Sailor Moon Fan Fiction ❯ The Tangled Web We Weave ❯ Day 2 - Sunday, part 2 ( Chapter 4 )

The Tangled Web We Weave
By Crawlspace

 

Day 2
Sunday - part 2

 

Usagi tiptoed carefully into the family room, not wanting to wake up the room's occupants. Well, one of them, at least, since she'd come here to do specifically that to the other two. Quietly moving passed Hana, who had dozed off in her chair with her book and magnifying glass perched precariously in her lap, Usagi made her way over to Ami and Makoto. She stopped and watched their sleeping forms for a moment, a silly girlish grin on her face.

 

Ami was stretched out on her stomach, her mouth hanging open and one arm dangling over the edge of the couch. Her hand rested lightly against Makoto's back, her fingers twined loosely in Makoto's ponytail. Makoto seemed just as content in her sleep, lying on her side and hugging a pillow to her chest. Usagi giggled softly as the tiniest of snores escaped from Makoto each time she exhaled. Usagi sighed. She really hated to have to do this to them.

 

Kneeling down, she poked at Makoto's shoulder. Makoto stirred, her face scrunching up and then relaxing again without her fully waking. Usagi poked a bit harder, this time whispering loudly, “Mako-chan. C'mon, Mako-chan, I need you and Ami to get up now.”

 

Makoto's face scrunched up again in an exact imitation of what she always referred to as Miki's `unhappy face,' and she inhaled deeply. Her sleepy eyes blinked open and she stretched as she mumbled out, “Usagi? What?”

 

Usagi sat back on her heels, giving Makoto the room she needed to sit up. The movement stirred Ami, and she pulled her hand back before turning on her side away from the disturbance. Makoto reached up and gave Ami's side a light tickle, causing the girl to curl up. Then she gave her a slightly firmer shake, saying, “Up and attam, sleepyhead. We're being summoned.”

 

“He won't take a bottle,” muttered Ami. “You feed him. I'll change him later.”

 

Makoto smirked. “Sure you will,” she replied sarcastically. “But that's not it.”

 

Ami turned just enough so she could look at Makoto through one eye. When she saw Usagi sitting there and grinning at them, she opened her other eye and sat up, now much more attentive.

 

Usagi's grin faded as she leaned in and spoke quietly. “Rei sensed something when we were outside. We're having a meeting as soon as we can get everyone alone.”

 

Makoto frowned deeply. “What kind of something?”

 

Usagi shrugged. “She didn't get a chance to say. There was a… small accident.”

 

“Is she okay?” asked Ami in concern.

 

“Yeah,” answered Usagi. “Michiru just nailed her in the head with the volleyball.”

 

Ami and Makoto startled and looked at her with identical expressions of surprise.

 

With a nod, Usagi replied, “That's exactly what I said. Come on, before all the doctoring Rei's getting drives her completely nuts.”

 

The kitchen was crowded with everyone standing around and gawking at Rei. Three doctors hovered over the seated miko as she held both an ice pack and her patience. Makoto moved over to Michiru and took the baby from her just as Midori finished waving a penlight across Rei's injured eye.

 

“It doesn't look like there's any real damage,” said Midori, Shouko and Kaya nodding in agreement. “Just keep the ice pack on it for awhile. That should help with the swelling. There isn't really much we can do about the bruising, though, I'm afraid.”

 

“Just my luck,” grumbled Rei. She brought the ice pack up against the purplish bruise that colored her cheekbone and flowed up around her eye, wincing at the force with which it landed.

 

Midori patted Rei's head in sympathy before excusing herself. Shouko gathered up Kara, promising the girl she could come back and play later, and led her out of the room after Midori. Kaya lingered for a few moments, taking time to smile and coo at Miki before asking if his parents had gotten any rest after breakfast.

 

When they were finally free of outsiders, a quick group consensus led them all up to Rei and Minako's room. Leaning against the dresser with her arms crossed over her chest and a serious frown on her face, Haruka said, “Okay, what was it? What are we fighting this time?”

 

Sitting cross-legged in the middle of the bed with Usagi and Minako flanking her and the cats at the foot, Rei shrugged. “I don't know. I'm not even sure it's something we have to fight. I didn't get a good enough sense of it to know anything other than it was there. But I did feel enough to know that it was focused on us.”

 

“Last night?” asked Minako. “Was it one of those?”

 

Rei shook her head. “No. Last night was just passing curiosity. Nothing more than that. This was stronger, more concentrated.”

 

Lying on Makoto's lap with his head on her knees, Miki looked up at his mother with wide eyes as she sighed. His calm, almost serious demeanor matched the tone in the room, and he held on to one of Makoto's fingers while she spoke.

 

“So much for a peaceful vacation,” said Makoto. “Having Ami's family in the crossfire of all of this makes it even worse. It's going to be hard keeping them out of it if anything starts.”

 

“Maybe we should leave,” suggested Usagi. “So we're sure nothing will happen to them.”

 

Standing beside Makoto's chair, Ami shook her head. “Thank you for your concern, Usagi, but until we know for certain what it is and why it's here, I'd prefer we stayed. This visit is very important to my mother, for more reasons than she'll tell me, and I don't want to leave her. And as we aren't certain who was here first, I'd feel safer keeping watch on my family until we know absolutely that we're the cause of the danger.”

 

“She's right,” spoke up Luna. “You could have just been a momentary distraction for whatever was out there rather than its intended prey.”

 

“Well, whatever it's here for,” broke in Haruka, “we aren't going to get any answers just standing around and talking about it. We're not expected to make another appearance until dinner, so that should give us a decent amount of time to look around and see what we can find.”

 

Minako nodded. “A few people should stay at the house, just in case. And Usagi, you can fill Mamoru in as soon as he gets back.”

 

Usagi gave one curt nod. “Right.” Then she looked at Rei in apprehensive curiosity. “Um, Rei, what did you mean when you said you felt `passing curiosity' last night?”

 

Before Rei could answer, Minako jumped in and replied off-handedly, “The house is haunted. Okay people! Let's get going!”

 

While everyone else got up and started to move, Usagi stayed frozen in place. “H-h-haunted?” she stuttered out.

 

“It's not haunted, Usagi,” reassured Rei as she stood and set her icepack on the nightstand.

 

“Then why did Minako say it was?” questioned the blonde suspiciously as she got up and followed after Rei.

 

“Because she has an overactive imagination,” answered Rei as they all filed out of the room.

 

Minako heard what they were saying and smiled in amusement, but Usagi wasn't assuaged by it. “I don't know,” she said slowly. “And I have to sleep all alone in that big room, too.”

 

A few paces ahead of them, Setsuna looked down at Chibi-usa and Hotaru. “You two should sleep with Usagi tonight, so she isn't frightened by Minako's ghosts,” she said in her serious Pluto voice.

 

Three frowns met her command, and Usagi mumbled, “That really isn't necessary.”

 

“No, no, I insist,” went on Setsuna. “The safety and well-being of the princess must always come first. You girls agree with that, don't you?” Not giving either girl or anyone else a chance to respond, she went on, “I'm sure I'll be perfectly all right and find a way to get through the night.”

 

Haruka snickered. “I'm sure you will. Especially when there's a certain member of the household who would be more than happy to help you find a way to spend the night braving some ghosts.”

 

Setsuna pointedly ignored her.

 

Hotaru giggled, then in a singsong voice intoned, “Somebody likes you.”

 

“Hey, Hotaru,” went on Haruka as they descended a flight of stairs. “How would you like a Kyo-papa to go along with your Setsuna-mama?”

 

Hotaru tapped her finger against her chin, looking as though she were giving this some serious thought. Then she smiled widely. “That'd be kind of cool! Ooo, and I want to be a flower girl when they get married! With a purple satin dress!”

 

“Me, too!” chimed in Chibi-usa. “But I want a pink dress.”

 

“Perfect!” announced Haruka. “And we can have the wedding next August, after a proper one year engagement.”

 

Setsuna sighed. “You are all incorrigible. No one `likes' anyone, no one was flirting with anyone…”

 

“Who said anything about flirting?” interrupted Haruka, a devilish grin on her face.

 

Setsuna cleared her throat, the tiniest of blushes beginning to show on her cheeks, then went on, “And no one is getting married next August.”

 

A demure smile on her lips, Michiru chastised her charges lightly, “She's right. And you should know better Haruka. After all, it's much too hot in August to hold a wedding. We should do it in either the spring or early fall. And at those times of year, the wedding gazebo at the park would make a perfect backdrop.”

 

Makoto chuckled as she listened to Setsuna's love life being planned out for her in spite of her protestations. There were some things only family could get away with putting you through, and this particular family was taking full advantage of the rare opportunity they'd been presented with. Makoto glanced beside her at Ami, to see if she was also sharing in the mirth. The worried frown and tense set of Ami's shoulders let her know the answer was an unequivocal `no.'

 

“Hey,” said Makoto softly, lifting her fingers to gently stroke Ami's cheek. “It'll be okay.”

 

In Makoto's arms, Miki watched her gesture in infant awe. Then he burbled and lifted his arms towards Ami, his fingers flexing as he tried to reach her.

 

Makoto grinned at him. “You want your Ami-mama to feel better, too, don't you?” she said to Miki before handing him off to Ami.

 

Ami kissed the baby's head and hugged him to her for a few seconds before settling him more comfortably in her arms. She waved a finger in front of his eyes, and when he caught it and pulled it into his mouth, a small smile touched her lips.

 

“It's going to be okay,” repeated Makoto. “We'll keep everyone safe if anything happens. I promise it myself. Besides, the last time you guys had to fight, you did it without me and still managed to mop up the bad guys. With me here and back in action, we'll take `em down no problems. Well, except,” and here her grin turned lopsided and she poked discretely at one breast, “I hope my senshi fuku still fits right, since not every part of me is back into the shape it was before.”

 

Ami smiled gratefully at her. “Thank you,” she said. Then she looked down shyly and fussed a bit with Miki as her smile turned more playful. “And I'm not complaining.”

 

Makoto's smile grew and she leaned in closer to Miki. “You're going to be a good boy and sleep tonight, aren't you?”

 

Miki let out a high pitched gurgle, and Makoto decided that was his version of a very happy, “Yes, mama.”

 

“That's my good Bug,” she cooed at him.

 

Downstairs and ready to break off into their various groups to investigate, Ami still felt concern for her family's place in all of this. However, that concern was tempered by the presence of her friends and the absoluteness of Makoto's promise. Makoto would keep them safe, no matter what, and no god in heaven would be able to help anyone who got in the way of that promise.

 

 

**********************

 

“There you are.”

 

Kaya looked up from her book and smiled at the wide grin on Ken's face. She laid her open book across the arm of the dark, wing-back chair she was in and tucked her legs more snuggly under her. “You look happy,” she said as she lifted her glasses from her face and tucked them into the pocket on her blouse. “I take it the game went well.”

 

Ken nodded as he sat on the chair's matching ottoman. “I think so. Your father seemed to enjoy himself. Your brother, on the other hand…” He shook his head and chuckled lightly. “I have to say, I feel pretty bad for him. Even Seiji made out better than he did.”

 

“Seijuurou has never been the most athletically inclined of people. He's happier in front of a chess board or behind a book. Kyo was the one who got all the physical skill,” replied Kaya. Then she added teasingly, “So, did you let my father win?”

 

Ken smirked. “I didn't have to. He was pretty humble with how badly he beat us, though, and I can now say with no doubt that I know where you get your competitiveness from. I think I was able to somewhat impress him with my modest skills, though.”

 

“Really?” she said, her head tilting to the side in a somewhat skeptical manner.

 

“Really,” answered Ken. “He even invited me to come back behind the rec room tomorrow afternoon and putt with him.”

 

The amused grin Kaya was wearing dropped. “He did?”

 

“Yes.” Ken shifted uncomfortably, his jovial mood flattening. “I thought that would be a good thing.”

 

Shaking her head suddenly, Kaya force a small smile and reassured, “No, no, it is. I'm just surprised. He's more possessive with that little practice green than he is his office. He must like you if he did that.”

 

Ken's smile reappeared, and he sat up just a touch straighter, his pride with making a desirable impression on the elder Ishida apparent. “You had me worried there for a second,” he said, then reached forward and picked up her book so he could see what it was. Keeping his finger between the dog-eared and yellowing pages, he read the scratched silver writing on the cover. “In Moonlight, Death's Shadow.”

 

“One of my mother's favorites,” explained Kaya. “I was eight the first time she let me read it.”

 

“Looks like it's been read a good deal since then.”

 

Kaya nodded, then took the book from him, allowing his fingers to slip from the page she had saved. “You must be at least a little hungry by now. If you'd like, after we eat lunch, I'll introduce you to Detective Matsura,” she offered, giving book's cover a tap with her knuckles.

 

“Sounds good,” Ken answered, gracing her with one more warm smile before standing and holding out a hand to her.

 

Kaya smiled back, this time genuinely, and took his hand. `You're making too much of it,' she told herself as they left the library. `It's just two men playing a game. That's all.' She forcefully pushed that little tickle of jealously away, as far as she could, and focused instead on the happy voice of the man walking beside her.

 

 

**********************

 

Mars stood on the small dock of the man-made lake and scowled. They had been out here for almost three hours and hadn't found a blessed thing. There had been something out here, though, and it frustrated her to no end that it seemed to have just disappeared.

 

Soft footsteps behind her made her turn around. Mercury came up slowly behind her, her blue eyes fixed on the screen of her minicomputer. She stopped and stood for several seconds, then looked up at Mars and deactivated her visor.

 

Mars sighed. “I know. Nothing.”

 

Mercury shook her head. “Perhaps we'll be lucky and it will remain nothing.”

 

A stray piece of debris was kicked into the water, and through the ripples, Mars watched her image detransform. When the water stilled, Rei's image stood frowning back at her. She poked absently at the grayish, yellow-ringed bruise that was quickly receding from around her eye, causing both her and her image to grimace.

 

“You know,” said Rei, “I really don't want anything to happen, whether it's causing trouble for your family or just messing up our vacation. But still…”

 

Ami smiled at her. “I understand.”

 

A second later, Venus came running up to them. “Uranus and Neptune just finished a second sweep of the woods. They didn't find anything that looked out of place. Setsuna says everything's quiet at the house, too.” She then looked her friends up and down, shrugged, and detransformed. “I guess this means we're done for the day. But it was good to get out here like this,” she went on, stretching her arms up over her head. “We've all gotten a little lazy since Miki was born.”

 

At that, Ami warned playfully, “If Luna or Artemis hears you say that, they're going to use the woods to make us run drills.”

 

“That might be a good idea,” answered Minako more seriously than either Ami or Rei liked. “And it will give us a chance to run a new sweep tomorrow.”

 

“Unfortunately,” replied Ami in a less than enthusiastic manner, “you're right. We should include all the others, also, if that's what we're going to do.” She paused for a moment, thinking, then added, “I'll trade places with Makoto and stay with Miki while…”

 

“Oh, no,” interrupted Rei. “You've got a house full of willing babysitters, and if the rest of us have to run laps, so do you.”

 

Ami had the good grace to look chagrined at getting caught in that one, and Minako giggled. “It was a good try, though,” said the blonde. “Come on, Haruka and Michiru are already heading back to the house. We'll get everyone caught up, lay out a plan for tomorrow, and then try to enjoy what's left of the day.”

 

 

**********************

 

The bedroom was silent except for the ticking of the alarm clock. Sitting on the bed against the headboard, Shouko bit the inside of her cheek to hide an amused grin. Across from her, Seijuurou stared intently at the chess board between them. His legs crossed under him Indian style, he leaned in closely. The tip of his tongue poked out the side of his mouth as his eyes moved rapidly, his mind laying out each possible move.

 

He'd seemed so completely defeated when they'd come home from the golf game, thought Shouko. She couldn't help but feel sorry for him. So, Seiji was set free to do as he pleased, and Kara had gone after Kyo. She chose not to think about the trouble those two could possibly be getting into together and instead concentrated on her husband. Now, with the game only a few moves away from being over, she was certain his ego had been properly restored.

 

Seijuurou's eyes suddenly stilled and focused on his knight. A wide, triumphant smile spread on his face as he reached forward and made his move. Then he pushed his glasses up and aimed his smile at Shouko. “Check.”

 

`Oh, yeah,' she thought, `his ego most certainly isn't hurting any more.'

 

Allowing a small smile to creep through, Shouko responded with, “It's not completely over just yet.”

 

“Technicalities,” answered Seijuurou. “Do you want to decide how best to lose now? Or would you rather wait until after dinner?”

 

Shouko smirked as her husband chuckled at his own humor. A half hour until dinner, she mused. Her mind ran through all the different ways this could play out, and she came to her decision quickly. She'd already done her bit on Seijuurou's behalf. She didn't want this hanging over her for the rest of the evening.

 

Not allowing it much thought, Shouko moved her last remaining rook in a half-hearted effort to end things quickly.

 

Seijuurou didn't need to contemplate his next move. As soon as Shouko's hand was off the board, he slid his piece into place and declared triumphantly, “Checkmate!” Then he looked up at his wife and did something that caught her completely off guard.

 

The chess pieces tilted and fell, the middle of the bed dipping under Seijuurou's weight as he leaned forward. The kiss was firm, but fast, and Shouko barely had a chance to react before he was pulling away. Still startled, she blinked at him and his goofy grin.

 

His hand rested on her bare knee, just an inch away from the hem of her shorts. “Let's get the kids rounded up so we can get ready for dinner,” he said. Then he stood, causing the chess pieces to roll further hither and yon, and walked out of the room, presumably to find his children.

 

Shouko sat for a moment and stared after him. `Up and down,' she thought to herself. `And sometimes just entirely too difficult to figure out.'

 

 

**********************

 

There were some questions that just didn't need to be asked.  You could simply tell by the look on someone's face what they were going to say, how they were going to say it, and what would happen to you when they did.  Unfortunately, that brief moment of omniscience would inevitably pass before the knowledge of how you were supposed to respond could be revealed.

 

Shrugging her shoulders for the second time as Midori coxed her into one of the dining room chairs, Rei said again, “I don't know what to say. I guess I'm just a quick healer. And I did keep the ice pack on it.”

 

Kaya leaned in beside her mother and stared at Rei as if she were a lab specimen, searching for some sign of a now nonexistent bruise. “Even so, there should still be some bruising. Nothing heals that quickly. Ken,” she called, waving him over.

 

Rei was peripherally aware of her friends and fellow senshi standing in the background in states varying from fidgety-nervous to amused. As one more person stepped up to stare at her, and she felt her options and patience begin to lessen, she threw out silently, `A little help here, guys.'

 

As if she had been able to hear Rei's plea, Ami took a step forward and said tentatively, “Mom, I really don't think it's something to be concerned over.”

 

“I wouldn't say I'm concerned, per se,” answered Kaya. Then she said to Ken, “Take a look.”

 

Ken looked closely at Rei's face while still managing to keep a polite distance away. Finally, he asked, “What am I supposed to be looking for?”

 

“I told you how she got hit with Kara's volleyball,” replied Kaya. “There was a fairly large bruise left behind.”

 

Ken squinted his eyes and tried to look harder. “Nope. I still don't see it.”

 

Kaya sighed, and Minako hid a giggle behind her hand.

 

Rin, curious after having listened to all of this, sidled up beside Midori. He adjusted his glasses and stared down at Rei. A frown appeared on his face, and he looked over at Ami. “Is this the one that got hit this afternoon?”

 

Ami swallowed hard. “Yes.”

 

“Hmm,” he grunted, then stared back at Rei. “I think you overreacted.”

 

Midori and Kaya both frowned at him. Then Kaya said, “All things considered, I'd say we barely reacted at all. She got hit hard enough to knock her off her feet. All we did was check her eye for any damage and give her an ice pack. And when she walked out of the kitchen afterward, she had a bruise the size of my palm around her eye and cheek. I think the fact that it's gone now is cause for at least some curiosity.”

 

“What's everyone staring at?” asked Kyo as he and the rest of the family walked in.

 

From her seat at the table, Hana answered, “They're staring at Rei's eye, dear. It's done something interesting.”

 

Kara ran ahead of her mother to squeeze in between her grandmother and aunt. She leaned in on Rei's knees and stared up at her. “Hey, her face is all better!” she announced happily.

 

Shouko worked her way into the group, with Kyo and Seijuurou pushing in along with her, the three of them unintentionally pinning Kara tighter against Rei's legs in the process. Surprise, followed quickly by confusion, flitted across Shouko's face. “What happened to her black eye?”

 

“She doesn't have one,” said Kyo pointing at Rei's eye.

 

Rei wondered idly if they'd throw her out for biting that finger. And if that would actually be a bad thing at this point.

 

“She had one this afternoon,” returned Shouko. “Didn't she?”

 

Kaya, Midori, and Kara nodded.

 

“Well, we aren't going to get any answers standing here and staring at the girl,” said Rin. He removed himself from the small crowd around Rei and headed for his own seat. “Everyone, sit. It's time for dinner, and I'd prefer not to have a cold meal. If this particular curiosity bears further discussion, it can take place after we eat.”

 

The final order given, everyone obeyed and started to meander to their seats.

 

Rei started to let out a sigh of relief, but quickly sucked it back in when she realized Ami's mother wasn't moving along with the rest of them.

 

Kaya held Rei's gaze for a moment, scrutiny as strong as ever in her stare. Then she glanced up at Ami.

 

Ami's heart sped up for just a second before her mother broke eye contact and slowly turned away, heading for her place at the table. A hand briefly touching her back made her jump. Usagi smiled at her in a way that was supposed to be reassuring, but wound up around a giggle because of her reaction. Ami smiled back, letting out her own sigh of relief.

 

“Crisis averted,” whispered Makoto quickly.

 

Ami nodded and began to relax as the conversation quickly drifted to things of more interest than Rei's quick healing. This hadn't been the best of starts for their vacation, she admitted silently. It had to get easier from here, though. Yes, she assured herself, tomorrow things would most definitely be easier.