SOUL EATERS
-dew
I do not own Sailor Moon, nor do I pretend to.
(Note: * denotes flashbacks, - denotes scene/time changes)
Chapter 5. Relief and Direction.
------
Usagi sat on the bench at the park for a long time, staring blankly into space. Her tears had
long since dried on her cheeks as she sat there listlessly. A sudden beep issuing from the pocket of
her jacket startled her in its volume, compared to the silence she had been sitting in. Fumbling, her
hands numb and clumsy, she pulled out the communicator and flipped the lid.
"Usagi?" Makoto's face flashed up on the tiny screen.
"What is it, Mako?"
"Usagi, we need you at the temple right away. It's about Minako!"
Usagi sighed and gritted her teeth against the wave of pain that coursed through her body.
"I already know about her, Mako... But... I'll come. I'll be there
in a few minutes."
"Usagi I-"
Usagi turned the small device off and sat there staring at it for a long moment before getting
up slowly and making her way to the temple.
------
Usagi stood at the top of the temple's steps, staring at the door for a long time. She didn't
want to go in. She didn't want to see her friends upset. Each tear shed will be another reminder of
what had happened. With a deep breath, Usagi opened the door and headed to their usual meeting room.
Through the thin screened door she heard laughter in their voices and unmistakable enthusiasm.
"How dare they?!" Usagi suddenly seethed with anger. "How dare they make like nothing has
happened!!"
Usagi flung open the door and opened her mouth to shout at them before pausing, feeling all
the blood drain from her face.
Minako smiled up at Usagi from the top of her tea cup.
"Why, Usagi, what's the matter? You look like you've seen a ghost!"
Usagi stood in the open doorway, transfixed on Minako's face. Rei grinned at Usagi and put her
hands on her hips.
"Well, I guess your gift of prophesy wasn't right after all. You should leave fortune telling
to me!"
"But…" Usagi stammered, "But, you weren't home…"
Luna leapt gracefully on the low table in between the soldiers. "It just so happens that Minako
was doing her job, after all. She was out patrolling the streets all night."
Usagi blinked out of her stupor and lunged towards Minako,her arms outstretched to give her a
big hug. She stopped short, though, when she saw a bandage covering Minako's left arm and right leg,
up to the knee.
"Oh! Minako! Are you ok?? What happened??"
Ami spoke up, drawing Usagi's attention to the back of the room where Ami was putting away
some bandages into a bag.
"When Rei called us all together because of what Luna had said, we all went out to look for her.
Makoto found her in an alley with lacerations on her forearm and shin, along with a concussion from a
blow to her temporal lobe."
Usagi blinked. And Makoto smiled, taking pity on Usagi. "In other words, Minako was cut on her
arm and leg and was knocked out cold because something hit her on the side of her head."
"Yes," began Ami again, "but, Usagi, even though she was not killed and your dream proved false,
I would like to hear more about this dream that you had. According to Luna and Minako's point of view,
your dream and the attack seem to have unlikely coincidences."
Usagi looked around at her fellow soldiers, still shook up from the emotional roller coaster of
thinking her friend dead, and then finding alive in a few short hours.
She was unsure if she should tell them or not, but seeing Minako's encouraging smile, one she
thought she would never see again,she took a deep breath and nodded.
"Well, I saw Minako, though I didn't know it was her at first, walking some place dark, and I
heard a soft sound coming from the darkness, like a cry for help..."
Minako visibly stiffened and nodded, affirming that that was what she had heard too.
"Then I saw her take something out of her pocket, and when she turned around quickly it fell
to the ground and broke..."
"That was my communicator," spoke up Minako. "It did break, just like you said. I was going
to call for back up but I dropped it.That's why no one could get a hold of me."
"That was really all of my dream. I heard you scream and I woke up."
"So," Makoto said thoughtfully, "in your dream, Minako didn't die, you just assumed she did."
"But, the look on Minako's face!" Usagi protested, "She was terrified!"
Minako laughed bitterly, "And I was! You would have been too, if you saw a shadow of a man
startling you and holding a knife! I fought him with all I had, but he was
incredibly strong… superhuman like. He knocked me out and then…I guess he just ran off. Makoto, well,
Sailor Jupiter, found me a while later."
Usagi hugged her blonde haired friend tightly, tears of joy spilling down her already puffy face.
"Oh Minako!! I was so upset!! I thank every single ancestor that has ever had pity on me in my entire
life for letting you be ok!"
Artemis smiled briefly at the scene between the two before scowling at himself. "I wish we
hadn't have split up to poke around, Minako. Next time, we are sticking together."
Luna piped up then, "At any rate, we need to discuss these new developments. Lets start with
Minako's attack first, then we will get into Usagi's dream."
"Well," began Ami, "Makoto said he had a knife, and that he fled.The monster we were initially
looking for never left a victim alive that we know of, and didn't have a weapon, again, that we know of.
Because he ran away, the thing that attacked Minako doesn't fit the archetype of our ruthless murderer.
So, it could be possible that we are dealing with more than one monster."
"Minako wasn't transformed into Sailor Venus, either, were you Minako?" asked Makoto.
Minako shook her head, "No, I wasn't. It's easier to walk around the streets as Minako than
Sailor Venus. No one comes up to you and asks for your autograph or a picture that way." She shot them
all a wink and a grin.
"Well, then our murderer apparently targets random girls…" Luna began hesitantly.
"I wouldn't say that, Luna. Minako? You had your game tonight, did you not? Did you go directly
from your game to patrolling, without becoming Sailor Venus first?" asked Ami. When Minako nodded yes, Ami
nodded again to herself, satisfied.
"You see, I think we have a lead now. Remember we had found out that every one of the victims so
far was very active in some kind of activity, whether it was sports or a committee?"
"That's right!" said Usagi. "So that means we can all find out what people are the most active leaders
of groups and organizations and teams and stuff in the area, and concentrate on them, even follow them,
especially if they go out late at night!"
The group stared at Usagi for a long moment.
"Wow, odango for brains, that was actually, like…an intelligent idea."
"What do you mean by that, REI???"
"Stop it you two!" snapped Ami, causing everyone to turn theirheads towards the normally soft
spoken girl. She blushed out her outburst.
"Um, Usagi? Have you had any other dreams lately?"
"As a matter of fact, I dreamed about those two girls in the paper the other day. The ones that
were… that um… that died."
"When?"
"That very night. But, it was much later. They were killed in the evening and I had that dream right
before I woke up."
"And you dreamt about Minako only a few hours after her attack. Well, actually, a little over an hour.
Let's see... You woke up from your dream and rushed over to her apartment. From there, Luna came to the
shrine, and it took about forty eight minutes to find Minako, and due to the partially congealed state of the
blood that came from her wounds, Minako couldn't have been in that alley for more than two hours.
Because of our genetic makeup, we heal faster than other humans. So, the wounds inflicted on Minako, that
would have taken a lot of outside pressure just to stop the flow of blood, had healed itself to the point that
Minako didn't lose a lot of blood, making it easier on us. Hospitals inquire strongly about girls brought in
with lacerations at two in the morning..." Ami paused when she noticed the group staring blankly at her.
She cleared her throat in embarrassment at being caught running on. "Um. So, in conclusion, Usagi had her
dream around an hour after the attack. Rei? What do you think about these dreams?"
"Well," began Rei reluctantly. "It could be nothing, but more likely, it is more than a coincidence.
From what you guys have been talking about, it looks like Usagi's dreams could be coming closer to the time
of the actual attacks. "
Luna glanced at Usagi, who was eyeing Makoto's half eaten muffin greedily.
"Do you think, in time, she might be able to predict these murders?" Luna asked.
Rei sighed. "It's possible, but improbable. I've only seen that done on a few occasions and that
could be listed sporadic, at best. Even I can't do it regularly, and the rare occasions that
I can, only after days of praying, divination, and fasting. I doubtthat such a ditzy girl like Usagi would
have such a gift."
Artemis nodded. "Well, she is guardian of the crystal, so anything is possible. Until we figure out
these dreams, though,why don't we stick with Usagi's suggestion, and focus on outstanding citizens and group
leaders? You know, that really was a good idea, Usagi. I think you really are starting to mature. Usagi? Usagi??"
"COME ON MAKO!!! Just a taste! I'm soooo hungry!! Please!? Please Please Please??!?!"
Artemis sighed as he watched Usagi tried to fight Makoto for her muffin.
"Well…maybe I spoke too soon."
-----------
questions/comments/criticisms at dew_drop@myself.com
-dew
I do not own Sailor Moon, nor do I pretend to.
(Note: * denotes flashbacks, - denotes scene/time changes)
Chapter 5. Relief and Direction.
------
Usagi sat on the bench at the park for a long time, staring blankly into space. Her tears had
long since dried on her cheeks as she sat there listlessly. A sudden beep issuing from the pocket of
her jacket startled her in its volume, compared to the silence she had been sitting in. Fumbling, her
hands numb and clumsy, she pulled out the communicator and flipped the lid.
"Usagi?" Makoto's face flashed up on the tiny screen.
"What is it, Mako?"
"Usagi, we need you at the temple right away. It's about Minako!"
Usagi sighed and gritted her teeth against the wave of pain that coursed through her body.
"I already know about her, Mako... But... I'll come. I'll be there
in a few minutes."
"Usagi I-"
Usagi turned the small device off and sat there staring at it for a long moment before getting
up slowly and making her way to the temple.
------
Usagi stood at the top of the temple's steps, staring at the door for a long time. She didn't
want to go in. She didn't want to see her friends upset. Each tear shed will be another reminder of
what had happened. With a deep breath, Usagi opened the door and headed to their usual meeting room.
Through the thin screened door she heard laughter in their voices and unmistakable enthusiasm.
"How dare they?!" Usagi suddenly seethed with anger. "How dare they make like nothing has
happened!!"
Usagi flung open the door and opened her mouth to shout at them before pausing, feeling all
the blood drain from her face.
Minako smiled up at Usagi from the top of her tea cup.
"Why, Usagi, what's the matter? You look like you've seen a ghost!"
Usagi stood in the open doorway, transfixed on Minako's face. Rei grinned at Usagi and put her
hands on her hips.
"Well, I guess your gift of prophesy wasn't right after all. You should leave fortune telling
to me!"
"But…" Usagi stammered, "But, you weren't home…"
Luna leapt gracefully on the low table in between the soldiers. "It just so happens that Minako
was doing her job, after all. She was out patrolling the streets all night."
Usagi blinked out of her stupor and lunged towards Minako,her arms outstretched to give her a
big hug. She stopped short, though, when she saw a bandage covering Minako's left arm and right leg,
up to the knee.
"Oh! Minako! Are you ok?? What happened??"
Ami spoke up, drawing Usagi's attention to the back of the room where Ami was putting away
some bandages into a bag.
"When Rei called us all together because of what Luna had said, we all went out to look for her.
Makoto found her in an alley with lacerations on her forearm and shin, along with a concussion from a
blow to her temporal lobe."
Usagi blinked. And Makoto smiled, taking pity on Usagi. "In other words, Minako was cut on her
arm and leg and was knocked out cold because something hit her on the side of her head."
"Yes," began Ami again, "but, Usagi, even though she was not killed and your dream proved false,
I would like to hear more about this dream that you had. According to Luna and Minako's point of view,
your dream and the attack seem to have unlikely coincidences."
Usagi looked around at her fellow soldiers, still shook up from the emotional roller coaster of
thinking her friend dead, and then finding alive in a few short hours.
She was unsure if she should tell them or not, but seeing Minako's encouraging smile, one she
thought she would never see again,she took a deep breath and nodded.
"Well, I saw Minako, though I didn't know it was her at first, walking some place dark, and I
heard a soft sound coming from the darkness, like a cry for help..."
Minako visibly stiffened and nodded, affirming that that was what she had heard too.
"Then I saw her take something out of her pocket, and when she turned around quickly it fell
to the ground and broke..."
"That was my communicator," spoke up Minako. "It did break, just like you said. I was going
to call for back up but I dropped it.That's why no one could get a hold of me."
"That was really all of my dream. I heard you scream and I woke up."
"So," Makoto said thoughtfully, "in your dream, Minako didn't die, you just assumed she did."
"But, the look on Minako's face!" Usagi protested, "She was terrified!"
Minako laughed bitterly, "And I was! You would have been too, if you saw a shadow of a man
startling you and holding a knife! I fought him with all I had, but he was
incredibly strong… superhuman like. He knocked me out and then…I guess he just ran off. Makoto, well,
Sailor Jupiter, found me a while later."
Usagi hugged her blonde haired friend tightly, tears of joy spilling down her already puffy face.
"Oh Minako!! I was so upset!! I thank every single ancestor that has ever had pity on me in my entire
life for letting you be ok!"
Artemis smiled briefly at the scene between the two before scowling at himself. "I wish we
hadn't have split up to poke around, Minako. Next time, we are sticking together."
Luna piped up then, "At any rate, we need to discuss these new developments. Lets start with
Minako's attack first, then we will get into Usagi's dream."
"Well," began Ami, "Makoto said he had a knife, and that he fled.The monster we were initially
looking for never left a victim alive that we know of, and didn't have a weapon, again, that we know of.
Because he ran away, the thing that attacked Minako doesn't fit the archetype of our ruthless murderer.
So, it could be possible that we are dealing with more than one monster."
"Minako wasn't transformed into Sailor Venus, either, were you Minako?" asked Makoto.
Minako shook her head, "No, I wasn't. It's easier to walk around the streets as Minako than
Sailor Venus. No one comes up to you and asks for your autograph or a picture that way." She shot them
all a wink and a grin.
"Well, then our murderer apparently targets random girls…" Luna began hesitantly.
"I wouldn't say that, Luna. Minako? You had your game tonight, did you not? Did you go directly
from your game to patrolling, without becoming Sailor Venus first?" asked Ami. When Minako nodded yes, Ami
nodded again to herself, satisfied.
"You see, I think we have a lead now. Remember we had found out that every one of the victims so
far was very active in some kind of activity, whether it was sports or a committee?"
"That's right!" said Usagi. "So that means we can all find out what people are the most active leaders
of groups and organizations and teams and stuff in the area, and concentrate on them, even follow them,
especially if they go out late at night!"
The group stared at Usagi for a long moment.
"Wow, odango for brains, that was actually, like…an intelligent idea."
"What do you mean by that, REI???"
"Stop it you two!" snapped Ami, causing everyone to turn theirheads towards the normally soft
spoken girl. She blushed out her outburst.
"Um, Usagi? Have you had any other dreams lately?"
"As a matter of fact, I dreamed about those two girls in the paper the other day. The ones that
were… that um… that died."
"When?"
"That very night. But, it was much later. They were killed in the evening and I had that dream right
before I woke up."
"And you dreamt about Minako only a few hours after her attack. Well, actually, a little over an hour.
Let's see... You woke up from your dream and rushed over to her apartment. From there, Luna came to the
shrine, and it took about forty eight minutes to find Minako, and due to the partially congealed state of the
blood that came from her wounds, Minako couldn't have been in that alley for more than two hours.
Because of our genetic makeup, we heal faster than other humans. So, the wounds inflicted on Minako, that
would have taken a lot of outside pressure just to stop the flow of blood, had healed itself to the point that
Minako didn't lose a lot of blood, making it easier on us. Hospitals inquire strongly about girls brought in
with lacerations at two in the morning..." Ami paused when she noticed the group staring blankly at her.
She cleared her throat in embarrassment at being caught running on. "Um. So, in conclusion, Usagi had her
dream around an hour after the attack. Rei? What do you think about these dreams?"
"Well," began Rei reluctantly. "It could be nothing, but more likely, it is more than a coincidence.
From what you guys have been talking about, it looks like Usagi's dreams could be coming closer to the time
of the actual attacks. "
Luna glanced at Usagi, who was eyeing Makoto's half eaten muffin greedily.
"Do you think, in time, she might be able to predict these murders?" Luna asked.
Rei sighed. "It's possible, but improbable. I've only seen that done on a few occasions and that
could be listed sporadic, at best. Even I can't do it regularly, and the rare occasions that
I can, only after days of praying, divination, and fasting. I doubtthat such a ditzy girl like Usagi would
have such a gift."
Artemis nodded. "Well, she is guardian of the crystal, so anything is possible. Until we figure out
these dreams, though,why don't we stick with Usagi's suggestion, and focus on outstanding citizens and group
leaders? You know, that really was a good idea, Usagi. I think you really are starting to mature. Usagi? Usagi??"
"COME ON MAKO!!! Just a taste! I'm soooo hungry!! Please!? Please Please Please??!?!"
Artemis sighed as he watched Usagi tried to fight Makoto for her muffin.
"Well…maybe I spoke too soon."
-----------
questions/comments/criticisms at dew_drop@myself.com