Cosmic Warriors

Disclaimer: All non-orignial characters in this story are copyrighted to Naoko Takeuchi and Toei respectively. I also do not own the mythological beings you'll read about through the story.

Note: Thank you to WeirdRaptor and ericaphoenix16 for reviewing. Thank you to fco ala for adding the story to your favorites. Thank you to Princessa de la luna for following the story.

A little soon for another chapter, but, as it rarely happens, I finished chapters 52, 53, and 54 all within the same day, so here we go. Enjoy!


Chapter Fifty Three – Lunatic


Friday December 4, 9:14 PM Keio University, Mita, Minato City, Tokyo, Japan

Several buildings on Keio University's campus were aside for specific purposes; a few belonged to the faculty to be used for professor offices. Another had once been used as a dormitory for foreign students, that building had since been converted into offices and bedrooms for the Silver Guard.

Artemis strolled down the first floor hallway of the three story building before he rapped on a door near the end of the hall. He waited as the locks clicked opened on the other side before the stout figure of Agent Hino appeared through the door opening.

"Artemis! Welcome, come in." he greeted.

Artemis smiled and stepped inside as the door opened. "Thank you. How are you feeling, Saburo?"

"Better than I should I suppose." Saburo said as he closed the door. "Still sore from the beating I took, but if you're wondering about whether I feel in control, then the answer is yes."

"Yes, that was the true question. We're keeping an eye on all the hosts to make sure the seal remains strong." Artemis took a seat at the desk in the room while Saburo hobbled to the bed. "I also came to talk to you about Rei."

"I'm so very proud that she was awakened as a Warrior." Saburo said. "Though I'm sure she'll use this as an excuse to get out of her chores, but I won't complain."

"We're all very happy about that." Artemis said. "Did you really not know what she really was?"

Saburo shook his head and sighed, contently. "I always knew she was meant for greatness, but to this extent, no. How long have you known?"

"A little over a month, though it was mostly a hunch." Artemis replied. "Like Minako she was a trump card. A Warrior we already were aware of and could awaken at a moment's notice should we need to. Luna and I figured it would be best to get the searching out of the way first before we relied on our sure bets. But we're up to four Warriors now and we have our eyes on the fifth, so everything seems to be working out."

"I wonder for how long." Saburo said as he reached under his pillow. He pulled back on a crumpled envelop that had already been opened. "This was a letter I received from Rei's father. He intends to file for full custody of Rei again."

Artemis grabbed the enveloped and quickly tore out its contents. "You're going to fight it aren't you?" he asked as he unfolded the pages inside and skimmed.

"I'll do my best." Saburo said. "But they are her parents and they are in the right position to get her back."

"I thought Takashi's constant traveling was an issue for the courts." Artemis said.

"He's purchased a villa in the countryside that he is claiming as a permanent address." Saburo said. "I'll bet he's never even stepped foot inside."

"Why the aggression?"

"He's a weasel!"

Artemis chortled as he folded the papers and slipped them back into the envelop. "No, not you. I meant why is Takashi so hell bent on getting Rei back? He and Risa dumped Rei on you."

"I'm not sure, but I know he has information about the happenings in Tokyo." Saburo said. "He's going to use it as evidence as to why Rei should be put back under their care and move to the countryside."

"Rei is your biological granddaughter, why doesn't Risa stand up to her husband?" Artemis asked. "Or does she agree with it?"

"My daughter's always wanted what's best for Rei." Saburo said. "But I'm not sure she knows what that is anymore. Takashi traveled so he convinced her leaving Rei with me was best and now that Tokyo is becoming a war zone he's convinced her that Rei is safest with them."

"But if Risa and you fight the custody order then Rei could remain with you." Artemis said.

"I suppose." Saburo said and shrugged. "But good luck convincing her to go against Takashi."

"If this had happened a few weeks ago I might not have minded." Saburo said. "Rei does deserve a normal life, but as a Cosmic Warrior she has responsibilities, responsibilities she needs to be here to handle."

"Speaking of responsibilities." Artemis said as he placed the envelop on the desk. "I'm sorry to say, but for your and Rei's safety you won't be allowed to move back into the Shrine."

"What?"

"The Dark Kingdom took you from your home which now is the home of a Cosmic Warrior." Artemis said. "It isn't safe for you or Rei to be there now."

"The Shrine is more than just our home!" Saburo snapped. "People depend on the Shrine!"

Artemis held his hands up in defense. "I told Mani this, but the safety of our people supersedes that. You and Rei will have to live here until we can be sure the threat is gone. You'll have escorts whenever you need to leave headquarters."

"What about Yuichirou?" Saburo asked.

"Two Agents paid him a visit this morning." Artemis said. "We're running a story on the news about the murder investigation being extended and thus the Shrine will be closed until further notice. We've put Yuichirou up at a nearby hotel with compensation. I know this isn't ideal, but we can't take the risk."

Saburo's head dropped and he sighed. "I understand."

"Have you told Rei about this?" Artemis asked as he nodded to the letter.

"Not yet. Haven't had the time. Luna's been stopping by everyday to work with Rei on her powers and when she's not here Rei is fussing over my health." Saburo said. "Haven't found a moment to break it to her."

"She's just worried about you." Artemis said softly as he looked to his hands.

"I don't need to be fussed over!" Saburo said. "I don't feel nearly as old as I look."

At the mention of age Artemis looked up and began to trace Saburo's aged face into his memory; each line, crease, and wrinkle. "You know, I envy you."

Saburo's small eyes opened slightly larger at Artemis. "How so?"

"It has to be a rewarding feeling to watch your children grow up and live their lives." Artemis said. "And then you get to do the same with Rei, watch her grow and become a woman." Artemis blinked rapidly before he dropped his head and fiddled with his fingers. "I can't tell you the pain I feel whenever I so much as glance into a mirror."

"Well with a face as ugly as yours I'm not surprised!" Saburo bellowed.

Artemis managed a smirk, but it fell quickly. "I've tried to change my hair, my style, everything to make a change. But all I see is the same face that hasn't aged a day."

"You've done some great things in your lifetime." Saburo said. "I look at you and think how it must feel to live so many lives and do so many things."

Artemis shook his head as he sat up and brushed back his white hair. "It doesn't compare to what I've lost. Love isn't the same if you can't grow old with someone. Did you know I was married once before?"

Saburo's eyebrows shot up and surprise. "No, I didn't."

"Once the Silver Millennium was over we all given another life. We were born to new parents, given new names, lived new lives. I was born into a noble house in the 14th century and had fallen in love with a woman named Isabella. She was ten years my senior, but I didn't care. We wed and traveled the country side of Ireland for years before settling down. I discovered later, through the Council, the depth of immortality. Our reborn bodies are very much human, they retain no memories of our past lives or any of the benefits, until we reach the age we were given immortality at."

"What was that age for you?" Saburo asked softly.

"26." Artemis said. "I became an official advisor to Queen Serenity at 25 and days later on my birthday I was granted immortality. In 1475, on my 26th birthday I recovered the memories of my past life. My days on Mau, meeting Luna, moving to the Moon, the destruction, everything. From that day on I stopped aging while my wife, already so much older than me, grew ever older. I watched in horror as she matured and reached her climax and then began to age and wither. She had questions of course, how could it be possible that I never grew old, or sick, or tired? I never had the heart to tell her, even on her death bed. There are so many things I wish I could do with this endless life. I won't ever know the pleasure of watching life pass by with someone at my side until our time is up. I'll never know the joy of being a father, or watching my child grow and start their own life."

"You can't have children?" Saburo gasped.

Artemis shook his head and wiped at his eyes. "Our bodies are frozen essentially. My heart beats in a suspended rhythm and keeps my blood pumping, but the cells are frozen which is why we never age. What isn't frozen died off after a natural time." Artemis sniffed back before he shot up from his seat and wandered to the door. "Life would be too perfect if I could spend an eternity with Luna, raise a child, and watch them live on forever as well, wouldn't it?"


Friday December 4, 3:55 PM Fruits Parlor Crown, Azabu-Jūban, Minato City, Tokyo, Japan

"We're waiting on her mom." Minako said to Rei who sat across from her at the juice spot. Minako bit down on the straw on her drinks and sucked up her drink, careful not to smudge her lipgloss.

"What does Ami's mom have to do with it?" Rei asked as she swirled the remains of her juice in the bottom of her glass.

Sitting beside Minako, Makoto shrugged. "Luna just said to meet here after school and she would explain the rest."

"Wow." Minako said.

The other girls followed Minako's gaze to the far side of the room where Luna was approaching with a timid looking Usagi in tow.

"Be nice." Makoto hissed as she scooted over in the booth.

"Good afternoon, girls." Luna greeted as she approached. To create the most pleasant seating arrangement she took the spot beside Minako and left Usagi to slide in beside Rei.

"Hi Rei." Usagi said softly. "Welcome?"

"Thanks." Rei said sharply.

Usagi nodded before she looked down to her hands, the tension in the booth weighing heavily on her shoulders.

Makoto pointed a glare at Rei and then nodded to Usagi.

Rei sighed and rolled her eyes. "And thank you for helping my grandpa." she said. "We were in over our heads before you showed up."

Usagi's head shot up and a smile crossed her lips. "I'm glad I could help, even if I don't really remember any of it."

"You don't remember?" Minako asked.

Usagi's excitement dimmed down once she looked to Minako. "No, not much of it." she said softly.

"I'd love to get to why I called you all here, but this isn't going to work if you all don't clear the air." Luna said. "We're close to bringing all five of the Inner Court of Warriors together and we can't have strife like this. Usagi, would you like to go first?"

Usagi fiddled with her fingers and knocked her knees together under the table. "Well I don't really know what to say."

"Say what you're feeling." Makoto offered with a smile.

Usagi looked to Makoto for reassurance before she nodded and glanced to the other girl's faces. "I guess I'm feeling happy that we found another Warrior." she said to Rei. "And a little weird, this is the first time we've all been together in a while, since I kind of took myself out of the group."

Usagi paused and opened her mouth to let out a long exhale. Her shoulders eased down from their tensed position and her posture relaxed. "I wanted to protect Naru from everything and I fought so hard to find out what the secret behind Masato was and once I realized who he really was I felt like I failed her again. I knew he would hurt her, somehow, I just didn't know when. But in the end I couldn't bring myself to hate him because Naru accepted him for what he was. So I decided to fight for him, but that wasn't enough. He still was taken from her."

"We all tried to help him." Makoto said. "But that wasn't our fight, it was deeper than what we realized."

"After he was gone I wanted to be there for Naru, but somewhere along the way I realized she didn't need me. She had Umino and her mom and that was enough." Usagi said as she wiped her eyes. "We're still friends, but it's different. She doesn't need protecting anymore. She told me you taught her a lot, Rei."

"Just a few spells, but a little goes a long way." Rei said. "I wanted her to be able to protect herself, or at the very least hold off evil until the Guard could arrive."

"I was just tired of feeling like a failure. Like I failure Warrior, a failure friend, a failure daughter. I wanted that part of my life to be over so I could go back to being normal." Usagi said. "But it wasn't working, no matter how hard I tried to ignore it, I couldn't turn away from it. I saw the faces of people I couldn't help in my dreams." she said and clutched her arms as she trembled. "I realized that if I didn't want to be a failure I had to stop running. Minako, you said you waited for another Warrior to come along and I kept thinking about it. How strong you were the first time we fought together. All the things you went through before meeting us and I realized if I stopped cowering behind others, that maybe I could live up to your expectations."

Minako's face tightened and her eyes glossed over. "I'm nobody, Usagi, you shouldn't hold yourself to my expectations. I was just angry, I didn't want you to feel bad about yourself."

"But you were right." Usagi protested. "I have people depending on me and if they knew how scared I am all the time they wouldn't want me looking out for them. They wouldn't feel safe knowing I was there to protect them. That's because I don't believe in myself. I still think that someday I'll wake up and Luna will just be a cat, that can't talk. That everything so far will be a bad dream and that I'll go to school and come home without being in danger along the way. I'm done running away and being afraid, at least on the outside. I want to be a better friend to you and a better Warrior. I hope you can accept my apology, but I understand if you don't want to. I know I have to prove myself again."

"One thing you're good for is your word." Makoto said. "I know you'll be the best you you can be."

"I'm going to ruin my make-up." Minako said as she fanned her eyes. "I accept your apology. I want to apologize too for what I said that day in the hospital, it was no way for me to talk to you. We're supposed to be teammates and friends."

"I'm glad this worked out well." Luna clapped her hands together. "Remember girls, we're stronger together and we have to watch out for each other. If we start fighting amongst ourselves it only makes it easier for our enemies to tear us apart."

"So what's the deal with Ami?" Rei asked. "We're waiting on her mom's approval to test her?"

"There a rule in place that states if a child is in position to join the Guard and a parent or guardian is currently a part of the Guard, their permission is required first." Luna said. "We've expressed how important finding this final Warrior is and I believe Saeko understands, it's just a matter of time. Saeko is very protective and has high hopes for Ami, I fear she may see her joining the Guard as a sidetrack from Ami's future."

"How so?" Minako asked. "We all still go to school and have, somewhat active, social lives."

"Saeko wants Ami to become a doctor like her and that will require years of study and traveling." Luna said. "But so does working for the Guard. Saeko is fortunate to work in a way that allows her to split her time between us and her job at the hospital. If Ami is awakened as our missing Warrior it will become a lifelong commitment. I'm not sure Saeko realizes that and if she does it may influence her decision."

"So there's Jupiter, Venus, Mars, Moon, which planet does that make Ami?" Rei asked.

"More than likely Mercury." Luna said. "We've looked through our records and based on what you told me about Ami at the cram school last night I'm sure her powers deal with water."

"This is exciting." Makoto said.

"It is." Luna said. "By the way I've finishing booking our vacation getaway."

Usagi gawked at Luna. "Are you serious? We asked for that months ago! I remember very clearly it was the night we celebrated Mina's birthday. Luna it's December, we can't go on vacation!"

"You all have time off coming up from school." Luna said, waving off Usagi's outburst. "The island we're heading too is very warm, even at this time of the year. I promise you it won't be cold there." Luna said as she checked her watch. "I should get going, I have a meeting at headquarters. Rei do you need a ride?"

"Sure." Rei said.

Usagi and Luna scooted out of the booths and the girls began to say their goodbyes. Luna offered the girls rides home, but only Makoto took her up on it and the three women left. Minako and Usagi paid for the drinks and chatted aimlessly as they left the building.

As they walked away from the Game Center Crown's property Minako glanced over the Usagi and smiled. "You know Artemis used to tell me stories about the Moon Princess." she said.

"Oh?"

She nodded and pursed her lips. "All the time, I kind of got sick of hearing them honestly. But I think it was therapeutic for him."

"I can't remember much." Usagi said. "Only my suit vanishing and after that it's pretty much all a blur. But it seems like everything worked out for the best."

Minako turned a curious look Usagi's way. "No one's told you?"

Usagi shook her head. "Today is the first time I've talked to anyone. Luna came by last night, but we didn't talk much."

Minako gawked at Usagi and shifted in her seat so she was facing her. "Are you kidding me? Usagi!"

"What?" Usagi shrugged. "I talked to Mako at school, she told me about Ami, but that's kind of all I know. I remember flashes of things, but I can't really make sense of them. Once that new suit appeared on me it was like I blacked out."

"That new suit was the suit of the Moon Princess." Minako said. "I can't believe Mako didn't tell you this!"

"Wait, what?" Usagi said.

"You're the Princess we've been looking for!" Minako exclaimed, her mouth hung open in a wide smile. "Oh I'm so happy I'm the one to tell you!"

"That's crazy, I can't be."

"But you are!" Minako said. "Rei thanked you for helping her grandpa, didn't you wonder why?"

Usagi flushed and looked to the ground. "Rei never has anything nice to say to me, I didn't want to ruin the moment by acting dumb."

"The Silver Crystal turned you into the Princess and right after you transformed Tuxedo Mask, Mamoru, he turned into the Earth Prince. It was so romantic! Selene and Endymion, together again." Minako gushed as she clamped her hands together and hearts filled her eyes. "You used your powers and sealed away all those Demons!"

"Mamoru is...what?" Usagi said. "Mamoru is Tuxedo Mask? And a Prince?" she said, her cheeks burning as her frequent romantic dreams of Tuxedo Mask were replaced with Mamoru's smug face.

"I know why you don't remember anything." Minako said. "The Council gathered us for a meeting the other day. He said the Princess is supposed to be awakened in the presence of her Inner Court of Warriors. He said because we were missing one Warrior the Princess' spirit overpowered yours and will continue to clash until we awaken the last Warrior."

Usagi rubbed her eyes furiously. "This is too much! Mamoru can't be my Prince!"

"That's the part you're hung up on?" Minako sighed. "Just go with it, he's hot."

"He's also Mamoru!" Usagi cried. "I can't believe this! What else can't I remember?"

Minako hummed and tapped a finger to her lip. "Zoisite is gone. Ami was evil for a minute. Beryl has a new henchman. You carry the Silver Crystal now. I think that's it."

"Ami!" Usagi screeched. "Oh no, that means Luna was right all along!"


Friday December 4, 8:20 PM Ebisu Apartments, Azabu-Jūban, Minato City, Tokyo, Japan

Ami sat at the foot of her bed, waggling a pencil between her thumb and index finger as her eyes danced over the printed text in her lap. At the sound of footsteps outside her door she lifted her head to see her mother looking through her cracked door.

"Can we talk?" Saeko asked.

Ami nodded as she slipped the pencil into the fold of the book and closed it. "About what?"

"I told you you needed to hear the full story." Saeko said as she stepped into the room and shut the door behind her. "I've been trying to find a place to start and I think I should start by tell you about my involvement. I work at the hospital, yes, but I also work for the Silver Guard. It's an organization that has been around for a long time, longer than you could imagine. It was created as a form of military for the planet Earth."

"Who created it, and just how long ago is 'longer than I could imagine'?" Ami asked warily.

Saeko wet her lips and walked slowly to the bed where she eased down away from her daughter. "I don't know the exact date, but before I go any further, I need you to keep an open mind, okay? You're going to hear things that sound like fairy tales and stories from mythology. I work exclusively with medicine because it usually keeps me grounded, but even still I've encountered things I can't explain. I'm going to tell you things and it's going to sound ridiculous, but promise not to doubt me."

"Please, just tell me." Ami said.

"It was created a long time ago, over 8,000 years ago." Saeko said as she studied Ami's face for disbelief. "There used to be a race of humans that lived on the Moon, known as Lunarians. They were ruled by a woman, Queen Serenity. During her rule she created a series of armed squadrons that she collectively named the Six Moons. It was composed of six Squads that acted as a personal court to the Queen, as branches of military for offensive and defensive measures, medical aid and support, research and exploration, and inter-galactic relations. But there were actually eight Squads, the Zero Squad and the Seventh Squad were things of rumor to most. The Seventh Squad was created for the sole purpose of protecting the Earth. Its members were dispatched during times of strife to put things back in order. Around the start of the first millennium the Queen separated the Seventh Squad from the Six Moons and sent them to Earth, renamed the Silver Guard."

Ami's brows sat high on her forehead, her lips curled at the corner into a skeptical smirk as her mother spoke. "Mother, humans cannot survive on the Moon. Mankind is making strides in space exploration, yes, and there are space stations, but there are no records of a civilization on the Moon. Or any evidence of the type of structures you would need to establish a castle or several branches of the military there." Ami shook her head as she opened her textbook again. "If you don't want to tell me that's fine, but you don't have to make up stories."

Saeko snatched the book from Ami's lap and hurled it to the floor. "This is a story, but it's not made up!" she snapped and aimed her finger into her daughter's face. "I told you to keep an open mind. I've barely scratched the surface of everything you'll need to know, but shut up and listen!"

Ami quivered under her mother's tone and nodded slowly.

"The Guard was well-known during that time, a time after a plague infected the Earth. But in the year 992 a dark force attacked the Moon and destroyed everything. It took all of Queen Serenity's strength to seal the evil away and to send as many of her people that she could to Earth. Those that came to Earth lost the memories of their past life and when they regained them lived in secret. The Silver Guard worked in the shadows and slowly gathered its members and eventually relocated to Japan where most of their members had migrated. I joined the organization in 1973, I was working in the field as a graduate student and was visiting Keio where I met with a man named Meness. We talked for hours about medicine and modern versus ancient practice. A few months later I was called by a doctor at Jūban Secondary General Hospital with a proposition to join their staff. Meness had spoken to the doctor and gotten me the position, which I accepted of course, but with it came a position at Keio, which turned out to be for the Guard."

"They tricked you into working for them?" Ami asked.

"Well, he couldn't have told me the truth up front, I never would have agreed." Saeko said. "But I was slowly introduced into it all and found myself enjoying my time there. I performed numerous observations, surgeries, and autopsies on creatures I never seen before, it was fascinating. The Guard had created a unique kind of medicine that caused human cells to work in an unbelievable way. Wounds healed faster, scars faded more clearly, even the most fatal of injuries for humans healed."

"I believe you." Ami said as she wiggled her ankle. Despite nearly being torn off by yesterday after being treated by her mother the wound had closed and all of the pain vanished.

"I saved numerous lives, the infant mortality rate for Japan increased because of the work the Guard was doing. With their permission I began to incorporate it into my work at the hospital, which I realized had been their original plan all along. Many illnesses were cured through the Guard's work and even for the ones that weren't cured, they were able to extend the lifespans of those infected in hopes that a cure could be found in future years."

Ami fingered back a strand of her hair and let out a soft laugh. "I can see why you enjoyed it, that sounds incredible."

"It is." Saeko smiled and rubbed Ami's knee. "That's the kind of work I get to do every day with them as part of the Division of Science and Research. There are other Divisions that all have separate responsibilities. The one you need to focus on is the Division of Warriors. It's led by Luna, the woman that hangs around your friend Usagi. She and a man named Artemis run the Division."

"What do they do?" Ami asked. "And why do I have to focus on it? The one you work for sounds like something I'd love to be part of."

"Because of who you are destined to be." Saeko said. "What you did at the Crystal Seminar last night, it was a sign."

"I didn't do anything." Ami muttered.

"I heard about the bathroom." Saeko said. "Ami, when the Moon Kingdom was still there a group of all female Warriors was created, the Cosmic Warriors. They were gifted with powers to combat darkness and after the attack on the Moon the Warriors lost their lives and their spirits were fated to be reborn into new bodies. The spirit of one of those Warriors resides within you, Ami."

"Me?" Ami gawked. "That's impossible."

"Open mind." Saeko's expression hardened.

"Right." Ami said with a nod. "But hearing you out about this is different than me being some fighter for the cosmos."

"I understand it's a lot to take in." Saeko said. "But the Guard is sure about this, they believe you are a Cosmic Warrior and are waiting on you to go to them to try awakening you. They wanted me to talk to you about it first, so that if they are right you knew what you were walking into. I wasn't sure myself, but they've brought me some convincing evidence and what you did with the water at the cram school is only making me more sure."

"And what would I be walking into?" Ami asked.

"Well," Saeko said as she wrung her hands together. "it would be your responsibility, along with the other Warriors and the Guard to protect the Earth."

"From what?" Ami asked, exasperated.

"Anything." Saeko said. "That is the job of the Guard, the preservation of Earth. My Division is composed of two Divisions really, one works with technology and the other in science and medicine. The Division of Warriors works on the front lines to keep the planet safe. Another works with the public to keep other humans from knowing too much and causing a panic. And there's a Division that works in tandem with the law enforcement, it's a network system." Saeko rubbed her daughter's legs before she stood and moved to the door. "I've laid a lot on you. We don't have to do anymore tonight if you don't want to."

"That sounds like a good idea, I need time to process this." Ami said and pinched the bridge of her nose.

"If it helps, there is a library on campus." Saeko said as she opened the door. "An old library, not one used by the students, that contains records of the history of the Earth and the Moon and everything you would need to know about the Warriors."


Friday December 4, 12:04 AM 30 Thirties, Azabu-Jūban, Minato City, Tokyo, Japan

"Drink up." Mamoru said as he clinked beer bottles with Motoki.

Motoki sat slumped over in his seat at the bar, his long fingers wrapped around his unopened long neck. He shifted in his seat as a drunken man stumbled by and brushed against him, causing him to sit straight up. Every breath he took filled his lungs with air laden with tobacco smoke. "We're going to get thrown out." Motoki whispered to Mamoru. "We don't look 21."

"Maybe not, but our fake IDs do." Mamoru said as he took a quick sip of his beer. "Hey, I told you to make your beer last, that doesn't mean you're not supposed to open it."

"I'm too depressed to drink." Motoki said as he sat the glass down and scooted it away. "When is she going to call me?"

Mamoru rolled his eyes and sat his beer down on a white napkin. "You've got to stop worrying about Reika. I'm sure she's fine, she probably just needed some space. Doesn't she have some trip to Africa she's working on? You know those academic types."

"She's never ignored me like this." Motoki whined. "I'm worried."

"Why don't you take that worry and get it drunk?" Mamoru offered as he shook Motoki's unopened beer bottle.

"You can't get drunk off a bottle of beer." Motoki reminded.

"Maybe not, but you've got to start somewhere." Mamoru offered with a shrug of his shoulders.

Motoki sighed and decided it was time for a change of scenery. Seated at the bar all he had a view of was the handsome bartender flipping cocktails shakers and rows of alcohol shelved behind him. The wooden shelves were attached to a mirror that reflected his sour disposition of being dragged to a bar. Ignoring his sullen face, the mirror made the 30 Thirties look quite large. Although the bar wasn't technically small most of its floor space was occupied either by the bar, the stage where an in-house band played jazz classics, and then rows of booths that were stationed against the walls. The space wasn't taken up was a walkway from the entrance to the washrooms that doubled as a dance floor.

Motoki leaned forward in his seat, his eyes focusing in on a particular reflection. While most of the patrons were out of their seats, swaying along with the band's syncopation, one booth remained occupied on the far wall. From his distance, through the smog, he could barely make out that it was two women, both wearing long grey coats. Squinting so hard that his eyes were nearly shut Motoki realized one of the women was staring back at him.

Motoki shot up straight in his seat and raised his gaze to a bottle of tequila on the shelf. He furiously supressed the thought that his staring came off as bad as it seemed.

Mamoru nudged his elbow into Motoki's side. "See something you like?"

"What?" Motoki choked.

"You're blushing." Mamoru said and pointed to Motoki's face.

"Am not." Motoki protested and turned away from Mamoru. He felt his cheeks, they were warm. He slowly turned around in his seat, looking across the bar to the booth and quickly met the woman's gaze again. Without realizing it he began to stare again, this time trying to discern if she in fact was staring back at him, or perhaps it it really had been a trick of smoke and mirrors. The woman's head tilted to the side and the corner of her mouth curled into a smile and even through the haze her eyes managed to twinkle.

Motoki turned forward again and grabbed his beer, had it been opened he might have attributed the feeling of excitement in him as a result of the ale. But no, it was her, smiling back at him and watching him, purposefully. Though why it excited him was beyond his comprehension. He had a girlfriend, one he cared for deeply, and a random woman in a bar wasn't someone he needed to be investing time in. Even so, he quickly looked past the rows of liquor to find her again, only to have his excitement deflate like a balloon when he realized she was gone. The booth she and her company occupied was empty. A queer mixture of relief and disappointment flooded his system as he relaxed and slouched over onto the bar.

"Do you mind if I sit down?"

Motoki nearly fell off his stool and into Mamoru at the voice that came from his side. He whipped around and felt the anxiety smother him like heated pillows. The woman from the booth stood beside him, one hand resting on her cocked hip and the other pointing lazily to the stool. Motoki only managed to frantically nod his head in response. She nodded with a smile to Motoki and then over his head to Mamoru before she took her seat.

"Score." Mamoru hissed into Motoki's ear.

Motoki readjusted himself on the stool and glared daggers at Mamoru. Yes, the woman was beautiful. A pale and slender face with platinum blonde hair that cascaded down her shoulders, haloing her beatific face. She wore a dark grey trench coat with only a few of the lower buttons done that allowed her ample bust to spill out. Her hair's luster was offset by doe eyes and her lashes cast bladed shadows down her thin face.

"Were you leaving?" She asked as she turned to Motoki and crossed one leg over the other; her tempting thigh presenting itself through the slit in her coat.

"Of course not, we just got here." Mamoru answered as he clamped his hand down on Motoki's shoulder.

"Well, it's kind of late." Motoki nervously muttered. A thrill of excitement ran through him as he fought back a wispy smile.

"Late?" she asked before reaching a hand out to nudge his shoulder. "Aww, do you have a curfew?"

"No, it's just my parents don't know where I am and they worry easy." Motoki said.

"Well you're not here alone, they shouldn't be so worried." She said, harmless in the way she tilted her head to the side, eyes curiously examining him. "You two look like you're capable of handling yourselves."

Mamoru's eyebrows jumped as he swigged back more of his beer. "Did you come alone?" he asked in return.

She absently waved her hand in the direction of her booth and scrunched up her face for a second. "I came with a friend, well more like an acquaintance. She's a prude." A laugh escaped her lips, clear and carefree. She gestured to the bartender and a moment later a glass of water was placed down beside her. "My name is Chira, by the way." she said a moment later, eyeing him over the rim of her glass.

"Chira," Motoki repeated. "that's a nice name. I'm Motoki, this is my friend Mamoru."

Time became an irrelevant factor of the night as their conversation sparked. They passed questions back and forth about hobbies and odd facts about their lives. Motoki often laughed too loud at something that wasn't intended to be a joke, something he noticed whenever Mamoru obnoxiously cleared his throat.

While detailing his day-to-day duties at the arcade Chira finished off her water and with a wave of her hand two more glasses came. She pushed it towards Motoki with a sly smile. He sipped in between breaks from speaking and smiling at Chira. Their conversation seemed to run in circles, with one of them often repeating something they'd mentioned twice already before until Motoki sat his empty glass down.

Chira leaned forward and placed a hand on his upper thigh. "Would your friend mind if you left?"

A spider of heat skittered up the back of his neck while a put in his stomach ached pleasantly. Again, if his beer wasn't sitting on the bar, untouched and dripping with condensation, he could have attributed his reckless and carefree demeanor towards the alcohol. He looked back to Mamoru who had detached himself from the conversation and was now entertained by the jazz band's improv session.

Chira reached towards Motoki and her fingers danced against the back of his head. "Come with me. I want you to see something."

"Okay."

Chira pulled him from the stool, her hand tightly holding his as she led him from the bar and to the exit. They emerged in the bite of the winter night, but the cold didn't bother Motoki as his eyes were fixed on Chira. The woman glowed in the night, her skin and hair gleaming under the pale moonlight and her smile and eyes acting as beacons each time she turned to him.

Motoki followed, led by her hand, as they walked away from the bar, over cracked concrete and past bunches of dried grass and bushes, under a canopy of trees. The longer they walked the weaker Motoki began to feel, his feet tripping up on anything they passed before he clipped the heel of his shoe and sprang forward into Chira.

"Sorry." he breathed. "I'm clumsy."

Chira smiled as he pulled him close and moved his head to rest on her chest. "No worries, we're here."

He nestled his head between her breasts for a moment before he relaxed completely, hearing no complaints from the woman. "Chira." he murmured a few minutes later, when the wind picked up and rustled the tree branches aggressively. "Where are we?" He could hear something clinking beneath her coat, jewelry perhaps.

"Someplace special." she said as she pulled him forward a few more steps into a spot surrounded by trees, but with an opening overhead that let a ray of reflected light cast down over them.

Motoki grabbed her shoulders for support as he pushed off and surveyed the area. They were standing on a large rock, cleared of all debris and foliage for a specific purpose as the rock had been carved into. The carvings themselves would have gone unnoticed if not for a dark colouring that filled the ridges and made the inscriptions visible.

"Can you get down here for me?" Chira asked, her voice soft and her breath warm against his ear.

Motoki slowly bobbed his head before he fell to his knees and pressed his hands against the stone. He started to run his hands side to side across the rock, smearing some of the carvings.

Chira crouched behind him and her hands appeared at his chest and grabbed the zipper of his jacket. She whispered into his ear as she undid the zipper and pulled the jacket from his shoulders. Her hands ran along the bottom of his sweater before she took hold and pulled it off over his head. Motoki let his arms drop onto his thighs as he stared, wobbling, at the designs before him.

Chira reached inside her coat and withdrew a small dagger before she wrapped her arms around Motoki and pressed her body to his. She leaned her head against his and breathed in a sharp intake of air as she touched the tip of the blade to his abdomen non the left side. Her eyes shut and her breathing became labored, heavy and full as she clutched his body closer with her free hand. "Put your hands over mine." she breathed.

Motoki's clumsy hands raised from his thighs and covered over Chira's much smaller hands that clutched the knife. "Like this?"

Chira nodded, her cheek grinding against Motoki's. "Like that, don't let go of my hands, okay? Now, Motoki, look at the Moon." she said as she moved her free hand to the back of his head and took in a fistful of his hair. She gently pulled back until his face was tilted to the sky, the moonlight beaming down on his soft features.

With the wind moving the tree tops, as Chira pulled back on the knife, preparing to plunge it into Motoki's flesh, she failed to notice a distinct sound of someone rushing through the wooded area. As her hand came back down Mamoru burst out through the trees and lunged for them.

He rammed into Motoki and knocked him over onto the rock. Chira, her arm still around him, fell over as well and as her hand hit the stone the knife fell from her grasp and clattered across the rock. The woman was stunned as she rolled onto her back and pulled her arm out from under Motoki to see the intruder lunging across the ground for something.

Mamoru shot up and whipped around, brandishing the dagger at Chira. "Who are you?" he asked. "What are you?"

Chira's upper lip raised in snarl before her fingers twitched at her sides. "Give me back my knife, I have to complete the ceremony!"

Mamoru's eyes darted down to Motoki who looked so peaceful he could be asleep on the rock. His eyes then drifted to the rock itself and the carving. It was wide and made up of four C's that were rotated 90 degrees so that each opening face another. Inside the collection of opening was a large circle inside of which sat a triangle where Motoki had been placed. When he returned his gaze to Chira the woman was charging him, her arm drawn back to strike.

Mamoru darted forward and met her halfway. Chira's hand shot out and grabbed Mamoru's hand that held the knife while their other wrists collided. The two parties pressed against each other, each fighting towards a moment of weakness on the other's half before Chira took a step back and flipped over onto her hands, her legs flying out. Mamoru bounded back to avoid the limbs that came near to his chin.

Chira flipped back over and crouched to the stone before she charged forward and threw her arm forward. Something dark shot from the palm of her hand and Mamoru narrowed his eyes to follow the object in the night before he lowered the dagger to block.

The sound of metal hitting metal assured him the item had been deflected and Mamoru followed it as it flipped off into the bushes. His attention came back as Chira ran to him, but Mamoru twirled the blade in his hand before he swiped at her.

Chira lunged back, but Mamoru pressed her as he took large leaps closer to her, swinging the blade wildly each time before he kicked out and slammed his foot into her gut. Chira coughed out a lungful of air as she staggered back before Mamoru shuffled towards her and landed a punch square at her jaw.

The woman stumbled back before she stepped backwards into Motoki and fell over the boy. Without giving her a chance to stand, Mamoru straddled Chira's chest and brought the dagger across her throat in a wide slash.

Mamoru's chest heaved with each breath he took as adrenaline pumped through his veins. His heart throbbed away in his chest as he focused on the wound across Chira's neck. Something was moving beneath the flesh, wriggling its way from her throat to the opening the blade created. Mamoru dropped the knife and shot up out of fear as something black and curved emerged from the severed neck. It moved, side to side, wiggling its way free before the gash in the neck spread open and a bird emerged.

A crow, black as the night with wings laden with blood, took to the sky. Mamoru watched in suspense as the bird flew above the canopy of trees and vanished out of sight. His attention dropped back to the body as it began to decompose. In a matter of seconds, a body that was just full of life began to shrivel and decay into a long mound of sand and dust.


End of Chapter Fifty Three


Next, Rei is given the choice to leave the country to live a safer live with her parents and uncovers government plans for taking on the Dark Kingdom. Usagi spends the afternoon reconnecting with her friends and the Dark Kingdom pays Mamoru a visit. How will their altercation end? Find out next time.

Chapter Fifty Four – Taken