Disclaimer: Sailormoon and all characters are copyright their
respective
owners. I don't own any of the characters related with Sailormoon, and
I'm not making any money off of this story. Also, the song A Whole
New World belongs to its respective owners as well.
Note: Later on in the story, a swear word or two may appear (nothing
very strong) but due to content, this story should probably be rated
Pg-13.
Mini-Japanese Vocab
*Hai: Yes, right
*sensai: teacher
*Ani-san: big brother
Fears Revisited
Chapter 4
Ryanna (sailorstar100@yahoo.com)
Mizuno Ami walked through the halls of the hospital carrying a
clipboard in one hand. A gold clip pulled her short blue hair back.
Her long white lab coat swirled about her feet as she walked.
“Why can’t you tell me?!” A young man’s pained and angry voice
made its way to her ears.
“Because you have no blood-relation with the patient, sir,” the
receptionist replied calmly.
Ami quickly walked over to the information desk. “Damn it!” The
man yelled. “I’m her fiancée for God’s sake!”
“Excuse me,” she said softly, “but sir, it’s hospital policy not
to-”
The man whirled around. Ami’s eyes widened. “Shinosaki-kun?”
she whispered, covering her mouth with her free hand.
“Ami-san?”
“W-what are you doing here? I thought that you had moved overseas.”
A pit developed in her stomach.
Shinosaki sighed. “I came over here to see Mako-chan-” his
voice broke slightly. His gaze lowered to the floor.
“Is she okay?” Ami asked stupidly, for lack of something better
to say.
Shinosaki shook his head slowly. “No,” he whispered, “and I
can’t find out what the hell is going on with her because I’m not
a blood-relation.”
Ami felt her eyes water. Shinosaki sat down on a nearby bench
and held his face in his hands. Ami tapped away at the hospital
computer. The receptionist stood by quietly. Ami froze when she found
the screen she was searching for.
“Kino Makoto,” she whispered to herself as her eyes darted
around the screen, “suffered a bullet wound to the chest…” she
trailed off. “Shinosaki-san!” she called him over. “She’s in room 202.”
“How ironic,” he muttered softly.
Ami smiled a little. “Come on, I’ll take you to her.”
Shinosaki’s eyes brightened for a moment. He nodded slowly.
Julia hung up the phone and leaned back in her chair. She
rubbed her temples. A young Japanese detective sat across form her,
speaking rapidly about some armed robbery. She closed her eyes and
listened to bits and pieces of the conversation. Something he said caught
her attention, and she sat up in her chair and waited for the man to
hang up.
He wrote furiously for a few moments after he’d hung up the
phone. Julia waited patiently, her blue eyes sharp and alert.
He looked up at her. “There was a shooting at the Crown
Game Center and Restaurant. The victim was a young woman named Kino
Makoto,” the man relayed his notes in broken English.
Julia’s eyes widened. “Where there any other victims?” she
asked slowly.
The man studied his notes. He shook his head. “No, but
there were two bystanders that called the paramedics. Their names
were Furuhata Motoki and Miyake Shinosaki.”
Julia sat back in her chair and crossed her arms across
her chest. “Was there anything taken from the place?” she asked, a
thought poking at the back of her head.
“No,” the detective answered, perplexed. He leaned across
the desk. “Do you have another suspicion about the shooting,
Julia-san?”
Julia nodded and sat up. “Detective, are you familiar
with the murder of Miyake Hana that took place a few years ago?”
“Hai,” he answered, curious. “Do you think that the
murder and this case are related in some way?”
“I do,” she answered. “Miyake Hana was the younger sister
of Miyake Shinosaki. After her death the family moved to the U.S.
But a few weeks ago his parents were also found murdered. I’m not
convinced that this was a robbery, especially since nothing was
taken.” She became quiet.
The detective nodded. “It does seem a bit of a coincidence.
But where does the girl Kino Makoto fit into the puzzle?” he wondered
aloud.
Julia shook her head and fell back into her chair again.
“That’s what I’ve been trying to figure out for the past week,” she
muttered.
“Well, perhaps we should bring the Miyake boy in for
questioning,” the detective suggested, standing up and grabbing his coat.
He carefully folded his notes and tucked them away into his pocket.
Julia stood quickly. “I really don’t think that will be
necessary. He’s not a suspect in either case,” she said pointedly,
grabbing her jacket as well.
The detective looked at her. “He is in this one. Are you
coming or not?”
Shinosaki sat alone on a bench outside Makoto’s room. He held
a plain gold ring in his hand, studded with tiny diamonds. He turned
it over in his hands, his mind full of the past. Ami’s heart sank
when she saw him sitting there alone.
“Hey,” she said quietly, sitting down next to him.
“Hey,” he answered without looking up.
“What’s that?” Ami asked when she noticed the ring he was holding.
Shinosaki turned to face her. “Oh, this?” he repeated.
“This was my mother’s wedding ring. I was hoping to give it to…” he
trailed off and turned back to face the room.
Ami bit her lip. She watched painfully as she saw tears
form in his eyes and slowly roll down his cheeks. She looked
down at the charts she had on her clipboard. “Well, I have some good
news,” she offered slowly. He turned back towards her again. “She’s
doing better. And I think that I might be able to get you in to see her.”
Shinosaki’s eyes brightened. “Just give me a little time, okay?”
Shinosaki nodded. “Thanks, Ami-san.” She nodded and left.
He was alone again. He bent his head over, again and again turning
the ring around in his fingers. He smiled a little. Memories flooded
his mind. Then the smile disappeared.
*flashback*
“Shinosaki! Catch!” Makoto yelled as she threw the ball to her
friend. He caught it, laughing. A teacher walked up behind Makoto
and tapped her on the shoulder.
“Kino Makoto-san,” she said with dark eyes.
Makoto’s smile vanished. “Hai, sensei,” she answered politely.
“Come inside with me.” They disappeared into the school building.
Shinosaki stood outside, holding the ball she’d thrown to him.
He watched the two silhouettes from outside. He saw the shorter nod
and bow, then turn to leave. Makoto exited the building and ran.
Shinosaki dropped the ball and tore off after her. He found her crying
in corner, away from everybody else. “Mako-chan?” he asked quietly.
“Are you okay? Did you get in trouble?”
Makoto shook her head and wiped her face with the back of her
sleeve. Her green eyes were clouded and dark. “Some-something
ha-happened,” she said between sobs. Shinosaki sat down next to her
and put an arm around her shoulder. She looked at him for a moment and
then returned to staring at the ground. “My-my parents aren’t co-coming
home,” she finished quietly.
Shinosaki thought for a moment, not fully understanding for a
few seconds. Realization washed over him and he looked down at his
friend. “Mako-chan,” he whispered, “I’m sorry.”
*end flashback*
“Miyake Shinosaki.” A man’s voice broke into Shinosaki’s
memories. He looked up, startled. “Come with me.”
Shinosaki stood and slipped the ring into his pocket.
“What? What’s going on?” he demanded.
“Shinosaki, just go with him,” Julia spoke up and stepped out
from behind the detective.
“Julia! What’s going on?” Shinosaki demanded again.
“We just have some questions we’d like to ask of you,
Miyake-san,” the detective said plainly.
“What questions?” he retorted.
The detective sighed. “You’ve been named a suspect of the
shooting of Kino Makoto.”
Shinosaki paled. “You can’t be serious,” he whispered.
He turned to Julia, “Tell him I’d never hurt her!”
Julia stood silent for a moment. “Just go with him,” she said softly,
looking up at him with her clear blue eyes.
“Is there something wrong here?” Ami’s voice broke through the
tension.
Shinosaki whirled around, keeping one eye on the detective and
Julia. “Nothing,” he replied slowly. “I have to leave for a little
while,” he trailed off and finally looked her straight in the eye.
“Please,” he whispered, “look after her for me.” Ami nodded and
watched as turned and walked down the hall.
“All right,” Shinosaki said quietly when he and the detective
were finally alone. “What do you want.”
“What kind of relationship do you and Kino Makoto-san have?”
he asked bluntly, folding his hands across his chest and leaning back
in his chair.
“We’re best friends,” Shinosaki replied coolly. “She’s there
for me, and I’m there for her. It’s been that way every since her parents
died,” he added quietly.
“Her parents-were they killed?”
“No. They died in a plane crash when we were around 8.”
“And you sister, Miyake Hana. When was she killed?”
Shinosaki froze. He could feel a lump form in his throat as a
picture of his younger sister began to form in his mind. “She died on
June 7th, 1998,” he paused, “she was 10; it was her birthday.” The
detective nodded and made a note on his paper. “What?” Shinosaki
demanded. “You can’t possibly think that I’m behind the murder of
my sister and my parents. Even worse than that, you can’t believe
that I’d even dare hurt the only family I have left; the person I
care most for in the world.”
“Oh, so it’s just a coincidence that everyone in your family is
dead, and that the only one left in the will beside you is lying in a
hospital bed, half-dead herself?” the detective retorted.
Shinosaki ran his thoughts back over what he had just heard.
“The will?” he asked, puzzled. “What will?”
*flashback*
“Shinosaki! Wait up!” Makoto yelled behind him. He took the
steps two at a time, holding a bunch of balloons in one hand, and a
gift in the other. Makoto carried the cake behind him.
“Shh!!” he quieted her when they reached the door. He carefully
swung the door open. “Hana!” he called.
Makoto stepped out from behind him and yelled, “Surprise! Happy
Birthday!”
Silence.
“Hana?” Shinosaki walked around the corner. His breath caught
in his throat. “Hana…” his voice trailed off into silence. Makoto
put the cake on the counter and followed him as he disappeared. Her
voice caught in her throat and a pit settled into her stomach.
Hana lay in the center of the room, her phone just beyond the
reach of her fingertips; tears of pain and anguish on her cheeks.
Shinosaki dropped the balloons and gift on the floor and ran towards
his sister. “Ani-san,” she whispered as he cradled her in his arms.
“Don’t talk,” he whispered back.
She nodded slowly and took in a shivering breath. Shinosaki
looked at Makoto who stood frozen in the doorway. Hana squeezed his
hand hard and closed her eyes. Pain washed over her face. She
looked up at her brother and smiled slowly. “Goodbye, Ani-san.”
Her breath left her.
Shinosaki bent over her, holding her close and crying freely.
Makoto found her legs and kneeled beside Shinosaki, putting an arm
on his back, comforting him as much as possible without words.
Lines creased Makoto’s forehead as the memory flooded her mind.
She struggled to escape the darkness that plagued her. Every once
and a while, she faintly heard voices around her. She thought that one
of the voices she heard might have been Ami, but she couldn’t tell for
sure. They all sounded so far away, as if she weren’t even there, but
someplace else. The constant fogginess clouded her thoughts and
memories to the point where they were only a dream.
The stillness was broken when she felt someone slip something
around her finger. She felt a kiss brush against her cheek. Warmth
filled her body as the stranger’s voice finally made sense. She
held onto his hand.
Shinosaki watched her, studying every feature and committed
them all to memory. A tiny smile crept across his face as he
studied her beauty. He reached in his pocket and took out his
mother’s ring. He stared at it for a few moments, and carefully
slipped it around her finger. His hand lingered for a moment.
He felt her hand close about his. His face exploded with joy and
happiness. “I knew you were still in there somewhere, Mako-chan,”
he whispered to himself. “Ami-san!” he called.
Ami came tearing around the corner. “What?!” she asked
frantically. “Is she okay?”
Makoto mumbled something unintelligible. Ami’s eyes widened.
A broad smile spread across her face.
Makoto’s eyes fluttered, and she struggled to lift her heavy
lead lids. Light pierced the darkness that she had become
accustomed to. Colors ran together, like some child’s insane finger
painting. Sounds pierced the silence that had been driving her
mad. Her vision cleared, and once again, emerald green met deep
blue. Shinosaki smiled and kissed her softly on the forehead.
Makoto smiled back.
Shinosaki again stood in the hall waiting for the doctors.
He waited patiently as they checked and rechecked Makoto.
“Shinosaki-kun?”
A sweet voice broke into his thoughts. He whirled around to
face a short, dark haired girl. He looked at her closely, a memory
poking him in the back of his head.
“You don’t remember me, do you?” she said smugly, her dark
eyes boring into his. She flipped her shortly cropped raven hair
over her shoulder. “Well, it has been a long time,” she agreed to
his silence, “but I still think that you should remember me,
Shinosaki,” she said, moving closer to him.
“Yamiro…” Shinosaki’s voice trailed off.
“You do remember!” A smile broke into her face and she
lept into his arms, pushing her body close against his.
Shinosaki carefully distanced himself. “Hai, I remember.”
He shook his head, wiping the memories from his mind. “What are
you doing here?”
Yamiro lowered her head. “I heard about Makoto-san, and
wanted to make sure that you were okay,” she said softly. She
met his eyes. “But I guess you are, huh?” she said, cheerful once
more.
“Yeah,” he replied, searching for other words to break
the tension that filled the hall.
“Shinosaki-kun!” Another voice called from down the hall.
Shinosaki thanked whoever it was silently and turned around.
Chiba Mamoru, Tsukino Usagi, and Hino Rei all jogged toward him.
He heaved a sigh of relief.
Usagi reached him first. “Shinosaki-kun…is Mako-chan…okay?”
she said between breaths, her hand on her knees, blond pigtails
hanging down by the sides of her face.
Shinosaki smiled. “Yeah, Usagi-san,” he said, laughing.
“She’s okay.”
A relieved sigh erupted through the newly gathered crowd.
Rei eyed Yamiro cautiously. “Who’s that?” she asked, an unsure
look on her face.
“Oh, sorry. This is Kirei Yamiro. She’s a…” Shinosaki
searched the air above him for words, “an old friend of mine
and Mako-chan’s.”
Mamoru’s eyebrow raised in suspicion. “Kirei Yamiro…Beautiful
Darkness,” he translated quietly. He traded glances with Rei.
Usagi looked from one to the other. “Am I…missing something,
Mamo-chan?” she asked slowly.
Mamoru smiled down at her and put an arm around her shoulder.
“Of course, not, Usako. I was just trying to remember the last time
that we saw Shinosaki-kun,” he lied, offering a hand to Shinosaki.
Shinosaki smiled, and the two men shook hands. Shinosaki
nodded slightly, and thanked God silently that Mamoru hadn’t said
anything else about Yamiro’s name.
Then conversation and laughter flooded the hall. Relief
filled everyone, and relaxation took over. Shinosaki yawned, and ran
a hand through this dark brown hair.
“No offense, Shinosaki-kun, but you look like you just got hit
by a dump truck,” Rei joked lightly. “You should really go and get
some rest,” she advised.
Shinosaki smiled. “Yeah, well, I’d really rather stay here
with Mako-chan,” he protested. “Besides, I’m not that tired anyway.”
Usagi gave Shinosaki a sideways glance. “Shinosaki, go home
and get some sleep!” she ordered. “We’ll watch Mako-chan for you.
Don’t worry. She’s okay now, remember?”
Shinosaki sighed, realizing he was up against a wall. “All
right, I’ll go home and sleep. But I want to at least see Mako-chan
before I leave.”
Yamiro spoke up from behind him. “Shinosaki-kun, after we
see Makoto-san, would you be able to give me a ride home?” she asked
sweetly, batting her long eyelashes.
Rei groaned and Usagi rolled her eyes. Shinosaki gave them
a helpless look. What am I supposed to do? his mind growled.
“Sure, Yamiro-san,” he sighed.
Ami emerged from the room, her husband Ryo close behind.
Mamoru walked up to them as they closed the door, shaking Ryo’s
hand and smiling. Shinosaki made his way over to where they were
talking. “Hi, I’m Miyake Shinosaki,” he said, introducing himself
to Ryo and offering his hand.
Ryo shook his hand and said, “Nice to meet you, Miyake-san.
My name is Urawa Ryo. I’m Ami-chan’s husband.”
Shinosaki’s eyes widened and Ami blushed slightly.
“Congratulations,” he said, startled. Never in a million years would
he have thought that Ami would be the first one of the gang to get
married. He’d always expected Usagi and Mamoru to be the first to jump
into wedlock. His anxiety took over. “So, she’s going to be alright?”
he said, praying to God that his assumption was right.
Ami and Ryo smiled. “Yes, Shinosaki-kun,” Ami answered. “She’s
going to be fine.”
Shinosaki nearly collapsed with relief. Mamoru put his hand on his
shoulder to steady him. Shinosaki thanked Ami and went in the room to
see Makoto.
Questions? Comments? Send them all to sailorstar100@yahoo.com!
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