Well, here's the new chapter for today. I warn you, it's a bit graphic but not as graphic as I could have made it. So yeah...
Sailor Moon, the rights, and all related characters belong to Naoko Takeuchi...and I doubt she'll give me the rights for free...darn...
Seiya watched as Taiki stared at the book. She knew her friend was still trying to get over her guilt at not telling Yaten the truth. "Taiki…" Seiya began.
"I don't want to hear it."
"It's been a week."
"I know."
"Then go talk to her."
"She's made it clear she wants nothing to do with me."
"Are you sure?"
"She has a boyfriend," Taiki replied.
"So? You can still be friends, right?"
"I don't know."
"You'll never know till you ask," Seiya pointed out.
Taiki closed the book and rose to her feet. "Just leave me alone," she ordered. She turned and walked out of the room, setting the book down on a table. She walked outside and began walking down the street. She paused and glanced over at Yaten's house. She bowed her head and kept walking.
- - - - - - - - - -
Yaten looked out of the window and saw Taiki walking by. She sighed and turned back to the pieces of paper scattered before her on the window ledge. A knock sounded on the door and she looked up as her father walked into the room. "Dad."
"Still working on that song?" he asked.
"Yeah," she smiled in embarrassment.
"I can't wait to hear it," he smiled. The smile faded slightly. "Are you all right? You've been distant for the past week."
"It's just…everything that's been happening. I'm just afraid that I doomed us all," she whispered.
"It's not your fault Kou. You helped the Princess. We're proud of you for that."
"Yeah…but because of that we've been targeted by the vampires."
"Kou, listen to me. It doesn't matter. You did something to help others. That's what we've tried to teach you."
"But…"
"No more buts. From the moment you were born, we knew you were destined for something great. Something bigger than the life your mother and I led. I don't know how we know, we just do."
Yaten smiled. "Think I'll go out for a walk."
"Be careful," Tao said.
"I will be," she smiled. She gathered up the music she had been working on and filed it away. Her father walked out of the room and Yaten grabbed a coat. She walked downstairs and walked outside. She pulled the coat on and walked in the opposite direction Taiki had gone. She smiled at the fresh air and shoved her hands into her pockets. She pulled on a pair of sunglasses and continued to walk down the street.
- - - - - - - - - -
Yaten headed back to her house. She had spent most of the day walking around the city, trying to clear her head. She managed to clear most of her thoughts out, but she was still unsure of what to do about Taiki. She sighed as she walked up the steps to her house. I don't care what happens with Taiki…but…I care about her…even though I hardly know her…strange… Yaten thought as she opened the door to her house. She walked inside and shut the door, frowning when she realized the lights were off. Before she could step further inside to turn on the lights, someone grabbed her from behind.
Yaten tried to scream when someone slammed their fist into her gut. She fell to the floor, gasping for air as the lights turned on. She was hauled to her feet and shoved into a chair. A gag was shoved into her mouth and tied in as several other hands tied her to the chair. She looked up as several figures in black appeared from the shadows. Four of them were tightly holding her family and Taiyo.
"So this is the little warrior who managed to capture our friend," a cold voice sneered. "How…pathetic."
"Leave them alone! I'm the one you want!" Yaten gasped, spitting the gag out.
The leader gripped Yaten's head and smiled. "Because of your heroic actions they will suffer the same fate as you."
Yaten glared at the vampires. "Don't hurt them!" she begged.
"Oh, we will hurt them. And you'll get to watch," the leader smirked. He grabbed Taiyo and shoved him down in front of Yaten. "Do you love him?"
"Leave him alone!" Yaten snapped.
"In a moment," he chuckled. The vampire suddenly ripped into Taiyo's throat. Blood sprayed across Yaten's face and chest. Tears fell from her eyes as her boyfriend's lifeless body fell to the ground.
"You damn bastards!" Tao snarled.
"We were going to save you till later but…oh well," the leader said with a nod to the two vampires holding Yaten's father. Both grinned and tore into the man's throat.
"TAO!" Akari screamed.
"DADDY!" Kei shrieked. Tao's body fell to the ground, the last bit of his blood pooling around his head.
Yaten shut her eyes, tears streaming from her face. "No…no…this can't be happening…" she whispered.
"Who should be next?" the leader asked, flopping down on the couch. He stuck his legs up on the table and smiled. "You get to decide Ms. Hero."
"Me," Yaten instantly said.
"Oh no. You go last."
"Damn it, kill me! They're innocent! They had nothing to do with what I did!" Yaten screamed.
"They raised you and knew you. They influenced you. That makes them just as guilty as you," the leader rationalized.
"Leave them alone you damn monster!" Yaten shouted.
"Kill the mother," the leader decided. He suddenly grinned. "But…enjoy it."
Yaten's green eyes widened in horror. "No!" She watched in horror as the vampires, male and female, took their time with Akari. The leader nodded after nearly an hour of Akari's tortured screams. The woman's throat was ripped out, her hand falling near that of her husband's.
"Mommy…" Kei sobbed.
"If you had just minded your own business, none of this would be happening silver haired angel," the leader smirked.
Yaten glared at the vampires, her eyes burning with hatred. "I will kill you all."
"I don't think so," one of the women vampires smirked, licking blood from her fingers, a cold smile decorating her pale face.
"You better kill me now otherwise I'll…"
"Kou, you promised nothing would happen to you!" Kei whimpered.
The vampire leader began laughing. "Oh how touching!" he sneered. "Enjoy your time with the kid as well." The vampires grabbed Kei and forced her onto the ground, laughing at the screams from Kei.
Yaten began jerking violently against the ropes, her wrists bleeding from the friction. "NO! KEI!" she shrieked. Tears streamed from her eyes. She slammed them shut and turned away, unable to watch. Someone grabbed her head and forced her eyes open, making her watch her sister being tortured.
"You're next my silver haired angel," the leader smirked. He watched as Kei's throat was viciously torn out, silencing her screams.
Rage burned in Yaten. No…no…no… "NO!" she bellowed. Something snapped inside of her and she felt raw power flood her body. She broke free from the chair and glared at the vampires.
"She's…she's…" a vampire stammered, Kei's blood staining his pale face.
"This isn't possible!" the leader snapped.
Something formed in Yaten's hand and she glanced at it. Words appeared in her mind. She glared at the vampires. "I told you that you should have killed me first," she told him softly. "Star Sensitive Inferno!" The vampires screamed as the attack tore through them.
- - - - - - - - - -
Taiki walked down the street and frowned when she saw a sudden flare of light from Yaten's house. "Seiya!" she snapped through her communicator.
"I saw it! Meet me there now!" she ordered.
Taiki shoved the communicator back into her pocket and stormed into the house. She skidded to a halt when she saw the carnage. Blood covered the walls and floor, piles of ashes swirling in the wind from the outside. The Starlight suppressed the urge to empty her stomach when she saw the bodies of Yaten's family and boyfriend.
"By the stars…" Seiya whispered as she walked in behind her friend. The two walked slowly through the front room and stopped when they saw a figure sitting on the floor, black gloved hands covering their face. The body shook every few seconds in sobs. Taiki glanced at Seiya who shrugged.
"Yaten? Is that you?" Taiki asked softly.
The silver haired head rose and green eyes rimmed red from crying stared up at the two Starlights. She stared at the bodies and remained unmoving. Seiya pulled Taiki off to the side. "She is a Starlight," she whispered. "We have to get her back to the palace. Kakyuu needs to know."
"Have a heart Seiya. Her family just died right in front of her," Taiki returned.
"We don't know if more vampires will be on the way or not," Seiya countered.
"Give her some damn time to grieve!"
"We don't have time! They could rise!" They suddenly heard footsteps running out of the house. They ran to the door and watched as Yaten ran off in her Starlight form. "Great," Seiya muttered.
"I'll go after her," Taiki said. "She doesn't know you."
"Be careful Taiki."
"I will be." She descended the steps and ran after the silver haired girl. Taiki followed her to a large park. She stopped and watched as the smaller teen sat down on a swing and bowed her head. The auburn haired teen slowly and carefully made her way over to her. "Yaten?" she asked softly.
"Kei and I would always come here on the weekends to play," the girl whispered in a hoarse voice. "She would always want to swing to know what it felt like to fly." She blinked away tears. "I failed them."
"How do you figure?"
"I have this power and I couldn't save them," she whispered.
Taiki looked down, thinking of what to say next. "Yaten…no one knows what causes a Senshi to first awaken. It's different for each person."
"So seeing my family slaughtered in front of me was my trigger?" she demanded angrily, glaring at Taiki.
"Unfortunately it seems that way."
"I never asked for this," she whispered. She stared at her hands, barely flinching when her henshin undid itself.
"No person asks to be a Senshi."
"Kei wanted to be a Starlight."
"Most kids imagine themselves as superheroes. Didn't you ever imagine yourself as an agent of love and justice as a kid?"
"That was just a fantasy," Yaten replied.
"Maybe. Maybe you knew in your subconscious that one day this would happen," Taiki suggested.
"That my family would die?" Yaten snapped.
"That your destiny would reveal itself," Taiki returned. "You can try an deny it all you want Yaten Kou, but the fact is that you are a Starlight."
"I don't want it!" she cried.
"You didn't want your family to die either, did you?"
"No…"
"We don't always get what we want Yaten. It sucks, I know."
"How?" Yaten demanded, tears shimmering in her eyes. "You still have your family," she whispered.
"Maybe, but I've not seen them since I first came to the city a year ago. They said if I went, I was dead to them."
"Why?"
"They needed my help on the farm…but I couldn't stay. I knew that I had something bigger in my future other than just farming. When a monster attacked…" she fell silent and looked down.
"You became a Starlight…" Yaten finished.
Taiki nodded. "A week later Fighter approached me and told me that I had to come to the city and protect the Princess. I was afraid and I didn't want to go at first."
"What changed your mind?" Yaten asked.
"I realized that if I had stayed, my family would constantly be in danger."
"In danger from what?"
"Enemies. I couldn't put them in that kind of danger. It wasn't fair to them."
"How would enemies know who you were though?"
"They'd be able to sense the power I have. Leaving was the best thing for them."
Yaten stared at the ground. "What do I do now? I have nothing left. My family is dead and I can't risk the lives of my friends."
"Only you can decide your future Yaten. Just know that you have a place with me and Fighter in protecting the Princess."
"I could fail her," Yaten muttered.
"I doubt that."
Yaten looked up at Taiki. "You barely know me."
"Maybe. But I care about you." She smiled. "The reason why I didn't confirm my being a Starlight the other day was I didn't want you to get hurt."
Yaten stared into Taiki's blue eyes. "You moved in to keep an eye on me, didn't you?" she asked.
"Yeah. After we found out that the vampires were targeting you Fighter came to help," she said.
"Then why didn't you protect them?" she demanded. "You could have helped my family!" she screamed at her.
"Vampires are known for their stealth. Fighter was watching your house, but even our eyesight is limited by darkness. Vampires use that to their advantage and stay in the shadows. By the time she realized something was wrong it was too late." Taiki bowed her head. "I'm sorry."
Yaten wrapped her arms around herself and blinked away fresh tears. "I have nothing left. Nothing."
Taiki rested a hand on Yaten's shoulder. The silver haired Starlight looked up. "Come on. You need to rest." She helped the short teen up. Taiki guided Yaten back to the house Taiki had been living in. Taiki opened the door and led Yaten up the steps to a bedroom. "You can stay in here," she said. Yaten nodded, looking around the room. She immediately knew it was Taiki's. "If you need anything, I'll be downstairs." She walked out and closed the door.
The tall Starlight remained by the door. She could faintly hear Yaten crying inside. Her head bowed and she turned. She hid her surprise as Seiya looked at her. "How is she?"
"Taking it pretty hard."
"I would be too," Seiya murmured. "Has she decided what she's going to do?"
"I don't know. I think she's still in shock over what happened." They walked downstairs and sat in the main room. "Is everything taken care of over there?"
"Yeah. The bodies have been cremated. Whenever the kid's ready she can bury them. The Princess will pay for it."
"I can't imagine losing my whole family and the person I loved," Taiki whispered. She looked up at the ceiling. "I know she'll get through it though. She's too strong a person."
"Does she know how you feel about her?"
"Now isn't the time for that Seiya. She just lost everyone she loved."
Seiya nodded. "She does deserve to know though."
"I know. I'll tell her soon, but not just yet." The two remained silent, each trying to imagine the pain Yaten must be feeling.
So? How was it? Drop me a review to let me know!