Chapter Two:
"Daijoubu ka, Usagi?" Luna asked worriedly as she met her outside the door of her mother's suite.
The Juuban hospital didn't have the proper facilities to cater to her mother's needs so they were forced to move her to another city hospital. Usagi decided to wait outside and give her father some private time with her mother after ensuring that Chibi Chibi was sleeping peacefully on the other bed beside her mother's.
"Iie, of course I'm not okay!" Usagi snapped at the Lunarian. "Shingo could be hurt out there! Who knows what those bastards are doing to him right now! I will never forgive them!"
"I hope you're not planning to do anything baka or anything like trying to find Shingo yourself." Luna said as she gazed upon the tearstains on her future queen's face.
"And what do you want me to do, Luna?!" she asked angrily. "Sit back and wait at home for those kaiju to call while my brother is suffering under their 'care'?! Experiencing Kami knows what?! I don't think so!"
"But, Usagi, you were never meant to fight humans! You're only purpose in your senshi form is to fight youmas!" Luna protested, her eyes snapping.
"If those people can kidnap children and dangle them in front of their parents' noses then threaten to send their heads to you in a sack then they're no better than youmas! They're worse!" Usagi retorted.
"You could be killed!" Luna blurted out, hoping that her charge's natural fear would pull her back from this dangerous state of mind.
All she received was a warning look from her mistress. "You protest like that now after I gamble with death almost everyday for the last two years because you said I had to and after I've died two times already?! Are you trying to be cute, Luna?!"
"I'm just worried about you—"
"Because my reign as queen is almost near and that this may affect it?!" Silence met her accusation and Usagi smiled bitterly. She turned away from Luna who was still gaping at her. "I need to get some air, Luna. Please take care of Chibi Chibi while I'm gone."
Luna could only stare at her back as she walked away. Her heart breaking over the whole situation but unable to shirk her duties as the queen's advisor. She still had a promise she had to fulfill. A promise she made beside the dying former Queen Serenity. "Gomen nasai, Usagi..."
What should she do? Who is this Takatori person and did he devise this plot to kidnap her otouto to get back at her father? If so then Shingo was in deep trouble.
"Poor kid must be scared stiff by now. I heard that a bunch of kidnap for ransomers are running around and still killing their victims whether or not the parents pay up just for the fun of it or if the child by chance sees their faces." Usagi stiffened at these remarks and took a peek around the corner of the hall to see two of the policemen who took them here indulging themselves in coffee. "I hope he sits still or we may find him hacked into pieces just like what happened to those kids we found near a river last week."
Usagi had to push her fist into her mouth to keep from crying out in panic and despair. In her state, she went inside the nearest room she could find and closed the door behind her. She was met by total darkness so she sobbed her heart out there.
"I'm scared!" she cried. "Shingo! Shingo, where are you?!"
When the worst of her tears died down, she decided to walk to a window from across the room. She tripped on something and fell heavily on the floor creating enough noise to wake up the dead! She uttered an unladylike curse beneath her breath before picking herself up and proceeded to the window. She opened it to gaze out at the quarter moon up in the sky.
What should I do?, she asked herself. Whether or not I listen to Luna, he'll get hurt anyway! O negai... someone tell me what to do...
A beeping sound behind her took her attention and her eyes widened as she gazed upon the still form on the bed. She didn't know that this room was occupied! She blushed profusely but, since there was no movement from the bed and because she was curious, she came closer and found herself staring at a very pretty girl around her age with two beautiful brown braids and a serene look on her face.
"Oh! Gomen nasai for disturbing you, miss!" she apologized.
No response. Funny. After all the commotion she made since she entered this room the girl should have been shouting her down right now. Was she heavily sedated or something?
She glanced at the fancy medical equipment surrounding the girl and decided heavily sedated people didn't need these kinds of modern monitoring equipment. And the girl hadn't even uttered a single sound!
She went around until she reached the foot of the bed and picked up the diagnostics plate that hung there. Her eyes rounded when she read the girl was in a state of coma for a long time now. She glanced at the name above the neat form.
Fujimiya Aya...
She replaced the plate back to it's former position and went back to the girl's side.
"Gomen, I didn't know." She told the girl. She knew that she probably couldn't hear her but felt she was obliged to apologize all the same. Besides, she needed to talk to someone who wouldn't condemn her or try to lecture her. "You see I am so worried about my otouto. He was kidnapped today, you know, and my okaasan was so depressed she fell into a nervous seizure. This is the first time I knew that she has a weak heart. I want to save my otouto myself because I can't bear the thought of anything happening to him. The police are afraid that we won't get him back alive. I'm scared."
Usagi let her fingers brush back the glossy strands of hair from her forehead in an unconscious gesture. "Do you have an otouto, Aya? If so then I bet he would be saving you right this minute if he could." She glanced down at the slumbering angel before noticing a basket of almost dry flowers on the bed's headboard. "I think he's a very sweet brother. My guess is he'd do anything for you. If he can..."
The hand she used to brush back the girl's hair went to the brooch pinned on her chest and her mind felt the power of the Ginzuishou alive and vibrant inside her.
"I can." She whispered, her eyes closed. "I can transform into Sailor Moon and defeat them or at least try to, but it won't be that simple. My friends will chain me to a wall once they find out what I want to do. I have to marry my boyfriend Mamoru in two years and become queen to form Crystal Tokyo and turn this world into an utopia."
Tears shimmered and fell from her sapphire blue eyes and landed on Aya's cheek to slide down on the girl's pillow. Usagi stared at the immobile figure for a moment before a decision came to her. As usual, her heart won over her mind.
She smiled at the sleeping girl. "You're right, Aya. If I don't at least try then I'll never be able to get over the guilt of abandoning my otouto for eternity. I'm going to try and save him! I'll look for those youkai and make them pay!" She leaned down happily and kissed the girl's forehead gently. "Arigato, Aya chan. By the way, my name is Usagi. I'll try to visit you again, ne?"
And with those parting words, she bounced off to return by her mother's side and plan. She didn't notice the faint and brief smile that passed across Aya's face and the brief sudden jump on her life support's monitor...
Aya glared at the usual groupies who were crowding the flower shop. It irritated him no end to see these girls hounding him like so many dreamy eyed puppies! It didn't help that two of his teammates weren't back from their routine yet.
"Oh here, Aya, let me help you with that!"
"I was going to offer first!"
"No, I am! Stay away from my man!"
"WILL YOU ALL STAY AWAY FROM ME?! Can't you see I'm trying to work here?!" he yelled at the bickering girls. God, how can a guy think with all this commotion?! The flower shop was a perfect front for them but it had a hell of a set back. This being the worst.
Instead of backing off they merely shrieked together in that deafening high pitched voices of theirs that almost made him cover his ears! These girls were nothing but grief.
"Oh God! He noticed us!! I can't believe it!"
"Aya, would you go out with me?"
"No, he's going out with me!"
"Lighten up, Aya!" Kudou Yohji called from his place across the store also surrounded by his female 'fan club'. But unlike Aya, Yohji was in his element. He was actually sending Aya a teasing smirk. "If you keep on yelling at them, you'll never get laid!"
He glared at the playboy because of his use of such crude language in public. He hated it more because the crude language was directed at him!
"Shut up, Kudou." He growled at the smirking blonde. "Where the hell are Ken and Omi?!"
The natural playboy combed his honey blond bangs with his slender fingers that made the girls around him shriek. Some even fainted dead away! "Who knows? Maybe they have dates. It's about time those two had girlfriends."
"WHAT?"
"OMI-KUN AND KEN-KUN?!"
"WE WON'T LET THAT HAPPEN!"
"Easy, girls, it's just a thought." Yohji told the girls in that awfully sexy grin of his that pulled the girls' attention back to him. "Besides, if it were the truth, you'd still have me, right?"
"OH YES!"
"DEFINITELY, YOHJI-KUN!"
Yohji smirked again in response and Aya scowled deeper and gazed outside the shop hoping to get a glimpse of Ken and Omi so he can retreat to the peace and quiet of the inventory room even for a while. That was when he saw her. She was staring at the flowers from outside through the glass with a thoughtful look on her face as though trying to decide if she was going to buy something or not.
Aya was not much for noticing females. All four of them considered that Yohji's job and what he cared about was money. But there was something about those shining sapphire eyes that couldn't make him look away. It had him staring at her until she decided to brave the whole crowd of girls, not to gawk at them like everybody else, but to pick up two baskets of flowers.
A muscle in his jaw jumped as he realized that the girl was walking towards the counter and was in danger of losing hold of her choices. He cursed inwardly and walked over to her all the while asking himself what the hell was wrong with him.
Usagi finally got out of the hospital without Luna dogging her—pun intended— everywhere she went. It seemed her guardian cat was determined to hold her back but she's already made her decision. Once she was out of sight she took pains in covering her tracks in the hopes she could confuse her senshi just in case Luna sent out a search party for her.
She wanted to find as much information about Shingo's kidnappers as possible and in order to do that, she had to scout the area and collect some information. So far she's managed to know where the dead bodies of some of the children were found which was very resourceful for her. She actually had the common sense to acquire a map. After all, this wasn't the Juuban district anymore. It was then that she found the over crowded flower shop.
I wonder what's getting everyone excited there? It couldn't be because of the flowers. She thought as she walked over the small shop. It was too crowded to see inside so she decided to move on but it was then that she noticed the mock orange blossoms decorating a small, neat basket. It was her mother's favorite flower!
Well I haven't exactly told anyone where I was going. I guess I should at least send her some of these and a card so she wouldn't worry. She glanced at the other baskets and a particular bouquet suddenly caught her attention. And I'll get some of those daisies and cornflowers for Aya chan as well.
With those thoughts in mind, she elbowed her way through the shop. "Excuse me? Just coming through."
"Hey! I was here first!" complained one of the girls she managed to squeeze past.
"Gomen!" Usagi apologized. Now I know what toothpaste feels like.
After half a dozen 'I'm sorries' she finally reached the basket of flowers she was aiming for and frantically scooped one of each kind before proceeding to the counter area. It was like wading through an army of over affectionate Doberman puppies. She had to raise her arms over her head to protect her choices from being crushed. She was startled when someone grabbed the baskets away from her. She looked up to see a gorgeous red head with cold, indifferent violet eyes, scowling heavily at her.
"You gonna take these or are you just asking the price?" he growled at her with that steely hard voice that made her want to back away and run for cover.
She winced slightly before grinning nervously at him. "I'm buying both of them, arigato. Do you do deliveries by the way?"
"Hai." Was all the response he gave her.
"Oh good!" She managed to pull out a pen from her pocket and grabbed some of the small cards available on the counters but couldn't find a place to write on.
"Hey, what do we have here?" a smooth masculine voice suddenly spoke beside her. Usagi almost gaped at the sight of the delicious piece of eye candy grinning roguishly at her. Good thing she had enough of Mamoru and how it is with men and those grins to last her a lifetime. With Seiya adding to the list, it was really starting to get flatteringly annoying. "You're kind of new here, I haven't seen you before today. What's your name, sweetie?"
Yohji knew from first sight that the girl didn't reach his age requirement for women who can catch his interest but he never can resist a beautiful face. He was a great admirer of people who were well put together and he knew pure perfection when he saw one. And right now, he was staring at a fair imitation of the word.
She smiled sweetly up at him. She really didn't have time for this. "None of your business." An idea popped into her head all of a sudden. "But if you turn around for a second, I might tell you."
"Hey who does she think she is talking to Yohji-san like that?!" growled a feminine voice at the background followed by other jealous wails.
But Yohji ignored them and focused all his attention on the blond beauty before him with all the artfulness of a skilled playboy even if he was a bit confused about her request. "Sure, anything for you, sweetie."
Once he gave her his back, Usagi quickly placed the pad on him and wrote the address of the hospital quickly as well as her brief message before dropping each one to their respective baskets. "Here's the address to the hospital. You can ask one of the nurses to deliver them for you since I've written the room numbers outside the cards."
"Fine." Aya replied in his usual ice block monotone. He didn't like the way Yohji was staring at the newcomer.
"Hey no fair! You just used me as a table!" Yohji complained teasingly.
Usagi couldn't help a smile before whispering to the two. "How do you stand all this? Don't you guys feel like a couple of endangered animals in a zoo with all these girls gawking at you?"
Yohji grinned. "If you think this is bad wait till you see all four of us being mauled by a bigger throng!"
Usagi winced. "You mean there's more of them?"
At her shudder, Yohji chuckled. "You better believe it." Damn but she's kawaii.
Aya was collecting change for their pretty blond customer when he heard something from the t.v. that caught his interest. He suddenly increased the television's volume until it managed to drown out all sounds.
"Daijoubu ka, Usagi?" Luna asked worriedly as she met her outside the door of her mother's suite.
The Juuban hospital didn't have the proper facilities to cater to her mother's needs so they were forced to move her to another city hospital. Usagi decided to wait outside and give her father some private time with her mother after ensuring that Chibi Chibi was sleeping peacefully on the other bed beside her mother's.
"Iie, of course I'm not okay!" Usagi snapped at the Lunarian. "Shingo could be hurt out there! Who knows what those bastards are doing to him right now! I will never forgive them!"
"I hope you're not planning to do anything baka or anything like trying to find Shingo yourself." Luna said as she gazed upon the tearstains on her future queen's face.
"And what do you want me to do, Luna?!" she asked angrily. "Sit back and wait at home for those kaiju to call while my brother is suffering under their 'care'?! Experiencing Kami knows what?! I don't think so!"
"But, Usagi, you were never meant to fight humans! You're only purpose in your senshi form is to fight youmas!" Luna protested, her eyes snapping.
"If those people can kidnap children and dangle them in front of their parents' noses then threaten to send their heads to you in a sack then they're no better than youmas! They're worse!" Usagi retorted.
"You could be killed!" Luna blurted out, hoping that her charge's natural fear would pull her back from this dangerous state of mind.
All she received was a warning look from her mistress. "You protest like that now after I gamble with death almost everyday for the last two years because you said I had to and after I've died two times already?! Are you trying to be cute, Luna?!"
"I'm just worried about you—"
"Because my reign as queen is almost near and that this may affect it?!" Silence met her accusation and Usagi smiled bitterly. She turned away from Luna who was still gaping at her. "I need to get some air, Luna. Please take care of Chibi Chibi while I'm gone."
Luna could only stare at her back as she walked away. Her heart breaking over the whole situation but unable to shirk her duties as the queen's advisor. She still had a promise she had to fulfill. A promise she made beside the dying former Queen Serenity. "Gomen nasai, Usagi..."
What should she do? Who is this Takatori person and did he devise this plot to kidnap her otouto to get back at her father? If so then Shingo was in deep trouble.
"Poor kid must be scared stiff by now. I heard that a bunch of kidnap for ransomers are running around and still killing their victims whether or not the parents pay up just for the fun of it or if the child by chance sees their faces." Usagi stiffened at these remarks and took a peek around the corner of the hall to see two of the policemen who took them here indulging themselves in coffee. "I hope he sits still or we may find him hacked into pieces just like what happened to those kids we found near a river last week."
Usagi had to push her fist into her mouth to keep from crying out in panic and despair. In her state, she went inside the nearest room she could find and closed the door behind her. She was met by total darkness so she sobbed her heart out there.
"I'm scared!" she cried. "Shingo! Shingo, where are you?!"
When the worst of her tears died down, she decided to walk to a window from across the room. She tripped on something and fell heavily on the floor creating enough noise to wake up the dead! She uttered an unladylike curse beneath her breath before picking herself up and proceeded to the window. She opened it to gaze out at the quarter moon up in the sky.
What should I do?, she asked herself. Whether or not I listen to Luna, he'll get hurt anyway! O negai... someone tell me what to do...
A beeping sound behind her took her attention and her eyes widened as she gazed upon the still form on the bed. She didn't know that this room was occupied! She blushed profusely but, since there was no movement from the bed and because she was curious, she came closer and found herself staring at a very pretty girl around her age with two beautiful brown braids and a serene look on her face.
"Oh! Gomen nasai for disturbing you, miss!" she apologized.
No response. Funny. After all the commotion she made since she entered this room the girl should have been shouting her down right now. Was she heavily sedated or something?
She glanced at the fancy medical equipment surrounding the girl and decided heavily sedated people didn't need these kinds of modern monitoring equipment. And the girl hadn't even uttered a single sound!
She went around until she reached the foot of the bed and picked up the diagnostics plate that hung there. Her eyes rounded when she read the girl was in a state of coma for a long time now. She glanced at the name above the neat form.
Fujimiya Aya...
She replaced the plate back to it's former position and went back to the girl's side.
"Gomen, I didn't know." She told the girl. She knew that she probably couldn't hear her but felt she was obliged to apologize all the same. Besides, she needed to talk to someone who wouldn't condemn her or try to lecture her. "You see I am so worried about my otouto. He was kidnapped today, you know, and my okaasan was so depressed she fell into a nervous seizure. This is the first time I knew that she has a weak heart. I want to save my otouto myself because I can't bear the thought of anything happening to him. The police are afraid that we won't get him back alive. I'm scared."
Usagi let her fingers brush back the glossy strands of hair from her forehead in an unconscious gesture. "Do you have an otouto, Aya? If so then I bet he would be saving you right this minute if he could." She glanced down at the slumbering angel before noticing a basket of almost dry flowers on the bed's headboard. "I think he's a very sweet brother. My guess is he'd do anything for you. If he can..."
The hand she used to brush back the girl's hair went to the brooch pinned on her chest and her mind felt the power of the Ginzuishou alive and vibrant inside her.
"I can." She whispered, her eyes closed. "I can transform into Sailor Moon and defeat them or at least try to, but it won't be that simple. My friends will chain me to a wall once they find out what I want to do. I have to marry my boyfriend Mamoru in two years and become queen to form Crystal Tokyo and turn this world into an utopia."
Tears shimmered and fell from her sapphire blue eyes and landed on Aya's cheek to slide down on the girl's pillow. Usagi stared at the immobile figure for a moment before a decision came to her. As usual, her heart won over her mind.
She smiled at the sleeping girl. "You're right, Aya. If I don't at least try then I'll never be able to get over the guilt of abandoning my otouto for eternity. I'm going to try and save him! I'll look for those youkai and make them pay!" She leaned down happily and kissed the girl's forehead gently. "Arigato, Aya chan. By the way, my name is Usagi. I'll try to visit you again, ne?"
And with those parting words, she bounced off to return by her mother's side and plan. She didn't notice the faint and brief smile that passed across Aya's face and the brief sudden jump on her life support's monitor...
Aya glared at the usual groupies who were crowding the flower shop. It irritated him no end to see these girls hounding him like so many dreamy eyed puppies! It didn't help that two of his teammates weren't back from their routine yet.
"Oh here, Aya, let me help you with that!"
"I was going to offer first!"
"No, I am! Stay away from my man!"
"WILL YOU ALL STAY AWAY FROM ME?! Can't you see I'm trying to work here?!" he yelled at the bickering girls. God, how can a guy think with all this commotion?! The flower shop was a perfect front for them but it had a hell of a set back. This being the worst.
Instead of backing off they merely shrieked together in that deafening high pitched voices of theirs that almost made him cover his ears! These girls were nothing but grief.
"Oh God! He noticed us!! I can't believe it!"
"Aya, would you go out with me?"
"No, he's going out with me!"
"Lighten up, Aya!" Kudou Yohji called from his place across the store also surrounded by his female 'fan club'. But unlike Aya, Yohji was in his element. He was actually sending Aya a teasing smirk. "If you keep on yelling at them, you'll never get laid!"
He glared at the playboy because of his use of such crude language in public. He hated it more because the crude language was directed at him!
"Shut up, Kudou." He growled at the smirking blonde. "Where the hell are Ken and Omi?!"
The natural playboy combed his honey blond bangs with his slender fingers that made the girls around him shriek. Some even fainted dead away! "Who knows? Maybe they have dates. It's about time those two had girlfriends."
"WHAT?"
"OMI-KUN AND KEN-KUN?!"
"WE WON'T LET THAT HAPPEN!"
"Easy, girls, it's just a thought." Yohji told the girls in that awfully sexy grin of his that pulled the girls' attention back to him. "Besides, if it were the truth, you'd still have me, right?"
"OH YES!"
"DEFINITELY, YOHJI-KUN!"
Yohji smirked again in response and Aya scowled deeper and gazed outside the shop hoping to get a glimpse of Ken and Omi so he can retreat to the peace and quiet of the inventory room even for a while. That was when he saw her. She was staring at the flowers from outside through the glass with a thoughtful look on her face as though trying to decide if she was going to buy something or not.
Aya was not much for noticing females. All four of them considered that Yohji's job and what he cared about was money. But there was something about those shining sapphire eyes that couldn't make him look away. It had him staring at her until she decided to brave the whole crowd of girls, not to gawk at them like everybody else, but to pick up two baskets of flowers.
A muscle in his jaw jumped as he realized that the girl was walking towards the counter and was in danger of losing hold of her choices. He cursed inwardly and walked over to her all the while asking himself what the hell was wrong with him.
Usagi finally got out of the hospital without Luna dogging her—pun intended— everywhere she went. It seemed her guardian cat was determined to hold her back but she's already made her decision. Once she was out of sight she took pains in covering her tracks in the hopes she could confuse her senshi just in case Luna sent out a search party for her.
She wanted to find as much information about Shingo's kidnappers as possible and in order to do that, she had to scout the area and collect some information. So far she's managed to know where the dead bodies of some of the children were found which was very resourceful for her. She actually had the common sense to acquire a map. After all, this wasn't the Juuban district anymore. It was then that she found the over crowded flower shop.
I wonder what's getting everyone excited there? It couldn't be because of the flowers. She thought as she walked over the small shop. It was too crowded to see inside so she decided to move on but it was then that she noticed the mock orange blossoms decorating a small, neat basket. It was her mother's favorite flower!
Well I haven't exactly told anyone where I was going. I guess I should at least send her some of these and a card so she wouldn't worry. She glanced at the other baskets and a particular bouquet suddenly caught her attention. And I'll get some of those daisies and cornflowers for Aya chan as well.
With those thoughts in mind, she elbowed her way through the shop. "Excuse me? Just coming through."
"Hey! I was here first!" complained one of the girls she managed to squeeze past.
"Gomen!" Usagi apologized. Now I know what toothpaste feels like.
After half a dozen 'I'm sorries' she finally reached the basket of flowers she was aiming for and frantically scooped one of each kind before proceeding to the counter area. It was like wading through an army of over affectionate Doberman puppies. She had to raise her arms over her head to protect her choices from being crushed. She was startled when someone grabbed the baskets away from her. She looked up to see a gorgeous red head with cold, indifferent violet eyes, scowling heavily at her.
"You gonna take these or are you just asking the price?" he growled at her with that steely hard voice that made her want to back away and run for cover.
She winced slightly before grinning nervously at him. "I'm buying both of them, arigato. Do you do deliveries by the way?"
"Hai." Was all the response he gave her.
"Oh good!" She managed to pull out a pen from her pocket and grabbed some of the small cards available on the counters but couldn't find a place to write on.
"Hey, what do we have here?" a smooth masculine voice suddenly spoke beside her. Usagi almost gaped at the sight of the delicious piece of eye candy grinning roguishly at her. Good thing she had enough of Mamoru and how it is with men and those grins to last her a lifetime. With Seiya adding to the list, it was really starting to get flatteringly annoying. "You're kind of new here, I haven't seen you before today. What's your name, sweetie?"
Yohji knew from first sight that the girl didn't reach his age requirement for women who can catch his interest but he never can resist a beautiful face. He was a great admirer of people who were well put together and he knew pure perfection when he saw one. And right now, he was staring at a fair imitation of the word.
She smiled sweetly up at him. She really didn't have time for this. "None of your business." An idea popped into her head all of a sudden. "But if you turn around for a second, I might tell you."
"Hey who does she think she is talking to Yohji-san like that?!" growled a feminine voice at the background followed by other jealous wails.
But Yohji ignored them and focused all his attention on the blond beauty before him with all the artfulness of a skilled playboy even if he was a bit confused about her request. "Sure, anything for you, sweetie."
Once he gave her his back, Usagi quickly placed the pad on him and wrote the address of the hospital quickly as well as her brief message before dropping each one to their respective baskets. "Here's the address to the hospital. You can ask one of the nurses to deliver them for you since I've written the room numbers outside the cards."
"Fine." Aya replied in his usual ice block monotone. He didn't like the way Yohji was staring at the newcomer.
"Hey no fair! You just used me as a table!" Yohji complained teasingly.
Usagi couldn't help a smile before whispering to the two. "How do you stand all this? Don't you guys feel like a couple of endangered animals in a zoo with all these girls gawking at you?"
Yohji grinned. "If you think this is bad wait till you see all four of us being mauled by a bigger throng!"
Usagi winced. "You mean there's more of them?"
At her shudder, Yohji chuckled. "You better believe it." Damn but she's kawaii.
Aya was collecting change for their pretty blond customer when he heard something from the t.v. that caught his interest. He suddenly increased the television's volume until it managed to drown out all sounds.