Disclaimer: We don't own any Sailor Moon characters, but we DO own Kiyoshi Natsume. FACT! We also own Anastacia Poon, Mikayla Hunt, and Trixx.
A/N: Thank you to all our faithful readers! And to those unfaithful ones, we'll be converting you soon.
Chapter 3
"Where is SHE?!"
Not receiving an answer, Setsuna went on the prowl again, intent on finding one person and only that person – Kiyoshi Natsume. Storming around in her heels to the dark room, Setsuna approached it, only to find that the red light was not on.
Putting her hands on her hips, the green haired woman took a deep breath before pausing and slowly letting the air from her lungs escape her body. She turned around and made her way back to the main office.
As she entered the room, her particularly ghastly mood attracted the attention of every individual in the vicinity. Setsuna looked around, catching every single eye as she did so. But she was only looking out for a pair of gray ones. She took another breath and slowly and quietly spoke to the nearest person to her.
"Where... is... she?"
Confusion spread across the features of the man. Today was clearly not his day if he was the person that Meioh-san decided to inflict her wrath upon.
"Wh-who, Meioh-san?"
Setsuna's eyes flashed in anger towards the man and her nostrils flared involuntarily. She ground her teeth agitatedly. "Natsume-san. Where. Is. She?"
The man trembled without realising and raised his hand; his index finger shaking as it pointed to the next room, where the models for the day tended to wait for the photographer. And today's photographer was Kiyoshi.
Claret eyes narrowed.
Marching resolutely over to the next room, Setsuna ignored every curious set of eyes that followed her.
The door flew open with Setsuna's momentum. She took a brief second to look around the room and find the one person she needed. Her eyes settled on a figure standing at the back of the room, dressed in a slate gray suit with a sky blue shirt casually buttoned up bar the top two buttons.
Kiyoshi was leaning against a wall with one hand in her pocket and she ran her other hand through her short green hair. She noticed the young model she was talking to was staring in sheer horror at something out of her direct line of vision, so lazily she turned her head and saw what it was that had caught the model's attention.
She sighed.
"YOU! Come here, NOW!" Kiyoshi raised one eyebrow in curiosity, but she didn't move another muscle. Setsuna stepped forward, her eyes scorching into the gray eyes of Kiyoshi. "You're a goddamned woman!"
Kiyoshi smirked and laughed heartily to herself. "Uh... duh. How long did that one take you to figure out?"
"You could have told me that," Setsuna lowered her voice considerably to a level that only Kiyoshi could hear, "before you went down on me!"
Kiyoshi grinned as she heard Setsuna speak. "Well, not meaning to be rude, Meioh-san, but I didn't ask you your gender before I went down on you. I mean, could you imagine my surprise?"
Setsuna's jaw clenched."My gender is kind of obvious, unlike some, Kiyoshi!"
From nowhere, the model, who was previously the centre of Kiyoshi's attention spoke, almost absentmindedly. "I'd have thought that her breasts would have been a dead give-away…" The model looked up as she heard an annoyed grunt coming from above her. She soon realised it was her long-haired employer. "I'm going to be quiet now."
Setsuna raised her eyes to those of Kiyoshi's once more. "We are not done here, Kiyoshi."
A voluptuous blonde walked on the eleventh floor of NASA, her visitor badge dangling off of the breast pocket of her waist length coat, in search of the whereabouts of her lover. As an intern walked past, the blonde spoke in a honey-sweet voice.
"Excuse me, can you tell me where I can find Dr. Hunt?"
The intern gazed dreamily over the form of the woman before him before his eyes were dragged from the astounding view of the female and he realised he had been asked a question. He shook his head and smiled nervously.
"She's in Dr. Poon- er, Pun's office!"
"Thanks."
The blonde waved genially before she made her way to the office of her dear friend, where she knew her lover also was.
Approaching the door, the blonde saw that the door was somewhat ajar. Shrugging that off, the divine blonde raised her hand ready to knock when she stopped it mid-air at the sound of her name being spoken undoubtedly in a British accent that she knew to belong to her and her lover's friend.
The temptation to eavesdrop overwhelmed the blonde, and she waited for a moment, being as quiet as possible, hoping to hear as much of the conversation as possible.
"So... Trixx is huge in Japan, now? And she's modelling for 'Underworld'? Man, Trixx is so hot."
"Poon?"
The brunette looked over at her short, dirty-blonde haired companion.
"Don't even go there."
The brunette doctor laughed heartily as she threw her hands up in the air, clearly as a sign of innocence.
"I kid! I kid! Come on, Mickey, you know it's all harmless flirting!"
The short haired female shook her head disapprovingly. "I told you before, don't ever call me Mickey. It's bad enough that Trixx calls me Mikayla still. Honestly, just Mike. And as for your harmless flirting, when we all used to live together in Rhode Island I couldn't even leave you alone in a room with her for five seconds for fear I'd come back and you'd be taking her right there in the family room." The blonde finished her tirade with arms crossed and a pout.
The brunette laughed and threw her hands behind her head as she swivelled in her chair a little. "Like I said harmless. She didn't get harmed. Besides, Trixx would have loved it if I jumped her, right Trixx?" The brunette turned her gaze to the door, letting Trixx know she was fully aware of her presence.
Unperturbed, the blonde smirked as she opened the door and entered the room, walking to her short-haired lover and kissing her softly on the lips before taking the other empty chair opposite the younger doctor.
"That's right, Ana, I would have." The blonde winked as she spoke, her short haired lover unaware of the action.
"TRIXX!"
"I'm kidding, Mikayla! But still, dayum."
"TRIXX!"
Both the brunette and the blonde began laughing hysterically at Mikayla's reaction, which only caused the short haired woman to pout adorably, earning her a kiss from her lover.
"If you two are quite done." The blushing lovers pulled back reluctantly from each other, Trixx smiling sweetly while her significant other sent a glare to their friend.
"So, Ana, Mickey, tells me you're coming with us to Japan. Finally decided to take a vacation, huh?"
"Something like that," the brunette brought her hands to her desk and flipped through some documents, catching the eye of her colleague more than her lover, "I have some work to finish up with the Japanese counterparts of NASA."
Trixx raised her eyebrows inquisitively. "I didn't know NASA dealt with foreign agencies."
The brunette, Anastacia, smiled wistfully. "We usually don't, but I have some unfinished business there, so I thought I'd tag along. Hope you don't mind. I know how lonely you get on those long-haul flights, and Mike here falls straight asleep as soon as take-off's over. I swear, she has no attention for anything that occurs after the climax."
Mike instantly clenched her jaw, ready to throw back a comment, when the calming and gentle hand of her lover rested on her thigh.
Trixx smirked at the cocky brunette. "Trust me, Mikayla has plenty of attention and stamina for me."
The dirty blonde smirked at Anastacia too. "So shut it, Poon."
The somewhat obnoxious brunette stuck her tongue out at her comrade.
"So, what work do you two – and yes, I know you're in on this Mike – have in Japan?" Trixx brought her attention to her lover as she asked the question. Mike instantly looked over to the brunette, looking for a sign of what to say, her approval to mention their classified project. The brunette cleared her throat, gaining Trixx's attention. Anastacia raised one eyebrow, her brown eyes lingering on Mike's eyes of the same color. Her eyes tore away and looked to Trixx, a small grin forming on the youngest one's lips.
"We have to take care of Pluto and Eris."
Haruka stirred her coffee as Hotaru sat on the other side of the kitchen table, silently drinking an apple juice with a subdued yet euphoric smile subtly covering her features. Haruka sighed heavily and looked up to her aqua-haired soul-mate, who was standing at the stove, preparing the evening meal.
"Michi, how do you think it went? I mean, with Kiyo and all?"
Before the elegant sea nymph could reply to her lover, the front door to their home slammed with such force that it shook the portraits on that very same level. Michiru sighed.
"I'm going to say it didn't go well." Michiru wiped her hands and made her way to the living room, swiftly followed by Haruka, but Hotaru took her time standing up; she wasn't really with it today.
Michiru looked on in concern as she saw her green-haired friend pacing the living room – she looked a state. Her hair was dishevelled, her make-up was barely reapplied giving her a ghoul-like aura to her usually elegant and beautiful face. As if sensing another presence, Setsuna looked up and saw Haruka and Michiru looking at her in concern. Michiru took the first step and walked to her, guiding her friend to the couch, trying her best to calm her. Setsuna instantly began blabbering,
"Sh-she... she's a she!" Tears began rolling down from her eyes and Michiru rubbed the time senshi's back soothingly.
"Well, it was kind of obvious from those pictures yesterday. Oh man, what a rack! I – Sorry." Haruka was silenced with a simple look from her lover. Setsuna raised her eyes to Haruka.
"I could tell SHE was a SHE in those pictures YESTERDAY, Haruka! But the day before that... she... looked just like a... like a HE!" Setsuna wept into Michiru's shoulder.
Haruka furrowed her brow in confusion. "How could you confuse a girl for a guy, Sets? Sheesh."
A silence instantly formed over the living room. Hotaru had just walked in at that point of the conversation. She looked at the blonde who was dressed in a white dress shirt, with dress pants and a blazer in black covering her form, camouflaging any feminine appearance to the untrained eye. The looks on the face of the others revealed they all shared the same thoughts.
Setsuna eyed the blonde and scoffed, "Are you serious, Haruka?"
The blonde looked down at her appearance and blushed slightly. She scratched the back of her neck. Michiru rolled her eyes at her lover's antics before returning her attention to her distraught friend.
"Setsa, what happened?"
The green-haired woman sniffled and tried her hardest to recollect her calm. She took a deep breath, shaking slightly as she exhaled. "I... confronted her. She acted so calm, like I shouldn't be angry. But Michiru, she lied to me. I mean, she knew I didn't know and she did that to me."
Haruka muttered under breath, unable to stop herself. "You enjoyed it."
Setsuna threw a glare to her. "Regardless whether or not I enjoyed it, she lied! Haruka, believe it or not, but until then I was perfectly happy being a complete heterosexual and n-n-now that has all been compromised! I don't like questioning who I am!"
Haruka threw her arms up in the air, clearly at the end of her limited amount of patience. "Oh, c'mon, it's not that big a deal! So, you slept with a girl, bigger things have happened, I mean remember Galactica?! And at least you bagged yourself a hot one! Hell, just be glad this Kiyoshi-san got some much needed stress out of your system!"
Hotaru's eyes widened as she heard the name her blonde parent spoke. In the silence, with her smile now removed, her voice spoke meekly. "D-Did you s-say Kiyoshi-san? As in Natsume-san?"
Setsuna hung her head, in a mixture of shame and embarrassment. "Hai, hime-chan."
THUD!
Three sets of eyes – crimson, blue and green – all settled on the fainted form of their adoptive daughter. Haruka looked over at Setsuna and Michiru, an eyebrow cocked in intrigue.
"Well... that was odd."
Kiyoshi stepped into Setsuna's office and carefully placed a portfolio of photographs for Setsuna to review the next day. She was careful not to disturb the other items that had been left on the designer's desk, but she noticed a familiar magazine sticking out from underneath some paperwork. It was a swimsuit edition from three years ago.
So that's what gave it away, Kiyoshi thought. She thumbed through the pages till she got to the center spread. Her mouth sneered in disgust as the younger image of herself gazed seductively back at her. What an uncomfortable situation that had been.
"Excuse me, I'm looking for a Setsuna Meioh."
Kiyoshi returned the magazine to where she found it and turned to look at the voice that had interrupted her nostalgic thoughts. At the doorway stood a blonde wearing red heels, a short skirt, and a very low cut top. She offered a polite smile to her and said, "I'm sorry, Meioh-san has left for the day. Is there anything I can help you with?"
The blonde returned the smile and took a step towards Kiyoshi. "I just signed a contract with 'Underworld' and thought I might be able to meet the staff," her eyes lowered to the area below Kiyoshi's waist, then came back up, "before I actually start working."
"Ah, you're the model from America?" Kiyoshi's eyes studied the blonde's figure lustfully and she licked her lips.
"Canada," she corrected and took another step forward, "but yes, I'm coming from an American agency."
"Well, as I said, Meioh-san isn't here, but if it's the staff you'd like to meet, allow me to be the first to welcome you to 'Underworld.' My name is Kiyoshi Natsume; I'm the photographer."
"It's a pleasure to meet you, Natsume-san. My name is Trixx."
"Trixx…?"
"Just Trixx," the blonde woman said sweetly while moving closer to Kiyoshi.
"I see. Well it's a pleasure meeting you, Trixx-san," Kiyoshi said, unable to tear her eyes from the vixen approaching her.
Trixx let out a little laughter. "So I believe you and I will be spending a lot of time together." The next step the blonde took brought her right in front of Kiyoshi. Her perfume wafted into Kiyoshi's nose and created an arousing spell on her.
"Indeed we will. And how do you feel about," Kiyoshi paused to search her mind for the phrase she was looking for, "after hours work?"
"Overtime? I have no problem with that," said Trixx, catching the smirk on Kiyoshi's face. "Will it be one-on-one?"
"Of course. Only a supermodel such as you deserves… personal attention."
"I look forward to it," Trixx said, biting her lower lip.
"Oh yeah." The sound of Kiyoshi's voice stirred a feeling of excitement and weakness at the same time within Trixx, causing her to momentarily lose her balance. Kiyoshi caught her and held her steady till she was able to stand on her own again.
Trixx fanned her face, which was growing flush not just from embarrassment. "Excuse me, it must be getting hot in here."
Kiyoshi stared at the woman in her arms, her mind already working up a fantasy, when suddenly her senses became alert. She became aware of an evil presence lurking nearby and knew she had to hurry. "Forgive me, Trixx-san, I have to go." She began to leave, then quickly turned around and kissed Trixx's pouting lips, eliciting a sensual moan from the model. "Hold that thought," she said with a wink and exited the office.
When Trixx looked out in the hall, Kiyoshi was nowhere to be found.
"ISC! Hello? Are you there?" a voice shouted into the headset.
"Sorry! There was something shiny; it distracted me," ISC spoke into the mouthpiece.
"You need to focus! We can't have anymore interferences!"
"You try focusing when you know your girlfriend is out there seducing information out of people!"
"This is no time for jealousy, ISC! Focus!"
"Yeah, yeah, yeah," ISC said resentfully and continued waiting in the shadows, carefully watching the unsuspecting young woman approaching. She had long blonde hair with a red bow tied in the back. "Are you sure about this one? The last two girls you had me abduct turned out to be duds. I'm starting to think you just want these girls in your cellar for your own pleasure."
"Yes, well, that's an added bonus. I just really need a hair sample," the voice laughed sinisterly.
"What? You're having me go through all this trouble and all you need is hair?" ISC hissed.
"ISC, the girl!"
The young woman was now within arm's length of ISC. A second later would've been too late. ISC leaped out from the shadows and clamped a cloth over the girl's mouth, preventing her from screaming. The girl struggled desperately with ISC until the anaesthetics soaking the cloth began to take effect. Her body slowly became limp as she lost consciousness and ISC dragged her towards a white van. The outside of the van advertised finishing services for furniture, but the inside was full of intricate instruments and a stretcher. ISC placed the young woman on the stretcher and bound her with the straps, then stuck a piece of duct tape over her mouth in case she should wake up before they arrived at their destination.
After securing the girl, ISC closed the van doors and walked casually to the driver's side when a distinct voice pierced the night.
"DISCORD BOMBARD!"
"Shit, not again," ISC groaned. Silver beams of light rained down from above and pummelled ISC against the side of the van. The masked maniac winced in pain and looked up at the figure silhouetted against the full moon. Her gray eyes peered at the criminal beneath dark green bangs and her silver and blue fuku fluttered softly in the breeze. "Fuck, man! Who the hell do you think you are?"
"Sailor Eris, acting accordingly! Have you no shame? Stealing a young girl when she has so many other uses yet to be fulfilled!" The mysterious figure looked lustfully at the unconscious girl she held in her arms.
"Ah fuck it, I have what I need." Jumping inside the van, ISC drew out a gun and began shooting at Sailor Eris. The senshi quickly sprang out of harm's way and placed the unconscious girl behind a wall. As she vaulted back over the wall, ISC took more shots at her. Eris dove for cover and tumbled behind a car parked on the street. The shots continued ringing around her until she heard the burnout from the van. She peeked around the side of the car just in time to see the smoke and hear the van's tires squealing before speeding off down the road. Her keen eyes quickly took a mental image of the license plate before it faded off into the distance.
Kiyoshi stood outside on the balcony of her apartment. She was still in her work clothes, though they were a bit unkempt, and her hair was tousled. Her stormy eyes stared down at the busy street below where there was still a high volume of traffic even at this late hour of the night. The leasing agent had warned her about the noise level being the catch for the cheap price of the rent, but the chaotic noise never bothered her. It was actually comforting to her.
She turned up to the night sky and looked in the direction of her planet, Eris. Unconsciously rubbing her forehead, she sighed and let herself get lost in thought.
Am I the only one who can sense this impending evil? How the hell did I get stuck with this destiny? It's not my fault everywhere I go, trouble follows. What was the point of my awakening if it's just going to cause more trouble? And where the fuck are the other senshi? How am I supposed to find them? Give me a break and show me some kind of sign.
"Kiyo-san, come back to bed," a sleepy voice called from inside Kiyoshi's bedroom.
Kiyoshi walked back inside, sliding the glass door shut, and looked at the girl lying on her bed naked, save for the red bow tied in her hair. "What was your name again?"
"Minako."