Wow. What can I say? I've never felt so encouraged in my life. A deep and hearty THANK YOU to all of you who found the time to e-mail me--I certainly wasn't expecting such a loud welcome into the Sailor Moon world! (But that doesn't mean that I didn't enjoy it to the *fullest*, hehe). I lay before you Chapter two to my little story, right on time-- aren't you happy (those of you who threatened to kill me if it wasn't out)? I hope it lives up to your expectations! Don't hesitate to tell me what you don't like. Remember, I won't know until you tell me! Disclaimer: Sailor Moon and all of its characters belong to Naoko Taekuchi and a whole list of companies that I don't know the names of. Don't rub it in. Innuendoes - Rated PG by Moon Senshi Chapter 2: Sailor Moon vs. Tuxedo Kamen "Usagi-chan, get your face out of that melon, you're embarrassing me!" Rei hissed at the blond sitting next to her. Minako giggled from across the booth at the Crown Parlor. Makato scowled. Usagi looked up, melon seeds stuck to her face. "Not while I'm eating Rei," she replied before burying her face back into the fruit. "Leave her alone, Rei, we just came back from seeing Reika-san leave for Africa," Makato cut in crankily from across the table. "What do you mean *just came back*? She left a week ago!" Rei said. "You should be over it by now!" "Oh, but their parting was so bittersweet and beautiful..." Usagi sighed dreamily, setting down the hollow melon onto her plate. Rei promptly wiped the seeds gently off of Usagi's face with her napkin. "You are filthy!" she muttered. Makato was grinning slyly. "So you admit that I can have him, Usagi-chan?" Usagi swatted at Rei's napkin right as the last seed came off. She whined. "But I've had a crush in him for a yeeeeeaaaar!" Minako peered at Usagi's face suspiciously. "Just because you've liked him for a long time doesn't mean that you still do," she said slowly. She looked at Usagi's annoyed look and giggled nervously. "I mean crushes are so silly, you know? They just come and go and come and..." Usagi sniffed, hurt. "You don't think I can seriously like someone?" she squeaked. Makato laughed. "No, Usagi. It's just that...well..." "They think you're holding onto your crush on Motiki-san because you are denying your feelings for Mamoru-san," Rei deadpanned. Makato and Minako winced in preparation as... Usagi's mouth dropped open. Her face then turned beet red. "*MINNNNAAAAAAAAAA*!!!" she screeched. "For the last time, I do *not* have a crush on Mamoru-san! I told you, what you saw that night was nothing, and I *still* can't believe you were spying on me! Mamoru-san and I are mortal enemies, okay? We still hate each other, and we always will!" She paused. "Well, maybe we don't *hate* each other anymore, but we still drive each other crazy," she finished defensively. Three smirks greeted her. Usagi scowled back at them. Why was Ami at juku when Usagi needed her?! She flinched. No, even Ami was bad about this topic. It had taken her hours last week to convince them that she indeed was *not* in love with baka-Mamoru. And she'd succeeded in forcing them to drop the subject, though they'd given her skeptical looks at the time. Since then, however, they'd teased her relentlessly about the issue every chance they'd gotten. Usagi huffed. Her liking Mamoru. The idea was absurd! She'd only seen him once since that night--they'd run into each other in front of the arcade as she and Makato were trying to muster up enough courage to confess to Motoki their feelings--and he'd managed to infuriate her as usual. No, she decided, nothing had changed. Except that there was less animosity in their bickerings, but that was to be expected. Right? Of course. Okay, so maybe they were friends. Maybe she *wanted* to be friends. So what harm was friends? She snatched Rei's dumplings off her plate and shoved all three down her throat, chomping angrily. Rei stopped short in her conversation with Makato and Minako. "HEY!" Usagi giggled, grabbed her schoolbag, and bolted. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ One. Two. Three. Three did not equal seven. Mamoru sighed in frustration as he walked home from school, holding his briefcase over his shoulder in typical fashion. Finally, all seven nijizuishou had been found. Yet he could not even give himself a moment's peace. he told himself. But it wasn't enough. he thought to the princess who haunted his dreams, And yet... Here was the possibility that he would never find her nor his answers. He was so close to finally reaching it, to finally breaking through the fog and engulfing the princess who had pleaded with him since childhood into his arms, but...being so close, it only meant that getting farther was going to be that much harder. Three nijizuishou...what good were they without the other four? His heart began to ache as he racked his brain. Should he ask the Senshi for help? Even though Sailor Moon had lost the one nijizuishou the Senshi had had, he knew that the team of shoujo warriors would prove to be incredibly useful in his quest. Their powers, *her* powers, would undoubtedly eradicate most of many obstacles obstructing his search for answers. They could find his dream princess--they could do what he could not. His mind immediately protested at the idea. How could he ask Sailor Moon to help him find the princess? The idea simply seemed wrong. Wrong to use her in such a manner, especially...when she confused him so much. He was at a loss. He'd loved the princess for as long as he could remember, and nothing had been able to dispute that fact. Yet he couldn't deny his affinity for the short-skirted superhero. She intrigued him. She exuded vitality, touched him with her never ending supply of compassion. He loved sweeping her into his arms and slicing through the sky as if he were running with her, not saving her, to a new life, leaving behind all missions, all dreams... The princess, since his childhood, had been the one to give him a purpose in life, a reason for existence: to find the nijizuishou. But then...Sailor Moon had appeared. Wasn't the need to protect her as if his life depended on it a purpose as well? And he couldn't help feeling unfaithful to the woman in his dreams. He closed his eyes miserably, oblivious to the sounds of yelping around him. Suddenly, he heard a screech. His legs were knocked out from under him as something rammed into his body. The next thing he knew, he was on his back on the sidewalk, a suspiciously familiar weight settled onto his stomach. He opened his eyes to find two blue eyes full of blank surprise staring back. She was practically straddling his stomach, her arms on the ground on either side of him to support her weight, breathing heavily. He grinned mischievously, his worries about the princess leaving him in a flash, and put his arms behind his head. "Just can't stay away, can you Odango?" he drawled. Usagi balked and scrambled off of him, dusting her hands. He sat up and began to stand. "Oh, shut up, baka, this is all your fault--" "USAGIIIII!!!!!" A piercing shrill from a distance stopped Usagi in mid-sentence. Her eyes grew wide and a hand flew to her mouth. "Oh no! If Rei sees me with you, I'll never hear the end of it!" She grabbed Mamoru's hand and yanked him along, pulling him into a secluded alley and slamming him against the wall. he thought as the wall and he made contact. He grunted in pain. "Shhh!" she hissed, clamping a hand over his mouth. She poked her head out slightly to look for Rei-chan, who was undoubtedly still very angry about those dumplings. He was frozen against the wall, her soft little hand teasing his lips as she peered around the buildings. What in the world was she doing?! he thought frantically as he tried to stop his heart from pounding. he ordered it grumpily. Usagi gasped and press herself against the wall space next to him, removing her hand from his mouth. She held her breath. His pulse raced once more when he felt her small body pushed against his side. He stared at her horrified. What was wrong with him these days? Odango had never provoked these reactions from him before last week! he thought in a daze. An extremely angry Hino Rei breezed right past the alley. Usagi let out a breath of relief just as Mamoru was coming to his senses. He shook his head furiously to clear it. He wanted some answers! Usagi was just starting to realize again who it was she was in this alley with. She squeaked and backed away. "You!" He was getting annoyed. She had no right to address him as if he were a disease after she'd just made him shake like a leaf. "Yes, *me*," he snapped, straightening his jacket. "What in the world are you doing!" She blushed to the roots of her hair. What was she supposed to say? "I...um...that is..." she stammered. She laughed nervously. "It's silly, really..." He frowned and swung his briefcase over his shoulder again. Silly, huh. Silly was exactly what he was feeling right now. "Forget it," he muttered under his breath and started to walk past her. She closed her mouth, hurt, and hung her head, letting him pass. Well, it hadn't been her fault! She was trying to protect him from the wrath of her eager matchmaking friends! He should be thankful to her! She hadn't, after all, been rude today yet. Not on purpose, anyway. Almost in hopes that he would show the same respect for her. And yet, he was still baka-Mamoru, just when she'd thought things were getting better. She placed her hands behind her back and simply rolled her toe around the ground in an attempt to feel less stupid. she thought woefully. So much for losing an enemy. She sighed. Mamoru stopped in his tracks as he heard her sigh and turned his head back slightly. He glanced at her and saw her hanging her head and rubbing at the ground with her toe awkwardly. The sight actually made him feel guilty--an *angry* Odango Atama was fun. A sad one was not. Exhaling, he turned around and walked towards her until he was standing right in front of her, which was hard to do without touching her due to the tiny size of the alley. "Hey, Odango," he said gently, tapping her nose lightly with his forefinger. She looked up slowly, and then gasped a little to find that she was only looking at a button. Craning her neck a little farther, she looked at Mamoru and attempted to look nonchalant. He chuckled and tweaked one of her blond pigtails. "Cheer up. It's only baka-Mamoru who is always cranky and likes to make you mad. Gomen for snapping." She nodded, trying to look indifferent, but he could see the corners of her mouth twitching. He gave her a sarcastic look, and finally, a grin spread across her face. "You know I saved your life," she said matter-of-factly. He looked at her with surprise as they turned to walk out of the alley. "You did, did you?" he asked amused. "When you knocked me over in the middle of the street?" She scowled. "That was an accident. And yes. If Rei had seen you, she would have bombarded you with questions and driven you crazy." She skipped alongside of him in an attempt to keep up with his long stride, swinging her schoolbag to and fro. He raised a sardonic eyebrow. "Me? Why?" The smell of her hair found its way to his nose. Involuntarily, he inhaled...like daffodils and...what was that? Vanilla? A tingle went down his spine, and he nearly fell over. he chided himself, exasperated. He gave her a sideways glance to make sure she hadn't noticed his reaction. She was giggling furiously. "Oh, nothing, it's..." she giggled again. "Hehehe, they think...hehe, they think you and I... heheheheee!!!" "Odango!" he snorted in frustrated amusement. Damn, she was cute. Make her stop. "Spit it out!" She was gasping now. "They think we're secretly in love!" she squealed and proceeded to erupt into peals of laughter. "What?!" he cried, dropping his briefcase. His stomach plummetted to his feet. Whatever he'd been expecting after inhaling her hair, that had not been it. She stopped laughing abruptly. Jeez, it wasn't *that* bad! "Well, I wasn't exactly happy about it either," she snapped. He blinked at her. "No, I'm just surprised," he said absently as he picked up his briefcase. She grinned. "But you have to admit that it *is* a silly idea!" He flipped his briefcase over his shoulder once more. "And what *gave* them such a silly idea?" he asked. Usagi froze. An awkward silence followed. She opened her mouth. "I don't kno--" Her communicator beeped. For once, good timing. "Hehehe. I have to get this, Mamoru-san," she said breezily, taking off with her schoolbag. "Gomen for knocking you over--again. Sayonara!" She ran off, pigtails bouncing. He couldn't help but stare after her. He gulped. he warned himself. In the back of his head, he felt a tingling sensation nagging him. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ "Crescent...BEEEEEEAAAAAAM!!" Sailor Venus cringed as the streak of light sliced through the air of the once peaceful park, flew towards the youma--and missed. Grunting with annoyance, she quickly moved to find another place to aim. "Shimatta, it's so fast," Sailor Jupiter exclaimed as she appeared from the air next to Venus. Venus looked at her fellow Senshi. "Double team?" she asked seriously. "Hai," Jupiter said tersely. They both took in deep breaths. "You take that side, I'll come from here," Venus ordered. Jupiter took a flying leap and landed on the other side of the youma. Moving quickly to give Venus a quick V sign, she concentrated on her energy and felt it collect somewhere around her head. At its peak... "Supreme..." she started softly. The youma shrieked when she noticed the little thing in green on her other side. Looking from the little thing in yellow back to the thing in green, she shook her head, confused. "Crescent..." "...THUNDER!!!!!" "...BEAM!!!" The youma shrieked once more and leaped up into the sky as the streaks of electricity and light crashed into each other. "Damn that thing," Jupiter muttered through gritted teeth. The youma landed with a thud back onto the ground and screamed, "Soree-soree SHARD!!!" Venus and Jupiter screamed as sharp blasts of energy knocked them both into a building wall. The two landed on their hands and knees onto the ground. "We're here!" cried Sailor Mars as she jumped into the scene with Sailor Mercury. "It's about time!" Jupiter yelled back, getting back on her feet. Venus flashed Mars a grin. "Found Mercury instead of Moon, I see. Failed to catch the rabbit?" Mars made a face as her stomach growled at her. "When I find that Odango Atama, I swear..." she grumbled. Jupiter dodged another energy blast. "Come on Mars!" she yelled over the noise. "You, me, and Venus will have to keep it distracted until Mercury figures out what makes this thing die and Sailor Moon gets here." Without further ado, Mars leaped into the attack area, black hair flying as she gathered her energy into her hands. "Fire...SOUL!!!" "Supreme Thunder!" "Crescent Beam!" The youma managed to dodge the fire and electricity, only to run head-on into the light beam. She screamed, her slender blue form shaking, her white hair standing straight up. "Good job, Venus," Jupiter shouted to her red-bowed friend. "Where is that Odango for brains?" yelled Mars, jumping for another shot at the youma who was starting to recollect its energy. "Right here, pyro!" Sailor Moon announced, jumping between Sailor Mercury, who was furiously pushing buttons onto the mini-computer, and Sailor Venus. Venus shot her a grateful look. "Finally. This one's tough." "What is it?" Sailor Moon asked, taking her position. "Just hit it, don't ask questions," Mars muttered. She put her hands together once more. "All together now," she ordered. "Fire Soul!" "Supreme Thunder!" "Crescent Beam!" "Moon Tiara Action!" The flying tiara was surrounded by flames and crackling electricity. A beam of light helped it speed up. "SOREE-SOREE!" the youma cried. The tiara hit, and the blue creature sank to its knees. "It gets back up fast! We have to do it again while it's down!" Mars shouted, clamping her hands together. The other three moved to aim once more. Mercury looked up from her computer. "Minna, stop attacking!" she cried as the tinted screen shielding her eyes disappeared. Her fellow Senshi stared at her blankly. She rushed towards them. "I've scanned its chemical makeup to see what its energy is focused on. It's not a pure youma. It has human DNA, just like the others." Jupiter blinked. "You mean it can go through Refresh?" "Hai. You should get it now while it's weak." The youma began coughing. Sailor Moon stepped out. "This one's mine," she said softly, kneeling on one knee and extending her arm. She stared intently ahead and called forth her energy. The moonstick flipped up and appeared in her hand. She aimed it towards the blue youma. "Moon..." she chanted "...Healing..." The stick pulsed. "ESCALATION!" The sweep of light sprinkled through to the blue form of the creature. A painfully human cry echoed off the buildings. "RRRRREEEFFFFRRRRREEEEESSSSSHHH!!!" Sailor Moon collapsed as the blue youma detransformed into a small petite woman of twenty who now lay unconscious. Usagi thought at the victim in a mixture of sarcasm and sorrow. "Sailor Moon!" Venus cried, catching her leader as she fell back. "Did I get it?" Sailor Moon asked sleepily. Mars grinned and nodded. "Hai. For once you did something right," she teased. Sailor Moon tried to sit up and smiled back at her friend. "I guess you're not mad about those dumplings anymore, huh?" she asked absently. "Iie," Mars replied, helping Sailor Moon to her feet. "Less fat for me, more weight for you. But if you ever do it again..." she warned. Sailor Moon laughed weakly. "I won't." Mercury was helping the young woman to her feet. "She needs to get to a hospital," she remarked. Jupiter cracked her knuckles. "I'll handle it," she said matter- of-factly. She jumped over and settled the woman over a shoulder. "I'll help," Venus offered. She looked back at her friends. "Good one guys!" she said cheerfully, giving the V sign. "Ja!" The remaining Senshi waved after them. Mars and Mercury detransformed. "I have to get back to the shrine," Rei said breezily. "I left Yuuichiru all alone." "And I have to get back to juku," Ami added, pocketing the mini- computer. "You'll be okay, Sailor Moon?" Rei asked with concern evident in her dark features. Sailor Moon grinned. "Of course! You know I get my energy right back! Go! Make sure Yuuichiru-san hasn't burned down our meeting place." Rei's eyes grew wide at the horrible prospect. "H-hai!" she stammered. "Let's go, Ami-chan!" she cried. Ami nodded hastily, and the two ran off. Her eyes were glued to the rapidly retreating figures of two of her best friends, a smile plastered on her face. When they were out of sight, she closed her eyes, let out a release of breath, and allowed herself to lean back against a tree in the park. Her smile slowly slid off. She was tired. Tired from seeing innocent bystanders used as pawns for the Dark Kingdom. Tired from keeping her appearance cheerful. Tired from channeling her energy through the moonstick. The Senshi all knew that the moonstick drained her energy when she healed--as all of them were drained after using their own powers-- but they never really knew quite how much. Sometimes the power she channeled through the stick frightened her, leaving her to wonder: what if she got careless and used too much energy? Was that possible? Would she die? She opened her eyes and eyed the peace of the park warily. No bird nor beast nor silver fish in sight? Check. It was amazing how quiet places seemed after battles. The serenity made her bitter sometimes, as if she thought peace had no right to take over right after she and her friends had just risked their lives. Made it seem like nothing had happened, that they had fought for nothing. she scolded herself. She sighed, and allowed herself to take a wobbly step. Then another. One. Two. One. Two. Satisfied that she could walk quite well, she stopped. Taking one more glance around the park, she reached a hand up to detransform. *BBBBZZZZZZTTT!!!* What was that? She let her hand fall from her transformation brooch and peered towards the sound suspiciously. That sound was familiar. She'd heard it many times...Where had she heard it before? Cautiously, she took a step forward. It was coming from somewhere nearby... *BBBBZZZZZZTTT!!!* Her gaze fell onto a tree nearby. Gotcha. Slowly she walked towards it, whispering, "Moon... Tiara..." She held her spinning tiara in hand, ready to aim it at whatever was behind the tree. Male laughter reached her ears. She froze. The tiara stopped its rotation and settled itself back onto her head. The man stepped out. "Zoicite!" she cried, surprised, jumping back. "We meet again, Sailor Moon," he crooned. "I see you took care of Sora. I congratulate you, well done!" She stared at him, numb from his unexpected appearance. He leaped forward at lightning speed and grabbed her. "But I'm afraid I'm going to have to take you with me," he said menacingly as she struggled against him. "Let go," she ordered. "Now, I can't go and do that," he laughed. "See, you have something we want." He tilted her chin so that she was facing him. "The ability to track down Tuxedo Kamen." He gritted his teeth. "We want those nijizuishou, Senshi. And I'm going to have to use you to get them." She jerked her face away and kicked at him furiously. "You'll never get those nijizuishou!" He laughed and gripped harder, tying her up with his energy coils. "No use fighting, Tsuki no Senshi. Don't worry, I won't hurt you. I'm just going to bring you to the portal where we can suck Tuxedo Kamen in when he tries to save his Senshi of the moon." No. Not Tuxedo Kamen. Not using *her*! It couldn't happen, not this way! She thrashed around wildly, pushing at the energy coils with all her strength. With a small cry, she reached forward with her head and bit into Zoicite's arm as hard as she could. He shrieked in pain, nearly dropping her. Furious, he jerked her chin upwards and hissed, "You'll regret that, Senshi!" Raising his arm towards the sky, he screamed, "ZOI!" A streak of energy came crashing towards her, crackling loudly. She watched in horror as it hit her body with full force. She screamed in pain. He snickered sarcastically. "Don't fight me, little girl. Just go with the flow. This is the last time we meet. I promise." He secured her under his arm and leaped into the air. Sailor Moon struggled to free herself from the coils and his grip, but her recent loss of energy simply wasn't allowing her to break through. With a start, she realized that the coils were draining more energy from her. She started to panic. Tuxedo Kamen-sama! He simply couldn't fall into this trap! Silently, she prayed that he would somehow stay away this time, that he simply ignore her. she pleaded wearily. Suddenly she heard Zoicite yelp. His arm released her, the energy coils disappearing, and she tumbled to the ground, unconscious. Through a haze, she vaguely felt strong, familiar arms wrap around her limp body and lift her into the air before she fell asleep. Tuxedo Kamen gritted his teeth as he held the Senshi to his body, her face buried in his chest. he thought, annoyed at himself. And to think that had he come any later, he would have fallen into a trap. The thought infuriated him. He gripped the warrior tighter, covering her with his cape, and moved to jump. "You!" Zoicite spat shrilly at Tuxedo Kamen's retreating frame. "How dare you show up before you're supposed to!" Tuxedo Kamen looked over his shoulder and laughed hollowly. Then, at lightning speed with his free hand, he flung a rose towards his aggravated opponent. Zoicite shrieked and jumped away from the blasted flower. It landed, its stem half embedded into the cement. "Don't think, Zoicite." Tuxedo Kamen called back as he prepared to leap into the air with his favorite Senshi. "And don't ever try to use her to lure me into a trap." The cape flapped, and he was gone. The park was quiet. "You despicable wretch," Zoicite muttered, kicking at the ground. He growled, frustrated. "You are soooo annoying! 'Don't ever try to use her, blah blah blah,'" he mimicked mockingly. He grabbed at his hair like a madman. "Oh! I'll get you yet, you pompous doofus! You're dead! You hear me?! Those nijizuishou are *mine*! Just you wait..." Zoicite disintegrated into a string of hearts. "I'll kill you ALL!!!" The voice echoed off the walls while the string of hearts faded away. And all was peaceful in the park--as if nothing had ever happened. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ He felt her stir slightly in his arms, clutch at the white fabric of his tuxedo as she mumbled some incoherent phrase. The silky gold strands of her hair covered his face, his arms, his legs. He inhaled her distinct scent...familiar, like a baby blanket...as if he knew her, had known her all his life and even beyond. Where had he smelled that sweet aroma before? She was warm against his body, though shivering from the wind that ripped at the warrior with no mercy. He wrapped his cape tighter around her and continued to run at abnormal speeds. He didn't know where he was going, what he was doing with her. Something in the back of his mind told him that this was danger, against the rules of his mission. That he was betraying his princess, the one light that had dared to show up in his life. But these thoughts were beaten back with heated shouts of , and he continued running, his heart threatening to burst out of his ribcage. How many times had he thought about doing this? Running away with her in his arms. How many times had he forced himself to pull back and stay away from the girl who was so small yet had the weight of the world forced upon her shoulders? She seemed so delicate at times that he feared he would break her--yet he knew she had more power in her than all of the other Senshi combined. There were rare moments, slight glances he took at her when the wind brushed her hair gently onto her face, quick peeks under a blinding sun, that he'd catch a glimpse of the sorrow that hid beneath her cheerful exterior. Of her innocent heart that would break if she saw one more person pay the price for their mission. At such times, he ached to reach out to her, to be the one to quiet her tears and hold her near so that she could hear the beating of his heart. He wanted to protect her, not just from the enemy, but from all of life's unpleasant gifts. From sadness, from shame, from regret. From loneliness. He felt his throat start to ache, and tears began to sting at his eyes for the first time in years. Why was it that when he was with her, he no longer felt alone? Why did he feel so drawn to her, so connected, as if he existed solely for her? He clutched at the warrior tighter, bringing her head towards his neck and burying his face into her hair, unwilling to let go, wanting to feel her heart beat against his chest. She exhaled into his neck, causing his pulse to quicken and his tears to winover. His shoulders shaking almost imperceptibly, he began to weep silently. Why was it that being with her would be so wrong? She let out a tiny whimper as she started to awaken. His eyes popped wide open when he felt her move against him, shocking him out of his thoughts. She blinked several times, her lashes brushing against his skin ever so slightly. He felt her look down and gasp at how high and fast they were traveling. On instinct, a strangled cry escaped her throat, and she threw her arms around his neck, one small gloved hand fisting around strands of his thick hair, her eyes squeezed shut. He almost dropped her as a result. Quickly, he swooped past the last three buildings and landed with precision and gentleness onto an empty bridge. She was breathing wildly against him, partly from weariness, partly from fright. She opened her eyes slowly and tried to slow her breathing, not untangling her arms from his neck, not lifting her head from his shoulder quite yet. She felt his chest rising and falling with hers, the rhythm of his pulse drumming a beat in accordance to hers. He hadn't let go of her, one arm gripping her around the waist, the other holding her head to his neck, his face still buried in her hair. Her feet dangled inches from the ground. They stood there, finally where they wanted to be, if only for a moment, in each others arms, separate from the outside world. Her thoughts were spinning, racing through her head at lightning speed and merging to form a single, jumbled, collective thought: He's holding me--and I'm not in danger. Slowly she remembered her mishap with Zoicite and his plans to use her to lure Tuxedo Kamen into the Dark Kingdom. She shuddered. Here was Tuxedo Kamen. Did this mean Zoicite had succeeded? Had she actually forced Tuxedo Kamen to give up his precious nijizuishou? The thought was pure pain in her heart, and she nearly burst into tears. She felt him holding her tightly, as if his life depended on it, and she longed to stay here with him, connected, until the end of time. Reality gradually reared its ugly face into Sailor Moon's head when a chilling wind ripped at the two, causing her to shiver. As if to do so actually caused her physical pain, she reluctantly loosened her hold on his neck and lifted her head. He allowed her to slide down his body so that her feet touched the ground, but absolutely refused to let her go. He held her by the waist loosely at arm's length, staring at her, unwilling to break contact. She looked up at him with trembling lips, emotions pulsing through her frail frame. "You came," she said quietly, a tremor in her voice. He gulped carefully. "Of course," he replied softly. "The nijizuishou..." she whispered, fear clutching at her throat. "He didn't...Your princess...I tried to tell you to stay away...I..." "Stay away?" he echoed horrified. She noted, for the first time, that he had been crying. She stared for a moment at the almost dried tears on his face and wanted the earth to swallow her whole. He *had* lost those nijizuishou, hadn't he?! And it was all her fault! How in the world could she live with herself, knowing that she'd just destroyed the dreams of a man who'd risked his life countless times to save hers? Tears running down her cheeks, she reached up to wipe the remainder of his own with shaking, gloved fingers. "Sumimasen, Tuxedo Kamen," she choked out. "I know those nijizuishou meant a lot to you." He shuddered under her gentle touch, forcing himself to hold back from simply crushing her to him and kissing her mindless. Did she think he'd lost the nijizuishou? Did she think he actually gave a damn about those damned rocks when it came to her? "But the nijizuishou are fine," he said quietly. She sniffled and let her hand drop. "They are?" she squeaked. He let his arms loosen his hold from her waist and cupped her face in his hands, using his gloved thumbs to brush her own tears away. "Hai," he murmured, staring at her lips. He remembered those lips from a certain masquerade... She froze. "Then why are we here?" she whispered. he thought breathlessly. He drew her closer to him. "I don't know," he replied. She was captured by his actions, caught in a trance, her eyes moist and frightened, as she tried to decipher what was going on behind that mask. How many times had she dreamed of this happening? Had she longed to be in his arms and have him wipe away the sorrow of having to detroy to save to world? she thought intensely <...just forget who you are. Forget your damn princess. Forget the mission. Forget that we're enemies. Just kiss me, and forget everything, please...> Something in the back of his mind told him that this was wrong. But as he gazed intently into her eyes, feeling somewhat smug that he could see what she could not, he realized--he had already lost. He had never wanted anything more in his whole life. He searched her face, wondering if she could possibly be feeling anything similar to what he was feeling now. She was looking at him with pleading eyes, asking, begging... In a flash, his mouth was crushed against hers as he kissed her hungrily, desperately, finally giving in to his carefully hidden desire. She let out a small cry of surprise before losing all train of thought. He placed a hand on her head as he coaxed her lips open and bent her back. His tongue plunged into her mouth, shocking her senses and sending waves of heated emotions down her spine. his mind ordered. She started to respond tentatively to his lips, her small hands reaching up to bury themselves in his black hair. Her senses were instantly flooded with feelings she'd never known existed. She began to taste him hesitantly, timidly, and then promptly melted into his mouth. Vaguely, she noticed that she couldn't breathe, but she simply didn't care anymore. She lost herself in his passionate embrace, drinking in his sweet taste and holding onto him, wishing that the world would just stop and leave her here forever. "Mom! That's Sey-rah Mune! And Tuxedo Kamen-sama!" Everything came to a screeching halt as a child's voice interrupted spectacle the warrior and her protector were making on the bridge. Tuxedo Kamen and Sailor Moon stared at each other, horrified, both breathing shallow breaths of air. he pleaded with himself <...that you did *not* just kiss her. Tell me you didn't.> He let her go abruptly, the reality of what he'd just done sinking in with full force. She watched lifelessly as he started to back away. "G-Gomen," he stammered. "I--" He stopped, not knowing what to say, knowing that he would have to simply hurt her. Without another word, he leaped off into the distance in a big black blur. In a split second following, Sailor Moon turned the other direction and did the same. Back on the bridge, the mother had finally turned to look where her child had insisted on telling her to. She saw nothing but empty space. "But honey," she assured her child. "There's nobody there." *********************************************************************** Finally! The stupid chapter is finished! Gomen, minna, for the ridiculous scenes in this chapter. I was so rushed to get this out by this week that I just wrote whatever bull I could think of. Just cross your fingers about Chapter 3. Maybe it'll be out next week. Maybe not. Not very promising, is it? Special thanks to the Hoyden, who is one of the most awesome new fanfiction writers, as well as Psychostar, a fanfiction "veteran" of sorts (compared to me, anyway) whose stories are also excellent. Thanks for your advice! I'll dodge the sticks and stones to the best of my abilities! Until next week...maybe. :-) m00nSenshi@aol.com