Sailor Moon - The Order of Black
Chapter Nineteen: Hunting the Hunters Part Two
Originally published 20/07/2015
AN: If you've somehow gotten here first, go back and read Part One. It's pretty crucial!
The street below was quiet. Rinjirou studied his quarry carefully, taking in his stride and posture, his route as he patrolled the safe house's perimeter. This was the exact situation he'd been trained for, and the irony wasn't lost on him. The Order of Black had spent years turning him into a weapon and here he was using all of that knowledge to infiltrate another of their facilities.
There was an additional layer of complexity; cameras. It would be significantly harder to get close to the guard without revealing himself to whoever was watching inside. There were a few holes in the field – a downside to their rapid relocation, perhaps – but he would need all his skill for this one.
The first step was getting off the roof. He clambered down a drainage pipe, keeping his movements slow and quiet. Shadow Walker would keep him from being noticed, but it only worked on those who weren't actively looking for him. Once their minds were alert, it was significantly harder to remain hidden. Once at street level, Rinjirou began his approach, focusing on the gaps through the camera field he'd identified from above.
Finally, a lucky break; the guard was lazy. Definitely no Black Paladin, Rinjirou decided. He was just a grunt - slang for the Order's unpowered soldiers - and not a very good one, either. His focus was on whatever he was thinking about, not the task at hand. He was even wearing headphones, negating the need for silence. It was a simple matter to get in close to the front of the building, underneath most of the cameras, and wait for his moment.
As the guard ambled by, completely oblivious to his presence, Rinjirou seized him with a rear naked choke. It was a common misconception that a so-called 'chokehold' just deprived one's opponent of oxygen, but it was far more effective to restrict the flow of blood to their brain. His quarry had no idea what had happened and was unconscious in seconds. A quick pat-down of his pockets turned up a key card, which was sure to prove useful.
He made it to the door easily enough, again thanking whatever fool had installed the facility's camera system. It was an exaggeration, but it felt like he could drive a car through a few of its holes. One brick in particular stood out among the rest, the insignia of the Order carved into its surface. His finger pressed the eye gently, and the entire brick slid aside to reveal a touch pad. He waved the key card across it and was rewarded with a flash of green and a tell-tale beep as the door clicked open. I'm in.
It was a larger facility than the abandoned safe house he'd seen. Two corridors branched off from its entrance, leading further into the base. There was no convenient directory to assist his decision – he hadn't expected one, for that matter – so he chose one at random and followed it into the facility. It turned to the right and immediately fell away into a stairwell. Down was good; typical Order facilities housed most of the crucial rooms and equipment underground. The corridor split at the base of the stairs, and he headed left on a whim; instincts were nothing to sneer at.
It paid off, and Rinjirou found himself entering what was clearly a barracks of sorts. Several beds sat against the far wall, a portly middle-aged man occupying one of them. The robe hanging beside him suggested he was a Cleric, and that was odd. They didn't usually travel far from the Order's primary facilities, like the London headquarters; to find one in a glorified watchtower like this was strange. It was also dangerous; many Clerics were focused on intellectual pursuits and defensive magic, but he had seen others throw fire and lightning around.
There was no reason to risk finding out which this one was. He slipped out of the barracks with the same cautious steps and doubled back to the stairwell, carrying on down the other corridor instead. It was promising; he found a server room and backup generator, which meant he was on the right track. Finally, he came to a nondescript door marked 'Security'. If I'm going to find anyone awake, they'll be in here. A quick swipe of his borrowed key card unlocked the door, and he slipped inside silently. The sole occupant wore standard Order fatigues, but it wasn't clear if he was a Black Paladin or not.
"That you, Toshi? I wondered where you'd gone when I didn't see you on the-" He froze mid-turn as he looked up at the barrel of Rinjirou's pistol.
"Stay calm. Nobody needs to die tonight." Nobody except the Hunters, anyway.
"Who are you? How did you get in here?"
"Who I am isn't important," Rinjirou said firmly. "All you need to worry about is answering my next question. Am I clear?"
"Y-Yes." There was a definite quiver in his voice; he was no Paladin.
"I'm looking for two H-" He caught his slip this time, and was able to correct himself. "Black Paladins. A man and a woman. They would have arrived in Tokyo within the last week, and spent a lot of time outside the safe house. Sound familiar?"
Frustratingly, the grunt seemed to have found his courage. He simply stared back in silent defiance.
That faded as soon as Rinjirou flicked the safety off his pistol. "Talk, or I'll redecorate this room with the contents of your skull." It was an empty threat, but he didn't know that.
"They arrived last Wednesday, said they were on a special assignment for the Council themselves. It all checked out; they had the proper code phrases, and a Council seal."
Last Wednesday? The same day I arrived in Tokyo. That all but confirmed his mission to Tokyo was a loyalty test right from the start. They were already in place when I first visited the shrine, just waiting for me to hesitate. "Where are they now?"
"I don't know," the grunt said, with an anxious swallow. "They left a couple of hours ago, but didn't say where they were going." He eyed the hole in Rinjirou's armour, his eyes flicking back to his face. "You…you're Payne, aren't you?! They said you were-"
The butt of Rinjirou's pistol crashed down on his temple, knocking him unconscious instantly. "Sorry, friend, but I can't have you raising the alarm once I leave." There was still plenty of searching left to do, after all.
"Huh?" Usagi looked up groggily, her eyes adjusting slowly to the darkness of her room as she tried to locate the source of an odd buzzing sound. "What…?"
Luna nudged her cheek gently. "Your phone, Usagi. On the nightstand."
She groaned affirmatively as she reached for it, finally managing to pick it up on her third attempt. "It's nearly two AM…"
"Hello?" The voice was familiar, but she couldn't place it. "Is this Usagi?"
"I think so," she replied sleepily. "Who's this?"
"This is Katsuo Hino."
Usagi frowned. "Who?"
"By all that's sacred…" He sighed impatiently. "Rei's grandfather!"
"Grandpa?" Her eyelids fluttered as sleep began to pull her back into its embrace. "Why do you have my number?"
"What? By the ancients, girl, that's not important! Rei's gone! Rinjirou, too!"
"She is?!" Usagi sat up immediately, wide awake. "Why didn't you say so?!"
"I've searched the shrine and can't find either of them." The old man sounded far more anxious than she'd ever heard him before. "She left her phone behind. And her watch."
That was odd. Rei doesn't wear a…oh. Her communicator. Why would she leave it behind?
"I may be worrying needlessly, but it isn't safe, Usagi. Not with the Order's Hunters roaming the city. Rei's seen them, and that makes her a target."
The blonde reached for her own communicator immediately. "I'm sure she's fine, Grandpa." It was a terrible lie; she knew she sounded worried too. "I'm going to get the rest of the girls out looking for her, though, just in case." She threw back the covers and leapt to her feet. "Wait for me. I'll be right there!"
"Thank you, Usagi."
Luna had obviously caught the gist of their conversation. "Rei?"
"She's missing. Rinjirou too." Usagi slipped into a pair of sweatpants and began searching frantically for her socks. "Grandpa's worried, and I can't say I blame him. Not with those Hunters around." Just what kind of trouble have you gotten yourself into now, Rei?
Rei shivered involuntarily, wishing once again that she'd thought to bring a jacket. I'd settle for my communicator, she thought irritably. Why can't they be waterproof? Then I'd never have to take it off!
She'd managed to track Rinjirou to a quiet industrial estate. Keeping up with him hadn't been easy with that cloak ability of his, but she was sure he was around here somewhere. I finally muster up the courage to approach him and apologise…and he ditches me! What a jerk. I'll kill him when I find him…assuming the idiot hasn't gotten himself killed already!
The thought of his death made her stomach lurch far worse than he usually did with his presence. She couldn't think like that. Like it or not, Rinjirou knew what he was doing. He fought her to a standstill, after all, and she was no slouch in hand-to-hand combat. I'm sure he's fine. He has to be. Her attempt to convince herself failed miserably; it only made her feel guilty. Did I do this? Did I drive him away with my stupid, stubborn pride?
At last, Rei caught a break. She spotted an odd symbol, carved into the brick beside a weathered old door. I've seen that before, she thought confidently. I'm sure of it. It finally came to her; an eye over a shield. It was the same as the insignia on Rinjirou's armour. The Order of Black! He must have been coming here! She reached out cautiously to touch it and stepped back unwittingly as it slid aside to reveal an electronic pad of some sort.
"Damn it," she muttered. "Ami would have this thing open in a heartbeat-"
"What are you doing here?" a voice called from behind her.
She span to find a tall Caucasian man staring at her with suspiciously. He wore plain clothes, but there was something about his stance that screamed police or military. Combined with his apparent grasp of Japanese, Rei reasoned he was with the Order of Black. There was no sense of evil, though, like Rinjirou or the Hunters. Not a Black Paladin, then.
"Answer the question!" he snapped.
The miko couldn't help it; she didn't like being yelled at. "This is a public street!"
"The street ends over there." He jerked his thumb towards the gate she'd climbed over; not the best excuse she'd ever come up with, then. "This is private property."
"Well, that's my mistake. I'll leave then."
He grabbed her arm as she strode past him purposefully . "Not without answering a few questions."
Rei reached instinctively for her transformation wand, but finally noticed the cameras. If I transform here, I'll reveal my identity to the entire Order of Black. Damn it all!
"Who are you?" The squeeze on her arm increased as he pulled her closer.
Rei jabbed two fingers into a pressure point at his elbow and span away as his grip was broken; she hit the ground almost immediately as he backhanded her in response. Fiery rage flooded her veins as she looked up at him…but it drained away when she found herself staring down the barrel of a gun. It wasn't a common sight, even for a Sailor Senshi, and she froze.
"Now, let's try this again. Who are you?!"
"Damn it." The security room contained little in the way of useful information. Anything important was secured behind passwords or firewalls, and Rinjirou was no hacker. Fortunately, he had found a personnel record and confirmed that the safe house was undermanned; there were three grunts, in addition to the Cleric he'd come across in the barracks. And I've accounted for two of them…
Unfortunately, despite not saying it aloud, the universe heard him anyway and decided to throw him a curveball. A flash of movement drew his attention to one of the monitors.
"Oh, hell."
A familiar young woman wandered past one of the cameras, looking about as suspicious as humanly possible; Rei. Somehow, she'd followed him in spite of Shadow Walker.
"What the hell are you doing here?" he whispered. His eyes locked on another screen and his heart sank; it was the third grunt. He must have been outside the safe house when I arrived. I figured they had a curfew, like most bases do!
He dashed out of the office and up the stairs, aware he was making a lot of noise but hoping against hope that the Cleric wouldn't wake up anytime soon.
"Now, I'll ask again. Who are you?!" It was heavily accented Japanese.
Rinjirou stuck his head through the main door and spotted them immediately; the Order guard had Rei at gunpoint. It all happened in an instant, without a second thought. He dashed forward and squeezed the grunt's outstretched arm at the wrist, applying a pressure hold to stop him pulling the trigger. In the same moment he drove his free hand up into the man's elbow, rewarded with a wet snap as the limb bent the wrong way. A quick forearm to the temple took him to the ground before he even had the chance to cry out.
"Gods!" Rei recoiled, definitely a little paler than normal.
"Are you alright?" He examined her briefly, noting a red mark on her cheek that looked suspiciously like someone had hit her. "Did he hurt you?"
"No, I'm…" Her walls went back up, just like that. "I'm fine."
"Good." That meant he was free to say what he really wanted to. "What the hell are you doing here? I told you not to follow me!"
Her own anger flared up in return. "What choice did I have? You're going to get yourself killed!"
"And you were going to help how, exactly?"
Rei's violet eyes flashed dangerously, but she remained silent. That was strange in itself; she rarely held back, and she clearly wanted to say something.
"Why do you even care?" This was going to be tough, on him as well, but he had to dissuade her. He had to get her to leave, before she was hurt. "It's not like we're friends. Not really. I'm just some guy that was sent here to kill your grandfather…who got cold feet." It was the first time he'd told her the real reason he'd come to Tokyo…and it was sure to make her hate him.
Instead of the rage he expected, she just sort of…wilted. "I just do." It wasn't her typical tone at all. "I care, okay? I know we fight, just like I know you're a colossal jerk, but...I care. I can't help it, and I don't want you to die. So stop being a moron and come back to the shrine with me!"
Her confession left Rinjirou speechless. Do I…like her? Like like? It was impossible. Sure, Rei had her pleasant moments but she was also rude, abrupt and bossy; jerk seemed to apply to her just as well as it did to him…but the same fire she used to torch him constantly was also one of the traits he admired most about her. The miko was passionate, supportive of her friends, and tenacious; she fought tooth and nail for what she believed in. Her presence here before him now was proof of that.
After a painful swallow, he shook his head. "It's too dangerous for you, Rei. Those Hunters want me dead, and they'll kill anyone who gets in their way. They've already attacked you once!"
"Let me worry about that." The determination was loud and clear in her voice. "I'm not as helpless as you think I am." She had a strange confidence that he didn't understand. "Trust me."
"But-"
She hesitantly reached out, resting her hand on his forearm. "You don't have to keep doing things alone, Rinjirou. Let me help you."
He couldn't do it. He just couldn't. With more effort than he wanted to admit, he pulled his arm free of her grip and turned away. "Come on. I'll escort you back to the shrine."
"Fine," she muttered, with an irritated sigh. "Let's go."
Rinjirou was sure he heard a faint 'jerk' as they began their walk back to Sendai Hill. He felt bad for hurting her feelings, especially after she opened up…but it had to be done. It wasn't safe around him, and the thought of Rei being hurt, or killed? It caused him actual, physical pain for reasons he didn't entirely understand. Damn it. I'm more confused now than ever.
"It's definitely her communicator," Sailor Moon said, inspecting the device carefully. "It doesn't look damaged…so why would she leave it behind?" Would she leave it behind willingly?
The short old man beside her sighed. "Are you asking a rhetorical question, or…?"
"It's not important," she agreed. "Do you have any idea where Rei might go? I get that it's late, but-"
"You'd know better than I would, I'm afraid. She doesn't exactly fill me in on every little facet of her life these days. Or any days."
There was another possible lead. "What about Rinjirou? Where might he go?"
"I know even less about him," the old man admitted. "His armour and weapons are gone, however; that implies he means to use them, or he isn't planning on coming back."
"Do you think…?" Moon paused awkwardly, uncertain whether she should continue or not. "Do you think he could have abducted Rei, or...?"
"No. He has nothing to gain from such an action, and he's not the type of man to act on a whim. I…" He trailed off abruptly and rushed towards the guest room door. "I didn't even notice it!" The diminutive priest knelt to inspect something, then scurried off into the courtyard.
She rushed after him, disliking his sudden shift in demeanour. "What's wrong?"
He dropped to his knees above an unremarkable patch of dirt, placing his palms flat against the soil as he closed his eyes. Sailor Moon had no idea what was wrong, but she had a terrible feeling it wasn't good.
Her fears were confirmed a second later, when he sighed and opened his eyes. "Gods, it's gone. It's really gone!"
"What's gone, Grandpa?"
"The Chaos Sliver I took from the Order," he replied. "I buried it here when I retired, and planted a flower above it to mark the location. In case I ever forgot where it was." His weathered brow grew tight, concerned lines forming in his leathery skin. "And now it's gone."
Moon hugged her elbows as a sudden chill ran down her spine. "You think Rinjirou took it?"
"The flower is in a pot outside his room," he said, as he rose to his feet, "So that seems like the most likely scenario." There was definite fear in his voice now. "If he did take it, then Rei could be in very real danger!"
"But you just finished telling me how he's not that sort of guy!"
"He already has one Chaos Sliver within him!" the old man snapped, uncharacteristically irritable. "If he's exposed to a second source of Chaos, there's no telling what effect it may have on his mind!"
That settled it; Moon was definitely starting to panic. She raised her wrist and put in a call to the rest of the team. "Has anyone spotted Rei yet?" After receiving a steady diet of negatives, she decided to break the bad news. "There's something new, everyone. The Chaos Sliver Grandpa was hiding at the shrine is gone. He believes Rinjirou took it."
"Maybe Rei caught him in the act and tried to stop him?" Justice suggested. "Could he-"
"I find that highly unlikely," Mercury said, with quite a firm tone. "I've spoken to him a little, and he's not the sort to-"
"With all due respect, Sailor Mercury, none of you have any idea what Rinjirou is really like." Titus' familiar voice cut over the top of them all. "My apologies for the interruption, and my late response. I've been…off the grid."
Moon noted his evasive excuse but dismissed it for the moment; they had more pressing concerns. "Do you know something that can help us find Rei or not?"
"Perhaps by proxy. Earlier tonight, I provided Rinjirou with the location of the Order's safe house. If he carried through on his preparations, you'll likely find him there."
"But what about Rei?" she shot back.
Mercury provided a plausible answer. "She may have followed him. I'm not entirely sure what Rei's thinking right now, but she felt bad after they had an argument. If she was worried about him…"
"She may have followed him," Moon agreed. "It's our best lead, anyway. Titus, where's that-" A faint glimmer of light appeared in her peripheral vision; she jerked out of its path on reflex alone, her eyes snapping up again to search for her attacker. A quiet, electronic squeal came from her wrist, and she glanced down to find a small, silver dart embedded in her communicator's screen. Half an inch either way and it would have lodged in her wrist instead!
"So, it's true…" A woman's voice drifted out of the darkness, as cold as ice. "You Sailor Senshi really do have some sort of attachment to this place."
Where is she? The blonde Senshi frantically searched the shrine's perimeter, and finally spotted her; a black mass flitted out of the trees and onto the stone. She wore a hooded robe and a mask Moon had heard described several times before. A Hunter.
Her attacker came to a stop several feet away. "I thought I'd have to burn this shrine to the ground to draw you out. Imagine my surprise at finding you here, waiting for me."
Moon carefully moved to shield Grandpa, well aware her communicator was broken; she was on her own for this one. "What do you want?"
"You and your friends murdered someone very dear to me." The Hunter – or was it Huntress? - drew a katana from beneath her robe and raised it before her. "I'm here for vengeance."
"Murder?!" Moon found the very thought abhorrent. "We haven't murdered anybody!"
"I'm not here for words, Senshi, I'm here for blood. Make peace with whatever gods you worship, for tonight? You die."
AN: Okay, yes, this time it IS a cliffhanger but with this two-parter weighing in at a little under 8,000 words I think it's understandable. With my outline as it stands, there was no other convenient place to end things after this point, so I apologise, but hopefully it's clear I've TRIED to minimise this sort of thing in Order of Black so far.
The focus was largely on Rei and Rinjirou this time around. I'm beginning to realise they're both quite similar in that they use taunts and gruff facades to mask their own pain. Rei has difficulty trusting people and letting them in because of her father, and Rinjirou feels like an outsider wherever he goes. So trying to communicate them opening up a little - reluctantly - was a big part of what I wanted to do here. Fortunately, just like Minako and Corey in late Act II of LGK, they've begun writing themselves a little as I get more comfortable with them as characters. Fingers crossed that continues moving forward.
The other big happening was, of course, Mamoru telling Usagi he wants to remain on break while he sorts himself out. My last AN was perhaps a little harsh towards him; as metalgear pointed out, he didn't break up with Usagi in Sailor Moon R because he was a jerk, but because he was scared. I still don't feel it excuses his behaviour, but I tried to give him a more sympathetic tone here. One of the biggest failures as Sailor Moon went on, IMO, was their relationship - it got stale, and I personally missed the snark of their earlier days. So, my goal was to introduce a different dynamic here after largely making Mamoru a background character through most of LGK. Hopefully, you're finding his story interesting. It's also an opportunity to fill in backstory on the Golden Kingdom without massive exposition dumps.
I've had quite a roll of late - four 'chapters' in a week (two for real). Inspiration struck, and for once I've had the time to make use of it. With that said, my more detailed outline drops off after a couple of big scenes to come...so don't expect the pace to continue, lol. Anyway, enough rambling from me. Thanks for reading and reviewing and, as always, stay tuned for an update soon.
Lisseas