Weiss Kreuz Fan Fiction / Sailor Moon Fan Fiction ❯ Cold Love Twisted Love ❯ Chapter Six ( Chapter 7 )

The wind pulled at the belt of his coat and it seemed fitting considering the circumstances. He should have known most of the group would be there. He had been expecting to only deal with Oracle, not with everyone. It made him uneasy. Had it all been a trap? But he had to give his answer. She was too important for him to give up. She was the only one that could make him smile. He'd never give her up again. "I won't agree."

Crawford had been expecting that. In fact he knew it would happen. "I see, so we do not have a deal then." He snapped shut a suitcase he had lying on the ground with two precise metallic clicks and studied the redheaded man... No, that wasn't quite right, despite what Abyssinian had been put through he was still a boy in many regards. Including his refusal to bow to their demands... "We gave you a chance to trade."

Schuldich had ignored the conversation for the most part but chose this moment to roll his head towards the two and give a wolfish expression. "If anything goes wrong we'll be sure to mail what's left of her back to you," he offered as he forced a brief mental image of her wide scared eyes.

If Ran had received the image he didn't show it as he turned his back on the group and stalked away. He wasn't about to give the most precious thing in his life to those monsters. He wasn't going to lose her again, and if that meant sacrificing somebody from his past…. So be it.

**

Her busy fingers rifled through every piece of mail. They came to a dead halt as they came to an envelope without any address. Almost timidly she pulled it from the pile and let the others fall to the ground. She licked her suddenly dry lips and took a steadying breath as she opened the envelope and read the message inside.

Her hands shook and the letter slipped from them as she let out a soft whimper and leaned against a door for support. Her fears had been confirmed. 'They' had her. For the briefest of moments she wondered if maybe she should have just given in to their demands… Because now not only did they have her… but she hadn't gotten anything beneficial out of it.

Stricken with the thought, and hearing the tread of someone approaching, she scooped the letter back up and roughly stuffed it back into the featureless envelope. She had been keeping it a secret from him. She couldn't let him know under any circumstances. She smoothed the crumpled envelope and slipped it into her back pocket as she turned with a welcoming smile.

**

Mamoru was distraught. He had felt something… He wasn't even sure what it was, but he knew his Usako was in danger. He had felt a sharp mental piercing scream. That had been what woke him up while he had been taking a nap with his phone cradled in hand. He had refused to go to his classes for the past few days as he waited on a call from Japan… and then he had been jolted by the deafening scream.

His eyes drifted to the phone he held so tightly in his clutches and he forced himself to take a deep breath. Maybe it was all a dream… It was plausible of course. He hadn't been fully awake when he had heard the sound but… He sighed and focused on making his goose bumps fade. Every hair on his body was standing on end.

The wait was starting to wear him down. Just waiting on news was enough to send him to a sick bed if he didn't get rest soon. Of course he took cat naps here and there but they were nothing compared to the rest he was supposed to be taking. He hadn't slept decently in days since he had heard of her disappearance. It was really getting to him. The wait, if it went on, could possibly break him.

The shrill cry of the phone jolted him out of his tension and he jerked it out of its receiver on the first ring. "Usako?" he gasped in a plea. He heard the decidedly male voice on the other line and felt like a ship that had a hole torn through its sails. Not his beautiful Usako… "Motoki, any news?"

Motoki swallowed the lump in his throat before answering. "Mamoru… the girls are all really worried… some of them are even sick. They just suddenly sort of froze and Ami-chan was screaming and screaming.... I don't know what's going on… But they had signs on their foreheads." Motoki paused to glance at the girls safely tucked in his own bed and the two who had survived the onslaught to care for the others. "They're telling me… they're the Sailor Senshi and that you'd know what was happening to Usagi-chan."

Mamoru closed his eyes as he felt a chill pass through him. Were things that bad that the others had to reveal their identities? Just what was going on over there? Coming to a decision he moved to his dresser and pulled out a book. "Motoki-kun? I'm coming back to Japan on the next available flight."

**

She was bored. The trip was taking forever and Ken wasn't really helping liven up the atmosphere. He was too preoccupied with sparing her the occasional glare for tricking him to go with her in the first place. But she really hadn't had another option. Ken would have never agreed if she had just asked him.

"So what are you going to say to these people anyway? Didn't you tell me they thought you were dead?" Ken narrowed his eyes on the girl that was staring stubbornly at the window. "It's not like you can just waltz in there and ask if your friend is okay. They might think you had something to do with it," he cautioned.

Aya-chan seemed to pause in mid thought and glanced at Ken, "they'd really believe I'd hurt my best friend?" she seemed indignant at the thought and frowned. "Well you'll have to talk to them for me, Ken-kun," she firmly decided.

Ken resisted the urge to glare in annoyance at her. "I don't even know the girl, they'll probably realize that, besides what am I, a total stranger, supposed to say to these people?" as she didn't reply and actually looked hurt he sighed softly and leaned his head back against the cushioned seat. "I'll figure out something to tell them… but what are you expecting from me? If she's not there then there's nothing I can do for you."

"Just check to see if she's there. We'll figure out what to do next if she isn't," Aya-chan assured with a small hopeful smile. She really didn't want to use Ken like this but she had to make sure. She couldn't reveal that she was alive unless something had happened to Usagi. Ran had forbid her from ever showing herself to anyone from their past, but in her opinion he was just too overprotective. It wouldn't hurt if she had to show herself to Usagi's parents. They would be shocked of course, but they had treated her like a daughter when she was younger so they should be happy. Of course she only had to worry about that if Ken found out that Usagi was indeed missing. She could only pray her friend was safe and sound somewhere in her own room, protected from the type of monsters she had seen on that tape.

**

Stunned… Horrified… Shocked… The list could go on forever and not a single word could describe what she had just experienced. This couldn't be true! This was a dream… no a nightmare! She had not just seen an innocent slaughtered in front of her. She couldn't believe it, she wouldn't believe it. "No…" she slid to the flood like a lifeless doll as she repeated the word.

Farfarello laughed at the sight his eye shining with triumph. But this was only the beginning. He wasn't going to be satisfied with merely this. The silly girl was shaking her head in denial and staring everywhere but at the body. She was even starting to talk in gibberish, a fact that amused him to no end. "Angel," he whispered as he strode towards her with his knife well hidden.

She didn't even look at him as she stared numbly at a point on the wall. In fact if you just connected those two dots… Why the wall looked like there was a miniature Luna on it. "Luna," she mused her fingers brushing against the hard surface as her damaged emotional state forced her to believe she was stroking soft warm fur. "I had the most terrible nightmare…"

Her gloves slipped from the wall and down to the ground brushing against the scarlet liquid. She wasn't even aware of it and she giggled softly as she used the blood to connect the dots on the wall to form her beloved mentor. "Luna…." Her transformation faded as she stroked the bloodied wall. Loose feathers dotted the ground but they didn't bother the ordinary high school girl In fact she didn't even realize she wasn't alone in the room as she chatted happily to a figment of her imagination.

He watched her for a long moment as he lowered his knives. She was no longer spouting peace and justice. She didn't even seem aware of where she was. She didn't even look like an angel anymore… Intrigued he slipped his knives back into their sheaths and steadily approached her. The look in her eyes right now reminded him strongly of a similar one in his own when he had lost his family. Could angels really feel emotions such as loss like he could? The thought disturbed him and with one hand on the handle of his blade he stared down at her. It would be so easy to take her from 'Him' once and for all… His hands tightened on his handle at that thought and a smile flickered onto his lips. Just so easy.

**

The door opened with such force that Ken was almost pushed backwards by it. He chuckled nervously as he was sized up by a boy that was half his size and none too pleased. "Tsukino Usagi lives here, right?" he questioned hoping to get to the crux of this whole matter as quickly as possible. If he didn't get Aya-chan home soon something horrible would happen to him. He winced at the thought.

Shingo scowled darkly at this stranger at his door step. His sister had vanished without a trace and had been gone for days. He didn't believe the other girls when they claimed she was at their house studying. That excuse might work with his parents but not him. He knew something was wrong. Was this guy party to it? "What do you want with my sister?" he demanded. He had grown in the last few years. He had experienced a lot, including the fact that Usagi meant a lot to him. Funny how it seemed she had to vanish off the face of the Earth for him to realize just how much.

Ken winced at the venom in the boy's tone and held his hands up in defense. "I just want to talk with her…" He trailed off as he noticed a determined Aya-chan striding down the side walk. Hadn't they agreed she would only appear if something had happened to Usagi? He was beginning to understand why Aya was so strict with her.

Shingo's eyes narrowed for a moment before widening in recognition. Without speaking to the two he slammed the door in their faces and leaned against the wood breathing heavily. He couldn't believe it. Just why was she there? Hadn't she died a few years back? He remembered Usagi throwing a fit that they had to move instead of intending the funeral for both her and her parents. Why was she on his doorstep?

"Shingo! Just what are you doing?" Ikuko scowled at the boy who was pressing against the door and ignoring the annoying ring of the doorbell. "Who's at the door?" As Shingo ignored her, a fact that she would make sure to make him pay for later, she pushed the protesting boy away and opened the door. Her heart stopped. "Aya-chan?" she whispered ignoring the presence of a stranger.

Aya-chan smiled. It was nice to be remembered. She breathed in the soft motherly scent of the woman as she was enfolded in a hug. "Tsukino-san, is Usagi-chan here?" she tried to glance past the older woman but all she could see was a glaring Shingo. "I guess you remember me, ne, Shingo-chan?"

If possible Shingo's eyes narrowed more. "How could I forget that you convinced Usagi to dress me up as a girl and put me in a beauty contest!" he all but squeaked in fury. Obviously his grudge hadn't lessened with time. And the fact that Aya-chan was starting to giggle at him didn't help matters.

"But you did get first place, didn't you?" she questioned with a smile. As Ken took a place by her elbow she glanced over at him surprised for a moment before realizing where she was. "Oh, Tsukino-san, Shingo-chan, this is Ken-kun. He's a close friend of mine, and a private investigator that helped me find out where you guys had moved to."

Ikuko despite her worry chuckled at the antics of the girl. She was almost a replica of the person that had been Usagi's friend years ago. "Usagi-chan…. She's studying with a friend right now. I was told she'd be home tonight though. Would you like to stay over, Aya-chan?"

Shingo scoffed, "Usagi did not go somewhere to study," he remarked his fury being replaced with a much darker emotion. "She's not like that…" He sighed as if in pain and stared out the window at the front yard. "Usagi is missing, has been for a few days now. Her friends claim she's with them but she's never ran off with them for a week of study before. They're lying to us…again."

"Again?" Ikuko studied her son in concern as he ignored her. Just what was he talking about? "Well anyway… They've been calling us daily and telling us that she's staying another night, so don't listen to Shingo. He's just mad that I got a picture of him winning the contest that you two girls dressed him up so nicely for." She chuckled as Shingo scowled at her and stomped back to his room. "They'll be calling again soon so why not stay and have some tea with me while we wait? It shouldn't be long."

Ken watched the woman walk off to what he presumed was the kitchen and shook his head in amusement. "So I guess I'm not the only one you like torturing, ne?" he questioned before realizing what he said. He would have slapped a hand over his mouth but at the twinkle in her eyes he was almost glad he had accused her of tormenting him. "So are you sure you're safe?" his voice had dropped to a low whisper as he conversed with her.

Aya-chan waved a hand at him. "You sound as bad as Oniichan," she accused. "Besides, Tsukino-san was like a mother to me when I was a kid. She really does have a picture of Shingo-chan wearing that dress. Do you want to see it? We gave him a perm and everything," she paused to laugh, "that's how I knew how to fix yours. Usagi-chan and I had to pay the hairdresser almost two month's worth allowance and after he was finished he asked why we just hadn't soaked his head in water as soon as we were finished with the prank. As long as you do it within twenty-four hours it'll come right out."

Ikuko returned to find the two seating on the couch and looking through a pile of scrap books. She set their two drinks down beside them and smiled. "Aya-chan, have I showed you a picture of Usagi-chan's fiancee yet?" at the girl's shock she giggled like a school girl and flipped through the pages until she got to a picture of the house. She dug it out of its plastic casing and showed her the back which was a simple image of Usagi and Mamoru posing in front of the house. "He's in America right now but he'll be back after he finishes college."

Aya-chan took a long draught from her drink as she stared stunned at the smiling couple. Usagi looked happy but… Hadn't she always been in love with Aya's Oniichan? Had Usagi moved on so easily? Just forgotten them and maybe….Her thoughts trailed off as she heard the sound of a glass breaking beside her. Confused she turned and watched Ken slump over, the cup had fallen from his hands and lay in fragments on the ground. A dark stain stole over the ground and against Aya-chan's shoe. She frowned in confusion as she felt her body begin to shut down. Her own cup fell from her fingers and seemed to bounce on the ground and roll to the high-heeled foot of Ikuko as Aya-chan succumbed to sleep.

Ikuko picked up the fallen cup and eyed Aya-chan for a long moment. It seemed that she'd have to bring 'him' into this whole matter afterall. But… It would be worth it, she'd make sure of it.