Hiya! n____n Thank you for all the reviews. And I know that I'm dragging out the story, but that's my style of writing, so bear with me please? ^_^ And without further ado …
Disclaimer: We've been over this and I refuse to say it again.
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Darien ran down the streets, frantically searching for Usagi … or whoever she was. He still didn't understand how the girl could have gotten pregnant while still being a virgin, but for some reason he believed her. He had seen the truth and vulnerability shining in her lilac eyes, trusting him … and he had betrayed that trust. Swearing on his own stupidity, he picked up speed, somehow being able to sense where the girl was.
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Mina sat rigid in the affluent hotel room, eyes glancing from her friends and towards the strange men they had followed. The little girl had fallen asleep on the way and Mina couldn't help but feel her heartstrings being pulled by the innocent child … just like Usagi had done. The girls had sat down on a large semi-circle leather chair and the men were either sitting on pulled up chairs or leaning against the wall. The one with the long, silver hair was one of the one's leaning up against the wall, arms crossed, giving him a commanding look. They had been sitting for five minutes without saying a word, giving the other party a chance to explain. With a soft sigh, she clasped her hands together and leaned forward, mustering up her bravery. "Well, as interesting as this silence is … I think we came to discuss something." With that the tension in the room lifted a tiny bit … just a tiny bit.
"Yes, we did. We came to discuss a friend of ours, Serena Thompson. And from what we've seen, you know her as Tsukino Usagi." His ice blue eyes burned into Mina's, trying to intimidate the girl. He was going to get the information doing whatever he can. The girl reminded him too much of Serena … it un-nerved him, especially since the girl had gone and dyed her hair gold and gotten blue contacts. The girls could have passed off as twins, including the innocence and exuberance that radiated from them. He blinked at the challenge that sparked in the wide, blue eyes, catching him off-guard.
Mina burned inside with anger, interpreting the threat that flashed across his cold eyes. Well, she was Sailor Venus and she wasn't going to take that from a mere mortal … no matter how much he looked like her most powerful foe. "Who's going to start? I think you should since you obviously know more about what's going on then we do."
Lita watched the scene with interest, recognizing the leader skills in her blonde friend. She hadn't said a word and didn't trust these men yet. They looked too much like the generals … it made her uneasy. Leaning against the soft material of the couch, her emerald eyes swept over the men, taking in their physical size. The one that Mina had …ahem… kicked, looked incredibly strong, but seemed to lack in speed and agility. He was obviously the leader of the group, although they might not acknowledge that fact. The blonde one who had taken care of the child was broad-shouldered and built-up. One look in his eyes and anyone can know that he was sly and cunning. Another blonde, this one whose hair was way past his shoulders held a feminine air around him, yet underneath the clothes, he was probably all muscle. Judging by the slim figure and slightly short stature, the man seemed to be agile and quick. His eyes also held the intelligence that shone in Ami's eyes, making Lita wonder if that was why the man seemed so interested in her shy friend. The last one, leaning up against the wall was as tall as the leader, but not as wide. His reddish-brown hair was waist-long and loose. He was probably a powerful fighter, but there was something around him that told her that he was something more than just a fighter in their group. His brown eyes seemed to hold a wisdom that was beyond his years and Lita was interested as how much the man knew about them.
Jed stood up from his position on a chair and cleared his throat. "I think we should begin by introducing ourselves. I'm Jed Thompson. The tall, silver-haired man is Malachite Michael Silver. The one with the long ponytail is Malachite's twin brother, Zachary Silver. And last, but not least, the brooding brunette over there is Nephlite. How about you girls introduce yourselves now?"
Mina sighed and pointed to each girl. "My name is Mina Aino. Over there is Ami Anderson. The black-haired girl is Rei Hino and the tall, Amazon looking one is Lita Kino. The bubbly blo …" She trailed off, realizing the Usagi wasn't there with them. Every time they had introduced themselves, she had always been there with them. With a sigh, she leaned against the couch and covered her eyes with a hand. "I'm sorry, I believe you already know the non-existent bubbly blonde."
"Pardon me, but during the introductions … I noticed you have the same last name as Usagi … er … Serena, Jed." Ami tilted her curiously, wanting to rest the suspicions that nagged at her mind. Maybe they just have the same name, she knew that many people shared the same name and were not related … and Thompson was not an unusual name.
Jed smiled sadly and sat down, running a large hand through his hair. "Yes. You see, Serena or Usagi, is my little sister. Well, half-sister really. We shared the same father, but different mothers. An affair my father had with a lovely woman … and Serena was punished for the crime that my father committed."
The four girls leaned forward, awaiting to hear the rest of their leader's history. Meanwhile, while listening to the story, Rei scanned each man for any negative energy, but couldn't find any. Hidden beneath their aura, she sensed formidable power, but they didn't seem to be aware of it. She also sensed a connection with Jed, but she shook it off as a passing attraction.
Jed titled his head, wondering exactly how much he should reveal to the girls. Shrugging slightly, he assumed that Michael would stop him if he went too far. " Anyway, as we grew … Serena became one of the most beautiful girls in England. No woman could match her silvery hair and her violet eyes held so much emotion … so much wisdom. My father watched her grow into the woman that he had a passing affair with, and was pleased." Disgust entered his voice as he spoke about his father, remembering all those times the man had hurt his sister. "With her beauty, she was sought after by many men. Even at such a young age. It is an old practice, but my father didn't care. As soon as my sister would reach the age, he was going to promise her to a son of a powerful company, making his own company even more powerful than it was. Innocent Serena didn't know any of this. But something was strange about her … some things that we never understood. Whenever she was around, strange things would happen. Then, she came one day … announcing something that caught everybody off guard." Jed's sapphire eyes slid over to Michael's giving the man the cue to continue with the story. He had left out a great detail … he couldn't tell the girls everything about the girl … he couldn't tell them the most important detail.
Michael nodded and looked out the window, getting lost in his past. "She came to me before she told anyone. Tears were streaming down her face and I thought the worst. Serena and I have been close since she was but a newborn. She told me that she was pregnant … that she didn't know who the father was. She was hysterical! Babbling on about being a virgin … so, I did what I thought was best. Protect her. I told her to tell the family that I was the father … after Mr. Thompson, Serena's father, already thought that there was something more than friendship between us. I had hoped that someday … but now …" He stopped, taking a deep breath. Clearing his throat, he continued once more. "Anyway, we told the family that I had gotten her pregnant. They were outraged that I had gotten the thirteen year old pregnant. Jed here was more than outraged … he was about ready to kill me. Serena was fourteen when she gave birth to the child … and I was not permitted to see her again. My reputation was tainted … but I didn't care. No one could know that Serena had no idea who the father was. It would ruin her."
He stopped, finished with his part of the story. Of course there was more … but just like Jed … he had no idea how much they could trust the girls.
"My brother, of course, was allowed to see the baby. The fact that Mr. Thompson tried to keep the two apart did not work. They would sneak out and meet, watching the baby together. Jed and Malachite didn't talk for two months … and finally Serena couldn't handle the animosity. She told Jed the truth." Zachary looked down, slightly remembering the fear that had shone in her eyes as she told her older brother that she didn't know who the father was. "I became sort of like her doctor I suppose … and her study friend. We were the only ones who could actually have intellectual conversation." A soft smile crossed his face as he remembered the days when they would talk and no one else would understand what they were discussing. "She became like a sister to me …" He broke off, not knowing what else to say. What else could they say without telling everything?
Nephlite lifted his head and decided to help. "I was the one that Serena had been promised to. My father owns one of the most powerful companies ever. I was against the whole idea and so was she. Actually, the first time I met her … she kicked me in the shin and told me that she would rather marry a pig. I grew to care for her as a little sister, so you know the problems that arose when the engagement party came closer to hand. Anyway, I believed that the baby was Malachite's and I thought that father wouldn't allow me to marry her … but he was just as greedy as Mr. Thompson. He was going to force our marriage. Not wanting to marry without love … she ran away, leaving the child in Malachite's care." There … he had made up the reason why she ran away. It was far beyond a simple forced marriage. Much more. They had betrayed her beyond anything and they had paid for it.
Rei lifted her head slightly and narrowed her eyes. "You're lying. You didn't tell us the whole truth." She had seen their auras waver through their stories at some points, proving that they were hiding information and lying. She gazed into Nephlite's eyes and saw that he was surprised at her accusation.
Nephlite blinked, wondering how the girl could know so easily that they were lying. "I do not understand."
"She said that you were lying, you bonehead. And we believe her. She's never let us down before." Lita finally spoke, cracking her knuckles. They had lied and she was ready to get into action.
"She's right. We did lie and we hide information." Malachite stood up and walked over to the window, ignoring the venomous looks the Amazon threw at him. "But the information we withheld can only be told by Serena's permission … and we don't think that you want to know the real reason why she ran away. You'd want to kill us all of."
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Cliffhanger! Sorry, I ended this chapter this way … but it gives you some insight as to what went on in her past. The really juicy parts are starting appear as Darien finds Serena and she meets up with the rest. Now I got to go to sleep!!! I'll post on Tuesday! Ja! Oh and review!! I need at least 105 reviews to write. I have 99 right now. n______n Blackmail … ain't it grand?