Nami winced and whimpered pitifully, flinching away from Ririko's hand. "Oh, come on," Ririko muttered. "You can't be serious. It's just a bit of antiseptic. You can't honestly be afraid of that." Nami curled up into a ball, mumbled under her breath. "It hurts," she whined, cringing when Ririko made her way toward her again. The redhead growled, set the bandages and rubbing alcohol down. "Fine," she spat. "Suffer. I hope you get gangrene. You shouldn't have let your guard down. I can't believe you let that little girl beat you up." "Those aren't cat scratches on your face, Riko, dear," Nami retorted. Ririko clenched her fists to ease the urge to slaughter the other woman. Royalty, mustn't kill her, she's a Queen, her subjects will have my head, she thought. Nami took the silence for defeat, and laughed mockingly, wincing slightly from pain. "Ahh, I knew you would give up. That's what I thought...eek!" Ririko ran for her, bandages and alcohol in hand, pinned her down firmly. Her hair loosened from its bonds, and she grinned down at the flippant woman triumphantly. "Not so high and mighty now, huh?" she whispered breathlessly. Now, basically straddling Nami, she moved to tend to her wounds. "I didn't know that you liked it so...kinky, Riko, dear," Nami purred. She grinned lecherously, ran her fingers across Ririko's face. Ririko pushed a cotton swab dipped in alcohol down particularly hard on a wound. The pain-filled howl that emitted from Nami took on an odd inhuman quality before it faded. ~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~ currents The heart has its secret currents Deep and without guide To find out where they will lead I take the plunge eyes wide ~Suikoden II, Currents "I have to concentrate, Usagi. Please." "But...you've been holed up in here since yesterday. Come outside; the girls are worried about you too, you know." "I just...Nami and Ririko..." Mitsuki opened her eyes finally, and Usagi was almost relieved to see that they were still blue. "They are...very dangerous, you see." "How?" Usagi sat down next to Mitsuki. "What's so bad about them?" "Ririko well...Ririko is so impulsive. She gets angry quickly, loses her temper, and well, results...they aren't very pretty. She's immensely skilled with her sword; it's like an extension of her body almost. She once told me that being without it would be without life. She's been training since she was old enough to walk." "Wow," Usagi whispered, baffled. "And the other one?" "Nami..." Mitsuki looked down at her hands. "Unlike you...Earth people, here, we are a world with very...unusual and unique races. Nami is the future ruler of her entire race, the Sirens. And they are beautiful people. As attuned to music as they are to the sea, their voices alone are enough to send most to their knees. But just because Nami is royalty doesn't mean she is defenseless. She's almost as well trained as her soldiers, and being royalty, the alien blood that runs through her veins is the strongest...when she transforms into her...other state, not much can stop her." Mitsuki looked thoughtful suddenly, her eyebrows furrowed in slight confusion. "But something confused me yesterday afternoon." "What?" Usagi asked. "Her transformation was different." "How?" "Well...like most royalty, Nami has to go through a coronation ceremony to become the Queen...she's only the princess now, you see. When she has her ceremony, her power is untapped, allowing her to transform fully. Usually...Nami is almost a hybrid, something in-between a true Siren and her normal form. But..." "But?" Mitsuki stood up, walked toward the window. "But...she transformed fully yesterday. That's not possible. She hasn't had her ceremony; she's not even supposed to be old enough yet...she wasn't supposed to have it until years later..." ~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~ "She's confused. How can that be?" "She isn't...what she thinks she is." Kazuki looked bewildered for a moment, then quickly gained her composure, brushed silky, raven strands of hair from her face. "Explain." She played with her hair, pushed it back into place, brushed invisible lint from her jacket. Smooth, controlled gestures. A smile from the other. "So composed, Kazuki." "Always." A rare grin; it lit up her face, barely noticeable creases added to the mature, exotic beauty of her face. "Now please, stop being enigmatic." "I apologize. What I mean is...she thinks she's one thing, but she isn't. She's caught in this...limbo, of sorts." "Limbo?" "Yes. It will...take a while for her to understand." "And when she does?" Kazuki's voice had lowered to a whisper; she stared at the other woman in slight concern. "I don't know...but, I'm sure results will not be good." The woman sighed, stood up. "Keep an eye on things for me. I have...work." "Right. I'm sure this must be a strain." "You...have no idea." She gazed over at the hologram-like device, watched Mitsuki be dragged around by the one they called Sailormoon, yet another bright light in the universe, perhaps, even the brightest. "I pray, Kazuki, that we will be able to save them. They deserve that much...even she does." ~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~ "See? I told you getting out would make you feel better." Usagi laughed, pulled Mitsuki along. "I guess you were right," Mitsuki agreed. "It's a beautiful day today." "Do you have any hobbies?" Usagi suddenly asked. "Like anything you're good at? Besides you know, beating up bad guys." Mitsuki looked surprised, scratched her head. "Er...well...I can't really sing, or cook...unless it's in a can or package, I'm pretty average at sports, not one or the other. And I think I'm smart," Usagi giggled and Mitsuki continued, "but I'm not the smartest." She shrugged; Usagi frowned. "Well everyone is good at something." Mitsuki looked up to the sky. Snowflakes fell, gathered in her hair. "I never thought about what I'm good at. But I'm sure I'm good at something, like you said." "Me too!" Usagi chirped. "What about your family? What are they like?" Mitsuki sighed. "My father left a long time ago, and since then, my mother..." she shook her head. "My mother has been very strange since then." "I'm sorry," Usagi said, lowering her head. "It's alright." Mitsuki smiled. "Don't worry about it." She looked to the sky again. "Usagi?" "Hm?" "Um...we're friends, right?" She gave the blonde girl a searching look. "Yeah, of course! Why do you ask?" "Just...curious." They continued their trek, and the clouds covered up the sun, making the day seem far gloomier. ~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~ "So, okay, she's a little strange. And her friends want to kill her." Minako chewed on her straw, put a finger to her chin in thought. "But we can't just stamp 'Evil' on her forehead. Give her a chance." Rei frowned, stubborn and unmoving. "But still. I just...she gives me an uneasy feeling." "Bad vibes?" Makoto offered. "No...not quite..." Rei frowned again, annoyed at her inability to form what she was feeling into words. It was unlike her not to know what to think of a person; her training as a Miko had attuned her to things that normal people would not be able to catch. But this frustrated her. There was a light, a soft peaceful glow within Mitsuki, but there was something else, something muddled and unknown. She had consulted the fire, but even it seemed to be confused. She wondered, briefly, if Setsuna was having the same problem. "It's just, I think..." she didn't have time to finish that thought however, as Mitsuki and Usagi made their way into the arcade. "Hi you guys!" Usagi said brightly. "Look," she pulled Mitsuki in front of her and held her shoulders, "I got her out." Mitsuki waved sheepishly, blushed. "Well, I'm glad you could join us today Mitsuki," Ami said. Usagi grinned triumphantly, then gazed over at the booth the others were sitting. She pouted, and Rei shook her head, lowered her gaze to her drink. She felt a whine coming on. "You guys ordered without me?" Mitsuki blinked, and the others groaned, used to this sort of behavior. "Remember Usagi?" Ami began delicately. "You're always late, so we decided to order before you." "But...but...I told you I was bringing Mitsuki, and she's never late." "Ahh, but," Makoto pointed out, "Mitsuki was late this time too." "That is true," Minako said, grinning. "Don't worry about it Usagi; just sit down and order now." Usagi ceased her pouting, seeing she was overruled in the situation. With the more pressing matter of her grumbling stomach on her mind, she found a space in the booth in-between Ami and Makoto. Mitsuki inwardly winced when she saw that the only spot left was one between Rei and Minako. She knew Rei didn't seem to like her very much, and Minako...well Minako had a very bad effect on her. But the others were staring at her; if she didn't sit down soon, they would start to think something was wrong. Sighing softly to herself, she made her way to sit down. ~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~ "Now this is rather interesting." Kazuki cut the apple in her hand; watched the display on screen. She chuckled. "I do wonder how that came about. My, she will be sorry she missed this." She leaned against her chair, played with the knife in her hand. "Oh, she will be so angry she didn't see...I do wish you could tape things on this." She smiled, continued to cut her apple, taking a bite of a slice now and then. "Maybe I should have had popcorn for a snack..." ~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~ "I'm not hungry," Mitsuki mumbled weakly, trying to keep her hands from shaking. Usagi gave her a concerned look. "Oh, but you didn't even eat breakfast this morning. It was really good too..." she thought back on it and smiled blissfully. "You should eat now." "No, no...that's alright Usagi. Besides, I don't want to spend your money." Apparently, that was the wrong thing to say. "Oh, don't be silly! It's just money, come on. Eat something." This last remark came out as an order; Mitsuki sighed and relented. "Fine." She wished she could go home and go to sleep. Minako laughed, shook her head. "I could have told you that there was no chance to win that argument." Mitsuki managed a smile without, she hoped, looking like an idiot. "Right!" Usagi said triumphantly. "Hey...Mitsuki." "Yes?" "You know, you read my aura, and Makoto's and Ami's, but not Rei's, or Minako's." "I...I um, I don't think I should." She lowered her head. "Oh, but you did it last time," Usagi pouted. "Please?" "Um...but I...alright." She hesitantly turned to Rei first, bit her lip. Rei quirked an eyebrow, violet eyes glittering in intrigue. "Didn't know you could read auras." "A friend taught me. Your aura is...very much like hers, actually." "And how is that?" "In that...it's a swell of power, of untapped and boundless talent and skill. It is a raging maelstrom, yet somehow calmed with deep thought and maturity. It's like...fire, dangerous and untamed." "That sounds like Rei," Ami said thoughtfully. Rei looked impressed. "Um well...thank you." she coughed, turned back to her drink. "Give Minako's a try." "Err, well, I don't think so." Mitsuki's face reddened; she looked away. "Why not?" Rei all but challenged. "Not up to it?" "No...that's not it." Mitsuki had the feeling she wasn't going to win this argument either. "I mean, I just..." The others stared at her expectantly, she sighed. "Okay." Minako's smile seemed a bit strained when she asked, "Do I have to do anything?" "Oh, no...I can, um, you don't have to do anything." She closed her eyes, took a deep, shuddering breath. "Alright." "Minako, your aura is...bright, but not in the way Usagi's is...it's something different. Unique." "And what else?" Usagi asked. "And it...a while ago, my comrades and I...we encountered an aura much like yours. It wasn't quite the same, but the boys felt it more than we did." "Um...exactly what did it do?" Minako asked. "I believe...a proper term would be 'love slaves.' It er, took us a while to get them back to normal. They couldn't be anywhere near the woman either without feeling the effects. But it's not bad," she quickly amended, when she saw the look on Minako's face, "it's just...I told Usagi that she drew people to her because of the warmth and kindness of her aura...well, you draw people to you because of the love and beauty of yours. That's...what I mean," she finished lamely, tapping her fingers against the table. Minako smiled, rested her hand on Mitsuki's shoulder. "Thank you. That was very sweet." "Y-you're welcome," Mitsuki said, trying to get her heart rate back to normal. "So..." Makoto said, sensing Mitsuki's discomfort. "What's your aura like?" Mitsuki glanced up, frowned in thought. "I can't really read my own. Ririko said it was a 'kaleidoscope of color,' once. That it changed and everything, that it was hard to pin down. And that it was strong, and very bright. But...I'm not sure. It's...hard for people to see what others see in them. Sometimes, I wish we could see ourselves through other people's eyes. That way we could improve. That way...we could see why people cared so much about us." The others nodded solemnly. ~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~ "Interesting point. 'I wish I could see what you see.' I wish..." the woman smiled at Kazuki. "I'm glad I made it in here in time to see that." "Wishes...hmph. Pipe dreams and lost fantasies. Familiar and comforting, nothing more." "Ahh, such pessimism. I do wish that you could at least crack a smile sometimes, Kazuki." "I do, it's just that people don't usually like my jokes." Laughter from the other woman. "Well, as long as you get enjoyment out of it, I suppose it can't be bad." A grin. "You'd be surprised. So, how long do we have to wait?" "Not much longer. But I am worried about this...odd effect the girl, the Venusian has on her. It might...it might grow to be something more. We don't want emotional casualties." "Don't worry about it. And in matters like this, casualties cannot be prevented. Someone always gets hurt." The woman nodded, stared off into space. "I suppose you're right..." ~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~ Gracious, I'm going to be seeing quotation marks in my sleep. That was a long chapter. Anyway, see you on the flip side, you jive turkeys.
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