WELCOME

[Senior Partners]

Deciding that two of the Starlight senshi should receive their powers back in the same circumstances had not been too difficult. A ruined friendship represent an interesting territory to explore and, while try would create the scenario, the Senior Partners had a sick curiosity towards the way in which the two would react to it and to one another. Not they cared how damaged the friendship between the two of them was; it was just satisfying exploring what the two of them had managed to achieve – if it could be called that – with so little outside intervention. There was so much to play on with the two of them...

Chuckling darkly, the vampire closed the heavy metal door, locking it tightly into its place. Inside the rather small square-shaped room, Seiya and Yaten laid unconscious on the floor. The room was tall, lacking any openings other than the door and some small holes that could be seen here and there along the walls, which allowed for the air to get inside. Ah, good old Los Angeles. You could trust it not to lack anything you needed, even if it came down to places where you could... show some friends how much they meant to you and how much you loved them. Mmm, sweet little Yaten had showed him just how much love she had for tall, brooding vampires and a moment of perfect happiness came out of that. How could Angelus not show her his appreciation for that? Unfortunately for her, his methods of showing appreciation were substantially different than those of other people.

Yaten needed to be taught a lesson: no one could really escape Angelus. If it happened, he got to them sooner or later and he would make their deaths so much more horrible than they would have been the first time around. A similar lesson would get taught to that friend of Yaten's, Seiya: those who helped someone escape from him would meet an equally grim fate. As disgusting as the thought that Angel and Yaten had been lovers was, Angelus was satisfied that the relationship had offered him some pretty interesting information that he could use in order to hurt Yaten. He was also pleased with the fact that, in spite of the time spent inside his “cage”, he never lost his ability to trick people. Both Yaten and Seiya had fallen for his Angel act and now... Laughing, he slipped into a room right next to the one where the two girls were.

[Kou Seiya]

Waking with a groan at the sound of metal on metal, Seiya struggled against her own pounding head as she blinked quickly trying to get use to the light. ‘Where the heck am I?’ ran through the starlight’s head as she grabbed her head with one hand, using the other to push herself up into a sitting position. The whirling effect her action caused made her instantly regret it. “Did anyone catch the plate numbers of the truck that hit me?” she groaned out as the room unblurred slowly. Which only left her even more confused. Giving the room a slow look, she frowned. This certainly wasn’t any place she would have graced with her presence. Standing she stumbled to the door and pushed at it, clearly still not in tip top shape. Cursing under her breath when it did not budge. An unknown location, and after a quick rummage through her pockets clearly no way to call out, and to top it off she was alone. Or so she thought when she continued gaze around, her blue eyes falling on a silver haired figure not far from her. A few more blinks and the realization hit on just who her unconscious ‘roommate’ was.

Yaten...

Shit.

Not good.

Something inside of her didn’t know what the last two thoughts were aimed at. Being trapped or being alone with one of the very few people she often tried to avoid having a long meaningful conversation with. But the last year or two be damned, it did nothing to hold the raven haired girl back when something inside her snapped. A horrible frantic sense of worry and dread overcame her and she found herself quickly spanning the distance between them. “Please don’t be dead, please don’t be dead.” the words left her her lips once she reached the other girl. Dropping to her knees, she scooped the petite figure up to her lap, gently trying to rouse her. “Yaten-chan” she cried out, desperately searching for the other girls vital signs. A sigh of relief escaped her upon finding them. “Come on, wake up. You’ve slept enough, Shrimp, time to rise and shine. Somethings happening here and you need to get your tail feathers moving.” She continued to call out, physically doing everything she could think off to wake her friend up.

[Kou Yaten]

No... no... no! It's not... it couldn't... it didn't happen! It couldn't possibly happen because they had been careful and it hadn't been more special than the other times and... it just couldn't happen with her! Angel couldn't be perfectly happy with her, because she was not the woman he truly loved, she was not Buffy Summers. She was petite, blonde and she had been a fighter but she was completely different and, even if she made him happy, she had counted on the fact that she could never make him perfectly so. He had also counted on it and now... She had been sleeping, blissfully exhausted, so she never sense that something was wrong; neither did she find it strange when she woke up and he wasn't by her side. She got out of bed and had just finished getting dressed when he came back into the room and she didn't feel it... She should have felt it but she never really paid attention to that extra something in his shine that meant that there was something that distinguished him from other vampires. She didn't feel his intentions, not until he gave her a look which she had seen before and said some really horrible thins and then she knew what had happened...

Angelus. She had released Angelus, just like everyone had feared that it would happen sooner or later. Why didn't she listen to their warnings? Why did she shrug them off so easily, thinking that Gunn was just being his usual, unpleasant jerk and that Wesley was just being rude? They had been right to think that she would bring out disaster and put all of their lives into danger and... what if Angelus had already harmed them? Unable to henshin, Yaten tried to run away from him – a useless effort. He tossed her on the bed with almost no effort and... It was all a horrible nightmare! It was all so horrendous that, at one point, she passed out and her mind simply seemed to have shut down from the outside world, in an effort to make everything seem more tolerable, to make it more plausible that nothing had been real and that, at some point, Yaten would open her eyes and everything would be alright.

Someone was not willing to let her linger in that state for much longer, though. She could hear her name being called. At first, it was a very distant sound but then it started being louder and clearer and she could feel herself shaken. Letting out a small sound, akin to a whimper, the empath opened her eyes, very slowly, hoping that she would see her room at the Hyperion and that the arms she felt around her were Angel's and that everything had been in her mind. Soon enough, she registered the fact that she was not in the Hyperion and her eyes widened with fear. ”No, no, no!” Shaking her head, she looked at the one that was holding her. ”Seiya?” She tried to pull herself away from the other girl's touch, cringing slightly in pain as she did. ”Where are we? What happened? Tell me it was a dream... Please?”

[Kou Seiya]

Seiya let out sigh of relief as Yaten stirred awake but that relief was quickly washed away. What on earth was the shrimp talking about? "What?" she stammered out as she released Yaten letting her scramble away from her. "Yaten, I don't know what you are talking about. What do you mean?" She question looking around at their surroundings once more. "Okay calm down and we'll get to the bottom of this." She tried to remain calm, at least as calm as possible. "I don't know where we are. I can smell the ocean ... I think and smog ... but that can be anywhere in California. When I woke up we were here. The last thing I remember was returning to the hotel from taking a walk. Next thing I know I woke up here with you. With what feels like the mother of all hangovers which is impossible since I don't drink." She rambled a bit, rubbing her right temple, then she shook her head and glanced back at the panicking starlight.

"Why do you start at the beginning?" She suggested. Perhaps Yaten knew more than than she thought she did. "What do you mean 'tell you it was all a dream'?" she urged on, looking around once more at their room. It was a box, and the only way out seemed to be was the door she had tried to beat down earlier. However she couldn't escape the feeling they were being watched some how. That was when her eyes feel on the one way window she had over looked in her daze earlier. "Oh" she mummered to herself as she stood, swaying to the side as she gazed curiously at the window. One part to see if there was anything or anyone beyond it. Another part of her minding trying to work out a way to shatter it. "What was your last memory, Shrimp?" she asked as an afterthought her hand extending out to as she continued to study the window.


gah it sucks sorry! at least she stopped being a hopeless goober!

[Kou Yaten]

Yaten's head was spinning and, at the same time, throbbing with a dull pain that made it difficult for her to put her thoughts together. To a certain degree, the silver-haired girl wasn't sure if putting her thoughts together was the best thing she could do right now. She could remember bits and pieces that were all scattered around her mind and Yaten was scared of putting the pieces together because... Staring at Seiya, she listened to her speaking, tears falling down from her eyes. At first, her expression betrayed confusion – why was Seiya here as well? After a couple of moments, realization sunk in. Seiya was the reason why Angelus had been unsuccessful in killing her the previous time he had her in his grasp. Had it not been for the raven-haired Starlight, Yaten didn't think that she would have made it past the previous year's Halloween night. Then again... wouldn't everyone be better off if she hadn't? Perhaps Angelus would have made less casualties than he did now and... Stars, she desperately needed to know that everyone was alright and that he hadn't done anything to Fred or to Mako-chan. Burying her face into her hands, Yaten sobbed.

She was still paying attention to Seiya and when the other girl recommended that she started at the beginning, Yaten looked up at her and opened her mouth, as if to say something – no words came out. How exactly could she phrase it so that Seiya wouldn't hate her too much? Then again, Seiya must have already hated her enough for having tried to kill Usagi back when she had been a vampire. It already looked like their friendship had been damaged beyond repair so did it matter if Seiya had one other reason to despise her, added to the ones which were already on her list? She was about to open her mouth and say something in reply to Seiya's questioning when, all of the sudden, the sound of laughter filled the room, bouncing from wall to wall like a sinister echo – it was a laughter which was all too familiar to her and which she was sure that Seiya would easily recognize as well.

”Come on, Shrimp, why don't you tell her? I'm sure she'd be thrilled to know the details of my return”, Angelus' voice echoed through the tall room, its origins impossible to determine. ”I... I... I'm sorry, Seiya!”, Yaten managed to speak, terror visible on her face as soon as Angelus' voice was heard. ”I didn't think it could happen, I'm sorry!”, Yaten insisted. Angelus' laughter filled the room once again. ”Speaking of shrimps, I should make you feel more at home, shouldn't I?”, he asked in a casual tone. ”N-nani?”, Yaten murmured, giving Seiya a horrified look.

[Kou Seiya]

She was about to point out the one way window when the voice came over the speaker. Freezing her cold in her place. She knew that voice. Even before Yaten could stutter out her apologies. She knew it. How could one forget it once they heard it? That cold, taunting tone of the monster they first encountered a year ago. The very monster she had faced down one night in Sunnydale. "Angelus" the words were whispered harshly under her breath. How did he come back? "Yaten, this would be a good time to start spilling the beans." She said to the other girl. She snorted at Angelus, slipping back into the cool rock star & Starlight she use to be. The one who's mouth usually got the better of her in most situations. As it was about to do once more.

"Cute really, kidnapping two harmless girls. How powerful does that make you feel?" she taunted at him, "Baka inu! You're really are pathetic, Angelus!" Then that smirk was wiped off her face, replaced with an expression of confusion. What did he mean he was about to make them feel right at home? "Nani?" the word echoed Yaten's perfectly as she looked down too meet her eyes. "Baka inu, you make no sense!" she yelled out, but as she did she heard what sounded like a fountain being turned on. Looking down she noticed as water started to puddle around her feet. "Ike?!" she exclaimed, stepping away from the growing puddle, almost tap dancing to avoid it.

She officially didn't like this. Not a single bit. Trapped plus water not good. Then it dawned on her. They were in a sealed tight bunker of sorts, and the monster in the other room just started to fill it with water. He wasn't just going to kill them, he going to drown them! "Yaten-chan. There's not time for your self-pity we have to find a way out of here." Seiya's voice was shaky with uncertainty as her breath because harsher. Almost hysterical. Drowning was a phobia of hers. Always had been since she was a little girl. "We got to get out of here!" she said again, her voice taking on a higher pitch. Her face had gone completely white.

i hope its okay that i went a head and started that.

[Kou Yaten]

Start spilling the beans? She wanted to, Yaten really wanted to. She owed Seiya this much since it was her fault why they were both stuck in this place, at Angelus' mercy. On the other hand... Yaten wanted so badly to open her mouth and yell at Seiya for being a huge baka, like she always was and like the petite young woman often did, even when times were harsh. Was it really that hard to figure it out that she wasn't spilling any beans yet because she just couldn't give voice to what had happened? ”I... I released him. It was a mistake...” “Mistake was a big underestimation and Yaten tried to mentally prepare herself for the moment when Seiya would start yelling at her. Given the situation and the already tense background between the two of them, Yaten didn't think that her former friend would be too willing to understand what had happened before rushing in with the accusations.

The urge to call Seiya a baka returned when the raven-haired girl started calling Angelus names. Another dark chuckle of the vampire filled the room. ”I'm sorry, was that supposed to make me realize the error of my ways, repent for my sins and come on down to let the two of you out?” He allowed for a few seconds to pass before he continues. ”-Maybe I would have considered it if you begged but now... Any special message you want on your graves, in case they ever find your bodies?” Another dark laughter followed and he decided that it was just about time he showed the two why he went through all the trouble of bringing them to this place.

Yaten practically jumped to her feet when she felt the water touch her feet and, instinctively, she moved closer to Seiya. She was shaking and she could hardly breathe, memories from a very unpleasant incident returning to her mind as she watched the water slowly and steadily filling the room. ”I know!”, she practically screamed back at Seiya. Yaten frantically looked around but she couldn't figure out how the two of them could possibly go out if they didn't have their powers to help them. Without thinking the gesture through too much, she wrapped her arms around Seiya. ”I'm scared”, she admitted in a whispered voice. It wasn't something she would normally admit to but this was hardly a normal circumstance. They were going to...

[Kou Seiya]

Seiya didn't even bother asking what Yaten meant by 'releasing him'. It just didn't matter now, all that matter was that Angelus was loose. Loose, dangerous and holding them captive in a flooding room. She didn't even bother to smart off at the vampire, the normally carefree Fighter was more concerned with scanning the room for a way out still. Her mind racing as the water rose higher slowly but steadily. This would have been a good time for them to have their senshi powers again. One blast and Angelus' tricks would be over with instantly. However fate was a cruel wench, and she often kicked you square in the ribs when you were down for the count. She felt Yaten's arms go around her waist, snapping her from her hysteria and forcing her back into reality. Her life wasn't the only life at stake and she needed to act like the leader she once was, not the spoiled popstar that came after. Instinctively, she embraced the shorter Starlight and stepped back from the glass with Yaten in her arms. As if to protect her from the boogeyman in the other room.

There was no long a dry spot on the floor to stand, and she could feel the water seep into her shoes. She shivered at how icy it was. Great. Not only was he going to drown them he was going to freeze them as well. At least if Angelus was to succeed she was going down with someone she knew ... and well ... cared for. It could be a lot worse, like being stuck in the same room with Tenou.Her arms tightened around Yaten as she let out a short but deep breath. Closing her eyes, she leaned her head down her words leaving her lips in a soft whisper, "Me too, Shrimp. Me too." Oh yes she was scared. Not of dying no, but of dying before seeing home again. And not being able to say goodbye to the people that she would be leaving behind. Would her past flash before her eyes like some cliche movie or tv show? She truly hoped not, there had been some things in the recent years she would rather not see again. But then again...

Seiya's sapphire blue eyes snapped to the window once more, searching through the dark glass searching for the monster behind the tinted pane. She could almost see his outline in them ... standing like a shade in a haunted house. Her stomach churned at the thought of that sadistic smirk he was surely wearing. Her eyes meet his, at least she hoped they did, "Why don't you just let her go?" The question came from her quickly as she raised an eyebrow, "She let you loose didn't she? So why kill her for giving you your freedom? Don't you think that makes more sense? Just let her go."

[Kou Yaten]

Water. Could water... surrounding her... making her muscles clamp and her chest tighten so much that air couldn't go in... just water... stinging... burning... hurting too much. Little Yaten Kou didn't imagine that something could hurt so much and that her little body could feel even smaller and more fragile than it was. Pain didn't exist in her world: dolls, sweets, flowers and smiles did and in the last moments of awareness, Yaten knew that she wouldn't have any of that again. Cold water around her feet now was triggering the memory and it was making her freeze with panic as it happened back then, when her small frame fell into the water. It was making her take large breaths of air but it felt like none of them was helping fill her lungs with air and Yaten thought that, within moments, she'd feel the sting and burn and she will hurt and then everything will get black and she would be gone and...

… then came the life support, the warm pair of hands that wrapped around her and pulled her to the surface from the depth of her own memories, reminding her that the water was still barely wetting her feet, that she had time... They had time in which something could happen to let them out of there, or to let Seiya out of there – because Yaten thought that dying was better than leaving with the guilt of having released Angelus, with a mind that had been cracked and was beginning to fall apart. She was aware that she was losing herself because of what she did and because of what Angelus did to her before locking both her and Seiya into this... water tank? Yaten tried to breathe, murmuring ”Gomen nasai” as the raven haired Light admitted to being scared as well.

The petite light whimpered, clinging to Seiya as if she was the rock in the middle of the ocean, all feelings of awkwardness and all of the misunderstandings between the two of them suddenly forgotten. Her tear-filled gaze snapped up when she heard Seiya speek, a look of dread filling her eyes. ”No, no! I'm not leaving you behind, baka!”, she whispered in an almost frenzy – but the whisper reached Angelus' delicate hearing and he chuckled, addressing his two victims again. ”How noble and selfless... and completely useless. She let me lose – in a very pleasant way, I might add – but she was the one that made Angel feel the closest to a human being than he felt in a very long time and, you see, that's something I can't really forgive, no matter how good in bed the little thing was.” Yaten's head ducked down in shame at his words and she let out a whimper, trying to break free from Seiya's arms and let her frame fall down, to quicken her end so she wouldn't have to hear him and face the shame. The water was starting to fill the room faster, already getting past Seiya's knees. ”Seiya... I'm sorry... What I said... What I did to Usagi... Everything... And for Angelus... Save yourself! Please, save yourself! Please...”, she desperately pleaded, teeth clattering slightly because of the cold water.

[Kou Seiya]

"Yes. Yes you will." Seiya didn't raise her voice when her silver haired companion protested against the deal she was trying to make with Angelus. However, her tone was firm and unyielding. Yaten was her friend, her sister in arms. Someone she cared dearly for and she would lay down her own life for people like that. She might have not acted like such over the last year or so, but she would always feel that way no matter the circumstance at play. "You will because I said you will. I am still leader, senshi powers or not. Princess will need you. Besides if this vampire was a real man he would come out from behind that glass and deal with us himself." She whispered to her friend, hoping the evil menace between the glass couldn't hear.

Her grand speech though proved to be for not when Angelus piped in, taunting them. Telling her how Yaten released him from his little box deep inside Angel's personality. She tsked and rolled her eyes. So what if Yaten had 'let Angelus go', he can be put back in his box. She wasn't angry, she was now just annoyed. Annoyed at being trapped, annoyed at having freezing cold water inch its way up her legs. Annoyed at having some spineless jerk taunting them behind a glass. She shifted her legs in the water, jaw setting with an annoyed tick as water rushed into her boots. Her mind worked hard to close off her fear of drown as the water continued to rise around them. Now a good two inches above her knees.

"We are going to get out of here, and when we do, I'm going to kick someone's backside. Then put him right back where he belongs. If not even deeper and in a smaller box. Pathetic fool is too scared to come from behind a glass screen and fight like a man." She growled out, her hand going down to grasp Yaten's tightly in hers. She wanted out and she wanted out now. Angelus and this tank could go stow it. "I'm not going anywhere, shrimp. If I do, its going to be with you, after we shove Count Penicula back into his nice little prison. I'm not leaving you alone with this freak. By the way, I'm so over what happened two years ago, Yaten. Water under the bridge. There's nothing to be sorry about."

bah its a bit suckish but she wanted to be miss brave

[Kou Yaten]

Yaten couldn't believe her ears. After all these years since they have known one another, how could Seiya imagine that she would simply walk away and leave her behind in a dangerous situation? Knowing what she knew about the feelings which she used to carry for her, how could she think that it was possible for her to go away without looking back? ”Don't pull rank on me, baka! Don't you dare pull rank on me! Not now... The Princess needs all of us.” Yaten drew in a shaky breath. How could Seiya imagine that it would be possible for her to face the Princess knowing that Seiya died because of her? It was out of the question. ”Either we both get out or we both...” The petite empath cut herself. She didn't want to say it. She didn't want to give voice to the frightening thought, out of a ridiculous hope that maybe, just maybe, if she didn't voice it, it would never come to be. Though... wasn't it the exact opposite when it came down to birthday wishes? Didn't they say that if said your wish out loud it wouldn't come true? Yaten's mind suddenly sought refuge in a line of memories, the petite Light trying to seek for something to prove or disprove her theory, desperate to know if she should say the grim thought out loud in order to avoid anything bad happening to them.

The sound of Angelus' voice filling the room again snatched Yaten away from her thoughts. ”Don't bother whispering. Has no one ever told you vampires have really good hearing? If I were you, I'd ask your little friend there how much of a real man I am. Oh, how she moaned and begged for more, mmm...” His voice trailed off into a very suggestive moan which made Yaten shudder violently and turn sickeningly pale. Why did he have to talk about these details for Seiya to hear? Fortunately for Yaten, Seiya didn't seem disgusted, ready to run away from her because of all the things which Angelus was implying not so subtly and she felt really grateful for this. She needed Seiya to keep her from laying down and surrendering to the cold and painful death that slowly crept its way up and filled the room.

Seiya's hand tightly gripping her smaller, shaking one felt like the rope holding her afloat and she gripped back just as tightly. The petite young woman bit her lip as she listened to the raven haired Light declare that they were going to make it, trying not to burst into a fit of sobs as Seiya assured her that she was over what happened in Sunnydale. ”There is so much to be sorry about”, she tried to whisper through the clatter of her teeth. ”I wish I could turn back time and that we could go back to being good friends, like we were back on Kinmokusei...” Her voice trailed off all of the sudden when the steady flow of the water was replaced by a violent pour. No later than a minute after, the water already reached their waste and it continued to flow just as quickly. Yaten wrapped her arms around Seiya's waist and held her tightly, burying her face in her shoulder although she was already finding it increasingly difficult to keep her calm and breathe steadily.

[Kou Seiya]

The sudden violent surging the rising water was enough send her mind into panic! mode. The sensation of the icy water creeping up her thighs and then well up to her waist sent a shiver through her body. She didn't want to go out like this. Not by drowning, not trapped in a tank by a mad vampire. She was supposed to be brave one right? She was the impulsive and daring leader bravely doing the right thing, protecting their princess. Protecting their home. Protect her team mates. Except she fail to protect her home - she failed to protect her princess. She failed to protect Taiki and Yaten from becoming vampires. Even though they were changed back. She was failing to protect Yaten now. Bang up job the fearless 'leader' was doing, right? She wasn't brave, she was a child acting brave. And not putting on a very good show. Bravery is the capacity to perform properly even when scared half to death. She wasn't even doing that. Instead she was standing there, waiting for their fate to take hold. At least she wasn't dying alone. At least she would be in good company. She ignored Angelus' taunting words about what happened between him and her friend. That had no effect over her now. She could care less what goes on between her best friends and their partners - as long as they were happy.

"No, it wasn't your fault. It never was. " she replied once more shaking her head as she held the silver haired girl to her, her fingers stroking the fine strands. "I'm the one that should be sorry. I was leader. I let you, our princess and our home down, " she started, trying to explain why she thought there was nothing for Yaten to be sorry for. "It was never yours or Tai's fault. It was all me. I was supposed to carry the load while we looked for the princess. We were on a planet that didn't need our protection. We could have simply found the princess and went home." her teeth chattered together as the water worked its way up her chest now, soon enough it would be past her shoulders, and around her head. They would have to start floating soon. Her breath hitched, but she forced herself to continue speaking, "But I was selfish. I dropped everything that was important to me. Everything that was important to us, for a girl - another princess, someone else's princess - and forgot my priorities. I was trying to do someone else's job. Everything that happened is my fault. Including this. If we had just left when we found the princess. If I hadn't pushed for a farewell concert. We would be home by now. Kinmokusei would be rebuilt by now. I am so very sorry. "