Corey tried closing his eyes again and was immediately confronted with an image of her. Charred skin hanging from her arms, angry red burns marring her face; the girl he'd pulled out of the arcade. The girl who'd died. He sighed quietly as he opened his eyes once more and glanced at the alarm clock beside the bed. Just past midnight. It's been an hour and a half and I'm still no closer to sleep.
The room was quiet. Almost too quiet. The only sound at all came from beside him; Minako's gentle, rhythmic breathing. She was lying on her side with her back to him, and her long, blonde hair was just about the only thing he could see of her. She'd rolled over about fifteen minutes after going to bed and that was it. Out like a light, he thought, amused. Whether it's this life or the last, Minako can sleep through pretty much anything. It must be nice.
His eyes narrowed as he stared up at the ceiling of his bedroom. One patch in particular seemed to be a slightly lighter shade of white than the rest. Or is it just me going stir-crazy after being cooped up in here for so long without getting to sleep? The white mass of fur at the end of the bed caught his attention for a moment, and he looked down at a sleeping Artemis. It was Minako's idea to stay here; with her parents rushed off to England, she hadn't felt like sleeping alone in a 'big, empty house'. It was also her idea to bring the cat with her. She think's it'll help him cope with our new sleeping arrangements, he thought warily. Come on, cutie, she said. It'll be good for him to see us just sleeping next to each other. Corey still wasn't convinced. I think it's gonna make things even more awkward; he gave me a dirty look just for kissing Minako goodnight!
The bed moved slightly beneath him as Minako turned over and reached up to rub her eyes sleepily. "Are you still awake?"
He nodded. "Mm-hmm."
Her hand slid over his chest as she snuggled up against him. "That girl?"
"Yeah." Corey brought his arm up around her shoulders; the feel of her body against his was almost reassuring. "I don't know why I'm so fixated on her. Six other people died with her…three of them kids. But I can't get her out of my head."
"You pulled her out yourself." She planted a kiss on his shoulder. "It's understandable. Just try to stop thinking about it."
"I can't," he said. "I've been trying to do exactly that since I got into bed, and it's not working."
Minako went quiet. "Well…" Her expression brightened suddenly. "I know. I'll give you something else to think about!"
Corey looked down at her and frowned. "Like what?" Her mischievous smile had him concerned.
"Hotaru has a crush on you."
"What?!" he demanded.
Artemis sat bolt upright at the end of the bed, his tail puffed up and the fur on his back standing on end. "What?! What's happening?"
Minako laughed uncontrollably as she sat up. "N-Nothing, Artemis, go back…oh, god, hahaha…go back to sleep!"
The cat blinked in confusion, but nodded as he began to curl up again. "Alright…"
Corey stared at her with wide eyes, his heart pounding in his chest. She's just messing with me, right?
His girlfriend wiped her eyes and took a deep breath in. "Oh, wow. That was too funny!"
"There's nothing funny about that at all!" he protested. "You're kidding, right?"
"Nope!" Minako stifled another laugh. "Hotaru is totally crushing on you. It was obvious back at the shrine. The blush, her shyness around you…it's really cute."
"That's just Hotaru being Hotaru!"
"Oh?" She raised an eyebrow as her mischievous smile returned. "What about your little trip to the mall? Chibiusa told me Hotaru was flirting with you."
"No, that's not true at all!" Corey argued. "All I did was follow your advice and try to get to know her better. We talked, sure, but it was really awkward. She barely spoke to me at all!"
"Shhh." Minako pressed her finger to his lips. "You'll scare Arty again." She cuddled into his side again, idly tracing lines across his chest with her fingertips. "Trust me. As someone who had a lot of crushes through her teenage years, Hotaru has one…and it's on you."
Corey reached up to wipe his sweaty brow; a mild panic was setting in. "I've never been anybody's crush before! What the hell do I do?"
She laughed quietly. "Nothing at all."
He swallowed nervously. "But, uh…you and I are…together."
Minako snorted as she held back more giggles. "Oh, silly cutie…it's really sweet of you to think of me but I know you're not planning on running off with Hotaru." Her pale blue eyes sparkled as they looked up into his. "Besides, Hotaru is already really shy. If you make a big deal out of this or worse, try to shut it down, she'll just end up hurt. In fact, she'll probably withdraw even further."
"So what you're saying is..."
"Just try to be her friend and let the crush run its course," she said gently. "She'll move on eventually."
"But…" That sounds crazy to me, Corey thought, but that's nothing new with Minako. "I guess you are the expert on this sort of thing."
"That's right, which means you should listen to me." Minako leaned up to kiss him gently. "Now, try and get some sleep. I don't imagine tomorrow is gonna be any easier."
Corey nodded and lay back against his pillow as Minako snuggled into his chest, apparently intending to sleep on him. I can't complain, he thought wryly. This does feel pretty good. His eyes closed and he saw nothing but black; Minako's latent ability to cheer him up was obviously still very much in effect. He began to drift off almost immediately, the events of the day catching up to him.
"Corey…"
He sat bolt upright at the strained voice. "Titus?" His hand reached out to turn on the lamp, and he heard Minako gasp in surprise beside him. "Holy shit, what the hell happened to you?"
Titus managed a weak grin as he limped closer to the bed. "Oh, you know. Occupational hazards and all that." His black fur was slick with blood from a cut in his side, and his right hind leg trembled with each step.
"By Selene, who did this to you?" Artemis asked.
Corey dashed out of bed, dropping to one knee before him. Minako tossed him a pillowcase from the wardrobe and he wrapped it around the cat's body immediately as he applied pressure to his wound. "What happened?"
"I had a little run-in with our true enemy," Titus said. "The Revenant Knight, Corey...he's already here. We need to get the others together at once. I have a lot to tell them."
"It's late," Artemis replied. "Can it wait 'til morning?"
"No." Titus' expression was as serious as Corey had ever seen it. "It really can't."
"The Revenant Knight is the Prime Minister of Japan."
Usagi's blood froze in her veins as Titus' words sank in. "Prime Minister?" A quick look around the room confirmed her friends felt the same way. Except Rei; she was still completely blank, just as she'd been earlier.
"Well, that's a surprise," Makoto said. "I thought this was about our Trickster friend."
Setsuna leaned forward on her chair. "If the Revenant Knight is here, now, then that would make this the Trickster a…"
Titus nodded. "A Construct, yes." He winced as he adjusted his position; the bandages around his body stood out starkly against his now-black fur. Usagi found it somewhat distracting; as far as she'd known, he was ginger. One more lie from her mother's former spymaster, it seemed.
Minako sat forward on the couch, frowning. "But he's not all blank and shadowy."
The black cat shook his head. "No but, according to the Revenant Knight, he is capable of far more detailed and powerful creations than his subordinates. Avan is just as adept as any of his other lieutenants; the only difference is he created this one himself."
Corey leaned forward too, his hand still loosely around Minako's shoulders. "But why bring an old Moon Kingdom fairy-tale character to life?"
"It was a distraction," Titus answered. "It took the focus off him, so he could move about freely without being detected."
"And it worked perfectly," Luna concluded.
Artemis nodded slowly. "We were entirely focused on the Trickster, and who or what he was. We didn't see anything else."
Mamoru shifted beside Usagi. "All that effort, just as a distraction?"
"No," Titus said, shaking his head. "The Trickster served many purposes."
Minako sighed. "He played us like a riddle."
Ami pinched the bridge of her and closed her eyes. "That's fiddle, Minako."
"Oh, you knew what I meant."
Usagi was still in a state of stunned disbelief. The Revenant Knight is already here…and he's the Prime Minister. How are we supposed to fight him now?
"The legends tell of the Revenant Knight's 'curse'; a non-corporeal form is one of his greatest strengths, but it is also his Achilles heel. His 'body' is as corrupt as the rest of him, in a constant state of decay; it feeds off life energy and, in the absence of other sources, it will begin to consume itself. Avan has been gathering energy for the Revenant Knight this whole time, feeding him a steady supply." Titus stood and began to pace the room. "I overheard them talking before I was discovered; he said 'the body' had increased its pace."
"The body?" Setsuna repeated. "He refers to his natural form?"
"Yes," Titus agreed. "Ami and I saw the photographs taken by NASA; the Revenant Knight's real body is still up there, making its way through the solar system. And from the sounds of things, its accelerating.
Chibiusa's voice was quiet. "But his mind has somehow come here first?"
"More than his mind, I assure you." Titus glanced down at his bandages. "He was quite capable."
"Is there any way we can use that against him?" Ami asked. "Is it even a weakness?"
"We don't have enough information to make that judgement." Titus glanced around the room. "All we know for sure is that he's here...and he's the Prime Minister."
Makoto slammed her fist down into her palm. "We should march over to his office right now and break his face!"
"And cement your images in the public eye?" Setsuna shook her head. "That would be reckless."
"Besides," Ami said quietly, "how can we be sure that the Prime Minister isn't being controlled against his will?"
"I didn't get that impression from him at all." Titus' eyes narrowed. "I was speaking with the Revenant Knight himself; there was no delay in his voice or hint of resistance."
"But you can't be sure." Usagi reached up to rub her temples; she was getting a headache. "So, what's our plan now?"
Mamoru squeezed her hand gently. "Nothing's changed."
"Agreed," Corey said. "We still need to find a way to hurt him. He's got a physical body right now; that might work to our advantage."
"That should remain our focus." Setsuna glanced to her right. "You had some thoughts on that, Hotaru?"
The younger girl glanced at the floor. "Uh…yes."
Minako smiled over at her. "Don't be shy, Hotaru. What are you thinking?"
Ami nodded. "Yes, please go ahead."
Hotaru returned their smiles hesitantly. "Well, it's just…our normal attacks won't hurt him. He exists somewhere between life and death." A frown formed on her face. "The Revenant Knight is…wrong. He cannot be killed through ordinary means. He feels like Pharaoh 90 did. Cold, and empty."
"Back when he was trying to convert me, he said that Chaos once tried to tempt him to its cause." Corey glanced around. "But he consumed Chaos instead, and took its power for himself…if he's to be believed."
"That would explain why he feels familiar to Hotaru, then." Setsuna actually seemed anxious. "The thought of him somehow absorbing an aspect of Chaos, rather than the reverse...that is terrifying."
Corey nodded. "No arguments there. Of all his strengths, it's his will that seems the strongest." He turned to Usagi apologetically. "And right now, that will is focused on one thing only."
Usagi sighed. "The Silver Crystal."
Chibiusa sat forward on Mamoru's other side. "So…what do we do?"
"For now, I would advise you all to do nothing." Titus looked over to Usagi. "If Avan appears, stay away. It's almost certainly going to be another trap." His gaze turned to Rei. "Just like the Crown Arcade. He caused that explosion, Rei. It was all a ploy to turn the people against you, and give him an excuse to act."
The shrine maiden's fingers slowly coiled into a tight fist; her entire forearm shook as her lips curled back in an angry snarl. "That bastard made me think I'd killed seven people!"
Makoto put a hand on her shoulder. "Easy, Rei. You didn't, and we all knew it."
"He has to pay, Usagi." Rei's voice was as cold as she'd ever heard it; her eyes burned with rage. "For all those lives he took. For such needless slaughter. He has to pay!"
"He will, Rei," she said quietly. "He will."
"We'll bring him to justice," Corey agreed firmly. "Once and for all."
Titus cleared his throat. "There is another issue."
Makoto's eyes narrowed. "What else could there possibly be?"
"The Revenant Knight explained how Avan knew Minako's name."
"Oh, really?" The blonde leaned forward. "How?"
"Sailor Fury knew it."
Luna frowned. "What does that matter?"
"In his words, Sailor Fury belongs to him...even in death." Titus hesitated. "All his servants do. It seems that all their knowledge is passed to him. Or something like that."
Minako remained silent but Usagi could see that she was troubled. Minako's still hung up on what happened with Fury, she realised. Even now.
"That's worrying," Artemis said slowly. "Who knows what else Fury knew about the rest of you! Or, the Revenant Knight could have had you followed, Minako."
Dread began to swirl around in Usagi's stomach. "Then he may know who we all are. That means…" Her eyes locked on Luna's. "My family!" She leapt to her feet. "I have to go! I have to check on them!"
Ami started to rise. "But, Usagi-"
She was already at the door, pulling on her shoes. "Mamoru, take care of Chibiusa! I have to make sure they're okay!"
Luna dashed after her. "Usagi! Wait for me!"
"I'm sure they're fine. You're worrying about nothing!"
Usagi ignored Luna as she pushed her front door open and slipped inside, heading quickly into the living room. So far, so good; everything looked normal.
"Usagi!" Luna hissed. "Will you please just slow down and talk to me?"
She nodded impatiently. "Fine, fine. Talk already!"
"What's your plan here?"
"I need to do what Minako did," Usagi said. "I need to convince my family to get out of Tokyo, and maybe even Japan. Until this is all over."
Luna shook her head in frustration. "But we don't know that the Revenant Knight actually knows who you are."
"He might!" Usagi countered. "That's enough for me!"
"Alright, then I'll repeat the question. What's your plan? How are you going to convince them to leave?"
"Well, I don't know!" The blonde rolled her eyes. "I'll work something out!"
"Usagi?"
She froze as the lights clicked on. Her parents stood in the doorway; her father held a baseball bat.
"What kind of hour is this to be coming home?" Ikuko asked. "And who were you just talking to?"
"Hmm?" Usagi affected an air of innocence. "Was I talking?"
"Yes." Her mother frowned. "Quite loudly."
Usagi glared down at Luna, and the cat just rolled her eyes. "Oh! Right, I was talking!"
Kenji let the bat lower. "To who?"
"Um…" Think, she told herself frantically. Think of something quick! "I was talking to…myself!" She plastered an innocent smile on her face. "I was…practicing! For a school play!"
Luna slapped a paw into her own forehead.
Ikuko folded her arms across her chest. "You're not at high school anymore, Usagi."
"Oh, right." She almost repeated Luna's forehead slap. "I meant university, of course!"
"But you're studying political science," Kenji said, clearly confused.
"Um..." Usagi let out a nervous laugh. Oh, my god, I really do sound like Minako today! What's wrong with me? She put on a solemn face. "That is not important right now."
Ikuko held up her hand. "Usagi-"
"Look, Mama…Papa…don't you think it would be nice to get out of the city for a while?" She fidgeted nervously, tapping her fingertips together. "Maybe you could go on a vacation…for five to six weeks. Without telling anyone else."
Her fathered put the bat down and frowned. "Usagi, have you been drinking?"
"What? No!" Usagi glared down at Luna as her cat stifled a laugh. "I'm just-"
"Has Mamoru been letting you drink?" he asked, his expression darkening.
"No!" she protested. "Mamoru has nothing to do with this! He's a wonderful, caring man who looks out for me, keeps me safe and-" She cut herself off this time. "Again, that's not important! What is important is-"
"What's with all the noise?" Shingo stomped down the stairs and shot her a dirty look. "Is Usagi drunk or something?"
"Why does everyone keep insisting I'm drunk?!"
Ikuko cringed. "Really, honey, there's no need to screech."
The blonde let out a frustrated sigh. "Look, with everything going on lately the city's getting a little dangerous-"
Her mother peered at her suspiciously. "I'm sure I heard another voice earlier."
"That was me," Usagi snapped. "Now, listen-"
"I heard her, Usagi."
"There was no second girl!" Technically, it wasn't even a lie; Luna was a cat, after all. Usagi resisted the urge to groan loudly; she was getting desperate. How do I convince them to listen? "Please! The city-"
"Stupid Usagi!" Shingo groaned. "I have school in the morning!"
"So go back to bed!" Usagi was getting irritated by the constant interruptions. "Nobody asked you to come down here anyway!"
"Usagi!" The sound of Ikuko's voice was still enough to make her flinch. "That's no way to talk to your brother!"
"Why are you so concerned about the city all of a sudden?" Kenji asked.
She had a sudden idea. Maybe that's how I can convince them! "Because, uh, Sailor Moon told me it was dangerous!" Luna sighed, and Usagi nudged her with her foot. "She told me that it's not safe here right now, and that we should get out of town!"
"Sailor Moon told you that." Ikuko didn't sound convinced. At all.
Usagi reached up to rub the back of her head; this wasn't going very well. "Uh, yes. After a fight with one of those shadow monster things. I was bystanding. I mean, I was a bystander. An innocent one. Very innocent."
"Wait." Her father eyed her off suspiciously. "You're saying Sailor Moon told you that the city wasn't safe, and that we should leave…but before that, you said that we should go on a vacation. Meaning us and not you. You want to stay?" His eyes narrowed. "Be honest, Usagi. Are you doing all of this so you can throw some crazy university party?!"
"What? No, I-"
"I knew Mamoru was a bad influence on you-"
Usagi snapped. "This is not about Mamoru, Papa! I just need you – all of you – to leave so you're safe!"
"Safe from what?" Ikuko demanded. "You're not making any sense!"
"The Prime Minister!" Luna tapped her foot and she quickly corrected herself. "Uh, that is, Sailor Moon told me the Prime Minister is actually an evil death cloud from space and his real form is coming and it's dangerous and-"
"Oh, god," Kenji wailed. "You're not drunk at all, are you? You're high! My little girl is on drugs!"
"Yep," Shingo agreed. "That must be it."
Usagi just stopped. They wouldn't listen, no matter what she tried. How did Minako get her parents to agree to leave so easily? The answer was obvious. They know she's a Sailor Senshi, so they knew she was serious when she brought it up. But Mama and Papa just think I'm drunk or high!
Queen Serenity's words echoed through her head. No matter what you do, no matter what choices you make...you cannot please everyone. Sometimes, there are no good choices. There comes a time when no matter what you decide...someone is hurt. As queen, the burden of making those choices is yours to bear. You must weigh up the consequences of every option...and make a decision.
"I have to show you, don't I?" she muttered, turning away. "There's no other way to convince you."
Luna meowed rather frantically and began tapping her foot again; Usagi ignored her.
Ikuko frowned. "Show us what?"
"Really, honey, you're starting to worry me," Kenji said. "Is everything okay? Are you having what they call a bad trip?
There is no 'good' choice here, Usagi realised. Either I do nothing and pass this all off as a crazy, exhaustion-induced freak out…or I reveal my secret and admit I've been lying to them for the last five years. Usagi sighed. Either I risk hurting their feelings now, or I risk their very lives by saying nothing. She knew what she had to do. It's an easy choice...and I've made my decision. Now I just have to deal with the consequences.
She reached up to open her brooch and brushed her hand over the crystal inside. "Moon Eternal, Make-Up!" In a flash of pink light and feathers, Usagi transformed into Sailor Moon. The blonde span around to face her family…and groaned as a vase crashed to the floor, knocked over by one of her wings. "Oh, come on! Not again! Why is our house so tiny?!"
Her complaint was met with silence. Ikuko stared at her with wide eyes, as did her father, while Shingo's jaw had just about hit the floor.
Sailor Moon flashed a nervous smile. "Mama? Papa?"
Kenji groaned as he toppled backwards and hit the floor. Moon stepped forward to stare down at him awkwardly.
"Huh. I didn't see that coming."
AN: Cliffhanger, mwahahaha! You thought I was done with those, didn't you? Nah, in all seriousness I apologise but this was just a perfect place to end the chapter. It's not a particularly big chapter, content or plot-wise, but hopefully it was fun. Next up - Usagi gets to have 'the talk' with 'Mama and Papa'. Plus, some other stuff! Thanks for reading!
