By Wyvern
Rated PG
Kon'wa minna-chaaaaaaaan!! So, I'm feeling extra special happy today because guess what! I GOT ANOTHER CHAPTER OUT!!! *does a happy jig*
I'd like to send out thanks to Usa-chan for her constant support, Sailor Bethany for her ENGAGING conversations (;p) and to I Abide for his great reviews!
Okay...I believe that's it for today! *^-^* What. What? Oh...right...*laughs nervously* The disclaimer. Ah ha.
**********All of these characters belong to Naoko Takeuchi, Toei and Kondansha Industries. NOT me. *sigh* Fruggers.*************
That's it now...right? *gets a nod from the characters* Then on with the show!!!! Eh...story.
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The sun began to set on the busy city, casting a warm glow over the rather ominous structures that crowded the horizon. A wind off of the ocean rose up and lifted some his dark bangs, playing with them for a few extra moments before moving on.
He lifted his face to the soft caress, smiling towards the sea. Moments like this, where he was free to savour the quiet around him, were ones that he had sorely missed while at the hospital.
Perhaps it was his rather harried past, but an attribute that Mamoru had picked up somewhere along the way made his taste for a calm moment all the more powerful. Resting his elbows on the railing of his balcony, he pondered on that. 'I'm a fairly out-going person. I like people, I've been told I get along well with them. I wonder why it is that I love being by myself sometimes?'
Actually, not very often at all. Some days the silence of his apartment after a long day didn't appeal at all...but lately it offered the perfect environment for his thoughts to pool. And his emotions to sort themselves out.
An-almost fatal injury was something that could leave the spirit a little shaky, and Mamoru had had the sleep-less nights to prove it. He raked a hand through his bangs, letting his head find a bed on the new support of his palm. The silence was nice, but the sentiment was starting to grow rather thin.
The need was starting to become much more noticeable, and he wasn't sure how much longer he could rein it in without losing his sanity. On the days when the idea of going home alone had *not* been one that he favoured, there was always that second alternative. The arcade, where a ray of sunshine waited instead of a cold home.
But now she wasn't there. She *hadn't* been for weeks. All that was left was the cold again. He shuddered. It couldn't take over again. He wasn't sure just how he'd manage to survive if it did.
He didn't know why, and he didn't know how, but for some reason, the cold that was part of him for so long hadn't been nearly such a dominating presence even after the sunshine had left. A faint smile crossed his lips at the memory of first meeting her. The first day that the cold had started to recede. And would continue until....until the day it stopped it regression. The day that Usagi left.
All logic, that Mamoru could think of anyway, told him that the same despondent emotion should have flared back as soon as the opportunity came. As soon as the thing that had been the source of hope vanished, shouldn't despair have reappeared? It was almost as if she *wasn't* gone. As if there HADN'T yet been opportunity for the cold to come back. As if the sunshine hadn't left yet.
Shaking his head, Mamoru stood up off the railing and slid the glass door open into the living room. He tugged the back of his shirt back down after that same playful breeze had tried to pull it away from him.
One benefit to being at home most of the time at least was that he was aloud to wear what he wanted. Right now that described a pair of faded jeans, mismatched socks, and the first shirt he'd yanked off a hanger in the closet. Namely one of his white dress shirts, not buttoned up of course, 'Why bother?', and the cuffs left unbuttoned. 'The epitome of comfort,' he mused with a chuckle.
Perhaps the only thing that looked out of place on his person was the Ginzuishou that still hung from it's delicate chain around his neck. It hadn't been away from him since the hospital, and as long as he had anything to say about it, it wasn't going to.
Glancing at the clock, he read 7:23. 'Hmmm.....kinda hungry.' He headed for the kitchen and opened the door to the fridge. 'Milk....an apple and.....' he sighed 'old cheese.' Shutting it with a bit of extra force, the cup- boards were next. Nothing in the top ones. Well, nothing other than canned crap that wasn't what he was looking for.
Another boon to have a few days at home! Doing such simple things as reaching to a high cupboards was no longer painful. The crutches were leaned up against his bed- room wall, not used since a few days ago.
Running out of cup-boards, he finally came to the last one. 'Cereal! Cereal for supper?' After a quick check, there didn't seem to be much else. He was even out of rice!
'Cereal or apple....apple....cereal...apple....' Weighing out the options lead to the mighty decision of having the APPLE for dinner. So, he pulled the lone piece of fruit out of the fridge, and playing one-man catch, flopped down on the couch.
He turned it over in his hands, feeling over the smooth surface with his fingers. Really, now that he was almost, and as the Senshi reminded him quite often ALMOST, back up to full strength, that impulse to get outside was returning. He bit into the apple. Tomorrow I think I'll go and visit the arcade. See how Motoki's doing.
Mamoru wasn't going to deny it, his healing time had been pretty miraculous. As a medical student, he knew that it should have taken months for him to feel as good as he did now.
Sleeping had been much easier as well. It had only been for the past.... 'Three.....yes I suppose three days now,' that he'd been sleeping soundly. And feeling more relaxed when he awoke then he could remember in weeks! Every morning it was as if he'd slept for a day instead of a few hours. He shook his head. Strange things that he didn't understand, but couldn't say he didn't appreciate.
A familiar glow of warmth on his chest suddenly brought him out of his thoughts. 'S'funny,' he thought, lifting the crystal into his palm, it was indeed releasing a kind of luminescent light. His brows furrowing quizzically, he turned it over in his hands. "Now why are you doing that?" he murmured.
Then, it stopped. Just stopped. Mamoru blinked a couple times in surprise. The few times that it had showed life, never had it just blinked out. He arched an eye-brow, but decided to dismiss the event.
A few minutes passed as he lay idle on the couch. Finally he sighed and pushed off the cushions, resuming throwing and catching his partly-eaten apple and headed for the bed-room. 'I'll do some reading I suppose. There's that book that I should probably finish before the new term starts.'
He turned the knob and pushed open the door.
"NO!!"
~*~*~
:::7:15 pm, Makoto's living room:::
"Look!! Oooooo LOOK minna!! Quick quick!"
Rei lifted her eyes up from her magazine, only to roll them. "Minako-chan, stop that."
With a grump, Minako threw the pencil into the air and let it land on the carpet. "Yeah, well YOU balance a pencil on YOUR finger and THEN not get excited. On the pointy end might I add!"
Shaking her head, Rei went back to her magazine. The girls were all collected together at Makoto's apartment, including Artemis who was at the moment glued to the computer screen. Her communicator was open and on, sitting on a shelf near-by.
Makoto was reading another magazine, upside down. Every so often a small pink bubble would bloom from her lips, then with a -pop-, get munched back in again.
Ami was sitting in a chair, legs crossed, reading a book that she had gotten wind of would be the topic of an assignment in 6 months.
And Minako...well...Minako was back to her pencil. Her small pink tongue protruded out the side of her mouth, disappearing every time the pencil dropped and she cursed her frustrations. Finally, after a few more minutes of trying to balance the pencil and failing to the point where 'try try again' got annoying, she gave up. With a grump, she stood up and left the room.
She turned back one more time, and sighed. "Yeesh, you guys," then walked into the hallway.
Makoto blew another bubble. "Hmmmn?"
"What?" Rei asked absently.
"Mmmm hmmmm...." Ami murmured.
-pop-
~*~*~
Minako wandered over to the computer room and pulled up a chair behind Artemis. Resting her chin on one of his shoulders, she looked up at him and asked, "Ne, Artemis? What---cha doin'?"
It took him a moment to respond, but soon he turned his head to look down at her. "Why do you ask?" he asked, giving her an inquiring look.
She pouted. "I'm bored."
He chuckled, making her head bob on his shoulder. "Well, I'm trying to work on our mission." He jerked his head towards the living room, "Unlike SOME Senshi around here."
She snorted and sat up. "Tell me about it. I mean, they're even reading MY magazines, which leaves me with nothing to do." Ignoring Artemis' shake of the head, Minako leaned her elbows on the back of his chair and looked around him at the computer screen. "So? What's the plan?"
"I've been trying to see if there's some kind of way for us to bring this whole waiting game to an end."
"Waiting game?"
"How we can't do anything about Usagi until *she* appears first. And since that hasn't happened in a week or so, I figured maybe it was up to us to make the first move."
Minako nodded. "Oh...okay."
Artemis took a deep breath. "Sooooooo.......using what technology I have, I'm trying to find a portal into the Dark Kingdom."
The blonde by his side jerked her head up, staring at him with wide-eyes. "Nani?!"
He responded to her surprise with a solemn expression, his blue eyes showing no sign of anything except how serious he was. "Venus," she took a mental step back at both the name and his tone, "If we are to beat the Dark Kingdom and get back the Princess, it may mean that sacrifices will be made."
She swallowed, hoping that it wasn't too loud, and nodded. "We need to be able to do whatever we can to bring the Princess back safely. Only with her help will we be able to bring down the Dark Kingdom. She is essential."
"Ne....Artemis, we'll get Luna back too, right?"
He seemed startled for a moment, taken aback by the question. "H-Hai...." this time it was his turn to try and hide his alarm.
Minako took that opportunity to stand up and give him a quick hug around the shoulders. "I promise Artemis, that we'll bring them *both* back. Safe and sound."
Suddenly Rei burst into the room. "Something's happening!"
~*~*~
::7:15 pm, the Dark Kingdom::
Hematite took one last look at herself in the mirror and giggled. She knew that it didn't matter what she looked like, but another part of didn't care. It was nice to 'dress up' a bit. Indeed, a new coat of dark polish was added to her finger-nails, she'd added a couple more ruffles to her dress, and new ribbons adorned her hair. Silly, trivial, but nice.
Then she noticed that Luna had appeared behind her. Turning with a smile, she embraced her pet in a hug. "Oh Luna-chan! Arigato again for intro--"
"The Queen wants you."
Hematite blinked in surprise at the sudden interruption. Stepping back to look at the cat in the eyes, she said, "N-nani?"
"Queen Beryl has asked to see you," Luna replied, her eyes sad.
"D-doushite? I thought she was in Metallia's chambers..."
"She left and has asked for your audience," Luna answered, again acting oddly distant. "You should go, Hema-chan."
Feeling slightly betrayed, Hematite teleported herself to Beryl's chambers without another word to Luna, who behind her sank to her knees and buried her head in her hands.
Bowing deeply before the throne, Hematite said, "You requested to see me, Queen Beryl-sama?"
"Rise, Hematite." When she did so, the girl found a smiling face to greet her. One that she found slightly surprising.
'She must not know about Mamoru yet then,' she reasoned.
"I have a mission for you Hematite. I realize that you have not had much to do in the past little while, what with my being away for a time."
Hematite became wary. Why was she suddenly acting so 'chummy' again?
"And so I would like you to take a youma out, anyone, you choose, and make an attack at the Senshi."
Hiding her startlement, Hematite nodded.
"And bring back the Ginzuishou."
'Nani? Iie!!' "D-demo...that could take a very long ti-"
"Do NOT question me!" Beryl snapped, her expression morphing again into one of wide-eyed rage.
Biting her tongue, Hematite bowed again and said quietly, "As you command, my Queen."
She exited the throne-room, but instead of going back to her own chambers, she just randomly chose a corridor and teleported there. "NO! This can't be HAPPENING!" she shouted into the darkness. Her hands rose up to clutch at her bangs while she continued to mumble to herself. "If I'm busy fighting those baka Senshi, I won't be able to go see Mamoru anymore! And... if I find the Ginzuishou, then there will NEVER be a chance. Beryl will be too attentive to let me slip out, and then the attack would start...." she trailed off with a groan. Slamming a fist against the wall, she screamed, "AGAIN she has left me with NOTHING of my own!"
'Matte....matte perhaps there *could* be a way to see him again,' another voice began to plot inside her. 'The Queen will probably me monitoring me as soon as bring out the youma. She'll watch my attack to make sure that I'm doing things properly. But if I can somehow...avoid finding the Ginzuishou, that will at least buy me a few more nights of my own.' Her nightly visit to the boy was something that she was *not* willing to sacrifice. At least not so quickly. The few days that she'd had so far....well they would not be wrenched away from her because of one Queen's temper. She had to have more time. So if in her fights, even if the Senshi DID have it, she would make sure that somehow she avoided from snatching it. Even though she could just whip them all and take it that way, why not give the Queen a show? Those little displays could add at least a week onto her time for herself.
'Perfect. Now, to think of the right youm--' her thoughts halted when she caught site of a waver in the wall. 'Another chamber? Out here?' All of the Youma cells were closer to the throne room, and any of the other Chambers had been eliminated along with their residents' death. Namely the former Generals.
Making her way over to the waver, she stuck her head in. A hallway lit with antique oil-lamps led down into the room. From what she could see at the entrance, the room had such furnishing as an desk that boasted so many detailed engravings that she could see them from even her fairly far distance.
She thought she could spot a post belonging to a bed, but craning her neck offered no more view of it. Stepping completely through the entry-way, she quietly made her way down the corridor.
Hematite had never seen a room like this before! Hers was certainly much different. Antique, perhaps Victorian, rugs and carpets lay on the ground. More oil lamps were lit about the room, one sat on a bed-side table next to, as she had seen from the door, a rather grand looking four poster bed.
It was canopied, dark blue cloth draping down to reach the floor on all four corners, but leaving the spaces between the posts open. 'What a beautiful room!' she thought in awe. Almost resentfully, she pouted, 'How come *I* don't have a bed like that?'
Her eyes fell upon the bed proper, and a still figure resting in it. With her curiosity piqued, Hematite crept slowly towards them. 'A woman?' she thought in surprise. 'Just who's room *is* this?' The woman appeared to be in deep slumber, and from the looks of her, a much needed one.
If one were to look past the pallor of her skin and the dark circles beneath her eyes, she possessed a sort of masculine beauty. Almost overjoyed to see that perhaps there was another girl in the Darkness, Hematite bounced up onto the bed and shouted, "Konnichi-waaaaaa!" at the top of her lungs. 'Maybe she'll help me with Mamoru! After all, she's a woman, and women help each other with love's affairs!'
But a cold hand suddenly took hold of Hematite's hope as soon as the 'woman' awoke. With a distinctly masculine shriek, the stranger shot up in bed and flailed about in startlement. Breathing in short pants, he turned to stare at a rather confused Hematite. "Who----who...what..." he stuttered.
Now able to see his face at this closer range, and hearing the voice that belonged to the host, Hematite realized her rather large error. She blushed. "Whoops!" 'Well, that doesn't mean I can't get to know him.' She stuck a hand out and said cheerily, "My name is Hematite! What's yours?"
He stared at her hand, his eyes remaining wide, but his breathing had slowed to more of a kind of...wheeze. "Zoi--Zoisite," he muttered the reply.
"Well Zoisite, I think that maybe we should get to know each other better, what with everything that's been happening, ne?" She opened her eyes after the smile, and caught his.
The scream that erupted from the frail figure almost sent Hematite tumbling off the bed. Zoisite had suddenly just burst out, startling Hematite so much that she couldn't think to do anything. She stared at him. He had stopped screaming, but now his head shook between his hands, side to side. "NO!" She jumped as he shouted again. "GO AWAY!! LEAVE ME *ALONE*!"
"Wh--wha---" she stuttered.
Hematite whipped her head around to the doorway. "Kunzite-sensei?" she breathed, happy to see a sane face. Getting up off the bed, she faced him. "I don't know what happened I just came in and said hello and then he started to--to---" When words failed her, she gestured erratically at the man.
Kunzite was at Zoisite's side in a moment, and pulled him down against his chest. When Zoisite convulsed in another scream, jerking against the other body, Kunzite only tightened his hold.
Her hands shook, a stinging prickle at the edges of her eyes. Kunzite looked up, locking his silver eyes with hers. "Get out," he said. Hematite took a shaky in-take of air, covering her mouth with a hand.
"Watashi....gom--I didn't mean to...it's not my--"
"Get OUT!" Hematite flew back without a sound, but a yelp escaped when her body came into contact with the wall. She slid down it's surface and onto her knees, a sob breaking from her lips.
She watched as a tear fell to the ground and broke apart, it having escaped from her eyes. Her head shook, the only reason that she wasn't collapsed on the ground was because her elbows had locked, keeping her up. 'I--I have to get out of here...' When Fight or Flight takes over, and you know that fighting would be futile, what do you do? You flee to the safest place that you think of first.
In a burst of smoke, Hematite disappeared from the room. Turning his attention back to the man in his arms, Kunzite murmured words of comfort, pushing back the sweat-soaked bangs that plastered Zoisite's fore-head. Pressing his lips to Zoisite's hair, he murmured, "He can't get worse...onegai...ONEGAI don't get worse..."
~*~*~
::7:34 pm, Mamoru's apartment::
She landed in his room, stumbling slightly. Her back screamed it's protest from the movement, sending lances of pain all the way up to her neck.
Another sob tried to break loose, but she bit this one back. She couldn't wake him up. Opening her eyes, three things happened. One: she saw that the bed was empty, not yet slept in. Two: she looked out the window, the stars were just *starting* to appear. Third: A door opened behind her.
Spinning around, her eyes widened in horror. "NO!!"
Mamoru stood at the door in shock. Two crystal blue eyes locked onto his, shaking and wide with surprise. "NO!!" she screamed, making him take another mental step back.
Suddenly he felt a jerk forward, like someone had pushed him from behind, and the door slammed shut behind him. With what felt like another push, he himself was nailed against the door. Cracking his eyes open, he discovered that an out-stretched arm and a panicked expression made Usagi the culprit of the attack.
"U--usa?" he croaked out. Her gaze flickered up to meet his, but she then closed her eyes and clutched at her head.
"NO!! Why is this happening?!" she screamed. "This wasn't supposed to happen!! It *can't* happen this way!!"
Meanwhile, Mamoru was just staring at her in shock...and concern. THIS was Usagi? The Princess that was so care-free, and seemed stuck in happy-drive? Before him was a tortured young woman, obviously confused and in pain.....what had happened to her? "Usa---Serenity...."
She snapped her eyes up to meet his again, and beckoned him forward with two fingers. He bit back a cry of surprise as he left the door and almost flew over to stand before her. With her hands clenched at her sides, she stared up into his face with a scowl.
Finding he could move, Mamoru lifted a hand, about to touch her cheek. He couldn't believe it was her...she was....she... She caught his wrist in a tight grip. He looked back down at her, startled. Expecting to look into her eyes, he was surprised when he saw her gazing down at his chest.
She swallowed again, the hand that held his starting to shake. "Y-you have....it?"
Reflexively, Mamoru reached up for the Ginzuishou. His voice caught in his throat when he saw tears spring up to her eyes. For a moment, it looked like she was going to say something, when what sounded like a stampede came from the other room.
"Where are they?" a feminine voice asked.
Mamoru recognized it. 'Rei?'
Beside him Hematite hissed and drew back. "Shimatta."
Suddenly the door was kicked open and Sailor Jupiter came bursting into the room. She was followed by the other four Senshi, who came in to stand side by side. "Mamoru-san, get out of the way," Jupiter growled.
He took a step to the side, but when Hematite rose an arm he smoothly rose up into the air as if someone had picked up by the front of his shirt. "Mamoru-san!" Mars shrieked.
"If you take one step closer," Hematite growled, "I'll kill him."
"DOUSHITE?!" Mars screamed.
"You could never understand." She ducked her head and looked away. "I--it's not as if I want to."
This time, Venus took a small step forward. "What do you mean?" she asked gently.
Mamoru lowered in the air a bit, now sending slightly panicked glances over to the Senshi.
"I don't want to stop coming..."
"Coming where?" Mercury asked.
Hematite suddenly looked up in startlement. "NO! You Senshi are trying to TRICK me!" she shouted, her eyes ablaze again. The silver moon on her fore-head flared up, lifting some of her bangs off of her fore-head. "I won't be caught defenseless again!" She tightened her up-raised fist.
Mamoru suddenly felt as if somebody was hugging onto him too tight. His breathing became impaired, and his back began to once again ache. The strained sounds coming from him alerted the others. "Mamoru-san!" Mercury cried.
"What are you doing?!" Jupiter asked harshly.
Hematite glowered at her. "If I can't have him, no one will." Suddenly she threw her arm behind her, and Mamoru along with it. When his body came into contact with the picture window above his bed, instead of it stopping him, he crashed right through it. Shattered glass rained out over the group, Mars' scream filtering it's way through the chaos.
His last thought before Mamoru blacked out: "I'm going to die."
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DUN DUN DUN!!!!!
WAAAAAAI! I actually got another one out! *struts around proudly* Yes yes, I'm so happy. Now, tell me the truth. Is the ending too.. *waves hand* predictable? Melodramatic? I'd love to hear from you!! *^-^*
So, since I don't think I used anything new in this chapter, if there are any japanese words in here that you couldn't remember, just head on down to my other chapters, kay?
Ja!
~Wyvern