Transition
(Before there is any confusion, this story takes place many years after my AU Sailor Moon Fic 'Moon Senshi'. Mamoru Chiba is in-between eras; he's not Prince Endymion, yet he's not the Neo King yet, either. It also takes place during the Cowboy Bebop episode 'Pierrot le Fou'. On Mars, Mamoru is pretty much on his own, except that the Silver Guardian is somewhere close by and Rei Hino is living in the Shinto shrine in the outskirts of the city. Mamoru's reason for being on Mars is to take care of some unfinished business………………..)
Chapter One: Attack in the Dark
He could feel him in his head. A dark, lingering presence that had a tinge of insanity in it. No, scratch that, it was completely insane. Mamoru winced and placed a hand to his head, feeling the presence chipping away at his own sanity. He jumped when someone asked him something, and he turned to look at whom it was, clinching his eyes shut when the movement caused his head to throb painfully.
"You all right? You don't look so good." The man before him said, as he put aside his pool stick and leaned against the wall Mamoru was leaning on.
"I don't feel very well, either. Too many late nights, I suppose." Mamoru said, as he looked at the other man. The man was lean and fighting fit, much like himself. He carried himself with the casual air that he knew many warriors carried when not on the battlefield. Disheveled olive green hair fell over mismatched brown eyes.
"Yeah. I can relate. The name's Spike. Spike Spiegel." The man said.
"Mamoru Chiba. I couldn't help but notice that you appear to be a warrior." Mamoru said, smiling slightly when he saw Spike reel back slightly in surprise.
"How could you tell?" Spike asked, trying to appear as though the comment hadn't rattled him.
"Your stance and your eyes. You've got the sharp eyes of a warrior, and, though you are in what I call 'casual mode' you're ready for anything. Like a spring in a trap." Mamoru said, calmly. Spike grinned.
"You're sharp. There's not many people around today that can recognize a warrior for what he is just by looking at him." Spike said, both of them walking out of the pool hall when Mamoru had recovered enough equilibrium to do so.
"Sadly enough. A lot of the warriors I knew have moved on with their lives. I haven't heard from them in a while." Mamoru said, with some sadness and regret in his eyes. Spike nodded in understanding, then both of them lapsed into thoughtful silence. As they walked along, Mamoru found that he wasn't feeling quite as alone as he had been before; Spike was like him in some ways, a drifter, loner, warrior. Just as he had been before the Kamens had come. Just as he was now. He paused in his musings when he heard gunshots coming from somewhere but, on Mars, he couldn't pinpoint where they were coming from like he could have on earth. Then the pain in his head struck again, almost with the intensity of his early days' Tuxedo Kamen transformations. He could sense that Spike was a bit concerned about him, but hesitated in showing that he was. Yet, when Mamoru started to topple over, Spike lent him a shoulder to lean on.
"What's wrong?" Spike whispered, somehow knowing that any sound was painful for the other man to bear.
"He's near. I can feel him. His presence is gnawing away at my mind. If something isn't done soon, I'll soon be as insane as he is." Mamoru replied, grimacing as he reached into his coat and grabbed what appeared to be a shard of amber.
"Who are you talking about?" Spike asked, confused by what Mamoru had said.
"I can't tell you. Just run in the opposite direction and don't look back." Mamoru said, as he edged closer to the end of the alleyway.
"Hello boy, Gentleman Knight." A cultured voice said, close by.
"Run Spike!" Mamoru shouted, before a flash of golden light enveloped him and he leaped out to face the nightmare that haunted him. Spike stared in stunned silence at Mamoru; the other man was no longer wearing the casual slacks and shirt from before; he was now wearing what appeared to be a modified tuxedo that had a swordbelt strapped to the waist along with a gun belt. Without even thinking, Spike leaped out of the alley as well, firing a rapid succession of shots at the rather fat man that stood opposite them. The shots were joined by many crystal daggers from Mamoru, thrown with deadly grace and expertise. But none of these had any effect on their opponent, who merely grinned fiendishly and attacked with as much gusto as one would greet a long lost friend. Bullets flew everywhere, as the three fought. Spike saw Mamoru sink to one knee when a knife landed in his shoulder, and stood in front of him long enough for the other man to extract the knife, then both started running. When the madman had them cornered at one point, Mamoru felt his hope slipping away; he hadn't realized just how strong this enemy was. Then, as though sent by God himself, a cat, of all things, meowed. This caused the madman to snap and start shooting at the animal, as though he were afraid of it. When the madman looked back at them again, he saw them move and roll a gas tank towards him, then Spike shot at the tank, making it explode. This caused a chain reaction that the two sane men were hard put to outrun. They had almost gotten out when one final tank exploded, sending both of them flying head over heels into a wall.
"Ugh…………….this hasn't been my night." Mamoru muttered, as blood flowed freely down the side of his face, already having lost his mask. Spike was inclined to agree, but before he could open his mouth, a knife plunged into his right arm, forcing him to drop his gun. They both watched in horror as the fat man emerged from the flames, unscathed, and as he opened his coat to reveal the multitude of weapons he had on him.
"Damn." Mamoru grumbled, as he felt in his coat for anything he could throw as the madman that would make any difference, and was dismayed when he found nothing. He followed Spike's lead when he got up and started running again, picking up his gun and firing it while he was at it. They were finally putting some distance between them when something whizzed out of the alley behind them and exploded, once again sending the two men flying through the air, but this time they landed in the water of the Martian bay. They didn't hear the sirens, or see when their attacker disappeared without a trace. All Mamoru was aware of was the intense pain that burned through his body; it was worse than anything he'd ever experienced before. Even having Beryl's staff shoved through his back was better than this! But, when he looked, he could see Spike floating beside him, the water a mist of red from blood leaking from his wounds.
"I certainly hope there aren't any sharks around here!" Mamoru thought, as he painfully surfaced, then grabbed Spike and started swimming backwards towards shore, making certain that he kept Spike's head above the water. He was barely aware that help had arrived until he felt a hand on his shoulder and he looked up to see a balding man that had a metal plate attached to his face and a scar over one eyebrow.
"Hand him up, then I'll get you out of the water." The bald man ordered. Numbly, Mamoru did as he was told, and handed the unconscious Spike over, watching as the bald man wrapped Spike in a blanket to protect him against the cold. Then he reached over and pulled Mamoru into the boat, easing him down when he noticed the amount of blood on his own clothing.
"Faye's going to be thrilled when she sees this." The bald man muttered, sarcastically, as he wrapped Mamoru in a blanket, then turned to pilot the boat towards some unknown destination. Mamoru could have cared less about where they were heading, as reality started slipping away; fatigue, blood loss, and pain wearing away at what strength remained in his body. In the back of his mind, Mamoru could tell that he was going into shock, and there was nothing he could do to stop it. Before consciousness left him completely, Mamoru was aware of the strange craft the bald man was pulling up to, and that it was called the Bebop. After that, the world turned dark.