____________________________________________________________________________ Chapter Nine ____________________________________________________________________________ "Mamoru! My god, are you okay?" The voice broke annoyingly into Mamoru's rather painful thoughts. His head killed for one. Though he remembered distinctly kissing an angel… "Angel?" he muttered. His eyes opened slowly, immediately squinting with the pain from the overhead light. [“Where is Sailor Moon? Oh wait, it was a dream-so why is my head killing me?”] “Mamoru?” Motoki questioned, staring down at him. When he’d walked in, his friend was laying sprawled on the carpet, a smashed lamp nearby. Mamoru turned his head carefully and saw Motoki leaning over him. "What are you-oh, the club. Right." He blinked, realizing his prone position. "Why am I on the floor? And why does my head feel like a truck smashed into it?" "I'm NOT surprised, my friend. Someone smash a lamp into your head." Motoki pointed to the remains of Mamoru's lamp. Mamoru sat up with difficulty, then looked at the floor. He winced. "I LIKED that lamp!" he complained indignantly. Things were fuzzy, but he was beginning to remember. Sailor Moon. "Her!" he accused, with disbelief. [“My dream girl smashed a lamp on my head?!”] Motoki stared at him funny. "Her? A girl did this? Are you okay? You look really out of it," he breathed anxiously, eyes skimming over his best friend. Mamoru looked like a herd of elephants had trounced him. His hair was matted to his head with sweat-no BLOOD! "My god! You're bleeding! She really got you!”. Immediately, he scanned the room, looking for his friend’s assailant. [“Who is ‘she’ anyway? I didn’t know Mamoru had a girlfriend! Oh, this could be real bad for the bets. There goes my money out the window! If Mamoru is dating, then he and Usagi are still enemies.”] “I’m bleeding? Damn it!” Mamoru said, feeling his head tentatively. Sure enough, there was a large lump-which was bleeding slowly. Luckily, it wasn’t too bad. But it still remained-SHE had smashed a lamp over his head-and he’d been kissing her! [“Way to make a guy feel loved. Even my dreams are pissed at me!”] he grumbled silently. Then, his eyes narrowed. If it was a dream, then why had he been knocked unconscious and was now bleeding. It could only mean one thing. It had been the REAL Sailor Moon! "Yeah," Mamoru muttered darkly, beginning to realize that the 'dream' wasn't a dream, per-say. "Sailor Moon brained me!" he added incredulously. "Sailor Moon? She was here?" Motoki asked eagerly. He paused, looking supremely bewildered. "Why?" "I don't know," Mamoru muttered. He frowned. "But I intend to find out." He began to struggle to his feet, vision blurry. Boy, she had really whacked him one! And he’d been so-distracted-that he hadn’t even seen it coming. Somewhere inside, he was VERY confused. Sailor Moon was a gentle caring person-so why had she brained him? And WHAT had she been doing in his apartment? His eyes widened in horror. [“Oh no! What is she found out who I was and was coming to tell me about some dangerous Youma! And I jumped her!”] Motoki helped his injured friend to his feet. "Want to tell me why the heroine of Tokyo was in your apartment, Mamoru?" he asked with deep suspicion. Even as he watched, Mamoru got a poleaxed look in his eyes. Mamoru looked at his oldest friend for a long moment. "I suppose it's time you knew. And after you DO know, you can help me with this girl trouble I'm having." He said 'girl' through gritted teeth. He was NOT pleased with Sailor Moon at that moment. At ALL. "Oh?" Motoki replied with interest. [“I guess any relationship Mamoru has is bound to be rocky.”] He grinned in relief. [“At least I can still keep the bets on Usagi and Mamoru open! Like HE’D ever date Sailor Moon! And she brained him-so I guess that says something, huh?”] "Yeah." Mamoru took a deep breath. "There's something I've been hiding from you. A really BIG secret that you can't tell a soul about. Not even Reika." "Not even her?" Motoki said with disappointment. Then he glared. "A BIG secret? And you didn't tell me? You'd better be hiding the crown jewels of England buddy!" he threatened. [“Boy, who’d have thought Mamoru could have a huge secret and keep it from me? He’s always laid that ‘mystery guy’ air on a bit thick”] "Close. More like a crystal," Mamoru muttered. He reached into the air about him, withdrawing a perfect red rose. Even as he saw Motoki gape, the transformation overtook him. When it was done, he looked at Motoki through the half-mask expectantly. "Well," Motoki said, staring. His eyes were so wild that Mamoru thought he would run out of the apartment. "My-best friend in the entire world-" he began, "…IS Tuxedo Kamen!" he finished exultantly. "Man! Are you going to be a babe-magnet!" "Right," Tuxedo Kamen said dryly, de-transforming into Mamoru. He paused, then felt the back of his head, eyes wide with surprise and then resignation. "What?" Motoki asked, seeing the strange look in Mamoru's eyes. "A weird healing power. The bump and pain are gone." Mamoru sighed, going into the kitchen. Motoki watched as Mamoru filled a jug with water and set it to boil. "And my nose," he added thoughtfully. "Nose?" Motoki queried. "She punched me," Mamoru admitted ruefully. [“Accidentally-but STILL! She brained me after!”] "PUNCHED? Sailor Moon?" his friend gasped, eyes wide. "No way!" "I sort of-dropped her," Mamoru muttered under his breath. [“This is so humiliating. In all the Youma battles-I’ve never once dropped Sailor Moon. What if I do it again?”] he winced at the thought, drawing his breath in sharply. He could already picture Zoisite’s face as she watched Tuxedo Kamen ‘fumble’ the Senshi, as it were. "Why would you do that? Sailor Moon in your arms…" Motoki trailed off suggestively. [“I know if I didn’t have Reika, I’d take Sailor Moon in a second! What a beautiful girl…And those LEGS! Wow!”] "Mind out of gutter, Motoki! I said something that startled her, okay?" he murmured. ["That's right. I mentioned the Princess."] "So, how about this girl trouble then? A what's it got to do with Sailor Moon bashing you over the-oh." Motoki paused, realization dawning in his eyes. He shot Mamoru an incredulous, yet admiring, glance. "You jumped Sailor Moon?!" "I thought I was dreaming!" Mamoru roared back. "Dreaming?" Motoki mused. "I GUESS. Since you're TK and all and you see her a lot." He stared at the dark-haired man searchingly. "You didn't question her being in your apartment, making out with you?" "I KISSED her!" Mamoru gritted, wrenching a cupboard open. He grabbed the coffee and two mugs angrily. "That's ALL that happened!" "Uh huh," Motoki said wisely. "And she bashed you over the head...why?" "We heard you at the door. I turned my head and...nothing. I woke up on the floor," Mamoru replied. He frowned darkly, pouring out the coffee. They went back into the lounge and sat down, staring at teach other. "So-she snuck up on you?" Motoki asked. "Why do you say that?" Mamoru asked warily. Motoki smiled innocently. "Why, because she would have had to have been CLOSE to bash you over the head and you not notice her coming." "Okay!" Mamoru shouted. "I was about to kiss her when you knocked and she bashed." He looked into his coffee pensively. "I don't blame her," he said, with a sudden shocking revelation. [“I DON’T believe it!”] he shouted mentally. But what other explanation was there? And he’d almost touched on the truth when he’d looked at Usagi’s odangos the night before. Mamoru could have cheerfully smacked himself around for being such a blind moron. It was so OBVIOUS, once you knew! “She's only fourteen and I practically jumped her!" "Fourteen? Sailor Moon is fourteen?" Motoki asked with disbelief and interest. "How do you know?" "Because," Mamoru snarled. "Sailor Moon is USAGI!" Not that it made him feel any better-though he had discovered that both of the girls he was in love with were the same person. NOW what could he do? She’d somehow found out that it was him-and maybe come for revenge and then he’d kissed her and probably thrown all her plans out the window. He felt rather smug about that fact. Now he knew for certain, that her feelings were MUCH deeper than they’d realized. He had hope yet! Motoki merely gaped at him. “Usagi? OUR Usagi? The ditz, the cry-baby…the one you hate?” Mamoru frowned at him darkly. “DO you MIND? It was a game you see," he started. "I began it and she-well, I guess she came for revenge or something." He looked thoughtfully down at his hands, studying them absently. [“I suppose I deserve it after this morning’s stunt! Usagi must have known that I was Tuxedo Kamen when I kissed her this morning and-said those things.”] He winced. [“She must have been so hurt…”] "Start at the beginning. I can't take this," Motoki said weakly, gulping the scalding coffee down in one gulp. “I KNEW that you and Usagi had a ‘thing’, but now that I know your two are super heroes and EVERYONE knows that TK and SM have a BIG ‘thing’… He looked suddenly chagrined. [“Oh no! The bets! I can’t tell anyone what I know! Arrgggh!”] Mamoru followed suit, looking bewildered. "I was struck with this arrow. A love arrow I think. The next person I saw-or rather bashed into-was Odango Atama. I fell for her hard and when the arrow wore off...I was still in love with her! Me with USAGI! Anyway, I tried to talk to her, to tell her how I felt and she ran off in a huff." Mamoru sighed deeply. “That was the FIRST time. I ended up following her everywhere like a love-sick calf when I was under the spell-but when it was gone, I was still in love. I was bewildered and angry and-well…you saw me in the arcade” “Like the walking dead,” Motoki agreed readily. He grimaced. “Well, when you were under the spell,” he finished hastily. “I finally found her again and freaked her out yet again. We had a fight and she ran for it! Umm-then there was the underpants incident, the fight with the Sailor Moon clone-” "That's Usagi all right," Motoki agreed. "Wait a minute-clones? Underpants?! What underpants?!” he asked eagerly. “And hey! Were YOU the secret admirer?” “Never mind.” Mamoru glared ominously and Motoki dropped it. “Then what?" Motoki muttered crossly. NO details! Ugh! “Oh, you’ll love this one, Motoki,” Mamoru said with self-mockery. "I uh, transformed into Tuxedo Kamen, got her home address from a phone book and went charging over there like a love-sick calf!" he explained in remembered disbelief. "As I went to tell her, she kinda…flashed me," he mumbled, trailing off. "FLASHED you? Usagi?" Motoki dropped his mug. Neither guy noticed. "No way!" "She didn't MEAN to! I mean, I should have realized she'd be in her nightdress at that time of night." Mamoru's eyes glazed over with memory. "A really…short pink nightie…with lacy undies-" "Undies? AGAIN?!" Motoki yelped. "You saw THAT?" "It was short!" Mamoru shouted back defensively. "Then we got into this really weird conversation. She decided I was a dream and said some things I BET she's regretting now. AND-" He paused again. "What?" "I'd never in a million years get it out of her NOW. But I think she had a thing for Tuxedo Kamen. ME." Motoki sucked in a breath and winced. "Oh man. And now she KNOWS it was you." "I tried to get out of it! I kissed her almost senseless and made my escape. But somehow she must have found out." He frowned, trying to figure it out. ["Lets see. Speech, undies, talk, hug…kiss."] Mamoru groaned and slapped his head. "I'm an IDIOT!" "You kissed her almost senseless?" Motoki was asking with interest. Mamoru glared. "Shut up! I realized how she found out." "Oh?" "I went charging in there and practically told her who I was straight off!" Mamoru buried his face into his hands. "You want to know what I said?" "Yes!" Motoki shouted, tired of waiting for his friend to spill the beans. "I said, and I quote, 'We can continued the conversation we were having when you so rudely ran away earlier. And THIS time, you aren't getting away, Usagi!’" Motoki stared long at Mamoru, then burst into laughter. "Oh yeah! You blew it big-time, my friend!" "Thank you for the vote of confidence," Mamoru replied acidly. “There’s more. Apparently Usagi figured it out last NIGHT and this morning when I went to ambush HER-she was trying to ambush me! I’ll bet my cloak on it!” “What makes you say that?” Motoki said curiously. “Because she acted so strangely. Now that I think of it. And I-idiot that I was KISSED her, as Mamoru and then practically told her that I HATED her.” “Oh dear, you didn’t. Poor, Usagi!” Motoki groaned. “And?” “I thought it was all over-but then, when I woke up SHE was here. I THOUGHT that it was a dream-I mean, how would Sailor Moon get into my apartment?” He broke off, eyes intently curious. “How DID she get in here?” he wonder out loud. Motoki looked around. “The balcony?” “No, it was locked,” Mamoru murmured. “But then again, so was the front door. The only access she had to a lock would be the front. The balcony’s lock is on the inside.” “So she-PICKED the lock? USAGI?!” Motoki gaped in disbelief. “It can’t be,” he muttered dazedly. “What other explanation could there be?” Mamoru replied, amazed. [“Wow. She’s even more amazing than I thought. My Usagi-picking a lock for revenge?”] His head lowered. “I wonder what she came to do when I woke up?” “Don’t you think that she could have been here for as long as she liked before you woke? She’s a klutz-yeah. But she’s Sailor Moon too,” Motoki said defensively. Mamoru’s head rose up, eyes glaring at his friend. “You’re defending that ditz? She brained me with a lamp, Motoki!” “She’s Usagi though, buddy! Usagi-who wouldn’t…USUALLY, hurt a fly!” Motoki protested, looking shocked. “I’d USUALLY agree with you-apart from flying test papers, shoes, lamps. Should I go on?” Mamoru said acidly. “USAGI? Really? You’ve really put your foot in it this time, Mamoru. After all this, how are you going to look her in the eye? Or CAT around her!” Motoki looked around excitedly. “You’ve kissed her stacks of times-” “Three or four times,” Mamoru put in darkly. [“And BOY did they come with a price!”] “Broken into her room, let her fondle your cloak, told her you hated her-” “NOT my fault!” Mamoru bellowed, startling his friend. “Sure, sure.” Motoki waved a hand around dismissively. “The point IS-You two are NEVER ever going to look at each other the same way. I mean, discovering that your crush is your worst enemy-” “Right,” Mamoru replied, eyes lightening. “Usagi had a crush on Tuxedo Kamen. And even when she knew it was me, Mamoru-she let me kiss her and didn’t fight me!” “Maybe she likes YOU now, Mamoru,” Motoki suggested slyly. “Don’t jump to conclusions, Motoki,” Mamoru replied moodily. “I was under a spell when I first loved her. Usagi has-only what happened SINCE. And not a lot flattering. Sure, I’ve kissed her lots, but we’ve had just as many fights and she doesn’t look like she’s willing to declare her undying love quite yet,” he finished dryly. His eyes flickered to the side nervously. [“I KNOW that she likes me! A LOT! But Motoki wouldn’t be able to keep THAT one a secret. I just know it.”] “You never know.” Motoki brightened. “But hey, it’s Usagi! She’s only fourteen and jail bait anyway!” “Thank you SO much for making me remember that fact!” Mamoru replied acidly. “You’re a real buddy.” "You're welcome. Umm…now what? You SEE Usagi at the arcade every day," Motoki said, eyes wide as he thought about the imminent encounter. "Oh great, I hadn't thought of tomorrow," Mamoru admitted anxiously. "What do I DO? I swear, she's going to kill me for this!" "But-she already KNOWS. But…she doesn't know that YOU know about HER. Right?" Motoki replied hopefully. “About her being Sailor Moon, I mean. We can use that-right? She won’t have expected you to guess yet?” Mamoru smiled wickedly. "Right," he drawled. His smile widened evilly and he felt an irrational urge to rub his hands together like some corny movie bad-guy. But this was just TOO perfect! After all, he owed her for bashing him over the head. “That’s EXACTLY right, Motoki.” Motoki looked nervously at him insanely grinning friend and groaned. “Oh no. This has disaster written all over it!” *************************************** “Ooooh!” Sailor Moon winced, wringing her hands as she jumped from roof-top to roof-top, getting away as fast as she could from Mamoru’s apartment-just in case he woke up quickly and came after her. “How could I smack him over the HEAD-with a LAMP?” she wailed out-loud. Her blue eyes were filled with remorse, anger, and chagrin. [“I wonder if he liked that lamp? Maybe I can buy him a new one?”] she thought, biting her lip. And she REALLY felt like biting her nails-which was of course impossible through her gloves. Which reminded her that she was still transformed and jumping around Juuban aimlessly. If any of the other Senshi saw her, they’d skin her alive! Sailor moon swiftly jumped down into an alley and de-transformed into Usagi, looking herself over swiftly. She took her school-bag from her sub-space pocket and headed towards the arcade to see if Makoto was still there. “I think it’s WAAAAY past the time when I should tell the girls what I-Sailor moon and Tuxedo Kamen have been up to.” She winced again, thinking of Rei’s face. The girl had a major crush of Mamoru. “Maybe I shouldn’t say anything to Rei?” “Say what to me?” a voice inquired from Usagi’s right. Usagi spun in that direction to see Rei there, half-turned from a dress shop window-front and dressed in her private school uniform. “Umm-I was-er…going to ask you what you wanted for your birthday” Usagi blurted out, eyes wide with surprise. Having the person she had been thinking about, just pop out like that was-freaky. “But, I’ve decided just to surprise you” she finished weakly, peeking at the raven-haired priestess from between golden lashes. Rei bought it. “Oh, well, that’d be great, Usagi” she said, falling in beside the blonde. “Were you heading for the arcade?” she looked perplexed, turning slightly to stare back at the way Usagi had been coming from-the OPPOSITE direction from school! “I umm-went to your school to meet you half-way…and here you are!” Usagi said brightly, plastering a false smile on her face and hoping desperately that Rei didn’t see guilt written all over her face. [“Play it calm, Tsukino! She doesn’t know a thing! Not that you kissed, Mamoru-or am possibly in love with him-or that he’s Tuxedo Kamen….and that I just gave him a concussion”] she winced again, thinking of the headache Mamoru was going to have when he woke up. “Are you okay?” Rei said, staring at Usagi weirdly. [“She’s acting so strange,”] “Fine, fine!” Usagi giggled lightly, spotting the arcade just ahead with great relief. Then, she saw Ami about to enter. “Hey! Ami!” she shouted, waving her hands in the air frantically. Then she reached down for Rei’s hand and dragged the girl swiftly down the sidewalk and to Ami’s side in record time. Ami stared and Rei panted. “It’s beyond ME, how a girl who eats as much as Odango Atama here, can move so fast” Rei gasped sarcastically. “Don’t caaaaaall me that!” Usagi wailed, in genuine frustration. Somehow, somewhere along the line-Mamoru’s nick-name for her had turned into a pet-name. And Usagi didn’t want anyone else calling her that! [“Ugh! Did I just THINK that?!”] she gaped in horror, then desperately tried to focus on Ami. “Didn’t you have-Chapters to read?” she inquired, leading the way through the sliding doors into the arcade. “All done” Ami giggled. “So-I thought I’d come here-knowing that YOU would be-and have a burger or something” “Hey Makoto!” Rei called out. Usagi looked behind the counter and saw Makoto there, covered in suds and wearing an apron. Beside her was a down-trodden Rebecca-looking like a drowned rat. “Umm-it exploded again?” she said, guessing. She hid a big smile at the picture Makoto made. “Yep” Makoto nodded, then grinned maniacally and thrust a hand into the air in triumph. “But I fixed it!” “Where’s Motoki? I wanted a shake” Usagi said, craning her head around the arcade. She frowned when she couldn’t see the guy. [“Where could he be? This is HIS arcade!”] “Disappointed that your crush isn’t present?” Rei hissed into Usagi’s ear, smiling brightly. “He’s NOT my crush!” Usagi hissed back, turning her eyes to glare at the priestess. What was WORSE-was that it was TRUE! “Tuxedo Kamen is!” her blue eyes widened and she slapped a hand over her mouth in horror. [“Oh noooooo! Why did I say that? I know Mamoru is Tuxedo! But I like Mamoru TOOOOOO! And I like the kisses and-and…I might love him!”] she thought with great panic, eyes growing larger and larger. Rei stared at her friend’s face-which was rapidly turning purple from lack of oxygen. Usagi’s hands were over her mouth and nose, eyes the size of golf-balls. The priestess slapped Usagi’s back, while yanking her hands from the blonde’s face. “You idiot! BREATH!” she yelled, exasperated. Usagi gasped and leant over, shoulders heaving. “I don’t love him! I don’t love him!” she chanted under her breath, hiding her face and staring hard at the floor. “Nooooooo! This is bad!” she wailed. Makoto walked around the counter and yanked Usagi up by her shoulder, staring into her face with exasperation. “He left for the day, Usagi! There’s no need for a panic attack” the brunette shouted, shaking Usagi’s shoulders. Usagi fought free and glared. “What? Who-? OH! Motoki! No problem” she said weakly, leaning against the counter. “Sure” Rei snorted. “Where’d he go?” Usagi asked casually, ordering a burger and shake from a harassed-looking Rebecca. “He’s going to some club with Reika and a few friends tonight-so I offered to help Rebecca out” Makoto said, wiping off the counter efficiently. “OH, that’s right. He mentioned something about that” Usagi muttered, eagerly grabbing the shake that Rebecca handed to her. She gulped it down, mind going back to Mamoru lying unconscious on his living-room floor. [“I hope he’s not bleeding to death!”] she wailed internally. [“I’ll never forgive myself! But he REALLY shouldn’t have kissed me!”] she finished triumphantly, taking the last mouth-full. AND-she might have been a blonde-but SURELY Mamoru had figured it out by now that his worst enemy was Sailor Moon. [“Yep. He’ll come for revenge, all right.”] she thought, shivering lightly. “So-he went to pick Mamoru up first and then, they’re coming here to see how the arcade is going-“ Makoto went on, talking to Rei. Usagi abruptly choked and spat out the last mouth-full of shake, spraying it all over the counter. “WHAAAT?!” she screeched, suddenly remembering that it HAD been Motoki at Mamoru’s door-and that Motoki was coming back HERE before the club? With MAMORU? Who probably KNEW that SHE was- “Oh noooo!” she wailed. She stared at Rebecca with burning eyes, slamming a hand down on the counter. “Give me my burger-on the double!” she yelled. [“I have to get out of here!”] “Usagi!” Makoto admonished. “What’s wrong with you?” “My-he-umm….” The blonde stammered, eagerly grabbing at the plate Rebecca thrust at her. “My room! Mom’s gonna kill me!” she started to eat the burger down rapidly, then choked and eat slower. It wouldn’t do her any good to choke to death-before Mamoru could kill her! “Then why are you here?” Rei snapped, rolling her eyes. “I wanted to see my friends-okay?” Usagi muttered at them, eyes skittering from side to side. Her skin crawled every time the sliding doors tot he arcade opened, but every time she looked, it wasn’t Mamoru. And gradually, she began to relax and eat her burger even slower. [“Maybe Motoki is taking Mamoru to the hospital? In which case-they won’t come here at all!”] she grinned. [“All right!”] Of course, if she’d known what was COMING-she’d have run out of there so fast that no one would have seen her move! *************************************** Chiba Mamoru AKA Tuxedo Kamen, general all-round hero of Tokyo, possible boyfriend of the beautiful Solider Sailor Moon and owner of a really expensive red Ferrari-strode down the sidewalk purposefully. His deep blue eyes were glinting with determination under his black lashes and his every move was filled with purpose. In other words, everyone got out of his way QUICKLY. This was clearly a man with a destiny. With a purpose that would not be deterred. With- “Mamoru buddy!” Motoki called out from behind, voice filled with desperation. “A little less enthusiasm?” he pleaded. He grabbed at his head. “And what about the club? Reika is going to kill me! We’re supposed to be ready by seven!” Mamoru blinked, frowned, then slowed down his pace. He turned his head, still moving at a fair clip and regarded his best friend-who was struggling desperately to keep up. “What was that?” he demanded, annoyed. “Clubs? At a time like this?” [“Doesn’t he realize that I have to get to Usagi NOW? She fooled me! Kissed me-then brained me with a lamp! She owes me big! And he’s thinking about clubs?!”] “Yes, I realize that you want to get to Usagi and kiss her lights out!” Motoki retorted, catching up with Mamoru’s long stride. He reached into a pocket and pulled out a hanky, then mopped at his sweat-beaded forehead wearily. “But do you REALLY have to walk like you’re going for the Olympics?! Hello! Normal mortal guy here-not a big super-hero type!” he finished sarcastically. “Sorry about that-but you’re walking so bloody SLOW, damn it!” Mamoru bellowed at him. His frown deepened into a black scowl, so ferocious that people actually crossed to the other side of the street to avoid the two men. “You’re scaring the tourists,” Motoki muttered, nodding weakly at a woman and two screaming brats that were eyeing Mamoru as if he were Godzilla or something. She hastily raised a camera to her eyes and snapped a picture, then dashed into a shop, children in tow. “THAT was weird. What IS it with tourists these days?” he wondered. “Do we care?” Mamoru muttered under his breath, clenching his fists. He slowed down against, steps faltering. “Motoki! I need a plan!” he exploded. “I don’t HAVE a plan!” “No plan?” Motoki said weakly, steps faltering also. He eyed his friend askance. “Do you usually dash into battle like this with no game plan?” “What’s to PLAN?” Mamoru almost shouted. “I jump into the fray, clad in a snazzy tuxedo and throw deadly roses! What’s to plan there exactly?” he demanded in exasperation. “Oh,” Motoki replied, embarrassed. “Right you are.” “So,” Mamoru murmured, thinking hard. [“What’s wrong with just running in there and grabbing her? I could kiss her-and she would bash me over the head again. Okay-umm…Her friend’s don’t know either, so I can’t change into Tuxedo Kamen and sweep her off her feet. Assuming that she’ll HAVE me now-”] He groaned in remembrance. [“After all, I jumped her!”] “Mamoru? Are you okay?” Motoki asked, peering at the dark-haired man. “You look really stressed.” “So I should be,” Mamoru groaned, rolling his eyes. “This whole thing is a mess from start to finish. Who’d have ever thought that Usagi would turn out to be Sailor Moon?” “Shhh!” Motoki hissed urgently, looking around at the crowded sidewalk. Luckily, no one was paying attention to the mad-man on a mission and his sidekick. Mamoru slammed his hands together, face triumphant. “That’s it! I’ll just go in there, confront her and then-” “And then?” Motoki prompted eagerly, when his friend didn’t go on. Mamoru’s face fell again. “I have NO idea!” Motoki groaned, hiding his face in his hands. “Great game-plan there. I say we’re doomed!” “Ditto.” Five minutes later, they were standing before the arcade sliding doors. “You’re not backing out now?” Motoki said, disappointed. He was quite looking forward to the show that Mamoru and Usagi were going to put on. “Not bloody likely,” Mamoru murmured, staring through the glass. She was there at the counter, talking with her friends. He frowned thoughtfully, wondering how to go about it. But the less plans, the better. He’d just go up to her-and wing it. “Right,” he said under his breath. The doors slid open for him, Motoki following behind gleefully. Mamoru strode silently up to Usagi’s back, ignoring her friends. “Hello, Odango Atama,” he drawled silkily. “Mamoru!” Usagi yelped, spinning around. [“Oh no! How’d he get here so fast? He’s NOT at the hospital! Arrgggggh!”] Her nose almost smashed into his chest, because he was so close behind her. She backed off a few steps, eyes going automatically to his head, where she had bashed him- “How’s your-er-” she broke off, biting her lip. HE didn’t know that she was Sailor Moon! She was startled and nervous when Mamoru leaned in close, until his breath tickled her ear. “My head is FINE, thank you, Miss Moon,” he growled into her ear. “I certainly don’t appreciate being knocked unconscious with my own lamp though!” Her eyes opened wide with shock. [“He KNOWS! Oh no! I was right!”] Usagi drew back from him, a frown trying to stay on her face, while she just wanted to bolt. “Sailor Moon? Huh?” she said dumbly, trying to brazen it out. “Nice try. But I know you now,” he murmured to her, eyes wicked. “I’ve kissed you as both, remember?” Usagi slowly flushed a deep red. “Stop that!” she hissed. “How dare you keep kissing me without warning! Ooops?” she broke off as she realized that she had given herself away. “Uh ha!” He grinned triumphantly at her. [“Now I’ve got you.”] “Get out of my face, jerk,” she muttered at him, still flushing. She scowled. [“So what? He knows it’s me and I know it’s him. And we both like each other, but we’re still fighting-”] She smiled at him, eyes rather strained. “So-it’s back to business as usual then? Now that we know each other’s secrets?” “I don’t think so,” Mamoru drawled. “We have a LOT of unfinished business. AND, you owe me a kiss.” “Whaaaaaaat?” she shrieked at him, startled. She backed off, looking around with embarrassment. Everyone was staring. “Are you okay, Usagi?” Makoto asked, frowning at Mamoru. “Can’t you two ever get along?” Rei griped. [“Getting along is NOT the problem!”] Usagi thought, panicked. If he kissed her, how would she ever get away? And did she WANT to? And-she looked back to Mamoru nervously and saw an evil glint in his eyes. [“What does he intend to DO to me, to get me back for the lamp?! Eeeek!”] “We’re getting along, right, Odango?” Mamoru said easily, eyes on Usagi’s freak-out expression. He had her and she knew it. And what was more, he knew that she knew he would demand some sort of retribution for the lamp fiasco. The game had been going on for too long now for her to back out. And there was no way he was letting her go now! “Sure,” Ami said skeptically. “No really,” Motoki put in. Mamoru shot his friend a glare that said ’say anything and die!’ He turned back to the blonde girl nearby. “We have some…business, Odango. Care to resolve it?” he asked her silkily. Usagi’s blue eyes widened in shock and desperation. “NO!” she shouted at him, backing off further. “I am going NOWHERE with you!” “Afraid?” he drawled, taking a step towards her. She retreated and he followed. “He’s stalking me again!” Usagi muttered disbelievingly under her breath. [“And right in front of my friends!”] She stopped backing away frowning at him with displeasure. HE had jumped HER! If anyone owed anything, it was him! “AS IF!” she yelled at him. “Then-” he began. “NO! I said no and I mean no!” Usagi shrieked, losing her temper. There was no way in hell that she was going anywhere alone with him! “Usagi, maybe you should go with him?” Motoki suggested. The girls shot him an incredulous look, echoed by a death-glare by Mamoru. “You guys have to work this out one day,” Motoki added weakly. “He’s right,” Ami murmured. “However, perhaps not today. We have School in the morning.” “ANY day, I’d say,” Makoto replied lightly, grinning from a seething Usagi to a smug Mamoru. “Put those two in a room together and it won’t be in one piece for more than two seconds.” Usagi flushed brightly, knowing EXACTLY what she and Mamoru would be doing within two seconds. Mamoru’s grin widened, knowing what she was thinking. [“You and me both, Usagi,”] he murmured seductively in his mind. The look he gave her from under his lashes was hungry. [“I think this has gone on for long enough. It’s time to take action!”] “I think you should get along,” Rei muttered, frowning at them both. “You act like four year olds when you’re together.” [“Not bloody likely!”] Mamoru and Usagi thought simultaneously “Yes, Odango Atama. Why don’t you stop acting like a four year old?” Mamoru said pointedly, eyes glinting. [“A four year old? Why that JERK! How DARE he!”] Usagi went up in flames, seeing red. She might like him and possibly LOVE him-but how dare he embarrass her in front of her friends like that?! "You're a jerk! You know that, don't you, Chiba!" she shouted at him. "Mmm. I can live with that, Odango Atama," Mamoru replied smoothly. He assessed the seething blonde before him, bent and picked her up. [“I hope she doesn’t hit me.”] Usagi was shocked to find herself being flung embarrassingly over Mamoru's shoulder, right in the middle of a crowded arcade. She was forced upside down, head and hair dangling. [“Oh my god! What is he DOING?!”] she shrieked silently, horrified. He’d done it in front of the entire arcade! "Mamoru!" Rei cried out, astonished. "What are you doing to Usagi!?" "Are you CRAZY?" Makoto shouted, getting to her feet. "She's DRIVING me that way, believe me," Mamoru growled, glaring around at them all. He saluted with mockery, the other hand on Usagi’s waist firmly. He suddenly grinned at them all. “I should have tried this MUCH earlier, if I wanted to humiliate the Odango Atama.” “You’d better enjoy it, you creep,” Usagi threatened. “Because the minute you put me down, I’m going to beat you into a bloody pulp!” Mamoru turned his face away from the others, angling it down to where she was dangling. “I’d prefer a kiss, if you didn’t mind terribly,” he murmured. Usagi flushed. "Not in this lifetime! How dare you embarrass me like this, Chiba! Put me DOWN you barbarian!" she yelped, trying to raise herself up with her hands. All that was available was…his backside. She flushed brighter and gingerly settled down, not wanting to give anyone anything ELSE to talk about. "NOT until we talk, Odango Atama," he replied with mock-reasonability. He began to walk out of the arcade casually, with her over his shoulder like a sack of wheat. She realized with panic that no one was stopping him! "Motoki?" she shrieked. "Ami, Rei, Makotooo?!" "Sorry, Usagi," Motoki said, walking off. He was whistling a jaunty tune. “You guys have to work out your-differences.” "WHAT?" Usagi screeched. She swung her head around to see that Mamoru and she had almost reached the arcade sliding doors. "Guys?" she pleaded. "Umm-sorry, Usagi. Motoki’s right," Ami muttered, catching Motoki's eye. Rei and Makoto exchanged a grin, then sat back down. They really couldn't believe what they were seeing. "Bye, Usagi! Send us a postcard!" Makoto waved, grinning madly. "Traitors!" Usagi yelled. Mamoru carried her out the door and they slid shut behind them, but those back in the arcade could hear Usagi shouting desperately for a minute after. All the way down the block. "Let me GO! You jerk! You cad!" A pause. "PUT ME DOWN!" "Oh god, I'm never going to forgive you for this embarrassment, Chiba!" Another slight pause. "Can we talk about this? Mamoru? I didn't mean to bash you over the head with the laaaaaaamp!" The wail faded into the distance, leaving an amused arcade full of people and three stunned Senshi. "She…WHAT?" Rei stammered incredulously. "She HIT him over the head with a LAMP?" Makoto echoed. "She sure did!" Motoki lowered his voice conspiritally. "But he started it...by kissing her!" "WHAT?!" the three girls shrieked. Just then, Ami's bag started to beep. She looked significantly at the other two girls before turning to Motoki. "We-have to go. I forgot we have-" "An appointment with the doctor. Yes," Makoto muttered. "Right," Rei agreed hastily. "That's okay. I understand," Motoki replied cheerfully. The girls began to run out, but his voice stopped them dead. "Bat signal, huh, girls?" "What?" They looked at him with shock and confusion. Motoki tapped his nose. "Very hush, hush." "Huh?" Makoto said intelligently. Motoki sighed, walked up to them and grasped Rei's shoulders. "I know who you are. I know you fight evil and wear reaaaally short skirts." He pushed her away gently towards the door. "There's a Youma out there waiting to have its butt kicked." "Right," Rei muttered, staring at him. "How did you-?" Ami began. "Later guys. There's a Youma," Makoto reminded them. She gave Motoki a hard look. "Later. You. Me. And a locked door, buster!" "Why, Makoto," Motoki replied innocently. "I have a girlfriend!" The three Senshi muttered darkly, then ran out the door. Motoki grinned wildly, then went back to his work. Life was SOOO interesting in Juuban! ********************************************* "I'm sorry I bashed your head! You wouldn't let GO!" Usagi cried for the second time. Her head was starting to hurt, being upside-down like this. And everyone was staring! "No, you aren't," Mamoru replied calmly. He muttered as a few men looked menacingly at him, and a woman accusingly. "This isn't working," he added, turning into a narrow alley between two buildings. He reached into his jacket and withdrew a rose, transforming swiftly into Tuxedo Kamen. Usagi gave a startled gasp as the clothes under her face changed into a familiar cloak. "No, no!" she shrieked as the ground disappeared. Soon, they would be jumping over ROOFS with her dangling. She wouldn't HAVE IT! "Tuxedo Kamen, I swear I'll NEVER forgive you, if you jump all over Tokyo with me like this!" she shrieked at him loudly. "You should have thought of that before you brained me, Miss Tsukino," was the smug reply. “Then-I’ll NEVER kiss you ever again!” she shouted in desperation. [“Yeah, suuuure, Usagi!”] “Yes, you will,” Mamoru said calmly, sounding certain and smug. To Usagi's horror, he began jumping from building to building, bouncing her around like crazy. She had no doubt that he would keep her safe-yet bruised-but she was going to throw up if he didn't stop NOW! "That DOES it, you jerk!" she hissed, a hand reaching for her broach. "Moon Prism Power Makeup!" When the girl over his shoulder began to glow impressively, grow red-hot and sprout red ribbon, Mamoru did the only sensible thing. He threw her. Usagi went sailing off of his shoulder, then stopped and floated as she finished her transformation. As he watched, Tuxedo Kamen discovered a few interesting things. Usagi's broach made her transform. Her transformation was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen...and...she was completely naked when transforming into Sailor Moon. Usagi finished her transformation triumphantly, posing. "Ha!" Tuxedo Kamen grinned lasciviously, eyes glittering. "Did you know you're completely naked to the world when you transform, Usagi?" he asked her conversationally. [“This was undoubtedly, the highlight of my day.”] Of course, she could still bash him for his comments… "ARRGGGGGHH!!" Her loud, outraged shriek was his answer. [“I can’t believe he SAID that!”] Then the jewels in her hair began to shake with vibrations. He fell over, holding his ears. When he had recovered, he looked up to see his quarry had escaped him. He snapped his fingers-no mean feat with thick white gloves-frowning in exasperation. "Damn! She's fast!" He grinned mockingly, taking off after her. "But I'M faster!" *************************************** She looked behind her, noting that Tuxedo Kamen was VERY close behind. Only one building away. They’d been jumping form building to building for last minute, she trying to escape him. “This isn’t working! Why can’t he go chase Rei?” she wailed, jumping onto a fire escape. She hastily began descending the stairs. Tuxedo Kamen leapt onto the fire escape right behind her, with a clatter and began chasing the blonde. She was fast! “She’s desperate,” he murmured wickedly. “I can’t say that I blame her. But we ARE going to talk.” “Go away!” she shouted up at him through the grill below. She could see him a flight above her, black shoes rapidly descending. “Not a chance, Blondie!” he shouted back, not stopping. Sailor moon gave a slight shriek as he came into sight on the steps above her. She only had one chance. [“Look out beloooow!”] she yelled silently, causally throwing herself over the side of the rail. She WAS only three flights above the street. “Sailor Moon! You idiot!” Tuxedo Kamen bellowed as he watched her leap over the side of the railing. He rushed to the side in time to see her land-and hard-in the passenger seat of a sports car. A convertible, with the top down. The driver was obviously a guy, from the short blonde hair that Tuxedo Kamen could see. The car swerved slightly-then regained it’s control. To his horror, the car kept going! “HEY! Where the hell does that guy think he’s going with MY girl?!” Tuxedo Kamen roared in rage. He saw red. Then, without thinking, he leapt heroically over the railing. He braced for impact and hit the ground on a roll. He jumped swiftly to his feet and began pelting down the middle of the busy street after the car, long cloak flying behind him impressively. ************************** The two people watching WERE impressed. Very. Kolata Nerina lowered the binoculars from her startled eyes, mouth gaping open. ‘I don’t believe it! That’s Tuxedo Kamen! What is be DOING?” The woman hastily raised the binoculars to her face again, pointing it at the middle of the street. Down below, she could see a dashingly romantic figure bolting down the road, cloak flying behind him like Superman. He appeared to be chasing after a blue sports car a few meters up the road. And to his credit-he was catching up! “I’m impressed, Tuxedo,” she murmured, grinning. Kolata was a reporter for the most prestigious tabloid in Tokyo and Tuxedo Kamen and Sailor Moon were her prey. She’d been following them, whenever they’d been spotted by someone, for months. Quite by chance, she’d been watching another likely candidate at a small shop across the street-when she had seen a black blur streak past in the center of the road. One flight up, in a sleazy hotel room, Kolata had a GREAT view. “But what is he chasing?” she wondered aloud. Swiftly, she gathered her camera, binoculars and coke bottle, bolting from the room. If she had any luck, she could catch him a the next lights and see what he was so frantic to catch! She flung open the door and raced down the left side of the corridor to the fire escape down the far end. As she got there, she saw that the window was already open. Kolata peered outside, eyes narrowing dangerously as she saw a man climbing nimbly downwards. It was Asaka, her rival for the second most prestigious tabloid in Tokyo. They had competed since she could remember. “Asaka! You bastard! That’s MY story!” she screamed at him, hastily scrambling out the window after him. Asaka stared up at her through the grill one flight below and glared. “Get lost, Kolata! This is mine!” he yelled back. “Not if I kill you first!” she muttered, biting onto the binoculars handle. She stuck the coke into her jacket pocket and descended swiftly, camera clutched in her hand. Asaka halted at the bottom, obviously trying to decide whether to way-lay her somehow. “He’s getting away, you moron!” she shrieked at him, bowling him over in her haste to reach the street. He tumbled backwards, landing on his butt. “Dumb broad,” he muttered, getting up and pelting frantically after her. “We’ll probably never catch him anyway!” *********************************** Sailor Moon blinked as she hit something hard and tumbled into a seat. She stared around, realizing that it was a car. A convertible with the roof down. It swerved and she shrieked, hanging onto the dash. “Where did you-well, hello, beautiful,” a male voice drawled, at first sounding startled, then predatory. Sailor Moon turned startled eyes on the driver, who was a handsome guy with short blond hair and brown eyes. “Umm-hi,” she said, bewildered. “How did I get here? I jumped off a building-” “And into my life. You’re Sailor Moon, aren’t you?” he said conversationally. His eyes skimmed over her scantily-clad body and grew lascivious. “Veeery nice,” he told her. “My name is Brad, by the way” She blushed, trying to hastily pull down her skirt-but it didn’t go any further! [“Why don’t I feel this exposed around the Youma?”] she wondered, flushing brightly. “Hi there” she muttered to the driver, embarrassed by the way he was staring at her-everywhere. “Stop that car!” a voice bellowed from behind them, sounding enraged. Sailor Moon started in shock and turned her head, staring behind. A few meters back and gaining steadily-was her boyfriend…sort of. Tuxedo Kamen was making amazing headway, sprinting along the road behind them like a pro-runner. The wind was in his hair and cloak, making him look dashingly romantic and totally scary. “He’s FOLLOWING the CAR?!” she shrieked in disbelief. She shook her head, dazed. “What is he-a DOG?!” Of course, that was hardly a complimentary way to speak of the one you love. Sailor Moon flushed wildly as she met Tuxedo’s enraged eyes. “I HEARD that!” he bellowed, increasing his speed. Sailor Moon sank back into her chair quickly, realizing that she’d just pissed off her-possible-boyfriend and sent him into ‘totally homicidal mode’. “WHO is?” the driver demanded, looking in the rearview mirror. [“Who could be following a sport car?”] In the mirror, he saw a figure that was totally familiar to the TV and newspaper. Tuxedo Kamen. And he was chasing the sports car like a maniac down the MIDDLE of the road. All around them, cars had slowed to watch the amazing sight. “Is umm-he your boyfriend, Sailor Moon?” Brad said worriedly. “Because he looks like he’d like to rip my throat out.” “He’s NOT my boyfriend!” Sailor Moon shouted, angrily. “He’s an annoying-“ The car suddenly shook from an impact, as something leapt into the back seat. Brad and Sailor Moon turned quickly to see an enraged Tuxedo Kamen sitting in the back seat, hands raised as if to strangle the life from Brad’s body. He dropped them when they stared at him open-mouthed. “I’ll-umm-stop and let you out,” Brad offered, sweating. Sailor Moon narrowed her eyes at Tuxedo Kamen. [“I’ll teach HIM to follow me!”] she thought mischievously. To the driver’s supreme shock, she scooted closer and wrapped an arm around his free one. “So-what’s your name, handsome?” she asked innocently, batting her lashes. >From the back seat, there came a growl of fury. “Uh-Brad.” He weakly glanced in the mirror, realizing that he’d stumbled into some sort of lover’s tiff. Sailor Moon was using him as fodder and Tuxedo Kamen could have cheerfully murdered him. “Sailor Moon,” Tuxedo Kamen growled ominously, hands clenching together. [“She’s FLIRTING! I’m going to kill her! AND him!”] He’d not felt jealousy till then-but now that he was-he was seriously considering homicide. “Pull over,” he told the driver warningly. “NO-keep driving and tell me about yourself.” Sailor Moon ignored the seething guy behind her completely. “I’d rather stop,” Brad said nervously, beginning to sweat. The waves of menace emanating from his back seat almost made him drive off the road. “No-really?” Sailor Moon replied with mock-disappointment. She grinned slyly. “How about a phone number?” “That’s IT!” Tuxedo Kamen bellowed from the back seat, lunging for Brad. Brad saw the ominous shape in his back seat suddenly loom over him like some predator-and panicked. The car swerved to the left, then the right. Tuxedo Kamen was thrown backwards, off balance. Sailor Moon was clinging to the dash and shrieking bloody murder. “Nooo! We’re gonna diiiiiie!” The car finally skidded to a halt, crashing into some garbage bins on the side of the curb. Brad bounced, then smacked his head on the steering wheel. “Thanks,” he said shortly, leaning back and feeling the small bump on his forehead. “Sailor Moon, are you all right?” Tuxedo Kamen asked abruptly, leaning over the front of the seat. Sailor Moon managed to pry her fingernails from the dash and groan. “What happened, you psycho?!” “We crashed, no thanks to your flirting!” he roared at her. Sailor Moon turned in her seat, glaring blue sparks. “MEEE? Flirting? You’re the one who tried to strangle the driver!” she shouted back. “Can you both please get out of my car?” Brad complained, staring at them. So much for super heroes. They sounded like a married couple! Before he could blink, Sailor Moon had tensed and leapt from the car onto the nearest roof-top. Tuxedo Kamen muttered something uncomplimentary under is breath and leapt after her. A camera flashed again from the side. Kolata grinned and disappeared into the crowd, followed by an incensed Asaka. Brad blinked as people stopped in the street and on the sidewalk to stare at him and then the disappearing heroes. Belatedly, the air bag inflated. ____________________________________________________________________________ Chapter Ten ____________________________________________________________________________ “Where’s Usagi? I thought that she’d be here,” Naru asked Motoki, looking disappointed. “She WAS here,” Motoki said, grinning. “But she left-unexpectedly.” He chuckled mentally. [“Over Mamoru’s shoulder no less! I couldn’t believe it! But now I know for SURE that he likes her.”] He was rather smug about that fact. The money was practically in his hands. All he had to do was get them to admit it in public. Easier said than done, considering the secrets those two kept. “Oh,” Naru murmured, giving him a strange look. Motoki had this really weird expression on his face, like suppressed mirth. “Is she coming back any time soon?” Suddenly , the arcade doors hissed open and two figures dashed through, so fast that were almost a blur. “Sooner than you think,” Motoki muttered, staring wide-eyed at Sailor Moon. She flung herself through the arcade, passing him in a blur and eyes wide with panic. “Stall him! Someone stall hiiiiim!” she shrieked, heading for the back of the arcade. [“Oh jeez! I went to faaar! How was I supposed to know that Mamoru gets murderously jealous?!”] she wailed silently, trying to stay desperately ahead of the fuming Tuxedo Kamen. “Anyone moves and they get a rose in the-” Tuxedo Kamen began to threaten. His eyes narrowed on Sailor Moon, seriously considering spanking her. [“I can’t believe she just pulled that stunt! How could she flirt with that guy? Oooh, when I get my hands on you, Moon!”] “Tuxedo Kamen! Sailor Moon-what a surprise and honor,” Motoki broke in quickly, looking rather pale. He’d stopped his friend just in time from saying something potentially ruining for his dashing hero image. As Motoki and the entire arcade watched, Sailor Moon did a circuit, fleeing on swift boots, long golden hair flying back into Tuxedo Kamen’s face. They all watched with astonishment as the cloaked hero chased the heroine around the arcade. Tuxedo Kamen swore under his breath as Sailor Moon knocked a filled tray off of the counter on her way past. [“Was that a klutz attack or did she do that on purpose?”] he wondered suspiciously. Sailor Moon was fully capable-either way. “My arcade!” Motoki wailed, staring at the broken cups and plates splattered all over the floor messily. He turned to watch Tuxedo Kamen whiz past. [“HE can pay for it, he’s rich!”] “Sorry!” Sailor Moon yelled at Motoki guiltily, increasing speed. As she passed a table, she knocked over a chair into Tuxedo Kamen’s path. “If I don’t spank her, I’m going to kiss her senseless,” Tuxedo groaned, leaping over the chair. Motoki sighed, blinked and then hissed under his breath to Sailor Moon the next time she passed him. “There’s a back door! Take your fight out there before you ruin my place!” What more could he say without giving away that he knew who she really was? She gave him a thankful look and was out the back door before anyone could blink, Tuxedo Kamen right behind her. “Wow,” a little girl breathed, staring at the back of the arcade. “I saw Sailor Moon! No one is going to believe this!” Her companion grinned foolishly. Both girls looked at each other, then giggled and jumped up and down. “Join the club,” Motoki drawled, rolling his eyes. [“Really, those two are pushing it! One day, their games are going to go too far. I really wish that they would just kiss and make up!”] He paused, rethinking his words carefully. Motoki leaned against the counter and ran a hand through his hair, expression rueful. “It’s the kissing that got them INTO this mess! WHAT am I saying?” he berated himself, keeping an eye on the rest of the arcade. “AND Tuxedo Kamen!” an indignant boy put in, crossing his arms and pouting. “Yeah, he’s cool, too,” an older girl breathed, stars in her eyes. “What a dreamy guy!” “They could have at least stayed for autographs,” Naru commented, coming out from behind the Sailor V video game. She looked at Motoki, then the way that the two super-heroes had fled. “Have you ever thought about having them sign the Sailor V game?” she asked Motoki seriously, grinning. “It would be SURE to boost sales-a famous person like her and all.” “Oh my GOD! You’re RIGHT!” Motoki shouted, thrusting a hand triumphantly into the air. Everyone stared and he lowered it, smiling sheepishly. “You are SO right, Naru. Thanks for the pointer.” “Since you KNOW Sailor Moon and all,” Naru added carelessly, twirling a lock of her red hair around her finger. She looked up at Motoki from under her lashes. “I never thought to use my association like that-er…” He trailed off, swallowing nervously. “I mean-umm-I could ask her. Not that I KNOW her PERSONALLY you know, Naru,” he stammered, backing away. “Uh huh. Sure you don’t,” she said, glaring. She stomped away from the nervously sweating owner of the arcade. “Sure, and I’m the Queen of England. How come I’m always last to know anything around here?” “Youma magnet,” Motoki muttered under his breath, quickly heading behind the counter to grab a cloth, least Naru had heard him! “What was that?” Naru whirled around, looking left and right for the person who had spoken. But everyone was looking towards the back of the store, in case Sailor Moon and Tuxedo Kamen should return. And Motoki was meticulously wiping his counter with a cloth and whistling cheerfully. *************************************** Sailor Moon ran like the devil himself was after her-which in a way, he WAS! He had played with her, taunted her, kissed her senseless-and his name was Mamoru Chiba. Well, at that moment, he was the dashing hero Tuxedo Kamen. She glanced cautiously behind her, trying to keep balance as she dashed across yet another building roof-top. He was still there! [“Damn that man!”] she thought, frowning darkly. Sailor Moon turned her head back, so that she could see where she was going. Lucky for her, because she had just reached the edge of the building and would have plummeted to her… [“Wait! HE would have rescued me first-right?”] she asked herself silently. Despite herself, Sailor Moon grinned foolishly. Tuxedo Kamen would ALWAYS be there to catch her. Even if he wanted to strangle her right now for flirting. [“It serves him right!”] she thought rebelliously. “Are you tired yet? Give it up Moon!” Tuxedo Kamen shouted from a meter behind. “Sooner or later, you’ll stop for breath and then I’ll really give you a piece of my mind, you minx!” His tone was filled with mockery and amusement, which Sailor Moon could hear clearly. If nothing else, from all those fights that they had over the last few months, she had learned to read his tone. Mamoru the mocking, the taunting, the angry, the smug. More bewildering was the fact that he was ALSO Tuxedo Kamen and practically had a different personality when periodically rescuing her. Tuxedo the dashing, the charming, the one with the sexy voice that could melt her bones… “You WISH, Kamen!” she bellowed back, refusing to turn her head. Deciding to try and lose him was a good idea at that point. She really couldn’t believe that he was chasing her all over Juuban in the first place! Okay, so she had brained him with a lamp, but he had kissed her! And-seen her undies! Sailor Moon’s eyes narrowed dangerously at the memory. She sighted a larger building calmly, roughly 10 stories above the 10 story building they were already running across. Doubt flashed briefly into her deep blue eyes. [“10 stories is hardly more than I’ve ever jumped before-but I’ll now be 20 above the ground!”] She looked down as she neared the edge of the building that she and her pursuer were on. It was a long way down. “No time for doubts now! There’s NO way that he’s going to toss me across his shoulder again!” she muttered. She took a deep steadying breath, brushed her golden bangs from her eyes, clenched her fists-and leapt upwards with all her strength. She heard a slight gasp behind her-which had meant that Tuxedo Kamen must have almost been right on her heels. “Ha!” she shouted, as her boots touched down on the ledge of the tall building. She had inches to spare! “Eat that, Kamen!” she yelled backwards, in his general direction, then she took off nimbly across the roof-top. “Sailor Moon!” Tuxedo Kamen shouted from the previous building. He was frowning like a thunderclap. [“That minx! She’s really playing hard to get!”] he thought, exasperated and angry. His angel was being reckless. She had just made a dangerous jump, even for Sailor Moon, to one of the tallest buildings in the district. Tuxedo Kamen sighed, sighted the building over the way and then leapt upwards easily. His fashionable black shoes landed on the ledge, cloak billowing out behind him with the increased wind. [“Now where did she go?”] he wondered, not seeing her. The roof was empty, but for a door leading down. “Ah ha! You went into the building,” he said triumphantly, striding purposefully towards the door. As he reached the weathered wood, he noticed the broken remains of a lock lying on the cement of the roof. “She broke INTO the building?” he asked incredulously. He was both baffled and strangely proud. Sailor Moon, angel, all-around good girl-had just broken into an office building in order to get away from him? He reached out for the handle of the door and swung it open, descending the steep cement steps. He could faintly smell flowers. Her scent. She had definitely come this way. “I wonder,” he said out-loud, voice echoing hollowly in the confined stairwell. “Does she realize that this is a busy office building?” ********************************************* Right about then, Sailor Moon was getting a rough clue. She peered carefully out through the crack between the door and the frame, eyeing all the people coming and going freely down the halls. The top floor was a hub of activity-and she was trapped. Between exposure and Tuxedo Kamen. It REALLY was a toss-up! She nibbled urgently on her bottom lip, eyes wide with apprehension. Either she could brave the people and make a run for it or de-transform and possibly try to explain her presence to the security guards that she was sure were in the lobby. “What do I dooooo?” she wailed quietly. “You COULD give in and accept your punishment like a good champion of justice,” a familiar voice drawled from somewhere behind her. Sailor Moon spun around, her back pressing against the door. Tuxedo Kamen was making his way slowly down the last of the steps, eyes glinting at her from behind the half-mask. She frowned as she caught his last words. “Punishment?” she demanded. “What did I do? You’re the one who chucked me over his shoulder, kissed me, embarrassed me in front of my friends, chased me-chased the CAR-” She could have gone on and on, if he hadn’t stopped her, pausing on the last step, which was only a few feet away from her form. “Excuse me?” he said incredulously. “That’s all very well and true-” “Right,” she replied triumphantly, chin rising. “But,” he went on witheringly, crossing his arms. “You were the one who bashed me over the head. Bodily harm, Moon. I’d say we are WAY overdue for a loooong talk.” He frowned at her moodily. “Anyway, it’s not like you didn’t ENJOY those kisses!” “Arrrggggggh!” she shrieked, clapping her hands over her ears. She glared at him, eyes flashing. [“How dare he mention that! Creep! Rub it in, why don’t you?”] Sailor Moon flushed wildly. She looked him over, assessed her chances of fight or flight-then she lowered her hands calmly. “But YOU enjoyed them TOO!” she retorted triumphantly, daring him to disagree. He didn’t. His lips curved in a seductive smile, eyes burning into her own with a deep hunger. “You bet I did, Usagi. And I’m looking forward to repeat performances-after you’re QUITE done playing, that is.” “I’m NOT playing a game!” she protested, trying to keep her expression straight. If he could anticipate her next move from her eyes-then she’d be in deep trouble! He was inching closer, even as she thought of an escape plan. “What are you up to?” Tuxedo Kamen asked suspiciously, seeing a strange glint in his love’s eyes. [“I don’t trust that look!”] he told himself nervously. It meant that she was about to do something-irrational. Which she DID. Sailor Moon grinned, spun, then-bolted out the door. [“Anticipate THAT, you hunky creep!”] He was after her in seconds, lips pressed together in disbelief. He briefly looked around as he followed the long-haired blonde bolting down the hall, both of them dodging people skillfully. Admittedly-she was better. [“Is this really necessary?”] he asked the heavens, rolling his eyes. Chasing Sailor Moon through a crowded office building, before dozens of gaping people, was NOT the way he had pictured his day. Then again, getting bashed over his head was an unbelievable thing, too. Especially because he had earned it by jumping Moon. AND, he wasn’t going to mention that car scene…ever! “Outta my way! Coming through! Don’t make me use my tiara people!” Sailor Moon fairly shrieked, dodging for all she was worth. Behind her, she could hear gasps of awe and disbelief. As well as the sounds of heavy feet on the soft carpet-a clear sign that Tuxedo Kamen was right behind her and gaining steadily. “Excuse me,” she gasped as she bashed into a man. He dropped his briefcase, scattering papers everywhere. “Ugh!” Sailor Moon uttered, torn between helping him or running. She hesitated, standing over him-but then she looked behind her and saw the impressive figure of Tuxedo Kamen bearing down upon her. She ‘eeeped’, then turned and resumed her frantic flight down the hall. “Excuse me!” Tuxedo Kamen bellowed angrily as several people stepped into his way, backs to him. They were watching the impressive and rare sight of the short-skirted heroine of Tokyo rushing down the halls, hair streaming out behind them. Of course, dazzled by such a sight, they all failed to SEE what had caused this impressive vision. They soon learned as Tuxedo plowed into their midst, eyes glaring like two blue beams of fury. [“She’s getting away!”] he roared mentally, watching the blonde sprint down to the end of the hall. His eyes flashed with wrath as he saw the elevators. Tuxedo Kamen put on the speed. [“There is NO way that she is getting away from me after THIS stunt!”] he swore silently. “Hold the lift!” Sailor Moon shrieked in panic, hearing thundering footsteps akin to a stampede right behind her. That Kamen was furious was frighteningly obvious. Her eyes sought out those of the two women and the man in the lift. The man who had frozen with one finger raised to press a button on the wall. As she neared, they gaped at her, then paled as they glanced behind. The man un-froze and frantically pressed at the buttons randomly, sweat beginning to stand out on his forehead. “No!” she shouted, increasing her pace. She practically flew the remaining feet and almost crashed into the back wall of the lift. “Okay! Close it, close it!” she panted, turning. “Close it and-!” a furious voice roared close behind. As she spun and plastered herself to the wall, all four inhabitants of the lift watched in fascinated horror. Tuxedo Kamen leapt heroically, clearing the last few feet and flew into the lift just before the doors slid shut…But he kept GOING! [“Oh, damn!”] Sailor Moon gasped silently as the large dark shape hurtled into her. She was slammed further into the wall, the entire lift shaking with the impact. There was silence for a long moment, both Tuxedo Kamen and Sailor Moon frozen in their position. In his haste to catch her and his amazing flight, he had casually plastered himself effectively along her entire length . Sailor Moon was caught between him and the wall-and for a moment, neither WANTED to move. Then she flushed, swallowing hard. “Ow,” he muttered into her ear, inhaling golden hairs. “I think that’s MY line, you jerk,” she muttered back, wincing. “Well, you finally caught me, sort of.” “Sort of,” he agreed under his breath. It was NOT the scene he had pictured capturing her IN, though. Tuxedo Kamen had been having visions of catching her up, sweeping her romantically into his arms and kissing her lights out. NOT plastering himself on her against a wall in a crowded business building-in the LIFT of all places! And people staring- “Er-excuse us?” a voice said from behind them, sounding extremely timid. Tuxedo Kamen reluctantly pulled away from his angel’s soft body and turned, hiding her form from the rest of them. “Er-yes?” he replied, straightening. He tried to look authoritative, but failed miserably. This man and two women had SEEN him stuck as if by glue to the heroine. A very compromising situation. “What’s going on here?” one of the women asked, eyes trying to see over his tall form. Behind him, Sailor Moon was anxiously checking her hair, her face and the rest of her body for bruises and dishevelment. Being crushed between her ‘crush’ and a metal wall didn’t exactly leave one in the neatest of ways. Especially after dashing over tall buildings. “I DON’T believe this,” she muttered to herself, hastily straightening her hair. “This is going to be ALL over the papers!” she wailed quietly. “Cool it, Moon,” Tuxedo Kamen hissed from before her, managing somehow to throw his voice. She looked at him admirably, then frowned. HE had gotten them into this mess. “Nothing to see here,” Tuxedo Kamen told the three coolly, leveling the ‘look’ at them. It had made Youma quake and Zoisite uncertain. To these people, it made Tuxedo Kamen look distinctly menacing! “Right,” the man said, reaching behind him for the closest button. The lift stopped, doors opening. Immediately, the three tumbled out hastily, eyes glazed. “Good choice,” Tuxedo Kamen drawled icily, eyeing them. If he intimidated them enough, maybe the paper wouldn’t hear of it. The doors slid shut, leaving him with Sailor Moon. “Great. Just great,” she murmured from behind. “The guys are going to KILL me when they see me in the paper!” she wailed loudly. Tuxedo Kamen spun around, cloak brushing against the doors of the lift. He frowned at her darkly, eyes flashing wrath. Sailor Moon tried to back off as he advanced, but there was nowhere to go. She thrust out a hand, trying to keep him away. “Now-keep calm, Mamoru!” she pleaded. [“Oh dear! He looks reaaaaaally angry.”] She winced. Tuxedo Kamen walked towards her until she was pressed hard against the far wall and his chest was touching her out-stretched hand. “Do you realize what a mess this could turn out to be?” he bellowed at her furiously. “You’ve just made sure that about 40 people have seen me chasing you through a busy business building, then crush you to the wall of the lift like some hentai!” His word finished in a roar. Sailor Moon winced again, peeking up at him through her lashes. “Ooops?” she tried. “Ooops?” he repeated incredulously, voice deceptively calm. He advanced another few feet, steadily forcing her to pull back her arms. He stopped when her fingers were splayed over his chest and he was only a foot away. “You-” He shook his head, reached up to cover the gloved hand over his heart. His fingers entwined with hers, then forced her hand away from him gently. He then stepped even closer, forcing her to tilt her head back in order to look at him. Their chests were crushed together, hands at their side and one of hers caught in his. “Are unbelievable,” he finished with a half-laugh. His eyes lit up with amusement. “I don’t think I’ve had so much fun in ages, Usagi,” he admitted. “Fun?!” she echoed incredulously, gaping at him. “Huh?” she added intelligently. Then she glared at him. “If you think chasing me all over the city is fun! And getting us into the papers! And-” He shook his head, smiling. Then, before another word could be said, he lowered his head and caught her lips in a kiss. She stiffened under him, fingers tightening around his painfully. He got the point-his Usagi was FURIOUS with him and no kisses were going to make it better! [“Too bad. And I SO enjoy them,”] he thought, deepening the kiss skillfully. Immediately, he felt her melt under his lips. She leaned into his chest, lips softening under his. “Mmm,” she muttered against his lips. [“Oh, I just go like putty when he kisses me! How can I resist him when he does this?”] she wondered hazily. “Mmm,” he murmured back, satisfied. [“I could sure get used to shutting her up this way. Wow, what an excuse!”] A faint ‘bing’ interrupted their kiss. Their eyes sprang open and the two leapt away from each other in record time. They both turned, eyes wide as the doors to the ground floor slid open. Three security guards and a small crowd of people stared at them. Tuxedo Kamen stared back, nonplussed for a moment. Then he smiled calmly, reaching out to take a firm hold of Sailor Moon’s arm. They strode out, plastering professional smiles to their faces. “False alarm. We heard that a Youma was attacking on the top floor,” he said casually as they passed the crowd. “Right. Youma. Horrible,” Sailor Moon babbled, eyes skittering around