"K-Kazuo-san…" murmured Usagi quietly. He was sitting on the bed, wearing nothing save for a pair of blue boxer shorts. Her mind analysed this fact from every angle, trying to find some rational explanation for it, but no matter how she twisted it, she always came to the same conclusion.
Kazuo-san is… cheating on Tomoko-san?
She didn't want to believe it, but what other explanation was there?
"Kazuo-san, what are you doing here?" she asked earnestly, hoping desperately that he would give her a reason that didn't involve adultery. If Kazuo-san had such a reason, he didn't share it. He didn't respond to her question, but merely continued to stare at her, the blank look in his eyes suggesting that he was not looking at her, but rather through her.
A sharp pang of anger jabbed at Usagi's chest and she narrowed her eyes into an outraged scowl. "I can't believe this!" she cried. "Telling your wife you have a headache and then coming here to cheat on her!"
She folded her arms across her chest and shook her head, slowly. What would Tomoko-san do when she found out about this? She had been so concerned about him when he had left with his "migraine". The true source of his departure would crush her. She pointed one finger directly at him, her eyes sharp as daggers. "I think you're disgusting!" she yelled.
Her words seemed to have some effect on him, and his head suddenly jerked to the side, as if some unseen force had been holding him still until that moment. He looked around, seemingly confused, taking in the bedroom, and then looked down at his own semi-naked body. Finally, his eyes moved back up to meet Usagi's, and this time they were not empty. They were full: of fear, and guilt, and sorrow. His mouth opened and closed wordlessly a few times.
"Usagi-san…" he said finally, his voice trembling. "I… I…"
"How could you do this!" Usagi shrieked, her eyes shining. "You have a wonderful wife who loves you! Would you throw all that away for a… a…"
The words in her mind were a sordid affair, but she couldn't bring herself to say them. The silence was filled by Kazuo-san's voice. "Please, Usagi-san!" he said pleadingly. "I didn't… I don't know what… I just…" He trailed off, unable to put an end to any of those sentences.
A noise behind Usagi caused her to spin around on her heels, and she came face to face with the red-haired girl. She was smiling coldly. There was satisfaction in it, if not warmth. "Well, it looks like you've found us out," she said nonchalantly, as if discussing something as trivial as next week's weather.
"Then it's true!" Usagi cried. "You and Kazuo-san are-"
She was interrupted as the girl brought a hand to her mouth and chuckled without mirth. "Of course we are!" she said, in a tone one would use to address a small child. "What other explanation could there be?"
Hearing movement behind her, Usagi turned her head to see Kazuo-san pulling on his trousers. Having done so, he stood and walked over to them. Usagi stepped aside to let him take her place before the flame-haired girl, whose face still wore an icy smile.
"I don't know what you did to me," shouted Kazuo-san, his voice quaking with anger, "but I love my wife! I would never do anything to jeopardise our marriage!"
The girl rolled her eyes, unimpressed with his machismo. "That's what they all say," she replied bitterly. "All you men are the same. Worthless scum. No better than dogs." She thought for a moment, before shaking her head. "No, I take that back. Dogs are loyal to the end. Men are not."
"How dare you!" fumed Kazuo-san. "Get out of my way!"
The smile on the girl's face disappeared. "Shut up," she replied severely, and raised her hand into the air. Usagi watched numbly as the hand swung downwards. It only took her a second to complete the motion, but to Usagi it seemed much longer, as if she were watching in slow-motion.
The hand slammed into Kazuo-san's face and he hurtled into the air and flew backwards across the room, as if caught in the perimeter of an explosion. He slammed into the wall above the bed and bounced off, landing face-down on the mattress. He lay still and silent, alive but unconscious.
Usagi looked from his motionless body to the girl, her eyes wide. Alarm bells were going off in her head. This girl isn't what she appears to be. The girl was looking at her now, malicious intent visible in her frozen green eyes.
"I'm afraid," she said indifferently, "you've seen too much." She took a step toward Usagi. "You'll have to die now."
"Wh-who are you?" asked Usagi as she slowly backed away. She quickly ran out of space, her back pressing up against the bedroom wall. Her eyes darted about for a means of escape. Aside from the window, which was high on the wall behind the bed and looked too small for a person to fit through, there were two doors: the door that led to the bathroom, and the door that led back to the main room of the cabin.
The bathroom door was on the other side of the room. She'd have to go either over or around the bed to get to it. Access to the door to the main room was restricted by the advancing girl. Neither of them looked like viable escape routes.
Just keep her talking, thought Usagi, trying to ignore the cold slug of fear in the pit of her stomach. Keep her talking until I can escape.
Thankfully, the girl stopped a few paces away. "If you must know who I am," she said, "then I'll tell you. To those pathetic creatures," – she gestured towards Kazuo-san to clarify – "my name is Mibo Akai. But since you've discovered my little secret, I'll tell you my real name."
Her hands moved down to her waist, her fingers wrapping around the tie of her white silk robe. She pulled at the loose knot and it came undone, and she let the garment slip from her shoulders to land in a pool around her feet. She wore very little beneath it, only a small, tight bra and panties that left little to the imagination. They were as red as her fiery hair, a contrast to her milky-white skin.
"I am the Red Widow," she announced grandly, as if it were some kind of royal title. "I drink the blood of a broken heart."
Usagi frowned as understanding came to her. "Now I get it," she said, glaring accusingly at the so-called 'Red Widow'. "You tricked Kazuo-san, you hypnotised him, so you could destroy his marriage!"
"Tricked?" replied the Widow with a shake of her head. "No, no, I merely expose the truth."
"What truth?" asked Usagi tersely. The Widow held up a finger and spoke as if imparting some ancient secret. "The truth that love is a lie, a shared pretence."
"You're wrong!" insisted Usagi, more upset than angered. "Love is a beautiful thing!" The Widow snorted derisively. "Ha! A rose is beautiful too, for a time, until it withers and dies."
"True love never dies!" cried Usagi, her hands clasped together and pressed against her chest. "True love, between family, between friends, between lovers, is stronger than anything else! True love is what allows us to keep on going, even when it seems there is no hope for the future!"
"Enough!" hissed the Widow. She took another step forward, and Usagi noticed that her hands and feet were beginning to glow with crimson light. The points of light began to move, travelling across her body, up towards her face. They met at her lips and the light intensified until it burned Usagi's eyes. Out of reflex she closed them. A moment later she felt hands on her body, gripping her hips and pushing her backwards, pinning her against the wall and holding her in place.
Usagi opened her eyes to see that the burning light was only inches in front of her, and getting closer. The girls' head was slowly but inexorably craning forwards, towards Usagi's own. A kiss of death, thought Usagi, and the thought spurred her into action. A second before the Widow's lips pressed against her own she ducked and bent forward, putting all of her weight behind her shoulder and shoving it forwards.
It wasn't much, but the Widow was taken off-guard and stumbled to one side, over towards the bed. Seeing her chance, Usagi charged out of the bedroom and through the main room, heading towards the front door. She had to get back to her own cabin. Somewhere among the crumpled clothes and manga in her suitcase was her broach, and if she could get to it, she could stop this monster before she did any more damage.
She reached the door and her sweaty hands grasped the doorknob and twisted it, before pulling back. Nothing happened. The door didn't budge. It had been locked. She span around to see the Red Widow emerge from the bedroom. Her lips, still glowing with unearthly red light, twisted into a smirk.
"I'm afraid you won't be leaving," she said. The smirk abruptly vanished. "Nobody leaves me."
Usagi glanced desperately around the cabin. All of the windows were locked, giving her no way to escape. She looked back at the Widow, to see her raise a hand to her mouth. She slowly kissed the tips of her fingers, and the intense light on her lips was transferred over to them. She raised her hand into the air, bending her elbow back as if preparing to pitch a ball.
Then, she flung her hand forwards, and the light was flying through the air towards Usagi's head. She watched as it approached, a burning light in the shape of a pair of lips. Just before it hit, she threw herself to one side, and the deadly kiss slammed into the door where she had stood a moment earlier, leaving a black, smoking crater like the signature of a twisted love letter.
Usagi landed less than gracefully, banging her elbows and knees painfully on the floor. In the seconds it took her to get to her feet the Widow was upon her again. Her hands grasped out, trying to get a grip on her. Usagi felt the girl's fingers brush against one of her long ponytails, and she jerked her head away and ducked under the probing arm.
Before she could escape, however, both of the girls' hands seized the collar of her jacket and began to pull her backwards. Usagi redoubled her efforts, straining with all of her strength to get away. She heard the sound of fabric tearing, and with it the tension on the back of her neck lessened. Then, with a loud, harsh, ripping sound – rrrrrrrrpppppp – she was free. A few paces ahead of her was the sofa, and she hopped onto it and turned around to face her attacker. She frowned as she watched the Widow carelessly discard the torn remains of the pink coat.
"You monster!" she cried, furious. "That was my favourite jacket!"
The Widow charged at her again and dived through the air, arms outstretched, heading for Usagi's legs. Usagi jumped out of the way just in time. She landed on top of the coffee table. The Widow slammed into the sofa, which tipped over backwards. Usagi stared down at her, sprawled in a heap beneath the heavy brown couch, and grinned.
"Missed me!" she sang, doing a little victory dance. She regretted it immediately, as her feet – both of them left, according to that meanie Rei-chan – became tangled and she lost her balance. She teetered back and forth precariously on the small table, windmilling her arms to try and regain some stability. Just as she had accepted the fall as an inevitability, her equilibrium returned and she was standing still again.
"Phew," she sighed. She wiped a hand across her brow, relieved.
Crrrk.
Usagi realised a split-second too late what the cracking, creaking sound beneath her feet was. With a crunch of breaking wood, the little coffee table split neatly down the middle, and Usagi crashed to the floor, banging her ribs against one of the table halves' sharp edges. The thin cotton of her pyjamas did nothing to shield the blow, and she wrapped her arms around herself, hugging herself tightly, wincing with pain.
The Red Widow had disengaged herself from the couch and was back on her feet. Before Usagi could get up, she was standing above her. The Widow crouched, knees bent, so that she was sitting on Usagi's stomach. Usagi brought her hands up to push her away, but they were grabbed and pinned against the ground. Usagi grimaced at the pressure on her wrists. The girl was deceptively strong.
The Widow leaned forward until their chests were touching. Usagi could feel her hot breath on her cheeks as she spoke.
"Nobody can resist me!" she seethed, angrily.
Usagi's face twisted into a look of disgust. "You make me sick!" she cried. "You should be ashamed of yourself! What kind of woman runs around wearing just a bra, anyway!" The Widow smirked. Her eyes moved down to examine the gentle curves beneath Usagi's pyjama top. "At least I have need of one," she responded icily.
As in the bedroom, the tips of her fingers and toes began to glow red. As the light quickly travelled across her body, Usagi's eyes darted in every direction, looking for something to defend herself with. She was rewarded with the sight of the cast-iron poker for the fireplace only a foot or so away. She had to get hold of it, somehow, but her arms were still pinned firmly to the ground.
The four points of light had reached their destination now, and the Widow's lips were once again glowing with supernatural power. She lowered her face towards Usagi's slowly. "Kiss me…" she implored, a demand rather than a request.
Usagi turned her head to one side, to give herself a little more time, and spread her legs outwards. Her knees slammed into the Widow's feet, driving them apart. Unbalanced, the Widow released her grip on Usagi's arms and used her hands to steady herself against the floor. It was all that Usagi needed. She grabbed the fireplace poker in her right hand, raised it up, and brought it crashing down on the girl's bare back.
A sharp yelp of agony squeezed from the Widow's throat and her body went limp. Usagi pushed her away and slithered out from under her, and got back to her feet. The Widow's paralysis didn't last long, and she got to her knees, glaring up at Usagi with viridian murder in her eyes. She brought a hand to her glowing lips and brandished the fatal kiss like a grenade. "You WILL kiss me!" she screeched.
She hurled the kiss in Usagi's direction. Usagi watched it approach. It reminded her of earlier that night, on the tennis court. She remembered the advice Mamochan had given her, and quickly parted her feet and bent her knees, and held the poker as if it were a tennis racquet. The red lips grew closer, and closer, and-
"Swing!"
"Kiss THIS!" Usagi yelled, and swung the poker in a circular arc. It collided with the floating kiss, which bounced off and flew away across the room, hitting the far wall and fizzling uselessly for a second or two before dying out.
Twice in one night, thought Usagi. But before she could celebrate, the Widow was back on her feet and charging again. Usagi turned and ran across the room. Ahead of her was the bedroom. She sprinted into it and slammed the door behind her. Half a second later, the Widow crashed into it. The impact caused the door to shake in its hinges. Usagi managed to hold it steady long enough to locate a sliding bolt by the doorknob. She quickly pulled it across, locking the door.
For a few moments, the Widow twisted and jerked the doorknob from side to side, trying to force the door open. Her efforts proved useless, the lock holding it in place. She then began to pound on the door with her fists. Each blow caused the door to judder, but despite the Widow's greater-than-average strength, it showed no signs of breakage. Thank goodness these are expensive cabins, thought Usagi. The pounding continued for a few moments more, and then stopped. No sound came from the other side of the door.
Usagi allowed a sigh of relief to escape her throat. At least now she'd have a little time to think, to plan her next move. She turned around to see Kazuo-san still lying face down on the bed. She went to him and rolled him over onto his back, and then slapped his cheeks lightly, calling his name.
He didn't stir, didn't move. Usagi placed a fingertip on his left eyelid and pulled it up, to reveal nothing but white beneath. The pupil was rolled up into his head. He was well and truly out for the count. She sighed and looked around the room, looking for some means of escape. Her eyes came to rest on the door that led to the ensuite bathroom.
Her eyes widened fearfully.
She rushed over to the door and flung it open. She raced into the bathroom and over to the other door, the one that led out to the main room of the cabin. She quickly slid the bolt across, locking it, and then pressed her back against it, breathing a sigh of relief. How had she forgotten that? Just like in her cabin, the bedroom could be reached from both the main room and the bathroom. She'd been lucky that the Widow hadn't gotten in.
A potential crisis averted, she turned and headed back into the bedroom. She didn't notice the figure crouched in the bathtub, her scowling face and long red hair obscured by the shower curtain.
In the bedroom, Usagi looked around for a way out. Since she couldn't go back into the main room, it looked like the window was the only escape route. She looked up at it doubtfully. It was tiny, and it would be difficult to reach, as it was near the ceiling. Usagi wasn't sure if she'd fit through it, but she supposed it was worth a try. There would be no chance of getting Kazuo-san through, especially as he was unconscious and looked to be that way for a while yet, but that didn't matter. All that mattered was getting back to her own cabin and retrieving her broach.
The window was locked and the key wasn't apparent, so Usagi retrieved the poker from the floor beside the door, where she had dropped it as she entered. She climbed up onto the bed, being careful not to tread on – or trip over – the still form of Kazuo-san. She tightened her grip on the poker, preparing to swing it upwards, and then paused. Breaking a window was a criminal act, wasn't it?
She paused for a moment, weighing up the pros and cons. Usagi-chan, you're a soldier of justice, not a burglar! said a stern voice inside her head. It belonged to her cat, Luna.
Oh, come on! said a jovial second voice. This one belonged to her friend Minako-chan. Just break it! It's the only way out, and I'm sure it wouldn't cost THAT much money to replace it!
Usagi briefly considered both points of view, and then decided to side with Minako-chan. It was her best, and only, method of escape, and she – that is to say, Mamochan – could pay for the damages when this was over. She was sure he wouldn't mind.
She readied herself for the impact, lowering her head to avoid getting shards of glass in her eyes, and swung the poker. It hit the window and bounced off, without making a dent. Usagi tried again, and a third time, but nothing happened. The window was made of reinforced glass, and she didn't have the strength or leverage to smash it. Disappointed, she turned around and stepped off of the bed. She placed the poker on the bedside table.
Now what? she thought, that little sliver of fear making its presence known in her stomach again. She wished her friends were there with her. Together, they could face any obstacle and come out unscathed and smiling. But even if she'd had her communication watch with her, Usagi lamented, the Peaceful Circle was a long way away from their homes. They wouldn't be able to reach her.
This is no good, Usagi thought to herself. I've got to keep trying. I can't give up. She considered the situation. It occurred to her that she hadn't heard the Red Widow in a few minutes now. What was she doing? Was she waiting out in the main room? Or had she left the cabin, to ambush her if she tried to escape?
She walked over to the door, intending to look through the keyhole to try and spot the dreadful girl, but stopped as something sharp dug into the sole of her foot. With a little gasp of surprise, she lifted her foot and looked down. The white silk robe that the Widow had worn lay on the floor before her feet. Frowning, she leaned down and picked it up. Scrunching it up in her hands, she could feel something small and sharp inside it. Her hand found a pocket and reached inside, and pulled the small object out.
She grinned as she saw what it was. It was a little silver key. More specifically, it was the key to the front door. If she could just get back into the main room, she could unlock the door and escape. She held the key in her fist in the same way that she used to hold the last 100 yen coin of her allowance, and stepped over to the door. She bent down and peered through the keyhole. It afforded a wide view of the living room, and Usagi was relieved to see that it was empty. The Red Widow, wherever she was, was nowhere in sight. She supposed she could be hiding behind the overturned sofa, or even inside the tall fireplace, but this was her best chance of escape and she intended to use it.
She slid the lock back across, twisted the doorknob, and slowly, quietly opened the door. She carefully peaked out into the room, half expecting the Widow to come charging at her, screaming, from some unseen corner. But the room was still empty, the Widow nowhere in sight.
Quickly but quietly, Usagi paced across the room, stepping over the broken remnants of the coffee table, and over to the door. She uncurled her hand and retrieved the key from her damp palm, and-
"Drop it."
She froze, her blood chilling at the sound of the Widow's voice.
"Turn around."
Usagi did as she was told, and gasped as she saw the Widow standing before the open doorway to the bedroom. With one arm she was supporting the unconscious body of Kazuo-san. At the end of her other arm, her hand glowed with red light. She had another fatal kiss on her fingertips. Her eyes were narrowed into slits.
"Toss the key over here," ordered the Red Widow. "Or I'll kiss this pathetic man goodbye."
Usagi didn't pause to weigh up the options. She could probably escape, but she had no doubt that the Widow would indeed kill Kazuo-san. She tossed the key across the room, and it landed just before the Widow's feet. The girl roughly dropped Kazuo-san to the floor and then leaned down and picked it up. She placed it securely inside her bra, and then looked back up at Usagi.
"Well, you know what they say," she said wistfully, glancing at her glowing hand. "A kiss is a terrible thing to waste."
She hurled the kiss across the room, in Usagi's direction. Usagi ducked just in time to avoid it. The flaming pair of lips slammed into the wall behind her and dissolved. Usagi stood, and the Widow was once again advancing on her.
"Please!" exclaimed Usagi with dismay. "There has to be another way to resolve this!"
The Widow ignored her and continued to advance. Usagi backed away, treading a slow circle around the room. "Violence is never a solution!" she pleaded, as she backtracked past the sofa. "Isn't there a way we can-"
Without warning she lost her balance and tumbled backwards, landing hard on her backside. With her attention focused on the Widow in front of her, she'd tripped over Kazuo-san. She continued to move backwards, this time crawling with her hands, heading back towards the front of the room. The Widow maintained her slow pursuit.
"Please!" Usagi begged. "I don't want to fi-"
This time, her sentence was cut off as the Red Widow suddenly dived at her. She landed on top of Usagi, knocking the wind out of her and sending her sprawling to the ground. In a second, the Widow was holding her hands down, painfully driving her wrists into the carpeted floor. Her knees pinned Usagi's legs to the ground.
Usagi struggled to get free, twisting her body this way and that, trying to move her arms and legs, but it was no good. She couldn't move, couldn't get free. The Widow watched her fight with an amused smile.
"It's no good," she said. "You can't get away now."
Usagi's eyes widened with terror as the girl's hands and feet began to glow again. "Let me go!" she cried, tears coming to her eyes. "There is a man, a man that I…" She trailed off, and now the tears were flowing freely across her cheeks, dripping onto the carpet. "A man that I love… more than anything else in the world…"
She looked up at the Widow. Through her tear-streaked vision she could see the four points of light converge upon her lips. "Please," Usagi beseeched, "I don't want to leave him, not now. Not yet."
The Widow merely shook her head in dismissal, as if listening to the anguished cries of an imaginative child. "It's best that you die now," she said softly, with almost a note of kindness in her voice. "While you still believe in such childish things as love and trust. Before you fully realise the truth, as I was made to."
"Please… don't…" whispered Usagi, but the burning lips of the Red Widow were already descending upon her. The light was searing. She closed her eyes, causing thick, heavy tear droplets to squeeze through her eyelashes. Even with her eyes closed, she could still see that awful red light, growing brighter and brighter, surrounding her. It made her feel cold. Cold and empty.
Is this how she feels all of the time? wondered Usagi sadly. What a terrible way to live.
The light grew stronger still. Usagi could feel the Widow's breath on her tongue.
Mamochan, she thought, in the last moment before the Widow's lips touched her own.
I know we'll be together again, someday…