Chapter 14

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July 19, 2000

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Celeste grumbled as she hung up the phone, already on the move and ignored Demando trying to pull her back into bed as she dressed. Regardless of the others' well meaning opinions in regards to Usagi, Celeste had found her newest bedmate and until she tired of playing with him, she would continue doing what she wanted with him. He was already getting clingy and unimaginative so that wouldn't be too long until he found himself sitting on the curb. Only reason he wasn't already there was because on some level he was dangerous and forbidden. All her bed partners were, to some extent, that's what made them fun.

His hands impeded her and she batted them away. "I've got to go. We'll pick this up later." Probably not, she should just tell him now that he got the wrong sister and leave him in shock since it was unlikely that she'd be back.

She grabbed up her purse and keys and let herself out before he even got out of bed to join her. She had no time to waste. Her sources had found the man's identity and had told her that he'd been spotted in Tokyo but there was no way he could have found Usagi. Not unless he'd followed Usagi up rather than Celeste and Mamoru. She called the latter as she drove, she knew he'd be in his office and by the time she got there he'd be out waiting for her. They didn't have too far to go from there, he was really just on her way, which is why she'd stationed Usagi there in the first place, knowing all that she had about the two of them without ever meeting the man.

As she drove, Mamoru came out of his office in a rush. He barely missed the bullet that lodged itself into the frame of the car next to him. He rolled away and hid behind the car being hit and moved down the way, towards where he knew Celeste was to meet him. He would have still been on the phone with her but he knew it was more important to be patched in with the one protecting Usagi.

His phone peeled and he cursed how loud it was and how it gave away his position. He was not expecting to be targeted in addition to the other two. He answered it instantly as he continued to avoid bullets. "I'm being shot at." He informed her.

"I'm just around the corner." She replied and he saw her bumper move forward slightly. "Can you get here?"

"Double team it." He shot forward just as she came around and screeched to a halt, he piled in as they both stayed low to avoid being hit through the window and she gunned it out of there, going through the street rather than back.

"Where are we going?" He asked, looking for the gun he hid under Usagi's floorboards, it was highly unlikely that she'd ever find it by accident.

Celeste had one already out and rested against her leg as she drove with one eye above the wheel. She had on glasses and a brown wig, he barely recognized her as they drove. It wasn't long before she pulled to a stop without answering him.

"What are you doing? Get out of here." They hadn't used any of the methods to get rid of the man in case he was tailing them.

"Can't, this is where we're going." He was still hearing gun shots but he thought that was just the echo from being shot at but he realized now that he was hearing fresh fire. He looked around the neighborhood trying to find some type of plan.

"I don't think the one shooting at us was the man who shot at you in the Kyoto area. He's known for his concise and well planned shots. Normally one is all that it takes to kill his victim but those kept at it, shooting wildly."

Mamoru had already registered the specific nature these bullets were being used and he frowned. "But this one is more sparing in his fire."

"We still don't know if this is the guy. Records show that if his shot fails he leaves the area immediately and might find another location and time to complete his task. There's no way yet to know if he's here shooting at Usagi, which is highly unlikely, he probably took the first shot but left after that and someone is cleaning up his mess or if he's hanging around and giving orders. It's likely that he's not at either site though. If he is purposefully failing in his shots, there's only one explanation I can come up with if that's the case, he's not after her, he's after me and he doesn't want to kill me."

"Couldn't you also argue that he's after me?" Mamoru would be glad if someone finally agreed with his assessment.

"Always did actually. That's why I put Usagi in hiding. How they found her so quickly is the mystery." Celeste's eyes narrowed, not too concerned about her sister or the man inside as long as they stayed put and people kept firing at them. Except for the windows all the walls were virtually bullet proof. "Unless its an insider. This is why I don't trust men." Her voice grated over the last word.

"You think the agent you paired with her set her up?" Mamoru questioned.

"To draw me out." Celeste agreed. "Or he's working with whoever is trying to kill you."

Mamoru found that one a bit of a stretch and had already worked out the best way in, now timing needed to be right. "If he's trying to get me, why go through all those channels to get to me? Why not just kill me at the office?"

"There's something more than what we know that's going on. I only hope we live to get to the bottom of this." Celeste placed her hand on the door handle, readying for action, her right hand clenching around the gun.

Mamoru reached for his side when his phone rang again and he answered it before the first ring went through and Celeste was scowling at him. "Akane." He hissed, keeping his voice down. "This better be good because your timing couldn't be worse."

"I just got shot at again boy. I don't think either of you are the targets." He told his grandson with some relief. "I killed the shooter."

"Unfortunately it's hard to explain why the two of us have also been shot at in separate locations." He gave the briefest explanation possible and Akane said he'd wait for Mamoru's call so they could meet up at a location to hash out all the details and get to the bottom of this.

"Can we speed this up? Our window is fast approaching." Celeste cut in and Mamoru cut the line, ready to go almost instantly. He would deal with Celeste later and her cruelty about putting Usagi only a few blocks away from where he'd be every day and keeping him in the dark. Besides, the shooters would be canvassing the area and it was only putting her in danger rather than keeping her safe. He had wanted her far, far away in another city or country and preferably half a world away.

"You know all I'm going to say about your idiotic thought process in putting her here is this: I looked for a house in this neighborhood once we got engaged and decided it was not Usagi's style whatsoever and if I've been followed they'd have marked out this location to check on occasionally."

"I know, I know, I'm an idiot, we're all idiots." Celeste slid her phone out and called Jeorg. "We're here."

"At the back door." He replied. "Ready for your move."

"Once the bullets slow." Celeste replied and a few heart-beating moments later they did. Celeste and Mamoru were out of the car and crossing the open path to be admitted quickly into the house that Usagi had shared with a potential double agent for the last week.

He scooped her up the instant he saw her and his fingers crept up the back of her neck to find pressure points at the base of her skull. "Talk to me baby." He asked as she clung on to him. They were moving through the house and she managed to shake her head, the pain was still there but she could do more now than just curl into a ball and try and wait it out.

They busted through the front door and made a run for the parking lot. Seiya had heard the commotion as he was parking his car and seeing who was involved, stepped in. "Hey, put her down!"

His car was still running so Celeste just shoved him into the backseat and pushed Mamoru and Usagi in after him while she and Jeorg took up the front seats and she backed it out, squealing the tires and bolted from the scene. She went down alleyways that seemed impossible to get through, went right then left then straight then left, then left then right then straight. She kept making directional changes so in the end even Seiya and Usagi had no idea where they were.

Meanwhile though Mamoru was rubbing Usagi's back and shoulders and continued applying pressure in places until she loosened her grasp and just laid her head on his chest, holding him but no longer in pain. He kissed the top of her head. "Better now?"

A slight nod and he relaxed back into the seat. He was watching them, where they were going and if anyone was tailing him the best to his abilities but most of his attention was on the girl in his arms.

Celeste glanced back at them and a frown was easily seen. "You'd better get that looked at. It's not normal to come down with headaches like that."

Seiya was looking at all of them as it slowly sunk in the further they were from danger and realizing that he wasn't a kidnapped victim that had gotten in the way of an abduction but rather he had gotten in the way of a rescue. He mostly kept looking back and forth between Celeste and Usagi. "Twins?"

"Yep." Celeste responded in Japanese, all five of them spoke it so there was no point in hiding it anymore. "Serena and I are twins."

"And not German?" He moved his head as if it just came to him and accepting it. "And not married."

"No, sorry, nobody's German. I'm British, Serena's British-Japanese, Jeorg here is Swedish? Norwegian? Swiss? I always forget but it doesn't really matter and Serena's fiance there is Japanese."

"Her name isn't Serena." Mamoru cut in over whatever Jeorg was going to say on the matter of Celeste's carelessness of his country of origin. Then again, maybe he didn't care, it kept his secrets in the running too.

"Actually it is." Celeste informed him. "It is legally and it is the one our birth mother gave her. The name you know her by was a Japanese intervention. It only slowed me down marginally." The two of them were having a completely different conversation than what was being said and Usagi stayed out of it. Her name was what it was, she wasn't going to go by Serena any time soon and Mamoru should know it too. She kissed his jaw and distracted him from this debate.

It gave Jeorg the in he needed to reign this conversation into the direction it should be heading in. "What are we going to do now?"

"The three of us are going to create a diversion as the two lovers make a quick dart to the airport and board the earliest plane out of here, no matter where its going. Then we'll split up." Celeste was relieved that Usagi was feeling better, she'd never seen her sister so crippled and decided it was best that she stick with Mamoru from now on, at least he kept her mobile.

And all of them did exactly what Celeste suggested after she promised to meet up with them when it was clear and she'd help all five of them go into hiding for a little while until they could regroup and destroy the heart of whoever was after them. Celeste bid a final farewell at the subway station and she and the two other men drove away.

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July 19, 2000

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Raphael yelled into his phone. "How many times must I tell you to call off your men?"

"There was only one rogue agent out there that belonged to me and the old man killed him. I don't know who these others are but you better get me what I want regardless."

Raphael shut off the phone in annoyance, his time-line was dwindling and he had marked out the perfect shot when someone else took it before him and missed.

He had a vague idea where to go, camera feeds helped as his help tapped into the CCTV. Sure enough he met them at the airport but they seemed unaware of his presence but instead of going in like they'd promised, they turned and caught another train out of there. He sped up to catch the same train and boarded a car or two down from them, picking up a magazine to hide most of his face as he tried not to be spied watching them.

They got off on a seemingly random stop, a distant suburb of Tokyo that most who lived there would not even consider it part of the main 'General' Tokyo area. It was a very small town indeed as he kept in visual distance but not near enough to spook them.

He walked a parallel road, seeing them cross an intersection before he followed and he thought them to be dumb if they just kept on a straight path. Did they even know where they were going or was this just a fly by the seat decision? He watched them check into a hotel and decided that they hadn't made this a contingency stop, there were too many weak points at this hotel for them to ever feel safe.

Since his time was running out he'd have to go to plan C. He was hardly ever forced into taking these drastic steps and there was only one time that he was aware of that he failed in completing his mission in this method. He hardly ever had to get to plan B and it was annoying him as this was supposed to be an easy, straightforward mission.

He'd let them have tonight but tomorrow he'd have a surprise for them.

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July 20, 2000

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Mamoru and Usagi were about to do as Celeste said but something didn't feel right to either so they turned and left right away without buying a ticket. They boarded a different train and as Usagi was drooping off, Mamoru made a decision on an exit. They left the city in hopes nobody would find them and rented a room, at least until dawn so Usagi could get some good sleep. She'd need it if they were about to go on a long run.

As she slept, Mamoru stood guard over the room. He watched her sleep soundly and he worried about the headache that had left her incapacitated. He'd been trying to get Usagi to go in for it for years now and she brushed it all off without a thought. She wasn't too worried herself and now he wished he'd set up an appointment for her with one of his 'company' doctors. They'd make her do it so they'd at least know what they were dealing with.

The next morning Mamoru was checking everything out when he heard a bomb go off and after covering Usagi from debris, he pulled her up and they ran with the crowd. It was mass chaos even though there hadn't been that many people loitering about, all the staff suddenly made their appearance known and all of them ran in the same direction. He was using the crowd as a shield until he could find a decent exit that nobody would spy them separating from the group.

There was a park to their left and Mamoru decided the trees would make a good hazard if they stayed off the main path. It was working too, nobody was shooting at them as they dodged around trees and worked their way through the city park, they could see more buildings up ahead and once they got cleared and into that area of town, Mamoru would hot wire a car.

Except Usagi's foot snagged a root and she tumbled. He tried to catch her but it would only have made matters worse as they were still going forward. He skidded to a halt and helped her up but her foot gave way under her and he barely managed to feel it and figure out it was twisted before he heard soft footsteps against the grassy floor. He straightened as he heard the cock of a hand gun and the two moved together, hanging on to the other as they faced the man emerging from the tree line's shadows.

Mamoru didn't hesitate, he pushed her behind him, an arm still holding her up. "Shoot me if you must, but don't hurt her."

Usagi fearfully clung to the back of his shirt as he stood against their would be assassin. Their lives flashed before their eyes and all they had yet to do. "No." She managed pass the stone in her throat. "Kill me, I wouldn't be able to handle a life without him and don't hurt him." She pleaded and painfully made her way around him and his effort to keep her back to stand by his side.

When the man didn't say anything and the gun wasn't exactly trained on either of them, they held each other close again, waiting for whatever the other man was going to do. They looked to one another knowing that one of them was going to die and probably the other with them and they had no way of escaping, they locked eyes and whispered 'I love you' and despite the gunman in front of them, Usagi rose to her toes to kiss him and he crushed her to him as she responded.

–

July 20, 2000

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The next day as the two were leaving and he'd set a bomb to go off before they could so they'd have to run in the opposite direction. He was going to be ready for them and somehow they still managed to elude him for awhile but he was behind them without a clear shot, until the woman tripped.

The man stopped to help her up and he stepped out of the shadows, aiming his hand gun and ready to fire.

Until, that was, he saw the way they responded to their certain death and the acts of tenderness that passed between them. The emotions were high and they were clearly in love and both were willing to die for the other. Even the immediate threat of death couldn't keep them apart as they clung to each other and decided to go out together. He knew death would not be the end for these two.

His own life ran through his mind and he sighed as he knew that he couldn't do this to them. He lowered his arm but not out of use if they were just putting on an act and attempted to use his weakness against him. "Are the two of you even married?" He asked defeated by his own heart.

Usagi tore her eyes away from Mamoru and shook her head but it was Mamoru who spoke as he again pushed her behind him. That moment of stupidity was over and he'd use all he could to give her the best advantage in getting out of here alive. He was stronger than her so she was stuck at the moment. "We are to be married within the month." He didn't know why it was important but the man was asking and so he was answering. Better to delay than make him mad.

The man nodded. "Have you even had sex yet?" Raphael questioned boldly and looked straight at Mamoru who stood taller in offense at the question.

Usagi winced as he replied with a little too much snipe. "We're Japanese and unlike some of my peers, I never hired anyone."

"We love each other and can't even look at another that way, even if it would be meaningless." Usagi softened for him.

Raphael sighed and waved them towards the direction they had been heading. "Forget it." He pocketed his gun. "Get married, enjoy your life but watch your back because the person who hired me to kill you won't stop with me, but I am the best. Don't even try to kill me with my back turned, you won't even get the gun out from behind your back before you'll both be dead." He turned and started to walk away but Usagi's voice called out to him and made him turn back around.

"Wait!" She struggled to get around Mamoru again. "Why? After all that you've put us through, you're just going to prance away now? What made you change your mind?" Mamoru tried to cover her mouth up, happy that they'd gotten out of this scrape but Usagi wouldn't let him and she wouldn't be contented until she knew everything.

"I already got my happy ending, you deserve yours." He replied, not coming back to them but staying put and talking to them from a distance. "You're both young and have your entire lives ahead of you to make good and bad decisions. This wasn't something you chose and its not in your hands. I'm giving it to you to do with what you'd like. I hope it'll keep the two of you out of danger and make you think again before continuing down the path you have. I already made all of my decisions and have lived mine. I don't need a longer life when it requires taking away yours."

Since they got him talking, it was time to find out the truth of the situation. "Who was your hit?" Mamoru asked not really wanting to know the truth but had to so they could make better steps forward.

Raphael slowly looked over Usagi, she was so pure looking and sweet and that was all the answer any of them had needed. "Take care of her, you don't know when she'll be snatched from your hands. It's not over yet, they wanted her dead badly enough that they pulled me out of retirement with the only thing I've ever loved hanging in the balance."

There was so many questions but Mamoru spoke before Usagi could. "Did you have a name with the picture?" He held her close taking the man's words literally and would have done what he'd suggested without having to say anything.

"None, just an image." Raphael answered. "Not even a why, which is what I like."

Mamoru was going to let him go, an assassin had shown mercy and he wasn't going to pass that up but Usagi had other plans.

"Thank you for letting us live but what are you losing by letting me go?" She hobbled towards him and Mamoru followed close behind, his hands were trying to slow her down but he didn't want to injure her further and he usually let her do what she pleased.

"My life, the woman I love. They leveraged her against you and I guess you've won." He reached out towards her and Mamoru reared her back this time not caring about what she wanted. He wasn't going to let him touch her. Raphael lowered his hand. "You're so much like her, believing there's good in everyone." Mamoru took a step in front of her wondering if this was all some further game and taking those words as a threat. "She saw the good in me too."

Dejected, Raphael turned and started to walk away but Usagi wasn't through. "Wait!" She reached out around Mamoru. "We'll help you get your wife back!"

Mamoru snapped around towards her and took her shoulders in his hands, shaking her slightly. "Have you gone completely mad?"

Usagi looked up at him determined and he knew that she'd employ other people if he didn't comply. "Think about it." She snapped back. "I'm sick of running, can't anymore, and if we help him, then we'll find out who's after me and we'll stop them. Then we can live our lives without fear that someone will always be gunning for us." Usagi told him fiercely.

"But its your life on the line and I'm not willing to mess with that."

"Even if it means saving it in the end if we plan accordingly?" Usagi raised a brow. "We've got a lot more help than we've been utilizing."

"You didn't just jump did you?" He seemed surprised and impressed.

"I am capable of thinking quickly on my feet and I thought it out." She agreed. "It's also the right thing to do. He saved our lives and now its time to save his wife's."

Mamoru sighed and pulled her to him in a hug, she was right after all. He turned to the waiting Raphael who didn't look too hopeful. "We're going to help you get your wife back." Mamoru had been very close to losing Usagi and he couldn't imagine the fear this man was running on and how he was able to overcome his own desires to protect the woman he loved so a younger couple could eventually get to where he was. "However we need to come to an agreement. Someone shot at me at the same time shooters were trying to take both Usagi and my grandfather out. That means there are two other shooters and I'd like them gone."

"I'd like that too except my employer swears that he backed off and has let me handle things on my own since Kyoto. The only employee he had break away was the one after your grandfather and he's dead now, your grandfather took care of him. There were actually three shooters, now there's two left and I don't know who they are. I'm betting he's lied to me as he has from the beginning or its a rogue agent hired by someone else." Raphael explained. "If you're willing to help, I'd appreciate it but once we make a plan and put it into action we cannot change it. It's the only way I work with people as they're not to be trusted otherwise and even then I usually go it alone."

"We'll try." Mamoru agreed. "Usually though something happens that you couldn't foresee and plans change."

Raphael seconded that thought but said no more on it. He looked over to Usagi again. "Why do they want me to kill you? What makes you so special that they'd hire me to kill you? I'm not exactly cheap or easy to find and they've gone through all this effort even dragging me out of retirement and inciting my rage rather than hiring the second best."

Usagi shook her head, she had no idea why anyone would attempt to kill her, her sister maybe, but not Usagi herself. Usagi was leaning towards the idea that he was after the Fox rather than her and knew that Mamoru was secretly thinking it too. If Mamoru had known for sure which one of the three original targets had been in the line of sight, then he would have pleaded the case that they were after the wrong sister, despite Usagi's anger that he was putting her sister in danger. He'd take that over allowing anyone to harm her, even if it meant that they'd no longer be together he'd at least be secure in the knowledge she was alive. There was no point in bringing that up now.