Author's Note: If you wish to comment on my story, either positively or negatively, please contact me at treetop@voicenet.com. Sailor Moon and all related characters are the property of Takeuchi Naoko, Toei Animation and DIC. Sailor Sirius is the property of Sharon Williams. Any references to Vulcan are the province of Gene Roddenberry and Paramount Studios. So, please, don't sue me because I haven't any money. I do this strictly for entertainment purposes, not copyright infringement.
The Adventures of Talia and Tanya:
The Logic of Romance
by Jeffrey C. Branch
Chapter Five
Rating: PG
Talia lay on her bed, playing the Lights' newest CD at a moderate volume on her portable stereo, a wide smile on her face. The Vulcan girl couldn't remember the last time she felt so happy. So at peace with herself.
She could feel the warm glow in her heart as she thought about Seiya, and the marvel he bestowed on her by saying that he loved her. Like she told Seiya last night, Talia felt like a whole new person, having finally discovered her humanity she once sought to distance herself from. Now she embraced it with all the passion she did her dark haired lover who occupied her thoughts.
"Never in my life have I felt so....beautiful," Talia said. She thought about her parents back home in San Francisco and how happy they'd be when she told them that she found a boyfriend. Then Talia thought about her other parents, from her first life. Sitting up, Talia walked over to her desk, opened a drawer and pulled out an 18 by 24 inch drawing pad. Flipping over the cover, Talia gazed at a watercolor drawing of her Vulcan parents.
After the final battle with Administrator Stefan in which her katra, her soul journeyed to the astral plane where she saw the spirits of Setak and T'Lar for the first time in a thousand years, Talia bought the pad from an art store and drew the picture of her parents from memory. Every detail of their faces, their expressions and the clothes they wore was captured in the most exacting of detail. No one knew about the drawing Talia had done, not Serena, not Tanya, no one. This was her own private secret. Staring at the picture brought a great pain of longing to Talia's heart and tears filled her eyes.
"Mother. Father. I miss you. I miss you so very much," said the Vulcan girl, barely managing to catch the sob in her throat while tears poured down her cheeks. "I know you are watching over me, as you said you were. I have found my humanity....and a soulmate. A young man who loves me....just as I love him. I know this is not logical, but that does not matter. Not any more. Because I am finally happy. I hope you are happy for me."
Returning the pad to the drawer, Talia wiped her eyes, then stood and walked over to her closet, her thoughts now focused on the immediate future. For her, that meant selecting an appropriate outfit for the Three Lights concert tonight. And then being alone with Seiya after the show.
Aya lay on her bed, playing the Lights' newest CD at full blast on her boom box. A huge smile on her face, she sang along with her heroes.
The music from the speakers pounded into her mind, her body and her soul, filling her with the power she had come to enjoy. Still, it was not enough, not nearly enough to replace the euphoria she felt from Thursday night's concert, when the power from the Lights' music made her feel almost godlike. So she played the CD at maximum volume so she could replicate the feeling. More than anything in the world, Aya yearned to experience that feeling of that special evening again and again.
And she would do so tonight at the Lights' concert.
"Aya!" came a female voice, sounding angry. She ignored it.
The girl thought back to her experiment in the junkyard last night and was confident that with enough music in her system, she would have the power to do anything she wanted. A low, gutteral voice in her head told her that the power would put her far above the pathetic humans who milled about this city like ants in a colony. Ants she could crush beneath her heel. Aya giggled. She liked the sound of that.
"AYA! Turn that down!" The girl, entranced by the music continued to ignore the voice.
Angry at having been ignored, Yumi Misato, Aya's mother tromped over to the boom box and hit the power button, shutting off the music. Aya bounded up from the bed, furious at her mother for interrupting her beloved music. "Hey! I was listening to that!"
"So was half the block from how loud it was!" Yumi snapped back. "Do you have to play that CD so damned loud?"
"Yes I do! You wouldn't understand!" Aya snarled. She walked to the boom box, turned it on and resumed playing the CD at it's original volume. Yumi, annoyed, turned down the volume.
"Look, I don't mind you playing music, but you have to be more considerate to the neighbors and keep the volume down," said Yumi. "I've had them complain about how loud you've been playing this thing over the last couple of days."
"Screw them. They don't understand either. Now get out." Aya jacked up the volume again.
"That does it, young lady!" growled Yumi. She hit the stop button and removed the CD. "Just for that, I'm keeping this until you learn to follow orders."
Aya's eyes smouldered dangerously. "Give that back, you bitch!"
Yumi was stunned. "What did you call me?"
"You heard me! A lowly, miserable bitch who doesn't know the first thing about me!" Aya growled. "You disgust me! No wonder dad left, you're so freaking pathetic, he had to find satisfaction in the arms of a younger, more attractive woman!"
Before Yumi could stop herself, the enraged woman hauled back and slapped Aya across the face, the sharp sound of flesh striking flesh loud as a gunshot in the silence of the room. "How dare you? How DARE you disrespect me like that? I'm your mother, Aya!"
Aya, tasting blood in her mouth from a split lip felt her own rage rush to the surface like lava erupting from a volcano. Her teeth tightly clenched, Aya, feeling the power surging within her while an ugly, furious voice in her head demanded retribution, she backhanded Yumi with such force, the older woman was lifted off her feet and sent flying over the bed, leaving her dazed on the floor. Gripped by a terrible, inhuman rage, Aya, her eyes glowing a bright red towered over Yumi who now felt open fear in the presence of a person she now saw as a stranger. A monstrous stranger.
"Stupid cow! You went too far! Much too far!" Aya snarled. "Now you're gonna pay the price!"
Picking up the Lights' CD that fell from Yumi's hand, Aya put it back in the boom box, turned it on full volume, then walked back to where Yumi lay. Aya then smiled, but that only served to terrify the older woman because it was filled with bottomless menace.
"I wouldn't want the neighbors you worry about so much to hear what's coming next."
"Okay, Ti! Let's have it," a slightly annoyed Yaten said to Tanya as the couple sat on a bench in a small park a block away from Budokan Hall. A worried sounding Tanya insisted, practically pleaded for her boyfriend to join her for an urgent, private talk. "Whatever it is, make it fast. I have to join the guys for sound check and rehersals for tonight's show. What's the emergency?"
"I think we've got a potentially major problem regarding Tal and Seiya," said a downcast Tanya.
"Problem? What do you mean?" Yaten wanted to know. "All morning long, Seiya rambled on and on about Tal, saying he's in love and she's the best thing that's ever happened to him."
"I'm not surprised. He hasn't told her the truth, has he?"
Yaten frowned. "Are you kidding? Of course not! Can you imagine how Tal would react if she found out her boyfriend was a genderbending warrior from another planet?"
Tanya lowered her head, almost afraid to speak at first. When she did, it was in a low, remorseful voice. "I know. For three days, it never occurred to me that this could happen. I was so happy over Tal finding true love for the first time, I never stopped to consider the downside to her relationship with Seiya."
"Downside? What downside? Out with it, Tanya! Now! What the hell is going on?"
"I wish I could keep this to myself, but I can't. Yaten....Tal's a Scout."
Yaten's eyes widened into saucers and his mouth fell wide open. "Good Lord. You're kidding!"
Tanya shook her head. "I wish I was. She's Sailor Vulcan. Tal was with me, Serena and the others on the Moon a thousand years ago. She's only recently regained her memories of her past life as a Scout. And she hasn't confessed to Seiya either."
Yaten pinched the bridge of his nose. "Terrific. Lemme guess. Tal's worried about a 'civilian' like Seiya getting into trouble if she revealed her secret identity to him."
"You got it."
"Oh, man. The more I hear, the less I like. I hope to God I'm wrong, Ti, but I've got a feeling this has got disaster written all over it."
"Tell me about it. Is there anything we can do?" a worried Tanya asked, tears filling her eyes.
"At this point, there's nothing we can do without making things worse," said a frowning Yaten. "One thing's for sure, it's not your place to spill the beans to Tal about Seiya. Only he can make that call. And I don't think he will unless he's forced to. If you talk, Tal's bound to feel betrayed because you kept this from her."
Tanya gulped. The thought of losing Talia's friendship brought a terrible, stabbing pain to her heart. The enigmatic Vulcan girl had become an important part of Tanya's life, a part she loved and couldn't bear to live without. "I know that too. And Seiya would never forgive me for butting into his business. What a mess this is!"
"Yeah. Well, if the worse case scenario does happen, I'm afraid Tal and Sey will just have to work it out on their own." Yaten checked his watch and rose from his seat. "Look, I gotta split, or the guys will skin me alive."
Tanya nodded. "Yaten, I'm sorry for dropping this in your lap, but I needed to get this off my chest."
"I understand. This secret identity game we all play is a major pain in the ass." Yaten then gave his girlfriend a squeeze. "But, I'm glad you did come to me, sweetheart. I'm always here for you."
"And I thank the Gods for that. Please, don't tell Seiya about this!"
"Don't worry about that. My lips are sealed." Yaten paused to kiss Tanya on her cheek. "See ya later."
Once Yaten left, Tanya slumped on the bench, dwelling morosely on Talia and Seiya and the troubles she feared they would face. It gave her a very bad feeling in her stomach.
A nondescript sedan pulled up to the curb across the street from the Misato house and two people climbed out.
"Looks pretty quiet to me," said Fukoda, removing a pair of sunglasses he wore. His face was creased from wariness. "But then, appearances can be damned deceiving."
"Do you really expect complications, sir?" Junko asked.
"Possibly. I take nothing for granted anymore, Junko. Not after that case I was on a year ago," said Fukoda.
In spite of herself, Junko was curious. She had only heard rumors of the mysterious case Fukoda worked and rarely, if ever talked about. "Uh, forgive me for prying, but was it that bad?"
Fukoda nodded. "Worse. I watched men change into bloodthirsty monsters before my eyes and was nearly killed by one. It was like being in the middle of a horror movie, only it was real. Very real. Enough of that. Let's find out what this girl knows."
"Or what she's hiding," said Junko.
The two detectives crossed the street and climbed the steps to the house. Junko was about to ring the bell when she noticed that the door was slightly ajar. With a motion of her head, she pointed that out to Fukoda. A scowl creased his face when he saw that.
"Ring the bell," he said.
Junko did so. Several times. The cops waited, but no one came to the door. "Police! Is anyone home?" she called. Still nothing.
"Shit!" Fukoda growled. The detective pulled out his weapon as did Junko. The nagging feeling he had in his gut about this case had returned full force. "Already I'm not liking this."
"That makes two of us," said Junko in a slightly nervous voice. It had been a long time since she went into a potential combat situation with a fellow officer, seven years ago, with her old partner, Saionji. She tried not to think about him. The memories dredged up too much pain. "Do we call for back-up?"
"Let's see what we've got first," cautioned Fukoda. He put his left hand on the doorknob while he flicked off the safety on his Beretta 92S. "Cover me."
"Right," a hard faced Junko replied, tightening her grip on a Glock 17. Her heart pounded in her chest from anxiety and anticipation.
The detective slowly opened the door wide, exposing a dark and quiet living room. Fukoda took a breath, then moved inside, his gun outstretched in a two-handed grip. Junko was close behind. After Junko slowly closed the door behind her, the cops strained to hear any sounds in the house. None were heard. That bothered Fukoda. He turned to the woman behind him. "Does Mrs. Misato work on Sundays?"
Junko shook her head. "No. If she and Aya walk in the door after an outing, we're going to have a lot of explaining to do."
"Maybe. But I've got a feeling it's not going to be that simple. Check upstairs. I'll look around down here."
With a nod, Junko climbed the stairs to the second floor. Once there, she saw that one door at the end of the hallway was open. Trying to control her nervousness, Junko walked to the door and opened it. The furnishings she saw inside, along with posters of Metallica, Korn, The Backstreet Boys and the Three Lights on the walls told her this was Aya's room. A boombox sat on the dresser, surrounded by two dozen CD cases while more sat on a small vanity. Something on the vanity caught Junko's eye, it was a clipping of an ad for the Lights' concert this evening at Budokan Hall. She also noticed that the vanity's mirror was broken. That puzzled her. Junko then saw that the bed was disheveled, the sheets in a pile at the foot, as if something had been hastily pulled off of it.
Taking a closer look around the bed, Junko breath caught in her throat when she saw patches of red on the carpet. She knew right away that the stains were blood. Junko then looked up and saw that the window was broken, just like the vanity mirror. Feeling a fist of ice clamp itself around her heart, Junko whirled around to check the mirror on the dresser and saw that it too was shattered. That made Junko think back to the hoods who were murdered in the alley three blocks away late Thursday night, and the unusual circumstances surrounding their deaths.
"Every window for a block around that alley had been broken. Just like here. Oh, my God." Suddenly frightened, Junko backed out of the room and rushed back downstairs, just as Fukoda was exiting the kitchen. He saw the fearful look on Junko's face right away.
"Junko, what's wrong? What did you find?" he asked.
"Trouble!" Junko hissed. "I found bloodstains on the floor in Aya's room. Plus, all the mirrors, and the window were broken!"
Fukoda scowled. "I was afraid of that. Something's been dragged through here to the basement door in the kitchen. It was hard to see the signs until I turned on the lights. I was just coming to get you."
"You think a body's been taken down to the cellar? But who's?"
"Let's find out."
The two detectives went into the kitchen. Standing at the door to the basement, Fukoda twisted the knob and opened the door, exposing nothing but blackness. Fukoda reached for a light switch, finding it, he flicked it on, and the cellar was bathed in a low, dingy light.
"I hate basements. That's why I live in an apartment," Junko commented nervously, regretting all those horror movies she watched as a teenager and the effect they had on her imagination.
"Can't say I blame you. C'mon," said Fukoda.
The cops carefully made their way down the steps and into the cellar which was cluttered with old furniture, boxes and toys caked with years of dust. As Fukoda and Junko looked around, it was the woman who saw a petal pink comforter bundled in the far corner ahead. She nudged her partner. "There," she whispered. "Something had been taken off Aya's bed. That may be what we're looking for."
Fukoda nodded. As the pair approached the bundled up comforter against the wall below a small window, they could already smell the stink of death radiating from it while, even in the poor light, the bottom portion of the bundle was stained a dark red. The cops shared a brief look. They knew what they had found, but now had to find out just who the victim was. With a left hand that trembled more than he wanted, Fukoda grabbed the top of the bundled comforter and pulled it down. What it revealed was a nightmare that nearly made Junko scream, despite her years of experience.
The body was that of a dark haired woman with traces of gray at the temples, her eyes open but unseeing. Her flesh sagged badly on her skeleton as if there was nothing beneath to support it while blood oozed from every orifice. The woman's warped face was locked in an expression of sheer horror.
"Oh, Jesus!" croaked Junko. Her head spinning, she turned away from the grisly sight as she fought to keep from fainting.
"Not even close," said Fukoda in a ragged voice. Tasting bile in his throat while his stomach roiled, the detective covered up the ruined body. "Mrs. Misato I presume. Killed just like those hoods Thursday night."
"Her skeleton shattered, her organs pulped," Junko finished. "What could've done that?"
"I'm more concerned about who could've done it. And where's Aya?"
"Right behind you," came a voice from behind them.
The cops whirled around to see Aya at the foot of the stairs. She wore a hard look on her face. Fukoda eyed her warily as barely ten feet separated Aya from the detectives. There was something about the girl that raised his hackles. "Aya? Where were you?"
"Tower Records. They're having a sale on Three Lights t-shirts for their concert here tonight," Aya replied casually. "Why do you ask?"
"Your mother's been murdered, Aya," said Junko in a sympathetic voice. "Did you know about this?"
"Of course I did. I killed the bitch."
Hearing that, Fukoda, fearing he had a B.E.M. on his hands trained his weapon on the girl who gave him a bored look. Junko was puzzled by her partner's hostile response. She couldn't understand how the unarmed girl could be a killer. "How did you do that? What the hell are you?" Fukoda demanded.
"What am I? To tell you the truth, mister, I'm not sure. But that doesn't matter," Aya replied. "The only thing that matters is I have business tonight. And I won't let you clowns get in my way."
"And how are you going to stop us?" Fukoda wanted to know. Even though he and Junko were armed, he had an increasingly sinking feeling it wouldn't be enough.
"Funny you should ask. Like this!" Aya opened her mouth and, with a coarse, ragged voice, she screamed.
Backstage in the Lights' dressing room, forty minutes before showtime, Talia and Seiya, tight in a steamy embrace were kissing with unbridled passion. While Taiki smiled at the scene, Tanya and Yaten were more reserved. Almost somber.
"Okay, you two! How about coming up for air?" said Taiki. "Sheesh! You guys are getting to be as bad as Ti and Yaten!"
The young lovers reluctantly broke their kiss, but stayed close in their embrace, staring deeply into each other's eyes. Talia smiled demurrely at her boyfriend.
"I suppose we should cease for now, beloved," she said, her voice husky. Already she longed for Seiya's lips which had become something of a drug to her. A drug she couldn't resist.
"Yeah, but only for now, angel," said Seiya with a nod. "We can pick this up after the show. Far away from the maddening crowds. No way in the world I can get enough of your kisses, sweetheart."
"The feeling is mutual, my darling."
"Awww! How cute! They even have pet names for each other! Isn't that sweet?" joked Tanya, putting on a grin and getting into the act, lest Taiki with his sharp mind suspect anything.
Yaten saw what Tanya was up to and played along. "Yup! Nothing like young love to make two kids act mondo goofy!"
Seiya looked at Yaten and snorted. "Ha! You should talk, wiseguy! I remember how loopy you were when you met Ti! You were seriously gone!" He then grinned at Talia. "Don't listen to them, Tal. We can act any way we want because we're crazy in love with each other!"
Talia returned Seiya's smile. "I quite agree. And I do not wish to regain my sanity. I am having a great deal of fun."
"Well, girls, we have to change for the show," said Taiki. "We'll see you both after the show. I hope you'll enjoy it."
"Oh, there's no doubt of that!" said Tanya. "Isn't that right, Tal?"
"Most definitely," said Talia, still staring at Seiya. She and Seiya finally broke their embrace. Almost instantly, Talia felt depressed as she enjoyed being the arms of her dark haired lover. "To quote an old show business saying I heard once: 'Break a leg'."
Seiya faked a wince. "Ouch! Don't say that, angel! I hate pain!"
At the north enterance to Budokan Hall, Aya, wearing her Three Lights t-shirt and jeans entered the building. Unlike Thursday night when she was up in the balcony, tonight, she'd be ten rows from the stage. That meant she'd get the full, undiluted effect of the music, giving her the power she craved to do anything she wanted. And, with the cops taken care of, nothing would stop her from taking Seiya for herself.
Aya giggled from anticipation as she walked down the aisle to her seat. She couldn't wait for the show to start.
When a groggy Fukoda came to, he was genuinely surprised to discover he was still alive.
His head pounding, his body badly throbbing and his ears loudly ringing, he looked around him and was stunned to find himself leaning against the wall near the comforter that hid the body of Aya's motherÉ.a good fifteen feet away from the foot of the stairs where he and Junko faced Aya. Thinking of his partner, Fukoda whirled around and saw the female detective moaning nearby as she stirred. Fukoda breathed a sigh of relief.
"You were lucky today, Hideki. Damn lucky," he muttered. The detective then shook his partner. "Junko! Jun! Wake up! C'mon, Inspector! This is no time to be sleeping on the job! Wake up!"
After a second moan, Junko opened her eyes and looked up at Fukoda, her face a study in confusion. "Lieutenant? What....what happened?"
"Well, I'm not a religious man by nature, but I think we were on the business end of a miracle," said Fukoda. He climbed slowly to his feet, then helped Junko to hers. "By all rights, we should be dead like poor Mrs. Misato, but we're not. How do you feel?"
"To put it bluntly, sir, like shit. I ache all over, and about a million doorbells are ringing non-stop in my head. But I guess that beats the alternative." Junko's eyes then widened and a look of shock paled her face. "Good God! That girl! Aya! What did she hit us with?"
"I'm not sure, but I think it was some sort of sound blast," answered Fukoda, rubbing a sore shoulder. "If I remember the science courses I took in college, certain sonic frequencies are powerful enough to shatter glass. It looks like Aya uses similar frequencies in her scream----a sonic scream----to shatter bone and pulp organs. That's how she killed those thugs....and her mother."
Junko glanced at the bloodstained comforter and shivered. "That....that's incredible."
"And then some. One thing's for certain, no human can do anything like that, save for the Scouts, and who's to say they're from this world. Like it or not, Junko, we've got a B.E.M. on our hands. And this one's got a serious taste for murder."
The woman detective digested what she was told. Then, with a look of deep contrition on her face, she came to attention and bowed low before Fukoda. "You were right, sir. You were right all along, but I was too stubborn and stupid to believe you. My narrow mindedness could've gotten us both killed. Please, forgive me."
Fukoda placed a friendly hand on Junko's shoulder and gave her a litle grin. "There's nothing to forgive, Jun. To be perfectly honest, I wasn't sure about the girl myself. I tried to be objective like you and figured she was using some sort of weapon. Turns out she was the weapon."
"Not to sound ungrateful, but....why are we still alive?"
"Didn't you hear Aya's voice when she screamed? It was hoarse, ragged and cracking. I'm guessing she killed her mother before we arrived and had no strength left to take us out. That means there's a limit to her powers." Fukoda paused to look for his gun and found it near the comforter. He removed the clip and saw that it hadn't been fired. He then checked Junko's weapon and found the same before handing it to her. "Curious. Our guns weren't fired. I doubt they were even touched. Why she didn't fill us full of holes when she had the chance is a mystery to me."
"Maybe she thought we were dead," Junko suggested. "Or perhaps she just didn't have time to check."
"Speaking of time...." said Fukoda, checking his wrist watch. What he saw shocked him. "Damnation! Six thirty! We've been out for hours! Aya could be anywhere by now!"
"No, sir, not anywhere," said a frowning Junko as something just occurred to her. "On the vanity in her room was a newspaper clipping advertising the Three Lights concert at Budokan tonight. And she mentioned it herself. I'll bet my pension that's where she's gone."
Hearing that, Fukoda scowled while a lump of ice settled in the pit of his stomach. "Great! This fiasco gets worse by the minute! My daughter and her friends will be there! And the show starts at seven! C'mon! We've got to round up some help and get there! Fast!"
TO BE CONTINUED