Greetings once again! This is my newest on-going longfic, though I don't intend it to go that long.
I do not own Sailor Moon. All characters belong to Naoko Takeuchi. This is a work made simply for fun, from a fan to other fans.
A FIRE THAT BURNS UNNOTICED
Chapter 1 - The More You Ignore Me, the Closer I Get
"Come on, Rei! It's gonna be fun!" Usagi excitedly exclaimed as she dragged her by the arm.
How could she get convinced into getting there, of all places? Rei wondered as they entered a large structure, reminiscent of the Nippon Budokan, where a large congregation of foul-smelling, long-haired people rocked back and forth, up and down, shaking and banging their heads and arms to the crunching and chugging rhythm of heavy metal music. She felt her chest thumping and her legs shaking at the sight and sound. Once more she asked herself: How did she get herself into this rut?
As far as she knew, Usagi wasn't much into rock music. Especially into things that sounded heavier and fiercer than L'arc-en-ciel or Queen. Why would she sound so excited to enter a mosh pit, and take her there against her will? And why did she feel an uncontrollable urge to jump along with those people of non-descript facial features, decked in tattered shades of black and grey? There she was, bouncing to the violent tunes that emanated from the stage as if she herself was a major fan of the style.
"This song goes to the purple-eyed chick in the back row," she heard a familiar voice from the stage. "I wanna see you backstage. Be there or be square!"
When Rei looked towards the source of the voice, she saw none other than Yuuichirou as the lead singer, standing undaunted in the front of the stage, brandishing an odd-shaped guitar like he was a master of that craft. Rei knew he was a huge rockhead, but to the point of playing guitar and leading a band? Preposterous! And there he was, calling her for a rendezvous with her like she was some easy floozy.
But despite it all, her chest thumped even harder than before. And her face felt like it was catching fire, with steam coming out of the top of her blouse. She felt enticed to follow Yuuichirou to where he requested, no more questions asked. In that situation, it didn't feel bothersome to Rei in the least bit. It felt incredible, like... she was falling in love.
Should I really go? Rei thought as she tried to step out in the same way she came in. For some reason, the entryway was not there anymore; instead, there was a grey wall with a varnished door as its sole incrementation. She felt her legs drag with each step, like there was water up to her knees. And when she crossed the door, all she saw was a vast dressing room, with large mirrors for its walls, and a large pink-sheeted bed in the corner.
"Ah, I knew you'd come," Yuuichirou said with the most confidence she had ever heard him speak. He was standing in another corner, as valiantly as he did when he led his band, and at that moment, she did not feel the will to escape or protest.
If Rei could, she would berate Yuuichirou for speaking like that to her... But her lips were as good as sealed. Not even because she tried and couldn't move... It was because she didn't even try. She was actually enjoying that situation and that feeling somehow!
Slowly and steadily, Yuuichirou took her next to him in a warm embrace. His eyes shined like pools of cool clear water. His smile was ingenue, yet frank and confident. Rei was at a complete loss of action and words, but not of her entire will. This is too good to be happening... This is not happening! WAKE UP!
(xx)
Rei released a sigh of relief when she saw herself on real and familiar grounds - Namely, her dark bedroom. But she was sweating bullets despite the winds of autumn grazing her skin from the open window to her side. Her breasts felt swollen with her nipples sticking out. And worst of all was that she felt tingling and stickiness between her legs, the kind women only feel when aroused. All because of what she considered a stupid dream.
Feeling uncomfortable, she flitted towards the bathroom to wipe her face and her nether regions. In the mirror, she noticed she was blushing profusely. How could a dream make her act that way? Worst of all... How could a dream about Yuuichirou of all people leave her in that sorry, pleasing state? She returned to bed and spent until the break of dawn and the crow of the rooster thinking what a trick her mind played while she slept.
As the sun's first rays entered her room, she remembered a time when Ami conversed with her and her fellow Sailor Guardians about dreams, somewhere around the time they were battling the Dead Moon Circus, and she explained that those are usually reflections of a person's mind and memories... including one's deepest desires. Yeah, right. As much as it sounded reasonable, coming for the smartest person she knew, there was something about that explanation that didn't seem to fit what Rei believed about dreams. Or at least, about what she wanted to believe about their nature.
Why would I dream of him like that? I don't like him that way. Never have, never will. Besides...
Muffled thumps from outside broke her line of thought. Resounding again and again, the sound became unbearable enough to drive Rei to climb out of her bed and finally begin her morning routine: A glass of water to awaken her organism, a fruit-rich breakfast with her grandfather, and a brief walk through the Temple's grounds to feel the sun and the graze her skin and the fresh air fill her lungs. In theory, keeping her mind busy would calm her nerves.
The breezes of the end of autumn were blowing even mightier than during the night, causing shivers upon the raven-haired girl, but nevertheless giving her the peaceful feeling and focus she sought. It all went out of the nominal window when she saw Yuuichirou in the backyard, chopping wood in a repetitive motion. Already wet with sweat, he had taken off his shirt, and the sight of his uncovered figure made Rei's mind go even more haywire than they already were.
"Oh, good morning, Miss Rei!" Yuuichirou effusively greeted while wiping some sweat off his brow. "Sorry for the noise. Winter is coming, and we need wood for the stoves and chimneys as soon as possible."
Rei just stood there, left eye twitching and mouth slightly agape. No answer came out of her lips.
"Umm... Something the matter?"
"N-n-n-no! Not at all, uh... Eh, umm..." Rei wanted to greet him back, but her shaking chin and spinning thoughts impeded her.
"Well, okay then," the young man concernedly spoke as he returned to his strenuous labor.
Only when she noticed Yuuichirou was no longer paying attention to her did Rei come to her senses enough to move away, but still with some dizziness between her temples, a slight sickness in her gut... Plus warm moisture in her private parts.
It was exactly how she felt in her dream that very night...
Not wanting to think of the servant further like that, she shook her head and went straight to the bathroom for a much-needed bath in the ofuro. Still, the image was too ingrained in her mind to get it off via her usual methods of calming down. Yuuichirou was a live-in employee, nothing more. That's how it should remain. But still, she couldn't help but think... When did he become so hot? Rei knew he exercised regularly in addition to the usual chores in the Shrine, but never noticed its effects on his body. And what effects those were! Bulging biceps, well-rounded shoulders, that V-shape on his back, and that washboard abdomen...
Again with the reverie. Rei had to slap herself with some of the bath water to return to her senses. But the real conflict in her mind came when she asked herself out loud: "Why am I having these thoughts of him now? I have someone else in mind!"
This someone was Touya Minamimoto, whom she met during her monthly visit to her father's dependencies. Something about him seemed so intriguing - The fact he was a millionaire with political aspirations at age 18, an age when most people's concerns are usually of the academic and emotional sort. It helped that he didn't look half bad himself. So much different than Yuuichirou, who seemed to be content with his lot in life being a low-level servant in a Shinto temple that had seen better days. Not exactly what Rei had in mind when choosing a partner for herself.
Something good finally came from the obligatory reunions she had with her oh-so-busy father, and the brunette was all too happy to see how it would go.
Rei then wondered how good would he look when he was not wearing a fancy suit or tailor-made social garments. Would he have well-built limbs and look like a Greek marble statue like... Again thinking of Yuuichirou like that! She groaned and growled beneath the water, forming bubbles full of discontent.
"Rei!" Sounded the voice of her grandfather. "When are you getting out of there? I gotta take a bath too, y'know?"
"Oh, uh... Just a minute!" She didn't even notice time passing by as her head was taken over the thoughts of that day. There was school to attend, friends to visit, and a quick date with Touya later that night. No time to lose mulling over impossible attractions. Quickly, she got out of the tub, dried herself with her red towels and sauntered out of the bathroom towards her bedroom to change into her school uniform - To which she was already somewhat late.
(xx)
Middle of the afternoon, Fruit Parlor Crown. The usual hangout place for the Sailor Guardians to put their thoughts on par with each other, and plan ahead what to do with their schedules. They were high schoolers now, and studying matters were getting harder by the day for anyone not named Ami Mizuno. On that day, however, they were relaxing and unloading it with as much comfort food as their stomachs and wallets could stand.
At least, that was the idea. Rei was still mulling over that night's dream, and what happened afterwards at home. She couldn't even concentrate on her classes that day, as her mind was inundated with lascivious images unfit for a conservative Catholic school, so to speak. What was it they studied in Biology? Carbon and nitrogen cycles, maybe? Or was it the breaking of water molecules? No, that was Chemistry. Stupid Yuuichirou, why can't I get him out of my head!?
"Helloooo, Earth to Rei!" Minako managed to interrupt her stormy thoughts.
"Boy, for Rei to go space cadet, it must be serious," Usagi playfully commented.
"Sort of," Rei said as she turned her attention back to her friends. "I was just thinking about... A date I'm having later in the early evening."
The other Guardians were aghast at the reveal. Even Rei herself was impressed with how she actually managed to say that when she was thinking of something else. Usagi even loudly gasped and drew unnecessary attention.
"Rei... Is dating someone?" Minako blurted out. "Is it who I think it is?"
"It most certainly isn't," Rei herself shot down the implication since all of them believed she was finally going out with a certain resident servant. "His name is Touya, an acquaintance of my father. We're not yet seriously dating, mind you, just getting to know each other. I'd love to introduce him to you girls one of these days."
"Way to go, girl!" Makoto congratulated her friend. "I hope he's got some cute and cool friends for us bachelorettes."
"That's quite the serious choice of words," Ami commented, amused and curious with Makoto's suggestion.
"I take it that Yuuichirou is up for grabs, then?" Minako teased half-jokingly, even furrowing her brow and rubbing her hands together to accentuate the comedic intention. "Oh, I am so gonna make a move on him."
"You better not!" Rei herself bellowed out without even noticing. She had even gotten up and slammed her hands on the table, briefly shaking their plates and cups. "What the-"
"Holy moly, Rei! Keep it down!" Usagi hushedly asked her friend.
"Rei, is something the matter?" Ami asked concernedly. The other girls also reacted adversely to Rei's jealous outburst at Minako's quip, especially since it seemed it had drawn unwanted attention from the other Crown attendees.
"I... I didn't mean to..." the brunette struggled to explain her mental diatribe. "Ugh, sorry, I don't know what's going on, I've been like this since the morning..."
The conversation could have gone further, but they started to notice a peculiar and nervous moving of the restaurant's patrons as if running away from something.
"Huh? Unazuki, what's going on?" Ami queried the local's manager, who ran by their table looking pale as if she had just seen some kind of spooky figure.
"It's... It's... A monster! Look!"
The girls turned around to where Unazuki was pointing out, and through the local window, they saw a humanoid creature with burning scars across its pale body and a gaping hole on its upper left torso which oozed what seemed to be green blood. It even released guttural screams of pain and misery: "DEATH! DEATH! GIVE ME THE DEATH I CRAAAAAAVE!"
"Girls, we know what to do!" Rei prompted her fellow Guardians to rise up to battle once more. Since Crown had been evacuated completely, they materialized their Transformation Pens and transformed into their heroic selves for the first time in almost a year and went outside to face their latest foe.
"Alright, buddy, you can't go around interrupting the good times of the citizens of Azabu-Juban!" Eternal Sailor Moon addressed the creature in her usual way.
"WHAT!?" It cried out in its confusion.
"We are the Sailor Guardians, champions of love and justice! And in the name of the Moon, we shall punish you!"
"KILL ME OR DIE TRYING! AAAAAAAARGH!" It then started to lunge and swipe its charred hands around, causing a huge mess across the street.
"Mercury Aqua Rhapsody!" Sailor Mercury released her own attack. It didn't faze the beast one bit.
"Jupiter Oak Evolution!" Sailor Jupiter tried to strike it with her own gust of razor leaves. None did a single cut on its body.
"Mars Flame Sniper!" Sailor Mars had more luck with her own blazing arrow.
"AAAAAH! IT BURNS! IT BUUUUUUUUURNS!" The creature kept screaming as it tried to put out the blazes that spread over its body. But before anything could be done against it, the monster vomited some kind of acid that melted anything it touched. The scenery was already a mess, and the green goop it exhaled only made things look truly stomach-twisting. It didn't take long to use it against the Sailor Guardians, who had to swiftly run from its trajectory in any way they could.
"Argh, getting ralphed on was not on my plans today!" complained Sailor Moon as she tripped at the monster's feet.
But just as it was about to release another acidic flow onto the Guardian, a high-speeding projectile hit it in the eye, provoking its ire and drawing the beast's attention towards the source. It was the unmistakable signal of Tuxedo Mask's arrival. The masked hero balanced effortlessly on the restaurant's destroyed counter and leaped to ground level as soon as the monster tried to resume its melting beam against him.
"Venus Love-Me Chain!" the Guardian of Love called for her constricting attack with the attention away from her, which effectively trapped the creature. She even made sure it shut its mouth, which still gurgled its acid through its clenched teeth.
"It's your cue, Sailor Moon! Give it a try!" suggested Tuxedo Mask.
Sailor Moon nodded and pointed her Artifact toward the beast. "Moonlight Honeymoon Therapy Kiss!"
"AWAKE!" it screamed for the last time upon being hit. To everyone's surprise, the purifying attack used to bring back Phages to normal ended up being effective against this unnamed enemy - Once the ethereal feathers dissipated, a familiar figure fell to her knees.
"It's Naru!" recognized Sailor Moon as she ran to her long-time friend's aid, followed by Tuxedo Mask and the rest of the Sailor Guardians.
When Naru recovered her senses, she found herself in the comforting arms of the one heroine she knew she could count on. "Oh... Sailor Moon? Thank you so much..."
"Don't mention it," Sailor Moon gladly reassured her friend. "You're safe now. But do tell us what happened to you."
"I... I was having a nightmare. I have this nightmare once in a while when I'm stressed out. And when I realized, I was taken over by... I don't know, some kind of dark force that made me pass out. Next thing I know, I'm here..."
"Don't worry, girls, I'll take it from here," Tuxedo Mask commented while climbing down to ground level and propping up Naru to her feet. "By the way, excellent job."
"Yes indeed, excellent," called a deep voice, with no apparent source. "But this is only the beginning."
"Hey, who or what was that?" enquired Sailor Moon.
"It's... It's the same voice I heard in my nightmare, I'm sure of it!" Naru revealed.
"Heh heh heh... The girl is right," the voice sounded once more. "I am but a figment of everyone's imagination, at least for now. But that will change soon, with the help of the Oneiroi that are formed from humanity's nightmares. They are, after all, my domain. Ever had a bad dream at night? I created it, and I named it. Ever felt an encroaching, numbing feeling of hopelessness that paralyzed you in your sleep? I built it."
"Just who the hell are you?" queried Sailor Mars.
"What is in a name, young one?" the voice spoke now in a mocking tone. "All you need to know is that my arrival and my triumph is imminent. And you will help me, sooner or later. Sleep with one eye open from now on, heh heh heh..."
"Damn... That gave me the willies," Sailor Jupiter commented, and the rest agreed that it sounded incredibly ominous and spine-tingling.
"Well, what matters now is that Naru is safe, and the damage to the premises isn't very serious," assessed Sailor Mercury. "We just need to keep our sights on this kind of attacks."
"Will we have enough time before he strikes again?" asked Sailor Moon.
"Ah, crud!" Sailor Mars snapped and started to run as fast as her high heels let her. "Speaking of time, I'm gonna be late for my date! See ya later, girls!"
As Tuxedo Mask helped out Naru and escorted her back home, the rest of the heroines stood by, slightly amazed at how Rei's life was turning out to be.
"Am I the only one who's kinda disappointed she didn't end up with Yuuichirou?" commented Sailor Moon.
"You and I both," Sailor Jupiter spoke. "Disappointed, yeah... But not surprised, though." To this, the other Guardians agreed. While they all liked Yuuichirou, they knew in a way that he was not particularly boyfriend material, especially to Rei. Not because of looks or disposition - it was a question of attitude. A silent agreement about whether a man was worthy of their most intimacy.
"Let's just hope this Touya guy she spoke about is a good guy, and that it all goes well for Rei and her date," Sailor Venus commented. "She deserves it!"
"Wanna check on it? Bet we can still catch up with her," suggested Sailor Moon with a bit of excitement.
"Usagi, we better respect her privacy in such a moment," Sailor Mercury retorted, to the chagrin of the leader of the Sailor Guardians.
"Yeah, let's get busy with something else... Like cleaning up the place," suggested Sailor Jupiter upon assessing the damage done to Fruit Parlor Crown.
(xx)
"And there you go! Safe, sound and ahead of schedule," Touya told Rei as they stepped out of his navy blue Acura NSX in front of the stairway of the Hikawa Shrine later that night. Due to time constraints, the date had to be short - But all things considered, both felt they had a fair share of fun together.
"Thanks for the lovely night, Touya!" the Guardian thanked her suitor. "It couldn't have been better if I thought of this myself."
"I thank you as well," the strapping young lad spoke out in his velvety voice. "We got to know each other perfectly well, and those amethyst eyes of yours tell a tale that your mind can't or won't speak just yet, but someday, I hope I will be dignified with what you are willing to share."
"Ah, Touya... You have such a way with words!" Rei was positively impressed, though she couldn't help but think: Had he noticed her pensive stance the whole time?
"I guess I was pretty inspired to say this," Touya retorted amusedly. "It happens when one is along with someone they like."
If Rei wasn't charmed before, she certainly felt like it then and there. The bright half-moon and cold wind of that night served as romantic backdrops as they embraced and shared a short kiss on the lips, enough for the Guardian to feel fuzzy and in peace with herself. Finally, a sweet and caring man occupies her thoughts and desires.
"So, when do we see each other again?" Rei asked.
"As soon as possible, my dear," he answered while pointing upwards and blinking in a provocative manner. "As long as we have enough space in our respective schedules, that is. We'll keep in touch. Take care, and have yourself a good night!"
She waved him goodbye as he entered his sports car. Rei certainly felt happy with how the date went, as short and rushed as it was... But something in the back of her mind still kept her from fully enjoying herself. At that rate, however, she did not want to think of anything else that would put her out of her good mood. The battle, the prospect of a new and fearsome enemy unleashed upon Azabu-Juban... And the presence of Yuuichirou, whom she finally noticed standing there immobile and gazing at her like a completely unworthy dweeb, covered in sweat in his plain white t-shirt and grey sweatpants. Definitely the opposite of Touya.
"Eh!? What are you doing here?" she curtly questioned. "Were you stalking me or what?"
"No, uh... Nothing," he fumbled for his words to what his tired mind's capacity could let him. "I-I just arrived from my jogging session, is all."
"Ah, shut up, will you!?"
"What... What did I do?" Yuuichirou questioned, baffled at that sudden lash out.
"Whatever, you're not going to ruin my mood," Rei stated as she shook her head in disappointment, a very regular occurrence in the presence of the hapless employee of the Shrine, who walked away dejectedly to his own quarters, feeling he had done something wrong.
Alone once more in the final shower of the day, only then did Rei realize she was unnecessarily rough with Yuuichirou. Sure, he was most likely gawking and balking at her prospective romance with Touya, but did she really need to act like he had spilled a drink over her dress or something like that? Was he even stalking her, in the first place? In fact, when was the last time she was actually nice to him for a change?
Yuuichirou... I guess I need to apologize to him. The more she put the thought into the servant, the more she felt uneasy... to the point she felt a bit of arousal once more. The same way she was feeling in the morning! Ah, not this crap again, the Guardian complained to no one in particular as her thoughts raced in her head even below the water stream out of the faucet.
Okay, focus here. To divert her own mind from those assumptions, Rei started to think of her newest mission at hand. There is a new enemy in town. Can't be any worse than Galaxia or any of the other freaks we have faced so far, but we can't let our guard down. The Guardians and I need to discuss this soon. Yeah, that's what truly matters now.
The Guardian of Fire declaimed one last prayer before tucking herself in her bed: "May the kami lead me to my rightful course and protect me in my mission in life. May my grounds be protected tonight. May the love I seek appear soon..."
(xx)
"It's been you, woman... Right down the line."
Even as he sang along to one of his favorite songs that just happened to play through the car's radio, and even if he was away from anybody's sight, Touya didn't feel any better. He couldn't properly enjoy himself with the daughter of his mother's associate, despite the date having been ostensibly a success as planned. If she only knew what was going on...
The iron doors of the Minamimoto manor opened automatically, and as soon as he parked the car in the designated garage next to the others of the household's collection, Touya walked in wide steps to his own ample room to mull about the day's happenings and plan the next day's proceedings.
On the living room couch sat a slim woman sipping on a glass of juice while reading some booklet, her pure pearl bracelet crinkling with her arm's movements to turn a page. Her shoulders had strange decorations that seemed like the hems of her haute-couture dress, but were actually tattoos that denoted her position in the hierarchy of a certain group. Touya recognized and felt slightly uncomfortable in the presence of his mother Nikishi Minamimoto, who, as if feeling her son's arrival, asked without taking her eyes from her book: "So, how did it go?"
"Hitting it off just fine," Touya answered with a pang of uncertainty as he served himself with some of the juice in the pitcher resting on the small table. "The Senator's daughter seems charmed enough."
Nikishi permitted herself a satisfied smirk. "Wonderful! The plan is coming along, then."
Hearing that made Touya feel even worse than before. Still, he kept a stiff upper lip and proper composure, going along Nikishi's goading. "It sure is. Now if you excuse me, I'm going off to my quarters."
She turned around and faced her son, smiling and crossing her legs like a femme fatale. "Have a nice rest, young man. You deserve it!"
Away from his mother's sight, Touya sighed and thought about the day's happenings as he buttoned down his shirt and plummeted on his bed. How would Rei react that she was but a pawn at the hands of Nikishi Minamimoto, the shrewd and ruthless leader of the Minami-gumi faction, solely to get to Senator Hino's official graces? It was either going along, or face the wrath of his mother... And knowing what he knew, and having seen first-hand what he saw, he preferred not to go along with it.
"God, I'm such a tool..." he lamented as he readied himself for bed. The moral ramifications of the "plan" his mother mentioned would soon bear repercussions, but Touya was not particularly willing to have that discussion with himself that night. Or any other night, for that matter.
(xx)
"Are you sure this is going to work?"
"It will. And a bit more confidence in this would not hurt."
"Hmm... This still seems like a dangerous risk, with high stakes and low odds. Not to mention... he really doesn't look like he could put up on a fight, or even just stand up to himself. I mean, Rei raises his voice ever so slightly and there he goes, crawling and whimpering like a whelp."
"Feelings are complicated, and they often only appear to people as figments of our subconscious, which more often than not we can only access via dreams, and can only manifest in manners even we cannot comprehend. Like being belligerent and curt to a person we actually like."
"Well, I can't argue with you about this, given you are the authority in dreams and consciousness here. I just hope this works out. For her sake..."
So what did you think? Leave a comment and make that follow/favorite checkboxes chirp. Feedback is always welcome, too!
Next chapter: More into the new enemy's modus operandi.
Greetings from the Hospitaller Knight.