A Double Edged Sword Part 9
Only the Beginning
by
Sailor Janus
It seemed to take forever for the paramedics to come. By that time, Minako was a sobbing mess sitting on the floor with her knees drawn up as Luna and Artemis struggled to help their fallen moon princess. It took a matter of minutes from the time they heard sirens to the when the emergency crew rushed into the house. Unfortunately at the same time, both of Usagi's parents arrived home.
"Oh my! What happened?! What's wrong with Usagi?!" her mother cried out at the sight of her daughter being rolled away on a stretcher. She tried to rush towards the stretcher, but was pushed away. "She's going to be all right. Right?"
One of the men with light brown hair calmly replied, "It appears that she maybe very ill. We don't know from what though. Her pulse is dropping too quickly and we need to get her to the hospital as ASAP for some testing. If you would like, you can ride with us."
Nodding her head in agreement she turned to her husband. "What about you and…. Oh no! Shingo! H hasn't returned from school-"
Her husband placed his hands gently on her shoulders. "Go. I'll be with you as soon as Shingo gets home." Gently he kissed her and let go.
The mother gave her husband a sad smile then quickly followed the three men into the ambulance. In a matter of seconds, it sped off, the echo of the siren blaring loudly.
Unknown to the adults, a shocked and terrified Minako had walked out of the house in daze during all of the commotion, and was now wandering the streets, not even certain of where she was going.
"Minako! Where are you going?!" Artemis questioned the girl as he and Luna chased after her.
"To go call the others," she replied with no emotion at all in her voice.
"This does not look good. She is acting very strangely," the black cat quietly said to her feline companion.
Nodding his head Artemis agreed, "I think that situation was a little too much for her to handle. She doesn't even seem to remember she can contact the others with her communicator."
"Minako! Stop right there and use your wrist communicator!" Luna ordered the girl who turned and looked at them with a blank stare. Her blue eyes were now completely void of emotion, and her face was so gray, that she almost appeared to be the walking dead.
Luckily Ami happened to walking down the street on her way home from the athletic center. Swimming seemed to be the only way to actually calm her nerves anymore, and with how much was going on right now, the genius was going there everyday.
"Ami!" Artemis cried out when he noticed the blue-haired girl a few feet up ahead.
"Artemis, Luna, Minako. Is something the matter?" the senshi of Mercury inquired as she ran up to them. She had noticed the urgency in Artemis's voice and decided that something was definitely wrong.
"Usagi is being taken to the hospital! And it seems that Minako is in quite a state of shock right now. Can you please contact the others?" Luna explained rather quickly.
"WHAT?! To the hospital!? Right! I'll let the others know," Ami said as she quickly reported the news to the other sailor senshi. Once she ended the calls, she grabbed Minako's hand andraced down the street with the blonde in tow. "Okay, now let's catch a bus and get to the hospital fast! The others will meet us there. "
"Good luck!" Artemis called out as he and Luna saw them off.
*~*~*~*
Once again, Setsuna found herself in the waiting room. 'This isn't right. Whoever is hurting us, must know of our identities, but how?' With a sigh, the garnet-eyed woman took a seat in one of the highly uncomfortable chairs.
A few moments later Hotaru arrived looking very solemn. She only glanced at Setsuna, and then found a seat on the opposite side of the room. It wasn't that Hotaru was angry or depressed, she just had nothing to say and deep down was very afraid.
"So we're back here again," Makoto grimly said as she entered the waiting the room with Rei and a very stricken Mamoru behind her. They too found seats but really did not know what to say.
"Any word yet?" Ami asked as she and Minako walked into the room.
The others sadly shook their heads no.
Minako glanced around the room uneasily. "Um, I have to go to the bathroom," she quietly said as then left her friends with another word.
"Is she okay?" Rei asked gesturing to the blonde girl who bolted out of the room.
"She was the one who witnessed Usagi's accident I guess you could call it and apparently, she didn't take it too well," the blue haired girl sighed.
"You must be Usagi's friends her mother was telling us about," a nurse said as she walked up to the group.
"Yes, how is she? Is she still alive?" Mamoru urgently asked as he rose to his feet.
"Yes, she is still alive. Usagi had to have her stomach pumped because there was some sort of poison in her system, but whoever called for help may have saved her life. She's going to be weak for a few days possibly but other than that she'll be fine," the red headed nurse smiled as she told the news to the now very relieved friends.
"Can we go see her?" Mamoru questioned now that he felt he could breath again. The last thing he wanted was to lose the one he loved because whoever kills her might as well kill him too because there was absolutely no way he could live without Usagi.
"Her family is with her right now. But you can see her in a while."
"Any news on Haruka and Michiru?" Hotaru abruptly asked as the others looked at the girl who had been so quiet lately.
The nurse smiled once again. "They are going to pull through. There were a few complications because of extreme blood loss not to mention several pieces of glass and metal had to be surgically removed, but their chances look very good right now."
Everyone sighed in relief at the nurse's response. "So can we go see them?" Ami asked the nurse.
"Hmm, they aren't awake yet, but I don't see why not. You can follow me."
Happily, the group followed the redhead down the hall and to an elevator. The entire group boarded and rode up to the sixth floor.
Meanwhile, Minako finally left the bathroom. She wasn't sure why she went there to begin with only that any thoughts concerning Usagi were best out of her head. Slowly she walked back to the waiting room, which to her surprise was empty.
"Where did everyone go?" the blonde murmured, staring at the seats which once held her friends in confusion.
"Oh, I saw them leave for a girl's room. Usagi I believe her name was. Do you want me to take you there?" a pretty nurse with long straight dark hair with red streaks said.
"Sure! I mean if it's no problem to you."
"Follow me," the woman said, as she briskly walked down the hall with Minako at her heels. The hallway quickly became less crowded and darker the further down they went. Soon they were facing a rather large door.
"Um, are you sure they are in here?" Minako asked looking curiously at the door.
"Trust me. Go on in. They are waiting for you," the woman smiled as she held the door open for the blonde.
Slowly Minako walked inside. "Hello?" Suddenly the door slammed shut behind the now startled girl. "Okay, it was just the door. Um, why is it so dark in here? Ami? Rei? Mako? Are you in here?"
Carefully she walked further in the dim room. "Hello? Setsuna? Hotaru? Mamoru? Anyone?" the senshi of love spun to her left and noticed several long tables with strange shaped objects on them. "I wonder what that could be?" she said as she walked further in the room and suddenly gasped as the objects become clearer. Dead bodies. Screaming she ran back to the door and tried to open it but it would not budge.
"NO! Let me out of here!" the blue eyed girl cried out, pounding on the door as she began to panic. "LET ME OUT! You can't leave me in here!"
Minako turned back towards the center of the room in fear and then in the direction where the cadavers were. "It's okay, they're dead. Nothing is going to hurt you," she tried to reassure herself. A chill ran down her spine so she wrapped her arms around herself tightly. If only she hadn't watched so many horror movies.
"Mina."
"AHHH! Who said that?!" she screamed out as looking wild-eyed around the room but found no presence of life.
"Mina. We're going to kill you."
"Leave me alone!" she shouted taking her henshin wand out of her pocket.. "Venus Crystal Power!" To her horror, however nothing happened. She could not transform. "No! Work! Please work! Venus Crystal Power! VENUS CRYSTAL POWER! NOOOO!"
"Mina."
"STOP TALKING TO ME!" she cried out, tears rushing from her eyes as she covered her ears with shaky hands. Slowly she slumped to the ground, leaning against the door.
"We are going to kill you."
"You'll become one of us."
Minako at this time began going hysterical and started to shake uncontrollably. "Go...Away! Someone ....please help me!" she shouted in between gasps of breath as she pounded her head against the door. Suddenly, the dead bodies rose from their sheets. The poor blonde teenager could only helplessly watch, trembling in terror.
*~*~*~*
"Haruka! You're awake," Rei cheerfully said as the shorthaired blonde weakly nodded her head.
"Yeah, barely. Michiru is still sleeping though. Why did this happen? It just doesn't make sense," Haruka gravely asked as the others exchanged glances.
With a sigh, Setsuna looked at her friend and explained what she was speculating. "Well, after your attack, Usagi had one as well, but she was poisoned."
"What?! Is she okay?"
"Yes, she had to have her stomach pumped but I have a feeling that whoever did this to her were the same ones that put that bomb in your car. The bad thing about this is that it implies whoever tried to kill you three probably know our identities."
"You mean they know we are sailor senshi?" Raye interjected as she stared at the tall woman who sadly nodded.
"Yes, and I'm afraid that we all are in grave danger."
Everyone was quiet as the startling news finally began to settle.
"Do you mean we are being hunted down?" Makoto questioned the green haired woman, her green eyes wide with fear and anger.
Setsuna nodded. "It seems that way so be on constant alert. Who knows when this monster will strike next?"
*~*~*~*
"Let me out of here!" Minako tearfully whispered as she began rocking back and forth. By this time she was drenched in sweat and whatever makeup she previously wore was now gone due to the combination of sweat and tears.
The cadavers were now coming closer. The usually cheerful blonde wanted to scream with all her might but found she no longer had a voice as she continued to rock back and forth, her knees drawn up to her chest.
"Mina."*~*~*~*
"I wonder what is taking Minako so long?" Ami said as her thoughts traveled to the blonde who appeared to have not been herself from the moment she saw the girl when Luna and Artemis had told her the news on Usagi.
"Maybe she just needs to collect her thoughts a little. She did witness Usagi pass out and probably freaked thinking she was dead," Rei thoughtfully replied as she swung her dark hair off her shoulder.
"Hotaru," Haruka said as she looked at the girl who seemed to be quieter than usual.
"Huh?" the violet-eyed girl jumped as she looked at the woman in the hospital bed.
"Are you okay? You haven't said much of anything."
Hotaru briefly smiled as she nodded her head.
"If you think any of this is your fault, you are wrong. We were not arguing about you or anything. Don't worry we'll get through this," Haruka said sternly as the girl once again nodded her head.
'But this is just the beginning,' the youngest of the group grimly thought. She didn't know where those words came from. It was like the thought was not her own and someone placed it in her head, almost as a warning. "I must go," Hotaru softly said as she turned towards the door. "Bye everyone and tell Michiru I'm glad she is okay." Quickly she left the room before any had the chance to respond.
"She has been like that ever since the whole thing with Deidera," Setsuna sighed.
"Maybe she just has a lot on her mind," Mamoru shrugged.
"I just hope she's okay," the senshi of time nodded.
Just then a dark haired nurse entered the room. "Visiting hours are now over. You can come again tomorrow." The group nodded then quickly said their goodbyes.
"We're glad you two are okay," Rei said as she said goodbye.
"Get well soon!" Makoto added as she waved.
"Take care," Setsuna softly said, as Mamoru waved goodbye.
"We will see you tomorrow," Ami smiled as she followed the others out.
"Do you think we can see Usagi?" Mamoru asked as they walked down the narrow hall.
"I hope so, I really miss meatball head!" Rei said they tried to find the location of the receptionist's desk.
Makoto nodded in agreement then paused. "I wonder what is keeping Minako?" she asked, now feeling a little concerned for her friend.
"Maybe she went home," Setsuna shrugged as they took the elevator down to the ground floor.
"But that wouldn't be like her to not tell anyone," Ami pointed out as Rei gasped with fear.
"Do you think someone got her?!" Rei said as the others began looking nervous.
*~*~*~*
Haruka slowly began to doze off when she heard the door softly open. 'Must be another nurse checking up on us,' she thought keeping her eyes closed. Suddenly, something felt very wrong. Abruptly she opened her eyes and turned to the bed where Michiru was and gasped. A nurse was trying to smother the aqua haired woman with a pillow!
"Michiru! What are you doing?!" Haruka said looking very outraged.
"I'm finishing what I started," the woman said as her golden eyes glittered.
"You! Leave her alone!"
At this time Michiru stared to wake up and looked very frightened. "MMMPH! HARUKA!" she managed to say as her words her muffled. With all her strength she brought her hands up to her face, trying to fight the woman off her by pushing against the pillow.
"I will. Once she is dead," the dark haired woman matter of factly said as she put more force on the senshi of the sea.
This angered the blonde to no degree as she tried to get out of her bed so she could tackle the woman attempting to kill Michiru. However just as Haruka placed her feet on the cold tile floor she cried out in pain and doubled over, holding her stomach.
"Oh dear. You hurt yourself and will probably end up bleeding to death. What a shame. Those darn stitches can be so tricky," the woman cackled as Michiru's defense began to weaken.
"Why?! Why are you doing this to us?!" Haruka asked through gritted teeth as her hospital gown slowly became stained with blood.
"Because I have to exterminate you insipid Sailor Senshi. The bomb was genius really. Two for the price of one," the woman smirked as Michiru fell limp on the bed. "Oh dear. I think I broke her."
"You witch! I am going to kill you!" Haruka shouted as she cringed in pain.
"Empty threat. I'll let you finish what you have started. Of course that ruins my fun, but oh well. Bye bye for now," the woman whispered as she walked out of the room.
"MICHIRU! NOOOOO!" Haruka screamed out, sobbing on the floor. After a brief second, she took a deep breath then screamed at the top of her lungs, "SOMEONE HELP ME!"