Title: Snake Eyes
Author: Hidden Angel
Email: hitoshichan@bishoujosenshi.com
AN: This was previously posted under an old author name. It -is- my story, just
under a different author name than before.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"Everything's happening like it should be, Mamoru-san. Your precious
girlfriend has just arrived," a woman, no more than twenty, purred into Mamoru's
ear.
"Fiancee," Mamoru bit out, and shook his head away from the woman,
causing his dark locks to scatter across his face. His hands worked feverently
at the ropes bonding them together, but so far was having no luck.
The woman pursed midnight lips and blood red eyes narrowed, a small
spark igniting in their depths at her captive's insolence. Her pale face was
momentarily cast into shadows as she spun, sending waist length black pigtails
slapping into Mamoru's face with such force they left red streaks across his
cheek.
Mamoru bit his lip to keep from crying out in pain. He saw the thin
trails of blood making their way down his face through his peripheral vision,
and immediately knew that his captor, at least, was not human.
"Fiancee, girlfriend, same difference. This is even better for us, now
isn't it, Mamo-chan?" the woman turned around and sat on Mamoru's lap, deftly
straddling his waist.
Mamoru lifted his eyes to meet his captors, and nearly looked away from
the cold glint in those eyes that seemed to reflect off of the blood dripping
down his face.
She smiled evilly, "There is one disadvantage to not telling you my name
yet, dearest," she whispered, running her hands down his chest and leaning in
close to get her point across.
"Oh?" Mamoru spat out, "Enlighten me."
"Oh, I'll enlighten you, and so much more," the woman said, and wrapped
her arms around his neck, pulling his face to hers. Her tongue made contact
with the raw skin and slicked upwards, slowly, as if drinking in every molecule
on her lips. As she continued to drink the blood, more and more poured out of
the gashes and she began drinking in earnst, a blood hungry fervor driving her
to the brink of madness.
With one last swipe of her tongue, she stopped, as did the blood flow.
Mamoru was now even paler than she was, if such a thing was possible. He looked
at her with glazed eyes, though they were filled with hate and contempt.
"One more step, my dear Mamo-chan, and it will be finished. You are now
a part of me. Time to make me a part of you," the woman wrapped her fingers in
his hair and pulled his face to hers once more, sealing the distance between
them quite effectively with a flick of the wrist placing her own lips on his.
At that same instant, the windows in the small room Mamoru was held
captive in shattered, and a young girl tumbled in through them. Her blonde
pigtails were streaked with dirt, and her face was ashen white. Her crystalline
eyes widened in shock, but Mamoru could not see her. She walked over and
attempted to push the woman off her love, but she found herself going right
through her.
As the girl looked on, Mamoru was drawn further into the web of evil
than he ever had been before.
******
Naitono Mitsukai* looked around warily, the dashed from her alleyway
hiding place, her boot heels making a soft clicking noise on the cement as she
ran. She knew she must look like a fool, in what she was wearing. The more she
thought about it, she realized she didn't know what she had de-trasnformed into.
Finally, she stopped in front of a posh apartment building and checked
her pockets. Sure enough, they were filled with credit cards and cash.
'Whoever did this, I'll have to find them and thank them for being on my side,'
she thought with relief, and stepped into the lobby, cat-like movements
announcing her arrival along with a flash of rare, yellow eyes. It was late,
and all eyes in the lobby were drawn to her.
She walked up to the front desk, "Naitono Mitsukai," she said to the man
at the front desk, "I,"
"Ah, Miss . . . Naitono-san! Yes, yes, we have been expecting you," the
short, balding man stuttered. "Your bags arrived earlier and are waiting in
your room. Here's your EKC*. Please, enjoy your stay as long as you're here!"
Mitsukai took the card from the man somewhat bewilderedly, but did not
let it show on her face. Checking the card as she made her way swiftly to the
elevator, she saw the number '3001' keyed on it. She literally punched the
number for the thirtieth floor and waited as the elevator took her to her new
home.
As Mitsukai opened the door, she was more relieved than shocked to see a
fully-equipped apartment at her disposal. She sighed in contentment and closed
the door behind her. Curious as to her own appearance now, she crossed the room
to what looked to be the bathroom and checked behind the door to see a
floor-length mirror.
The image that stared back to her, to say the least, came as a complete
shock.
'Will I ever get used to this change?' Mitsukai thought to her self.
'No wonder those guys in the lobby were staring at me!' She was wearing skin
tight leather pants and a plain black tanktop. As if that wasn't enough, both
were accented by a pair of black leather boots and an ankle-length leather
trenchcoat. Her pale face caused her facial features to stand out
extraordinarily well, and her snake-like eyes were shocking to look into.
'I look like something out of The Matrix,' she thought, somewhat
disgustedly. She looked over herself once more, consideringly. 'Though, I
*could* get used to this!' she thought to herself as she left the room. 'Now,
to find my bags . . .'
Turning down a hall, she went into the first room she found, which was,
thankfully, the bedroom. Apparently, someone had taken the time to put all her
clothes away so Mitsukai had no trouble at all finding something to sleep in.
After shedding her leather ensemble, she slipped into silk pajamas and slid
between satin sheets to begin a night of dreams.
***FLASHBACK/DREAM***
"Daughter, I fear what I must know is true."
Seventeen year old Princess Serenity stared up at her mother, her eyes
cold, blue slits. It wasn't often she let her temper get the better of her, but
this was too much.
"You, of all people, believe that fairy tale?" she exclaimed, rage
building up inside of her at being called from her friends for a foolish whim.
"It's no fairy tale, dear one . . ." the queen said, her voice lightened
with a wry laugh, but ladened with fear and denial. "It's a legend that has now
become real. You are a legend already, Serenity, and you have not had to do a
thing. Your soul is a pure one, and that in itself has the entire kingdom up in
arms."
"Mother, I do not wish to be something I have no knowledge about. Who
does? This is a foolish *fairy tale* mother! It cannot be so!" Serenity took
a deep breath, "What king has made you so that you cannot tell reality from
fantasy?"
"ENOUGH!" The queen shouted. "Whether you wish it or not, it has been
done! It is no fairy tale! Ask Luna and Artemis, they know of it too! They've
been around long enough to have felt the very residue of her power left from the
last time it was used!"
Serenity was silenced. 'Luna and Artemis are *that* old?' she thought,
incredously. "Wh . . . What?" she mumbled instead.
"I wish I could postpone it, my child . . . but it is impossible to do
so," the queen continued, her voice softer. "Just the fact that you have gained
that power is enough to warn me of the pending doom upon our kingdom."
"The kingdom will rise, no matter if I have the power of this 'Ethereal
Angel' or not! You will see! Take the power away, I don't want it," Serenity
hissed.
"Serenity, to take that power away now . . . would be disasterous. The
entire kingdom would fall apart beneath my hand because such immense power would
have no place to go. That, or it would kill you straight out."
"Then seal it away to a place where I can never access it again!"
***END FLASHBACK/DREAM***
Mitsukai was awakened by the incessent ringing of the door buzzer,
alerting her that someone wanted to see her. Instinctively checking the bedside
alarm clock, she found that it was already nearly ten in the morning.
"Wow," she breathed, throwing off the covers and reaching for the robe
she had placed nearby the night before, "That trip must have taken more out of
me than I thought!"
The buzzing continued, urging Mitsukai to hurry. "I'm coming, I'm
coming!" she shouted, and hurried down the hall once more to the front of the
apartment. After unlocking the slide latch and sliding her card through it once
more, she opened the door to find a *very* handsome man on the other side.
"Naitono Mitsukai?" the man asked, brushing black locks out of his face
to reveal sparkling lavender eyes.
Mitsukai scowled slightly at him, though she found herself captivated by
those eyes . . . "Yes, who are you?" she bit out.
"I am Jesse Hunter, the agent from Vogue? I met you about a week ago
down in Japan . . ."
A light, however artificial, dawned in Mitsukai's head, "Oh, yes!
Mister Hunter, I apologize I did not remember that we had an appointment today .
. ." she trailed off as she noted Jesse's amused look. "Is something the
matter?"
Jesse shook his head, "We had no appointment. You invited me to come
visit some time if I was ever in the neighborhood. I should be the one
apologizing for not calling first," he said, laughing.
"Oh . . . well then no wonder I didn't remember having an appointment!"
Mitsukai said, laughing. "Please, come in. Make your self at home! I'm afraid
I still must get dressed so if you will hang on one moment . . ."
Jesse nodded in agreement as he stepped into the cozy apartment and
closed the door softly behind him. He slowly wandered through it as he waited
for Mitsukai to return.
Meanwhile, Mitsukai was busy running over possible scenarios in her mind
as she changed, 'An agent from Vogue? Wanting to hang out with little old me?'
she thought, a small scowl tugging at her lips, 'After last night I don't
exactly find it hard to believe, but what power has been arranging everything?'
She tugged on her tanktop from the night before and quickly slid into a
pair of white jeans before exiting her room and hurrying her way back to the
main rooms of the apartment.
"Jesse, have you happened to had have breakfast yet? I could fix you
something if you haven't . . ." Mitsukai trailed off as she entered one of the
rooms she had yet to discover what it was. A number of pictures adorned the
walls . . . one of her, she was sure, but she was somehow . . . different.
"Mitsukai! A Kaiouh!" Jesse exclaimed, walking up to the picture of a
blonde girl surrounded by crashing waves. He trailed his fingers along the
frame as he studied the picture, "An original! Gods Mitsukai, how could you
afford something like this? Everything, already?"
'Already?'
"Kaiouh Michiru and Ten'ou Haruka are good friends of mine. They are
the ones who sponsored this trip out of Japan for me. It's only logical that
they would leave me with some things to remember them both by," Mitsukai
replied, almost automatically.
Jesse's eyes widened in suprise, "Well this is certainly a shock.
Mitsukai, I have a favor to ask of you," Jesse's abrupt change in subjects
through Mitsukai somewhat off guard, but not enough to not understand what
Jesse's favor was. "My company is having a dinner tonight, to discuss possible
fresh faces . . . my reason for visiting you today wasn't entirely . . . social,
I guess."
What Jesse was saying flew through Mitsukai's mind, and ignited a number
of thoughts. 'Not entirely social? What does he want and what does it have to
do with me?'
"I want you to come with me to the dinner tonight. As far as I know,
nobody on staff knows any possibilities personally, but when I saw you on that
beach . . . I knew you'd be perfect," Jesse continued, his voice now hinting a
somewhat softer tone. "Especially with those eyes," he brought up, "Those eyes
have a certain . . . mysterious attractiveness to them. You could have every
guy on this planet aching to know your story."
Internally, Mitsukai's eyes narrowed, 'Do I *want* every guy on this
planet aching to know my story?' a thought occurred to her, 'Do *I* even know
my story?'
Externally, Mitsukai feined suprise, "You . . . want *me* to come with
you tonight????" She exclaimed in shock. "You're kidding!"
Jesse's lavender eyes lit up as he smiled at Mitsukai's shock, "I'm not
kidding, Mitsukai. I want you to come tonight. I'll pick you up around
six-thirty, all right? Wear something formal, though. It's a fancy, very
high-class restaraunt."
Mitsukai nodded dumbly and followed Jesse back to the front door,
"Thanks," she mumbled.
"By the way," Jesse started, "What does your name mean? Your full
name," he asked.
Mitsukai was somewhat startled by this question and put her brain back
into full working order, "My name? You want to know what my name means?" she
asked, and laughed. "You know you are the only person who's bothered to ask me
that?"
"Well?"
"Don't laugh," Mitsukai said, still slightly giggling herself, "but it
means Heavenly Angel of the Night."
Jesse nodded and turned back to the door, "Good possibilities. I'll see
you at six tonight, Mitsukai. Be ready!"
******
Luna panted hard as she raced down the streets of Tokyo towards where
she *hoped* Artemis would be waiting for her. They had agreed long ago that if
something should happen to Usagi, they would meet together first before they
went to the girls with the news. The way news spread in Tokyo, Luna wouldn't be
suprised if the whole country knew about the mysterious explosion at the Tsukino
household the night before.
Reaching the appointed place, Luna stopped to catch her breath before
she looked around for Artemis. When she looked up, she was met with the gazes
of eight wary senshi and one worried cat.
"Artemis? I thought we agreed to meet alone!" Luna barked, her red eyes
blazing with the intense fury of being betrayed. She suddenly knew the whole
story.
They knew already. They had known all along.
Even more shocking . . . so had she.
"With each enemy that rose, the signs became more and more obvious. She
hid them from you well, Luna, but she couldn't hide the change from us," Artemis
said, softly.
"The scans you asked me to take of Usagi-chan showed that her entire
structure was changing, her entire being. That's what clinched it for us," Ami
said, "That's why I didn't tell you right away what I had found."
"I'd seen this in the sacred fire so long ago, before Sailormoon even
existed. I knew who Usagi-chan was because I'd seen her on the street, but I
never thought it would come true like this," Rei said, somewhat apologetically.
"That's why I was always so hard on her . . . so, maybe, it'd stop the spirit
from emerging."
Luna looked to Makoto and Minako, and they both shrugged, looking down
at her with sad looks. "We are so sorry, Luna," Minako said, and bent down to
scoop the black cat into her arms.
"You all knew?" Luna asked, aghast. "You all knew who she was, and you
never told me?"
The group remained silent, but their somberness gave away the answer.
Luna jumped out of Minako's arms and stood, back to the group as she thought,
'Why would they keep this from me? From her?'
"It wouldn't have done any good, Luna," Artemis said, his voice
strained, "If anything, it would have made it worse. We only noticed how
quickly she emerged in relation to how hard Rei-chan was on her a couple of
months ago."
"I have a few suprises of my own, senshi," Luna said, harshly, and
lifted her chin, "I recognized her power the very first time she held to it.
The very first time it came to her, she did not know, but I did,"
Artemis stared at her, shocked, but let her continue. He knew when he'd
lost a fight.
Luna, not noticing Artemis's and the other senshi's shocked looks,
continued in a heated anger, "When she began feeling this new power, she was
scared. She considered telling you guys, but I knew I would have to explain
things far before I really wanted to. Before she would want to, and she wasn't
ready to know yet,"
"She still isn't," a soft voice said.
Luna stopped mid-rant to look up into the burning fuschia eyes of
Sailorpluto. "What do you mean?" she demanded.
"She's already completed the change, but she has not regained full
memories yet. She's already the Eternal Kingdom's creator, but she has no
memory of her purpose," Sailorpluto continued, her red eyes flashing in concern
for her princess.
"I see," Luna said. "I know she recieved some reccolection of her past
in dreams before she left . . . I knew it, but I didn't want to believe it and I
figured leave well enough alone . . . I didn't want to bring on the change too
quickly."
Setsuna shook her head, "No matter what you would have done, it would
have still happened this way. The demon-child has already been released, and
someone has to be there to stop it."
The senshi had been watching the exchange between Luna and Setsuna in
silence, and once it was finished, they had no sense of what could be said to
lighten the situation.
"Serenity was my charge, and I sense her power even here. I must find
her before she destroys herself . . . and everyone around her."
"I'm free?" a small voice spoke up.
Setsuna and Luna both turned to the small girl who'd been hanging at the
back of the group. Hotaru.
Setsuna bent down to the girls level and took a hand in hers, "Not
necessarily, Hotaru-chan. Usagi-chan may not have recieved full power yet. She
draws from each of us. As we are a part of her, so is she a part of us. You
will know when you are freed," she said, softly as to not frighten the small
girl.
Hotaru nodded.
"I must go, now. Setsuna-chan, please . . . open a portal to the states
for me."
AN:
*Naitono Mitsukai=Heavenly Angel of the Night
*EKC=Electronic Key Card
Author: Hidden Angel
Email: hitoshichan@bishoujosenshi.com
AN: This was previously posted under an old author name. It -is- my story, just
under a different author name than before.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"Everything's happening like it should be, Mamoru-san. Your precious
girlfriend has just arrived," a woman, no more than twenty, purred into Mamoru's
ear.
"Fiancee," Mamoru bit out, and shook his head away from the woman,
causing his dark locks to scatter across his face. His hands worked feverently
at the ropes bonding them together, but so far was having no luck.
The woman pursed midnight lips and blood red eyes narrowed, a small
spark igniting in their depths at her captive's insolence. Her pale face was
momentarily cast into shadows as she spun, sending waist length black pigtails
slapping into Mamoru's face with such force they left red streaks across his
cheek.
Mamoru bit his lip to keep from crying out in pain. He saw the thin
trails of blood making their way down his face through his peripheral vision,
and immediately knew that his captor, at least, was not human.
"Fiancee, girlfriend, same difference. This is even better for us, now
isn't it, Mamo-chan?" the woman turned around and sat on Mamoru's lap, deftly
straddling his waist.
Mamoru lifted his eyes to meet his captors, and nearly looked away from
the cold glint in those eyes that seemed to reflect off of the blood dripping
down his face.
She smiled evilly, "There is one disadvantage to not telling you my name
yet, dearest," she whispered, running her hands down his chest and leaning in
close to get her point across.
"Oh?" Mamoru spat out, "Enlighten me."
"Oh, I'll enlighten you, and so much more," the woman said, and wrapped
her arms around his neck, pulling his face to hers. Her tongue made contact
with the raw skin and slicked upwards, slowly, as if drinking in every molecule
on her lips. As she continued to drink the blood, more and more poured out of
the gashes and she began drinking in earnst, a blood hungry fervor driving her
to the brink of madness.
With one last swipe of her tongue, she stopped, as did the blood flow.
Mamoru was now even paler than she was, if such a thing was possible. He looked
at her with glazed eyes, though they were filled with hate and contempt.
"One more step, my dear Mamo-chan, and it will be finished. You are now
a part of me. Time to make me a part of you," the woman wrapped her fingers in
his hair and pulled his face to hers once more, sealing the distance between
them quite effectively with a flick of the wrist placing her own lips on his.
At that same instant, the windows in the small room Mamoru was held
captive in shattered, and a young girl tumbled in through them. Her blonde
pigtails were streaked with dirt, and her face was ashen white. Her crystalline
eyes widened in shock, but Mamoru could not see her. She walked over and
attempted to push the woman off her love, but she found herself going right
through her.
As the girl looked on, Mamoru was drawn further into the web of evil
than he ever had been before.
******
Naitono Mitsukai* looked around warily, the dashed from her alleyway
hiding place, her boot heels making a soft clicking noise on the cement as she
ran. She knew she must look like a fool, in what she was wearing. The more she
thought about it, she realized she didn't know what she had de-trasnformed into.
Finally, she stopped in front of a posh apartment building and checked
her pockets. Sure enough, they were filled with credit cards and cash.
'Whoever did this, I'll have to find them and thank them for being on my side,'
she thought with relief, and stepped into the lobby, cat-like movements
announcing her arrival along with a flash of rare, yellow eyes. It was late,
and all eyes in the lobby were drawn to her.
She walked up to the front desk, "Naitono Mitsukai," she said to the man
at the front desk, "I,"
"Ah, Miss . . . Naitono-san! Yes, yes, we have been expecting you," the
short, balding man stuttered. "Your bags arrived earlier and are waiting in
your room. Here's your EKC*. Please, enjoy your stay as long as you're here!"
Mitsukai took the card from the man somewhat bewilderedly, but did not
let it show on her face. Checking the card as she made her way swiftly to the
elevator, she saw the number '3001' keyed on it. She literally punched the
number for the thirtieth floor and waited as the elevator took her to her new
home.
As Mitsukai opened the door, she was more relieved than shocked to see a
fully-equipped apartment at her disposal. She sighed in contentment and closed
the door behind her. Curious as to her own appearance now, she crossed the room
to what looked to be the bathroom and checked behind the door to see a
floor-length mirror.
The image that stared back to her, to say the least, came as a complete
shock.
'Will I ever get used to this change?' Mitsukai thought to her self.
'No wonder those guys in the lobby were staring at me!' She was wearing skin
tight leather pants and a plain black tanktop. As if that wasn't enough, both
were accented by a pair of black leather boots and an ankle-length leather
trenchcoat. Her pale face caused her facial features to stand out
extraordinarily well, and her snake-like eyes were shocking to look into.
'I look like something out of The Matrix,' she thought, somewhat
disgustedly. She looked over herself once more, consideringly. 'Though, I
*could* get used to this!' she thought to herself as she left the room. 'Now,
to find my bags . . .'
Turning down a hall, she went into the first room she found, which was,
thankfully, the bedroom. Apparently, someone had taken the time to put all her
clothes away so Mitsukai had no trouble at all finding something to sleep in.
After shedding her leather ensemble, she slipped into silk pajamas and slid
between satin sheets to begin a night of dreams.
***FLASHBACK/DREAM***
"Daughter, I fear what I must know is true."
Seventeen year old Princess Serenity stared up at her mother, her eyes
cold, blue slits. It wasn't often she let her temper get the better of her, but
this was too much.
"You, of all people, believe that fairy tale?" she exclaimed, rage
building up inside of her at being called from her friends for a foolish whim.
"It's no fairy tale, dear one . . ." the queen said, her voice lightened
with a wry laugh, but ladened with fear and denial. "It's a legend that has now
become real. You are a legend already, Serenity, and you have not had to do a
thing. Your soul is a pure one, and that in itself has the entire kingdom up in
arms."
"Mother, I do not wish to be something I have no knowledge about. Who
does? This is a foolish *fairy tale* mother! It cannot be so!" Serenity took
a deep breath, "What king has made you so that you cannot tell reality from
fantasy?"
"ENOUGH!" The queen shouted. "Whether you wish it or not, it has been
done! It is no fairy tale! Ask Luna and Artemis, they know of it too! They've
been around long enough to have felt the very residue of her power left from the
last time it was used!"
Serenity was silenced. 'Luna and Artemis are *that* old?' she thought,
incredously. "Wh . . . What?" she mumbled instead.
"I wish I could postpone it, my child . . . but it is impossible to do
so," the queen continued, her voice softer. "Just the fact that you have gained
that power is enough to warn me of the pending doom upon our kingdom."
"The kingdom will rise, no matter if I have the power of this 'Ethereal
Angel' or not! You will see! Take the power away, I don't want it," Serenity
hissed.
"Serenity, to take that power away now . . . would be disasterous. The
entire kingdom would fall apart beneath my hand because such immense power would
have no place to go. That, or it would kill you straight out."
"Then seal it away to a place where I can never access it again!"
***END FLASHBACK/DREAM***
Mitsukai was awakened by the incessent ringing of the door buzzer,
alerting her that someone wanted to see her. Instinctively checking the bedside
alarm clock, she found that it was already nearly ten in the morning.
"Wow," she breathed, throwing off the covers and reaching for the robe
she had placed nearby the night before, "That trip must have taken more out of
me than I thought!"
The buzzing continued, urging Mitsukai to hurry. "I'm coming, I'm
coming!" she shouted, and hurried down the hall once more to the front of the
apartment. After unlocking the slide latch and sliding her card through it once
more, she opened the door to find a *very* handsome man on the other side.
"Naitono Mitsukai?" the man asked, brushing black locks out of his face
to reveal sparkling lavender eyes.
Mitsukai scowled slightly at him, though she found herself captivated by
those eyes . . . "Yes, who are you?" she bit out.
"I am Jesse Hunter, the agent from Vogue? I met you about a week ago
down in Japan . . ."
A light, however artificial, dawned in Mitsukai's head, "Oh, yes!
Mister Hunter, I apologize I did not remember that we had an appointment today .
. ." she trailed off as she noted Jesse's amused look. "Is something the
matter?"
Jesse shook his head, "We had no appointment. You invited me to come
visit some time if I was ever in the neighborhood. I should be the one
apologizing for not calling first," he said, laughing.
"Oh . . . well then no wonder I didn't remember having an appointment!"
Mitsukai said, laughing. "Please, come in. Make your self at home! I'm afraid
I still must get dressed so if you will hang on one moment . . ."
Jesse nodded in agreement as he stepped into the cozy apartment and
closed the door softly behind him. He slowly wandered through it as he waited
for Mitsukai to return.
Meanwhile, Mitsukai was busy running over possible scenarios in her mind
as she changed, 'An agent from Vogue? Wanting to hang out with little old me?'
she thought, a small scowl tugging at her lips, 'After last night I don't
exactly find it hard to believe, but what power has been arranging everything?'
She tugged on her tanktop from the night before and quickly slid into a
pair of white jeans before exiting her room and hurrying her way back to the
main rooms of the apartment.
"Jesse, have you happened to had have breakfast yet? I could fix you
something if you haven't . . ." Mitsukai trailed off as she entered one of the
rooms she had yet to discover what it was. A number of pictures adorned the
walls . . . one of her, she was sure, but she was somehow . . . different.
"Mitsukai! A Kaiouh!" Jesse exclaimed, walking up to the picture of a
blonde girl surrounded by crashing waves. He trailed his fingers along the
frame as he studied the picture, "An original! Gods Mitsukai, how could you
afford something like this? Everything, already?"
'Already?'
"Kaiouh Michiru and Ten'ou Haruka are good friends of mine. They are
the ones who sponsored this trip out of Japan for me. It's only logical that
they would leave me with some things to remember them both by," Mitsukai
replied, almost automatically.
Jesse's eyes widened in suprise, "Well this is certainly a shock.
Mitsukai, I have a favor to ask of you," Jesse's abrupt change in subjects
through Mitsukai somewhat off guard, but not enough to not understand what
Jesse's favor was. "My company is having a dinner tonight, to discuss possible
fresh faces . . . my reason for visiting you today wasn't entirely . . . social,
I guess."
What Jesse was saying flew through Mitsukai's mind, and ignited a number
of thoughts. 'Not entirely social? What does he want and what does it have to
do with me?'
"I want you to come with me to the dinner tonight. As far as I know,
nobody on staff knows any possibilities personally, but when I saw you on that
beach . . . I knew you'd be perfect," Jesse continued, his voice now hinting a
somewhat softer tone. "Especially with those eyes," he brought up, "Those eyes
have a certain . . . mysterious attractiveness to them. You could have every
guy on this planet aching to know your story."
Internally, Mitsukai's eyes narrowed, 'Do I *want* every guy on this
planet aching to know my story?' a thought occurred to her, 'Do *I* even know
my story?'
Externally, Mitsukai feined suprise, "You . . . want *me* to come with
you tonight????" She exclaimed in shock. "You're kidding!"
Jesse's lavender eyes lit up as he smiled at Mitsukai's shock, "I'm not
kidding, Mitsukai. I want you to come tonight. I'll pick you up around
six-thirty, all right? Wear something formal, though. It's a fancy, very
high-class restaraunt."
Mitsukai nodded dumbly and followed Jesse back to the front door,
"Thanks," she mumbled.
"By the way," Jesse started, "What does your name mean? Your full
name," he asked.
Mitsukai was somewhat startled by this question and put her brain back
into full working order, "My name? You want to know what my name means?" she
asked, and laughed. "You know you are the only person who's bothered to ask me
that?"
"Well?"
"Don't laugh," Mitsukai said, still slightly giggling herself, "but it
means Heavenly Angel of the Night."
Jesse nodded and turned back to the door, "Good possibilities. I'll see
you at six tonight, Mitsukai. Be ready!"
******
Luna panted hard as she raced down the streets of Tokyo towards where
she *hoped* Artemis would be waiting for her. They had agreed long ago that if
something should happen to Usagi, they would meet together first before they
went to the girls with the news. The way news spread in Tokyo, Luna wouldn't be
suprised if the whole country knew about the mysterious explosion at the Tsukino
household the night before.
Reaching the appointed place, Luna stopped to catch her breath before
she looked around for Artemis. When she looked up, she was met with the gazes
of eight wary senshi and one worried cat.
"Artemis? I thought we agreed to meet alone!" Luna barked, her red eyes
blazing with the intense fury of being betrayed. She suddenly knew the whole
story.
They knew already. They had known all along.
Even more shocking . . . so had she.
"With each enemy that rose, the signs became more and more obvious. She
hid them from you well, Luna, but she couldn't hide the change from us," Artemis
said, softly.
"The scans you asked me to take of Usagi-chan showed that her entire
structure was changing, her entire being. That's what clinched it for us," Ami
said, "That's why I didn't tell you right away what I had found."
"I'd seen this in the sacred fire so long ago, before Sailormoon even
existed. I knew who Usagi-chan was because I'd seen her on the street, but I
never thought it would come true like this," Rei said, somewhat apologetically.
"That's why I was always so hard on her . . . so, maybe, it'd stop the spirit
from emerging."
Luna looked to Makoto and Minako, and they both shrugged, looking down
at her with sad looks. "We are so sorry, Luna," Minako said, and bent down to
scoop the black cat into her arms.
"You all knew?" Luna asked, aghast. "You all knew who she was, and you
never told me?"
The group remained silent, but their somberness gave away the answer.
Luna jumped out of Minako's arms and stood, back to the group as she thought,
'Why would they keep this from me? From her?'
"It wouldn't have done any good, Luna," Artemis said, his voice
strained, "If anything, it would have made it worse. We only noticed how
quickly she emerged in relation to how hard Rei-chan was on her a couple of
months ago."
"I have a few suprises of my own, senshi," Luna said, harshly, and
lifted her chin, "I recognized her power the very first time she held to it.
The very first time it came to her, she did not know, but I did,"
Artemis stared at her, shocked, but let her continue. He knew when he'd
lost a fight.
Luna, not noticing Artemis's and the other senshi's shocked looks,
continued in a heated anger, "When she began feeling this new power, she was
scared. She considered telling you guys, but I knew I would have to explain
things far before I really wanted to. Before she would want to, and she wasn't
ready to know yet,"
"She still isn't," a soft voice said.
Luna stopped mid-rant to look up into the burning fuschia eyes of
Sailorpluto. "What do you mean?" she demanded.
"She's already completed the change, but she has not regained full
memories yet. She's already the Eternal Kingdom's creator, but she has no
memory of her purpose," Sailorpluto continued, her red eyes flashing in concern
for her princess.
"I see," Luna said. "I know she recieved some reccolection of her past
in dreams before she left . . . I knew it, but I didn't want to believe it and I
figured leave well enough alone . . . I didn't want to bring on the change too
quickly."
Setsuna shook her head, "No matter what you would have done, it would
have still happened this way. The demon-child has already been released, and
someone has to be there to stop it."
The senshi had been watching the exchange between Luna and Setsuna in
silence, and once it was finished, they had no sense of what could be said to
lighten the situation.
"Serenity was my charge, and I sense her power even here. I must find
her before she destroys herself . . . and everyone around her."
"I'm free?" a small voice spoke up.
Setsuna and Luna both turned to the small girl who'd been hanging at the
back of the group. Hotaru.
Setsuna bent down to the girls level and took a hand in hers, "Not
necessarily, Hotaru-chan. Usagi-chan may not have recieved full power yet. She
draws from each of us. As we are a part of her, so is she a part of us. You
will know when you are freed," she said, softly as to not frighten the small
girl.
Hotaru nodded.
"I must go, now. Setsuna-chan, please . . . open a portal to the states
for me."
AN:
*Naitono Mitsukai=Heavenly Angel of the Night
*EKC=Electronic Key Card