SPIN THE BOTTLE
By Princess Destiny
[princessdestiny@hotmail.com]




Chapter Nine



"Usagi, wake up" Mamoru said softly into the blankets.
Usagi's eyes slowly opened, all she saw was darkness for a moment and 
she panicked. "Where am I?" she cried out, struggling against the steal 
bands that were holding her. She realized that there was softness all 
around her and over her face and that she was clamped tightly against 
something...
"It's okay! Stop struggling, Usagi!" Rei's voice said urgently.
"You're home, Usagi" Reika said, walking over the path to Mamoru. She 
casually jerked the blankets from Usagi's face and the girl bent over 
in Mamoru's arms, breathing hard. As she did, her long hair tumbled 
out. Her long SILVER hair.
"My god! What happened to your hair?!" Motoki bellowed, staring at the 
long silver tresses. No, it was NOT just a trick of the moonlight. 
Usagi's golden hair had turned silver. Not just silver blonde-actual 
SILVER! It pooled around Mamoru's shoulder and arms, as well as Usagi 
and the blankets and the tresses seemed to go on and on, almost 
touching the ground. ["IS her hair longer-or am I imagining that too?"] 
he wondered, shocked into silence.
"IS this what you were hiding?" Reika said wonderingly, reaching out to 
touch a lock. She had barely moved her hand, when the girl was taken 
out of her reach, with amazing swiftness and agility.
Mamoru stepped backwards, looking warningly at Reika. His mouth set 
firmly, arms tightly about the gasping girl. "Don't touch her" he said 
curtly, an arm going about Usagi's shoulder. He drew her to his chest, 
patting her lightly on the back as she coughed and spluttered for air. 
She leaned over his shoulder, breathing deeply of the night air and 
clinging with both hands to his broad shoulders. Mamoru felt every 
single touch of her delicate fingers on his shirt, they burnt like 
fire-singing in his veins. ["What is wrong with me? I can't even touch 
her without wanting her!"] he groaned mentally, disgusted and 
frustrated at himself.
"Thank you" Usagi gasped, coughing again. "I must have been in the 
blankets for too long. There was no air!" she wheezed a little more, 
than settled into Mamoru's arms comfortingly and stared around. They 
were standing on her front porch, the light on. "Did anyone knock?" she 
inquired, slinging an arm about Mamoru's shoulder. She rested her head 
under his chin, for the moment, completely forgetting that she was 
nestled in the arms of her worse enemy-and that she ought to have been 
hiding her changed feelings from her friends! ["Why did they bring me 
home?"] she wondered silently, frowning.
"We were about to when you woke up" Motoki said dazedly, still staring. 
"Tell me how this happened?" he questioned, pointing at Usagi's hair 
almost accusingly with his index finger. "This is NOT a normal thing, 
Usagi! You went to the party with your normal hair-and now this!" he 
squinted at her suspiciously. "Did you do a dye-job?"
"In the CLOSET? Don't be a moron, Motoki!" Makoto snapped, crossing her 
arms. She too was bewildered at the change in her leader. Usagi was 
changed more than her hair-there was a whole air of difference about 
her that all could sense. And the fact that she was LETTING Mamoru 
carry her around was like a titanic event. The two most popular rivals, 
close together as lovers. Makoto glanced sideways at Usagi and Mamoru 
speculatively. ["Hmm-I wonder"]
"The what changed her hair?!" Motoki almost screamed in frustration, 
eyes wild.
"Fright?" Ami, Makoto and Rei said simultaneously, then they all 
blushed.
["Great going guys"] Rei thought, wincing.
"Uh huh" Reika said skeptically. "Then why did that sound a little to 
choreographed?" Her eyes skimmed over all the girls, then Mamoru and 
Usagi. The two seemed remarkably at ease in each others arms. What 
could POSSIBLY have happened in that closet to change their hatred?
"We just all came to the same conclusion, is all" Makoto said loftily, 
tossing her pony-tail and trying to look nonchalant.
"Right" Ami blurted, then flushed brighter and stared fixedly at the 
ground.
"Mamoru scared her?" Motoki said, turning to stare at his silent 
friend-who was STILL holding Usagi close in his arms-despite the fact 
that she could now have walked that Motoki and Reika had seen what she 
was hiding. Mamoru seemed to have NO inclination at ALL to put Usagi 
down-and SHE had her face nestled in his neck contentedly. No 
screaming-no fighting-no hitting....the world was coming to an end!
Usagi unconsciously reached up and wound her other arm about Mamoru's 
neck, holding on as she looked around at her talking friends. It still 
remained that she had to get inside without her parents seeing her 
hair. "What about my haaaaaair guys?" Usagi suddenly wailed urgently. 
She could have snuck in-but she couldn't hide her hair forever. ["What 
can I say?"]
"Stop wailing Odango" Mamoru murmured, seemingly distracted. His eyes 
were far away and his whole being wasn't into the words. He was 
wondering what to DO about the situation. ["Usagi is Sailor Moon. HOW 
am I supposed to act in battle now? Or around Usagi at ALL?"] He sighed 
deeply, stirring the silver bangs of Usagi's hair.
"We'll just give them the same story that we gave everyone else. Shock" 
Ami said calmly. She nodded at them all, as if it were a completely 
logical explanation.
"Ah ha! Now I have you...It wasn't shock!" Motoki crowed triumphantly, 
waving an accusing finger at them all.
"Oh really?" Mamoru drawled, eyes boring into Motoki's face. If looks 
could kill, Motoki would be a puddle of goo on the floor. His best 
friend DEFINITELY didn't want him hazarding a guess.
"IS there something you're hiding?" Reika said calmly, eyes intent.
"Great going Ami" Rei snapped, slapping her forehead with the palm of 
one hand. "Tell them it was shock! In fact-tell the whole world!"
"Sorry-but maybe they should know? They're Mamoru's best friends and 
ours" Ami said meekly.
"Tell us what?" Motoki almost shouted. He waved his arms about, 
frustratedly. No one was talking and it seemed that the girls and 
Mamoru knew something BIG, that they weren't telling another soul. "A 
secret?" he finished eagerly, waiting.
"The best-kept secret in Tokyo, idiot!" Rei hissed angrily, waving a 
hand frantically for Motoki to keep his voice down.
"Sorry" he whispered, leaning in closer. "So what is it?" He frowned in 
thought. ["The best-kept? Now what could that be...nah! That can't be 
it!"] he thought, eyes widening. The only thing that Motoki could think 
of was- 
"We-all of us are-" Makoto began...
But then the front door opened quickly. Usagi's Mother, Father and 
Brother stood there-in their nightwear and looking startled to see the 
group on their front porch. Kenji brandished an unlikely-looking broom, 
missing most of it's straw and tried to look menacing. Of course, one 
never looked menacing particularly in an old pair of checkered-faded-
pajamas and floppy rabbit slippers.
Usagi gripped Mamoru's neck tighter, wondering suddenly why her friends 
had brought her HOME. She was supposed to be staying at Rei's house. 
["Keep calm-it doesn't mean anything"] she told herself frantically.
"What's going on here?" Kenji demanded, peering at them all through his 
glasses. He tightened his grip on the broom, as if for comfort. Then-he 
noted his daughter and the broom dropped like a sack of bricks, 
clattering loudly on the ground. "U-Usagi?!" he uttered, stammering. 
His glasses fogged over.
"USAGI? What happened to your hair?" Ikuko shrieked, finally spotting 
her daughter off to the side-held possessively in the arms of a 
gorgeous young man. ["Oh my"] Usagi was wrapped up in a blanket, but 
her long hair as flowing loosely over the blanket, the man's shoulders 
and her daughter. And it seemed much longer than usual, despite the 
fact that it was up in it's usual buns.
"Hair? Usagi? It's SIL-WHO IS THAT YOUNG MAN?" Kenji bellowed, breaking 
off his stuttered words. He dove to the ground and picked up his 
protective object-then aimed his broom menacingly at the startled 
Mamoru, who backed off further with his precious bundle from the madman 
in bunny-slippers.
"Chiba Mamoru" came the curt response. Mamoru straightened, looking 
abruptly authoritative and commanding. "Now-would you like to get out 
of the way, or have your daughter out here in the cold night?" he said 
coolly, pushing past everyone and into the house.
Everyone gaped-for different reasons and then followed Mamoru inside 
and shut the doors.
Silently, they all sat down on the floor or the couch and chairs in the 
comfortable room and waited for-someone-to speak.
"Well-can someone please explain why you're all here, when Usagi is 
supposed to be staying over at Rei's?" Ikuko began, then her eyes fell 
again on Usagi's long silver hair. "But first-what on earth happened to 
you HAIR?"
Reika and Motoki exchanged a quick look, then said simultaneously. 
"Fright!"
The girls and Mamoru were silent though, giving each other occasional 
serious looks.
Usagi bit her lip, looking at Ami questioningly. That the girls had 
brought her HOME, instead of the Temple, meant that they had come to 
some sort of decision that Usagi did not know about. "Guys?" she said 
weakly, afraid that she knew that they were going to reveal.
"We thought-Usagi, given that your hair has changed so drastically-and 
for no apparent reason-" Ami began falteringly.
"What Ami means is-we have something to tell you, Mr. and Mrs. Tsukino. 
About us and your daughter" Rei finished, then looked at the ground. 
She sighed deeply. "We're the Sailor Senshi" she added quietly.
"YOU'RE WHAT?!" Reika, Motoki and the three Tsukino's shouted in shock 
and disbelief. They all looked at Usagi, then at the other girls. The 
only one who was not noticeably shocked was Mamoru.
"Yeah right!" Shingo scoffed immediately, looking bored.
"You KNEW?" Motoki accused his best friend, glaring at Mamoru heatedly.
"I just found out myself-when you locked us in together" Mamoru said 
slowly, staring at Usagi with a strange expression. ["A time that I 
will never forget"]
"Locked in with my daughter?" Kenji bellowed, leaping to his feet. His 
hands opened and closed convulsively as he lunched for Mamoru's neck.
Ikuko threw herself at her husband and locked her arms about his neck, 
slowing him down to a crawl. "Now, now dear" she soothed. "I'm sure 
there was a reason-right?" the look she gave Mamoru and the others was 
scary.
"It was-just a room" Makoto put in quickly, giggling nervously.
"A room-right" Rei added, grinning. She waved a hand around 
negligently, making it look as if it were an every-day occurrence to be 
locked in a room with your hated enemy.
"Uh huh" the others chorused, a little shocked by Kenji's violent 
behavior. They stared at him as he sank back onto the couch, with 
Ikuko's arms still tight about his neck in case he tried to jump up 
again.
"Why were Mamoru and Usagi locked into a room?" Shingo said, perplexed.
"Umm-" the girls all looked at each other and then at Usagi and Mamoru.
"It was like this, Mr. and Mrs. Tsukino" Reika put in calmly. "You've 
probably heard Usagi go on and on about an annoying jerk named Chiba 
Mamoru?" she asked Ikuko and Kenji in a questioning way.
Ikuko turned to look at Mamoru. "This is 'the annoying jerk'?" she 
giggled like a school girl, looking vastly amused. "But Usagi-he's so 
handsome, dear!"
Usagi flushed to the roots of her hair, eyes skittering away from 
Mamoru's and the other girls. She deemed it safer to look at the floor, 
than the guy sitting next to her on the floor near the TV, ["How 
exactly did he come to be sitting next to me anyway? I would have 
thought that he'd avoid me like the plague after his act earlier"] she 
glanced sideways at him, startled to find that he was already looking 
at her with a similar look. She jerked her eyes back to her mother's. 
"Yes, this is him" she admitted slowly.
"THIS is the guy that Usagi is constantly saying annoys her and makes 
fun of her hair" Shingo said excitedly. He grinned impishly at Usagi, 
then at Mamoru. "Boy are you welcome here! Anyone that came up with the 
name 'Odango Atama' is a friend of mine" he announced gleefully.
Kenji threw Shingo a warning look, then turned to give Mamoru 'the look 
of death'. Anyone that made fun of HIS daughter was definitely NOT 
welcome! "What gives you the right, young man-" he began hotly, but 
Reika hastily interrupted.
"Anyway, as you know, these two HATE each other-so at the party a 
couple of guys got together to lock them into a room and talk out their 
differences...but something went wrong" she stopped and stared at 
Mamoru and Usagi expectantly.
"Can you go back to the part about MY sister being Sailor Moon?" Shingo 
said, eyebrows up to his hairline. His lips twisted derisively. 
"Because I just DON'T believe it!" he announced.
Usagi shot to her feet swiftly, glaring at her brother. "Oh no!" she 
said loudly. "I am NOT going to transform just to satisfy this brat's 
curiosity! I've had a long night of unbelievable stress and-and-" she 
broke off, a strange expression crossing her face. A strange pain was 
spreading over the back and sides of her hair. She quickly looked down 
and her eyes widened as she saw the cause. Her hair-she was STANDING on 
her hair! "Oh my GOD! I'm standing on my hair and it's UP!" she 
shrieked, eyes shocked and twice their normal size.
"Oh my" Ikuko said, staring at the long silver tresses. Usagi was 
indeed standing on her hair, which was at least twice it's normal 
length. It was pooling around and under her daughter's shoes. "HOW did 
you say this happened, Usagi?" she said, eyes wide as saucers. Fear, 
she could allow, for making the hair change to silver-but to GROW it?
"Okay Mamoru, spill" Rei said harshly, startling them all with her 
tone. She got to her feet and walked over to tower over the sitting 
upper-classman. "What happened to Usagi?!" she demanded.
"Rei! It's NOT his fault!" Usagi cried out, stepping between Mamoru and 
the steaming priestess. "He touched my broach and we-sort of-well...our 
minds merged for a little while and we saw..." she trailed off as she 
sensed Mamoru get to his feet behind her. The skin at the base of her 
neck crawled and she tried to shake off the feeling as he moved to 
stand beside her.
"Our minds merged for a little while and we-shared a memory of some 
kind" Mamoru finished quietly. "I can't remember it well, but when we 
came out of the trance, we were both transformed and her hair was like 
this" he reached out and gently picked up a handful of Usagi's 
incredibly long silver hair, letting it trail through his fingers with 
a wistful expression in his eyes. Her hair was warm and seemed to cling 
to his fingers. When all the strands hand passed smoothly through his 
fingers, he lowered his hand and turned away from them all. ["This is 
dangerous. I didn't mention the Princess, but Usagi may. And there 
really ISN'T any explanation for her hair"]
Usagi stood frozen like a statue as Mamoru let her long hair trail over 
and through his fingers like silk and she SWORE that she could feel it 
like a caress along the whole of her body. Just his fingers in her hair 
sent frizzons of sensation through her-familiar. ["Is my hair more 
sensitized now or what?"] she thought, supremely startled. It had been 
as if he'd touched her cheek-or her lips with his fingertips. She 
sighed. ["He didn't mention the Princess-so he doesn't want them to 
know. All right Mamoru"] she sighed again and gave him a slight look, 
but his face was turned away. ["He really doesn't want to be here. It 
is me? Now that he knows I'm Sailor Moon, does he regret our kisses?"]
"You say that your minds merged?" Ami broke into the long silence, in 
which everyone had watched Mamoru and Usagi with a frozen fascination. 
The room had seemed to warm when those two interacted-and there had 
been a strange tension. Everything had abruptly seemed to center about 
the two and Usagi's hair. But still, what did the hair length and color 
have to do with their minds?
"I want to see this transformation!" Shingo put in eagerly. He crossed 
his arms. "Come on, I deserve to see this!"
"Yes, Usagi. Please?" Motoki put in, curiosity getting the better of 
him.
"Wait-this merge-" Rei said, frowning.
"Oh, all right" Usagi said tiredly. She put her hands to her bow, where 
her broach was resting. "Moon-" she began. ["Moon"] the words seemed to 
echo inside her mind, accompanied by the toll of some faint bell. She 
hesitantly began the next word, listening hard. "Prism" once again, it 
echoed deep inside, seemingly repeated by a softer cultured voice-yet 
it was her own.
"Usagi?" Rei questioned, a strange expression on her face. She had 
begun to sense something was different about the transformation words. 
And Usagi's face was-distant, as if she were listening hard to 
something.
Mamoru turned away at the last minute as Usagi opened her mouth again. 
She'd KILL him if he were to witness her naked state again!
"Power...make up!" Usagi cried out. Everything exploded into power 
around her and her clothes dissolved into red ribbons. Her eyes closed-
and then she saw it...the place from Mamoru's dream. A great towering 
palace, with columns and a great lake of shimmering water. 
["Remember..."] a voice whispered. A mysterious surge came from 
somewhere inside and to the left-And then, it was over. She opened her 
eyes and looked down at the familiar Fuku.
"NO WAY! She IS Sailor Moon!" Shingo cried out, shocked. "My sister, 
the ditz. Unbelievable" he stomped away, muttering under his breath. 
"AND NAKED!" Kenji thundered, outraged and furious. He shook a finger 
into Sailor Moon's face. "That's IT! You are forbidden to transform 
ever again, young lady!"
Of course, everyone ignored his ridiculous comment.
"Usagi" Ikuko said, marveling. "So this is why you're always tired?"
Sailor Moon stared at her numbly, still overwhelmed by the strangeness 
of the transformation. ["Where was that place? And why did it feel so 
familiar?"]
["I saw it too"] Mamoru's voice said resignedly.
Sailor Moon's head whipped around to see-Tuxedo Kamen standing next to 
her. "Tuxedo Kamen? What?" she said, shocked. ["We're linked AGAIN?"] 
she shrieked inwardly.
["So it seems"] Tuxedo Kamen's voice was filled with disbelief. ["So-at 
least one of us has to be transformed...and we're mentally linked 
again?"]
["Is this-a bad thing?"] Sailor Moon asked, wincing. She looked at him 
anxiously-but there was no answer. He shook his head and closed his 
eyes.
"How come he transformed when she did?" Motoki said, wide-eyed. His 
eyes narrowed then, in anger. "And hey, while we're at it-why the hell 
didn't you TELL me that you were Tuxedo Kamen, Mamoru!" he yelled.
"It didn't come up!" Tuxedo Kamen said angrily.
"This is too much for me" Kenji said weakly, slumping back into his 
couch cushions. "We're surrounded by super heroes and ONE is our 
DAUGHTER!"
["This was a really bad idea"] Sailor Moon whispered mentally. She 
sighed. ["This whole night was a disaster"]
["The WHOLE night?"] Tuxedo Kamen asked her quietly. He turned his eyes 
to look at her from behind the half-mask, the blue depths burning.
Sailor Moon flushed, their eyes locking. ["Maybe not...all"] she 
admitted timidly. She sighed deeply. ["But-now that we know...we can't 
do it ever again, Mamoru"]
["I know"] came the soft answer. He turned fully to look down into 
brimming blue eyes. Usagi was close to tears and neither of them knew 
why. They were enemies-right? But they were also ally's, and that was 
the most important thing of all.
She silently nodded at him, then de-transformed. "All right, I'm tired" 
she announced to everyone else-and her family, who were still gaping in 
awe and shock. Motoki and Reika however, looked positively evil as they 
exchanged a look, then simultaneously began to back towards the front 
door.
"Of course you're tired, Usagi!" Reika said hastily.
"You WON'T tell a soul-will you, Motoki...Reika?" Tuxedo Kamen said 
abruptly, in a chilling voice. The expression in his eyes was fierce 
and alien as he stared at them from Usagi's side. ["Do I have to take 
some sort of action?"]
["Are you suggesting tying your best friend up?"] Usagi responded 
involuntarily, almost giggling at the thought of hog-tying Motoki.
Mamoru shot her a strange look, lips twitching. But he said nothing.
Rei stared hard at her 'ex-boyfriend'. Mamoru had changed and even as 
Tuxedo Kamen. It had not only been Usagi's hair. The upper-classman was 
colder, more authoritative and more...commanding. "They won't say a 
thing, Mamoru" she murmured.
"Of course not!" Motoki said, looking offended. "But Usagi looks 
absolutely done-in...and so do the other girls. So We'll be running 
along now" he blurted out hastily. Motoki grabbed Reika's hand and 
wrenched open the front door, bolting out the entrance. He'd forgotten 
to close the door and so the Tsukino's and Tuxedo Kamen bore witness to 
two brand-new pro-runners for the Olympics.
["They're fast-but I can beat them hands tied"] Usagi thought, smiling 
slightly.
["On your hundred-mile dash for school?"] Tuxedo Kamen muttered dryly. 
He studiously ignored her glare and the wave of anger that hit him from 
her direction. This 'link' was becoming a hindrance!
["Shut up, jerk! Or I'll punch you again"] Usagi threatened, staring 
hard at her 'hero'.
He stared back, eyes wicked. ["And if you do, I'll have to kiss you 
senseless-right in front of your parents"]
["WHAAAAAAT?"] she shrieked mentally. ["You would DARE!"]
["Try me"] he dared her, REALLY wishing that she'd try.
Makoto looked surprised as she went forward to close the door and lock 
it behind her. "I wonder what those two were up to??"
["Match-making"] Tuxedo Kamen murmured dryly, eyes thunderous behind 
his mask. He sighed. ["Like we NEED help getting together. Our trouble 
is staying APART! Different rooms from now on, Tsukino!"] he told her 
firmly. ["And NO closets! Or I won't be responsible for the 
consequences"
Usagi started in shock, staring at Mamoru with a gaping mouth. ["Match-
making? Kissing?! Closets!? As if I want to be anywhere near you, 
creep!"] she demanded, rounding on Tuxedo Kamen an staring up into his 
startled eyes. ["SO JUST SHUT UP, ROMEO! You're not the only guy in 
this town!"]
He groaned mentally. [""Damn, I forgot about that. STOP SCREECHING, YOU 
BRAT! I happen to know that you have a crush on me-Tuxedo Kamen...so 
don't say that there's someone else...or I'll have to kill him"] he 
warned her seriously, then rapidly de-transformed before she could 
blast him.
Usagi glared at him accusingly. "That wasn't FAIR! What are you playing 
at, jerk? There's PLENTY of fish in the sea-and I do NOT have a crush 
on Tuxedo Kamen!" she almost shouted into his face.
Everyone stared at her and then at Mamoru, who had suddenly taken on an 
equally thunderous expression. "Who said life was fair, Odango Atama? 
Get used to disappointments! And I'm COMPLETELY serious" he told her 
cuttingly, eyes burning into her own. If anyone even TOUCHED her, he'd 
kill them. She was HIS!
"Umm-" Makoto began, face bewildered.
"What is going on here?" Rei demanded.
"Serious about what?" Ami added, staring.
"That's what I want to know-AND WHY DID YOU CALL MY LITTLE GIRL ODANGO 
ATAMA?!" Kenji finished on a bellow. His face was red as a beet and his 
fist were clenching and unclenching at his sides uncontrollably.
"Now dear" Ikuko said, taking a firm hold of his arm.
"Well?" Usagi shouted at Mamoru, completely ignoring the others. After 
all they'd shared, the idiot was STILL treating her like this! ["That 
CREEP! How dare he say he'd kill any guy that came near me! I'll teach 
him!"] she vowed, already making plans.
"Well, what?" he shouted back, knowing fully what she was saying. ["I 
don't want to get into a fight with her-especially with her parents 
there-when all I want to do is really kiss her"]
"This means war, Chiba!" Usagi ground out.
"You're on, Tsukino. May the best...super hero win" Mamoru purred back.
"We seem to be missing a large portion of this conversation" Ami noted, 
staring from the fuming silver-haired girl to the tall arrogant guy. 
Their eyes shot blue flames at each other, literally sizzling the air.
"CREEP!" Usagi screeched. ["I'll teach you! I'm going to go out and 
find that guy Brad! Or anyone else and make then kiss me right in front 
of this jerk! I'm NOT his property! Just because if ONE kiss!"]
"Little girl" Mamoru sneered. ["If I see anyone NEAR her, I'll rip his 
head off!"]
"Jerk!" she muttered, heart not really in it, all of a sudden. The way 
they kept staring at each other was beginning to melt her bones. 
Mamoru's eyes had began to kindle with an inner fire, practically 
eating her up ion the spot. If her parents hadn't been there-she was 
certain she would have thrown herself into his arms. She hated him-but 
wanted him....a LOT! But it was still war!
Mamoru had come to the same conclusion, standing but a foot from his 
angel-who he'd protect till the day he died. And all he wanted to do 
was sweep her into his arms and forget the witnesses! "BABY" he 
drawled, forgetting to add the bite. And SOMEHOW-it came out as more of 
an endearment. His eyes went wide with shock at the same time as 
Usagi's did and several gasps filled the room from the other Senshi. 
["Oh dear. So much for secrets! Suuuure, Chiba. Let your obsession 
show!"]
Makoto, Rei and Ami gaped at Mamoru, stunned at what they had heard in 
his tone.
"Young MAAAAAAAN!" Kenji growled, trying to leap up from the couch. 
"How dare you insult my daughter that way!" he shouted, having 
completely missed any undercurrents in the fighting.
Ikuko, however, had a slightly dreamy look in her eyes. "Now Kenji, 
leave the poor young man alone. It's not his fault that he and Usagi-
rub each other the wrong way" as she said this, she looked sideways at 
her daughter.
Usagi suddenly got a vision of herself crawling along Mamoru's length, 
being pressed against the wall of the closet and Mamoru's hands under 
her top. She couldn't help it! She promptly lost it and turned the 
color of a bright red star. She doubled over, convulsed in a coughing 
fit, eyes watering. ["Oh my god! Does she KNOW?!"] she thought 
frantically. Why was it that everything someone said, reminded her of 
Mamoru? She breathed harder, eyes dilating. Her fingers itched to touch 
him-she NEEDED to. She took a half-step forward and Mamoru took one 
back simultaneously, trying to keep his distance.
Mamoru similarly began to choke and doubled over, gasping for air, with 
eyes wide and stunned. ["I can't stand this! Practically everything 
someone SAYS has an unconscious reference to something Usagi and I did 
in the closet!"] his pulse sped up, beads of sweat beginning to bead on 
his forehead and his eyes dilated slightly.
Rei rushed over and patted Usagi and Mamoru on their backs hard, eyes 
startled and yet suspicious. Ikuko's innocent words had made an 
extremely violent reaction from the silver-haired girl and her 'worst 
enemy'. ["Something DID happen in that closet! I knew it!"] her 
thoughts sobered. But how did she feel about that? Her best friend and 
the guy that she thought she loved, but only saw her as a friend? 
"Usagi? Are you okay?" Ami said anxiously, reaching for her Mercury 
computer. It fell out of her sub-space pocket easily and into the palm 
of her hand. She quickly scanned the gasping pair and her blue eyes 
widened in astonishment. There were elevated levels of hormones-almost 
sky-rocketing! Ami looked up slowly, eyes wide as saucers. The sexual 
tension between Mamoru and Usagi was almost off the charts! And they 
were a few feet from each other! ["Oh my god. How did this happen?"]
"Are they okay, Ami?" Ikuko demanded, walking over to look at the 
bewildering display on the computer. She shook her head, blinking 
numbly.
"They're-fine. Just tired I guess" Ami said in a strangled tone, still 
staring at Mamoru and Usagi with wide eyes. Who would have thought it? 
Two worse enemies, famous for their fights-were actually in lust for 
each other! She wrenched her eyes away and looked quickly at Usagi's 
worried parents. "I suggest that Usagi and Mamoru go to bed-" she 
began.
But Mamoru was way ahead of her, already on his way to the door. ["I 
have to get OUT of here!"] he gasped harshly. He had just reached the 
paneling and fingers touching the handle, when an agonizing pain hit 
him. His heart faltered, eyes dilating slightly. He suddenly felt as if 
he were dying.
Usagi's heart gave a huge leap, then faltered altogether. Everything 
went dark and she keeled over. ["Mamoru!"] she cried out silently, even 
though she knew he couldn't hear her.
Mamoru felt a wave of nausea and dizziness consume him-at the same time 
as an uncontrollable burst of hunger and longing. Everything started to 
go black and he began to fall. He turned back to look at the others, 
bewildered-then he saw Usagi start to keel over and made one last 
amazing leap. ["Usagi!"] he shouted, afraid. He covered the space 
between them in seconds and caught her up into his arms, turning their 
bodies so that he landed beneath her...then it all went black.
"-separately" Ami finished in a weak voice, staring at the two prone 
figures on the floor. Usagi was cradled in Mamoru's arms protectively, 
even though they had both just fainted. Even as everyone around her 
shrieked and panicked, Ami looked at her computer and what she saw 
frightened her desperately. Usagi and Mamoru's minds had shut down in 
defense from something-and it had to do with Mamoru's trying to leave. 
Their brain-waves were erratic, heart-beats weak and stuttering.
"Usagi! Oh my god!" Ikuko screamed, trying to wrench her daughter from 
Mamoru's arms, but they were like steel bands about the girl's slender 
waist.
"Makoto leaned over and tried to pry Mamoru's arms from about Usagi's 
wait, frowning with the effort. "I can't even BUDGE him!" she gasped in 
amazement. She grabbed at the hand clamped protectively around Usagi's 
lower chest and wrenched-
When a golden light enveloped Mamoru and Usagi. His eyes opened briefly 
and they all saw that they were no longer deep blue-but a burning 
liquid gold. He snarled something to her in another language and a 
blast of power surged from his body. It hit Makoto hard, throwing her 
backwards by several meters. She fell over the couch and hit the floor 
hard, laying stunned.
"Makoto!" Rei gasped, shocked. She and Ami ran over to their friend's 
side urgently, while the Tsukino's watched Mamoru and their daughter 
with fascinated horror.
"I'm fine" Makoto groaned, getting to her feet with Rei's help. Then 
all three looked back towards the two unconscious forms on the floor of 
the room. Mamoru's eyes had closed again and his arms were still tight 
about Usagi's wait-as if he would never let her go.
"Was that-natural?" Ikuko whispered uncertainly, staring at her 
daughter as if she had never seen her before.
"No" Ami said grimly. "It wasn't" she opened the top of her computer 
and scanned Mamoru swiftly. Then, she sighed. "Amazing! The power 
emanating from Usagi and Mamoru are almost identical and completely off 
the scale!" she bit her lip, averting her eyes from the others. ["But 
their heart-beats have steadied and their brain-waves are almost 
identical! Impossible"]
"You're kidding? Odango Atama?" Rei breathed, shocked.
"Why did they faint?" Ikuko asked anxiously, reluctant to touch her 
daughter in case she should hurt her. Besides, she looked so at peace 
in the young man's arms!
"They appear to have some sort of connection. I don't know how it 
happened, but when they try to get a certain distance away from each 
other, their minds shut down in defense. It must be that link they 
mentioned"
"This is not good" Rei said slowly, shocked. Mamoru and Usagi stuck 
together by some bond-and them hating each other?
"And-" Ami sighed deeply, eyes glued to the computer. The blue suddenly 
deepened almost to black, dilating with extreme shock as she stared at 
the read-outs. "Oh my god!" she breathed.
"What is it?" Re said suspiciously, knowing something was terribly 
wrong.
Ami gasped for breath, sinking weakly to the floor next to the couch, 
eyes wide with shock. Then, slowly, she raised the computer and aimed 
it at herself, then the other two girls. "Oh dear" she murmured.
"Ami?" Makoto questioned warily, frowning as she knelt next to the 
girl. :What is it?"
"I have some-disturbing...unbelievable news. I just don't know how to 
say it" Ami said, looking lost. "I've never had the opportunity to scan 
any of we Senshi before now-and so I never realized..." she trailed 
off, eyes bewildered and scared.
"What is it?" Kenji demanded, jumping to his feet angrily, as if to 
shake the answer from Ami.
"I just scanned us all-we Senshi and Mamoru and-I don't know how to 
tell you this-"
"Just tell us" Usagi said weakly from the floor, still firmly ensconced 
in Mamoru's strong arms. She blinked at them all, then struggled weakly 
to move.
Ami panicked and quickly leant forward to thrust Usagi closer to 
Mamoru's chest. "DON'T MOVE!" she hissed urgently. "It's important that 
you stay as close to Mamoru as possible"
"What?!" Kenji bellowed. "He'll do no such thing!"
"Do you want her dead?" Ami said bluntly.
Everyone paled at the blue-haired girl's words.
Mamoru woke simultaneously with Usagi, arms tightening about the blonde 
as he realized their position. Given what had happened to them both to 
make them faint-he knew that there was no avoiding their desire and 
passion. They could NOT be separated! Then Ami had spoken-and her words 
were so very frightened. "What's wrong?" he demanded coolly.
"You can't be separated by a certain distance-or you might die. That's 
why you fainted." Ami explained. "Somehow-you and Usagi linked and now, 
you have to stay together or-"
"No" Usagi murmured, fingers digging into Mamoru's chest with fear. 
["How did this happen?"]
"Are you sure?" Mamoru said, eyes piercing into Ami's face.
She nodded grimly. "There's more" she whispered.
"What could be worse than finding out that Mamoru and Usagi-the two 
worse enemies in Juuban have to stay joined at the hip or die?" Makoto 
said sarcastically, crossing her arms.
"MUCH more, Makoto" the genius said curtly. She took a deep steadying 
breath, looking frightened. "Brace yourself Mamoru, guys-" Ami said 
clearly. "None of us are human"