Rivalry, chapter 2
Hello again! Just a few pre-writing notes.
Girl-chama: Yes I did mean rogue! *laughs* I can't spell. Thanks! (Watch me misspell it again in this chapter. *sweatdrop*)
Tenshi no Nozomi: To tell the truth, I was originally thinking of an animefied, supernatural version of Romeo and Juliet when I started working on it. It just adapted from there. *grins*
Thank you everyone for reviewing!! The enthusiastic response for this fic has encouraged me to start on the next chapter as soon as possible.
Fushigi Yuugi and Sailor Moon do not belong to me. Don't sue!
Tomoe Hotoru eyed the distance between the bus stop and her home. She wished now she'd asked one of her friends to walk with her, but it was too late. Her mother was expecting her home and nothing would really happen. It always happened to someone else.
"Someone else always thinks it'll happen to someone else though," she muttered under her breath as she started towards home. Just three blocks away. A bat flew overhead, the high-pitched squeak hardly noticeable to her sensitive ears. The leathery wings beat against the air as the tiny rodent dove for an insect. The moon overhead was waning, not quite gone yet, and the night was alive with sounds.
A car drove in the opposite direction from where she was walking. The reminder that there were still people around reassured her, and she was now less then a block from her house.
As she walked up the path, a breath of relief escaped her lips. The tension among her family and friends had finally reached her, and she was constantly jumping at shadows, but now she was home again. The last few feet to her door grew less and less. Before she was even inside, the sense of security the lit windows and her parents' cars in the driveway emanated destroyed all fear she had felt just moments before.
"Tidiama!" she called out as she pushed open the door. The faucet in the kitchen was running, likely her father making dinner. She ran up the steps to her room and tossed her book bag on her bed, then headed back downstairs.
"What's for dinner, tousan?" she asked as she went into the kitchen. The faucet was still running, but he was not there. Frowning, Hotoru walked around the island counter to the sink and turned the water off.
"Where…" she started, but never finished. She turned again to check the rest of the house, and her foot slipped on the floor. "Nani?" She looked down, her heart beginning to beat rapidly as her fear from earlier returned.
The floor was painted red.
"So far, no one has died. I don't think this rogue is capable of murder. Likely some kid who grew up too religious."
"So you want to wait until Michiru dies?" Mamoru asked. The cold glare the panther leader sent him told the vampire he'd gone too far.
"Hakura, the elf girl is still in a coma. Karou of the bear clan is still bed-ridden. It has been only a couple of weeks, and this one has already hit so many."
"Suboshi is almost better though. And I am still not convinced this rogue even has the ability to kill."
"So it's going to take a death to convince you?" Mamoru asked impatiently. Hakura never got a chance to respond when the door opened. Tomo walked in.
"Tomo, whatever it is, it can wait. We are having a meeting," Hakura growled toward the intruder.
"You might want to hear about this, Hakura," he replied. "Hotoru got home from school today and…. Well, she's fine, but her parents are not. It seems the rogue decided to get a few witches on his resume. Her mother is in critical condition and her father is gone."
"Seems you got what you wanted," Mamoru said softly.
The living room was silent as the news played. Usagi watched the flashing police lights from her chair as Tomo walked back into the living room and sat down next to Mina.
"How'd she take it?" one of the other occupants of the room asked.
"Not well, as far as I could see. I left as soon as she started growling at Mamoru." He closed his eyes and leaned back against the couch, his usual behavior gone with the stress of recent days.
"Usagi, where is Amiboshi?" Hakura's voice interrupted as she walked through the door.
"I think he and Suboshi went to get a drink at the convenience store."
"We got back a while ago," the younger twin said as he came in behind Hakura. His eyes were narrowed in worry. "He isn't in his room, or anywhere else that I can see."
"Why would he have gone out alone?" Minako asked.
"That isn't the question right now. The question is where is he? Suboshi, take Usagi and Mamoru and see if you can find him. Look everywhere he might be, and don't come back unless you find him." The stony look she gave the young blond prevented any objection of the vampire's company from surfacing. "As for the rest of you, for now we have a double threat on the streets. We have no actual agreement of cooperation with the wolves yet, and this hunter is becoming more active as time passes. On top of that, a few of the younger coven members may find it wrong that they suffered the first fatality instead of one of us. I don't expect it to be much trouble, but there are idiots out there after all. If you MUST go out, make sure I know where you are going, and whom you are with. No one can leave this house without at least two companions. When you are outside, do not drop your guard for even a moment. From this point on, consider yourself under martial law." With that, the panther leader stormed out of the room.
"No."
"Nakago-san," Hotohori said with forced civility. He had to restrain himself from baring his fangs at the wolf sitting across from him. "Please reconsider. We are all in danger, even yourself. If this hunter was able to bring down a bear, a wolf will be no problem. You cannot watch your pack all the time."
"I'm afraid you didn't hear me, Hotohori. I said no." Nakago stood from the table. "The only way I will consider joining your alliance is if the panthers are excluded. I will never work with Hakura and her filthy felines."
The wolf leader turned his back on the vampire and walked out, leaving the door open behind him. Hotohori sighed and laid his head on the table. He knew Nakago wouldn't be an easy one to convince, and he pitied Mamoru for having to speak with Hakura. She was just as stubborn, and would not hold back if her anger took a hold of her. Yet she was a capable leader, a woman who brought together many of a solitary type for security. He hoped she would see the sense in joining together. Her opposite Nakago was also a leader with skills. He controlled the largest wolf pack in Tokyo, yet didn't rely on them to settle his own scores. But he knew when he needed his pack to attack, and Hotohori hoped he would realize this was one of those times.
The vampire stood from his seat and walked out into the hallway, his hand rubbing his forehead to relieve the headache building there, only to have Miaka run right into his chest.
"OH! Gomen Hotohori-kun. I didn't see you there," she said as she backed away slightly. She smiled up at him and the ancient vampire felt his worries slip away for a moment.
"Its alright Miaka.
"Nurkio-neesan told me you were talking with Nakago," she said suddenly, her smile slipping. "About the rogue. You want us to team up with the panthers?!" Her shocked eyes told him everything she thought about the idea.
"Don't worry Miaka. I don't think Nakago is going to allow it anyway."
"Honto?" she said, faintly relieved. "But I guess we do need to do something, right? Ami is in the hospital because of the hunter, and now the warlock Tomoe has been killed." Hotohori's eyes rose to hers.
"What happened?!" he asked, alarmed.
"He broke into a coven home," she replied sadly. "The daughter came home to find both her parents had been attacked. Her mother is in a coma, like Ami, but her father had lost too much blood. He was doa."
"When did this happen?"
"It was on the news about ten min…" she was interrupted as Tasuki ran up the stairs.
"Where's Rei?!" he shouted at them, his eyes panicked.
"Nani?" Miaka asked, confused. "Isn't she downstairs?"
"Iie! She's gone! She wouldn't have left the house alone, I told her not too! Shimmatta!" The fiery haired wolf started running down the hallway, bursting through every door as he shouted his sister's name.
"Tasuki! In Stubbe's name (1), what the hell is going on?!?!" Ashitare shouted out from his room as the door was flung open. He stormed out, glaring at Tasuki.
"My sister is gone. She isn't anywhere in the house, and everyone else is here. She would have told SOMEONE if she left, she isn't that irresponsible!"
"Just because she's alone out there doesn't mean she's in danger, Tasuki," Nuriko said calmly as he walked up to his friend. By now, the entire household minus one leader had assembled in the hallway to see what the panic was about. "We'll just go out and look for her, alright? We can all split up and look."
"Iie." The simple objection caused the entire household to look up. Nakago had finally shown up at the top of the stairs. He glared at Nuriko for his suggestion. "Now that someone has been killed, no one will leave the house with fewer then two people. I am only allowing one group to leave this house though. The rest of us will stay here. Tasuki, take Nuriko and Hotohori to look for your imouto. Once you find her, return here. Hotohori," Nuriko said, turning to the vampire. "Do not expect the panthers and us to physically work together. As long as you promise as little contact as possible, we will join your alliance."
This was mostly a build-up chapter to what will happen next. Hope it wasn't too boring!
I know, Ashitare talking like a normal person is quite OOC. But I figured he's a werewolf in this story, so he's probably like a normal person most of the time. Plus I needed another wolf.
1-(Yah, just one note.) According to a site I read about werewolves, Stubbe was one of the first. He admitted to practicing dark magic when he was caught and changed from wolf to human in front of the villagers' eyes.
Read, review, write
~Jade Nova
moon_archer82@lunap.com
