Chapter 6 - We Wear the Mask

Seiji was pretty sure he'd finally found the end of his tether when Ami put a hand to her chin, frowned, and then said "Oh, that's Dead-Man's hand I believe." Like she was mentioning it might rain on Thursday or the downtown express was being temporarily shifted due to construction.

This asshole wasn't even being subtle. He'd made it clear – he wanted Minako dead.

And Seiji was also pretty clear – he wanted this monster dead and in several pieces. Then maybe he was going to have Ryo incinerate those pieces. Rekka had been trying to catch his eye for a while now, but Seiji knew that if he locked eyes with Ryo, there wouldn't be any holding his temper back.

He'd already been a powder keg ready to explode before they'd arrived. Minako's recounting of her past hadn't done his usual clear-headedness any favors. The fact that this…monster had already tried to destroy her once and now was back for more? He was having a hard time staying stone-faced. This thing had manipulated Minako. Lied to her. Led her on. And then made her feel as though she could never be happy so long as she chose to protect her princess. Had made her feel that she was undeserving of love.

When really it sounded to Seiji like the guy had just been selfish. He'd wanted all of Minako to himself, and he'd wanted her to forsake her duty as Sailor Venus to protect the Moon Princess so he could have all of her to himself. When she'd refused to turn away from her duty, he'd come after her in earnest, in an if I can't have you, no one will bid. An actual partner would support her in her duties - respect those duties. The same way Minako respected his duties.

This monster had traumatized Minako badly when she was still a child in such a way that it had stuck with her for the rest of her life. Had impacted her ability to be happy. She hadn't said as much, but Seiji had an idea that what had happened with this...thing had directly led to some of the hesitancy and hang-ups Minako had had about her relationship with Seiji.

And Seiji was familiar with this particular sort of monster. Paranormal or not, they were fairly common. The Troopers had taken care of one or two that had tried something similar with Nasuti – of course, those had been the average human variety, not some kind of ghoul. The paranormal version of a stalker was much more dangerous and much more destructive. This thing was somehow back from the dead to continue its path of destruction against Minako. Seiji wasn't really sure how he was still holding on to his temper right now.

"Ok. What is a dead man's hand? Because any way you say that, it still sounds creepy and messed up," Shuu said in a tone of voice that precisely mirrored what was going on in Seiji's head. Kongo might open his mouth often enough to stick his foot in it, he might charge first and ask questions later, which was usually a problematic strategy in Seiji's opinion, but right now Kongo's lack of patience and aggressive nature were incredibly appealing to Seiji.

For the first time in his life, he felt like he understood where Shuu was coming from. And Kongo's obvious over-protectiveness over all their team was a welcomed balm right now. It helped Seiji to feel like he had someone on his side who totally got where he was mentally when it came to Minako. Although, Ryo had been right with him from the beginning.

Seiji finally cast a sidelong glance at Rekka. The dark-haired man was glaring at the playing cards as if they alone could give the Troopers everything they needed to hunt this thing down and end it. He was practically on top of Ami, his body angled protectively so he was right beside her as she studied their clue.

Ami blinked at them all and flushed slightly, but it was Touma who answered. "A dead man's hand is usually black Aces and eights – it's a poker hand." The blue-haired man paused, gesturing down at the cards that had been displayed on Nasuti's kitchen table. They had flipped the overturned card earlier when Touma and Ami had carefully opened Makoto's package, to reveal the Queen of Hearts.

Touma cleared his throat and continued, "The face-down card is never really specified, and sometimes it's not present. The legend is vague, but generally comes from the American Old West, and refers to a number of famous individuals who supposedly held this hand in a game of poker right as they were unexpectedly shot and killed. The addition of the Queen of Hearts here sends an obvious message, and we should act on it," he added, shooting a narrow-eyed, determined look in Minako's direction.

Beside Touma, Makoto was frowning down at the table, her hands pressed flat against its surface as she glared at the cards. Seiji had never been more grateful to the woman who had essentially ended the day's earlier ambush from this monster before it could even get started. Without a scratch landing on Minako. It was easy to underestimate the sweet and jovial Jupiter – to forget how strong and capable she was – and Seiji resolved not to do that in the future.

Though he did wonder how Touma dealt with that – with having a girlfriend that strong and capable. Jupiter was impulsive and often had little regard for her own personal safety, which, he admitted, made him nervous, and he wasn't even in love with her.

And trying to get Jupiter to acknowledge that she had limits was hairy at best. She might be mild-mannered, but try telling her she couldn't do something and she tended to Hulk out a bit. Seiji….gave Touma a lot of credit.

"We can't act if we don't know where he is. He was probably hanging out near my office, but if I'm not going to be around the building now he'll shift somewhere else. He seems very preoccupied with this play. The night he attacked, I got a phone call from him saying I was late for rehearsal."

Minako was looking both exhausted and defeated, which was another splinter stabbing at Seiji from beneath his skin. How many trials? How many things would they all go through before they got a bit of peace?

Also...this monster had been calling her?!

Rei pursed her lips, tilting her head to the side. "What's the play about again?" she asked.

Minako furrowed her brow. "That's just it. It's kind of a weird choice to be honest, but now I'm wondering about that. Ruddigore is about a witch's curse against a particular aristocratic family that falls on the male heir of each generation. In the play, the curse says that each heir must commit heinous criminal acts at least once a day or die in terrible agony. Most of the play is about how various male heirs try to find loopholes to get out of the curse – with plenty of romantic elements besides."

Ami tapped her fingertips against her lips.

"Interesting," she remarked. When they all stared at her, she flushed. "Sorry. I'm not sure what that could mean, but considering his love of curses, I find that an interesting choice. Not sure if it's more than superficially symbolic though."

"I don't really like where the symbolism is going, superficial or not," Rei said in a dark tone of voice. Beside her, Shin nodded his agreement, his face stern, arms crossed over his chest. While Suiko had softened since his relationship with Rei, Seiji noticed that he seemed much more battle-ready than he had been in the past, and he wondered about it. As a rule, Shin hadn't been very...overprotective before, not the way Shuu could be anyway, but since their final battle with Suzano-O, Shin had been...very protective. With all of them, but especially Rei. Which was odd considering how careful he'd been during their battle not to overstep his bounds with the straight-forward, no-nonsense priestess. And more curious still? Rei tolerated the change gracefully.

Minako groaned and rubbed her face with her hands. "You guys. It's very him. He was disguised as a famous idol and definitely enjoyed the spotlight when he was alive. He totally played the fortune teller too - that was part of his deal. He wants attention, and he wants me to play his game. Maybe I should just go back to rehearsals once they start up again," she muttered.

"It could be a good way to draw him out," Artemis agreed quietly from his place around her neck. "But I don't like the idea of playing into his hands. You've done that before – and while you managed to beat him, I don't think he deserves to have anyone play his games. He doesn't deserve the satisfaction," the cat finished with a growl.

Minako smiled sadly and scratched between his ears gently.

"No. I'm sorry, but no. You're not going to be bait for some sadistic monster stalker, it's not happening," Seiji snarled, glowering at her. He could feel himself fairly vibrating with pent-up rage and knew he'd have to excuse himself shortly to go hit something. Minako smiled at him weakly but avoided his gaze, ratcheting up his anxiety. He calmed only slightly when the rest of the Troopers nodded, their faces grim, and the Senshi seemed to agree as well. There'd be ten people and two cats looking out for her now. For the first time, Seiji felt his feelings toward Artemis tilt in a more friendly direction.

"Mina-chan, you were alone last time, but you aren't now. I know doing what he wants seems to be the fastest way to get to him, but I agree with Seiji and Artemis. We'll figure out another way, all right?" Usagi said sweetly, leaning her head affectionately on Minako's shoulder. She'd taken up position on Minako's other side in quiet support.

Minako closed her eyes for a moment, furrowing her brow, before nodding.

"Yeah. Okay Usagi-chan," she said softly.

"You can work here in the meantime," Nasuti said with a smile. "Your setup is still in the office," she promised. Minako smiled at her.

"Thanks Nasuti! Sorry to intrude," she murmured.

"It's completely fine. I like the company," the woman replied with a sweet smile. She clapped her hands together. "Let's break for lunch, all right? Everyone try to relax. We're all here right now, and I'm sure we'll get to the bottom of this."

Makoto's angry scowl softened into a worried frown before she gave Nasuti a smile and moved toward the stove with the woman. They began talking quietly as Shin joined them, helping with lunch preparations.

Ryo clapped a heavy hand on his shoulder. "Let's hit the gym, huh?" Rekka said enthusiastically, and Seiji nodded, following the dark-haired man down the hall to the workout room. Touma trailed them, passing them and heading into the office as they detoured off. Minako and Artemis followed Touma, but Seiji snagged her hand, pausing before he followed Ryo.

"Are you ok?" he asked her softly. She frowned, hesitant to meet his eyes for a moment. She bit her lip.

"Mina-chan. Be honest," Artemis admonished her. Minako sighed, looking up at the ceiling before shrugging her shoulders. Seiji pulled her forward, wrapping her in a secure hug. He rubbed her back briskly, holding her against him until he felt her relax.

"I know this is awful, but we're going to figure it out," he reassured her. She bit her lip again and nodded, cuddling into his embrace. He pulled her in close, tucking her head beneath his chin.

"I know. I just….I don't like having this…..all….out in the open. It happened a long time ago. It's kind of….." she paused, groaning. "It's embarrassing," she finally whispered. "Part of me would much rather just deal with it alone but..." she cut off here at the look on his face and held up her hands, trying to reassure him, "I know that's not happening!" she rushed to finish. Seiji felt his anger boil up again.

"I appreciate that you don't want it all out in the open. But….you know that I don't love you because you're perfect, right? I love you because you're Minako. And if anything happened to you, I don't know that I could bear it," he told her. She nodded, but her eyes wouldn't meet his, glancing instead off to the side. The fact that she didn't answer him with an egotistical cackle and a remark about surpassing perfection made him worry.

"And I love you for your sharp wit and sparkling personality," Ryo cut in. When they both stared at him, he grinned, shrugging. "What? I thought we were all sharing our feelings." He put a hand on Minako's shoulder, his face determined now. "Look, Mina-chan. We're gonna get this guy, ok? Whoever it is, he's gonna be sorry he ever tried anything. Nobody's looking at you like this is your fault, all right? You're our friend and we're gonna make sure nobody messes with you. We got this. Let us have your back," he encouraged her.

She smiled at him weakly, and Ryo smiled at her gently in return. "Now let me get this guy in here so he can work off some steam before he goes on a rampage," he added, grinning again and jerking a thumb in Seiji's direction. Seiji growled, starting to protest. If Minako needed him, he was going to be here for her.

Minako laughed, to his surprise, and pulled away, reaching up on her tiptoes to kiss his cheek. "All right. I need to organize my space in Nasuti's office anyways. Go get 'em tiger!" she said, smiling at them with an expression that didn't reach her eyes.

Seiji furrowed his brow in worry as he watched her walk away, but then Ryo was yanking him into the gym, and Seiji knew better than to give Ryo anything but his full attention. When Shuu wandered in shortly after, Seiji realized they both intended to give him an afternoon full of distraction.

Which was kind of a relief, actually.

Seiji was tired of drowning in his own thoughts.