Nephrite and Jadeite stared at Venus from their places on either side of me.
Venus stared back.
For a good minute, all was silent as she took the two of them in from head to toe, scrutinizing the Generals, though for what I couldn't possibly say; probably to make sure that they indeed were who she thought they might be. Venus opened her mouth to speak, then closed it, looked between the two, then to me, and back to them (cue mouth opening and closing). Finally, she set her sights of me and let out a distressed, frustrated noise, gesturing wildly to the Generals as though she expected an explanation.
I shrugged. "Buy one get one free?"
Venus looked two seconds from exploding when Mercury slipped around her, holding the door wide open for us to enter. "Why don't we take this inside."
I sent Jadeite a blinding smile, waving him forward. "Ladies first."
Both boys appeared affronted, but they entered anyway. Mercury closed the door, bringing up the rear of our procession as Venus led us down the hall; my muscles tensed on instinct, hair at the back of my neck rising though I did my best to quell the growing anxiety. Quietly, I allowed myself a few calming breaths, inhaling deeply and exhaling slowly in an attempt to ease the pickup in my heartrate.
Mercury is not going to harm you. I told myself firmly. She may not be a complete marshmallow like Jupiter, but she isn't rash or stupid either. Trust in Mercury's intelligence, in your own value if nothing else.
I didn't know why this was bothering me so much.
Still, the more I rationalized to myself, the more the words seemed to work. I had just handed the Scouts two Generals on a silver platter, proving my worth and Mercury would be an absolute fool to attack me now. She had no clear reason to anyway, no actual motive; sure, I'd all but spat on everything Mercury stood for as a Sailor Scout, but at the same time I had all but thrown them the key to winning this war. Mercury was human, she had emotions just like everyone else, but unlike most people she wasn't one hundred percent ruled by what she felt.
Mercury had her intelligence to fall back on.
Really, I was more likely to face an attack from Mars than her. Wait, no, that wasn't the point here. The point, nub, and gist of it all was that I had nothing to fear from the Scout behind me (for now), because she had no logical reason to hurt me at this moment in time; my usefulness far outweighed any satisfaction she might receive from, say, strangling me or bashing my head onto the wooden floor.
Christ, now I had that image stuck in my head.
"Usagi-san?" Mercury murmured. I nearly jumped out of my skin at the sound of her voice. I slowed in my movements, turning my attention to the girl and she took that chance to match pace with me. She eyed me, gaze flickering down my form before settling back on my face. Her tone was sympathetic as she said, "Rough night, huh?"
Was she… was she trying to make small talk with me? Surely not; perhaps Mercury was simply trying to be cordial, or get on my good side. Whatever the case, now that she wasn't hovering at my back I felt more confident, so I indulged her. "Um, yeah, something like that."
Mercury nodded. After a pause, she gestured to the bruise decorating the right side of my face. "That looks rather nasty. I have a cream in my bag you could put on it if you'd like."
"Oh." My hand lifted, fingers hovering but not quite touching the mark. It still hurt. I had forgotten to heal myself in the aftermath, and though I knew I should probably transform at some point and fix it, the thought was fleeting. I had stayed up all night, and after that fight I was far too tired to care about a bruise or the effort it would take to heal it. "Thank you, then."
Mercury gave a small smile in turn, and the conversation was dropped as we reached the back of the house. The room Jadeite had previously been held in was large enough to fit the lot of us easily; when we entered, Mamoru and the rest of the scouts were there, and, to my surprise, so was Matsuo. He and Mamoru were across the room by the window, heads bent together and speaking quietly; they stopped after catching sight of me, sharing one last glance before turning to face us.
Then, the lines were drawn.
I took up a spot against the wall to my right and Matsuo joined me as Nephrite and Jadeite trotted over to their prince. Mamoru remained where he was, arms crossing through his expression grew almost soft at his two new companions; they, in turn, looked at him as though he was the sun their worlds spun around. When taking those expressions into account, it was no wonder that they were growing on him; it was hard to be cross with someone when they treated you with undying devotion.
Across the room from me, the Sailor Scouts had taken up their own wall.
As I considered our positions, I had two train of thoughts going; firstly, that this moment held more importance than anyone else could understand, and it'd only been ten seconds since I'd entered. Our positions alone said enough about the current situation and the state of alliances. Mamoru and the Scouts had come to an agreement and had decided to join forces, from what I had seen they appeared to be on good terms with one another. They undoubtedly had an alliance, and yet instead of joining them on that side of the room, Mamoru had taken up his own position separate from them.
They were on the same side, but Mamoru still considered himself on a team of his own; having Nephrite and Jadeite at his side only strengthened that feeling.
It could be subconscious, of course, but the fact of the matter was that he didn't see himself as one of them. I filed that information away for later and turned my attention to the Scouts; for their part, they appeared calm, far less aggressive then before. Yesterday, Venus had been more predatory, and Mars territorial; yesterday they had blocked the door, but today the path was clear. They had every intention of playing this nice then, a feat that would be much easier with Mercury to balance them out.
This was all crucial important information, but it only held with me for a moment before a more pressing matter dawned upon me. Mamoru was here; Venus, Mars, Mercury, Jupiter, they were all here and it was eight thirty, meaning school had already started. It wasn't really any of my business, certainly not my job either but… "Hey, if everyone is here, than who's with Naru?"
Mamoru stilled.
Slowly, he looked over to the Scouts, as if doing a head count. Venus did not appear fazed in the slightest though; reading his mind, she replied, "Don't give me that look. Luna and Artemis are on the job."
"They are cats." I pointed out. Naru wasn't in any danger, and really it was no skin off my back, but they didn't know that.
I stifled my amusement as Venus snapped. "They're celestial guardians, not domesticated animals. The princess is fine, alright?"
"I believe you," I began passively. "I'm just wondering how well Naru is going to take all this; you know, being ditched on her date, half her friends bailing as well, and then showing up to school this morning with only poor Yumiko around. She'll probably think you're all out having fun without her. Can't wait to deal with that."
Ikuko was under the assumption that I had spent last night at Naru's, and now it occurred to me that I probably would benefit from skipping school rather than trying to make peace with the girl. Naru would likely be frothing at the mouth today, and by the paling of Venus' complexion I could only assume she had come to the same conclusion. "We would never-"
"-Not my problem." I interjected, sighing. "Look, you guys are the ones that called for this meeting. I was perfectly content to drop those two off and be on my way, so maybe we should just get this over with."
Venus bit back whatever emotion threatened to boil over in her and breathed a soothing breath. "Fine, fine. I wanted to clarify the terms of your agreement with us; for starters, I was thinking it would be helpful to have a way to contact you. Despite the… unusual circumstances, we don't expect you to aid us in capturing the remaining Generals. Still, if you're going to purify them, then we need a way of contacting you the moment we have one in our custody."
I knew where she was going with this, and there was no way I was going to accept one of their communication devices. I was from the twenty first century for god's sake, I knew just how intrusive technology could be and I wasn't going to give them a chance to trace me or listen in on my conversations or anything other shady business. "If you have any messages and you find yourselves unable to contact me then-"
"You can pass them on to me." Matsuo interrupted. I met his gaze then, slightly surprised but his expression was unwavering. There was a hint of apology there as well, and I understood then; he knew I was upset about our fight, and this was his way of making amends. He broke our stare and addressed the others. "I know Usagi-chan like the back of my hand, even if I don't know where she is at any given time, it's never too difficult for me to find her."
He wasn't wrong, and that thought settled me somehow; my feet felt firmer against the ground and yet my heart heavier. Matsuo and I spent ninety percent of our time together, had walked half the city and knew each other's favorite haunts so it really wasn't a stretch to say we'd have little trouble finding one another should the need arise.
Venus was unsatisfied by Matsuo's offer, but before she could decline I added, "He can be our go between if you're truly concerned about communication. I would prefer it that way, actually." After all, the less we interacted, the better.
She pressed her lips together, but relented. "Alright. Secondly, it was agreed that the meeting place for the purification will be here at the temple. Do you have any problem with that?" I shook my head, and she continued. "Great. Hopefully this will be over soon, and your work will be done."
"I wouldn't count on it." Nephrite said. At the sound of his voice, a small chill went down my spine and his laughter from last night replayed in my mind without my permission. I crossed my arms and forced the echo away; Nephrite had the room's attention, and I focused on the empty space next to him as he spoke. "The Dark Kingdom was in a state of unrest after Jadeite disappeared and Queen Beryl was unable to locate him. I was told to proceed with caution when she sent me out; now that I am gone mere hours after my arrival here, it is unlikely that Zoisite and Kunzite will let their guards down."
"He's right." Jadeite agreed. "They aren't stupid. They'll be far more cautious now, and undoubtedly Queen Beryl won't take her eyes of them for a second. Capturing them without detection will be all but impossible at this point. The risk of exposure has doubled."
That was true.
Getting just one of them was going to be a trial, and by then there was simply no way Beryl was going to deploy her last General, not if she suspected what was being done to them. It was one thing to simply kill one of her servants, and another thing entirely to turn them against her; if she knew the truth, then she would either not allow the last General to leave her sight, or she'd just kill him herself to be rid of the problem. Kunzite and Zoisite needed to be taken in one fell swoop. An idea began to form in my mind, a way to accomplish the feat; it was dangerous, but… it would probably work.
I didn't speak my thoughts though, instead letting the concept stew.
I needed time to think it over first, weigh the risk and worth of such an idea.
After all, one rash decision and I could send us all to our deaths.
After the mutual understanding was made, the Scouts said they were off to school and for lack of anything better to do, I went off to work. I was the first to leave, and as I went I had a funny feeling that the rest of them would not be leaving so soon. I could have stayed, listened in, but frankly, being outnumbered was just a bit too much for me to deal with today. I put on my brave face when I made it to the Fabler, entering through the back and startling Harumi in his office. Five minutes later, he was staring at the sudden length of my hair.
"Localized hypertrichosis, you say?"
"Yes."
"…And it grows out this much in a matter of a few days?"
"Yes."
"…And that's why you let Matsuo cut your hair?"
"Pretty much."
Well," He murmured slowly, "I'm don't know whether to be thrilled or aghast. I mean, if your hair grows that fast then I can pretty much do anything with it; cut it into a bob one day, give you a million layers the next, it's all very exciting. At the same time though, why in god's name would you ever put your beautiful blonde locks anywhere near that fool and his scissors?"
"No, wait." I replied, caught on the first half of his words. "You aren't understanding right. It grows, like it really grows but I'm starting a medication that's supposed to help the problem. It's not going to be like this every day."
Mostly because I doubted my ability to keep up with such a complex lie.
Harumi scoffed. "A problem? What part of this is a problem? Do you know what a problem is? A problem is having employees that don't show up to work, who do their jobs half-assed, a problem is being short on your bills, or your car breaking down; this, my dear, is not a problem. This is what I'd call a god given gift. Shame on you for trying to take it from me."
"Blame god for letting me cut it in the first place."
"Don't worry, I already do."
Well, alright then.
Harumi, bless his soul, was kind enough to shorten the length of my hair for me. Of course, it was with no small amount of sass and he left it longer than I might have liked, but I wasn't sitting on it anymore and that's what mattered. We chatted for a bit as he got me into makeup, him reminding me to be here bright and early Sunday morning while I tried to no avail to find out what next month's theme would be. It was a pity really, I kind of liked the 1920's; I was sad to see it go, and yet at the same time I was also excited to see what Harumi had dreamed into the world next.
It was just as he was finishing up that Harumi said something surprising.
"You know, maybe it time you got back into your aikido lessons."
I paused. "What?"
"Aikido?" He teased. "That martial art my brutish little brother is oh so fond of? You have met him before, yes?"
"I- Yes. What's your point here?"
Harumi lowered the brush from my face, and leaned forward ever so slightly to gaze into my eyes. I indulged him as usual, thinking this was just another one of his dramatics as with a serious expression he tilted my chin higher and I raised a brow in turn. Then however, he did something unexpected; instead of going into one of his usual rants, Harumi put down the makeup brush and allowed his fingertips to ghost over the right side of my face. It was only the faintest touch really, but it hurt nonetheless and I found myself flinching before I could think the action through. My breath caught as the implications hit me.
I had forgotten the bruise in my tired haze, and now Harumi had seen it.
Harumi's golden gaze darkened. "Usagi-chan, I would be very pleased if you would resume your aikido lessons. In fact, I'd like to insist upon it; free of charge, of course. Hajime would be happy to have you." His eyes drifted to something over my left shoulder, and he added, "Isn't that right, little brother?"
I froze for a millisecond as the words registered.
Then, at breakneck speed I whipped my head around; there casually leaning against the door, was Hajime-sensei. His head was cocked as he examined me, gaze narrowed in on the right side of my face, taking in every centimeter of the bruise before slowly drifting downward. I followed his line of sight down to my hands, specifically, the split skin and slight swell of my knuckles. Instinctively, my hands turned, palms facing up to hide the damage. Hajime-sensei stared at them a moment longer before meeting my gaze once more. "Monday, Wednesday, Friday. Same time as always."
At a loss for words, I nodded blankly.
Hajime-sensei turned then, preparing to leave when something seemed to strike him and he paused, calling over his shoulder, "Haru-nii, don't forget her back."
What?
He left, and I blinked, looking to Harumi before twisting in my chair in an attempt to view my back in the mirror. It was pointless though, the t-shirt I wore belonged to Matsuo, and it covered my back entirely; what was Hajime-sensei talking about? Harumi turned me back to face him. "Stop moving, I'm not done with you yet. It's going to take a pound of makeup to hide that bruise."
I stifled a sigh and sat still as he finished.
Harumi didn't mention it again, and I was grateful; I didn't have an excuse planned, and I really, really didn't want to blatantly lie to his face if it wasn't absolutely necessary. By the time I finally made it out onto the floor it was ten thirty and the café was filled with a steady flow of customers. I spent the morning manning the front end; filling to-go orders, answering the phone, seating customers, and selling baked goods from the display case. It was a nice break from the usual chaos of waiting tables, but it also served to leave me with a bit too much down time on my hands.
Free time and I did not go well together.
My mind jumped between last night with Nephrite and then the meeting this morning. It hadn't been particularly hard to convince Nephrite to keep his mouth shut; surprisingly, Jadeite had been in my corner, and together it didn't take long to make the dark haired man see just how disastrous it would be to out me to his beloved prince. Like Jadeite, he too had a silver crescent moon marking on his brow, and I couldn't help but wonder as to the purpose of it. What did it mean, and why did it keep happening to begin with?
I could find no answers though, and I knew that only time would tell.
Then there was the matter of this morning; each time I thought back over it something new seemed to stand out to me. I suspected between the lot of them they had managed to come up with a new base of operations. Venus wouldn't bring an enemy into her home base, which meant neither I nor a brainwashed General would be visiting any time soon. Using the temple was her way of keeping the situation under control, it was Sailor Scout territory, and already well known to me; they wanted to keep an eye on me the next time I had a General to cleanse, no doubt.
As if I would make it so easy.
Venus would soon find that, no matter how hard she tried to keep tabs on me, I would keep slipping out of her reach. She had no idea who she was dealing with, and to be honest, part of me was just daring her to overstep. Matsuo wasn't coming with me like I had wanted, and The Fabler had been exposed; I was out of safety nets, and the only thing keeping me here at this point was the last two Generals. Once they were on Mamoru's side, my work here would be done, there would be no more delays. I didn't care if winter was closing in, or whether I had enough money or the proper skills to protect myself.
Once all four Generals were restored, I was gone.
There was nothing left to keep me here.
I took an hour break around two thirty, and then moved on to waiting tables.
Harumi tutted, but he didn't shoo me away like I thought he might; more than likely he was simply waiting for the dinner shift to kick me out, knowing that if he tried now I'd just return later on in the day. I was tired, but two cups of coffee later and I was ready to take on the world again and bend it to my will. I was vibrating with energy as I danced from table to table, smiling cheerfully and taking orders like there was no tomorrow. My mood started out okay, on the positive end of the spectrum, and just as I was beginning to think that the world wasn't a series of complete and total disasters, a familiar face sat himself in my section.
"Good afternoon, Usagi-chan." Kai grinned up at me charmingly. "You're looking stunning as usual. How is everything?"
I very careful did not panic, falling back on formality. "Hello, Kai. I've been doing well, and you? Here alone today?"
Mentally, I might have been screaming.
Why did he have to be here? I knew our regulars, and Kai most certainly wasn't one of them; was Mamoru here as well? If he was, what did that mean exactly; did he plan to let my job slip to the Sailor Scouts or was he waiting for the opportune moment? It was what I would do, wait and let my presence be known, so that the person knew who had the power here.
"It's just me." Kai confirmed. "We have midterms coming up at the end of October, so most of my classmates are already hitting the books. I, however, have the strangest craving for a milkshake and fries, so here I am."
"Of course." My muscles relaxed at his explanation. "Wait. It's a little early to be studying for midterms, isn't it? It's the middle of September, that's over a month away."
He shrugged. "The school I attend is prestigious; big money, high standards, that sort of thing. Everyone's either a genius, or wealthy." Kai leaned forward in his chair, gaze enthralling and smile becoming a teensy bit devilish as he waved his hand dismissively, "Enough about me though. Why don't you tell me more about you, Usagi-chan. What school do you attend?"
I actually laughed then. "Nice try. I prefer to keep that part of my life separate from this one. Now, shake and fries, yes? Chocolate, strawberry, or vanilla?"
Kai leaned back once more, arm perched at the back of his chair as he tilted his head, humming. "What's your preference?"
"Depends on my mood."
"Oh?" He perked up at this. "Well, now you have to tell me."
I sighed, but found myself amused all the same.
I knew guys like Kai; flirty, talkative, and usually harmless. Did I particularly want him here? No. I didn't want to give him an excuse to drag Mamoru back here or mention me to him; still, my feelings weren't going to change the fact that Kai was sitting at this table. If I couldn't have my way, then I was going to go play along until I could fix the matter. "Vanilla is the classic flavor; it's a rainy day shake, simple and sweet, not too overbearing. It's the kind you get when complicated piles up. Easy and mixes well with pretty much everything."
Kai nodded sagely, a glimmer in his gaze as he gestured for me to continue.
"Chocolate is your comfort flavor; it's brain power, a pick me up, the kind of shake you want after a long day. You can get a chocolate shake with anything, but it's more rich than vanilla, definitely a desert in its own right and a good standalone. Strawberry, on the other hand, falls somewhere between the two. It's a sunny day shake, perfect for an amiable mood; it is neither overpowering nor simple, the perfect blend. It can be a snack, or go with your meal. Sort of the jack of all trades, best when dipped into your fries in my opinion."
He just looked at me, pleasantly surprised.
"I'm very passionate about my work." I replied defensively. "And you're the one that asked."
"That I did." Kai chuckled. He looked at me for a moment longer before adding, "I think I'd like a strawberry shake with those fries, please."
I nodded, scribbling down his order as I went to fill it.
After that, Kai chatted with me a few times, but as things started picking up I was able to escape actual conversation with him. He stayed for about an hour and a half, taking his sweet time eating while splitting his attention between me and one of his textbooks. Why he stayed so long, I didn't know; when Kai finally left, I was relieved to see him go, and yet at the same time it had been nice, interacting with him. To Kai, I was just a cute waitress, one that he liked to tease and flirt with and it was a novel experience, having someone look at me and see a normal girl.
I wondered if that was what my life would be like when I finally left this wretched town.
Still, despite the novelty Kai had brought with his appearance I was more than okay with him never returning. There was nothing wrong with him per say, it was just the fact that his presence only served to remind me that The Fabler was no longer a safe haven. At the end of the day, Kai was connected with Mamoru, and therefore his appearance felt similar to an intrusion. I loved this café, and I wanted to be happy here for whatever remaining time I had left, so something had to be done.
But first, I really needed some sleep.
When my shift ended, Harumi lent me some concealer on my way out the door. I went back to the Tsukino residence and fell into bed, skipping dinner entirely. Falling asleep at six o'clock is never a good idea; it was only thanks to my sleep deprivation that I stayed down for eleven hours. Sadly, I could not remain in bed forever, and under the oppressing weigh of Things Needing To Be Done Today, I crawled into the shower and got ready for the day.
I was pounding on Mamoru's door at the bright and early hour of seven a.m., on a Saturday no less, and it had to be said that part of me truly took joy in the thought of disturbing his sleep; if I couldn't get eight hours regularly, why should he? My knocking grew louder, and then Mamoru was ripping open the door, hand flashing out to grab my wrist. He looked half asleep, hair a bit disheveled, lashes fluttering the tiredness away, pretty blue eyes squinting out at me- hm.
So this is what it's like then, knowing a guy that even wakes up prettier then you.
I resisted the urge to rub his stupid face in some dirt, and instead gave him my best smile. "Morning Boy Scout. Lovely day we're having, isn't it?"
He blinked, releasing me. "How did you get into my building?"
He shuffled back before I answered and held the door open for me to enter so I supposed the question was more rhetorical than anything. I decided to answer anyway as I moved past him into the apartment, pausing at the entryway. "I buzzed one of your neighbors, and she was kind enough to let me in."
"Uh-huh." Mamoru replied shrewdly. "And what exactly did you say to convince her to let you in?"
"I told her I was returning from overseas and wanted to surprise my beloved boyfriend." He choked and I grinned. "You're surprised, so it wasn't a total lie."
He sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. "What are you doing here, Usagi? You came for a reason, yes?"
"That friend of yours showed up to my work yesterday." I began, and that seemed to get his attention. "Kai; blond hair, lady killer smile, debonair attitude, I'm sure you know the one. Look, I'm trying to be civil by coming here because he's your friend, but I'd honestly prefer if he stayed away."
Mamoru's expression tightened ever so slightly with an emotion I didn't understand, and quietly, he said, "Kai went to your café?"
"Yes, sat himself in my section and everything. If you could just-"
"-Did he give you any trouble?"
I paused, shifting. "Well, no, he's nice enough I guess. It's just-"
"-You don't want to involve your boss if you don't have to?"
"Stop interrupting me." I huffed. "But yes. I don't want to make a big deal out of it and inconvenience my- look, will you just please do something about it? It's a place that means a lot to me and I don't need the stress."
Coming here had been hard enough. Now that I was sort of helping him out, I was hoping he would take a clue and keep his mouth shut about the Fabler. Mamoru inspected me for a second, and nodded. "Thanks for telling me. I'll see what I can do about him."
He sounded genuine, and something in his expression sealed my belief that he meant what he said.
Going to Mamoru had been the right move.
Confiding in Mamoru was quite possibly the worst decision I had ever made.
The next day, Kai showed up about two hours into my shift.
So did Mamoru.
Kai sat at one table, and Mamoru sat at another; the first time this happened, I caught Kai sending him glances, questioningly ones, then miffed, before finally settling on knowing looks. He never spoke with him inside The Fabler though, and for Mamoru's part he seemed to be content in ignoring Kai's presence entirely. Kai would sit down, order his usual, and then proceed to chat me up for whatever amount of time he could manage. When I was out on the floor, he split his time equally between watching me go about my job and whatever book he had brought to occupy himself with that day.
Mamoru, however, had found himself a different routine.
He would sit himself at the farthest table from Kai -usually in one of the far corners of whatever part of the room was my section for the day-, unpack his school bag, and proceed to work on homework or studying. Mamoru, to the best of my knowledge, appeared buried in his studies, only ever acknowledging me when I stopped by his table to check up on him. Or at least, that was how it seemed; countless times I was certain I could feel it, his gaze burning into me as I danced around the café and chatted with my customers. The problem was, every time I glanced his way, Mamoru was nose deep in his own work.
I couldn't help but think that maybe it was just me being paranoid, a combination of an embarrassingly high awareness of his presence and my own newfound skittishness.
There was no way of knowing though, and as September bled into October, I grew accustomed to the feeling. It grated on my nerves, because I didn't want either of them there in the first place; strange as it sounded, to me it felt like a hostile invasion of my happiness, and I fully resented them for it. I also resented myself a bit as well, for being too hesitant to do anything about them, so unwilling to risk pushing the wrong button that instead of taking action, I had resorted to more or less acclimatizing myself to the situation. Anything to keep the Fabler hidden from the Scouts for a little longer.
Being able to adapt to unfavorable circumstances was not always a good thing.
I didn't wallow, but only because I knew that my time at the Fabler was limited; that was why I chose to be happy and enjoy myself in spite of the unwanted company. To be honest, this was easiest to do when Mamoru was the one sitting in my cafe because the bastard was the least intrusive. Mamoru could not be at the Fabler every single time I had a shift though; after all, he had other commitments like Naru and the Evil Empire to take care of. So, in his demented mind, the solution to this problem was to send one of the Generals in his stead.
It was difficult to say who was worse.
Nephrite, for some ungodly reason, seemed to find utter joy in wasting my time; I was his way of staving off boredom, and to my irritation Nephrite always had a million and one questions to ask. He also deemed it necessary to send Kai condescending looks, and appeared to be more full of himself than any man had a right to be. On the other hand, there was Jadeite, who had made it his mission to steal my attention every time I was at Kai's table. The rest of the time, he didn't bother me, but the way he zeroed in on Kai, sending him icy glances as though he were little more than a worm beneath Jadeite's boot, almost made me feel bad for the boy.
Just almost though.
"You're tense." Matsuo stated, eyeing me.
I refrained from scrunching my nose as I wiped Harumi's makeup job away, already changed into my casual clothes. He had really outdone himself with this month's theme –A Circus Affair- and I was having trouble getting all the face paint off. "Well, you're going to look stupid in a toga."
Why Harumi decided that this had been a good idea, I couldn't say; I was pretty sure he just liked watching us all prance around the café looking like idiots. Matsuo and I had gotten off lucky, I supposed. A magician and a lion tamer weren't nearly as painful when compared to one of our more difficult co-workers, Rika; Harumi had given her the role of the circus clown. Of course, that was what happened when one bailed on her shifts and moved at the pace of a snail.
"Wait, what?" Matsuo sputtered.
I smirked, taking care with the charcoal lining my eyes. "What do you mean, what?"
"Toga. You said I was going to look stupid in a toga."
"Did I now?"
Matsuo narrowed his gaze. "You know what the next theme is going to be, don't you?"
I hummed noncommittally, but the smug glance sent his way told Matsuo everything he needed to know. Harumi was notorious about keeping the themes a surprise for everyone involved until the day of; Matsuo had tried countless times to no avail to get insider knowledge before the rest of us, and here I was, having accomplished just that. Of course, there was no need to tell him how exactly I had received such information (by snooping in Harumi's office during one of my cleaning binges.).
I had a funny feeling I would be chided for that.
"Oh, come on Usagi-chan! You can't just dangle it in front of me like that." I watched through the mirror as he abandoned his position in the chair and stood at my back, arms going around my middle, trapping my arms against me as he rested his chin on my shoulder. He gave me sad eyes. "Aren't we best friends? You wouldn't be so cruel as to tease me and leave it at that, right?"
I grinned and turned back to my reflection. "Of course not darling. I am absolutely willing to share my knowledge with you, for a price."
"What do you want to know?"
"That depends in the information, doesn't it?"
"Uh… Well, there's the betting pool our co-workers set up. You know, about which of your new regulars you'll end up with."
"Disgusting. I already know about that and for the sake of my own delicate mind I'm going to have to insist that we never speak of it again. Strike one, Moon Boy."
Matsuo pouted playfully, though as our eyes met I saw that his held some apprehension; that caught my full attention, and my smile faded. He wouldn't be hesitating like that if there wasn't anything being kept from me. All good mood seeped from me as I focused back on the task on hand; with a new wipe in hand and the charcoal gone from my lids, I turned my next attack to the lipstick, wiping harshly at the pale pink. Matsuo knew something that I did not, something I probably wasn't supposed to know, and I was not going to ask.
"The theme in two weeks is going to be Greek Gods. You're totally going to be wearing a toga." I forced a half grin I didn't feel, voice teasing in my attempt to lighten the situation. "What kind of god do you think you'll be? Personally, I put my vote in for Hera, you know, what with the whole Jupiter thing. Queen of the gods, you shall be; fits perfectly, doesn't it?"
Matsuo said nothing to that, and under his stare I found myself babbling to fill the quiet.
"With Harumi's sense of humor, he may even do it if I made the suggestion. Ah, but then I'd have to explain how I found out, so maybe not. I do wonder what he chose for me though… what do you think? Athena, maybe? Oh, I really hope I don't end up stuck with Aphrodite, that would be cruel."
"The Scouts and Mamoru have a new home base." Matsuo blurted out. I paused, swiveling to face him, and as he continued his expression looked rather pained. "They got it a few days after Nephrite joined, in the warehouse district where you fought him."
We stared at one another, and after a moment I forced words out, breaking the silence. "It's fine, Matsuo. You don't have to tell me."
His jaw clenched. "You weren't going to ask, Usagi. I understand that both you and the Scouts have your issues with one another, but… this isn't a game. Lives are at stake, and not wanting to be a part of the fight doesn't mean that you should be excluded from what we learn; you deserve to know."
I moved to speak but Matsuo beat me to the punch. "The last two Generals, Kunzite and Zoisite, are being extremely cautious, and we aren't having any luck even getting them to stick around long enough for a fight. With the way things are going, it looks like we're going to have to take more drastic measures."
My mind stuck briefly on the we part, and a bad taste entered my mouth; for a split second, a swell of emotions rose in me before I locked them back away. Matsuo would not walk away from the supernatural world, and weeks later I was still coming to terms with that. I recounted his words, prioritizing the information. "Drastic measures, huh? That certainly doesn't sound too good… Do I really want to know what they are?"
"Well… probably not. You aren't going to like it."
"Then don't tell me." Honestly, it was possible I would actually be better off not knowing.
Matsuo's expression shifted, somewhere between apology and regret. "No, Usagi, you don't understand. Things aren't looking great for us right now, and I need you to listen to me, okay? The Scouts and the Generals, they're going to make a terrible mistake, and I know you don't want anything to do with this, but… my input only goes so far; I can't convince them otherwise. Someone needs to be the voice of reason."
It dawned upon me then that Matsuo was afraid, and my heart caught in my throat at his pleading gaze.
Damn it all.
"Tell me."
I was murderous with rage.
They had far passed beyond the realm of idiocy; those ignorant, dimwitted fools were disgustingly incompetent, and they were going to get us all killed. I couldn't believe what Matsuo had told me, and it was only the fear plain in his eyes that told me he wasn't exaggerating. After quietly assuring him that I would not allow such a plan to come to pass, I had gathered my things, returned to the Tsukino residence, and locked myself into the bedroom. Sleep did not come to me until very late in the night as I spent most of it seething, stewing in my anger and scheming my next course of action.
When morning came, I went about my routine and set off to school, deadly calm.
Giving me so much time to think and become even more angry had been unwise on Matsuo's part. He insisted that they needed a voice of reason, and I agreed whole heartedly; I would be that voice of reason, and I would bring my harsh reality down on them without mercy. When I was done with them, they were going to taste my wrath for months to come, it was going to settle in their bones. I would not die on account of their stupidity; the fact that they would even dare to think-
I inhaled and exhaled slowly, calming myself.
The plan had already begun with the note I had left Ikuko, and as I arrived at the classroom, I mentally checked off my list. It wasn't early by any means, but none of the Scouts had arrived yet. Yumiko was already in her seat, and she smiled up at me as I approached. "Good morning Usagi-chan. You're here earlier than I would have expected."
I shrugged. "It's one of those days. Actually, Yumiko, I was wondering if you could do me a favor, as a secret between the two of us?"
She paused, clearly curious, before nodding. "Definitely. You can count on me."
I smiled for the first time that day.
When the Scouts finally arrived, they were trailing behind Naru.
Naru, as predicted, had been rather distressed after the incident a few weeks ago. Apparently, Mamoru had made a cheap last minute excuse and had left in the middle of their date. When the rightfully upset Naru sought her companions to cheer her up, she found that Venus and Mars had ditched her as well. Then, of course, the Scouts arrived to school the next day two hours late. Suffice to say, Naru hadn't been feeling very confident in the strength of her relationships; she was hot and cold with the lot of them now, though she was still seeing Mamoru on a regular basis.
Thankfully, she knew better than to associate me with them. We were still on okay terms, and her anger was going to come in handy. In between classes, I managed to get her alone long enough to obtain her help (at my own sacrifice) before Mercury burst into the ladies room and joined us. All through the morning, I remained passive to every snide remark Mars threw my way, and the looks I had once received from Venus, the cool politeness from Mercury, they were all met head on and unwaveringly.
Mercury, at the very least, had the good grace to be unsettled.
When lunch came and Naru held court, I turned my desk without complaint or a fight. It was as we were digging into lunch that Yumiko struck. "So, did you guys hear about those missing high school girls? My uncle works with the police department, and he was telling me about it last night; you guys know that old park where they used to hold the cherry blossom viewings?"
That caught the Scouts' undivided attention, though they pretended not to show it.
"The one going through renovations?" I questioned, playing along.
"Yeah!" She nodded. "Well, apparently a bunch of first years were doing a test of courage or something, and they were the first ones that were supposed to go."
"That's funny," Naru mused. "I think I heard about it yesterday when I was helping out at the shop. The two of them went in and just didn't come out, right?"
"The other students said they heard a scream, but when they went to investigate the girls were gone. They had to file a report with the police, what with all the attacks happening lately." Yumiko explained.
She played it well, sounding sympathetic to the fictional incident. Naru went above and beyond for her part though, and I was impressed as she scoffed and said, "Yeah, well, that's what you get for doing a test of courage with a psycho on the loose. Seriously, what did they expect to happen? And also, who even does a test of courage in this weather? It's a summer event, and we're just about on the brink of winter here."
It had gotten rather chilly as of late, so she had a point. "I'm sure they'll turn up sooner or later."
"Yeah, but in what state?" Naru's expression tightened. "It just keeps getting worse, doesn't it? Do you remember that path we used to take to our old elementary school, Usagi-chan? The one with the railing that overlooks the street? I heard that strange things happen to anyone that walks along it at sundown; sometimes they see angry spirits or malevolent auras, and they all end up in the hospital. It's not being grouped with the attacks because none of them claim to be assaulted. They just get really sick or something, but never actually falling into comas."
"Well… maybe it is different then?" Yumiko suggested.
I nodded, adding, "Ghost stories have to come from somewhere. I wouldn't worry about it, Naru; you're the miracle girl, right? You probably have a guardian angel on your shoulder, so if anyone's in danger, it certainly won't be you."
Oddly enough, she stilled at my words for a moment before half shrugging. Venus looked ready to sooth Naru's worried mind when the girl changed the conversation, jumping to a topic at random. As she chatted about Mamoru, I pretended not to see the Scouts exchange looks. Naru glanced my way once more, gaze preening with satisfaction, and the slight upward twitch of my lips appeased her.
She'd done marvelously, and now the game was set.
Some cold part of me was sated, and eager for what was to come.
Wrath had never tasted sweeter.
How had it come to this?
Minako darted through the trees with reckless abandon, uncaring of the branches that scratched along her face and arms, the bushes that caught on her skirt and made stinging cuts across her legs. Fear thrilled up her spine, mixing with anger in an unholy combination to create the adrenaline pumping through her veins.
They were being hunted.
First it had been Makoto and Jadeite, having gone radio silent during their investigation of the park. Ami, Rei, and Luna were already on the other side of town, looking into Naru's story; they were too far away to check on them, and Minako herself had been tailing her princess on the girl's own worried orders. Mamoru had been with Naru, but it wasn't his duty to protect her. Naru had been a little skittish the past few days, and no matter what angle Minako had come at her from, the girl had been unwilling to say what was bothering her.
Naru had asked her to stick around, and Minako had been more than happy to comply.
"It's probably signal interference." Ami had assured her. "Still, it's ten minutes past her scheduled check in. I wouldn't mind making the trip over just to be safe."
But Minako had said no.
It had been a grave mistake on her part, a blunder that she would never forgive herself for. Instead, Mamoru had suggested sending in Nephrite, and at the time this had seemed like an excellent solution. Both she and Mamoru had been having a bit of trouble separating from Naru when she was so clearly unsettled, and Nephrite was a General; Makoto and Jadeite were a strong combination together, so adding Nephrite to the mix could only make their team an unbelievable force to be reckoned with.
It should have been okay.
Nephrite was already on his way to the park when Ami sent out the distress signal. Her voice had been trembling ever so slightly as she reported Rei having been attacked and unconscious, Luna nowhere to be found, and the enemy out of sight, unknown. Ami had been in the middle of asking for aid when she too was taken down. Minako had heard it all, Ami's gasp, the sound of her struggles and the final cry of pain before the communication was cut. It played over and over in Minako's head, an endless, gut wrenching echo.
She had known then, even as she'd sprinted down the street and into traffic, feet slamming into the ground, propelling her forward; Minako had known that she would be too late. She had ran anyway though, knowing fully well that it was most likely a trap and that she had no backup, because it was Ami, Rei, Luna, they were in trouble and they needed her.
There was nothing to be found when she made it to where Ami should have been.
When she went to the park, Nephrite was gone as well.
That had been the moment it had really hit her.
They were being picked off.
Here she was now, being chased through the forest in her Scout uniform, unable to get a clear look at the dark clothed figure pursuing her. To be able to take down everyone else… Minako was afraid, for herself and her friends, but equal to that fear was her rage. Her friends were missing, possibly hurt, and this person was responsible. She stopped running then, spinning around to face her unseen enemy. The Sailor Scouts would not go down this way, not yet; Minako refused to die before this war had been won.
No more running.
The figure immerged, much too fast, and charged right for her. It kicked out, and she just barely managed to evade the blow, leaning to her right. But then the figure did something she never expected; it used her movement against her, closing in and a hand shooting out to grip her jaw, forcing her face upward. There was a sharp pinch at her neck and Minako shoved her attacker away, but by then it was too late. The world slowed, her vision tunneled, and despite her best efforts, she couldn't fight off the haze.
Her gaze landed on a strand of familiar golden hair peeking out from the figure's hoodie.
Betrayal stabbed at her chest, but then the pain faded.
She fell into nothingness.
It was incredible, the plans you could enact in the span of a single day.
I'd had all the necessary materials on hand, curtesy of Harumi and Hajime-sensei. The former had an alarming variety of self defense weapons, and after the incident with the bruise, he had seen fit to send me home with a gift box full of paraphernalia; mace, a Taser gun, one of those pointed brass knuckles things you put on a key chain, the whole nine yards.
He'd even left me a tranquilizer and zip ties.
I didn't ask whether he got them, or why he even had such things.
Ignorance is bliss, right?
Hajime-sensei had been surprisingly approving of his brother's actions when I had complained, which was even more startling when you considered his Love Your Enemies mindset. Then again, this was also the man that had started giving me private lessons on top of aikido, a brutal, different martial art that he refused to name. Whenever Matsuo tramped off to see Jupiter, which was a lot, I found myself practicing this new, secret skill.
Together, Harumi and Hajime-sensei had provided me with ninety percent of what I had required to accomplish this endeavor. After that, it had been a simply matter of finding a suitable place for the final part. In the end, I chose an abandoned warehouse at random in the district Nephrite had once fought me in. If the Scouts really did have a hideout around here, then the close location would definitely unsettle them, so fingers crossed.
Taking them down had been woefully easy.
With Jadeite, it was the Taser; Jupiter and Mercury got homemade chloroform, and ever stubborn Mars… Well, she got a blow to the head before the Taser. You could never be too careful with Mars as she was the kind of person that didn't stay down, sort of like a cliché horror movie villain. After the whole cat kicking thing, I thought it best to just not drag Luna and Artemis into this; they got a pass by being bagged up until I managed to sneak away.
I saved the tranquilizer for Venus.
She had seen me at the last moment, but I had gotten her and that's what mattered. Getting them all to the warehouse had been a pain, but I'd found that for a good price, taxi drivers could not care less about the state of their passengers. The hardest part by far was Mamoru; I knew that after everyone went missing, catching him alone would be next to impossible, so I didn't even try to go after him.
Instead, I made him come to me.
By the time he arrived, it was about nine in the evening. Mamoru walked in slowly, taking in the scene before him as though he couldn't quite grasp what he was seeing. In a single neat row on the floor the Scouts and Generals were laid out, unconscious and in varying states of injury but not bound. I sat in an old, metal chair before them, back straight, legs crossing, and waiting patiently; I was the only one transformed, and in my hand were the Scouts' transformation pens.
"What is this?" Mamoru asked slowly. His wide gaze scanned each of them before coming to a stop at Nephrite's red, swelling face. Mamoru scampered over and knelt at his side, hands hovering; he whipped his head back in my direction, expression fierce and confused. "What did you do to him?"
"Mace." I had saved it just for Nephrite. I still might have been a little touchy about our fight a couple weeks back; not holding a grudge by any means, but it was a sore spot for me. Now that Mamoru was here, I stood from my chair and summoned the moon stick. As I healed them, I added, "There was a bit of tasing involved as well, but Nephrite will undoubtedly make a full recovery."
Mamoru said nothing, and I took my seat once more as the others began to rouse from their induced slumber. It didn't take very long for them to put two and two together; Venus was the first to come to the proper conclusion, though from the expression on Mercury's face I could tell she had figured it out just as quickly.
"What the hell was that?" Venus barked, glowering at me from her place on the concrete floor.
I smiled pleasantly, my earlier fury coming back. "That was me teaching you all a life lesson."
"By attacking us?" Her voice rose with every word, shrill and outraged. "Drugging us? What is wrong with you, why would you do that?"
"How did it feel, Venus?" I ignored her question in favor of my own. "How did it feel to be helpless as your team was picked off, one by one? When they vanished without a trace, and you were left on your own?"
She began to shake with rage.
I continued uncaringly, voice quiet. "It was horrifying, wasn't it? After all, you're the one that made the call, you were the one that put them there; you probably couldn't stop thinking that it was your fault."
For once, it was Mercury that snapped. "What's your point?"
"I bet it was scary for you too, Mercury. Alone, with an injured comrade and an unknown enemy hiding in the shadows. You were all probably afraid, and that's fair; the world is a terrifying place, we all know what's out there."
"You're sick." Mercury spat. "That was twisted, and cruel."
I laughed. "That? That was nothing, I was just giving you guys a preview as to what you should expect when you go storm the enemy's home base in a few days time."
Everyone seemed to still at being caught, and Mercury gritted her teeth. "What are you talking about."
"Oh, come now," I rose a brow at the girl, smile becoming all teeth. "No need to pretend we don't all know exactly what you idiots intend to do. That's why I'm here, after all; to put an end to your nonsense plan." I tossed their transformation pens back at them. "Here, you can have these back, not that they'll be of much help."
"You had no right-"
"But I did it anyway, Mercury!" I rose from my chair then, all but snarling. My gaze filled with enmity as I looked at each of them. "When I made the decision, not a single one of you was able to stop me from doing as I pleased. It was easy, so unbelievably easy to lure you away from one another, and take you all down. Hell, I didn't even have to use any powers to do it. So tell me, Mercury; if one girl can take your team down, how could you possibly stand a chance against Beryl and her youma? What of Kunzite and Zoisite? Were you going to kill them, or ignore them entirely and give the enemy more fighting power?"
Jadeite stood, fists clenching. "You don't understand. They will never allow themselves to be captured, won't even stick around to fight the Sailor Scouts. What other choice do we have? Kunzite and Zoisite are our comrades, our brothers; we don't want to hurt them but the Dark Kingdom cannot be allowed to continue. Time has run out."
"You can't do this without them." I seethed. "Get that through your pint sized brains. You're stronger together, all of you; if you split up like you did today, none of you will leave with your lives. Kunzite is supposed to be the strongest General, and if you're going to charge in than he and Zoisite must be on your side, because you wont win against them. I'm not going to die because you people were stupid enough to throw away your best advantage in your haste to win this war."
Jadeite stepped forward, and we were toe to toe as he glared down at me. "There. Are. No. Other. Options."
My expression was hard, unyielding and I stared back. "Then make one." Jadeite blinked, not having expected that. I was far from finished though, and I tried to keep the bitterness out of my voice, to keep my lip from curling in disgust. "No matter what you think, there is always another way and if you can't see it, you aren't looking close enough. The universe isn't going to hand you the solution, Jadeite. You don't get to give in to the choices placed before you just because anything else seems too hard. If the options before you are shit, find a third option, and if that doesn't work, fucking make one."
Jadeite's mouth opened, but he gave no retort.
I took a step back, letting Sailor Moon slip away. My anger cooled, leaving behind that ice cold apathy. The world was far from fair; it was cruel, merciless, and if they couldn't figure that out, then we were doomed. My gaze floated to Venus, and I saw that she had tears running down her face, and a new gleam in her eyes. At the very least, she had heard me; she knew they did not stand a chance as they were.
It was the best I could do.
Either they would step up to the plate, or they'd die and I would be left to make a pitiful, unsuccessful last stand.
I walked away, leaving them and the warehouse behind.
There was just one last thing to do.
Naru was silent as she traced the seam on her shirt.
Under the glow of the streetlight above us, her red hair seemed to droop. I was careful to keep two and a half feet between the two of us, hands in my lap for good measure. As we sat on the curb, I found my patience wearing thin; surely she hadn't asked me here at this hour to simply keep her company. If this was the price I paid for her help in the future, I probably wouldn't be asking again. "Naru, quiet is unsightly on you."
She blinked, registering my words, and huffed a laugh. "You used to be so much worse, Usagi-chan. Going on for hours on end, and then losing all social skill out of the blue; now that was creepy."
"Thanks, I feel so loved."
Naru finally looked at me and smirked, shrugging. "Just calling it like I see it."
I hummed, taking that moment to inspect her.
Naru didn't look tired, at least, not outwardly; she was the queen of girl tricks though, and she would never dream of leaving the house in anything less than perfect condition. If you wanted to know how Naru really was, you had to look past her physical appearance. It wasn't difficult for me to notice the difference, oddly enough; there were no dark circles or bags beneath her eyes, but the way her gaze scanned the area every so often was telling.
Her posture was casual, lax, but the moment someone wandered into our line of sight, her eyes would follow them for a few moments, analyzing. She didn't fidget, and her muscles never stiffened, but somehow I had the impression that Naru was overly sensitive to every noise and movement around us. Something was wrong, and she was making a herculean effort to pretend otherwise. "Tell me what happened."
I don't know why I said it, or why it mattered but for some reason, it truly did.
I wanted to know, and what's worse, I wanted to help.
Naru really drove me up the wall sometimes, and she had the supreme ability to annoy me to no end. She was dramatic, and most of the time I didn't give a damn about her worldly woes. I wasn't sure what made this time any different; maybe because it just felt like one of those moments that mattered, the kind where my response held any sort of weight.
Her distressed blues eyes met my own. "You're going to think I'm crazy, or just being paranoid."
"Tell me anyway."
She swallowed, looking down at her shoes. Naru seemed to be gathering her thoughts, and after a few moments, her soft voice broke through the quiet. "It started about a week ago. I was studying with Ami-chan and the other girls at that desert shop we always go to. When we were leaving, this chill went down my spine, and… it felt like someone was watching. There wasn't anyone though, not as far as I could tell so I had brushed the feeling off. Only, it happened again the next day, and the day after that, so I started paying more attention to my surroundings.
"Usagi… I keep seeing this man, everywhere I go. I swear its like he's always there, standing so far off that no one else ever seems to notice. I spotted him out the window at school once, standing near the gates; sometimes he'll be three blocks away when I go to hang out with the girls, or in a shop across the street, peering out at Mamoru-kun and me. It's only ever for a moment, too. If I blink or glance away, he's suddenly gone."
That… sounded really bad. "What does he look like?"
Naru sniffled. "Uh… tall, I think. Creamy skin, long white hair; I've never seen him up close though, so I'm not sure how helpful I can be."
Something heavy settled in my gut at her description, tugging at old memories. I hid my growing dread the best I could and gave Naru a reassuring smile. "Don't worry about that, I can certainly make do. I'll take care of it, okay? Just give me some time and a bit of faith."
She teared up then, nodding fervently.
Before I could stop her, Naru threw herself at me, sobbing into my shoulder. The connection was immediate, and I choked as my energy began to drain, stronger and far more quickly than ever before. I gasped in pain, vision blurring and Naru pulled back in alarm, wide-eyed. Her arms went to my shoulders as I began slumping forward. "Usagi-chan? Oh my god, what's wrong. Can you hear me?"
I wanted to scream, to wrench myself away from her but there didn't seem to be any strength left in my body. I heard Naru calling out for help when everything went black; for a moment, I thought I had lost my sight, but she gasped as well and after a moment I could make out the outline of her form.
"A blackout?" Naru said, though her hands on me trembled. Her breath hitched suddenly, grip tightening, and I thought I heard another voice. Naru stumbled backwards, falling onto her butt on the pavement and breaking the connection. Tears that had gathered at the corner of my eyes began to spill over as my body tipped sideways, meet the ground as well. It still felt like she was stealing my energy, and I shuddered, unable to choke out any words through the pain.
I was lifted from the ground, and from further away, Naru shrieked. "No. Get away from her!"
Strands of white swept against my cheek as I was cradled closer. I felt a hum as the person holding me spoke, tone sharp. "Come no closer. I know who you are, and what you're capable of. If you ever want to see your friend alive again, you'll do as I say. Send a message to that lover of yours; if he and the Sailor Scouts do not surrender themselves to the Dark Kingdom and hand over the Silver Crystal, than this girl you deem so precious will die. You have until the full moon."
I felt us moving then, and the world began to fade away around me as Naru pleaded and cried. I could only comprehend the numbness of my legs, and the pain of being siphoned.
My gaze settled on those white strands of hair.
It was the last thing that registered before unconsciousness swallowed me whole.
A/N
TWO MORE CHAPTERS GUYS.
Then we can all wave goodbye to the Dim Dynasty, and hello to the next arc.
So excited, can't wait. I'm going to write up the first one and get at least half way through the second before I post, so chapters 15 and 16 should more or less be within three days of each other. I figure it's best to not leave you guys hanging and start a mob riot. We're in for a wild ride here, so buckle up.
Before someone makes the comment, let me just say that there is a REASON that Kunzite acted the way he did. Be PATIENT with me because it's going to be EXPLAINED in the next chapter.
Any-who,
Thoughts? Questions? Unfathomable Rage?
Please Review!
