Naito Raida ikari@wantree.net.au
if that address doesn't work, try
ikari@chariot.net.au
--------------------------------------------------------------------
"WHO THE HELL ARE YOU?" The man, Hidetachi Kudan, roared with
undistilled anger. Kazue shrank several inches in his presence.
"AND JUST WHAT THE HELL DO YOU WANT?"
"I came.... to interview...." He started to say, but didn't
get very far. Oddly enough, it was exactly as far as he expected to
get, but he just couldn't help himself, as if someone else had been
saying the words that came from his mouth.
"I DON'T DO INTERVIEWS, PARASITE!" Hidetachi, annoyed at the
reporter's intrusion into his life, gripped Kazue's collar and
lifted him, bodily, from the ground.
"But I was told to come here...." Kazue croaked as he felt
the tightness around his neck. "To interview Tsukino Usagi...."
The ludicrousness of the statement still didn't prevent him from
saying it. Tsukino Usagi lived several houses down the street....
Why was he bothering to mention it in the presence of this ruffian?
"Usagi-chan?" The woman standing behind Hidetachi, his latest
squeeze Sherie McRae, an ex centerfold, looked up at her man's face.
"He's talking about the girl across the road. You know, the one who
rescued the little kid." She crossed her arms and leaned against
the frame of the front door. "To be expected, I suppose. The media
has the innate ability to ingratiate itself on people who don't
deserve their scrutiny."
"So...." Hidetachi smiled, pulling Kazue's face up to his
own. "You wanna talk wiv lil' Usagi-chan? Well, lemme tell ya
somethin'.... I've been lookin' after da kids in dis street fer
years, an' I don't take kindly ta scum like you nosin' around in
their business, ya understand." He paused for effect, then....
"Especially when it means messin' around in MY business!" And with
that, Hidetachi drew back a fist and sent Kazue packing back to his
office, one way express.
Sherie put a hand over her eyes, watching Kazue fly away.
"You gotta be careful, Ku-chan.... One of these days you'll send
someone into orbit." Hidetachi cracked his knuckles, feeling rather
satisfied with himself, then put an arm around Sherie, who snuggled
up to his chest, giggling.
"Never give parasites like that a second chance, dats what I
always say." He smiled at Sherie, gently, placing a finger under
her chin. "Dey took advantage of you when ya were just a kid.
Better to send dem packin' before dey get da opportunity."
"Oh Ku-chan!" Sherie giggled and nuzzled against Hidetachi's
chest hairs.
"All da same, ya know what dis means, of course?"
"What?" Sherie raised her head, frowning.
"It means I'm gonna hafta watch out for dat Tsukino girl, full
time. Otherwise scum like 'im is gonna be crawlin' da street." He
turned and looked over at Usagi's house. "It's my job, after all."
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BISHOUJO SENSHI SAILORMOON / TAIHO SHICHAUZO
NOT A GOD
by nIGHT rIDER (Assistance by DDFA)
Disclaimer - all characters pertaining to the series Bishoujo Senshi
Sailormoon and Taiho Shichauzo are owned by Takeuchi Naoko,
Fujishima Kosuke, Bandai, TBS, and Kodansya. All other characters
were thought up by me. Well, it's true, isn't it?
Chapter 12
Night Dreaming
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>From the Personal Journal of Neo Queen Serenity
(Tsukino Usagi I)
6/29/98
Hidetachi Kudan. Mother and Father would tell me, as a child,
never to associate myself with him, but never would say why. There
were always whispers about him, of course, and he looked like the
kind of person one should really avoid... a gangster, a heavy. Of
course, appearances, and reputations, can be deceiving.
Hidetachi-san's family had lived within the Juuban district
for generations, and had always regarded themselves as its ersatz
guardians. One would be tempted to refer to them as vigilantes if
it weren't for the more subtle methods they used to protect the
people of Juuban. Their connections, to various shady groups, as
well as the pillars of society, made them into a kind of mediation
group... minders, so to speak. And it was this that Hidetachi Kudan
prided himself on being.
And he was very good at it, too. Especially when dealing with
nosy reporters. Setsuna knew exactly what she was doing when she
sent that sleazy reporter his way. Most especially if the guy was
likely to mention my name. After all, living just down the street
from him, I was likely to come under his wing, even if I didn't know
it most of the time. The only occasion that I can recall where he
made his presence obvious is when I was no more than eight years
old, and had sprained my ankle in a playground brawl with some
bullies who were thugging on Naru-chan. Suddenly, this huge
mountain of muscle arrives and picks up the two boys by the backs of
their collars, bodily, lifting them off the ground to HIS face
height. All he did was smile, and the pair of them suddenly had wet
patches in the seat of their trousers.
After letting them go (well, you can't say he hurt them or
anything... that's not his style) and watching them make for the
hills, he lifted me up onto his shoulders and carried me back home,
explaining to Mother what had happened. Excluding her nervousness
at coming face to face with him, she was most grateful for his
intervention. Of course, she was cross at me for giving the boys
black eyes....
We never did have any trouble with those boys again. Every
time we did come face to face, they beat a nervous retreat, making
chicken noises as they did so. Well, that last bit could have been
my imagination, but it was a nice thought.
----o
Natsumi opened her eyes, momentarily, as the door to her room
opened, letting in a small amount of light from the corridor beyond.
She stirred, turning on her bed and muttering something
unintelligible about the ride height of the ZX9R.
"You'll catch a cold if you sleep on top of your covers, you
know." Miyuki crossed her arms, half smiling as her partner tossed
one of her pillows across the room at her. "Oh tsk tsk! I only
came to see if you were awake or not."
"I'm awaaaaake. Now." Natsumi mumbled. "It'sh shtarting to
get late, you know."
"I know. I just thought you'd want to know that Yoriko and
Aoi have left."
"Haiiii." Miyuki wasn't expecting much of a reply, as Natsumi
raised her hand in the air, waving dismissively before turning away
from her partner, towards the window.
"Well, if you hadn't bolted down those drinks, you wouldn't be
feeling like this, now, silly girl. It was rather rude of you,
whilst we had visitors, although with past experience...." Miyuki
shrugged her shoulders. "I'm sure you remember Lord Enma's
inspection, when we tried to hide you in the lockers because of your
hangover. I'm sure he was REALLY pleased with the way you
redecorated his uniform."
"Ah, ta hell wiv work." Natsumi harrumphed. "I can deal wizh
that when it happensh. Not a problemsh. I thinksh." Natsumi
giggled, then went quiet before wiping her nose with the kind of
snorting noise that made Miyuki squirm.
"What's wrong with you, lately?" Miyuki frowned with some
concern. "You've been acting awfully grumpy." She pondered for a
moment. "I know you haven't been sleeping well. Although I'd put
that down to the things you'd eat before you went to bed, as
usual...."
"It'sh nuffink, alright. I've jusht been having a lot of
dreamsh, okay?" Natsumi's response seemed a little curt for
Miyuki's liking. It wasn't often that Natsumi would fail to voice
her feelings. Indeed, there was rarely an emotion that would pass
through Natsumi's mind that wouldn't be vocalised, one way or
another. Miyuki had usually been the one to bottle up her feelings
about things, something that would often drive Natsumi clean round
the twist, especially when things involved Nakajima.
Miyuki's concept of social sensitivity tended to override her
desire for action, meaning that her method of dealing with things
was inaction, silently hoping that things would work themselves out.
That had changed a little when she met Natsumi, learning a little
more self-confidence in private matters whilst hoping to temper
Natsumi at the same time. It was actually one of the reasons
Bokutoo's Captain had paired them together.
Miyuki padded across the room and sat alongside her partner on
the edge of the bed. Natsumi, registering her presence, moved
further away, as if putting more room between them would make Miyuki
disappear. "Natsumi...." Miyuki whispered. "I know you better
than this.... Something has been gnawing at you, lately."
"Trying the soft approach, eh?" Natsumi started to chuckle,
then sat up, smiling like a loon. "Oh Miyuki, creeping into my
bedroom in the middle of the night. I didn't know you cared." And
with that, she threw her arms around Miyuki, making smooching sounds
as Miyuki sweatdropped, trying to push her away.
"Maybe you had a little more to drink than I thought...."
Miyuki huffed as Natsumi's chin fell against her shoulder, giggling
inanely. "You're not going to put me off that easily, however."
Natsumi sat up, a hurt expression on her face as she fought to
keep her balance, eventually losing the battle as she slumped back
against the mattress. "Mi...yu...ki... You're so cruel to me.
Teasing me like that." She giggled a little, then went silent,
staring at the ceiling, her expression sober, belying her drunken
actions. "They're just dreams, you know. Nothing serious." She
whispered, eventually. "Nothing to do with that girl, really. I
mean, dreams are just your mind's way of sorting through the
garbage. They don't really mean anything at all, even though they
can hurt you, sometimes. Affect your entire day. They don't have
some deep, hidden agenda, right?" She peered up at Miyuki, who
remained silent. "I mean, you're the logical one, so you should
understand what I'm talking about. As irrational as I am, I really
don't have the time for such things as dreams. I mean...." Then
she started giggling again. "Sorry, that was the booze talking. I
really need some sleep. The room is starting to do cartwheels.
Have Yoriko and Aoi left yet? I really should say goodbye. It
would be rude if I don't."
"They've already left." Miyuki whispered. Natsumi clicked
her tongue.
"Well how do you like that. Without even telling me! The
nerve of that pair." She made to get up. "I have the right mind
to chase them down and DEMAND that they say goodbye to me." She
paused, feeling suddenly giddy. "On second thoughts, I think I'll
be just fine right here." And she fell back against the bed,
muttering to herself. "Nothing to do with that girl. Nothing at
all."
Miyuki sighed and stood from the bed, stepping back to the
door. She wasn't going to get much that was intelligible out of
Natsumi this night. Better in the morning, or at work. More likely
at work.... After binges like this, Natsumi never arrived on time.
With one last look at her partner, she said.... "Night, Natsumi."
"G'night, Captain...." Natsumi hugged the remaining pillow,
giggling. "Be gentle with me." Miyuki rolled her eyes.
"And make sure you sleep under the covers. Understand? UNDER
the covers."
----o
Usagi, for the first time in many years, had managed to force
herself to go to bed at a reasonable hour. Most of this was due
almost entirely to the fact that she was so absorbed in doting on
Miki. And with the girl so lacking in energy, it wasn't long after
dinner, and an abridged explanation of what had happened with the
gentleman at the front door, that she was making noises about going
back to sleep, her eyes drooping and her head tipping forward.
Setsuna managed to time a well-placed hand to stop Miki's head
crashing down upon the table, which is what brought things to
everyones' ultimate attention.
Setsuna excused herself at that point, saying her goodbyes and
giving Usagi a wink as she went out the front door. Then, after a
short bath, where Usagi spent much of her time trying to stop Miki
dozing off within the warmth of the soothing waters, they donned
their bedclothes and Usagi carried the girl upstairs and into her
bedroom, giving Shingo a parting shot about the way he would treat
visitors. Shingo muttered something under his breath, tramping back
to his bedroom as Usagi closed the door behind her.
It was at this point that Usagi found her bed had been short-
sheeted, presumably by Shingo. The bottom sheet was folded over to
appear as if it were the top sheet, not giving Usagi enough room to
slip both Miki and herself into the bed. Usagi only JUST managed to
contain her annoyance, as she placed Miki a chair on the other side
of the room and fixed up the sabotage, finding the original topsheet
underneath the bed. Shingo was going to PAY the next day, however.
Moments later, she was in the bed, lights off, with Miki
snuggling up beside her, the girl trying to use as much of Usagi's
bodywarmth as possible. Usagi was shocked at how cold the girl's
body actually was. She understood how unwell Miki had been all her
life, but it never really dawned on her, the kinds of physical
effects her condition had on her. Miki hadn't professed any
discontent, earlier, so she had to have been used to such a low body
temperature. Still, it was worrying.
"G'night, Mama...." Miki whispered, more asleep than awake.
Usagi smiled and snuggled down underneath the covers, the sounds of
the household quietening as time passed, her eyelids becoming heavy
as she held Miki to her. And then....
----o
>From the Personal Journal of Neo Queen Serenity
(Tsukino Usagi I)
6/29/98
Early to bed, early to rise.... It makes a person healthy,
wealthy... and immeasurably boring. Which is why I've made it my
life's ambition to get up late, every day.
There have been a few distractions in the process of sleep,
however, and some of them have been rather.... unusual, for want of
a better word.
----o
....She opened her eyes, smacking her lips together as she
prepared to snuggle down even further, only to find that she wasn't
lying back under the covers any more. In fact, she was now sitting
in a large chair, in front of a mirror. A very elaborate mirror, at
that, the kind that her parents could never even begin to think
about affording it. Before the mirror lay a dressing table, with
hair clips and combs lying over it, cast there as if dropped without
much in the way of thought.
Nearby was a small jewel box, open, revealing its gleaming
contents to her. Simple as they looked, they captured her attention
like few such items ever had. Upon closer inspection, leaning over
to pick up the box, she could see the complexity etched into every
line and pattern on them. Earrings, pendants, necklaces, brooches,
rings, chains and such, and she recognised every single one of them.
Only, she had never seen them before, but then, she had. It was a
most confusing sensation to experience. She lowered a hand into the
box, touching the jewellery, feeling the resonance of the rare
metals that they were made of. There was some silver, some gold,
some platinum and others she had never seen before, and stones of
exquisite patterns and colours. She'd seen this kind of stuff, in
the snobbiest of jewelers.... The VERY snobbiest of jewelers, in
fact. So snobby that they even considered whether certain customers
were worth letting in their front door, something she'd never been
able to do unless it had been with Naru and her mother. She was
not, in their eyes, a "lady of substance".
The thought made her almost toss the box back onto the
dressing table. In a way, she actually found it hard to cop such
elements of luxury. She'd spent so much of her time trying to live
the life of a normal girl, that having anything out of the ordinary
in her possession almost felt embarrassing. She looked up into the
mirror, huffing as she did so, wondering what the hell was going on,
when she came close to falling out of her chair. "What the heck?"
She leaned forward, staring boggle-eyed at the image of Serenity,
looking back at her with equal disbelief. Her hair, although not
done up in its usual manner, had more of the silvery glow than her
traditional golden blonde. In fact, it was hanging in loose waves,
as if she had just climbed out of bed. That was it, of course, she
had to be dreaming. She knew she'd eaten too much before she went
to bed.... "Had to have been the carrots." She mumbled to herself
as she leaned back in the chair, feeling a little dazed, brushing
down the front of the silken white gown she was wearing. She sighed
again. She never wore these gowns, ever. Couldn't stand the
things, all light and white and fragile and pure-looking and cold.
And bloody-well expensive. Right now, though, it didn't really seem
to matter all that much. In a few moments she was going to wake up
and....
"Uuuhuhuhuhuhuuuu...." The slightly stifled chuckle came from
behind her. She'd heard that laugh before and closed her eyes. Oh
no, not again. Not HER. Placing her face in one of her hands, she
turned in her seat, staring across what was obviously a large
private chamber to the elegant woman, dressed in an entirely
elaborate gown the same colour as her own, standing with a sense of
genteel quietness, a hand covering her smile just barely. She
recognised every feature of the woman, for it was an older mirror of
her own. Queen Serenity, her mother. She cringed and slid down in
the seat, hoping the ceiling fell on her head. "What is wrong, my
daughter?" The Queen asked. "Are you not happy to see me?"
"The only times I ever see you are when I'm in an immense
state of trouble." Usagi mumbled, sinking even lower in the seat,
to the point where she'd achieved the kind of position professional
contortionists had spent years attaining. "What are you going to
warn me about, this time? Is the hole in the ozone layer about to
explode? There isn't much I can do about that right now. Right
now, of course. I have my best scientists working on it. When I
get some scientists, that is." A few moments of silence were
followed by soft footsteps, padding across the thickly-carpeted
floor, towards her. She peered upwards as she detected the Queen's
shadow falling across her face, her expression looking slightly
hurt.
"You mustn't think much of me." The Queen sighed. "I haven't
been able to be the best of mothers of late. I have had my reasons,
of course. Being dead is certainly a contributing factor." She
wagged a finger in the air, looking thoughtful. "The amount of
energy it takes to appear also mitigates against regular visits,
except during the direst emergencies."
"That's the bit that worries me." Usagi sniffed, feeling a
little glum. The Queen reached down and caressed her face with a
gentle hand. Usagi looked up, amazed at the sensation. She could
actually FEEL her touch. The sensation made her sit up. "Your
body.... It's...."
"Solid? Well, as solid as could be. It seems that you are
generating an astonishing amount of spiritual energy, far in excess
of your own needs." The Queen took her daughter by the hand and
helped her to her feet. "Enough for a casual, wandering spirit like
myself to manifest with ease. All those past times were quite a
strain on my own reserves. This time I haven't even begun to tap
them. Something has changed within you." She pointed a finger into
her daughter's face. "I am here to see what that change has been."
"This sounds bad." Usagi swallowed. "I refuse, absolutely,
to be involved in a series of scientific tests. I hate test tubes
and needles, they make me break out into hives." The Queen stared
wide-eyed at her daughter, then broke out in fits of laughter,
putting an arm around her daughter, leading her across the room.
Usagi glanced back towards the chair. "Umm.... Where are we going?
I'm not exactly in a state to go out, anywhere. Well, I guess I AM
out, in a sense.... But walking around in public in a nightgown is
kinda embarrassing, if you know what I mean?"
"Never stopped you before." The Queen chuckled to herself as
Usagi gave her strange looks. "Why don't you look in the mirror?"
She turned Usagi towards the mirror, holding her shoulders
protectively. Usagi's chin dropped to the floor.... She no longer
looked as if she had just risen from bed.... Her hair was done, up
in its traditional style, and she wore a fanciful brilliant blue
cape over the top of a gown made of delicate white fabrics.... The
kind of clothing she used to wear when she would travel in public.
She looked down at the clothes, surprised that she didn't feel the
change in their weight. Reaching up to her ears, she could feel a
pair of drop earrings, jingling softly whenever she would move her
head.
"That's always been your problem." Usagi sighed.
"What is?" The Queen leaned over her shoulder at her
daughter, who glanced back at her with a cynical eyebrow slightly
raised.
"You always have to make a big production out of everything."
Queen Serenity giggled as Usagi shrunk, feeling slightly overwhelmed
by the experience.
"Don't I just?" The Queen said as she guided Usagi around
towards the doors of the chamber, both opening as if automatic.
Usagi spent most of the time they walked through to the vast
hallway, beyond, trying to find the sensor.
"This is leading somewhere, isn't it?" Usagi turned back to
her mother.
"All paths lead somewhere." The Queen smiled, waving a hand
at a confused-looking young woman, dressed in what appeared to be
some kind of uniform, who just happened to be making her way down
the corridor in the opposite direction. Usagi glanced at her,
taking in the dark blue of the cape that covered her shoulders,
adorned with badges on both shoulders with the emblem of the
kingdom. Her short, dark hair seemed oddly out of place for the
setting, however.
"Who was that?" Usagi pointed back at the young woman as they
entered an atrium, a high, well-lit dome above. Usagi stared at the
dome with an open mouth.
"Why do you want to know?" Queen Serenity brought her back to
Earth.... Or the Moon, as the case may be.
"Hmm?" Usagi blinked.
"Why do you want to know who the young lady was? She is but a
mere Guardolier." The Queen smiled, mischievously, making Usagi
feel she was being lead on.
"I may not remember much, but you never treated anyone as
'mere', no matter what their status." Usagi glowered. "Are you
trying to tell me something without telling me anything? That's
Pluto's job." She paused. "Did you go to school together, or are
you related?"
"Which question do you want me to answer?"
"All of them. In some kind of order." Usagi sighed with
exasperation. "In such a way that I could understand, would be
nice."
"Yes, yes and no. In that order." Serenity gently guided
Usagi through the atrium into the following corridor, which looked,
for all the world, like the corridor they had just left, with Usagi
silenced, trying to work out which answers went with which
questions, having forgotten the order in which she had asked them.
"Why do some people have to talk in riddles?" She muttered.
"Anyway.... Umm...." She regained her thoughts. "About that young
woman.... The 'Guardolier', you called her."
"Yes?"
"Do I know her? I seem to have seen her face quite a lot,
recently, mostly in dreams."
"Like this one?"
Usagi scratched her head. "Yeah, kinda like this one." She
giggled, nervously. "Anyway, have I met her before?"
"Yes." The Queen nodded.
"Ah...."
"And no." The Queen nodded.
"Ah...." Usagi turned away, then did a double-take. "Wha?"
"She was one of your teachers in the ancient laws of the
kingdom. Mostly the more glitzy aspects of its history, really....
She had a penchant for the dramatic."
"So, she wasn't a 'mere' Guardolier, then...."
"No."
"So why the double answer to my question. Have I met her or
not?"
"Yes. And no."
"Thanks. That cleared up a lot." Usagi glowered. "Would you
do your daughter a small favour and elaborate on things a little. I
mean, we're related.... We should talk more deeply. More
meaningfully." Usagi paused, crossing her arms and nodding. "We're
all equals here. We all share the same basic goals and all. There
is no need to hide anything from one another."
Queen Serenity's smile disappeared from her face and she
considered her daughter for a moment, making Usagi feel
uncomfortable. "Then...." The Queen paused, then reached over to
touch Usagi's face. "Why are you hiding this change, deep within?"
"Change?" Usagi looked at Queen Serenity's fingers, feeling a
little uncomfortable. She placed a hand on her chest. "I'm.. not
hiding anything. That I aware of."
"Awareness, in your case, is not always a conscious thing.
You gave away some of your power to a beast born from darkness, yet
felt none of the drain that that should have had on your system."
"It wasn't that much. Really." Usagi swallowed. "It should
only keep her going a few days, anyway, until we find her some
alternative form of energy. Besides, the Ginzuishou magnifies the
energy I give out, which would account for everything. Wouldn't
it?"
"Yes...." Queen Serenity took her hand away. "Yes. It
might. But not in this case. The energy that beast received should
keep her going for a month or more." Her tone became almost
lecturing. "Besides the argument of supplying a creature like that
with life energy. They are parasites, living off of others without
giving anything in return."
"But she isn't like that." Usagi clenched her fists, angrily.
"Really. She's not like the other Youma. She's really different."
"In your mind, yes. You forget, I have seen the darkness that
dwells within the hearts of many. That darkness feeds on life like
the Youma. A deep, insatiable appetite...." Her voice trailed off,
then she snapped to. "Anyway, it is your decision. I am no longer
in a position to tell you what to do, but I can guide you and advise
you. That is why I am here. I have taken some interest in your
recent activities, concerning the young girl, Takimi Miki."
"Advise?" Usagi cleared her throat. "I'm doing a fine job
looking after her, if you mind. Don't think, just because I'm
younger than you, that I can't be as good a mother as you." Usagi
puffed up her chest, trying to press her point. Queen Serenity was
having none of it, though.
"You're simply trying to prove something, not only to
yourself, but to everyone around you." She wagged a finger in
Usagi's face. "Trying to make up for the failures of the past.
And it won't work, you know. You've done this before. I can show
you, if you like, the disbalance that can occur between your concern
for the individual and your role as a member of the royal line...."
END OF PART 12
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Next Chapter.... "Rumbling Along"
Naito Raida ikari@wantree.net.au
if that address doesn't work, try
ikari@chariot.net.au
Don't ask why.... The changeover
between Wantree and Chariot is a
complex and bureaucratic issue that
defies true explanation.... -_-;;