Cosmic Warriors
Disclaimer: All non-original characters in this story are copyrighted to Naoko Takeuchi and Toei, respectively. I also do not own the mythological beings you'll read about throughout the story.
Note: Thank you to ericaphoenix16, LoveInTheBattleField, avesiji, BelieveInUs, DonovanX, and StaticLove21 for reviewing. Thank you to sweetortonlover86 for following and adding Cosmic Warriors to their favorites.
Chapter Twenty Six - Rest and Relaxation
Monday Night, October 18th
From her throne Beryl strained her eyes to see rows of black spiders marching into her chamber. They paused several feet before her as their bodies split in half, blue energy leaking out from the halve and floating into the ceiling. Thousands of them had been moving into her chamber all evening long, creating a massive wall of levitating energy wisps.
Noticing Nephrite's energy signal at the entrance to her room Beryl sat back in her seat. "You've come with information on your next assignment?"
"Yes, my Queen." Nephrite said, stepping on rows of spiders and forcing energy out of their bodies as he progressed to Beryl. "I mentioned that the human world is obsessed with idols and public figures, Sailor V being a prime example."
Beryl stiffened at the mention of the heroine, although she had been low lately compared to the past few years, the threat was still out there.
Nephrite nodded, acknowledging Beryl's discontent they never actually killed V. "Like her, this man is another figure whose actions the citizens of Tokyo follow." Extending an arm a ball of light appeared above Nephrite's palm, in it form a whirling image of the mask thief, Tuxedo Mask.
"Who is he, what does he have to do with anything?"
"Tuxedo Mask." Nephrite said, dropping his hand which caused the image to fade out. "I did a telepathy scan of the city, since the incident at Juuban Hall the image of his man and his name have gone through nearly 87% of the citizens minds. More than half of those thoughts were from the minds of adolescent and teenage girls."
Beryl nodded, lacing her fingers in her lap. "How can we use this man to our advantage?"
"His identity is unknown, everyone loves an enigma. I can create a decoy of him to lure in the girls in the surrounding area, when they're all together I will test them, seeking out the Warriors."
"Test them?"
Nephrite smirked and pulled a golden gem from within his jacket pocket. "My latest Experiment, one I'll set loose once I have the girls gathered. The real Warriors will have to reveal themselves then to not only save themselves, but to keep others from dying." he said.
"Didn't you say you had plans for some girl in the Azabu district?" Beryl asked.
"Yes, she's still a work in process." Nephrite said. "I will question her to see if she knows the identities of the Warriors. If I haven't received information from her about the Warriors after a week, I will proceed with my plan to lure in the girls."
Beryl's approval of his plan faded in his ears as Nephrite's body was pulled from her chamber. His body twisted into a corkscrew before his ears popped and he fell onto the ballroom floor in his mansion.
Without wasting time Nephrite stood tall and straightened his jacket. "Astral goddesses." he said and three whirls of light appeared in the air. "Visualization of the radius covered by my telepathy scan." he commanded.
The three lights swirled down to the floor, crashing against it and rebounded back. Moving around each other the lights began to spread and take on the shape of a city.
Standing in the center of the airy light model of Azabu-Juuban, Nephrite eyed the miniature buildings around him. "Highlight the homes of minds affected by the scan." At the base of nearly all residential buildings a red outline formed. "Excellent."
7:06 am – Tuesday, October 19th
As Kenji strolled out of his bedroom, at the end of the hallway his son appeared, darting up the staircase. "Whoa, where's the fire?" Kenji joked as Shingo sprinted past him, skidding to a stop so fast the carpet curled under his feet.
"Wake up!" Shingo shouted, banging on Usagi's door. "Wake up, dummy!"
"Shingo." Kenji addressed his son in a berating tone.
"Dad..." Shingo whimpered and began hopping from foot to foot. "One of Usagi's friends is here, she made pancakes!"
"Which friend?"
"Makotooooo..." Shingo sang. Kenji's eyebrows shot up, out of all of Usagi's friends it was no surprise Makoto was by far the best cook. He nodded in approval of his son's anticipation for wanting the girl's breakfast. "Mom said I had to wake dummy up before I could have any of her pancakes!"
Kenji rubbed his chin, taking a moment to get a good whiff of the armor in the house. Sure enough it was the unmistakable smell of light and fluffy pancakes.
"Head on down, I'll get her up." Kenji said, nodding off towards the stairs. "Uh – sweetie?" he said in his most pleasant tone before tapping on the door. "Your friend Makoto is here. She made us breakfast, isn't that nice?
As the sound of her father's voice and his tapping on the door mixed together Usagi stirred under her sheets.
"Usagi?" He continued tapping until he noticed the bronze knob turning at his waist. His eyes opened wide, surprised she was opening the door instead of just yelling through it that she was getting up.
Usagi opened the door, dressed in light purple shirt with a cartoon bunny head on it, that was two sizes too big. The groggy blonde slapped a hand over her mouth before yawning. "Hmmn?" Usagi blinked several times ahead of rubbing her eyes
"G'morning..."
"Good morning sweetheart." Kenji beamed before ushering Usagi out of her room and wrapping an arm around her back.
"Mako's here?" she asked drearily, stumbling down the hall.
Kenji hummed his response as they headed down the stairs. "How are you feeling dear? You've been in bed since you came home Saturday night."
Usagi mentally cursed her father. Not only did she not know what lie to tell them, she wasn't sure if she could even come up with a reason that justified her behavior.
After being dropped off by Kalla she muttered a few apologies for coming home late and dragged herself to bed. She's only left the comfort of her room to use the bathroom and occasionally grab something to eat.
She couldn't explain how she felt; the pain, perhaps because it didn't stem from a physical injury. The sting from the explosion faded at the police station, but what replaced it was far worse. The realization of the depth of her failure kept coming the more she thought on it.
The women in the contest, dead. Ms. Akiyama, dead. Makoto's visit yesterday morning only made things worse. She was left with the knowledge she'd gotten Minako attacked and put everyone in danger and possibly caused Luna her life.
Each time she closed her eyes she was dropped into an ocean, face first in the midst of a spin. The sting of the explosion burned her limbs; the water filled her lungs, halting any cries for help. The water turned black and grew heavy; guilt crushed her and the desperation dragged her down deeper. She was losing sight of the light and was lost in the depths.
When she opened her eyes she was saved from the water, like being washed up on a shore. Occasional hits from returning waves reminded her of the pain before it all faded away.
"I'm fine, papa..." she lied, wrapped her arms around his mid-section for a quick hug as they turned into the dining room.
"Hey, Usagi!" Makoto said stepping out of the kitchen with a skillet and Ikuko's spatula in hand.
Usagi inhaled deeply, the smell of sweet pancakes and syrup filled her lungs. She sighed, a content sigh, before she gave Makoto the biggest smile she could muster, which wasn't very much. "Morning, Mako."
"Good morning sweetheart." her mother finished placing a large plate carrying bacon down on the table when she spotted her husband and daughter.
Usagi sustained her smile, turning it in her mom's direction. "This smells great, Mako. You didn't have to come over again though..." she lied. Being the second day in a row Makoto had stopped by Usagi actually was grateful to see her friend. It was a sign things weren't as bad as her nightmares made them out to be.
"She's up, can we eat now?!" Shingo asked shrilly, squirming in his seat.
Makoto smiled and flipped one last pancake onto a stack already on the table. "Enjoy everyone." she stepped back and dropped a hand onto her hip, pleased with her work. Living alone she didn't often get the chance to cook a full breakfast like this.
By the time the rest of the Tsukinos and their guest took their seats Shingo was already stuffing his face with bacon sandwiched between two pancakes.
"I can't tell you how grateful I am to you, Makoto." Ikuko said. "I can't remember the last time I didn't have to cook the entire meal."
"You had a couple years before we got married." Kenji joked, grabbing his coffee mug.
The spouses shared a laugh as Makoto eased herself down into a seat beside Usagi. "No problem, you have such a big kitchen. I should be thanking you."
Usagi sat still, watching Shingo devour his plate of food before chugging down a cup of juice. She tilted her head towards her lap and smiled, enjoying the sight of her brother's innocence.
"You girls must be enjoying this week off of school." Kenji said, shaking his newspaper out to hold it up straight. "But it's such a tragic thing, what happened at the Hall."
Usagi shifted in her seat, taking in a deep breath through her nostrils.
Makoto looked towards Usagi and took the hint that she wasn't comfortable talking about it. "They had a memorial service at the school last night, for Ms. Akiyama."
"Oh, that's nice..." Ikuko sighed, leaning against her hand. "Usagi, you should have gone.
"I know mama, I just – wasn't feeling good..." Usagi said meekly, giving her mother a weak smile.
"I know honey..." Ikuko said before she reached out to take Usagi's hand, she rubbed her thumb across her knuckles and gave her a comforting smile. "How's Luna doing?"
Without realizing it Usagi yanked her hand away, hitting her elbow against her chair back.
"Something wrong, Usagi?"
"Why'd you ask about Luna?" Usagi asked.
"I was bringing Shingo's clothes to his room and I heard you girls talking about Luna yesterday." Ikuko said with a nod to Kenji.
Usagi glanced to her father. She thought the nod meant they'd been talking about Luna yesterday, and Makoto's visit.
"Is everything alright, with Luna? She wasn't at the Hall was she?"
Usagi furrowed her brow and felt her eyes begin to burn.
Makoto glanced to Usagi again. "Luna's fine, she's just sick." she answered easily. "We haven't seen her in a few days though, and we were worried she wasn't getting better like she told us."
Ikuko gave a short shrug before she picked up her fork, slicing her pancakes into small pieces. "But everything else is fine with her, right, Usagi?"
Usagi swallowed hard and nodded.
"I was going to go visit her today, you want to come, Usagi?" Makoto asked.
Usagi whipped her head to Makoto, looking at the girl with wide eyes. "Really?"
Makoto wet her lips and nodded, giving Usagi a look that suggested she not act so surprised. "Yeah, I called earlier and her roommate said I could come over, they wouldn't mind if you tagged along."
Usagi smiled and slipped out of her chair, heading towards the hallway. "I guess I should go and get ready..."
"What about breakfast?" Ikuko asked, noticing Usagi hadn't even touched her plate.
"Put it in the microwave!" Usagi shouted back to the dining room as she headed to the stairs.
In her room she fell back against the door and took in a deep breath. "Please be okay, Luna..."
7:57 am
"How's my hair?"
"It's fine, but would you please put on a bra, ma?!"
Mayumi waved off her daughter's remark and turned to face her vanity's mirror. Turning her head side to side she gave her up do' one last look over, making sure each fire red wave was tucked in place into a bun on the crown of her head.
"Seriously!" Naru urged, hurling one of her mom's brassieres at her.
Getting her mother dressed for her morning date with a man she met at the coffee shop was proving to be stressful. Naru looked down, only a circle of carpet could be seen around her feet under the layers of dresses and blouses they'd gone through, all to find the perfect outfit for the date.
"What do you think I should wear?" Mayumi asked after hoisting her assets up. She watched Naru crouch down and sift through the clothes to find enough pieces to make a whole ensemble. "Oh! What about that dress!" she gasped, and spun around in her seat, pointing to a short purple zip-up dress Naru just tossed aside.
"Ma, you always wear purple..." Naru reminded, looking to the dress she had purposefully thrown behind her. "What about pink, or red?"
Mayumi cast her daughter a look that conveyed the message of "pass me the dress", because that's exactly what Naru ended up doing.
"If it isn't broke, don't fix it." Mayumi said as she slipped into the dress. "Zip me up honey?"
Naru climbed past a mound of shoes to zip up the dress as Mayumi began to pick through assorted jewelery on her ivory vanity table.
"The emeralds." Naru said, noticing her mother was having trouble deciding which accessories to add. "In gold."
Mayumi plucked up two earrings, thick emerald gems set in a thin gold setting, and started to slip the first in. "Thanks honey." she said with a smile before putting in the second.
Naru reached around and grabbed the gold beaded necklace, with an emerald center, and placed it around her mother's neck.
Naru's eyes lit up as something she heard Masato mention clicked in her mind. "Can I ask you something?"
"Sure, was is it?" Mayumi asked, turning to the side and rubbing out some bunches in her dress. "You want to borrow something?"
Naru responded with a soft chuckle. She never asked to borrow her mother's jewelery, instead she stuck into her room and took what she needed and put it back as soon as she got home from school. "No, uh, you ever hear about something called, the Silver Crystal?"
"THE silver crystal? Is that its title?" Mayumi asked, picking up her mascara brush and dragging it up her lashes. "Doesn't ring a bell."
"It's like, a diamond, and looks kind of like a - a..." Naru tried to jog her mom's memory, but was quickly came up blank when she remembered Masato had never actually mentioned what the Crystal looked like, only that he would like to find it.
"Like a what?"
"Uh, nothing, forget I mentioned it." Naru said with a nervous chortle.
"Eef youu say soo." Mayumi said as she ran a tube of lipstick around her mouth. "How do I look?" she asked as she turned, showing Naru the finished product.
Naru smiled, it wasn't rare to see her mother dressed up, running a jewelery store she took pride in her appearance and how she presented herself. What was rare, was her going out on a date. Since her father left them two years after she was born Naru had only seen her mom go out with two other men, and neither of those occasions had happened since the mid 80's.
"You look totally hot!" squealed Naru. Mayumi responded by slapping her cheeks and giggling like a schoolgirl. "Your date is going to die when he sees you!"
Mayumi's laugh died away and she quickly sighed. "Naru, are you sure you're okay with being here by yourself?" Mayumi asked, her tone indicating this was a serious question. "I mean you have the whole week off from school, we could make a girls week out of it!"
"Don't worry about me," Naru said, plopping down onto her mother's bed. "I'll be fine."
"You sure?" Mayumi asked and Naru nodded. "I just worry about you, between the break-in last month and what happened at the Hall, I just can't believe our neighborhood is turning into such a dangerous place."
"You have no idea..." Naru murmured, tilting her head down.
"Do you want to come to breakfast with us?" Mayumi offered.
Naru chuckled before shaking her head, she appreciated the offer, but she had plans of her own. "This is a date ma, not an awkward daughter-third wheel situation. I'll be okay, just going to get some homework done and watch some movies. Besides I'm sure your date would be uncomfortable, it's hard enough to impress one Osaka woman, he can't handle two!"
As if on cue a bell followed by a man's voice could be heard from downstairs. The Osaka women's faces lit up in excitement that Mayumi's date had arrived.
"Oooh he's right on time!" Naru giggled, checking her watch and seeing the man had arrived exactly at eight like he promised.
Mayumi took a deep breath, gave herself one last look over in the mirror before she headed towards the door, giving it her best supermodel walk.
Naru beamed before noticing her mother's bare feet. "Oh, ma! Your heels!" Naru practically dove into the pile of shoes and managed to dig out a pair of matching purple pumps.
"That's embarrassing..." Mayumi said as Naru tossed one of the shoes her way. In the doorway Mayumi slipped the first one before Naru threw the second. "Thanks honey!"
Naru gave her mother a thumbs-up before she disappeared off down the hall. As she picked herself up from the flattered shoe pile Naru listed to her mother clumping down the stairs, followed by her squeal of excitement, a sign she had reached the front room and had seen her date.
Naru darted over the wall of windows, glancing onto the street. Below, the man whose name she remembered was Visu, just opened the car door for her mom. Naru heard her mother's nervous laugh from two stories up as she entered the car.
Naru sighed happily, sliding down onto the window sill as Visu entered the car, the vehicle roaring to life a moment later before they pulled off. For no one's benefit but her own Naru waved the car off like one might send off a cruise ship.
"She's going on a date... and so am I." Naru said, turning to face her mother's vanity with a hoard of jewelery still laying across it. "Diamonds, rubies, emeralds!" she said with a greedy laugh as she started slipping on rings and bracelets.
After her moment of indulgence Naru rid herself of all the things she had put on, pulling out two small red earrings. Once they were in she surveyed herself in her mother's mirror, red shoes, thigh-high black socks, red skirt, pea green tank top. In her hair her wore a large green bow that kept most of her hair back, and showcased the earrings.
In the middle of some last minute follicle adjustment the bell on OSA-P's front door went off. Naru's heart did a somersault and the girl darted out the room. With one hand on the staircase railing, Naru held her other hand to her chest, anticipating the moment she saw him.
Her smile widened as she turned into the main room and crossed the floor. "He must be outside with the car..." Naru hoped, noticing she was alone in the show room as she pushed open the front door.
"Hey, Naru!" Like the plastic rodent from a whack-a-mole game, Umino popped up before her, causing the girl to shriek and leap back.
"U-UMINO?!" she shrieked, again.
"Heh, who else?" he asked, pushing his coke-bottle glasses up on his nose.
Anyone else, thought Naru.
"What are you doing here?" she asked, raising onto her tip toes to peek around his head, hoping to see Masato waiting somewhere in eye sight.
Umino beamed and held up a plastic bag. "We have the whole week off from school, but it's important not to let our brains suffer. So, I rented a movie about the history of long division, I thought we could watch it together."
Naru cocked up an eyebrow, could a movie as awful as that actually exist? "Actually Umino, I'm feeling... a little sick... I think I'm just going to stay in my room today." For good measure, Naru coughed several times into her fist. "I don't want to get you sick, I know how your mom freaks out if you get sick."
Umino's mouth quivered like a wiggling snake. "Eh – alright then." Umino said before covering his mouth. "Maybe we can watch it some other time."
"Totally." Naru said before stepping back into OSA-P. "I'll see ya later, Umino."
"See ya." Umino said as he turned and strolled off down the sidewalk. "I hope Naru gets better soon... Maybe Usagi will watch it with me." he muttered with his chin in his hand, head turned to the pavement under him. Had he been looking up he might have seen the red sportscar zooming towards him as he crossed the street.
When the car's horn blared out, altering Umino to its close proximity to him, the boy let out a scream akin to a little girls' before he fell back onto the side walk. The car made a sharp turn, the back end fishtailing around the street before he sped off, stopping on a dime in front of OSA-P.
"I could have died." Umino gulped, beads of sweat racing down his forehead like rain drops on glass. "W-Who was that?" Umino craned his neck around and saw the driver emerge and wait by the passenger side door.
He adjusted his glasses again, trying to get a figure on what he was doing, or waiting for. His answer came in the form of Naru leaping out of OSA-P and into the waiting arms of the driver. The scene quickly became uncomfortable as the two embraced each other, taking the time to engage in a more than PG-13 make out session on the street.
"That man... he's going to catch Naru's cold if they keep that up." he mumbled as the driver opened the passenger door and Naru got inside. "I thought she was sick...!"
The driver paused, turning his attention to Umino and the boy vanished from his spot, crawling around the corner out of eye sight.
While shielded by a building Umino listed to the car that almost hit him rev up before peeling away from the curb. Once he was sure they were gone he poked his head out and furrowed his brow. "Who was that?"
9:26 am
"He's just been sitting there since he came back Saturday night."
"Poor guy."
Usagi, Makoto, and Desi were watching Artemis from the end of the waiting hall outside Losna's lab. The ivory haired man sat against the wall, hunched over with his arms dangling between his legs. Even separated by the stretch of hallway the girls could tell he was still dressed in his battle armor.
As Makoto and Desi started up a conversation about the duty of Protectors Usagi tuned them both out as a man appeared at the end of the hallway. Usagi recognized his abnormal height, pushed back brown hair, and glasses.
"Soma." she muttered.
Usagi watched in anxiety as Soma started up a conversation with Artemis, whatever it was he said it got Artemis off the ground. She was still somewhat in the dark as to what happened to Luna, but upon hearing Artemis gasp - and watching him embrace Soma in a hug - caused her curiosity to spike.
Usagi turned to the hallway behind her, Desi and Makoto had strolled halfway down it and were kicking a vending machine. "Desi!"
"What is it, kid?"
"C'mere." she hissed, waving them both towards her. "That man, what's his position?" she asked, pointing towards Soma.
He was dressed in the typical Protector uniform, but wore a long white coat, like a doctor, over it. Usagi racked her brain back to her previous meetings with the Guard and as hard as she tried she couldn't remember Soma being a part of the science and research team.
"He works for the Division of Publicity, he used to work under Jarilo." Desi said. "But since Jar's disappearance Soma's become a Global Protector."
"Publicity?" Makoto asked. "What kind of job is that?"
"It's his job to keep the public unaware of what's really happening. He has ins at all of the new stations to keep certain things off the news and out of the paper. All of the messes you girls make in your fights, Soma and his Division take care of it all." Desi said sternly, intimating the girls thank Soma for cleaning up after them.
"So what's he doing here?" Usagi asked.
"Soma's a master in poisons and toxins. Luna's body was covered in bites from spiders, black widows, they were crawling all over the Hall according to the report." Desi shuttered. "Losna and Dr. Mizuno brought him for Luna's examination to see if there was anything that could be done about the large amount of venom in her system."
"Can he save her?!" Usagi asked, loud enough that Soma and Artemis turned their attention to their end of the hall.
"I have saved her." Soma said, his words echoing across the tiles. "Luna's vitals are stable, she's resting now."
Unknowingly, Usagi moved down the hall towards the men, Makoto and Desi close on her heels. "What? You saved her?! I thought she was, dead."
Usagi looked to Artemis, the man's eyes were red and glistening with fresh tear lines running down his face.
The group in hall stood in uneasy silence as Soma slipped off his glasses, taking his time to clean off the lenses. "She received an almost unimaginable number of bites from the spiders, as did the other contest guests. But I've made all the Protectors undergo mithridatism."
"Mith-Mithri-"
"Mithridatism. It's the process of building up a defence against poisons, venoms, and toxins by injecting yourself with small, non-lethal, amounts over time." Soma explained, slowly, for Usagi's benefit. "This was a common practice I started for Lunarians that traveled to Earth where disease and illness are more common."
"So, she's gonna be alright?" Makoto asked, eager to get to the good news.
Soma smiled and nodded. "Yes. I don't blame Artemis for believing her to be dead. To put it simply the large amount of venom in her system was combating against the immunity she has built up. During that conflict her body shut down to reserve strength, her heart slowed to a small beat less than once a minute. By removing the venom her body is able to function normally again, she's resting, but she will make a full recovery soon enough."
Usagi's head snapped back and streams of tears came from her ears like water from fire hoses. "Thank you!" she cried, throwing herself into Soma's arms.
Makoto chuckled, wiping the corners of her own eyes before she was embraced by Desi in a hug. Artemis dropped his head and gave off his own mix of a laugh and cry.
3:48 pm
"You can come in." Soma said, sticking his head out from Luna's room.
Usagi, who had been leaning against Makoto - who was flipping through home and garden magazines- shot up in her seat. She, Makoto, and Artemis had decided to wait for Luna to wake up, deciding they wanted to be there for that moment. It had been six hours and Usagi had fallen asleep twice, but it was worth it.
With jittery nerves she hopped up and started to whimper as she poked her head around the room. She was met with a fleeting depressing atmosphere. Considering this was going to be Luna's death bed, she wasn't surprised.
Soma headed over to the wall of windows, pulling on the blinds to allow light into the room. Even that small act seemed to change the air in the room, and Usagi felt her spirits begin to lift.
Seeing as how Luna hadn't acknowledged the four people in the room yet Usagi guessed she'd fallen back asleep. Gingerly, Usagi eased down on the corner of the bed. Looking down to her feet she began to fiddle her thumbs.
Behind her she listened to a machine beep every few seconds that monitored Luna's heart rate. She turned to the machine and followed the jumping green line with her eyes. She didn't know much about the machine, but if what she'd seen on television was accurate; the leaps and dips the monitor was showing was a good sign for Luna.
With a look at Luna's face, sleeping contently, but still appearing to be in discomfort, something hit her. This wasn't a game.
The memory of her first fight came back to her, the fear and terror she felt clashing blades with Experiment-D-U-D. The realization she basically in a scene from a Sailor V game, but unlike a game if she got hurt it wasn't a game over. This was her life, and now Luna's life.
Her poor judgment and planning had gotten several of her allies hurt, and nearly got Luna killed. Luna, the woman that gave her the power to protect her friends.
It was a painful reminder that this was her life now. One wrong choice could result in the death of all her friends, or her family.
"Usagi...?" Luna said as she shifted back in her bed, struggling to sit up. "Mako, Artem-"
Before Luna could finish addressing those around her, a pair of arms wrapped around her neck and the weight of a body dropped onto her.
All she could see was a blond, golden hair, as Usagi tackle hugged her. "OOOHH LUNA, YOU'RE OKAY!" Usagi weeped, her tears dropping into the crook of Luna's neck, forming a pool there.
Makoto moved in, crouched down beside the bed and wrapped Luna's hand, squeezing it tightly. Artemis made his place on the other side of the bed, planting a kiss on top of Luna's head that surprised the woman.
"Did you miss me?" she asked and Usagi responded by modulating her crying level up a few decimals.
Zoisite sighed happily. He looked over his newly repaired arm and hand and smiled. The scientists had made quick work of attaching a new arm and Zoisite wasted no time in putting it to use. He glanced over to the man sleeping beside him, Kunzite's long sterling hair was sprayed out across the pillow.
Zoisite rolled over, resting his head on the man's shoulder and resting his hand on his chest. He smiled and brought himself closer to the man, he wanted to be as close to him as possible to share in the afterglow of sex.
Kunizite hummed and a smile played across his lips as Zoisite began to run his fingers in his circles. "You're warm."
Zoisite smirked before he rolled on top, straddling the general under him. "It's hot in here..." he breathed, leaning forward to plant a kiss on his lips.
Kunzite pulled back from the kiss, tasting something unfamiliar. "Your lip." he said.
Zoisite stretched his lower lip before dragging his tongue across it, wincing as it ran over a split in his lip.
"Did I do that?" Kunzite asked sweetly, cupping Zoisite's cheeks.
Zoisite frowned. "No, not you. The heat..."
"Nephrite told me you've been mentioning the heat lately, are you feeling alright?" Kunzite asked, it was foolish to complain about heat considering their location so far north.
8:16 pm
A dark red rental car whizzed down the slick streets of Tokyo, passing under the glow of yellow street lights that flanked the road. In the front Motoki and Reika chattered back and forth about street names and the time, while Mamoru slipped in and out of slumber in the backseat.
Coming to a red light Motoki dropped his elbows onto the steering wheel and rubbed his eyes. "Are you sure you gave me the right address, Mamo?" Motoki leaned forward to look as far ahead out of his rain splattered windshield as he could. "We're heading out of the city..."
Reika shook her head and held the map up to the window, using the streetlights to help her find the road she had been looking for earlier.
"Yes, I'm sure." Mamoru said groggily, folding his arms behind his head and glancing out of the window. "But if you don't want to go you can drop me off on the corner."
Reika smiled and pat Mamoru on his knee. "Don't be silly, Mamo, we want you to come with us. Right?" she asked to Motoki who sat back in his seat as the light flashed green.
"Absolutely, I can't think of a better way to spend tonight than with my girlfriend and my best friend."
Mamoru's eyes shifted from the passing buildings to the front of the car. "Spending the night alone doesn't sound better?" he muttered.
"My girlfriend is in town, Mamo, I can't be alone with you anymore." Motoki beamed.
Mamoru smirked and held back his laugh when he caught Reika's nervous glance in the rear view mirror. "I just figured after being away for so long, and only having a month to be together, you'd want to spend as much time with each other as possible."
"A month? What?" Motoki asked.
"Before Reika leaves for Africa." Mamoru answered quickly.
"Mamoru!" Reika's eyes flared with anger in the rear view mirror. She was too upset to form anymore words at that moment. "UGH!"
"Heh, I guess I let the cat out of the bag, huh?" replied Mamoru.
"What? I'm confused, what about Africa?" Motoki asked and involuntarily slammed his foot on the petal and zoomed off the stretch of road ahead of them.
"Africa! What?"
Reika turned in her seat to glare weakly at Mamoru as Motoki slowed the car. "Well, I was offered an internship in Africa as part of an excavation dig."
"Why didn't you tell me?" Motoki asked, looking back to Mamoru whose attention was focused out the window. "That's really great baby, I know you've always wanted to go there."
"I wanted to wait until I was sure if I wanted to go." Reika smiled and laid her arm onto the armrest between the seats, turning her palm up.
Motoki returned the smile and laced his fingers with hers. "You've always wanted to go." he reminded. "What's there to think about?"
"You." Reika said sweetly, clutching his hand tighter.
"Don't worry about me, I'm not going anywhere."
"That's my point. You're just here; working for your family, you won't be doing anything."
Mamoru winced.
"You don't want to me with someone who only works at an arcade?" Motoki asked, trying to separate their hands.
Reika's expression dropped. "That's not what I meant... I just find it hard to believe you're really okay with me leaving for Africa, and leaving you here."
"I'll be fine, I want you to be happy and I know you've dreamt of doing things like this all your life."
Reika smiled again as the car slowed at another red light. She cupped his hand before bringing it to her lips. "I'm happy being here with you."
Mamoru dropped his head back against the seat and made gagging sounds.
"I couldn't live with myself knowing I was the reason you didn't pursue your dreams."
Reika's expression fell again, irritation is what replaced joy. "Don't worry about my dreams, there are tons of digs all over the world, there's only one you, and you're here, in Japan."
"Because I'm never doing anything important huh? Just working at the arcade..."
The air changed in the car. Mamoru shifted into an alert position once the realization a fight was coming hit him. He tapped his fingers on the door panel, contemplating what kind of damage he would receive from rolling out of a moving car.
"Don't twist my words around like that, you know that's not what I meant!" Reika snapped, tearing her hand away from his.
Mamoru lifted his head and sigh. "Really, if you guys need to talk, you can drop me off here. I'll find my way home, besides I think you passed the restaurant five minutes ago."
"We can't drop you off on the side of the road." Reika protested, looking out her window.
"It's fine, I know this neighborhood." Mamoru said, unfastening his seatbelt.
Motoki sighed before unlocking the car doors. "Be safe, Mamo."
Mamoru smirked before ducking out of the car door. "I could say the same to you too."
Mamoru darted across the street, using his jacket as a cover from the rain. Reaching the sidewalk he turned and waved to the car before it pulled off, making a turn.
"I have no clue where I am..." Mamoru breathed as he crammed his hands into his jacket pockets, taking shelter under a store awning.
8:51 pm
Usagi only had one thing on her mind, and that was getting home.
"Please stop raining!" she cried, actual tears. She hadn't assumed it would rain today and left home earlier in attire fit for the summer and had stupidly turned down Desi's offer to drive her home.
The precipitating was cold and felt like she was being pelted with rocks.
To get home as soon as possible she ran as fast as her gangly legs would carry her. She dashed down sidewalks and any alleyway that didn't look "rapey" she said in her mind. Occasionally she stepped in a puddle, splashing someone that might have been walking beside her.
She issued out a half-hearted apology when she did, ignoring the pedestrians' furious shouts. She knew whatever her mom would say if she came home late again was far worse than anything the other citizens of Tokyo could offer.
Upon reaching another alleyway, one she knew would cut her time getting home in half, she quickly darted down it. She splashed through several more puddles and sprayed her thighs with the street water before she skid to a stop, watching someone emerge from the shadows.
"Whoa." she said, as the shadow stepped between her and the exit to the alley. In their hand she saw something long, like a pipe.
Whoever – whatever – it was, it was too far away to get a good look at and Usagi wasn't chancing it. Slowly she stepped back, testing to see if the figure would try anything. After a few more test steps she whipped around and dashed back down the alley.
THUD!
Usagi coughed hard as she ran into something. She fell back, her hand landing in one of the many puddles.
"Watch where you're going!" the man she ran into berated down at her.
"Ouch... I'm sorry, I didn't see you there!"
"Here, let me help you up." Another voice said to her left. Usagi shuddered feeling a large hand wrap entirely around her arm and lift her like a doll.
"T – Thanks." she stammered, from the corner of her eye she noticed the figure at the end of the alley was progressing towards them slowly, another man. "Well, I should get going." she turned to head off but the man that helped her stand threw an arm out to block her.
"Whoa, what's the hurry?" the man she ran into laughed. "Let's have some fun."
The three men swarmed on her, forcing her to back up against the wall. Usagi's knees shook and suddenly it was extremely cold. "S – Stop..." she said said dimly.
"Stop what, we haven't even started." one of them said and Usagi could hear metal hitting against metal followed by the sound of something unzipping.
"I'll scream!" she squeaked.
The men cackled before the pipe she saw earlier was slammed against the garbage can. Usagi whimpered involuntarily and shrunk down.
"How you gonna scream with your mouth full?" the largest of the three asked. "Get her arms." he commanded.
As two of the men reached out for Usagi a red flash pierced the ground between the two parties, causing the men to jolt back. Before Usagi had a chance to register what was happening three more flashes stuck themselves into the ground, forcing the men further back.
"What the hell?!" one of the man snapped. In the dark Usagi could see all them turn their heads to the night sky.
Something dark dropped before Usagi and she caught a glimpse of something dark red flap in front of her. "Are you alright?"
Usagi's body seemed to deflate at the sound of his voice. "I'm better now, Tuxedo Mask." she said as heat rushed to her cheeks.
"Who the hell are you?" one of the men asked.
Usagi poked her head around Mask's back to see the men gathering into a triangle formation. The big one was slapping the pipe against his hand and the others were cracking their knuckles.
"I'm the guy telling you to apologize to this young lady for your barbaric and unacceptable behavior." Mask said as he dug around inside his vest, pulling his staff out a moment later. He often hoped these encounters would end with a simple apology, but he knew he'd better prepare for a fight.
"Psh! What are you, my mother?"
"Lookie here, this freak in a cape thinks he can tell us what to do." one of the men said, progressing on Mask. He dared to reached a hand out for the man.
Mask lunged forward first though, and grabbed his hand, twisting it around behind his back. The man yelped before Mask jammed his knee into his gut, causing the man to groan in pain and buckle over.
"Next." Mask said and instantly tilted his head to avoid a punch to the side. Again he rammed his knee up into a man's gut before cracking his staff down onto the back of his head.
"Hey, listen. I don't want any trouble." the last, and largest, man said. He quickly let go of the pile and began to inch away from Mask. Noticing the masked man wasn't doing anything the man decided to turn and run for it.
Holding his staff out Mask released one last red dart from his staff that zipped through the alley, sticking itself into the back of the man's knee.
"OWWWWWWWWW!" he howled before fell face first into the pavement.
"Wow... He's amazing!" Usagi breathed as Mask turned back to her. "Thank you, Tuxedo Mask."
Mask smiled and tipped his hat to her. "You're very welcome. You seem to have a knack for needing my help."
Usagi smiled, her heart swelling at the fact he remembered saving her before. "You really remember me?"
Mask snickered before placing a hand on top of her head. "It's not everyday I see such a signature hairstyle, on such a pretty face." As he spoke he dragged his hand down the side of her face, his fingers stopping on her neck while his thumb rubbed against her cheek.
Usagi swayed, her cheeks burning so hot now she thought he would feel it through his gloves.
"Would you like a ride home?" He offered, stepping back from her and twirling his staff around as its length increased. Usagi nodded eagerly before she wrapped her arms around his midsection and they were propelled into the air.
As they glided over the city Usagi pressed her head into his jacket, wanting to get lost in his scent, one that was comforting and somehow familiar. During their flight she reminded herself, over and over, how lucky she was. So many of the girls at her school, and some of the boys, were in love with this masked hero. But she wondered how many of them could say they've seen him in person, let alone been saved by him?
She needed saving. Why? A cold chain wrapped around her wrist reminded Usagi of who she really was. Warrior freaking Moon, she reminded herself. Why was she acting so helpless before he showed up?
Usagi turned her head skywards, getting a look at the beautiful features of the man that had saved her. Maybe getting assaulted in an alley was worth it if meant Tuxedo Mask came to rescue her. The thought of Moon came into her mind again, could she trust him with her secret? Telling him would bring her one step closer to them being together – but, what if he didn't feel the same way?
What if he resented the fact Warrior Moon was just a clumsy blonde who fails math tests and pigs out on junk food while devoting her time to the local arcade? Would he hate her if he knew she actually was scared out of her mind each time she was forced to transform and fight? Was she a fool to think someone as brave as him would ever love someone like her?
When they landed it was on the balcony outside her window. At Usagi's request the duo remained still and quiet for several minutes, making sure their arrival hadn't made enough noise to bring attention to her room. Though she was doubting she could ever be with Tuxedo Mask, long term, she was in his arms here and now and the last thing she wanted was her father busting into her room and seeing them.
They stood, merely an inch apart from each other, for what seemed like hours. Usagi had loosened her hold on him, but refused to let go, her hands remained at his sides, grazing near his hips.
Mask gave a soft smile before he lifted a hand to her face. Usagi had seen too many romance movies because her eyes snapped shut, expecting a kiss to come. Instead glove fingers brushed away a few strands of hair that had stuck to her face during their flight.
When she opened her eyes Mask could see she was disappointed and briefly considered asking her what was wrong. Instead he cupped her face and smiled. "I'm drawn to you." he said sweetly.
Usagi's heart swelled and her eyes glistened with the promise of oncoming tears. "...To me?" Her doubts faded away, replaced by the realization that she might have a chance with this, gorgeous, sweet, man.
"To you." he repeated, rubbing her cheek again. He stroke his thumb made filled Usagi's mind with a euphoric haze. "I don't think I can explain it, but it's a wave of emotions, feelings, they come over me. And in that moment, nothing else matters, because I know I'm needed."
For the first time Usagi could clearly see the eyes behind the mask. Deep blue, like elliptic shaped oceans, and she wanted nothing more than to drown in them.
"I had that feeling tonight," he paused to laugh and Usagi responded with a giggle of her own. "I was in a shop, buying something, and that feeling came over me. I went blind for a minute and then there was a line, a sliver of light that was guiding me. Guiding me to you."
"To me..." Usagi breathed.
"Dad! Some guy is in Usagi's room!" Shingo shouted.
Every cell in Usagi's body became alert in that moment. Her panicked eyes turned to her door that blew open and in stormed Kenji, golf club in hand. "WHERE ARE YOU?!"
"Papa!" Usagi shrieked, climbing through her window. "Put it down! It's okay!"
"Usagi, what were you doing out there?" Kenji dashed past his daughter and threw his head through the window, catching a glimpse of Tuxedo Mask dropping off the balcony, vanishing out of sight. "Get back her!"
"Shingo, you brat!" Usagi snapped, stomping her foot in her brother's direction as he sniggered from the hallway.
"What's going on...?" Ikuko asked tiredly as she emerged from her bedroom.
"Our daughter is turning into a delinquent!" Kenji wailed. "Meeting mysterious guys on her balcony at this time at night!"
"I'm not a delinquent!" Usagi cried, more upset Tuxedo Mask was scared off than anything else.
Shingo was still laughing, now at how red Usagi's face was getting. "So what were you doing out there?"
"Planning the murder of my little brother!" Usagi snapped, lunging for Shingo who reflexively took off down the hall.
"Kids, stop running!" Ikuko said through a yawn.
"Usaig, get back here. We're not done talking about this!" Kenji shouted, barreling down the hall after his children.
Makoto headed for home with the din of Tokyo's nightlife on her left and the serene ambiance of Hikawa Temple on her right. The further down the ground's high rock walls she walked, the closer she got to a dull rumbling sound.
Laying on the steps ascending to the shrine's entrance was a man in a dark suit. Makoto paused after noticing him, realizing he'd fallen asleep, using a duffel bag as a pillow against the steps.
"Hey buddy." Makoto said, kicking at his shoe. "You'll catch a cold if you sleep out here."
After another minute of snoring she gave kicking him another try. "Wake up!" Makoto shouted, moving around to his side and clutching his jacket, shaking the man awake.
"Whoa...Are you like, an angel?"
Makoto flushed at his cool and laid back tone, boyish features, and tanned face; all surrounded by a bushel of thick dark hair. "Heh, not quite. So, what are you doing out here?"
"I must've fallen asleep out here..." he said as he sat up, scratching the back of his head. "Do you like, work here?"
"At the Temple? No, I'm a friend of the family that owns the place though, were you looking for them?"
"Totally! My name's Kumada Yuuichirou, but all my friends call me Sado. I just got off tour and was thinking about settling down for a bit, but my dad's a total buzzkill and told me I couldn't stay at home if I wasn't performing." Yuichiro said, rising to his feet and stretching out his back. "I ran into this old man at the store the other day, he said he was looking for an apprentice and would give me a place to stay."
"Tour, performing? Are you some kind of a musician?" Makoto asked, placing her hands on her hips.
"I'm a rock star!" Yuuichirou said, followed by an impromptu air guitar solo.
Makoto coughed to stifle her laughter. "So, what interest could a rock star have in temple life?"
"How bad can it be? This place is totally chill." Sado said. "So like, babe, do you know where the old man is? All the temple doors are locked." he said gesturing up the steps.
"Yeah, he's at the nearest hospital, taking care of his granddaughter."
"I wish I would have known that an hour ago." a voice from the top of the steps said.
Yuuichirou whipped around and strained through his bangs to see a man walking down towards him. Makoto cocked her neck out, getting a good look at the man. Like Yuuichirou, he was dressed in a dark suit, but Makoto could tell the man's was tailored to fit his body, whereas Yuuichirou's might have been picked up last minute at a mall.
"You said you were a friend of the family?" the man said to Makoto as he passed her, walking towards a parked black car on the street. "When you see Rei, tell her to call me."
"And just who are you?" Makoto asked sternly.
"Her father."
End of Chapter Twenty Six
Next, Nephrite's plan to lure in fans of Tuxedo Mask begins, and during a tennis match one of Nephrite's previous victims comes back to haunt the Warriors. Chaos ensues and Naru goes missing before the Warriors arrive on the scene, fueling Nephrite's suspicions the girl is hiding something. To fufil his missions and reveal the Warriors' identity, how far will Nephrite go? Find out next time.
Chapter Twenty Seven - Match Point