Absence - By Kirika
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Chapter 11 - The Challenge
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Rei popped another wonton in her mouth while she waited in the Yoshuhanten Honten; a Chinese restaurant that was across from Wong Fei's. Wong Fei's turned out to be a fireworks and Chinese lantern shop in the east side of Chinatown. Initially, Rei had walked straight in ready to rumble and was surprised when it turned out to be just an ordinary shop. Hoping that the youma she had questioned hadn't lied; Rei decided to stake out the shop in the Chinese restaurant, Tsubasa and Sanjuro in tow. Both had insisted on coming; nothing short of a fire soul would have dissuaded them. Rei assumed that Sanjuro wanted to stay because he knew that she was the masked woman he was looking for, or at the very least some sort of fighter of monsters. Rei wasn't entirely sure why Tsubasa had come.
Probably too scared to go to work, or stay at Sanjuro's
It was annoying having them both with her; neither could look her in the eye after last night and they both treaded on eggshells around her. But Rei was thankful for the silence; she really wasn't in the talking mood. Both of the men sat across from her; Sanjuro fiddling with his camera, which he had been doing for the last two hours, and Tsubasa drinking tea, never taking his eyes off the tablecloth.
The youma will most likely come at night thought Rei, and they will be ready for me
It didn't matter if they knew she was coming. Rei would kill them all or be killed herself. It was that simple.
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Tsubasa continued to look down at the tablecloth like he had been doing for the past hour or so. The checker pattern was permanently tattooed in his mind now. It was like he was unable to lift his head any higher, unable to look at Megumi's face. Tsubasa took another sip of his tea. That's all he had been doing since he arrived at the restaurant: staring and sipping tea. And also thinking. At first Tsubasa had admired Megumi for her courage to face evil creatures, these... youma. But now he felt pity for the girl. He had never seen anybody so hung up on another person before. It was almost frightening; the depth of her love for Usagi didn't seem to have any limits. Tsubasa knew one thing for sure; he had no chance at all with her. There was no way she was ever going to even consider another person in her current state. Hell, he wasn't even the right gender. Tsubasa sighed and mentally chastised himself for being so selfish. Was that why he had accompanied her? Because of his
feelings? It was a possibility... but he couldn't deny that he was genuinely worried for Megumi. The things she had said last night... Tsubasa wasn't sure she meant to survive the coming fights. And he knew there would be fights... he had heard what the youma said in his apartment after all; there was some `gate' here that had to be destroyed or something.
Tsubasa drunk more of his tea and moved his eyes slightly to the right, looking at Sanjuro's hands do something to his camera. Tsubasa didn't know what he was doing but it sure seemed to take a long time; he had been at it for ages. Sanjuro had been totally useless in helping him with Megumi last night. Even in the morning he never said anything... but he was a little less cheerful. Tsubasa didn't like Sanjuro very much... he seemed like the kind of person that would step over his own mother and sell out his best friend if it was in his own interests. How Megumi knew such as person was beyond Tsubasa. But, he had to admit he did come through for them with a place to hide out.
Tsubasa finished his tea and picked up the teapot to pour another, head still lowered.
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Rodoth paced back and forth on the main dance floor of the Ragnarok nightclub. He was very angry; his attack on the human had not gone well at all. But since Rodoth went alone, he had reported his own tale of what happened to Khairephon. He couldn't know that he had nearly been killed and told the female about the location of the only other gate they had found. When he had made it back to the nightclub he had ordered several youma to go back to the apartment and try to capture her, but as he suspected she and the male were long gone. But it was of no consequence; the stars were aligned correctly for the gate to be opened tonight and he would bring a host of youma with him to the site. She would be there... Rodoth knew she would be. He had a score to settle with her before any other youma could lay a hand on her. Rodoth stopped pacing and looked over to the cleaned kitchen knife lying on the stage. He was going to kill her himself. He rarely took things personally, but what
she had did to him was unforgivable... Rodoth was going to make her suffer.
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The sun had been down for a few hours before the youma made their move. Rei saw several youma disguised as humans go down the alley beside the fireworks store, no doubt breaking in from a side entrance. There were probably more going in where Rei couldn't see them. It was time.
Rei got up and left the restaurant, letting Tsubasa pay the bill. Sanjuro had been called back to the Daily office by his editor, and Rei was glad to see him go; she didn't need him getting in the way trying to take pictures. Rei looked back at Tsubasa as he stepped out of the Yoshuhanten Honten.
"You wait here," she said without emotion.
Tsubasa looked at her warily and seemed like he was going to say something, but Rei had already crossed the street towards Wong Fei's. She walked up to the front door and tested it: it wasn't locked. Rei took a deep breath and entered the store, closing and locking the door behind her.
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Sanjuro sighed as he made his way to his desk at the Yokohama Daily; his editor had just given him the chewing out of his lifetime. Sanjuro never realised he had ignored THAT many report requests. He guessed that he just became used to scrunching them up and chucking them everyday. Only by mentioning his story about the masked hero did the editor let him keep his job. Now Sanjuro had to get pictures of Megumi... he was sure that she was the woman... the girl. She didn't seem much like a superhero though, crying and all.
Certainly has the scars though he thought, remembering all her bandages.
"Hey, Sanjuro! In trouble with the editor huh? You know he likes stories that actually have some basis to reality," smirked Ryoji, meeting him at his desk.
"Oh, shutup. Wait, what are you doing here this late?" Sanjuro asked.
"Had to meet a deadline," he shrugged.
Sanjuro nodded, uninterested. He should get back to Chinatown; he didn't want to miss any great fights. Ryoji and Sanjuro both turned as Tetsuyo came up to them.
"Watanabe? Can I talk to you for a moment?"
Sanjuro blinked at him. Tetsuyo wanted to talk to him? He shrugged and moved over to where Tetsuyo indicated, leaving Ryoji by his desk.
"What's up?" Sanjuro said.
"I wanted to ask you about a story you have been working on. About a girl who wears a mask?"
Sanjuro was instantly on his guard.
"Uhh... what about it?" said Sanjuro carefully.
"I was wondering how it was going, it's rare when a story like that comes along... I'm amazed how you came by it, you must be a very skilled journalist..."
Sanjuro smiled confidently at him.
Sanjuro puffed up his chest. "It's coming along terrifically man, I've got this great lead, my initial two-page spread is done... all I need are some pictures and I'm all set,"
Tetsuyo gave Sanjuro a slight smile, almost a smirk. "And this great lead... what would that be?"
Sanjuro wagged a finger under Tetsuyo's nose. "Uh uh uh, you think I'm just going to tell you that? Hah, you must be joking..."
Tetsuyo smiled tightly. "I assure you, I'm not joking... what is this lead?"
Sanjuro gave a cheesy grin, and turned back to Ryoji. "Get a load of this guy, he wants my masked hero lead!"
However, Ryoji didn't smile back. Instead he looked pale. And his eyes were bugging out of his head and his mouth was hanging open. Sanjuro frowned at him and turned back to Tetsuyo... and screamed.
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They were waiting for Rei when she entered the store. Youma were everywhere, surrounding her in a loose circular formation. The tall bald youma from the previous night was standing in the middle of the circle with her, both hands behind his back, his permanent smile especially sinister in the paper lantern light from above.
"I knew you would come, I have been waiting for you..." he sneered, his smile seeming to grow a little larger.
Rei said nothing, continuing to look at him.
"We have... unfinished business," he said. He took his hands from behind his back and threw something at her feet. It stuck in the floor, wobbling in front of her. It was the knife she had stabbed him with.
Rei looked up at the paper lanterns. "I would have thought this place would be pitch black," she said.
The youma tilted his head, the black holes that were his eyes boring into her. "I have no need of that trick to deal with you," he said confidently.
Rei looked slowly around the fireworks store. There were a lot of explosives around the place. Her powers would be useless here. There were plenty of youma standing around as well, all looking eagerly at Rei. She did a quick count...
Rei thought calmly.
"I guess I should get ready then," Rei said, "MARS CRYSTAL POWER, MAKE UP!"
She transformed into the outfit she did before, minus the hat. The youma's fingers twitched threateningly, ready to taste her blood. Sailor Mars pulled down her crimson veil, letting it hang around her neck. She had no need of it.
"Lets see who stays standing," Mars said and abruptly dived at the knife, tearing it out the floor as she rolled forward, back onto her feet.
The youma roared and imploded into shadow form, then charged at Sailor Mars, his dagger fingernails leading the way. Mars strafed to the left and slashed horizontally with her knife at where the youma's stomach would be. The youma moved fast, intercepting Mars' hand with an invisible grip. He swung her around off her feet, slamming her back into a wooden support pillar. Sailor Mars gritted her teeth at the impact and kicked the invisible hand off her arm, then dived forward, rolling so she would turn to face the youma.
Sailor Mars was aware of her wounds crying out, sending painful messages to her brain, but she blocked them out. All the pain did was make her aware she was still alive. Mars preformed a roundhouse kick at the youma's head as he charged forward again, but he had anticipated this and turned the charge into a diving roll, fingernails ready to stab her middle. Sailor Mars was faster; kicking the crouched youma square in the face. Mars watched his shadow fall backwards onto its back. She leapt into the air, her knife coming down to impale the youma to the floor. He rolled to his right, the knife stabbing into the wooden floorboards. The youma jumped to his feet, slicing at Mars as he did so, catching her across her upper left arm. Sailor Mars darted backwards moving away from the youma.
Mars heard a low chuckling from the youma as they circled each other, waiting for an opening. Sailor Mars decided to take the initiative. She ran at him, moving from foot to foot, making her strafe from side to side. Mars stabbed at where the youma's head would be, but only met air. The youma had dodged nimbly to the side. He grabbed her extended arm and threw her along the floor, her knife clattering out of her grip.
Sailor Mars quickly flipped to her feet, in time to uppercut the youma in the head as it charged. She swivelled on one foot and side kicked him in the head again. The youma's shadow moved as if dazed. Mars didn't let up; she smashed her fist into his face again, then with her other fist, and continued the process. Blood drops began to move with her fists, following them in the air then dropping onto the floor. Mars let out a scream and kicked the youma in the stomach causing it to fall to its knees. Sailor Mars stood over him, panting through gritted teeth, her blood covered hands still in fists by her sides.
"...Is that... all you can do...?" forced out the youma.
He roared and stabbed upwards at Mars. Mars moved back on reflex, turning the disembowelling stab into a vertical slash wound. She didn't cry out; she gritted her teeth and pressed one hand to the quadruple gashes up her stomach. The youma's shadow shook its head as if to clear it, then re-entered its combat stance.
"You're going to die here," he sneered, "did you really think you could make any difference in this? Did you think you could stop us? You are alone and we are many... you are doomed. This world and all its inhabitants are doomed. Your resistance is a wasted effort... why do you bother?"
Sailor Mars let go of her stomach and smiled without humour. "It's all I have left," she said, emotionless.
The youma's shadow stayed still for a second, as if staring her. He then bellowed out a war cry and stabbed at Mars. She grabbed his arm with her left hand and turned into his body, then brought down her right elbow, snapping his arm with a crack.
"Raaargh!" The youma screamed, its shadow's mouth open widely.
Mars followed by smashing her right forearm into the youma's face, staggering him backwards. Sailor Mars cart wheeled to her left, her long coat trailing after her, and picked up the knife, throwing it underarm as she straightened to her feet. There was a loud thunk as the knife imbedded itself in the youma's forehead. His head snapped back, and he stood for a second, the shadow of the knife making a strange addition to his shadow on the floor. The other youma gasped as he toppled backwards, his body reappearing in death, the knife buried deeply in his skull.
Sailor Mars looked at the other youma. They all looked ready to rip her to pieces.
"You killed Rodoth! You will die human!!" one screamed.
Mars glanced at Rodoth's decaying body.
He must have been important Mars thought idly. In truth, she didn't really care.
Sailor Mars put her hands together and interlocked all her fingers except the two pointers, making her seem like a child holding a gun made out of their hands. She moved her hands slowly to the left. The youma all looked on in fear and amazement, knowing she possessed the power of fire.
"Y-you... you wouldn't," stuttered one youma.
Sailor Mars stopped moving her hands, her two fingers pointing directly at the largest pile of fireworks in the whole store. She looked up at the youma with cold, dead eyes, one side of her mouth twitching slightly into a half-smile.
"You know what they say," Mars said, "`it's better to burn out than to fade away', FIRE SOUL!"
The youma watched in total disbelieve as the fireball erupted from her fingertips and careered towards the explosives. All eyes followed its flight path, none able to quite comprehend she had actually done it. The fire soul hit the fireworks hard, a huge fireball exploding with a loud boom, setting off the other fireworks in the shop. The room was filled with colourful and ear-popping explosions as all of Wong Fei's wares blew up, slaughtering the youma in a gory spectacle of ripped off limbs and melted flesh.
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Tsubasa ducked as Wong Fei's store blew up, shattering Yoshuhanten Honten's front windows, and sending flying glass everywhere. He stumbled to his feet as quickly as he could, his ears ringing. The staff of Yoshuhanten Honten and several other customers were on the floor, some cut by the flying glass but otherwise okay. Tsubasa dashed out of the restaurant and towards the flaming building.
"Megumi!" he shouted desperately, "MEGUMI!"
Tsubasa fell to his knees as he looked at the destroyed building; he had never expected this would happen.
Oh god... you should have stopped her, you should have done SOMETHING! You knew she was unstable; you're to blame for this!!
Tsubasa looked up into the night sky as tears began to roll down his cheeks. He would have to tell Sanjuro what happened, her family as well. And... and Usagi. He would track her down, no matter how long it took and tell her how Megumi had sacrificed herself to save the city, no, the world. Tsubasa looked back at Wong Fei's, his vision blurry with tears. He saw something moving in one of the side alleys. Tsubasa rubbed his eyes and blinked. He saw a girl wearing black crawl out from under a pile of flaming wood. She stood up, casually patting out the small fires on her long coat. She then pulled a red veil over her lower face and walked towards Tsubasa.
"Get up. We should get out of here," the girl said.
Tsubasa sat there on his knees blinking at her. The girl reached down and pulled him to his feet, then began dragging him away from the scene. Tsubasa finally came to his senses.
"Wait! I can't... Megumi, where's Megumi?"
The girl stopped pulling Tsubasa and turned her soot-covered face to him.
"She's fine, she dived out a window before anyone knew what was going on," she said.
Tsubasa blinked at her for a few seconds before it dawned on him who he was really talking to.
"Megumi!" he cried, throwing his arms around her, "I thought... I thought that you..."
Megumi pried Tsubasa's arms off her. "Not this time," she said.
Tsubasa looked over her and saw that she was hurt.
"You're bleeding! We've got to get back to Sanjuro's place!"
Megumi just nodded and began moving out of Chinatown.
Part twelve |
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