S.I.U. - The Sailor Investigation Unit by DARK DAY FOR ANIME (Mark A Page) 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. -------------------------------------------------------------------- The horror had smothered Usagi. Naoko watched as Usagi opened her eyes and stared down at the thick covers of an extremely comfortable bed. The horror had flowed over Usagi's body and smothered her. But it really wasn't a horror at all. However, Usagi wasn't to know that, as "Cthulu" Kanzaki gave her a big, smooching kiss.... Needless to say, Usagi had passed out. And so, Naoko cleansed her, inside and out. The little phial of the concentrated blood liqueur base that she had applied to Usagi's lips, after she had showered off the vestiges of Cthulu's spit from the unfortunate senshi's face and neck, would have left her head a little hazy, but that would clear rapidly. It had also supplied Naoko with the final piece of evidence that she'd required to complete her suspicions about Usagi. Very few of those with normal blood could survive downing an entire phial of the blood liqueur base. She felt a little jealous of Usagi, remembering the incredible haziness that she had felt when first supplied with the base to control her urges. Trickling down from the top of her scalp, down through her neck and flowing into the rest of her body. It had been warm and comfortable, and it had weighed down her limbs. She watched as Usagi settled into the bed, pulling the sheets up around her naked frame, dreamy expression on her face. "How are you feeling?" Asked Naoko of Usagi, sitting on the edge of the bed, next to the senshi. Usagi recognised her immediately as the one who had been chasing her through the corridors of the Sacred House compound, the one who had taken Minako.... Almost immediately, Naoko felt attracted to the mixture of fear and unconcern that was written on her face. Those eyes, she thought.... The eyes of prey, to be feasted upon, or of those who had been bred to bleed for her training.... A mixture of hesitation and desire.... Naoko shivered for a moment and did her best to suppress those feelings. Even if her soul was thousands of years old, her body was far too young for her to indulge in those kinds of practices, out of the control of the teachers. "Not bad. I've felt worse." Usagi seemed surprised by how soft her voice was. It was then she noticed that, both she and Naoko were completely naked. Naoko shrugged, inwardly.... How else was she going to wash the girl without getting undressed, herself? Still, she could read Usagi's thoughts. Of what Usagi thought was happening. "That's good." She giggled, amused at the ecchi interpretation Usagi was giving these events. Oh well, she thought, no point wasting the opportunity. And before she realised what she was doing, she leaned down and kissed Usagi on the lips. She was surprised to find that Usagi didn't resist. Her mouth started to water, finding a monumental thirst building up, already.... ----o Part Twentyfour Dreams of Succulence ----o "Wouldn't you prefer me to tell you why you are in this holding cell?" Bartholemew sighed as she sat down on the seat in the small observation booth, clutching her clipboard with large fingers. Minako eyed the woman suspiciously. She was middle aged and fairly well built. Obviously caucasian, with red hair that had specks of grey running through it. The woman wore a simple business dress underneath a white labcoat. Minako didn't like the way she looked, and decided to play dumb. "No, actually. I'd rather you tell me how you know my name." Bartholemew dropped her clipboard and facefaulted. "Oh, for the love of...." She picked up the clipboard and leaned forward. "Look, you told us your name when we asked you." Oops, Minako thought.... "Is that so? I don't believe you." "Well, it is the truth. As soon as we brought you here, we injected you with a dose of Vasculin, thus bringing you back from the edge of your becoming...." "What is Vasculin? Is it a drug?" "Yes. We only give it to certain people." Doctor Bartholemew smiled, finally seeming to be getting somewhere with her troublesome patient. "How is it made?" Minako stared dumbly at Bartholemew. "That is irrelevant." "No it isn't. I want to know how it's made." "Why would you want to know how it's made? Wouldn't you prefer to know where you were?" "Not really. I'm more interested in this Vasculin stuff." Doctor Bartholemew rubbed her face. "Look, I don't have the time to explain it to you..." "Make time. I wanna hear." Minako turned to her left, found a cushion, pulled it over and sat cross-legged on it as Bartholemew prayed to the gods. "By the way...." Minako started, smiling. "Did you tell me your name?" "Umm.. It's Bartholemew. Doctor Miriam Bartholemew." "That's a nice name. Did you get it from your mother or your father?" "My father gave it to me, actually.... It was the name of his.... What is the point of this question? I'm the one who is supposed to be asking you the questions." Miriam held onto her clipboard, tightly. "It was the name of his what?" Minako cocked her head to one side, questioningly. "What was the name of his what? What are you talking about?" Miriam felt sweat trickle down the side of her face as Minako rolled her eyes. "Your father gave you the name Miriam, didn't he?" "Yes. So?" "So Miriam was the name of his.... Mother?" "Yes, it was the name of his mother. What does this have to do with anything?" "So, you were going to tell me about the Vasculin...." Miriam let out a groan and dropped her clipboard again, putting her face in her hands. "Oh for CHRIST'S SAKE! Will you just SHUTUP about the FUCKING Vasculin and answer my questions?" "Aww.... I really wanted to know. You're just being cruel to me." Minako turned and put on a sulky expression as Miriam lifted her face. "There is NO point in arguing this point, Aino-san. We know everything about you." "How do you know I was telling the truth, eh?" Minako said, her bottom lip drawn up in the sulkiest expression Miriam had ever seen. "Because we've confirmed with your parents that you are missing. You went missing from your bedroom today, after your mother sent you to bed with what we know to be the early warning signs of an incipient becoming." "I could have set them up for this. It could all be a lie." Minako huffed. Miriam picked up her clipboard, feeling like she was beginning to get on top of the conversation again. "Are you sure you aren't going to tell me about the Vasculin?" Miriam growled and thumped her hands against the glass. "Yes!" "Yes you are or yes you aren't?" "Yes, I am sure that I am sure I am not going to not tell you about the Vasculin. Do you understand?" "What was that you said?" Minako looked at her strangely. "Eh?" "How am I going to know if you're going to tell me about the Vasculin or not if you're going to answer MY questions like that. If you want me to answer yours, then do so with some semblance of hilarity.... I mean clarity." Minako giggled. "I get those words mixed up all the time, gomen...." "I really couldn't give a stuff about the frigging Vasculin! I mean, if you don't stop messing around and just answer the goddam questions, I'll have to set the security system on you again, do you understand?" "What security system would that be?" Minako frowned at her. Miriam smiled and sat back, reaching her free hand down underneath her seat. Minako felt sparks on energy flowing through her. She let out a cry of pain and agony as she fell from the cushion, writhing over the floor. Miriam watched, a slight smile on her face as the energy visibly crackled around Minako. Her hand hovered under the button for longer than was really necessary. It was only the senshi powers that Minako contained that kept her concious throughout this ordeal. Eventually, Miriam pressed the button again, and the energy dissipated. Minako lay on the floor on her left, saliva drooling from the corner of her mouth as she stared at the wall, trying to bring herself back to her senses. "So, how does it feel to become the victim of an artificial ghost in full corporeal rape mode? Pleasant, I think not." Miriam smiled and took a pen from the pocket of her labcoat, making some notes on her clipboard. Minako lifted her head and stared at Miriam with eyes of supreme hatred. ----o "W.... Waitaminute...." Usagi pushed Naoko away. "This isn't.... I'm not...." Naoko giggled, sitting back. "Oh, you are a funny one. One moment you're willing, the next...." "I'm not into that kind of thing, okay? I..." Usagi tried to sit up. As it was, she did this far far too rapidly, and ended up seeing stars for about a minute, flat on the bed. Naoko sweatdropped and stared at the phial which she was still holding in her right hand. "Hmm.... Might have been a bit too much. Oh well." Naoko happily jumped off the bed and padded across the large, gilden- walled bedroom of her private quarters. She stopped at a small vanity unit and placed the phial on top, then turned and waited for Usagi to start coming round. Almost like a signal, Usagi groaned and sat up again, slowly, this time. Naoko wandered back to the bedside and knelt down, watching Usagi. Her fair and healthy skin. The sound of the blood pumping just underneath.... "Nani?" Usagi looked down at Naoko's loving expression with distrust. Naoko put on a cute smile. "Oh, just admiring certain features about your body. The way you look and all that." She giggled, making Usagi sweatdrop. "You're the one who set those monsters onto me. You're the one who kidnapped Minako...." "I'm the one who saved you from Minako." Naoko shrugged. "I guess you don't yet understand what has happened to her." "What? What has happened to her? Have you killed her?" Naoko opened her eyes and stared at Usagi in surprise. "Kill her? Why would we want to do that?" "Because that guy said.... That Lysithea guy said...." Usagi blinked as Naoko rolled on the floor, clutching her sides with mirth. "What's so funny?" Naoko managed to contain herself and sat up again. "What's so funny? You NEED to ask me such a question? I just can't believe you'd be so stupid to believe a jerk like Lysithea Caprice." "Who are you calling stupid?" Usagi tried to swing her legs around, to step onto the other side of the bed from Naoko. But her legs just weren't working. She was trapped in this girl's presence. "Who are you, anyway? What did you do to me?" "Oh, I'm so sorry. Here we are, both naked to each other and I haven't even bothered to introduce myself. My name is Tani Naoko. I am a member of the sacred Tani clan." She got to her knees and bowed to Usagi. "I apologise for the way we have met. It has been rather.... less than conventional." "You set those monsters onto me.... Especially that big, amorphous one!" Usagi tried to lift an arm to point to her accusingly, and failed. Naoko shrugged. "I wanted to test you, Sailormoon. I wanted to see what you were capable of. Unfortunately, Lysithea sent you through the distillery, and very few who are of our blood survive breathing in the fumes of that place...." "But...." Usagi started to panic. "I breathed it in.... Am I going to die?" "Oh, hardly, I think. I gave you a dose of the blood liqueur base.... What we make Vasculin from. Only those with our blood are capable of dealing with that. And you passed, I'm afraid." "But.... I'm not of your blood. I'm a Sailorsenshi. I am the Princess of the Moon Kingdom.... The reincarnation, no less." "Oh, so that's what you are?" Naoko smiled dubiously. "That'll make for interesting news when I next see Joachim." "I mean it, I'm not one of your.... 'blood.'" "So why was your friend, Minako?" Usagi opened her mouth to answer that, but realised she didn't have an answer.... In fact, she had a lot of questions. ----o Aoi shook her head, disbelievingly, gesturing to the green and white senshi fuku she was wearing. "Oh yeah.... Well if I'm not Sailorjupiter, who the hell is?" "Well...." Pagan started, sitting on Aoi's bed. "All things being equal, and with what we know about the Sailorsenshi, nature very much abhors a void, and with the murder of Sailorjupiter, a void has been created." "One that has probably already been filled, and not by you." Mhaere continued, standing to Aoi's left with crossed arms. "But I'm the one wearing the sailorfuku." Aoi shook her head. "It can't be that this.... power of mine, that you say I have and I haven't yet accepted it as the truth.... This power has merely tapped into the instructions of the henshin pen and changed me into Sailorjupiter without the powers." "Amazing! I think the girl's got it." Pagan snickered. "Maybe we should make a Mensa application for you." "Don't get smart with me." Aoi huffed, looking daggers in Pagan's direction. He stood from her bed and shrugged. "Very well, if you don't want my help...." He stepped between Aoi and Mhaere and left the room. Aoi took a breath. "That still doesn't tell me how I'm supposed to change back. I've tried to get this frigging tiara off my head and it just won't budge." "Have you thought of asking the suit to please give you back the henshin pen so you can detransform?" Mhaere looked at her, dubiously. Aoi almost laughed. "What? Me? Ask the suit? Yeah, right." She sneered. "Oh please, Miss Sailorfuku, give me back the henshin pen and detransform me...." She shook her head. "As if that would work." In a flash, she was wearing a blouse, jeans and a pair of sneakers again, holding onto a green henshin pen. After a few moments of disbelieving blinking, she noticed that Mhaere was nodding with satisfaction. "Don't you DARE laugh, or I'll belt you from arsehole to breakfast time, understand?" Aoi held up the fist holding the henshin pen. ----o Pagan shook his head. Did the Coven REALLY think that he and Aoi were that good a match? She was the most overstressed and obnoxious woman he'd ever met. Stepping away from the door to the bedroom, he wandered up along the hallway and through the loungeroom. For a moment, he felt that something was missing. Shaking it off, he stepped into the kitchen, feeling a tad hungry. As he reached into Aoi's pantry, set above the kitchen bench, he realised he was still wearing nothing more than a towel. "Aww jeez.... I was going to ask for some clothes...." He sighed, resigning himself to the fact that he was probably going to be wearing women's clothes until he found something more appropriate. Lysithea would have a field day if he saw him. He grabbed a packet of crackers from the pantry, just as he felt a pair of arms wrap around his middle. He dropped the crackers onto the counter and turned his head with a silent gasp. "Why hello there." Said Ami with a dreamy smile. "Mi... Mi... Mizuno-san?" Pagan opened his eyes widely. "What are you...?" he then remembered what it was that he'd missed in the loungeroom. "Oh, Mister.... I'm so sorry if I seem a little forward, but I just couldn't help myself." Ami giggled. Pagan swallowed. Was this behaviour a product of the healing process he'd performed on her damaged brain? He turned, trying to wiggle his way out of her grasp, only to find she was a hell of a lot stronger than she looked. "Where are you going, Mister?" She pushed him back against the counter, leaning her face close to his. "Now now now.... This isn't good social behaviour, Mizuno- san. And besides, we have company in this house...." "So what?" Ami giggled. "Oh, you are so very pretty.... Such beautiful eyes and hair.... Such a lovely body.... And..." Ami put a hand down and Pagan felt a portion of his anatomy being squeezed. "Well.... What else can be said about that?" She smiled, putting the hand back around Pagan's neck. "I dunno...." Pagan squeaked, still in pain. "JUST WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON, HERE?" Pagan and Ami glanced at the kitchen doorway, where they could see Aoi and Mhaere fuming. Aoi was cracking her knuckles. "What does it look like, Kikotsuka-san?" Ami sneered at Aoi. "Go away, before I show you what a Sailorsenshi can do." "Uh.... Aoi.... Mhaere.... This isn't what it looks like...." Pagan croaked. "You bastard...." Aoi growled. "We turn our backs on you for just ONE moment, and you're testing the waters with someone else." "Perhaps we should reduce the stallion to a gelding, for the good of womankind?" Mhaere sniffed, turning to Aoi. "I'll give him gelding." Aoi thumped a fist into her other hand. Ami sniffed contemptuously. "The both of you are just jealous. I went for him first. You two can have slops when I'm done. Now BEGONE!" She waved a hand in their direction. "What did you SAY?" Aoi and Mhaere chorused in unison. ----o Minako managed to crawl back to the cushion, watched by Miriam with obvious amusement. Slowly, she dragged her body onto the cushion and sat there, shoulders hunched, her hair hanging over her face. "So, are we ready to continue with the session?" Miriam asked offhandedly, as if nothing had happened. Minako raised her head slightly, but Miriam still couldn't see her face. "I'll take that as a yes, then." Miriam sniffed and scratched her nose. "Now, do you know where you are?" "In hell?" Minako croaked. Miriam smiled. "No, sorry. I'm afraid you aren't that lucky." "How lucky am I, then?" "Now now, don't start asking me silly questions again, or it's the security system for you again." Miriam jumped as Minako slammed her fists against the window, staring in at her with reddened, teary and maddened eyes. "Now you just listen to me for a second. I don't know who the hell you are, or what I'm doing here. But, by Kami, if I ever get out of this place, I will KILL you, do you understand me, bitch?" "Are we finished?" "Did you hear what I say?" "Yes, and I chose to ignore the statement." Minako shook her head, sneering. "No. No. Don't ignore what I say.... Because it doesn't matter how long it takes. Days, months, perhaps even years.... You'll let me out of here, eventually. Eventually! Do you understand. You'll think I'm capable of being trusted, and you'll let me out of here. And when that day comes, bitch.... When the day comes when nobody is watching out for me, I'll kill you. I'll spread you like a fine paste over the walls of this place, and keep your eyes as a momento of your death!" Miriam watched with a mixture of horror and fascination as Minako's eyes began to change. Slowly, at first.... They went from being human to a frighteningly bestial shade of green, respledant with cats-eye pupil. Miriam sighed as Minako clawed at the partition. "I'm calling off this session. You are clearly not ready to be debriefed." Miriam stood from the seat and pressed a small button on the side of the cubicle. In front of Minako, the partition disappeared and became part of the wall. In a flash, her human eyes returned and she stared at the wall in surprise. "Hey.... HEY! Don't leave me in here, alone. I don't like being alone! HEY! HEEEEEEYYYY!" She scrabbled at the segment of wall that had once been the partition, breaking her nails. She let out a short squeal of pain and grabbed her left hand as blood ran from the tips of her fingers. "Well, that went real well..." She whispered to herself. ----o "Minako isn't.... She isn't human?" Usagi managed to pull the bedclothes over her as Naoko wrapped a gown around her body, returning from the walk-through wardrobe in the far corner of her residence. "No, and neither are you." Naoko smiled, tying a belt around the gown at her middle. "I am so a human...." Usagi paused for a few moments. "Well, I'm mostly human, anyway." "Indeed, that is true. You have the physical appearance of a human. But, like myself, it is what is inside that counts. And inside, you are anything but.... Both Minako and yourself. In fact, all of your friends are likely to be the same. I'm not sure why...." Naoko put a finger to her mouth, staring at the ceiling. Usagi shook her head. "It can't be true. I AM human. Both my parents are human.... I am fully human." "Well, I'm sorry to break this to you, but that's not possible. Especially as you've survived a saturation with the blood liqueur. You are one of US." Naoko put her hands at her sides and smiled at Usagi. "Unless, of course, you'd like me to do a full, body examination?" "No thanks...." Usagi recoiled from the thought. "I already have someone I like." "You do?" Naoko smiled. "Is it a guy?" "What is it to you? I hardly know you, and you're already asking intimate questions about my life." "Oh, I dunno...." Naoko put her hands behind her back and sauntered around the room. "I get the feeling I'll be knowing you a hell of a lot better than you know yourself." "What do you mean?" "There is only one true way for me to tell if you're human or not, without all the equipment and hassle that comes with a full medical test...." "What? What is that?" "Your blood." "What about my blood?" Usagi swallowed, pulling the covers even further over her body. "Well, the one sure thing about the blood of Others.... It is as much a part of their physical body as an arm or a leg. It can be controlled and manipulated like a physical limb. However, if your blood is human, it is nothing more than a substance to carry oxygen and various necessary vitamins and minerals." "So what? Do you just cut me and see if I can move my blood about? I've been cut, before..." "No, that's not the way, although that could work.... However, I am in the unique position of being sensitive to certain bloodtypes." Naoko stopped, her back turned to Usagi. "So how...?" Naoko half-turned her head. "Your blood.... I must drink it." END OF PART 24 -------------------------------------------------------------------- Next Chapter - "Myocardial Infraction" DDFA (The Right Dishonourable Mark A Page) ayanami@merlin.net.au Chief Propoganda Officer, Keeper of the Tapes, Co-Founder of the Saitou-chan Fan Club and Compulsive Rabies-san Shit-Stirrer. ^_^ Version 1.0 - 9th Jun 1998