Celestial Warrior Moon:
Disclaimer:I do not own any Sailor Moon related properties. Sailor Moon is the property of Toei Animation and Naoko Takeuchi. This is a fan work created to celebrate the opus. It is not intended to infringe on any copyrights.
Chapter 50
Difficulties and Decisions; Hardship
Barrington, Illinois, undisclosed time
In Nephrite's lab under the silo on ShoeFactory Road, the technicians toiled about their various projects. The Face Taker stomped by on his way to do his rounds of the tunnels. He exited by pushing open the bronze double doors, shut themselves behind him. The workers were left alone in the large lab, comparable to an auditorium. Some worked with the various symbols and magic circles they drew in their particular corner of the lab on either stone walls of floor. Others worked with the specimens in cages along the right wall. While others yet went about their business at the tables covered all manner of lab equipment. Some pushed gurneys with a subject strapped down to them across the floor. A closed off section had scientists working with dangerous chemicals.
The project that received the most attention was the one in the center of the room. A bunch of technicians took readings from a black crystal identical to the one Aqua carried with her. As it floated in the same clear liquid-filled tall, glass tube its counterpart had been developed in, it was being studied and scanned. Several techs crowded around working with the computers and consoles hooked up the cylinder.
One corner of the gathering opened to allow a superior in, Nephrite's right hand man, well, ratman. Lessart the ratman drew back the hood on his dark cloak to get a better look at the crystal. He leaned to the side slightly and looked at one of the newly printed off charts. A grim exchange of looks with his colleagues told him what he needed to know, and he turned to go back to his employer's office.
"So…it only took the Keepers a single evening to jam our countersignal. What a pity," he muttered.
Lessart opened the simple oak door and stepped inside Nephrite's personal study. He looked towards the desk, at which Nephrite was sitting. It was covered in open books, papers, and the like. Next to the desk was a podium, behind which stood the only other occupant in the room, the animated cadaver Nephrite had working tirelessly to compile all his work into a comprehensive tome.
Nephrite himself was face-planted atop his notebook and his arms rested across several of the papers scattered around. Lessart cleared his throat loudly to get his attention. Nephrite stirred and looked tiredly at him.
"What is it?"
"It seems the countersignal has been…countered," Lessart reported.
Nephrite didn't respond. He didn't even seem to care.
"Huh. I expected that. Oh well," he muttered, sitting and stretching.
"Sir?" Lessart questioned. He was a little confused by that reaction.
"Hmm?" Nephrite returned his gaze lazily.
"Is everything alright?"
Nephrite stared at him for a long time without answering. Looking more closely, Lessart could see the dark circles under his eyes. Just how long that Nephrite been working? Finally, he leaned forward, putting his elbows on the desk and resting his chin in his hands.
"No, Lessart, everything is not okay," Nephrite admitted with great reluctance.
Lessart closed the door behind him and stepped over to the front of the desk.
"Is there anything I can do to help?" Lessart asked, genuinely.
"Humph! Is there?"
Nephrite stood up at his full height. He towered over the five foot ratman.
"Lessart, you've served me ever since I… well," Nephrite and chuckled. "Well, made you what you are now. It's been a long time since you were just another rat that they brought into my lab in a cage full of your kin."
"Indeed it has been," Lessart replied.
"So I can trust you to do anything for me without question, and you'll keep it a secret for me?" Nephrite asked, firm in tone.
Lessart quirked his head to the side, not sure that meant.
"Yes, of course," he obliged, all the same.
"Good, because I'm swamped with my workload and need something extra made on the side," Nephrite answered.
He picked up his notebook and turned to another page. Then he tore out three pages and then over the top of the desk. He stuffed the papers into the ratman's hands.
"Make me this," he ordered. "Tell no one, and don't ask why."
Lessart stared him oddly and then trailed his eyes down to the papers in his hands. He quickly read, flipping through each page. When he finished, he started slowly back up at his master, questioningly.
"If anyone finds out about this little project, somehow, this would be considered treasonous," Lessart said plainly.
"I know. So you'll do it?" Nephrite asked again.
"Of course… Right away," Lessart bowed.
Nephrite grinned.
"Good."
Tokyo Medical Center, 11:23PM
Dr. Nakada stepped out of the operating room, drying off his hands. He let out a long sigh, releasing the tension. For Motoki, surgery was over. Now came the toughest part: recovery. The doors flapped open behind him as the patient was carted off to a recovery room. He could hear a nurse stop just behind. He turned to face her.
"Are the Furuhatas still here?" he asked.
"Yes, sir, they're still waiting for your word on their son with the young man who inquired about the patient earlier," she answered.
"Alright, I'll go tell them the news. In the meantime, prep Mr. Hino for his surgery. I'll be there in just a few minutes," Nakada ordered.
"Yes, Doctor," the nurse answered.
She bowed started to take her leave.
"Wait," Dr. Nakada called, lightly grabbing her shoulder.
She stopped and turned back to him.
"Is Dr. Ichikawa finished with the tumor extraction for Miss Shinozaki?" he asked.
"Yes, sir."
"Good, is he available to stay a little longer? The young woman they also brought from Nakashima Park isn't in the greatest of conditions, either. Can you see if Ichikawa can at least give a prognosis for her?" Nakada asked.
"He's already handling that, sir. He should be finished soon," the nursed answered. "Is there anything else, Doctor?"
"Not that I can think of," Nakada answered.
She bowed and took her leave.
Dr. Nakada made a beeline for the ER waiting room, mulling over how the best explain the situation to Motoki's parents. He also remembered that the priest's pupil would be waiting around, too. When he emerged into the partially full room, he looked around.
"Kozo and Misao Furuhata?" he called softly.
Motoki's parents and Mamoru stood up and approached and the Doctor.
"Doctor," Kozo greeted him. The worry was evident in his voice.
"Good evening, Mr. and Mrs. Furuhata, I'm Dr. Kira Nakada. I am the surgeon who is treating your son," Nakada replied with a bow.
Mamoru and the Furuhatas returned it. Dr. Nakada shook hands with Mr. Furuhata. Then he looked at Mamoru.
"Friend of Motoki Furuhata?" Nakada asked.
"Yes. Mamoru. Mamoru Chiba. I'm a close friend of Motoki's. How is he?" Mamoru answered.
Mamoru mentally slapped himself for a such dumb question. How is he!? How is he?! And in front of his parents, no less!
Nakada nodded in response.
"Better," Nakada replied honestly.
He turned his attention back to the Furuhatas squarely.
"Mr. and Mrs. Furuhata, your son just came out of surgery and is resting soundly in one of our recovery rooms. He will probably be out like a light for the rest of the night, but I have a feeling that's not the only question on your minds."
Kozo let out a snort as if to say, "Damn right it isn't!"
"Dr. Nakada, what happened to our son?!" Misao demanded almost hysterically.
Nakada remained calm and spoke evenly.
"That is a question for the police to fully answer, but I can tell you what we found out from examining him. Someone used a weapon that's yet to be identified and stabbed him from behind. The blow completely shattered his middle lumbar vertebra," Nakada answered.
Kozo and Misao grimaced and looked away, shutting their eyes tightly. It hurt to hear that this had happened to their son.
"…Lumbar?" Misao Furuhata then asked.
"The lumbar vertebrae made up the base of your spine. There are five of them, and they are among the most important in the human spinal cord. The third one from the bottom is what was punctured," Nakada answered.
"Will…our boy live?" Kozo asked, almost not daring to speak.
"It's hard to say at this point. Right now, we're at a very delicate stage. We've done everything we can for him, but now it's up to Motoki to fight for his life. He was in very bad condition when he was brought in. He'd lost a lot of blood and was in a shock, but at the moment, we've stabilized him," Nakada explained.
"Can we…" Kozo hesitated, but then continued. "Can we…see him?"
Nakada nodded.
"Yes, in fact I'd recommend it. He's asleep, as stated, but maybe hearing your voices will give him some incentive," Nakada responded.
Misao then took a few deep breaths as she struggled to stay in control long to ask the question that was on everyone's mind.
"Doctor…if he makes it…will our…will our boy…walk again?" the tear ran down her face as she asked.
Nakada paused for a moment before answering.
"Its a little early to be asking that question," he said.
"Is it possible?" Misao asked, baitedly.
"Well... If you were to ask me... It is in my honest professional opinion that Motoki Furuhata will likely never walk again, especially given how long it took to get him to the hospital. I'm sorry. I really am," he stated, sympathetically.
Mamoru and Motoki's parents stood there, staring at him lifelessly for several seconds. Mamoru's stare turned away in a random direction as it sunk in. It felt like someone had just kicked him in the side as hard as they could. He could barely vocalize a sound. Beside him, the Furuhatas leaned on one another. Kozo again put his arm around his wife as he began sobbing quietly. She leaned into his chest and he laid his head on hers' as he stared down at the floor blankly.
"You're…" Mamoru said and then swallowed. "You're sure about that."
"Mrs. and Mrs. Furuhata, Mr. Chiba, what all of you have to understand is that Motoki's back isn't just broken. Someone, or something, took very precise aim and jammed a sharp implement into his back, completely fragmentizing the vertebra. The bone is shattered beyond repair," Nakada said firmly.
"How sure are you?" Mamoru demanded. "Is there really zero possibility?"
"Nothing's ever absolute where there's life. It's just very, very unlikely under these circumstances. I don't want to step on anyone's hopes here, but walking again after a spinal cord injury is a tall task for anyone to meet. At the moment, our current priority is to keep him alive," Nakada answered.
"What…what would it take?" Misao asked.
"Aren't we getting a little ahead of ourselves?" Nakada asked. "He just got out of surgery a few minutes ago."
"Please just answer the question," Mamoru said.
Nakada sighed, just reframing from sounding weary.
"Well, for starters, we'd have to completely replace the broken vertebra, which will require more surgery. After recuperation, Motoki would be able begin physical therapy," Nakada answered plainly. "Before any of that can happen, we still have a couple of hurdles to go through."
"You're right, Doctor," Misao said abruptly. "Take us to Motoki, please."
"Follow me," Dr. Nakada answered.
11:29PM, Wednesday, June 16th, Azabu District, Tokyo, Hikawa Shrine
Rei shuffled into her bedroom still drying her hair in her traditional red trouser-and-jacket pajamas. She looked at the time on her alarm clock sitting at her bedside.
"It's almost time for Grandpa to go into surgery. To think, just two hours ago, I was saying goodbye to all my friends at the end of a study session and Grandpa being a little nutty was our only problem," she thought as worry crept back into her mind. "Two hours later, Grandpa, Motoki, and Reika are all in the hospital with serious problems."
If there were complications, that meant that Hibiki Hino would not be able to function as the priest of the Hikawa Shrine, at least not for a long, long time. Chad wasn't fully trained yet and would probably be considered too young to take over even if he was. Rei was also only fourteen. If anything, she'd be put back into the care, or lack thereof, of her father. More than likely, she would put into the care of some guardian of his choosing. The thought made her stomach turn.
"What would happen to this place with no one to take up Grandpa's position? What am I going to do? How badly will this impact the team?" Rei also wondered. "I have to get control here."
Though she'd never admit to anyone's face, the shrine was her home for all the meaningful years of her life. To not only lose it, but have it fall into disrepair… It was unthinkable.
She sat down on the bed and picked up the clock off the bedside. She set the alarm for well before its usual time to get up for school. She set it back down, and turned out the lamp by the bed. She pulled back the covers and slipped into bed. She then drew the sheet and blanket back over herself for the night. She turned over on her side and tried to get to sleep. It never came. She hadn't expected to be able to drift off easily, either. Somehow, being all alone in that great big shrine by herself was unnerving.
"Bah! Stop being such a child. So you're alone here? So what? It's not like any burglar would stand a chance if they were stupid enough to come rob the home of a Warrior," she thought, and turned onto her stomach.
"I'll be fine…" she told herself. "…But Grandpa isn't. I hope Chad calls soon."
"Honestly, Usagi, even if you were comforting a friend because her grandfather had to go to the hospital, I expect you to be home on time," Ikuko scolded her daughter.
"I thought if I left before at least seeing her there, it'd make things even worse for her," Usagi replied, exasperatedly as she finished setting her alarm clock.
She set it down on the table and sat down on the bed.
"I know, I know," Ikuko said groaningly. "But you seriously need to stop with these late nights. The day after tomorrow you have finals. Tomorrow will be your last day to study, so pace yourself and do well, alright?"
Usagi smiled back at her mother as she pulled the blankets up to her waist.
"Don't worry, mom. Thanks to Ami, I've been getting this math stuff a lot better, and thanks to Rei, my English skills have sky-rocketed," she answered to assure her mother.
"Good," Ikuko answered, a little sharply.
She backed up a step into the door way and grabbed the door.
"In that case, I expect you to do better than just barely getting by this year," Ikuko said authoritatively.
"Don't worry," Usagi said as she yawned.
"I won't. Goodnight, Usagi," Ikuko said.
"'Night," Usagi answered as her mother turned out the lights and shut the door, leaving her alone to go to sleep.
Over in Luna's bedroom, the Keeper of the Warriors lied sprawled out and face down on the mattress of her bed so exhausted and sore as to prevent actual sleep. She groaned softly as she exhaled.
"No way am I leaving this spot tomorrow," she thought, her mind drowning in misery even through the painkillers.
Tokyo Medical Center, 11: 31PM
Beep. Beep. Beep. Beep. Beep. The rhythmic beeping of the machine Motoki was hooked up to seemed an eerily perfect orchestra for the situation. While the Furuhatas sat by his bedside, Mamoru stood alone, beside himself, at the foot of the hospital bed. Motoki was still very pale, even after receiving a blood transfusion. As Mamoru stood there staring down at his best friend, one question kept replaying over and over in his mind:
"How did it come to this?"
It was nearly a full minute before Mamoru remembered to even blink. He slowly closed his eyes and reopened them, relieving them of the stinging sensation that had settled in as they had started to dry out. As he laid eyes on Motoki again, it came to him. Someone hadn't been there with them that night, because they supposedly had better things to do with their time.
Mamoru remained in control and kept his expression neutral. His fists clenched in his pockets, though. Just what the hell had Orion been up to that was SO important that he'd somehow managed miss not one, but two fights against the Great Youmas?
"I think it's time to track down my partner in crime. I'll wring the answers out of him if I have to," Mamoru thought in a fit of anger.
"Excuse me," Mamoru spoke impartially.
The Furuhatas looked up toward him.
"I think I'm going to go check on Reika and then I'm going to go home. I'll be back first thing in the morning. In the meantime, goodnight." Mamoru bowed and left the family alone.
They nodded their approval, which he returned with a bow. Then he exited out into the hall where he finally allowed his face to twist in the anger he'd bottled up for the sakes of everyone back in the recovery room. He briskly strode down the halls until he was practically storming down the front steps onto the sidewalk.
4:54PM, Thursday, June 17th, Azabu Distract, Hikawa Shrine
Everyone watched as Rei yawned and leaned back and forth slightly in an uncoordinated manner. All the girls were seated around the table in the living room once more. Rei sat at the head of the long table with Usagi on the right, by herself, and Makoto and Ami seated beside one another on the left. They were attempting to get some last minute studying in before the big test tomorrow, but for several reasons, they were having problems concentrating. Most of all, Rei, as both she and Chad were severely under slept, thanks to the previous night's events. It also didn't help that she had gotten up extra early after getting to bed so late in order to able to stop off at the hospital on her route to school. She and Chad had been able to visit Grandpa Hibiki, who spent most of it fast asleep, but looking a lot better than anyone anticipated given his condition. Back to the present, they were all still in their school informs, having come straight to the shrine after school.
Usagi had been allowed to come despite being so late last night due to Rei's family crisis. The condition was that she had to get home by 8 O'clock that night. On Rei's end, though her appearance was still perfectly squared away to keep up the illusion of composer, she was less than convincing with excessive yawning and eye rubbing. Makoto and Ami exchanged a concerned look, but neither dared to break the uncomfortable silence, except Usagi.
"You got here a little later than us. What was the hold up?" Usagi asked earnestly.
"Got a bunch of condolences from the girls at school. That's all," Rei answered, abruptly and turned away.
Another pause set in until Usagi spoke up again. Usagi looked at nothing in particular while rolling her pencil between her palms as she worked up the nerve to ask. She looked over at Rei, who cradled her head in one hand whilst staring off into the aether.
"So…how's Grandpa Hibiki?" Usagi asked uncomfortably.
"He'll live…" Rei mumbled wearily. "The Doctors'll have to keep him for at least three days before he can come home, and that's if there are no complications. After that, he's going to have to take it easy for a long time, so Chad and I will be working our butts off to keep this shrine going from now on."
Makoto let out a silent sigh of relief. She then realized she was tapping her pencil nervously on her notebook and stopped.
"That's great! I'm sure he'll be the old Grandpa Hibiki in no time! Just you wait!" Usagi said enthusiastically.
Ami opened her mouth to speak, but remained quiet. Usagi's blunt optimism may have been a bit much, but if that made Rei feel better, then all the better. Rei hummed in a non-committal way before clearing her throat. Then she coughed and rubbed her throat. It felt very dry.
"Excuse me. I'll be right back. Who wants soda?" she asked.
"Ooh, I do! I do!" Usagi waved her hand over her head with enthusiasm.
Makoto raised her hand and Ami nodded.
"Be right back, then," Rei said, getting up and leaving the others alone.
When she had gone, Makoto turned to Ami to talk.
"With us leaving for the coast next week, who'll help Chad with the upkeep of this place? It's not like any of us can ditch this training," she whispered at the other girl.
"I hope she's thought of that. Let's ask her as soon as she gets back," Ami answered.
"Oh, I'm sure Rei has that all figured out," Usagi said without doubt.
Ami clicked her tongue, though the tone was indiscernible.
"Hopefully, but she'll have had so much on her mind that maybe she just forgot," Ami said thoughtfully.
"What's so interesting about me that it has to wait until I'm out of the room?"
Everyone jumped back from their seated positions and they found themselves staring up at Rei. Said girl held up a tray of drinks in one hand. She put the other on the other on her hip while giving them all the stink eye from above. Everyone tittered in response.
"Hi, Rei… Sorry about that. We were just wondering if you had made plans for our training retreat, since Grandpa Hibiki's on the mend and Chad'll be doing the work alone," Usagi said, high-pitched and uncomfortable.
The corner of Rei's lips twitched unconsciously while she set down everyone's drinks.
"I got a call from a relative offering to help out at the shrine for a bit while Grandpa recovers," Rei answered softly. She walked back to her spot at and plopped back down.
"Yeah?" Makoto urged her on.
"Well, she's a second cousin from Kyoto, and she'll be able to come later in the afternoon on Monday, but she can't stay the whole week we'll be gone. She has to be back at her own shrine by Thursday afternoon," Rei answered.
"Oh, she's a miko, too?" Ami asked, curiously.
Rei nodded.
"Yeah, my whole family's always been pretty spiritual. Takeshi Hino is one of the few to break away from that and do something else," Rei answered with resignation.
"Your dad?" Ami asked.
"I said Takeshi Hino, didn't I?" Rei answered, eyes flashing.
"So who is this relative that's stopping by?" Makoto hastily cut in.
"Her name's Kagura Matoi, and the shrine she works at has an anniversary coming up week after next, she'll have to help out to set up for that," Rei answered with resignation. "That leaves the latter part of Thursday and then all of Friday, in which Chad will be alone in taking care of the shrine and Grandpa. I may have to leave our training trip a day early."
Everyone looked away, trying not to give off pitying looks. Those tended not to go over well with Rei. Then Usagi suddenly sat upright, as an idea came to her.
"That's it!" she exclaimed.
She turned back to Rei with this brilliance that had come to her.
"Chad just needs help for Thursday evening and Friday, right? We get back Friday night or Saturday morning, so that's not even a whole day for either one, right?" she asked, brightly.
Aside from a raised brow, Rei's face was completely neutral.
"Yes…" Rei replied dully.
"I'll just ask my mom if she can drop by to help Chad!" Usagi explained, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.
Rei eyes fell shut as if they suddenly became very heavy and she leaned back putting both hands flat on the table.
"…I don't want to trouble your family over this. This is a Hino matter. I have until Monday morning to figure this out. It'll be fine," Rei said stubbornly.
Suddenly, Usagi's hand with the index finger held straight up was in her face as it rocked back and forth like one would scold a child.
"No can do! You all talked me into going on this horrible trip, because it's so necessary for some reason! You are not going to refuse any help offered to keep the training rolling!" Usagi said very forcefully.
One corner of Rei's lips turned up in a snarl while the eye on the side narrowed angrily. She smacked the hand away.
"Stop being stupid, I don't need or want outside help. I have everything under control," Rei's stubborn streak was starting to surface.
Usagi scoffed, actually scoffed, at this. She stood up on her knees and leaned over the table in an attempt to loom over Rei.
"Give me a break! You do not have everything under control!" Usagi shot back passionately.
Rei just glared back with a deep frown set into her lips and fire in her eyes. Makoto and Ami looked wearily at each other and nodded in unison. They leaned forward slightly, putting their hands on the table as they prepared to stand up and separate the other two. By now, Rei's stubborn pride was beginning to take hold and she also stood up on her knees, going up an inch taller than Usagi.
"Listen, you, I've taken care of myself all my life! I don't need your help with my own personal affairs! Not now, not ever!" Rei returned fire, upping to ante to cannons, so to speak.
In response, Usagi got up off her knees to stand taller than Rei again.
"That's a load of crap, and you know it!" Usagi replied, harshly. "Your Grandpa has taken care of you almost all your life, and now he can't, at least for a long time. Now it's just a girl that's not even in high school and a guy who showed up a couple months ago left to take care of this place, and yourselves! You need help! You weren't too proud to let someone who lives in another city take care of things while you're away!"
"That's Kagura! She'd show up and do as she pleases even if I said 'no', repeatedly" Rei answered.
"Cool, but what if something happens on that last day where it's just Chad, your Grandpa, and this big ol' place a good several kilometers from the nearest hospital?" Usagi demanded.
"I'll just have to cut my own time at the retreat short if I have to," Rei answered, obstinately.
"Oh~hoo~hoo~...Oh, no, you don't! There are things at stake here a lot bigger than your family! If we all have to go spend a week at boot camp, basically, you're staying with us the whole five days and you're going to suffer whatever torture they have waiting for us with the rest of us!" Usagi said with just as much force.
Now Rei stood up. She smirked in the satisfaction that there was no higher Usagi could go now, since Rei had a good couple inches on her.
"Stop being so nosy, I don't need you to look after me," Rei ordered.
"That's not what you were saying last night. You were desperate for someone to help you, then. What's the matter now? You think you can just bury yourself behind your walls again just 'cause Grandpa Hibiki's life is out of the danger zone?" Usagi mocked.
Rei's scowl had deepened into a threatening growl. Usagi just leaned in a bit more to show how unintimidated she was.
Why, you little…-!" Rei started to growl.
"Okay, that's enough!" Makoto butted in.
The tallest girl suddenly forced her way in between the two quarrelers, facing Rei. She grabbed the raven by the shoulder and stepped forward, forcing the startled girl back.
"Wha-hey!" Usagi protested.
"You, too, Usagi," Ami said, stepping in.
She walked past, but gently grabbed the pigtailed one by the arm on the way and pulled just enough to move her backwards as well.
"B-b-but!" Usagi complained again.
Ami reached around, grabbed the other arm, and turned Usagi to face her.
"She's the one being stubborn!" Usagi whined.
"And you're not helping," Ami countered, firmly but not accusingly.
"Yeah, yeah, I get it," Rei said, pushing herself away from Makoto.
She started to turn away from the other to sulk with her arms crossed. Makoto controlled her temper enough not to snark at the other girl right at the moment.
"She's going through a tough time… She's going through a tough time," Makoto repeated mentally.
"It really sucks, doesn't it?" Makoto then asked, sharply.
Rei looked at her with a brow raised.
"Your Grandpa was attacked for no good reason and he's suffering because of it. There is nothing you can do about it now. It really sucks being helpless like this," Makoto reiterated.
"Tch," Rei scoffed.
She held her head up while still blustering.
"A-I-… I am not helpless. I have the situation under… completely under control. It will be more difficult to take care of this place with Grandpa unable to, sure, but we'll manage," Rei tried to sound defiant through the stutters.
Makoto rolled her eyes and then shook her head before turning back to the other girl. She crossed her arms.
"Like anyone is going to believe that," Makoto said pessimistically.
"And why not? I'm Celestial Warrior Mars. I've seen and done things almost no other person my age has!" Rei said snidely.
"And almost no one else even knows that," Makoto said, starting to raise her voice. "To everyone else, you're just a fourteen year old girl whose legal guardian is now bedridden! Say, you were home late from school, late enough for us to beat you here. Why is that, and don't try to feed us that line about your classmates stopping you to give you their condolences again!"
"What? I didn't want to rude," Rei said evasively.
Makoto's eyes shut tightly as she reached up to rub a temple. This childishness was giving her a headache! Then she stopped and her head perked back up.
"Someone came to get you after school, didn't they?" Ami spoke up suddenly. "I'm guessing someone who works for your father."
That definitely got Usagi's attention, and so did Rei recoiling away from them. Usagi took a tentative step towards Rei.
"Rei, why were you really later than us getting here?" she asked, softly.
Rei turned away with a scowl.
"That is none of your business," she retorted.
"So I'm right, then," Ami said, nodding. "Councilor Hino knows that he can't ignore you now. I'm guessing there are no other relatives who live in the city who can help."
Rei looked away.
"…No," Rei admitted, almost too quiet to hear.
She glared off into space, angry at everyone and everything, but especially herself.
"What do you know, anyway?" Rei mumbled, mouth twitching.
"I know you're hiding behind a tough act to convince yourself that you're not weak," Makoto replied bluntly.
If looks could kill, Makoto would be smoldering ashes on the floor.
"And you wanna know what I know?" Makoto said with no hint of a question. "No one knows more than me how much it sucks to lose family."
She continued to speak, and as she did, she spoke faster and faster in a voice that became increasingly strained as she started to crack.
"No one's…more intimately familiar with those oh so classic stages of grief than I am! I know your story, Rei; your circumstances couldn't possibly make it more apparent. Your mother died, your father is a bastard, and your Grandfather is the only real family you have left. You've already been left behind, twice! And it could have happened again last night, and might still, and that terrifies you!"
Makoto finally stopped to catch her breath, but also paused to get a hold of herself, emotionally. This was territory all too familiar to her. Then she looked at Rei again, much more calmly this time. She was about to speak again, but then a hand on her shoulder got her attention. She turned and looked at Ami, who had stepped up.
"Allow me," Ami insisted.
She stepped a stride closer to Rei than Makoto was and put her hands on her hips.
"And you're right to be afraid of might happen to your grandfather. He had to undergo a very serious procedure to keep his condition from worsening. Even though he's fine for the moment, he's now the one that needs to be taken care of. The only other adult around is Chad, and no one's going to even consider him as a choice to take over as the head of this shrine. Of course, they'll consider him before looking at a girl that's still in junior high. Takeshi Hino has a reputation to keep in the political battlefield, so you can bet that he's going to at least put on a show of stepping up as your father," Ami's tone left no room for argument. With that, she stepped back beside Makoto.
Usagi's face paled at the implication. Rei just turned away again, this time to hide her own worried face.
"Oh, crap, I hadn't thought of that!" Usagi cried, clapping her hands to her cheeks.
Makoto turned and looked back at her.
"That's right, Usagi, if Rei goes into the care of an important council member like Takeshi Hino she'll be under constant guard. Getting all four of us together will be impossible."
Usagi gaped. She looked Ami, and then to Makoto and Rei.
"Why didn't anyone bring this up before?" Usagi demanded anxiously.
"I kept hoping she'd admit it," Ami replied, pointing right at the miko.
Usagi stood, frozen for a couple more seconds before charging up and pushing herself in between Makoto and Ami to stand with them. She also pointed at Rei.
"Really? Really?! This whole thing can put a strain on the team and you're keeping that to yourself?!" Usagi shouted accusingly.
At this point, the anger and frustration finally boiled over and Rei snapped at them.
"And what are you going to do about it, huh?!" Rei roared. "You're the same age as me! So what if da…- Mr. Hino's secretary tried to collect me after school?! What are you going to do about it?! Well?!"
"That's not the point and you know it!" Usagi shouted back, in tears. "We're your friends and fellow Warriors! You should be coming to us with this kind of thing instead of trying to act tough when it won't do any good! We could have been putting our heads together about this an hour ago! What effects one of us affects the group! We absolutely cannot fight the forces of evil without you, Rei! Well, let me tell you what I'm going to do about it, for starters, I'm going to ask mom about next Friday, right now, and see what else I can think of from there!"
With that, Usagi stormed out of the room towards the abode's telephone. Rei stood there is frozen silence, left utterly speechless by Usagi's outburst. She hung her head and visibly wilted from the shame of it. She knew the other girls were right, and they had her backed up into a corner she couldn't get out of with a figurative solid right hook. She hesitantly looked up to meet Makoto and Ami's disapproving stares.
"…Sorry," Rei mumbled, grimacing under having to swallow her pride.
"I'm calling Luna. Maybe she's thought of something," Ami said.
She turned and padded over to her schoolbag to fish out her cellphone. That left Rei and Makoto alone to continue that little standoff. Makoto shook her head reproachfully of Rei's conduct.
"Do you seriously not trust us enough to talk about this willingly?" Makoto asked, sounding a little hurt and taken back.
Rei clenched her teeth.
"It has nothing to do with that…!" Rei tried to protest.
"I know your story, too, Mako. You've been alone long enough to know how it is," Rei said with great effort.
"Yeah, and I spent every minute of it hoping for a place where I wasn't alone," Makoto said, less strictly now.
She dropped her arms to her sides and stepped in closer to Rei.
"I'm sorry, Rei, but we're basically soldiers now. We stand between this world and those who'd do it harm. You can't keep things like this to yourself anymore," Makoto said, firmly.
With that, she turned and walked back to the table they were all priorly seated around, leaving Rei to her thoughts. Makoto sat on her knees behind Ami and leaned in to listen in on the call.
"It's not that easy for me to open up to others," Rei replied in her mind. "I've been alone for years with no one reliable to turn to. It's always been that way. I…I can't just change just like that."
"…Okay, thank you, goodbye, Luna," Ami ended the call.
She looked over towards Rei with a smile.
"Luna said that she's looking into it and should have a solution by the time we get back from our trip," she reported.
"What would it take to keep you right where you're at, exactly?" Makoto asked.
Rei cleared her throat.
"At the very least, a new head priest or an adult shrine maiden," she answered.
Then she coughed into her hand while looking away with troubled eyes.
"Plus, the new head caretaker would have to be willing to let me stay. Chad is already an apprentice, but it's entirely up to the person in charge if any children that were being raised here are allowed to stay," she explained.
"Right, got it. I can see the newspaper ad now. Help wanted: new shrine caretaker. Must be willing to put up with grouchy brat," Makoto cracked wryly.
Rei pouted and spun on her heels to put her back to them as she crossed her arms. Behind her, Makoto continued to cackle. Usagi came back into the room and looked around.
"What's so funny?" she asked, curiously.
"Nothing," Rei answered, or rather, groaned.
She turned back around to face Usagi.
"What did your mother say?" Rei asked in a normal tone.
"She'll stop by and help next Friday, so Chad will only be by himself for a bit after Kagura leaves!" Usagi proudly proclaimed, grinning ear to ear.
Rei hesitated to answer.
"…Thank you," she said awkwardly.
Before this conversation could continue, someone knocked at the front door.
"Who would that be at this time of day?" Rei wondered.
"Excuse me," she said to the others and left to answer it.
The person at the shrine's door has started knocking a second time when Rei came to the entry.
"Coming!" she called.
She grabbed the double doors and slid them open. She stopped dead when she saw who it was.
"Hello, Rei," the not often seen man said.
He held out Rei's favorite flowers, the Casablanca, in a bouquet.
"Mr. Kaido," Rei greeted, politely, and stepped back to let him in. She accepted the white flowers, taking them into her arms as her father's employee stepped into the shrine.
He was a tall, thin man with thin features. He had his black hair slicked back and glasses.
"Thank you," she said.
She held up the bouquet to get a better look at it.
"Welcome," Kaido answered with a warm smile.
He closed the door behind him and glanced around. He noted three other pairs of shoes laid out on rug just inside the door.
"Visitors?" he asked, looking back up.
"Yes, I have some friends over to study for tomorrow's exam," Rei answered.
"Ah," Kaido replied, and then looked Rei straight in the eye.
"Rei, I think you know why I'm here," he said, seriously.
She broke eye contact, and nodded.
"Discussing…my future, I suppose," she said.
Kaido glanced at the flowers as Rei took in their scent.
"Sentiments from your father," he said.
Rei's look turned cold.
"Don't give me that. You were the one who thought to get me flowers and picked out the ones you knew were my favorites," she said reproachfully.
Kaido bowed his head slightly as he cleared his throat.
"It was worth a shot," he said with a sigh.
"Anyway, come on in," Rei said, starting to a smile a bit. "My friends won't mind. I'll find someplace to put these, so make yourself comfortable while you wait."
"Thank you," Kaido said.
As Rei walked off to get a pot or something, Mr. Kaido took his shoes off and went into the living room. All three girls looked up at him from their textbooks, and Kaido paused, looking them over. He thought it strange that none of these girls were from Rei's school. He recognized Usagi and Ami's uniform as being from Azabu-Juuban Junior High, which his wife's niece had attended the previous year. He drew a complete blank on the origins of Makoto's uniform, though.
"Better keep this to myself," he thought. "If Mr. Hino knew his daughter's social circle included public school students, he'd make sure she never saw them again. It's been too long since Rei's had any friends, as it is."
"Hello," he greeted with a smile and a bow. "I work for Rei's father."
"He's my father's number one aide, actually," Rei said as she reentered the room.
She carried the tall ceramic pot which she had put the Casablancas in. She went over to the table where everyone was studying and placed it in its center.
"He's also the only one other than Grandpa who even remembers my birthday anymore," Rei added mentally. She knew all the presents she had received over the years that were signed as being from her father were actually from Mr. Kaido, same as the white lilies he had arrived with.
Kaido sat down on the couch and cleared his throat again.
"Excuse me, ladies, but Miss Rei and I have something very serious to discuss," he said.
The three looked to Rei, who nodded with a sigh. Usagi was the first to start climbing to her feet.
"Come on, let's raid the fridge," she said.
'Don't you dare!" Rei scolded.
She glared sternly at Usagi as she and the other two walked past. Kaido actually chuckled, looking at how easy it was to get her dander up over an obvious ploy. She huffed and walked over to sit on the opposite cushion from him.
"So… Father wants to put me under his "care", or rather, put me away until it's time to show me off as fundraisers, right?" she said.
Kaido was quiet for a long time. After mulling over his words for a while, he slowly turned to her.
"Yes, but I wouldn't go that far," he finally answered. "I'm sorry, but you're just not old enough to be on your own yet. Your father has no other options aside from placing you in the hands of another caretaker, and there aren't any that he knows and trusts in the area."
"Oh, so my father actually lets people get close enough to be trusted?" Rei asked, sarcastically.
That unkind comment slid right off Kaido's back. He knew all too well how estranged father and daughter were, and how bitter the latter was about it. He had also long played middle man from one to the other.
"Well," Kaido started to answer. He paused to keep how saddened he was that a father and offspring even needed a middle man to communicate hidden. "Truth be told, your father is not beyond negotiating a way that would allow you to stay here, but the prospects are just not that great."
"Can't you find someone to take over running the shrine just until Grandpa recovers?" Rei asked.
"That would take time, and frankly, Mr. Hino is not comfortable leaving you here with a sick elderly man and a single apprentice of questionable background," Kaido explained.
"Tell me, Mr. Kaido," Rei retorted. "When exactly did "Papa" hear that his father was sick and in the hospital?"
Kaido tapped his teeth together. Oh, he knew that question was coming.
"…This morning," he answered.
"Let me guess, you had to tell him," Rei said, angrily.
Kaido sighed.
"…Yes."
"Why is it that he only ever spares a thought to his family when you bring to his attention?" Rei demanded.
Kaido shrugged. He didn't want to make any excuses for anyone, so he told the truth.
"Mr. Hino is very passionate about his work and allows it to carry him away, from everything," Kaido answered.
He looked ahead and then back at Rei.
"You have a study trip as of this upcoming Monday, right?" he asked.
Rei nodded.
"Tell you what: you are free to stay here for the rest of the week and over the weekend. Then you go ahead and go on that trip with your friends. In the meantime, I will do everything in my power to make it so that you can stay. You have my word," he said, sincerely.
Rei was taken back for the second time in under ten minutes. On one hand, she was kind of surprised that Kaido was willing to do that since he was under her father's orders to take her away. On the other hand…
"That's right. When I was young, he often came over to check on Mama and me when she started to get sick. Even after mom died and came to live with Grandpa, he still occasional comes to check on me," Rei recalled several memories.
In truth, Kaido had arrived not intending to do a thing to keep her at the shrine, but seeing that she had friends now changed the scenario. He recalled a past conversation he had shared with Rei on one of her birthdays, a couple of years prior. Takeshi had arranged to have dinner with his daughter at a fancy restaurant, called The Rain Tree, but had predictably gotten sidetracked with his work and would not break from it. So Kaido took it upon himself to go there so that the younger Hino wouldn't be left all alone on her birthday in the company of total strangers. He had arrived with a bouquet of those familiar white flowers and a dress for Rei that matched them.
"Your father thought you'd like that dress," he had claimed to try to soften the blow.
Rei knew better, as always. The one who selected the presents hadn't been Takeshi Hino, but rather Mr. Kaido. There were just in the former's name. When she'd gotten into the dress, Kaido had this to say…
"He knew you'd look good in that dress. He'll be so disappointed he missed seeing you in it."
"Oh, stop it! You think you can fool me?! "Father" never wasted so much as a thought to his family," Rei had said resentfully.
"Heh, well, anyway, I know you would probably rather spend your birthday with your friends at school, but I hope this is fine," Kaido had tried to change the subject.
"I don't have any friends and I don't want to make any. I don't like people," she bluntly shot that tangent down.
"…I'm very sorry to hear that. I was under the impression that you were quite popular at your school," Kaido said, a bit shocked.
"They're admirers, not friends. Big difference. Do you really think I'd be friends with someone who kisses up to me just to get into good graces with a rich politician's daughter?" Rei explained peevishly.
Even worse was going through Rei's mind at that moment.
"Mama always believed in… him, and she was always so sad, and deathly thin. He only ever thought of politics. So Mama died alone well ahead of him," she was livid. "The only person I can depend on is me, and screw marriage. If I get what Mama and her Mama had, I am not wasting my life waiting for someone who will put a job ahead of me."
Back in the present, to say that Kaido was surprised that Rei had gone ahead and made friends sometime between her 12th birthday and then would be understating things.
"So when did you meet all them?" Kaido asked, gesturing towards the kitchen, from which several worrying sounds were coming.
"They came by the shrine one day," Rei answered simply.
Kaido brow went up.
"That's it?" he asked, a bit underwhelmed.
"That's it. They were just curious about the psychic miko they were hearing about and came to talk to me. Their interest turned into a friendship," Rei clarified.
Kaido grinned.
"An interest in you, huh? Good. So I take it they had no idea who your father was?" he asked.
"Not until after the fact, and even now, they still don't care about his money," Rei answered.
"Yep, I gotta make sure she doesn't get forced away from them," Kaido reaffirmed in his mind.
"What are they saying?" Usagi whispered to Makoto.
Both were leaned in as close to the edge of the corner as they could be without being seen.
"Sh! I think that guy's going to try to not have Rei taken away," Makoto hissed.
From the kitchen counter, Ami watched her friends with half-lidded critical eyes as she munched on an oreo. Usagi and Makoto inched a bit closer trying to eavesdrop, but then Rei rounded the corner right into them.
"Ack!" she jumped back in surprise.
Usagi and Makoto reeled back and stood stiffly upright.
"WE WEREN'T PEEPING!" they both shouted.
"They were," Ami countered deadpan.
Rei's eye twitched and she growled at them both before simply walking past over to Ami.
"Then you're the only one who is still uninformed," she said to her.
Rei leaned against the counter next to Ami and took out a snack as well.
"Mr. Kaido just left, and he's going to try to figure out a way to avoid having me moved elsewhere," she explained.
"That's great!" Usagi cheered, clapping her hands excitedly.
"Yeah…" Rei mumbled to no one in particular.
She sat up on the counter and looked at the group. Her hands were folded in her lap and she looked up towards the ceiling.
"Alright, alright, you were right. This could be a real problem, and I should have told you earlier," she admitted with great effort.
"Glad to hear it! But that's behind us, just don't it again, okay!" Usagi said.
"Promise," Rei muttered uncomfortably.
"Chad will probably be back to do his evening chores soon. Want to call off this study session short and go visit your Grandfather for a while?" Ami asked.
Rei looked at Ami oddly. Ami, calling off a study session? What madness was this?
"You feeling okay?" Makoto asked, approaching her.
She put a hand on Ami's forehead and another on her own.
"Doesn't feel like you have a temperature," Makoto said with faux-concern.
"Har-dee-har-har," Ami deadpanned.
Orion parked the car in the mostly empty parking lot near the edge of Tokyo. He rolled into a spot, put the vehicle in park, and turned it off. Mamoru had given him a call. He said he needed to talk with him. Orion glanced over to the other car that he recognized his partner's. He hadn't said what he needed to talk about, but it didn't take a genius to figure out that it had something to do what had happened the night before with not one, but two Great Youma.
"Hadn't seen that one coming," Orion admitted to himself.
Things had not preceded as well as Orion had hoped.
"I wonder how well I expected it to go," he had asked aloud.
Well, either way, Orion had some information to share, so he climbed out of the car and approached Mamoru's, which was parked under the shade of a nearby tree. The driver's side door shot open and Mamoru stormed out and stomped over to Orion.
"Hey, Kid, listen, I…-"
Orion grunted in pain as he was punched to the ground. He landed on his side, hard, and felt the air get knocked out of him.
"'Had something to check out'?! You piece of-!" Mamoru shouted.
This time, he punched his partner in the face, rolling him over. Then Mamoru grabbed Orion by the back of his jacket and hauled him to his feet. He spun Orion around so that he faced him and pressed him against the side of his car harshly. Orion blinked off the haze and then stared in bewilderment at Mamoru.
"Where the hell did you go?!" Mamoru shouted, furious beyond reason. "You knew that Aqua was zeroing in on a Youma and you just took off! Why the hell weren't you around?!"
"That's what I came to tell you," Orion replied, retaining his composer.
"You couldn't tell me what was so important that it superseded stopping the Dark Kingdom from getting one of their Youma back before?!" Mamoru asked incredulously.
"I didn't want to get anyone's hopes up, and besides, I thought that you and the girls could handle it," Orion replied, calmly, again.
He reached up and grabbed Mamoru's hand and gently opened the fingers. He noted that the younger man was trembling and how red his eyes were. He pushed Mamoru's hands away. Mamoru took a step back, allowing Orion to stand properly. The archer felt the wilt on his cheek.
"You pack a mean wallop, Kid," he said, chuckling.
Mamoru didn't see the humor.
"What was so important you couldn't be there last night?" he asked again.
"I was doing research," Orion answered.
"Research?" Mamoru asked skeptically. "On what?"
"Five confirmed Youma reincarnations," Orion answered. "Crane Game Joe, Reverend McCoy, Ryo Urawa, and now Hibiki Hino, and Reika Nishimura."
Mamoru still didn't get it.
"What were you looking for?" Mamoru asked, throwing his hands up.
"Anything that connected them or set them apart from others," Orion answered.
Mamoru remained silent now. His partner had his attention now. Orion jumped up onto the hood of his car and sat there as he began to explain.
"I found that Crane Game Joe had mild telekinetic abilities, which he frequently used to win crane games, thus his status as a champ who was able to empty out entire machines," Orion explained. "The Reverend had nothing special about him until I looked up his medical records. It seems that he was always unusually fast healer. He once recovered from a broken femur in half the time it would normally take."
"Ryo Urawa, as we well know, has visions of the future. With Rei's grandfather, it t required no research to discern what set the old Priest apart from others. His spiritual abilities as a Shinto Priest, an exorcist, and his ability to give blessings that actually work are unmatched by anyone, save for his granddaughter."
At this point, Orion paused contemplatively.
"That just leaves Reika, then," Mamoru muttered.
Mamoru's eyes trailed off to the side as he tried to recall every encounter he had ever had with her, but nothing came to him. He had never noticed anything unusual about her. She'd always been good at deducing things from the relics and fossils she worked with in her studied, but that was it. That's when it hit him. She was, perhaps, a little too good. He recalled an odd incident that occurred when she and Motoki had dragged him along to a new exhibit at a local museum. It happened when they were looking at the skeletal remains of a sabertooth tiger that had been found buried in a cave. It was in excellent condition, all things considered, except for its left hind leg, which was mostly missing. Mamoru had just chalked that up to the wear and tear of time on the remains until Reika spoke up.
"No, the leg as badly injured before death. He was abandoned and died alone and in the cold," Reika insisted.
Something about that had stuck with him. It was just so off to hear someone declare something about fossilized remained that had left undiscovered for so long. Mamoru was no expert, but he knew that the longer something remained lost, more and more of the evidence of its circumstances would vanish.
"Post-Cognition," Mamoru muttered with realization. "No wonder she always got such high marks in her anthropology studies, and she didn't know she was doing it."
"So that's it, huh?" Orion piped in.
He scratched his chin in an exaggerated manner.
"Well, Kid, that's five for five people with supernatural abilities. In the entire world, that leaves two other people with powers to stand out amongst the crowd, if the pattern remains true to the end," Orion stated with a crooked smile.
Mamoru snorted cynically.
"That still means that we have to sort a few billion people," Mamoru muttered.
Orion shrugged.
"Hey, at least we have something to look out for now," he responded lazily.
Mamoru nodded. As he shoved his hands into his green jacket's pockets, he glanced at the bruise on Orion's face guiltily and then turned away.
"…Sorry," he said, remorsefully. "You couldn't have know that a second Youma would Awaken last night."
"Don't worry about it," Orion muttered.
He hopped off the hood of his car and approached Mamoru. He put a hand on his shoulder.
"Your buddy's probably woken up by now. You should be getting back to there to say 'Hi', don't you think?" Orion suggested.
Mamoru nodded wordlessly.
Memories of the night before flooded Reika's mind as she slowly came back to consciousness. She saw herself watch the world while riding proverbial shotgun with Alkimia at the wheel. She had seen every rotten thing that Alkimia had done while hijacking her mortal coil. Even as her waking eyes stared up at the light hospital ceiling, she could see the spike stab Motoki in the back as if it were in front of her. She saw herself electrocute the one in red armor. She had nearly murdered the dark skinned woman while she was in her cat form. She saw the havoc the energy storm wreaked on the park and on who knew how many innocent people. She saw the relentless assaults she exacted on those Warrior girls.
Reika whimpered as her lip trembled. She squeezed her eyes shut as the tears began to flow. As she began to sob, a sharp pain in her side brought to memory something. She grimaced, her guilt and grief momentarily forgotten as she looked down at herself. She was lying on her back on a hospital bed hooked up to an I.V. unit and several devices that monitored her vitals. Her arm was in a sling and she could feel the bandages on her side and the one binding her head wound shut.
"That's right, when they…somehow, interrupted whatever that…thing, that horrible nightmare, was doing, she fell and broke a bunch of my bones," Reika thought as the pain took her.
She let out a strangled cry and immediately a nurse threw back one of the curtain dividers.
"Miss, are you okay?" she asked with concern.
"Where's Motoki Furuhata?" Reika asked weakly between sobs.
"Reika?" a familiar man's voice asked from beyond the divider on her left.
"Mr. Furuhata is right here," the nurse answered.
She pushed the curtain at the foot of the bed closed again and went over to the one hiding the young man in question from view. She pulled it open, revealing Motoki, also bedbound. He looked right at Reika and his eyes scanned her. He still looked pale and looked like hell, but the twinkle in his eyes that appeared helped alleviate the effect. He smiled, overjoyed to see Reika human again and in one piece. Battered and stitched up, granted, but in one piece and very much alive.
"Motoki…" Reika managed to moan out.
"Here, dry those tears, Miss," the nurse said.
The nurse pulled open a drawer and took out some tissues. Reika accepted them and dabbed her eyes with them. In the next bed, Motoki gripped the sheets tightly in his hands as he damned his inability to get up and take her into his arms. He turned to the nurse.
"Could we have a moment of privacy?" he asked.
The nurse nodded and stepped out from their 'room' of curtains. Motoki looked back to Reika, sympathetically.
"Reika, don't cry…" Motoki said. "It's over now. It's over now. That thing…whatever it was, it's gone."
That made Reika let out a particular tense sob. She shook her head slightly.
"No, Motoki, no, it isn't," she said weakly.
She turned to him with tear-stained eyes.
"It's still inside me," she whispered. "When that blue woman hit me with her magic, or whatever, nothing entered into me. It grew out from inside me and took control. When it was sealed, it retreated back into the depths of my soul. That monster that hurt you will be a part of me now and forever."
She turned away, looking disgusted. She was, at herself.
"Reika," Motoki said.
Reika didn't response, nor look at him.
"Reika, look at me," Motoki commanded.
"I'm sorry," she strained out.
"Reika, what happened to me was my fault. I knew that it was dangerous," Motoki said calmly.
This did make Reika finally turn and look at him again.
"Then why…?"
"Because those Warriors girls have killed every monster they've thought. I…I couldn't stand the thought of a world without you," Motoki confessed. He sighed as he realized it was too late to not to confess his feelings now.
"I never wanted you to go on that trip to Africa," he muttered, frustrated. "But I had no right to stop you. I still don't want you to go."
He smiled earnestly.
"I love you, so please don't leave me, and don't feel like you need to leave over last night. That creature you were born with inside you be damned. You're no monster, what happened was not your fault and I'll face Hell to prove it," he declared.
Reika finally smiled a bit which Motoki returned. Bedridden as they were, they had to make due being out of arm's reach, but they were together.
"…So that's the way it is, huh?" Hibiki hummed.
"Yes, Grandpa," Rei answered. She was seated by his bedside. She nervously fumbled with her hands in her lap.
"I thought there was something off about you taking a vacation to go 'study'," Hibiki muttered, scratching his chin a bit.
He turned back to his granddaughter with an uncharacteristically serious look.
"Good. Learn everything that you can from these people. You can't train enough or hard enough when the stakes are this high," he whispered to her.
Rei tilted her head to the side, slightly.
"Hmm?" she inquired.
Hibiki regarded her keenly.
"Surely you must know what the Entity, Metalia's goal is by now. You have faced three of my counterparts now," he said.
Rei nodded.
"Yes, a previous victim lived just long enough to tell us what Metalia really has planned for this world: to leave behind nothing but dust and darkness," she said, uneasily.
"Indeed. Was it that preacher from Scotland I saw on the news?" Hibiki asked.
Rei nodded and looked down. Shame over failing to save him still haunted her. Hibiki reached out, gently touched her chin, and drew her head back up, but she looked away with masked sadness.
"I suspect that this is more than I'm supposed to know," Hibiki mused aloud.
Rei's eyes returned to him and she nodded.
"Yeah, usually, you and Chad would have had your memories of the whole thing rewritten so that you don't recall anything vital," she said. "But for some reason, your minds haven't been tampered with at all."
"I thought as much. Information is a powerful thing and very dangerous in the wrong hands," Hibiki said, understandingly.
"Well, I don't like it," Rei said sternly, clenching her fists in her lap.
Hibiki chuckled.
"Perhaps you're right…" he admitted.
Then his expression turned darker and his brow became weighted with trouble.
"Grandpa?" Rei asked, concerned.
She reached out and held one of his hands, and he returned to the grip with a gentle hold of his own.
"Listen to me, my dear Rei," Hibiki said.
He gestured for her to lean in closer. He looked about to make sure no one was listening in. Rei turned her head to bring her ear in closer.
"When I was taken over by Jii-Oni, I tried to fight for control, but it was no good. So instead of wasting my time doing that, I thought to try look into his memories, since they were flooding my brain," he confessed.
Rei looked at him in astonishment.
"Really? What did you see?" she asked.
Hibiki leaned in close to whisper in her ear again.
"I saw that his mind is linked to his progenitor. I saw past his history as a wrathful deity to frightful primitive man and a bit into Metalia's. She roamed the universe in search of inhabited systems. I saw two of the planets she extinguished. One was populated by a race of blue dwarves with white hair. They fled into their caves and mines just to be followed by other creatures she birthed. I also saw long-necked red-skinned telepaths have their own minds turned against them. Metalia infected them and sat back to watch them tear themselves apart. Then she came to this world, and only silver light stopped her," Hibiki exposited in a disturbed manner.
Rei's eyes slowly widened to their capacity as she listened to him. She slowly turned to look him in the eyes. He nodded, indicating that he was dead serious. He reached up and turned her heard so he could continue.
"But my dear, that was not all. I not only saw things, but heard something, too. A word. It was repeated several times over like acolytes would chant the name of their god. It was uttered by many voices," he whispered.
"What was it, Grandpa?" Rei asked, both literally and figuratively at the edge of her seat.
"Chaos… Chaos… Chaos…" Hibiki chanted in her ear.
Rei leaned back, looking thoughtful.
"Sounds like Metalia's goal from what you've describe to me and what I already know of her," she said.
"More an ideal," Hibiki put in. "My Dear Rei…"
He looked up at the ceiling.
"Whatever is going on out there in the universe, I suspect that it runs deeper than even the ageless monstrosity that is Metalia, the true queen of darkness," he said, almost fearfully. "Humankind has long wondered what lies in wait up there, beyond our scope of vision, and I fear that much of it means to do grievous harm."
He slowly looked back down at Rei.
"But the silver light…" he said. "It is the only thing they truly fear."
In that moment, Rei realized that finding the long lost Silver Crystal was even more imperative than even she had thought.
"Don't worry, Grandpa, we spend every waking moment trying to figure out where it is when we're not beating down baddies," she answered.
"Good," Hibiki replied, and laid back down on the bed.
"Don't worry, Grandpa," she repeated. "You can just leave everything to us."
A/N:Next Chapter: The Black King; An Expedition into Darkness. The next chapter will be a break from Usagi and company, taking place entirely in Germany where we will be seeing what Slendy, Agent Elias Mathias, and the gang is up to. After that, we will be returning to our usual Usagi and company-centered programming. Enjoy.
Nephrite's lab and his ratman assistant, Lessart, were both last seen in Chapter 12: Dangerous Encounter (numbered Chapter 14 on the site) and Chapter 13: Recovery (numbered Chapter 15).
Mr. Kaido is a character from the original manga. He was in Vol. 19, Chapter 4, Casablanca Memory. How sad is it that Takeshi Hino knows less about his own daughter than the guy who works for him?
I have officially reached Chapter 50, no matter how FF dot net numbers things! Woot-woot!
