Sailor Moon Fan Fiction ❯ Gaijin ❯ Chapter 21
[ X - Adult: No readers under 18. Contains Graphic Adult Themes/Extreme violence. ]
By: PerfectCarrot 
Anime/Manga: Sailor Moon Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Action / Adventure / Comedy / Hentai / Martial Arts | Type: Self Insertion | Uploaded On: 04.11.2004 | Pages: 16 | Words: 9.5K | Visits: 396 | Status: Completed
Anime/Manga: Sailor Moon Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Action / Adventure / Comedy / Hentai / Martial Arts | Type: Self Insertion | Uploaded On: 04.11.2004 | Pages: 16 | Words: 9.5K | Visits: 396 | Status: Completed
Gaijin
Part 21
Who am I?
++++++++++++++++++
It was morning in Tokyo. The sun was slowly moving towards
the center of the sky, and a sharp breeze blew through the
streets.
Carrot squatted down on the edge of a rooftop with a frown on
his face. He was dressed in street clothes, but had his shoes
hung over his shoulders. It was chilly, but the thick brown
leather jacket that hung from his frame protected him mostly.
Crawling to where he was didn't take long at all with his
newfound power. He had a lot of thinking to do, and things were
still not going his way, from a certain point of view.
Unfortunately, that was his point of view. Spider powers were
neat, being super fast and strong was neat.
"Shooting this shit out of my wrist is neat," he muttered as
he pointed his hand towards the opposite building and shot a line
of white string from a small covered hole that was now present on
his wrist. It was damned annoying actually.
He'd discovered it the night before, and spent a good hour
cleaning it off of his guitar after it dissolved enough for him
to do so without ripping the instrument in half. He'd probably
been using it for some time during the fight with the ninja, Kei,
and Venom showing up. Somewhere in that time frame he figured
anyway. It took him a minute to realize that he'd done it when
he'd almost covered his guitar.
It wasn't all that important really.
The powers were nice, but he had no idea where they were
coming from. He was no Peter Parker; that was for sure. He was
basically little more than a hood himself, and he realized that.
He was the kind of person that would send parents into a heart
attack if someone brought him home, not just because he was a
gaijin either.
Then there was the extra baggage that he'd been attracting
lately. "Goblin, Venom, Kei is a lot like the Vulture..." He hung
his head and sighed. "Shit. I've spent all my time trying to lay
low, and I keep screwing it up!"
He closed his eyes and growled angrily. A part of him enjoyed
the challenge, the thrill of all the excitement, just being
involved with something so big and adventurous.
Then, there was the part of him with a firm base in reality.
Being a superhero sucked, girlfriends could die, and had a
tendency to get themselves in sticky situations, fighting 'Super
Villains' really hurt, and they had this thing about holding
grudges. Large organizations had the benefit of manpower and
resources he couldn't hope to match, such as the one funding the
ninja that were trying to kill him at the moment. At least he was
a rich super hero, but that had its' downside too. It wasn't like
he could appear on TV or really enjoy his money. Most of the
people after him knew what he really looked like.
"Arrrgghhh!" he muttered as he clutched his head in
frustration. His other unique problems weren't helping matters
either. The future rulers of the planet were all trying to kill
him for one. Plus the increasing difficulty of the monsters that
were being sent into the city; they were getting stronger faster
than he was.
"Well, at least something's gone right," he muttered as he
held up the disk to inspect it. It wasn't the same one he'd
pulled out of the building. It was like the one Kajura had given
him. He'd transferred the other one to the disk and kept it as a
sort of souvenir. A decision that still bothered him on some
level, and he had no idea why.
"Better get this over with," he muttered as he stood up tall
and looked down. The alley below was empty and he jumped down
while shooting some of his webbing upwards. He slid slowly down
to a stop as he neared the ground and simply let the line go.
Adjusting his collar as he put his shoes back on he turned away
as soon as he thought himself somewhat presentable.
He smirked as he noticed the puff of smoke billow out from
behind the paper. A photo of himself sailing over the streets of
Tokyo was on the front page. His smile died slightly at this, but
didn't vanish completely.
"Hello Kajura."
The newspaper slowly lowered to reveal a familiar scowling
mug. "You've got what I want?"
"Of course I do," replied Carrot as he held the disk up in
the man's face.
The older man's hand snapped out like a snake as he snatched
the disk away from the boy with wide eyes. "You actually did it?"
"Wasn't easy," said Carrot as he turned his back on the man
and shrugged his shoulders. "There was a lot of security. I'm
afraid I'm not quite sure if it's what you want, but it was the
most protected computer that I could see in the compound. That's
a good sign that it'll be of some use to you."
"Not sure?" said Kajura as his frown deepened a little.
Carrot snorted. "Take what you can get and be satisfied. You
have no idea how much bodily injury I had to endure to get my
hands on that information."
"You seem fine," said the man as he looked the boy up and
down.
"I got better."
Kajura actually snorted in amusement for a moment. "Right.
Well, I suppose I should thank you, but I don't like you that
much."
"Heh. I'd ask you to keep in touch, but I don't like you much
either."
"Back to laying low?" said the older man as he folded the
paper under his arm and pocketed the disk.
"You're not living with a hit on your head, but you might be
real soon."
"What's that supposed to mean?" said the older man irritably.
"Careful what you do with that information Kajura. You could
get burned, and I doubt if you'll last as long as I have." Carrot
flipped on a pair of shades and started walking away.
Kajura growled as he fingered the disk in his pocket for a
moment. "Careful kid. I might need you again."
"I'll be waiting for your call," said Carrot as he frowned
and glanced back over his shoulder one final time before
vanishing around a corner.
Kajura didn't bother watching him leave. He pulled a cellular
phone out of his coat pocket and flipped it open. "Saito, Kajura
here. I've got something for us." He smirked as he started off
towards the station.
++++++++++++++++++
Carrot walked down the sidewalk calmly, a cigarette in his
mouth slowly burned as it simply hung there.
It had been a while since he'd just walked down the street.
His other talents got him where he was going a lot faster. Now,
he simply had nowhere to be, so he just walked.
It was a nice day, the sun was out and it wasn't too cold.
The weather reports told him that winter was slowly crawling
towards him, and it was going to be a hell of a year for him at
the very least.
He knew that already though. It just wasn't something he
liked to think about.
Destiny sucked.
It bit him in the ass far too often for his liking, and he
was having a funny feeling that his little romp as 'Spiderman'
was going to become a permanent situation.
All this contemplation made him forget something, the reason
why he preferred other forms of transportation as of late.
++++++++++++++++++
Rei Hino was not feeling quite as cheerful as she usually
did. That was saying a lot considering how cheerful she usually
was as of late.
In her mind, the events of a few nights before played through
her head. The grotesque effigy of Spiderman that had rendered her
unconscious grinning in her mind.
The creature had reached for her with what she could only
describe as tentacles. As it touched her skin she saw it sprout a
grinning maw of sharp teeth.
She blacked out just as it covered her mouth after she had
screamed. She wasn't sure how much later it was when she woke up
on the grass. It couldn't have been much later, the moon was in
the same general area that it had been when she'd passed out.
"A vision?" she muttered as she held her forehead in her hand
as she walked across the yard of the shrine grounds. "It felt so
real!"
Her face contorted, it wasn't quite right to think something
like that in relation to one of her visions. She often felt
things, but it was of a much more spiritual nature. If it was a
vision this powerful, then she had to be wary of it.
"What was that? Is Spiderman one of the enemy, or is it
something else? Is something trying to tell me he's dangerous?"
She couldn't figure it out.
"What's going on here?" she muttered as she looked down the
steps of the shrine that would lead her into the street.
Spiderman seemed so...heroic. She almost felt as if she could
really trust him, it was unsettling to have a vision about
someone that you thought of that way. He was fighting the same
monsters they were.
"No, stronger," she corrected out loud as she remembered the
headlines. Some of the monsters he'd faced were very strong. The
Goblin like monster particularly.
He'd also been seen fighting some kind of flying woman only
the night before. Her grandfather had been reading the paper, and
it had been kind of hard to miss the giant photo of him on the
front page.
Still, that brought up other questions. Who was he really?
What did he want? Why was he fighting those things as well? Why
had she kissed him?
A girlish blush formed on her cheeks as she suddenly
remembered that moment. It was something she'd done without
thinking about it. That bothered her on some level.
Then again, his face was young and what she had seen didn't
look bad; his body non-withstanding, it was only half of is face,
but he wasn't that bad of a kisser either.
Rei blushed even further when she realized none of her points
had any relation to each other.
"Damn. What the hell is going on with me lately?"
+++++++++++++++++++++
Haruka frowned as she folded her arms and glared at the gates
across from her. She didn't even know why she was there.
Michiru Kaiou hadn't been home all day. She knew that what
she was doing was socially unacceptable. Stalking the girl
probably wouldn't look good to Michiru either.
She couldn't help herself though. There was something there
inside her that pulled her to the place again and again. A
connection, a link, a completely insane idea and she knew it.
That didn't make it any less real.
"Damn it," she growled as she clenched her fist and stared at
it.
She didn't want to be here, she didn't want this feeling. She
just couldn't understand why it was happening.
"You used to be lovers..." That boy's voice echoed in her
mind. "Sailor Uranus, Sailor Neptune..." She knew it was the
truth. She'd found the power again, and her memories were
returning.
What about Michiru though? Did she remember? Would she? More
importantly, would she care? Would she react the same way?
Grinding her teeth together she cursed as she shoved herself
forward off the wall she was leaning against. She scuffed her
shoe against the sidewalk as she shoved her hands into her coat
pockets and glared at the mansion in front of her.
"Peh. Go to hell you..." She clenched her eyes shut and
grunted as she found herself unable to finish the statement.
"I'm through," she said as she shook her head. "Screw this.
I've got enough problems as it is." She took the pen from her
pocket and promptly dropped it into a trash bin that was hanging
off a telephone pole. "The past is dead and buried. I've got my
own life to live now."
She walked a bit further and got into her car. Slamming the
door shut she rolled up the windows and put on a pair of
sunglasses. Taking a last sour frown at the mansion, she turned
the key in the ignition and drove away.
She drove for almost four hours most of it spent in traffic
with the radio blasting her senses away. She didn't want to feel
anything but the vibrations, and it worked mostly.
Haruka found herself concentrating completely on the words to
the songs that played. Focusing all of her attention on them to
keep the other thoughts in her head.
The streets cleared and she drove onward into the outskirts
of town, moving towards the country.
Fields of green could finally be seen in every direction. She
pulled over to the side of the road next to a small farm and
stepped out to look back at Tokyo.
Resting her arms against the hood she stared at the city
through the breezy grass of the fields. She could barely see it
anymore, only the edge of the suburbs was even remotely visible.
With a small sigh she took off her sunglasses and stared at
it, letting the breeze blow through her hair for a moment.
The music was gone, the distractions that she had kept her
mind on for the past several hours were no more.
Thought returned to her head once more.
She scowled and narrowed her eyes at the city.
Quickly turning away from the scene she climbed back into her
car and slammed the door shut.
"I won't give up."
Somewhere in the deep reaches of her mind, a quite voice
spoke up.
"You just did."
She shifted the car into gear and drove onward.
++++++++++++++++++++
The sunlight shined into Usagi Tsukino's room. She smiled as
she stretched her arms. The smell of food floated up from the
kitchen, filling the home with a warming and comfortable feeling.
"Aaahhhhhhhh..." said Usagi as she yawned quite loudly.
"Eh?" she said as she paused and cocked her head. That was
pretty loud as well.
"Ummm... Hello?" said the girl as she looked in the mirror
across from her, as if to be sure it was herself speaking.
It had to be a dream, it was too good to be true. The smell
of food clenched it for her. It was definitely a dream.
"This sucks," she said as she hung her head. She perked up
immediately. "Might as well enjoy it!" Saying this she jumped out
of bed with a wide grin on her face. Only to walk right into her
mother.
"I heard voices Usa..."
"What?"
"AAAAAAAHHHHHHHH! My BABY!!!"
"Gack!"
Usagi found herself being crushed and held in the air.
Artemis was on the floor, watching the scene with wide eyes.
"Could it be?" he muttered under his breath.
Luckily, Usagi's mother was far too preoccupied with her own
joy.
As her mother finally put her down tears started to stream
down young Usagi Tsukino's cheeks.
"It's...not a dream? But I thought I could only..." She
paused as she realized that she was speaking out loud. She
started to shake a little as she looked into the mirror and
slowly approached it.
Tilting her chin up slightly, she gasped as she realized the
scar wasn't there. "What the?"
"Is something wrong?" said her mother as she gave the girl a
slight frown.
"No, it's just..." muttered the girl as she turned to face
her mother.
"Well, the doctor said that the scar would never heal. It's
not just going to go away Usagi. The surgery is very expensive,
it will be a little while before we can afford something like
that, if ever."
The girl nodded and absently fingered her throat lightly.
"You're right mom."
Artemis's eyes went wide at what he saw. The scar had just
reappeared on the girl's throat. "What the...?" He flattened his
ears against the back of his head and sniffed the air. He relaxed
when he realized that it was indeed her.
She glanced at him and cocked her head in confusion.
"We need to talk," he mouthed from behind the girl's confused
mother.
Usagi gave a half nod and looked at her mother at the same
time. "I'm hungry."
++++++++++++++++++++++
Makoto sat with Ami on a park bench. The pair was doing
nothing more than spending time together, but the topic had
turned to what they called 'business matters' within the group.
"I dunno, I suppose he's got a cute butt," said Makoto with a
small shrug.
"Please!" said Ami as she tried her best to frown. It wasn't
easy though. "Spiderman is helping us. We should find out more
about him."
"Doesn't seem too hard," said Makoto as she held up a copy of
the morning paper.
"We should find a way to contact him, in case there's
trouble," said Ami calmly.
"You're right. We should at least get his number!" replied
Makoto cheerfully.
"I'm not talking about a party line Makoto," said Ami as she
rolled her eyes.
"Neither am I. I'm thinking more of a private line..."
"Well, perhaps he wears that mask for a reason..." ventured
Ami cautiously. Perhaps if she gave Makoto a bad mental image,
she could reason with her more easily.
"With a body like that? He can keep the mask for all I care!"
replied the other girl cheerfully. "Oooh! I'd finally have a
boyfriend that would make Usagi jealous!"
"Well, Tuxedo Mask is rather handsome I suppose," reasoned
Ami.
"Handsome? Maybe, but he gets beat up by that jerk a lot."
"Hmmm. I suppose you're right," said Ami with a small shrug.
"This 'Spiderman' has proven himself more versatile and useful so
far."
"I dunno. Tuxedo Mask is around more often."
"Yes, but we never see photos of Tuxedo Mask doing this,"
said Ami as she tapped the paper.
"True," agreed Makoto with a small shrug.
"I guess Tuxedo Mask does have the advantage of only hiding
part of his face. Still, I bet this Spiderman guy is real
handsome."
"Do you smell something burning?" asked Ami as she cocked her
head.
Before Makoto could answer, a girlish scream echoed through
the streets. A figure covered in flames rushed out into the
street and fell face first onto the ground. He rolled around a
bit before he passed out, fortunately for him, it was after the
flames were extinguished.
A familiar figure with a cigarette hanging out of his mouth
walked away from the scene calmly, as if nothing was happening.
"It's him!" gasped Ami.
"What should we do?" muttered Makoto nervously.
"My mother only let me come out because I was with you," said
Ami nervously.
Makoto looked at her and frowned. "What?"
"If I'm seen as Sailor Mercury..." said Ami a little shakily.
Makoto slammed her fist into her palm. "Damn!" She couldn't
just let him walk away.
"Come on!" said Ami.
"Wait! Where are we going?" said Makoto as she jogged after
her friend.
"After him," said Ami firmly.
"But..." muttered her friend dumbly.
"I'll only get in trouble if I'm seen as Sailor Mercury.
Mother didn't say anything about following people."
Makoto smirked at this. "Right. Maybe we can find a way to
get some payback?"
Ami didn't like the crude way of putting it. The man was
dangerous; the show on the street made that obvious enough. She
had to do something about him, even if she couldn't fight him
openly anymore.
++++++++++++++++++++
Usagi sat on the edge of her bed with her head hung low.
"I...don't get it."
"Try again," said the animal patiently.
Usagi stood up tall with a firm conviction on her face. "Moon
Prism Power Makeup!" She held the brooch skyward dramatically.
Nothing happened.
"I don't understand!" said Usagi with a wavering in her
voice.
"It should work," grumbled Artemis dumbly.
"Why? Why not?" she muttered as she looked at the brooch. It
sparkled in the light, but did nothing more.
"Something must be blocking it!" said Artemis.
Usagi slowly shook her head. "No. I can still feel it, the
power is there. I just...I just can't take it."
The animal blinked. "What? Why not? If you can feel it,
taking it should be easy."
"It's not. I don't understand," said Usagi as she cried
softly again.
Artemis shook his head. Something was up with Usagi. Whatever
gave the girl her voice back was definitely not natural. Someone
had healed her for a reason, but left her unable to wield the
power of Sailor Moon. That wasn't something that would be good
for them.
"Who? Why?" he thought to himself as he stared at the girl.
"Oh Luna. I wish you were here, you'd know what to do...well, you
wouldn't, but it would still be nice." He hung his head and
sighed.
"What are we supposed to do now?" asked Usagi.
"There's still another way to use your powers. I just haven't
been able to figure that out yet."
"That's too bad," said a voice that surprised them both.
Usagi blinked as she looked at the figure that was kneeling
into her window. "Rei?"
Sailor Mars landed lightly in the room and smiled. "Your
mother called me when she found out. Minako knows too, but Ami
and Makoto weren't home."
"Yes...but..."
"I overheard a little bit. Sorry," said the senshi as she
nodded her head.
"I wish I could help," muttered Usagi.
"So do I," replied Rei with a serious nod. "Makoto and Ami
are both tailing him right now. They're going to follow him until
I can back them up. Makoto and I are the only senshi left that
can use our powers out in the open still.
Usagi nodded. "I see."
"Find a way Usagi, these things are getting stronger," said
Rei seriously.
The blonde looked up and found herself looking at her
friend's back.
"I..."
"Don't worry about him. I'll take care of it myself," said
Rei firmly.
The blonde merely sat back and nodded slowly. "Rei, you
shouldn't. I mean, he...I..." She simply couldn't find the words.
"He's not just your problem Usagi," said Mars as she glanced
back at her. "He's very dangerous." She felt something tug at the
back of her mind, a connection she didn't want to make.
Usagi merely frowned.
++++++++++++++++++++
Back at the park, a little earlier...
Carrot turned a corner and ended up staring down a long row
of shops and restaurants. He knew he was moving in generally the
right direction in order to get back to the clinic.
The connecting alleyways and shortcuts were well known to him
but he didn't like using them. They were trouble magnets,
unfortunately, he realized that it was just as much him as the
alleys.
Mamoru Chiba was standing in front of him with a bag of
groceries in his arm.
The pair looked at each other for a moment. Both were frozen
in the middle of the busy sidewalk as others pushed around them.
Mamoru's jaw dropped, and Carrot's cigarette fell out of his
mouth.
"You!"
"Hey! Underage Kamen!" A wide grin spread across Carrot's
face.
Mamoru froze and glanced around.
"Heh. Don't fool yourself bud. These people don't care who
you are. Spiderman is the big news these days it seems." Carrot
glanced over at a nearby newsstand and frowned slightly.
The older boy tossed his groceries onto the ground. "I'll
make you pay!"
"This is really starting to annoy me Mamoru. I've played
pretty nice recently, but..."
Carrot's comment was cut off as the older boy punched at him.
The attack was nimbly dodged of course.
"Hey! Cut that out you jerk!"
"Die!"
"That's it!"
Mamoru didn't see what hit him. Carrot pushed himself up into
an uppercut that slammed into the boy's chin.
The area around them now had a remarkable area of clearance.
Mamoru rubbed at the sore spot as he picked himself up.
"All right Mr. Formal Wear. You want to fight? Fine."
"You..." growled Mamoru angrily.
"I what?" snarled Carrot. "I think you're forgetting that
it's you that's out of your league here." He brought both of his
fist forward in a stiff and swift motion and locked them towards
Mamoru.
The older boy wasn't that bright, but he knew that he was
outmatched. His anger drove him forward though. "You think I'll
forgive you, for what you did to Usagi?!!"
"You think you're big enough to take payment?" snorted
Carrot.
"I'll kill you!" The cane that had been hanging just below
the bag of groceries fell apart in Mamoru's hand. A long slender
blade slid out of the black wood.
"Heh," snorted Carrot as he jumped back to avoid the strike
that stabbed into the ground. He bounced off the wall behind him
and shot forward. Mamoru fell flat on his back as the rebounding
kick slammed into his forehead. "I've seen better tricks. Get a
new one."
"You won't make light of this! All it takes is one strike for
me to win!" snapped Mamoru angrily as he thrust forward again.
Carrot spun around and out of the way of the stab and hooked
his foot around Mamoru's chin. The older boy was sent sprawling
across the ground again.
"Stop getting up."
Mamoru ignored this and staggered to his feet with a rage in
his eyes. He thrust forward again.
Carrot calmly backed away and moved in and out of the slices
with ease. Mamoru continued forward hacking and slashing at the
air in front of him. "Hold still damn you."
"Not that line again," muttered Carrot as he sidestepped a
particularly forceful thrust.
Mamoru toppled over a table where an old woman was selling
oil lamps.
"My lamps!" cried the old lady.
Carrot was standing calmly aside as he watched Mamoru climb
out of the shattered pottery and glass. He had a frown on his
face.
Mamoru growled animalistically as he slowly rose his eyes to
look at his opponent again.
"You know, I'm getting tired of this. You've gone and wrecked
this nice old lady's business, and you don't look like you want
to stop there. You're a public nuisance, a pedophile, and to top
it off...your fly is open."
Mamoru blinked in confusion as he looked down at his crotch.
"Eh?"
Carrot turned his finger slightly and toppled over one of the
candles that the old lady had been selling with the lamps.
"Oopsie!" he said cheerfully.
Mamoru gasped as he watched the flames race up his legs.
"Maybe now you'll get the hint. Next time, I'll just kill
you. That is, if you survive this. I've got an annoying feeling
that says you will."
Mamoru screamed and ran into the street. The crowd around
them parted like the Red Sea. Carrot was giving a marginal area
of clearance as well as he moved off in the other direction. "Ah.
I feel much better now."
++++++++++++++++++
Makoto and Ami moved behind Carrot from a fair distance away.
He didn't appear to be trying to hide his movements, but he kept
to dark shadows and out of sight almost as a second nature.
The computer in Ami's hand was the only reason they could
even see him at the moment.
"Are you sure that's him?" asked Makoto as she stared at the
confusing screen.
"Yes, see. It's thermal. The orange and red off in the
shadows over there is him. He's moving rather quickly."
The pair kept a brisk pace as they followed after him.
Ami blinked. "He's stopped."
"Who's stopped?" said a familiar voice that made them both
jump. They slowly turned to see Carrot standing behind them,
glancing over their shoulders.
"Don't scream," said the boy lamely.
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!" cried the pair excitedly.
Carrot calmly waited and looked rather bored. "Why are you
following me, or should I say, trying to follow me?"
Ami took a step back and Makoto moved in front of her.
"Oh please. Have I ever attacked you before?"
Makoto ground her teeth at this.
"Now. I suggest you two get home, and try to find a way to
get your other friend out of solitary confinement. You've got
more important things to be worrying about besides me."
"Like what?" spat Makoto angrily.
"Like figuring out how you're going to save the world while
half your team is gone. Like figuring out how you're going to
revive the princess without Sailor Moon. Like finding the Silver
Imperium Crystal before the Youma do. Lots of things."
Makoto stepped back with a slight blush on her face.
Ami stepped forward. "What do you know about all of this?"
"Why should I help you?" he snorted in reply.
"Because if they win, you'll be enslaved by them too," said
Ami firmly.
"Maybe you're right. How do you know I'm not already helping
you?" said Carrot as he grinned at her.
"Some help," said Makoto.
Carrot bit the line like a bass. "You'd better wake up. The
world you live in is just a sugar coated topping. There is
another world, beneath it. The real world, and if you wanna
survive it, you'd better learn to pull the trigger."
"What?" said Makoto dumbly.
Carrot snorted and grabbed her by her shirt. "Where do you
think these things are coming from? How do you think they know so
much about our world? They've got help, and they're all over the
place. You want to beat it, you'd better start learning how to
fight dirty. All this prissy magical girl crap just isn't going
to cut it anymore. You'd better be ready, because the shit is
going to hit the fan real soon. Understand?"
The boy shoved her away from him and turned towards Ami. "All
of you had better wake up."
"What are you saying?" said Ami in confusion.
"Do I have to spell it out for you?" said Carrot.
The girl stepped back as he strolled forward looming over
her.
"The Yakuza, the government, everything is involved with
this. Why do you think it took something as big as a monster
flying around the middle of the city throwing bombs around to get
it into the papers? You and your moon princess can kiss my ass as
far as I'm concerned. I may go down in flames, but at least I'll
go down fighting. You're just an annoyance that gets in my way."
"Like Usagi?" replied the girl with ice suddenly appearing in
her voice. She wasn't quite sure where it had come from.
Carrot smirked at her. "Maybe, but you'd better start
thinking about the big picture instead of worrying about me. I'm
way too much for you little girls to handle, and I've got a job
to do."
"And what's that?" said Ami as her resolve wavered a bit.
"Yeah! What is that?" muttered Makoto.
"Damn it. All I fucking wanted was some peace and quiet,"
snarled Carrot as he glared at Makoto. That was when he realized
that she wasn't looking at him.
Slowly, carefully he turned his head. "Oh, son of a bitch."
A hulking figure was perched up on top of one of the street
lamps, it was glaring down at him with drool slathering out of
its jaws.
"Well. It seems we've made it just in time," said Venom
almost playfully.
Carrot whirled around and shoved the two girls away from him
in the same motion. "Damn. What the hell are you doing here?"
"Keeping an eye on you," said the creature darkly.
Carrot paused, the creature was being rather cryptic at the
moment. "What do you mean?"
"We know who you really are," said Venom as it continued to
sit where it was.
"So?" snorted Carrot. It was easy to tell he was very
nervous, but the creature hadn't taken its eyes off of him since
he arrived.
"So?" mimicked Venom.
"Shabon Spray!" cried Mercury as she appeared and shot a
freezing mist at the creature.
Venom jumped down and flicked its wrist. Ami was covered in a
thick rope like substance that sent her to the ground as it
wrapped up most of her body. She screamed in disgust and fear as
she hit the pavement. "Stay out of this please. This is between
us." It turned its attention towards Carrot again, only to find
him backing away slowly towards the shadows. "Running away?"
"That would seem wise at the moment," said Carrot darkly.
"What are you afraid of?" said Venom as it started to stalk
forward.
"I kind of like the idea of keeping my brain out of your
stomach..." said the boy a little nervously.
"You think we'd eat your brain?" said Venom with a somewhat
thoughtful cock of its head. "Heh. Maybe we would."
"See ya," said Carrot as he turned away and bolted down the
street.
"Not so fast!" snarled Venom as he jumped into the air and
shot out one of his web lines. Carrot was fast though, and the
boy quickly vanished into a near by alley.
"Gotta get away! Gotta get away!" muttered Carrot to himself
as he kept low to the ground and tried to stay under cover as
best he could as he raced away. Web swinging away from Venom
wasn't a good idea and he knew it. His best chance of losing the
monster was by staying on the ground and keeping it guessing
where he was headed by taking as many turns as he could.
Unfortunately, Venom appeared to be rather skillful at web
swinging. "Where are you going Spiderman?!" it called from above
him.
Carrot's spider sense blasted to life and he jumped back away
from the creature just in time to avoid being crushed beneath its
feet. "Holy Shit!"
"We think you've run far enough," said Venom in a dangerous
tone. It raised its hand up and pointed it at him.
Carrot reacted in an instant. His own wrist shot out at a
speed he didn't even know he could manage. Venom was tangled for
a moment, but it was enough to disrupt its webbing. "Take that!"
"We had forgotten you could do that," snarled Venom as it
struggled with its bonds.
Carrot was already long gone by that point.
"There will be another time," said Venom as it finally untied
itself. It paused to consider something while wiping parts of the
webbing off of its arm. "He seemed to sense us...that won't do at
all."
The black ooze melted away as it walked into the shadows.
+++++++++++++++++++
Yamada smirked as he pat the camera on his chest and walked
into the street a few moments later. "Pure gold."
He'd finally stumbled onto something that uppity little brat
couldn't screw up for him. He'd have the front page again for
sure tomorrow. "Things could be looking up for me."
He had a rather lazy stroll as he walked towards the
newspaper office. He was going to enjoy this.
+++++++++++++++++++++
"Rei?" said Makoto as she found herself looking at her fellow
senshi. The girl appeared out of breath and somewhat winded.
"I got here as fast as I could," said the girl as she looked
around quickly.
"We lost him," said Makoto lamely.
"He gave us quite a scare," said Ami with an agreeing nod.
"What happened?" asked Rei with a slight frown as she looked
her two friends over.
"Nothing much, something showed up and chased him off. We
aren't sure what it was."
"Something?" said Rei as she paused to look at them.
"It was some kind of big black monster," said Ami. "Come to
think of it, it looked a lot like Spiderman."
"Hey. You're right," said Makoto dumbly. "You don't think
that...they got him do you?"
"I hope not," said Ami nervously.
Rei stared at the ground and frowned for a moment. "I..." She
reconsidered and turned away.
"What is it?" asked Ami.
"It's nothing, just a stray thought," replied the girl calmly
as she turned away from them.
"Well, what is it?" said Makoto. "We can use any suggestions
you've got right about now."
"It's not important. Come on, we should go."
The other two girls shrugged and followed after her.
+++++++++++++++++++++
Carrot was sweating bullets as he stared down at the street
below him. He was stuck to the underside of an overhang with
complete terror etched into his features. "Damn. That thing is
freaky. It was just playing with me..." He had no idea why Venom
unnerved him so much. It wasn't like it looked any worse than
some of the other monsters he'd seen.
Actually, it did look worse. Most of the other Youma,
excluding the Goblin, were nothing more than laughable excuses
for monsters. Easily destroyed once you figured out what sort of
powers and weaknesses they had.
Venom and Goblin were different. They were genuinely
dangerous, and they didn't steal energy as far as he'd seen. They
were tailor made to hunt him down, and that much he was sure of.
"Haven't heard from the two gay generals in a while," said
Carrot as he thought about his situation for a moment. "That
could be good, but I doubt it."
He climbed along the underside of the overhang for a moment
so that he could see more of the surrounding area. The senshi
were gone, and he was fairly certain Venom had taken off as well.
"Maybe monsters like these are taking all the heat off of the
real operation?" After a moment of thought, it seemed like a
reasonable conclusion.
That was bad. It meant that he'd have to go looking for
trouble if things didn't pick up soon. Leaving those maniacs to
their own devices wasn't a plan he was willing to risk at any
rate. He doubted if the Senshi could handle it in their current
state anyway. That left him.
The way he had painted the Youma operation was also starting
to make sense as well. He'd been blowing hot air more than
anything else at the time. However, it made sense as well.
"This isn't getting any better," he muttered as he rubbed his
temples in irritation. "Damn. There's nothing I can do about it
right now. I need sleep." He started to climb down the wall and
into the street again.
He never noticed the tall figure standing over him on the top
of the opposite roof.
Mao Lin frowned deeply as she watched the boy crawl along the
bottom of the roof. Her right hand was grasping the mace that
hung across her back firmly. He didn't appear to notice her yet
though and continued on his way.
She left him to his own devices and snorted. "He's a skilled
shinobi." With that, she turned away and went off on her own
quest. Her sister's whereabouts was still a mystery.
She'd deal with the boy later, it was obvious that he sided
with the dark powers. He clung to the shadows like a creature of
evil, and his mode of dress just screamed 'I'm up to something
bad'.
Still, he wasn't doing anything really wrong at the moment,
so she supposed she had to let him be for the time being.
+++++++++++++++++++
"Oh, you're back," said Gia as she noticed Carrot walk into
the clinic.
"Yeah," said the boy lamely.
"Rough night?" asked Luna cheerfully as the boy sat down in
the chair directly in front of her.
"What of it?" he snorted.
"Pet me. It's therapeutic and good for your heart!" said the
animal as she jumped in his lap.
"Oh go away," he muttered irritably.
"Do it, you'll feel better!" said the animal firmly as she
nudged at his hand.
"Don't you get enough from the girls?" grumbled the boy.
"They aren't as good at it as you are," insisted the animal.
"Hey!" snapped Gia.
"He's really good with his hands," said Luna as Carrot
finally gave in and stroked her back as he rolled his eyes.
"Shouldn't you be trying to remember something?" said Carrot
as he glared down at her.
"MMmmmmmm...that's good, lower! Lower!" cried Luna
passionately.
Gia blushed and Mei Lin walked into the room with a soda in
her hand.
"Wow," said the younger girl as she watched the animal writhe
in ecstasy.
Gia put her hand over the girl's eyes without thinking about
it. Mei Lin dodged aside easily and walked into the room to sit
down next to him and watch. "You must be really good. I can only
get her to do that if I use the brush."
Carrot muttered something under his breath in irritation, but
thankfully, no one heard him. He blinked and stopped petting her.
"Hey. Answer me damn it!"
"Huh?" said the cat as she looked up at him lazily.
"Aren't you supposed to be remembering stuff or something?"
"Like what?" said the cat as he half closed her eyes.
"Like how to get Sailor Moon back!"
"Why would I want to do that?" said Luna in genuine
confusion.
Carrot hit his head against the tabletop.
"Stop that! You're bouncing me around!" said Luna. "Hey!
Finish petting me! Hey! Stop that and finish!"
Carrot stared down at her and frowned. "You're supposed to be
trying to get your memories back! Stupid cat!"
Luna promptly scratched his nose. "How many talking cats do
you know?"
"Two," said Carrot as he glared at her.
Luna paused. "R-really?"
The boy blinked and looked down at her a little harder.
"Yeah. What of it?"
"I dunno. Just a thought," said Luna with a shrug. "I want
milk tonight too. So hurry up and finish petting me so I can eat
and go to sleep."
Carrot groaned as he shoved her off of his lap. "Off. No more
until you start remembering things."
Luna's eyes became really big and cute. "You can't mean
that!"
"I do. No more until you remember," he said as he stood up
and walked into his room.
Gia turned to look at Mei Lin as Luna followed after him. The
door slammed in her face and she fluffed her fur out in
irritation and twitched her tail. "Meanie!"
"That was odd," said Gia.
"I've seen worse," replied Mei Lin with a small shrug.
"So how was your day?" asked Gia.
"Okay I guess, Mr. Yamada kept laughing really loud and waved
a roll of film in my face after he came back from the field
today. I'm not sure what it was about, but he seemed really
happy."
Gia stared at her as she sipped her soda. "What?"
"I dunno. Just seemed like he was a little odd today. He's
been acting weird and all secretive all week. It's creepy. Oh,
and the editor gave me another raise."
"That's nice," said Gia. She paused and turned to look at the
girl. "Again?"
"Yeah. I was picking up some papers off the floor that I
dropped in front of his office and he came out and said I
deserved another one. I'm not sure what I did though."
Gia sighed and put her chin into her hand. "I wouldn't dwell
on it."
"Oh. Okay," said the girl as she shrugged and went back to
her drink.
"Pig," muttered Gia irritably.
"Huh?" muttered Mei Lin dumbly.
"Oh, I was just thinking about something," said the woman as
she smiled at the girl.
"What's on TV?" asked Mei Lin as she ignored the woman with
practiced ease.
"How can anyone be this clueless?" thought Gia as she turned
towards the screen while half watching the Chinese girl.
Gia was about to settle in when a knock at the front door
stopped her. "Who could that be?"
She stood up and opened it. "Spike?"
"Hiya," said the man half cheerfully.
Her eyes fell downward to the girl standing in front of him.
Michiru was standing in front of him with a calm and serious look
on her face. She was wearing a trenchcoat and seemed a bit tense,
despite her calm appearance.
"Um, hello?" said the woman in confusion.
"Is Carrot here? I need to speak with him," said Michiru as
she looked up at the older woman.
"Yeah. I'll go get him..." said Gia as she looked at Spike
questioningly.
The man had a stone cold face, but he looked a little pale.
"I'll get him myself, if you don't mind," said Michiru as she
walked past her.
Gia turned towards her boyfriend and frowned. "What's going
on?"
"Uhhh. I ain't too sure. I tink she's gonna kill him,"
replied the man with a shrug. "Too bad, he was a good pal."
"What?" said Gia dumbly.
+++++++++++++++++++
Carrot was lying in bed staring at the ceiling. A strange and
familiar tingling started to form all along his body. It was
faint, but he knew it well enough to pick it up. "What the?" He
sat upright and heard a knock at his door.
Slowly, cautiously, he strolled over to the source of the
sound and put his hand on the doorknob. He slowly opened it and
peered around the other side.
"Hello Carrot. You said we would talk. You haven't called."
The boy stared at Michiru Kaiou's stern face and grinned
nervously. "Uh. Hi. I had a few things I had to take care of
first. I was going to call you in the morning..."
The girl narrowed her eyes at this and looked back at Gia and
Spike. The pair edged out of the room and out of her line of
sight. "Well I'm here now. Let's talk."
Carrot swallowed and nodded as he opened the door in order to
let her in. The tingling in his body had grown infinitely
stronger. "So...heh...what's up?"
Michiru just smiled at him.
+++++++++++++++++++++
TBC...
Heh. You didn't expect me to let you off easy this time did
ya? ^_^
Part 21
Who am I?
++++++++++++++++++
It was morning in Tokyo. The sun was slowly moving towards
the center of the sky, and a sharp breeze blew through the
streets.
Carrot squatted down on the edge of a rooftop with a frown on
his face. He was dressed in street clothes, but had his shoes
hung over his shoulders. It was chilly, but the thick brown
leather jacket that hung from his frame protected him mostly.
Crawling to where he was didn't take long at all with his
newfound power. He had a lot of thinking to do, and things were
still not going his way, from a certain point of view.
Unfortunately, that was his point of view. Spider powers were
neat, being super fast and strong was neat.
"Shooting this shit out of my wrist is neat," he muttered as
he pointed his hand towards the opposite building and shot a line
of white string from a small covered hole that was now present on
his wrist. It was damned annoying actually.
He'd discovered it the night before, and spent a good hour
cleaning it off of his guitar after it dissolved enough for him
to do so without ripping the instrument in half. He'd probably
been using it for some time during the fight with the ninja, Kei,
and Venom showing up. Somewhere in that time frame he figured
anyway. It took him a minute to realize that he'd done it when
he'd almost covered his guitar.
It wasn't all that important really.
The powers were nice, but he had no idea where they were
coming from. He was no Peter Parker; that was for sure. He was
basically little more than a hood himself, and he realized that.
He was the kind of person that would send parents into a heart
attack if someone brought him home, not just because he was a
gaijin either.
Then there was the extra baggage that he'd been attracting
lately. "Goblin, Venom, Kei is a lot like the Vulture..." He hung
his head and sighed. "Shit. I've spent all my time trying to lay
low, and I keep screwing it up!"
He closed his eyes and growled angrily. A part of him enjoyed
the challenge, the thrill of all the excitement, just being
involved with something so big and adventurous.
Then, there was the part of him with a firm base in reality.
Being a superhero sucked, girlfriends could die, and had a
tendency to get themselves in sticky situations, fighting 'Super
Villains' really hurt, and they had this thing about holding
grudges. Large organizations had the benefit of manpower and
resources he couldn't hope to match, such as the one funding the
ninja that were trying to kill him at the moment. At least he was
a rich super hero, but that had its' downside too. It wasn't like
he could appear on TV or really enjoy his money. Most of the
people after him knew what he really looked like.
"Arrrgghhh!" he muttered as he clutched his head in
frustration. His other unique problems weren't helping matters
either. The future rulers of the planet were all trying to kill
him for one. Plus the increasing difficulty of the monsters that
were being sent into the city; they were getting stronger faster
than he was.
"Well, at least something's gone right," he muttered as he
held up the disk to inspect it. It wasn't the same one he'd
pulled out of the building. It was like the one Kajura had given
him. He'd transferred the other one to the disk and kept it as a
sort of souvenir. A decision that still bothered him on some
level, and he had no idea why.
"Better get this over with," he muttered as he stood up tall
and looked down. The alley below was empty and he jumped down
while shooting some of his webbing upwards. He slid slowly down
to a stop as he neared the ground and simply let the line go.
Adjusting his collar as he put his shoes back on he turned away
as soon as he thought himself somewhat presentable.
He smirked as he noticed the puff of smoke billow out from
behind the paper. A photo of himself sailing over the streets of
Tokyo was on the front page. His smile died slightly at this, but
didn't vanish completely.
"Hello Kajura."
The newspaper slowly lowered to reveal a familiar scowling
mug. "You've got what I want?"
"Of course I do," replied Carrot as he held the disk up in
the man's face.
The older man's hand snapped out like a snake as he snatched
the disk away from the boy with wide eyes. "You actually did it?"
"Wasn't easy," said Carrot as he turned his back on the man
and shrugged his shoulders. "There was a lot of security. I'm
afraid I'm not quite sure if it's what you want, but it was the
most protected computer that I could see in the compound. That's
a good sign that it'll be of some use to you."
"Not sure?" said Kajura as his frown deepened a little.
Carrot snorted. "Take what you can get and be satisfied. You
have no idea how much bodily injury I had to endure to get my
hands on that information."
"You seem fine," said the man as he looked the boy up and
down.
"I got better."
Kajura actually snorted in amusement for a moment. "Right.
Well, I suppose I should thank you, but I don't like you that
much."
"Heh. I'd ask you to keep in touch, but I don't like you much
either."
"Back to laying low?" said the older man as he folded the
paper under his arm and pocketed the disk.
"You're not living with a hit on your head, but you might be
real soon."
"What's that supposed to mean?" said the older man irritably.
"Careful what you do with that information Kajura. You could
get burned, and I doubt if you'll last as long as I have." Carrot
flipped on a pair of shades and started walking away.
Kajura growled as he fingered the disk in his pocket for a
moment. "Careful kid. I might need you again."
"I'll be waiting for your call," said Carrot as he frowned
and glanced back over his shoulder one final time before
vanishing around a corner.
Kajura didn't bother watching him leave. He pulled a cellular
phone out of his coat pocket and flipped it open. "Saito, Kajura
here. I've got something for us." He smirked as he started off
towards the station.
++++++++++++++++++
Carrot walked down the sidewalk calmly, a cigarette in his
mouth slowly burned as it simply hung there.
It had been a while since he'd just walked down the street.
His other talents got him where he was going a lot faster. Now,
he simply had nowhere to be, so he just walked.
It was a nice day, the sun was out and it wasn't too cold.
The weather reports told him that winter was slowly crawling
towards him, and it was going to be a hell of a year for him at
the very least.
He knew that already though. It just wasn't something he
liked to think about.
Destiny sucked.
It bit him in the ass far too often for his liking, and he
was having a funny feeling that his little romp as 'Spiderman'
was going to become a permanent situation.
All this contemplation made him forget something, the reason
why he preferred other forms of transportation as of late.
++++++++++++++++++
Rei Hino was not feeling quite as cheerful as she usually
did. That was saying a lot considering how cheerful she usually
was as of late.
In her mind, the events of a few nights before played through
her head. The grotesque effigy of Spiderman that had rendered her
unconscious grinning in her mind.
The creature had reached for her with what she could only
describe as tentacles. As it touched her skin she saw it sprout a
grinning maw of sharp teeth.
She blacked out just as it covered her mouth after she had
screamed. She wasn't sure how much later it was when she woke up
on the grass. It couldn't have been much later, the moon was in
the same general area that it had been when she'd passed out.
"A vision?" she muttered as she held her forehead in her hand
as she walked across the yard of the shrine grounds. "It felt so
real!"
Her face contorted, it wasn't quite right to think something
like that in relation to one of her visions. She often felt
things, but it was of a much more spiritual nature. If it was a
vision this powerful, then she had to be wary of it.
"What was that? Is Spiderman one of the enemy, or is it
something else? Is something trying to tell me he's dangerous?"
She couldn't figure it out.
"What's going on here?" she muttered as she looked down the
steps of the shrine that would lead her into the street.
Spiderman seemed so...heroic. She almost felt as if she could
really trust him, it was unsettling to have a vision about
someone that you thought of that way. He was fighting the same
monsters they were.
"No, stronger," she corrected out loud as she remembered the
headlines. Some of the monsters he'd faced were very strong. The
Goblin like monster particularly.
He'd also been seen fighting some kind of flying woman only
the night before. Her grandfather had been reading the paper, and
it had been kind of hard to miss the giant photo of him on the
front page.
Still, that brought up other questions. Who was he really?
What did he want? Why was he fighting those things as well? Why
had she kissed him?
A girlish blush formed on her cheeks as she suddenly
remembered that moment. It was something she'd done without
thinking about it. That bothered her on some level.
Then again, his face was young and what she had seen didn't
look bad; his body non-withstanding, it was only half of is face,
but he wasn't that bad of a kisser either.
Rei blushed even further when she realized none of her points
had any relation to each other.
"Damn. What the hell is going on with me lately?"
+++++++++++++++++++++
Haruka frowned as she folded her arms and glared at the gates
across from her. She didn't even know why she was there.
Michiru Kaiou hadn't been home all day. She knew that what
she was doing was socially unacceptable. Stalking the girl
probably wouldn't look good to Michiru either.
She couldn't help herself though. There was something there
inside her that pulled her to the place again and again. A
connection, a link, a completely insane idea and she knew it.
That didn't make it any less real.
"Damn it," she growled as she clenched her fist and stared at
it.
She didn't want to be here, she didn't want this feeling. She
just couldn't understand why it was happening.
"You used to be lovers..." That boy's voice echoed in her
mind. "Sailor Uranus, Sailor Neptune..." She knew it was the
truth. She'd found the power again, and her memories were
returning.
What about Michiru though? Did she remember? Would she? More
importantly, would she care? Would she react the same way?
Grinding her teeth together she cursed as she shoved herself
forward off the wall she was leaning against. She scuffed her
shoe against the sidewalk as she shoved her hands into her coat
pockets and glared at the mansion in front of her.
"Peh. Go to hell you..." She clenched her eyes shut and
grunted as she found herself unable to finish the statement.
"I'm through," she said as she shook her head. "Screw this.
I've got enough problems as it is." She took the pen from her
pocket and promptly dropped it into a trash bin that was hanging
off a telephone pole. "The past is dead and buried. I've got my
own life to live now."
She walked a bit further and got into her car. Slamming the
door shut she rolled up the windows and put on a pair of
sunglasses. Taking a last sour frown at the mansion, she turned
the key in the ignition and drove away.
She drove for almost four hours most of it spent in traffic
with the radio blasting her senses away. She didn't want to feel
anything but the vibrations, and it worked mostly.
Haruka found herself concentrating completely on the words to
the songs that played. Focusing all of her attention on them to
keep the other thoughts in her head.
The streets cleared and she drove onward into the outskirts
of town, moving towards the country.
Fields of green could finally be seen in every direction. She
pulled over to the side of the road next to a small farm and
stepped out to look back at Tokyo.
Resting her arms against the hood she stared at the city
through the breezy grass of the fields. She could barely see it
anymore, only the edge of the suburbs was even remotely visible.
With a small sigh she took off her sunglasses and stared at
it, letting the breeze blow through her hair for a moment.
The music was gone, the distractions that she had kept her
mind on for the past several hours were no more.
Thought returned to her head once more.
She scowled and narrowed her eyes at the city.
Quickly turning away from the scene she climbed back into her
car and slammed the door shut.
"I won't give up."
Somewhere in the deep reaches of her mind, a quite voice
spoke up.
"You just did."
She shifted the car into gear and drove onward.
++++++++++++++++++++
The sunlight shined into Usagi Tsukino's room. She smiled as
she stretched her arms. The smell of food floated up from the
kitchen, filling the home with a warming and comfortable feeling.
"Aaahhhhhhhh..." said Usagi as she yawned quite loudly.
"Eh?" she said as she paused and cocked her head. That was
pretty loud as well.
"Ummm... Hello?" said the girl as she looked in the mirror
across from her, as if to be sure it was herself speaking.
It had to be a dream, it was too good to be true. The smell
of food clenched it for her. It was definitely a dream.
"This sucks," she said as she hung her head. She perked up
immediately. "Might as well enjoy it!" Saying this she jumped out
of bed with a wide grin on her face. Only to walk right into her
mother.
"I heard voices Usa..."
"What?"
"AAAAAAAHHHHHHHH! My BABY!!!"
"Gack!"
Usagi found herself being crushed and held in the air.
Artemis was on the floor, watching the scene with wide eyes.
"Could it be?" he muttered under his breath.
Luckily, Usagi's mother was far too preoccupied with her own
joy.
As her mother finally put her down tears started to stream
down young Usagi Tsukino's cheeks.
"It's...not a dream? But I thought I could only..." She
paused as she realized that she was speaking out loud. She
started to shake a little as she looked into the mirror and
slowly approached it.
Tilting her chin up slightly, she gasped as she realized the
scar wasn't there. "What the?"
"Is something wrong?" said her mother as she gave the girl a
slight frown.
"No, it's just..." muttered the girl as she turned to face
her mother.
"Well, the doctor said that the scar would never heal. It's
not just going to go away Usagi. The surgery is very expensive,
it will be a little while before we can afford something like
that, if ever."
The girl nodded and absently fingered her throat lightly.
"You're right mom."
Artemis's eyes went wide at what he saw. The scar had just
reappeared on the girl's throat. "What the...?" He flattened his
ears against the back of his head and sniffed the air. He relaxed
when he realized that it was indeed her.
She glanced at him and cocked her head in confusion.
"We need to talk," he mouthed from behind the girl's confused
mother.
Usagi gave a half nod and looked at her mother at the same
time. "I'm hungry."
++++++++++++++++++++++
Makoto sat with Ami on a park bench. The pair was doing
nothing more than spending time together, but the topic had
turned to what they called 'business matters' within the group.
"I dunno, I suppose he's got a cute butt," said Makoto with a
small shrug.
"Please!" said Ami as she tried her best to frown. It wasn't
easy though. "Spiderman is helping us. We should find out more
about him."
"Doesn't seem too hard," said Makoto as she held up a copy of
the morning paper.
"We should find a way to contact him, in case there's
trouble," said Ami calmly.
"You're right. We should at least get his number!" replied
Makoto cheerfully.
"I'm not talking about a party line Makoto," said Ami as she
rolled her eyes.
"Neither am I. I'm thinking more of a private line..."
"Well, perhaps he wears that mask for a reason..." ventured
Ami cautiously. Perhaps if she gave Makoto a bad mental image,
she could reason with her more easily.
"With a body like that? He can keep the mask for all I care!"
replied the other girl cheerfully. "Oooh! I'd finally have a
boyfriend that would make Usagi jealous!"
"Well, Tuxedo Mask is rather handsome I suppose," reasoned
Ami.
"Handsome? Maybe, but he gets beat up by that jerk a lot."
"Hmmm. I suppose you're right," said Ami with a small shrug.
"This 'Spiderman' has proven himself more versatile and useful so
far."
"I dunno. Tuxedo Mask is around more often."
"Yes, but we never see photos of Tuxedo Mask doing this,"
said Ami as she tapped the paper.
"True," agreed Makoto with a small shrug.
"I guess Tuxedo Mask does have the advantage of only hiding
part of his face. Still, I bet this Spiderman guy is real
handsome."
"Do you smell something burning?" asked Ami as she cocked her
head.
Before Makoto could answer, a girlish scream echoed through
the streets. A figure covered in flames rushed out into the
street and fell face first onto the ground. He rolled around a
bit before he passed out, fortunately for him, it was after the
flames were extinguished.
A familiar figure with a cigarette hanging out of his mouth
walked away from the scene calmly, as if nothing was happening.
"It's him!" gasped Ami.
"What should we do?" muttered Makoto nervously.
"My mother only let me come out because I was with you," said
Ami nervously.
Makoto looked at her and frowned. "What?"
"If I'm seen as Sailor Mercury..." said Ami a little shakily.
Makoto slammed her fist into her palm. "Damn!" She couldn't
just let him walk away.
"Come on!" said Ami.
"Wait! Where are we going?" said Makoto as she jogged after
her friend.
"After him," said Ami firmly.
"But..." muttered her friend dumbly.
"I'll only get in trouble if I'm seen as Sailor Mercury.
Mother didn't say anything about following people."
Makoto smirked at this. "Right. Maybe we can find a way to
get some payback?"
Ami didn't like the crude way of putting it. The man was
dangerous; the show on the street made that obvious enough. She
had to do something about him, even if she couldn't fight him
openly anymore.
++++++++++++++++++++
Usagi sat on the edge of her bed with her head hung low.
"I...don't get it."
"Try again," said the animal patiently.
Usagi stood up tall with a firm conviction on her face. "Moon
Prism Power Makeup!" She held the brooch skyward dramatically.
Nothing happened.
"I don't understand!" said Usagi with a wavering in her
voice.
"It should work," grumbled Artemis dumbly.
"Why? Why not?" she muttered as she looked at the brooch. It
sparkled in the light, but did nothing more.
"Something must be blocking it!" said Artemis.
Usagi slowly shook her head. "No. I can still feel it, the
power is there. I just...I just can't take it."
The animal blinked. "What? Why not? If you can feel it,
taking it should be easy."
"It's not. I don't understand," said Usagi as she cried
softly again.
Artemis shook his head. Something was up with Usagi. Whatever
gave the girl her voice back was definitely not natural. Someone
had healed her for a reason, but left her unable to wield the
power of Sailor Moon. That wasn't something that would be good
for them.
"Who? Why?" he thought to himself as he stared at the girl.
"Oh Luna. I wish you were here, you'd know what to do...well, you
wouldn't, but it would still be nice." He hung his head and
sighed.
"What are we supposed to do now?" asked Usagi.
"There's still another way to use your powers. I just haven't
been able to figure that out yet."
"That's too bad," said a voice that surprised them both.
Usagi blinked as she looked at the figure that was kneeling
into her window. "Rei?"
Sailor Mars landed lightly in the room and smiled. "Your
mother called me when she found out. Minako knows too, but Ami
and Makoto weren't home."
"Yes...but..."
"I overheard a little bit. Sorry," said the senshi as she
nodded her head.
"I wish I could help," muttered Usagi.
"So do I," replied Rei with a serious nod. "Makoto and Ami
are both tailing him right now. They're going to follow him until
I can back them up. Makoto and I are the only senshi left that
can use our powers out in the open still.
Usagi nodded. "I see."
"Find a way Usagi, these things are getting stronger," said
Rei seriously.
The blonde looked up and found herself looking at her
friend's back.
"I..."
"Don't worry about him. I'll take care of it myself," said
Rei firmly.
The blonde merely sat back and nodded slowly. "Rei, you
shouldn't. I mean, he...I..." She simply couldn't find the words.
"He's not just your problem Usagi," said Mars as she glanced
back at her. "He's very dangerous." She felt something tug at the
back of her mind, a connection she didn't want to make.
Usagi merely frowned.
++++++++++++++++++++
Back at the park, a little earlier...
Carrot turned a corner and ended up staring down a long row
of shops and restaurants. He knew he was moving in generally the
right direction in order to get back to the clinic.
The connecting alleyways and shortcuts were well known to him
but he didn't like using them. They were trouble magnets,
unfortunately, he realized that it was just as much him as the
alleys.
Mamoru Chiba was standing in front of him with a bag of
groceries in his arm.
The pair looked at each other for a moment. Both were frozen
in the middle of the busy sidewalk as others pushed around them.
Mamoru's jaw dropped, and Carrot's cigarette fell out of his
mouth.
"You!"
"Hey! Underage Kamen!" A wide grin spread across Carrot's
face.
Mamoru froze and glanced around.
"Heh. Don't fool yourself bud. These people don't care who
you are. Spiderman is the big news these days it seems." Carrot
glanced over at a nearby newsstand and frowned slightly.
The older boy tossed his groceries onto the ground. "I'll
make you pay!"
"This is really starting to annoy me Mamoru. I've played
pretty nice recently, but..."
Carrot's comment was cut off as the older boy punched at him.
The attack was nimbly dodged of course.
"Hey! Cut that out you jerk!"
"Die!"
"That's it!"
Mamoru didn't see what hit him. Carrot pushed himself up into
an uppercut that slammed into the boy's chin.
The area around them now had a remarkable area of clearance.
Mamoru rubbed at the sore spot as he picked himself up.
"All right Mr. Formal Wear. You want to fight? Fine."
"You..." growled Mamoru angrily.
"I what?" snarled Carrot. "I think you're forgetting that
it's you that's out of your league here." He brought both of his
fist forward in a stiff and swift motion and locked them towards
Mamoru.
The older boy wasn't that bright, but he knew that he was
outmatched. His anger drove him forward though. "You think I'll
forgive you, for what you did to Usagi?!!"
"You think you're big enough to take payment?" snorted
Carrot.
"I'll kill you!" The cane that had been hanging just below
the bag of groceries fell apart in Mamoru's hand. A long slender
blade slid out of the black wood.
"Heh," snorted Carrot as he jumped back to avoid the strike
that stabbed into the ground. He bounced off the wall behind him
and shot forward. Mamoru fell flat on his back as the rebounding
kick slammed into his forehead. "I've seen better tricks. Get a
new one."
"You won't make light of this! All it takes is one strike for
me to win!" snapped Mamoru angrily as he thrust forward again.
Carrot spun around and out of the way of the stab and hooked
his foot around Mamoru's chin. The older boy was sent sprawling
across the ground again.
"Stop getting up."
Mamoru ignored this and staggered to his feet with a rage in
his eyes. He thrust forward again.
Carrot calmly backed away and moved in and out of the slices
with ease. Mamoru continued forward hacking and slashing at the
air in front of him. "Hold still damn you."
"Not that line again," muttered Carrot as he sidestepped a
particularly forceful thrust.
Mamoru toppled over a table where an old woman was selling
oil lamps.
"My lamps!" cried the old lady.
Carrot was standing calmly aside as he watched Mamoru climb
out of the shattered pottery and glass. He had a frown on his
face.
Mamoru growled animalistically as he slowly rose his eyes to
look at his opponent again.
"You know, I'm getting tired of this. You've gone and wrecked
this nice old lady's business, and you don't look like you want
to stop there. You're a public nuisance, a pedophile, and to top
it off...your fly is open."
Mamoru blinked in confusion as he looked down at his crotch.
"Eh?"
Carrot turned his finger slightly and toppled over one of the
candles that the old lady had been selling with the lamps.
"Oopsie!" he said cheerfully.
Mamoru gasped as he watched the flames race up his legs.
"Maybe now you'll get the hint. Next time, I'll just kill
you. That is, if you survive this. I've got an annoying feeling
that says you will."
Mamoru screamed and ran into the street. The crowd around
them parted like the Red Sea. Carrot was giving a marginal area
of clearance as well as he moved off in the other direction. "Ah.
I feel much better now."
++++++++++++++++++
Makoto and Ami moved behind Carrot from a fair distance away.
He didn't appear to be trying to hide his movements, but he kept
to dark shadows and out of sight almost as a second nature.
The computer in Ami's hand was the only reason they could
even see him at the moment.
"Are you sure that's him?" asked Makoto as she stared at the
confusing screen.
"Yes, see. It's thermal. The orange and red off in the
shadows over there is him. He's moving rather quickly."
The pair kept a brisk pace as they followed after him.
Ami blinked. "He's stopped."
"Who's stopped?" said a familiar voice that made them both
jump. They slowly turned to see Carrot standing behind them,
glancing over their shoulders.
"Don't scream," said the boy lamely.
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!" cried the pair excitedly.
Carrot calmly waited and looked rather bored. "Why are you
following me, or should I say, trying to follow me?"
Ami took a step back and Makoto moved in front of her.
"Oh please. Have I ever attacked you before?"
Makoto ground her teeth at this.
"Now. I suggest you two get home, and try to find a way to
get your other friend out of solitary confinement. You've got
more important things to be worrying about besides me."
"Like what?" spat Makoto angrily.
"Like figuring out how you're going to save the world while
half your team is gone. Like figuring out how you're going to
revive the princess without Sailor Moon. Like finding the Silver
Imperium Crystal before the Youma do. Lots of things."
Makoto stepped back with a slight blush on her face.
Ami stepped forward. "What do you know about all of this?"
"Why should I help you?" he snorted in reply.
"Because if they win, you'll be enslaved by them too," said
Ami firmly.
"Maybe you're right. How do you know I'm not already helping
you?" said Carrot as he grinned at her.
"Some help," said Makoto.
Carrot bit the line like a bass. "You'd better wake up. The
world you live in is just a sugar coated topping. There is
another world, beneath it. The real world, and if you wanna
survive it, you'd better learn to pull the trigger."
"What?" said Makoto dumbly.
Carrot snorted and grabbed her by her shirt. "Where do you
think these things are coming from? How do you think they know so
much about our world? They've got help, and they're all over the
place. You want to beat it, you'd better start learning how to
fight dirty. All this prissy magical girl crap just isn't going
to cut it anymore. You'd better be ready, because the shit is
going to hit the fan real soon. Understand?"
The boy shoved her away from him and turned towards Ami. "All
of you had better wake up."
"What are you saying?" said Ami in confusion.
"Do I have to spell it out for you?" said Carrot.
The girl stepped back as he strolled forward looming over
her.
"The Yakuza, the government, everything is involved with
this. Why do you think it took something as big as a monster
flying around the middle of the city throwing bombs around to get
it into the papers? You and your moon princess can kiss my ass as
far as I'm concerned. I may go down in flames, but at least I'll
go down fighting. You're just an annoyance that gets in my way."
"Like Usagi?" replied the girl with ice suddenly appearing in
her voice. She wasn't quite sure where it had come from.
Carrot smirked at her. "Maybe, but you'd better start
thinking about the big picture instead of worrying about me. I'm
way too much for you little girls to handle, and I've got a job
to do."
"And what's that?" said Ami as her resolve wavered a bit.
"Yeah! What is that?" muttered Makoto.
"Damn it. All I fucking wanted was some peace and quiet,"
snarled Carrot as he glared at Makoto. That was when he realized
that she wasn't looking at him.
Slowly, carefully he turned his head. "Oh, son of a bitch."
A hulking figure was perched up on top of one of the street
lamps, it was glaring down at him with drool slathering out of
its jaws.
"Well. It seems we've made it just in time," said Venom
almost playfully.
Carrot whirled around and shoved the two girls away from him
in the same motion. "Damn. What the hell are you doing here?"
"Keeping an eye on you," said the creature darkly.
Carrot paused, the creature was being rather cryptic at the
moment. "What do you mean?"
"We know who you really are," said Venom as it continued to
sit where it was.
"So?" snorted Carrot. It was easy to tell he was very
nervous, but the creature hadn't taken its eyes off of him since
he arrived.
"So?" mimicked Venom.
"Shabon Spray!" cried Mercury as she appeared and shot a
freezing mist at the creature.
Venom jumped down and flicked its wrist. Ami was covered in a
thick rope like substance that sent her to the ground as it
wrapped up most of her body. She screamed in disgust and fear as
she hit the pavement. "Stay out of this please. This is between
us." It turned its attention towards Carrot again, only to find
him backing away slowly towards the shadows. "Running away?"
"That would seem wise at the moment," said Carrot darkly.
"What are you afraid of?" said Venom as it started to stalk
forward.
"I kind of like the idea of keeping my brain out of your
stomach..." said the boy a little nervously.
"You think we'd eat your brain?" said Venom with a somewhat
thoughtful cock of its head. "Heh. Maybe we would."
"See ya," said Carrot as he turned away and bolted down the
street.
"Not so fast!" snarled Venom as he jumped into the air and
shot out one of his web lines. Carrot was fast though, and the
boy quickly vanished into a near by alley.
"Gotta get away! Gotta get away!" muttered Carrot to himself
as he kept low to the ground and tried to stay under cover as
best he could as he raced away. Web swinging away from Venom
wasn't a good idea and he knew it. His best chance of losing the
monster was by staying on the ground and keeping it guessing
where he was headed by taking as many turns as he could.
Unfortunately, Venom appeared to be rather skillful at web
swinging. "Where are you going Spiderman?!" it called from above
him.
Carrot's spider sense blasted to life and he jumped back away
from the creature just in time to avoid being crushed beneath its
feet. "Holy Shit!"
"We think you've run far enough," said Venom in a dangerous
tone. It raised its hand up and pointed it at him.
Carrot reacted in an instant. His own wrist shot out at a
speed he didn't even know he could manage. Venom was tangled for
a moment, but it was enough to disrupt its webbing. "Take that!"
"We had forgotten you could do that," snarled Venom as it
struggled with its bonds.
Carrot was already long gone by that point.
"There will be another time," said Venom as it finally untied
itself. It paused to consider something while wiping parts of the
webbing off of its arm. "He seemed to sense us...that won't do at
all."
The black ooze melted away as it walked into the shadows.
+++++++++++++++++++
Yamada smirked as he pat the camera on his chest and walked
into the street a few moments later. "Pure gold."
He'd finally stumbled onto something that uppity little brat
couldn't screw up for him. He'd have the front page again for
sure tomorrow. "Things could be looking up for me."
He had a rather lazy stroll as he walked towards the
newspaper office. He was going to enjoy this.
+++++++++++++++++++++
"Rei?" said Makoto as she found herself looking at her fellow
senshi. The girl appeared out of breath and somewhat winded.
"I got here as fast as I could," said the girl as she looked
around quickly.
"We lost him," said Makoto lamely.
"He gave us quite a scare," said Ami with an agreeing nod.
"What happened?" asked Rei with a slight frown as she looked
her two friends over.
"Nothing much, something showed up and chased him off. We
aren't sure what it was."
"Something?" said Rei as she paused to look at them.
"It was some kind of big black monster," said Ami. "Come to
think of it, it looked a lot like Spiderman."
"Hey. You're right," said Makoto dumbly. "You don't think
that...they got him do you?"
"I hope not," said Ami nervously.
Rei stared at the ground and frowned for a moment. "I..." She
reconsidered and turned away.
"What is it?" asked Ami.
"It's nothing, just a stray thought," replied the girl calmly
as she turned away from them.
"Well, what is it?" said Makoto. "We can use any suggestions
you've got right about now."
"It's not important. Come on, we should go."
The other two girls shrugged and followed after her.
+++++++++++++++++++++
Carrot was sweating bullets as he stared down at the street
below him. He was stuck to the underside of an overhang with
complete terror etched into his features. "Damn. That thing is
freaky. It was just playing with me..." He had no idea why Venom
unnerved him so much. It wasn't like it looked any worse than
some of the other monsters he'd seen.
Actually, it did look worse. Most of the other Youma,
excluding the Goblin, were nothing more than laughable excuses
for monsters. Easily destroyed once you figured out what sort of
powers and weaknesses they had.
Venom and Goblin were different. They were genuinely
dangerous, and they didn't steal energy as far as he'd seen. They
were tailor made to hunt him down, and that much he was sure of.
"Haven't heard from the two gay generals in a while," said
Carrot as he thought about his situation for a moment. "That
could be good, but I doubt it."
He climbed along the underside of the overhang for a moment
so that he could see more of the surrounding area. The senshi
were gone, and he was fairly certain Venom had taken off as well.
"Maybe monsters like these are taking all the heat off of the
real operation?" After a moment of thought, it seemed like a
reasonable conclusion.
That was bad. It meant that he'd have to go looking for
trouble if things didn't pick up soon. Leaving those maniacs to
their own devices wasn't a plan he was willing to risk at any
rate. He doubted if the Senshi could handle it in their current
state anyway. That left him.
The way he had painted the Youma operation was also starting
to make sense as well. He'd been blowing hot air more than
anything else at the time. However, it made sense as well.
"This isn't getting any better," he muttered as he rubbed his
temples in irritation. "Damn. There's nothing I can do about it
right now. I need sleep." He started to climb down the wall and
into the street again.
He never noticed the tall figure standing over him on the top
of the opposite roof.
Mao Lin frowned deeply as she watched the boy crawl along the
bottom of the roof. Her right hand was grasping the mace that
hung across her back firmly. He didn't appear to notice her yet
though and continued on his way.
She left him to his own devices and snorted. "He's a skilled
shinobi." With that, she turned away and went off on her own
quest. Her sister's whereabouts was still a mystery.
She'd deal with the boy later, it was obvious that he sided
with the dark powers. He clung to the shadows like a creature of
evil, and his mode of dress just screamed 'I'm up to something
bad'.
Still, he wasn't doing anything really wrong at the moment,
so she supposed she had to let him be for the time being.
+++++++++++++++++++
"Oh, you're back," said Gia as she noticed Carrot walk into
the clinic.
"Yeah," said the boy lamely.
"Rough night?" asked Luna cheerfully as the boy sat down in
the chair directly in front of her.
"What of it?" he snorted.
"Pet me. It's therapeutic and good for your heart!" said the
animal as she jumped in his lap.
"Oh go away," he muttered irritably.
"Do it, you'll feel better!" said the animal firmly as she
nudged at his hand.
"Don't you get enough from the girls?" grumbled the boy.
"They aren't as good at it as you are," insisted the animal.
"Hey!" snapped Gia.
"He's really good with his hands," said Luna as Carrot
finally gave in and stroked her back as he rolled his eyes.
"Shouldn't you be trying to remember something?" said Carrot
as he glared down at her.
"MMmmmmmm...that's good, lower! Lower!" cried Luna
passionately.
Gia blushed and Mei Lin walked into the room with a soda in
her hand.
"Wow," said the younger girl as she watched the animal writhe
in ecstasy.
Gia put her hand over the girl's eyes without thinking about
it. Mei Lin dodged aside easily and walked into the room to sit
down next to him and watch. "You must be really good. I can only
get her to do that if I use the brush."
Carrot muttered something under his breath in irritation, but
thankfully, no one heard him. He blinked and stopped petting her.
"Hey. Answer me damn it!"
"Huh?" said the cat as she looked up at him lazily.
"Aren't you supposed to be remembering stuff or something?"
"Like what?" said the cat as he half closed her eyes.
"Like how to get Sailor Moon back!"
"Why would I want to do that?" said Luna in genuine
confusion.
Carrot hit his head against the tabletop.
"Stop that! You're bouncing me around!" said Luna. "Hey!
Finish petting me! Hey! Stop that and finish!"
Carrot stared down at her and frowned. "You're supposed to be
trying to get your memories back! Stupid cat!"
Luna promptly scratched his nose. "How many talking cats do
you know?"
"Two," said Carrot as he glared at her.
Luna paused. "R-really?"
The boy blinked and looked down at her a little harder.
"Yeah. What of it?"
"I dunno. Just a thought," said Luna with a shrug. "I want
milk tonight too. So hurry up and finish petting me so I can eat
and go to sleep."
Carrot groaned as he shoved her off of his lap. "Off. No more
until you start remembering things."
Luna's eyes became really big and cute. "You can't mean
that!"
"I do. No more until you remember," he said as he stood up
and walked into his room.
Gia turned to look at Mei Lin as Luna followed after him. The
door slammed in her face and she fluffed her fur out in
irritation and twitched her tail. "Meanie!"
"That was odd," said Gia.
"I've seen worse," replied Mei Lin with a small shrug.
"So how was your day?" asked Gia.
"Okay I guess, Mr. Yamada kept laughing really loud and waved
a roll of film in my face after he came back from the field
today. I'm not sure what it was about, but he seemed really
happy."
Gia stared at her as she sipped her soda. "What?"
"I dunno. Just seemed like he was a little odd today. He's
been acting weird and all secretive all week. It's creepy. Oh,
and the editor gave me another raise."
"That's nice," said Gia. She paused and turned to look at the
girl. "Again?"
"Yeah. I was picking up some papers off the floor that I
dropped in front of his office and he came out and said I
deserved another one. I'm not sure what I did though."
Gia sighed and put her chin into her hand. "I wouldn't dwell
on it."
"Oh. Okay," said the girl as she shrugged and went back to
her drink.
"Pig," muttered Gia irritably.
"Huh?" muttered Mei Lin dumbly.
"Oh, I was just thinking about something," said the woman as
she smiled at the girl.
"What's on TV?" asked Mei Lin as she ignored the woman with
practiced ease.
"How can anyone be this clueless?" thought Gia as she turned
towards the screen while half watching the Chinese girl.
Gia was about to settle in when a knock at the front door
stopped her. "Who could that be?"
She stood up and opened it. "Spike?"
"Hiya," said the man half cheerfully.
Her eyes fell downward to the girl standing in front of him.
Michiru was standing in front of him with a calm and serious look
on her face. She was wearing a trenchcoat and seemed a bit tense,
despite her calm appearance.
"Um, hello?" said the woman in confusion.
"Is Carrot here? I need to speak with him," said Michiru as
she looked up at the older woman.
"Yeah. I'll go get him..." said Gia as she looked at Spike
questioningly.
The man had a stone cold face, but he looked a little pale.
"I'll get him myself, if you don't mind," said Michiru as she
walked past her.
Gia turned towards her boyfriend and frowned. "What's going
on?"
"Uhhh. I ain't too sure. I tink she's gonna kill him,"
replied the man with a shrug. "Too bad, he was a good pal."
"What?" said Gia dumbly.
+++++++++++++++++++
Carrot was lying in bed staring at the ceiling. A strange and
familiar tingling started to form all along his body. It was
faint, but he knew it well enough to pick it up. "What the?" He
sat upright and heard a knock at his door.
Slowly, cautiously, he strolled over to the source of the
sound and put his hand on the doorknob. He slowly opened it and
peered around the other side.
"Hello Carrot. You said we would talk. You haven't called."
The boy stared at Michiru Kaiou's stern face and grinned
nervously. "Uh. Hi. I had a few things I had to take care of
first. I was going to call you in the morning..."
The girl narrowed her eyes at this and looked back at Gia and
Spike. The pair edged out of the room and out of her line of
sight. "Well I'm here now. Let's talk."
Carrot swallowed and nodded as he opened the door in order to
let her in. The tingling in his body had grown infinitely
stronger. "So...heh...what's up?"
Michiru just smiled at him.
+++++++++++++++++++++
TBC...
Heh. You didn't expect me to let you off easy this time did
ya? ^_^