he say those three individuals were?"
"Tanaka Satomi, Ueno Kazuki, and Negave Beryl. Why?"
"Nothing," Mamoru choked, revulsion coursing through his veins. He had hated the woman, yes, but burning to death was a terrible fate… a fate he wouldn't wish on his worst enemy, which she practically had been…
Nephrite looked at him uneasily. "Are you all right, Mamoru?"
"Yeah," he said, but even his voice wasn't convincing. Nephrite raised an eyebrow, but didn't question him further.
What a horrible way to die…
--
October the 22nd dawned bright and beautiful in London, England. The sun shone brightly through Minako's window as her alarm clock blared infuriatingly. "Ugh…" the blonde moaned, throwing off the covers. "It's far too early to be my birthday…" She lurched to her feet and tottered over to her closet in order to get dressed. As she dressed, she listened hard to the house to discern whether or not her father had left for work or not. Her nose detected a whiff of coffee, but that could be left over from earlier. Other than the noise she made dressing and brushing her teeth or combing her hair, the house was silent.
Minako sighed. She had hoped that at least on her birthday her father wouldn't leave early for work… But he probably had a conference with another ambassador, or something, she scolded herself. You'll see him tonight…
She tripped down the stairs and found Artemis at the bottom of them. She scooped him up, stroking his back. He licked her face and nuzzled her, as if wishing her a happy birthday. "Thank you, Artemis," she whispered into his soft white fur. "I love you."
He mewed in reply as if saying, "I love you too."
"Well," Minako said to herself. "Time's a' withering. Better get ready to go!" She pulled on her brightest smile, set Artemis down and waltzed off to get breakfast.
--
Despite her morning isolation, the day went rather swimmingly. Many of the people who passed the exuberant blonde in the hallways wished her a happy birthday, for which Minako thanked them wholeheartedly. Her two good friends, Sarah and Rebecca, gave her a balloon and flowers respectively. Minako felt like she was walking on Cloud Nine the entire school day; even that really cute guy Alan had wished her a happy birthday! After school Sarah and Rebecca took her out for ice cream at the local shopping mall.
"You know," reflected Minako as they walked along the sidewalk, arm in arm, "this is probably one of the best days of my life." She smiled at her friends. "I don't know what I'd do without you guys."
"Probably die," joked Sarah. Rebecca elbowed her playfully and Minako laughed.
"Probably," agreed Minako. "So," she said enthusiastically, "have you seen any really hot guys?"
Rebecca rolled her eyes. "Minako, must you always think of guys?"
Minako winked at her. "Of course; it's fun. You must lighten up, Becca!"
"Becca doesn't know how to lighten up," sighed Sarah. "That's why she has you, Minako."
"Hey, do you guys want to have a sleepover tomorrow night?" Minako asked.
"Sure," replied Sarah. "My dad's out of town, so we could have it at my house! My mom'll let us do all sorts of fun stuff."
"Sounds fabulous," beamed Minako.
The girls walked on, enjoying the day and not wondering about or knowing its end – although that was a blessing, because they could not have found anything joyous about the day if they had.
--
When Minako got home that evening, she was greeted by her father, who spoke to her in Japanese as he usually did at home. "Happy birthday, dear Minako," he said, a smile lighting his usually solemn features.
"Arigatou, Otou-san," she chirped. She hugged him and he returned it, albeit less enthusiastically.
"Ready to go to dinner?" he asked. Minako nodded fervently. "Let's go, then," he said, taking her arm. "I'm sorry I wasn't there this morning; Ambassador Patel called an early meeting. Can you forgive me?"
"Of course, Otou-san," Minako said. "Artemis was there."
They walked down the driveway and got into the car. Minako was about to get in the car when something in the deepening shadows beside the house caught her eye. She searched the shadows, eyes narrowed, and a cold shiver worked its way up from the base of her spine. What was this… ominous feeling?
"Minako?" her father asked, a small frown marring his features. "Is everything all right?"
Minako flashed him a bright smile. "Of course! I just thought I saw a fox or something." She sat down in the front seat and resolutely banished the icy feeling creeping through her veins. You're being a ninny over nothing! she chided herself. It's probably nothing.
But as her father backed the car out of the driveway, despite her self-admonitions, she knew subconsciously that something was very, very wrong.
--
Far too soon, the (mostly) wonderful day had ended. As Minako snuggled into her covers, she muttered, "The only bad thing was that Mom wasn't there… but it was a wonderful fourteenth birthday all the same…" Artemis jumped up on the bed and snuggled beneath her chin, licking her neck. Minako smiled drowsily. "But I'm glad you're with me, Artemis…" The cat yawned, as did she. And so she drifted off to sleep.
--
Mists covered the landscape, blotting out everything. Minako looked around but could see nothing. She took a step forward, but stopped at the unfamiliar feel of silk rustling around her legs. She looked down at herself and her mouth fell open. She wore one of the most beautiful gowns she had ever seen in her life: golden silk that fell in waves to her ankles. The gown was cut so that the sleeves fell past her shoulders and were supported by her arms. The bust was medium cut and the fabric clung to her torso, flaunting the curves she had developed younger than most girls.
This is strange, thought Minako. Where am I?
Suddenly the mists parted, and Minako was looking on what was unmistakably a colossal ballroom. Couples waltzed in the center of the floor and an orchestra was playing against one wall. Along another wall an extensive table stretched the entire length of the wall and was piled on with dishes and dishes of food, some of which Minako recognized and others that were entirely foreign to her. Along the third wall were chairs where many young ladies sat, waiting to be asked by a gallant young gentleman to dance. Along the final wall behind her, Minako turned to see two thrones on an ornate platform. Seated in the main throne was one of the most beautiful women Minako had ever seen: she was delicately thin but tall, and had long silver hair that was tied in a most unusual hairstyle – two buns on the side of her head with hair streaming down from them. In the center of her forehead, framed by her hair, was a glowing gold crescent moon. There was a smaller throne beside hers, but it was vacant.
Minako suddenly realized she wore a mask, as did every other body in the room. She touched a finger to its edge and felt the tiny beats that had been embroidered into it as part of a glittering design. Again, she thought, Where am I?
"Milady… might I have this dance?" For some reason, this deep voice from behind her sent tingles of pleasure and excitement racing up and down her spine. Minako turned around and gasped. It was… ahh, someone she had seen before! She just knew it! But who was he…?
"You may," she heard herself say, and inwardly started because her voice sounded slightly deeper and more mature. She was immediately drawn into the pattern of waltzing couples as her partner guided her expertly, one hand on her waist and the other hand holding hers tightly. Violet eyes gazed down at her from behind the white mask the man wore. Minako was surprised at herself when she moved even closer to the man she danced with and laid her head against his chest. She felt like a spectator in her own body.
"Minako," the man said softly. "What are you thinking?"
Again Minako spoke without her own volition. "That I wish this was real," she whispered.
The man tightened his grip on her waist. "It is real, Minako. You and I are here, now, dancing, are we not?"
"But you're not supposed to be here."
"Of course not," the man muttered finally. Minako looked up and was surprised to see the man smiling grimly. "But I didn't you wanted to face a ball without someone to dance with."
Minako smirked. "You mean you just didn't want anyone else to dance with me."
"That too," the man admitted, a twinkle in his eyes. Then his eyes grew serious. "I had to see you, Minako… there's something you have to know about Ber –"
BOOM!
A huge explosion rent the air and sent people screaming in the opposite direction. Minako tore herself away from the man, vaguely aware that there were tears of fury and grief welling up in her eyes. "Go!" she yelled at the man. "Find your men; they'll need you!"
The man grabbed her hand and pulled her to him. "You be careful, Minako," he whispered, then bent down to kiss her hard on the lips. Minako returned the kiss, tears overflowing out of her eyes. "I love you. If you die I will never forgive you," the man told her.
"And I love you," Minako replied. "Go!"
Mist swept back over the landscape but not before she saw a dark mass roiling in the sky outside where the explosion had taken place, not before she saw several figures slashing and blood spilling everywhere and smoke and monsters… and then a blinding light that swallowed everything.
--
Minako bolted upright in her bed, aware of several things simultaneously. First, she was soaked with a cold sweat. Second, there were tears welling up out of her eyes and splashing down her cheeks. Third, there was a thin beam of light on her coverlet.
She looked around frantically, trying to slow down her beating heart. That dream… She covered her face with her hands and tried to make sense of the blurring images flashing before her eyes. A ballroom… a man she had danced with… an explosion… blood everywhere… and then that light… She blinked, and removed her hands from her face. There was still a thin beam of light… And it was coming from… her?!
Minako scrambled out of the bed, upsetting Artemis and spilling him onto the floor where he mewed furiously. But Minako paid him no mind. Instead, she stared with something akin to horror at her reflection in the bureau mirror. In the middle of her forehead was a symbol – the female symbol, if she recalled it correctly – glowing like a brand. She reached a trembling hand to her forehead to touch it. The tip of her finger brushed the mark, and suddenly the mark burned like fire. "Ahhh!" Minako hissed in pain, and clapped a hand to her forehead. She swung around and saw Artemis standing on the bed, taut as a tightrope.
"Artemis," she whimpered, and stumbled towards him. "Help… what's going on… my forehead's burning…" She sank to the floor beside her bed and removed her hand from her forehead, praying that the glowing mark had disappeared. But from the light that shone onto Artemis' frozen face, the symbol still burned brightly.
The next second, Minako was sure that she was still dreaming. Her reasoning? Artemis spoke to her. "Minako," he said. "Minako, listen to me."
Minako shut her eyes tightly, rubbed them with her knuckles, then opened them once more. "You just did not just talk to me," she told Artemis, her voice quivering. "How can a cat talk?"
"Minako, I'm not just an ordinary cat," said Artemis urgently. "And you're not an ordinary girl. That mark on your forehead –"
"Just means I'm dreaming, I'm dreaming, I'm dreaming," Minako interrupted him. "There's no way this can be real."
"Listen to me!" Artemis cried. "Look under your pillow and take what you find there." When Minako hesitated, he exclaimed, "If you want your forehead to stop burning, you must do as I say!"
Stumbling like a drunk, Minako lurched to her pillow, knocked it off the bed, and stared. A bright orange pen glittered at her, inviting her to pick it up. "Pick it up," commanded Artemis from a few feet away, "thrust it into the air – Do it, Minako! – and call out, Venus Power Make-up!"
"Venus Power Make-up!" Minako called. Almost immediately threads of gold, orange, yellow, and white light slammed into her and spun her around. Her pajamas disappeared and were replaced with the strangest clothes she had ever worn in her life (excepting that one costume party she'd gone to in eighth grade). She wore a white leotard with an attached orange pleated skirt and sailor collar, a dark blue bow, orange high heels, and elbow-length white gloves. She pressed a hand to her forehead and felt a metal tiara cross her forehead with an oval stone in its center.
Tripping over her quilt that was now in a heap on the floor, Minako staggered to her mirror and gaped at her reflection. "I look like a hooker!" was the first thing out of her mouth. The second thing was, "What the heck happened?!"
Artemis leapt onto her bureau and stared at her face. "Sailor Venus," he whispered, and bowed his head.
"Artemis," Minako quavered, "What's going on? Why am I dressed like this? Who is Sailor Venus? Why can you talk? What's going on?!"
Artemis looked back up at her and sighed as if a load of bricks had dropped onto his back. "This is going to take some explaining. You see –" He broke off abruptly when the pen that Minako had dropped began to flash orange and beep intermittently. "Great Selene," he muttered and jumped down. "Minako, you're going to have to trust me. Pick up the pen." She obeyed. "Now reach out your hand – it helps if you don't look – and imagine there's a hole in the air. Concentrate! Now, stick the pen in that hole. Good!"
Minako looked at her hand and gawked at it. Half her hand and the pen had disappeared into thin air!
"Now, Minako, put the pen down," said Artemis gently. "Good, good… now take your hand out of the hole." She complied and was shocked to see her hand reappear without the pen. She flexed it in front of her face, her blue eyes filled with anxiety.
"Artemis, what just happened?"
"That was your sub-dimensional pocket," he said, "but there's no time to explain it in detail. Listen, to be very brief, you are the reincarnation of an ancient warrior who served a great Princess thousands and thousands of years ago. It is your duty to find this Princess, restore her crystal of power to her, and protect her against the evil beings that are awakening. It is also your duty to stop these evil beings from killing everyone on the planet. Savvy?"
Minako just stared at him. "I have to be dreaming," she said abruptly. "You're telling me I'm the reincarnation of an ancient warrior with mysterious powers? And that I have to guard this mysterious princess or something?"
Artemis nodded, eyes grave. "Yes. There's more, but we have no time. One of those monsters that I mentioned is attacking at this very moment, and the only person who can stop it is you. Do you understand?"
Minako bit her lip. "Yes… but I don't have any magical powers –"
"I can guide you through your powers," the cat interrupted. "I will do so when we reach the battle site, but right now we must HURRY or people are going to die!"
That stirred Minako into action. She swung around and walked towards her door but Artemis called her back. "We can't go out of your front door," he said grimly, "lest people see you. I know you've gotten out of your window before. Think you can do it now?"
Minako nodded and opened her window as quietly as possible, only now remembering that her father was in the house, sound asleep. She clambered up onto the window sill and crouched there. Abruptly she remembered she wore high heels, and swore for the first time in a very long time. She craned her head to see Artemis on the bed behind her. "How are you coming?" she hissed at him.
"Don't worry about that; just go!" he hissed back. "Quickly!"
Minako sighed and turned her attention back to the open space in front of her. Steeling herself (she hadn't done this in so long), she launched herself out of the window and grabbed a large branch several feet away. She swung from the branch for a few seconds, then used the momentum to swing to the next branch, a few feet lower and further on. Her arms jarred with the impact, and Minako thought, I really should start gymnastics again if this is going to become a nightly occurrence. She dropped the last five feet and landed in a crouch on soft grass. "OUCH!" she hissed, feeling the impact of landing in high heels. "Shoot!"
Suddenly Artemis was beside her. "Are you all right?" he asked.
She nodded. "Just have to get used to doing that again."
"All right, then; let's go!" He dashed off, leaving Minako no choice but to follow.
--
A few miles later, Minako screeched to a halt when Artemis did, panting and clutching the stich in her side. I really need to get in better shape, she thought acerbically. Then she saw which house they stood in front of. "This is Sarah's house!" she gasped.
"Hurry!" called Artemis, already scurrying forward. Minako followed, dread coiling in the pit of her stomach.
As they neared the house, Minako thought she heard the sound of breaking glass from within. Her prodigious hearing was confirmed when the sounds grew louder, followed by a short, terrified scream. "Sarah!" Minako cried, and shot off like a bullet. She slammed into the door and wrenched the handle. She was taken aback to find it unlocked. Trashing any hesitancy, she opened the door and dashed inside. Artemis followed at her heels.
The screams came from the basement. Minako followed them, heedless of anything or anyone in her way (of which there was only furniture). She sped down the stairs, nearly falling when she twisted her ankle in her too-high heels. "Argh," she gasped out, but continued down, ignoring the throbbing pain in her ankle. Artemis still followed, though now his eyes filled with concern.
In the basement was a disturbing sight: a seven-foot monster was terrorizing Sarah, who cowered in a corner, crying. On the floor a few feet away lay her mother, as still as death. As Minako watched, the monster held out its hand and began to bathe the terrified girl in a sickly green light.
Minako's stomach lurched. "Stop that, you ugly piece of trash!" she yelled at the monster.
It turned around and, seeing Minako, roared in displeasure. Minako stumbled backwards.
"Yell 'Crescent Beam!'" shouted Artemis from somewhere at her feet.
Minako, suddenly feeling what to do, touched a hand to her forehead, then brought in a sweeping motion past her other elbow and pointed directly at the monster. "Crescent Beam!" she yelled. A blast of yellow power surged through her fingertip and shot like a bullet towards the monster. It blasted through the creature's middle, and it roared its fury before collapsing and disintegrating into dust.
Minako fell to her knees, shaking like a leaf. Sweat poured down her back. "Please don't make me do that again," she whispered to Artemis, staring straight ahead at where the monster had been two seconds ago. "Please."
He said nothing, only looked mournfully up at the beautiful young girl, knowing he could not do what she asked.
Sarah trembled in her corner. Tears spilled out of her eyes and she said, "Wh- wh- who a- a- are y-you?"
Minako didn't answer. She looked at Sarah's mother lying immediately to her left. "Artemis, is she okay?" she whispered. She couldn't bring herself to look at Sarah.
Artemis padded gently onto the woman's chest and pressed an ear to it. He listened for several seconds, then his ears drooped pitifully.
"No," whispered Minako. "No…"
"I'm sorry," murmured Artemis. "We got here too late. She's gone."
"NO!" screamed Sarah, who had heard what he said. "NO!" She threw herself forward, towards her prostrate mother. "You have to be okay, you have to be all right!" Tears streamed in rivulets down her cheeks. She pressed her head against her mother's chest to find a heartbeat. She found none. "NO!" she shrieked. "YOU CAN'T BE GONE, YOU CAN'T LEAVE ME! NOOOO!!" She dropped down and buried her face in her mother's stomach, howling in her misery.
Minako sank back, tears pouring down her own cheeks. A sob rose up in her throat and she clapped a hand to her mouth. Too late got here too late got here too late… Artemis' words echoed in her ears and she choked back the sob. If only I hadn't argued with him! she cried inwardly. This is all my fault! This is all my fault! She tried to fight the sobs that choked her trachea, but it was no use. She dissolved into miserable tears, sinking forward until her forehead touched the ground. She pounded the ground with her gloved hands, as if trying to beat away the guilt and misery that overwhelmed her.
Artemis nestled against her side, trying to comfort her as best as he could. He did not weep for Minako's friend's mother, but he felt a deep anguish for what he knew he had to do to poor Minako… that it was only the beginning of the heartaches she would have to experience, all for the sake of a fate she had not chosen. He would have given anything to spare her this terrible fate, but it was hers to bear, and nothing he could do or say would change it. Pluto had dictated her to awaken this night, although that didn't stop Artemis from silently cursing Pluto for choosing such a bad day. What a way for Minako to end her fourteenth birthday…
The two girls, both vaguely aware of the other, sobbed for what seemed like an era. Finally Sarah fell into an uneasy sleep, having screamed and cried herself into exhaustion.
Artemis butted his head against Minako's side, for she had fallen silent as well. "Minako… are you awake?"
She lifted her eyes, and a thrill of fear shot through Artemis at their deadened expression. "Yes," she said, her voice hoarse from weeping.
"We need to leave," said Artemis. "We have to go before she wakes up again."
"But we can't just leave her here with her dead mother!"
"No, we can't," Artemis replied seriously. "So we are going to call the police and tell them that there's been an… incident… here. They will come and take care of Sarah and her mother. Can you do that?"
Minako nodded mutely and stood up, noticing distractedly that her legs had fallen asleep beneath her. She stumbled in her high heels, then regained her balance.
"Come on," said Artemis, and he jumped up the stairs. Minako followed, glancing one more time at Sarah beside her mother.
Artemis waited for her in the kitchen. "The phone's over there," he said quietly. "All you need to do is call the police and tell them that Sarah and her mother have been attacked. They'll find everything else out when they get here."
Minako took the phone wordlessly and dialed the number. A harsh voice answered, saying, "London Police Department. May I help you?"
"Two people have been attacked," said Minako tonelessly. "They're in the basement…" She gave the address, and the policeman promised that an ambulance and squad car would be sent over immediately. When he began to ask questions, such as who she was, Minako hung up. She turned to face Artemis.
"Let's go," she said impassively. She walked out through the front door, Artemis following silently at her heels.
They walked through the dark streets in a silence that was only broken by the sirens that were soon heard in the distance. Without Artemis needing to say anything, Minako ducked into some bushes to wait for the emergency vehicles to pass. They waited a few minutes to make sure that no other vehicles followed, then resumed walking on the sidewalk.
After a minute or so, Artemis glanced at Minako sharply. "You're limping, Minako."
She shrugged. "I twisted my ankle on those stairs… it'll be fine, though…"
Artemis wanted to say something else, but decided against it in favor or waiting for a more opportune moment.
They had originally made the trek to Sarah's house in fourteen minutes, although they had both sprinted much of the way. Now, walking, it took them nearly forty-five minutes to reach Minako's house. Without ado Minako jumped up and grabbed her branch, then swung herself to the other one until her legs could hook themselves around her window sill. She threw herself into her room the rest of the way and collapsed on her bed, still in her strange Sailor Venus outfit.
Artemis appeared on the sill a moment later. He jumped down from the sill and up onto Minako's bed. Her face was turned away from him, so he could not see her expression. She startled him when she spoke in a muffled voice. "This really isn't a dream, is it." It wasn't a question, but a statement.
"No," said Artemis gravely. "No, it's not."
Minako rolled over on her side so that she faced him, and Artemis saw two tears straggling down her face. Her face was set, however. "Tell me now, Artemis," she said. "Tell me everything."
And so Artemis told her everything – that he remembered, that was. He told her that she was Sailor Venus, princess of Venus, and one of the four protectors of the Moon Princess. He told her that there had been an alliance between all the planets (for the Moon had been considered a planet back then – it was bigger than Pluto, after all. It didn't necessarily matter that it orbited the Earth), except Earth. He told her that that era had been called the Silver Millennium for its relative peace between all the planets, again except Earth. He told her that a great evil force had destroyed the Silver Millennium, but somehow everyone – including the evil being – had been reborn on Earth in the future. Now.
Minako listened without interruptions, absorbing all the information Artemis could give her. If he had told her all this before she had seen the monster (Artemis called them "youma"), she would not have believed it or thought it was all a dream. But she had seen the monster. She had seen it attack Sarah. And she had seen Sarah's mother dead because she had not believed what he first told her soon enough.
Artemis told her that he was supposed to guide and train her as a Senshi. He told her that tonight's attack was the first of many to come, although he could not say for sure how or when or why or whence they came. He told her that, hopefully, her memories of the Silver Millennium would return in time to aide her in her battle against the threat.
"Is that why you have a… I guess it's a crescent moon… on your forehead?" Minako asked quietly when he stopped to catch his breath. Artemis nodded.
"Do you have all your memories of the Silver Millennium?" was the second thing Minako asked, voice cracking on "memories."
Artemis shook his head. "No… there are many holes in my memory, so unfortunately I cannot tell you everything you should know…" He sighed.
"How do I get out of this… fuku?" Minako asked, substituting the Japanese word because she couldn't find a satisfactory one in English.
"Do you remember that transformation pen I had you put in the sub-dimensional pocket? Well, try and duplicate that feeling of reaching into the hole. Only this time, grab the pen and take it out."
Minako did as he told her, clenching her teeth together in her concentration. In a moment she felt the pen in her hand and drew it out.
"Now hold it against you," instructed Artemis, "and think of your normal self."
Minako closed her eyes and tried to remember Minako before this horrible night. She thought of her mother, of her school uniform, of her bright red hairbow, of her laughing arm in arm with her two best friends on a beautiful day… and suddenly there was a whooshing sound, and Minako opened her eyes to find herself back in her pajamas. She wiped away the tears that still lingered on her face.
"May I go to bed?" she asked the white cat.
"One more thing," he replied. "There is one more duty I must tell you about." He hesitated, then said, "But at least get comfortable first."
Minako clambered into bed and pulled the covers back on until she was cocooned in blankets. She stared coolly at Artemis. "Go on."
Artemis sighed. "As Sailor Venus, you are the leader of the other four Senshi. That means you are also the Princess'… decoy."
When he didn't say anything else, Minako said, "Please explain."
Artemis let out a breath. "As the Princess' decoy, you have an alternate transformation. Instead of Sailor Venus, you would be known as Sailor V. The reason you have this is to throw the enemy off track. The Sailor V transformation gives you a different fuku and puts a crescent moon on your forehead… like the Princess."
"So I basically play bait for the enemy?" Minako's question was coldly harsh.
Artemis winced. "Not quite… you will still have the same powers as when you are Sailor Venus, but if you look like the princess, the enemy will be thrown off guard. Rattled, because they believe the princess to be hidden. They will have no way of knowing if you are the actual Princess or not, and therefore will be extremely wary of you."
"But also more likely to want to kill me."
Artemis bowed his head. "That might be an unfortunate side-effect."
Minako blew out a breath that rustled her bangs. "All right… I guess I have no choice in the matter?"
Artemis shook his head miserably. "I'm so sorry, Minako… I would take this away from you if I could…"
He looked so dejected that Minako shoved aside her own fears and anxieties. "It's all right, Artemis, it's not your fault," she said, scooping him up and putting him on her stomach. "I still love you." A wan smile crossed her face.
Artemis smiled back as much as a cat can, a sliver of tension lifting from his shoulders. "I love you too, little one. Now go to sleep… you'll need it."
Minako reached across to her nightstand and flicked off the light. They both lay in the darkness for a long time afterwards, contemplating the night and the horrors they both knew lay in store for the future.
--.--
AN: Wahah. So ends Chapter Ten. This one was… fun? Not the best word; this one was invigorating to write. I was very excited to finally get to some ACTION but then Minako and Artemis yelled at me and I had to remember all the sad and tragic details. So that made me sad. But I'm much more pleased with this chapter than the last one. So it goes.
Please, I beg of you, tell me what you think. Here's what you can do: Grab one detail or aspect, scrutinize it, and then tell me honestly what you think. Tell me what you thought about Artemis, Minako, their reactions, whether it was real enough, etc, etc, etc. I neeeeed to know if I'm doing things right!
Ok, I'm done whining. Thanks for reading, and I have no idea when chapter 11 will be out. Look on my profile eventually for a guesstimate.
I salute thee,
Elen-Di