Hospital Patients in Danger! Who Killed Sailor Moon?
She'd picked flowers that morning, tied them up into neat little bouquets and nestled them into the basket which now sat on the seat beside her. Everything for this visit had been arranged properly: Director Tanaka had been quite helpful when the heir to his biggest investor had expressed interest in coming to have a look at the hospital, and more than willing to give her the grand tour -- doubtless, the household secretary had remarked, in hopes of earning larger contributions in the future. She wasn't particularly concerned with his motivations, however, not when her own were rather different than she'd claimed. It would, as she'd suggested to Pearl, be child's play to take the souls of some of the long-term coma patients -- and a kindness, really, particularly for those who would never be the same even if they awoke. She would be easing suffering, rather than creating more.
For those she took, the flowers would be an exchange. For others, they would simply be a gift. And, if all went well, at the end of the day they would be one step closer to revenge.
As the car turned down the street towards the hospital, she pulled a small mirror from her handbag and checked herself. Pearl had, true to his promise, made certain she looked impeccably presentable; there was nothing she need do but wait. The mirror went back into the bag as Minoru turned the car into the lot, pulling it smoothly to a stop by the walkway; she had hardly closed her fingers about the handle of the basket than her door had been opened, and Kazuo offered a hand to help her out. She let him and, once outside, turned back to the car. "Two hours, Minoru."
"I will wait, ojousama," he answered, perfectly proper, and waited until she had headed for the lobby, Kazuo at her heels, before leaving to park. She knew he would be there even earlier; it was useful, really, this masquerade she had chosen, just as it was useful to know that Kazuo would be there outside the hospital-room doors later to prevent anyone from disrupting her visits.
The lobby was sparkling clean, pale walls and pale floor and a trio of receptionists occupying the desk at the far side. Director Tanaka was waiting for them, though she was a little early -- someone must have notified him. She would remember to give him points for that later. He bowed quite formally as she approached, and she thought there might have been a twinge of nervousness in his smile as he rose. "Ichirin-sama," he said, quite properly, "it is a pleasure to finally meet you. Your father has spoken well of you."
She inclined her head -- not quite a bow, but enough to show acknowledgement and respect for his position. "Tanaka-san. Thank you for your cooperation."
The smile lost a touch of its uncertainty before it was replaced with a much more sober expression. "Anything for the Tenwa Zaibatsu. Now, where would you prefer to begin?"
"Ah -- whatever you would suggest, Tanaka-san," Mara said, with Hiyori's gentle smile and Hiyori's soft inflection, and let the director lead her off in the direction of the elevators, Kazuo a constant shadow at her back and the flowers in her hand.
~ * ~
Two days. Two days had passed since their encounter with the Black Moon Clan and yet...nothing. No hint of their comrades, no more news of what happened to their Princess' body, and Misora was becoming frustrated. It didn't show however. At least, not to anyone but Kyoko. Standing by the window of their apartment, a cup of tea in her hands, Misora gazed out over the city. She was dressed in nothing but a long button-down shirt, having just come from bed. Misora had actually slept in. It was around 10 AM and she was used to being up much earlier.
Everything is taking its toll on me though. Princess..where could they have taken your body? There are hundreds of police stations in this city and...she massaged her temple in frustration and sipped at her tea. Silver hair brushed her shoulders and down her back, rumpled with bed head, but she was in her own home and she didn't care. I suppose I can't let Kyoko sleep any longer. With a smile, she headed back to their room and set the tea on the nightstand before leaning down and pressing a kiss to Kyoko's lips.
"Awaken my Sleeping Beauty. Your Princess is here and it's a new day..."
"Nani...?" Kyoko gave a little grumble as she pulled her pillow over her head. She wasn't ready to get up yet. Not another day of endless searching with no light of hope to be seen. All Kyoko had on was the satin pajama top of one of Misora's navy pajama sets.
"I want to sleep in..." She mumbled from under the pillow. It was becoming discouraging for the couple. They couldn't find any of the other Senshi and they still had no lead as to where their Princess had been taken. She grumbled something else that couldn't be understood before pulling the cushy comforter up above the pillow on her head.
Misora would have to drag her out of bed.
Chuckling to herself as she listened to Kyoko grumble and pull the pillow over her head, Misora had to admire her. Not many would refuse Yuushi Misora when she made a request of them. Kyoko is just one in a million, I guess. She was about to say something else, when,
"I want to sleep in..."
That had her laughing a bit as she proceeded to drag the comforter down and tossed one of the pillows aside. Straddling her lover, she raised an eyebrow in a playful challenge.
"Are you denying me, koneko-chan? That's not like you," she commented lightly. "Come now, you have to get up. I'll make you breakfast if you do."
No, Misora was not above bargaining, bribing, or blackmailing her lover, because she loved Kyoko and it was for the other girl's own good…most of the time.
Kyoko couldn't help but giggle a little as Misora pulled the covers away and straddled her.
"I don't know..." She said as she looked up at the other, peeking out from under the pillow she had managed to keep near her. "It would have to be a fantastic breakfast to make me get up out of bed today."
It was always good to hear Misora laugh, especially when it was hard to get up in the morning. Every day brought a new hardship for them, but at least they could go through it together.
"A fantastic breakfast, hm? And let me guess, this fantastic breakfast had better come to you on a tray while you're still in bed?" she asked with an amused look.
Despite the fact that they had been running into dead ends all over the place, it was nice to know that the two of them could still be together like this. As though everything were normal and they were really and truly back home…in their universe…
"I suppose I'll have to rise to the occasion and do something fantastic yet again. I'll go start."
And she slid off of Kyoko and pulled on a pair of pants before heading towards the kitchen. Let's see...should I go Western-style breakfast or traditional Japanese breakfast...? With that, she began to rummage around in the kitchen, intent on coaxing her lover to get out of bed so they could face another day of searching. Misora didn't like coming up with dead ends either, but...we'll find something soon. We just have to.
Pretty soon, the smell of hot chocolate filled the kitchen and drifted towards the bedroom. I know you can't resist sweets, koneko-chan...and Misora grinned.
The scent of sweet hot chocolate drifted into the bedroom just as Misora had planned. Kyoko pulled the pillow away from her face and took in a deep breath, taking in the delightful smell in the apartment.
"Playing hard ball, ne?" She sat up, rubbing her eyes a little. "She wins this round..." Kyoko slowly crawled out of the bed and made her way into their little kitchen, sneaking around behind Misora to a newly made cup of cocoa. Maybe if she could get the cup she could sneak back into the room without Misora noticing.
After breakfast (and some rather intense play), Misora and Kyoko went out and about to try and find any clue from their Princess or any sign of their comrades. They had gone all around the area where the Princess' body had been found, visiting the hospitals and trying to make their way towards the autopsy records. While Kyoko distracted the medical staff, Misora had swiped a lab coat and a name tag, and she was frightening every intern she came across into giving her access to the autopsy records.
"Your name is Ashida? Well, Ashida-san, I am the one with the medical degree. You are the intern. When I say take me to the autopsy records, I mean now. Understand?"
All of this was said with her steeliest and most intimidating voice as she stared down the young intern. This pattern had repeated itself for about three hospitals and Misora sighed as they approached Azabu General Hospital. It was already noon and Misora was feeling particularly tired, but they had to keep searching. This will be the last one. Then we'll go and get lunch. She moved forward, and that was when she noticed the man dressed in black at the door and frowned.
"Ne, Kyoko," she jerked her head to indicate the man dressed in black.
It was clear that she was wondering who the man was. He looked like a bodyguard, judging from the sunglasses and the wire she spotted in his ear.
"Hmmm...we might have something here..." and Misora's eyes glittered. "Finally."
"Looks fishy..." Kyoko commented softly as she looked over to the man in question. Maybe it was someone important coming to see someone at the hospital? Wouldn't there be some sort of hype? Then again... they hadn't had much time to check for hype in every hospital.
"We're here for the reports, Sora-chan... We don't need trouble," she said softly, lightly putting her hand on the other's back.
"Who said that we were going to cause trouble?" Misora said softly and began to make her way inside. "We're just coming here to see if a dear sister of ours is in this hospital."
This was said for the man at the door, and Misora looked around as she walked inside. For some reason, she had a hunch that they were in the right place this time.
"Let's split up and look around. Meet back here in a half hour."
With that, Misora was off down the hall, all of her senses on high alert. I have to find the autopsy records. I just have to.
~ * ~
They had visited the children's ward, which she had expected, and Hiyori had left some flowers there in bedside vases, or tucked into little hands. One girl, a pale fragile thing tucked into a wheelchair, had asked if she was a princess; a little boy, wide-eyed with worry, had clung to her and asked if she'd read to him from a story. "Kaasan comes in to do it," he had said, "but she's been busy all week, and the prince is in a lot of trouble, and I'm scared he won't get out of the forest." She'd glanced at Tanaka then, pointedly, and he'd taken himself off for the next fifteen minutes, leaving her with the boy. By the time the director came back, there was a group of children about her, nurses on the fringes, smiling benignly as Hiyori finished up her story.
"No, no, darlings," she'd said when they clamoured for another, gently patting hands. "I have to go work." And, when little faces fell, "I'm sorry."
"Will you come back and tell us another story?" one of them piped up. Hiyori raised a hand, placed it very solemnly over her heart, and looked at them.
"It's a promise."
On the way out of the ward, the director fell in beside her, shaking his head slightly. "I'm sorry if they troubled you, Ichirin-sama, but you know how children can be ..."
"Hai," she murmured, "and no trouble at all. Now, what shall you show me next?"
He led her through some of the labs, talking at length about the good the hospital did with this newly-purchased technology -- "courtesy of your family's generous donations, for which we are most grateful" -- and what they could do if they had this, that, and the other thing as well. She settled her expression into as calm a one as she could manage, politely interested, and followed in his wake, but her attention was far more on the surroundings than on the man's words.
When they reached the elevators once more, at the end of his tour, she shifted the basket slightly on her arm and looked up at him. "Tanaka-san," Hiyori said quietly, "I have a favor to ask."
Eagerness flared in his eyes, but he restrained himself to the slightest of questioning looks.
"Surely you have patients whose families do not come to visit -- patients who are overlooked, because of lack of kin or activity. I should like -- even if they may not notice -- to brighten their rooms a little." A vague gesture with the basket. "It may mean nothing, but the small things ..."
Hinted, in there, that small things led to larger things -- the latter of course being some of the finances Tanaka had indicated the hospital could use. He agreed without hesitation. She had expected nothing else, not when he wanted what the Tenwa Zaibatsu could give him -- and all for the price of escorting its daughter around, and then indulging a woman's gentleness. When he left her, some minutes later, with formality and effusive gratitude, at the doors of the long-term care ward, she was torn between smiling and shaking her head. Some people were so predictable ...
"Kazuo-kun," she began. The bodyguard's expression did not change, but he nodded slightly.
"I will wait outside, ojousama."
"Arigatou."
'Not all of them,' Mara reminded herself as she entered the first of the rooms, Kazuo taking up a sentinel's position outside the door as he closed it behind her. 'Only those with no chance, those whose lives are over, and not even all of those. Too many, and someone will get suspicious. Only those whose souls are clean, or dark past hope.'
She took the vase from the bedside stand, removed the flowers that had been in it, placed fresh ones in it. The chart on the wall held a name: Shitado Kenichi.
"Ohayo, Shitado-san," she said, then folded her hands.
~ * ~
Misora's plan had worked so far and thankfully none of the other hospitals had caught on. After all, nothing was taken, so it was clear that perhaps someone was just lost...or it was interns being stupid again...and she smiled as she flashed the name badge quickly enough to see the name, but her fingers covered the picture before making her way into the autopsy room.
No one was there. Perfect. She flipped on the lights and looked at the file drawers and sighed. There must be hundreds of these things...and the computer was out because if it required a password, she'd be stuck. Flipping under the different files, she was searching for the latest reports of Yamada Hanako cases. No...no...no, that's not it either...she sighed and massaged her temples just as the doorknob began to rattle. Whirling around, the lab coat billowing about her, Misora's eyes narrowed as she watched the door.
"OH!" the young woman started as she saw someone already in here. "I'm sorry, I was just..."
"No," Misora immediately put on her most charming smile, the one she had worn thousands of times for parties and the press. "Actually, I was wondering if you could help me. I'm searching for the file on the cosplayer Yamada Hanako that was a few days ago. I'm new and I haven't learned everything yet."
And she laughed a little, really laying it on thick. The intern beamed brightly and bustled over, chatting about how nervous she was at being in such a big hospital and how she was working towards her medical degree, but Misora was only concentrating on the files she was sorting through.
"Ah! Here it is! But, only authorized personnel can-"
"Now," she glanced at the name badge. "Mitsuki-san, I'm sure that you would recognize me as official personnel. I just want to have a quick look."
And she plucked the file from the intern's hands. The young woman worried her lower lip until Misora glanced at her sharply, all friendliness gone.
"Arigatou."
"H-hai!" and with that, the intern ran scurrying from the room.
Finally...Misora couldn't believe it. We'll finally have some of the answers to our questions at last. And she began to open the file.
~ * ~
Kyoko scratched her head a little as she looked at the list of wards in the hospital. She wasn't quite sure where to go, really. Misora had dashed off quite quickly to find out about an autopsy report and had left Kyoko wondering where to look.
"Ano...." She sighed deeply, looked around and started down one of the hallways, avoiding glances as she passed by nurses and visitors leaving after seeing friends or family. She really had no clue where to head. Maybe a random direction would be the proper direction.
~ * ~
Three rooms later, she'd found one, an elderly woman who was nearly luminescent to her sight. Not wholly light -- she had yet to see one of those, aside from the one time she'd glimpsed an infant new-born -- but far, far brighter than so many observed. Mara's glance flickered briefly to the chart, noted a coma duration of eighteen months, extensive brain damage.
It would be a blessing, this. It did no good for the dead to linger, for the body to cling to life while the soul needed to move on.
"Oyasumi, Kaede-san ..."
She stretched out her hand.
She had four -- all who had been on the edge of death, who could easily have slipped, quite naturally, over onto the other side even if she had not nudged them the rest of the way. Four souls, quite a step from where she had been this morning, and a marked improvement from the last time she'd gone a-hunting. With luck, she would be able to add a fifth before she left, and with the number of rooms she had passed through and left little bouquets in, there would be little to indicate the source of those deaths -- if anyone thought to question them.
Kazuo's soft cough disrupted her musings. Hiyori looked back over her shoulder, hand on the next doorknob, eyebrows lifting slightly in query.
"Ojousama. You have a meeting this afternoon --"
"Hai, hai. Three o'clock, yes? Not to worry." She lifted the near-empty basket, "Only a few more. Thank you for your patience with me; this can hardly be very interesting."
He said nothing, bowed politely. She opened the door into the next room. It clicked softly behind her as it latched.
Hiyori replaced the flowers in the bedside vase and placed her basket there beside it, all this with a swiftness now born of habit. She brought her hands together again, and for the umpteenth time this afternoon, the world seemed to shift slightly and leave in her place the princess of Nemesis. Tucking a stray lock of hair behind her ear, Mara looked down at the figure on the bed, motionless as all the others had been. It was a younger man, perhaps thirty, dark hair falling across skin sallow from being indoors. His chart gave her a name, and a time: three months.
"And what of you, Hideki-san?" she murmured almost absently. "What is the truth of your heart?" She would know soon enough.
Mara folded her hands as if praying, eyes drifting shut. Her words were soft enough to be one, and even if they belonged to no prayer, might well have been the words of a supplicant. "Let me walk the darkened path, and stand on the threshold between the worlds," she whispered, and took a single step back.
The room shifted. Color faded. Mara's eyes, now open, seemed almost to glow, a cold blue, pale but intense. They focused on the prone figure, and widened.
"Oh my."
~ * ~
Sure enough, Kyoko's wandering brought her into the coma ward where she spotted the strange bodyguard guy. Curious about what he was doing guarding a door in the coma ward, Kyoko tip toed over with her huge bag. He turned his head in time to see the previously mentioned bag, full of junk that she more than likely didn't need to be lugging around, connect with his head.
"Night, sweetheart," Kyoko said as she nudged him with her foot once he was down. A guy that size wouldn't be down for long, though. With that in mind, she stepped over him and opened the door to peek inside. Her breath caught in her throat before she pushed herself all the way in.
"Stop what you're doing!" Kyoko barged in without transforming, pointing an accusing finger at the woman standing over the bed. Kyoko could feel something strange from the woman... not to mention, the glowing eyes sort of gave her away. Hadn't she seen her before?
Mara's gaze shifted, pinned the girl who'd just burst into the room. For a moment, all the intensity of her regard focused on the newcomer, and then she blinked, and it was gone.
'Interesting. She's different, somehow -- that brightness! But whole and hale, and not to be touched unless that changes ...
Or unless she makes it necessary.'
Shifting to keep the bed between them, she lifted one slender hand to rest just above the patient's heart. "You shouldn't be here," she said quietly. Her eyes never left the other girl's, though they had dimmed back to their normal pale blue with that earlier blink.
Kyoko felt cold and light headed as the woman looked at her. That voice was familiar... Was this the woman from the other day?
"You don't belong here either." Kyoko finally spoke in a low tone when she regained her voice, still a little light headed as the woman gazed at her. Her own eyes were a little confused, questioning why such a person would come here. "He can't even fight back," she stated with a deep frown, fists starting to clench slowly.
"He can't," Mara affirmed. "But perhaps this is a kindness. Perhaps, one foot already in the grave and the other off the ground, he simply needs to be reminded that he should finish taking that step. Perhaps I do belong here, if that is what is needed."
Her fingers twisted slightly, seeming to delve through fabric and skin and muscle, even the entirety of the body altogether. Something flickered between them, impenetrable shadow.
"And if the heart is tainted beyond redemption, perhaps it is more than kindness."
"Why?!" Kyoko cried out to Mara, not wanting to have to transform in front of the woman... not wanting to cause a commotion in such a place. Kyoko found herself torn between her duties to protect the man in the bed from the woman... and wondering if it was right to stop the woman from releasing a man trapped in limbo to suffer. Kyoko wouldn't want to watch a family member lying in bed without hope forever...
No, what are you thinking?! This is wrong! She wanted to stop her, and at the same time she wanted to hold the man's hand. No! He can't fight, this isn't right!
But what makes me right? He is a coma case... maybe it's for the be-
"No... Please... I don't understand why you're here in this world... Or why you're killing him... Just stop!" she yelled at the woman.
The words hurt. Something in the other's voice, the pain and uncertainty, tugged at Mara. She froze, the soul caught between her fingers and the man's body, halfway visible -- darkness that pulsed in her grip. Her eyes darted from it to Kyoko and back, assessing.
"You don't know him." There was genuine puzzlement in the words. "Why does it matter to you if he lives or dies?"
"Because I wouldn't want to be in his position, not being able to fight against you," Kyoko replied after a minute of silence as she tried to think of a reason. She slowly moved a little closer to the bed and looked at Mara carefully.
"How do you know he wants to die right now?" she asked softly. "Or if he is dreaming of how to mend his old ways...?" She looked down at the form in the bed. "Or even if he wants to go? I wouldn't want to have my fight ended before I could win." She nodded to herself before looking at Mara.
"Either way... it is my job to protect him." She leveled her eyes on Mara's. "Please... just go, leave…him...alone." Her eye held a steel determination. She didn't want to start a fight in the room, but she would if she really had to.
Pale fingers tightened almost convulsively. She reminded herself of the dead -- her brothers, Rubeus, Esmeraude, the sisters. The soldiers they'd lost in the war. Her people, dead because of the Wiseman's meddling. As ill as it might be, there was no other path -- and better this man than others, possibly countless others, like this girl in front of her ...
A pale blue gaze met eyes of coral pink, solemn and grave and a little sad. "I'm sorry."
And the instant before she would have pulled, the rhythmic rise and fall of the respirator was interrupted by a choked cough.
"Nani?" Kyoko blinked a little and looked down at the man in the bed as he coughed again, his eyes opening ever so slightly. The green haired girl blinked again, squinting as she looked at him. He was awake!
"His fight isn't over." Kyoko said matter-of-factly as she moved over to the other side of the bed and gave Mara a little smile. "He isn't lost..."
Her grip slackened for an instant, her resolve wavering. It was different when they were alive, aware -- different when the man looked over at her, a moment of confusion. He looked only human, without the sight the world beyond gave her. Human, and small, and --
'NO! Remember what his soul looked like -- his heart -- remember them -- the promise --
Her heart clenched.
In a single smooth motion, Mara reached again, fingers plunging once more into a chest that now rose and fell partly on its own. A split-second later, she drew her hand back and shoved her weight against the bed. It shifted, lurching at the other girl, and she took that instant's distraction to clutch the vague sphere of darkness in her hand and bolt for the half-open door.
"Hey!" Kyoko screamed angrily as the man's body went cold under her and she half fell on the bed when it knocked into her. Well, so much for thinking she could negotiate with the bad guy…girl... woman.. WHATEVER!
"Get back here!" She pushed the bed away from her as the woman slipped out the door. She grabbed her bag and heaved it on her shoulder as she bolted after the woman. "Bring that back!"
The man was dead... but it was the principle of the matter. That bitch had taken a human's life! Tripping over the still-unconscious body guard, Kyoko looked down the hallway to find out where the woman had run off to.
"Hello?" she banged on her still dead communicator in an effort to contact Misora for back up. "Damn it!"
Mara didn't stop to think. Part of her realized that, if she did, the enormity of what she'd done would come crashing down. Knowing intellectually that lives would have to be taken in this fight was very different from actually doing it. When this was all over, she could have a nice, proper breakdown. For now, though, there were more important things.
The soul in her hand felt strangely cool. She tightened her fingers about it even further, afraid that it would slip free somehow and elude her after all this unexpected effort. This was supposed to have been easy.
No time to think. No time to stop and consider anything. Instinct drove her, and she ran, heedless of Kyoko's cries behind her.
Must... not…let... her... escape. Kyoko had caught a glimpse of the woman and had headed in that direction.
'Misora? Where are you?' she thought as she tried to catch up, only finding herself losing speed as the woman she was chasing didn't bother stopping.
"Stop!" She yelled again in vain, starting to run out of breath in her mortal form. "Damn it!" She cursed, continuing the best that she could down the seemingly empty corridors.
Misora had spent the entire time reading through the police reports, not wanting to miss anything. It gave the time they found her, where they had found her, their attempts to ID her, but nothing yet about what they did with the body. Deciding to make a copy for later, just in case, Misora replaced the original file and pocketed the copied pages. Deciding to head out and find her lover, Misora headed off through the halls.
'Shimatta, I should have asked where she was going,' she thought as she looked around. She stood near an open window, looking around when the breeze tickled her hair. She froze for a moment, watching as the wind blew some papers down the hall to the coma ward. That will do for me! And with that, she walked briskly through the halls towards the coma area, only to hear shouts and a commotion. She barely had time to flatten herself against the wall as she saw a young woman run past her. Is that...? That is a soul! The enemy! Glancing up, Misora saw Kyoko trying to overtake her and ran to her lover.
"Kyoko! Was that...the enemy?" she asked. "Never mind, she has a soul, let's henshin in here and get it back. I got what we came for."
With a smile, Misora dashed back into the empty room and looked around. No security cameras, good.
"Uranus Crystal Power, Make Up!"
Navy blue light filled the area and a moment later, Sailor Uranus dashed out and used her impressive speed to chase down Mara. She was quickly gaining on her and eventually passed her. Skidding to a halt, she whirled around and faced the young woman who held the soul in her hands.
"Hold it right there. I don't know who you are, but return that to its proper place!" drawing her Space Sword, Uranus held it at the ready. "Heralded by the new crisis, Sailor Uranus, appears with might!"
Kyoko had lingered in the empty room for a few moments to catch her breath, looking at her henshin wand to decide if she wanted to henshin or not.
"Neptune Crystal Power, Make Up!" She said the phrase softly, feeling the rush of power over her before exiting the door to continue the chase. Once she caught up she slid up a fair distance behind the woman she had been chasing.
"I don't have time for an introduction! Give me that soul back, or else!" The farthest thing from her mind right now was a smart villain making the connection between Neptune and her mortal self. Usually it took them a while... go figure.
Caught between the two new arrivals, Mara abruptly stopped. Her attention darted first to the one and then the other, and then she shook her head slowly. A faintly exasperated sigh escaped her lips as she lifted her head, set her shoulders. The look she gave Uranus and Neptune was one of regal disdain, very different from the vulnerability she'd shown in that room earlier; no trace of that remained now.
"I thought I warned you both to stay out of our way," she said, the words cool and a little dangerous. "You have no idea what you're meddling in. I don't have time to play games."
"And we don't have time for your warnings," Uranus snapped and moved in for a quick attack.
Her sword slashed through the air, intent on getting Mara to release the soul. And if she hurt the other girl in the process...well, then she hurt her. Misora had recognized the voice from the last battle, the one who had called Pearl back to her. Hmmm, it appears we now know the appearance of the young woman from the Black Moon.
"Tell me," Uranus whispered with a small smile. And it wasn't a nice smile. "I thought the Black Moon had given up its penchant for killing when the weakling Prince Demando and his younger brother were murdered...oh but that's right, they were too blinded and ignorant to see the enemy right in their midst."
Mara hardly moved at the swing, evading the sword with the barest of sideways motions. Her eyes narrowed slightly, studying her surroundings. If she could just get past Uranus --
And then the girl spoke, hardly more than a whisper, and Mara froze. Color drained from her face, aside from two bright spots of red on her cheeks. Her eyes flew wide; her hands, at her sides, curled into claws, the left tightening about the soul she still held.
For an instant, she saw red. The words echoed in her ears, thunderously loud.
"Shut UP!" she screamed, and launched herself at Uranus, free hand reaching for the blonde's throat. "SHUT UP! You have NO IDEA what you're talking about!"
Neptune gasped as Mara launched herself at Uranus, grabbing the Senshi by the throat with one hand. She hadn't heard what Uranus had said, but it must have been something pretty awful to set the woman into such a blind rage... Then again, she didn't really know the woman that well. She could have commented about her hair... Neptune hadn't any idea.
"Stop!" Neptune quickly moved forward to grab the woman in an effort to pry her off of Uranus. "Let her go!"
The blind rage that Mara had responded with startled Uranus and when she felt Mara's hand impact her throat, she cried out and stumbled back. Although it was hard to get a good grip on someone's throat with just one hand, it frightened her for a moment. Hearing Neptune reassured her...and that brief moment of fear was replaced by rage.
Thankfully, Neptune's interference allowed Mara's fingers to slip a bit and Uranus pulled herself away, coughing and massaging her throat. Damn her. Without another word, Uranus went in for another shot, although she was a little light-headed from the brief loss of air when Mara had grabbed her. Focus, Misora... and she swung her sword once more.
This time, the blow caught the dark-haired woman across the torso, a little higher than where Neptune's arm had circled her waist to jerk her back. Between the shorter woman's grip and the feel of the sword slicing through her clothes and biting into her skin, anger quickly became shock, which in turn was enough to bring her back to her senses.
This is no time for petty vengeance. Remember why you're here!
Her free hand pressed against the wound, feeling the blood beneath her fingers. No time indeed for being a fool. She had to get out of here, and quickly, before someone heard and came -- or, possibly worse, wondered where Hiyori was. Kazuo could wake up any moment, and if he found her gone ...
And then all of this would have been for nothing. What good would it be to set out to avenge her brothers, if she stumbled over something like this?
She blinked, furiously, trying to clear her eyes. Relaxed a moment -- and then spun, hard, trying to free herself from Neptune's grasp.
Neptune stepped to the side as Mara spun to escape from her grasp. For a brief moment she saw the woman's face, something sparkling in the light on her eyes.
What's that? The thought passed through Neptune's mind as Mara tried to break free. Despite her efforts, Neptune fumbled with her grab and the woman slipped out of her grasp.
"Damn it! This is getting tiresome," she grumbled as she started after the woman again.
Uranus smirked as her sword made contact, at least enough to hurt Mara. But her throat was killing her. She was so thirsty and she could only croak, so there was no way she'd be able to summon attacks. Not that I should anyway, considering where we are, but it had to end before they started to attract unwanted attention.
"Damn," she managed to choke out.
One more turn at the end of the corridor took Mara down the right-hand branch, aiming for the edge of the building. If she remembered things correctly from the earlier tour, there should be an exit here -- Tanaka-san had been quite proud when he spoke of the emergency measures the hospital had implemented, to make certain that no matter what befell them, everyone would get out as safely as possible.
She slowed not at all, throwing her full weight and the momentum of her run against the door's bar. It gave (she did not spare a thought for what might have happened had it been locked, only thanks that she was out, now), and she caught herself outside just in time to keep from pitching over the landing's rail. Stairs stretched overhead to the roof, and below her down to the street.
There would be a similar set on each side of the building. That, or the central roof access, would do well enough to get her back to where she was supposed to be. As she jumped, from landing rail up several stories, she saw the door fly open again.
She was beginning to wonder, if this was "easy", what going after more difficult souls would be like. Neptune hit the railing outside of the exit with a solid 'oof', catching herself before she could flip over. She looked around, seeing a glimpse of the woman going up several stories.
"These new villains sure do run a lot. I'm used to them just vanishing with the goods." Neptune complained as Uranus came out through the door. In an Un-Senshi-like fashion, Neptune wondered if all this chasing around was worth it. She was getting tired... and hungry. With a groan she started up the stairs, using a few Senshi jumps to gain speed upwards.
"Yes..." was all Uranus was able to get out. "Have to...*cough*...catch up with her."
Her throat was aching, and she was going to need a cough drop or some water soon. Following Mara up the several stories, the two Senshi finally managed to chase her down on the roof. Feeling no qualms about attacking now, Uranus raised her hand and closed it into a fist.
"Whirlwind...Crashing!"
Although she broke out into a coughing fit after that, she still managed to launch the orb of silvery energy into the air, and it came racing down towards Mara, seeming to follow her as she ran.
At the sound of words behind her, Mara did not pause, though her attention was quickly drawn up by the sparkle of something overhead. It matched her forward motion and, moving on instinct, she gathered herself while running. In the moment before it crashed to the rooftop, she hurled herself forward with a leap, wincing as her shoulder hit the rough ground. A tuck, a roll, and up on one knee, just barely, one hand pressed hard against the still-bleeding wound, the other still wrapped in a fist.
Behind her, wind howled, picking up bits of rock and dirt that had accumulated on the roof. There would not, she expected, be a better chance for a while. This was enough.
Under cover of the dust cloud (couldn't be sure how long she'd have, so best to move swiftly), she darted around the raised portion in the centre of the roof and slipped through the door. It scarcely made a sound as it shut behind her.
Frowning a little as she lifted a hand to protect her eyes from all the dust swirling around on the roof, Neptune waited for the scene to settle down... or for the woman to pop out and attack them again. Well, no woman popped out.
"Where'd she go?" Neptune asked, coughing a little as she started closer to where the attack had landed. Nothing. Maybe it was for the best... Neptune was tired of chasing her.
"Are you okay?" She moved over to Uranus, hearing her cough again. "These new enemies are tricky," she muttered as she watched the dust clear, leaving no track of the Black Moon woman.
Uranus growled, angry with herself that her attack had provided the perfect cover for the young woman to escape. Still, it isn't as though we'll come away from this empty-handed, she thought and transformed back into Misora, coughing until her eyes watered.
"Cough drop...or water...I think she got my vocal chords," she whispered hoarsely. "Other than that...I'm not too terrible. I found what we came for."
And she held up the copies of the file she'd made.
"Let's go home. We'll deal with the enemy later. Right now, we need to regroup," and she took several deep breaths, swallowing dryly as she smiled at Kyoko.
Neptune's transformation faded away as she nodded. At least they managed to get the autopsy report. She kept thinking back to the argument she had with the woman...
"Let's go home..." Her mind was worn out. "Can we get something to eat on the way back?" she asked with a smile, trying to put the whole ordeal out of her head for the time being.
"Yes," Misora said with a smile as she rose, pocketing the files once more. "I think going home and getting food would be very nice."
With that, Misora began to head back down the fire escapes, and when she reached the bottom, waited for Kyoko before the two of them headed off. Her mind was still swimming with the realization that her attack had let the enemy escape. It was my fault. How could this have happened? She bought a bag of cough drops from a local vendor and popped one into her mouth, letting the warm, soothing candy relax her throat.
"What do you feel like eating?"
"Ano...." Kyoko thought for a little bit, wondering what her stomach would like. It was hard to think of food when other thoughts were invading her mind... Were... were those tears?
"Let's get noodles..." she finally said as they walked, trying to still look excited about eating. Her tummy growled at her and she blushed, laughing softly as she looked over at Misora with a smile.
Misora wasn't fooled for a bit. She didn't say anything, though, until they had gotten their noodles from a noodle cart and had reached their apartment once more. Once the door was closed and the noodles dished out, Misora waited patiently until she thought the time was right to ask,
"Koneko-chan, you've been very quiet since we left the hospital. Something is bothering you...can you tell me what it is?" she asked gently, her eyes showing her concern for her lover.
The autopsy report copy lay on the table beside them. Although it was important, if something was wrong with Kyoko, then Misora would take care of that first.
Kyoko slurped her noodles quietly, not looking up from her bowl as she thought of what to give as an answer. She wasn't sure how to tell Misora that she thought there might be something more to these new (well... newish) villains. Something... deeper.
"It's... hard to explain, Sora-chan," Kyoko replied finally, looking over at her companion. "I talked with the woman before she took the man's soul... I... It was really strange." She shook her head before looking back down to her noodles, taking in another mouthful.
Misora raised an eyebrow when she heard that Kyoko had talked with their enemy before attacking, but knew that it was for a good reason. It had to be, otherwise why would she have done so? Taking a bit more of her noodles, she gestured a bit.
"Go on...you can tell me, koneko-chan, I promise I won't be upset."
Kyoko shook her head a little as she finished the mouthful she had taken and sighed deeply. Perhaps this world was getting to her. Maybe it was making her soft.
"I can't explain it... There was just something that didn't seem... evil. Yeah, she pulled a soul out of a man who miraculously woke up from a coma..." There was another sigh. "But... Maybe I was hoping for a light at the end of the tunnel. With the Princess gone and not being able to find anyone else... Maybe I was looking for something that wasn't there." Shaking her head she put her container aside and got up. She didn't want to talk anymore, still confused as she rolled the events through her mind like some sort of ... thought-polishing roller thing.
"I..." She hesitated, putting her arms around her waist. "I wish, for once, we could... you know... not have to fight to the death." She stepped over her bag, moving to the small bedroom. She gave a dry, bitter chuckle. "I'm probably just tired..."
Misora dropped her bowl with a thud. That woman was THERE? She stole a man who had WOKEN UP from a coma and Kyoko didn't stop her? That sent Misora for a loop, and she had a hard time processing this. Don't think about it...look at the autopsy report...it's bound to have something...but by the time Kyoko had reached the bedroom, Misora gave an almighty roar of anger and the pages went flying everywhere.
Now, rarely did Misora lose her temper, but everything seemed to have been piling up on them the past few days. Their Princess gone, their comrades missing (or worse), the Black Moon getting away with an innocent soul, and Misora blamed herself for that...and she blamed Kyoko for letting it happen. Although her anger was completely misdirected, Misora couldn't contain herself anymore. It was as if coming to this Universe and having her entire life disrupted had brought out the hidden parts of Misora that she wanted to keep dead and buried...namely her anger.
"NOTHING! NOT A DAMN THING!" she punched the wall, not caring if she made a racket or broke her fingers. "The autopsy report shows nothing! Not a name, not what they did with her body, not what the cause of death was, NOTHING! It's as though those damn officials didn't even care that a helpless girl was murdered! And a COSPLAYER? Those idiots have no idea who she WAS, who she was to us, to the others!"
And with that, she turned towards Kyoko, her blue eyes blinded by the anger, disappointment, and exhaustion that had been weighing on her soul ever since she arrived. With no one else there, she directed it at the one person she shouldn't have: Kyoko.
"And you...you let her take that soul...Kyoko, what were you thinking? That man was alive, and now he's worse than dead! He's a soulless shell of what he once was. I can't believe that you would...Kyoko, don't you CARE about our mission? We have to stop these people from taking more innocent lives! Before more people end up like our princess! It's bad enough I let her get away, but..."
And she took a deep breath before grabbing her shoes and heading out. She had to get out...had to get away...the apartment felt like it was closing in on her. Although she knew it was cowardly to run away, it was Misora's fail-safe move.
"I'm going to the ice rink." And with that, she was gone.
Kyoko stood in the bedroom door in stunned silence as the door slammed behind Misora. It stung and it stung deep. Not just the part about accusing her of letting the woman steal a man's soul... but for doubting that she cared about their mission.
"Fine!" Kyoko finally yelled at the closed door, Misora more than likely too far away to hear. Her own anger welled inside, pushing against the hurt that Misora's words had caused.
Without thinking, she grabbed her bag and shoved some clothing into it as she fought back furious tears. She would just go back to the fish market... If Misora was going to be so cruel, then she didn't want to be a part of their pairing. Her eyes fell on a little mosaic she had been working on to make their home a little more friendly and picked it up, glaring at the mix of blue and green.
"I'll just do things my way..." she sniffled to herself before angrily throwing the unfinished art against the wall that Misora had punched. It would be hard to forgive Misora for saying something so cruel, something that questioned her dedication.
As the pieces of glass settled on the floor, the door slammed again as Kyoko headed out to return to the markets to see if the family would take her back.
~ * ~
Back to the door, Mara closed her eyes and tried to slow her breathing. It raced from more than exertion; anger still simmered, along with the pain Uranus' words had awakened. Now that she was no longer being chased, it all seemed to come crashing down once more, threatening to overwhelm her. Breath shuddered in, a half-choked sound. She blinked her eyes furiously to clear them.
Think, Mara, damn it -- think! This isn't over yet!
Her fingers, white-knuckled by now, slowly unclenched from around that last soul. She held it up, looking at the sphere, nearly opaque in its darkness. Had it been worth it? Yes, of course; but surely there must be easier ways than this. She -- No, no, she would have to lie low for a while. Someone would find another way. Senshi or no senshi, they weren't about to abandon their quest.
The soul faded as her form shimmered, returned to Hiyori's neat clothes. Her hair was rumpled from the wind; she patted it down absently as she made her way down the stairs quickly. Surely Kazuo would be close to waking now, and best if she was there when he did -- best to find a nurse, saying she'd come from the room and found him collapsed, and to fret some because she hadn't heard a thing. Explanations were always awkward. And if Hiyori's eyes were a bit red, well, no one would remark on it. Everyone knew she had a soft heart.
She paused at the landing, took a deep breath, squared her shoulders, and pushed the stairwell door open.
"Nurse?! I need a nurse!"
There would be time enough later for what had been.