Blind, Chapter 9
Title: Blind
Fandom: Sailor Moon
Genre: Mystery, AU
Rating: PG-13
Summary: It is said that justice is blind. So too is vengeance. But so too is love.
Previous Chapters: Disclaimer, Chapter 1, Chapter 2, Chapter 3, Chapter 4 Chapter 5, Chapter 6, Chapter 7, Chapter 8,
Kemal was the first to recover his wits.
“Mrs. Chiba, it’s all right. We’re here to help.”
He stepped forward, but as soon as he did, she jerked back.
And in the blink of an eye, she was gone. She left more questions in her wake.
“Well, that was certainly different,” Zacharie quipped.
It was, but they had no time to dwell on that.
Kemal turned first to Jeffrey.
“Are you all right?”
He was still a bit pale, and his breath came in gasps.
“Fit as a fiddle!”
Kemal gave a wry smile and patted his compatriot on the shoulder.
“Janny, do you have Nathan?”
The men all turned to see Janny kneeling and unmoving over Nathan.
They immediately feared the worst.
“Janny?”
They came rushing over. Nathan was breathing, but he still appeared unconscious.
The real surprise was Janny. She was paying almost no attention to Nathan’s prone form. Her eyes were staring unseeing into the distance, off to the spot where the ghostly form of Chiba Usagi had disappeared.
“Janny?”
She was catatonic. Barely even registering the presence of anyone else.
Jeffrey grabbed her by the shoulders.
“Snap out of it Janny!”
She slowly turned her head towards him. Even so, she never appeared to focus on him. Her eyes
still looked far away.
Jeffrey had seen many terrible things in his life: men torn limb from limb by bombs, bodies carved by knives, but this was perhaps the most terrifying thing of all.
“We’ve gotta get them back to the loft.”
Zacharie nodded and moved to help.
“What about her?” Kemal said pointing at the prone form of the blonde singer.
Everyone froze as they looked.
“Is she-“
She was an enemy, but given everything they had witnessed, to say those words seemed somehow
wrong.
Kemal walked over to check her pulse.
She was still breathing, but only barely. Without proper attention, she would die.
He had a decision to make. His own allies were badly wounded. Jeffrey was weakened, Nathan and Janny were incapacitated. They could ill afford another confrontation.
But they would also likely not have an opportunity like this again.
He scooped her into his arms. Here, like this, it was almost as though she were merely an innocent victim. Something in her face, and the way she fit in his arms….
He decided not to dwell on it. He was taking a great risk, and he needed to stay focused.
The other men acknowledged him as they loaded Janny and Nathan in the van and made room for the girl as well.
No words were exchanged. None had to be. They knew the risks. They had cheated death twice already this day. What would once more matter?
***
Back at the loft, Kemal and Zacharie began the delicate task of caring for their comrades.
They laid Nathan and the girl into beds, and helped Janny into a chair facing a window. Her eyes were still vacant.
One problem at a time.
Jeffrey moved towards Nathan and started to put his hand to Nathan’s forehead. Kemal caught his arm.
“What do you think you’re doing?”
“I’m healing him. He’s had a nasty fall, and a bit too much to drink.”
Kemal’s grip did not relent.
“You are in no condition to do that. You’re too weak.”
“Well who else is gonna help these two? You don’t have my experience with this.”
Kemal eyed him. Jeffrey spoke the truth. Neither he nor Zacharie had used their healing powers the way Nathan and Jeffrey had.
“Tell us how then.”
“What?”
“Tell me and Zacharie how to do it.”
Jeffrey ran a hand through his hair in frustration.
“This isn’t field stripping a rifle, this is very serious stuff.”
“You say that to me because you think I don’t know?”
Jeffrey huffed in frustration. “Look,” he said, moving back towards Nathan. “Just let me-“
Kemal’s grip tightened. Jeffrey struggled for a moment against it before the point was made clear.
“You don’t have the strength right now.”
Jeffrey raised his hands in surrender. Kemal relented.
“Allright. But you have to understand. Healing is a delicate matter. You can’t just- Oi! What are you doing?”
In all the bickering, neither Jeffrey nor Kemal noticed Zacharie on the other side of the bed with his hand on Nathan’s chest. His eyes were closed in concentration. After a moment, Nathan’s eyes began to flutter and he groaned.
Zacharie opened his eyes and removed his hands. The smirk on his face could have cut glass.
“How…”
He shrugged. “I talk to machines. Talking to the body is not much different. And I am, how you say, genius?”
Jeffrey looked very much like there were many things he could say other than genius, but Kemal stilled him with a hand on his shoulder.
“The girl is in much worse shape. She is dying. We need to at least make her stable.”
Zacharie sobered at once, nodding at Kemal. They left Jeffrey to care for Nathan as they moved to the other bed.
“Can you help her?”
“I’ll try.”
Zacharie put a hand on her forehead and closed his eyes. For a very long time, he was still. Kemal wondered if he was even doing anything. But as time went on, he could see strain in Zacharie’s posture, and sweat beading on his brow. When his arm started shaking, Kemal became worried.
Something was wrong. He seized Zacharie’s arm.
The shock threw both of them back.
Kemal scrambled back to his feet. Zacharie remained on the ground, panting for air. Kemal knelt over him.
“Are you allright?”
Zacharie nodded, and Kemal helped him to his feet.
“What happened?”
Zacharie rubbed his forehead, still panting for air. He did not speak immediately.
“Zacharie?”
He opened his eyes and looked down at the girl.
“Zacharie? What happened?”
His eyes did not leave her immediately.
“She’ll live.”
“You didn’t answer my question.”
Zacharie turned and moved to the chair. He leaned back into it.
Kemal waited. Clearly, something had shaken the young man.
“It was different with her,” he began. “Her body was injured, but…”
Kemal remained patient. He knew Zacharie would get there, just as soon as he understood his thoughts himself.
“There was something else there. Something horrible. It was not her. It wanted me. It… it called to me…”
He shuddered. Kemal didn’t blame him.
“You remember what Jeffrey said about the priestess?”
Kemal nodded.
“I understand now.”
Kemal patted Zacharie on the shoulder before retrieving his satchel. He pulled out several restraints and secured the girl to the bed. Given her strength, they were, perhaps, useless, but he had to take some precautions.
“There’s something else.”
He looked back to Zacharie.
“I caught a glimpse of her memories. At least, I think they were. You are in them.”
Kemal didn’t understand what Zacharie was getting at. “We’ve had some prior run ins.”
Zacharie shook his head. “I don’t mean that. There’s… well… she… I mean….” He bowed his head into his hands in defeat.
“I don’t know. You may just have to see for yourself.”
“What do you mean?”
Zacharie rose from his chair. “Go in yourself and find out, if you dare.”
He turned and went back to the other room where Jeffrey and Nathan were.
He left a very confused Kemal to ponder the beautiful face of the girl and wonder what Zacharie meant.
***
Zacharie returned to Jeffrey and Nathan.
“How is he?” he asked nodding his head at Nathan.
“Suffering from the mother of all hangovers, so I’d appreciate less chatter please,” came a very scratchy voice from the bed.
Zacharie smiled, both in relief and in mischief.
“Oh!” he said, a bit more loudly than he had to. “Well, I for one am famished. You know how to do Ulster Fry Jeffrey? I could go for fried eggs, greasy sausage, and hash browns as big as my head!”
Nathan let Zacharie know how he felt with a very firm finger salute.
Zacharie smirked again before moving towards Nathan and putting a hand to his forehead.
“I can help.”
He concentrated again, doing what he could for his comrade.
Nathan breathed a sigh of relief.
“Better?”
Nathan moved slowly to sit up.
“Better,” he replied.
Zacharie turned to Jeffrey.
“Why don’t you see to Janny. I’ve got this one.”
Jeffrey gave them both a nod before leaving.
Zacharie took a seat, rubbing at his eyes and working out some of the fatigue.
“So, they drained your blood and then gave you alcohol?”
“How did you know that?”
“I am a genius. That’s how.”
Nathan resisted the urge to roll his eyes. After all the near death experiences, Zacharie’s bravado was actually a bit refreshing.
“How long has it been since your last drink?”
Nathan rubbed his hands together, no longer able to meet Zacharie’s gaze. He knew he meant nothing by the question, but he was still ashamed.
“14 months… 4 days…”
Zacharie said nothing. There was very little he could say.
“Forgot the way it tasted. The burn… the buzz… the need…”
There were many forms of violence his captors could have visited upon him. It was only now that both Nathan and Zacharie were realizing just how badly they had violated him.
Zacharie rose from his seat and disappeared into the kitchen. He returned a moment later with two glasses of water. He reached into his pocket and found a spare coin. He handed it to Nathan.
“To Day 1. Salut.”
Nathan eyed the coin and let the echo of glasses clinking together resonate in his ears.
“Day 1,” he whispered to himself before sipping the water.
***
He wasn’t used to this. He couldn’t be.
His whole life for the past decade had been trusting her, relying on her, fearing her, admiring her.
And now, she was broken.
Jeffrey wasn’t so foolish as to believe anyone was truly invincible. But that illusion was almost central to his relationship with Janny. She had literally pulled him from the ashes and made him the man he was today. Were it not for her, he would be rotting in the bogside. Were it not for her, his grave could just have easily been one of the forgotten corners of the world he plied his trade in.
But always, she had been his constant. She had the answers, knew just what to say, what to do and how to do it.
And now, here she was; a shell of her former self. And he didn’t know how to fix her.
“All right there Janny?” He asked as much for his own benefit as hers. He knew she wouldn’t
respond. She wore the same blank expression, eyes toward the window, but unseeing.
“We’ve been through a lot, haven’t we? Plenty worse than this.” It was a lie, but it was all he had at the moment. “You remember that time in Karachi, when I was trapped in the basement, and you rigged that jeep to blow out the front door?”
Memories of the past could only ever be that; memories. They were of little comfort now.
“You know, a few months after I met you, and you were first teaching me how to control my powers, I started having dreams.”
He was glad she was looking away. He didn’t know if he could say this otherwise.
“You were in them. And they were nice…” No one was listening, but he blushed and whispered anyway.
“But some of them were different. It was like… visions or something. You were in those too. And, when I saw you, I knew somehow I could trust you. It doesn’t make any sense, but, then again, neither did anything about my life, so what’s a bit of spookiness among spooks, eh Janny?”
She did not move. In spite of his earlier openness because of her distance, he wished now she would say something as his heart lay bare before her.
“Janny? Please. Come back.”
Her head turned slowly toward him. He dared to hope for a second, until he realized her eyes were still vacant, looking beyond him.
And then, just as suddenly, her eyes widened.
“Janny?”
He rushed toward her, taking her by the shoulders.
“What’s wrong Janny?”
Her eyes did not move. Jeffrey turned to follow her gaze.
“There’s nothin’ there Janny.”
He was worried that she was cracking, slowly descending to a place from which she would not return. He lowered his head to her shoulder.
“Please…” he whispered. “Save her!”
She rose, startling him.
“Where’re ya goin’ Janny?”
She reached out a hand to the empty space.
Pluto
Jeffrey jumped from his seat in shock.
Can you hear me?
Once may have been a trick of his ear, but this time, there was no denying the voice.
Janny’s hands began moving. Jeffrey looked closer and saw a shadow begin to take shape. He could clearly see an outline of a hand in hers. As the shadow grew and took form, he knew he couldn’t be imagining it. A human form was clearly emerging.
It was of a man, tall and strong. He wore armor that looked like it came from an age long forgotten, and a mighty sword was on his belt.
Something in his bearing and manner commanded respect. But it was the eyes that caught him.
Deep pools of blue that held wisdom, sorrow and power.
The eyes were unmistakable. Jeffrey had seen them once before, in a picture on a table, when his life had been given meaning.
“Sire…” They were Janny’s first words since the fight. They were spoken in a tone of relief, almost bordering on reverence.
“Hello old friend,” the man said. “It’s good to see you. I need your help.”
Fandom: Sailor Moon
Genre: Mystery, AU
Rating: PG-13
Summary: It is said that justice is blind. So too is vengeance. But so too is love.
Previous Chapters: Disclaimer, Chapter 1, Chapter 2, Chapter 3, Chapter 4 Chapter 5, Chapter 6, Chapter 7, Chapter 8,
Kemal was the first to recover his wits.
“Mrs. Chiba, it’s all right. We’re here to help.”
He stepped forward, but as soon as he did, she jerked back.
And in the blink of an eye, she was gone. She left more questions in her wake.
“Well, that was certainly different,” Zacharie quipped.
It was, but they had no time to dwell on that.
Kemal turned first to Jeffrey.
“Are you all right?”
He was still a bit pale, and his breath came in gasps.
“Fit as a fiddle!”
Kemal gave a wry smile and patted his compatriot on the shoulder.
“Janny, do you have Nathan?”
The men all turned to see Janny kneeling and unmoving over Nathan.
They immediately feared the worst.
“Janny?”
They came rushing over. Nathan was breathing, but he still appeared unconscious.
The real surprise was Janny. She was paying almost no attention to Nathan’s prone form. Her eyes were staring unseeing into the distance, off to the spot where the ghostly form of Chiba Usagi had disappeared.
“Janny?”
She was catatonic. Barely even registering the presence of anyone else.
Jeffrey grabbed her by the shoulders.
“Snap out of it Janny!”
She slowly turned her head towards him. Even so, she never appeared to focus on him. Her eyes
still looked far away.
Jeffrey had seen many terrible things in his life: men torn limb from limb by bombs, bodies carved by knives, but this was perhaps the most terrifying thing of all.
“We’ve gotta get them back to the loft.”
Zacharie nodded and moved to help.
“What about her?” Kemal said pointing at the prone form of the blonde singer.
Everyone froze as they looked.
“Is she-“
She was an enemy, but given everything they had witnessed, to say those words seemed somehow
wrong.
Kemal walked over to check her pulse.
She was still breathing, but only barely. Without proper attention, she would die.
He had a decision to make. His own allies were badly wounded. Jeffrey was weakened, Nathan and Janny were incapacitated. They could ill afford another confrontation.
But they would also likely not have an opportunity like this again.
He scooped her into his arms. Here, like this, it was almost as though she were merely an innocent victim. Something in her face, and the way she fit in his arms….
He decided not to dwell on it. He was taking a great risk, and he needed to stay focused.
The other men acknowledged him as they loaded Janny and Nathan in the van and made room for the girl as well.
No words were exchanged. None had to be. They knew the risks. They had cheated death twice already this day. What would once more matter?
***
Back at the loft, Kemal and Zacharie began the delicate task of caring for their comrades.
They laid Nathan and the girl into beds, and helped Janny into a chair facing a window. Her eyes were still vacant.
One problem at a time.
Jeffrey moved towards Nathan and started to put his hand to Nathan’s forehead. Kemal caught his arm.
“What do you think you’re doing?”
“I’m healing him. He’s had a nasty fall, and a bit too much to drink.”
Kemal’s grip did not relent.
“You are in no condition to do that. You’re too weak.”
“Well who else is gonna help these two? You don’t have my experience with this.”
Kemal eyed him. Jeffrey spoke the truth. Neither he nor Zacharie had used their healing powers the way Nathan and Jeffrey had.
“Tell us how then.”
“What?”
“Tell me and Zacharie how to do it.”
Jeffrey ran a hand through his hair in frustration.
“This isn’t field stripping a rifle, this is very serious stuff.”
“You say that to me because you think I don’t know?”
Jeffrey huffed in frustration. “Look,” he said, moving back towards Nathan. “Just let me-“
Kemal’s grip tightened. Jeffrey struggled for a moment against it before the point was made clear.
“You don’t have the strength right now.”
Jeffrey raised his hands in surrender. Kemal relented.
“Allright. But you have to understand. Healing is a delicate matter. You can’t just- Oi! What are you doing?”
In all the bickering, neither Jeffrey nor Kemal noticed Zacharie on the other side of the bed with his hand on Nathan’s chest. His eyes were closed in concentration. After a moment, Nathan’s eyes began to flutter and he groaned.
Zacharie opened his eyes and removed his hands. The smirk on his face could have cut glass.
“How…”
He shrugged. “I talk to machines. Talking to the body is not much different. And I am, how you say, genius?”
Jeffrey looked very much like there were many things he could say other than genius, but Kemal stilled him with a hand on his shoulder.
“The girl is in much worse shape. She is dying. We need to at least make her stable.”
Zacharie sobered at once, nodding at Kemal. They left Jeffrey to care for Nathan as they moved to the other bed.
“Can you help her?”
“I’ll try.”
Zacharie put a hand on her forehead and closed his eyes. For a very long time, he was still. Kemal wondered if he was even doing anything. But as time went on, he could see strain in Zacharie’s posture, and sweat beading on his brow. When his arm started shaking, Kemal became worried.
Something was wrong. He seized Zacharie’s arm.
The shock threw both of them back.
Kemal scrambled back to his feet. Zacharie remained on the ground, panting for air. Kemal knelt over him.
“Are you allright?”
Zacharie nodded, and Kemal helped him to his feet.
“What happened?”
Zacharie rubbed his forehead, still panting for air. He did not speak immediately.
“Zacharie?”
He opened his eyes and looked down at the girl.
“Zacharie? What happened?”
His eyes did not leave her immediately.
“She’ll live.”
“You didn’t answer my question.”
Zacharie turned and moved to the chair. He leaned back into it.
Kemal waited. Clearly, something had shaken the young man.
“It was different with her,” he began. “Her body was injured, but…”
Kemal remained patient. He knew Zacharie would get there, just as soon as he understood his thoughts himself.
“There was something else there. Something horrible. It was not her. It wanted me. It… it called to me…”
He shuddered. Kemal didn’t blame him.
“You remember what Jeffrey said about the priestess?”
Kemal nodded.
“I understand now.”
Kemal patted Zacharie on the shoulder before retrieving his satchel. He pulled out several restraints and secured the girl to the bed. Given her strength, they were, perhaps, useless, but he had to take some precautions.
“There’s something else.”
He looked back to Zacharie.
“I caught a glimpse of her memories. At least, I think they were. You are in them.”
Kemal didn’t understand what Zacharie was getting at. “We’ve had some prior run ins.”
Zacharie shook his head. “I don’t mean that. There’s… well… she… I mean….” He bowed his head into his hands in defeat.
“I don’t know. You may just have to see for yourself.”
“What do you mean?”
Zacharie rose from his chair. “Go in yourself and find out, if you dare.”
He turned and went back to the other room where Jeffrey and Nathan were.
He left a very confused Kemal to ponder the beautiful face of the girl and wonder what Zacharie meant.
***
Zacharie returned to Jeffrey and Nathan.
“How is he?” he asked nodding his head at Nathan.
“Suffering from the mother of all hangovers, so I’d appreciate less chatter please,” came a very scratchy voice from the bed.
Zacharie smiled, both in relief and in mischief.
“Oh!” he said, a bit more loudly than he had to. “Well, I for one am famished. You know how to do Ulster Fry Jeffrey? I could go for fried eggs, greasy sausage, and hash browns as big as my head!”
Nathan let Zacharie know how he felt with a very firm finger salute.
Zacharie smirked again before moving towards Nathan and putting a hand to his forehead.
“I can help.”
He concentrated again, doing what he could for his comrade.
Nathan breathed a sigh of relief.
“Better?”
Nathan moved slowly to sit up.
“Better,” he replied.
Zacharie turned to Jeffrey.
“Why don’t you see to Janny. I’ve got this one.”
Jeffrey gave them both a nod before leaving.
Zacharie took a seat, rubbing at his eyes and working out some of the fatigue.
“So, they drained your blood and then gave you alcohol?”
“How did you know that?”
“I am a genius. That’s how.”
Nathan resisted the urge to roll his eyes. After all the near death experiences, Zacharie’s bravado was actually a bit refreshing.
“How long has it been since your last drink?”
Nathan rubbed his hands together, no longer able to meet Zacharie’s gaze. He knew he meant nothing by the question, but he was still ashamed.
“14 months… 4 days…”
Zacharie said nothing. There was very little he could say.
“Forgot the way it tasted. The burn… the buzz… the need…”
There were many forms of violence his captors could have visited upon him. It was only now that both Nathan and Zacharie were realizing just how badly they had violated him.
Zacharie rose from his seat and disappeared into the kitchen. He returned a moment later with two glasses of water. He reached into his pocket and found a spare coin. He handed it to Nathan.
“To Day 1. Salut.”
Nathan eyed the coin and let the echo of glasses clinking together resonate in his ears.
“Day 1,” he whispered to himself before sipping the water.
***
He wasn’t used to this. He couldn’t be.
His whole life for the past decade had been trusting her, relying on her, fearing her, admiring her.
And now, she was broken.
Jeffrey wasn’t so foolish as to believe anyone was truly invincible. But that illusion was almost central to his relationship with Janny. She had literally pulled him from the ashes and made him the man he was today. Were it not for her, he would be rotting in the bogside. Were it not for her, his grave could just have easily been one of the forgotten corners of the world he plied his trade in.
But always, she had been his constant. She had the answers, knew just what to say, what to do and how to do it.
And now, here she was; a shell of her former self. And he didn’t know how to fix her.
“All right there Janny?” He asked as much for his own benefit as hers. He knew she wouldn’t
respond. She wore the same blank expression, eyes toward the window, but unseeing.
“We’ve been through a lot, haven’t we? Plenty worse than this.” It was a lie, but it was all he had at the moment. “You remember that time in Karachi, when I was trapped in the basement, and you rigged that jeep to blow out the front door?”
Memories of the past could only ever be that; memories. They were of little comfort now.
“You know, a few months after I met you, and you were first teaching me how to control my powers, I started having dreams.”
He was glad she was looking away. He didn’t know if he could say this otherwise.
“You were in them. And they were nice…” No one was listening, but he blushed and whispered anyway.
“But some of them were different. It was like… visions or something. You were in those too. And, when I saw you, I knew somehow I could trust you. It doesn’t make any sense, but, then again, neither did anything about my life, so what’s a bit of spookiness among spooks, eh Janny?”
She did not move. In spite of his earlier openness because of her distance, he wished now she would say something as his heart lay bare before her.
“Janny? Please. Come back.”
Her head turned slowly toward him. He dared to hope for a second, until he realized her eyes were still vacant, looking beyond him.
And then, just as suddenly, her eyes widened.
“Janny?”
He rushed toward her, taking her by the shoulders.
“What’s wrong Janny?”
Her eyes did not move. Jeffrey turned to follow her gaze.
“There’s nothin’ there Janny.”
He was worried that she was cracking, slowly descending to a place from which she would not return. He lowered his head to her shoulder.
“Please…” he whispered. “Save her!”
She rose, startling him.
“Where’re ya goin’ Janny?”
She reached out a hand to the empty space.
Pluto
Jeffrey jumped from his seat in shock.
Can you hear me?
Once may have been a trick of his ear, but this time, there was no denying the voice.
Janny’s hands began moving. Jeffrey looked closer and saw a shadow begin to take shape. He could clearly see an outline of a hand in hers. As the shadow grew and took form, he knew he couldn’t be imagining it. A human form was clearly emerging.
It was of a man, tall and strong. He wore armor that looked like it came from an age long forgotten, and a mighty sword was on his belt.
Something in his bearing and manner commanded respect. But it was the eyes that caught him.
Deep pools of blue that held wisdom, sorrow and power.
The eyes were unmistakable. Jeffrey had seen them once before, in a picture on a table, when his life had been given meaning.
“Sire…” They were Janny’s first words since the fight. They were spoken in a tone of relief, almost bordering on reverence.
“Hello old friend,” the man said. “It’s good to see you. I need your help.”