Been working on this one for weeks so this is as good as it's gonna get. A little more on our OC boy, but I'm debating other parts for later. Also was making up the senshi's bit on the fly so it's not as grand as my other plots. sorry. Still it ends sweetly. hopefully you like it and comment more. please comment! I need more motivation! Starts immediately after previous chapter - I split it in two originally. heh... whoops.


3 – Troubles and Deals

Their eyes connected only a second before he lost his grip and crashed into the guy. With trained reflexes, the boy managed to get off of him before full impact could crush the guy, bouncing to the side and landing nicely while the other guy barely managed to not hit his head. "Sorry!"

"What the…" Was all the other guy said before the kid came to his side and rapidly started apologizing and making sure he was alright.

"I'm so sorry! If I knew you were there I wouldn't have done that! Are you okay? Did you hit your head? Please tell me nothing's broken. Here, let me help you up." Very apologetic, he offered the worker his gloved hand. Still frantic he hurt the man, he didn't stop the dazed man from grabbing his wrist in support getting up. The second their skin made contact, he reflexively flinched, expecting the worse.

But nothing happened. Nothing but the sheer terror that came with the possibility of something happening. The other guy saw it briefly as he waited for the help getting up for a few seconds. It sure shut the kid up for a moment at least. Taking a breath, the boy helped the man stand up again, his mind buzzing. Nothing… happened…

"Thanks," the older man started, releasing grip. The boy could feel the man's eyes on him as he stared at where their skin made contact. It was still hard to believe at that moment but also exhilarating. Nothing happened when they touched. Nothing! Impulsively he wanted to poke the man with an uncovered finger, but he suppressed it as the man started speaking again. "Are you alright?"

"Eh? Oh! I'm fine!" He looked up at the man with a grin. "Never better. Tough as an ox. But are you okay? That fall couldn't have not hurt. Did I break anything?"

Quickly he looked around the area, making sure nothing else was broken. The place was a mess of old papers and bottles now, all from the fall, but it still wasn't able to distract him from the glee he had from before. He could touch someone! "Ah crap! I made a mess! So sorry about that. Let me help clean it up. I really am sorry about what –"

"Yeah I know." The man held up a hand, a bit amused by the kid's antics. They both got to their hands and knees to clean up the mess they accidentally made. "So why did you drop on me? From the roof?"

The boy laughed nervously. "It's a bit stupid really. Don't worry about it."

"But I'm curious." He stacked the bottles back in their proper place for pickup before stopping and watching the kid carefully. "It's not every day a guy makes the drop on me. I'd like to know why. Are you in trouble?"

"Trouble?" The kid looked up from the papers he was stacking, thinking about it for a moment. Was he in trouble? He ran from the cops… but besides that… well he really didn't do anything wrong…

"Is someone after you?"

Waving it off while trying to not look as nervous as he felt, he tried to ease his mind. "Nah, not really. Nothing dangerous. Just adults being silly and being jerk faces. You know, the usual stuff."

The worker watched him carefully as he put the rest of the papers back together. It made him nervous. Maybe he needed to take to the rooftops again. Once the stacks were neat again, he shoved his bag back onto his back and stood to his full height. He turned back to the man and gave an abashed smile. "Sorry again for bumping into you like that. And making a mess. Are you sure you're fine?"

"I'm alright," he said easily before pointing to the boy's exposed elbow, "but you're not."

"Huh?" Attention diverted, he twisted his arm to see what he was talking about, and sure enough he managed to scrape his arm and elbow. Must have happened when he landed and moved off of the guy. It was bleeding but not a lot; hardly even hurt. "Huh… didn't even feel that."

"Clearly. Come on in and get it treated." Turning, the man opened the back door and headed inside. Awkward, the guy hesitated before following. For some reason it felt like a command, one he had to obey to make up for what happened moments ago.

Swallowing the nothing in his throat, the lad came inside to see a small back part of the store, whatever it was. The part he was walking through had extra and damaged chairs, sound equipment, gaming consoles, cups, blenders, dishes, and all sorts of things suggesting it was a restaurant. What on Earth was this place?

"Over here." The worker called him to a place that had to be a staff lounge but was really small. The dress code there apparently was just aprons and a certain kind of shoes because there were plenty of mini lockers and aprons but nothing bigger or anything separating the lounge from them if people wanted to get changed. The guy waved him over to the table where he already had a first aid kit waiting for him. Not arguing, he took off his bag and sat down in the chair already prepared for him. Gently the man took his arm and started disinfecting it with an alcohol swab. He hissed. Now it hurt. "Sorry it stings."

"It's nothing, really." Focusing on a point somewhere else in the room, he was able to push this little pain out of his mind. It was nothing compared to a broken arm or when that guy… "Thanks."

"No problem." Once the area was clean and the wound stinging, he changed out the swab for a long piece of gauze. It was a rather large area to cover for a simple piece of plaster. "My name's Furuhata by the way. Furuhata Motoki."

"Adrian." The moment he said his real name, Adrian started to mentally kick himself. It'd been a while since he responded by impulse, but he was pretty used to talking to people like this when getting first aid. It was just a natural reaction.

"Just Adrian?" Motoki didn't get a response. Instead Adrian looked away almost childishly, trying to lighten his own mood. Maybe he'd tell him his family name one day, but at that moment he didn't want to share. "Well, Adrian-san, it's nice to meet you."

"Likewise. And," still regretful, he looked at the man again, "sorry about –"

"Don't trouble yourself so much. I'm actually more impressed with how you managed to do all that." Gauze in place, he took out some medical tape and secured it there. The scrapes would likely heal within a few days so there was no need to go to a hospital for stitches, but it was still larger than either would like. Soon cloth wraps started covering the area to make sure it didn't move. "How did you manage to swing off the roof like that? And make sure I wasn't crushed in the collision? I've seen a lot of people knock into each other and none of them were able to turn as quickly as you did."

Adrian shrugged, secretly proud of his abilities. "Mom cleared to join the Olympics gymnastics team when she was twelve. She was an alternate so she didn't place. Couldn't go to the next one because she was pregnant with me by then. Ah… she was fourteen when she was actually there. Nearly fifteen. She and Dad didn't…"

Suddenly awkward, he looked down, red as a lobster. He just had to start rambling. But it was such a huge accomplishment! Clearing his throat, he tried again. "She taught me everything she knew since I was a kid. And I like to add my own flare. Drove Dad nuts!"

Memories of his antics on the playground and how his Dad went into a panic made him laugh for a moment. How he missed those days. Motoki finished wrapping up his arm and started pinning the cloth in place so it wouldn't come loose. "Thanks for this."

"Not really a problem. I'd really like to show it to my friend studying medicine but I really don't think this is bad at all." Smiling at the well put on cover, he closed up the first aid kit, taking mental note of what was used up and would have to replace. "So where are your parents? I should probably call them to pick you up."

"I wouldn't. Real expensive." That caught the man's interest far too quickly, making Adrian cringe. There was something about this guy that made him want to just confess all his sins to him. Not that he sinned or anything but… This was really twisting up his thoughts. "My parents are in the States. The U.S.."

"Oh."

Shrugging and standing up, he looked around the room, anywhere but at Motoki. He did not want to show how much he missed his family right then to someone he barely met. "Last time I called them, I nearly had to force the charge on them. Really expensive. Thankfully it's on the Embassy's bill so no worries there."

"Oh." A little relieved, he put the kit away and looked for something to give the boy to drink. Some ramune from his sister's pack was left so he grabbed one for him. "Thirsty?"

"Sure." Taking the bottle, he tried to figure it out. Such a strange contraption. Other than peeling of the sealing plastic, he was at a loss. Motoki smothered a chuckle before offering to open it for him. Bashfully, Adrian accepted. "Thanks."

"No problem. So," as he popped the ball into the drink and handed it back to the kid, he continued to ask about him, "who should I call? I mean, it's nearly night time and there was that strange attack a few hours ago. I can't just let you go home alone."

Fidgeting, Adrian tried to laugh it off, secretly wondering what he was talking about. "Really I'll be fine. My place isn't that far from here." Lie. "And I'm really good at defending myself." True. "There's no need to call anyone." Please don't do that.

Either Motoki had seen this kind of scenario before, or he knew how to read between the lines, because he was not buying it. There was no one to call. Adrian was on his own. On the streets. Anyone who paid attention to the weight of his broken down bag, the sheer amount of dirt in his clothes, and how badly he needed a haircut, would be able to tell that. Adrian was trying to get out of trouble and Motoki could tell better than anyone. He opened his mouth to call out the kid when Adrian's stomach growled loudly.

Abashed, the lad blushed and tried to pretend it didn't happen. Motoki though would not have it. He chuckled and decided another route. "How about this. We're a bit short handed right now. If you clean the dishes and help clean up the kitchen, I'll give you some dinner and a place to rest for the night."

"You really don't have to –"

"Think of it as compensation for dropping on me and fixing you up." Smirking slightly, the man picked a heavy apron off the rack and handed it to him. Inside the pockets were long heavy duty gloves for the dishwasher, just what the kid needed to cover up the bandages. Seeing the guilt and frustration and even want on the boy's face, he knew all the kid needed was a small push to agree to this. "I'm not about to condemn a good person in need, Adrian-san. Please, stick around and help out for your dinner. I bet you're tired of vending machine and corner store food."

"Got that right." Sighing, Adrian gave in and put the apron on. Well, it'd be easier than dancing for money. Free meal for an easy job. Not a bad trade off. A hat was handed over to him next and he put it on backwards to keep the brim out of his face as he worked. "So! Where do I go and what is the dish washing procedure?"


(+)


"What happened?"

Mamoru only took off half his uniform when they made it back to the Crown Center and the senshi's base underneath it. Usagi was wrapped in his cape, still a little shaky from the entire fiasco. The rest of his accessories sat on the edge of the console Mercury was working on, analyzing the bone they found. The other senshi stood around the room, not sure how to answer him clearly.

"It's a bit of a muddle," Jupiter stated awkwardly, looking at the others. "One minute we were running towards where everyone was running from, and the next we were trying to fight off a… I'm not exactly sure what."

"It wasn't like anything we fought before," Venus tried to help. "It looked like… a man in a suit, with a dog's head, and flippers for hands. It was howling and running up to people and snarling and… frankly it was freaking everyone out."

"I'm not entirely sure it was the enemy." Everyone looked at Mars, whose unfocused eyes were slowly going to Usagi. "Despite its appearance, it didn't really do a lot of damage. That was the other guys."

"What are you talking about?!" Venus turned on her with a snap. "It charged at me! Snapping and growling and it shot scalding water at us!"

"Only once," Mars shot back, snapping back at her. "It did it once then backed off. And if you didn't notice, its body was changing. It's more like… it was like a person was being changed into a monster, from the inside out. And that person was freaking out the entire time. I think it was a big misunderstand-"

"It was not a misunderstanding! It was –"

"Totachi Hiro, age 36, blood type O-, single, banker."

Everyone stopped and looked at Mercury now pinching the bridge of her nose. A man's medical profile beamed off the screen, saying everything she just did and then some. He looked like a normal Japanese man, and yet he was on the screen. Mamoru looked at the bone fragment on the scanner, knowing with horror that this man was now dead. How? "How did this happen?"

"I don't know yet," the ice user sighed. "I don't have enough data to make a judgement, but I can say without a doubt that bone belongs to Totachi Hiro."

"That can't be it!" Venus almost launched herself at the computer, panic in her eyes. "He was a monster! You all saw it!"

"None of us are sure about what we saw." Jupiter let out a long breath. It was all too confusing for them.

"DNA doesn't lie," Mercury stated evenly, somehow maintaining calm. She looked over at the bone and tried to think of what needed to be done. "We need to get this analyzed and find out what happened to Totachi-san. I think a few of my mother's associates can get a better idea on what happened. I'll present it as a mutation experiment, an intellectual exercise."

"Can you do it without giving away too much information?" Mamoru waited for her nod before allowing the plan to go forward. With the gravity of this situation, he was the one in charge; Usagi was pretty much beside herself with what they were learning, and whatever happened during that attack, useless. "Do it. But keep a sample for me to work with. There may be something I can do to learn more on our own."

"Understood."

One part of the puzzle on the mend – hopefully – he looked back to the other senshi, particularly Venus who couldn't quite grasp what happened yet. Finding out a person died must have been a real shock for her. It wasn't a picnic for anyone, but they had to keep their heads on straight. "Venus, what happened to end the battle?"

The usually strong warrior was shaking, going onto the next stage of grief he hoped. "These… These guys in large hoodies came out of nowhere and started fighting… him… Then…" She shook her head, closing her eyes at the memory. "That's when everything becomes muddled. I remember someone managed to plow over Sailor Moon, something else tried to hit her… I think it was the first mons… That man… and someone defended her… then… fire?"

"One of the hooded men made some strange hand gestures and fire shot out at Totachi-san," Mars offered. "That was when he screamed like a real person and we just froze. The hooded guys disappeared maybe a minute before you came in."

"Anything else you remember about these people?" Hand gestures? Disguises? Magic fire? Who were these people? For a moment he remembered his friend, teacher, and protector from a few months ago. He knew the senshi's sailor crystals weren't the only sources of power in the world and there were many forms available to him alone. Mamoru just couldn't see a person who studied like she did killing anyone being transformed into a monster. Marian, and her order, were against killing people – though other questionable punishments were favorable in their eyes. Whoever these people were, they were not like what he knew and trusted. "How many were there? Did they say anything?"

"One of them was really strong," Jupiter piped up, offering what little she could. The girl looked like she was going to throw up at any moment. "He ran headlong into the lamp post and dented it, and cracked the concrete when he fell against it."

"I remember that," Mars confirmed, holding her head lightly, "but very little else. Everything was muddled after they arrived. And the air felt heavy"

"Heavy air…" Something about that statement, mixed with everything else, jogged his memory a bit. The confusion may be intentional. It was hard to tell right then, but there were several signs of a spell manipulating how people saw and remembered events. Mamoru fell silent in thought. He had to reread that part of his spell book to get the details, but he had an idea of what was happening.

Knowing it was probably useless to continue, the prince decided it was time to call it a night. Usagi needed rest to calm her mind, and the others as well. The only reason he wasn't reacting as badly as they were was because of how late he arrived. Sighing, he ran a hand through his hair. "It's getting late. Let's look at it with fresh eyes tomorrow."

"We're fine," Mars tried to push, but was overruled with a simple headshake.

"No, you're going to bed. Now. I'll talk to the outer senshi and compare notes. You girls go home and get some rest." Normally they would have objected, but this time they really did need everything he said, and they knew it. They glanced at Usagi who was now white as a sheet from just listening the entire time. Mamoru nodded to himself before adding, "I'll take Usagi home and make sure she gets the rest she needs."

The girls nodded and soon left the two to their own homes. Mamoru knelt next to his love, waiting for her to do or say something. Never had she stayed so silent during a meeting as long as he knew her. It was somewhat understandable considering the circumstances, but the wrongness of the scenario nagged at him with each passing second. He had to have his perky Usako back.

"Odango," he could see her eye twitch at the old nickname, getting a reaction at last, "what do you want for dinner?"

"How can you be so calm?" The question made him think for a moment, but it was a little sudden to answer right away. Slowly Usagi looked at him, still horrified by what happened and what they learned. "We were right there, watching a man turning into a monster, and we couldn't stop him from dying."

"You didn't know he was a –"

"I knew he was a person Mamochan." The insistence in her gaze transmitted how troubled she was by this entire event. She knew? "I could sense a soul… a star seed inside him. I knew he was a human being. But I…" She looked down, horribly disappointed with herself, guilty. "I didn't know what to do. I… I don't know if my crystal could have healed him, set him right, or if it would have just killed him. I hesitated, couldn't attack. That's why someone had to save me. Had to stop him that way. Why he died…"

Tears were forming in her eyes, twisting Mamoru's heart inside out. Without thinking about it, he wrapped his arms around her, letting her break down entirely. She couldn't save a man they didn't know, and it hurt her more than anything. What if next time it was someone they did know? Someone they cared about? The moon princess' large heart is what made him fall hopelessly in love with her, but it also caused her the most grief. Right then she felt all the guilt and pain he should be feeling yet was able to push aside. Usako wasn't able to do that.

"We'll figure this out," he promised in soothing tones. "We'll find out what happened to him and we'll make sure it doesn't continue. We'll talk to the people who helped you today and we'll get answers. We will find a way to save everyone. I swear it."

He kissed the top of her head as she cried into his shirt. Mamoru swore to himself he would do everything he could to stop this from happening again, for everyone's sakes.


(+)


Sopping wet from doing all the dishes – he had no idea this place was an arcade, karaoke joint, and restaurant when he was running rooftops – and tired, Adrian wasn't about to argue with Motoki when it was closing time and to 'come upstairs'. Part of the kid wanted to run. He'd grown up with stories starting like this and ending very badly. The knife sitting in the small of his back was the only comfort he really had at that moment. But that started changing the moment his benefactor opened one door, revealing a small room.

"This is it." Motoki stepped aside so the teen could get a good look at the room. It was more like a closet really, the walk in kind. From what little he saw of the second story, it was mostly longer term storage or items they might need later in an emergency. This room in particular looked like it was used as a crash pad more than once by a single person. A futon was folded away in one corner with a comforter and pillow on top, and a small chest of drawers stood in the next corner. A single bulb lamp hung from the low ceiling, so low all either of them had to do was reach up to touch it. Motoki could even put his palms flat against the ceiling without trying. Adrian wasn't that tall yet and could barely brush the ceiling with his fingers without getting on his toes. It was wide enough to wheel things in, but no one could sleep in it any way but lengthwise. It really was a small room, with a small window on the other side and boxes for storage lining the walls.

Looking around it though, and thinking of previous crash pads Adrian had used lately, it was close to paradise. A solid roof overhead, a good door with a lock on it, electricity, running water just across the hall, clean… His speechless state must have unnerved Motoki for a moment because he started to ramble. "It's not much but it does pretty well in a pinch. With the boxes in here, it gets pretty warm so you might want to open the window at night. It's clean and there's an outlet right over there if you need to charge anything. No one else is going to be here at night… usually… I mean it's not –"

"It's prefect." He looked over to the rambling man and smiled graciously. "Thank you."

"Not a problem." Relaxing, Motoki thumbed down stairs. "My number is right next to the phone so if you run into any problems tonight, call me. How did the Omu Rice taste?"

"Pretty good." Dinner was simple yet tasty. Who knew what rice, eggs, chicken, and ketchup could do? "I really don't know how to thank you for all of this."

"Just be here in the morning so we can talk more." Adrian couldn't help but to stiffen a bit at the idea. He thought this would only be for one night. What was this guy planning? Motoki tried to put him at ease with a smile. "We really are short staffed at the moment so you helping out would really save my rear. My wife's been upset with my late nights lately cleaning things up. My parents have been trying to get someone hired for a while, but so far they've never passed the background check."

"Background check." That would be a major problem for him. Thankfully he never gave his full name, so maybe he could just sneak out right before dawn and –

"I'll talk to them," Motoki went on, waving it off. "They trust my intuition about these things. I'm a pretty good judge of character most days, and," he gave an almost knowing smile to the kid, "I'm pretty sure you're a good guy in hard times.

"Do me a favor and stick around tomorrow. It's late and we're both tired. We'll both be able to think better after a good night's rest and hot food in our stomachs." The man stepped away from the room and towards the nearby staircase, the only way out of there. "The parlor opens at six sharp so be ready to do dishes at six thirty. We'll eat when the morning rush calms down. Sleep tight!"

With that, the young businessman walked down the stairs with a confidence he didn't normally have. Adrian was stuck staring at his back, bewildered at what happened. Did… he just get conned into working there? Rubbing his eyes and head for a moment, he went into the room and shut the door, giving himself some privacy to explore the place. The boxes were all clearly labeled, making him wonder if one or both of Motoki's parents were coupon nuts or hoarder or even end of the world preppers. There was no real need for someone to have that many preserves and pickled anything.

Shaking his head, the boy plopped his bag next to the drawers and grabbed for himself the futon, spreading it on the floor. The comforter went down next with the pillow on top, giving him room to change from wet clothes to his dry ones. Seemed like he was always doing that these days. He hung what he could over the chest of drawers before remembering to take off his gloves.

He looked at them and his hands for a moment, remembering what happened earlier that day. Nothing. Nothing happened when Motoki touched him. There was nothing special about him. He was just a good, genuinely good, person. It'd been a long time since he came across someone like him, someone good he could touch that wasn't family.

Maybe, just maybe, he could trust someone again.


A/N: Interested in Adrian yet? He's a fun and interesting character, which is why I know better what I'm doing with him than with the rest of them. Gah... I wish I knew what I was doing... Anyway, Motoki is going to be in this one a lot more than the previous story because he is awesome and a great foil for this one. He'll be acting as Adrian's guardian I guess.

Anyway, the monster they fought is based off of a Telchines in greek mythology, one of many monsters that, if you think carefully, doesn't really make sense. People invented monsters without thinking about how it'd actually work I guess. Could be loosely based on a sea lion but that's not the main point here. Main point is man was turning into a monster and things went horribly wrong. Now he's dead and the senshi, especially Usagi, aren't happy about it. Mamoru's one of those people who can stay calm in a crisis most of the time (raging brain chemicals kind of make that difficult for people), but later he might break down. It was one of his people turned int a monster and then killed off by someone confusing his lover. This one may be a doozy.

ANyway, comment, fave, talk to me! give me ideas! Need motivation! Talk to me! *goes off to play mario*