Going Under
I wonder what its like to be the head honcho
I wonder what I'd do if they all did just what I said
I'd shout out an order, I think were out of this man get me some
Boy don't make me wanna change my...tone, my tone
Straight up, what did you hope to learn about here
If I were someone else, would this all fall apart
Strange, where were you, when we started this gig,
I wish the real world, would just stop hassling me
Please don't change; please don't break
The only thing that seems to work at all is you
Please don't change, at all from me
To you, and you to me
- "Real World" by Matchbox Twenty
Chapter 11
Rei raced into the house, Makoto and Ami closely following her. She froze as she came face to face with five extremely breathtaking men.
"Where is Usagi?" she snapped at them as they stared at her
The handsomest man – who was sitting on the chair, eyes holding fear pointed wordlessly at the door to the living room and within a second, she and Makoto and Ami rushed through it, facing a red-eyed Usagi, a cast around her left arm, and a sorrowful Minako, both of them covered in blood.
"Usagi…" she said quietly
Usagi looked up at Rei, "He killed Luna, Rei," she whispered brokenly, "He killed her and he's coming after you guys next"
"Shh, it's okay," Rei said quietly as she moved to sit beside Usagi, "We're okay, you're okay"
Usagi buried her head in her hands, "It won't stay that way for long, Rei. He'll come for you when he can't get me"
"Well, he won't be able to get any of them," a low voice said from behind Makoto and Ami.
Rei easily picked out which of the men had spoken. The dark-haired, blue-eyed man only exuded power, easily telling her he was the one who called the shots- and the one that had spoken.
"You know how he is, Mamoru," Usagi whispered, her words easily reverberating around the room.
"Why don't we all sit," he said, sighing, "We have a lot to talk about"
"Who do you think you are to-" Rei started to say
"I am Mamoru Chiba. The head agent on this case," Mamoru dared to interrupt, easily picking her out to be Rei, the one who had almost reduced to Jason to tears
Makoto and Ami quietly followed his orders and sat beside Rei and Minako, meaning Usagi was dead center.
Mamoru nodded at the guys to take their seats as he sat in the center of the couch. Kevin and Nick sat one on each side, Zach chose to sit in the chair in the corner, and Jason didn't sit, just stood against the wall- probably so he would have first access to make a run for it.
"We'll introduce ourselves. We are the FBI agents assigned to the Chambers case, we found Usagi in New York and enlisted-"
"We've heard," Makoto said rudely, "Usagi told us all of that stuff when she got back from New York"
Mamoru nodded, "Of course. As for our names, as I said before I am Mamoru Chiba"
"Kevin Moore," Kevin said, raising his hand slightly
"Nick Roberts," Nick said, nodding at the women
"Jason Bates, I'm the one you spoke to on the phone," Jason said, giving a small wave
"And Zach Bell," Zach said quietly from the corner
"Rei Hino," Rei said coldly
"Makoto Kino," Makoto said, raising her hand in a wave
"Ami Mizuno," Ami said quietly
"Minako Aino, and I'm sure you all know this is my house," Minako said lightly
"Okay, now that that's done, would you tell us what is going on?" Rei snapped at the men
"Rei, please," Ami said quietly, "There's no use to be so rude"
"I agree with Ami," Jason said
Rei shot him a glare, "I just want to make sure that we're all safe. I'm sorry if I'm a little rude in the process"
Before Nick could respond with a cutting reply, Mamoru continued on, "As Minako already knows, Usagi was attacked on the way to her car from the modeling agency she started working at just recently"
"Attacked!?" Makoto asked, causing everyone to jump at her loud voice, "Are you okay, Usagi?"
Usagi nodded, looking at Mamoru entreatingly as if she wanted him to answer the question for her.
"Usagi is fine. She managed to fight off the man till I got there. We almost had him, but he killed himself at the belief he had failed. In the process Usagi received a sprained elbow and a bump on her head that will slightly bring back her concussion," he said quickly, wishing to get away from the topic. He was still pissed about what had happened to Usagi and losing the man who had done all of that- not to mention being the actual person who had killed his family.
"Oh, Usagi," Ami said quietly, "You always were a fighter"
Usagi gave a momentous rare half-smile to Ami, thanking her silently. Ami had always been the one to reward those that did well on their part, and raised the girls' hope at the same time.
"Anyway, as of this moment- with Usagi's cat dead and a direct threat on Minako- and Usagi's life, you are all in danger," Mamoru said
"Let Diamond come," Makoto spat, "I'd like to kick his ass"
"As much as all of us would love to see that," Nick said, slight awe in his voice as he assessed Makoto, "The chances of him coming at you personally are highly unlikely. He'd much rather send people- as we saw with Usagi tonight"
Both Rei and Makoto glowered at nothing in particular at these words, Kevin and Jason right along beside them.
"Right. So, from now on all of you will have a security detail of at least one agent- at all times. You will all be given private phones to contact each of us and one another - to ensure privacy. Also, your houses must be scoped out for bugs before we can ensure your safety," Mamoru finished calmly, looking at the girls
"Uhm, I have a question," Ami said quietly, her hand half raised in a classroom gesture
"Ami," Makoto whispered, "You don't have to raise your hand. This isn't school"
Ami lowered her hand quickly, her face bright red.
Mamoru chuckled, "Yes, Ami?"
"You said that Usagi was attacked near the modeling agency, doesn't that mean there's a chance that-"
"Chambers controls it?" Zach finished for her, "We've realized that as well. Minako's agent, as well as the manager of Gods and Goddess Beauty, was under the orders of Diamond Chambers"
Minako groaned, "And I thought Alan was just always around because he liked me"
"We've assessed the other places of work," Nick said, "the hospital would be impossible to assume clean since there are hundreds of workers, but the bosses are clear. The temple doesn't really have any workers, but Chad Yuuichi is fine, and obviously Rei's grandfather isn't working for Diamond. Now we come to the restaurant…"
"I personally vouch for Motoki," Makoto said harshly, "There's no way he's controlled by Diamond"
"Where's your proof?" Kevin asked her, "You don't realize that these people appear clean on the front, just ask Minako. That Alan guy was a whiz at manipulating her-"
"Motoki is fine," Usagi said then, looking up, "Diamond never liked him, he got her the job through her skills, not his"
"Okay, so Motoki is fine," Nick agreed, "But we don't know about the other workers,"
"Well, I can protect myself from any of them, if need be," Makoto said, shrugging, flexing her muscles slightly as she spoke. Nick and Jay's eyes widened into orbs of awe.
Mamoru held his laugh in, then turned serious at the look on Usagi's face- one of desperation and pain.
"That reminds me, none of this will be taken outside of this room. We can't have someone reporting all of this to Diamond," Mamoru said, "Also, there is to be no beating someone up for information" he looked pointedly at Makoto and Rei, "OR jumping into danger"
"We won't do anything stupid," Rei said harshly to him, berating him for even thinking something like that.
"Rei, Makoto, you guys would totally do something stupid like that," Minako pointed out
"Minako raises a good point. The reason we are giving you protection is so that you will be protected, we cannot have you jumping into dangerous situations- no matter what," Mamoru said adamantly, even more so with Usagi's look of pain.
"What about Usagi?," Ami said quietly, "The danger we're in is nothing to the danger she's in"
"I am her personal bodyguard," Mamoru said, "I will protect her"
"Like she was protected the day she got back?" Rei asked harshly, "We let her go because we thought the goddamned FBI would have her back"
"In case you didn't notice, that was also when Chambers went on the run," Jason responded coldly
"After he beat Usagi-"
"Rei, it's okay. It's in the past," Usagi said quietly, closing the topic.
All of the men froze and glanced at Usagi, looks of amazement on their faces. Together they thought of the girl that had called them monsters, and then their visions were replaced with the broken girl here.
"What are we supposed to do?" Minako asked, quickly changing the topic before Rei could retort, "Neither me nor Usagi have a job- or a way of supporting our lifestyles"
"As long as you're alive and safe," Kevin said pointedly
"Kevin has a good point. As of now, all that matters is your safety," Mamoru said
"Oh yeah, for our bodyguard agents, are we supposed to feed them and give them a place to sleep?" Makoto asked, a gleam in her eye
"Sometimes, yes. To assure that you are safe at all times, they will be with you at all times," Mamoru said as if he was stating the obvious. Now he felt the long day getting to him, and he saw the same look on Usagi's face. The poor woman had had the longest day ever- and it wasn't even over yet. They still had to get her home, and then explain to her parents why he was going to be hovering around for the next god knew how long. He prayed it wouldn't be long. Diamond was bound to mess up soon…
"Where are you in locating Diamond?" Ami asked in a voice that said she had been dying to ask the question in a long time. Her gaze was fixed on Mamoru as he was the one who had been dominating the discussion thus far but was slightly surprised when the man from the corner spoke again.
"Well…" Zach said tiredly, "Not anywhere. Chambers is impossible to find, even by the smartest people in the world- some of which are in the FBI working on finding him"
"How does he still have his people working for him? I thought that all his accounts were frozen," she asked confusedly of him, her eyebrows knotting in worry. She hadn't thought Diamond that smart.
"They were- or at least all the legitimate accounts. From what we've seen from Chambers, he probably had millions of dollars stashed for just this possibility," Nick said
"We're working our hardest and it is of course our first priority to find him,"
Kevin said dejectedly, "However…finding him is proving-"
"But" Mamoru cut off Kevin, knowing that the girls needed some good news, "With one of his men in custody, we may just yet get something. Plus, he's bound to mess up soon"
Usagi looked up at Mamoru, understanding in her eyes. She knew he was trying to convince himself just as he was trying to convince her friends. But it wouldn't work on her. This had only proved that Diamond was willing to do anything to get her- including killing and destroying those she loved.
Luna was only the first innocent bystander to die in the war that was between her and Diamond. And from the way it was going, there would be many more.
She could only hope that Diamond would come for her first and not bother to go after the girls.
The room remained quiet as each person thought their own thoughts of what was going on.
"If it was alright, we'd like to talk to Usagi alone," Ami said quietly
"Oh, of course," Mamoru said, standing up straightaway, the other men following him out. He turned to look at how the girls surrounded her in an instant from all sides, and he couldn't help but compare them to a mother protecting a child.
"Usa, are you okay?" Makoto asked kindly
Usagi looked down at her hands, which were covered in dry blood, along with the cast which was soaked red, "No, Mako, I'm not fine"
"Oh, Usa," Minako sighed, hugging her from the side, "It'll be okay"
"No, it won't," she whispered, knowing it was the truth in her veins, "It's all gone wrong…so wrong"
"Usagi, you're sleepy and hurt, you don't mean what you're saying," Ami said slowly, hoping it was true. She put her hands in Usagi's, covering the blood.
"I do," Usagi whispered, looking away from the pitying eyes of her friends,
"Those guys in there are professionals, they've been putting away the Diamond Chambers' all their lives, this one'll be gone in no time," Minako said lightly, nodding at the door to the kitchen, where the men had disappeared to.
"You heard Zach," Usagi said despondently, "And Nick for that matter. Both are the smartest the FBI has to offer- and yet, Diamond is eluding them easily"
"Like Mamoru said," Rei said hopefully, "He's bound to mess up sometime"
"Is that before or after he destroys my life?" Usagi whispered quietly, her hands shaking as she pulled away from Ami's hands.
"That's it," Makoto snapped, causing the other girls to jump at her harshness, "You're taking a long hot shower and getting a good night's rest. You're not thinking straight"
She stood and walked to the kitchen door, popping her head through it, "Mamoru?"
Mamoru blinked blankly at Makoto, who's head had pushed open the door, "Yeah?"
"Usagi wants to go home now"
"Uhm, okay, we can leave now if she wants," he said, shrugging slightly
Makoto disappeared back through the door.
"She's awesome," Nick said, also staring blankly at where Makoto had disappeared
"You just like her cuz' she has long legs," Jason said dazedly, "Long legs"
"Dude, did you not notice that every single one of Usagi's friends is extremely mouth-wateringly hot?" Kevin said
"You think everything that has breasts is hot," Jason said, waving Kevin's comment away
"He does have a point. Though I wouldn't quite say it like that," Zach said, slightly disgusted, "They're all beautiful"
"Beautiful, hot, what's the difference?" Kevin said, shrugging, "They're babes"
"In agreeance," Nick said, Jason nodding as well
"Okay, we all agree they're hot. What does this have to do with finding Chambers?" Mamoru said sourly, glaring at his friends
"Aw, Mamoru, don't be such a party-pooper, one of them is bound to like you," Nick said, grinning slightly
"Excuse me?" Mamoru said, raising his eyebrow, "I'm the best looking out of all of us"
Kevin, Nick and Jason burst out laughing. Even Zach looked like he was about to die of holding in his laughter.
"Keep dreaming, Chiba," Jason said between laughs
"Oh, shut up," Mamoru snapped, "You know it's true"
"To be fair, we're all different, so we'd never be able to figure out which of us was best looking," Zach said, a grin on his face as he attempted to not laugh
Kevin snorted, "Said the nerd"
"Hey!"
The others burst out laughing, Zach pouting at them, "I am not a nerd!"
"Sad thing is, we're all nerds," Nick said, "We're in the FBI for god's sake"
Mamoru snorted, "I'm the team leader, thus, not a nerd"
Jason laughed, "Please, Mamoru. You're the smartest one here, Zach the exception"
"So smarts equals nerd?"
"Duh"
"Wow, most stimulating conversation ever," Kevin said
"I'm still the hottest," Mamoru said, shrugging
"Now you're the gay one," Nick laughed
"Shut up, Mr. I sing Kelly Clarkson in the shower"
"Hey! You swore never to-!"
The door opened, cutting off Nick's rebuttal, "I'm not interrupting, am I?" Usagi asked quietly, looking up at them with wide eyes
"Not at all," Kevin said grandly, "We were only discussing the hotness factor in myself"
Jason coughed, "Of which there is none"
"Shut it, both of you," Mamoru snapped, "Ignore them, Usagi"
Rei pushed past Usagi and into the room, "What's the holdup?"
The other girls peered in around Usagi.
The men snapped to attention, "Nothing," Jason said
"Okay," Mamoru said, looking back at the men, "Zach'll get each of you a bug detector to check up on the girls' places"
"I call Makoto," Nick said under his breath to the others
"I'll get Ami," Zach muttered to the others
"Hey!" Jason called
"That leaves Jason for Rei. Now get going," Mamoru said to them, shooing them out of the room
"Girls, if you'd kindly take the guys with you so they can clear out your houses, making sure they're safe for you," he said as they filed into the kitchen.
Rei, Ami and Makoto exited the house, leaving Minako, Usagi and Kevin present.
"Kevin?" Minako asked quietly
"Yes?"
"Do you think you could be the guard for tonight?" she asked him shyly
Kevin's mouth opened in surprise and it took him a few seconds to realize that Minako, Usagi and Mamoru were waiting for his answer, after which he nodded quickly, his face going red.
"Okay, so you guys are set for the night," Mamoru said, "Let's go, Usagi"
Usagi turned towards Minako, "I'll see you later, Mina"
"Usa, don't worry, it'll be okay," Minako said quietly, touching her head with Usagi's
"I hope so," Usagi whispered as she turned away from the others and exited the room.
Mamoru turned to follow her
"Mamoru," Minako said, causing him to stop
"Protect her," she said adamantly. Her eyes bored into Mamoru's and she swore she could see so much pain hidden behind the fury and stamina.
Mamoru nodded in understanding, "I will"
He quietly exited the room, leaving Minako and Kevin behind him. He found the girls huddled around Usagi, whispering words of comfort to her.
"Stick with the girls for tonight," he said to Jason, Nick and Zach who were by the van, getting bug detectors, "We'll figure out the agents later, for now they trust us"
"Do I have to go to Rei's? Can't I stay-"
"No. And stop being a wimp," Nick said to Jason
"Easy for you to say, you got Makoto, she's nicer than Rei," he said sourly
"You'll be fine," Mamoru said, "Just try not to piss her off"
"That's like saying I should just hold my breath for the next 8 hours,"
"That should work," Nick said, clapping Jason on the shoulder as he followed Makoto to her jeep, "Good luck" he called back
"Mamoru," Jason whined
Usagi approached them quietly, hearing Jason whine about having to guard Rei and smiled slightly, realizing why Jason so disliked the idea. Rei always put up a strong front when she was worried and this was the worst Usagi had seen her. But from what she knew, Jason was able to break down walls of the strongest people, among which there was Rei. She just hoped Jason didn't get hurt in the process.
They stopped talking as she approached, "It's okay, Jason," she said kindly, "Rei will be good for the next eight hours"
"Who said I-" Rei called but Ami pointedly stepped on her foot
"Alright," she pouted, "I'll be nice to Jason"
She turned to walk towards her car and Jason jogged after her.
"Zach, Ami is really smart at figuring stuff out, she may have ideas," Usagi said to him quietly as she walked away.
He nodded at Usagi, giving her a hopeful smile and walked over to Ami where they walked to her car together.
"Guess it's just us again," Mamoru said to Usagi quietly
"It's better that way," she whispered, looking back at the house, praying that her friends would be safe.
"They'll be fine. Each of the guys is the best the FBI has to offer," he said, understanding her feelings easily. She was wallowing in despair, he could tell. Luna's death had showed all of them- Usagi mostly, that Diamond wasn't kidding when he said he'd be coming after those Usagi loved, and most importantly, Usagi herself.
"Where's Luna?"
"She's in the car. I thought you might want to pick her resting place yourself," he said quietly as he led her to his car
"Thank you," she whispered
"It's no problem. We can do that tomorrow. For tonight we should get you home and cleaned up. I'm sure you're not feeling all that great either," he said as she pulled her cast to her body.
"Not really, I guess," she said as she yawned tiredly. She felt woozy, and her arm was on the edge of numb and hurting like hell- but that was nothing compared to how she felt on the inside. It felt like someone had driven a knife through her heart, and then kept twisting it.
He helped her into the car and then went to the driver's side and they arrived at her house in no time.
She looked down at her bloodied clothes, worried that she had left stains in the car.
Mamoru saw her worried look and immediately figured out what it meant, "It's okay, don't worry about it. It's mostly dried anyway"
She grimaced slightly, knowing he had chosen to avoid the more...disturbing words. It was freaking her out that he was reading her so easily- and so well! A thought would pass her mind, and almost immediately afterwards it was as if Mamoru picked up on it and commented on it, mostly trying to make her feel better.
They walked to the door silently till Usagi thought it best to warn Mamoru about her father- though he would probably be a little more lenient on Mamoru since he was there to protect her.
Her parents were, of course, wide awake when they got inside. Her mother sat, wrapped in a blanket, on the couch, a worried look on her frail face. Her father was pacing the living room back and forth and Usagi could have sworn that the carpet looked faded underneath him.
"Oh god, Usagi," he gasped out as he ran to hug her almost as soon as she had walked into the house. Ikuko rose and hugged her daughter as soon as her husband had let go of her.
"Agent Jason called and told us about Luna," Ikuko said quietly, looking down at Usagi's bloodied clothes.
Usagi nodded wearily, affirming the horrible truth.
"Oh, Usagi," she whispered as she hugged her daughter tightly, fear in her heart, "It'll be okay"
"I hope so, Mom," she whispered back.
Usagi had gone to clean up, and Ikuko had retired. Mamoru was left alone with Kenji, who had been deep in thought for most of the time that they had been there. He suddenly snapped to attention and offered Mamoru a change of clothes and a chance to shower. He was told he would be staying in Shingo's room, which was thankfully across the hall from Usagi's, so he would be able to hear or sense if something was wrong. Her parents slept in the room all the way down the hall, deeper into the house- and Mamoru thought, much safer.
As he slipped on one of Kenji's small shirts, he thought of the family Usagi had here. The worry that he had seen on Kenji and Ikuko's face was something he had never seen before. It had spoken untold amounts of love: of a bond that only existed between parents and child. They had raised Usagi since she wasn't even borne into the world, and now he understood how she had turned into the most beautiful, trusting and loving person he had ever seen. This family was miraculous. A slight twinge of sadness shook through him. But he was happy for Usagi, she needed these people in her life- regardless of how much she wished they would leave her. They would do anything to help her- if she opened up to them.
From what he could see, Usagi was still holding everything in. She avoided talking to her friends about what had occurred between her and Chambers. He could see it in her eyes- that she was constantly feeling the pain that had been in her since Chambers had first hit her.
There was absolutely no doubt in him that Chambers had used all the manipulation skills he had to keep Usagi in his life. Lies, threats, blackmail- the list was endless. And he was still affecting her as such.
As his friends had said, Chambers was a world-class jackass. Sure, he had known that way before he had met Usagi, but what she had gone through had only reinforced and strengthened this forever-unbreakable view of Chambers in his mind.
He would make Diamond Chambers pay. For his and Usagi's suffering.
He rubbed his face tiredly as he exited the main bathroom. Kenji and Ikuko's light had been turned off and he assumed that they had gone to sleep. He walked downstairs, intent on getting a cold glass of milk to help him sleep. He came to a stop directly at the door, watching Usagi gaze intently out the window, a broken expression on her face. She had changed into a long nightgown, making her seem younger and older at the same time. Her hair was spread over her shoulders, making her look so much the goddess that he saw at all times. She was glowing under the kitchen light. He grimaced, she glowed in every type of light, of course artificial light wouldn't cause a difference. Her cast sat on the countertop, the skin around her left elbow a dark blue.
"Do you want some help?" he asked as he walked in. She jumped slightly, turning to him in surprise.
"Sorry," he said, a frown on his face, "Didn't mean to scare you"
She smiled slightly, "Everything scares me right now; it's not your fault. And yes, I'd like some help. I can't figure out how to close the thing"
He grinned, "It is hard," he moved over to her side and picked up the cast, "How long do you have to keep it on?"
"Uhm, I don't really know. I kind of zoned out when the medic was talking to me," she looked guiltily at him, her nose crinkled cutely.
He laughed, shaking his head, "It's fine. I don't think the cast will help all that much in the first place. Do you have a cold wrap?"
She nodded, "First cupboard on the left,"
He hurried to get it out and took ice into it. Then he began to wrap it carefully around her elbow, she gasped as the coldness settled in her, "Oh, that feels so good" she sighed, closing her eyes.
She opened them to find Mamoru staring down at her, an unreadable look in his eyes. She hated how it was sometimes impossible to read what he was thinking- and other times it was so easy. Her eyes slid down his body slowly, a slight blush emerging when she noticed that the shirt he was wearing was tight across his chest and stomach, almost perfectly defining his body. She could clearly see every one of his eight packs and she longed to- Bad Usagi!
She looked away hurriedly and he moved away, "Are you okay?" she asked as he remained silent, gazing out the window she had been looking through before. His face was set hardly, he was angry about something.
"Huh?" he asked, looking back at her, "Oh, yeah. I'm fine," he gave her the hint of a smile.
"I'm…sorry about what I said before. All of it," she said quietly, her eyes on her hands "It's not my place to question your intent. I do trust you to protect me," she looked away from her hands, her gaze resting on the marble countertop in front of her, "I know you'll do your best"
"Usagi, you can question me any time. But just…sometimes I may not know the answers myself. It's all so…" he grimaced, "confusing"
She nodded, understanding how he felt. Hell, she felt it all the time. Being confused was a common thing for her nowadays. Especially about this man in front of her.
"And I think I should be the one asking if you're alright. You're the one who's been through so much tonight," he said, a frown on his face.
"I'm…okay," she sighed tiredly, "Or close to it, I think"
"How's your head feeling?"
"Like a metal baseball bat hit it a couple hundred times," she said, a grimace on her face as she touched the side of her head gingerly.
"Sleep will probably help," he said uselessly, feeling such.
She nodded, "I'll see you later, Mamoru"
She gave him one last smile before she left the room quietly. He stared at the spot she had vacated for he didn't know how long before the clock on the wall struck 3.
It had been a long night. He wondered how many more of these nights there would be while this went on. Probably a few.
He just hoped he didn't mess up during them- there would be hell to pay. Seeing Usagi hurt again...he just couldn't see it- not again. The woman deserved love and happiness- not what he was bringing into her world.
He sighed, staring up at the full moon through the window, knowing that their lives were intertwining permanently- neither of them would walk away from this unchanged. He just hoped it would be for the better.