Sailor Moon Fan Fiction / Full Moon Wo Sagashite Fan Fiction ❯ Give a Reason (Full Moon wo Sagashite Style) ❯ Chapter One: Izumi Rio ( Chapter 1 )

Author Notes: This will be co-written with Tenshi no Nozomi so you can expect a bit of twists and turns as we progress. Enjoy minna-chan and if you'd like more information about Full Moon wo Sagashite just do a search for it on Google, and if you enjoy it be sure to go to www.tokyopop.com and vote for it in their survey.

Chapter One: Izumi Rio

Her surroundings were hazy and fuzzy, and she absent-mindedly wondered if this was what being inside a cloud would be like. "Where am I?" Her eyes examined the scenery in hopes of finding a clue to her whereabouts. It was all too bizarre.

"Are you Usagi?." The voice boomed from behind her. A figure emerged from the mists as the startled girl turned around to see who had called her name. Before Usagi could respond the odd figure grabbed her arms and as she struggled in its grip, its lips moved in a soundless chant. It watched emotionlessly as her eyes grew vacant and her struggles ceased. "I shall seal away your memories of the past. Shall we go, Shinigami Usagi?" It questioned as it turned with a swish of its robe, and started to walk away.

Usagi had no choice but to follow after, and strangely she felt no real desire to do anything but the wishes of this odd person. That was right, she was a new shinigami. Her mission would be to take the souls of those whose days were up.

"Izumi, meet your new partner, I trust she'll work out better than your previous one." The figure nodded as the two studied each other. Its job was done. With so many people choosing the easy way out, its job was a tedious one. It was a wonder that the world wasn't overrun with shinigami.

"A new partner…" The blonde studied her for a long moment with a frown. "Name?" In his opinion she looked like a scatterbrained nitwit. Could she really take the place of his previous partner?

"Usagi…" As he did his inspection of her, Usagi did her own of him. He was blonde as she had noted before, and had the oddest hat that reminder her of a puppy dog's ears. His brown eyes were hard and she could easily tell he wasn't friendly from just looking at them. Actually he looked kind of sadistic, she was supposed to partner with this guy?

"Usagi?" He repeated his lips twitching. "Ah, I see… Another foolish bunny to look after, I suppose." He started to turn and glanced at her. "Follow me, we work mainly in the pediatric division so you'll need to dress accordingly."

"Hai," she responded as she slowly followed him. Despite his cruel look, she had to admit he was somewhat of a bishounen. Not that she was interested of course, she was merely making an observation, or so she told herself.

"Are you going to stare at me all day, U-chan?" He questioned his voice slipping into a silky murmur as he caught her staring at him.

Usagi turned scarlet and stared at the ground. "I wasn't staring at you… I was just thinking about something else!" She pouted slightly and heard him chuckle. It seemed this was going to be a long day.

"Would you like to be a bunny, U-chan?" Izumi questioned as they got to their destination. "You're not a full fledged shinigami just yet, you won't be until you bring a soul back, so you'll be fitted with temporary powers."

"A bunny?" Usagi's lips twitched faintly. Bunnies… She had always loved bunnies, hadn't she? Her past wasn't really clear to her, and from what she somehow knew without being told, if she found it out she'd become a ghost doomed to wander the Earth forever. A shudder coursed through her at the thought. She didn't like ghosts.

"I doubt you'll look as good as Me-chan," he mused as he snapped his fingers and a pair of bunny ears appeared on the startled girl. "Your outfit is a bit…odd…" He studied the royal attire with an amused expression. "Perhaps something a bit more fitting to the job…" Again he snapped his fingers and this time Usagi noticed the addition of a bunny tail along with a childish lacy two piece red outfit.

"What's this?" She demanded as she tugged on a top hat that had appeared. "I don't like it…"

"I thought not… Me-chan was much cuter." Izumi snapped his fingers and her outfit lengthened into that of a soft blue dress, her hair tumbled from its normal hairdo and shortened to nearly half its usual length, and two sky blue ribbons were tied around her bunny ears. Not to mention the addition of two soft silky wings that stuck out of her upper back, they were small compared to pictures she remembered of the wings of angels.

"Kawaii…" Izumi mused with a faint nod. Still, not nearly as cute as his Me-chan but it was a vast improvement over the girl's earlier attire.

"But…" Usagi frowned. "We'll by flying, ne?" She demanded as her cheeks started to turn red. Was this guy serious? "I can't fly with a dress on!"

Izumi chuckled. "That worried, U-chan?" At her glare he smiled. "Shinigami don't have to worry about things like that. Me-chan wears a skirt and doesn't have a problem at all. Besides you have a pair of shorts underneath that in case you need them."

Usagi eyed him warily but peeked under her dress to find out. Indeed, she did have a pair of shorts on. "Anno… Arigato…" She was very reluctant to thank him, he gave her the creeps.

"Poor, U-chan. You're scared of me, aren't you?" He questioned as he nodded his approval of her outfit. "We have a mission lined up, but you aren't ready yet. Besides we still have another day before we have to actually collect the soul. So, I'm free to show you around today, if you like."

Usagi whimpered at the thought. "No, thank you," she managed to grit out between clenched teeth. No way was she going to spend the day with this type of person! "I'll manage by myself…" It was a real shame that her partner had turned out to be someone like this. She was the type that loved having friends and it was obvious this wasn't going to be much of a friendship.

"Don't be so hasty, U-chan." Izumi chided as he causally draped his arm around her shoulders. "It's dangerous for new shinigami to wander around here alone." It was fun having someone around to torture. Me-chan wasn't around enough for his liking.

Usagi slipped out of his grasp and sighed. She had no choice. She was going to have to listen to him. "Can I ask you a question?"

Izumi raised an eyebrow. She was requesting something from him? How peculiar. "Depending on the question." He watched her with a guarded expression as her eyes fell to the ground. "Well?'

"If people can't see us… Why are we dressed up?" She tugged on her dress with a sigh. She had a feeling she had worn much shorter, but she still wasn't thrilled with the idea that it felt more like a skirt than an actual dress. At the thought of a skirt her eyes widened slightly as she had the faintest flash of a woman wearing such an item. She winced and raised a hand to her brow to quell the pain.

Izumi's eyes narrowed at the action. "Problem, U-chan?" It was odd that she got a glimpse of her past so soon after becoming a shinigami. He had been one for quite a while and he had yet to have a glimpse. Not that he'd want it of course. For him to end up here there had to have been a reason, he didn't want to know it.

"Iie…" Usagi shook off the pain and rubbed at her forehead. "Just a slight pang, its gone now."

"Good," Izumi decided aloud as he tilted his head. "Because I don't need a sick partner or one that's going to turn into a ghost anytime soon. I assume you don't know anything about catching souls, ne?"

"Well…" Usagi focused and her hand began to glow a dull green color. A stately golden bow appeared in the air above the glow and Usagi glanced at Izumi. "This has something to do with it, ne?"

Izumi nodded, his eyes clearly distracted. "Un, then after we shoot the person and bring out the soul, we capture it so it can be brought back here safely, understand?"

"Hai…" Usagi focused and the bow vanished. "You never answered about these clothes."

Izumi shrugged. "The chief insists we wear such things. Unlike Me-chan and Ta-kun our team doesn't yet have a nickname, thankfully." It was clear he didn't approve of such things. "Now, you know how to acquire the soul, and how to carry it…"

Usagi nodded. "And why we have to dress like this…" She tugged gently on her bunny-like ear. "So who is this Me-chan you keep talking about?"

Izumi's expression relaxed and Usagi could almost swear she saw him smile. "Me-chan was my previous partner. Unfortunately she decided to do something that forced me to dissolve that partnership," his lips curved into a frown as he remembered this, "So now she's partnered with Ta-kun, a useless shinigami who has yet to bring back a single soul…"

"That doesn't make him useless," Usagi defended, not liking the fact that Izumi was picking on someone that wasn't there to defend themselves."I'm sure there were reasons he didn't do it."

"He's too soft," Izumi responded. "Me-chan lets him get away with too much… Take their current case for example."

"Their current case?" The odd note in his voice had Usagi worried. What was he talking about? Was their current case that much of a problem?

Izumi sighed and shook his head. His partner didn't listen very well. "Stop daydreaming, and listen, U-chan," he reprimanded before repeating what he had just spoke, "their current case, Kouyama Mitsuki, can see them."

Usagi's eyes widened. She might not have been a shinigami for long but she knew that such a thing wasn't normal. "She can really see them?" A shiver ran through her. If that was true and one of her cases was able to see her… Would she be able to pull the bow's string and take their soul?

"Not only can she see them, but both Me-chan and her partner are helping the girl. They don't know I realize this, nor do they realize I've been keeping an eye on Me-chan. They won't be able to complete their job when their mission is complete. We'll probably have to end up doing it for them, like I said, too soft."

Usagi winced at the thought. "But its their job, ne? I'm sure when the time comes they'll do what they have to…" The thought of coming in and taking the soul of another group's charge, left Usagi feeling cold and hopeless inside. He couldn't really be thinking of doing such a thing, could he?

"Me-chan could do it, I'm sure of that… But Ta-kun is another matter. Honestly, I don't think he can do anything right." Izumi leaned against a wall as he lost himself in his thoughts. "Would you like to go meet their charge beforehand? That way when we have no choice but to fulfill out duties, you'll be able to do them without a problem. It's not everyday that a human can see us shinigami afterall."

Usagi fought a whimper. This guy was cruel, if she did meet this girl, whose to say that she wouldn't want to protect her and rebel against her job? Usagi hated the thought of taking the life of children, she hated taking the lives of anyone, but she well understood the consequences if she failed to perform her duties. "H… Has there been any other cases of shinigami being seen by humans?"

"They're rare…" Izumi glanced over his shoulder at the girl and pushed himself off the wall. "Though, I suppose I could let you meet one of them. He's on our list to be taken soon."

Usagi swallowed hard and closed her eyes. Did she really want to meet someone who could see her? "Ha… Hai… I should be ready for any circumstance, ne?" She queried. It was true, if she expected to survive in this world she would have to abide by the rules.

Izumi chuckled, "Hai," he agreed before floating into the air. "Well then, U-chan, this way."

**

The older gentleman looked up as two glowing dots appeared in the sky and started to approach him. His eyes slid to the side to his rosebushes where the roses stayed not quite blooming. "I see you've come for me a bit early…" He eyed the new shinigami beside the first with a faint smile. "Nice to meet you, Shinigami-san."

Usagi flushed, it was odd being seen by a human. "N… nice to meet you as well… We're not here for your soul, not yet." She glanced at Izumi hopeful that her words were the truth, "ne?"

Izumi nodded, once again amused. This partner of his was proving to be quite the entertainment. Hopefully she wouldn't end up the way that Me-chan did. "She's right." He didn't need to tell this human any other information. It was none of his business why the two were there.

"I see…" The man closed his eyes and gently rocked the old swing back and forth. "I suppose I'm an oddity in the shinigami world, aren't I?" He motioned with a hand to the two. "Seeing that I can see your type and all…"

A small nod from Usagi, "Hai… Gomen if we interrupted anything…" Why wasn't he scared of them? Shouldn't humans normally be running or fighting to keep their lives? He almost looked like he wanted to die.

The man chuckled softly and shook his head. "No worries, Shinigami-san. I'm just waiting for my wife's flowers to bloom… She loved them so…"

Usagi winced. This man had lost his wife? No wonder he didn't seem upset that shinigami had came to visit him! "Gomen for your loss…"

Izumi rolled his eyes at the girl's sympathies. "We have another place to visit. Come along," it was an order and the girl realized it instantly.

"Good-bye…" Usagi wasn't sure what else to say and gave a weak wave as she followed Izumi. "Where are we going now?"

"A concert…" Izumi smirked. "Though I must warn you that we're going in secret so be sure to not be seen, ne?" The last thing he needed was Ta-kun and Me-chan meeting his partner just yet, not until after they finished their mission. If they met them beforehand there was a chance that the girl would balk at her duty, just like those other two were doing.

She had no choice but to nod. Seeing how Izumi was her sempai she had to obey his orders. But why where they going to a concert? Surely he wasn't considering that they take the life of a concertgoer?

"Perfect seats…" Izumi settled down in one of the seats and ignored his partner as she took a seat next to him. This was the perfect place to spy on his Me-chan and their charge.

"Pretty…" Usagi was in awe as she stared at the young woman that walked onto the stage. "She's so pretty… Is this her concert?"

"Hai," Izumi agreed. "Full Moon… She's the one I was telling you about, the charge of Me-chan's." He noticed the girl next to him slump a bit and frowned.

"Moon…I know that word…" Usagi shook her head, she didn't want to remember. The idea that she accidentally might, terrified her. "Maybe I should go…" Did the beautiful girl on stage have something to do with her past? Would it come rushing back any moment now?

"You should just forget about remembering it." Izumi's voice sounded close to Usagi's ear. "Including the faint flashes you've somehow acquired over small things… Just forget it all and do your job as a shinigami, unless you want to be a ghost?"

A shudder shook Usagi's body and her bunny ears drooped. That was the last thing she wanted. "Iie… I want to forget, but they won't go so easily… What should I do, Izumi-san?"

"U-chan, we're partners, call me Izumi-kun at least." He watched as her cheeks tinted and she stared at the ground. "As for your question… Just replace those faint memories with new ones. Make new memories of the the things that are giving you the flashes of memory, and think of those memories. Concentrate on those memories, and the rest will fade into the back of your mind to be forgotten."

Usagi was stunned. Izumi sounded like he was fairly knowledgeable on the subject. "Arigato…" But what could she create a new memory of that would give new meaning to skirts and the word moon?

Izumi glanced sidelong at his companion. "Perhaps a change of scenery… This girl is almost done anyway, isn't she?" As the last notes of the girl's song faded into the background and she took her final bows, Izumi got up from his seat. "What about a trip somewhere…?"

"A trip?" Usagi didn't take her eyes off the pretty blonde singer. "Where to?" The girl down there was so talented for someone so young. It actually made something inside Usagi ache. What would it be like to be a singer like that?

"If you're going to ask a question, U-chan, you shouldn't let your mind wander before it's answered," Izumi sighed and shook his head. It seemed his first idea of the girl was correct. She was constantly daydreaming. "As for where we're going… We're going to America."

"America?" Usagi's eyes widened. She knew for a fact, even without her memories, she had never been there before. "Why do we need to go there? What's there that we have to see?"

"You don't want to go there?" Izumi almost chuckled as he saw the shock and fear in her eyes. "We don't have to…" His words trailed off and he glanced around. "In any case, we need to leave here before those two realize we're here. I'm not ready for them to know of my presence just yet."

"Why are you spying on them?" The words were blurted out before she really thought about them. "I mean…" She started to correct herself but silenced as she earned a glare from the no longer amused Izumi.

"Spying?" His eyes narrowed. "U-chan, you shouldn't accuse others of such things unless you're sure. It's not a nice thing to do." As she winced before him he shook his head slightly and glanced around. So far neither of the other shinigami duo had noticed them, not yet anyway. "Now, I don't really care where we go, as long as we leave here."

"Demo…" Usagi glanced over at the young singer as she took her bows and flashed a smile at someone across the stage. Usagi's eyes followed those of the singer's and she stared shocked as she noticed two shinigami. "Are they Me-chan and Ta-kun?" She questioned Izumi as she stared. But, neither of them looked cruel and heartless! Why was she stuck with the sadistic partner?

Izumi scowled, he was past the point of hiding his anger. "We're going now, U-chan," he demanded as he grabbed hold of her arm and led her away from the sage, and the eyes of those he didn't want to know his presence.

**

"Itai…" Usagi finally broke his grip on her arm and rubbed at where four small round bruises were starting to form. "Why'd you do that?" She demanded with a wince. "I just wanted to get a better look…"

Izumi ignored her as he closed his eyes in concentration. They had retreated to a base of sorts he had claimed as his own on Earth. Had the other two seen them? It was quite possible, his partner tended to stick out too much, especially considering the fact that when she was 'trying to get a better look' she had been hovering above her seat.

If possible, Usagi was even more upset than Izumi. So what if she leaned forward? It wasn't a crime! Why'd he have to hurt her over it? She sent a glare at his back, but as usual, was completely ignored. Of all the shinigami she could have been paired with, why him? "Ne…"

Izumi didn't even open his eyes. "Nande?" Why was the blonde rabbit trying to pull him from his plans of revenge? Couldn't she be silent for more than five minutes? "Well?"

Usagi knew he wasn't watching her, but never the less, she glanced away. "Actually… Why was I paired up with you? Are you a great shinigami or something?"

This was actually enough to make Izumi open one eye and he studied her for a moment to see if she asked the question in jest. As he realized she was serious, he reluctantly opened both eyes. "U-chan, I've been a shinigami for a very long time. Shinigami that actively take souls really don't have much rank, but if they did, yes, I'd be one of the higher ones. As for why you were paired up with me…" He shrugged carelessly and closed his eyes again. "It was a whim of the Chief's. He pairs shinigami up with his own style. There doesn't seem to be much sense of it, though he does tend to pair up differing personalities."

Usagi almost shuddered at that remark. That was right, she and Izumi were completely different. But yet… "Ne, Izumi-sempai, are you really as evil as you sound? I mean, you act evil and sadistic, but… you haven't really been mean to me…"

"Unlike Me-chan I don't use my rank over others," he reprimanded. What a strange rabbit his partner was. A foolish rabbit, but strange and yes, even somewhat cute. "Saa… Who knows."

"You said our first mission is tomorrow, right?" She questioned. She wasn't sure if she liked the idea of knowing she was going to take a human life. "Whose life are we going to take?"

"I'll tell you who they are after we have the soul." Izumi turned slightly towards the questioning bunny and peered at her through half-opened eyes. "Will you really be ready tomorrow, U-chan? If you fail in bringing back the soul, you'll be punished."

"You'll be there, right?" Usagi demanded. She didn't even want to think about herself doing the deed. "You'll be the one that takes the actual soul… Ne?" She didn't care if the last part sounded desperate, she didn't know what she did in her previous life, but she knew she couldn't take someone's life so easily.

"Iie," Izumi chuckled. "Consider it your initiation, U-chan. You'll be taking the actual soul, be proud, not many new shinigami get such a generous chance to prove themselves. We're leaving in the morning, it will take awhile to get to where our target is."

"Where is our target?" Usagi didn't want to admit the truth, not even to someone like this. It was impossible for her to do what was being demanded of her. But wasn't her previous existence something that was demanded of her as well? The thought sent her to her knees as she had a brief flash of a younger version of herself crying over the loss of her childhood, to the demons of duty.

"U-chan!" It wasn't a scream for her safety, but actually more of a sharp snap. "It's been awhile since I've had such an interesting partner…" He got to his feet and walked over to the shaking girl. "U-chan, I'm not going to let you quit so easily, without Me-chan around I'm missing a source of entertainment… So you're going to be my entertainment." He caught her wrist as she tried to slap him and smiled down at her, "Ne, U-chan?" He whispered his breath tickling her ear before he pulled back and smiled easily at her. "I'm going to have fun having you as a partner, U-chan..." His eyes studied her for a moment and he smiled dangerously, "So don't turn into a ghost on me just yet, the fun is just beginning."