"A..." Usagi squeaked out, face pale. "Ami-san, that's a terrible thing to say!"
"Kino-san maintains an inordinate supply of birth control products, including emergency contraceptives which are just barely legal in Japan and are highly difficult to obtain even on a case-by-case basis," Ami explained patiently. "There is a notebook on her desk containing a list of names—all of which appear to be masculine names. You have stated that she has no family and lives alone—a highly improbable circumstance." She pushed her glasses up, and they reflected the lights in the living room eerily. "The evidence suggests Kino-san supports herself through, at the very least, enjokosai, if not outright prostitution."
Usagi sank to her knees. "Kino-san is..."
"This information does not change the situation," Ami said in a clinical tone. "Kino-san is still missing, and we still do not know what has happened to her. However, this new information adds numerous possibilities, none of which are aligned in our favour."
Usagi stared at her, horrified. "Ami-san...how can you be so calm about..."
"Kino-san's personal life does not concern me," Ami said. "My opinion of this discovery is irrelevant. She is still Jupiter, and thus is still necessary to the continuation of our battle against the Dark Kingdom. Therefore, we must determine her whereabouts. You do still intend to find her, do you not?"
"Of course I do! But—"
"Then let us continue our investigation."
Makoto flexed her wrists, straining against the bonds holding her. The cuffs were tight; too much stress and she risked opening a vein.
She reached into herself, trying to clamp onto the power of Jupiter, but it seemed to have retreated, scattered; she could not summon even a fraction of her power.
Of course, she had not expected to be able to transform; one of the few times she'd been able to see clearly since awakening in her prison, she'd realized they had removed her henshin bracelet.
The drugs they kept pumping her full of probably weren't helping.
*Dammit...I KNOW the power's there, I just can't...*
A low, pitiful moan intruded into her thoughts. She focused her gaze across the room, and winced.
Motoki was awake.
"Nnnn....'ko-cha...wh..."
"Shh," Makoto advised. "They fucked you up pretty bad. I'm amazed you're even still alive."
One horribly blackened, puffy eye drifted hazily toward her. "Who..."
"Goddamn yakuza," Makoto replied. "If I'd known Okuda rolled like that, I'd never have taken the job."
"Okuda...? Damn," Motoki hissed. "I'm sorry, Mako-chan...didn't know..."
"It's my fault." Makoto sighed. "Dammit, this ain't the way I wanted to die."
"Not go...die, Mako-chan," Motoki wheezed. A gout of blood spurted from his mouth. "Ugh...thirsty."
"Don't talk anymore," Makoto advised. "Save your energy."
"Mmm...k." Mere seconds later, Motoki was unconscious again.
Makoto sighed deeply. *God this sucks.*
* * * * *
Usagi sat on Makoto's sofa, knees drawn to her chest. "But who'd take Kino-san?" she asked. "What were they looking for?"
"We don't have enough information to deduce that at present," Ami replied, continuing to examine the room. She frowned. "Something seems amiss, however."
"Ami-san...Kino-san is missing, her desk is wrecked, there's rotten food in the kitchen, and she's a hooker. What ISN'T amiss about all this?"
The shorter girl paused to wipe her glasses on the hem of her skirt. "The front door was locked, correct?"
"Hai."
"Which means that the last person to leave this apartment had the keys."
Usagi frowned. "Hai..."
"One would assume the key to Kino-san's desk drawer would be on the same keyring as her apartment keys."
The long-haired girl's brow furrowed. "I suppo..." she trailed off. "But her desk drawer was broken open by force!"
"Precisely. Also, the notebook on her desk..." Ami walked over to the desk and, producing a tissue from a pocket, picked it up and carefully leafed through it. "If her disappearance is related to her...extracurricular activities, then it doesn't make sense that her abductor would leave this behind."
"Hmm." Usagi stood, frowning. She walked over to the desk and produced her own handkerchief, using it to cover her fingers as she tapped at buttons on Makoto's phone. "They'd probably want to erase this too, wouldn't they?"
"Hai." Ami glanced at the phone's Caller ID display as Usagi scrolled through it. "That one individual seems to call quite often."
"Un." Usagi reached for the notebook on the desk and, ignoring Ami's protests, ripped a clean sheet from the back, picked up a small brown pen, and wrote down the name 'Furuhata Motoki', as well as the number. "Maybe whoever this is knows something."
Ami shrugged. "It's a lead."
* * * * *
Five minutes past sunset, Luna emerged onto the hotel roof. "Master?" she called.
"Over here, on the rose path," Artemis called. Luna padded through the gardens, spotting the long white fan of the mage's hair. "Your report?"
"Mars has reinforced her barrier at the temple. It should withstand another youma attack."
"If Jadeite were fool enough to try it again. I don't recall him being that stupid."
"No, he certainly isn't. Still..."
"It's reassuring for the girls to have a fallback position in case things get ugly, yes." Artemis knelt and carefully clipped the stem of a rose, briefly inhaling its sweet aroma. "Speaking of Jadeite, any new information on his plans?"
Luna shook her head. "I have spotted him in four separate locations around the city, but as yet I have no idea what he's planning." She paused. "I've also sighted Lord Nephrite, in a coffee shop ten blocks from Tokyo Tower. He was meeting Lord Jadeite."
Artemis raised an eyebrow. "Jadeite AND Nephrite? This is getting interesting..."
"Master...the Senshi cannot withstand a combined assault from two of the Shitennou. And if all four were to appear at once..."
The mage chuckled. "Concerned for the Senshi, Luna?"
The youma growled. "I am aware that their continued safety is the only reason I am permitted to exist. If an ill fate befalls them, I have no delusions about what your next act would be."
"Ah, so it's mere self-preservation, then." Artemis shrugged and discarded the beautiful flower into the dirt. "In that case, you'll probably want to help Her Majesty track down Jupiter."
Luna blinked. "AGAIN?! Surely after the first—"
"No, she hasn't gone rogue again. If it were that simple, I'd have already dealt with it." The mage sighed. "Jupiter has managed to get herself kidnapped, and her present circumstances prevent her from using her Senshi powers to escape."
The youma stared at the mage, eyes wide with disbelief. "KIDNAPPED?! By whom?"
Artemis shrugged. "Couldn't say."
"Bullshit. You know exactly where she is, exactly who has her, and you could save her in a minute yourself—"
"But then Princess Serenity and the other Senshi would learn nothing from the experience," Artemis replied. "If I show up to save the day for them every single time they get in trouble, what's going to happen when they have to face the Shitennou?"
"I...suppose there is a logic to that. But at the very least, you could tell them where—"
"I prefer to see if the princess can find Jupiter herself. How well she performs in this should be an indicator as to how suited she is for the task of actually finding the Maboroshi no Ginzuishou."
"So you're going to risk Jupiter's life for a test of Serenity's mental prowess?"
"If need be, yes."
"...you are an absolute bastard," Luna hissed.
Artemis chuckled. "So I've been told. You are not, incidentally, allowed to tell Princess Serenity or any of the Senshi that I could tell them where to find Jupiter." His eyes glowed softly. "You will obey this order."
Luna sighed. "Yes, Master." With that, she melted into the shadows.
* * * * *
As Ami made a final search of the apartment, Usagi wandered around the apartment, mainly for lack of anything better to do. She was, however, keeping an eye open for anything unusual.
The sun had set an hour earlier, and faint rumbles of thunder could be heard outside. Peering out the kitchen window, Usagi noticed several small potted plants on the fire escape. They had begun to wilt; she debated bringing them inside and watering them.
She reached out to open the window and blinked as it swung open at the slightest touch. "Huh?" Peering at the latch, she frowned. "Ami-san?"
"Yes, Tsukino-san?"
"Come take a look at this."
A moment passed before Ami joined her at the window. Usagi wordlessly pointed at the window latch; the shorter girl leaned closer, adjusting her glasses. Her eyebrows went up sharply. "This latch has been cut."
"Un." Usagi paused. "Could whoever took Kino-san have—"
"They may have come in through the window, but it is unlikely they exited the same way, especially with a captive." Ami pointed at the plants outside. "If someone abducted a girl of Kino-san's size and strength, it is doubtful they would be able to carry her down the fire escape, especially without disturbing her plants." She paused, then gingerly lifted one of the fragile pots into the apartment. "These require water."
Usagi giggled. "That's exactly what I was about to do when I found the broken latch."
Ami snorted. "Interesting way to find a clue."
A loud peal of thunder made Usagi jump. "I think we'd better call it quits for tonight and get home before it starts pouring."
"Agreed." Ami paused. "Have you alerted the other Senshi as to the disappearance of Kino-san?"
"Not yet," Usagi said as she gathered up her bag and detached her umbrella.
"It would be prudent to do so," Ami said, stowing her glasses and unlimbering her own umbrella. "Tomorrow, we will find and interrogate Furuhata Motoki."
* * * * *
Mina surveyed the shrine grounds and felt a surge of satisfaction. It had taken a few days, but there were no traces left of the damage inflicted by the battle. She brushed dust off her hands, smoothed the hakama she had borrowed from Rei, and nodded. "Not bad," she mused aloud.
"Not bad indeed," Rei's grandfather said, smiling. He bowed. "I appreciate your aid in restoring the grounds, Minako-kun."
The blond returned the bow. "It was my pleasure, and I'm glad I was able to be of assistance." She stretched. "I'd better go get cleaned up and changed, it's getting pretty late."
She entered Rei's room and found the miko staring at her phone, frowning. "Something wrong, Rei?"
"Mina-san, perhaps you should check your e-mail."
Brow creasing, Mina retrieved her own phone from her bag and called up her mail. She skimmed the messages, and her eyes widened. "Holy crap."
"We must assist Tsukino-hime if at all possible," Rei insisted, closing her phone with a snap. "The disappearance of one of our number...it does not bode well."
"Yeah, no kidding." Mina shook her head, slipping her phone back into her bag. "Doesn't look like there's much we can do, though..."
"I will ruminate on this matter before the sacred fire tonight," Rei said. "I will see you tomorrow, Mina-san."
"Yeah..."
* * * * *
Usagi did not sleep well that night.
Ami found herself somewhat distracted as she spent the last minutes before bed reading.
Mina slept soundly, but worry for her new friend and the comrade she had yet to meet did not afford her pleasant dreams. Rei remained awake well into the night, meditating before the sacred fire. Luna prowled the streets, searching for any hint of the missing Senshi.
Makoto did not sleep; rather, she drifted in and out of consciousness as the various drugs in her system waned in potency and were reinforced by the gangsters who came and went throughout the night.
Motoki died shortly before three in the morning. His body was left hanging in front of Makoto.
Sunrise came all too soon for some, and not soon enough for others...
* * * * *
The bristles of Rei's broom scraped soothingly along the damp stones of the temple steps. The sound balmed her soul; she had always loved the simple act of sweeping the steps. It focused her, it cleared her mind...
"Rei-chan?"
The miko stiffened, broom coming to a halt. "Aritsuka," she said in a hard, foreboding tone.
A well-dressed, stocky man with stiff, bristly hair and mirrored sunglasses stood at the base of the shrine steps, hands clasped behind his back. His well-lined face set into a frown which deepened the ugly scar on his left cheek. "Rei-chan, that's hardly a proper way to greet your father."
Rei's violet eyes locked onto the man's face, the fires of Hell itself snapping in her gaze. "If such a person existed, I would respectfully greet him as Chichiue. However, no such person exists. What is your business here? You are aware that you are not permitted—"
"Yes, I know, restraining order," the man said dismissively, waving a hand. "Look, Rei-chan..." He sighed. "I just...today..."
"If you do not leave immediately, I will summon the police," Rei snapped impatiently.
The scarred man scowled, then nodded stiffly. "Alright." He turned to head for the large black luxury sedan parked at the curb. He paused briefly, turned, and fished a small wrapped package from his pocket, which he tossed up to the miko. "Happy birthday, Rei-chan."
Rei stoically watched the car pull away, expression blank. After several seconds, she knelt down and picked up the package, studying it for a long moment. With a sigh, she opened it.
Inside was a glittering green bracelet which sparkled in the early morning sun. A tiny sigil was engraved on it, barely visible; it bore a resemblance to a stylised number '4'. As she fingered the clasp, she felt a small tingle of static electricity.
Her eyes widened. *Masaka...*
Horror and worry creasing her face, she dashed into the shrine, broom forgotten on the steps. Darting into her bedroom, she snatched up her phone.
"Tsukino-hime? I believe I know who has captured Kino-shi..."
