Chapter Six:
An orange eyebrow raised at the sight of a slightly amused looking Nagi who was sitting in front of the computer. He'd never known the youngest member of his team to crack an almost smile yet. It was strange.
"What's gotten you tickled all of a sudden?" he asked.
Solemn blue eyes looked up at him. "Nothing. Just a hacker trying to get into our database. He succeeded too. Whoever it was sure had a lot of talent to bypass all the security programs I made. If I weren't here then he may have had access to our files."
Both orange eyebrows now raised at the words the young man spoke. He knew no one can ever get past Nagi's defense systems. The kid was legend! The thought of another person bypassing his security codes was a bit alarming and amusing indeed. "So what? There's nothing in that file but names. They won't find anything interesting about us there. The database you should be guarding should be Est Sueto's."
"We can't have anyone knowing anything about us. It's enough that we appear behind Takatori-sama on occasion. Crawford's orders. Which reminds me, shouldn't you be off taking those pictures Takatori-sama wanted?" answered a slightly irritated Nagi.
The orange haired man smirked. "Don't worry, I'm working on it. 'S matter of fact, Farf and I'm going to pay them a little visit right this minute. Knowing him, well... I can't promise anyone being alive after his little social call so I decided to come along. The dead can't talk so I have to keep him alive long enough to tell us where the pictures are."
Nagi frowned. "What do you think will happen to that kid? You know? Tsukino's son?"
Schuldich snorted. "Why should we care? We didn't take him. All we're ordered to do was to take those pictures. And that's what were gonna do."
The telepath wished he could pry into the kid's head. It could be very entertaining to know what the kid's thinking. Unfortunately, the kid's a telekinetic and was trained to seal off his mind against his mind reading and mind control abilities. Nagi would give him one hell of a fight before he can delve into his head so he had to content himself with the expression on the boy's face... and smirked as he saw a trace of concern.
"Better leave it alone, chibi, you can't do anything about it and Crawford wouldn't like it if you interfere."
Nagi looked away to hide his face from his mocking teammate. Trying hard to quash his unusual concern for the boy he mentioned.
"Finally. Last stop. Juuban." Ken muttered as he sped through the streets with the last bouquet of flowers.
After three trips from and to the flower shop because of some additional orders he could finally call it a day and he was dead tired but he remained thoughtful for the whole day. Maybe after this last delivery he could finally try to do something about his thoughts and do some action. After a whole day of thinking his heart finally won the battle. He would never sleep again until he found Shingo though he knew he had to brace himself. There was no recommending that he'll find the boy alive no matter what Usagi wanted to believe. One thing he knew in this world. Nothing is for certain.
Ken was nearing the house he was supposed to make the delivery when he saw a familiar blond head entering the front gate. He stopped and stared like a brainless stump in surprise.
Usagi...
He then narrowed his eyes as danger made itself felt to him. Strange but the hairs at the back of his neck were tingling like crazy and he'd been an assassin long enough not to ignore these kind of feelings. He got off the scooter and started for the back of the house Usagi entered.
Usagi didn't know what was wrong but she could feel it as she entered the house. It was a tingling behind her neck kind of when she can feel a youma nearby but this was different. It felt... tangible. With youmas, her magic picks up the danger while now, it was her mortal senses that were warning her.
"Chibi Chibi?" she called. "Tousan?!"
"Usagi! Run!"
Usagi gasped and turned towards the kitchen where she saw her father tied to a chair and held by a familiar white haired man at knife point. "Tousan!"
"What's this?" the white haired man asked as he turned to her. Usagi recoiled at the apparent madness she saw in his single crazed golden eye added by the great number of scars all over his face and what she could see of his arms. "Another angel sent from heaven to try and hurt me?"
Trembling, Usagi backed away from the man and bumped into a very hard, very human, wall. Her suspicion was confirmed by a pair of hands that settled on her shoulders.
"Well, well, well... what do we have here?" an accented voice whispered in her ear.
Usagi swallowed a shriek and turned abruptly at the speaker. She saw a familiar tall, orange haired man smirking at her. With eyes of a cold slate blue that had her shivering in her own skin.
She saw them, albeit briefly on Ami's computer before the laptop short circuited! Takatori Reiji's bodyguards!
The white haired man sniffed the air around the girl appreciatively before growling a whisper, "I smell fear..."
"And so it is." The orange haired one agreed. His smile still mocking. "So you're Tsukino's daughter. How convenient."
"Leave my musume out of this! Let her go!" Kenji shouted.
Usagi forgot about the threats in her life when she saw her bleeding father. She ran to him and stood before him, her brilliant sapphire blue eyes darkening to cobalt when she saw the blood oozing from different cuts on his body. Rage, pure and raw coursed through her veins.
"What have you done to him?!" she demanded as she turned to face the two strangers.
"Easy there, Fraüline, we're just here to take what's ours. You see, we need those pictures he took of Takatori." The tall gaijin said, his stance unrepentant.
Usagi's eyes narrowed at them as she took her place in front of her father. If need be she will fight them! She won't let these people hurt her father anymore than they've already done! "So you were the ones who kidnapped Shingo! You told us that you'll bring him back if we give you the pictures! Where's my otouto?!"
The tall man frowned at her as something seemed to trouble him. Usagi wondered what it was. Then he said, "But we didn't take you're brother, Fraüline."
The surprise in the slender girl's eyes was plain. "What?! But if you're working for Takatori and you didn't take him then who took my brother?!"
"Takatori has a lot of enemies, and allies. It could be anyone." The orange haired man said now scowling heavily as he seemed to narrow his eyes more fully on her.
Usagi clenched her fists. "And I think you're lying!"
The man shrugged and raised his hands in supplication. "I may be a killer, Fraüline, but I'm definitely no liar."
"No? Then maybe you're lying to me even now. Where's Shingo?!" she again demanded.
"I don't know. All we're interested in are the pictures. We've already asked your father." The orange haired man frowned deeper. "But I'm afraid he's a great liar. He wouldn't tell me where he hid them. I thought he hid them in one of your mother's cupboards but there's nothing there. So, it's either he's lying or someone took them out of his hiding place and hid it away. What do you say, tenshi? Do you know anything about this?"
"I don't know anything!" Usagi shot back coldly, aware of the looks the white haired man was turning on her as he looked back and forth from her to his companion. It made her skin crawl! Deep inside she felt that these people were able to do anything they wished and, unless she transformed or got help, there was nothing much she could do about it. "And even if I did know something why should I tell you?"
"Usagi!!!"
Usagi looked up at the sound of her name. The voice seemed familiar but she couldn't remember where she heard it.
"Another visitor." The white haired man whispered in glee as he licked the blade of his knife.
Orange hair scowled at him then at Usagi. "It's just Siberian. We have to get out of here. We mustn't be seen."
The tall man raised his hand, his palm facing her and narrowed his eyes in her direction. Usagi was first confused but it was suddenly replaced by surprise when a wave of what seemed to be very painful memories and bad thoughts assailed her. It was like being in a nightmare and she felt the pain being inflicted in the thoughts as though they were real physical blows! She screamed in agony! The next thing she knew... she was facing darkness...
"Omi?! Yohji?! Open the door, quick!" Ken called from the back door of the flower shop while maintaining a gentle hold on the precious bundle in his arms.
The door opened but neither one of the teammates he called for faced him. Instead, a scowling red head met him at the door.
"You're late." He then took notice of the same blond girl who was tramping around in his thoughts for days now and frowned deeper as he stepped aside to let the younger man in. "What happened?"
"Later!" Ken snapped and the surprised red head had no other choice but to follow the soccer athlete up in his room and watch as he laid Usagi on his bed before ordering, "Tell Yohji and Omi to close up shop. Now. We have to talk about this, Aya."
Aya was about to snap out a refusal but the intense concern and anger on his teammate's face, along with his alarm for the girl's welfare himself, forced him to follow instructions silently. Yohji and Omi were both running ahead of him fifteen minutes later, both wearing concerned and disbelieving faces when they caught sight of the blond beauty on Ken's bed now comfortably settled under his blankets.
"Now can you tell us what happened?" Aya demanded testily. He didn't want to study the wave of bitterness and annoyance he felt when he saw Ken carrying the girl. It wasn't his business after all. His concern was solely towards what this could mean to their lives and his plans.
"Is she hurt?" Omi whispered. His eyes revealing his concern.
"Who did this to her?!" Yohji growled in a spurt of uncharacteristic anger which made Aya's frown deepen.
Ken spared them a glance before resting his eyes on Usagi again. "I think the same guys who kidnapped her brother were in their house today."
"Just what were you doing hanging out at her house?!" Yohji snapped before he caught himself. Damn, this was really getting to him. He'd better cool off for a minute.
"I didn't know the last house I was supposed to place the last delivery was her address! I just saw her there and I sensed something was wrong. I went in through one of their windows but all I saw was her father bleeding and tied to a chair and her lying unconscious on the floor. I called an ambulance for her father and I decided to take her with me. Whoever was there was a real professional. There were no signs of breaking or entering except her father's predicament." Ken narrated testily, his brows knotted.
He'll never get over the fear he felt when he saw Usagi lying on the floor all still and motionless. He almost panicked when he saw all the blood and then he calmed down when he saw that the blood all came from her father though he felt a bit guilty about that. Only three words kept on repeating in his mind.
She can't die...
"What did they do to her?" Omi asked softly. Afraid of disturbing the sleeping angel and do her more harm. He wanted to get closer but the tension around the room forbade him to do so.
"I don't know. I didn't see any bleeding. Maybe she just fainted after she saw her father bleeding all over." Ken answered the younger boy.
"But that doesn't make sense." Omi protested. "She saw us with those kidnappers and that scene was far more worse than her father's by your description itself and yet she didn't faint then."
Ken silently agreed but what was he to say? He couldn't offer any other explanations about Usagi's unconsciousness! He was only grateful that she was alive! And, despite her unconscious state, relatively unharmed!
"Why here?"
Everyone turned to the cold eyed red head.
"Nani?" Ken asked as he stared, puzzled at his teammate's question.
"I said why here, Ken? You could have left her behind for the ambulance to pick her up too. Why take her here instead?" Aya elaborated.
Ken felt uncomfortable. He really wasn't prepared for the question. In fact, while he was driving back here with her, the only thing that seemed to occupy his mind was that he had to keep her safe. It was a terrible habit of his. Acting before thinking.
"I just figured she'd be safer. With us." Ken muttered.
"We're assassins, Kenken, not baby sitters. Do you really think she'd feel safe with us? Do you really think she'd be safe with us? What makes you think we can protect her, anyway?" Yohji asked Ken sarcastically, gaining full control over his emotions now.
Personally Yohji thought Ken made a wise decision. He'd do it himself if they traded places. But he was afraid that he'll show off more than what he was planning to feel about this girl and he didn't like it. This girl had a capital T for trouble marked all over her cute little face.
"Shut up, Yohji! We don't have a reason to hurt her. Sure we're murderers but we're not psycho serial killers. At least not yet!" Ken reached out to smoothen Usagi's feather soft blond bangs away from her face, a grim, determined expression on his handsome face making two of his teammates glower at him. "I'll protect her. No matter what happens. I'll protect Usagi..."
"Nani...?" Usagi took a look around the darkness. Confusion alighting her delicate face. "Where am I?"
She noticed that she was in her princess form right then. It made her giggle and twirl in delight. It felt good to wear her gown again. It was a relic from a past she can never repeat or achieve again except in memories. Usagi then looked around and saw what seemed to be a gateway surrounded by mist. Beyond the gate was the structure of the moon palace of the once glorious Silver Millennium viewed from her favorite prairie. As she watched, the prairie seemed to come closer to her until it surrounded her. Surrounding her in flowers found only on the moon at that time.
"Home..." she whispered wistfully.
"Welcome, musume..." a soft voice greeted her from the mists.
Usagi turned swiftly and smiled when she saw a familiar goddess-like figure smiling back at her. "Okaasan!"
"It's been a long time, my daughter. I see you are looking fit."
Usagi pouted. "If you're here to try and convince me to abandon my plans..."
The former queen sighed at her daughter's act of belligerence. "Musume, we don't have much time. I took you here to warn you of a great danger."
"Danger? What danger?" Usagi asked immediately. The alarm she felt when she entered her house and met those two men came back to her and the memory of her father burst through her brain like lightning. "Tousan! What happened to my tousan?! Is he safe?!"
Queen Serenity nodded gracefully. "Hai, Serenity. He was taken to the hospital immediately after someone called the authorities. He is safe. For now."
Usagi released a breath of relief. "That is good."
"However, the danger is just beginning for you, hime." The queen told her. "There are some humans who have the unusual ability to use their minds as they see fit. To harm and to help. They can enter your mind without your knowledge or see the future. As princess of the White Moon and my heir you have the natural ability to shield yourself from such intrusions of the mortal mind. Especially now that you have been acknowledged as the next queen and you control the power of the Ginzuishou. But they can still hurt you. In more ways than one. You must be prepared."
"Who are you talking about, okaasan?" Usagi asked. Confused.
Her mother smiled faintly. "I cannot say for if I do, I will alter the course of time. You must find out for yourself, musume. Are you still determined to pursue your Earth brother?"
Determination shone in Usagi's eyes. "Hai."
Queen Serenity nodded with a grave smile. "You always have been stubborn. Very well. But I warn you, hime. Be prepared. The decision you will make shall leave a permanent mark on the timelines. You now hold the key to a perfect world."
Usagi gave her mother a confused look. "Demo... aren't you going to say something to keep me from doing what I want?"
The queen's solemn face softened a little. "Believe me, musume, I want to. Demo I don't want you to think that I and the senshi are forcing you to do this. A perfect world cannot be possible if the ruler has so many regrets. I will not meddle in your affairs but it is my duty to warn you of any possibilities that may happen in the future and make you decide whether or not you will choose the path laid before you because I care about what happens to you. That way, whatever you decide, you will know no regrets. For now, all I can do is protect you, any way I can."
The graceful queen walked towards her daughter until she stood directly in front of Usagi at arms length distance. She then held her forefinger towards the royal crescent moon symbol on her daughter's forehead and the symbol started to glow a bright silver.
Queen Serenity smiled amidst the bright light overwhelming everything around them. As the light shone brighter, so did her figure slowly disappear. But not before her whisper echoed through Usagi's thoughts like a warm blanket of love.
"Ai shiteru... my beloved chibi-hime..."
The darkness and mist that surrounded the dream dissipated as Usagi woke up. She was puzzled at the words her mother left with her. It made her wonder whether or not what she was doing was really right. But her mother was accurate nonetheless. If she didn't do this now she can never live with the regret.
Usagi opened her eyes only to find herself in an unfamiliar room with the drapes drawn down and four familiar male faces staring at her.
"Oh good, you're awake! You had us worried there for a while, Tsukino-san." The familiar sandy haired boy gushed as he stood up from a chair he was straddling.
Usagi uttered a small squeak then sat up with the covers up to her chin. She was on an unknown bed surrounded by guys! Can anything be more mortifying than this?!
"Minna-san? What am I doing here? Where am I?" she asked in a muffled voice after a while, not quite capable of hiding the bright red flush on her face.
"I brought you here after I found you unconscious at your house. This is where we live." Ken answered gulping down an unfamiliar bout of nervousness. He didn't know quite how to act around this girl despite his earlier vow. He wasn't exactly used to dealing with women in a vulnerable state. Hell, he wasn't used to dealing with a woman, period!
"Hideka-san?!" Usagi exclaimed disbelievingly.
The athlete smiled a little at the look she gave him. "Call me Ken, o- negai. By the way, this is Aya, Yohji and Omi."
Aya? How funny. Isn't that a girl's name? Usagi thought. He has the same name as her Aya-chan.
Usagi nodded at the three lowering the sheet an inch or two. "Konnichi wa. Watashiwa Usagi. I'm pleased to meet you demo... what happened?"
"That's what we would like to know, sweetie." Yohji replied silkily, smirking at the deepening blush on her cheeks. Privately, he wondered how red she could go.
Flashes of the images that assailed her when that man held his hand out to her came back and Usagi clutched her temples in an attempt to blot out the pain. Fortunately for her, they went promptly away.
"Daijobou desu ka?" Yohji asked in concern. Did he say something wrong?
"A couple of men came to the house. I saw one of them holding a knife at tousan. One of them said they were looking for tousan's pictures. I assume it was the photographs." She said, smiling faintly at him. Then, realizing she spoke of her father, Usagi suddenly flung the sheet away and tried to stand on her feet. "Tousan! Oh no, he was bleeding! I have to see him!"
She failed to stand however because of the intense pain that threatened to split her skull in two. Usagi started to fall but a pair of strong hands and a hard, wide chest prevented further injury. She looked up and saw herself staring at the same relentlessly cold amethyst eyes she remembered so well.
"Did they get it?" he asked coldly.
"N- nani?" Usagi stammered as she was held immobile in his hold. Feeling restless at his touch.
"The pictures." He elaborated.
Usagi pushed away and Aya reluctantly let her go. "Iie. At least, I don't think so. He said something about the films not being where tousan kept them so they were asking me about it. The next thing I knew, someone was calling my name and then... I felt this pain in my head. It's really hard to explain."
"Where are the pictures now?" Aya continued relentlessly.
"I don't know." She replied.
"Liar!"
"Yamete, Aya!" Ken growled as he stepped in front of Usagi. He sent his red haired teammate a pleading look.
"She's not fit to be questioned yet, Aya-kun! O-negai, leave her be!" Omi pleaded but his eyes held a bit of speculation within the concern. Was she lying? He hoped not. No one with eyes that clear and honest can tell a lie. He can feel it somehow though he didn't know how to explain it.
Her words, the words she said to those two women who took her away stayed with him all throughout his waking hours. Was she right?
A life is as important as a million? How can it be a perfect world otherwise? But the world wasn't perfect! You were either bad or good!
It's always been like this, that's why he followed Persia's orders. What he was doing was making a 'perfect' world all on his own! So why did her philosophy bother him so much?
Usagi didn't know it but the hurt that flashed across her jewel blue eyes pierced a deep cut in Aya's heart. It was disturbing, the way she seemed to effortlessly affect him like this. It was as if, a force surrounded her that made anyone trying to hurt her feel the pain himself. A hundredfold!
"It's the truth, you know. I really don't know." Usagi said softly after a while. "I just came home to get some rest after I sat with my mother at the hospital today when I saw... them. My father didn't want me to know anything else about the pictures except for their existence because he didn't want to put me in danger as well."
"Usagi-san!?!"
Everyone turned to the doorway and saw a beautiful red head standing hand on hip at the doorway with a surprised look on her usually confident face.
"Manx-san?!" Usagi gasped when she saw the woman. She could count the number of times she'd seen this woman on one hand and still have two fingers left! "What are you doing here?!"
"I should be asking you the same thing." Manx said then letting her face be shuttered off when she noticed the guys looking on before smiling a bit. "I think we need to talk, Usagi-san. In private."
An orange eyebrow raised at the sight of a slightly amused looking Nagi who was sitting in front of the computer. He'd never known the youngest member of his team to crack an almost smile yet. It was strange.
"What's gotten you tickled all of a sudden?" he asked.
Solemn blue eyes looked up at him. "Nothing. Just a hacker trying to get into our database. He succeeded too. Whoever it was sure had a lot of talent to bypass all the security programs I made. If I weren't here then he may have had access to our files."
Both orange eyebrows now raised at the words the young man spoke. He knew no one can ever get past Nagi's defense systems. The kid was legend! The thought of another person bypassing his security codes was a bit alarming and amusing indeed. "So what? There's nothing in that file but names. They won't find anything interesting about us there. The database you should be guarding should be Est Sueto's."
"We can't have anyone knowing anything about us. It's enough that we appear behind Takatori-sama on occasion. Crawford's orders. Which reminds me, shouldn't you be off taking those pictures Takatori-sama wanted?" answered a slightly irritated Nagi.
The orange haired man smirked. "Don't worry, I'm working on it. 'S matter of fact, Farf and I'm going to pay them a little visit right this minute. Knowing him, well... I can't promise anyone being alive after his little social call so I decided to come along. The dead can't talk so I have to keep him alive long enough to tell us where the pictures are."
Nagi frowned. "What do you think will happen to that kid? You know? Tsukino's son?"
Schuldich snorted. "Why should we care? We didn't take him. All we're ordered to do was to take those pictures. And that's what were gonna do."
The telepath wished he could pry into the kid's head. It could be very entertaining to know what the kid's thinking. Unfortunately, the kid's a telekinetic and was trained to seal off his mind against his mind reading and mind control abilities. Nagi would give him one hell of a fight before he can delve into his head so he had to content himself with the expression on the boy's face... and smirked as he saw a trace of concern.
"Better leave it alone, chibi, you can't do anything about it and Crawford wouldn't like it if you interfere."
Nagi looked away to hide his face from his mocking teammate. Trying hard to quash his unusual concern for the boy he mentioned.
"Finally. Last stop. Juuban." Ken muttered as he sped through the streets with the last bouquet of flowers.
After three trips from and to the flower shop because of some additional orders he could finally call it a day and he was dead tired but he remained thoughtful for the whole day. Maybe after this last delivery he could finally try to do something about his thoughts and do some action. After a whole day of thinking his heart finally won the battle. He would never sleep again until he found Shingo though he knew he had to brace himself. There was no recommending that he'll find the boy alive no matter what Usagi wanted to believe. One thing he knew in this world. Nothing is for certain.
Ken was nearing the house he was supposed to make the delivery when he saw a familiar blond head entering the front gate. He stopped and stared like a brainless stump in surprise.
Usagi...
He then narrowed his eyes as danger made itself felt to him. Strange but the hairs at the back of his neck were tingling like crazy and he'd been an assassin long enough not to ignore these kind of feelings. He got off the scooter and started for the back of the house Usagi entered.
Usagi didn't know what was wrong but she could feel it as she entered the house. It was a tingling behind her neck kind of when she can feel a youma nearby but this was different. It felt... tangible. With youmas, her magic picks up the danger while now, it was her mortal senses that were warning her.
"Chibi Chibi?" she called. "Tousan?!"
"Usagi! Run!"
Usagi gasped and turned towards the kitchen where she saw her father tied to a chair and held by a familiar white haired man at knife point. "Tousan!"
"What's this?" the white haired man asked as he turned to her. Usagi recoiled at the apparent madness she saw in his single crazed golden eye added by the great number of scars all over his face and what she could see of his arms. "Another angel sent from heaven to try and hurt me?"
Trembling, Usagi backed away from the man and bumped into a very hard, very human, wall. Her suspicion was confirmed by a pair of hands that settled on her shoulders.
"Well, well, well... what do we have here?" an accented voice whispered in her ear.
Usagi swallowed a shriek and turned abruptly at the speaker. She saw a familiar tall, orange haired man smirking at her. With eyes of a cold slate blue that had her shivering in her own skin.
She saw them, albeit briefly on Ami's computer before the laptop short circuited! Takatori Reiji's bodyguards!
The white haired man sniffed the air around the girl appreciatively before growling a whisper, "I smell fear..."
"And so it is." The orange haired one agreed. His smile still mocking. "So you're Tsukino's daughter. How convenient."
"Leave my musume out of this! Let her go!" Kenji shouted.
Usagi forgot about the threats in her life when she saw her bleeding father. She ran to him and stood before him, her brilliant sapphire blue eyes darkening to cobalt when she saw the blood oozing from different cuts on his body. Rage, pure and raw coursed through her veins.
"What have you done to him?!" she demanded as she turned to face the two strangers.
"Easy there, Fraüline, we're just here to take what's ours. You see, we need those pictures he took of Takatori." The tall gaijin said, his stance unrepentant.
Usagi's eyes narrowed at them as she took her place in front of her father. If need be she will fight them! She won't let these people hurt her father anymore than they've already done! "So you were the ones who kidnapped Shingo! You told us that you'll bring him back if we give you the pictures! Where's my otouto?!"
The tall man frowned at her as something seemed to trouble him. Usagi wondered what it was. Then he said, "But we didn't take you're brother, Fraüline."
The surprise in the slender girl's eyes was plain. "What?! But if you're working for Takatori and you didn't take him then who took my brother?!"
"Takatori has a lot of enemies, and allies. It could be anyone." The orange haired man said now scowling heavily as he seemed to narrow his eyes more fully on her.
Usagi clenched her fists. "And I think you're lying!"
The man shrugged and raised his hands in supplication. "I may be a killer, Fraüline, but I'm definitely no liar."
"No? Then maybe you're lying to me even now. Where's Shingo?!" she again demanded.
"I don't know. All we're interested in are the pictures. We've already asked your father." The orange haired man frowned deeper. "But I'm afraid he's a great liar. He wouldn't tell me where he hid them. I thought he hid them in one of your mother's cupboards but there's nothing there. So, it's either he's lying or someone took them out of his hiding place and hid it away. What do you say, tenshi? Do you know anything about this?"
"I don't know anything!" Usagi shot back coldly, aware of the looks the white haired man was turning on her as he looked back and forth from her to his companion. It made her skin crawl! Deep inside she felt that these people were able to do anything they wished and, unless she transformed or got help, there was nothing much she could do about it. "And even if I did know something why should I tell you?"
"Usagi!!!"
Usagi looked up at the sound of her name. The voice seemed familiar but she couldn't remember where she heard it.
"Another visitor." The white haired man whispered in glee as he licked the blade of his knife.
Orange hair scowled at him then at Usagi. "It's just Siberian. We have to get out of here. We mustn't be seen."
The tall man raised his hand, his palm facing her and narrowed his eyes in her direction. Usagi was first confused but it was suddenly replaced by surprise when a wave of what seemed to be very painful memories and bad thoughts assailed her. It was like being in a nightmare and she felt the pain being inflicted in the thoughts as though they were real physical blows! She screamed in agony! The next thing she knew... she was facing darkness...
"Omi?! Yohji?! Open the door, quick!" Ken called from the back door of the flower shop while maintaining a gentle hold on the precious bundle in his arms.
The door opened but neither one of the teammates he called for faced him. Instead, a scowling red head met him at the door.
"You're late." He then took notice of the same blond girl who was tramping around in his thoughts for days now and frowned deeper as he stepped aside to let the younger man in. "What happened?"
"Later!" Ken snapped and the surprised red head had no other choice but to follow the soccer athlete up in his room and watch as he laid Usagi on his bed before ordering, "Tell Yohji and Omi to close up shop. Now. We have to talk about this, Aya."
Aya was about to snap out a refusal but the intense concern and anger on his teammate's face, along with his alarm for the girl's welfare himself, forced him to follow instructions silently. Yohji and Omi were both running ahead of him fifteen minutes later, both wearing concerned and disbelieving faces when they caught sight of the blond beauty on Ken's bed now comfortably settled under his blankets.
"Now can you tell us what happened?" Aya demanded testily. He didn't want to study the wave of bitterness and annoyance he felt when he saw Ken carrying the girl. It wasn't his business after all. His concern was solely towards what this could mean to their lives and his plans.
"Is she hurt?" Omi whispered. His eyes revealing his concern.
"Who did this to her?!" Yohji growled in a spurt of uncharacteristic anger which made Aya's frown deepen.
Ken spared them a glance before resting his eyes on Usagi again. "I think the same guys who kidnapped her brother were in their house today."
"Just what were you doing hanging out at her house?!" Yohji snapped before he caught himself. Damn, this was really getting to him. He'd better cool off for a minute.
"I didn't know the last house I was supposed to place the last delivery was her address! I just saw her there and I sensed something was wrong. I went in through one of their windows but all I saw was her father bleeding and tied to a chair and her lying unconscious on the floor. I called an ambulance for her father and I decided to take her with me. Whoever was there was a real professional. There were no signs of breaking or entering except her father's predicament." Ken narrated testily, his brows knotted.
He'll never get over the fear he felt when he saw Usagi lying on the floor all still and motionless. He almost panicked when he saw all the blood and then he calmed down when he saw that the blood all came from her father though he felt a bit guilty about that. Only three words kept on repeating in his mind.
She can't die...
"What did they do to her?" Omi asked softly. Afraid of disturbing the sleeping angel and do her more harm. He wanted to get closer but the tension around the room forbade him to do so.
"I don't know. I didn't see any bleeding. Maybe she just fainted after she saw her father bleeding all over." Ken answered the younger boy.
"But that doesn't make sense." Omi protested. "She saw us with those kidnappers and that scene was far more worse than her father's by your description itself and yet she didn't faint then."
Ken silently agreed but what was he to say? He couldn't offer any other explanations about Usagi's unconsciousness! He was only grateful that she was alive! And, despite her unconscious state, relatively unharmed!
"Why here?"
Everyone turned to the cold eyed red head.
"Nani?" Ken asked as he stared, puzzled at his teammate's question.
"I said why here, Ken? You could have left her behind for the ambulance to pick her up too. Why take her here instead?" Aya elaborated.
Ken felt uncomfortable. He really wasn't prepared for the question. In fact, while he was driving back here with her, the only thing that seemed to occupy his mind was that he had to keep her safe. It was a terrible habit of his. Acting before thinking.
"I just figured she'd be safer. With us." Ken muttered.
"We're assassins, Kenken, not baby sitters. Do you really think she'd feel safe with us? Do you really think she'd be safe with us? What makes you think we can protect her, anyway?" Yohji asked Ken sarcastically, gaining full control over his emotions now.
Personally Yohji thought Ken made a wise decision. He'd do it himself if they traded places. But he was afraid that he'll show off more than what he was planning to feel about this girl and he didn't like it. This girl had a capital T for trouble marked all over her cute little face.
"Shut up, Yohji! We don't have a reason to hurt her. Sure we're murderers but we're not psycho serial killers. At least not yet!" Ken reached out to smoothen Usagi's feather soft blond bangs away from her face, a grim, determined expression on his handsome face making two of his teammates glower at him. "I'll protect her. No matter what happens. I'll protect Usagi..."
"Nani...?" Usagi took a look around the darkness. Confusion alighting her delicate face. "Where am I?"
She noticed that she was in her princess form right then. It made her giggle and twirl in delight. It felt good to wear her gown again. It was a relic from a past she can never repeat or achieve again except in memories. Usagi then looked around and saw what seemed to be a gateway surrounded by mist. Beyond the gate was the structure of the moon palace of the once glorious Silver Millennium viewed from her favorite prairie. As she watched, the prairie seemed to come closer to her until it surrounded her. Surrounding her in flowers found only on the moon at that time.
"Home..." she whispered wistfully.
"Welcome, musume..." a soft voice greeted her from the mists.
Usagi turned swiftly and smiled when she saw a familiar goddess-like figure smiling back at her. "Okaasan!"
"It's been a long time, my daughter. I see you are looking fit."
Usagi pouted. "If you're here to try and convince me to abandon my plans..."
The former queen sighed at her daughter's act of belligerence. "Musume, we don't have much time. I took you here to warn you of a great danger."
"Danger? What danger?" Usagi asked immediately. The alarm she felt when she entered her house and met those two men came back to her and the memory of her father burst through her brain like lightning. "Tousan! What happened to my tousan?! Is he safe?!"
Queen Serenity nodded gracefully. "Hai, Serenity. He was taken to the hospital immediately after someone called the authorities. He is safe. For now."
Usagi released a breath of relief. "That is good."
"However, the danger is just beginning for you, hime." The queen told her. "There are some humans who have the unusual ability to use their minds as they see fit. To harm and to help. They can enter your mind without your knowledge or see the future. As princess of the White Moon and my heir you have the natural ability to shield yourself from such intrusions of the mortal mind. Especially now that you have been acknowledged as the next queen and you control the power of the Ginzuishou. But they can still hurt you. In more ways than one. You must be prepared."
"Who are you talking about, okaasan?" Usagi asked. Confused.
Her mother smiled faintly. "I cannot say for if I do, I will alter the course of time. You must find out for yourself, musume. Are you still determined to pursue your Earth brother?"
Determination shone in Usagi's eyes. "Hai."
Queen Serenity nodded with a grave smile. "You always have been stubborn. Very well. But I warn you, hime. Be prepared. The decision you will make shall leave a permanent mark on the timelines. You now hold the key to a perfect world."
Usagi gave her mother a confused look. "Demo... aren't you going to say something to keep me from doing what I want?"
The queen's solemn face softened a little. "Believe me, musume, I want to. Demo I don't want you to think that I and the senshi are forcing you to do this. A perfect world cannot be possible if the ruler has so many regrets. I will not meddle in your affairs but it is my duty to warn you of any possibilities that may happen in the future and make you decide whether or not you will choose the path laid before you because I care about what happens to you. That way, whatever you decide, you will know no regrets. For now, all I can do is protect you, any way I can."
The graceful queen walked towards her daughter until she stood directly in front of Usagi at arms length distance. She then held her forefinger towards the royal crescent moon symbol on her daughter's forehead and the symbol started to glow a bright silver.
Queen Serenity smiled amidst the bright light overwhelming everything around them. As the light shone brighter, so did her figure slowly disappear. But not before her whisper echoed through Usagi's thoughts like a warm blanket of love.
"Ai shiteru... my beloved chibi-hime..."
The darkness and mist that surrounded the dream dissipated as Usagi woke up. She was puzzled at the words her mother left with her. It made her wonder whether or not what she was doing was really right. But her mother was accurate nonetheless. If she didn't do this now she can never live with the regret.
Usagi opened her eyes only to find herself in an unfamiliar room with the drapes drawn down and four familiar male faces staring at her.
"Oh good, you're awake! You had us worried there for a while, Tsukino-san." The familiar sandy haired boy gushed as he stood up from a chair he was straddling.
Usagi uttered a small squeak then sat up with the covers up to her chin. She was on an unknown bed surrounded by guys! Can anything be more mortifying than this?!
"Minna-san? What am I doing here? Where am I?" she asked in a muffled voice after a while, not quite capable of hiding the bright red flush on her face.
"I brought you here after I found you unconscious at your house. This is where we live." Ken answered gulping down an unfamiliar bout of nervousness. He didn't know quite how to act around this girl despite his earlier vow. He wasn't exactly used to dealing with women in a vulnerable state. Hell, he wasn't used to dealing with a woman, period!
"Hideka-san?!" Usagi exclaimed disbelievingly.
The athlete smiled a little at the look she gave him. "Call me Ken, o- negai. By the way, this is Aya, Yohji and Omi."
Aya? How funny. Isn't that a girl's name? Usagi thought. He has the same name as her Aya-chan.
Usagi nodded at the three lowering the sheet an inch or two. "Konnichi wa. Watashiwa Usagi. I'm pleased to meet you demo... what happened?"
"That's what we would like to know, sweetie." Yohji replied silkily, smirking at the deepening blush on her cheeks. Privately, he wondered how red she could go.
Flashes of the images that assailed her when that man held his hand out to her came back and Usagi clutched her temples in an attempt to blot out the pain. Fortunately for her, they went promptly away.
"Daijobou desu ka?" Yohji asked in concern. Did he say something wrong?
"A couple of men came to the house. I saw one of them holding a knife at tousan. One of them said they were looking for tousan's pictures. I assume it was the photographs." She said, smiling faintly at him. Then, realizing she spoke of her father, Usagi suddenly flung the sheet away and tried to stand on her feet. "Tousan! Oh no, he was bleeding! I have to see him!"
She failed to stand however because of the intense pain that threatened to split her skull in two. Usagi started to fall but a pair of strong hands and a hard, wide chest prevented further injury. She looked up and saw herself staring at the same relentlessly cold amethyst eyes she remembered so well.
"Did they get it?" he asked coldly.
"N- nani?" Usagi stammered as she was held immobile in his hold. Feeling restless at his touch.
"The pictures." He elaborated.
Usagi pushed away and Aya reluctantly let her go. "Iie. At least, I don't think so. He said something about the films not being where tousan kept them so they were asking me about it. The next thing I knew, someone was calling my name and then... I felt this pain in my head. It's really hard to explain."
"Where are the pictures now?" Aya continued relentlessly.
"I don't know." She replied.
"Liar!"
"Yamete, Aya!" Ken growled as he stepped in front of Usagi. He sent his red haired teammate a pleading look.
"She's not fit to be questioned yet, Aya-kun! O-negai, leave her be!" Omi pleaded but his eyes held a bit of speculation within the concern. Was she lying? He hoped not. No one with eyes that clear and honest can tell a lie. He can feel it somehow though he didn't know how to explain it.
Her words, the words she said to those two women who took her away stayed with him all throughout his waking hours. Was she right?
A life is as important as a million? How can it be a perfect world otherwise? But the world wasn't perfect! You were either bad or good!
It's always been like this, that's why he followed Persia's orders. What he was doing was making a 'perfect' world all on his own! So why did her philosophy bother him so much?
Usagi didn't know it but the hurt that flashed across her jewel blue eyes pierced a deep cut in Aya's heart. It was disturbing, the way she seemed to effortlessly affect him like this. It was as if, a force surrounded her that made anyone trying to hurt her feel the pain himself. A hundredfold!
"It's the truth, you know. I really don't know." Usagi said softly after a while. "I just came home to get some rest after I sat with my mother at the hospital today when I saw... them. My father didn't want me to know anything else about the pictures except for their existence because he didn't want to put me in danger as well."
"Usagi-san!?!"
Everyone turned to the doorway and saw a beautiful red head standing hand on hip at the doorway with a surprised look on her usually confident face.
"Manx-san?!" Usagi gasped when she saw the woman. She could count the number of times she'd seen this woman on one hand and still have two fingers left! "What are you doing here?!"
"I should be asking you the same thing." Manx said then letting her face be shuttered off when she noticed the guys looking on before smiling a bit. "I think we need to talk, Usagi-san. In private."