The scent of blood was everywhere. The raw smell made me to take a step back. A man, who I assumed to be Taiki Kou, sat in a pool of drying blood. I felt my stomach tighten as I walked around the crime scene, taking everything in. You could feel the anger, still, from the killer. It felt eerie walking in a dead man's house, examining his belongings; knowing that he had some connection to your daughter. Whoever had killed this man did so in a furious rage. Blood was everywhere.

A hand grabbed my wrist and pulled me to the side,

"Miss, I'm afraid you will have to leave," a man in police uniform informed me. Flashing him my identification card, I proceeded further into the study. The books along the walls varied from law to astronomy. It was a small library in itself. The room was tidy and the only paper on the desk was an envelope. A white envelope sat in the center of the wooden desk, propped up against paperweight.

Jesus, what did this man do? My thoughts turned to the body of the man who had been a 'babysitter' for my daughter; or at least what Mamoru had called a babysitter. My heart sped up as I began to fear for Chibi-usa. Please, let her be all right. I steadied myself as I felt the cold rush of the air hit me. The air pushed away the smell from the body and calmed my nerves, a bit. I needed to look at the crime scene; look at it through professional eyes.

A new computer, a dark wood desk, a range of books, two Tiffany lamps and one plain office one, a circulating ceiling fan, two beige chairs, a rug, a television with VCR, a painting on the wall, and no papers except the envelope. Everything was subdued in color and stereotypical for a study. Nothing seemed out of place, except the painting. My eyes stayed on the painting for a few minutes as I examined it closer. That bastard.

"That bastard," I whispered.

The painting was in brilliant colors of three people; a man, woman, and child. The man looked remarkably like Mamoru, the artist even got his eyes to follow you wherever you moved. Or perhaps it was just me. The woman was me, I was sure of it. It was like looking into a mirror, like looking into another life. And the child…Chibi-Usa smiled down to us. She even had the necklace that I had given her. Where did he get this?

I turned to look at Taiki Kou again and cringed. The killer had tied him down with thick ropes then slit his wrists and throat; coating the normal beige carpet a bloody burgundy. His mouth was still open from his cries, his eyes were glazed over; showing eternal fear. Whatever his sins, I felt sorry for him. No one deserved to be murdered. No one should die with the utter terror this man had. I walked over to one of the men and put some latex gloves on. They had found no murder weapon and no prints. All the doors had been locked, the alarm had been set after the attack, and no sign of forced entry.

"Hey…Miss Tsukino…Detective Malach…you guys might wanna check this out," one of the men said, his blonde hair falling over his eyes. He was so young looking to be a cop.

"What is it, Jed?" the chief asked pushing his way through the few men in the room. I followed closely behind him, forgetting about the painting and the body. My body began to shake as we neared the officer, small bumps forming on my arms. I saw the video tape and knew it would be awful. He turned the TV on and hit 'play' on the VCR.

The screen was snowy at first, but cleared to reveal the room we stood in. The room was neat; no blood and no body; it was an ordinary study. A living, Taiki Kou walked into the room, followed by two men and my little girl. Mamoru bent down to be closer to Chibi-Usa's height and gave her a quick hug and whispered something in her ear. She laughed and the two waved to the camera. She looked so happy.

"Hi Mommy," her bubbly voice filled the room as she spoke to me, "Are you gonna come back soon? I love you, Momma," she said with a smile. Her bright eyes wide and curious. Her strawberry-blonde hair was pulled back into a two buns with the small excess flowing to the sides. My baby. She slipped her hand into Mamoru's as he began to stand. He then whispered something else into her ear; she giggled and whispered her answer back. Waving once more to the camera, she blew an exaggerated kiss to us and left the room with the other man. Mamoru smiled once more, but not to the camera; he was smiling at her retreating figure. My heart began to race and my breath was frantic. There she was.

"You cherish her, Princess, he never did," he said quietly. I doubt he thought the camera would hear it. Where did this hatred between Seiya and Mamoru come from?

I didn't know what to feel. A wave of relief hit me as I saw her, but at the same time apprehension flooded over me. He still had Chibi-Usa and who knew how long she would be safe. Mamoru walked over and shut the door, and then he turned and walked over to the desk. He was cool, composed, and the obvious one in control.

Taiki and Mamoru spoke in lowered voices; we all strained to listen but could only hear a few random words. Taiki glanced around the room and shook his head in a definite 'no'. Denying whatever had just been said. Mamoru's voice boomed into the room, all the gentleness from moments ago vanished. I had never seen anyone as angry as he was at the moment.

"I told you never to disobey me." I could imagine what Taiki was feeling, fear ripped through me as we watched.

"But….but Mr. Chiba….I didn't mean to…I mean it was an accident…it won't happen again," he began rambling on. Whatever he had done was a mystery to us, but I assumed it was awful. His voice got quieter and quieter as Mamoru moved closer and closer. Shaking his head again, he started begging Mamoru to be kind, to be merciful. Mamoru's body straightened and he chuckled as he turned to face the camera again. Anger still rippled through his body, you could practically see the energy coming off him. His shoulders were squared off and stiff; his fists were balled tightly at his sides, but his face had a forced smile,

"Are you watching, Princess?" his voice was strained and vaguely I shook my head slowly. I didn't want this to happen. Whatever Taiki had done, or not done, had caused this calm collected man to explode. Somehow Mamoru's eyes found mine through the television screen, and I knew what was going to happen but still prayed that it wouldn't. A new fear budded in me.

"Oh God," I whispered; I felt my knees begin tremble, I bracing myself on one of the chairs and I readied myself for what was going to happen.

Mamoru went to the door, opened it slightly, and called to someone outside; he then took the rope offered and a knife that was offered. We never saw who gave it to him. Closing the door behind him, Mamoru turned towards Taiki.

"I warned you what would happen if you ever disobeyed me. What didn't you understand?" Mamoru's yell shook through me. He walked past the camera and moved to the silent Taiki. Taiki's body shook with fright and he continued to beg in silent whispers. As Mamoru moved closer to the desk, Taiki backed up. Trying to escape through the door, perhaps.

Mamoru anticipated that and followed him, his long legs being one of his advantages. Before Taiki had made it around the desk, Mamoru held one of his arms in a strong grip, pulling him back to the chair.

"Wrong move, Taiki," Mamoru's voice was monotone, all emotions were shown through his body, not his voice. He pulled Taiki to the chair and tied his arms down. Mamoru paused, calming himself or centering everything. Mamoru looked clean and polished as though it were a normal day, whereas Taiki had sweat running down his body and wet patches forming on his shirt. We knew the bonds we tight, the way the ropes pushed down on his skin. Pink bands were forming from his straining, and tears were forming in his eyes. Watching torture was something I couldn't handle, but this I needed to see. This man had my daughter. Taiki's emotions played across his face as though it were a window. At the moment his eyes held fear and dread.

"Please, Mamoru, I didn't mean it. I will never disobey you again. It was just a few seconds, really … she didn't even notice that I was gone," Taiki, again, began pleading for his life. A new refrain from before. Mamoru nodded, as though taking this new piece of information under consideration.

"If she didn't notice, why did she asked about you? A few seconds is all it takes to lose something, Taiki," Mamoru glanced to the camera and flicked a shadow of a smile, his composure had returned. He had control over everything again. "Your job, the only job I gave you, was to watch her. Instead, I come back to find you gone, her hands still holding your gun, and you walking in with food. Tell me, Taiki, was that donut worth it?" Mamoru had begun pacing around Taiki like a hunter over its prey. Taiki's mouth began to move, but no sounds came. He desperately tried to escape his bonds, but all efforts failed. Mamoru smiled at his attempts and reached for the knife off the desk.

Knife seems too dull to explain what he was about to use. The blade had to be a foot long and looked sharp enough to give a clean slice. It reminded me of a small sword; something used by pirates. Leaning closer to Taiki Mamoru whispered something into his ear, all around the TV leaned closer in case we could hear, Taiki's response was obvious. What did Mamoru say? Taiki's eyes widened, he shook his head slowly and he released a small shriek and all the color drained from his face. Shock completely took over his body. I wrapped an arm around my body to brace myself on what was about to happen.

Mamoru slid his jacket off and threw it across the desk to another chair. He then slid the blade slowly across one of Taiki's upward facing wrists. Taiki cried out in pain and instinctively jerked the injured arm, while he tried to move his other wrist to the cut one. He slowly moved his injured wrist trying to somehow stop the bleeding while looking at Mamoru, begging for only this cut to be his punishment, still begging for mercy and forgiveness. Mamoru leaned against the desk and watched Taiki struggle for freedom, a smile playing across his lips. Taiki's attention was torn between his wrist and Mamoru, looking at each as he fought. The blood flowed from his wrist and spilled onto the chair, his struggles increasing the flow. Soon after it began to drop slowly into the floor creating a small red puddle. As Taiki desperately struggled to free himself more blood came from the wound, making the puddle a small pool. Everything Taiki did caused more pain and more blood to come to the wound. A few officers turned their heads as Mamoru continued. Shaking his head, he said in a low rough voice,

"You, Taiki, are not only a disgrace but a disappointment."

Holding the knife over Taiki's other wrist; Mamoru shook his head and sighed loudly. He lowered the blade to Taiki's awaiting wrist and slid it across the tender flesh. More blood pooled out and fell to the carpet. Another cry came from Taiki as he continued to struggle. This time Taiki pulled and thrashed both arms, maybe hoping in vain that the ropes would loosen. He seemed to forget about everything else, tears were falling down his face and cries were coming from his mouth.

Mamoru leaned down to Taiki and whispered something to him. Taiki began begging for Mamoru to be merciful. Mercy, forgiveness, and compassion; Taiki pleaded for all or one. Mamoru closed his eyes, as though annoyed, and shook his head. He opened his eyes and shifted the knife in his hand. He looked Taiki over and wiped the knife on the crying man's back, almost careful not to cut him.

"I didn't want to have to do this you know. But because of you I could have lost something very important," Mamoru's voice had gone back down to a low thick whisper, we had to strain to hear him, "I can't trust you, Kou. I can't leave you here unpunished. And I can't leave you alive. You are a witness, an accessory, and undoubtedly you would tell the authorities everything that you know. What other options do I have? Besides, if I gave you to the police they would never punish you for your crime,"

Mamoru, then, pushed the blade of the knife against Taiki's throat and pushed down hard enough for a small drop of blood to form. Without looking up Mamoru said in a louder voice, "He deserves this, Princess." He then slid the knife across Taiki's neck, leaving a thin bloody red line behind it. Perfectly straight, that was what pirates called "a second smile". The cut to the throat started under one ear below the jaw and ran straight to the other side. When he finished he wiped the blood again on Taiki's back and watched as all life left. The blood flowed faster at Taiki's throat than it had done at his wrists. His wrists lay face up, still bound, not moving as he tried to scream out. By the time Mamoru had cleaned the knife, Taiki was dead. The front of his shirt painted red, with another small pool of blood forming in front of the chair.

I wrapped my arms tighter around myself, never would I forget the death of Taiki Kou. I had seen death before, had even killed; but never had I seen one human torture another in such a violent and gruesome way. This is the man that has your daughter. The thought shook through me as I watched Mamoru move across the screen. He moved as though nothing out of the ordinary had taken place, he didn't look back and didn't make a sound. He walked over to his coat, pulled out a white envelope, and put the knife on the chair. He, then, walked back to the desk and cleared a spot for the envelope. Placing it down, he turned to the camera and began walking towards it.

Then all went black. Then the snow returned to the screen.

We all stared at the snow on the screen, almost waiting for something else to happen. No one moved. No one made a sound. I felt the eyes of a few men on me and I felt very aware of myself. They all had to realize that I was the one Mamoru had spoken to in the video, and that the little girl was mine. One of the officers turned the television and VCR off and placed the tape into an evidence bag. I moved towards the desk and ignored the murmuring behind me. I felt the world around my move, but I did not stop. Everything was in tunnel vision, I went straight to the desk and saw nothing else. I picked up the envelope and turned to leave.

"Usagi, you can't just take that," the chief said from by the TV, he reached out and lightly held my arm. The connection was the first contact I had had since Seiya's death. It stopped me.

"Actually, sir, I can," I replied, pulling out a small packet, then pointing out a specific paragraph granting me all access to information and evidence concerning Mamoru, "This envelope is addressed to me. We know it's from him. I am not taking the video, seeing it once was enough."

Silence.

I knew I was overstepping my grounds, technically they had the right to see it first or at least with me since it was now their jurisdiction, but I needed to see this letter alone. He sighed and shook his head,

"We don't need it tonight, but we need to see it. Mark it for evidence and see if it has anything useful such as where Mamoru went after he…after he did this. Will you bring it to the station tomorrow?"

I nodded and left, taking the envelope with me.

His voice stopped my at the door, "Usagi, We'll find this bastard. Don't worry."

I nodded again and continued without turning back. I need to find him. I made it out the door of the study and leaned against the wall.

"Jesus," I breathed out, "Why?"

Why is the happening to us? I moved down the stairs and walked out the door. The cold night air hit me like a slap in the face, making me wish I had something to wrap around myself. I walked to my car, behind the house, and unlocked the door. I could have slapped myself. My jacket. I was in such a hurry to get out of that house I must have walked right past it.

I walked back to the house and got my jacket from the two guards I had seen when I came in. As I returned to my car I thought I felt eyes on me. Looking around I saw nothing. Shaking it off as paranoia I walked to my car, but faster. The feeling still made me turn around a few times, but I saw nothing. I had just past with garage when a hand grabbed mine and pulled me to the side.

Oh God.

I knew who it was the moment he touched me. Mamoru. He pushed me against the wall, using the shadows to hide us, and covered my mouth with his other hand. I knew that he wouldn't hurt me; his grip on my arm was firm but not painful. But I was terrified. I had just seen him murder but surely he wouldn't kill me. Not here. I tried to push him away, but his strength overpowered me. He took as step closer, pinning me against the cold brick wall.

"I think I like this game better, now that the players have been changed," his breath brushed against my face in hot puffs. I could tell he was smiling as he lowered his eyes to mine. Even in the dark I could see the restrained anger in him. He pressed his body closer to mine until there was barely any space between us. My nerves were on fire and my body was shaking. I tried to speak, but his hand prevented me. I tried to kick out against him, but it did no good. He released my mouth but kept a firm grip on my arm.

"You bastard," I hissed into his face, "You fucking bastard," I tried to scream, but only a horse whisper came out. The cold air hitting my throat had caused my voice to come out ragged and hoarse; something I had always had to deal with when outside in winter weather. I felt the tears coming, as I used my free arm and began beating down on his chest. It had no effect on him, just as I knew it wouldn't. My anger had come alive again. My fury was awakened. Any sadness or fatigue I had felt in the house was gone, my anger was all I felt.

"Why? Because I killed your husband, a lying bastard who you didn't love and who deserved to die, or because I have your little girl?" a smile formed on his lips, like after telling a joke.

This is a game to him. The realization froze me for a second. A second was all he needed. He pulled me closer to the shadows and covered my mouth with his hand again and waited for the men to pass by. I didn't even hear them coming.

I turned my head away from him as soon as he released my mouth, "I'm here to see your reaction to Taiki's death," he stated. I was shocked. He came for my reaction? The ridiculousness of it made me stand with my mouth open, for only a moment. Turning back, I searched his face for an answer to an unknown question,

"You are a bastard. No one deserves to be killed like that." We were inches apart from each other the heat off of his body was pouring unto me. As much as I hated doing so, I felt my body leaning closer to his for its warmth. The wall behind me felt like ice against my back. I had my jacket in my arms when he pulled me to the side, but somewhere between the line to the car and the wall my jacket had fallen. The cold was making my back and arm feel numb. I felt us getting closer, whether it was my body searching for warmth or him pulling me close I couldn't tell.

"He did. He left Chibi-Usa alone when I distinctly told him not to. He only had to watch her for moments. The last thing I need is a dead little girl on my hands. Did you know that she had a loaded gun in her hands when I walked in? It was ready to fire; the safety had been taken off," his anger briefly came out, but he quickly controlled it.

I didn't know how to react to his anger. I felt my anger now center on the dead man in the house and on the man I was standing with.

"Well, Princess, I hope you enjoy this next chance to get her. Chibi-Usa has been asking for you." He loosened his grip on me and stepped away as though he was going to leave, but then turned back to me.

He pushed me against the wall again, turned my face towards his, and whispered, "I'm sorry you had to see his death. He knew what he was getting into when I approached him. I made sure he understood everything, the rewards and the consequences if he obeyed or disobeyed. I asked for one thing and didn't force him to accept," I was barely aware of his other arm wrapping around me. I was in such a shocked state that he was explaining his reasoning to me, "If you believe anything, Princess, know I will never ever hurt that little girl." I nodded slowly, I knew that he wouldn't hurt her. Family was a strong bond. If he wanted her dead, she would be. The explosion of the guard house, Seiya and Taiki were all signs of his power to kill. He wouldn't kill Chibi-Usa, although, as I thought of Taiki, those who worked for him were another story. He looked like he was going to say something else when he closed his mouth and watched me. This time I heard the guards walking back to the house, there were three of them talking about the man who had killed Mr. Kou. Mamoru's eyes never left mine. I should have called out or walked back over to them. I should have moved away and gone to my car. I should have done something. He wouldn't have stopped me, couldn't have. Instead I remained motionless, my eyes never leaving his.

He released a breath and I felt it blow against my hair, he closed his eyes briefly and then opened them again.

"Why?" he asked, taking a step closer, if it was possible.

"I don't know," the sound of my own voice surprised me; it was shaky and just as low as his was. He smiled and leaned down closer,

"I do."

I moved my head to the side and questioned him silently, why?

"They aren't part of this, sweetheart, it's always just you and me. Seiya was just in the way, he was blocking you from the truth."

I thought about what he had said and spoke quietly,

"What truth?"

He leaned his head against the cold wall beside me, I turned to look at his profile and he nodded slowly,

"You have to find out for yourself, you won't believe it coming from me or anyone. And you will have her back again, but not yet."

"When?"

He moved his head and leaned his forehead against mine, the coldness of it widened my eyes but the warmth flowed back,

"Can you accept everything, Princess?" he placed two fingers against my mouth, "Don't answer, you don't know. But we both know that when we separate tonight, you will use every means to find out who Taiki really was, which will be pointless. Either when you catch me and charge me with crimes or when you accept who I am and the truth. That is when you will see our little princess. Seiya was not who you believed him to be. He had secrets, too," he paused, "I love her, Usa."

I didn't know what to feel. The world just stopped moving. I stood there and felt my eyes begin to water.

"Go on, Princess, cry," he whispered. Mamoru was comforting me, at another time I would have laughed at the idea of it. The man I hated more than anything was comforting me. The man, who had caused all my pain, was comforting me. I felt his arm tighten around my waist and his other arm against my back. I felt the tears flowing and couldn't stop them. I lost it. I cried for Seiya, for Chibi-Usa, and me. I cried out of worry, fear, and confusion. And Mamoru stood there, holding me. I was so weak and drained at that moment I couldn't think straight. It didn't even register who he was. Finally I stopped and forced a laugh,

"I can't believe this."

"You looked like you needed it," he looked down to me and looked like he was going to say something when he changed his mind and said something else, "I don't want to hurt you. But until you can find the truth, and accept everything, this has to continue."

I could have laughed when he said 'he didn't want to hurt me'. The arm on my back slowly moved down to my waist. I felt him move closer to me and I knew what he was going to do. I couldn't do this. Not now. Never. He must have felt me tense up because he looked down and his eyes found mine, he smiled slightly and lowered his head,

"Just one, Princess, you want this and I need this," his voice was soft. I kept my eyes locked with his and I watched as he lowered his face closer to mine. I felt his lips touched mine, a butterfly kiss. I closed my eyes, but I didn't respond. His lips touched mine again and deepened for a longer kiss. I held my arms by my side and refused to move. He moved one arm up my back to rest at my neck, with his fingers playing at my hair. His other arm tightened around my waist, pulling me closer. I lost my control. I lost everything I was holding onto. I needed to hold on to something.

In an instant I melted against him, opening my mouth as a moan escaped my lips. He took the break as an invitation and began to explore and caress my mouth and lips. Oh God. I moved my hands up his chest and wrapped them around his neck, bringing him closer to me. I couldn't think. I couldn't stop.

"God, Usako, I want you," he pressed against my lips. I kissed him again with this same fire as before. I pulled back and looked at his face. There was pain in his eyes, and all my anger came back.

"You have all the clues in front of you. You need to figure out the truth and accept it. It's going to hurt, but you have to know. I can only help you so much, this is for you to find out." He brushed his lips against mine in a chaste kiss and released me. He then turned to leave and looked back, smiling he offered me a mock solute,

"Good bye, Princess, till next time." I watched him leave and disappear into the shadows not bothering to follow after him, not bothering to call for help. This had to end sometime and it was between us.

Why is this happening? What did I just do? I walked on unsteady feet to my car, bent my head down onto door, and cried.

- - - - - - -

I somehow made it back to my hotel room and locked the door. I used all three locks on the door and pushed a small table in front of the door. I needed to feel safe. I needed to be alone. I needed to feel protection. I was alone. I walked over to the bed, thoroughly exhausted, and collapsed.

Between the murder, seeing Chibi-Usa, seeing Mamoru, the curiosity to see what was in the envelope…I couldn't sleep. Just thinking about the kiss made my stomach tighten into horrible knots. How could I do that? What am I doing?

I turned on the lamp by the bed and grabbed the envelope. It was a common white envelope, with my name written on the center. I opened it and read the letter inside,

'" Princess,

I hope that you are enjoying this game as much as we are. Chibi-Usa is just crazy about me. She misses you, though. I have to explain to her every night that you are on business. I wonder if she believes me, I don't think she believed me about what I told her about her father. How he went to visit his parents; but aren't his parents dead? Such a smart girl.

Did you enjoy the video? Criminals must pay. Chibi-Usa truly is a child to cherish, Princess.

Your next task is to find another person.

Naru Osaka. Find her and you find the disk; the one you dropped before. That was very careless of you; you finally get such a valuable disk and then loose it before you even left the building. What do you hope to find on it?

M."'

A picture fell out of the envelope, one of a woman with short reddish wavy hair. On the back, Naru Osaka was scribbled.

I felt a rush of anger and directing my energy to finding the man who had my daughter, the man who I could have arrested moments before. I called the Agency and found out all the information I could on Taiki Kou and Naru Osaka. She had a very interesting resume.

Murder on multiple accounts, robbery, hacking into both businesses and banks, and arson. She struck me as a hard and dangerous woman, and somehow she was connected to getting my daughter back.

I took Chibi-Usa's picture out of my purse; I had to look at her before I went to sleep. After changing into a big T-shirt, I crawled into the cold bed and tried to fall asleep. Images of murder, Mamoru, and Chibi-Usa filled my head. I would see Chibi-Usa waving to the camera and Mamoru was there; I would see Taiki Kou and Mamoru was there; I would see myself, alone in a dark room with only Mamoru with me. I saw my life before this game with Mamoru began and watched everything disappear. Amazing how just a few seconds is all it takes to lose everything, Mamoru's voice sounded in my mind as I thought about his words to Taiki. I turned over and faced the closed blinds. I didn't realize that I was crying again until the wet tears fell on my arm.

- - - - - -

I woke to the sound of the radio in the next room. Thin walls had always been one of the curses of cheap motels. After a quick shower I got dressed, taking care to cover my puffy eyes. I headed to the local police department determined to find answers. Mamoru had been there last night at the crime scene, had he been in the room with us? Was he still here in the city? Was Chibi-Usa here? What truths? Why would it be hard to accept them? Was there anything on the tape we missed? I needed to find out more information.

Perhaps someone remembered something at the crime scene. Taiki's butler, Yaten, was the one to find him and had been no help in the investigation; after walking into the study to clean, Yaten had found the body of his employer. My focus was on Mamoru. He had been there with us, or at least with me, last night. Had Mamoru been a regular in that house? Had Chibi-Usa?

I had to find out from the detective and see if all of the people who were in the room had reason to be there. And also I wanted to look at the tape again, in case Mamoru had left any clues. It was the perfect place to leave it. We were so caught up in watching the death that everything else was ignored, a lot was said between Taiki and Mamoru perhaps something that could help us.

I felt my like old self as I drove into the parking lot. I knew what I had to do and I was going to do it. I had a plan. Mamoru might have had the advantage before, but I was going to win this game. I felt new hope as I remembered Chibi-Usa from the tape last night, I glanced at the picture of Chibi-Usa in the passenger seat and smiled. She was bright and alive. I was so close.

I spent most of the day with the local police, going over chain of evidence papers and the officers who were on the scene last night. We found nothing. Mamoru had been right, though, Taiki Kou had no criminal record. No information on him could be found in the system. After searching, we found a Naru Osaka held residence in Cherish, Washington. We watched the video again; but this time I watched with different eyes, knowing eyes. Taiki had been irresponsible with my daughter, my only family. Any mother would want her daughter to be safe, but death was not the answer. I was furious when Taiki walked onto the screen. As I watched again, I felt shame for my anger. No man deserved to be tortured like he had been.

After calling my supervisor to check-in and report, I was informed of my partner. Taiki's death made Mamoru's case a priority case with an entire team behind it. My partner, Motoki Furuka, was flying in on the next flight. We would meet up tomorrow and head for Cherish, Washington. It had been a long time since I had seen Motoki. I had often wondered what had become of him. If I remembered correctly, Motiki had his ownpast with Mamoru. Odd how the circle was connecting.

Darkness greeted me as I entered my room. Glorious darkness. Sexist men and glowing fluorescent light had surrounded me all day; the darkness was heaven. This morning I had sealed the blinds closed so that no piece of light could come in. Now, the lights from the parking lot beat against the closed blinds. I dropped my purse on the table by the door and picked up my nightdress from the chair. I walked over to the bathroom without thinking. The darkness was so powerful, I couldn't tell if my eyes were open or closed. I hit the wall with my hand trying to get the light switch and found it on my second try. Light flooded over me and I winced back, then slammed the door and headed to the shower. After finding the perfect setting I crawled into the falling water and stood.

"This is heaven," I said quietly. No one was there to hear me, but I had to say it. The heated water pelted down onto my back and shoulders, releasing some of the tension while the body soap left a scent of spring flowers in the bathroom and on me. I rinsed the shampoo and conditioner out of my hair and inhaled the rich aroma I had created, spring flowers and strawberries. I leaned my head against the wall and closed my eyes, had the water not been hitting so strong I might have fallen asleep where I stood. Sighing I turned the water off and slipped into my nightdress and combed out my hair. I took a moment to look at myself in the mirror.

Maybe this is all some god-awful nightmare. I was a widowed mother who had lost her daughter to a madman. I looked tired and too thin, my cheeks bones were more prominent and half of my clothes were at least a size to big. The stress of everything was showing. I shook my head and headed to my bed. I turned the light off before opening the door and stared into the dark room. All I could see was darkness. My foot brushed the leg of the bed and I crawled under the covers releasing a breath as I settled. I heard someone walking outside of the room and tried to bury my head deeper into the pillow.

Through closed eyes I saw another life. Chibi-Usa and Mamoru. Drifting I felt the warmth from so long ago cover me. There was something missing, but nothing was gone. I thought of Seiya as I fell into the darkness.