standard disclaimers apply:  I don't own sailor moon
or any of the characters related to it, so please
don't sue me!



a friend is one to whom one may pour out all the
contents of one's heart, chaff and grain together
knowing that the gentlest of hands will take and
sift it keep what is worth keeping and with a breath
of kindness blow the rest away
			  - Arabian Proverb
However far apart we may be, love will always carry
me close to thee. - Tuxedo Mask/Kamen



this chapter goes ekaterinn and bejiin for "encouraging" me to write.
so now i guess evil endy and chibi-usa will leave me alone, ne?  at
least for a little while.  right?



April is the cruelest month, breeding
Lilacs out of the dead land, mixing
Memory and desire, stirring
Dull roots with spring rain



		Darkness shrouded the room.  The light
from the sun could not penetrate through the thick, black
curtains.  The only light that could be seen came from a single
candle, flickering in the distance.  It was strategically placed
on the mantle of the fireplace.  The logs of the fireplace were left as
they always were.
		Untouched.
		Not a flame touched them, intensifying the
coldness that had already settled in the room.
		Scattered on the large, mahogany-colored
desk, were documents and pictures . . . any information he could
find, legally or illegally, pertaining to *her.*
		He sat in an antique chair that had been in his
family for generations.  It was quite large and looked almost like a
throne.  The chair was made of silver with bronzed patterns of
vines circling the legs and arms.
		The figure was absently twirling a glass filled
with wine.  His silvery eyes where engrossed by the redness of the
liquid and he watched as it swished from the left to the right, the
right to the left.
		A slight knocking at the door momentarily
broke him out of his reverie.  The shifting of weight and the
distinct creak of the door opening, and quickly, yet softly,
closing could be heard, echoing throughout the private study.
		"Sir?" the young man asked hesitantly.
		The figure nodded.
		"Uh, we just got word that *she* is on her
way."
		"Are you certain?" he asked, attention
momentarily shifting from the glass to the dark-haired man before
him.
		"Yes, very.  One of our men is following
*her.*"
		"Good," he paused and sipped a bit of the
wine before continuing, "Who's following *her*?"
		"Rubius sir."
		"Very good, Saffir.  Now, make sure that he
knows not to arouse any suspicion.  His only goal right now is to
follow her.  Nothing more.  Nothing less."
		Saffir nodded.
		"Oh and let me know when *she* arrives."
		"Of course," the young man said as he
exited the room, closing the door softly shut.



Shades of Lilac:  Yellow



		"Didn't Motoki tell you that we'd meet at
the gate!" Usagi said, trying to keep her composure.
		"Uh . . . "
		"You have the nerve to call me a ditz and
you're the one who can't even follow a simple instruction!"
Usagi yelled at Mamoru as she showed the steward their boarding
passes.
		Mamoru remained silent.  Motoki never told
him that bit of information, a fact that Mamoru noted, mentally
reminding himself to question his so-called best friend about.
		'She wouldn't have believed me anyway,'
Mamoru thought, but he let her win, and knew that he always
would.  She's the only one that was able to get away with it,
and he couldn't figure out why.
		Perhaps it had to with the fact that he liked
her, a lot.
		He didn't get a chance to ponder the thought
for too long, since the steward welcomed them aboard and
directed them to their seats.  Usagi smiled at him politely,
before taking the passes back and heading in the direction of their
seats.
		Mamoru noticed that the steward was openly
gawking at Usagi's bum as she walked away.  He too noticed it as
well as the way her hips swerved.  He groaned inwardly and felt a
blush creep upon his face.  He looked away momentarily, in a vain
attempt to compose himself before going after Usagi.  Instead of
the door, Mamoru came face to face with an older woman wearing
a fur coat.  The twinkling of her necklace and rings caught
Mamoru's eyes.  Her green eyes looked at him with disgust.
		She had caught him.
		Mamoru turned a deep crimson, but that
didn't seem to change the expression on her face.  Confused for a
few seconds, Mamoru realized that she wanted attention, the kind
of attention that she felt she deserved since everyone should kiss
the ground she walked on.
		He gave her a fake smile, relieved that he
didn't have to deal with her and that he wasn't the last one on the
plane.  He began walking in the direction he last saw Usagi's bum,
er, nevermind.



		When Mamoru reached Usagi, he noted that
she had taken it upon herself to take the window seat, even though
he remembered that he was supposed to have it.  She was staring
out the window, oblivious to his presence and his glare, or so he
thought.
		"Are you just going to stand there?"
		"Huh?"
		She had caught him off guard again.
		Usagi turned her head to face him.  The look
of fascination that she held before was quickly replaced with
annoyance.
		"Mamoru-san!  If you're going to do this
throughout the whole trip-"
		"Lower the decibels, Odango," Mamoru
quickly countered as he felt the stares of the other passengers
on his back.
		"Don't call me that!" she snapped back, "You
should know better, especially since Toki-chan made you
promise!"
		"Alright, alright," he said while putting his
bag on the overhead compartment.
		Mamoru then grabbed his physics textbook
before shutting it closed and sitting down next to her.  He buckled
his belt and opened the book, paying no heed to anything or
anyone around him.
		He felt her staring at him for a few more
moments, before she turned, completely engrossed with whatever
was on the other side of the window.
		He sighed once more before being interrupted
by that annoying steward,
		"Good day, sir.  Can I get you anything?"
		Mamoru didn't even look up as he shook his
head.
		"Miss, what about you?"
		Usagi turned around once more and shook
her head adding,
		"Not at the moment."
		Mamoru was impressed that the amount of
English Usagi remembered.  He knew that they taught more of
the language in her grade and was surprised that she spoke it
so well, especially considering her test grades in other subjects.
		"Are you sure?" the steward pressed.
		He's still here!  Mamoru could've sworn that
he had left long ago.
		"No thank you."
		"Alright.  If you're sure."
		'Of course she's sure, baka' Mamoru wanted
to yell.
		"I'm sure."
		Instead of answering, the steward smiled and
winked at her.
		Mamoru didn't miss the flirtatious wink the
steward gave to Usagi, nor did he miss the way Usagi's cheeks
turned pink and how she lowered her eyes, but still looked at
him through her dark lashes.
		'He winked at her!  How dare he?!' Mamoru
thought as he glared at the steward who smiled even more.
		Paying no attention to Mamoru, the steward
continued,
		"Enjoy the flight.  And if *you* need
anything, don't hesitate to ask," the blonde-haired man said in his
english accent.



		"Good afternoon.  My name is Claire.  We ask
that all passengers please be seated and fasten their belts.  We are
about to take-off.  Will all of my hosts please return to your posts
so that we may begin the safety demonstration . . . "



		"By the way, my name is Charles," he said,
winking and smiling once more before leaving.
		Glancing at Usagi, he noted that her cheeks
were an even brighter shade of red than before and she had a
dreamy expression on her face.
		Mamoru sighed.  The flight was long enough
as it was, and now he had to control his jealousy.  He sighed.  It
was definitely going to be a long flight, a very long flight.  Famous
last words.



		Her azure eyes were watching the stewards
intently, processing, then storing the information.  She looked over
at her companion and noted that he wasn't paying any attention.
		"Mamoru, you really should pay attention.
This is important stuff."
		He didn't even look up from his book as he
answered,
		"I've heard it all before.  Nothing new."
		"Really?"
		"Hai."
		"Well, Mamoru, I have something to tell you."
		"What is it?"
		"This is my first time on a plane . . . ever."
		That got Mamoru's attention.  He looked up at
her with his cobalt eyes,
		"You're kidding, ne?"
		She shook her head and whispered a weak no
for emphasis.
		Mamoru sighed.  This was going to be a long
flight.
		As soon as Claire and the others were done
with the safety demonstration, the Captain came onto the speaker
system.
		"My name is Captain Kevin Nichols, and on
behalf of the my co-pilots and the cabin crew, we'd like to welcome
you aboard."



		The engines began to roar, louder, as Usagi's
small hand grabbed onto Mamoru's larger one.  An electric shock
ran through both of them as their fingers entwined with one
another.  Usagi was too nervous to notice, but Mamoru did, and in
response his dark brows furrowed and he dropped his book.  It fell
to the ground, unnoticed.
		"Don't worry, Usagi-chan," he leaned over and
whispered in her ear, "It'll be alright.  The captain seems competant
enough."
		Usagi felt shivers run up and down her spine
as he whispered in her ear.  No one had done that to her, and she
found that she liked the feeling.  She didn't get much of a chance to
revel in the new feeling since her inner voice came out and
reprimanded her for developing feelings for her 'enemy'.
		'He's being so nice and understanding
though,' Usagi argued.
		'He's only doing that since he promised
Motoki that he would be nice to you.  He doesn't like you like that,
he never will,' her voice countered, 'I don't want you to get hurt . . .
besides, what about the man in your dreams.  I thought that you
loved him.'
		Usagi sighed, "I do."
		"I do what?"
		'Shimatta!  I said it out loud!'
		"Uh, nothing Mamoru," she said, as she
looked at him, hoping that he would believe her.  The last thing she
needed was for him to think she was insane, on top of everything
else.
		As her eyes took in his sight, she noticed how
he was gazing at her, a confused expression in his eyes and etched
on his chiseled face.  He looked genuinely concerned about her, but
that couldn't be possible, especially since Motoki *made* him
promise to be nice.
		It was at times like these that she hated her
"brother."  Sometimes he just meddled too much into her life.  She
knew that he meant well, but spending more time with Mamoru was
going to be very trying since neither could stand the sight of each
other.
		Well, that wasn't entirely true.  Usagi didn't
mind Mamoru at all.  Why with his handsome features and
mysterious personality, he was the envy of every man in Tokyo and
the object of every woman's attention.  Everyone, that is, except
Usagi.
		Although she would never admit it to anyone,
least of all Mamoru, she found herself mildly attracted to him.  He
seemed to fit the typical 'tall, dark, and handsome' description of
every woman's dream, but he had other qualities as well.
		Mamoru had a boyish, child-like charm about
him.  One that melted Usagi every time they ran into each other.  He
also seemed a little jaded, as they say.  She had tried to pry some
knowledge about Mamoru out of Motoki to no avail.  All he told her
was that there was more to Mamoru than met the eye.  This bit of
information only served to heighten Usagi's interest in Mamoru.
She found herself wanting to know everything about him, especially
why he was so cold and emotionless . . . why he was the way he
was.
		Sometimes, she even found herself fantasizing
about him.  Late at night, she pretended to dance with him.  Those
were the nights when the moonlight was at it's brightest, reflecting
it's silver rays through the windows, illuminating the room and
Usagi.
		It created a surreal image.  An image that only
a true artist could capture.
		These late night were abruptly put to an end
after a huge fight with Mamoru, after which Usagi came straight
home, ignoring the concerned looks on her friends faces and the
guilty look in his eyes.  She cried herself to sleep that night.
		No one brought up that incident again.
		That night changed her life forever.
		A stranger came into her dreams.  He claimed
to not only see through her soul, but her life as well.  He quoted that
"If eyes are the gateway to a person's soul,then their dreams are
the gates to their life," and he, was her life.
		Or so he said.
		After the first encounter, she found herself
being drawn to him, to sleep, only to see him again.  Her friends
were worried since she slept more than usual, but how could she
tell them the real reason behind her new sleeping habit.  They would
call her crazy.
		Each night, a new mystery would be revealed,
and each night another would take it's place.  It was frustrating to
say the least.  She found that whenever she would come close to
putting the pieces to this elaborate puzzle together, he would leave
abruptly and wouldn't return for nights.
		She beckoned to him, but he still would not
come.  It was when she was ready to give up that she felt something
else stir within her.  It wasn't entirely "good."  But that was when
he would come back and begin the cycle all over again.



		Usagi sighed, in an attempt to collect herself,
before confidently repeating, "Nothing at all."
		She then looked away from Mamoru's
questioning gaze.  Their fingers were still latched onto each other.
		Mamoru cupped her face and forced her to
look at him.  Her eyes showed many emotions, but the two that
came out from those hidden depths were fear, fear and guilt.
		Before he had a chance to question her, the
captain's voice boomed once more, breaking the trance that
momentarily bound them.
		"It looks like smooth sailing ahead on this non-
stop flight from Tokyo International to London Heathrow.  We hope
to arrive by 5:27 p.m., London time.  I've just been informed that
the in-flight movie will be Gorgeous, one of my favorites.  Please
don't hesitate to ask for any help from our crew, who are happy
to assist with anything . . . . The control tower has cleared us for
take-off, so sit back, relax, and enjoy the flight."
		If they could, Usagi's fingers gripped Mamoru's
tighter, causing him to yelp in surprise.  Since when was Odango so
strong?
		He quickly recovered and was about to say
something.  The words left his mouth when he saw how scared she
looked.  Her fair complexion turned a ghostly white and her eyes
were closed tightly shut, hiding the secrets that lay beneath them.
He could see the remnants of tiny tears falling from her eyes.  She
looked like a scared rabbit.
		This was a side of Usagi he hadn't seen yet.
He knew that it existed and was surprised to see that she looked
beautiful.  His heart swelled up as he realized that he was
"protecting" her, in a sense.  She had chosen him to protect her, and
he found that he didn't mind at all.
		Mamoru leaned back in his chair and closed his
eyes, reveling in the feeling of protectiveness that overwhelmed his
mind, body, and soul.  At the same time, he was memorizing the way
it felt.  It felt good to be so close to her.  He had a taste of what
others saw in her and found that he wanted more, a lot more.



~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~



		The figure got up from his chair and walked
over to the mantle.  Silver bangs fell over his eyes as he raised his
glass up, past the flame of the candle, and to the picture that was
illuminated directly above it.
		Lavender tresses of satin covered her figure,
but could not hide the beauty that lay within her.  Her golden hair
was spread out around her, like a blanket, reminding him of the
mythical golden fleece.  A few curled tendrils framed her round
face.  Cerulean eyes complimented her milky, smooth complexion.
Her eyes reflected many things.
		Innocence and love.
		They were always the first two adjectives that
came to mind whenever Demando gazed into them, in an attempt to
learn what hidden knowledge lay beyond those depths.  He knew
that in those orbs was a person who held a mature and wise view
of everything around her.  They were the first thing that he noticed
when he first met her, so many years ago and were the reason he
became infatuated with her.
		He had other lovers.
		Green eyes.  Black eyes.  Brown eyes.  Hazel
eyes.  Grey eyes.  Blue eyes . . . light blue . . . dark blue . . .
		But none of them ever came close to her eyes.
The shade of blue that made up her eyes was pure perfection, and
he was a perfectionist.
		He wanted her.
		Demando got what Demando wanted, and no
one could stand in his way.  This time, he was prepared, better
than he was last time.  He had many years of planning, and now
everything was falling into place.
		Raising his glass to the maiden in the
painting, Demando made a toast,
		"Soon . . . mei carus . . . Very soon, we shall
be united once more . . . "



*evil grin*  odango's first flight . . . and demando is up to no good.
what has demando been planning for years?  who is charles?  i was
going to have their whole arrival to london in this chapter, but i
thought that it would be too much, so it will be in the next one.  stay
tuned for the next installment of shades of lilac, same moon time,
same moon channel!

oh and the use of the word 'bum' was the most polite way i could
think of for *that* part of the anatomy.  blame it on my antibiotics!
and the english invasion!  lol.

the poem in the beginning was written by T.S. Eliot.  it
was called "The Waste Land," and was written in
1922.

latin translations:
mei carus - my dear, my beloved

japanese translations:
hai - yes
shimatta - let's just say that it's a curse word

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feedback is always appreciated.  ja ne!

redrose
www.envy.nu/redroseb