Soul Eaters
-dew
(note: again, some foul language.)
Chapter 9. Climax: Betrayal.
_______________________________________________________________________________________
Chiba Mamoru whistled as he packed his clothes into the small bag that he had brought with him
on his trip. The hotel room was dark and small, but Mamoru's smile seemed to light up the room simply by
its brilliance. He was finally going home!
The Director had come by earlier that day to tell him, politely and graciously, that his services were
no longer needed, and that he may leave, if he wished to go home.
Of course he wished to go home!
As he walked towards the closet and took his plain, green jacket off of the hanger, Mamoru
glanced at the digital red numbers of the hotel clock on the nightstand.
Eleven O' Clock. Perfect.
By the time he finished packing, checked out of the hotel, and caught the next flight to Tokyo
(which wasn't until later that afternoon), he should be in town mid- to late evening. Of course, that's not
if he stops by the flower shop to pick up Usako some lilies first...
Mamoru may be able to form beautiful roses, but Usako did love those white lilies, and what better to
surprise his beautiful love with than a bouquet of a flower she adored so much? He closed his eyes and smiled,
imagining her sweet face lighting up as he showed up at her door.
"Oh Mamo!" She would say, her smile beaming up at him. "I wasn't expecting you until tomorrow!"
And then she would wrap her arms around his neck and kiss him. Oh, how he has missed her
kisses! And, judging by her happy expressions and loving caresses, he would finally put to rest the doubt
in his mind about the strange way she spoke to him on the phone, and the horrible things he has been
hearing about her the past few days. Untrue! All of it! ...Right? What is he thinking? Of course right!
She was just acting strange because she missed him, like he said.
He missed her just as much.
Maybe he'll take her out to dinner....
Smiling to himself, he cheerfully stuffed his jacket into his bag, unheeding of his usual neatness.
Boy, Usako was going to be surprised!
----------------------
Usagi walked through the streets on the way home, several hours after the morning battle.
It was the magic hour now - that hour of dusk when all the buildings should be painted in gold and the sky
streaked with red. Clouds had moved in though, threatening a winter storm. Any young girl walking at this
hour should have taken one look at that menacing sky and high tailed it home as fast as she could. Any
normal young girl, anyway. Usagi was too lost in her thoughts to pay attention to the clouds above, or the
cold wind piercing through her jacket.
***********
"Rest in Peace," she had murmured to the sky - that sky that had looked so bright
and peaceful earlier, as she knelt in that bloody alley, surrounded by the stench of fresh blood,
and covered in a stickiness that was turning the white of her outfit from red to brown as it
dried.
"Sailor Moon."
Whose voice was that? It didn't really matter. She could do nothing but stare at her
bloody gloves.
"Sailor Moon... Usagi... Usagi snap out of it." That was Minako, wasn't it? That was
her voice softened and faint with pain. So she was alive after all. Sailor Moon lifted her gaze
as far as Subaru's lifeless eyes. Was his soul freed with the others? Or did it go somewhere...
darker.
Somewhere far away, voices were calling her name, telling her to get up, to get out
of the alley. Someone passing by had seen. Someone was coming. Someone was getting the
police. Sailor Moon could do nothing but stare at the man's eyes. They were still open. Why
won't someone close them?
A blow to her cheek forced her head to the side abruptly and made a sharp, stinging
pain spread throughout her body. Sailor Moon blinked and snapped her head up at the raven
haired girl who was standing over her with her with her hand still poised to slap her again,
if need be.
"Get Up." Sailor Mars had growled, her features obscured by her own blood.
*********
They had left before the police came, limping into the shadows before making the slow and
painful walk to the temple.
The cuts were cleaned and the wounds bandaged. Most of them were what Ami had called
'superficial'. Minako's arm was tightly bandaged and, though she had lost a lot of blood, Ami said that
with plenty of fluids, rest, and hearty meals, she should be back to her normal self in a few days.
Makoto's leg wasn't broken as originally thought, either, but she had severely sprained both her
knee and ankle. She won't be able to walk on it for a few days.
Now, each of the girls was at their respective houses, resting.
All in all, it wasn't as bad as Usagi had originally thought, but it was still bad enough. The death
of Subaru had brought nothing but injuries that would take weeks to completely heal.
Mamoru should be home tomorrow. Mamo... What was he doing right now? In Usagi's disheartened
state, she envisioned him laughing and chatting over supper in a warm, fancy restauraunt. Across from
him sat a beautiful young woman, smiling and charming.
----------------------
Rei knelt in front of the sacred flame for the second time that day. A storm was coming in,
beating against the walls of the temple with incessant force. 'I'm coming', it whispered. 'I'm coming and
you can't stop me. I'm going to bring sleet and snow, I'm going to drop the temperatures and ice up the
streets, I'm going to make life miserable, and you can't stop me.'
Even as the air was charged with the electricity of the brink of a storm, Rei forced herself to
concentration. She was praying, praying with all of her soul to every god she knew.
"Please," she whispered to the fire, "Amaterasu, beautiful and divine goddess of the Sun,
highest of all Kami, please help me to see the unseen. Shed your heavenly light upon me and bless
me with sight beyond sight.Tsuki-yomi no Mikoto, unveil the secrets of the moon, and show me the
mysteries that dreams might hold.
Blessed kami, show me who this enemy is."
The fire leapt up high, heating her face with its sudden and extreme blaze. The priestess
opened her eyes and watched patiently as a form materialized in the fire, and a name materialized in
her mind.
----------------------
The city was dark now. Whatever light was given off at dusk was smothered in dark gray
clouds. The wind had picked up and turned colder, causing Usagi to breathe on her hands for warmth.
She sighed to herself, knowing that she couldn't stay outside much longer before she froze, and turned
around, headed towards home.
----------------------
Mamoru paid the florist and admired the half dozen pure white lilies in his hand, with their
collective bases in gauzy pink wrapping. He walked outside, inhaling in the winter air deeply. It
smelled like rain. At least he remembered his umbrella.
Walking slowly to savor the smell of the world before the heavens opened, Mamoru began to
walk in the direction of Usagi's house.
----------------------
"Hello?"
"Makoto, have you seen Usagi?"
"Rei? Don't you know the meaning of the phrase "injured and resting"? No, I haven't seen her.
What's up, anyway?"
"The stupid girl left her communicator at the temple. I called her house and she's not home yet."
"What? She should have been home hours ago."
"I know. I called Minako and Ami, but they haven't heard from her either. Luna doesn't even know
where she is. Makoto... I... I think Usagi may be in danger."
"Do you think the murderer is on the move?"
"Yes."
Silence.
"I'm on my way."
"Don't be ridiculous, Makoto. You can't even walk. You stay where you are at. I'm sure between
Ami, Luna, Artemis and me, we will be able to find Usagi. Those blonde ponytails are easy to spot anywhere."
"...Damn it. You're right. I hate it, but you're right. I wish only to get up from this bed and help you
find her."
"Minako said the same thing,"
" Tell me when you find Usagi, ok? I bet she's just at the arcade pigging out on sweets, or
something."
"...Makoto? I... I know who Subaru's master is. I saw it in the sacred fire... I know his face, and
I know his name."
"Well? What's the bastard's name?"
"Watanabe Fuhiro."
----------------------
Usagi drew her thin jacket around her tighter and walked with her arms wrapped around her waist.
She still had a few blocks to go before she reached the warm safety of home and the temperature had
already dropped again.
Shivering, she continued determinedly to her house. It was dark now...and cold. Why didn't she
bring a thicker coat with her today?
Something struck her face, stinging with the sharpness of a tiny knife.
"Oh no," Usagi groaned softly, turning her face up towards the sky. "Please. Please don't."
But the sky didn't listen to the pleas of a shivering girl without an umbrella, and the sky opened
despite her, raining tiny shards of ice upon the world. Usagi shrieked and broke into a run, looking
frantically for shelter from the unending sleet that was stinging her unprotected face and hands like a
thousand needles. She was by the park now, and there was no buildings with roofs to shelter her.
Ahead she saw a figure standing under a large black umbrella on the sidewalk in front of her.
Her Savior! Surely whoever it was wouldn't mind a soaked, cold young girl, taking shelter with them for
just a few minutes?
Desperate, she ran on the slippery sidewalk towards the figure. Right before she reached him,
her foot slipped on the wet concrete, causing her to pitch forward with her arms outstreched to break
her fall.
Warm arms embraced her before she could hit the ground.
There was only one person who on this earth that had the uncanny ability to catch her before
she fell.
Smiling, Usagi peered up into the man's face. "Mamo?"
"Miss Usagi?"
"Oh! Oh...Mr. Fuhiro. I'm...I'm so sorry. I thought..."
Usagi, embarassed to realize that his arms were still around her, backed away as far as she
could while staying underneath his umbrella.
"I thought I would find you around here," he said, softly.
"You...did?"
"This is your way home, is it not?"
Fuhiro looked beyond Usagi, back to where she came from and smiled to himself.
"Usagi... beautiful Usagi... Surely you must know how I feel for you..."
"...How you feel...?" Usagi backed up further, but was instantly drawn back to Fuhiro
as he grabbed her and wound his arms tightly around her.
"Usagi, I have waited for this moment since I first met you."
----------------------
Mamoru passed the city park. Soon, he will be at Usagi's house. He couldn't wait
until he saw her face when he surprises her!
He held the flowers closer to his chest, shielding them from the wind and rain. A ways a
head of him was a couple, embracing under an umbrella in a pool of light from a street lamp.
The scene was so endearing that it made Mamoru smile and miss Usagi even more.
He quickened his pace.
----------------------
"Mr. Fuhiro! Please... let me go!"
Fuhiro tightened his arms, effectively ceasing Usagi's struggles.
"I know you want me, Usagi. I see it in your eyes. We are a perfect pair, you and I.
Do not worry anymore about that fool, Mamoru. He has abandoned you! He has stayed extra days at
that conference to be with his new lover, just like I warned you he would!"
"How do you know Mamo stayed away??"
Fuhiro glanced up again before turning the both of them so that the the light from the street
lamp shone upon them.
To Usagi's horror, Fuhiro tilted his head to the side and leaned down towards Usagi.
"No... Please... Please don-"
Fuhiro silenced her by pressing his mouth against hers with bruising force. Usagi was stunned
to immobility. After a brief moment,she wedged her elbows against Fuhiro's chest and used all of her
strength to push him away. Fuhiro cursed and stumbled off of the sidewalk and into the street,
dropping his umbrella.
Usagi looked at the space where Fuhiro had been standing and gasped as her gaze rose to
the solitary figure standing a half yards away, under an umbrella. His face was blank.
"Mamo!"
Mamoru dropped the bouquet of lilies onto the sidewalk, leaving them to wilt and ruin in the sleet,
and turned around and began to walk away without a word.
"No! Mamo! It's not what you think!"
Usagi ran after his retreating back.
"Mamo! Please!"
He stopped and turned around slowly. His face was a mask of disgust.
"So this was why you sounded strange on the phone. I had heard rumors,
but I thought, in no way would my Usako..." He trailed off and turned his back to her.
"Mamo...!"
"Don't you use that nickname," he said, over his shoulder. " Don't you dare ever call me that
again, Usagi"
Usagi froze. Mamoru's use of her full name, instead of the usual, endearing, Usako, caused
her heart to fall into her stomach. Without another word, Mamoru began walking, leaving Usagi behind
in the cold sleet, without an umbrella.
The blonde girl sank to her knees in a cold puddle, her tears obscured from the sleet melting
on her cheeks.
"Mamo... Mamoru... I love you! Please don't go!"
Mamoru stiffened but did not stop walking and did not look back. Usagi reached out her hand,
as if she could physically grab a hold of him and force him not to leave her, but of course, her arm was
only so long and he was already too far away. Usagi watched helplessly as his silhouette faded into the
cold downpour.
Usagi lowered her head, the tails of her hair floating in the puddle she was kneeling in, and wrapped her
arms about her middle, trying to contain the pieces of her heart as it shattered.
Slowly, Usagi came to realize that a pair of men's shoes stood in front of her. Her heart lifting in hope,
she let her gaze travel upward, taking in the pants, the collared shirt, and eventually the face.
"Well, seems like I have you all to myself," leered Fuhiro - his face no longer kind and warm
as he reached for her. "You are mine, now."
Usagi screamed.
________________________________________________________________________________________
dew_drop@myself.com
-dew
(note: again, some foul language.)
Chapter 9. Climax: Betrayal.
_______________________________________________________________________________________
Chiba Mamoru whistled as he packed his clothes into the small bag that he had brought with him
on his trip. The hotel room was dark and small, but Mamoru's smile seemed to light up the room simply by
its brilliance. He was finally going home!
The Director had come by earlier that day to tell him, politely and graciously, that his services were
no longer needed, and that he may leave, if he wished to go home.
Of course he wished to go home!
As he walked towards the closet and took his plain, green jacket off of the hanger, Mamoru
glanced at the digital red numbers of the hotel clock on the nightstand.
Eleven O' Clock. Perfect.
By the time he finished packing, checked out of the hotel, and caught the next flight to Tokyo
(which wasn't until later that afternoon), he should be in town mid- to late evening. Of course, that's not
if he stops by the flower shop to pick up Usako some lilies first...
Mamoru may be able to form beautiful roses, but Usako did love those white lilies, and what better to
surprise his beautiful love with than a bouquet of a flower she adored so much? He closed his eyes and smiled,
imagining her sweet face lighting up as he showed up at her door.
"Oh Mamo!" She would say, her smile beaming up at him. "I wasn't expecting you until tomorrow!"
And then she would wrap her arms around his neck and kiss him. Oh, how he has missed her
kisses! And, judging by her happy expressions and loving caresses, he would finally put to rest the doubt
in his mind about the strange way she spoke to him on the phone, and the horrible things he has been
hearing about her the past few days. Untrue! All of it! ...Right? What is he thinking? Of course right!
She was just acting strange because she missed him, like he said.
He missed her just as much.
Maybe he'll take her out to dinner....
Smiling to himself, he cheerfully stuffed his jacket into his bag, unheeding of his usual neatness.
Boy, Usako was going to be surprised!
----------------------
Usagi walked through the streets on the way home, several hours after the morning battle.
It was the magic hour now - that hour of dusk when all the buildings should be painted in gold and the sky
streaked with red. Clouds had moved in though, threatening a winter storm. Any young girl walking at this
hour should have taken one look at that menacing sky and high tailed it home as fast as she could. Any
normal young girl, anyway. Usagi was too lost in her thoughts to pay attention to the clouds above, or the
cold wind piercing through her jacket.
***********
"Rest in Peace," she had murmured to the sky - that sky that had looked so bright
and peaceful earlier, as she knelt in that bloody alley, surrounded by the stench of fresh blood,
and covered in a stickiness that was turning the white of her outfit from red to brown as it
dried.
"Sailor Moon."
Whose voice was that? It didn't really matter. She could do nothing but stare at her
bloody gloves.
"Sailor Moon... Usagi... Usagi snap out of it." That was Minako, wasn't it? That was
her voice softened and faint with pain. So she was alive after all. Sailor Moon lifted her gaze
as far as Subaru's lifeless eyes. Was his soul freed with the others? Or did it go somewhere...
darker.
Somewhere far away, voices were calling her name, telling her to get up, to get out
of the alley. Someone passing by had seen. Someone was coming. Someone was getting the
police. Sailor Moon could do nothing but stare at the man's eyes. They were still open. Why
won't someone close them?
A blow to her cheek forced her head to the side abruptly and made a sharp, stinging
pain spread throughout her body. Sailor Moon blinked and snapped her head up at the raven
haired girl who was standing over her with her with her hand still poised to slap her again,
if need be.
"Get Up." Sailor Mars had growled, her features obscured by her own blood.
*********
They had left before the police came, limping into the shadows before making the slow and
painful walk to the temple.
The cuts were cleaned and the wounds bandaged. Most of them were what Ami had called
'superficial'. Minako's arm was tightly bandaged and, though she had lost a lot of blood, Ami said that
with plenty of fluids, rest, and hearty meals, she should be back to her normal self in a few days.
Makoto's leg wasn't broken as originally thought, either, but she had severely sprained both her
knee and ankle. She won't be able to walk on it for a few days.
Now, each of the girls was at their respective houses, resting.
All in all, it wasn't as bad as Usagi had originally thought, but it was still bad enough. The death
of Subaru had brought nothing but injuries that would take weeks to completely heal.
Mamoru should be home tomorrow. Mamo... What was he doing right now? In Usagi's disheartened
state, she envisioned him laughing and chatting over supper in a warm, fancy restauraunt. Across from
him sat a beautiful young woman, smiling and charming.
----------------------
Rei knelt in front of the sacred flame for the second time that day. A storm was coming in,
beating against the walls of the temple with incessant force. 'I'm coming', it whispered. 'I'm coming and
you can't stop me. I'm going to bring sleet and snow, I'm going to drop the temperatures and ice up the
streets, I'm going to make life miserable, and you can't stop me.'
Even as the air was charged with the electricity of the brink of a storm, Rei forced herself to
concentration. She was praying, praying with all of her soul to every god she knew.
"Please," she whispered to the fire, "Amaterasu, beautiful and divine goddess of the Sun,
highest of all Kami, please help me to see the unseen. Shed your heavenly light upon me and bless
me with sight beyond sight.Tsuki-yomi no Mikoto, unveil the secrets of the moon, and show me the
mysteries that dreams might hold.
Blessed kami, show me who this enemy is."
The fire leapt up high, heating her face with its sudden and extreme blaze. The priestess
opened her eyes and watched patiently as a form materialized in the fire, and a name materialized in
her mind.
----------------------
The city was dark now. Whatever light was given off at dusk was smothered in dark gray
clouds. The wind had picked up and turned colder, causing Usagi to breathe on her hands for warmth.
She sighed to herself, knowing that she couldn't stay outside much longer before she froze, and turned
around, headed towards home.
----------------------
Mamoru paid the florist and admired the half dozen pure white lilies in his hand, with their
collective bases in gauzy pink wrapping. He walked outside, inhaling in the winter air deeply. It
smelled like rain. At least he remembered his umbrella.
Walking slowly to savor the smell of the world before the heavens opened, Mamoru began to
walk in the direction of Usagi's house.
----------------------
"Hello?"
"Makoto, have you seen Usagi?"
"Rei? Don't you know the meaning of the phrase "injured and resting"? No, I haven't seen her.
What's up, anyway?"
"The stupid girl left her communicator at the temple. I called her house and she's not home yet."
"What? She should have been home hours ago."
"I know. I called Minako and Ami, but they haven't heard from her either. Luna doesn't even know
where she is. Makoto... I... I think Usagi may be in danger."
"Do you think the murderer is on the move?"
"Yes."
Silence.
"I'm on my way."
"Don't be ridiculous, Makoto. You can't even walk. You stay where you are at. I'm sure between
Ami, Luna, Artemis and me, we will be able to find Usagi. Those blonde ponytails are easy to spot anywhere."
"...Damn it. You're right. I hate it, but you're right. I wish only to get up from this bed and help you
find her."
"Minako said the same thing,"
" Tell me when you find Usagi, ok? I bet she's just at the arcade pigging out on sweets, or
something."
"...Makoto? I... I know who Subaru's master is. I saw it in the sacred fire... I know his face, and
I know his name."
"Well? What's the bastard's name?"
"Watanabe Fuhiro."
----------------------
Usagi drew her thin jacket around her tighter and walked with her arms wrapped around her waist.
She still had a few blocks to go before she reached the warm safety of home and the temperature had
already dropped again.
Shivering, she continued determinedly to her house. It was dark now...and cold. Why didn't she
bring a thicker coat with her today?
Something struck her face, stinging with the sharpness of a tiny knife.
"Oh no," Usagi groaned softly, turning her face up towards the sky. "Please. Please don't."
But the sky didn't listen to the pleas of a shivering girl without an umbrella, and the sky opened
despite her, raining tiny shards of ice upon the world. Usagi shrieked and broke into a run, looking
frantically for shelter from the unending sleet that was stinging her unprotected face and hands like a
thousand needles. She was by the park now, and there was no buildings with roofs to shelter her.
Ahead she saw a figure standing under a large black umbrella on the sidewalk in front of her.
Her Savior! Surely whoever it was wouldn't mind a soaked, cold young girl, taking shelter with them for
just a few minutes?
Desperate, she ran on the slippery sidewalk towards the figure. Right before she reached him,
her foot slipped on the wet concrete, causing her to pitch forward with her arms outstreched to break
her fall.
Warm arms embraced her before she could hit the ground.
There was only one person who on this earth that had the uncanny ability to catch her before
she fell.
Smiling, Usagi peered up into the man's face. "Mamo?"
"Miss Usagi?"
"Oh! Oh...Mr. Fuhiro. I'm...I'm so sorry. I thought..."
Usagi, embarassed to realize that his arms were still around her, backed away as far as she
could while staying underneath his umbrella.
"I thought I would find you around here," he said, softly.
"You...did?"
"This is your way home, is it not?"
Fuhiro looked beyond Usagi, back to where she came from and smiled to himself.
"Usagi... beautiful Usagi... Surely you must know how I feel for you..."
"...How you feel...?" Usagi backed up further, but was instantly drawn back to Fuhiro
as he grabbed her and wound his arms tightly around her.
"Usagi, I have waited for this moment since I first met you."
----------------------
Mamoru passed the city park. Soon, he will be at Usagi's house. He couldn't wait
until he saw her face when he surprises her!
He held the flowers closer to his chest, shielding them from the wind and rain. A ways a
head of him was a couple, embracing under an umbrella in a pool of light from a street lamp.
The scene was so endearing that it made Mamoru smile and miss Usagi even more.
He quickened his pace.
----------------------
"Mr. Fuhiro! Please... let me go!"
Fuhiro tightened his arms, effectively ceasing Usagi's struggles.
"I know you want me, Usagi. I see it in your eyes. We are a perfect pair, you and I.
Do not worry anymore about that fool, Mamoru. He has abandoned you! He has stayed extra days at
that conference to be with his new lover, just like I warned you he would!"
"How do you know Mamo stayed away??"
Fuhiro glanced up again before turning the both of them so that the the light from the street
lamp shone upon them.
To Usagi's horror, Fuhiro tilted his head to the side and leaned down towards Usagi.
"No... Please... Please don-"
Fuhiro silenced her by pressing his mouth against hers with bruising force. Usagi was stunned
to immobility. After a brief moment,she wedged her elbows against Fuhiro's chest and used all of her
strength to push him away. Fuhiro cursed and stumbled off of the sidewalk and into the street,
dropping his umbrella.
Usagi looked at the space where Fuhiro had been standing and gasped as her gaze rose to
the solitary figure standing a half yards away, under an umbrella. His face was blank.
"Mamo!"
Mamoru dropped the bouquet of lilies onto the sidewalk, leaving them to wilt and ruin in the sleet,
and turned around and began to walk away without a word.
"No! Mamo! It's not what you think!"
Usagi ran after his retreating back.
"Mamo! Please!"
He stopped and turned around slowly. His face was a mask of disgust.
"So this was why you sounded strange on the phone. I had heard rumors,
but I thought, in no way would my Usako..." He trailed off and turned his back to her.
"Mamo...!"
"Don't you use that nickname," he said, over his shoulder. " Don't you dare ever call me that
again, Usagi"
Usagi froze. Mamoru's use of her full name, instead of the usual, endearing, Usako, caused
her heart to fall into her stomach. Without another word, Mamoru began walking, leaving Usagi behind
in the cold sleet, without an umbrella.
The blonde girl sank to her knees in a cold puddle, her tears obscured from the sleet melting
on her cheeks.
"Mamo... Mamoru... I love you! Please don't go!"
Mamoru stiffened but did not stop walking and did not look back. Usagi reached out her hand,
as if she could physically grab a hold of him and force him not to leave her, but of course, her arm was
only so long and he was already too far away. Usagi watched helplessly as his silhouette faded into the
cold downpour.
Usagi lowered her head, the tails of her hair floating in the puddle she was kneeling in, and wrapped her
arms about her middle, trying to contain the pieces of her heart as it shattered.
Slowly, Usagi came to realize that a pair of men's shoes stood in front of her. Her heart lifting in hope,
she let her gaze travel upward, taking in the pants, the collared shirt, and eventually the face.
"Well, seems like I have you all to myself," leered Fuhiro - his face no longer kind and warm
as he reached for her. "You are mine, now."
Usagi screamed.
________________________________________________________________________________________
dew_drop@myself.com