*********
Forest of Despair
Part 5
Disclaimer in Part 1
by: Usa and Emiri
*********
Usagi watched as Makoto and Ami walked away. They only seemed to be giving her looks of pity. Turning away from them, Usagi hugged herself. She felt so violated even though he hadn't actually...
Usagi shuddered. *Don't think about it!*
She glanced down her shirt and saw that there were bruises forming on her chest.
Makoto decided that Usagi shouldn't be alone right now, so she got up and walked over. "Usagi-chan..."
Usagi jerked her head up at the sound of Makoto's voice. "Hai...?"
"Gomen nasai, Usagi-chan. I don't know exactly what happened to you, but whoever did it is gonna pay..." Makoto looked fierce for a second, then her eyes teared up, and she gently hugged her friend.
Even though Makoto's hug wasn't that hard, Usagi cried out. "Usagi-chan, did I hurt you?" Makoto took a step back, surprised.
"Iie... it's just..." Usagi hung her head. "He... that is..."
"I think I understand, Usagi-chan....you just don't want to feel confined or trapped or too close to anyone right now..."
"It's not that Mako-chan. I was so greatful when you hugged me. He... he hurt me..."
"Well, he's going to pay with his life." Makoto's eyes turned cold, and blazed with anger.
Usagi shook her head. "I sort of already took care of that."
"Nani? *You* fired that gunshot, Usagi-chan?"
"Un..." she replied, ashamed.
"I"m proud of you, Usagi-chan!"
"Are you, Mako-chan? Did I do the right thing?"
"You saved yourself...all by yourself. It takes a lot of guts to do something like that. I would've acted the exact same way if it had happened to me. And, if you hadn't defended yourself..."
"There are all sorts of evil, Usagi-chan. Not just youma. Some humans are just as black as any monster we've faced...and they deserve to be punished for causing pain and enjoying it."
Usagi was about to reply when Ami shouted in delight. "I know where Minako-chan and Rei-chan are!"
"Nani?!" everyone exclaimed.
"Honto?" Luna asked.
"I was able to contact them and then pinpoint their location. They're a 10 minute walk southeast from us."
Usagi spoke up quietly. "Ne, Ami-chan, have you found Mamo-chan yet?"
"I'm afraid not, Usagi-chan," Ami replied, scared of the dull expression in her friend's eyes. She nodded at Luna and Artemis who ran off in search of Rei and Minako.
"It'll be okay," Makoto said. "You can't give up hope."
"Mako-chan's right. We'll find him, don't worry!"
A few minutes later, Artemis and Luna returned with Rei and Minako. Minako was using Rei for a crutch, and the gash on her forehead was quite evident.
Usagi smiled slightly, glad that her friends were together again. Although, she kept getting the feeling that someone was watching her.
Rei had Minako sit next to Ami so the blue-haired girl could check her injury. She went to Makoto and gave her a hug. "Daijobu, Mako-chan?"
"Hai...I'd like to beat the crap outta whoever hurt Usagi-chan, find Mamoru-san and get out of here...but hai."
"Nani yo?" Rei exclaimed, rushing to give Usagi a bear hug. Before Makoto or Usagi could say anything, she did.
"Itaaai!"
Rei let go. "Gomen, Usagi! What happened?"
More tears fell from her eyes. "I-I don't want to talk about it anymore..." she whispered walking a few feet away and sitting back on the ground.
"Mako?" Rei asked.
"Someone....tried to violate her...and the bastard's gonna pay!"
"Oh he is going to pay!" Rei said with fire in her eyes.
"Minna!" Ami called.
"Hai?"
Rei and Makoto walked over to her and Minako, Usagi trailing behind them. "Minako has a slight concussion, she'll be fine. I still can't walk anywhere. Anyone else injured?"
"I'm fine," Rei said.
"My wrist," Usagi mumbled, holding it up. She didn't mention her chest, though.
"Usagi-chan..." Luna trailed off. Usagi was being too mature for her normal self.
Everyone looked at Usagi for a moment. Rei broke the silence. "Mako-chan, do you think you could carry Ami-chan? We'll need her computer and she's the only one who can work it."
"Hai, I can carry Ami-chan...but where are we going to?"
"See this dot, blinking on the screen?" The girls looked over Ami's shoulder. "That's Mamoru-san."
"Honto? How'd you track him?" Minako hovered over Ami's shoulder, curious.
"I was able to hone in on his power as holder of the Golden Crystal," Ami explained. "Come on, we're about an hour away from him."
"How do we know it's safe to get him, though?" Luna asked. "It may be some sort of trap."
Usagi cleared her throat. "What is it, Usagi?" Rei asked.
"Well, there were two, ne?" The girls nodded. "There's probably only one with him now..."
"Hai...but this will take a lot of planning. You can't endanger yourselves, minna," Artemis cautioned.
Usagi nodded but she didn't want to wait. She hadn't seen Mamo-chan all day long and it was really starting to worry her. Did those guys kill him already? *Mamo-chan...*
"Ami-chan, Usagi-chan, I think we should take you back to the campsite," Minako said. "Neither of you should be fighting."
"Minako-chan, that's two hours in the opposite direction," Ami protested. "As much as I agree with you, we don't have time. What if..." Ami stopped realizing what she almost said.
Usagi's eyes widened. "You don't... don't think he's..."
"Ami-chan can see him on her computer, so he must be alright." Makoto tried to comfort her.
**********
Mamoru froze when he heard the gunshot. *Usako...*
Korosu looked around wondering where the gunshot had come from. He had no idea where Satsujin was at.
Mamoru noticed Korosu's temporary confusion, and jumped at the chance to escape. He grabbed the gun off the nearby table. "Move and I'll shoot you," he growled.
Korosu stared at the man holding his gun. He knew he was screwed so he tried to reason with Mamoru. "Look, I'm sorry about all this. It was Satsujin's idea. Just leave me alone and get out of here."
Mamoru raised an eyebrow. "Coward."
"Maybe..." Korosu replied.
"And a murderer as well. I saw you dump that other body. And kidnapper. Now, unchain me from this wall, and don't make any sudden moves. Or you'll never move again."
Korosu nodded, and pulled the key from his pocket, unlocking the chains.
"Good." Mamoru glowered at him. "Now, just to make sure you don't get far..." Mamoru fired the gun, hitting the other man in the leg.
Korosu grunted in pain. "Bastard!"
"Well, let's just say I'm returning the favour." With that, Mamoru loped off to find Usagi-tachi.
******
Makoto looked up at the sky. It was probably around 6 pm, and the light was ever so gradually beginning to fade. "Minna, maybe we should head back to the camp for tonight. It's going to be dark in awhile, and we don't want to be lost in the dark..."
"Iie!" Usagi cried. "We can't leave Mamo-chan out there alone!"
"Usagi, be reasonable," Rei told her friend. "We can't keep..."
"Iie!!" Usagi cried out again. "I refuse to leave him!"
"Usagi-chan..." Ami was at a lost for words. A quiet beep made everyone turn to Ami.
"Minna, Mamoru-san is heading straight for us!"
"Should we head in his direction?" Minako asked.
Usagi looked at her friends with pleading eyes. Finally they gave in. "I think that if we head towards him, we should be able to reach him before it gets too dark." Ami said
"And we can head back towards camp together." Luna said.
Makoto picked Ami up onto her back, and everyone set off in Mamoru's direction with Ami giving directions.
Rei followed closely behind Usagi who was just in front of Makoto and Ami. She wanted so much to hurt the man who had dared to touch her Princess. A slight grin of satisfaction came her face as she thought of Usagi shooting the man in the groin... where he deserved it!
Rei knew it was going to take a long time for Usagi to heal. Not physically, but mentally and emotionally. Another friend of Rei's had been in the same position a few years ago and it nearly tore her apart. Usagi was so much closer to Rei than the other girl. Usagi was like a sister.
Minako was *so* tired, and her head hurt beyond belief. Still, it was nothing compared to what happened to Usagi. She was just glad theat everyone was still alive...though it would take time for them all to heal. She just wanted to go home and wash her hair...
Ami cringed in pain from the slight jump Makoto had taken over a small branch. This was turning out to be the worse camping trip of her life. Okay, so it was the first... and last camping trip of her life. Taking her eyes away from the computer for a mintue, Ami stole a glance at Usagi. Her friend looked so drain of all the life she had. Within five hours, Usagi had become a mass of depression Ami only hoped Mamoru could help her.
"Gomen, Ami-chan," Makoto apologised. Inside, she was feeling everything all at once. She wanted to beat the crap out of whoever hurt Usagi, kidnapped Mamoru, and ruined their trip. But she was exhausted too. She just wanted to go home to her own bed, and sleep for a year. She wanted to cry, too, for all the pain that everyone was in. But, she was the tough one, so Makoto smushed it in.
Usagi hugged herself as the wind blew through the trees. She felt cold... and alone. She knew her friends were all with her but she just felt alone. Every few minutes, she'd get a flash of Satsujin attack her, ravishing at her chest. Usagi felt really sick all of the sudden and stopped walking.
"Usagi?" Rei watched as her friend ran to some bushes to the right and vomited.
"Is...she gonna be alright? Maybe we should wait here for Mamoru-san," Minako said.
Ami nodded. "That sounds like a good idea. Besides, I think I'm getting a bit heavy for Mako-chan."
"How much further is Mamoru-san?" asked Luna.
"About 20 minutes," Ami replied, looking at her computer. Makoto had set her down and everyone was spread out resting. Minako had her head on Makoto's lap and Usagi had hers on Rei's.
Rei stroked Usagi's forehead. She was resting now, but Rei could tell that Usagi was still a bit scared. She was shaking and had broken out into a cold sweat. Rei had never seen anything like this happen, but she knew one thing. Usagi, as well as Minako and Ami, needed to get to a hospital.
"We'll go get him, " said Luna.
"Then, I vote we pack up and head home," said Makoto
"Good idea," Ami said. "Head towards the west, Luna."
Everyone but Usagi and Minako nodded in agreement to Makoto's suggestion. Luna and Artemis ran off, and everyone just sat there in silence.
"Who knew that the woods were full of such bad people?" Minako muttered.
"Unfortunately, it's like that everywhere, Minako-chan," Ami stated. "Take the United States for example. All those shootings in their schools. It has to be horrible."
"What did we do to deserve it, though? All we did was go on a camping trip, and some guys decide they want to kill us..." Makoto replied.
"Mamoru-san must have seen something," Rei said.
"Well, we'll be able to ask him soon enough," Makoto said as she gently wiped Minako's bloody bangs off her face.
Forest of Despair
Part 5
Disclaimer in Part 1
by: Usa and Emiri
*********
Usagi watched as Makoto and Ami walked away. They only seemed to be giving her looks of pity. Turning away from them, Usagi hugged herself. She felt so violated even though he hadn't actually...
Usagi shuddered. *Don't think about it!*
She glanced down her shirt and saw that there were bruises forming on her chest.
Makoto decided that Usagi shouldn't be alone right now, so she got up and walked over. "Usagi-chan..."
Usagi jerked her head up at the sound of Makoto's voice. "Hai...?"
"Gomen nasai, Usagi-chan. I don't know exactly what happened to you, but whoever did it is gonna pay..." Makoto looked fierce for a second, then her eyes teared up, and she gently hugged her friend.
Even though Makoto's hug wasn't that hard, Usagi cried out. "Usagi-chan, did I hurt you?" Makoto took a step back, surprised.
"Iie... it's just..." Usagi hung her head. "He... that is..."
"I think I understand, Usagi-chan....you just don't want to feel confined or trapped or too close to anyone right now..."
"It's not that Mako-chan. I was so greatful when you hugged me. He... he hurt me..."
"Well, he's going to pay with his life." Makoto's eyes turned cold, and blazed with anger.
Usagi shook her head. "I sort of already took care of that."
"Nani? *You* fired that gunshot, Usagi-chan?"
"Un..." she replied, ashamed.
"I"m proud of you, Usagi-chan!"
"Are you, Mako-chan? Did I do the right thing?"
"You saved yourself...all by yourself. It takes a lot of guts to do something like that. I would've acted the exact same way if it had happened to me. And, if you hadn't defended yourself..."
"There are all sorts of evil, Usagi-chan. Not just youma. Some humans are just as black as any monster we've faced...and they deserve to be punished for causing pain and enjoying it."
Usagi was about to reply when Ami shouted in delight. "I know where Minako-chan and Rei-chan are!"
"Nani?!" everyone exclaimed.
"Honto?" Luna asked.
"I was able to contact them and then pinpoint their location. They're a 10 minute walk southeast from us."
Usagi spoke up quietly. "Ne, Ami-chan, have you found Mamo-chan yet?"
"I'm afraid not, Usagi-chan," Ami replied, scared of the dull expression in her friend's eyes. She nodded at Luna and Artemis who ran off in search of Rei and Minako.
"It'll be okay," Makoto said. "You can't give up hope."
"Mako-chan's right. We'll find him, don't worry!"
A few minutes later, Artemis and Luna returned with Rei and Minako. Minako was using Rei for a crutch, and the gash on her forehead was quite evident.
Usagi smiled slightly, glad that her friends were together again. Although, she kept getting the feeling that someone was watching her.
Rei had Minako sit next to Ami so the blue-haired girl could check her injury. She went to Makoto and gave her a hug. "Daijobu, Mako-chan?"
"Hai...I'd like to beat the crap outta whoever hurt Usagi-chan, find Mamoru-san and get out of here...but hai."
"Nani yo?" Rei exclaimed, rushing to give Usagi a bear hug. Before Makoto or Usagi could say anything, she did.
"Itaaai!"
Rei let go. "Gomen, Usagi! What happened?"
More tears fell from her eyes. "I-I don't want to talk about it anymore..." she whispered walking a few feet away and sitting back on the ground.
"Mako?" Rei asked.
"Someone....tried to violate her...and the bastard's gonna pay!"
"Oh he is going to pay!" Rei said with fire in her eyes.
"Minna!" Ami called.
"Hai?"
Rei and Makoto walked over to her and Minako, Usagi trailing behind them. "Minako has a slight concussion, she'll be fine. I still can't walk anywhere. Anyone else injured?"
"I'm fine," Rei said.
"My wrist," Usagi mumbled, holding it up. She didn't mention her chest, though.
"Usagi-chan..." Luna trailed off. Usagi was being too mature for her normal self.
Everyone looked at Usagi for a moment. Rei broke the silence. "Mako-chan, do you think you could carry Ami-chan? We'll need her computer and she's the only one who can work it."
"Hai, I can carry Ami-chan...but where are we going to?"
"See this dot, blinking on the screen?" The girls looked over Ami's shoulder. "That's Mamoru-san."
"Honto? How'd you track him?" Minako hovered over Ami's shoulder, curious.
"I was able to hone in on his power as holder of the Golden Crystal," Ami explained. "Come on, we're about an hour away from him."
"How do we know it's safe to get him, though?" Luna asked. "It may be some sort of trap."
Usagi cleared her throat. "What is it, Usagi?" Rei asked.
"Well, there were two, ne?" The girls nodded. "There's probably only one with him now..."
"Hai...but this will take a lot of planning. You can't endanger yourselves, minna," Artemis cautioned.
Usagi nodded but she didn't want to wait. She hadn't seen Mamo-chan all day long and it was really starting to worry her. Did those guys kill him already? *Mamo-chan...*
"Ami-chan, Usagi-chan, I think we should take you back to the campsite," Minako said. "Neither of you should be fighting."
"Minako-chan, that's two hours in the opposite direction," Ami protested. "As much as I agree with you, we don't have time. What if..." Ami stopped realizing what she almost said.
Usagi's eyes widened. "You don't... don't think he's..."
"Ami-chan can see him on her computer, so he must be alright." Makoto tried to comfort her.
**********
Mamoru froze when he heard the gunshot. *Usako...*
Korosu looked around wondering where the gunshot had come from. He had no idea where Satsujin was at.
Mamoru noticed Korosu's temporary confusion, and jumped at the chance to escape. He grabbed the gun off the nearby table. "Move and I'll shoot you," he growled.
Korosu stared at the man holding his gun. He knew he was screwed so he tried to reason with Mamoru. "Look, I'm sorry about all this. It was Satsujin's idea. Just leave me alone and get out of here."
Mamoru raised an eyebrow. "Coward."
"Maybe..." Korosu replied.
"And a murderer as well. I saw you dump that other body. And kidnapper. Now, unchain me from this wall, and don't make any sudden moves. Or you'll never move again."
Korosu nodded, and pulled the key from his pocket, unlocking the chains.
"Good." Mamoru glowered at him. "Now, just to make sure you don't get far..." Mamoru fired the gun, hitting the other man in the leg.
Korosu grunted in pain. "Bastard!"
"Well, let's just say I'm returning the favour." With that, Mamoru loped off to find Usagi-tachi.
******
Makoto looked up at the sky. It was probably around 6 pm, and the light was ever so gradually beginning to fade. "Minna, maybe we should head back to the camp for tonight. It's going to be dark in awhile, and we don't want to be lost in the dark..."
"Iie!" Usagi cried. "We can't leave Mamo-chan out there alone!"
"Usagi, be reasonable," Rei told her friend. "We can't keep..."
"Iie!!" Usagi cried out again. "I refuse to leave him!"
"Usagi-chan..." Ami was at a lost for words. A quiet beep made everyone turn to Ami.
"Minna, Mamoru-san is heading straight for us!"
"Should we head in his direction?" Minako asked.
Usagi looked at her friends with pleading eyes. Finally they gave in. "I think that if we head towards him, we should be able to reach him before it gets too dark." Ami said
"And we can head back towards camp together." Luna said.
Makoto picked Ami up onto her back, and everyone set off in Mamoru's direction with Ami giving directions.
Rei followed closely behind Usagi who was just in front of Makoto and Ami. She wanted so much to hurt the man who had dared to touch her Princess. A slight grin of satisfaction came her face as she thought of Usagi shooting the man in the groin... where he deserved it!
Rei knew it was going to take a long time for Usagi to heal. Not physically, but mentally and emotionally. Another friend of Rei's had been in the same position a few years ago and it nearly tore her apart. Usagi was so much closer to Rei than the other girl. Usagi was like a sister.
Minako was *so* tired, and her head hurt beyond belief. Still, it was nothing compared to what happened to Usagi. She was just glad theat everyone was still alive...though it would take time for them all to heal. She just wanted to go home and wash her hair...
Ami cringed in pain from the slight jump Makoto had taken over a small branch. This was turning out to be the worse camping trip of her life. Okay, so it was the first... and last camping trip of her life. Taking her eyes away from the computer for a mintue, Ami stole a glance at Usagi. Her friend looked so drain of all the life she had. Within five hours, Usagi had become a mass of depression Ami only hoped Mamoru could help her.
"Gomen, Ami-chan," Makoto apologised. Inside, she was feeling everything all at once. She wanted to beat the crap out of whoever hurt Usagi, kidnapped Mamoru, and ruined their trip. But she was exhausted too. She just wanted to go home to her own bed, and sleep for a year. She wanted to cry, too, for all the pain that everyone was in. But, she was the tough one, so Makoto smushed it in.
Usagi hugged herself as the wind blew through the trees. She felt cold... and alone. She knew her friends were all with her but she just felt alone. Every few minutes, she'd get a flash of Satsujin attack her, ravishing at her chest. Usagi felt really sick all of the sudden and stopped walking.
"Usagi?" Rei watched as her friend ran to some bushes to the right and vomited.
"Is...she gonna be alright? Maybe we should wait here for Mamoru-san," Minako said.
Ami nodded. "That sounds like a good idea. Besides, I think I'm getting a bit heavy for Mako-chan."
"How much further is Mamoru-san?" asked Luna.
"About 20 minutes," Ami replied, looking at her computer. Makoto had set her down and everyone was spread out resting. Minako had her head on Makoto's lap and Usagi had hers on Rei's.
Rei stroked Usagi's forehead. She was resting now, but Rei could tell that Usagi was still a bit scared. She was shaking and had broken out into a cold sweat. Rei had never seen anything like this happen, but she knew one thing. Usagi, as well as Minako and Ami, needed to get to a hospital.
"We'll go get him, " said Luna.
"Then, I vote we pack up and head home," said Makoto
"Good idea," Ami said. "Head towards the west, Luna."
Everyone but Usagi and Minako nodded in agreement to Makoto's suggestion. Luna and Artemis ran off, and everyone just sat there in silence.
"Who knew that the woods were full of such bad people?" Minako muttered.
"Unfortunately, it's like that everywhere, Minako-chan," Ami stated. "Take the United States for example. All those shootings in their schools. It has to be horrible."
"What did we do to deserve it, though? All we did was go on a camping trip, and some guys decide they want to kill us..." Makoto replied.
"Mamoru-san must have seen something," Rei said.
"Well, we'll be able to ask him soon enough," Makoto said as she gently wiped Minako's bloody bangs off her face.