Sailor Moon Fan Fiction ❯ Shades of Grey ❯ The Plot Thickens... ( Chapter 11 )

AN at the bottom…

Title: Shades of Grey

Author: Moonlight Storm

E-mail: MoonlightStormSM@aol.com

Genre: Romance/Action/AU/Supernatural

Season: 1st

Standard disclaimer applies.

Chapter 11

~*~

Rei's dark purple eyes narrowed in anger while continuing to appraise the two girls before her. They were obviously around her age, and she could see no reason for them to pull a prank such as this. Yet, it couldn't be true. She was a *miko*, not even a full one yet, not some fabled warrior of justice. Standing, she told them this and gestured to the door.

The blonde - Usagi, she had said - quickly interrupted her.

"Please, you don't understand, if you'll just listen to us, or if we could get Luna-"

Angrily, Rei cut her off, "Iie, now if you will please leave the temple grounds…"

Ami desperately turned toward the only window in the room, hoping Luna had been listening to the conversation from outside. Before the feline could enter, if she was even outside, Rei's lecherous grandfather entered the room. Wiggling his eyebrows while sidling across the room, "My my, what beautiful young ladies… How would you like to come work at the shrine for me?"

"Ojii-san! They do *not* want to work here, and they were just leaving."

The young woman looked first to the door, then to them pointedly. Usagi quickly dropped something underneath the table, giving a small prayer that Rei would notice it before any others. Standing and brushing off her skirt, she smiled to the miko, "Of course, Hino-san. I hope we will be in touch." Ami, after noting Usagi's actions, quickly followed suit and left the temple. Rei's grandfather left directly after this, leaving Rei alone.

`Probably off to try and rope those girls into working here… I still don't understand that. It can't be true, but why lie like that?' Rei scoffed. `There must be an ulterior motive… something they want from the temple, perhaps? But what…' Shaking her head slightly, Rei's eyes were drawn to the place Usagi and Ami had recently occupied. Rei's brows then drew together in confusion, for she noticed a strange object beneath the table.

The bottom part of it was red, topped by a golden bracket starting from the middle of the slender stick. Atop the bracket sat a small circle, surrounded by a large oval. Engraved in the circle was what looked to be an upside down heart with an arrow pointing upward.

`Isn't that… the symbol for the planet Mars?'

Rei's slender index finger traced the pattern on the pen, before shrugging as she slid it into her pocket.

~*~

"Usagi-chan, you left the transformation pen?"

"Hai, Luna gave it to me just before we entered the temple. Even if she had believed us, it would've been best if she had seen the power she holds with her own eyes, preferably before the next youma attack. This way, if she's near the next youma attack, she'll have a way to defend herself. Once we started talking to her, it occurred to me if Luna can sense the power in her, the Dark Kingdom may have that capability too. And if they thought she was unprotected since she hasn't been seen at a battle before… It might be an easy way to kill a Senshi before she has her powers. We'll need to come back later tonight to convince her, once she's alone again."

Usagi glanced quickly at her watch before continuing, "I need to head home, my parents are probably beginning to worry. Then, I have a few things to take care of… How about we meet back here at the temple around 10:30? Hopefully, Rei will still be awake so we'll have a chance to talk to her."

Ami nodded, "Where did Luna go anyway? I thought she would have tried to follow us."

"So did I. Then again, if Rei had noticed a cat following us, she may have taken things worse than she did. Although, I can understand her reaction."

Luna jumped lithely onto Usagi's shoulders off an overhanging branch from one of the trees framing the path to the Hiwaka Shrine. "I'm impressed, Senshi. You both handled this very well, even planning the next course of action. If we are to defeat the Dark Kingdom, that will be a useful skill. But first, we must find the rest of the Senshi, and the princess."

Usagi and Ami both looked to Luna, who had jumped from Usagi's shoulder to walk in front of them. After sending Ami a questioning look, Usagi asked, "The princess? Who's that? You've never mentioned her before."

Luna looked startled, before stating, "Haven't I? How odd. Yet with everything happening so quickly lately…" She trailed off. "Still, our true mission is to find the princess. You Senshi are her protectors, and she will be the one to end the fight against the Dark Kingdom."

Ami looked quizzically to Luna, "So, we're just killing youma until the princess appears, so she can deal the final blow to the Dark Kingdom?"

"I… suppose so. Yes, of course."

Usagi then questioned, "But what does the Dark Kingdom really want? What are they after?"

"From what I remember, they're trying to gather energy to unleash a terrible evil upon the world," Luna answered. "They succeeded once, long ago…" `If only I had my memory back, things would be so much easier.'

~*~

Shutting the door behind her, Usagi began to head up the stairs to her room, but was interrupted by her mother's voice.

"Usagi-chan, is that you? Come here for a second, please."

Entering her parents' room, Usagi found her younger brother Shingo already there leaning against the wall to the left of the door, along with both her parents scurrying from dressers to the bed with open suitcases laid out, and Setsuna, who stood unobtrusively to one side and out of the way. While continuing to pack, Ikuku began to speak, "I know this seems sudden leaving like this, but your father's vacation time starts tomorrow! I just know you'll love having Setsuna-chan watch over you. Your father and I will be leaving very early tomorrow, so Setsuna-chan will be staying here for the night. Now, it's getting late, and we just wanted to tell you goodbye."

After hugging her parents and promising to be good for Setsuna, Usagi retreated to her room, wishing Luna hadn't gone to see if Central Control had any news. Until her parents were asleep or had left, she could not approach Setsuna. She closed her bedroom door, leaning against it as a wave of dizziness overcame her.

`Gods, I hadn't realized how long its been since I last fed. With everything happening… I can't believe it! And with Ghyard here, if he realizes it he'll never leave me along again. Why is *he* here? He must want something.'

Usagi suppressed a growl at the thought of her maker.

`I can't leave yet, but I have to meet Ami later. Would Setsuna cover for me? Do I trust her that much?'

With a thought, Usagi thoroughly started herself, for she realized she did trust Setsuna.

`Well, it can't be helped then. I must feed, and for some reason I know Setsuna will help if my parents come near my room.'

Quietly, so as not to alert her parents to her presence, Usagi crept from her room to the guest room where Setsuna, thankful for her vampiric enhanced senses. She sped into the room, a mere blur before she stopped to close the door, and turn to face Setsuna, who sat on the opposite side of the bed.

"Setsuna-san, I still don't know who you are, or what you're doing here, or why you're helping me, but for some inexplicable, possibly foolish reason, I trust you. And now, I need you to cover for me. Since you seem to be all knowing, you must have realized it has been too long since I last fed. If my parents come near my room, you'll take care of things for me, ne?"

Setsuna graced Usagi with a long, appraising look, a slight smile upon her face, before nodding.

"Of course, Usagi-chan."

Muttering, Usagi stalked from the room, "I'm sure she will. I want some answers from that woman soon."

`How does she *know* everything? Could she be a new Senshi? I did sense tremendous power in her, but, it seemed - different, from the planetary powers I've seen so far.'

Usagi banished these thoughts from her head while changing into a dark outfit to blend with the shadows while she hunted.

`No more thoughts. Now, I hunt.'

~*~

Usagi lurked in the shadows of a nearby park, hoping someone would pass by soon. Several people had walked by her, and she had been near hypnotized by their pulse beating just beneath the skin. Sometimes, she cursed the small part within her that remained untainted by the darkness, for prohibiting her from merely drinking the first person she saw dry. This was only when she lusted for blood though; eventually, she always came to her senses, and was overwhelmed by the guilt flooding her for wishing she could give herself wholly to the darkness.

`There! A human…'

Enhanced eyes and hyper sensitive senses strained to their fullest to detect the nature of the man approaching, to deem him worthy to pass or to take the blood swimming through his body.

`A business man… I can't take him. Someone would surely notice his lethargy afterward, or his late arrival to wherever he's going.'

Not for the first time, Usagi wished for the ability to read another's thoughts. She had heard tales of Ghyard of others' Gifts, and telepathy seemed to be one of them. She had yet to discover a Gift within herself, excluding her strength and speed, which was more advanced than even most vampires'. Without a Gift for telepathy, Usagi had been forced to read people's postures and attitudes to determine their current state: if they were going somewhere, or could afford the precious few minutes it would take to sustain herself on their life-force.

`If I could tell where people were going, I would not need to wait for someone who I could be sure would not be missed for the time it will take me to feed.'

Reason warred with her need to feed within herself, and she was barely able to stop herself from attacking the man. Silently, she drew back further in the shadows as he passed, berating herself for waiting this long to feed. She knew she would need to be exceedingly careful when she found a human suitable to feed upon, or she would drink them dangerously low of blood.

~*~

Mamoru angrily paced his apartment, still upset at Usagi for not showing up. He knew he was being irrational - something had probably stopped her from meeting him - but he also knew it was possibly she merely forgot, as habit had she was wont to do. Raking a hand through his hair, he had a sudden moment of epiphany.

`Could I use the link? If it tells me when she needs me when she's Sailor Moon and I use it to track her, wouldn't logic say I could use it now?'

Closing his eyes, the raven-haired man felt his senses reaching out, searching for the young blonde. He found her, and felt a faint sense of hunger.

`Feeding? I'll try to find her now… She should be sated by the time I can pinpoint her location. Then I can ask her where she was this afternoon.'

Shrugging into his favorite green blazer, Mamoru strode from his apartment, pausing only to lock the door behind him, before heading confidently in the direction he felt the blonde to be.

~*~

"Jadeite, you have yet to deal any major damage to the Sailor Senshi… I expected better of you."

Jadeite bowed deeply, dearly hoping he had not awakened his superior's renowned anger.

"My apologies, Queen Beryl, they are not as helpless as they seem. I have noticed a faint growing of energy near a small temple. I will go investigate this power, if my Queen wishes it.

Queen Beryl, slightly appeased by his explanation, nodded, before dismissing him from her presence with a wave of her hand, allowing the surge of youma lurking in the background to press closer to her throne.

~*~

Usagi once again stifled the urge to pounce upon a man hurriedly walking by. She had never felt a hunger like this before. She began to feel a loathing for this race of people, who were unaware to her presence and the true dangers the world held. She began to doubt why she could not just take this man, as he walked by. Yet, as soon as he passed from sight, Usagi calmed herself. The blood lust was beginning to control her. If she did not feed very quickly, she risked the death of the next person who chanced to walk before her.

Her eyes began to glow slightly, and she felt the need to move. She could not just stand here. If someone didn't come, she would have to-

`Wait! A man comes… Shabby clothes, I can smell the alcohol from here… Perfect.'

A feral smile graced her face, as she slunk into the shadows, waiting for the perfect moment to strike. He stumbled in front of her, tripping upon an imaginary rock. She lunged at that moment, sinking her elongated teeth deeply into his throat, desperately seeking the warm trail of wet blood lurking there.

She savored every warm, wet drop as it slid down her throat, strengthening her body and vitalizing her soul with the feeling. Seconds trailed by, then minutes as she continued to steadily drink from him, loving the sensations that came of drinking from him. She became lost in the world of pleasures feeding gave her, forgetting the world around her, that she was in a public place no matter how dark the path had become.

Her eyes gradually lost their glow as she pulled her mouth from his throat, licking any stray drops from her lips. Then, quickly, she looked to his face. The bite marks were already healed as she had placed her right hand on his neck as soon she pulled her mouth away. Her left hand covered his mouth to prevent him from crying out, and a few flecks of blood were scattered across his face from the enthusiastic bite to sate her hunger. But his eyes - wide open in fear, and now glazed in death.

Usagi gasped in horror, quickly shoving the corpse away from her. She let out a spasmodic sob, her right hand flying to her mouth to cover the sound. Her body reeled with the reality of what she had done, the crime of killing a living, breathing soul, of going against every moral she ever had and taking another's life. Her breaths came in short, sporadic bursts, breaking on every convulsive sob, making her entire body shudder. She crouched back in the shadows, curling against a tree, after shoving the dead body beneath nearby bushes, and continued to sob.

This was how Mamoru found her, trembling and hysterical several minutes later. She looked up at him wordlessly, her blue eyes rimmed with tears and filled with guilt, before throwing herself in his arms.

He repressed the feelings that awoke in his body at having the golden child pressed against him, his arms mechanically coming up to hold her, as panic began to overtake him, his anger entirely forgotten.

`Gods, what do I do? What happened? She can't do this after every feeding, does she despise how she must live that much?' He omitted that line of thinking quickly. `If she did this after every feed she would have killed herself long ago rather than live in this torment.'

"Usagi-chan, Usako," he began to comfort her, speaking gently, "What happened? Can you tell me?"

In spite of herself, she gave a small smile at the pet name, before sniffling as another sob overcame her.

`Usako, ne? All right…' "Mamo-chan, I - I killed him. He's dead, I took his life. I took too long to feed, I was so, so hungry… I couldn't control myself, I didn't even realize how long I'd been feeding off him. The blood, there wasn't anymore, so I stopped, and I looked at him, and he was *dead* because I killed him! He probably had a family, and friends who cared for him, and they'll spend the rest of their lives wondering how he died and they'll go through such anguish…"

Her heart contracted painfully, knowing she alone would be the cause of people's grief. She buried her face in Mamoru's chest, her small fingers clenching his black turtleneck.

When she began to speak, he couldn't help but smile at what she called him, but as she continued their link began to intensify. He had used it to find her, and now her waves of grief and guilt were rolling over him, trying to drown him in her sorrow. One hand kept her cradled against him, while the other crept up to smooth her hair. He pulled her down to the ground, intent on letting her ride out her grief before either of them moved, trying clumsily to send comfort and security through their link.

Her sobs somewhat abated, she began to speak again, "…I feel sick…"

~*~

Sooooooo, how was it? Decent length, I guess, and I originally planned to write more… but this was so End of Evangelion-ish, I had to stop here. Anybody a Shin Seiki (Neon Genesis) Evangelion fan? If you aren't, that's the last line of the movie -.-` Care to tell me what kind of an ending that is to a movie? *sigh* Sorry, moving on. *Please please* review and tell me if you liked it, or what you didn't like. Or, you can email me at MoonlightStormSM@aol.com. Thanks so much for reading!