Sailor Moon Fan Fiction ❯ The Beauty In You ❯ Introductions ( Chapter 1 )
[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]
By: Kokkei Bunni 
Enter, the blood-stained Beast.
From an opposite side, comes the lonely Beauty.
What will Beauty do when faced by the Beast?
Anime/Manga: Sailor Moon Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Drama / Romance | Type: Self Insertion | Uploaded On: 01.20.2002 | Pages: 2 | Words: 5.1K | Visits: 279 | Status: Completed
Enter, the blood-stained Beast.
From an opposite side, comes the lonely Beauty.
What will Beauty do when faced by the Beast?
Anime/Manga: Sailor Moon Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Drama / Romance | Type: Self Insertion | Uploaded On: 01.20.2002 | Pages: 2 | Words: 5.1K | Visits: 279 | Status: Completed
The Beauty in You
by Lady Amber
Part One
DISCLAIMERS: Standard disclaimers apply. You all know 'em by heart.
EMAIL: Goes HERE: amby-chan@sailormoon.com
NOTES: Yes I knooooooooow another romance.. Can't help it. Can't wait to see what I put the young lovers in question through now huh? *G* Heehee.. I can't wait...
And this first chapter's kind of stupid. Be patient and bear with me.. Hopefully you'll be kind enough to read all the way through it before you judge me.. Thanks!
Japanese words will be followed by [*and the translation].. ok?
This was really inspired by Disney's The Beauty and The Beast, and one particular Sailor Moon fanfic I read out there about the beast that resides in us all.. Whoever you are (I can't remember where I read it or WHO wrote it anymore *GR*) Thank you for such an inspiration!
Some strong language used. Not much. Some gore. Again not much.. It's only for emphasis of the main points in the story ok?
Now, ENJOY!
Chapter One: Juuban Senior High, Monday Morning;
"Konnichiwa[*hello], my name is Kofukuno Kagi. My mother and I moved here from upper Japan. She works as a secretary for the Destiny Enterprises. I hope I will find good friends in this school." The girl bowed to them all. There was a polite chorus of "Konnichiwa Kagi-san." And Kagi took her seat. Usagi snuck a look at her under her arm.
Kagi was VERY pretty no doubt about it. She had dark violet eyes that fairly sparkled with happiness, and short, curly auburn hair. She exuded a kind of joy that made everyone around her feel happy for no reason at all.. Kagi was already getting surreptitious looks from the boys, and she'd probably be inundated at lunch with boys wanting to simply "show her around".
"We have more things to work on than impressing our new student children." Misu-Onnathoo chided, noticing that all eyes were on Kagi. [AN: Onna is woman, and thoo is butterfly.. Just thought that was relevant Heehee!] Slowly the class turned back to their studies.
All but Usagi. She stared at Kagi, trying to imagine where she'd seen the girl before.. She seemed so familiar. But if Kagi had indeed come from upper Japan, where would Usagi have seen her?
Unable to tear her eyes away, Usagi watched from underneath her arm as Kagi looked around. Seeing no one right then looking at her, she wiped her eyes, shaking her hand away from her as if appalled, sadness evident on her face before her carefully constructed mask slipped back up.
Usagi watched two crystal clear tears fall to the ground.
Chapter Two: The abandoned Hangecu Tower, Monday night;
The night was so soothing. Unlike the harshness of the day, it welcomed him and embraced him. It neither flinched away at the touch of his paw nor hid from the fiery cold gaze of his diamond clear, steel colored eyes. He growled softly, staring out over the city, his paws folded in front of him.
His gaze was like ice, like a sudden blizzard on a summer day they froze the soul down to the quick, like a snake's bite poison it paralyzed with fear. His fur was a rich shade of tan, light with streaks of black in it.
He stared down from his vantage height at the masses below him. He looked at the people, all so normal, so lively. They lived normal lives, accepted in the world they'd been born into.
He'd been like them once. He'd had a healthy young body, toddling and happy. His memories of that time had faded as his hopes had over the past hundred years. How could he keep hoping when he was shunned? Hated?
He could rise, he knew it, and descend the flights of stairs to the dark foyer. And there he would don his disguise. He could only make himself human, a normal human, for a few hours at most, but those few hours were all that kept him sane. Through the undying eyes of the damned he watched as the humans lived and died, warred and negotiated, loved and hated. They could feel.. they could feel what he could not.
Damn that fae Queen. Damn her to the blackest abyss of Hell and back. Damn her for ruining his life. Damn her for cursing him. Damn her!
As whenever he thought of her, his blood began to boil. He rose and paced, his cruel, curved claws digging into the frayed, bare carpet. He was the only one who came here anymore.. It was his home. He'd worked long and hard to keep it the way it was.. Empty.
Unable to return to his rest, he swept away from the windows, his eyes casting over the small room, his room. His eyes fell on a small pedestal in the middle of the room. On top of the pedestal sat a beautiful, crystal clear orb. And in the middle of that orb was a rose, glowing with a faint red light. Three petals lay on the bottom of the orb, and the others were starting to look ready to fall.
"I'm doomed." He whispered, pressing his great, cruel looking paw against the orb. "I'm going to die.. DAMN YOU FAE!!" He suddenly roared, his great gaping maw glistening with razor sharp teeth.
And out on the street, people paused at the faint, echoing sound, their eyes going to the building that stood like a dead flower among the living garden of Tokyo, the haunted Hangecu Tower.
Chapter Three: Downtown Tokyo, Tuesday After school;
"Kagi! Kagi WAIT!" Usagi panted, Naru, Ami, and Makoto on her heels. Kagi turned, her pretty violet eyes wide with surprise. The bright sun light glistened on her hair, giving her a halo of gold. Usagi smiled. "Konnichiwa Kagi-san! I'm Usagi-chan!"
"Konnichiwa Usagi-san and friends.. I recognize you from class, but not your friends.." She smiled, her hand flying to her chest in an unconscious gesture. "Oh! I'm so sorry! Gomennasaii [*Sorry! pardon me!]!! My name is Kofukuno Kagi. It is a pleasure to meet you." She bowed in greeting.
Makoto grinned. "Konnichiwa Kagi-san. I'm Kino Makoto. It's a pleasure." The sunlight glinted off her beautiful rose earrings, and even though she towered over Kagi, the girl couldn't help but feel attracted to this tall, friendly warrior.
Next to her, made even shorter by her friend's height, the blue haired Ami also smiled and bowed. "Konnichiwa Kagi-san. My name is Mizuno Ami and I'm truly delighted to meet you." Kagi smiled; she recognized a scholar when she saw one.
"Guess I'm last huh?" The red head, slightly taller than Ami, emerald eyes sparkling with mischief, smiled. "Konnichiwa Kagi-san. I'm Osaka Naru.. S'a pleasure." She grinned; Kagi liked her also.
"So guess we're not strangers huh? So.. You been around Tokyo yet? We'd be glad to show you.. I don't have to get home until later, so I'm free!" Usagi grinned and turned at the others. "What about you all?" Kagi didn't mind that Usagi hadn't cleared it with her, she'd welcome a little help getting used to the big city and these girls were incredibly nice.
"If it's all right, Kagi-san, we have to stop at the Arcade and meet with our other friends, Rei-chan and Minako-chan. They're really nice, you'll like them I'm sure." Makoto said with a big grin.
"Mother won't get home for another hour. I'd be very pleased to have you as company." Kagi said with a grin. "Let's go find your friends."
Chapter Four: Later that night;
Kagi yawned widely. "Wow,.. all that shopping has really worn me out. Usagi, where are we?" At her side she carried two or three bags, bulging with the things she'd bought and that had been bought for her. Next to her, similarly laden, Usagi frowned at the road signs they were passing, her black cat Luna on her shoulder. Kagi reached over and stroked the cat, who purred at her before returning to sleeping.
Kagi grinned while Usagi sighed in frustration. "Um. um.. actually I don't know. I don't usually come down this way. I usually go the longer way 'cause that goes past Mamo-ch- Umm.. um.." She cut off, blushing as Kagi giggled.
"Mamo-chan? Is this that big secret you guys were teasing me about? You don't have to be ashamed that you have a boyfriend.. Where I come from it's perfectly alright." Kagi blinked at Usagi; the girl's sweatdrops had only grown larger. It seemed to Kagi that even Luna was sweatdropping.
"Well.. It's just that he's um.. a lot older than me.. But that's not why I didn't want to tell you.. See, my Mom and Dad don't know about Mamo-chan, so.. if you could kind of not tell them that'd make it a whole lot easier for both of us.."
Kagi laughed. "Don't worry I won't say anything.."
"Oh good.." Usagi grinned, and the two girls laughed together. Suddenly they were cut off as a howl echoed through the night. Usagi glanced at Kagi, who'd paled slightly.
"What was that?" Usagi was staring at a building with wide eyes, and Kagi followed her gaze. "Oh my god." Kagi said in awe. The Hangecu was the tallest building in that part of the town. It had once been a beautiful building, but now it was nothing but forbidding. The massive Gothic structure seemed watchful and dark, even the gargoyles on the roof glared down on the passers-by with vengeful eyes. Usagi's own eyes grew round and she caught hold of Kagi's arm, pulling her quickly along.
"That's the Hangecu. It's haunted.. Once, some kids went in. They never came back out.. People say that there's a tortured soul wandering in the halls and that it kills anyone who goes in.. And sometimes, on the full moon, the spirit will come out and abduct young girls. They say it feeds off their blood like a vampire until he's done and then he releases them. Then they come out, but they've already been lost, babbling about the Beast who lives within.. The Beast of Hangecu Halls." Usagi whispered at a confused Kagi.
Kagi frowned, pulling Usagi to a stop. "But Usagi-chan, those are just stories.. aren't you too mature to believe in things like that? There are no such things as ghosts." Usagi stared at the Hangecu.
"Funny, that's what those kids said before they went in there.. No one ever heard from them again." Kagi looked at Usagi with highly arched eyebrows, disbelief written on her face. But, one glance back at the tortured building made her think twice. She didn't for one second believe the ghost stories, but still..
"Ok.. let's go home now ok Usagi-chan?" Kagi said. Usagi nodded, her normally cheery voice grave, and the two girls continued on their way.
Chapter Five: Hangecu, Tuesday at midnight;
He watched them go through lidded teal eyes, watching as the pitiful humans scurried away from his sanctuary. Resisting the temptation to howl again and see how fast they could run, he turned back to the orb. His paw rested on it, his claws lightly scraping over it.
His eyes raised to stare at the darkening sky. Clouds were gathering on the horizon. Good, maybe it would storm tonight. He'd be able to go out, slip into the shadows and watch the humans through his inhuman eyes. He liked it when it stormed; it made him feel at one with nature, the storm within reflected by the storm without.
He stared back at the orb, lowering his eyes to count the petals. There were only nine left.. The rose had begun to shed; he was doomed. He'd not found out how to break the curse and now he never would. That damned fae would have her laugh at HIS expense.
He snarled. Over a century of living and not a single good sign! He'd never made any progress. All the magic and the sorcerers had failed. All the herbs and potions and rituals had failed. All of the scientific technology had failed. Everything.. he had nothing left.
The coldness in his heart grew.
The fae had cursed him because he'd scorned and manipulated the peasant folk.. She'd been "worried" for them, as if he couldn't see through her ruse! She cared not for the mortals, she just wanted a good laugh and some amusement.
She'd cursed him because of these people.. Now THEY would pay.
He slipped out of the room and down the stairs, teal eyes glowing red, as red as the blood he'd spill tonight.
Chapter Six: Kofukuno Residence, Midnight Tuesday;
Kagi sighed, turning over to stare out her window. The moon had risen full and gleaming over the city, her beautiful face reflected in the glass windows and the faces of those within. Her auburn curls spilling over the pillow like a river of bronze, she sighed again, breathing in the quiet, still night air, deep and calming.
She was scared silly of this new place, this new city. Why had her mother made them move? She hadn't been loved at their last home, but at least she'd been tolerated. Now, they were here, in Tokyo, the capital of the land of the Scrutinous. What faults would the people here find in her?
Would they laugh at her because of her father? Or would they find out about her mother first? She knew it wouldn't be long before they found out about her, about the "mysteries" she possessed, and then the lovely, unknown image would fade and she'd simply be just another one of the outcasts.
"I am the Key. The Key to Happiness.." She whispered, tears in her eyes. "I am my own Key. I am my own Key to Happiness.." The words came unbidden into her head; this was a lullaby her mother used to sing to her. She sighed once more and rose, unable to sleep.
She turned slightly, catching sight of her reflection in the mirror. She was pale normally, but in the moonlight she was nothing but a ghost in the mirror staring back at herself, the shade of reality that was but an illusion.
Her mother snored from her place on the sofa. Kagi sighed and leaned over to pull the covers up around the sleeping woman. Her face looked so peaceful when she slept; it was the only time that Kagi could ignore the lines of weariness and worry around her mother's almond brown eyes, the slight droop to her auburn curls. Kagi had gotten her curls from her mother, her eyes from her father.. or at least she thought so.
She hadn't known her father and her mother never spoke of him. What little she knew she'd gleaned from family friends, her mother herself, or had figured out on her own. She knew her father's name from her birth certificate: Kofukuno Koori. He had met Inseki Subasa when he'd apparently come to talk to Subasa's boss. Subasa had been working as a secretary for Destiny's Enterprises until she'd been fired a week after marrying Koori. That had been when her mother's luck had steadily worsened. Koori disappeared under mysterious circumstances one night soon after. The police had never found any leads or anything to tell them what had happened to him. So Kagi had grown up, fatherless for most of her life, with only half remembered dreams of her father to say that her mother wasn't lying and that Kagi hadn't just appeared one day. Her mother had finally resorted to taking a day job at a nearby factory: making calendars while she sought desperately to put her college degree in accounting to good use.
Kagi leaned over and brushed some of her mother's bangs from her eyes and turned away, walking to the window. She pressed the palm of her hand against the pane of glass, watching her breath create steam-patterns on the glass.
A shadow flickered across her face and she frowned, looking up. If it was that tabby cat again.. She thought viciously. She wasn't going to put up with any more midnight serenades. Her mother had work to do and she couldn't do it when she'd been kept up at night by a scraggly old tom cat. Suddenly purposeful, she slipped on her jacket and slippers and grabbed a skillet from the stove, quietly exiting the small, two room apartment.
The night was chill; she could see her breath on the air. She stood on the sidewalk for a moment, looking around. A sudden shadow to her right brought her gaze around as she strode purposefully towards the alley.
She followed the shadow, growling about what she was going to do to that stupid tom cat, when suddenly, she realized the moon was no longer shining and that it had suddenly got a lot colder and a lot scarier. She glanced up to see thick storm clouds obscuring the moon. She bit her lip, looking around. Now she was sorry for following the shadow, for now all the shadows looked forbidding and ready to pounce.
She suppressed the notion that the shadow had called its friends and were now going to attack her, shaking her head at her childishness.
She bit off a scream as a can in back of her rattled to the ground, whirling around, her frying pan at the ready. There, in the darkness cast by a stack of boxes, something was lurking.
The single streetlight cast a round circle of light on the pavement but no more, and it was this light that she stepped into, her frying pan held high. She could hear breathing, heavy and quick, like the breathing of a wounded animal. "Who's there?" She called softly, her eyes wide. "I mean it, .. who's there?"
Something furry brushed against the back of her bare legs and she gasped in surprise, lashing out with her frying pan -- hitting absolutely nothing. The tom cat she'd been after screeched in a protest, yanked his tail out from underneath her foot and took off like lightning into the alleyway behind her.
She gasped, on hand on her chest, breathing heavily in shock. "STUPID CAT!" She yelled after it in a fit of righteous indignancy. Her skillet had flown out of her hand when she'd flung it back and she, with great reluctance, started after it. It was the only skillet she had and there way no money to replace it.
She found it half buried underneath a stack of fallen cans. "How did you get here? I don't remember hearing these cans collapse.." She frowned; the cans would have made noise fit to raise the dead. She reached for it, pulling it out gently. The cans protested with a rattling, and she froze.
Her hand had just brushed something rather warm and furry.
Chapter Seven: Earlier that night, Clearaven Park;
He fed on the scent, the smell of their fear, the palpable feel of it. He could taste it on the air. From the policemen who shot metal bullets at him to the people he hunted. It floated on the breeze, ambrosia to his released hate and anger, all of which had been building up in him.
He would kill these mortals that were responsible for destroying his life. He could then die knowing that he had repaid the fae in what she had done to him.
He leaped from the top of a building to the ground, four stories below, like a cat leaping off of a couch, landing light as if he'd simply been hopping along. His stormy teal eyes glowed as he stalked through the streets. A door in front of him opened and a young girl in her teens ran out into the street, her blue eyes wide, followed by a boy, a man and a woman.
"USAGI STAY BACK!" The woman screamed, reaching out for the girl who was slowly walking towards him, the being colored death by shadows, his glowing eyes like beacons drawing her.
He stared, at first in fear but then in increasing anger as she stepped into the circle of light in front of him. "Fae.." His growl broke through the silence, his hackles rising like the crest on a cockatoo, but his warned of death not song. She was the damned fae!! His growl stopped her, she looked amazed that he could talk.
"You.. you're that damned fae.. So you've come to see how your little amusement has worked out? Well you hag, you will not curse me again! I've weeks to live yet, and I intend to live them.. In the blood of those responsible for this!" The steady click-clack of his claws on the pavement was like a death march, but to her credit, she didn't back of, simply straightened.
"Mom, Dad, please.. Go get help." She said calmly to the humans in back of her. He growled in hideous amusement as, with out a word, they turned and fled, to find the humans with the fire-spitting tubes.
"Don't worry fae.. When I'm done with you I'll hunt them down. I'll kill them too.. Do you like that? Do you like the idea of that?" His growl sent shivers down her spine.
"I won't let you." Her voice was soft but calm and deadly. This brought him up short. He shook his furry head, blood streaked mane rippling. Her eyes were wide as she slowly turned in a circle, following him as he pace around the outside edge of the light, never stepping into the light, never revealing himself.
"Now you're threatening me? Well fae, don't worry. I'll kill you very slowly and painfully."
"LISTEN!" Usagi burst out in anger. "I am NOT a fairy! I'm not this FAE person! My name is Tsukino Usagi!" Her eyes narrowed, darkening a bit with her anger. "Who are you? And what do you want? I'm not this fae.. you've got the wrong girl."
"Tsukino Usagi.. I remember you.. Yes.." A feral laugh rippled through the air, fairly crackling with the tension between the two. "You were one of the ones I'd singled out. You could have saved me you know? And then I wouldn't be here would I? You could have broken the curse but no.. all you wanted was to cling to your frickin' Mamo-chan.." Now his voice rose in bitter mockery of her tone, the insults raining down on her, stinging like bees. "Oh Mamo-chan you're so strong.. Don't care that I'm a little pip-squeak who can do nothing but worry about my own shallow little problems! You brushed me off as if I was nothing but a gnat, laughed at me and scorned me.. But then again that's just normal for a pampered little mouse like you!"
Her eyes widened as she stared at him. "You're the man that hit on me at the Arcade aren't you? but.. But how can you be him? You're.. you're a.. a.."
"A monster?" His voice was low, bitter, deadly. "A beast? A freak? A monstrosity? Go ahead, I've heard them all.. A hundred years' existence of insults such as this looking like this and I've basically got them memorized.. Humans think of the cruelest things to say don't they? But of course, you would know seeing as you're one of those humans!"
"I'm.. I'm sorry, I didn't know I hurt you like that.. But you.. you were so RUDE! And arrogant!" She suddenly snapped, going from apologetic to angry in two seconds flat. "You shouldn't have been so self-centered and egotistical.. Have you ever thought that it's not the beast on the outside people are criticizing huh?" His silence told her she'd hit home. "Maybe it's not your appearance that's making everyone hate you. Maybe .. just maybe it's YOU!!"
"The beauty and the beast within." His voice was distant, as if thinking back to a past time. "NO!!!" He suddenly roared, a sound so deafening it sent Usagi to her knees. She gasped and scrambled back away from him.. back into the shadows.
He seized his chance and leaped, the light catching the cruel fangs and claws outstretched to kill. She screamed, rolled away from him. He hit the pavement with nothing more than a whisper and was gone, back into the darkness, the utter blackness of the night.
Her hand closed around her locket. "MOON COSMIC POWER!" She yelled out and the shadows were lit by the brilliance of her transforming. She heard him hiss in anger, fighting back into the shadows more.
Super Sailormoon straightened, her blue eyes gazing into the depths as if she could penetrate them.
"What are you?" He hissed.
"I am the Champion of Love and Justice, Upholder of the Law and Protector of the Innocents! I'm the future ruler of the Moon Kingdom, SAILOR MOON! I'm the punisher of evil, so prepare to pay for your crimes!" For some reason this challenge, ringing out into the night gave her strength as she faced the shadow. It had grown; now it.. he was as tall as her, with a roughly humanoid form. Her eyes widened slightly in horror. "What are YOU?"
"A Beast." He said, and before she could even blink, his claws were digging into her flesh, his breath hot on her face. She hit the ground hard, her scarlet blood bright against her Sailor fuku.
"Ah.." She gasped, propping herself up on one elbow, glancing around with wide eyes. And then, a roar echoed through the clearing again and he was flying through the air towards her. She had the hideous impression that he was nothing but shadows, so closely did the darkness hold his frame, except his burning, teal eyes.
And then.. "MARS FLAME SNIPER!!" The beam of fire slammed into his side; the smell of burnt hair drifted to Sailormoon's nose. "Watch it Beast, you've got more than just Sailormoon to deal with! I'm SAILORMARS The Sailor of Fire!"
It was only when Sailorjupiter stepped forward did they realize that Sailormoon had fainted and that Beast was gone, disappeared back into the shadows.
"Where'd he go?" Sailorjupiter growled. "What a coward! He can't even face us, he can only pick on innocent bystanders." Her hands clenched into fists, face livid with rage.
"Calm down Sailorjupiter, we have more important things to worry about, like Sailormoon and how badly she's hurt. Sailormars' Flame Sniper injured him severely.. I don't think he'll be getting very far very quickly." Sailormercury said as she stepped forward, always the calm voice of reason. She bent down next to Sailormoon. "I don't think she's hurt bad, it was more just the concussion of impact."
The sound of people rushing towards them made them glance at each other. Sailorvenus sighed. "Ok everyone,.. Let's get down to business.. Handling the anxious parents."
Chapter Eight: Alleyway near Kofukuno residence, Tuesday after midnight;
She backed up into the circle of light, staring with wide eyes at the cans. "It's just a cat, it's just a cat.." But her gut instincts were saying it was far more than a cat. "Doggy? Puppy?" She whistled halfheartedly using dry lips. The bundle didn't move.
She swallowed. Suddenly, it moved, moaning. "Please.. help..me.." The voice floated to her. She gasped.
"It speaks!!" She didn't know who she was talking to, only that she was talking. "Ok.. what could it be? Human.. Must be a guy with a furry shirt on.." She said, trying to convince herself.
Kagi swallowed again, trying to bring any moisture at all to her dry throat. Her tongue felt stiff and unmovable, just like the rest of her it'd been paralyzed by fear.
"Ok.. Ok.. It needs help.. It's hurt.. What do I do? Responsible, able, caring individual me.. Me who doesn't want to end up doggy food.. Wait, wait no, I said that this was NOT a dog it's a human now that human needs some help, what do I do?"
Her answer came for her, in the form of movement. IT moving to be precise. She stayed, rooted to her spot by fear, as it shook of the cans. The noise rattled her, addling and dulling her already frayed nerves. "Omigodomygodomygodomygod.." She muttered, shrinking down to her knees.
"I.. won't.. can't hurt you.." He laughed in bitter admittance to this proclamation. "You're lucky.. you'll.. be.. spared.." Her chest was heaving in fear, eyes wide and face pale. The form stood in the shadows near the cans, leaning against the wall as if support.
"Spared?" She heard her voice ask, small and meek. The shadow didn't move. Her eyes narrowed slightly as she licked dry lips, forcing them to work. "Mo.. move into the light.." She ordered softly, backing up a bit in an oddly ironic gesture of encouragement.
It did.
Slowly he moved towards her, a low, bitter laugh barely reaching her ears. He was standing upright, form roughly humanoid. And then, he stepped into the light.
She bit her lip so hard in an effort not to scream that a crimson drop of blood welled up against her rose white lips. Beast did not begin to describe him. His feet were long, with vicious, curving claws at the end. He wore ragged, faded pants, ripped and stained with blood. His fur was a reddish tan, the shaggy mane that fell around his neck was golden. His legs were thick and muscular, shaped strangely like a dog's .. no, a tiger's. His chest was broad and muscular, covered by a flimsy, simple white shirt in no better condition than his pants. He wore a black cape around his thick, maned neck, a long brush like brown tail curling slightly behind his legs. Folded across his chest were his arms, his wide, furry paws strangely gold against his white shirt, the claws on the end of his "fingers" shining steel gray. But.. his face was what really caught her eyes.
His lower canines had been elongated so that they stuck out in front of his lips, upper ones sharpened. His nose was wide, hooked, and flat, like a tiger's. Two twisted horns, black as soot, sat behind two furry, broad ears. His eyes were piercing, teal.. They were like windows to his soul.. A soul filled with bitterness.
"Oh .. god.." She whispered, one hand flying to her mouth. She stared at him in terror. He looked at her as if he'd expected no more, no.. as if he was waiting for her to cast him out like so many others had.
But suddenly, his resolve buckled. His eyes rolled up into his head and he fell onto the ground in front of Kagi.
~*~
Sooooooooo tell me what you think? Think it stinks? Tell me! Think it's got promise?? TELL ME!
amby-chan@sailormoon.com
Until next time,
Amber.
by Lady Amber
Part One
DISCLAIMERS: Standard disclaimers apply. You all know 'em by heart.
EMAIL: Goes HERE: amby-chan@sailormoon.com
NOTES: Yes I knooooooooow another romance.. Can't help it. Can't wait to see what I put the young lovers in question through now huh? *G* Heehee.. I can't wait...
And this first chapter's kind of stupid. Be patient and bear with me.. Hopefully you'll be kind enough to read all the way through it before you judge me.. Thanks!
Japanese words will be followed by [*and the translation].. ok?
This was really inspired by Disney's The Beauty and The Beast, and one particular Sailor Moon fanfic I read out there about the beast that resides in us all.. Whoever you are (I can't remember where I read it or WHO wrote it anymore *GR*) Thank you for such an inspiration!
Some strong language used. Not much. Some gore. Again not much.. It's only for emphasis of the main points in the story ok?
Now, ENJOY!
Chapter One: Juuban Senior High, Monday Morning;
"Konnichiwa[*hello], my name is Kofukuno Kagi. My mother and I moved here from upper Japan. She works as a secretary for the Destiny Enterprises. I hope I will find good friends in this school." The girl bowed to them all. There was a polite chorus of "Konnichiwa Kagi-san." And Kagi took her seat. Usagi snuck a look at her under her arm.
Kagi was VERY pretty no doubt about it. She had dark violet eyes that fairly sparkled with happiness, and short, curly auburn hair. She exuded a kind of joy that made everyone around her feel happy for no reason at all.. Kagi was already getting surreptitious looks from the boys, and she'd probably be inundated at lunch with boys wanting to simply "show her around".
"We have more things to work on than impressing our new student children." Misu-Onnathoo chided, noticing that all eyes were on Kagi. [AN: Onna is woman, and thoo is butterfly.. Just thought that was relevant Heehee!] Slowly the class turned back to their studies.
All but Usagi. She stared at Kagi, trying to imagine where she'd seen the girl before.. She seemed so familiar. But if Kagi had indeed come from upper Japan, where would Usagi have seen her?
Unable to tear her eyes away, Usagi watched from underneath her arm as Kagi looked around. Seeing no one right then looking at her, she wiped her eyes, shaking her hand away from her as if appalled, sadness evident on her face before her carefully constructed mask slipped back up.
Usagi watched two crystal clear tears fall to the ground.
Chapter Two: The abandoned Hangecu Tower, Monday night;
The night was so soothing. Unlike the harshness of the day, it welcomed him and embraced him. It neither flinched away at the touch of his paw nor hid from the fiery cold gaze of his diamond clear, steel colored eyes. He growled softly, staring out over the city, his paws folded in front of him.
His gaze was like ice, like a sudden blizzard on a summer day they froze the soul down to the quick, like a snake's bite poison it paralyzed with fear. His fur was a rich shade of tan, light with streaks of black in it.
He stared down from his vantage height at the masses below him. He looked at the people, all so normal, so lively. They lived normal lives, accepted in the world they'd been born into.
He'd been like them once. He'd had a healthy young body, toddling and happy. His memories of that time had faded as his hopes had over the past hundred years. How could he keep hoping when he was shunned? Hated?
He could rise, he knew it, and descend the flights of stairs to the dark foyer. And there he would don his disguise. He could only make himself human, a normal human, for a few hours at most, but those few hours were all that kept him sane. Through the undying eyes of the damned he watched as the humans lived and died, warred and negotiated, loved and hated. They could feel.. they could feel what he could not.
Damn that fae Queen. Damn her to the blackest abyss of Hell and back. Damn her for ruining his life. Damn her for cursing him. Damn her!
As whenever he thought of her, his blood began to boil. He rose and paced, his cruel, curved claws digging into the frayed, bare carpet. He was the only one who came here anymore.. It was his home. He'd worked long and hard to keep it the way it was.. Empty.
Unable to return to his rest, he swept away from the windows, his eyes casting over the small room, his room. His eyes fell on a small pedestal in the middle of the room. On top of the pedestal sat a beautiful, crystal clear orb. And in the middle of that orb was a rose, glowing with a faint red light. Three petals lay on the bottom of the orb, and the others were starting to look ready to fall.
"I'm doomed." He whispered, pressing his great, cruel looking paw against the orb. "I'm going to die.. DAMN YOU FAE!!" He suddenly roared, his great gaping maw glistening with razor sharp teeth.
And out on the street, people paused at the faint, echoing sound, their eyes going to the building that stood like a dead flower among the living garden of Tokyo, the haunted Hangecu Tower.
Chapter Three: Downtown Tokyo, Tuesday After school;
"Kagi! Kagi WAIT!" Usagi panted, Naru, Ami, and Makoto on her heels. Kagi turned, her pretty violet eyes wide with surprise. The bright sun light glistened on her hair, giving her a halo of gold. Usagi smiled. "Konnichiwa Kagi-san! I'm Usagi-chan!"
"Konnichiwa Usagi-san and friends.. I recognize you from class, but not your friends.." She smiled, her hand flying to her chest in an unconscious gesture. "Oh! I'm so sorry! Gomennasaii [*Sorry! pardon me!]!! My name is Kofukuno Kagi. It is a pleasure to meet you." She bowed in greeting.
Makoto grinned. "Konnichiwa Kagi-san. I'm Kino Makoto. It's a pleasure." The sunlight glinted off her beautiful rose earrings, and even though she towered over Kagi, the girl couldn't help but feel attracted to this tall, friendly warrior.
Next to her, made even shorter by her friend's height, the blue haired Ami also smiled and bowed. "Konnichiwa Kagi-san. My name is Mizuno Ami and I'm truly delighted to meet you." Kagi smiled; she recognized a scholar when she saw one.
"Guess I'm last huh?" The red head, slightly taller than Ami, emerald eyes sparkling with mischief, smiled. "Konnichiwa Kagi-san. I'm Osaka Naru.. S'a pleasure." She grinned; Kagi liked her also.
"So guess we're not strangers huh? So.. You been around Tokyo yet? We'd be glad to show you.. I don't have to get home until later, so I'm free!" Usagi grinned and turned at the others. "What about you all?" Kagi didn't mind that Usagi hadn't cleared it with her, she'd welcome a little help getting used to the big city and these girls were incredibly nice.
"If it's all right, Kagi-san, we have to stop at the Arcade and meet with our other friends, Rei-chan and Minako-chan. They're really nice, you'll like them I'm sure." Makoto said with a big grin.
"Mother won't get home for another hour. I'd be very pleased to have you as company." Kagi said with a grin. "Let's go find your friends."
Chapter Four: Later that night;
Kagi yawned widely. "Wow,.. all that shopping has really worn me out. Usagi, where are we?" At her side she carried two or three bags, bulging with the things she'd bought and that had been bought for her. Next to her, similarly laden, Usagi frowned at the road signs they were passing, her black cat Luna on her shoulder. Kagi reached over and stroked the cat, who purred at her before returning to sleeping.
Kagi grinned while Usagi sighed in frustration. "Um. um.. actually I don't know. I don't usually come down this way. I usually go the longer way 'cause that goes past Mamo-ch- Umm.. um.." She cut off, blushing as Kagi giggled.
"Mamo-chan? Is this that big secret you guys were teasing me about? You don't have to be ashamed that you have a boyfriend.. Where I come from it's perfectly alright." Kagi blinked at Usagi; the girl's sweatdrops had only grown larger. It seemed to Kagi that even Luna was sweatdropping.
"Well.. It's just that he's um.. a lot older than me.. But that's not why I didn't want to tell you.. See, my Mom and Dad don't know about Mamo-chan, so.. if you could kind of not tell them that'd make it a whole lot easier for both of us.."
Kagi laughed. "Don't worry I won't say anything.."
"Oh good.." Usagi grinned, and the two girls laughed together. Suddenly they were cut off as a howl echoed through the night. Usagi glanced at Kagi, who'd paled slightly.
"What was that?" Usagi was staring at a building with wide eyes, and Kagi followed her gaze. "Oh my god." Kagi said in awe. The Hangecu was the tallest building in that part of the town. It had once been a beautiful building, but now it was nothing but forbidding. The massive Gothic structure seemed watchful and dark, even the gargoyles on the roof glared down on the passers-by with vengeful eyes. Usagi's own eyes grew round and she caught hold of Kagi's arm, pulling her quickly along.
"That's the Hangecu. It's haunted.. Once, some kids went in. They never came back out.. People say that there's a tortured soul wandering in the halls and that it kills anyone who goes in.. And sometimes, on the full moon, the spirit will come out and abduct young girls. They say it feeds off their blood like a vampire until he's done and then he releases them. Then they come out, but they've already been lost, babbling about the Beast who lives within.. The Beast of Hangecu Halls." Usagi whispered at a confused Kagi.
Kagi frowned, pulling Usagi to a stop. "But Usagi-chan, those are just stories.. aren't you too mature to believe in things like that? There are no such things as ghosts." Usagi stared at the Hangecu.
"Funny, that's what those kids said before they went in there.. No one ever heard from them again." Kagi looked at Usagi with highly arched eyebrows, disbelief written on her face. But, one glance back at the tortured building made her think twice. She didn't for one second believe the ghost stories, but still..
"Ok.. let's go home now ok Usagi-chan?" Kagi said. Usagi nodded, her normally cheery voice grave, and the two girls continued on their way.
Chapter Five: Hangecu, Tuesday at midnight;
He watched them go through lidded teal eyes, watching as the pitiful humans scurried away from his sanctuary. Resisting the temptation to howl again and see how fast they could run, he turned back to the orb. His paw rested on it, his claws lightly scraping over it.
His eyes raised to stare at the darkening sky. Clouds were gathering on the horizon. Good, maybe it would storm tonight. He'd be able to go out, slip into the shadows and watch the humans through his inhuman eyes. He liked it when it stormed; it made him feel at one with nature, the storm within reflected by the storm without.
He stared back at the orb, lowering his eyes to count the petals. There were only nine left.. The rose had begun to shed; he was doomed. He'd not found out how to break the curse and now he never would. That damned fae would have her laugh at HIS expense.
He snarled. Over a century of living and not a single good sign! He'd never made any progress. All the magic and the sorcerers had failed. All the herbs and potions and rituals had failed. All of the scientific technology had failed. Everything.. he had nothing left.
The coldness in his heart grew.
The fae had cursed him because he'd scorned and manipulated the peasant folk.. She'd been "worried" for them, as if he couldn't see through her ruse! She cared not for the mortals, she just wanted a good laugh and some amusement.
She'd cursed him because of these people.. Now THEY would pay.
He slipped out of the room and down the stairs, teal eyes glowing red, as red as the blood he'd spill tonight.
Chapter Six: Kofukuno Residence, Midnight Tuesday;
Kagi sighed, turning over to stare out her window. The moon had risen full and gleaming over the city, her beautiful face reflected in the glass windows and the faces of those within. Her auburn curls spilling over the pillow like a river of bronze, she sighed again, breathing in the quiet, still night air, deep and calming.
She was scared silly of this new place, this new city. Why had her mother made them move? She hadn't been loved at their last home, but at least she'd been tolerated. Now, they were here, in Tokyo, the capital of the land of the Scrutinous. What faults would the people here find in her?
Would they laugh at her because of her father? Or would they find out about her mother first? She knew it wouldn't be long before they found out about her, about the "mysteries" she possessed, and then the lovely, unknown image would fade and she'd simply be just another one of the outcasts.
"I am the Key. The Key to Happiness.." She whispered, tears in her eyes. "I am my own Key. I am my own Key to Happiness.." The words came unbidden into her head; this was a lullaby her mother used to sing to her. She sighed once more and rose, unable to sleep.
She turned slightly, catching sight of her reflection in the mirror. She was pale normally, but in the moonlight she was nothing but a ghost in the mirror staring back at herself, the shade of reality that was but an illusion.
Her mother snored from her place on the sofa. Kagi sighed and leaned over to pull the covers up around the sleeping woman. Her face looked so peaceful when she slept; it was the only time that Kagi could ignore the lines of weariness and worry around her mother's almond brown eyes, the slight droop to her auburn curls. Kagi had gotten her curls from her mother, her eyes from her father.. or at least she thought so.
She hadn't known her father and her mother never spoke of him. What little she knew she'd gleaned from family friends, her mother herself, or had figured out on her own. She knew her father's name from her birth certificate: Kofukuno Koori. He had met Inseki Subasa when he'd apparently come to talk to Subasa's boss. Subasa had been working as a secretary for Destiny's Enterprises until she'd been fired a week after marrying Koori. That had been when her mother's luck had steadily worsened. Koori disappeared under mysterious circumstances one night soon after. The police had never found any leads or anything to tell them what had happened to him. So Kagi had grown up, fatherless for most of her life, with only half remembered dreams of her father to say that her mother wasn't lying and that Kagi hadn't just appeared one day. Her mother had finally resorted to taking a day job at a nearby factory: making calendars while she sought desperately to put her college degree in accounting to good use.
Kagi leaned over and brushed some of her mother's bangs from her eyes and turned away, walking to the window. She pressed the palm of her hand against the pane of glass, watching her breath create steam-patterns on the glass.
A shadow flickered across her face and she frowned, looking up. If it was that tabby cat again.. She thought viciously. She wasn't going to put up with any more midnight serenades. Her mother had work to do and she couldn't do it when she'd been kept up at night by a scraggly old tom cat. Suddenly purposeful, she slipped on her jacket and slippers and grabbed a skillet from the stove, quietly exiting the small, two room apartment.
The night was chill; she could see her breath on the air. She stood on the sidewalk for a moment, looking around. A sudden shadow to her right brought her gaze around as she strode purposefully towards the alley.
She followed the shadow, growling about what she was going to do to that stupid tom cat, when suddenly, she realized the moon was no longer shining and that it had suddenly got a lot colder and a lot scarier. She glanced up to see thick storm clouds obscuring the moon. She bit her lip, looking around. Now she was sorry for following the shadow, for now all the shadows looked forbidding and ready to pounce.
She suppressed the notion that the shadow had called its friends and were now going to attack her, shaking her head at her childishness.
She bit off a scream as a can in back of her rattled to the ground, whirling around, her frying pan at the ready. There, in the darkness cast by a stack of boxes, something was lurking.
The single streetlight cast a round circle of light on the pavement but no more, and it was this light that she stepped into, her frying pan held high. She could hear breathing, heavy and quick, like the breathing of a wounded animal. "Who's there?" She called softly, her eyes wide. "I mean it, .. who's there?"
Something furry brushed against the back of her bare legs and she gasped in surprise, lashing out with her frying pan -- hitting absolutely nothing. The tom cat she'd been after screeched in a protest, yanked his tail out from underneath her foot and took off like lightning into the alleyway behind her.
She gasped, on hand on her chest, breathing heavily in shock. "STUPID CAT!" She yelled after it in a fit of righteous indignancy. Her skillet had flown out of her hand when she'd flung it back and she, with great reluctance, started after it. It was the only skillet she had and there way no money to replace it.
She found it half buried underneath a stack of fallen cans. "How did you get here? I don't remember hearing these cans collapse.." She frowned; the cans would have made noise fit to raise the dead. She reached for it, pulling it out gently. The cans protested with a rattling, and she froze.
Her hand had just brushed something rather warm and furry.
Chapter Seven: Earlier that night, Clearaven Park;
He fed on the scent, the smell of their fear, the palpable feel of it. He could taste it on the air. From the policemen who shot metal bullets at him to the people he hunted. It floated on the breeze, ambrosia to his released hate and anger, all of which had been building up in him.
He would kill these mortals that were responsible for destroying his life. He could then die knowing that he had repaid the fae in what she had done to him.
He leaped from the top of a building to the ground, four stories below, like a cat leaping off of a couch, landing light as if he'd simply been hopping along. His stormy teal eyes glowed as he stalked through the streets. A door in front of him opened and a young girl in her teens ran out into the street, her blue eyes wide, followed by a boy, a man and a woman.
"USAGI STAY BACK!" The woman screamed, reaching out for the girl who was slowly walking towards him, the being colored death by shadows, his glowing eyes like beacons drawing her.
He stared, at first in fear but then in increasing anger as she stepped into the circle of light in front of him. "Fae.." His growl broke through the silence, his hackles rising like the crest on a cockatoo, but his warned of death not song. She was the damned fae!! His growl stopped her, she looked amazed that he could talk.
"You.. you're that damned fae.. So you've come to see how your little amusement has worked out? Well you hag, you will not curse me again! I've weeks to live yet, and I intend to live them.. In the blood of those responsible for this!" The steady click-clack of his claws on the pavement was like a death march, but to her credit, she didn't back of, simply straightened.
"Mom, Dad, please.. Go get help." She said calmly to the humans in back of her. He growled in hideous amusement as, with out a word, they turned and fled, to find the humans with the fire-spitting tubes.
"Don't worry fae.. When I'm done with you I'll hunt them down. I'll kill them too.. Do you like that? Do you like the idea of that?" His growl sent shivers down her spine.
"I won't let you." Her voice was soft but calm and deadly. This brought him up short. He shook his furry head, blood streaked mane rippling. Her eyes were wide as she slowly turned in a circle, following him as he pace around the outside edge of the light, never stepping into the light, never revealing himself.
"Now you're threatening me? Well fae, don't worry. I'll kill you very slowly and painfully."
"LISTEN!" Usagi burst out in anger. "I am NOT a fairy! I'm not this FAE person! My name is Tsukino Usagi!" Her eyes narrowed, darkening a bit with her anger. "Who are you? And what do you want? I'm not this fae.. you've got the wrong girl."
"Tsukino Usagi.. I remember you.. Yes.." A feral laugh rippled through the air, fairly crackling with the tension between the two. "You were one of the ones I'd singled out. You could have saved me you know? And then I wouldn't be here would I? You could have broken the curse but no.. all you wanted was to cling to your frickin' Mamo-chan.." Now his voice rose in bitter mockery of her tone, the insults raining down on her, stinging like bees. "Oh Mamo-chan you're so strong.. Don't care that I'm a little pip-squeak who can do nothing but worry about my own shallow little problems! You brushed me off as if I was nothing but a gnat, laughed at me and scorned me.. But then again that's just normal for a pampered little mouse like you!"
Her eyes widened as she stared at him. "You're the man that hit on me at the Arcade aren't you? but.. But how can you be him? You're.. you're a.. a.."
"A monster?" His voice was low, bitter, deadly. "A beast? A freak? A monstrosity? Go ahead, I've heard them all.. A hundred years' existence of insults such as this looking like this and I've basically got them memorized.. Humans think of the cruelest things to say don't they? But of course, you would know seeing as you're one of those humans!"
"I'm.. I'm sorry, I didn't know I hurt you like that.. But you.. you were so RUDE! And arrogant!" She suddenly snapped, going from apologetic to angry in two seconds flat. "You shouldn't have been so self-centered and egotistical.. Have you ever thought that it's not the beast on the outside people are criticizing huh?" His silence told her she'd hit home. "Maybe it's not your appearance that's making everyone hate you. Maybe .. just maybe it's YOU!!"
"The beauty and the beast within." His voice was distant, as if thinking back to a past time. "NO!!!" He suddenly roared, a sound so deafening it sent Usagi to her knees. She gasped and scrambled back away from him.. back into the shadows.
He seized his chance and leaped, the light catching the cruel fangs and claws outstretched to kill. She screamed, rolled away from him. He hit the pavement with nothing more than a whisper and was gone, back into the darkness, the utter blackness of the night.
Her hand closed around her locket. "MOON COSMIC POWER!" She yelled out and the shadows were lit by the brilliance of her transforming. She heard him hiss in anger, fighting back into the shadows more.
Super Sailormoon straightened, her blue eyes gazing into the depths as if she could penetrate them.
"What are you?" He hissed.
"I am the Champion of Love and Justice, Upholder of the Law and Protector of the Innocents! I'm the future ruler of the Moon Kingdom, SAILOR MOON! I'm the punisher of evil, so prepare to pay for your crimes!" For some reason this challenge, ringing out into the night gave her strength as she faced the shadow. It had grown; now it.. he was as tall as her, with a roughly humanoid form. Her eyes widened slightly in horror. "What are YOU?"
"A Beast." He said, and before she could even blink, his claws were digging into her flesh, his breath hot on her face. She hit the ground hard, her scarlet blood bright against her Sailor fuku.
"Ah.." She gasped, propping herself up on one elbow, glancing around with wide eyes. And then, a roar echoed through the clearing again and he was flying through the air towards her. She had the hideous impression that he was nothing but shadows, so closely did the darkness hold his frame, except his burning, teal eyes.
And then.. "MARS FLAME SNIPER!!" The beam of fire slammed into his side; the smell of burnt hair drifted to Sailormoon's nose. "Watch it Beast, you've got more than just Sailormoon to deal with! I'm SAILORMARS The Sailor of Fire!"
It was only when Sailorjupiter stepped forward did they realize that Sailormoon had fainted and that Beast was gone, disappeared back into the shadows.
"Where'd he go?" Sailorjupiter growled. "What a coward! He can't even face us, he can only pick on innocent bystanders." Her hands clenched into fists, face livid with rage.
"Calm down Sailorjupiter, we have more important things to worry about, like Sailormoon and how badly she's hurt. Sailormars' Flame Sniper injured him severely.. I don't think he'll be getting very far very quickly." Sailormercury said as she stepped forward, always the calm voice of reason. She bent down next to Sailormoon. "I don't think she's hurt bad, it was more just the concussion of impact."
The sound of people rushing towards them made them glance at each other. Sailorvenus sighed. "Ok everyone,.. Let's get down to business.. Handling the anxious parents."
Chapter Eight: Alleyway near Kofukuno residence, Tuesday after midnight;
She backed up into the circle of light, staring with wide eyes at the cans. "It's just a cat, it's just a cat.." But her gut instincts were saying it was far more than a cat. "Doggy? Puppy?" She whistled halfheartedly using dry lips. The bundle didn't move.
She swallowed. Suddenly, it moved, moaning. "Please.. help..me.." The voice floated to her. She gasped.
"It speaks!!" She didn't know who she was talking to, only that she was talking. "Ok.. what could it be? Human.. Must be a guy with a furry shirt on.." She said, trying to convince herself.
Kagi swallowed again, trying to bring any moisture at all to her dry throat. Her tongue felt stiff and unmovable, just like the rest of her it'd been paralyzed by fear.
"Ok.. Ok.. It needs help.. It's hurt.. What do I do? Responsible, able, caring individual me.. Me who doesn't want to end up doggy food.. Wait, wait no, I said that this was NOT a dog it's a human now that human needs some help, what do I do?"
Her answer came for her, in the form of movement. IT moving to be precise. She stayed, rooted to her spot by fear, as it shook of the cans. The noise rattled her, addling and dulling her already frayed nerves. "Omigodomygodomygodomygod.." She muttered, shrinking down to her knees.
"I.. won't.. can't hurt you.." He laughed in bitter admittance to this proclamation. "You're lucky.. you'll.. be.. spared.." Her chest was heaving in fear, eyes wide and face pale. The form stood in the shadows near the cans, leaning against the wall as if support.
"Spared?" She heard her voice ask, small and meek. The shadow didn't move. Her eyes narrowed slightly as she licked dry lips, forcing them to work. "Mo.. move into the light.." She ordered softly, backing up a bit in an oddly ironic gesture of encouragement.
It did.
Slowly he moved towards her, a low, bitter laugh barely reaching her ears. He was standing upright, form roughly humanoid. And then, he stepped into the light.
She bit her lip so hard in an effort not to scream that a crimson drop of blood welled up against her rose white lips. Beast did not begin to describe him. His feet were long, with vicious, curving claws at the end. He wore ragged, faded pants, ripped and stained with blood. His fur was a reddish tan, the shaggy mane that fell around his neck was golden. His legs were thick and muscular, shaped strangely like a dog's .. no, a tiger's. His chest was broad and muscular, covered by a flimsy, simple white shirt in no better condition than his pants. He wore a black cape around his thick, maned neck, a long brush like brown tail curling slightly behind his legs. Folded across his chest were his arms, his wide, furry paws strangely gold against his white shirt, the claws on the end of his "fingers" shining steel gray. But.. his face was what really caught her eyes.
His lower canines had been elongated so that they stuck out in front of his lips, upper ones sharpened. His nose was wide, hooked, and flat, like a tiger's. Two twisted horns, black as soot, sat behind two furry, broad ears. His eyes were piercing, teal.. They were like windows to his soul.. A soul filled with bitterness.
"Oh .. god.." She whispered, one hand flying to her mouth. She stared at him in terror. He looked at her as if he'd expected no more, no.. as if he was waiting for her to cast him out like so many others had.
But suddenly, his resolve buckled. His eyes rolled up into his head and he fell onto the ground in front of Kagi.
~*~
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amby-chan@sailormoon.com
Until next time,
Amber.