Karma

Chapter three: Horizontal Haunter

Disclaimer: I do not own anything in this story except for the story line itself.

Looking back over to their strange opponent, Rei put her thoughts on hold as she castigated them once again. It was weird, despite his sickening appearance Rei felt oddly at ease with this monstrous Shinobi. "You two wouldn't last one day in Mila a Renos. It's hard to believe the guardian picked you." It crossed its arms and stood tall, the hunch on its back disappearing as it stood now almost seven feet tall. "The third chosen," it continued, "would not survive one hour, if that."

It was now that Rei took the chance to glance over at Makoto. The girl was heaving and griping her arm like a lifeline, blood seeping through her clothes and tumbling over her fingers like spilled paint. Looking down at her own swollen, purple ankle she knew that the thing was utterly and completely correct. If Mila a Renos was where he was from, then they most certainly would die within one day. But… who was this third chosen that he spoke of?

Before she could ask, Makoto beat her to it. "Who ever said we were going to Mila a Renos?" she asked irately. "It doesn't even exist!" The thing threw something at Makoto and it hit her directly in the stomach, causing an 'oof' like sound to emit from her lips. Catching it before it hit the ground Makoto almost dropped it from shock and Rei could see the recognition in her eyes.In her hand was a wooden box almost bigger than her hand itself. There were small circles, half circles, and squares adorning in on unfathomably small puzzle like pieces. Looking up, she stared at the thing with immense annoyance and growled.

Gathering up her courage, knowing Makoto was about to launch into a futile battle, Rei spoke. "The third chosen?" was all she could manage as the thing turned its gaze from Makoto's annoyed face and bleeding arm, to her. For some reason now, it seemed to acknowledge her with respect as it glanced down at its charred arm. Looking back up at her it neither nodded nor shook its head. In fact, it didn't even respond for several more minutes.

"The one you call Mercury," it said as it crossed its arms, glancing almost angrily at the two, "go see her."

Makoto was almost shocked to hear him give them medical advice on wounds that he had inflicted upon them himself. At first she'd though that he was referring to Mercury as the supposed 'third chosen.' Perhaps he had, but her brain was on the fritz at the moment and her vision was beginning to blur. Grasping the box tighter she decided to join the conversation. "Who are you?" she asked as loud as she could, her voice raspy with pain. She noticed now that he'd dropped back into his deranged monkey like appearance, his hands brushing the floor and his head tilted to the side.

"I," he began, catching them off guard, "am not your enemy." This caused the Senshi to almost fall over from shock. "Your adversary is much stronger than I am myself." Looking back towards Makoto he spoke again. "I'll let you keep those papers. You're lucky you even have them."

Gulping, Makoto tried to keep a straight face but ended up looking like a hurt puppy dog. It was completely strange. Here's thisShinobi in an Oni mask, fighting them and throwing blades into her arm and twisting Rei's ankle, strangling her and trying to take the three papers within her boxers, yet giving them medical advice and telling them that he wasn't their enemy. He threw a fucking blade in her arm and he wasn't their enemy?

"You have six months before I return. Do something productive with your time."

Makoto was about to give a retort to his uncanny statement, when he whipped off the saya from his waist and threw something out at them, blinding their vision. Rei placed her arms up to defend her face from the sand that covered the creepy things' exit and harbored no desire to go after him to either fight, or ask questions. Doing so would get her absolutely nowhere.

Once the sand had cleared, Rei looked out at the empty roof and frowned. Her body was wet from falling into puddles, her ankle was twisted, and her friend was slowly losing blood right beside her. The Shinobi was gone, the only indication that he had even existed were deteriorating depressions distributed amongst the rooftop from their previous skirmish, and the pronounced, gaping hole that stuck out like a sunflower in a field of daisies, in which their opposition had made his unannounced entry through.

Turning and taking the anomalous cube from Makoto's drooping hands, Rei took her unharmed limb and tossed it over her shoulder, limping wearily towards the fire escape they had first come from.

Peering over at Makoto's laborious breaths she knew that the chokuto must have hit pretty deep. "Mako-chan, I don't want to take the blade out, we'll leave it in until we get to Ami's," she said as she climbed awkwardly down the stairs, the adrenaline loosing its rush and the pain pulsating brutally throughout her ankle. "Plus the police are bound to be here soon, there's no way any of those people are still asleep," Rei reminded as she peered up towards the roof once again. Gathering up her courage, and trying to ignore the persistent pain in her ankle, Rei proceeded to run down the stairs as silently as she could muster.

Giving a silent nod, unnoticed by her friend, Makoto gripped her bleeding arm and ran down the stairs after Rei, her steps unsteady as things in front of her continued to meld together like one big blob of color. Shaking her head she tried to focus on getting to Ami's house and ignoring the annoying pain in her left shoulder. She could do it, she'd done it once before when she'd given blood to Shinozaki, and plus, Ami's penthouse wasn't so far away from her own apartment.

Before her she could see Rei speaking hastily on her communicator, urging a sleepy looking Mercurian out of her bed and readying medical supplies. "I'll explain everything once we get there, but Mako-chan needs to be treated as a first priority. I can wrap my own ankle…yes Ami, it's fine, sorry about waking you so late— or early, rather." Rei continued her conversation until she mumbled, "Mars out," and shut her communicator.

The two reached the bottom of the fire escape, glass littering the ground in an appealing fashion, spread out like spilled jewels and glittering dully in the ebbing moonlight. The demolished door, however, ruined the whimsical moment and reminded Makoto that she was now in need of a new window as well as a replaced door. Not to mention a certain Shinobi that was to return in not but six months. Glaring at the dewed ground she wondered angrily to the Kami above, what she had done to deserve such a fate.

Lights shown at the end of the ally way, leading towards the Main Street, and Rei and Makoto flattened themselves against the brick walls littered with dumpsters. The revolting smell almost made Rei gag as the lights soon passed and the two injured Senshi continued on their way towards Ami's house. There's no need for any passerby to see two severely injured girls and ask what happened. Not to mention possible murderers and rapists that wouldn't hesitate to use the chokuto lodged in Makoto's shoulder.

Reaching the end of the ally, Rei glanced at her watch and a sardonic grin materialized, just notably, on her lips. It read '3:37' in bright florescent lights. That whole interaction had taken only half an hour. Looking around the two corners she saw that there was no one in sight and dashed across the glossy street, and through a back street that would lead them in the direction of Ami's penthouse. She glanced, unnoticed by her friend beside her, at Makoto's arm and mentally winced. There was no use showing the girl pity for she knew that, like herself, it was not an action Makoto liked to be regarded with.

Running as silently as they could the two soon approached the end of the street and turned right, seeing the lights of Ami's building in the distance. "Almost there, Mako-chan," Rei said as she noticed the girls' pasty white face. The perspiration running down the brunettes face looked like gloss on a ceramic statue. Beginning to feel worried, Rei glanced up ahead towards the building and let out a breath of relief as she saw Ami standing outside in a white sweater and a pair of loose blue pants.

………………………..

Despite her calm air, Ami looked disgruntled. She felt disgruntled. Her hair was a mess, probably a sign that the girl had been asleep when Rei had contacted her, but also she looked stressed. Bags hung beneath her eyes and she ran a hand through her short blue hair almost anxiously. Running a hand over the bridge of her nose she looked left and right, searching for her wounded friends.

Having to look through the morning fog didn't help at all and she felt strange standing outside alone. In fact, she was slightly scared. Besides the fact that the mist was supposed to put her nerves at ease, water being her main element and all, it seemed to acquire an eerie sort of touch. It was a veil of tiny molecules, a mesmerizing sideways rivulet easing in and out, in and out, in and out…

"Ami!" a harsh whisper cut through the air and Ami's distracted mind snapped to her right. She looked like a deer caught in the headlights of a truck as her blue eyes searched frantically for her friends' familiar face. Taking a hesitant step to her right, her head swiveled left and then right, not being able to see her friend behind the curtain of molecules. Again the voice came from her right. "Ami, over here!" Taking a step towards it, Ami tried to recognize any shape or shadow coming in from the deserted street. A grey, inscrutable shape began to form and Ami squinted, trying to interpret what the incessantly moving blob could possibly be.

Movinga shaky, cold hand forwards she reachedout to it when…

"—Ami!" A hand clasped her left shoulder and the Senshi of ice clasped her heart and gasped as she reflexively flung around only to come face to face with a disheveled looking Rei and an extremely pale Makoto. The latter was clutching her arm excruciatingly tight and Ami could see her obvious anguish in her hunched figure and squinting eyes. The frequent hisses of pain also noted her agonized state. She looked as if she were about to pass out.

Ami looked at them and then turned slowly to look back at the veil of mist that once hailed her attention. Squinting, she looked to where the grey blob had once been and frowned. She could have sworn she heard Rei's voice from her right, yet the girl had showed up to her left, completely catching her off guard. Not to mention scaring the crap out of her. But if that hadn't been Rei then…who or even, what had been calling her name before? Shaking her head, Ami tried to convince herself that it was her lack of sleep and the odd feelings she'd been having lately.

Without looking away from the curtain of mist, she placed her hand on Rei's shoulder and began to lead her two friends back towards her home. "Quick," she said, still not acknowledging Rei's confused face, "we have to get inside." Then, as an afterthought she added, "We have to bandage up Mako-chan."
Turning away from the mystical calling, Ami pulled her friends hurriedly into her building.

……………………..

"Ouch!" Makoto hissed in pain. "Could you be any harsher, Ami-chan?" The brunette haired girl glanced down at herwounded arm, currently being bandagedand grimaced again in pain as Ami grasped her arm too tight. "Ami-chan!" she whispered in pain.

The smaller girl let out an odd sound of frustration and flung herself to the floor, running a quick hand through her short, unruly hair. Placing a hand to her forehead she pushed her bangs from eyes only to have the hair flop back over her blue irises. Sighing she apologized. "I'm sorry Mako-chan."

Makoto looked down to her close friend in worry. Ami wasn't usually this…out of it. She'd been like that even since they'd first gotten there. She hadn't even seen herself and Rei coming from her left. In fact, she'd been walking in the exact opposite direction. And then, to top it off, she'd rushed them inside, not for the sake of Makoto's bleeding arm, but she looked scared, like something had been calling her or even chasing her…

"I guess it's just been my sleep deprivation," she sighed tiredly, "and exams are coming up, and…and…" she sighed again and hung her head. "I don't know, I've been drinking a lot of coffee to stay up, it must be affecting my hands now or something…" All logical answers seemed to vanish from her mind as her hands, placed lightly on the carpet in front of her, seemed to become the most interesting thing in the room. "I really can't—,"

"Ami-chan," Makoto cut her off as she placed a hand on the girls head and slightly ruffled her hair. "I can read you like a book, girl. What's going on?"

Ami looked up to Makoto and ultimately wished she could be morel ike the taller girl. Makoto was much stronger than she was, she didn't take shit from anybody. If she were having the same weird feelings as Ami herself were feeling, then she'd probably have told off whatever entity that had been bugging Ami for the past week. Looking down Ami seemed to squint in sadness as belittling thoughts about herself plagued her mind. Makoto had big breasts and had grown into her curvy figure extremely well, as well as having a perfectly toned stomach that she could view easily right now for the girl was merely in a black and pink sports bra from Ami cutting off her shirt. She was even so bold as to pierce her belly button. While the other girl in the room, who was currently staring out of one of Ami's large penthouse windows, was the epitome of every mans dream of a sophisticated, beautiful woman. And who was she? A small mousy girl with short, floppy hair and plain blue eyes who buried herself in her books to escape the bluntnormality of the world.

Pushing her glasses up on her nose, Ami sat up on her knees and continued to work on Makoto's wound while the older girl looked down at her in worry. Stopping the smarter girl from bandaging her arm, Makoto looked down at Ami with slightly hurt eyes. "Ami-chan," she began, "What's bothering you? You know you can tell me anything, right?"

Ami opened her mouth to speak but clamped her mouth shut quickly as all admirable thoughts about her brunette friend vanished. Was Makoto trying to be the big sister here? Was she trying to make Ami seem like a little girl who couldn't deal with her own issues? She didn't need Makoto's pity, in fact, she didn't need anything from the former brute and hardly wanted to give the girl the satisfaction of being the heroine within the story. It was strange how she could have such admiring thoughts about the girl at one moment, and then when she tries to help, immediately figures her out to be the villain. Trying to shove her confusing thoughts away,Ami was about to tell Makoto off when Rei's voice interrupted the confession that was about to spill from the brainy girls' lips.

"You managed to wake up Usagi, Minako and Mamoru?" came Rei's slightly caustic tone from by the window.

Ami turned, confused. "I called Mamoru and told him to wake them, yes, but how did you— oh dear…"

Swinging outside of Ami's window were Tuxedo Kamen, who was hanging onto a rope for his dear life while Sailor Moon latched onto one of his legs, wailing like the baby Rei branded her as, and Sailor Venus, clutching Tuxedo Kamen's other leg, flashing her trademark 'V for victory' sign.

Sighing, Rei placed a hand to her forehead as her eye began to twitch. "Odango atama…" she mumbled as Ami got up and opened her window, taking out the screen so that the three jumbled super hero's could fit through. Tuxedo Kamen let Sailor Moon tumble clumsily into Ami's apartment first, who promptly fell on her butt and winced, but didn't cry as she began to wipe the tears that had once been on her face, off of her cheeks. Still gripping the rope for his dear life, Tuxedo Kamen let Sailor Venus glide into Ami's apartment gracefully and flip her long blonde hair over her shoulder dramatically. Shelooked down at Sailor Moon with devilish eyes, mentally telling the girl 'that's how it's done,' which just caused a waterfall of tears to come spilling out from her princess' eyes and rude comments to slip from her lips. Tuxedo Kamen then allowed himself the privilege of entering Ami's humble abode on his own accord and swung into the room, landing on all fours and letting the rope drop several feet down to the street below.

"What an entrance," Rei spat at Usagi as the superhero clad girl stuck out her tongue, thus ensuing a battle of stubborn egos.

Makoto, however, did not look towards the scene and Ami could feel her gaze burninginto the back of her head, as if trying to penetrate all of her barriers. It was making the Senshi of ice uncomfortable and she dearly wanted Makoto to stop trying to make her feel better.

"Ami…" she heard from behind her, and acted quickly by sticking up her finger as if a light bulb appeared above her head.

"I'll get you some iron pills, Mako-chan!" she said loudly as to draw Usagi's attention to the wounded girl. Ami then disappeared into the bathroom of her apartment.

……………………………

Wow, haha I didn't think I'd be so into this story. The chapters are just flowing out of my head like… a waterfall or something. Well here's another quick update : ) I hope you all like. Oh, and I promise you'll know the crossover in the next chapter. In fact, I don't even know why I'm keeping it a secret. Goodness, my mind has been all jumbled lately! In fact, I might as well tell you right now what the crossover is, but since it's going to be in the next chapter I guess you'll just have to wait and see then.

What the hell am I doing?

I have no idea.

I think this heat wave is getting to me.

MidnightOpal