For Sale
Chapter 9
Rated PG-13
By Chibi J
Edited by Lady J. Solo
For those of you who have been waiting, I thank you. It has been over a year and a half since I last posted a chapter to this story and I am deeply sorry for the length of time that has past. While I can offer up excuses, that's all they will be. Lately I have lost my ability to write and as such, I couldn't find the will to finish this chapter. I'd rather you all wait and read something worth waiting for than read something I threw together just to get it done.
Beware falling in Black Holes. They are dangerous and may hold you captive for a long time. They are also highly contagious (winks at LS).
Once again, I find myself sitting here trying to think up a clever way to say that I don't own Sailor Moon or the characters associated with Sailor Moon. I do however know that I do own my stuff, the story and certain characters, and I would not like to see them copied. Unfortunately, I'm not feeling terribly clever right now and will therefore say "Don't own; never will" and "Mine, not yours" to cover both.
A brief recap: Females have become slaves to the males of the world, given no rights or freedom. However, one male (Mamoru) has stood up for females in secret and gave them shelter from the harsh world. His most recent purchase (Usagi) has been reunited with her mother, sister, and brother who were also living in Mamoru's care. Shortly after being reunited with her family, Usagi is arrested in a misunderstanding and taken to jail. After returning, she is merely a shell of her normal self and eventually tells Mamoru of the fact that she was sexually abused during her jail time (although she is still a virgin). They begin a relationship, which quickly develops after the two witness a female being executed and find the female's young daughter who they adopt as their own. In a fit of jealousy and rage, Beryl (another female at the Chiba Estates) reports to the police that the apartment complex is actually a safe house. When the police come to inspect the apartment, they find nothing and arrest Beryl for lying to them. Fearing that the police will come back, Mamoru evacuates the estate into several safe houses. However, after beating and torturing Beryl, the police find the safe houses and arrest all the females, including Usagi, her family, and Mamoru's family.
AN: The video camera's in the jail are video only, not sound. Just for future reference!
The ride to the police station was silent; the open windows blew in no air and the streets of the city were quiet. Usagi felt as if the whole world was watching the police van move down the street, yet she did not see a soul. As the van stopped in front of the police station, Usagi was dragged out and forced to face her nightmares.
For weeks, Usagi had dreamed of the station, remembering every last detail, over and over again. As she walked passed the main desk she remembered the three red chairs next to the dusty lamp that still remained in the waiting area. She watched as Shingo was led away toward the cells reserved for males as she walked down the familiar path towards the back of the station where the females were kept. There they were taken into a small room where she was once again stripped of her clothes and her body fully searched.
This time, however, she refused to fall victim to the horrors of the station and the males within. She knew in her heart that, somewhere in hiding, Mamoru was safe and he would somehow rescue her.
Looking down, Usagi saw Chika clinging desperately to her leg. Tears were streaming down her face and she was sniffling slightly, yet she refused to let go of Usagi to wipe her tears away. Risking punishment from the guard that had told them not to move, Usagi bent down and picked up Chika. Her first reaction of awkwardness from holding a naked child to her own naked form quickly disappeared as Chika buried her head in Usagi's shoulder.
The seven females were finally led to the three large cells in the back of the station, which were overflowing with females. Usagi immediately recognized many of them, though their downtrodden faces were not something that she was used to. Usagi and Chika were thrown into the middle cell, Rei and Minako were put into the cell on the left, and Ikuko, Setsuna, and Hotaru were put in the cell on the right.
The females were practically packed like sardines, unable to move around at all. It was also very uncomfortable being so close, as many times body parts would brush up against one another. One thing had comforted Usagi: None of the females were in chains and they appeared to have not suffered from any physical punishment.
For several hours, Usagi stood in one place, holding Chika in her arms, not speaking to anyone. Although she could understand the difficulty many were having with making eye contact, Usagi longed to talk to someone. She wished she would be able to move about, as many of the muscles in her body were aching and starting to cramp.
Her wishes, however, were not answered for another four hours.
"Hey John, just get five out of each. That's all Ralph at Tower Prison said they could hold," a male voice shouted from the end of the hall outside of the cells. Usagi could hear the sounds of several people, most likely including John, moving towards the cells.
"Yeah, yeah, I know," a male, that Usagi assumed was John, replied. "Okay boys, just take out one at a time," the same voice instructed. Within moments, shouts could be heard from females as the gates of the cells were opened and one by one, five females were pulled from each cell.
Although Usagi couldn't see what was happening, it sounded as if the females were being put into full chains, around the feet, hands, and neck. While the officers were chaining the females, a rush of panic had filled Usagi as she realized that the members of her family could have been taken away.
After about fifteen minutes, the footsteps were leaving, the rattling of chains with them. The cell then seemed much emptier and Usagi found that she could move around once more. Quickly looking around the cells, she took in account everyone and heaved a sigh of relief. Chika stirred slightly on Usagi's shoulder, having woken up due to the shouts of the females being chained.
"Mommy," Chika whined softly, not fully certain of what was going on and where she was.
"Don't worry, Chika. Everything will be okay," Usagi whispered in Chika's ear, desperately hoping that she wasn't lying to the little female.
Usagi held the toddler to her tightly, as if using her to keep afloat in a rough sea. Looking around the cell once more, Usagi took in the fact that there was nothing in the cell except one toilet and a small bench, barely large enough for Chika to sleep on. Under the bench, however, she noticed someone lying on the floor, huddled in a ball. Moving through the crowd of females, Usagi set Chika down as she kneeled next to the female.
The female lying on the ground was covered in cuts and bruises. Her reddish colored hair was matted with sweat and dirt, causing it to look more like mud than hair. Reaching a hand out, Usagi gently shook the female. Receiving no response, she lightly pulled back on her shoulder, turning the female over to look at her. Her blue eyes widened as she gasped, completely shocked.
"Usagi?" the redheaded female asked, her voice broken and raspy.
"Beryl," Usagi said, her voice emotionless. She had come over to help the female who was obviously injured, only to find Beryl, the very female who had betrayed them all.
Beryl looked at Usagi's stunned face and rolled back over, knowing that she would just be like all the others. They had all come over to offer help, but would walk away from her in disgust when they realized who she was.
Usagi turned to Chika with a smile of assurance. "Honey, why don't you go over and talk to Aunt Minako and Aunt Rei for a little bit." Chika nodded her head and walked over to where her two aunts were standing in the corner of the other cell.
Usagi reached down to Beryl and tried to help her sit up. Taking in all of Beryl's injuries, Usagi tried not to be sick. For a moment, she was actually glad that her time in jail had been limited and that the officers had been unable to leave any physical evidence.
After propping Beryl up against the wall, Usagi stood and walked over to the small toilet and dipped some toilet paper into the water before returning to Beryl. Without speaking, Usagi tried to clean off some of the driedblood and was checking some of the cuts for infections. When the toilet paper was too soiled to use anymore, Usagi went and got some fresh, only to find Beryl hunched over crying when she returned.
"Did I hurt you?" Usagi asked, concern apparent in her voice.
Beryl lifted her head and took in Usagi's troubled face. "Why are you helping me?" Beryl asked, her voice sorrowful. Truly, she could not understand why the blonde would help her, especially after everything she had done. Had the roles been reversed, Beryl was certain that she would leave the female to rot to death.
"No one deserves to be treated like this," Usagi replied, though she refused to meet Beryl's eyes. She may have believed the words she spoke, but she didn't feel that she could look her betrayer straight in the face.
Without another word between them, Beryl sat while Usagi tended to her wounds. Usagi was somewhat concerned at several small infections in Beryl's cuts, but knew that there really wasn't much that could be done for her. When she was done, Usagi stood and went to move away when Beryl reached out her hand and took Usagi's wrist.
"Usagi, I…" Beryl's words were cut off as Chika bounded her way over to the two females.
"Momma, Aunt Rei wants you," the toddler cheerfully informed Usagi. The blonde smiled, happy to see that her daughter was smiling.
"Tell her I'll be right there, sweetie," Usagi replied as the little child bounced away. She turned back to Beryl, who had let go of her arm. "Beryl?"
"Nothing," Beryl said harshly. "It was nothing."
Noticing the return of her cold demeanor, Usagi stood and walked away from Beryl, wondering what it was that caused the female to do what she did to them all.
The execution of the females and railers was to begin at noon and the mayor couldn't be happier. In his mind, the capture of the criminals was a step towards reelection and maybe even a promotion to a higher office. After all, he would capture Chiba and prove that the usurper had been planning an uprising.
Taking a sip of his coffee, he relaxed in his plush chair. Today ten would die and ten more would follow everyday until the jails were cleared of the female filth. They were untamed creatures that needed to be destroyed.
"Augustus, would you like some more coffee before you leave for work?" A female wearing a white apron approached the mayor.
"No, June darling, I have to leave for work now," Augustus White, the mayor, responded with a sweet and loving voice. He stood and gently kissed his wife of nearly thirty years on the cheek. "I'll be home early today. Just a couple of hangings and then I'll be back," he said casually, as if it was just your everyday, run-of-the-mill type of thing to do.
"Okay dear," June said as she walked him to the door. Watching his car pull from the driveway, she walked into the kitchen and opened a cupboard under the sink.
Reaching behind several cleaning chemicals, she brought out an unmarked bottle. Not bothering with a glass, June downed several gulps of the bitter liquid before dropping to the ground in a pile. Tears flooded her eyes and she sent out her prayers over and over again, "Be strong girls, be strong."
Usagi stood towards the back of the cell as ten females were pulled from the cell. They were actually called by name and not randomly selected like those who had been sent to the other jail; most had been from the first two safe houses that were discovered.
Those who were condemned to death that day and the females who had to watch them leave said silent prayers. In the far cell to the left, several females watched from a window as the chained females were led across the street and into the town square. The view did not permit them to see the platform and the nooses.
However, one female saw something that she had never thought she'd see again. "Mamoru?"
The whispered word was easily heard in the silence that remained after the females had been escorted to their deaths.
"No," Usagi whispered to herself as the rest of the females went into an uproar. Questions were being asked left and right about Mamoru, but in Usagi's mind, only one thought rang out. He was out and visible to the world.
"Oh no!" the same female that had shouted Mamoru's name called out in fear.
Upon hearing the news that all of his safe houses, save one, had been captured, he began to panic. His worry increased ten-fold when he learned that his family and Usagi and her family were all in one of the most recently captured safe houses.
However, an anonymous phone call to his cell phone, by the same mysterious caller as before, informed him that he would keep them all safe. Before Mamoru could even consider questioning the voice, he was left with a dial tone.
While thinking about how the male had gotten his private cell phone number, a number that only Setsuna had, he quickly skimmed the channels on the television. Finally finding the news, he learned that the first ten of the females caught in the "Chiba Scandal" would be hung at noon the following day; Mamoru knew that he had to be there.
The voice on the phone said that he would keep his loved ones safe, but how could he trust an unidentified voice? He knew that he had to go to the hangings. Not only did he need to make sure that the important people in his life were safe, but he felt a sense of duty towards all of the females that had been in his care. Their deaths were essentially his fault; he had promised them safety but didn't deliver it.
Trying to devise some way to rescue the females, Mamoru fell into a restless sleep plagued with nightmares.
Awaking later than he planned, Mamoru quickly dressed and ran towards the town square. He had been hiding, ironically, in one of the safe houses that had already been raided. It was on the opposite side of town and would take him some time to get to the square.
He arrived just as the ten females were being led to the platform where the nooses were ready to take their lives. Mamoru nearly sighed in relief because neither his family nor his dearest friends were on the platform. He quickly admonished himself. Those females up there were his responsibility and he had let them down.
He took a moment to say a soft prayer for the condemned. As he lowered his head, he thought he heard someone say his name. Looking around briefly, he realized that he was way too out in the opened and with only a hat and dark glasses to disguise himself.
Trying to walk away slowly as to not attract attention, Mamoru was pulled to a stop as his cell phone rang. Without even the chance to give a greeting, the mysterious voice yelled, "RUN!"
It was all he needed to hear. He quickly turned and began to run for all his worth.
It was not enough.
A leg shot out and tripped Mamoru, causing him to roll to the ground ungracefully. Before he could even attempt to move, he was tackled by at least three men. In the distance, he could hear someone gasp out, "Oh no," and he couldn't help but agree. He was definitely in trouble now.
"They're clubbing him," the female at the window, whom Usagi believed was named Holly, informed everyone. The entire female population was listening as she gave the details of Mamoru's capture.
Usagi walked to the side of her cell with Chika in her arms, her mind in a complete daze. Without thought, she reached out towards her sister and Minako enveloped her hand in her own from the other side of the cell railing.
"He's unconscious," Holly reported. Usagi's body tensed. What would happen to Mamoru now that they had him? Would he be immediately killed or would they wait to schedule his execution for another time?
"They're dragging him into the station," Holly turned away from the window, knowing that she would not be able to see anything of any importance now.
Usagi nearly sighed in relief from just knowing that they weren't killing Mamoru right on the spot. As much as she was disgusted by the fact, it was probably because the Mayor knew that he could attract a larger audience with the proper publicity.
Just as the females began to calm down, tension skyrocketed. A scream ripped through the air from outside the station. Holly immediately jumped back up to look out the window and saw some of the small crowd in the square cheering. Dropping from the window, Holly hid her face in her hand and started crying. Although she couldn't clearly see the platform, she could see a pair of legs dangling.
Another scream pierced the air. Followed by another and another.
"Mommy, you're hurting me," Chika cried. Usagi immediately loosened her grip and looked sadly at the child in her arms.
Another scream echoed from the square and Usagi counted five. However, a scream from inside her cell made her jump and turn around.
A female that Usagi only vaguely remembered was screaming and crying. "My sister! That was my sister!"
Within the blink of an eye, the female ran across the small cell and began to beat on Beryl. She landed in two good punches before Usagi was able to put down Chika and tear her away from Beryl.
"Stop it! It will do no good to act like this now!" Usagi shouted.
The female being held back growled. "Yeah, but I'll feel better," she said as tried to push back against Usagi. She continued to struggle as Usagi grabbed her in a hug and pulled the crying female down to the floor. A friend of the female came over and took her from Usagi.
The petite blonde stood up and looked at all the females around her. Some seemed shocked that Usagi defended the retched Beryl. "I know that you all want revenge, but this is neither the time nor the place. We cannot save ourselves if we are fighting amongst ourselves," she said with more courage in her words than she felt.
"Just what are we suppose to do?" Someone in the cell to Usagi's right yelled back. "We are condemned to death!"
Usagi took in the faces of all those around her. Her eyes latched onto her mother's sad and desperate eyes. "There has to be something that we can do," she whispered more to herself than to anyone else.
"Perhaps there is," a male voice spoke from the outside the cells.
Closing her eyes in fear, Usagi slowly turned around to see the male standing outside her cell door. Officer Johnson was not a terribly intimidating male, but he was an officer all the same. Just the memory of what an officer could do to her caused Usagi to shake slightly.
"I don't expect you to trust me, but I would like to help you," the officer confessed, hoping to lighten the look of fear in Usagi's eyes.
Rei huffed as she approached as close to the male as she could. "Why would you want to help us?"
Johnson sighed, his eyes briefly dropping to the floor, as if remembering some horrible event. "My wife, daughter, and sister were all killed in the Alpha War," he paused and brought his eyes up to meet Rei's. "I want the justice that I couldn't seek then."
Many of the females began to speak out. Their doubts and concerns expressed in brief shouts of "It's a trap," "He's lying," and "I don't trust him." Their voices began to rise too loudly, concerning Officer Johnson.
"Ladies, please!" He yelled about their voices, silencing them immediately. It was as if calling them by such a term gained their trust in a heartbeat. "You must remain calm if you wish to accomplish anything."
"You could get caught," Ikuko said. She was willing to give this man her trust, but what would happen if he felt his safety compromised? Would he drop them if his life were placed in danger?
He nodded his head simply, acknowledging her statement. "Yes, it's true, I could be caught and killed. But so far, I have remained under the radar and no one suspects my involvement," he paused and turned to look at Usagi. "No one knows the assistance I have provided Chiba with, although today it was too little too late."
"How have you helped him! He was just beaten and dragged into the station!" a voice shouted from Usagi's left. Usagi's mind wondered the same thing.
"I've been warning him about police movement—as much as possible," a noise from down the hall caused Johnson to turn quickly. He realized that he had stayed and talked for too long already. He turned back to Usagi once more. "I promised Mamoru that I would help his loved ones in any way possible. Devise a sound plan and I will help as I can. Trust me, even if I seem to be betraying your trust. I will always be on your side."
Johnson then quickly turned and left down the halls. His words sunk in and Usagi dropped to the ground in near exhaustion. "What do we do?" she asked herself over and over. Once again, murmurs broke out between the cells. Questions were circulating about trusting the male and his motives, what could they possibly do, and who would lead them.
A voice spoke out above all the rest. "We plan and we fight." All heads turned to Setsuna who stood tall with a look of determination on her face.
Usagi stood and nodded her head in understanding. Several other females voiced their agreement and hushed whispers overtook the three cells at the back of the station as a plan was formed.
"Just divide them up amongst the cells," a male voice called in the air as an officer led five females down the hallway towards the back cells.
"The last safe house," a voice whispered near Usagi. She looked up to see the sorrow-filled faces of the last of the females from Chiba Estates. Amongst them, she recognized Makoto, Celeste, and Ami.
The females were thrown into the different cells as the officer, once again, went on about the worthlessness of females. "Ya'll have a nice night," he grinned greasily, sending shivers down nearly everyone's back.
"Ami," Usagi walked up and greeted the short doctor. "I'm sorry that you were captured."
Ami shook her head sadly. "It was only a matter of time."
"I suppose so," Usagi agreed dejectedly. "But you are right on time. We could use someone of your intelligence to help us with our plan."
At Ami's confused look, Usagi, along with Minako, Rei, Setsuna, and several other females, began to fill Ami in on the plan they had devised. Several females took turns pacing around the small group so that officers watching the security cameras would not be suspicious while those with the best view of the hall kept a watch for any patrolling officers.
The ideas the females were sharing were quite risky and Ami immediately feared that they would get in too deep. Makoto, however, voiced her opinion first. "You are getting in over your heads! Do you really think that you can pull this off?" she asked in a huff. Of course she didn't want to die, but their ideas were crazy.
"I think what she means to say is that there are a lot of holes in your plan," Ami clarified for the tall brunette. "After all, you are assuming that you can get the keys from the officers and that you will be able to get out of your chains on the way to the platform."
Usagi nodded her head in understanding. She had left out a key piece of information, Officer Johnson. "Yes, well, we have an ace hidden up our sleeves," she smiled and finished notifying Ami of the strategy.
"It sounds unassailable, but who will be among the ten going to the platform tomorrow?" Ami asked, knowing that the females who would go needed to have a decent amount of strength to them.
"I'll go!" Makoto cheered, secretly looking forward to causing some damage.
Usagi smiled at Makoto and knew that she would be a great asset. "Thank you, Makoto. We also are sending Minako, Rei, Setsuna, Clair, Roselle, Holly, Sarah, Kat, and myself."
"Usagi, no!" Ami gasped, completely out of character. "You can't, not in your condition."
Usagi closed her eyes tightly as Ami let out the secret she had been trying to keep hidden away. Ikuko, however, immediately caught on. "What condition? Usagi, you're not…"
"Yes, I am. I'm pregnant. But I will not let that deter me. I will go tomorrow and you will not stop me," Usagi finished without pause as she could already hear the sounds of protest around her.
Even though there had been no official vote, Usagi had basically become the leader of the operation that was being planned. She refused to simply sit aside and let others put their life at risk for her. So the argument continued for some time, Usagi versus nearly everyone else.
Usagi moved towards the rear of the cage; the yelling was taking a toll and she was feeling weak. It seemed as if she would be unable to convince anyone of anything any time soon. Closing her eyes in frustration, Usagi nearly jumped ten feet in the air when a hand came to rest on her shoulder.
It was Beryl.
She was standing on very weak legs, barely keeping her balance. Her battered body was visible to all, disgusting some who had not yet really seen her. "I know you can do it," she whispered, her voice scratchy and barely understandable. "And I want to help."
And just like that, the debate switched from Usagi's involvement to Beryl's.
"Rei Chiba, Setsuna Chiba, Sarah Hales, Makoto Kino, Clair March, Roselle Moore, Kat Peters, Holly Spring, Minako Tsukino, and Usagi Tsukino. Step forward," the officer bellowed in a not-so-happy voice. He crumbled the short list Johnson had given him and attempted to shoot it into a nearby trashcan, missing it. He appeared to need a cup of coffee more than he wanted to admit.
The ten requested females moved towards the front of their respective cells at the call of their name. From her spot, Usagi turned back to look at Chika, who was struggling lightly in Ami's hands. "Mommy," Chika cried, tears streaming down her face.
Usagi did not reply, for she knew her will would weaken. Instead, she nodded her head at Ami, signaling the start of things.
The officer opened the first cell and began to bring out the females and put them in their chains one at a time. By the time he had gotten to the sixth female, he was getting annoyed. Officer Johnson was supposed to come and help and he wasn't there yet. By the time he had chained the last female, he heard a noise coming down the hall.
Turning, he saw Johnson coming down the hall. "Just where the hell have you—" his thought ended when he saw Mamoru Chiba in chains behind Johnson. "What are you doing? You can't bring him back here!"
Johnson just waved his hand in the air in disregard. "Relax, Marcus. I just thought I'd let him have a look at what he once had before going to his death," Johnson said with a light laugh. Many of the females began to protest when they heard Johnson refer to Mamoru's execution.
Marcus turned away from Johnson to yell at the females to shut up when Mamoru jumped out from behind Johnson and wrapped his chain around Marcus's neck. Once Marcus finally passed out from the lack of oxygen, Mamoru released his body as it slumped to the floor. Mamoru took a brief moment to smile at the females in his presence to reassure them all, pausing an extra moment at Usagi.
"We must act quickly now," Johnson whispered as he passed a pair of keys to Rei, who was the first in the row of chains. She removed the lock from the cuffs, but left them on, as Johnson began in the middle of the row doing the same. Mamoru used another set of keys and shortly, all the locks were removed but the cuffs remained, making it appear that the females were still locked up.
Johnson moved to check the hall, making sure it was cleared. Earlier, he had put a drug in the coffee to put most of the station to sleep. It was unfortunate that Marcus hadn't gotten to work on time and the coffee was too cold for his taste. Mamoru made a quick plan to knock out Marcus in a way that wouldn't point to Johnson's involvement.
"Shingo," Johnson called down the hall to the young male that had been keeping a watch out for anything that could hinder the progress of the entire plan. He had disabled all of the cameras earlier when he had "accidentally" spilled water across the monitor switchboard, but was concerned that someone might awaken or come into the station without warning. Seeing the hand signal announcing the all clear, Johnson turned back to the females in the chains. "Are you sure that you are all ready?"
A bold look of determination was present on each of the ten females, even though fear and tension could be sensed among them. What they were about to do was either a very brave thing that would save them all or a one-way ticket to their deaths. Although it was a great risk they were taking, it was their only chance.
Nodding at the brave females, Johnson turned to Ami, who would be leading the operations from inside the station. "Shingo will be back with the keys as soon as we are across the street. You know what to do from there."
Ami nodded her head as Officer Johnson turned and began to walk down the hall. Behind him were one male and ten females, all who held the hopes of freedom in their hearts. As the line of females passed Shingo, he smiled lovingly at his sisters and friends as they headed out of the station. Usagi's final words to him as she walked past him rang soundly in his ears, "Be brave and take care of them all. I love you."
As the officer neared the stage with the eleven criminals in tow, the mayor was very confused. Typically, there would be more officers escorting the females to the stage. In fact, the day before, there had been four officers escorting the ten females that were hung. There were guards at the front of the audience that would help control the people should there be any problems, but they weren't as well trained as the officers.
"Mayor," Johnson greeted as he walked on stage with the prisoners following him, very obediently. "I'm afraid there was a bit of a riot when the females found out that Chiba was swinging today. The other officers are taking care of the situation."
"Very good, very good," Mayor White said as he watched the very docile females cross the stage. Their expressions ranged from nervous to terrified, with one female, taller than all the others, sporting a look of defiance. After the eleven criminals were on the stage in their respective places, the mayor turned on the microphone he had been holding, causing a loud screech to flow from the speakers that had been set up for the loud crowd to hear him properly.
"Today we are all here to see justice brought to a male who dared defy the law. His numerous crimes were a plague to our city and brought shame to Tokyo. With the hard work and dedication of this city's law enforcement agency and government officials," he paused to puff out his chest in pride, as if he, himself, had actually helped, "this male and his many wretched females have been captured!"
By the end of his little speech, his voice had raised in triumph, causing a roar to come from the crowd. While the females in the audience remained silent, the cheers from the males seemed to echo throughout the city. Nearly every person in Tokyo was present to witness the punishment of the 'notorious criminal,' Chiba Mamoru.
With a wave of his hand, the mayor signaled to Officer Johnson that he should begin to place the nooses around each of the criminals' necks. He started at the far end, with Usagi, who cringed as the frayed rope scratched at her skin. Prayers were speeding through her thoughts so fast that she nearly forgot the plan that had been set into action that morning.
It didn't stay forgotten for long, as a loud noise began to come from the station across the street. Usagi quickly looked up to see that Johnson had only gotten to the fourth person before the plan swung into high gear.
As soon as Shingo saw the group cross the street, he ran back to the cells with the keys in hand. Opening each door, the females burst from the cells in a minor celebration. However, Ami immediately put a stop to the party and put the plan into action. The females were split into five groups.
The first group was to go through the station and lock all the officers that were sleeping into cuffs and drag them to the cells. The second group would exit out the back door and sneak down two alleyways to come up on the right side of the town square while the third group would come up on the left side. The fourth group would leave out the front door and be the first to run towards Town Square with their weapons (varying from guns to stun guns to old table and chair legs) ready to attack. Shortly after the second, third, and forth groups attacked, the first group would also leave from the front door and join in the assault as a second wave.
Back in the station, group five, which consisted of Beryl, two other slightly injured females, and the younger children, would lock themselves in the station and stay safe. Hotaru and Shingo had both been forced to stay in the station, although they wanted to go out and fight. The youngest child present, Chika, simply held onto the hand of the female her mommy said would keep her safe: Beryl.
At the front entrance of the station, the forth group watched for the signal, the first noose being put on. They watched as Johnson approached a very nervous-looking Usagi and placed the rope around her neck.
"That's the signal, let's go," Hanasu said as she led the group out onto the front steps of the station. Sparing a quick glace to her left and right to see that Ami and Mikasa were ready to attack, Hanasu raised her hand in the air and dropped it quickly to her side. The females around her began to scream at the top of their lungs as they raced across the street and into Town Square.
Mayor White looked over towards the station with shock and surprise as a group of about fifteen females came rushing towards the town square, various weapons raised in their hands as sweat glistened from their naked bodies. Their screams echoed over the now silent town square, as everyone present turned their attention to their oncoming attackers.
"What the hell is happen…" the mayor's words were cut off as he noticed another group of females running in at the far end of the town square. He was too busy panicking to notice the third group come rushing up behind him.
Just as the mayor was about to demand an explanation and yell for the guards and officers to attack, a small metal object pressed into the side of his neck. "Order all the males to yield or they will begin to attack," Mamoru whispered into the mayor's ear as he held the knife close to the mayor's neck.
"Never," the mayor whispered back, to afraid to get his voice to full volume. The knife pressed a little closer as the females came closer to the square.
Mamoru growled before giving him one last chance. "Are you certain?"
But as most females know, males can be very stubborn and pig-headed. "Officers! Guards! Attack!"
His order was barely out of his mouth before he fell to the ground unconscious. Officer Johnson had knocked the male out using the butt of his gun. Mamoru nodded his head in appreciation, as they hadwanted to keep deaths to a minimum.
Hearing the mayor's shout, the females knew that they would be fighting as they had all figured would happen. They had been lucky that the officers, all except Johnson, were safely locked up in the jail, but there were still the multiple guards—plus all the males in the city of Tokyo.
Removing any ropes and chains that they had been caught in, the females on the stage quickly leapt into the fighting, using their fists and chains to fight anyone who dared to come near them.
The battle was in full swing as males and females fought against each other. There was no single win that would bring the fight to an end. Males who put their arms up in surrender were led safely to jail, where they would be kept until their loyalties could be tested later. The females, however, were relentless and refused to give in or retreat.
Usagi pulled back her fist and punched the male in front of her square in the nose, causing it to break and bleed. As he hunched over, she delivered a kick to his abdomen before knocking him in the head with chunk of two-by-four wood. The male fell unconscious and Usagi was grateful to know that his injuries would be nothing but a broken nose and headache.
However, with a quick look around her, she saw the devastation of the battle. Bodies of males and females littered the ground, some unconscious, others dead or dying. Many of the females had taken out their wrath on any male target, bringing out their years of hate, abuse, and horror.
Brought back to the present by someone jumping on her back, Usagi resumed her fighting against any male that came into her path. Things were looking up as more and more males, scared for their lives, began to surrender. Quickly scanning the area, Usagi was about to call for a cease-fire when an explosion rocked through the town square.
On the far end of the town square, at the farthest distance from the police station, a grenade had been tossed into the fray and exploded, killing everyone in the immediate area. A large truck drove into the square, the driver, who appeared male, was throwing the grenades from the window. Moments later, another explosion shook down a side of the police station and part of the building behind it. People ran out of the building as quickly as they could as the unstable building creaked under stress.
Panic overrode Usagi's senses and she ran towards the deteriorating building. As she was about to enter the collapsing structure, Mamoru quickly came up from behind her and pulled her away.
"No! Shingo, Chika, and Hotaru were in there!" she shouted, begging Mamoru to let her go in and save them. He struggled with her to get her as far from the building as he could. Within moments, the entire building collapsed, sending a large cloud of smoke and dust billowing through the air.
In that moment, all fighting stopped. Many of the males, including all of the officers and the mayor had been inside the building. Although they had seen many males run out of the building before it completely collapsed, it was uncertain who had made it out and who had been buried in the rubble.
A shout of joy went through the air as the females witnessed something that they hadn't thought they would see again. The remaining males, those who hadn't run away when the smoke cloud covered the area, were kneeling on the ground with their hands behind their heads.
They were surrendering. The females had won the battle.
But a small group of people had gathered neared the collapse building, wondering if their loved ones had been caught in the rubble or had made it out in time. Some began searching, calling names into the air, hoping for a response, while others began to try and move some of the cement in an attempt to find some sign of life.
Relief came to the Chiba and Tsukino families as two of their members, Shingo and Hotaru, came running towards them. The group hugged, happy that they were all okay. But Usagi quickly noticed Chika's absence from the group.
"Usagi," a weak and battered voice choked out the word, before collapsing to the ground. Hearing her name, Usagi quickly turned to see Beryl falling to the ground, her breathing severely labored and covered completely in blood and dirt. Her right foot was twisted unnaturally and there were large portions of hair missing from her scalp. In her hands, in a similar state to Beryl, was the small child Chika.
Body shaking, Usagi dropped to her knees in front of Beryl and reached out for Chika. All words failed her as tears flooded down her cheeks. Having delivered the child to her mother, Beryl dropped the rest of the way to the ground. Mamoru tried to hold her head up slightly, trying to comfort her in what would obviously be her last minutes of life.
"I tried," her slurred words were slow and barely audible. "We ran. Stampede. Couldn't escape," Beryl's eyes began to shut of their own will as she struggled to finish speaking.
"Sor…ry."
And with her final word, Beryl's body relaxed in Mamoru's arms. He gently placed two fingers to her neck. Slowly shaking his head, he pulled his hand back, closing his eyes in a moment of silent pity for her.
In Usagi's arms, the small child that she had adopted as a daughter was struggling to breathe. Chika was moaning lightly, as if it was a terrible effort to accomplish the small feat, and her eyes refused to open. After gently laying Beryl on the ground, Mamoru came to sit beside Usagi and wrapped his arms around her, resting one hand on Chika's head.
"Chika," Usagi tried to speak to the young female, but her throat was dry and the words wouldn't leave her mouth.
Knowing what Usagi desperately wanted and needed to say, Mamoru spoke as he stroked Chika's hair. "Little one, we love you. We will always remember you. But now it is time to join your mother."
As if she had been waiting to hear the words of love, Chika's final breath left her body. Usagi buried her head into Chika's chest as she cried brokenly. Mamoru attempted to comfort his love as tears made their way silently down his face.
Standing around the couple, their families watched on with tears in their eyes. For anyone to lose a life in such a way was horrible, but for one so young, it was devastating.
Yet, their time to grieve was cut short as a group of females approached them; Ami, Makoto, and several of the other "leaders" were amongst them.
"Usagi," Ami's soft voice caught Usagi's attention and she lifted her tear stained face to see her clearly. The blonde looked completely devastated, making Ami wish that she were anywhere but there at the moment. However, she had been nominated as spokesperson for the small group standing behind her. "Well, we…."
Makoto stepped up next to Ami, placing her hand on the petite female's shoulder. She took a deep breath and finished for Ami. "We need to know what to do now."
Again, I'm sorry for how long this took to get out and warn you that it may take a while for the next chapter, especially since it is going to be fairly complicated for me to write. But we are nearing the end of this and I hope you can all hang in there. There will probably be only one more chapter, perhaps an epilogue, we'll find out.
Reviews are always greatly appreciated. Regardless of what you write in your review, you provide me with inspiration and the desire to write.