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.
I hope I'm not sued for writing this. I'm not some ripoff merchant,
using other people's ideas for personal gain. I'm just a poor
little know-nothing fanboy. I leave the ripoffs to professionals
like Anya Romanov. ^_^
--------------------------------------------------------------------
In the darkness of a hallway within the Sacred House compound,
two enemies who used to be friends were discussing another person
who could also be classified as such....
Both almost appeared to be negative images of each other....
Setsuna with her tanned complexion and dark green hair, and Carey
with her pale skin and ice-white hair....
"I take it he used your Princess's powers to get through the
Security?" Carey sneered at Lysithea's obvious manipulation of
Usagi.
"What else would he be with her for?" Setsuna ignored the
comment. She felt no comfort in having one of her compatriots
insulted by someone she knew and trusted not, especially when the
insulted party was her Princess....
"Interesting. I wonder why he hasn't thought of doing this
before?" Carey put a hand to her chin in mock thought. Setsuna
shrugged, inwardly knowing that Carey probably knew.
"My guess is he's been biding his time."
"For what reason?" Carey looked at Setsuna, archly.
"Preparations." Setsuna sniffed with bitchy affectation.
With Carey, conversations were always a matter of fighting bitch
with bitch. Considering the open coolness between them, she was on
her guard in case Carey decided to let rip with a blinder spell....
One Setsuna COULDN'T predict.
Only Carey could do that.
"Ah. Yes, of course. I forgot about that. It won't do him
any good, though." Carey smiled.
Setsuna blinked, surprised. "Why? What do you mean?"
Carey wagged a finger in Setsuna's face, clicking her tongue
condescendingly. "Oh Meiou-san.... Honestly." Carey stepped away,
staring into space. "To achieve what he wants to achieve, he needs
two of our kind.... One Bestial and one Ethereal." She looked
aside at Setsuna, knowingly. "He can only have one, now."
"You mean you've...." Setsuna frowned, then shook her head.
"I didn't think you'd go through with an elaborate plan of that
kind."
Carey chuckled, shrugging. "In a few minutes, there won't be
a Bestial on the face of the Earth capable of matching his
requirements."
----o
Arisa continued to chant her spell. Not easy to do when one
is standing on top of a water tower, in the middle of a large
industrial estate dockyard on a wet and rainy day, with the rapidly
fading light making vision problematic.
It seemed as if the creature that used to be Sherrie had tired
of its meal. Slowly, it started to pace over to where Nobuhiro was
standing, transfixed by the scene, from the docking shed that had
been pasted with the remains of its victims, the dockyard workers
it had caught in its short and vicious hunt.
It stomped over the wooden boards, under which Rumiko was
lying. Well, thought Arisa, not pausing in the incantation, there
was one good aspect to being smashed into an old wooden door....
Then the creature made a deep-throated cackling sound, and
made to pounce on the frozen Nobuhiro. Arisa could see its outline
crouching. At that moment, she ended her incantation. "RELEASE!"
She cried at the top of her voice.
The creature looked up at her. Arisa shivered at the hungry
glare, but there was something else within those eyes.... A sudden
realisation... Of what was going on.
There was an explosion of light, and the creature's form came
into full view as waves of magical energy struck it from the side.
It's part-human, part-feline, part-demon figure flashing with the
plasma and bolts that emanated from the figure that stood from the
pit of sand. Nobuhiro, stunned by this turn of events, fell onto
his rump, wide-eyed with fear.
The creature shivered, its bestial growl forming a word....
"Kei....ko...."
Yokuro Keiko stood tall, holding her hands before her in a
praying stance.
"Now, Sherrie..." She said in a voice that echoed across the
yards. "I shall release you from this horror...."
----o
Part Seventeen
Nocturnal Index
----o
"In a few moments, Doctor Mizuno, there shall be a couple of
officers from the Major Crime department, here to take you to the
metropolitan police headquarters. You will go with them." The
silky, cultured voice of the shorter of the two young women echoed
through the silence of Doctor Mizuno's office.
The Doctor closed her eyes, shivering. "Why did Ami do this?"
"I dunno. Some twisted sense of family loyalty. You know
what they say. Blood runs thicker than water. Touching, really."
The rougher brogue of the taller one's voice made the Doctor angry.
She looked up at the taller one's sneering face. "What's wrong,
Doctor? Have I hit a sore nerve?"
"That's enough of that." The shorter one placed a hand around
her partner's arm. They looked at each other for a few moments, a
silent conversation passing between them through the expressions of
their eyes, then the shorter one turned back to the Doctor. "You
shall obey our commands, Doctor Mizuno. It would not be wise to
upset us." She smiled, then guided her partner to the door, opening
it. The Doctor watched them as they stepped from the room and
closed the door behind them.
Her face became a mask of despair, and she leaned down,
placing that mask in her hands.
----o
"Ele ele esgepera vegebhera...." Keiko cried out at the top
of her voice as the energy that emerged from her form increased
exponentially.
Arisa leapt from the tower, landing gracefully on the ground
as Maria and the leader of Team Three, Araki Mikage, arrived by her
side, all dazzled by the display from the Sacred House's prodigal
child. Arisa noted that the figure of the creature had lowered
itself to the ground, crouching almost in a foetal position. Arisa
wondered if some semblance of Sherrie's mind had regained control
and she was giving in to the inevitable....
Arisa could feel pain within her soul. Pain from Sherrie,
pain from Keiko, and pain from Rumiko, as the dark-haired young
woman crawled from underneath the pile of broken wood, obviously
injured, but rapidly healing as is her caste's ability....
Rumiko had befriended Sherrie when the girl had first been
inducted into the Sacred House. No, that was not technically
correct.... Rumiko and Sherrie were.... Well, Arisa could never
understand those kind of feelings. The pain she felt from Rumiko
right now was exactly what she expected to feel.
From Keiko, the emotions were raw and primal, and innocent.
Keiko loved Sherrie, because Sherrie was one of very few people who
would care for her on a personal level....
For Sherrie to have betrayed them both in this manner, and to
allow her bestial side to commit an atrocity the nature of which lay
within the docking shed.... There was only ONE way Sherrie could be
cleansed for this action....
And then Sherrie's pain dissipated. Arisa searched for the
pain, using her witch energies to seek what lay within Sherrie's
soul....
She screamed in pure terror at what she saw. Maria and Mikage
stared at her as she fell back in faint, Maria catching her just in
time.
"Arisa-san.... Arisa-san..." Maria fell to her knees,
holding Arisa's head in her lap. "Arisa-san, what is it? What did
you see?"
There was a scream.... A piercing scream that shook
everything within a ten mile radius.... The cry of the banshee....
And then the creature leapt, high into the air.
They watched in horror as the beast flew towards Keiko, almost
as if in slow motion. Its figure, flying through the air in a
graceful arc....
It was not nearly fast enough.
----o
Hotaru peered through the front gate of the Hikawa shrine.
All appeared quiet. No, actually, abandoned was more appropriate
for the scene that greeted her eyes. No visitors, no sign of Rei,
her Grandfather or even Yuuichirou.
She caught her breath, leaning against the gate. She had
transformed to gain the energy required to cross the distance needed
to get here in as little time as possible. Unfortunately, even with
the increased powers, she was still taxing her stamina. She had run
a large distance without stopping, except to remark on a trio of
flying women, and was bloody well tired.
Slowly, she padded through the gateway into the shrine
grounds, peering nervously at the surroundings. The fading light
had ramped up her paranoia level tenfold. Anyone could be watching
the shrine from the surrounding bushes, and dressed, as she was, as
Sailorsaturn, made her stand out like a sore thumb.
She wasn't all that familiar with either Yuuichirou or Rei's
Grandfather, either. They weren't likely to recognise her in this
form, but they'd be straining to remember her even if she did wander
in as Hotaru. Well, that was her prize for being one of that
specious category, known as "Outer" Senshi. She decided it would be
a good idea to make for Rei's bedroom. If the girl was back from
wherever it was she had found herself, that was one likely place she
would hide herself away.
Hotaru dashed between buildings, stopping to glance around, in
case someone was watching. Eventually, she reached the entrance of
the shrine residence. All appeared dark within. Taking a breath,
she entered the open passage.
----o
From the fingertips of Keiko's outstretched hands, sparkling
and crackling beams of energy exploded with a physical force that
gave everyone reason to take hold of the nearest support. These
beams of energy struck the creature, running through its being with
an angry, ripping motion, making the creature scream in agony and
terror.
Before anyone knew what was happening, it was all over. The
energies faded away, and Sherrie's naked body fell to the ground
between Keiko and Rumiko, bruised and bloodied.
Keiko stared at Sherrie's still form, satisfied with what had
been done, then toppled to the ground, unconcious.
The first to stand was Rumiko, moving away, with much pain,
towards Sherrie's side.
"Is it done?" She heard Maria call from beside the tower,
where she had been sheltering the recovering Arisa.
Rumiko looked at her with tear-splattered annoyance, and
turned Sherrie onto her back. Blood ran from the young woman's nose
and mouth, yet she was concious, her breathing laboured. Already,
Rumiko could hear the encroaching signs of the "death rattles".
Maria and Mikage helped Arisa to her feet. They watched as
Rumiko put a hand to Sherrie's face, touching her tenderly....
"Are you alright?" Maria whispered into Arisa's ear.
"Hai...." Arisa whispered back, then gestured to Mikage.
"Mika-chan, secure Watanabe before he decides things are suitable
for him to run amok again."
The small, short-haired girl nodded and turned around,
spotting the four other members of Team Three standing behind the
base of the water tower. She beckoned to them and they ran over to
Nobuhiro, who was still staring in Sherrie's direction, and
surrounded him. There was no need for the show of force. He'd been
stunned into submission....
"Look... like I caused you... a spot of bother." Sherrie
smiled painfully at Rumiko. Rumiko tried to smile back, but
couldn't.
"That's because you're a stupid idiot, you know that?" Rumiko
shivered.
"But hey, it releases me from the House's pair-bonding efforts
for a while...." Sherrie chuckled, then coughed, spraying blood.
Rumiko gripped Sherrie's hand.
"It won't save me, though." Rumiko whispered as Sherrie
regained some composure.
"Hey.... You make sure they don't foist some retard off on
you, okay?" Sherrie smiled and turned away, looking at Keiko's
still form. "Will she be alright?" Sherrie turned back to Rumiko.
"Hai.... This is what she was partnered with us for.... To
cancel your bestial index if the need ever aorse." Rumiko felt a
strange dizziness as Sherrie's face went pale. Mist began to rise
from the redhead's body.
"Look after her for me, Rumiko.... She needs her friends. I
just wish I could have been a better one for her...."
Rumiko nodded, tears running down her face.
Sherrie's eyes glazed over.
And they all watched as her body faded into the mist. The
last contact Rumiko felt was Sherrie's hand, which evaporated in her
own. The mist floated into the rain and dissipated to nothingness.
Rumiko wailed.
----o
Aoi blinked. She was standing in the middle of her
loungeroom. So was Mhaere. Gwen was sitting in a lounge chair
nearby, and Ami was lying on the sofa. It annoyed Aoi somewhat that
they were all making such a mess on the carpet and the lounge.
"Nice trick. Couldn't you have chosen another part of my
house, where mud and blood aren't quite as anathema?"
"You're never pleased with anything, are you?" Mhaere
wandered off into the kitchen. "Do you have a first aid kit in
here?"
"In the top cupboard." Aoi sighed and dropped her ex mobile
phone on the carpet. She reached into her other pocket, finding it
surprisingly dry, and pulled out an unsoiled handkerchief. She
knelt down beside Ami and held the handkerchief gently across her
nose and mouth.
"Whoever you've found to heal her better make an appearance
soon."
She looked down at Ami's pained face, and sighed. Then she
frowned and turned. "Umm.... Is there someone in my shower?"
"What makes you think that?" She heard Mhaere say as the
young woman rifled through the cupboards.
"It sounds like the shower is on."
"Well, if it's on, it's on." Mhaere sounded disinterested.
Aoi rubbed her forehead in frustration. Then the noise of
running water stopped and she heard rustling sounds from the
bathroom. Slowly, she inched forward, towards the doorway to the
hall. The bathroom door was opened and someone was padding their
way towards the lounge.
Aoi came face to face with Pagan, water still dripping from
his hair and upper body.
"YOU!" Aoi shouted.
"YOU!" He retorted.
And then she stared at his naked body. Or, at the very least,
a portion of his naked body. For longer than she really intended
to. Her face went beetroot red as he glanced down at the part he'd
failed to properly cover.
"Shit...." He disappeared back into the hallway.
Aoi stood there and stared blankly for several moments, only
coming to when Mhaere put a hand on her shoulder.
"I wonder if his nickname's Clydesdale. Now I know why my
sister had such an obsession with him." Mhaere smirked, making Aoi
snort.
"I'll kill you for this, Sherrie!" They heard him say from
the hallway. Mhaere snorted.
"Get your Meehans right, Lacey."
His head appeared around the doorway, and he squinted at her.
With a sigh, he nodded. "Yeah, right." He disappeared back into hall.
"Do you think he believes me?" Mhaere looked at Aoi. "I
mean, I know Sherrie and I look a lot alike, but still...."
"He isn't the person you said would...."
"Yep, he's the one who can mend your Sailorsenshi for you."
----o
Arisa watched as Nobuhiro was bundled into the rear of a box
trailer. He had been sedated, along with Michelle, so the pair
would be quiet as they were taken back to the Sacred House Compound.
Arisa felt sorry for the both of them.... They were about to suffer
the horrors of the Sacred House's "re-education" program....
Something she'd had to endure, once or twice, after making bad a few
decisions. Fortunately, it wasn't for very long.
She'd decided to send Rumiko and Keiko back with the
accompanying convoy. They had to sedate Rumiko, as well. Although
it was understandable, the girl had allowed herself to put on a wild
display of emotions that were quite unheard of from a Tani....
Arisa stood by the main operations van, overlooking the scene
at the docking shed, as members of the Sacred House's clean-up squad
prepared to blow the shed up in a manner that was likely to emulate
the kind of dismemberment and disembowlment that the dockyard
workers had suffered. Meanwhile, other members of the squad were
mopping up the "stray" workers. She rubbed her face and leant
against the driver's door.
"Feeling tired?" Maria stepped from behind the van,
approaching Arisa. The smaller girl turned to her partner and
nodded.
"I'm also a bit concerned about Gwen. We haven't heard
anything from her in a while."
"Well, you know how she operates. Likes to be mysterious and
all that crap."
"Yes, I know that. But events are happening so quickly that,
if something had happened to her, we've been too distracted to do
anything about it."
Maria shrugged, even though she shared Arisa's concerns about
the third member of Team One. "I'm sure she can look after herself.
She's been a lot quieter than this, for longer periods of time, in
the past."
"I don't know. I just have this feeling...."
Maria turned to the shed. "It must be the atmosphere." Arisa
followed her gaze. Suddenly, the rain started to fall heavily, and
the pair jumped around, putting their arms over their heads. Maria
threw open the driver's door of the van and helped Arisa inside,
following suit soon after.
----o
The door to Rei's room was open, and all within was dark.
Hotaru was never fond of these traditional Japanese residences.
Their openness she found unguarded, and altogether too breezy. It
felt pretty cold, right now, and she began to wonder just where the
hell everyone had got to.
She leant against the sliding door and peered in. In the dim
light, she thought she could see a figure, crouching in the corner.
Her heart was in her mouth. It was about the size and shape to be
Rei.... But why would the girl be crouching, silently, within a
darkened room? That kind of thing just didn't strike Hotaru as
being a Rei kind of thing to do.
She steeled herself, taking a breath.
"Pssssst." She hissed into the room.
"Who is that?" Came a reply, soft and tinged with an air of
fear. Real fear.... That worried Hotaru a little. "Come on, show
yourself. I'm ready for you!"
"Is that you, Rei?"
There was a pause. The figure seemed to move.... Standing up
from the corner. Hotaru could see a hint of red on the figures
clothes.
"Who is that? I said show yourself!" The sound of the voice
was a little louder, but still frightened.
"It's me. Hotaru."
"Hotaru?" The figure stepped forward, and Hotaru could see
that it was, indeed, Rei.... Transformed into Mars. Hotaru stepped
away from the door, and was immediately grabbed by Rei and pulled
into the room.
"Hey.... Take it easy...."
"Get out of sight! They're out there."
Hotaru blinked. "Who? Who is out there?"
"THEY are. They've been watching me.... For a while now."
"WHO, Mars. Who is out there?"
"The Yakuza. The people we involved ourselves with....
They're out there. I think they've taken Ojisan and Yuuichirou."
"What makes you think that?"
Rei rubbed her face. Hotaru could see her eyes were red.
Either she was stoned or she had been crying herself silly.
Considering the number of strange herbs she and her Grandfather
used during their ceremonies, Hotaru wasn't counting out either
possibility. "Nobody was here when I got home. They didn't tell
me that they were going out, today...."
"Look, Mars, maybe something came up today.... Something
important. It doesn't mean they've been kidnapped."
there was a creaking noise from somewhere within the
residence, making both girls jump.
"You hear that?" Rei looked around, nervously. "They're
in here, somewhere."
Hotaru wasn't so sure Rei was being paranoid, anymore. It
WAS possible that the Yakuza, who they had associated with in their
earlier campaign, had decided to turn against them. After all, that
had been one of Setsuna's fears. However, not many within that
group actually knew their true identities, and then not all of the
identities were known. "I think we better check it for ourselves,
don't you think?"
"No...."
"What is wrong with you, Mars? You're a Sailorsenshi. We
have sufficient power to deal with them if there are Yakuza heavies
out there."
"They killed Makoto...." Rei backed away from the open door.
"If they can get her, they can get us, too."
"Wait a minute.... What do you mean, they killed Makoto?"
Rei shivered and rubbed her eyes. "They killed her. Last
night, they got her. I was there. I saw it happen. Two guys
snatched her from outside her apartment, dragged her away.... I
followed them...." Rei began to gag, as if the memory was more than
her stomach could take.... Hotaru put an arm around her as she she
fell to her knees.
"Mars, we need to get this information to the others as soon
as possible.... Everyone IS in danger, but it might not be the
Yakuza who is to blame."
"Then who?" Rei looked up at her.
"A group, called the Sacred House, has taken Minako.... They
might even have Usagi now, I don't know."
"Oh Kami, no no no...." Rei put her hands to her head.
"Please, tell me they're alright. Please."
"They're alive, as far as I know."
"Ohhhh." Rei fell to the floor, her hands over her head.
"This is more horrible than...." She got up again. "Where are the
others? Setsuna and Ami and Haruka and Michiru, I mean.... And
where the hell are those bloody cats?"
"Setsuna has gone to try and rescue Usagi. We must join her
if she is successful."
There was another creaking sound, this time closer. Both
girls turned towards the doorway.
"There IS someone in here." Rei clutched Hotaru's arm.
"That was too soft to be a footstep."
"But there is someone, or something, moving through the
residence....." Rei was on the edge of panic. "I don't want to
end up like Makoto.... Oh KAMI no...."
Rei stood and started to back away, her arm held by Hotaru.
"No, Mars. If there is someone in here, we must FIGHT them."
Something brushed against the door, and they both turned,
trembling with fear and anticipation.
END OF PART 17
--------------------------------------------------------------------
Next Chapter - "To One in Paradise"
DDFA ayanami@internode.on.net
Version 1.0 - 6th May 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.
I hope I'm not sued for writing this. I'm not some ripoff merchant,
using other people's ideas for personal gain. I'm just a poor
little know-nothing fanboy. I leave the ripoffs to professionals
like Anya Romanov. ^_^
--------------------------------------------------------------------
In the darkness of a hallway within the Sacred House compound,
two enemies who used to be friends were discussing another person
who could also be classified as such....
Both almost appeared to be negative images of each other....
Setsuna with her tanned complexion and dark green hair, and Carey
with her pale skin and ice-white hair....
"I take it he used your Princess's powers to get through the
Security?" Carey sneered at Lysithea's obvious manipulation of
Usagi.
"What else would he be with her for?" Setsuna ignored the
comment. She felt no comfort in having one of her compatriots
insulted by someone she knew and trusted not, especially when the
insulted party was her Princess....
"Interesting. I wonder why he hasn't thought of doing this
before?" Carey put a hand to her chin in mock thought. Setsuna
shrugged, inwardly knowing that Carey probably knew.
"My guess is he's been biding his time."
"For what reason?" Carey looked at Setsuna, archly.
"Preparations." Setsuna sniffed with bitchy affectation.
With Carey, conversations were always a matter of fighting bitch
with bitch. Considering the open coolness between them, she was on
her guard in case Carey decided to let rip with a blinder spell....
One Setsuna COULDN'T predict.
Only Carey could do that.
"Ah. Yes, of course. I forgot about that. It won't do him
any good, though." Carey smiled.
Setsuna blinked, surprised. "Why? What do you mean?"
Carey wagged a finger in Setsuna's face, clicking her tongue
condescendingly. "Oh Meiou-san.... Honestly." Carey stepped away,
staring into space. "To achieve what he wants to achieve, he needs
two of our kind.... One Bestial and one Ethereal." She looked
aside at Setsuna, knowingly. "He can only have one, now."
"You mean you've...." Setsuna frowned, then shook her head.
"I didn't think you'd go through with an elaborate plan of that
kind."
Carey chuckled, shrugging. "In a few minutes, there won't be
a Bestial on the face of the Earth capable of matching his
requirements."
----o
Arisa continued to chant her spell. Not easy to do when one
is standing on top of a water tower, in the middle of a large
industrial estate dockyard on a wet and rainy day, with the rapidly
fading light making vision problematic.
It seemed as if the creature that used to be Sherrie had tired
of its meal. Slowly, it started to pace over to where Nobuhiro was
standing, transfixed by the scene, from the docking shed that had
been pasted with the remains of its victims, the dockyard workers
it had caught in its short and vicious hunt.
It stomped over the wooden boards, under which Rumiko was
lying. Well, thought Arisa, not pausing in the incantation, there
was one good aspect to being smashed into an old wooden door....
Then the creature made a deep-throated cackling sound, and
made to pounce on the frozen Nobuhiro. Arisa could see its outline
crouching. At that moment, she ended her incantation. "RELEASE!"
She cried at the top of her voice.
The creature looked up at her. Arisa shivered at the hungry
glare, but there was something else within those eyes.... A sudden
realisation... Of what was going on.
There was an explosion of light, and the creature's form came
into full view as waves of magical energy struck it from the side.
It's part-human, part-feline, part-demon figure flashing with the
plasma and bolts that emanated from the figure that stood from the
pit of sand. Nobuhiro, stunned by this turn of events, fell onto
his rump, wide-eyed with fear.
The creature shivered, its bestial growl forming a word....
"Kei....ko...."
Yokuro Keiko stood tall, holding her hands before her in a
praying stance.
"Now, Sherrie..." She said in a voice that echoed across the
yards. "I shall release you from this horror...."
----o
Part Seventeen
Nocturnal Index
----o
"In a few moments, Doctor Mizuno, there shall be a couple of
officers from the Major Crime department, here to take you to the
metropolitan police headquarters. You will go with them." The
silky, cultured voice of the shorter of the two young women echoed
through the silence of Doctor Mizuno's office.
The Doctor closed her eyes, shivering. "Why did Ami do this?"
"I dunno. Some twisted sense of family loyalty. You know
what they say. Blood runs thicker than water. Touching, really."
The rougher brogue of the taller one's voice made the Doctor angry.
She looked up at the taller one's sneering face. "What's wrong,
Doctor? Have I hit a sore nerve?"
"That's enough of that." The shorter one placed a hand around
her partner's arm. They looked at each other for a few moments, a
silent conversation passing between them through the expressions of
their eyes, then the shorter one turned back to the Doctor. "You
shall obey our commands, Doctor Mizuno. It would not be wise to
upset us." She smiled, then guided her partner to the door, opening
it. The Doctor watched them as they stepped from the room and
closed the door behind them.
Her face became a mask of despair, and she leaned down,
placing that mask in her hands.
----o
"Ele ele esgepera vegebhera...." Keiko cried out at the top
of her voice as the energy that emerged from her form increased
exponentially.
Arisa leapt from the tower, landing gracefully on the ground
as Maria and the leader of Team Three, Araki Mikage, arrived by her
side, all dazzled by the display from the Sacred House's prodigal
child. Arisa noted that the figure of the creature had lowered
itself to the ground, crouching almost in a foetal position. Arisa
wondered if some semblance of Sherrie's mind had regained control
and she was giving in to the inevitable....
Arisa could feel pain within her soul. Pain from Sherrie,
pain from Keiko, and pain from Rumiko, as the dark-haired young
woman crawled from underneath the pile of broken wood, obviously
injured, but rapidly healing as is her caste's ability....
Rumiko had befriended Sherrie when the girl had first been
inducted into the Sacred House. No, that was not technically
correct.... Rumiko and Sherrie were.... Well, Arisa could never
understand those kind of feelings. The pain she felt from Rumiko
right now was exactly what she expected to feel.
From Keiko, the emotions were raw and primal, and innocent.
Keiko loved Sherrie, because Sherrie was one of very few people who
would care for her on a personal level....
For Sherrie to have betrayed them both in this manner, and to
allow her bestial side to commit an atrocity the nature of which lay
within the docking shed.... There was only ONE way Sherrie could be
cleansed for this action....
And then Sherrie's pain dissipated. Arisa searched for the
pain, using her witch energies to seek what lay within Sherrie's
soul....
She screamed in pure terror at what she saw. Maria and Mikage
stared at her as she fell back in faint, Maria catching her just in
time.
"Arisa-san.... Arisa-san..." Maria fell to her knees,
holding Arisa's head in her lap. "Arisa-san, what is it? What did
you see?"
There was a scream.... A piercing scream that shook
everything within a ten mile radius.... The cry of the banshee....
And then the creature leapt, high into the air.
They watched in horror as the beast flew towards Keiko, almost
as if in slow motion. Its figure, flying through the air in a
graceful arc....
It was not nearly fast enough.
----o
Hotaru peered through the front gate of the Hikawa shrine.
All appeared quiet. No, actually, abandoned was more appropriate
for the scene that greeted her eyes. No visitors, no sign of Rei,
her Grandfather or even Yuuichirou.
She caught her breath, leaning against the gate. She had
transformed to gain the energy required to cross the distance needed
to get here in as little time as possible. Unfortunately, even with
the increased powers, she was still taxing her stamina. She had run
a large distance without stopping, except to remark on a trio of
flying women, and was bloody well tired.
Slowly, she padded through the gateway into the shrine
grounds, peering nervously at the surroundings. The fading light
had ramped up her paranoia level tenfold. Anyone could be watching
the shrine from the surrounding bushes, and dressed, as she was, as
Sailorsaturn, made her stand out like a sore thumb.
She wasn't all that familiar with either Yuuichirou or Rei's
Grandfather, either. They weren't likely to recognise her in this
form, but they'd be straining to remember her even if she did wander
in as Hotaru. Well, that was her prize for being one of that
specious category, known as "Outer" Senshi. She decided it would be
a good idea to make for Rei's bedroom. If the girl was back from
wherever it was she had found herself, that was one likely place she
would hide herself away.
Hotaru dashed between buildings, stopping to glance around, in
case someone was watching. Eventually, she reached the entrance of
the shrine residence. All appeared dark within. Taking a breath,
she entered the open passage.
----o
From the fingertips of Keiko's outstretched hands, sparkling
and crackling beams of energy exploded with a physical force that
gave everyone reason to take hold of the nearest support. These
beams of energy struck the creature, running through its being with
an angry, ripping motion, making the creature scream in agony and
terror.
Before anyone knew what was happening, it was all over. The
energies faded away, and Sherrie's naked body fell to the ground
between Keiko and Rumiko, bruised and bloodied.
Keiko stared at Sherrie's still form, satisfied with what had
been done, then toppled to the ground, unconcious.
The first to stand was Rumiko, moving away, with much pain,
towards Sherrie's side.
"Is it done?" She heard Maria call from beside the tower,
where she had been sheltering the recovering Arisa.
Rumiko looked at her with tear-splattered annoyance, and
turned Sherrie onto her back. Blood ran from the young woman's nose
and mouth, yet she was concious, her breathing laboured. Already,
Rumiko could hear the encroaching signs of the "death rattles".
Maria and Mikage helped Arisa to her feet. They watched as
Rumiko put a hand to Sherrie's face, touching her tenderly....
"Are you alright?" Maria whispered into Arisa's ear.
"Hai...." Arisa whispered back, then gestured to Mikage.
"Mika-chan, secure Watanabe before he decides things are suitable
for him to run amok again."
The small, short-haired girl nodded and turned around,
spotting the four other members of Team Three standing behind the
base of the water tower. She beckoned to them and they ran over to
Nobuhiro, who was still staring in Sherrie's direction, and
surrounded him. There was no need for the show of force. He'd been
stunned into submission....
"Look... like I caused you... a spot of bother." Sherrie
smiled painfully at Rumiko. Rumiko tried to smile back, but
couldn't.
"That's because you're a stupid idiot, you know that?" Rumiko
shivered.
"But hey, it releases me from the House's pair-bonding efforts
for a while...." Sherrie chuckled, then coughed, spraying blood.
Rumiko gripped Sherrie's hand.
"It won't save me, though." Rumiko whispered as Sherrie
regained some composure.
"Hey.... You make sure they don't foist some retard off on
you, okay?" Sherrie smiled and turned away, looking at Keiko's
still form. "Will she be alright?" Sherrie turned back to Rumiko.
"Hai.... This is what she was partnered with us for.... To
cancel your bestial index if the need ever aorse." Rumiko felt a
strange dizziness as Sherrie's face went pale. Mist began to rise
from the redhead's body.
"Look after her for me, Rumiko.... She needs her friends. I
just wish I could have been a better one for her...."
Rumiko nodded, tears running down her face.
Sherrie's eyes glazed over.
And they all watched as her body faded into the mist. The
last contact Rumiko felt was Sherrie's hand, which evaporated in her
own. The mist floated into the rain and dissipated to nothingness.
Rumiko wailed.
----o
Aoi blinked. She was standing in the middle of her
loungeroom. So was Mhaere. Gwen was sitting in a lounge chair
nearby, and Ami was lying on the sofa. It annoyed Aoi somewhat that
they were all making such a mess on the carpet and the lounge.
"Nice trick. Couldn't you have chosen another part of my
house, where mud and blood aren't quite as anathema?"
"You're never pleased with anything, are you?" Mhaere
wandered off into the kitchen. "Do you have a first aid kit in
here?"
"In the top cupboard." Aoi sighed and dropped her ex mobile
phone on the carpet. She reached into her other pocket, finding it
surprisingly dry, and pulled out an unsoiled handkerchief. She
knelt down beside Ami and held the handkerchief gently across her
nose and mouth.
"Whoever you've found to heal her better make an appearance
soon."
She looked down at Ami's pained face, and sighed. Then she
frowned and turned. "Umm.... Is there someone in my shower?"
"What makes you think that?" She heard Mhaere say as the
young woman rifled through the cupboards.
"It sounds like the shower is on."
"Well, if it's on, it's on." Mhaere sounded disinterested.
Aoi rubbed her forehead in frustration. Then the noise of
running water stopped and she heard rustling sounds from the
bathroom. Slowly, she inched forward, towards the doorway to the
hall. The bathroom door was opened and someone was padding their
way towards the lounge.
Aoi came face to face with Pagan, water still dripping from
his hair and upper body.
"YOU!" Aoi shouted.
"YOU!" He retorted.
And then she stared at his naked body. Or, at the very least,
a portion of his naked body. For longer than she really intended
to. Her face went beetroot red as he glanced down at the part he'd
failed to properly cover.
"Shit...." He disappeared back into the hallway.
Aoi stood there and stared blankly for several moments, only
coming to when Mhaere put a hand on her shoulder.
"I wonder if his nickname's Clydesdale. Now I know why my
sister had such an obsession with him." Mhaere smirked, making Aoi
snort.
"I'll kill you for this, Sherrie!" They heard him say from
the hallway. Mhaere snorted.
"Get your Meehans right, Lacey."
His head appeared around the doorway, and he squinted at her.
With a sigh, he nodded. "Yeah, right." He disappeared back into hall.
"Do you think he believes me?" Mhaere looked at Aoi. "I
mean, I know Sherrie and I look a lot alike, but still...."
"He isn't the person you said would...."
"Yep, he's the one who can mend your Sailorsenshi for you."
----o
Arisa watched as Nobuhiro was bundled into the rear of a box
trailer. He had been sedated, along with Michelle, so the pair
would be quiet as they were taken back to the Sacred House Compound.
Arisa felt sorry for the both of them.... They were about to suffer
the horrors of the Sacred House's "re-education" program....
Something she'd had to endure, once or twice, after making bad a few
decisions. Fortunately, it wasn't for very long.
She'd decided to send Rumiko and Keiko back with the
accompanying convoy. They had to sedate Rumiko, as well. Although
it was understandable, the girl had allowed herself to put on a wild
display of emotions that were quite unheard of from a Tani....
Arisa stood by the main operations van, overlooking the scene
at the docking shed, as members of the Sacred House's clean-up squad
prepared to blow the shed up in a manner that was likely to emulate
the kind of dismemberment and disembowlment that the dockyard
workers had suffered. Meanwhile, other members of the squad were
mopping up the "stray" workers. She rubbed her face and leant
against the driver's door.
"Feeling tired?" Maria stepped from behind the van,
approaching Arisa. The smaller girl turned to her partner and
nodded.
"I'm also a bit concerned about Gwen. We haven't heard
anything from her in a while."
"Well, you know how she operates. Likes to be mysterious and
all that crap."
"Yes, I know that. But events are happening so quickly that,
if something had happened to her, we've been too distracted to do
anything about it."
Maria shrugged, even though she shared Arisa's concerns about
the third member of Team One. "I'm sure she can look after herself.
She's been a lot quieter than this, for longer periods of time, in
the past."
"I don't know. I just have this feeling...."
Maria turned to the shed. "It must be the atmosphere." Arisa
followed her gaze. Suddenly, the rain started to fall heavily, and
the pair jumped around, putting their arms over their heads. Maria
threw open the driver's door of the van and helped Arisa inside,
following suit soon after.
----o
The door to Rei's room was open, and all within was dark.
Hotaru was never fond of these traditional Japanese residences.
Their openness she found unguarded, and altogether too breezy. It
felt pretty cold, right now, and she began to wonder just where the
hell everyone had got to.
She leant against the sliding door and peered in. In the dim
light, she thought she could see a figure, crouching in the corner.
Her heart was in her mouth. It was about the size and shape to be
Rei.... But why would the girl be crouching, silently, within a
darkened room? That kind of thing just didn't strike Hotaru as
being a Rei kind of thing to do.
She steeled herself, taking a breath.
"Pssssst." She hissed into the room.
"Who is that?" Came a reply, soft and tinged with an air of
fear. Real fear.... That worried Hotaru a little. "Come on, show
yourself. I'm ready for you!"
"Is that you, Rei?"
There was a pause. The figure seemed to move.... Standing up
from the corner. Hotaru could see a hint of red on the figures
clothes.
"Who is that? I said show yourself!" The sound of the voice
was a little louder, but still frightened.
"It's me. Hotaru."
"Hotaru?" The figure stepped forward, and Hotaru could see
that it was, indeed, Rei.... Transformed into Mars. Hotaru stepped
away from the door, and was immediately grabbed by Rei and pulled
into the room.
"Hey.... Take it easy...."
"Get out of sight! They're out there."
Hotaru blinked. "Who? Who is out there?"
"THEY are. They've been watching me.... For a while now."
"WHO, Mars. Who is out there?"
"The Yakuza. The people we involved ourselves with....
They're out there. I think they've taken Ojisan and Yuuichirou."
"What makes you think that?"
Rei rubbed her face. Hotaru could see her eyes were red.
Either she was stoned or she had been crying herself silly.
Considering the number of strange herbs she and her Grandfather
used during their ceremonies, Hotaru wasn't counting out either
possibility. "Nobody was here when I got home. They didn't tell
me that they were going out, today...."
"Look, Mars, maybe something came up today.... Something
important. It doesn't mean they've been kidnapped."
there was a creaking noise from somewhere within the
residence, making both girls jump.
"You hear that?" Rei looked around, nervously. "They're
in here, somewhere."
Hotaru wasn't so sure Rei was being paranoid, anymore. It
WAS possible that the Yakuza, who they had associated with in their
earlier campaign, had decided to turn against them. After all, that
had been one of Setsuna's fears. However, not many within that
group actually knew their true identities, and then not all of the
identities were known. "I think we better check it for ourselves,
don't you think?"
"No...."
"What is wrong with you, Mars? You're a Sailorsenshi. We
have sufficient power to deal with them if there are Yakuza heavies
out there."
"They killed Makoto...." Rei backed away from the open door.
"If they can get her, they can get us, too."
"Wait a minute.... What do you mean, they killed Makoto?"
Rei shivered and rubbed her eyes. "They killed her. Last
night, they got her. I was there. I saw it happen. Two guys
snatched her from outside her apartment, dragged her away.... I
followed them...." Rei began to gag, as if the memory was more than
her stomach could take.... Hotaru put an arm around her as she she
fell to her knees.
"Mars, we need to get this information to the others as soon
as possible.... Everyone IS in danger, but it might not be the
Yakuza who is to blame."
"Then who?" Rei looked up at her.
"A group, called the Sacred House, has taken Minako.... They
might even have Usagi now, I don't know."
"Oh Kami, no no no...." Rei put her hands to her head.
"Please, tell me they're alright. Please."
"They're alive, as far as I know."
"Ohhhh." Rei fell to the floor, her hands over her head.
"This is more horrible than...." She got up again. "Where are the
others? Setsuna and Ami and Haruka and Michiru, I mean.... And
where the hell are those bloody cats?"
"Setsuna has gone to try and rescue Usagi. We must join her
if she is successful."
There was another creaking sound, this time closer. Both
girls turned towards the doorway.
"There IS someone in here." Rei clutched Hotaru's arm.
"That was too soft to be a footstep."
"But there is someone, or something, moving through the
residence....." Rei was on the edge of panic. "I don't want to
end up like Makoto.... Oh KAMI no...."
Rei stood and started to back away, her arm held by Hotaru.
"No, Mars. If there is someone in here, we must FIGHT them."
Something brushed against the door, and they both turned,
trembling with fear and anticipation.
END OF PART 17
--------------------------------------------------------------------
Next Chapter - "To One in Paradise"
DDFA ayanami@internode.on.net
Version 1.0 - 6th May 1998