S.I.U. - The Sailor Investigation Unit by DARK DAY FOR ANIME Disclaimer - all characters pertaining to the series Bishoujo Senshi Sailormoon are owned by Takeuchi Naoko, Bandai and Kodansya. All other characters were thought up by me. Well, its true, isn't it? ^_^ Part Seven In Light of Events The dark spaces of Fitchner's office gave the man some solace. But not a great deal. The heavy, thick set, grey-haired man sat back in his padded vinyl chair, staring into space, smoking a port cigar. The normally light blue-green walls of the office were muted, with but the pale light peering through the half-closed window illuminating things. His mind was in a similar state. For three years, he had been investigating the activities of the Sacred House. Now his employer had pulled the financial plug on him, and he didn't know why. Oh well, it was not as if there hadn't been other such jobs of similar nature and length. But this one had been special. This one had special meaning. He had lost his daughter to the Sacred House. Five years ago, when she was eighteen. She had travelled with him when he took up a posting in Tokyo for the company he had been working for at the time. She had made some friends. Odd friends. She went out one day and... Never came back. He had been looking for her ever since. He had founded his private investigation agency for that very reason, taking on various jobs to support his search. He watched as rings of smoke that emerged from his mouth floated upwards, shattering to nothingness against the ceiling. He had reported her missing, naturally, and the police spent some time searching for her. But rarely were they helping in telling him just what they were doing to find her, or even keep in touch with him. It was like beating his head against a wall. They just didn't seem to care. He wondered why they couldn't take his plight more seriously. And then the name "Sacred House" came up. He had no idea what the "Sacred House" might be. But it sounded suitably impressive. A religious cult, a secret society, an economic and corporate entity.... In his time investigating the Sacred House, he had heard it variously described as all these things. But never once did he actually find some base or branch for them, nor someone who would admit to being a member. He had been in the service of a Malcolm Wright, who had been looking for his own daughter, Gwen. Like his own daughter, Gwen had gone missing one day, and had never been seen since. It gave Fitchner a financial base upon which he could search for his own child. He never found a trace of her, but he did find information that lead him to Gwen. Or, at the very least, an old address of hers. It isn't hard, in a nation like Japan, to track down a golden haired, blue eyed, attractive young woman with supermodel looks like Gwen Wright. Even under ordinary circumstances, she would raise a fuss just walking down the street. But in Gwen's case, there never seemed to be a fuss made.... When he spoke to her ex-neighbours, they mentioned the fact that Gwen was often never home.... In fact, they had only seen her eight or nine times over a six month period. When she was home, she was terribly quiet. And whenever she did make contact with anyone in the local area, she seemed to know an immense amount about them. As one neighbour said, you couldn't so much as go to the toilet without her seeming to know precisely when. Eventually, despite his best efforts, the trail went cold. It was like Gwen had vanished into thin air.... And, of course, Malcolm Wright decided to end their arrangement there. And with it, his opportunity to find Michelle. He had sent his three-strong staff home, with pay, that morning. He needed time to himself, he said. Eriko was concerned about him, of course, but then, she would be. She was a good woman. Always had been since she joined him, right from the start.... Too much. It was too much for him to deal with. Tears ran from his eyes, and he stubbed the cigar out in the ashtray that sat atop the desk. His gaze went down to the set of drawers that sat to his right, underneath the desk. Slowly, he opened the second, and stared at its contents. He reached in and pulled out the handgun. It glinted dimly at him. He checked its load. Two shots in it. He wondered when he had found the time to let the other rounds off.... Slowly, he unhitched the safety catch. The phone rang. He looked back and forth between the gun and the phone. Great timing. He put the safety catch back on and placed the gun in the drawer, picking up the phone. "Hello?" "Hi, it's me. Just making sure you don't do yourself in. I'm fine, thought you'd like to know that. Sorry about the inconvenience.... I've been a bit busy over the last couple of years. Friends to see and places to go. Love you lots. Seeya." And the phone went dead. Fitchner stared at it. He could almost laugh. Michelle.... How DARE you? ----o Minako clutched onto her satchel, watching the rain, and the people who walked past. She had been standing there for a good three hours, too scared to move. She was getting THAT feeling again. People stared at her strange expression. Many found themselves transfixed by her gaze. But she would always manage to break it, and turn away. Eventually, the shopkeeper whose store she had been standing outside was forced to move her along. She had scared off enough customers that day. Minako was positively terrified as she walked along the street. The rain fell on her head, and she felt it run down across her face, its filth-laden droplets running to her lips. The sensation of moisture against her mouth broke her, and she cried out, running like the Devil himself was after her. ----o Setsuna was gasping for fresh air as she, Hotaru and Usagi landed in a secluded section of the local park. It had been such a rapid, unthinking transport, that Setsuna barely had time to plot an ultimate destination. In doing what she did, she had risked their lives. But it was necessary, for she had not been ready for the fight that would have occured if they had stayed there, and neither would Hotaru and their Princess. Usagi stared around her, confused about their location for a few moments before she saw the park's central fountain between the trees. She then realised she wasn't getting wet, which was unusual as it was raining so heavily here. "Nice job, Setsuna.... Right under the rotunda." Usagi looked up at the roof of the small, round pavillion. Hotaru nodded. "Must have taken a bit of quick thinking to get us here." Setsuna swallowed, then looked up at them as she lifted her hands from her knees. "A lot harder than either of you would have expected. That was a close one." "So. Would you mind telling us why we needed to run from Mako-chan's apartment so damn quickly?" Usagi crossed her arms and sat down on a small bench that lined the side of the rotunda. Setsuna shrugged. "What can I say? I detected a group of hostiles with magical abilities approaching the apartment door." "And that is all?" "Pretty much all. From what I could ascertain from their minds, they were members of the Coven of Atrocity." "Wonderful." Hotaru threw her hands in the air and turned, looking around. "They know who we are and where we are." "Not necessarily. They might not know who WE are, but Jupiter is another thing altogether." Usagi stood. "You mean they were responsible for...." "I didn't say that." Setsuna looked down at her. "I said they may know who Jupiter is, based on.... associated information. Information provided by the contacts we made within the Yakuza." Usagi paced around. "If this is true.... We must... make sure everyone is alright. We've got to round everyone up and cover our tracks... somehow." "Is that an order, Princess?" Setsuna looked at Usagi, raising an eyebrow. Hotaru turned and looked from one to the other. "Setsuna...." She said between clenched teeth. "It's... not an order. It is a suggestion. We've got to pull ourselves back into a defensive position. If someone out there does know the identities of one or more of us...." Usagi shook her head. "For all our sakes, I hope not. But if there is someone, and they are hostile towards us, then.... Then I dare suggest.... we must take precautions... that more people don't find out." Setsuna nodded and Hotaru shook her head. "Do you KNOW what that entails?" She ranged up on Usagi. "Do you realise what we may have to do to achieve this?" Usagi bit her lower lip. "Hotaru-chan.... You're the youngest of us...." "I'm seventeen, or have you forgotten?" "No, I haven't forgotten that. But you seem to have forgotten that you have a father out there, somewhere...." Hotaru spat contemptuously. "I know that. Do you think I don't understand? You have a set of parents, and a younger brother. And you've been a great deal closer to them than I have ever been to my father...." Hotaru looked down, her face a mask of troubles. "Yes, Hotaru. Try to imagine... what these kind of people might do if they find out about our families." Usagi shook her head. "Regardless of how distant you might have become from him, I think you would be most upset if they were to use him to get to you." Hotaru said nothing, turning and wandering away to the far end of the rotunda. Usagi watched her as Setsuna stepped alongside her. "She's like you, you know." Setsuna said softly. Usagi looked up at her. "How do you mean?" "She's an emotional one. She has trouble seeing things with the same sense of clarity that both Neptune and myself do. Even Uranus. Saturn feels things more deeply than you understand." "I understand well enough the depth of her emotions, Setsuna. You forget what I am capable of." Setsuna watched Usagi for a few moments, silently, then looked away. "I most certainly hope you do, Princess, because I fear most strongly what she may become if she...." Setsuna paused, then shook her head. "We are wasting time standing here. I will go in search of our number immediately, Princess." Setsuna gave Usagi a little bow, and vanished. Usagi stepped up behind Hotaru, placing a hand on her shoulder. The younger girl turned aside to her. "Do you know what you've done?" "Eh?" Usagi frowned. "The instructions you have given to us. You know how they will be carried out?" "I don't understand what you're getting at." Hotaru turned to her. "Do you understand the way Setsuna shall interpret those instructions?" Hotaru paused. "I have lived with her for nigh on four years, now. I understand, only too well, how she will carry them out." Usagi looked aside, then took a deep breath. "You're telling me she will kill those who may be a threat to us." "That's precisely what I'm trying to say. Setsuna does NOT see things the way you and I see them. Despite the many levels she thinks on... Or perhaps because of them, she is extremely rigid in her perception of duty." Usago shook her head. "Perhaps, Hotaru-chan, in this case, she needs to be...." ----o Minako collapsed through the front entrance of her home, slamming the door behind her. She puffed, heavily, water dripping from her soaked body, as she leant against it with closed eyes. "Is that you, Mina-chan?" She heard her mother's voice, from the kitchen. She opened her eyes and swallowed. "Hai, Mama...." Her mother stepped into the hallway and took a good look at her daughter. "Oh, Mina-chan! You're soaking wet! What on Earth have you been up to?" "I... I got caught... in the rain..." "Why didn't you try to find shelter?" "I did... It was just... It stopped and I thought...." Minako stared at her mother, strangely, biting her lip. Her mother had seen Minako with that expression several times over the last few weeks, and it creeped her to the core. She shook it from her mind and strode forward. "Come on, you silly girl. You'll get the carpet wet. Let's get those clothes off, and take a shower before you catch yourself a death...." ----o Kaji pulled his car into the multi-storey carpark of the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Main Office. After flashing his i.d. at the gate to the Duty Officer, he drove up three flights before finding a spot. "Busy day." Aoi muttered. "Nah, it's always like this." "Wasn't when I used to work here as a junior officer." Kaji shrugged and undid his seatbelt, opening his door. He looked back at Aoi as she sat, not moving an inch. "What's up with you, Kiko-san?" She shook her head. "I dunno. I guess I'm just worrying about these people who have been following me around...." "Don't be. They aren't likely to make a move on a Tokyo cop. Not an obvious one, anyway." "I dunno." Aoi undid her seatbelt, opening her door. She stepped from the car and shut it behind her, Kaji locking up as she stared over the roof. "Kaji...." "What?" "Is there someone standing on the building over there, watching me?" She pointed out through one of the open barred window spaces that ran the length of the level. He turned and looked, but just shrugged. "I dunno. It's too dark and too far to see." "I'm sure I saw someone...." He turned back to her. "Settle down, Aoi.... You're making yourself paranoid." "I AM paranoid. I don't like the feeling of people I don't know, stepping on my shadow." Kaji watched her for a few moments as she continued to stare out of the carpark, wide-eyed. He stepped around the back of the car and took her arm. She snapped to and looked at him. "Come on, stupid. You can't stand here all day, looking out for spooks." Kaji sighed. Aoi nodded mutely and allowed him to guide her to the entrance door. ----o Minako stood under the spray of the shower, allowing the warm water to run over her body. The sensation felt incredible, yet somehow unsatisfactory. She opened her mouth and allowed the water to run down her throat. Once more, she felt an unsatisfied thrill. This was not enough. She needed more. She placed her mouth as close to the nozzle as possible and drank the water... Until she could drink no more. She collapsed onto the floor of the shower, holding her sore stomach. She was still thirsty, but she was full. Almost immediately, she began to bring the water up, coughing and choking. There was a knock on the bathroom door. "Mina-chan... Are you alright in there? Mina-chan?" Minako lifted her head, clearing out the last of the water from her mouth. "Hai.... I'm just feeling a little... off colour." "Not surprising, if you're going to walk through the rain the way you did." Minako could hear her mother's footsteps, walking away from the bathroom. Mina pulled herself up into a sitting position, on the floor of the shower, allowing the water to strike her on the head. An indescribable sense of shame and fear overcoming her.... She was going mad... surely... All these feelings she had been having over the last few weeks.... No, it went longer than that... Her constant need to be the centre of attention... To attract people to her... She wanted people to come to her... To be fascninated by her... Come into my web, said the spider to the.... Now she was just being stupid. She stared at the water running across the floor of the shower towards the drain. The rivulets trickled in a manner that held her fascination.... She shook her head and stood, allowing the water to flow over her body once more, she grabbed the soap from the dish.... ----o Aoi stood in the ladies room, staring at herself in the mirror. Kaji was right. Even if there were all sorts of weirdo groups out there, following her, in all likelihood, they were just interested in her work, not her, personally. She washed her hands, slowly, allowing the lather of the soap to spread across the entire surface of her skin. Thoughts ran through her mind. Of her meeting with those girls this morning. Hayakawa Arisa. Maria Firenze. She took a breath. They were both younger than her. Arisa was even better looking.... Well, she thought so, anyway. Aoi stared at her features in the mirror. Dark brown, slightly wavy long hair, round face, pale complexion, deep, dark eyes.... She shook her head. She'd always been her own greatest critic when it came to her looks. And so she spent a great deal of time trying to make herself look ordinary.... Just like her mother. She shivered.... She didn't want to end up like her mother. But at 28, going on 29, the biological clock was starting to tick away.... She chuckled at that... It's not like she missed having someone, a man, around her life. She was quintessentially a loner, and preferred to be by herself, once away from the office. But still, her mother had married very late in life, and didn't give birth to Aoi until she was in her late thirties. Maybe some things were hereditary.... The first she knew of his presence is when he grabbed her around the middle and spun her round. He then jammed his mouth over hers as she tried to protest, hitting him with her hands. He pressed himself against her, pushing her back against the sink bench. She lifted back one of her hands and made to slap him one, but he managed to get clear before she collected. "Mmm... Tasty." He said, licking his lips. "You!" She pointed at the thin, effeminate man with long brown hair and piercing blue eyes. "What the hell are you doing in here? Get out, before I call for someone!" He clicked his tongue, wagging a finger. "Now now now, let's not be hasty about this. I apologise for my forward behaviour, but I let my instincts get the better of my senses sometimes." "You're telling me." She wiped her mouth. "And besides, even if you do yell, nobody shall hear you. I have placed a silence wall around this room. Nobody shall come in, and you shall not leave until our business is finished." She pushed herself back against the bench. "What business would that be?" He chuckled, shaking his head. "Nothing like that, I can assure you. As I said, my instincts sometimes get the better of me." She relaxed, slightly, but not by much. "Who are you?" "You weren't very surprised by my comment on the 'silence wall'." He shook his head. "I'm sorry, how rude of me. My name is Pagan Lacey, and I am an operative of...." "The enemies of the Sacred House." Pagan opened his eyes wide in surprise. "Ah, so they have warned you about us, previously, have they?" "You could say that." He nodded, putting a hand to his chin. "Yes, indeed, they are very quick off the mark. Well, I suppose they've told you why they have been watching you?" "It has been mentioned in passing. And I suppose it is the same reason you are watching me?" Pagan smiled. It was one of the sweetest smiles Aoi had ever seen. Despite his overly forward nature, Aoi couldn't help but feel something for this Pagan Lacey. "Ah, yes, well... My involvement is a little more personal than that. You see, the Coven of Atrocity... Ignore the name, it's a misnomer... The Coven wished to match me with you." "Do they now?" "Indeed. They say our bloodlines are perfectly matched to produce children of power...." "Like horses at a stable." Pagan chuckled. "Looks like you catch on to the idea quickly. I think its pretty silly, too, but I thought it was well worth warning you about it." "Thanks for your advice. Can I go, now? I have a job to do." "Ah, not just yet... I am lead to believe you visited the home of one Kino Makoto early this morning..." "What about it?" "Did you know someone has turned that place upside-down since?" Aoi stared at him. "Eh?" "We followed you there, and kept watch. In that time, we saw a young woman enter the apartment." He reached into the pocket of his jacket and pulled out a photograph. "Hai kore..." She took the photograph and stared at it for several moments. He watched her expression. "Interesting, is it not?" He smiled. "This girl... This is..." "This is...?" "I've never seen her before. Can I keep it?" Pagan facefaulted. "Uh, yeah, you can keep it." "Good. Have you reported the break-in of the girl's apartment, yet?" Pagan shook his head. "We don't want to get too involved. Besides, we don't know who did it yet." He shrugged. "It could be the Sacred House. I can promise you, it wasn't us." "We shall see." She nodded to the door. "Can I go, now?" Pagan sighed and nodded. With a flash, she could hear noises coming from outside the doorway, only then noticing how silent things had been up to that point. She smiled. "Thankyou." He bowed. "Anything for her most gracious majesty." "Oh, and by the way...." She levelled her gaze at him as he looked up. "What?" "If you ever pull something like that on me again, Coven of Whatever or not, you'll be dancing the Nutcracker Suite, do you understand?" He sweatdropped, crossing his legs. "I gotcha." He vanished from the ladies room. Just like he did from the garden area above the SIU car park. She sniffed... You get to see a lot in this line of work. She looked at the photograph again. So, Sailormoon, this is what you look like in real life, is it? END OF PART 7