"I have a feeling Meikai is taking over Makai and Reikai, that's why
the spirits and youkai are fleeing here to Ningenkai, and possessing humans
to take cover." Hinageshi concluded, a knot tightening in her stomach.
Kuwabara sat back, and cursed. The explanation made sense. But... with Makai
and Reikai and Meikai down here on Ningenkai, how will they be able to stop
them?
* * *
Sailorjupiter took a step back. "Stay back! I'm not deceived by your
facade!" God, it hurt! Her leg was growing weaker. She couldn't stand much
pain any longer.
"First things first," Kurama told her, concern in his low, velvetty
voice. "Let's have a look at that leg. You're lucky the marble fragment
didn't enter the skin or else it would've gotten infected by now, and
would've caused more complications."
Jupiter tried to take another step back. Unfortunately, her vision
blurred. God, it really hurt! Her knee collapsed. `Can't stay up...` She
fell. The last thing she heard was the sound of Kurama's shoes on the marble
floor, running towards her.
***********************************************************************
Chapter 7
"Unexpected Developments"
=======================================================================
Everything was peaceful, quiet. Except for the sound of the TV set
and the sound of the shower, Minako, Hotaru, and Setsuna sat back in
silence. This peace was very disturbing.
"It's like the calm before the storm," came Setsuna's voice. She had
broken the spell of silence. The sound of the shower had stopped, and was
followed by the squeaking of a faucet knob. A few minutes later, Haruka
emerged from the bathroom wearing a new pair of slacks, and a brand new
pressed flannel shirt. She was drying her hair vigorously with a towel.
"So," Minako said to Haruka. "Did you clog up the drain?"
Haruka threw the towel at Minako. "Watch it, neko-chan," She scolded
Minako. "You're on my territory." Minako made a face at her.
"Minna, listen to this," Hotaru told them, as she increased the
volume of the television. News. Setsuna, Haruka, and Minako fixed their
attentions on the screen where the newscaster was giving off the daily report.
"Hospitals are packed as the people of Tokyo have been mysteriously
collapsing, and have died for no reason. We have received word that outside
Japan, people have been suffering the same..."
"The world is in chaos," Hotaru looked anxiously at the three.
"We have to find the source of the problem," Setsuna stood up.
"Minako-chan, what happened to Mako-chan?"
"I don't know," Minako replied, her forehead creasing. "We were
supposed to meet at my house, but she never showed up. She never called me
on my communicator either. I told Artemis to stay at home, just in case
Mako-chan showed up."
"Something must be up," Hotaru stood up as well, her violet eyes
reflected a thousand years. Age showed in her tender young face. Maturity.
"Something wrong."
The television continued to show the news. The newscaster went on,
"And now for the weather. Sunny skies, but partly cloudy later on in the
afternoon. Brief rainshowers in the early evening, but other than that... we
have perfectly fine weather for today."
"Saa, let's go!" Minako told them. "We'd better investigate!"
"Un!" Setsuna and Hotaru chorused.
"Well, at least we have nice weather today..." Haruka remarked
finally. Minako, Setsuna, and Hotaru gaped at her. Haruka looked bemused.
"What!"
"HARUKA!!!"
=======================================================================
`Haruka...` The name suddenly flashed across her mind. Michiru hoped
that Haruka was alright. She looked into her mirror, and saw the terrible
things happening. `The world... is in trouble!` Michiru lay down on her bed,
exhausted.
Someone knocked on her door.
"Who's there?" Michiru called. She didn't want to get up from the
warm and cozy bed. She knew she wouldn't stay there forever. She had another
concert tomorrow morning. Then in the afternoon, she'd fly off to Paris for
another one.
"Kaiou-san?" Came the voice behind the door. The voice sounded familiar.
Michiru exhaled loudly, and got up, annoyed with the fact that
someone was bothering her during her rest period. She opened the door. She
was greeted with a very familiar face, with a very familiar smile.
"Good evening. I didn't know we'd be in the same hotel." It was Kou
Seiya! He still looked the same, with his black hair tied in a long
pony-tail, and blue eyes that sparkled with delight. "Oh, by the way, I
brought you these."
He presented to Michiru a boquet of a dozen thornless red roses.
"Arigatoo," Michiru sincerely said, and scooped the roses in her
arms. She turned away from him, and walked over to the kitchen. "Let me put
these in water. Please, have a seat."
Seiya put his hands in his pockets, and looked around the room.
"This is a real nice room you've got here."
"Yes, it is," Michiru replied from the kitchen. Seiya could hear her
running the water. "I was supposed to have a two-bedroom suite, but I
prefered a room with a balcony overlooking the sea. Would you like anything
to drink?"
Seiya decided to take a seat. "A cup of coffee would be nice."
"Where are Yaten and Taiki?" Michiru asked him, as she poured the
hot water from the thermos into Seiya's cup.
"They're downstairs. Why were you supposed to have a two-bedroom
suite, by the way?" Seiya stood up, and walked over to the balcony window.
It was overlooking the sea. What a beautiful sight it was!
Michiru stepped out of the kitchen, carrying the tray of coffee in
her arms. She placed the cup, saucer, and teaspoon on the table just beside
the balcony window where Seiya was. "Well," She answered, her voice growing
soft. "Just in case I got lonely. America is a very lonely place if you
don't know anybody there."
Seiya faced Michiru, his coffee forgotten. Michiru kept her head
lowered, starlight shining on her soft sea-green hair. Seiya placed his
hands on her shoulders. Michiru looked up at him, her ocean-blue eyes
meeting with his. Slowly, their faces inched closer together. Michiru closed
her eyes and turned her face upward. He smelled so masculine. His scent was
like fire and roses; so strong, yet so gentle. Michiru waited, her heart
filled with emotions new to her.
Seiya leaned down to kiss Michiru. He didn't know why he was so
attracted to her. His hands, which were on her shoulders, moved to her back.
He pulled her closer to him, wrapping his arms around waist. He, too, closed
his eyes. As his lips were nearing Michiru's, a knock was heard on the door.
Michiru dropped the tray she was holding. It fell to floor with a `clang`.
"Seiya," The voice behind the door said. "We need you right away."
It was Yaten.
Michiru blushed slightly, and picked up the tray that had fallen.
She smiled sweetly at Seiya, and said, "You know, you are much different now
from the Seiya that entered my dressing room before."
"I just hope I don't run into the tall one again," He replied, then
winked at her. "Duty calls. Sorry I couldn't stay longer for the coffee." He
rushed out the door, leaving Michiru to staring after it. `Seiya...`
The mirror on her bed caught her attention. It was glowing a vibrant
color. It was warning her. There was an enemy in the vicinity! She felt it
close by. She knew she had to transform into Sailorneptune, while there was
still a chance. She took out her Neptune stick, and raised it in the air,
yelling, "NEPTUNE CRYSTAL POWER... MAKE UP!!!"
Power washed over her, like a current of electric water. Her usual
frills and skirts transformed into a fuku the color of dark sea green. She
stood her ground, her heels digging into the expensive carpet. She waited.
The enemy was fast approaching. "Be on your guard, Neptune," Sailorneptune
coached herself. "Uranus isn't here anymore." As she said this, the carpet
began to move! The carpet pulled itself away from Neptune's weight, and
tranformed into a monster! Neptune was thrown off her feet, and lay sprawled
on the floor, looking wide-eyed at the horrible thing that used to be her
bedroom rug. The rug-monster wrapped itself tightly around Neptune,
squeezing the life out of her. Neptune tried to scream, but her voice ran
out on her, and she found it difficult to breathe. Tears welled up in her
eyes, as her head fell limply on the floor.
=======================================================================
Keiko rushed to the scene where a commotion was heard. Every one of
the couples had collapsed on the ground after going crazy! Keiko tried to
scream, but nothing came out. She took one step back, then another. She was
too frightened to run. The couples... dead? How...?
After taking a few steps back, she felt someone. Relief swept over
her. "Yusuke..." She turned. It wasn't Yusuke! It was a stranger, man she
didn't know! Keiko finally found her voice. She screamed, and screamed...
The man's eyes were a reddish color; demonic. He was ready to
strangle Keiko, to kill her! Was he possessed?? Keiko tried to move away
from his grasp, but the man got a hold of her hair. Keiko uttered a cry, and
struggled to get free, but the man held her fast. The man's hands moved from
her hair to her neck, gripping her sensitive flesh. Keiko choked back a sob.
`Yusuke...` Just then, the man let her go. Surprised at the sudden, and
unexpected action, Keiko stepped away from the man, almost losing her
balance. Her hands moved to her neck, which hurt from the strong, possessed
hands of the stranger. She realized that someone had hit him on the head.
Keiko tried to catch her breath, then turned her attention to her
rescuer. "Thank..." Keiko stopped, surprised to see that her rescuer was
none other than a woman with blue hair... and an oar! Botan!
"Botan-san!" Keiko was so happy to see her. Like long-lost friends,
they hugged each other. "Arigatoo gozaimasu."
"Mo~, where's Yusuke when you need him?" Botan asked, annoyed with
the fact that Yusuke wasn't around to save Keiko.
"I don't know..." Keiko shrugged sadly. Botan was about to make
another rude comment about Yusuke, when the lifeless couples suddenly got
up, and walked towards them!
"They're possessed!" Botan shrieked. She readied her oar.
"Keiko-chan, stay behind me!" One by one, she hit the couples with her oar.
They crumpled to the ground. Botan and Keiko both gave sighs of relief.
However, as soon as they turned around to leave, the couples that had been
hit, had gotten up again without Botan and Keiko knowing!
Keiko felt a twinge of fear rushing up her spine. She turned.
Another pair of possessed hands encircled her throat! They gripped her neck
tighter, choking her, intending to kill her!
"Keiko-chan!!" Botan exclaimed, but she too had been caught by a
pair of possessed hands. She swung her oar at the red-eyed people, but this
time it had no effect. Scream! Scream, damn it! Botan couldn't find her
voice. She glanced at Keiko. She was losing consciousness! TASUKETE!!!
"FIRE SOUL!!!"
Botan opened her eyes as the pain on her neck subsided. The hands
had let her go. She fell to the ground on her knees, but managed to crawl to
Keiko, who was half-unconscious on the pavement.
"Keiko-chan..." Botan said weakly. "Daijiobu desu ka?"
Keiko's voice was barely audible. "E..."
"SHABON SPRAY FREEZING!!!" The possessed people were frozen from the
attack, their figures enveloped in shiny glass of ice.
"Are you guys alright?" A girl with long black hair asked Botan and
Keiko. She was wearing the most peculiar outfit Botan had ever seen.
"Un." Botan nodded, uncertain if she could trust the girl. "Behind you!"
The girl turned abruptly, her long hair dancing to her sudden
movement. A possessed man grabbed at her raven locks, pulling till she cried
out in pain. The girl, to Botan's surprise, grabbed the man by his
shirtfront, and punched him silly!
"I have had it!!" The girl said, as she pulled out a piece of paper
with kanji written on it. A spirit ward! With the swiftness of her graceful
hand, she came up with a dozen or more spirit wards, and placed them on the
foreheads of the possessed victims. "Akiryou taisan!" The victims crumpled
to the ground.
"Mars," The other girl, with short hair, who did the `Shabon Spray
Freezing` blast, said. "According to my mini computer, there aren't anymore
possessions in this area. The attacks have moved uptown." She closed her
small computer, and kept it. The visor she wore, disappeared as well, with
the touch of her earring.
"Okay, let's go!" The girl named Mars, replied.
"Wait!" Botan struggled to get up. "Who are you guys? Do you have
anything to do with these innocent people?"
Mars and the other girl faced Botan and Keiko, their hands on their
slender hips. "I'm Sailormars," The raven-haired girl, who wore red, said.
"And this is Sailormercury." Referring to the short-haired girl who wore
blue. "We detect an enemy in the area, and we're gonna check it out!"
"Soo desu ka?" Botan responded. "The enemy... does it happen to be a
strong force from the other worlds?"
Mars gasped. "How do you know that?? Who are you??"
Botan stood up. "I am Botan, deity of death; guide of souls; and
messenger of the king of Reikai, Enma Daioh." Then, with a sudden change of
mood, she added, "Yoroshiku!" A comical smile spread across her face.
"KEIKO!!!"
Botan, Mars and Mercury turned to see where the loud voice had come
from. Botan's face converted to a look of surprise. "Yusuke!"
Yusuke stopped in his tracks as he saw the half-unconscious Keiko
lying on the ground. He ran to her unmoving body, and lifted her head,
putting his hand under her neck. "Keiko! Sukai shiro! Oi~!"
Keiko slowly opened her eyes. Seeing the familiar face of Yusuke,
her eyes watered. "Yusuke! You're here!" She cried. She put her arms around
his neck, and gave him a loving embrace.
"Aa~," Botan looked thrilled. "What a cute couple, ne?" She elbowed
Mars. Mars looked strangely at Botan. She was as bubble-brained as Usagi!
"Anyway," Mercury said, after blushing at the sight of Keiko and
Yusuke. "We'd better scout uptown. Many live are in danger!"
Yusuke and Keiko joined Mars, Mercury, and Botan in the chorus. "Un!!"
=======================================================================
***********************************************************************
____________________________________________________________
http://www.skyinet.net/users/kcmisa/UForest.htm |
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ICQ #: 703221 |
____________________________________________________________/
"A smile is worth a thousand words."
-- That's Cheval-chan for yah! ^_^