Gaijin Part 15: Of Dreams and Nightmares... By Sean D'Anna ===== "Father." It was a bright sunny day; a field of white flowers blew in the wind, seeming to reach into the distance forever. A strong wind blew through the field, creating a whirlwind of petals around her as she stood watching the man sit quietly. She was detached from the scene, watching the young girl play cheerfully. She was about ten, with long brunette hair that flowed freely in the wind, innocent, pure, a child full of joy. A lone tear fell down from her eye as she watched the scene. The man was strong with a broad chest and thick arms that could have crushed the child with ease. His touch was gentle though, and loving. He lifted her into his arms, smiling. It was obviously a rare thing for the man, but he did anyway, free of inhibition in such a scene. A woman in a beautiful dark blue kimono sat on a blanket nearby, smiling at the scene. She seemed serene and calm. Her skin was a milky white, and her hair was long and dark. She had an air of elegance about her as she rested under the great umbrella that shielded her sensitive skin against the sun. "This day..." she muttered as she watched the scene. It should have been a happy memory, one of joy, but it brought only pain. "Why? Why now?" she muttered to herself as she realized the dream. "I haven't..." "Have you been practicing?" asked the man as he kneeled beside the little girl. "Yes!" squealed the child excitedly. "Do you want me to show you?" "Of course," said the man gently. "Show me how much of a woman you have become. You will be strong, like myself and your mother." The girl nodded with a wide smile on her face. She lifted up her sundress to reveal a small scabbard. Inside was her birthright, passed down from the women in her family for generations. "No. Don't do it," she muttered as she watched. "Father, I am strong!" said the girl as she took up a stance and grinned at him. Her hand was hanging down by her side, ready to draw the weapon. "Show me then," said the man. The little girl smiled and unsheathed the weapon as fast as she could, moving it into a ready position. Her eyes went wide as the man simply looked at her with a blank expression on his face for a moment. "Daddy?" "K-k-k..." was the gurgled reply. The man still had his arms out, reaching for her. He had moved closer to her without her realizing it. He gave a wistful smile as he fell over. She didn't know what he had said then, no sound came from his lips as he spoke. The memory of the motions they had taken was forever burned into her memory though. "So, I guess it is true then..." "Daddy?" muttered the girl in silent horror. She dropped the knife to the ground and fell to his side. "Daddy!" The woman had taken notice of the scene and stood, slowly walking towards her. "Daddy! Get up! Please!" Her mother stood over her, a shocked expression on her face. "No..." "DADDY!" The woman fell to her knees, simply staring at her dead husband. A strange calm seemed to come over her as she looked at her daughter, and the weapon on the ground. "So soon? Haven't you had enough blood?" she said to the knife. Her gaze turned to her daughter and she simply watched as the distraught child began to shake her husband's body. As she watched her mother simply stare, and the young girl try desperately to revive the man, she choked out a dry sob. "Why? Why again?" she muttered in horror. The child turned the body so that it was facing her and she gasped in shocked horror. "No!" It wasn't her father at all, but a boy. A boy with a long scar running down the right side of his face. His expression was peaceful despite the vacant look in his dead eyes. +++++++++++++++++++ "Noooooooooooooo!" screamed Kei as she jumped upright and stared at the wall in front of her. She was covered in sweat and gasped for breath as she stared at the wall. She was shaking uncontrollably and felt herself gag for a moment. She held her stomach in check and rolled over, putting her feet over the side of the bed as she sat up and stared at the floor. "Why?" "Daughter, you are troubled?" said the icy tone of her mother. Kei wasn't surprised she was there, and expected no comfort. "It's nothing." "The dreams again?" said her mother in what almost sounded like amusement. "Yes," was the instant reply. "It hungers," replied the woman calmly. "You will grow used to it in time. They will haunt you forever." Kei looked up at her mother and frowned. "I will never grow used to this." "Perhaps not. It could be that I was stronger than you," replied the woman stonily. A small amount of pity was also present, but not really directed at her daughter. "I had hoped that I could prolong your father's life, by passing on the burden to you sooner. When not in my hands, it could not take away those I loved. I suppose it was a foolish wish in the end." "You tainted my soul," replied Kei darkly. "You tainted your hands with the blood of others two years before that ever happened. That was just the final seal on your fate. Accept it." "Like you did?" muttered Kei darkly. "Yes," was the simple reply. "I worry for you daughter," said the woman as she turned to leave. "You worry for your own honor," replied Kei. "Perhaps your life as well, don't worry mother. You have nothing to fear, I don't love you." "Such a petulant child," was the chuckled reply. "As long as you do not forget your duty," said her mother as she walked out of the room and left her alone finally. Kei snorted. "Duty. What is my duty? To whore myself out, so that your standing is not tainted, or perhaps to kill that boy, so your honor is not stained any further?" She let out a humorless laugh as she rolled back onto her sheets. "I will kill him, but for my own honor mother." She closed her eyes and rested, soon falling back into the night's embrace. ++++++++++++++++++++++ "Um...why am I doing this again?" muttered Mei Lin as she looked at Carrot. They were sitting around the table, enjoying a nice instant meal. Gia was with them and looked quite interested in the conversation. "Because, I want you to keep your ears open there. Hang around the reporters, listen for tips and rumors. I want you to hang around those who handle criminal stories and unusual phenomenon. That sort of thing." "Why not just send her to work at a tabloid?" muttered Gia lazily. Carrot snorted at this. "There's a lot of information to be had at a newspaper. Mei Lin is going to get into the habit of staying late and go through old files for interesting tidbits. If she can manage it, I'd like her to learn how to hack into the other reporter's private files. Sources that don't usually get printed, that sort of thing." "Why? What am I looking for?" muttered the girl fearfully. "I don't know if I can or not..." "We're not stealing it really. It's not like we're using it against them, or printing confidential information, and we aren't going to the police with direct information that way. I want enough information to know what's going on around here, and be able to go from there. As for what you're looking for specifically, I'm waiting for Kajura to get back to me on that one." "Carrot! That's very illegal!" cried Gia in shock. "If she's caught...how can you ask her to do something like that?!" "She wants to fight evil," replied Carrot with a small shrug. "She's too weak to be of use in a fight, and I'm betting if we dig deep enough, we can get some leads on those ninja, or possibly even the Youma." "I know how to type, but this..." muttered the girl fearfully. "I want you to ease your way into this," replied Carrot with a small shrug. "I'm not expecting you to decode files and such on your first day. Try to find their passwords, post it notes are a good way to find them. Notepads, desk drawers, that sort of thing." "You are unbelievable!" cried Gia in horror. "All right, jeez. Do what you're comfortable with then, but I need information. This is a good way to get it. It'd be too much trouble to get her working at a police station or something. This is the best I could think of. Besides, I've got Kajura for that." "You're just using her as a spy?" cried Gia as she slapped him on his face. "How dare you?!" Carrot narrowed his eyes at her and growled. "Look. People are trying to kill me, those Youma are up to something big, and those ninja are no joke." "Exactly why she shouldn't be doing this!" cried Gia angrily. Carrot stood up. "I..." Gia was glaring at him and Mei Lin had her head down. "Damn." The women were starting to make him feel really guilty about this. "Look. I..." "I'll do it," replied the girl calmly as she looked up at him. Gia blinked. "What?" "I'm not going to get in over my head though," she said sharply. "I'll do what I can, but I can't promise you that I'll be able to do a lot of what you said." "Thanks," said the boy with a slightly sour frown. Mei Lin could tell it wasn't really directed at her though. "You're out of your mind!" cried Gia as she stared at the girl. "No, he's right," replied the girl as she glanced at Gia. "I came to Japan, because I felt a dark power, a power strong enough to destroy the entire world if it goes unchecked. I've already seen my power isn't strong enough to hurt these monsters. I can't return home, until this evil has been defeated. I must do whatever I can to help." "Evil? Monsters?" muttered the woman as she stared at her. "What the hell are you talking about?" "Oh, that's right. I'm not sure if I told you, but some of the people out to kill me, aren't human," said Carrot as he smirked at her. "I was right! You should have sent her to a tabloid!" snapped the woman angrily. "I don't believe this..." "I've got a talking cat, and you're having trouble believing in monsters?" said Carrot as he stared at her. "..." "He's got a point," said Mei Lin sheepishly. "No one asked you," grumbled Gia irritably. +++++++++++++++ Zoicite peered at the figure in front of him. He was chained to the wall and his clothes were little more than tattered rags. His body was hidden away by the shadows of the dark room. "Hmm. Most interesting." The thing on the wall opened its eyes and glared at him for a moment. The yellow pupils glowed for a moment as two pinprick irises focused on him for a moment. It let out a low growl as it focused on the man. "You're almost ready my friend. Then you can do as you like, until then you will remain here." "I...am ready," said the thing in a distorted tone. "Not quite yet, you're suffering has almost ended though, soon you'll be complete." The thing raised its hand in front of its face and inspected it. It's clawed fingers curled as it clutched at the air. The green skin barely visible as it reached out into the minimal light. "What am I?" "A servant, soon, you'll destroy all that opposes us. Revenge is sweet indeed." "Revenge?" muttered the thing in its rough voice. "Don't you remember?" asked Zoicite with an amused chuckle. "Yes...that boy..." said the thing with venom filling it's tone. "Indeed," said Zoicite. "I will have him," growled the thing angrily. "Not quite yet my friend, you're not quite ready yet. When you are, we will set you free," said Zoicite calmly. "Until then, you should prepare yourself." "Ready?" growled the thing in frustration. "I am strong now, powerful, what more do I need to destroy him?" He flicked his eyes over to the table, a strange object he didn't recognize was sitting there. It looked somewhat like a bat, but it was obviously something else. It had no head or feet, but the wings and furry body seemed to twitch occasionally with life. "What am I?" The man was gone and he looked around the room deep in thought. "That boy...he is the cause of this. There are others though, those that would stand in my way..." With a quick tug of his wrists, the chains that held him against the wall came crashing down to the floor. He staggered forward and glared forward. "I feel a strange power...I do not recognize this force." He flinched uncomfortably in the light for a moment as he stepped into one of the moonbeams. His hand shielded his face for a moment and he slowly pulled it back, allowing his eyes to adjust. He could see the night sky outside. "Where am I? What happened after..." He sneered, his lips pulling back. His teeth were cruel fangs, twisted and vicious looking. "It's time to go, these beings can do nothing but enslave me now." He opened his hand, and a small ball of flame appeared in his grasp. The thing on the table twitched slightly in reaction to this and he looked at it for a moment. "Vengeance...I will have it." The thing rose off the table and his insane smile twisted, curving his green features into an insane smile. Without another word he jumped into the air throwing the small ball of flames into the wall in front of him. The thing on the table jumped to life, catching him as he descended and blasting through the explosion as he readied another ball of fire in his palm. With another toss, the wall to the outside exploded and he flew into the night sky laughing madly. ++++++++++++++++++ Zoicite jumped as an explosion sounded from down the hallway. He gasped as he turned to face the direction it had come from. "An attack?!" He paused, narrowing his eyes as he cursed and started running. "No! He's not ready yet!" Twisting and turning through the passageways he found what he had expected. Kunzite stood on the opposite side of the disturbance, a deep frown on his face as he looked at his fellow general. "What happened?" Zoicite frowned. "He's escaped. He wasn't ready yet." "This could be a problem," noted Kunzite. "She will not be pleased." Zoicite frowned. "She need not know, his mind is set on revenge. I had merely not broken his will yet. He is not under her control. After he is finished, we need only to destroy him." Kunzite narrowed his eyes at this, but nodded. "That should not be too difficult." "Not as easy as you think, he is quite powerful," commented Zoicite as he looked out at the stars for a moment. His creation was long gone by this time. +++++++++++++++++++++ On the docks in Niigata, a lone woman stood glaring out across the crowd as she walked down a ramp and onto the island of Japan from a small ship. "So, this is Japan?" She sneered as she glanced around and looked at the small scrap of paper in her grasp. "Odd place," she commented in Japanese as she smirked at some of the passers by noticed her. She towered over those around her at almost six feet in height. She looked to be about eighteen years old and her figure was stunning any male within sight for a moment. Her dress was a simple blue and gold silk garment that clung to her breasts tightly and was slit up to her hip on one side. Her hair was a light blue color and was tied into a tight bun on the back of her head, a few strands of hair fell over her face and moved lightly in the breeze. She had a massive spiked mace on a spear like pole hanging from a strap off her shoulder as she peered into the streets with a sort of smug looking grin. "Not bad, now to find this place..." +++++++++++++++++++ Carrot grumbled as he sat at the table and stared at Luna as the animal sat in front of him. "You're not my cat you know. I've got to get you back to Usagi." The animal peered at him and didn't speak for a moment. "I like it here. Pet me." Carrot hit his head on the table in frustration. "You can't stay. You're getting your memory back, and she needs you." "Pet me," insisted the animal as she nudged at the top of his head with her nose. "Leeme alone," grumbled the boy as he lifted his head up to stare at her. "I will once I'm happy," she snapped sharply. "Fine," he relented as he sat back. She jumped into his lap and purred happily as he rubbed at her back. "Oh! That feels so good! A little higher!" "Stop that! You're making me feel dirty about this!" he grumbled as he glared at her. "Who's this Usagi anyway? What do I care about her?" "She's your...pet human," said Carrot after a small pause to think about how to phrase it. "Oh, well I like you better," she replied as she rolled onto her back. "Get my chin will ya?" Carrot glared at her irritably. "You don't even know her." "Exactly, your food isn't bad, and I don't want to have to train someone else to do this," she said lazily. Carrot's eye twitched. "Train?" "You're a fast learner," muttered the animal cheerfully. "So I've been told," he muttered sourly. The phone rang and he blinked. "Off, I gotta get that," he said as he pushed her out of his lap. The cat made a slightly unhappy muttering as she tumbled to the floor and landed on her feet. Carrot ignored her and walked over to the phone. "Hello, Dr. Mizura's office." "Well, I wasn't expecting to find you there," said Kajura's voice on the other end. "Oh. Hi," he said lamely. "Don't sound so happy to see me, I had to clear up a big mess because of you." "Whatever," he grumbled as he looked at the ceiling. "I'm coming by tonight, be there." The man hung up the phone and the boy peered at it in irritation. "What a dick." ++++++++++++++++++++++ Several hours had passed since Carrot had spoken to Kajura and he sat patiently waiting for the man with Gia and Mei Lin. The women were watching the television and he had a sour frown on his face. "So, what's the plan?" said Gia as she looked over at the grumpy boy for a moment. "He'll show up, and I'll find out what he wants from me. After that, I'll decide whether or not to do it, or make him find something else for me to do." Mei Lin nodded at this. She was wearing her glasses and peered at him for a moment. "I guess so, I've got to go to work soon though." "Keep your ears open," he replied calmly to that. "Um, right," muttered the girl. There was a knock at the door, and Carrot stood up to answer it. "Must be Kajura." He opened it and blinked in surprise. "Spike?" "Hey, I heard youse is stayin here for a while?" said the man cheerfully. "Um, yeah," said Carrot dumbly. "Oh, dat's okay I suppose, but I gotta warn youse about touchin my girl and all dat," said the man cheerfully. "Um. Okay, but could you come back later? There's a cop stopping by in a little while to ask some...questions about the fire and all." The man blinked at this and shrugged. "I should be all right. I ain't got nuthin on me." "Are you sure? No warrants or anything?" said the boy a little nervously. "Nah. I'm clean right now, couple o weeks ago I had one, but it got cleared up cause da boss had a favor." Carrot nodded and stepped aside. "I guess." "Nah. C'mere for a minute," said the man as he grabbed him by his collar and pulled him out the door. Carrot blinked and allowed it, not that he could have done much to stop it. "Um. Are you all right?" Spike had an angry looking scowl on his face. "I'm fine. Da boys know where yer stayin. I gotta put up a good show, ya know, for my reputation and all dat." Carrot nodded. "Is this gonna hurt?" "Only a little, just go down fast, and I'll pull da punches," said the man without his scowl wavering. "Oh. Okay," said the boy with a small shrug. Spike promptly decked him across his jaw with a hard right. He didn't have to fake going down. "Ouch." "Don't youse touch my girl! Got it punk!?" cried Spike loudly as he kicked the boy lightly in his gut repeatedly. It was pretty painful for Carrot, but only because of the repeated taps in the same area of his body. "Got...it..." muttered the boy painfully. "Yeah. I think he does," said a familiar voice from behind Spike. There was a dry clicking sound from behind the man's head and he froze. "Uh-oh." "You all right kid?" said Kajura as he frowned down at Carrot. "Yeah, peachy," muttered the boy painfully as he staggered to his feet. "Let Spike go nimrod." Kajura blinked at this and slowly lowered his weapon. "Youse da cop he was talkin about?" muttered Spike nervously. "Yeah, what of it?" muttered Kajura irritably. "Let's just go inside," grumbled Carrot as he opened the door. The two older men looked at each other and blinked. +++++++++++++++++++ The Chinese woman frowned as she stared at the shell that had been the apartments where Carrot and his companions were staying. "This is..." she muttered as she glared at it for a moment. "Recent." She seemed to realize that all at once, thinking that before it had been abandoned some time ago. The ash was still relatively fresh, and there appeared to be the beginnings of demolition work being done on the building. "So, where is my sister?" she grumbled as she stared at it for a moment. "Why hasn't she returned home? Who is this boy she speaks of?" She looked at the letter in her hand for a moment. "This is...most unsettling, even more so now. Sister, what have you gotten yourself into? This does not look like the work of demons." "Dear Mao Lin and Grandfather. It looks like I'll be staying in Japan for a while. The evil is more prevalent than we had thought. There are many dark forces at work, but I have found allies in my fight against darkness. I am staying with one of the warriors of light at the moment. He is handsome and kind, and very strong...even if he is a little grumpy at times. He's cute too! Ha! I've got a cute boyfriend first Mao Lin!" The end of the letter was little more than a little face with its tongue sticking out at her. "Foolish little brat," she grumbled irritably. "Love and Justice? Her fantasies are getting out of control, she was supposed to leave the temple to find herself, not fall deeper into lunacy. Plus, it seems she's lost her purity to some boy." She crushed the letter in her hand and growled. "I'll drag her back if I have too." She turned away from the scene and walked into the streets once again. ++++++++++++++++++++ Carrot frowned as he glared at Kajura and Spike. "You were supposed to pull your punches," he grumbled. "Whaddaya mean? I didn't kick ya hard," muttered the large man in confusion. Carrot sighed. "Nevermind, don't worry about it. Just...beat up your friends instead next time they tease you." The man blinked. "I never tought o dat." "I know, that's what's bugging me," grumbled Carrot as he looked at Kajura. "What's going on?" said the man as he glanced at the pair. "I was doing him a favor, letting him save face for his buddies. There had better have been someone watching that Spike." The man scratched his head and blushed. "Um, sure der was." "At any rate, now that Kajura is here, I guess you should go see your girlfriend. Try to keep yourself under control, Mei Lin is with her, and she's not as used to the noise as I am." The man shuffled into the next room with an embarrassed blush on his face. Kajura snorted at this and shook his head. "Well, ain't you a nice guy?" "Spike's done a lot for me," replied the boy with a small shrug. "Now, what is it that you want?" The man smirked at this and lit a cigarette. "To the point then?" "I'd rather do this that way, if you don't mind," said the boy snidely. "All right, I need something from Hisami tower," said the man as he smirked at Carrot. The boy blinked. "What?" "I'm sure you can manage it, I need a copy of Mr. Hisami's planner. I want to know his schedule." "Last time I went into that place, I nearly ended up a stain on the pavement," said Carrot as he frowned at the man. "So, you have been in there." "Only once, I needed to have a word with someone. It was more trouble than it was worth." "Good, you'll know your way around then," said Kajura calmly. "Whatever, you do have some idea where I can find this schedule don't you? It won't do you much good after a couple of days. He'll change it as soon as he figures out that you've been tailing him." "Probably, but it'll give me a good idea of where he likes to hang out," said Kajura calmly. "Hisami huh? That group is the one that's been giving me trouble lately," snorted Carrot. "I'm pretty sure those ninja belong to them. I doubt if you could prove that though." "Naturally," agreed Kajura as he took a mental note of the boy's words. "As for getting to it, I don't know if I can. I'm certainly not dumb enough to try and get into his office." "Good, you should be able to get it through the computer network." "Hisami is a high profile guy though, his hangouts should be well known," commented Carrot. "I doubt if he'd visit his criminal operations regularly. What's the point of this?" "I have my reasons," said Kajura grumpily. "I need to know them, if you want me to risk my hide to get it. I'm no computer whiz either, I doubt if I could get it through the network even if I got inside." Kajura snorted at this. "Well, I'm sure I can help you with that. I've got the Vice President's personal password. His office is on the tenth floor, and much less heavily guarded." Carrot nodded. "You want something specific don't you? A particular date and time for something you got a tip on. You don't want to tell me, because you think I might tell them where you're snooping around at." Kajira frowned at this. "Well, aren't you smart." "I had better be, it's all that keeps me alive at times," replied the boy calmly. "I'm gonna need to know exactly what it is you want, and where this guy's office is before I agree to this. I'm not going to wander around the office looking for it, there's a lot of security in that building on the lower floors. The upper floors are a lot easier to get around, avoiding the janitorial staff is easy enough. Hisami's personal office is a deathtrap though. I wouldn't even consider going in there." Kajura ground his teeth and snorted. "I want to know where he's going to be in two weeks. Word on the street is that he's unhappy with one of his major underlings. A man named Wo Hin Shu. Word is he handles a lot of the inflow of drugs that the Hisami family sells around the country." "Heroin is Japan's drug of choice isn't it?" said Carrot with at thoughtful frown. "And Cocaine," agreed Kajura. "He's supposedly going to inspect the docks personally, but the thugs are tight lipped about where and when. He's got a lot of fear running through the lower ranks." "That seems like a bit of a stretch. The drug problem in this country isn't near as bad as what the Americans deal with." "I know. Hisami is the major player in our own country's trafficking. We think anyway. This would be a big step towards proving it." "I suppose so, but he'd probably claim that he had no idea that his underling was doing it, and put the blame on him. Probably has enough pull to pull it off too." Kajura nodded. "I realize that, but it would be a major blow to his pride, and his reputation. If I make him uncomfortable enough, he'll make a mistake." "Probably not before he has you killed," replied Carrot calmly. "I'm willing to risk it," said the man somberly. "This is personal, isn't it?" said Carrot as he narrowed his eyes at the man. "I've got something against him, yes," replied the man simply. "That makes you dangerous Kajura," said Carrot as his eyes narrowed. "And I don't mean to Hisami." "I stay within my bounds," replied the man calmly. "See that it stays that way. The last thing I need is to be connected with a rouge cop." Kajura frowned at this, but didn't argue. "Will you do it?" "I think I can, yes," said the boy calmly. "You've got to get me a map or something, so I know where I'm going." The man nodded at this and sighed. "I'll get it done." "If it's not there, I'm not hanging around to find it elsewhere. There will be at least one of those ninja in the building, and I have no desire to fight on their home field. I have enough trouble in my own turf." "I'll get you the map tomorrow night, and you'll go in..." "At my discretion," replied Carrot calmly. "You don't need to know when." Kajura turned his head to glance at the boy. "You didn't trust me Kajura, don't expect me to trust you." With a short nod, the man walked out the door and into the night. Carrot frowned. "This is going to suck." +++++++++++++++++ Usagi Tsukino was upset, but not really at her friends. "I'm helpless!" she lamented silently as she stared out into the night sky. "I can't help...I can't...I can't do anything. I'm just..." Her thoughts halted on that as she sobbed quietly. "Why?" she whispered through her tears. Makoto had been the one selected to tell her about the decision. She had taken it rather well, nodding silently in reply. The girl had been gentle with her, telling her the reasoning behind it rather well really. "I hope you understand, but until you get your powers back, it's too dangerous. You can't go, you could be hurt." Usagi had walked away in tears, her friends all looked away guiltily, but she had accepted it. She still had hope though, there just had to be a way. She had to figure it out for herself though. "Luna, where are you?" she wondered silently as she cried. "Usagi," said a familiar voice. The girl gasped and sat upright as she turned to see the white moon cat sitting on her windowsill. Artemis had his head hung low. "I can't find her. She's just gone...I don't know what to do!" She reached out and took the animal into a gentle hug, holding back her own tears for a moment. "I'm all alone now...I just...I don't know what to do!" said the cat as he started shaking. Usagi nodded her head. "I'll do whatever I can for you, but Luna seemed to remember things faster than I did. I don't know how much help I can be." The girl pulled away and smiled at him. Her eyes full of confidence as she offered him a smile. Artemis felt his heart flutter slightly at the familiar feeling he got looking at her face. His face fell slightly though. "I wish I had your optimism though. I only hope I can do something for you...I'll try my best though. Luna would want that." The girl nodded firmly and allowed him to curl into her lap. She stroked him gently for a time while looking out at the night sky again sadly: her friends where probably still in bed, but she had no way of knowing. If they were called to duty, she probably wouldn't know about it until it was over. +++++++++++++++++++++++ Unknown to her, a shadowy figure sat on a nearby rooftop watching the scene. His black clothes hiding him from view easily. "Well, that's a little reassuring," muttered Carrot to himself as he watched the scene. He couldn't tell what was being said, but he figured Artemis was his best bet at the moment. Perhaps the cat would remember how to change her back into Sailor Moon once again. He couldn't be sure though, but didn't want to risk talking to him like he had Luna. Not that he wanted to speak to her anyway, she had sort of stumbled across him. There was a definite chill in the air that night and he felt a sense of foreboding, as if something was coming soon. It had been far to quiet as of late. He sighed and slumped his shoulders a bit. "What are you doing here?" asked a firm voice from behind him. He didn't feel any danger from the person though. "Oh, well if it isn't Mr. Formal Wear," said Spiderman as he turned his head to find Mamoru glaring at him angrily. "I'm spying on your girlfriend. She seems to be the key in this mess." That caught the boy by surprise. "What? What do you know?" "I've been hanging around Tokyo a while now, I keep hearing about these Senshi all over. It didn't take me very long to figure out who they were, once I met them." "You...know?" muttered the boy in shock. "Don't worry, I've got a secret identity of my own to worry about. I understand a bit more than most people. Everything seems to revolve around them somehow." Spiderman was quite proud of himself. "Bull. You're up to something." Carrot ground his teeth. "Okay, maybe I'm not as good as I thought," he muttered to himself sheepishly. "Look, all I want is her to find a way to get back to the way she was. The others aren't strong enough without her, they're losing." Mamoru snorted. "Why would you care?" "Yeah, why would I care that monsters seem to be trying to take over the world. Shouldn't bother me at all, I mean, what with me being a superhero and all." Mamoru looked at the ground for a moment. "Maybe you have a point." "I'm glad you see it that way," said Spiderman cheerfully. He really wanted to deck the loser and go about his business, but he wanted to keep any connection between himself and Spiderman a secret. Fighting with Mamoru was a 'Carrot only' activity. "There's something different in the air tonight," said Mamoru as he looked up at the sky. "I still don't trust you, but if your intentions are as they say, I wish you good luck. Keep your distance from them." Carrot snorted at this. "I've got my own problems to worry about, I'd rather not be associated with them if I can help it. I'm not stupid enough to look the other way though. This is something big, much too big to ignore." Tuxedo Mask frowned at this. "I think you know more than you're letting on. You might be a spy." "I could say the same of you, I've never seen you fight with them, you just show up throw a flower, and spout poetry to the blonde. That's not particularly helpful. It could easily be a ploy to gain their trust." "Why you!" snarled Mamoru. "You just said the same thing about me, and I'm not angry about it," replied Spiderman coldly. This stopped Mamoru's anger suddenly. "Heh. I suppose you're right. I've got my own agenda as well." "I don't feel like trading stories with you, let's just keep them to ourselves, and worry about what we've got to do on our own." Mamoru nodded and turned away. When he looked back, Spiderman was gone. "I could get to respect someone like him," he commented to himself as he backed into the shadows himself. +++++++++++++++++++ In the cold dark sky above the ocean, a lone figure could be seen passing through the moonlight. His direction was fixed and he flew through the air on what appeared to be a giant bat. His tattered clothing blew behind him like a short cape as he ignored the temperature and simply moved forward. "Soon," he said to himself as he smiled insanely. "Soon I will have my revenge." His yellow eyes glowed lightly with power and he grinned even wider, his gaping maw was now impossibly wide, giving him an even more inhuman appearance. ++++++++++++++++++ Carrot swung through the buildings of downtown Tokyo. He twisted and turned high above the streets as he circled the skyline around a single place; the building where Hisami had his offices. It towered over most of the others and he stopped suddenly on the rooftop of a particularly tall apartment building and gazed up at the tower. He wasn't planning on going inside just yet, but thought it might be a good idea to look over the area beforehand. He had found nothing of real interest and smirked to himself as he surveyed his surroundings. "Well, I guess I should head back..." He paused in the middle of his dialogue and frowned. A flash of light from a few blocks away caught his attention. "What the hell? Aw man..." ++++++++++++++++++ Kajura sat up in his bed, a cold sweat pouring from his face as he stared at the clock. It was close to midnight and he had a sour frown on his face. "Damn. The damn dreams again. That punk, reminding me of that..." He closed his eyes and reached over to his nightstand where a bottle of booze sat next to a picture of himself with a woman and child. He growled angrily as he stared at it for a moment, and put it face down on the table. His apartment was ratty and run down. A cheap rental in the slums, rat infested and full of roaches. Still, he didn't mind much because he was rarely there. He spent more time on his work as of late. He covered his face with his hands as the memory returned to him. +++++++++++++++++ "What?" muttered the younger Kajura as he stared at the woman before him. "Get out!" she screamed as she slammed the door in his face. "Suzuko! It's not true!" he cried desperately as he pounded on the door. "You know I would never..." "Take a bribe?" asked the older man who stood down the hallway. He was the woman's father and he had a serious looking frown on his face. "Dishonor your name and family?" "Of course not! I will not..." "And yet you did," replied the old man calmly. "I..." "I have read the report myself Kajura," said the old man calmly. This gave him pause, the old man had never used his family name before. "It's a lie!" "Oh?" asked the old man calmly. "Perhaps it is," he said with a small shrug. "That does not change the fact that it is a stain on your honor." "Not one as big as this," he replied looking at the door to the where the woman had retreated. The soft cries of a baby echoed from the other side. "Her brother did not think so either," replied the old man calmly. "He spiraled deeper and deeper into the depths of the shadows, until his death." Kajura hung his head. "That's why I would never...I would not do that to her." "Hmmm. Perhaps you speak the truth," said the old man calmly as he turned away. "In any case, I think it would be best if you left us for a time. Until this matter has passed." Kajura frowned deeply. "She's my wife." "And my daughter," replied the old man calmly. "I will not allow her to see such things again, to experience them. I would see you dead, before I allowed that." He nodded slowly with a firm conviction on his face. "I will return." ++++++++++++++ "It's gone? I'm no longer under investigation?" muttered Kajura in shock as he stared at his superior from in front of his desk. "That's right. The matter has been resolved. You are no longer suspected," replied the man calmly. He shuffled a stack of papers in his hands. "The case you've been working on has been reassigned. You'll be taking another in its place. I don't want you anywhere near the Hisami family any longer, I hope that if I put some distance between the case and you, it will prevent any further suspicion." "Thank you," said Kajura as he bowed deeply. As he left the office, a deep sigh of relief escaped his lips. He wasn't quite sure what had happened, but he knew he was free again. He could return home, go back to the way things were before... ++++++++++++++++ "What?" muttered Kajura in shock. "You are not welcome here any longer," said the old man firmly as he scowled at his son in law. "But...I've been cleared of the charges! I'm not..." "Three days after you left here, with no explanation of why? My dear boy, you think I am stupid?" growled the old man hatefully. "It seems you have powerful friends indeed." "But...I..." stammered the man in shock. "I will not allow you near my daughter again! You are dead to us! Leave now, her name and my grandson's will be entered into the Yoshida family record again, you did not happen!" "No! You can't! You don't have the..." "I will die, before I allow you to be with my daughter again Kajura. Get out of my home, or I will have you removed." "I..." stammered the man dumbly. He slowly backed away, horror written on his features as he staggered out the doorway he had only taken one step into. "No! Noooo! I didn't do it! I would never..." For a brief moment, he saw his wife in the window above him. She scowled at him angrily, shaking her head in disgust. Their son was in her arms, and she closed the curtain on him. It was a bright sunny day, but he felt like it should be pouring rain as he hung his head and collapsed to his knees. Several hours later, he had woken up, drunk in a gutter. For weeks this continued, until one day... "Kajura? What the hell happened to you?" said Saito as he kneeled down beside the man. "I am dead," he replied softly. His face was nothing but a mess of stubble, and his hair was frayed and wild. He was clutching a bottle of vodka in his hand and his eyes were to the ground. "Shit man! Come on," said Saito as he grabbed his arms and helped him to his feet. "Hisami..." whispered Kajura as he glared forward suddenly as he allowed the man to pull him towards the waiting patrol car. Within an hour, he was inside his Captain's office. "Kajura," said the man somberly. "I'd like to return to work sir," said the man calmly. The effects of the alcohol were still apparent, but his tone was serious and his eyes stern. "What?" said the man dumbly. "I understand you've had a rough time Kajura..." "I don't care, this is all I have left," said the man as he stared at his superior calmly. "Very well, but you are still not taking the Hisami case," stated the man firmly. Kajura nodded slowly. He doubted if the investigation would lead anywhere, and he had his entire career ahead of him. Sooner or later, he'd be able to find his way back. Then, he would finally be able to have his revenge. He merely smiled at his Captain warmly. "I understand sir." +++++++++++++++++ Carrot landed on the ground near to the disturbance and frowned. The senshi were standing in front of a large tree. The plant had uprooted itself and was crawling around by its roots, shaking leaves down on the girls and lashing out with a few of the roots and branches. "Damn" growled Rei as she shot another bolt of flame into the creature. It had a large twisted looking face on the trunk that growled angrily at them. The attack resulted in little more than an attacking appendage that was now on fire. Makoto's attack had pretty much the same effect. Luckily, Ami seemed to catch on to this and quickly doused the flames. "Thanks," grumbled Rei as she found herself wrapped up in a tree root. Carrot sighed and scratched his head. The youma was huge, and there was little he could do really. He glanced around and paused suddenly. "Heh." He turned to a nearby store and looked in the window with a cheerful smile. "This should work great." Back at the battle, things were not going well with the Senshi. The tree burned, but it wasn't actually damaged by the flames. The twisted and gnarled bark simply blackened. "Damn!" cried Minako as her chain of hearts was snatched away from her hands as the thing jerked the branch they had wrapped around back violently. She was thrown to the ground face first and quickly wrapped in the tentacle like roots. There were hundreds of them and they spread out for about twenty yards around the base of the monster. It growled in triumph as yet another of the senshi was in its grip. Mars was gasping for breath as she slowly strangled and struggled to free herself from the writhing roots. "No! Venus!" cried Ami fearfully. Behind them, there was the sound of glass breaking, they ignored it and simply focused on the monster. "What can we do?" cried Makoto as she swatted at a few of the appendages as they reached for her. "I don't know!" cried Ami desperately. "Our attacks don't seem to have any effect at all!" A gas can clattered to the ground between the pair and rolled a few feet into the roots of the monster. Both girls looked down at it in confusion. Suddenly, a roaring noise sounded from behind them, causing even the Youma to pause. Spiderman stepped forward, a sputtering chainsaw in his grasp. "Groovy." He commented dryly as he revved the engine loudly. The tree reacted instantly, lurching forward towards the newcomer. Carrot's body tingled all over as the tentacles moved towards him. He grunted in effort and dodged over them, jumping off a few as he went straight for the trunk. "What's he doing?!" cried Makoto in shock as she fell to the ground as one of the roots wrapped around her ankle. They started to quickly move up her body. "No!" cried Ami as she noticed it. The tree stopped quite suddenly. Ami looked up and gasped at what she saw. Spiderman was completely covered in the tentacle like roots, and was shoving the chainsaw ever deeper into the trunk of the monster. The thing had a pained expression on its horrible features as it began to howl in pain. Spiderman ignored the tentacles as they wrapped around his torso, and occasionally would stop to hack a few away as they tried to grab his arms with the chainsaw as he dislodged it from the trunk long enough to do so. He quickly went back to work afterwards, and within a minute, the tree gave a final screech and slowly toppled backwards into the street. The roots loosened their grips on the captured senshi and they managed to struggle free. After a moment of gasping desperately they turned to look up at their savior, who now had the chainsaw slung over his shoulder. "No need to thank me ladies," he said with a casual wave. "Wow! That was cool!" exclaimed Minako. "Tuxedo Mask never did anything like that," commented Rei through her gasping. She was taking the longest time to recover. "You should be more careful, you almost didn't make it this time," said Spiderman as he hopped down of the thing's body and landed in front of them. It was slowly crumbling away to dust, but was taking much longer than a normal Youma to do so due to its size. "You...saved us," muttered Makoto in shock. "Yeah, these things are getting stronger though. I doubt if there'll be any more trouble tonight though. You should get back home, I'm heading there myself." The group nodded as he turned to walk away. "Wait!" cried Rei as she started towards him suddenly. "Huh? What is it?" he asked her as he turned back to glance at him. The rest of the girls were watching her dumbly. "Who are you?" asked Rei with an uncertain looking frown on her face. "Like I always say, just your friendly neighborhood Spiderman. Night ladies, it's been fun." He jumped into the air and sent out one of his wires. Rei frowned and ran after him. "Hey, where's she going?" asked Minako dumbly. "I'm not sure! Rei! Wait!" cried Ami nervously. "Did that guy just steal that chainsaw?" asked Makoto as she stared at the broken shop window. "Should we go after her?" muttered Minako. "Of course!" said Ami as she started jogging. +++++++++++++++++++ Carrot landed in an alley and waited with his arms crossed. Within a minute Rei rounded the corner and glanced around looking for him. She paused when she noticed him standing there waiting on her. "Why are you following me? It's obvious I don't like other people to know who I really am." Rei blushed at this admonishment. "I know who you are already." "Huh?" said Carrot as he uncrossed his arms and stepped back suddenly. "Wait..." "I saw you in a vision, I'm certain you are the one I saw," she said as she stared at him. "Oh," said the boy dumbly, still unsure of what was going on, and not quite sure if she really knew who he was or not. He tensed himself to run when the girl simply walked forward. "What's up with you?" he muttered nervously. He wasn't getting any sort of danger sense from her at all. She grabbed him quickly, pulling up his mask to just below his nose and kissed him. Carrot froze, he had absolutely no idea how to react to this. He simply didn't move as she kissed him rather passionately. Finally, she broke off and backed away with a blush on her face. "Thank you for saving me, and my friends." The boy merely nodded, it was easy to tell he was rather surprised as he wiped his lips with his fingers lightly. "Um...sure...anytime..." He jumped into the air and sent out another of his wires, using it to scale the wall. Rei simply watched him go. Makoto, Ami, and Minako rounded the corner no more than thirty seconds later. "Rei!" cried Minako. "Why did you run off like that?" cried Makoto. "I wanted to thank him," replied the girl calmly. "I think I know who he is." Ami gasped. "You mean...?" "Is he cute?!" cried Minako cheerfully. "I don't mean I know him," said Rei as irritation started to creep into her voice. "I mean, I think that he is the one from my vision." "Oh," said Minako. "What vision?" "Well, Usagi's not here, so someone had to say it," muttered Makoto. Rei snorted and ignored her as she looked up the wall again. "We should be going now." Ami glanced up at where she was looking nervously. "Rei said that he might...he might be with one of us one day?" She shook the thoughts off as she realized that she was being left behind and followed after her friends. +++++++++++++++++++ Carrot was clutching his chest and gasping on the rooftop of the building he had just climbed. His mask was laying at his side and he simply stared at the moon with wide eyes. "Oh man! If they ever find out who I really am now...they'll kill me for sure!" he muttered in horror. "This really sucks!" He almost felt like crying. "Man, why does this stuff always gotta get so complicated! I'm so screwed!" He hung his head and picked himself up off the rooftop while grabbing his mask. He slumped his shoulders down and staggered forward. "Damn it. How can this get any worse?" ++++++++++++++++++++ TBC...