Shadows on the Wall
Chapter Three
Disclaimer: I do not own the Sailor Scouts or the Ronin Warriors! Oh wait, yes I do! pulls out Sailor Scout dolls and the Ronin action figures See? I really do!
Mina sighed as she leaned back in her chair, mentally and physically exhausted from the fight in the park that afternoon. She'd been distracted and it had been pretty obvious, the consequences disastrous. Her right arm had been broken sometime during the fight, and Mina couldn't recall when, and now hung uselessly in a sling. Her body was battered and bruised, covered in slight scratches and she had one major gash on her side, with nothing more serious luckily.
At the hospital, Mina had blamed it on her hair color, saying that she'd had a moment and fell down the stairs, but the medical personnel at Tokyo General Hospital, minus Dr. Munzino, were getting suspicious and the blond Scout overheard whispers of an investigation into her family. She'd been in and out of the hospital a few times during the last few months due to demon attacks, and things weren't looking too good for her family. Her parents were in the middle of a divorce, and it had been tough on Mina and her mother, Aya, and Mina could only desperately hope that the medical personnel weren't serious about calling the authorities. 'That's not what I need right now. It's bad enough that my parents are divorcing and I haven't gotten a wink of sleep due to reoccurring nightmares, but now I'll have the Division of Family Services poking their noses into my business. No, this is not good at all...' Mina sighed once more, closing her eyes once more as she laid her head against the back of her chair. 'I guess I should warn Mom...'
Just as she opened her mouth to say something to her mother, the phone rang and her mother, Aya, picked up. "Aino residence, Aya speaking. How may I help you?" Aya's voice was business-like, seeing as she was a professional businesswoman, but Mina didn't like the shocked silence that suddenly filled the nearly-empty house or the way her mother's face paled as she nearly dropped the phone. "What?" Catching Mina's curious gaze, Aya quickly turned away, lowering her voice, although Mina could still hear quite well what she was saying. "Why? We have never done anything to.." There was a pause and Mina could see her mother was shaking with fury and sorrow. "Yes, of course." She'd picked up her business tone once more as she spoke. "My husband has a sister..." Her voice trailed off as she was interrupted once more and she sighed tiredly, still avoiding Mina's gaze. "I'll send her right away... No, I'm sure her aunt won't mind if she comes for a visit.." Mina was pretty sure that if her mother wasn't still in shock, she would've been shouting curses into the phone as she defended herself and her honor. The blond-haired didn't want to go visit her aunt and cousin that she barely knew. They lived in Toyoma, a four-hour drive, and with her broken arm, Mina knew she was in no condition to drive. Shaking these thoughts from her head, Mina turned her attention back to her mother, who was beginning to look angry. "Well, of course we argue! Mina is a perfectly healthy teenage .."
Unable to listen anymore, Mina dragged her exhausted person up the stairs to her room to pack, knowing she was in for a long summer and it had only started. If Mina had only had an inkling of what was to come, the defenseless Scout would've begged the DFS to let her stay at one of the other Scouts' houses to avoid it but, unfortunately, she wasn't physic. Mina tried to drown out what she heard from the kitchen as she half- heartedly threw random clothing items into her bag, not really caring if they matched or not. As much as she really didn't want to leave Tokyo, Mina knew it was probably for the best, so she was just going to have to deal with it.
"It won't be that bad if you go and make the best of it," Artemis suggested as he leapt onto her bed, surveying her packing. He had been downstairs when the phone rang and, like Mina, had pieced everything together, although neither of them wanted to know what was happening. "Ignorance is bliss," Mina announced, tossing her swimming suit into her bag. "I would've preferred it if I hadn't been so distracted this afternoon, 'cause this whole situation could've been avoided," she mumbled. Artemis nodded knowingly as he listened. "Yes, that's true, but Fate has plans for everyone, Mina. This happened for a reason, and I'm sure something good will come of this." For a moment, Mina didn't recognize the white cat sitting on her bed. 'Did someone replace my irritating, perfume-spilling, sweater-ripping monster of a guardian with this serious creature that speaks logic? Wow, he must be feeling sick!' She stared at the cat in bewilderment, pressing her hand to the moon symbol on his forehead. "Are you feeling ok, Artemis?" Seeing his glare, Mina continued. "You've got to be kidding me... Something good come from this? What are you thinking?" Her voice rose in volume. "I'm being forced from my home, my parents are being investigated for child abuse and, oh yea, I'm suffering from insomnia due to a reoccurring nightmare!" she wailed, flopping down on her bed. Artemis didn't say anything to that, merely staring at her with those big blue eyes of his. "Oh, quit looking at me like that! I'm already going insane, and now I'm over here yelling at my car, who isn't supposed to talk!" Frustrated, the blond turned over on her stomach, burying her face into her pillow. "Artemis, will this nightmare ever end?" A long moment passed before the cat spoke, his face unusually serious. "In time, yes. All nightmares have to end sometime, right? They can't last forever," he replied, curling up beside her head. "You just need to keep telling yourself that it has to end and it will eventually."
Mina groaned. "Eventually won't come soon enough," she complained, lifting her head weakly. "At least you're going to your aunt's house," Artemis reminded her. "You could be going to a foster home, and we both know they wouldn't allow me to go with you." There was a collective sigh from the both of them at the very thought. Mina had spent years with Artemis by her side and, although he irritated her to no end most of the time, the white cat was her closest confidant, the one who knew everything about her. "You're right, Artemis. I guess I would rather stay with Rowen than stay with strangers that I have never even seen before, much less met." Mina sat up and faced her window. "I wonder if Rowen has gotten any taller since the last time I saw him," she mused with a smile. Artemis sweat dropped at the sudden change of conversation, twitching uncontrollably on her pillow. Of course, Mina knew he had gotten taller, since that was inevitable, but she just wanted to get a reaction out of Artemis. "You know, from what I've heard of this 'Rowen' fellow, it sounds like you two could have fun," Artemis remarked, sitting up and licking his paws non-chalantly.
Mina turned to look at the little white cat in astonishment. "But I don't even talk about him!" Artemis laughed. "No, but your mother was on the phone with your aunt when I came upstairs and they were talking about him," he replied. "He sounds like a good guy." Mina'sgaze moved to her useless arm, sighing tiredly. "I feel like an invalid," she remarked darkly. "The thing that worries me is the fact that my aunt is rarely ever home, so it would be just the you, me, and him," Mina finished lamely. Artemis started to purr as Mina scratched behind his ears. "Sounds lonely," he remarked vaguely, closing his eyes as his purring grew louder. Mina merely shrugged. "I guess so," she replied absently. "His parents divorced years ago, and I met him at a family reunion ten years ago, so I don't really know anything else about him."
A mischievous twinkle appeared in Artemis' eyes. "For all you know, he could have some cute friends or something," he teased as Mina glared at him. "Artemis, I've got enough problems to deal with as it is, and I don't need anymore heartbreak or pain than I already have," she muttered darkly as she got up to finish packing. "I really don't have time to deal with guys other than Rowen at the moment." Seeing the look of pain and betrayal in her eyes, Artemis backed off, deciding that it was best to leave it be rather than incur her wrath and was about to change the subject when Aya shuffled into the room. A long moment passed before she spoke, however, and her green eyes were staring unseeing on the bag that Mina had packed and the backpack that had only been filled halfway. "There's a bus leaving for Toyoma at five," she mumbled, still not meeting Mina's gaze. "The DFS want you on it." The tension in the room could've been cut with Mina's fingernails, and Mina desperately wanted to plead with her mother to let her stay, but she knew Aya had no say-so in what was happening and the DFS was certainly not going to allow her to stay. "What about you?" The words she spoke were thick in Mina's throat, not coming out as easily as she would've liked.
Aya pulled her daughter into her arms, tears welling in her eyes. "I'll be fine, Mina. It's you I'm worried about." Mina returned the embrace, smiling shakily. "Don't worry about me, Mom. I'll survive." As the blond-haired stepped back, she could see the pride in her mother's shimmering green eyes. "I love you, Mina, and don't you every forget that," she whispered fiercely as her lower lip trembled. "No matter what happens, you are my daughter and nothing can change that." Aya pulled her daughter into an embrace one last time before stepping back, holding Mina at arm's length. "Now, you go finish packing and get ready for your trip." She eyed Artemis uncertainly. "And keep him out of sight, ok?" With one last sorrowful smile at her daughter, Aya disappeared from the room, wiping the tears from her eyes as she went. Mina sorrowfully returned to her packing, unsure about how long she would be staying in Toyoma....
Chapter Three
Disclaimer: I do not own the Sailor Scouts or the Ronin Warriors! Oh wait, yes I do! pulls out Sailor Scout dolls and the Ronin action figures See? I really do!
Mina sighed as she leaned back in her chair, mentally and physically exhausted from the fight in the park that afternoon. She'd been distracted and it had been pretty obvious, the consequences disastrous. Her right arm had been broken sometime during the fight, and Mina couldn't recall when, and now hung uselessly in a sling. Her body was battered and bruised, covered in slight scratches and she had one major gash on her side, with nothing more serious luckily.
At the hospital, Mina had blamed it on her hair color, saying that she'd had a moment and fell down the stairs, but the medical personnel at Tokyo General Hospital, minus Dr. Munzino, were getting suspicious and the blond Scout overheard whispers of an investigation into her family. She'd been in and out of the hospital a few times during the last few months due to demon attacks, and things weren't looking too good for her family. Her parents were in the middle of a divorce, and it had been tough on Mina and her mother, Aya, and Mina could only desperately hope that the medical personnel weren't serious about calling the authorities. 'That's not what I need right now. It's bad enough that my parents are divorcing and I haven't gotten a wink of sleep due to reoccurring nightmares, but now I'll have the Division of Family Services poking their noses into my business. No, this is not good at all...' Mina sighed once more, closing her eyes once more as she laid her head against the back of her chair. 'I guess I should warn Mom...'
Just as she opened her mouth to say something to her mother, the phone rang and her mother, Aya, picked up. "Aino residence, Aya speaking. How may I help you?" Aya's voice was business-like, seeing as she was a professional businesswoman, but Mina didn't like the shocked silence that suddenly filled the nearly-empty house or the way her mother's face paled as she nearly dropped the phone. "What?" Catching Mina's curious gaze, Aya quickly turned away, lowering her voice, although Mina could still hear quite well what she was saying. "Why? We have never done anything to.." There was a pause and Mina could see her mother was shaking with fury and sorrow. "Yes, of course." She'd picked up her business tone once more as she spoke. "My husband has a sister..." Her voice trailed off as she was interrupted once more and she sighed tiredly, still avoiding Mina's gaze. "I'll send her right away... No, I'm sure her aunt won't mind if she comes for a visit.." Mina was pretty sure that if her mother wasn't still in shock, she would've been shouting curses into the phone as she defended herself and her honor. The blond-haired didn't want to go visit her aunt and cousin that she barely knew. They lived in Toyoma, a four-hour drive, and with her broken arm, Mina knew she was in no condition to drive. Shaking these thoughts from her head, Mina turned her attention back to her mother, who was beginning to look angry. "Well, of course we argue! Mina is a perfectly healthy teenage .."
Unable to listen anymore, Mina dragged her exhausted person up the stairs to her room to pack, knowing she was in for a long summer and it had only started. If Mina had only had an inkling of what was to come, the defenseless Scout would've begged the DFS to let her stay at one of the other Scouts' houses to avoid it but, unfortunately, she wasn't physic. Mina tried to drown out what she heard from the kitchen as she half- heartedly threw random clothing items into her bag, not really caring if they matched or not. As much as she really didn't want to leave Tokyo, Mina knew it was probably for the best, so she was just going to have to deal with it.
"It won't be that bad if you go and make the best of it," Artemis suggested as he leapt onto her bed, surveying her packing. He had been downstairs when the phone rang and, like Mina, had pieced everything together, although neither of them wanted to know what was happening. "Ignorance is bliss," Mina announced, tossing her swimming suit into her bag. "I would've preferred it if I hadn't been so distracted this afternoon, 'cause this whole situation could've been avoided," she mumbled. Artemis nodded knowingly as he listened. "Yes, that's true, but Fate has plans for everyone, Mina. This happened for a reason, and I'm sure something good will come of this." For a moment, Mina didn't recognize the white cat sitting on her bed. 'Did someone replace my irritating, perfume-spilling, sweater-ripping monster of a guardian with this serious creature that speaks logic? Wow, he must be feeling sick!' She stared at the cat in bewilderment, pressing her hand to the moon symbol on his forehead. "Are you feeling ok, Artemis?" Seeing his glare, Mina continued. "You've got to be kidding me... Something good come from this? What are you thinking?" Her voice rose in volume. "I'm being forced from my home, my parents are being investigated for child abuse and, oh yea, I'm suffering from insomnia due to a reoccurring nightmare!" she wailed, flopping down on her bed. Artemis didn't say anything to that, merely staring at her with those big blue eyes of his. "Oh, quit looking at me like that! I'm already going insane, and now I'm over here yelling at my car, who isn't supposed to talk!" Frustrated, the blond turned over on her stomach, burying her face into her pillow. "Artemis, will this nightmare ever end?" A long moment passed before the cat spoke, his face unusually serious. "In time, yes. All nightmares have to end sometime, right? They can't last forever," he replied, curling up beside her head. "You just need to keep telling yourself that it has to end and it will eventually."
Mina groaned. "Eventually won't come soon enough," she complained, lifting her head weakly. "At least you're going to your aunt's house," Artemis reminded her. "You could be going to a foster home, and we both know they wouldn't allow me to go with you." There was a collective sigh from the both of them at the very thought. Mina had spent years with Artemis by her side and, although he irritated her to no end most of the time, the white cat was her closest confidant, the one who knew everything about her. "You're right, Artemis. I guess I would rather stay with Rowen than stay with strangers that I have never even seen before, much less met." Mina sat up and faced her window. "I wonder if Rowen has gotten any taller since the last time I saw him," she mused with a smile. Artemis sweat dropped at the sudden change of conversation, twitching uncontrollably on her pillow. Of course, Mina knew he had gotten taller, since that was inevitable, but she just wanted to get a reaction out of Artemis. "You know, from what I've heard of this 'Rowen' fellow, it sounds like you two could have fun," Artemis remarked, sitting up and licking his paws non-chalantly.
Mina turned to look at the little white cat in astonishment. "But I don't even talk about him!" Artemis laughed. "No, but your mother was on the phone with your aunt when I came upstairs and they were talking about him," he replied. "He sounds like a good guy." Mina'sgaze moved to her useless arm, sighing tiredly. "I feel like an invalid," she remarked darkly. "The thing that worries me is the fact that my aunt is rarely ever home, so it would be just the you, me, and him," Mina finished lamely. Artemis started to purr as Mina scratched behind his ears. "Sounds lonely," he remarked vaguely, closing his eyes as his purring grew louder. Mina merely shrugged. "I guess so," she replied absently. "His parents divorced years ago, and I met him at a family reunion ten years ago, so I don't really know anything else about him."
A mischievous twinkle appeared in Artemis' eyes. "For all you know, he could have some cute friends or something," he teased as Mina glared at him. "Artemis, I've got enough problems to deal with as it is, and I don't need anymore heartbreak or pain than I already have," she muttered darkly as she got up to finish packing. "I really don't have time to deal with guys other than Rowen at the moment." Seeing the look of pain and betrayal in her eyes, Artemis backed off, deciding that it was best to leave it be rather than incur her wrath and was about to change the subject when Aya shuffled into the room. A long moment passed before she spoke, however, and her green eyes were staring unseeing on the bag that Mina had packed and the backpack that had only been filled halfway. "There's a bus leaving for Toyoma at five," she mumbled, still not meeting Mina's gaze. "The DFS want you on it." The tension in the room could've been cut with Mina's fingernails, and Mina desperately wanted to plead with her mother to let her stay, but she knew Aya had no say-so in what was happening and the DFS was certainly not going to allow her to stay. "What about you?" The words she spoke were thick in Mina's throat, not coming out as easily as she would've liked.
Aya pulled her daughter into her arms, tears welling in her eyes. "I'll be fine, Mina. It's you I'm worried about." Mina returned the embrace, smiling shakily. "Don't worry about me, Mom. I'll survive." As the blond-haired stepped back, she could see the pride in her mother's shimmering green eyes. "I love you, Mina, and don't you every forget that," she whispered fiercely as her lower lip trembled. "No matter what happens, you are my daughter and nothing can change that." Aya pulled her daughter into an embrace one last time before stepping back, holding Mina at arm's length. "Now, you go finish packing and get ready for your trip." She eyed Artemis uncertainly. "And keep him out of sight, ok?" With one last sorrowful smile at her daughter, Aya disappeared from the room, wiping the tears from her eyes as she went. Mina sorrowfully returned to her packing, unsure about how long she would be staying in Toyoma....
