S.I.U. - The Sailor Investigation Unit
by DARK DAY FOR ANIME (Mark A Page)
Disclaimer - all characters pertaining to the series Bishoujo Senshi
Sailormoon are owned by Takeuchi Naoko, Bandai and Kodansya. All
other characters were thought up by me. Well, its true, isn't it?
^_^
Naoko raised her head when she felt the first waves of change.
Jacquie noticed her friend's sudden expression, standing over the
tray of items within the knick-knack shop. Naoko still held onto
the small doll about which she had remarked, only seconds before,
was so kawaii....
"Naoko-chan?" Jacquie placed a hand on the 16 year old's
shoulder. "Naoko-chan? What do you feel?"
"Change." She replied. "There is change in the air. Someone
is becoming like I. They are changing, and it is without control."
Jacquie stared at Naoko, not sure of what to make of her
statement. As Tani Naoko's guardian of some three years, since
they first met in the Sacred House's education system, Jacqueline
Madendjirra had become used to the sudden, strange changes of
expression and tone the girl would put on.... Naturally, as Naoko
was at the mercy of some very strange senses, she could pick up and
detect things that Jacquie wouldn't be able to see or feel until
they were nearly upon her. Something of an embarassment for someone
who fancied themselves as a Kaditcha.
"I must find them." Naoko placed the doll back in the tray.
"Wait..." Jacquie took hold of her arm, pulling Naoko around
to face her. "Shouldn't we contact the House, first? After all, we
are only out on a social expedition. It isn't our place to deal
with this kind of thing."
"Oh yes..." Naoko half-smiled at Jacquie. "I forgot, I'm
only outside the walls of the House so I can learn how to relate to
others." Her cynicism dripped from every word. "Give me a break,
Jacquie. What else am I... are we... being trained for? For what
other possible reason have I been locked away since birth?"
"I still think it would be better to contact the House. You
can lead me to this person, and we'll let them handle it."
Naoko looked at her for a few moments, then nodded.
She lead Jacquie from the shop, into the driving rain beyond.
----o
Part Ten
Tidal Friction
----o
"I'm telling you, it was her." Fitchner paced Dietman
Manakuto's office impatiently. "The damned child had the gall to
call me at that very moment.... I could just throttle her."
"It would appear, to me at least, that her call saved your
life." Manakuto, lounging in his plush office chair, behind his
desk, drummed the fingers of both hands against each other.
Fitchner sighed, turning to the middle-aged parliamentarian.
"You can't understand how it feels.... To have all hope removed
like that... Since the death of my wife, she had been everything.
And then disappearing the way she did.... Where the hell has she
been, these five years? And why the hell now? Surely, she couldn't
have known I was going to...."
"I'd chalk it up to blind luck, Martin. I'm quite sure she
has no great psychic link to you, or anything." Manakuto sat
forward, leaning his elbows on the desk. "She wasn't likely to be
keeping tabs on everything you do. She didn't do it, deliberately."
"Then how did she know where I was?" Fitchner started pacing
again.
"There aren't that many people in Tokyo with the name
Fitchner. All she had to do was look you up in a telephone book."
Manakuto sighed. "I have supported you in your search for your
daughter as best as I could. But I am only the junior minister for
police services. My influence is limited because of the factional
brawling that is going on within the Diet. I don't need the kind of
paranoid talk, of secret societies and religions watching over us,
that you have dragged up."
Fitchner stopped in the middle of the room and looked down at
the floor. "Araki, do you know how many new religions and sects are
formed in Japan every month? An uncountable number. Uncountable
because many of them blow through before anyone notices their
existence, to be replaced by a new one."
"Yes, I realise that. It's a tax dodge that many people use
to beat the system."
"And often, people in positions of power and influence are
part of those religions and sects."
Manakuto sighed. "Look, I know where this is leading, Martin.
We've been through this story before. Of COURSE I know people of
power, wealth and influence are a part of these groups. It's only
natural. Dietman Kokuran is a member of such a group...."
"...Yes, I know, I know." Fitchner rubbed his face, tiredly.
"But I now know that Michelle is alright. And if that is so, then
she has to have been living, somewhere, within this city or
elsewhere in Japan. And it can't be that easy to hide someone who
has golden-blond hair in this country."
"Oh, I don't know about that. Seen some of the kids these
days?" Manakuto chuckled. Fitchner wasn't in the mood for light
humour.
"As I was saying.... It couldn't have been easy to hide
an attractive, blond-haired westerner in this country, especially
one whose face had been sprayed across the news at the time of her
disappearance. If she is alright, then someone has gone out of
their way to hide her, and that means someone with the wealth,
influence and power to do so."
Manakuto nodded. "Granted, if that is so, then I must agree,
it is possible that whomever she has become involved with are highly
influential. Influential to hide a foreign national from the
authorities for reasons unknown. But I must now point out to you,
Martin, that she has contacted you of her own free will. It is
likely that she has no desire to see you."
"More likely she is under the influence of whomever it is that
has snatched her away from me." Fitchner began pacing yet again,
more agitatedly. "Ah, this is too much. What am I going to do? My
reason for being in Japan these past few years has been finding her.
I lost my regular job when I lost her...."
"You still have your private investigation agency." Manakuto
pushed his chair back and stood, slowly walking around the desk.
"It is not as if you don't have any work to return to."
"I set that agency up with the point of finding Michelle. All
other work I'd received had been secondary to that goal."
Fitchner's eyes began to well with tears. "What am I going to do?"
Manakuto stepped up to Fitchner and placed a hand on his
shoulder. "Martin.... I know you are emotional about this, now,
but a call from her is a good sign that she is thinking of you. It
is possible that she intends, at some future time, to return to you.
The call might have been endemic of some disaffection with the group
she has found herself with."
"If you heard the way she spoke to me, you wouldn't say that.
I almost felt as if I were being mocked." Fitchner closed his eyes
and composed himself. "I'm sorry, Araki. I shouldn't have put on
such a display of emotion."
"No, no... It is quite understandable. I know if anything
were to happen to my children, I would feel the same as you."
"You've been of such support to me all these years. I don't
know how I can repay you." Fitchner stood back as Manakuto smiled,
putting his hand back to his side.
"Political expediency, Martin. As the junior Police Minister,
it is good to be seen to be doing something about what appears to be
a criminal act, in the public eye." Fitchner chuckled and Manakuto
smiled, putting out his hands, expansively. "See, even at moments
like this, we can still laugh over our failings."
There was a soft chime, and the two men turned to the speaker
in the top corner of the room.
"Ah, it looks like the session of parliament is about to
begin. I'm afraid I shall have to attend." Fitchner turned back to
Manakuto and nodded. The two men shook hands, then Manakuto guided
Fitchner towards his office door. "Pray I shall see you at some
future date?"
"Indeed." Fitchner smiled. "If I hear anything, I shall tell
you." Manakuto nodded and opened the door, waving Fitchner through.
After a short exchange of goodbyes, Manakuto closed the door behind
Fitchner and stood back, rubbing his chin. He turned and stepped
over to his desk, picking up the receiver of his phone.
He pressed a button and waited for several moments as he
listened to the ringing tone. A voice on the other end answered.
"Ah yes, this is Manakuto. Can you get me in touch with
Akizuki? I have some news I'm sure he'd be over the moon to
hear..."
----o
Usagi and Hotaru sat within the coffee shop above the game
centre. For Usagi, it was a weird feeling.... To be sitting
somewhere that had once been a safe haven from all of her problems
with the kind of fear experienced only at the height of her past
battles with her many enemies.
As experinced as she was with those feelings, she still felt
nervous when the young waitress came up to ask her what she wanted
to order. Usagi even had to kick Hotaru in the leg to stop the
younger girl from going ballistic.
It was a bad feeling, knowing there were people, somewhere,
looking out for you. BAD people, at that. Making their way to
the game centre was horrible. Literally anyone could have been
following them... or had recognised them. It ramped up Usagi's
natural paranoia to something close to breaking point.
They had been in contact with Setsuna through Minako's
communicator. Apparently, the younger girl was a bit out of it at
the time. Setsuna asked Usagi to pick a meeting spot that was
relatively well-known to everyone. And so, they made arrangements
to meet at the coffee shop.
That, of course, had been something close to half an hour ago.
There was still no sign of Setsuna, Minako or anyone else, and both
Usagi and Hotaru were beginning to get toey.
"Where are they... They should have been here, by now."
Hotaru grumbled, staring into the ice-cream soda paid for by Usagi,
since she was the only one with money. Usagi looked at her
dubiously. The very least the girl could do was drink the thing.
"They'll be here, alright?" Usagi drummed her fingers on the
table. "If Setsuna says she shall meet us somewhere, then she shall
meet us, guarenteed."
"You place altogether too much faith in her, you know that?"
"You're all my senshi. I have to trust you all."
Hotaru took the spoon in her soda and began to stir the drink.
"I don't really trust anyone. Not after what happened with my
father." She looked up at Usagi. "Except Chibiusa. I trust her.
But then, she is as clear as glass. She never hides her feelings."
"And I do?"
"You have learnt, with age, to do so." Hotaru looked back
down at her drink. "The few occasions where she has returned to us
from the future, the changes in her are so very small. Even though
she is now my age in our last encounter.... That is the difference
between you two."
"I have had to learn responsibility. The creation of Crystal
Tokyo is in my hands. If that means hiding aspects of what I feel
and think, then so be it."
Hotaru sighed. "It has lessened you in my eyes. I liked the
carefree individual you once were. It's what I like about
Chibiusa...." Hotaru looked aside and went silent as a figure
approached. Usagi turned as the waitress wandered past, carrying a
tray with empty cups back to the counter.
Usagi leaned forward, virtually whispering to Hotaru. "Would
you prefer it if I were to be the carefree individual right now? To
laugh off the threat that currently faces us and to go about
business as usual?"
Hotaru looked suitably chastened.
"Yes, I thought as much." Usagi sat back. "I know how you
feel about things, Hotaru. I am in touch with the thoughts and
feelings of all my senshi. You want to protect me and rebuild the
Kingdom.... To resurrect the old ways and the old customs. Well,
nobody said that was going to be easy."
"There are so many enemies out there." Hotaru glowered,
looking from side to side. "We've dealt with some of them, behind
your back."
"What?" Usagi raised her eyebrows in surprise.
"Indeed. Did you know there was a group that belonged to the
Black Moon family who had settled within the Middle East? They were
manipulating Muslim extremists to follow their cause.... We'd had
to head that off at the pass before things got out of hand."
"When was this?"
"About a year or so ago." Hotaru paused. "It cost the lives
of at least fifty people."
"F.. fifty?" Usagi brought her hands down on the table,
making Hotaru wince and catching the attention of everyone within
the shop. Usagi smiled nervously at people, waving her hand in
apology. When everyone had turned back to their own conversations
and business, Usagi leaned forward, fixing Hotaru with a stare.
"And just what makes you think you can wipe out fifty people behind
my back? What makes you think you can just run around, killing
people like that?"
"Welcome to the real world. Didn't you hear what you were
told, about there being groups in this world that won't accept our
ways?"
"That's not an excuse..." Usagi looked around to see if
anyone heard her. She continued in a softer tone. "That's not an
excuse for killing people.... Fifty people! My Kami, Hotaru, just
what in hell did you think you were doing?"
"They were determined to die. Determined to die for their
cause, because they believed they were right and we were wrong.
Everyone in this world feels that their point of view is the RIGHT
one. But there is no right point of view, not even ours. When
Crystal Tokyo is created, we shall slowly begin to take over, and
eventually dominate, all cultures, faiths and ideologies. In short,
we shall become responsible for the most insidious form of cultural
genocide."
Usagi shook her head. "Now you're just prattling about
possibilities. Everyone shall have a choice in the matter..."
"Will they? In the end, it will come down forced coersion,
you mark my words."
"Oh, drink your soda and shutup." Usagi crossed her arms and
looked away as Hotaru sulked. She hated these kinds of
conversations. She wasn't the world's greatest intellectual... She
thought more with her heart than her head, but she was, at the very
least, versed in the complexities that faced them, even if she did
act as if she existed in her own fantasy world. That was the
problem with her senshi.... They often treated her like a
stereotypical blond bimbo, without realising just how much tended to
run through her mind.
"Can I join this argument?" Said the voice from the green-
haired woman who seemed to appear out of nowhere, giving the pair of
them a start.
"Setsuna!" Usagi put a hand to her chest. "Don't you dare do
that again."
"Do what?"
"Sneak up on us like that?" Hotaru finished the question,
desperately trying to scoop up as much ice cream from the sides of
her glass as was possible, tipped there in her reaction to Setsuna's
arrival.
"Well, it wasn't very hard to do, considering the racket you
two were making. I've been watching you for the last five minutes,
trying to contain my embarassment. I thought I told you both to
keep a low profile...."
"Wrong. I told us to keep a low profile." Usagi sniffed.
"Whatever. You were doing your best to attract the attention
of just about everyone in here with your comedy double-act."
Setsuna shrugged and waved through Minako, who had been standing
beside her, in a daze. Minako sat beside Usagi, her eyes watering
for no visibly apparent reason. Usagi and Hotaru looked at her.
"She's really out if it, isn't she?" Usagi pointed at Minako.
Setsuna nodded.
"I have my misgivings about the state of her mind and body. I
can detect very strange energy waves emanating from her." Setsuna
sat beside Hotaru. "She has been eyeing people in an unusual
manner. She seems.... hungry, for want of a better term."
"Ehh?" Usagi looked at Minako. "What do you mean by that?"
"I don't know if I can explain it any better than that. She
tried to seduce me once or twice on our way here."
Usagi's face twisted. "Seduce..." She shook her head. "I
know she's been acting strange just lately, but...." Usagi shook
her head. "Whatever, at least we've found one of the lost sheep."
"I tried to pick up Mars and Mercury on the way, but they were
not at home when I called." Setsuna frowned. "So I travelled to
their respective educational institutions.... They weren't there,
either. It is most unlike them not to be attending, especially
Mercury. I wonder where she has found herself...."
----o
"What is going to happen to me, now?" Ami said as Aoi guided
her from the interview room.
"Well, you'll have to be held for further questioning, and
we'll have to contact any close relatives you may have. You do have
relatives, don't you?"
"Of course I do. My... uhh... my mother. She's a doctor.
She's at the hospital, where she works, now."
"Ah, I see. What is her contact number...." Aoi paused,
causing Miki, who had followed them from the interview room, to run
into her.
"Hoi, what's up?" Miki asked her, rubbing her nose.
"Them." Aoi pointed along the passageway to the main office.
On the other side of the office stood Katarin and Shimazaki, who
were talking with one of the office staff.
"What about them?" Miki stepped up alongside Ami, who peered
from one to the other. "That's just Kat-san and Shimazaki... Isn't
it good that they're here? The Major Crime boys would be happy to
see her."
"No, it's not good." She turned to Miki. "I've changed my
mind. Is there another way out of here?"
"What are you talking about?"
"I'm taking over responsibility for Mizuno, here. I've got to
thinking that this actually falls within the jurisdiction of the
SIU, after all."
"WHAT?" Miki stared at Aoi as if she were mad. "But she has
just confessed to the murder of..."
"...Yes, a Sailorsenshi has just confessed to the murder of
another Sailorsenshi. Isn't that the kind of affair the SIU was set
up for?" Aoi smiled at Miki. "After all, her confession wasn't
recorded, or anything."
"What are you saying?" Ami looked at Aoi worriedly. "I.. I
came in here to give myself up..."
"Shh!" Aoi shook her head, putting a finger to Ami's lip.
Miki paused to think, for a few moments. "You'll be neck deep
in it if the higher-ups find out about this."
"She came in to aid us with our enquiries, Miki-san." Aoi
took Ami by the arm. "The SIU's enquiries into the identities of
the Sailorsenshi."
"Ehh?" Ami stared at Aoi in disbelief.
"You just don't want the likes of those two getting their
hands on your little prize, here...." Miki wagged a finger in Aoi's
face. "Not that I can't understand how you feel. Katarin is kinda
okay, but Shimazaki is a righteous bastard...."
"Ano..." Ami butted in. "I don't mean to be rude...."
"Shh!" Aoi pulled on her arm, then nodded at Miki. "You can
see my point. I shall take responsibility for her."
Miki closed her eyes and took a breath. "You owe me one,
Kiko-san. I'll probably be given the run of the department for
this."
"Don't worry. It's entirely my idea."
"This way." Miki pointed back down the corridor and started
to move away. Aoi was about to follow, dragging Ami, but the senshi
held back. Aoi stopped and looked at her.
"What is it?"
"I... I didn't come here for this..."
"Don't worry. I'm not going to let you get away from me."
"Aren't you afraid.. that I'll change into a Sailorsenshi and
try to make an escape, or something like that?"
"Why would you? You came here of your own volition. I hardly
think you're going to suddenly change your mind...."
Ami shook her head. "No. I suppose I wouldn't."
"And besides. I don't believe you killed your friend." Ami
raised her eyebrows in surprise at Aoi's statement.
"But I did.... How could you say...?"
"Don't ask me why. I just have this feeling." Aoi smiled.
"I get the feeling you're covering up for someone."
"You're wrong."
"We'll see. Come on." Aoi lead Ami away.
----o
"In there." Naoko pointed up at the coffee shop from the
street below. "I can feel her presence."
"Alright." Jacquie held her back from the entrance. "We
should hand this over to the others now, don't you think?"
"It's too late. If we don't do something, she'll break."
Jacquie looked at Naoko, whose face was near panic. "I
can feel her, slowly losing it, becoming exponentially worse...
She'll kill everyone within that place if we don't do something."
"A team is going to be here at any moment, Naoko..."
"It's too late!" Naoko broke away from Jacquie and raced for
the entrance. Jacquie followed her in pursuit.
----o
"So, what is our plan of action now?" Usagi sighed, leaning
forward on her elbows.
"I haven't been able to get in contact with Uranus or Neptune
as yet. We'll formulate some plan once I do." Setsuna sighed.
"Do you think you'll have any more luck finding them than you
did with the others?" Hotaru leaned back against the wall,
sneering. "Face it, anything could have happened to them...."
"GET AWAY!" Usagi, Setsuna and Hotaru turned, along with
everyone else in the coffee shop, to the young girl with short, dark
hair, dressed in an equally dark kimono, as she ran through the
entrance, followed by a dark-skinned young woman, dressed in an
overcoat, windcheater and jeans.
"Naoko!" Jacquie tried to grab the girl's shoulder as she
scanned the coffee shop. Her eyes fixed on Minako, and she made
forward.
"GET AWAY FROM HER! SHE'S DANGEROUS!" Naoko made for the far
end of the shop, where they were sitting, as the trio stared at her
in surprise.
Suddenly Minako made a growling noise in her throat, and she
gripped the table.
She wrenched it clean from its mountings with inhuman
strength, dumping it on top of the unfortunate pair of outer senshi,
who both sprawled on their seat below it to short cries of distress.
"NO!" Naoko cried, and reached out to grab Minako, but was
bowled back by other patrons of the shop, stunned and frightened by
Minako's display.
"Mi.. Mina-chan..." Usagi had backed up against the wall,
staring at her friend. Minako turned to her and smiled.
With frightening speed, Minako grabbed Usagi by the throat and
lifted her from her seat. Usagi let out choked cries of distress as
Minako dragged her forward, and opened her mouth....
END OF PART 10
DDFA ayanami@internode.on.net
26th Mar 1998
by DARK DAY FOR ANIME (Mark A Page)
Disclaimer - all characters pertaining to the series Bishoujo Senshi
Sailormoon are owned by Takeuchi Naoko, Bandai and Kodansya. All
other characters were thought up by me. Well, its true, isn't it?
^_^
Naoko raised her head when she felt the first waves of change.
Jacquie noticed her friend's sudden expression, standing over the
tray of items within the knick-knack shop. Naoko still held onto
the small doll about which she had remarked, only seconds before,
was so kawaii....
"Naoko-chan?" Jacquie placed a hand on the 16 year old's
shoulder. "Naoko-chan? What do you feel?"
"Change." She replied. "There is change in the air. Someone
is becoming like I. They are changing, and it is without control."
Jacquie stared at Naoko, not sure of what to make of her
statement. As Tani Naoko's guardian of some three years, since
they first met in the Sacred House's education system, Jacqueline
Madendjirra had become used to the sudden, strange changes of
expression and tone the girl would put on.... Naturally, as Naoko
was at the mercy of some very strange senses, she could pick up and
detect things that Jacquie wouldn't be able to see or feel until
they were nearly upon her. Something of an embarassment for someone
who fancied themselves as a Kaditcha.
"I must find them." Naoko placed the doll back in the tray.
"Wait..." Jacquie took hold of her arm, pulling Naoko around
to face her. "Shouldn't we contact the House, first? After all, we
are only out on a social expedition. It isn't our place to deal
with this kind of thing."
"Oh yes..." Naoko half-smiled at Jacquie. "I forgot, I'm
only outside the walls of the House so I can learn how to relate to
others." Her cynicism dripped from every word. "Give me a break,
Jacquie. What else am I... are we... being trained for? For what
other possible reason have I been locked away since birth?"
"I still think it would be better to contact the House. You
can lead me to this person, and we'll let them handle it."
Naoko looked at her for a few moments, then nodded.
She lead Jacquie from the shop, into the driving rain beyond.
----o
Part Ten
Tidal Friction
----o
"I'm telling you, it was her." Fitchner paced Dietman
Manakuto's office impatiently. "The damned child had the gall to
call me at that very moment.... I could just throttle her."
"It would appear, to me at least, that her call saved your
life." Manakuto, lounging in his plush office chair, behind his
desk, drummed the fingers of both hands against each other.
Fitchner sighed, turning to the middle-aged parliamentarian.
"You can't understand how it feels.... To have all hope removed
like that... Since the death of my wife, she had been everything.
And then disappearing the way she did.... Where the hell has she
been, these five years? And why the hell now? Surely, she couldn't
have known I was going to...."
"I'd chalk it up to blind luck, Martin. I'm quite sure she
has no great psychic link to you, or anything." Manakuto sat
forward, leaning his elbows on the desk. "She wasn't likely to be
keeping tabs on everything you do. She didn't do it, deliberately."
"Then how did she know where I was?" Fitchner started pacing
again.
"There aren't that many people in Tokyo with the name
Fitchner. All she had to do was look you up in a telephone book."
Manakuto sighed. "I have supported you in your search for your
daughter as best as I could. But I am only the junior minister for
police services. My influence is limited because of the factional
brawling that is going on within the Diet. I don't need the kind of
paranoid talk, of secret societies and religions watching over us,
that you have dragged up."
Fitchner stopped in the middle of the room and looked down at
the floor. "Araki, do you know how many new religions and sects are
formed in Japan every month? An uncountable number. Uncountable
because many of them blow through before anyone notices their
existence, to be replaced by a new one."
"Yes, I realise that. It's a tax dodge that many people use
to beat the system."
"And often, people in positions of power and influence are
part of those religions and sects."
Manakuto sighed. "Look, I know where this is leading, Martin.
We've been through this story before. Of COURSE I know people of
power, wealth and influence are a part of these groups. It's only
natural. Dietman Kokuran is a member of such a group...."
"...Yes, I know, I know." Fitchner rubbed his face, tiredly.
"But I now know that Michelle is alright. And if that is so, then
she has to have been living, somewhere, within this city or
elsewhere in Japan. And it can't be that easy to hide someone who
has golden-blond hair in this country."
"Oh, I don't know about that. Seen some of the kids these
days?" Manakuto chuckled. Fitchner wasn't in the mood for light
humour.
"As I was saying.... It couldn't have been easy to hide
an attractive, blond-haired westerner in this country, especially
one whose face had been sprayed across the news at the time of her
disappearance. If she is alright, then someone has gone out of
their way to hide her, and that means someone with the wealth,
influence and power to do so."
Manakuto nodded. "Granted, if that is so, then I must agree,
it is possible that whomever she has become involved with are highly
influential. Influential to hide a foreign national from the
authorities for reasons unknown. But I must now point out to you,
Martin, that she has contacted you of her own free will. It is
likely that she has no desire to see you."
"More likely she is under the influence of whomever it is that
has snatched her away from me." Fitchner began pacing yet again,
more agitatedly. "Ah, this is too much. What am I going to do? My
reason for being in Japan these past few years has been finding her.
I lost my regular job when I lost her...."
"You still have your private investigation agency." Manakuto
pushed his chair back and stood, slowly walking around the desk.
"It is not as if you don't have any work to return to."
"I set that agency up with the point of finding Michelle. All
other work I'd received had been secondary to that goal."
Fitchner's eyes began to well with tears. "What am I going to do?"
Manakuto stepped up to Fitchner and placed a hand on his
shoulder. "Martin.... I know you are emotional about this, now,
but a call from her is a good sign that she is thinking of you. It
is possible that she intends, at some future time, to return to you.
The call might have been endemic of some disaffection with the group
she has found herself with."
"If you heard the way she spoke to me, you wouldn't say that.
I almost felt as if I were being mocked." Fitchner closed his eyes
and composed himself. "I'm sorry, Araki. I shouldn't have put on
such a display of emotion."
"No, no... It is quite understandable. I know if anything
were to happen to my children, I would feel the same as you."
"You've been of such support to me all these years. I don't
know how I can repay you." Fitchner stood back as Manakuto smiled,
putting his hand back to his side.
"Political expediency, Martin. As the junior Police Minister,
it is good to be seen to be doing something about what appears to be
a criminal act, in the public eye." Fitchner chuckled and Manakuto
smiled, putting out his hands, expansively. "See, even at moments
like this, we can still laugh over our failings."
There was a soft chime, and the two men turned to the speaker
in the top corner of the room.
"Ah, it looks like the session of parliament is about to
begin. I'm afraid I shall have to attend." Fitchner turned back to
Manakuto and nodded. The two men shook hands, then Manakuto guided
Fitchner towards his office door. "Pray I shall see you at some
future date?"
"Indeed." Fitchner smiled. "If I hear anything, I shall tell
you." Manakuto nodded and opened the door, waving Fitchner through.
After a short exchange of goodbyes, Manakuto closed the door behind
Fitchner and stood back, rubbing his chin. He turned and stepped
over to his desk, picking up the receiver of his phone.
He pressed a button and waited for several moments as he
listened to the ringing tone. A voice on the other end answered.
"Ah yes, this is Manakuto. Can you get me in touch with
Akizuki? I have some news I'm sure he'd be over the moon to
hear..."
----o
Usagi and Hotaru sat within the coffee shop above the game
centre. For Usagi, it was a weird feeling.... To be sitting
somewhere that had once been a safe haven from all of her problems
with the kind of fear experienced only at the height of her past
battles with her many enemies.
As experinced as she was with those feelings, she still felt
nervous when the young waitress came up to ask her what she wanted
to order. Usagi even had to kick Hotaru in the leg to stop the
younger girl from going ballistic.
It was a bad feeling, knowing there were people, somewhere,
looking out for you. BAD people, at that. Making their way to
the game centre was horrible. Literally anyone could have been
following them... or had recognised them. It ramped up Usagi's
natural paranoia to something close to breaking point.
They had been in contact with Setsuna through Minako's
communicator. Apparently, the younger girl was a bit out of it at
the time. Setsuna asked Usagi to pick a meeting spot that was
relatively well-known to everyone. And so, they made arrangements
to meet at the coffee shop.
That, of course, had been something close to half an hour ago.
There was still no sign of Setsuna, Minako or anyone else, and both
Usagi and Hotaru were beginning to get toey.
"Where are they... They should have been here, by now."
Hotaru grumbled, staring into the ice-cream soda paid for by Usagi,
since she was the only one with money. Usagi looked at her
dubiously. The very least the girl could do was drink the thing.
"They'll be here, alright?" Usagi drummed her fingers on the
table. "If Setsuna says she shall meet us somewhere, then she shall
meet us, guarenteed."
"You place altogether too much faith in her, you know that?"
"You're all my senshi. I have to trust you all."
Hotaru took the spoon in her soda and began to stir the drink.
"I don't really trust anyone. Not after what happened with my
father." She looked up at Usagi. "Except Chibiusa. I trust her.
But then, she is as clear as glass. She never hides her feelings."
"And I do?"
"You have learnt, with age, to do so." Hotaru looked back
down at her drink. "The few occasions where she has returned to us
from the future, the changes in her are so very small. Even though
she is now my age in our last encounter.... That is the difference
between you two."
"I have had to learn responsibility. The creation of Crystal
Tokyo is in my hands. If that means hiding aspects of what I feel
and think, then so be it."
Hotaru sighed. "It has lessened you in my eyes. I liked the
carefree individual you once were. It's what I like about
Chibiusa...." Hotaru looked aside and went silent as a figure
approached. Usagi turned as the waitress wandered past, carrying a
tray with empty cups back to the counter.
Usagi leaned forward, virtually whispering to Hotaru. "Would
you prefer it if I were to be the carefree individual right now? To
laugh off the threat that currently faces us and to go about
business as usual?"
Hotaru looked suitably chastened.
"Yes, I thought as much." Usagi sat back. "I know how you
feel about things, Hotaru. I am in touch with the thoughts and
feelings of all my senshi. You want to protect me and rebuild the
Kingdom.... To resurrect the old ways and the old customs. Well,
nobody said that was going to be easy."
"There are so many enemies out there." Hotaru glowered,
looking from side to side. "We've dealt with some of them, behind
your back."
"What?" Usagi raised her eyebrows in surprise.
"Indeed. Did you know there was a group that belonged to the
Black Moon family who had settled within the Middle East? They were
manipulating Muslim extremists to follow their cause.... We'd had
to head that off at the pass before things got out of hand."
"When was this?"
"About a year or so ago." Hotaru paused. "It cost the lives
of at least fifty people."
"F.. fifty?" Usagi brought her hands down on the table,
making Hotaru wince and catching the attention of everyone within
the shop. Usagi smiled nervously at people, waving her hand in
apology. When everyone had turned back to their own conversations
and business, Usagi leaned forward, fixing Hotaru with a stare.
"And just what makes you think you can wipe out fifty people behind
my back? What makes you think you can just run around, killing
people like that?"
"Welcome to the real world. Didn't you hear what you were
told, about there being groups in this world that won't accept our
ways?"
"That's not an excuse..." Usagi looked around to see if
anyone heard her. She continued in a softer tone. "That's not an
excuse for killing people.... Fifty people! My Kami, Hotaru, just
what in hell did you think you were doing?"
"They were determined to die. Determined to die for their
cause, because they believed they were right and we were wrong.
Everyone in this world feels that their point of view is the RIGHT
one. But there is no right point of view, not even ours. When
Crystal Tokyo is created, we shall slowly begin to take over, and
eventually dominate, all cultures, faiths and ideologies. In short,
we shall become responsible for the most insidious form of cultural
genocide."
Usagi shook her head. "Now you're just prattling about
possibilities. Everyone shall have a choice in the matter..."
"Will they? In the end, it will come down forced coersion,
you mark my words."
"Oh, drink your soda and shutup." Usagi crossed her arms and
looked away as Hotaru sulked. She hated these kinds of
conversations. She wasn't the world's greatest intellectual... She
thought more with her heart than her head, but she was, at the very
least, versed in the complexities that faced them, even if she did
act as if she existed in her own fantasy world. That was the
problem with her senshi.... They often treated her like a
stereotypical blond bimbo, without realising just how much tended to
run through her mind.
"Can I join this argument?" Said the voice from the green-
haired woman who seemed to appear out of nowhere, giving the pair of
them a start.
"Setsuna!" Usagi put a hand to her chest. "Don't you dare do
that again."
"Do what?"
"Sneak up on us like that?" Hotaru finished the question,
desperately trying to scoop up as much ice cream from the sides of
her glass as was possible, tipped there in her reaction to Setsuna's
arrival.
"Well, it wasn't very hard to do, considering the racket you
two were making. I've been watching you for the last five minutes,
trying to contain my embarassment. I thought I told you both to
keep a low profile...."
"Wrong. I told us to keep a low profile." Usagi sniffed.
"Whatever. You were doing your best to attract the attention
of just about everyone in here with your comedy double-act."
Setsuna shrugged and waved through Minako, who had been standing
beside her, in a daze. Minako sat beside Usagi, her eyes watering
for no visibly apparent reason. Usagi and Hotaru looked at her.
"She's really out if it, isn't she?" Usagi pointed at Minako.
Setsuna nodded.
"I have my misgivings about the state of her mind and body. I
can detect very strange energy waves emanating from her." Setsuna
sat beside Hotaru. "She has been eyeing people in an unusual
manner. She seems.... hungry, for want of a better term."
"Ehh?" Usagi looked at Minako. "What do you mean by that?"
"I don't know if I can explain it any better than that. She
tried to seduce me once or twice on our way here."
Usagi's face twisted. "Seduce..." She shook her head. "I
know she's been acting strange just lately, but...." Usagi shook
her head. "Whatever, at least we've found one of the lost sheep."
"I tried to pick up Mars and Mercury on the way, but they were
not at home when I called." Setsuna frowned. "So I travelled to
their respective educational institutions.... They weren't there,
either. It is most unlike them not to be attending, especially
Mercury. I wonder where she has found herself...."
----o
"What is going to happen to me, now?" Ami said as Aoi guided
her from the interview room.
"Well, you'll have to be held for further questioning, and
we'll have to contact any close relatives you may have. You do have
relatives, don't you?"
"Of course I do. My... uhh... my mother. She's a doctor.
She's at the hospital, where she works, now."
"Ah, I see. What is her contact number...." Aoi paused,
causing Miki, who had followed them from the interview room, to run
into her.
"Hoi, what's up?" Miki asked her, rubbing her nose.
"Them." Aoi pointed along the passageway to the main office.
On the other side of the office stood Katarin and Shimazaki, who
were talking with one of the office staff.
"What about them?" Miki stepped up alongside Ami, who peered
from one to the other. "That's just Kat-san and Shimazaki... Isn't
it good that they're here? The Major Crime boys would be happy to
see her."
"No, it's not good." She turned to Miki. "I've changed my
mind. Is there another way out of here?"
"What are you talking about?"
"I'm taking over responsibility for Mizuno, here. I've got to
thinking that this actually falls within the jurisdiction of the
SIU, after all."
"WHAT?" Miki stared at Aoi as if she were mad. "But she has
just confessed to the murder of..."
"...Yes, a Sailorsenshi has just confessed to the murder of
another Sailorsenshi. Isn't that the kind of affair the SIU was set
up for?" Aoi smiled at Miki. "After all, her confession wasn't
recorded, or anything."
"What are you saying?" Ami looked at Aoi worriedly. "I.. I
came in here to give myself up..."
"Shh!" Aoi shook her head, putting a finger to Ami's lip.
Miki paused to think, for a few moments. "You'll be neck deep
in it if the higher-ups find out about this."
"She came in to aid us with our enquiries, Miki-san." Aoi
took Ami by the arm. "The SIU's enquiries into the identities of
the Sailorsenshi."
"Ehh?" Ami stared at Aoi in disbelief.
"You just don't want the likes of those two getting their
hands on your little prize, here...." Miki wagged a finger in Aoi's
face. "Not that I can't understand how you feel. Katarin is kinda
okay, but Shimazaki is a righteous bastard...."
"Ano..." Ami butted in. "I don't mean to be rude...."
"Shh!" Aoi pulled on her arm, then nodded at Miki. "You can
see my point. I shall take responsibility for her."
Miki closed her eyes and took a breath. "You owe me one,
Kiko-san. I'll probably be given the run of the department for
this."
"Don't worry. It's entirely my idea."
"This way." Miki pointed back down the corridor and started
to move away. Aoi was about to follow, dragging Ami, but the senshi
held back. Aoi stopped and looked at her.
"What is it?"
"I... I didn't come here for this..."
"Don't worry. I'm not going to let you get away from me."
"Aren't you afraid.. that I'll change into a Sailorsenshi and
try to make an escape, or something like that?"
"Why would you? You came here of your own volition. I hardly
think you're going to suddenly change your mind...."
Ami shook her head. "No. I suppose I wouldn't."
"And besides. I don't believe you killed your friend." Ami
raised her eyebrows in surprise at Aoi's statement.
"But I did.... How could you say...?"
"Don't ask me why. I just have this feeling." Aoi smiled.
"I get the feeling you're covering up for someone."
"You're wrong."
"We'll see. Come on." Aoi lead Ami away.
----o
"In there." Naoko pointed up at the coffee shop from the
street below. "I can feel her presence."
"Alright." Jacquie held her back from the entrance. "We
should hand this over to the others now, don't you think?"
"It's too late. If we don't do something, she'll break."
Jacquie looked at Naoko, whose face was near panic. "I
can feel her, slowly losing it, becoming exponentially worse...
She'll kill everyone within that place if we don't do something."
"A team is going to be here at any moment, Naoko..."
"It's too late!" Naoko broke away from Jacquie and raced for
the entrance. Jacquie followed her in pursuit.
----o
"So, what is our plan of action now?" Usagi sighed, leaning
forward on her elbows.
"I haven't been able to get in contact with Uranus or Neptune
as yet. We'll formulate some plan once I do." Setsuna sighed.
"Do you think you'll have any more luck finding them than you
did with the others?" Hotaru leaned back against the wall,
sneering. "Face it, anything could have happened to them...."
"GET AWAY!" Usagi, Setsuna and Hotaru turned, along with
everyone else in the coffee shop, to the young girl with short, dark
hair, dressed in an equally dark kimono, as she ran through the
entrance, followed by a dark-skinned young woman, dressed in an
overcoat, windcheater and jeans.
"Naoko!" Jacquie tried to grab the girl's shoulder as she
scanned the coffee shop. Her eyes fixed on Minako, and she made
forward.
"GET AWAY FROM HER! SHE'S DANGEROUS!" Naoko made for the far
end of the shop, where they were sitting, as the trio stared at her
in surprise.
Suddenly Minako made a growling noise in her throat, and she
gripped the table.
She wrenched it clean from its mountings with inhuman
strength, dumping it on top of the unfortunate pair of outer senshi,
who both sprawled on their seat below it to short cries of distress.
"NO!" Naoko cried, and reached out to grab Minako, but was
bowled back by other patrons of the shop, stunned and frightened by
Minako's display.
"Mi.. Mina-chan..." Usagi had backed up against the wall,
staring at her friend. Minako turned to her and smiled.
With frightening speed, Minako grabbed Usagi by the throat and
lifted her from her seat. Usagi let out choked cries of distress as
Minako dragged her forward, and opened her mouth....
END OF PART 10
DDFA ayanami@internode.on.net
26th Mar 1998