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The Chosen

El3v3n

All characters belong to Naoko Takeuchi and Kouta Hirano.

The king is dead, long live the queen!

"Usagi!" Minako cried urgently; her voice ragged from the repetition of a single name. And yet, after hours of trying to wake the teen to no avail, the blonde felt a pair of fingers wriggle against hers. Red lips once again vibrant with life parted, and finally, the princess opened her eyes.

Usagi exhaled heavily when the light of the room and the vision of her sparkle covered ceiling flooded her gaze. She couldn't have hoped to see anything so simply beautiful again, until she was greeted by several familiar, and watery, pairs of eyes.

"Usagi!" Minako repeated again, shrieking dramatically as she fell beside the girl in her bed. "My God, you have no idea how worried we've been."

"Be quiet," Rei hissed, indicating to the closed door beyond them. "Usagi's parents may have slept through all of this so far, but if you keep screaming they're bound to wake up."

"But, how-"Usagi cut into their argument with a mumble. Last she had remembered, she hadn't been anywhere near the comfort of her bed or friends. By some miracle, the by moonlight heroine had been saved. Rising to her elbows, she jerked in shock upon recalling the state of her left arm. Earlier that evening it had been broken, and now it held her weight without pain. A touch to her hand earned a look from the distraught girl, and as usual, Usagi found comfort in Ami's warm yet concerned gaze.

"We were able to trace the faint waves from your broken communicator." The raven-haired soldier of Mars explained, sounding as if her emotions were completely detached from the situation, but Usagi knew better. "You were deep within the museum – without any injury besides the fact that we couldn't wake you."

"And that creature that attacked you," Luna interjected, launching herself onto the bed among the other girls. "Was nowhere to be found – did you defeat him? Was he destroyed by Eternal Sailor Moon?"

"What was he, Usagi? He sure sounded really powerful." Makoto asked, and suddenly, the imploring gaze of Usagi's companions became overwhelming.

Tucking a pillow against her chest, the pigtailed-beauty buried her mouth into the plush surface. The moment she let her mind reel back to the memory of that thing, her cheeks completely drained of their rosy glow. Her palms became clammy and cool as the memory of the monster's red hues permeated her senses. The sailor soldier's body revolted against merely the recollection of the beast that had come for her. Her insides wound into a nauseated knot when suddenly the sound of his menacing footsteps began to echo in her ears. Was he still out there? Was he to return to collect her for his perverse desires? She had been touched – maimed - and declared a feast by a monstrosity whose very existence violated the sanctity of life itself.

Perhaps out of lingering fear, or relief of being in the amenity of her dearest companions, the girl began to cry. Shamelessly soaking the object clutched against her, the tears flowed faster and harder when she felt the arms of her friends loop around her in a protective embrace.

"That's enough for tonight," Luna spoke, in an uncharacteristic motherly tone. "All of you - get some rest. We'll deal with this in the morning."

Morning came quickly, and despite the fact that she was exhausted, Usagi was thankful for the sun. After nearly scaring the wits out of her mother by having actually arrived downstairs on time for school, she grabbed her lunch and was out the door without much conversation.

The birds chirping in welcome to the morning did little to rouse the girl's somber mood. A frown sat neatly on her lips when she paused in her steps to once again study the state of her left arm. It was perfect. There were no broken bones – not even a scratch to be seen on her pristine flesh. And all of it was a drastically different picture than she remembered from the night before.

Pain – that racing, scalding sensation of her thews being sliced open would be forever emblazoned in her memory. The sheer speed of the fanged man had been matched only by his immense strength. Quicker than any demon she had faced before, he had claimed her thin appendage and sank his ungodly bite into her. The warrior had struggled of course, but in her vain attempt he merely bit harder until he cracked the bones between his mighty fingers. She had been able to escape in a moment of his euphoria, but before she yanked back she caught the glow of his unholy gaze. He wasn't just some starved, possessed man – he meant to hurt her and to laugh and revel in her torment and pain. Never before had the suited soldier encountered a being so base and purposeful in his intent to do her harm, and that confrontation with such concentrated evil weighed heavy in her thoughts.

"Usagi!" A quick voice stole the girl's attention. Reflexes snapping to action, she caught an object hurtling toward her face and looked at it, unaware before now that her hands had been trembling.

"I've repaired your communicator." Luna spoke again, now falling within the girl's line of sight on the empty sidewalk. "Try to take better care of it this time. I may die of a heart attack if we have another incident like last night's." After a pause, Usagi slipped the communicator over her wrist, but not without her feline advisor taking notice of her mood. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah," the blonde answered after a moment, her clouded gaze betraying her words. "I just can't figure out what exactly happened in that museum. After he cornered me in the storeroom, my memory is hazy but, somehow, I have this feeling that he was definitely defeated."

"Oh?" Luna asked skeptically, but gaped when the other's face stilled.

"I really don't think I would be alive, otherwise." She explained, icily.

"Perhaps he thought you were already dead," Luna sighed, visibly conflicted on whether she should elaborate. "You were so distraught last night – I didn't want to worry you any further, but," the feline paused, gathering the uncertainty in the other's eyes. "When we found you in the museum, you were unconscious within an opened coffin."

"Wha-?" Usagi gasped, unsure of how she wanted to react upon hearing something so revolting. There was absolutely nothing about this situation that wasn't serious, but in a fashion true to the girl herself, Usagi's teeth began to chatter as she began to rub her arms frantically.

"Ew! That's so gross-gross-gross, gross!" The schoolgirl squealed, wriggling around almost comically. Luna responded with a dramatic eye roll, groaning heavily at the girl's ridiculous antics.

"I didn't tell you this to gross you out!" Luna protested, swatting at the girl's legs in an effort to earn her attention. "The fact that you were purposely placed there is suspicious, and it could be very likely that this creature is still out there!"

Pulling her fingers from her mouth, Usagi blinked away a few unshed tears. The thought of having slept inside a coffin gave her the heebie jeebies, but figuring out whether her attacker was still on the loose and able to hurt others was definitely more important.

"I know what happened last night has you rattled, but I, no, we need you to focus. Whoever this enemy is and whatever it is he wants - the Sailor Soldiers will need Eternal Sailor Moon to defeat him."

Curling a fist at her side, Usagi felt a swell of valor bloom in her chest. Regardless of what had happened the previous night, Sailor Moon had lived to fight another day. She and the other soldiers would defeat this threat at whatever cost. The enemy, in all of his power, had made Usagi feel like she was a helpless and powerless girl again, but that was not reality. Eternal Sailor Moon had the will and the power to stop any force that came threatening, and should this monster return again – next time, she would be ready to fight and to win.

"You had better head on to class now, after school I'll arrange a meeting at the Hino shrine." Luna called over her shoulder, as she jumped onto the ledge of a nearby retainer wall. "I'll do some more investigating on a few leads today, but for now, just try to focus on your studies."

"Luna," Usagi called gently, "I know after last night it may seem like I reverted back to the crybaby you took under your wing four years ago, but I promise, if this thing is still out there, he'll be moon dust the next time we meet." At the girl's reassurance, the black cat couldn't help but chuckle and reveal a toothy smile.

"Oh don't be ridiculous," she responded, waving a smug paw, "you'll always be a crybaby."

"Hey!" Usagi protested, but paused when Luna greeted her with gentle, glossy eyes.

"But even so, I have faith that whatever challenge might present itself - Sailor Moon will always see us through," she explained, her words pregnant with the utmost pride.

"I have always believed, and I always will."

Despite everything that had transpired, Usagi was feeling a lot better when she arrived at school. It was actually pleasant getting there without being in a rush from being late. She had even managed to scribble a few notes down during the lecture before her mind began to wonder. Luna had mentioned planning to investigate what this creature might be trying to accomplish today, and the Moon's champion couldn't help but wonder about it. Gathering intelligence on dark forces threatening the Earth wasn't really her forte. Usually, Luna and Artemis handled all that and it was up to the Sailor Soldiers to do the defending, but because of what had happened Usagi was feeling personally invested in the incident.

Not having access to information quite like Luna, the first thing she could think of was to check the news for anything odd that might have occurred. They still weren't sure what happened to this being that attacked her, and anything out of place could be a potential clue. Turning a watchful eye to the instructor at the front of the room, Usagi stealthily slipped her cellular phone from her bag while the woman was facing the board. Quickly thumbing through the various applications on the screen, she tapped The Japan Times and flicked her eyes over the headlines for something unusual. She admittedly thought the task would take a little searching – there were bad things that happened to people throughout Tokyo and there just wasn't enough Sailor Soldiers to always save the day. Normal, non-paranormal crimes were left up to the police to resolve, but Usagi felt her blood run cold when her eyes fell upon a very unsettling headline:

Police Now Involved in Search of Fifty Missing Persons, Juuban District

Her stomach lurched as she re-read the title, making absolutely sure she hadn't misinterpreted what was being reported. Frantically, she went to tap the link when a shadow fell over her desk.

"Miss Tsukino," an exasperated voice called to her attention. Looking up meekly from her phone, Usagi winced upon gathering the expanse of Ms. Fukuda's irritated expression. She tried to bare an apologetic smile, but by the elderly woman's stone expression it looked as if her day wasn't going to be getting any better.

"I believe we've been over the policy on cell phones during class, pack up your things, I'm sending you to explain yourself to Mr. Okada."

Trudging into the hallway, Usagi was torn between lamenting her misfortune of being caught and her horrifying discovery. There were fifty missing people in Juuban? For a moment, Usagi thought she was going to be ill.

She needed more details. When had this occurred? Ducking into the women's bathroom, she quickly deposited her things onto the counter and retrieved her phone. Returning back to the article, she was suddenly overwhelmed with the feeling that she wasn't alone.

Taking a quick scan of the area, Usagi dipped her head down and looked for feet behind the closed stalls. There wasn't a single person with her in the small restroom, but she couldn't shake the strange sensation that washed over her. It was almost as if she was being watched, and paranoia was yet another emotion she just couldn't handle right now. An odd shadow flickered across the lights, but Usagi didn't take the time to investigate.

Resolving to alert Luna of what she had discovered later, Usagi headed to the principal's office and handed her summons to his secretary. Begrudgingly she took a seat, and while the receptionist was busying herself on her computer Usagi rampantly began deleting texts in her mobile phone. If she were to take a poll, she would estimate that no one, at any school, would fancy a trip to the principal's office. But in her case, she was especially lamenting it because it was undeniably true that Mr. Okada was a total creep.

When she heard the rattle of the door handle, Usagi quickly tossed the phone into her bag and stood when a tall, thin man with dark hair and large round glasses exited into the foyer. He was young, (however, not especially attractive) and considerably so for someone so high ranking in the school system. With these accomplishments, Mr. Okada seemed to always parade an arrogant air about him.

"Miss Tsukino," he spoke her name with wolf-like grin, "do come in." Nodding, Usagi suppressed a sigh when she did as she was bidden and he closed the door behind them. By the time they were both seated - she across from his oversized desk, he was holding his hand out expectantly. Handing him her phone, she held her expression steady as he thumbed through her personal correspondences.

"You're a senior in this school, Tsukino." He reminded her with a half smirk as he reclined in his seat, focused ever intently on the contents of her device. "I shouldn't have to be counseling you on the school's policy for cell phones."

"Yes, sir." She responded obediently, "I'm sorry." Outwardly she appeared remorseful, but within she was near hysterics. If Mr. Okada had any idea what she had been trying to research, and what kind of monster may be on the loose he would have excused her from class without giving her any trouble. But, unfortunately, revealing herself to be the famed warrior Sailor Moon was completely out of the question.

"Oh, now, who's this?" He asked, turning the screen to show her a loving photograph of she and Mamoru that Minako had snapped of them at the park.

"That's my fiancé." She responded without hesitation.

"He doesn't go to this school." He commented absentmindedly, raising a sharp eyebrow as he turned his focus to Usagi. "You must like dating older men, don't you?"

To this, a pale hue of pink began to grow in Usagi's cheeks. Yes, Mamoru was older than she was but his crass insinuation was rude and frankly none of his business. She couldn't help but recall a rumor Naru had told her about some weeks ago. The ever gossipy redhead had heard from some of the other girls in her class that Mr. Okada was offering bumps in grades and flowering recommendation letters to some of the girls in their class who were going on to go to a university. Not without a price though, and of course it was only gossip, but according to Naru he would offer these "bonuses" in exchange for sexual favors from the overachieving students. Even worse, she had heard that some of the girls had taken him up on it.

When she didn't answer him, Mr. Okada chuckled to himself and set the device down before him.

"Though I'm sure you don't need to be reminded, in six months' time I will be preparing my letters for university applications. Seeing that your grades are average at best, I'd imagine my letter would be very important for your admittance. I would hate to have to write you a bad one, Miss Tsukino," he spoke as if he reveled in the power of his position, "but if you keep up this behavior I will be forced to do so." Looking at the man in disbelief, Usagi fought back the moisture welling at the base of her eyes.

"I'm sorry sir," her voice cracked, once again finding herself in a situation where she was powerless. "It won't happen again." Having detected her prostration, he stood from his desk and sauntered behind the girl's chair. Usagi flinched when his hand fell onto her shoulder. With a close friend the gesture might have been comforting, but with the principal it made her skin crawl.

"I know you're not a troublemaker, Usagi." He spoke her informal name softly, allowing his thumb to softly graze the tiny hairs on the back of her neck. "I'm sure a pretty girl like you just wants to go off and get married, but you should really consider your academic future more seriously." Usagi was perfectly still, holding her breath until she was forced to exhale and respond.

"Yes, sir." She spoke quietly, and she could feel his eyes on her and the triumphant smirk strung across his lips.

"I'll tell you what," he spoke, finally and thankfully removing his hand as he looped back around to his chair. "Serve a one hour detention before school tomorrow, and I'll exclude this incident from your permanent record." Wanting to do anything to get out of there, Usagi nodded her head exuberantly and retrieved her phone when it was offered back to her. "Excellent," he continued, again with that smirk she was beginning to hate. "Tomorrow morning, I would like to discuss how we could give you a little boost on these college applications. So, come prepared." He finally finished, and to her growing horror, paid her a small wink as she shuffled out the doorway.

This week was shaping up to be one of the most horrible ones she had had in a long time, and she had a feeling it was only going to get worse.

The meeting at the Hino's shrine hadn't gone exceedingly well. While Luna and the girls had agreed that the large amount of missing people in Juuban could be related to her incident with the vanished monster, there was just simply not enough information. The news article hadn't indicated when these people had disappeared, and for all they knew it could have been a large scale investigation spanning over the past decade. What they had all agreed upon, much to Usagi's chagrin was that she, their princess, was to be kept safe at home while the others investigated. All in all, it was more reasonable than Haruka's solution, as the opinionated racer was insistent that she come and stay with them. At least she could still stay in her room with her things, and she needed the solitude.

She needed to think.

The blonde's thoughts had been completely focused on the monster and the mystery behind the missing persons until she arrived home and excused herself from the dinner table for bed. While in the shower, she cleaned herself as normal until she lifted the lathered sponge to the nape of her neck. As the soap tickled her, she cringed at the memory of where Mr. Okada had stroked. While recounting the incident, she absently scrubbed and scrubbed until the area was raw and stinging red.

How could she worry about this with all that had happened? Of course she didn't want a bad letter and to not have the opportunity to attend a university, but at the same time, she had absolutely no interest in any of the "extracurricular activities" Okada probably had in mind. What would Mamoru think? Perhaps she should call him but with the time difference in America, and his exams coming up she felt incredibly guilty doing so.

Finally tiring of the heated spray, Usagi finished and cozied up in her pajamas. She was too exhausted to think anymore but was sure she would come up with some way to buffet the man's advances in the morning. In her fantasies, she imagined Sailor Moon kicking his creepy butt, but once she arrived to the door of her room all playful thoughts evaporated.

Her bedroom was dark, which was completely normal for the lights being off, but there was something different about it- an odd feeling she couldn't quite place.

"Luna?" she called softly into the opened doorway, and looked ahead of herself confoundedly when she could see her breath fog before her.

When had it become so cold?

She swallowed hard when she crossed the barrier, and for some inexplicable reason felt nervous in the place she normally escaped to as her sanctuary. Flipping on the lights made her feel a little better, but in an instant, she thought she saw a flash of red in the wall that quickly disappeared when her eyes fell upon it. There was an odd, suffocating presence in her room, but perhaps it was just an emotional consequence of her stressful state.

After ensuring her hair wouldn't become tangled in her oft wild sleep, Usagi turned off the light and snuggled under the blankets of her bed. Looking briefly to the moonlight outside her window, she turned back to the room and seized completely. Daring not to breathe she stared at the shadows dancing and twirling along the walls in her room. They reached and they curled in their languid explorations as if they wished to make contact with every object in the room. In a few whips and licks they seemed to drift over her, treading like slow and predacious snakes as they slithered along her bed.

This couldn't be real – her mind was playing tricks on her and the pale moonlight was creating illusions within her room. As she watched their continuous dance, suddenly the back wall of her room lost its texture. Almost as if it were fluid, the painted pink shutters began to wave and ripple among the twirling black tendrils. Staring into the hypnotic swirl in utter bewilderment, she thought she heard something. There were no words, only the faint detection a breathy sigh from an unknown location. It was so muted, so inhuman that it could have merely been the susurrus of the wind blowing through the trees. And the sound continued to rattle, with rises and falls of a breath-like whisper dancing across her eardrums in the otherwise quiet room. Distantly, she thought she heard a chuckle. It was deep and dark – a throaty bellow announcing its humor in a most menacing way.

Whimpering into the covers clutched to her mouth, Usagi had no idea who was walking the streets of Juuban that night, but instead of investigating she did what she often did best. As quick as a rabbit dashing away, she yanked the curtains closed and dove beneath the comforter squeezing her eyes tightly shut as she did so. Exhaustion eventually replaced her terrors and she drifted off to sleep, remaining like this until her alarm rang the next morning.

An hour detention before school was, in Usagi's opinion, cruel and unusual punishment. As if she didn't have enough trouble waking up early during normal hours, the eighteen-year-old had somehow managed to rouse herself and arrive on time. The sun had not yet rose, but hints of light were beginning to stem from the horizon. Having focused on little before but keeping her tired eyes open, Usagi was jolted awake upon wrapping her fingers around the cool door handle to the school.

The sensation slammed into her like a booming gust of wind. That thick, overwhelming feeling of dread filled her lungs and weighed down heavily. In that moment, she would have rather done just about anything than walk into that building, but why? Usagi had been subdued by Mr. Okada's threats to her academic future, but in truth she wasn't afraid of him. It was well within her abilities to take on the slick-haired principal if he should attempt an attack, but why this feeling? Shaking the pressing perception from her thoughts, Usagi finally entered the school.

The hallway, normally bustling with students, was a kenopsia of nothing but silence and shadows at this hour of the day. Escorted by darkness and the sound of her shoes on the tile, Usagi reached the principal's suite and walked through the open door. Appearing to have been the first to arrive, the fair-faced school girl flipped on the lights and took one of the many vacant seats against the wall. Mr. Okada's door was closed, as indicated by the proud placard shining on his door. Usagi would have to wait for his arrival and that was just fine by her.

As the minutes ticked by, Usagi stared at her hands folded in her lap. She had remembered dreaming last night, but as it were the girl didn't often remember her dreams. This one, however, was rare. Because recalling a dream an hour after waking was very unusual.

She had returned to that dreaded storeroom. It was a place she never wanted to remember, but in her dream the circumstances had changed. The monster had closed in, but the reflection of his wicked smile in her azure orbs had suddenly disappeared. In its place, the fearsome creature wore an expression of terror like no other Usagi had ever witnessed. Before him appeared a larger man, so large that he eclipsed the view of her would be killer entirely. His arrival was followed by sounds of agony and the sloshing and squishing of something so wet and so vile. Eternal Sailor Moon had been barely conscious at this point, and it seemed that some time had passed when she had become aware of herself once more. She had been moved from the cold floor of the storeroom, and now lay on top of stacks of fine silks in some sort of dark, high-walled container.

Perhaps, she had realized forlornly, this was to be her tomb.

But as her eyes adjusted to the darkness, she saw a shadow hovering over. It was difficult to make out, but once her dry eyes cleared, she ascertained the utterly massive form of a body with long, black clothed arms and white gloved hands gripping the wall at both sides of her head. His eyes were eclipsed by tousled strands of wild dark locks. They seemed to flow and twist with a mind of their own in the dead air of the cellar. Her heart nearly leapt into her throat upon gathering the vision of his wicked smile. His white teeth were huge, and decorated with a pair of saber-like fangs that looked like they could tear through steel.

"Spectacular," his low voice uttered in adulation. "Your memories hardly do you justice," he explained, lifting his gaze so that two glowing and scarlet red orbs could be seen. Sailor Moon sucked in a terrified breath, but her obvious fear didn't seem to deter the man's continued praise.

"You are so much more than I could have imagined, but then again, how could I have known?" the golden tones of his voice eloquently betrayed his frightening appearance. "A vampire had served you with the bite of death, and you rejected it! Spectacular!" He crowed, hovering a few long fingers over her arm that was now completely unblemished. "Truly, the Goddess is a being like no other to walk this Earth."

Unable to speak, the recovering warrior watched as this new man – no, vampire's expression changed. Leaning in ever closer, his glowing eyes calmed becoming a deep wine-colored hue as he paid her with a reverent gaze. With a curious smile on his closed lips, Sailor Moon could almost believe he was just a man and handsome in the way his chiseled features regarded her with such fondness.

"Sleep," he bid her, moving a strange and red glowing finger above her eyes. "That foul creature that attacked you shall never again rise, nor will any other that dares to pose you insult or harm." The pale blonde tried to fight it, but under the other's spell she felt her eyelids become heavy and begin to close. "Sleep now," his sonorous voice continued, speaking to her well after she had allowed her eyes to flutter close. "I am your devoted servant. When you awake, tell me your bidding, please, tell me all of your orders and desires…" his voice wavered and peaked with excitement.

"I cannot wait to hear them, whatever they may be. Do call on me soon, sleeping queen. I have been waiting on you for nearly a thousand years, my master – my savior – my sweet, sweet, Serenity…"

Usagi had been so deep in her recollection that she barely noticed when the receptionist had entered the office. Exhaling deeply, she lingered on what it could mean but needed to abandon her concentration in order to properly greet the principal's kindly assistant.

"Oh dear, honey, have you been waiting long?" The kind, motherly lady asked as she approached.

"About twenty minutes," Usagi replied, and forced a smile in response to her concerned expression. "I had a one hour disciplinary meeting with Mr. Okada this morning, but I guess he's running a bit late."

"Oh, heaven's no!" The receptionist shook her head. "Mr. Okada arrives here at 5 AM every morning. I don't know why he closed his office door. Let's go tell him." She began walking toward his office, motioning for a somewhat solemn Usagi to follow. "Did you come here alone sweet heart? If so you really shouldn't have, not with what's been going on and all."

"What?" Usagi clarified, feeling her skin begin to prickle in response to the woman's ominous comment. "What do you mean?"

"You haven't heard?" She asked in disbelief, "The disappearances! There's been nearly a hundred of them now. All of them vanished into thin air without a trace!" Usagi's face drained completely of its color as the secretary went about her business and knocked on the principal's door.

"Mr. Okada," she called and waited for a few moments when there was no answer. "Mr. Okada, Miss Tsukino is here to meet with you." After again there was no response, the receptionist frowned and went to knock again, only this time, the door cracked open on its own. The fluorescent light of the room spilled into the hallway, and as the door drifted open the waft and overwhelming scent of copper flooded the foyer. Before her eyes could make sense of what lie before them, the receptionist expelled the most ear shattering and blood curdling scream before she crumbled to the floor.

Usagi's mouth trembled open – her oceanic hues dulled upon the horrific scene displayed before her. Crimson and oozing stains covered the walls, decorating it with foul scrawls of words and symbols on the beige paint. But most prominently, among the carnage of once was a human being, was the enormous message on the back wall, printed in perfect English characters.

THOSE WHO REFUSE TO KNEEL BEFORE THE QUEEN – WILL KNEEL IN PIECES

"Hey." Usagi lifted her eyes at the familiar voice and returned a weak smile. "How are you holding up?" Makoto asked, taking the empty seat beside her.

The blonde had been summoned to report what she saw and possibly knew about the murder of Principal Okada at the Police Station. While she had some ideas about what kind of creature might have done this, she succinctly reported to the investigators that she and the receptionist had merely, and unluckily, stumbled onto the scene. Since the school had been clearly canceled because of the homicide, Makoto, Ami and Minako had come to wait with her until she was cleared to leave. Her parents had also been called, and Usagi, looking pale as a ghost watched from afar as they both talked with the detectives.

"I'm doing alright, I guess." She lied, but what else could she really say? Makoto seemed to understand, and remained quiet at her side. A few moments later, Minako and Ami arrived, the former with a bundle of junk food in her arms. She was determined to make Usagi eat it, even though the Moon warrior was pretty certain she would prefer to never eat anything again. But after the fellow blonde practically stuffed a pork bun into her mouth, Usagi had to admit that some food in her stomach did make her feel quite a bit better.

"I communicated with Rei," Minako said, finally after several moments. "And Artemis has gotten in contact with the others. I don't know what's going on here but I think we can all agree that our perpetrator from two nights ago is definitely a suspect." Everyone nodded solemnly in agreement, even Usagi who was more absorbed in her thoughts than paying attention to the other's words.

Should she share with them what she had dreamed? Did it even matter or mean anything at all? Usagi didn't have the fire priestess's abilities – she couldn't see into the future or detect evil with telepathy or prayer. This halo of terror that had been surrounding the Moon's champion since that fateful night had the girl completely removed from her element. What was real and what had been manifested in her thoughts as terrifying illusions was completely unclear.

Upon finally being given permission to leave the office, she bid her friends goodbye and agreed that they would all meet at Hino's shrine at midnight. Everyone and their parents were terrified with the current state of Juuban's foretold kidnapper and serial killer, so if they were to rendezvous without notice, particularly by Usagi's family, it would have to be under the cover of nightfall.

On the bus ride home, Usagi reassured her parents that she was fine although she remained more quiet than usual. Staring out the window into the bustling city, she suddenly caught the volleys of a loud conversation between two boys on the bus.

"Hey, is that your brother? What did he say about the murder at Juuban High?"

"Whoa." The other responded, staring at his phone as if he were truly caught by surprise.

"Oh man, come on tell me!"

"Alright, alright. Well, this guy was totally ripped apart like, pieces of him everywhere."

"It said he was dismembered in the news report, come on man, tell me the good stuff." The other protested.

"No dude, like, his guts and shit were everywhere." Usagi tried not to listen, but their conversation struck her eardrums like mallets. There was no avoiding it, and her stomach began to churn.

"Anyway," the second boy continued, "he said that the guy's head – had the most terrified expression on it he had ever seen. Like this principal dude was put through total and absolute hell you know? Anyway-" his voice cracked a little, as if even he was disturbed by what he was about to confer. "The most fucked up thing was the messages. They were everywhere. My bro said the guys fingers – all of them were worn down to bloody stumps from writing 'I am not worthy' like a thousand times or something. And then there was this fucking huge ass message on the wall-"

Usagi plugged her ears, and screamed as loudly as she could without care to who else it would disturb. She couldn't handle it anymore; she saw it every time she closed her eyes. And the memory of that stench – the tell all mark of death was haunting her nostrils in the same way that the receptionist's screams rang in her ears. The bus fell silent, and the tormented girl found herself wrapped in her mother's embrace. Soon she would be home, but this memory was here to stay.

Her mother made no argument when Usagi excused herself to her room, sitting alone in the sun pouring through her window. Luna stopped by at some point to check on her, but soon she too had left the distraught girl in her solitude.

She looked down at her cell phone. Forty-five outgoing calls to Mamoru and he hadn't answered a single one. She knew he was busy – he was attending the most prestigious medical school in the world but this was serious and she needed him now.

The day had passed in a blur, and without Mamoru's comfort she was forced to find it in his timeless gift to her. The warrior princess watched the light and shine of the star locket for hours, wishing that it would bring her the hope and happiness it had in its past. But the melody she loved – no matter how many times she listened to it was only haunting to her now. Instead of visions of her and Mamoru blissfully living happy ever after, she saw visions of blood and vampires waiting for her in the shadows.

At some point after sunset, Usagi had declined dinner and knew she had to fake being asleep for a few hours so that she could sneak out in time to meet with her sailor team. After setting her alarm for 11:30 PM, she climbed fully clothed into her bed and somehow, in her waiting she had managed to fall asleep.

After sleeping for little more than an hour, her eyes shot open upon the sound of a whisper lingering at her ear. In her line of sight she saw it once again, a flash of red. A red eye staring directly at her until it disappeared immediately upon her notice. Suppressing a scream, Usagi sat up in her bed, clutching to the covers as if they could somehow keep her safe.

There was, she was absolutely sure of it, someone else in her room with her.

Her heart began to pound as she stared to the back of her room, breathing erratically when the spiraling shadows returned and the lines of her wall décor began to flutter and wave. Biting her lip, as if she were building the courage to face the shadows themselves, Usagi exhaled and tried her best to calm her trembling breath.

"Who-" she began, unsure if she truly wanted to know what was lurking in her room. "Who's there?"

At her query, a deep, rumbling laughter answered. From the fluid wall at the back of her room, a being stepped through the wood and plaster and lingered in the darkness. Absolutely enormous in size, the top of his wide brimmed had nearly scraped the ceiling as he slowly traveled forward, stepping a large black boot into the moonlight.

"Finally," a masculine voice spoke back to her, full of humor and apparent delight. "I thought you would never ask." To the teenager's surprise, he removed his fedora and fell reverently to a single knee before her. Bowing his head momentarily, she was again allowed a glimpse into his ethereal red orbs as he regarded her with a wide and vampiric smile.

"I've been known by many names, but my last master referred to me by just one…" he trailed, growing evermore excited at the widening of the petite girl's ambient blues.

"You may call me, Alucard."

Author's Note: Bah! I so wanted to get this complete as my Halloween "treat." Mostly for myself even, but if any of y'all out there enjoy it too, Happy Halloween!

I'm guessing this is moving a bit slow for people…but I really enjoyed writing it, especially Usagi's complex emotions. So, if you wouldn't mind, I'm curious to know what you all think! My muse is burning for this story right now so any inspiration or encouragement you can give me – well I would appreciate it so VERY much!

How freaking creepy was Usagi's principal, btw? I felt like that was the scariest thing I wrote!

I need to thank all you awesome people:

Saris Yui: And I always love to see you on here too! Yes they are definitely here! It's going to get interesting. AvoidedIsland: Ok I won't burn it! People like you are the reason I won't! Usagi is going to have some trouble, as you can already see. moonchild310: Thank you! Stick around and find out! Sesshys Mistress: You know I won't, you're the reason I posted this originally so everyone blame her! Audra: Thanks! I love them too! Guest: I'm not burning it! Promise! Dustfinger's cheering section: Thanks Dustfinger, we need to chat soon. I apologize life has been crazy! Krissy: Yay! And Thank you so much for reading, you're the best :D Pink Rabbit: *takes it out of the fireplace* You are absolutely right, people should know! And thank you so much for the language comment, I do try and it means a lot. Irish-kitten88: I would love it if you would, thanks! Ishzarkanlanne: They really are quite opposite…it will definitely make for an interesting duo, I think! ViciousViper15: You and I both, and I'm glad to find a like-minded fan of the two series! Thanks! CrowdwellerRaven: Thanks so much for the support, I will continue as fast as possible! Alesia: Thanks! Serenity goddess: I will in due time, thanks! Guest: Thank you so much! I really hope it will turn out great I enjoyed writing this immensely! Failisse: Hello, you're here! I was working on this when I saw your review, here it is I hope you enjoy! Thank you!

Thanks to everyone who reads, and x10000 to those who review! Its literally my only motivation to post these stories!

Love,

El3