Shadows on the Wall

Chapter Four

Disclaimer: I do not own the Sailor Scouts or the Ronin Warrior. They belong to their respective owners, whoever that happens to be XD

As Mina stepped off the bus, she suppressed a shudder. Toyoma, despite being a fairly large city, was dimly lit and she didn't like it one bit. The streets were completely devoid of life and there were far too many shadows lurking for her to be comfortable, but she ignored that fact as she pulled her backpack from her shoulders and unzipped it the rest of the way. "Ok, Artemis, you can come out now." Mina had been careful to leave it partially unzipped so that her guardian could breathe during the four-hour trip, but she could only hope that he hadn't needed to go to the bathroom. The very thought made her frown. As he stuck his head out of the pack, Artemis fixed Mina with a withering glare. "I do not want to do that again," he announced, sounding slightly sick.

Mina snorted. "It wasn't my idea to put you in there, smarty pants," she retorted. "As I do believe, it was yours." Artemis struggled to pull himself all the way out of the pack before making his way to Mina's right shoulder, hanging there limply. "Oh hush," he muttered weakly. "You know that pet carriers make me sicker than riding in your backpack does." Mina rolled her eyes. "So don't complain then." A few minutes of silence passed as the pair waited for Rowen to come pick them up, but he didn't show. "Oh great," Mina muttered darkly, breaking the silence. "This is just what I need, standing out in the darkness in a strange city, waiting for my cousin to come pick me up." Her body language spoke volumes about her depressed mood as she leaned tiredly against the nearest wall, allowing herself to slide down to a sitting position. Artemis tried to cheer her up. "I'm sure he has a good reason for not showing up," he reasoned. "He doesn't seem to be the type that.." Mina interrupted him sharply. "You don't know my cousin, Artemis," she replied sourly. "I don't even know my cousin." Yet another few minutes passed in silence, and it became apparent to Artemis that something was bothering the blond-haired Scout. "Mina, relax," he implored as he glanced at Mina's pale face. She said nothing, merely shaking her head.

Recalling her experience earlier that week with the shadowy figure in the kitchen, Artemis sighed. He knew there was nothing he could do to reassure the girl, nothing he could say. After all, he was a mere cat, armed only with claws and no powers to speak of, unless talking counted. In the little white cat's opinion, it definitely didn't count. 'What am I supposed to do, talk a shadow to death?' he thought dryly with a derisive snort as he hung limply on Mina's shoulder. He couldn't help but recall how shaken the experience with the shadow had left her and how, even days later, Mina still refused to speak of it. The pair sighed in unison, each lost in their own depressing thoughts in silence for several minutes before they were jolted back into reality by the sound of a nearby garbage can falling over echoing through the empty streets. They both glanced up, their eyes widening in apprehension and fear as a shadowy figure stepped into view. Mina was on her feet in a matter of moments, her face as pale as Death itself and her thin frame shaking uncontrollably as she stood frozen as the creature drew closer. Its only visible features were the red eyes that shimmered in the darkness, growing larger as the creature stepped closer. At the last possible moment, Mina was pulled from her trance as Artemis fearfully dug his claws into her shoulder, drawing blood, and she stumbled back just as a familiar dagger pierced the air where her heart had been. The creature hissed in agitation as its trance was broken, and Mina, blinded by her fear, hadn't seen the creature pull the dagger. Had the shadow demon pulled the dagger or had it been someone else?

By the time Mina realized the unearthly creature was upon her, it was too late. The demon's clawed hands tightened around the frightened girl's throat, effectively cutting off her oxygen supply, and she closed her eyed in pain as she struggled for breath, unable to look into the fearsome demon's fiery depths. There was a yowl from Artemis as he launched himself onto the shadow demon's face, hissing and scratching violently as he tried to give Mina a chance to escape. As the demon released her throat, Mina's eyes flew open, watching in utter horror as the demon pried the white cat from its face as it hissed, tossing the brave cat's body like a rag doll. Artemis yelped and Mina visibly winced as his small body collided painfully with a nearby wall, effectively silencing him. Her fear fading into anger, Mina reacted while the demon was still distracted, smashing her heavy bag into its face, dropping it instantly as she ran, not waiting to find out what an angry shadow demon was like. She could hear the demon's heavy breathing right behind her, her own breathing matching the demon's as she ran blindly through the unfamiliar streets of Toyoma, blood slowly dripping down her bruised throat from the puncture marks left by the demon's claws. Mina's lungs rattled painfully as she continued to run, her throat as dry as a desert, but she didn't have much of a choice. It was either run herself to death or die at the clawed hands of the demon behind her, and she'd much rather have her heart give out on her than wait for her death to come.

When at last her strength failed her and her heart felt ready to burst, Mina collapsed on the cement, closing her eyes as she waited for the final blow to come. She knew the demon was still there, for she could still hear its heavy breathing, but her death hadn't come, so she cautiously opened one eye to see the demon still standing there, its eyes on her. Its gaze unnerved her, but she didn't move, merely locking gazes with the demon. She had no weapons now, with Artemis still back at the bus stop along with her bags, leaving her feeling more helpless than shed ever felt before in her entire life. She was completely at the mercy of the demon, and she hated that feeling. "Mina!" The sound of the girl's name being called caused the two enemies to turn their heads, but when Mina turned back, the demon had vanished into the dark night. As her cousin approached, the blond-haired girl was too numb with shock to even acknowledge Rowen's presence or even get to her feet, so she just sat there unmoving as the blue-haired teenager drew closer, holding Artemis in his arms. "Mina, are you ok?" His eyes widened as Mina turned her head slightly as he knelt by her side, the blood from her wounds now visible to him. "Mina, what happened?" Seeing that she was in shock, Rowen didn't wait for her answer before pulling a handkerchief from his pocket and quickly tying around her throat to hinder the bleeding from her wounds. Mina was incredibly grateful that he asked no questions as he bound her wounds although she could see the unasked questions written all over his face. When Rowen was finished, Artemis drug his battered body into Mina's lap, purring happily as he rubbed his face on Mina's side, expressing his joy at finding her alive and in one piece loudly.

The blue-haired Ronin had nearly had a heart attack when he'd stumbled upon the injured cat and Mina's abandoned belongings with no sign of his cousin whatsoever. Glancing over at her once more, Rowen could see that his cousin was shaking like a leaf from her ordeal and felt guilty about not being able to pick her up on time, but he wasn't going to bring up the subject, seeing the apprehension in her eyes. His car, almost brand new, had chosen the perfect time for the starter to act up, and he hadn't been able to start it right away, even with a jump from his neighbors. "Well, let's go, shall we?" Rowen got to his feet, dusting himself off as he studied Mina once more. She didn't look like she could walk to his car, but he couldn't leave her alone either, not after what she'd been through already. "I'm sure its been a long day for you, and you need your rest." Mina's head moved ever so slightly as she nodded, still not trusting her voice. She was still in shock and hardly noticed when Rowen picked up her trembling body, a distant look in her eyes. Mina leaned her head on Rowen's shoulder and, in a matter of moments, was fast asleep. At first, Rowen was worried because she didn't seem to be breathing, but he was relieved to see that she was indeed breathing as he laid her limp form in the backseat of his car, Artemis curling up in her lap. A thoughtful expression crossed Rowen's face momentarily as he started his car, expecting to have problems, but his expression melted into one of surprise as his car started up right away. He shook his head in exasperation as he put the car into gear and headed home.

Thanks for reviewing, Aphrodite2! I promise, the plot will thicken! .