Hands Fall Together by Kihin Ranno

Part Two: By Any Other Name

Mamoru stood in his creamy white, impersonal bathroom. There was no dramatic splash of color or any exquisite decoration on the tile beneath his bare feet. Even the faucets were plain, ordinary, and entirely lacking in personality. It was the kind of bathroom even the cheapest motel would turn its nose up at. The only variation from the bony, utterly morbid hue was the lackluster blue towels flipped over the bar without regard for presentation. All in all, it was one of with the most depressing bathrooms anyone would ever lay eyes on.

But Mamoru had paid little mind to his lack of interior design skills over the course of his life. And today was the one day that he could unequivocally state that he would never again dwell on the trivial. How could he after last night's events?

He dragged a hand down his haggard face, dully noting that he looked about ten years older. He also gave no heed to the fact that the bathroom window had been left open, inviting in the morning chill.

The temperature would not have bothered him at all had he not stood in front of the unforgiving mirror with his chest absent of any covering. Goosebumps traveled across his skin, making their way over his broad shoulders and down his arms. The hair on his neck stood straight on end, rising to attention to pay respect to the gentle breeze.

But more to the point and all the more disturbing, his chest literally heaved with the effort it took him to stand. Then again, what could one expect after a long night of sickness and sleeplessness? Besides, as much as he wanted to collapse and dream away the previous night's events, he couldn't. Not when there were larger issues that he needed to ponder.

Namely, his back.

Even though he had inspected it time and time again with the meticulous eyes of a doctor, Mamoru could not accept what he had seen. He turned around again, craning his neck to the point of pain. Just as it had been every other time, it was free of any scrape or scab. It was the same unscarred, pale flesh it had always been. It was as pristine as his right hand.

The night's events played back in front of his eyes like some bad action movie. He saw it all. The girl who lay unconscious and frightened on the cold, hard ground. The monster that had snarled at him, bearing stereotypical fangs. The talking cat who had been helpful only in getting him mixed up into this mess; other than that, she had been insufferable and overbearing. The tuxedo which he had never donned before that had turned him into a completely different, unrecognizable hero who called himself Tuxedo Kamen. The glass display case that had been crushed beneath him after impact. The tiny, clear debris piercing his back, digging into his otherwise unmarred flesh. His hand reaching for the largest he could find. Flinching at the pain as the edges sliced his palm.

Yet now, unbelievably, he was completely free of any wound. He was sore and slightly bruised, but he was no where near the state that he should have been in.

It simply didn't make any sense.

A tiny knock came at the door. Judging by the sound, the hand was less than two feet away from the ground. Or should he say the paw?

He ran a hand through his hair that was uncomfortably matted with sweat and grease. He took one last look in the mirror. His skin was grey as a corpse save for the dark circles under his glassy eyes. It was a frigid, grey Thursday morning and Chiba Mamoru was the very picture of imperfection. It was an odd phenomenon given that his Chemistry professor for Tuesdays and Thursdays had flaming auburn hair, legs that went on for miles, and no wedding band adorning her left ring finger.

The knock came again, this time more insistent. He knew that he could not procrastinate any longer. He dragged himself across the few feet to the door and pulled it open, leaning heavily on the doorknob. He looked down as if he had been dealing with a cat who could knock despite the absence of opposable thumbs and a few metacarpals for quite some time. Mamoru met her worried caramel eyes with a forced smile.

"I can't believe I'm being mothered by a feline."

Luna huffed, though not unkindly, and spoke in what Mamoru was quickly beginning to identify as her patented lecture tone. "Well, I am the only one around at the moment. Not to mention, the only one who knows about last night, and who ever can know about it as long as we are on the subject. Frankly, I cannot even begin to imagine who you feel would be better suited to this task. And may I add--"

"Relax," Mamoru groaned, sounding like a regular high school student that had grown entirely frustrated with his mother. He couldn't help but feel that the metaphor was all too apt as he slowly made his way back to his unkempt bed. "It was a joke."

"Oh," Luna said, looking mildly embarrassed. Were it not for the midnight dark fur covering her tiny face, Mamoru was quite sure her face would be the same color as his Chemistry professor's hair. Still, she managed to collect herself by the time she padded up behind him and leapt gracefully unto his bed. "Well, you're not very funny."

"So I've been told," Mamoru muttered as he pulled the covers up to his chin. He cast a long look at what had once been a very nice window, but it had been the one casualty from his little adventure. "I wonder how on earth I'm going to explain this one to the Super..." He glanced at Luna. "This is your fault. Any thoughts?"

Luna puffed out her chest, looking extremely insulted at the implication. "I will stress yet again that the broken window was not my doing. Did I ever once tell you that bursting through a window was the correct, prudent thing to do in your situation? No. I did not. So don't blame me for your impulsive behavior." She flipped her tail in a distinctly haughty manner, signaling the end of that conversation.

"Whatever you say," Mamoru said with a purposefully undisguised eye roll. "I guess I'll fix it myself."

"That's the spirit!" Luna exclaimed happily. "Taking responsibility for your actions. That's what I like to see."

Mamoru stared at his new housemate as if she had grown a second head that happened to be covered in scales and gills... And then the first head had started eating it. "Now I'm convinced. I am trapped in a bad anime."

The dark cat scoffed, but decided to let the subject drop. She took a deep breath to stay her temper and walked up to him. "I take it you won't be attending school today?"

Mamoru decided that he shouldn't have to answer that.

Luna glowered after several awkward moments of silence. "Well, one of us needed to bring it up. And I should mention that you cannot make a habit out of this. Now that the enemy has made itself known, it is entirely possible that this kind of thing will be happening every day. You're going to have to get used to late nights and... unpleasant circumstances."

Mamoru felt like yelling something about how that was putting it mildly or possibly picking her up by the scruff of her neck and throwing her out of his twenty-two story window. He thought better of it only because of his extremely humane principals (or so he told himself). He started to roll over in order to block her out since he obviously could not kill her. Of all the things he did not want to hear, a responsibility lecture from a furball was right at the bottom of the list.

"However," Luna continued in spite of his apparent shunning of her. "I understand that all of this has come as quite a shock to you. It isn't every day that one learns that the monsters hiding in the closets are actually real. And it certainly isn't every day that one has to... kill one of them." She looked away at that and swallowed hard.

Mamoru stopped for a moment before resettling himself. Perhaps his new "guardian" was not entirely possessing of unreasonable expectations. She even had the capacity to feel guilt, if he was reading her kitty body language correctly. He could only presume that she wished she had better equipped him for his first fight against the enemy, whoever they were. Whatever the case may have been, her words were hardly comforting to him. Before she went on or before he was tempted to prompt her for more details on anything altogether unpleasant, he changed the subject. "Why aren't I hurt?"

Luna blinked and screwed up her furry face in confusion. "You're not hurt? You could have fooled me."

"No, I mean..." Mamoru said, flinching slightly as he sat up. She was quite correct. He was by no means completely healthy. "I'm talking about the scrapes. I was bleeding last night, remember? But now there's not even a scar."

Luna frowned slightly. It took her awhile to come up with a suitable response, and frankly it didn't comfort him much. "My best guess would be that now that you've been awakened to the fight for the Moon Kingdom, you have to be ready to fight at any given moment. Thus, accelerated healing. It's the only thing I can think of that makes sense."

After a time, Mamoru nodded slightly, though that was hardly his idea of a plausible explanation. Then again, he supposed this new found gift was a minor concern compared to everything else.

What was he fighting for? Who was he? What connection did he have with this ancient civilization? Why him? Why now? Was the Moon Princess a coincidence or was he just covering his eyes to the truth?

"What else can you tell me?" He said finally, "About... this?"

Luna sighed, her posture telling of regret. "Not much I fear. But I'll relate what I can."

The cat took a deep breath, shutting her eyes. Mamoru guessed that she had to shut off the rest of the world in order to experience the hazy one that had long since disappeared and been entirely forgotten.
"One thousand years ago, this galaxy was almost entirely at peace," Luna began, suddenly sounding a lot older than she had several moments before. "All nine planets had some form of life on them, and they all lived in relative harmony with one another. It was an event that had never before been documented in the annals of history... An event that will never again come to pass. At the center of this miraculous utopia was the Moon Kingdom, ruled over by the legendary Queen Serenity."

Her voice broke slightly as she thought about the monarch that had once so wisely ruled over so many worlds. Though her memories were incomplete, Luna could still remember the admiration, respect, and love she had once held for the woman and continued to hold. Thinking of her would always be painful even though she could not even conjure up the most obscure feature of her face.

"Eight of the nine planets had joined in what was known as the Great Silver Alliance. Each one contributed to the Kingdom's growth and fruition, including warriors to protect the monarchy. And for centuries we coexisted without conflict.

"Earth was not a member of this alliance. We were known to them, but any record of our existence has long since been destroyed. We did invite the Earth to join the Alliance when it was first formed, but they could not meet our conditions. Men here still waged war with one another. As long as blood was spilt upon this soil, Earth would never join the Alliance."

Luna paused for a moment, her eyes opening. The woeful shame that suddenly filled the air was palpable. It made Mamoru feel ill at ease.

"I will not claim that the members of the Alliance were entirely innocent in what happened next... The Terrans became something of a joke in the courts. They were inferior, but we were unkind. And we underestimated them greatly. But where we were guilty of pride, they possessed frightening avarice.
"One so-called benefit to being a part of the Alliance was a form of immortality. The Terrans resented us for our life span. Thus, they joined forces with an unspeakable horror in order to destroy us.

"No one ever knew exactly how they aligned themselves with this... thing that came after us. We knew who it was then, but all I can remember when I think on it is darkness. Never ending, bone chilling, empty darkness."

Mamoru shivered as the memory of the living blackness in his dream filled his mind. He knew that this could not be coincidence. Still, he kept silent. To explain the darkness would mean explaining his princess. And even if the girl in his dreams and the monarch they were searching for were one and the same, his princess was too cherished a thing to tell Luna.

"They attacked," Luna continued, "We never saw it coming. We were fools then, secure in our power. No one was prepared for the assaults. The enemy ravaged and raped the lands until they were nothing but barren graveyards. They killed everything and turned the planets into what they are today. Useless, dead piles of rock.

"After decimating the other planets, the enemy finally attacked the Moon Kingdom. They came for the carnage, but we were already defeated. Our forces were diminished. We were weak, still licking our wounds. We did not have a chance against the hordes of hell and Terran men who were so accustomed to blood and slaughter. The warriors of the planets, the Sailor Senshi, were murdered in protecting the heir, but she died as well. In only a few short weeks, everything we had worked so hard to create had been completely decimated.

"But the Queen still lived. Her daughter, her warriors, her people all lay dead around her... and she didn't have a scratch. She knew that she could not allow her Kingdom to end in such a way. She needed vengeance for the death of her daughter and the annihilation of the Great Silver Alliance. In her grief and wrath, she somehow managed to summon enough power to wipe out the enemy entirely. One woman accomplished what tens of thousands of men had been unable to do."

Luna sniffed slightly, her voice breaking suddenly. Mamoru wasn't sure whether or not normal cats could cry, but he decided that no matter what the answer was, Luna had every right to grieve.

"She... gave her life in doing so...

"But in her last moments, she gave us all a great gift. A new life. We were all reborn, one thousand years later, to try and begin anew." Luna suddenly darkened, spitting out the next sentence as if it was the most unforgivable curse ever invented. "Unfortunately, Queen Serenity did not realize that she was also sending forward the spirits of the enemy. And it was reborn in the same time."

"Wait a minute," Mamoru said, suddenly realizing where all of this had been leading. "Are you telling me that the... thing that I fought yesterday, that's the enemy that was killed one thousand years ago?"

Luna shrugged as only a cat could. "Yes, actually. When Serenity sent you and I forward, the monsters came with us. She was too weak to separate the good from the evil... If that was possible to do anyway."

"So, let me get this straight," Mamoru said, ignoring the pounding migraine that was suddenly erupting just above his right eye. "Not only was the youma a reincarnated spirit from a thousand years ago... But so am I?"

"Yes," Luna said. "You must be one of the warriors that was meant to protect the monarchy. Though you are most definitely not a Sailor Senshi."

"Why not?"

Luna gave him a clearly incredulous look. "Apparently I forgot to mention that Sailor Senshi can only be female."

Mamoru laughed, finding no mirth in any of this. "Yeah, that does rule me out." He paused, turning back to her. He felt some glimmer of hope rise up and swell within him, but he did his best to crush it. Hope was a weakness he had long learned to forget. "I don't suppose you know who I was?"

Luna snorted at the absurdity of the idea. "Of course not. That would make the mystery of you nonexistent. I don't know who you were, Chiba Mamoru. I also don't know why of all people I found you first. I have sensed other members of the Moon Kingdom in Tokyo, but none of them possessed any magic as potent as yours. The one thing I do know is that now that I have found you, you are meant to help me do what I was reborn to do. Namely, find the Sailor Senshi and the Moon Princess and kill the enemy once and for all thereby saving the Earth from certain doom. That shouldn't take too much effort."

Mamoru was pretty sure she was being sardonic, but frankly her sarcastic voice sounded an awful lot like her regular voice.

"How?" Mamoru asked. "How the hell are we supposed to do all of this? I mean. I don't even know where to begin. If I don't remember anything about the Silver Millennium, then they certainly don't. And if they do, they have to be locked up in a mental institution somewhere. How exactly are we planning on doing this?" He punctuated his mini-rant with a very loud, very embarrassing yawn.

"Well," Luna clucked, going into full kitty mother mode. "First things first. You need to get caught up on your sleep. I don't remember anything else, and you have to stay healthy if we're going to do this properly.

"It is six thirty in the morning. I'll wake you at three. And then I expect you to go shopping for a new window and cat food. I'm starving."

"Yes, mother," Mamoru muttered snidely as he rolled over to go to sleep.

Luna couldn't help but be exasperated with her new charge. She was definitely having a very hard time reconciling with the fact that her great warrior was a rather self-absorbed smart aleck who had a tendency to be insufferably logical. But she supposed he was better than nothing... And he had accepted the reincarnation bit surprisingly well. Then again, she supposed he was willing to be more accepting after what had happened last night. Still, she couldn't imagine a more ill-suited candidate for a fantastical fight against monsters from the underworld.

But as she curled up at the edge of his bed, at his feet to try and do something to aide against Mamoru's battle against the cold, she couldn't help but wonder if she was underestimating him. She just couldn't reconcile the look of profound pain on his face.

-----

Mamoru groaned with effort as he loaded about five armfuls of cat supplies into the back of his car. He had purchased a replacement for the broken window an hour before, and then gone to the nearest Pet Shop to get supplies for Luna. He had only expected to be in there to pick up food and a litter box. What else did an immortal talking cat need anyway?

Much to his chagrin, he had begun chatting up a cute salesgirl during his excursion into Pet Land. After all, he had to entertain himself somehow, didn't he? Especially now that he would be facing his doom every night thanks to a very weird twist of fate.

Said cute salesgirl had talked him into buying brushes, ceramic food and water bowls with kitty-esque decorations, a cat bed, a cat tree, treats, vitamins, and a few thousand toy mousies and rubber balls. He had spent an inordinate amount of money on the stupid feline, and he hadn't even gotten a phone number out of the deal.

Clearly, this meant that he was in need of a cup of coffee. And there was only one place in the Juuban district that he cared to have any at, even if it was some of the worst in all of Japan. Mamoru closed the trunk to his car, climbed in, and zipped over to the Crown Arcade and Cafe.

He made it in record time, driving well over the speed limit and giving his horn something to do in the process. It certainly wasn't typical behavior for him, but then Mamoru was no longer a typical man.
He parked about a block away from the Arcade as it was impossible to find a parking place in Tokyo at this time of day. He wouldn't find another one this good for hours, and no bad cup of coffee was worth that effort.

Mamoru got out of the car, readjusting his sunglasses as he did so. He looked around casually, taking in the sights around him. He had once been told by a friend that he needed to stop and smell the roses once in awhile, and he supposed now was as good a time as ever. Besides, he needed to unwind before the caffeine wound him up too tightly.

Mamoru wasn't expecting to see anything of interest, until his eyes fell upon something he had not seen before. He raised a dark eyebrow above the rim of his glasses. He knew that that shop had been empty the last time he had looked at it, but over the course of a few days, someone had apparently opened a flower shop. He couldn't take stock of the merchandise from this far away, but it looked nice enough.

"Hmm..." Mamoru mused. "I am running low on roses."

Mamoru had always had a love for the flower ever since he could remember. And that was saying something considering how little he recalled. Their scent, their ruby color, the gentle texture and curve of each petal had always brought him comfort. When he was at his darkest, the scent of roses could always lift him up. So, he had never been without roses. He had tended to a rose bush at the orphanage, and just about every room in his apartment sported a vase full of them. However, Mamoru had grown lax as of late. He needed to replace a few of them. And there was a florist right there.

He ventured over to the storefront window, peering in rather conspicuously. He was surprised to find few of the conventional flora within. In fact, the shop was almost entirely full of a startlingly teal flower the likes of which he had never seen before. Then again, he was no horticultural expert. Still, there was something about the large plant that seemed positively alien.

It was interesting, and he would have liked to take a closer look. But he didn't have the time to dawdle anymore. Besides, he had spent more than enough money that day. Mamoru didn't want to make the effort searching for his flower of choice or pry open his wallet again. With a shrug, Mamoru turned away and continued on his less than merry way.

Inside the shop, the shopkeeper scowled and continued watering.

Mamoru opened the door to the Arcade, smirking at the familiar chime of the opening door. Motoki's head snapped over to him at once, a fake smile plastered on his face. Once he recognized the man behind the sunglasses, it became genuine and he waved with the enthusiasm of a five year old at Christmas. Mamoru chuckled at the amusing sight, removing the glasses in such a manner that the few girls in the building gave him a collected appreciative look.

The smirk widened as Mamoru waved back coolly. "Hey, Motoki. How's business?"

"Always with the small talk, eh Mamoru?" Motoki chided with a wide grin. "It's the same as it always is. Booming as soon as school lets out. But what are you doing here? Shouldn't you be in class?"
Mamoru shook his head as he sat down at the otherwise empty bar. Motoki set about getting a coffee for his friend, making sure that it was to his exact specifications. "Nah, I was sick last night, so I stayed home today."

Motoki looked up from his work, a look of concern in his eyes. "Are you all right? Should you really be out of bed?"

Mamoru couldn't help but smile without any form of cynicism. Motoki had been his best and, truth be told, only real friend since he had left the orphanage. Motoki was an exceptional human being from a good family. They had taught Motoki about generosity, charity, kindness, empathy, and compassion. It had left him a bit of a mother hen, but a truly good man. It almost sounded arbitrary, but he that was what he was. There were many men who could make it into Heaven if it existed, but Motoki was one of the few people who deserved such paradise.

He waved off his fair friend flippantly, saying, "No, I'm fine now. I slept it off. I would have stayed in bed, as I know you would want me to do."

"Yeah, me and every other doctor in his right mind," Motoki chastised, laying Mamoru's coffee in front of him. "Two creams and all of the sugar in the stockroom."

Mamoru raised the mug in mock toast, swallowing the insanely sweet concoction without flinching. Once the warm sugary liquid slid down his throat, he continued. "Unfortunately, my cat deemed it necessary to wake me up." Mamoru rolled his eyes and added, "She's probably the most annoying feline ever created. And she never shuts--"

"Whoa," Motoki declared, holding up his hands for Mamoru to stop. And it was a good thing seeing as Mamoru had almost said far too much. "You have a cat? Since when?"

"Yesterday," Mamoru said truthfully, taking a sip of his coffee while he collected himself. Luna had warned him about divulging his story to others. He couldn't tell Motoki. He couldn't tell anyone. If they didn't have him committed, it was placing them in clear and present danger.

But he would have liked to have someone share his terrible fate aside from an unsympathetic cat. What did Luna know of life in this time? What did she know of being a human? How could she console him when she couldn't begin to understand all of his demons? She may have been his guardian, or at least that's what she told him, but what use was that?

Mamoru wanted someone who walked on two legs to be with him in this. Yes, they were searching for others, but he didn't want to even begin to speculate on how long that might take. He needed a shoulder now. He needed words of understanding. Who better to give such things than Motoki? He had managed to comprehend and ease all of his troubles before. What would be different this time?

And yet, as Mamoru finally allowed himself to swallow, he knew it couldn't be. It was foolish to imagine. Motoki would never believe this. He barely believed it! Motoki couldn't help him this time. There was nothing anyone could do, save four girls from Mercury, Venus, Mars, and Jupiter... And a Princess of the Moon who had lingered in his dreams since he had begun to dream.

Mamoru looked up and smoothly continued in a false narrative, trying to ignore his conscience who saw things only in black and white. "A friend from the orphanage is getting married and his wife is allergic. He called in a favor and I was forced to oblige. He gave me his one cookie we were allowed a year once, and he's never let me forget it."

Motoki chuckled, buying into it. He was so gullible and beyond trusting. Motoki was like a faithful dog. One could scream at it and banish it to the corner on a whim. It would sit there, tail between its legs, whimpering until one called it back. Then the foolish, blissfully happy pup would bark joyfully, wag its tail and act as if nothing ever happened. And for all of Motoki's intuition, he could not see through a poor lie. And he would never guess the truth.

Mamoru had rarely ever felt worse.

"Chiba Mamoru a pet owner. Now I've seen everything," Motoki chuckled, wiping down the counter even though it was spotless. It was a personality quirk that Mamoru had yet to understand. "You know, I had a turtle once."

He groaned, glad for the distraction. "God, not that stupid turtle again."

Motoki straightened, genuinely insulted at Mamoru's words. "He was not stupid! He was my friend. He was like a brother."

"He was a green reptile who lived in a shell. An animal who could never beat a hare in a race, I don't care what the story says," Mamoru drawled. "Now, we are going to stop this conversation. You are not going to regale me with stories of saving him from an unfortunate toilet accident or see pictures of your vacation in Hong Kong."

Motoki glared, but Mamoru saw the corners of his twitching. He was be grinning and laughing soon enough. Although, Mamoru knew that the death of his turtle had been quite a psychological trauma. He still insisted that he was on an extended leave of absence to recover from a nasty case of the flu. In fact, Motoki had nearly burst into tears the one time Mamoru questioned whether or not cold-blooded animals could be feverish. But then, Motoki was lucky if that was the only trauma he had suffered. Very lucky indeed.

Motoki laughed ruefully, running a hand through his corn colored hair. "Okay, I can take a hint... Not that you were that subtle, but I can still take a hint."

"Good," Mamoru assented, taking another sip of his coffee. After that, their conversation lapsed for a moment. Mamoru couldn't bring himself to make small talk when his innards were eating him alive with avarice. It wasn't just lucky that Motoki had escaped life virtually unscathed. It was cosmically unfair. Mamoru knew the query was fruitless and immature, but he couldn't help but want to look up at the sky and ask the gods why it had to be him. Why he had to lose his parents. Why he had lost his memory. Why he had always been alone. Why he had to face the powers of hell.

No, it wasn't fair. It wasn't fair at all. And there wasn't a damn thing anyone could do about it.

He managed to refocus. It wasn't the first time that envy had threatened to consume him. Mamoru took another soothing swig of the light brown liquid and breathed. When he opened his eyes again, he saw Motoki staring at him with the same look he had when he read. It was the look he had when he partook in intense scrutiny and was left bewildered at an impossible concept.

"Something's wrong with you," Motoki murmured so softly that Mamoru barely heard it. The man who had been dealt the better hand leaned forward, eyes full of something akin to compassion. "Something's happened hasn't it?"

Mamoru nearly choked. For all of Motoki's blindness, he had the annoying habit of being perceptive when it came to Mamoru's moods.

Little did he know that Mamoru was preoccupied because the Grim Reaper was hounding him, grinning at his door. He had escaped the clutches of the scythe the night before, but how long would he survive alone and ignorant of warfare?

A second life...

A terrible war...

A civilization destroyed...

Blood of a princess...

Sacrifices of soldiers...

Magical felines...

Terrible monsters...

Screaming schoolgirls...

Deadly rose...

Broken glass...

Shattered dreams...

Uncertain future...

"Nothing's wrong. Nothing happened," Mamoru insisted. "I'm fine."

"I don't believe you," Motoki said plainly before Mamoru even managed to get the whole of his sentence out. "Just like I never believe you. But I'm not going to press you. I know that doesn't work."

"Damn straight," Mamoru muttered before he could stop himself.

Motoki snorted slightly, glancing over at the door as it chimed. His eyes lit up briefly, but he remained with Mamoru for a moment. "You'll tell me when you're ready. But if you need help, don't wait too long to ask for it."

Then Motoki went over to greet his newest customer. He knew whoever it was fairly well as he prattled on in a cheery voice about some new magical girl fighter game. Mamoru didn't dare turn his head to look after his best friend. He feared that Motoki would turn and see his expression. Mamoru couldn't begin to describe it, but it would be all too revealing. His face would clearly read something no human being enjoyed knowing...

He needed help, but there was absolutely nothing he could do.

"REALLY, MOTOKI! A NEW SAILOR V GAME!"

Mamoru did choke on his coffee this time, cringing at the horrid, high pitched squeal that had been haunting him all day. He turned roughly, coughing and sputtering as if he was drowning. He didn't want to believe it was her. But when he saw those wide, childish eyes and unconventional hairstyle, he knew it had to be. He felt rather like cursing like he had never cursed before, but something within him told him it would be a terrible sin to strip away any more of her innocence.

The blonde looked over at the sound of his suffering and Mamoru promptly stopped flailing about. She blinked, eyes widening even more. She even went so far as to point at him like she was accusing him of being a witch in Salem. She walked up angrily and shouted, "You! What are you doing here?"

Mamoru just stared at her. He couldn't really stop coughing, but he was attracting so much attention thanks to that girl that he quickly switched over to clearing his throat.

He was caught between a rock and a hard place again... He didn't know how to respond the question. Yes, he felt hugely guilty over being so cruel to her the day before. Of course, if he had known that she was going to be at death's door thanks to a minion from hell several hours after that, he wouldn't have sought his revenge for making his day so miserable with quite as much zeal. But at the same time, he couldn't very well apologize to her.

He couldn't come up with a very good reason behind this theory of course, but that was largely irrelevant to the problem at hand.

"Breathing," Mamoru choked out, wheezing slightly. He held up the remnants of his coffee in a mock toast and added, "And attempting to have a cup of coffee just to break the monotony."

She didn't respond to that, giving him a blank look. He supposed that was the sort of answer people couldn't respond to.

"Wow, Mamoru, that was almost funny," Motoki quipped. "So, I take it you two know each other?"

"Unfortunately," Usagi spit acidly before turning on her heel and walking back to the other area of the cafe where all of the arcade games were. Mamoru watched her go with her head held high in the air, her corn silk pigtails swishing back and forth, and her briefcase hitting some unsuspecting boy in the head. She didn't seem to notice.

Motoki chuckled slightly, shaking his head. "That girl... She always brightens my day."

And Mamoru once again questioned his friend's sanity. However, he was smart enough to know better than to ask that aloud. Instead, he gestured after her as she sat down at a console, clapping her hands gleefully and feeding money into the machine. "You know her?"

"Sure," Motoki said with a shrug, moving back behind the counter. "Girls don't usually come in here that often unless they want a milkshake or something. She was one of the first to actually venture into the other realm."

As Motoki began busying himself with other things, Mamoru narrowed his eyes. He did recall something about that... Motoki had a tendency to ramble on about work, and Mamoru had a tendency to ignore him. Still, that was one of the few tangents that he'd actually paid attention. He remembered Motoki talking about a blonde playing video games and causing quite a stir. Was she that girl?

"What's her name?" Mamoru asked suddenly.

Motoki raised an eyebrow. "You don't know her name?"

Mamoru almost laughed a little at that. Motoki did have a point, though he would probably never understand it. It was rather odd to think that he had saved her life the night before and he didn't even know what her parents called her. He had seen her test paper, but he hadn't gotten a good enough look at it to see what her name was.

"We only met yesterday," Mamoru explained. "I called her Odango Atama. She wasn't too willing to divulge her name after that."

"Odango Atama?" Motoki repeated, laughing. "Well, what do you know? That is funny! I wish I'd thought of it."

"Best let the girl hate me and myself alone," Mamoru reasoned. "Now come on. Who is she?"

Motoki hesitated slightly, but he relented soon enough. "Her name is Tsukino Usagi. Anything more and you'll have to ask her yourself. It looks like the Crane Game is broken again." With that, Motoki grabbed the toolkit he kept under the counter and went over to aid the flailing ten year old before he threw a fit.

And so Mamoru was left with nothing to do but watch the aging child known as Tsukino Usagi. She played the game with a vivaciousness that he felt was uncommon for so trivial a thing. She would whoop with each triumph and bemoan her inadequacies with each loss. Her eyes now had passion in them that she had lacked before. He had to admit that had it been about anything else it would have been becoming.

But now it just sickened him.

Is this what he had saved her for? To play video games and go through life like a spoiled brat entirely unchanged from what she had been before? She had witnessed something born out of the darkest depths of night terrors, and yet she was not affected in the slightest. It was still business as usual.

How could she be so flippant? So flighty? How could she not be wandering around with a profound sense of her own mortality? How could she go on acting like life was normal when it was anything but and she alone knew it? How could she look on a demon from hell and not be changed?

She should have been living out 'carpe diem.' She should have seized the day. She should be living life to the fullest instead of rotting her brain cells by shooting at little snakes or hamsters or whatever else was the enemy in video games these days. He didn't know what he would ask an eighth grader to do, but it wouldn't have been this.

She should have had that same arresting passion in her eyes from the moment she had left that Jewelry Shop. She should have been on fire of every moment in her day. She should have been determined. She should have yearned. She should have hungered and thirsted for something profound. And she should have the look of someone who had been given a great gift. Life. They had all been given it, but she should have had the sense to realize how great it was and thanked God or whoever else for it in every breath and every gesture and every action.

But no. Instead she had the same vacant, dispassionate, terrifyingly apathetic gaze every ordinary teenager had. He could have forgiven her before. But now? When she was no longer just another face in the crowd? Now when she was a survivor? When she had nearly been a martyr?

He couldn't forgive her now.

It filled him with rage unlike that which he was accustomed to. He wanted to throttle her. He wanted to beat her. He wanted to shake her until she realized the gift she had been given and what her "adventure" the night before meant.

Before he knew what he was doing, Mamoru was on his feet stalking up to Usagi who was lost in the magical world where the press of a button killed the monsters. Both of them knew that it took one hefty shard of glass and a rose of all things to do the job properly. He was suddenly behind her as she got out of her seat, standing up to face animated creature no bigger than her thumb. Her tongue had escaped the confines of her mouth, a look of intense concentration and determination on her face. She was muttering under her breath, encouraging herself, willing the monsters dead.

Mamoru was reaching out to her, though he didn't know what they would do once they found her. But he stopped. He hardly considered himself an expert on psychology. Yet, he couldn't help but wonder if maybe she was fighting these monsters because she had been unable to face the real ones... And not just the one that had tried to kill her the night before.

But then why did she seem so happy?

Usagi groaned as her character died at the hands of some Snake Monster that had slithered out of nowhere. She sat down again, leaning back in lamentation of her loss. She ran into his hand and spun around in her seat, wondering who was behind her. Her peppy curiosity quickly morphed to disgust and impatience. "What do you want?"

Mamoru knew then that he would not lay a hand on her.

"Nothing," he said quickly, turning to go. "Nothing at all."

Her curiosity came back with a vengeance, but she did not abandon her previous feelings of him. She tilted her head to the side and stopped him before he left. "You're really strange. Did you know?"

Mamoru snorted slightly. Well, he wouldn't begrudge her that insight. "You have no idea."

She nodded as if this confirmed her assessment. "Very strange."

Mamoru shrugged and sighed slightly. "Whatever you say, Odango Atama."

He hadn't actually meant to say that. Really, insulting her had been the furthest thing from his mind. But Mamoru had been thinking of her by that name for nearly twenty four hours. It was incredibly difficult for a human being to change their initial perception of another human being in five minutes. And he had never been all that good with names to begin with, so he really couldn't be blamed for the accidental slip.

However, that didn't seem to matter to Tsukino Usagi.

"DON'T CALL ME THAT!"

He winced as her voice shot up a few octaves. Once again, Mamoru found himself flailing for how to respond. It turned out that was unnecessary as Usagi was not anywhere near finished with him.

The blonde leapt to her feet and rose up to her full height, which wasn't at all imposing even when she stood on tip toes. She glared at him, poked him in the chest, and began ranting at the top of her lungs. Once again, she had managed to attract everyone's attention. She seemed to have knack for it.

"Look mister," she began, clenching her teeth. "I don't know who you are. I don't know why you seem to get such a kick out of irritating me. But I will say that you are with a doubt the rudest person I have ever met! You are also insufferable, cruel, unpleasant, annoying, arrogant, horrid, irritating, hateful, terrible, and downright evil human being! You don't have a shred of moral decency, and I can't stand you! Which is ridiculous because I don't even know your name! And I don't want to learn it!"

Usagi stood there with her chest heaving and her eyes blazing for a few minutes. Several people left the building. Other people quietly applauded the performance. Motoki seemed to find this predicament incredibly amusing and was trying to suppress his laughter. He wasn't doing a good job.

Still, in spite of the public humiliation, Mamoru was almost happy that he had done this. After all, she had that passion again... As a matter of fact, had he been a lesser man, he would have actually said, 'You know, you're beautiful when you're angry.'

Of course, he didn't. He would have sooner thrown himself in front of a semi. It was a horrible line. And considering he had used plenty of them, he knew a horrible line when he heard one.

"Now," Usagi intoned, once again thrusting her nose into the air. "I am going to leave. I am going to forget about you. And I am going to feel nothing but hatred for you until my dying day."

Mamoru almost questioned her logic, but decided that he probably couldn't pull off the rugged black eye look.

Usagi gathered up her things, sent an especially high pitched 'hmph' in his general direction, and continued on her less than merry way with her nose high in the air. As it turned out, she had come up with better ideas in her time. For as Mamoru wisely got out of Usagi's way, she stepped forward not noticing what on the ground in front of her. Within seconds, the room filled with her soprano scream and an inhuman yowl. Usagi attempted to regain her balance, arms flapping willy nilly and her eyes rolling around in her head, but it was no use. She soon found herself falling forward rapidly, landing on her nose with her legs dangling up in the air. As she was wearing a skirt, she was the rather unwelcome victim of more than one voyeuristic teenage boys would had never seen such things before and would never see it again.

Mamoru barked something highly offensive and quite frightening, sending them dashing out of the store. He was about to move forward and help her up before any there was any more embarrassment to be had when he noticed what she had stepped on.

"Luna!"

Mamoru bent down to pick up the cat who now had a footprint across her face and a number of crooked whiskers. She was meowing painfully, but the look on her face said all that needed to be said. She blamed him for all of this.

He would have dropped her if she hadn't been sure to land on her feet.

"Usagi!" Motoki cried out as he dashed forward. He turned out to be a better man as he helped to pick her up off the floor, behaving the perfect gentleman as always. Usagi's face was solid red, and she looked slightly disoriented. "Are you hurt? Are you all right?"

Usagi mumbled a few incoherent thoughts for a few seconds before shaking her head like she was trying to get soap out of her ears. She then turned to Motoki... and her face got a little more red.

"Oh, brother," Mamoru muttered quietly. He knew that look. Poor Motoki.

"Motoki," she said breathlessly, her eyes very nearly changing from ovals to little hearts. "Thank you so much for helping me. You're so kind." She then glared at him and if life had been better to Tsukino Usagi, he would have dropped dead immediately. "Unlike some people!"

Mamoru supposed he deserved that, but he couldn't help but defend himself. "I was trying to help my cat. You know, the one you stepped on."

Usagi snarled and ground out, "As if that's any excuse for just leaving me there, you-- Oh, what an adorable kitty!"

Usagi's malice towards him seemed entirely forgotten once she laid eyes on the dark feline. Her eyes lit up with a squeal of delight. She lifted the cat from his arms before he could protest. Luna meowed uncomfortably as she was still in quite a lot of pain. That quickly changed as Usagi held her lovingly, scratching her under her chin gently. The cat began purring without shame or pride inhibiting her. She seemed to grow better under Usagi's arms.

"Who's a pretty kitty? Who's a pretty kitty?" Usagi cooed in a voice even higher than the one she normally spoke in. Mamoru couldn't help but wince. The blonde didn't notice, however, and turned back to him, questioning, "Is she yours?"

"As of yesterday," Mamoru said in a confused tone of voice. How could she stand to switch from one emotion to the next like that and not get dizzy? He looked up at Motoki. However, he was obviously used to this behavior and saw nothing wrong with it.

Usagi looked him up and down as one would look at an inconveniently placed bit of road kill. "I didn't expect so horrible a person would have such a sweet kitty."

"Life's just full of surprises," Mamoru muttered, glaring at Luna as discreetly as one could glare. She didn't notice however. Her eyes were closed in bliss as Usagi continued her affectionate gestures she would probably never receive from her current owner.

Usagi proceeded to continue to make a fool out of herself, making humiliating kissing noises at the cat and hugging her like she was a stuffed animal, though with more regard for her existence. "Oh..." Usagi lamented miserably after awhile. "I wish I had a kitty."

Mamoru's eyes lit up in a mad, desperate scheme. He knew it couldn't possibly work, but he was going to follow through with it anyway. Probably all thanks in whole to the sugar rush he was now experiencing as the coffee finally kicked in.

"You want her? Take her. Please."

Luna's head swung over at Mamoru. The two blonds present were quite surprised at her reaction. They would later swear she had actually understood what he had said. She wriggled out of a shocked Usagi's arms. Without much ceremony or regard for Mamoru's bruised body, Luna leapt onto his shoulder. Once she was settled, she dug her claws into his flesh, causing Mamoru to cry out in pain. Luna released him immediately, leaving him to contend with the bewildered looks of the patrons, Motoki, and Usagi.

"Heh. Kidding."

-----

"What is this I hear of a new plan, Jadeite?"

Beryl's voice echoed in a manner that chilled the bones of even the cold blooded youma who were so used to it. The inner sanctum was still surprisingly empty in spite of the fact that the hordes of demons resided there, feeding and sweating and grunting and partaking in whatever other activities they found empty pleasure in not fifty feet from their queen's sight. But then youma had never had any sense of shame or propriety. They were all disfigured, demented versions of Adam and Eve in a garden of sewage and bone.

Four men were an exception to the rule. They were the only true humans who resided in the rank depths of the underworld. Only one of them was bowed reverently before the queen, just as he had been the day before. And just as before, three men watched from the boundary between the Queen's domain and the demon breeding ground. One regarded him with distant paternal expectations while the other simply hoped that he would fail. The third and final simply worried and said nothing to his companions on that subject.

"I do, my queen," Jadeite intoned respectfully, rising from the floor to face the voluptuous, dreadful monarch. "I have already implemented a plan. It has yielded us twice as much energy as the last failed attempt did and gathers more even as we speak."

"Yes," Beryl hissed, her voice dropping several octaves. "What was it that went wrong with that plan, Jadeite? I expected better from you."

Jadeite swallowed and did his best to ignore his male ego in these moments of terror. "I believe the flaw in that operation was that the collection all began at the same time. It attracted too much attention yielding... an unforeseen consequence."

"Ah," Beryl said, her tone less menacing and more titillated. It didn't throw Jadeite in the slightest. "The masked man... I take it we know nothing of him as before?"

"Correct, your majesty," Jadeite acquiesced, inclining his head yet again. "But I beg you my queen, do not focus on the shortcomings of the last operation. Let us turn to this one."

"Yes, of course," Queen Beryl agreed amicably. That did seem strange to him given his previous failure. It worried him, but he could say nothing. "Continue."

Jadeite nodded and proceeded to explain his plan. "I have set up a flower shop in an empty building in Tokyo. It is in a highly populated area and should attract a lot of attention." He pulled his hand from behind his back to show her a large turquoise flower. The veins that criss-crossed across he six petals were bright orange to match the large center. He didn't have to ask the queen if she recognized the bloom.

"The Dormiens Blossom," Beryl remarked, impressed. "I was unaware that we had been able to cultivate those in this inclement weather. I take it that this is the center of your plan?"

"Yes," Jadeite blurted, nodding eagerly. "A victim will buy the flower and take it home. The Dormiens Blossom will release its pollen. They will inhale it, and it will drain their energy. It can take anywhere from a few minutes to a few hours depending on how much they inhale. This way, that Tuxedo Kamen character will not be able to trace back the cause for the wave of exhaustion coursing through the Juuban District."

Queen Beryl nodded, clearly approving of this plan. "And this plant has already given us fruit, so to speak?"

"We have energy, my queen. Not a lot I fear, but this could go on for weeks undetected. We will have enough."

"See to it that we do," Beryl barked, causing Jadeite to jump. Some of the youma who had been paying attention hissed and did their best to blend into the crown. There was not one among them who did not fear their Queen's wrath.

Jadeite nodded slowly, a little shaken from her sudden outburst. One would think that he would have been immune to such things by now, but clearly that wasn't so. He supposed one could never be prepared for Queen Beryl. He bowed deeply and pronounced, "With your permission, majesty, I wish to depart and monitor this mission's progress."

"Yes, of course," Beryl commented absently, waving her hand as if the matter was not her concern. And in fact, it wasn't so that really wasn't anything remarkable. "And Jadeite?"

"Yes?"

"Do not fail me again."

Jadeite flinched slightly at her cold apathy. He knew in his heart, assuming of course that he still had one, that Beryl could replace him at any time. There were others just like him who waiting for their chance. Beryl had no love lost on any single one of them. She would sell them as easily as her own mother. Then again, Beryl would not be kind enough to simply give them away.

Jadeite vanished in a flash of red before he could think on that any longer.

From there, he teleported to his quarters. They were carved out of the unforgiving stone just as the rest of the citadel had been. Blessedly, the youma could not roam there unless he or one of the other kings called them. Unlike some of his colleagues, Jadeite was not adverse to calling upon one of the more relatable among their overwhelmingly idiotic brethren for entertainment of a carnal nature. Youma were viscous and insatiable. Sometimes that wasn't a bad thing.

Jadeite smirked slightly, but put those thoughts out of his mind. They had served their purpose in banishing all remembrances of Beryl's unrelenting stare and passionate ambivalence to his life. Now was not to a time for thought but action.

He entered his living area, breezing by the chamber moderately decorated in lush reds that stood out like blood against the ebony rock. He paid it no mind as he had gazed upon it many times. It had failed to impress him or anyone else. Blood was not an uncommon sight in the bowels of the Dark Kingdom.

He continued walking through the living quarters and into an empty room. The ceiling stretched up far beyond where his eyes could see. It was lacking in any furniture whatsoever. But then this room was not meant for lounging about. It was meant for storage.

Jadeite thrust out his right hand and briskly gathered up all traces of energy in the room. They flew to him at his beckoning call. The azure waves twisted and spiraled together to form a living, glowing ball of energy equivalent to the size of a large man's fist. Seconds later, it grew and more energy appeared in the chamber. As planned, his youma had sent forth the new energy at the appointed time.

He smirked in the dim light as the sphere grew ever larger. Within minutes, it was just a shade smaller than his head. He was quite pleased with himself. Granted, the plan would not yield massive amounts of energy at a time. But over the course of a few Terran weeks, they would have amassed a large amount. And this time, they would not have to worry about attracting too much attention and bring down their enemy upon them.

Jadeite sneered at that thought, barely resisting the urge to spit in a temper. Tuxedo Kamen... Who was Tuxedo Kamen? They had known nothing of any sort of defenses that the Earth had against them. All had assumed that the energy collection would be all too simple. The humans would not even know what was happening before it was all over. The Dark Kingdom would be energized and her Empress refreshed. A dark shadow would fall over the land and with the flick of a wrist, the Earth would be theirs. And all thanks to Jadeite.

But no. Some strange man in a cheesy top hat and an impractical cape had come along and ruined everything. He had nearly cost Jadeite his life. Yes, the Queen had been surprisingly forgiving of his failure. But he knew that underneath her cool visage boiled a fury no god could match. He was also aware that Kunzite, his leader and friend, had been the one thing standing between him and death. Zoisite had been unfeeling enough to tell Jadeite how close he had been to slaughter earlier that day. He did it to annoy him, but he did not know how much he terrified. The thought of dying so soon after beginning... It was incredible! Absurd! And yet it would dog him every second of every day until he truly succeeded. He would fight. He would win. And he would survive this war if it killed him.

"Jadeite."

He jumped again, dropping his hand. The energy fled his grasp immediately, but he had been finished with the collection anyway. Jadeite raised his hand to fight, and only lowered it when the speaker raised his own hand, a tiny hot white ball of light shining there. It was bright enough to cast eerie shadows about the room resembling the monsters they courted. It revealed his sudden companion easily enough.

Jadeite breathed a sigh of relief, willing his heart rate to slow down. It was silly of him to fret really. Only other Shittennou would or could venture here. "Nephrite. It's only you."

The auburn haired general raised an eyebrow, but as always he failed to look the least bit amused. "I scared you?"

"You startled me," Jadeite corrected swiftly, his male ego coming back into play. "Did you want something, Nephrite? I'm busy, so it isn't as if I can just--"

"I'm aware," Nephrite interrupted, his voice grave. Normally this would not have perturbed Jadeite in the least. Nephrite was a bit of a fatalist. He had a tendency to make good news sound like it was a terminal cancer. Yet, there was something in his posture or his ice blue eyes that made Jadeite nervous again.

He was wondering if this ordeal was going to make him a trembling, sobbing wreck before it was all over. "What is it?"

Nephrite sighed, studying a rather interesting crack in the floor for a fleeting second. Then he looked back up at his fellow Shittennou and said, "I think you are setting yourself up for your own doom."

Jadeite stared at him for a moment. Nephrite's choices of linguistics never failed to astonish him. He snorted, shaking his head with a smirk. "Oh, Nephrite... You always know how to cheer me up. Now do be sure not to tell me how handsome I am. You might depress me."

"I'm serious," Nephrite persisted.

"Oh, come off it, Nephrite!" Jadeite shouted, laughing in spite of his friend's lack of humor about anything. "You think everything I do will inevitably result in my doom."

Nephrite narrowed his eyes and tensed. "Jadeite, not everything about your mannerisms and character will kill you. Most will, but not all. Nevertheless, I fear that your plans to collect energy for Queen Beryl will be your end if you do not change them soon."

Jadeite had been prepared to simply walk away from Nephrite and leave him to his own death proclamations. But for whatever reason this intrigued Jadeite. He walked forward, eyebrows furrowed together in thought. "What do you mean?"

"You are taking energy from many people at a time," Nephrite continued without pause. "That is bound to attract attention. Even in such a way as this where it does not all happen at once, someone is going to notice. And that someone just might be that Tuxedo Kamen who ruined the last plan."

Jadeite waved Nephrite off. "I don't perceive that he will be a threat to me in the future."

Before Jadeite could as much as blink, Nephrite's hand was gripping Jadeite's arm like a vice. The blond was strong in his own right, arguably stronger than Nephrite. He did not flinch. Still, it was enough to catch him off guard. It gave the darker man a chance to speak on. "Jadeite, we don't know who we're dealing with. For all we know there could be more like him. Don't be a fool and underestimate your enemies."

Jadeite pulled away, narrowing his eyes at the man angrily. He had humored him out of friendship, but now he was bordering on being insulting. "I would say something similar to you. Do not be a fool, Nephrite, and underestimate your allies... and your superiors."

With that, Jadeite turned on his heel and stalked out. Nephrite watched him go, noting the hunch in shoulders. The man was clearly fuming... But Nephrite could not stand idly by and watch him do something idiotic. Zoisite was the ruthlessly ambitious one. Not Nephrite. He considered Jadeite a friend. He didn't want that to end for any reason.

"I pray that the stars do not foretell my taking up your mantle, Jadeite."

-----

Mamoru had decided to leave after the somewhat humiliating encounter with that weird girl. What was her name again? He was so dreadful with names. Then again, even if he did remember her name, he would have continued to call her Odango Atama because he was clearly a closet masochist of some sort.

He would have stopped thinking of her some time ago had the pretty blonde not, for whatever reason, decided to follow him outside the Arcade. Luna, in spite of making it quite clear that living with the girl was not an option, had left Mamoru's shoulder. She had made some rather predictable remark about the spot being cold and migrated to a better climate.

"You are just the prettiest little thing I've ever seen!" Usagi gushed in one of the most annoying baby-talk voices he had ever heard in his time on the Earth. "Yes, you are! Yes, you are!"

"I'm sure the cat is well aware of how attractive she is," Mamoru drawled as he put his sunglasses back on.

He could feel Usagi glaring into his back. "You never told me what her name is," she remarked.

"Luna," Mamoru answered before bothering to ponder if maybe he should have kept this information to himself. He was new at this super hero business. He wasn't entirely sure what he was allowed to tell people and what he should keep to himself anymore. Still, he was quite sure that asking the feline at this point would have defeated the purpose of that.

Usagi clucked her tongue as if in thought. "Luna, huh? That's an elegant name. How did you come up with it?"

Mamoru very nearly said that Luna had told him. The words were on his lips, but he stopped himself just in time. He launched into another coughing fit, shrugging to save himself from being asked again. He was really bad at lying off the cuff.

"Oh, I bet I know!" Usagi squealed, apparently quite pleased with herself. "It's because of her little crescent moon bald spot, isn't it?"

Mamoru heard an indignant meow from behind him. He could barely contain his laughter, but somehow managed it. He would be sure to make fun of Luna the moment he was alone with her again. That was priceless. A bald spot....

"What made you decide to get a cat?" Usagi queried, completely unaware that the midnight bundle perched on her shoulder was giving her the evil eye. "You seem like the kind of guy who would rather have some kind of deadly boa constrictor or something."

Mamoru sighed and finally decided that she had followed him for long enough. He was almost to his car, and while he had saved her life, he didn't necessarily enjoy her company. He spun around, smirking slightly due to the comically infuriated expression on Luna's fuzzy face. "As much as I relish in listening to your assessment of my character through my choices of pets, why are you following me?"

She shrugged. He couldn't help but think that she looked quite adorable, although completely clueless. "I don't want you to lose Luna."

"Yes, I understand that," Mamoru said in clipped tones. "But you followed me out of the Arcade. You don't like me. You don't even know my name. Why are you following me?"

Again, Usagi just shrugged.

Mamoru rubbed his temples. "And you think I'm impossible."

"I don't think," Usagi quipped smartly. "I know."

Mamoru decided that it was better in the long run if he just pretended that she hadn't said that. "Look, I appreciate you going out of your way to make sure that my cat and I were safely reunited. But if you want her, you can have her."

Luna lowered the paw she had raised in order to take a gentle swipe at Usagi's ear in retaliation for the bald spot comment. She turned to Mamoru and gave him a glare far worse than any she could conjure up for irritating blonde.

He leaned in and added, "I would be better off without her."

The black cat blanched, looking stung from the comment for a brief moment. However, the pain quickly vanished and was replaced with the less than threatening scowl.

Usagi actually stomped her foot, putting her hands on her hips. "You take that back! That's a horrible thing to say in front of her!"

"Oh, for the love of-- She's a cat!" Of course, Mamoru did realize the irony in his insulting Luna's intelligence given that her vocabulary was broader than his own. But the comment had been a knee jerk reaction. One that he would pay for since he would be taking the cat home with him. He had spent a ton of money on her after all. He wasn't going to give her away only to find out it was all nonrefundable. Better to just take her and take his beating as it were.

"Cats are people too!" Usagi insisted.

Mamoru felt a migraine coming on. He would probably regret this later, but sadly, the coffee had not improved his disposition as he had hoped. "I want you to think long and hard about that statement. When you figure out what's wrong with it, I want you to hit yourself. Now then, if you'll excuse me, Odango Atama, I'll just be taking my cat and--"

"DO NOT CALL ME THAT!" Usagi screamed into Luna's ear as Mamoru lifted the cat off of her shoulder at that precise moment. The medical student hoped that her eardrums weren't permanently damaged. "And I'm not so sure if you should take that cat with you. You're not very nice to her."

"I'm in a bad mood," Mamoru explained. "Nosey blondes and bad coffee have that effect on me."
Usagi very nearly snarled at him. "I am not nosey!"

Mamoru just looked at her.

"Well," she relented. "All right. I'm curious. I admit that."

"The first step is admitting you have a problem," Mamoru said with a wide grin as Luna crawled up on to his shoulders. "I'm proud of you. Really I am. But I will be going now with my cat."

Usagi regarded him with suspicion. She looked over at Luna who was currently making herself comfortable. She didn't seem panic stricken or afraid of him. And Mamoru didn't appear to be one step away from throwing her into moving traffic. She softened her gaze ever so slightly and said, "Promise me you'll take care of her?"

Mamoru blinked and regarded the girl with surprise. She was a bundle of contradictions. At first she appeared to be selfish as most teenagers tended to be, and then she went and showed genuine concern for an animal. And unlike the Nun in Chaucer's masterpiece, she wasn't being pretentious.

Had she changed? Or had she always been this way? Had she always been so refreshingly different? Every human being had multiple layers of course, but had this one always been there, recently added, or just brought to the forefront after a near death experience? Even if he could ask her, he would never know. She could not answer a question of that nature.

He couldn't help but marvel at it, no matter what the cause of it was. He had taken an immediate dislike to this girl. He'd met her on a bad day and then seen her again on a day far worse. In retrospect, he had been a mite bit too callous. It was too late to go back and change it now. He would always be little more than arrogant jerk who enjoyed tormenting young girls. And though he was loathe to admit, he almost cared about the girl's opinion now that he knew that she would show so much genuine concern for a cat she didn't even know.

Mamoru shook off the alien thoughts. A fourteen-year-old's opinion did not matter to him, no matter how kind she may have been. She was still young. She was still painfully innocent in spite of the horrors she had seen. And it almost hurt to look at her.

"I promise."

Usagi smiled brightly. He dropped his gaze. "All right then... I hope I see your kitty around." She soured. "I could do without seeing you again though."

No, her opinion definitely did not matter.

"I'll keep that in mind," Mamoru said dryly. He then turned, preparing to leave when she stopped him one last time.

"What is your name anyway?" Usagi asked. "My curiosity is getting the best of me."

Mamoru nodded and didn't look at her. "Yes, I suppose it is... It's Chiba Mamoru."

Usagi seemed to pause for a moment, as if pondering whether or not she approved of the name. He hated it when people did that. It was his name, and he didn't really care whether or not they liked it. It wasn't like he could change it like his beloved green tweed jacket (which was stylish no mater what Motoki's girlfriend told him).

"Something wrong?" Mamoru asked testily, turning his head.

Usagi looked up at him, squeaking quietly. She laughed slightly and said, "I was just wondering if I could come up with some kind of horribly annoying nickname for you."

Mamoru stared at her for a minute and then chuckled as he turned to leave. She really was childish, wasn't she? "Let me know if you come up with anything, Odango."

"DON'T CALL ME THAT!"

Mamoru didn't remark, instead choosing to wave at her over his head. He heard her huff in frustration and turn on her heel. Her feet pounded against the pavement, but they stopped at abruptly for one reason or another. He didn't pay it any mind as he was too busy ignoring the negative vibes coming off Luna as plainly as anything he could actually lay his hands on.

He got into the car and promptly shut the door. The moment he did so, Luna hopped off his shoulders and proceeded to admonish him for not getting back at the time he said he would be back. She also felt that it was her duty to mention that he had been, to be frank, downright rude to that poor girl. This led to another, entirely unrelated rant about how uncouth today's youth could sometimes be, remarking on one's flaws when they weren't even flaws.

Mamoru was not listening.

As he adjusted his review mirror and buckled himself in, still ignoring Luna, he happened to glance over at the new flower shop. Lo and behold, there was Usagi staring at the exotic bloom with wide eyes. Clearly, she had never seen anything like it either, but he took that in stride. He sincerely doubted she had seen anything other than sakura blossoms and wild flowers in real life, only knowing of roses from romantic movies.

He sighed and rolled his eyes at her and the blabbering cat beside him. Before he could become distracted again, Mamoru hit the gas, causing Luna to become plastered to the leather of the passenger's seat. She was still screaming, but now it was muffled and drowned out by the radio. He glanced in his mirrors one more time to catch a glimpse of the blonde shaking her head and walking away, and the storeowner giving her a very sharp look indeed.

Mamoru arched an eyebrow, surprised at this behavior. She was lucky Usagi had not seen or she would have lost a potential customer.

Then again, he supposed that he had to forgive. After all, the two of them had probably had very bad days.

-----

Mamoru arrived for his Human Physiology lecture the next day armed to the teeth with note taking materials. He had never had any parents hovering over him to constantly to push him to his limits. He had never once heard any sane person who wasn't a fellow classmate utter the words, "A 'B' is not acceptable!" Every ounce of drive he had in him was self-inflicted - perhaps inherited.

Either way, Chiba Mamoru was determined to make up for last Wednesday's fiasco. He strode into the small lecture hall, not even glancing up to look at his professor. He sat down in the first row, dead center and proceeded to unload his bag. He pulled out his textbook, a notebook, a variety of pens and highlighters that would have made an art major drool, and a tape recorder. He laid out all of the objects on his relatively small desk space, slipped on his reading glasses, and sat back. He was poised to record just about anything the professor threw at him.

He finally looked up at his professor, a rather round man with slowly graying hair by the name of Akigawa Mareo. He had a reputation for favoritism and completely lacking in even the slightest hint of a sense of humor. Normally, this didn't bother Mamoru because he had a tendency to reap the benefits of favoritism, and he wasn't very funny anyway. Unfortunately, judging by the death glare Akigawa was giving him, he had a feeling he had fallen from grace.

Mamoru had never really enjoyed being a teacher's pet without putting forth any effort in brownnosing, but he missed it already.

"Chiba," Akigawa said coldly, speaking volumes in two syllables.

Mamoru nodded curtly. "Akigawa-sensei."

Their conversation ended there as the rest of the class began to file in. He waved to the few of them he associated himself with, once again wondering how he and Motoki could have the exact same major and have absolutely no classes together. He noted that several of them looked as if they had started partying one day too early, including Watanabe Kagami.

He was quite surprised that the normally neurotically dedicated student actually looked as if she hadn't slept in days. Her dirty blonde hair was normally frizzy and unkempt, but it actually looked unwashed, which was definitely out of character. She sat down beside him - well, plopped was a more apt description actually. He nearly asked what was wrong, but Akigawa started lecturing.

Mamoru uncapped two pens and highlighter, flipped open his notebook, and turned on the tape recorder. Without missing a beat he began scribbling in a shorthand that he scarcely understood and tuned just about everything else out.

"A wide variety of physiological processes are carried out unconsciously by the endocrine system through chemical messengers called hormones. The endocrine system is a collection of glands that produces these hormones, which are necessary for normal bodily functions. The hormones regulate metabolism, growth and sexual development. These glands release the hormones directly into the bloodstream, where they are transported to organs and tissues throughout the entire body."

Akigawa flipped through his own notes, apparently having memorized his opening lines as usual. Now he was forced to read off his writings verbatim for the next hour and a half. Mamoru nearly took the time to highlight various points that may or may not have been important, but then he took a good look around the room.

The lecture hall was relatively small compared to others, but it actually looked vast at that moment... Because it was practically empty. Nearly a third of the class had opted not to come to class that day. And a number of them had already dozed off. Mamoru furrowed his brow. Was there some kind of virus going around?

He heard a small thunk to his left and glanced over. Kagami hadn't even started taking notes and had only now reached for her notebook, knocking it off her desk in the process. Being the perfect gentleman that he was, Mamoru swiftly leaned over and picked it up. As he handed it to her, he whispered, "Are you all right?"

Kagami nearly responded in what looked like it would be a false affirmative, when Akigawa cleared his throat loudly. Both students sat at attention, Kagami having to put forth a lot more effort into it than usual.

The professor shook his head, clearly disapproving of their behavior, but felt that it didn't warrant commentary. He turned to his notes and started droning on about the pituitary gland.

Mamoru did his best to concentrate, but he found himself almost entirely absorbed in the largely unattractive girl sitting next to him. Upon closer inspection, he realized that her clothes had obviously been yanked out of a hamper and her socks were mismatched. Kagami was not only practically phobic about being dirty, but she was obsessed with matching. Granted, she still wore oversized sweaters and tapered jeans, but she had never looked this bad. Then there was the oily sheen on her face, the dark circles under her eyes, and the tears seeping out of her right eye, a sure sign that her contact was irritating her.

He narrowed his eyes and continued to watch her out of his peripheral vision. This was about as out of character as anyone could get. Kagami was staring off into space, moving her pencil across the paper, but doing little more than draw a very jagged looking tornado. Kagami would sooner her throw herself off Tokyo Tower than space out during a lecture.

"Next is the thymus gland," Akigawa drawled loudly, obviously trying to wake up the students who were sleeping. He succeeded for all of three seconds and then they were all asleep again.

Kagami was startled by the sudden volume change. She dropped her pen on the right side of her desk where the other seat was empty. Mamoru certainly couldn't get up and hand it to her. That would have just looked strange. Still, he watched her as she leaned over to pick it up.

And as she promptly toppled out of the desk.

"After which we--" Akigawa stopped, his eyes going wide behind his bifocals. He paused for a full seven seconds as the other students giggled and gasped while Kagami struggled to get to her feet. Seeing that this was not going to happen without assistance, Mamoru hopped out of his desk and offered her an arm. Even with this added help, Kagami still nearly paid another homage to the floor.

"Watanabe," Akigawa uttered coolly. "I realize that gravity is a cruel mistress; however--"

"I'm very sorry, Akigawa-sensei." Kagami flushed, still hanging on to Mamoru. He was quite sure that if he did let go, she'd be crumpled at his feet. He couldn't help but stare along with the other thirty students that were actually awake. "I'll-- I'll be all right in a minute."

Akigawa glared at her over the gold wire rims of his glasses. He had never been a very forgiving individual. "No, I think not. Watanabe, I don't know how you've been choosing to spend your nights, and I don't care. But I do care when my students decide to show up to class when they can barely stand. This lecture is over. Expect a test on the Endocrine system next Monday."

And with that, Akigawa collected his things and walked out, leaving the rest of them bewildered and more than a little upset. The rest of the students filed out, waking up their sleeping companions, and grumbling about the unfairness of the situation. Mamoru set about to sitting Kagami back down in her desk and gathering his own things.

"Now, let's try this again," he remarked cheekily. "Are you all right?"

Kagami looked as if she was once again about to say that she was perfectly fine, but she relented at the last minute. She put her elbows on her desk and cradled her head in her hands. "I don't know what happened... I wasn't up late, I swear! It was actually one of the best night's sleeps I've had in months... I fell asleep at six-thirty for heaven's sake! My roommate woke me up ten minutes before this class!"

Mamoru raised an eyebrow, switching off his tape recorder. "That isn't healthy."

"I know," Kagami groaned miserably. "But I shouldn't feel this... rotten, should I?"

Mamoru shook his head, frowning. This was quite strange. This wasn't like Kagami to be sure. And there were several other students in the class he knew fairly well who should not have been absent. None of them were quite as anal as Kagami, but she had a fair number of rivals. It just didn't make any sense.

"Have you been to a doctor?"

Kagami eyed him incredulously.

Mamoru rolled his eyes. "Right. You prefer to diagnose yourself. I forgot."

"I think maybe I have mono."

Mamoru flinched and repressed an exasperated sigh, reminding himself that he had just helped her up; he hadn't shared food with her... She was germaphobic. It would not have happened.

"Look, why don't I walk you back to your dorm?" Mamoru offered, swinging his bag over his shoulder. "I'd say that trying to go to your classes today is pretty pointless if you're just going to fall over or sleep the entire time."

Kagami began to protest, but soon realized that he was probably right. She slowly put her things back in her bag and forced herself to her feet. Mamoru knew better than to expect her to walk on her own. He quite literally offered her his arm as they walked. They had to pause a few times when Kagami grew woozy, but thankfully her dorm wasn't too far away, and she lived on the first floor.

"Thanks," Kagami muttered as she struggled to unlock her door. "I really appreciate it."

Mamoru shrugged modestly. "It was no trouble. I had to waste time before my Biology lecture anyway."

Kagami snorted. "Glad to know I mean that much to you." She finally managed to get her door open and stumbled into her room. She promptly fell on the unmade bed, rubbing her right eye vigorously. "Just shut the door, would you?"

Mamoru waved and nearly shut the door when he paused. He didn't know exactly why, but when he saw what was sitting on Kagami's desk, he felt odd. So much so that he stood there for another seven minutes until Kagami realized he was there and ordered him away. For the rest of the day, he was unable to shake that strange sensation... And while he couldn't put his finger on what the exact feeling was, he was more than positive that it wasn't good.

Perched over Kagami's ancient laptop and holding up a row of books ranging from The Feminine Mystique to Knitting for Dummies, was that mysterious turquoise flower.

-----

Later that day, Mamoru pushed open the door to the Arcade, flinching at the cheerful sound of the tinkling bells. His head felt like the seven dwarves were in there mining for silver (as Disney had screwed yet another perfectly good fairy tale up by making it diamonds just because American children liked shiny things). He rubbed his temple and waved half-heartedly at Motoki, who was once again wiping down the perfectly clean counter.

"I hate school," Mamoru groaned as he laid down his load. "I know I don't normally say that, but I do. At least for today. Did you hear that Akigawa actually walked out on the lecture this morning? And he's giving us a test on Monday. I mean, I know I've defended him to you before, but I've decided you're right. He really is a complete son of a--"

"Unazaki's sick," Motoki interrupted, his voice soundly like the emotional equivalent of Arnold Schwarzenegger in a heart wrenching movie role.

Mamoru realized that Motoki had not been listening to a word he said. Not that he could blame him given the current circumstances. "Your sister?" Mamoru questioned needlessly. "What's wrong with her?"

"I don't know," Motoki proclaimed angrily, throwing the grey rag on the floor in frustration. "She was helping me bus tables earlier, and then she just collapsed! I mean, she was looking pretty haggard, but--"

Mamoru narrowed his eyes and cut him off. "That's really funny," he said in a tone that clearly demonstrated the lack of humor in their situation. "Because Kagami practically passed out during Akigawa's lecture today. That's why he stormed out of class actually. She was so exhausted I had to walk her back to her dorm room."

Motoki raised an eyebrow. "Really? That's odd... Do you think there's a flu bug going around?"

"In July?"

Motoki shrugged and slumped over on the gleaming counter, looking completely miserable. "I don't know. All I know is, something is wrong with my sister. I know you don't have any siblings, but she's my responsibility most of the time. I feel obligated to do something to help her. I'm the older brother. I'm supposed to protect her."

Mamoru looked at him strangely. His best friend had always been a touch sensitive when it came to his family. It always seemed rather odd to Mamoru, but then it would, wouldn't it? "Motoki, she's ill. She wasn't mugged or anything."

"I know," Motoki murmured, running a hand through his sandy mop. "But... It just doesn't make any sense. You don't know Unazaki like I do. She doesn't get sick. Ever. Heck, my parents forced her to spend time with a friend of hers when she had the chicken pox four years ago just so Unazaki wouldn't get it when she was older. She's never missed a day of school in her life. She's always had a perfect bill of health.

"And now for some inexplicable reason, she just collapses? She isn't working herself too hard. She eats right. She gets enough sleep."

"She has an older brother watching her every move to the point where he would know all of that," Mamoru supplied.

Motoki didn't deny it. "I just don't understand it. I mean, she was fine this morning! She was practically skipping to school! And then she came home, checked the inventory in the store room, and when she came out, she looked terrible. I asked her about it, but she said she was okay... And I believed her until she passed out in table twelve's soup du jour!"

Mamoru raised an eyebrow. "You have a soup of the day?"

Motoki glared at him. Clearly, this was not the subject to bring up at this point in time. "Not. Funny."

"I realize," Mamoru relented, holding up his hands. "I apologize. That was uncalled for."

Motoki sighed, suddenly looking a few years older and quite tired himself. For the first time, Mamoru realized that Motoki didn't look all that well. Though no one in Tokyo had a remarkably tan pallor, he was looking quite pale. As a matter of fact, his posture and overall appearance rather reminded him of Kagami's. "I just wish I could do something for her."

Mamoru reached over and clapped the man on the shoulder. "She'll be fine. In the meantime, you had better take care of yourself. You don't look all that great yourself."

Motoki laughed mirthlessly. "Yeah, and you're a regular runway model."

"I've had offers," Mamoru intoned casually. He frowned then and added, "But I really mean it. You look like Kagami did this morning... Maybe you have whatever Unazaki has."

Motoki put a hand up to his forehead even though he was well aware that wouldn't do him any good in assessing his temperature. He shrugged a few moments later. "I don't feel sick. A little tired, but otherwise okay."

Mamoru was about to order him to bed before he had to carry him up the stairs, when he held off. Motoki had been known to work until he fell over before, and no amount of nagging had stopped him before. Besides, maybe he was reading too much into this.

"You're really worried about her, aren't you?"

"Yeah," Motoki nearly whispered. "Yeah, I am. But I guess... you wouldn't understand, would you?"

Mamoru didn't miss the note of empathy and compassion in his friend's voice, but he couldn't help but be stung. As if he needed more reminders.

Still, when Motoki said that, Mamoru couldn't help but think to two nights before. In spite of his name, Mamoru had never felt enough attachment to any one human being to state that he would lay down his life for them or even skin his knee for them. And yet when a girl he didn't even know or care for had been in danger, he had fought tooth and nail to protect her. And he somehow realized that he would have done the same if it had been Motoki, Akigawa, or somebody he had never laid eyes on before. And so in a way, he did know what Motoki was talking about. Maybe he understood it more.

"You never know."

Motoki grinned weakly. "Well, I'd better get your drink order. Whenever you show your sentimentality, it's a sure sign that you're deprived of caffeine. Hang on a second; I need to get some sugar from the store room. I have ten packets here, but I realize that just won't do it for you."

Mamoru opened his mouth to snipe at his friend when he was cut off yet again. He couldn't believe his eyes as Motoki opened the door. It wasn't possible. It had to be some kind of coincidence... And yet given the fact that he was now a super hero and perhaps possessed "Spidey Senses" of some kind, he wondered if there was such a thing anymore.

Mamoru found that his normally analytical mind was finding it impossible to believe that the fact that Unazaki had spent the same quality time with the flower Kagami had recently purchased had nothing to do with one another.

"Motoki!" Mamoru shouted, startling his friend so much he nearly dropped the box of sugar packets he was carrying. "Where did you get that flower?"

The blond gave Mamoru a rather odd look and then turned to see what he was talking about. He seemed as though he had forgotten about its existence until Mamoru had called it to his attention. "That? Unazaki brought it with her after school today. She said that the store room looked too dreary and if she was going to spend an hour locked in there doing inventory, she wanted to have something pretty to look at."

Mamoru looked from his best friend to the mysterious bloom sitting in the middle of the room. He was crazy. He was mad. He had to be. There was absolutely no basis for his hypothesis other than the fact that two people suffering from exhaustion had the same flower. This kind of thing couldn't be based solely on a sort of nauseous feeling in the pit of his stomach. He had to find more evidence. It wasn't like him to jump to these wild conclusions.

Motoki suddenly dropped the box of sugar, grasping the doorknob to the storeroom. He looked even paler than he had a minute before.

But then Mamoru wasn't really himself anymore, was he?

Mamoru snatched his things from the counter and was on his feet in a second, fatigue and headache long forgotten. "Motoki, I suggest that you go lie down before you find yourself in the soup du jour as well. And I have to take a rain check on that coffee."

Motoki stared at him in shock again. "Mamoru, what--"

"No time to explain," Mamoru called on his way out the door. "I'll see you later. Give my regards to Unazaki."

And with that Mamoru exited the Arcade, leaving Motoki behind. His fair haired friend stared as he stormed outside, turned a sharp corner, and walked in the opposite direction of his apartment or where he may have parked his car considering he had come straight from school. Motoki couldn't remember ever seeing Mamoru looking so... determined? Angry? Filled with righteous indignation? Avenging?
Motoki shook his head. Where was he coming up with these odd descriptions? Chiba Mamoru was simply not a passionate man. He was so laid back and composed it drove his friend crazy. He didn't get up in arms about anything. He had never stepped on to a soapbox in his entire life.

Yet, Motoki had been wondering about his friend for two days know. He wasn't concerned... Just wondering. There had been a change in him. It was nothing that Motoki could put his finger on, but... Something was drastically, incredibly different. Only time would tell if he liked it or not.

"Whenever you're ready, Mamoru," Motoki murmured softly to himself. "Whenever you're ready."

-----

"Hello?" Usagi sang out brightly, pushing open the door of the new flower shop with enthusiasm. She was slightly put off at the lack of bells to announce her arrival. She had always liked the bells... And it seemed that this store needed them more than others. The front was deserted. She looked around, shutting the door behind her. "Is anyone here?"

No one answered.

Usagi sighed, putting her hands on her hips. She had half a mind to walk out of the store.

Her mission outweighed her annoyance in terms of important however. She walked forward, sniffing at the weird blue-green flowers. They weren't her cup of tea, but they seemed just the sort of thing her mother would like. She had a passing interest in gardening, and her birthday was coming up. Usagi figured she would extend a gesture to the woman who had been so kind to her for the past decade and a half.

Besides, if Usagi gave her a present, maybe she wouldn't be so upset about the English exam she'd gotten back today.

Usagi looked around, amazed that the store carried the mysterious bloom almost exclusively. There were a few mundane, rather common flowers placed in the corners where most shoppers would not venture when faced with the other, more exotic flora. As a matter of fact, a few of them looked like they were dying from neglect. The blonde frowned and walked forward, grabbing a nearby watering can.

"No sense in letting perfectly nice flowers die," Usagi murmured, sprinkling water onto the withering blooms. She realized that if the owner came back out to the front, they would have thought she was rather ridiculous if not presumptuous. Usagi didn't care all that much. Life was precious.

Usagi's grip tightened on the watering can. Yes, life indeed was precious. That thought had been hounding her footsteps like a murderer in the night for two days now. She hadn't been able to shake it. Life was precious. Her life was precious. Her life had almost been stolen because it was so precious.

She shivered and set the can down. She couldn't think about that. The thought was always there, but she didn't have to focus on it. She didn't have time to think about it. Life was too short to be afraid. She had to keep smiling and acting as if nothing had ever happened until she forgot about it. And then things really would be normal and she could laugh and have a boyfriend and get married and live in a house with a white picket fence with 2.5 kids and a black cat with a bald spot and all would be right with the world.

Of course, she realized that she was being silly. She had nothing to worry about. Naru and her mother had said so.

Usagi had told them what happened and neither one of them had been at all surprised. That was good because Usagi had been worried that she had lost her mind at some point during the past hour. Then they had calmed any remaining fears she had by saying that surely this was a one time thing. It wouldn't happen again. Even if it did, what were the chances that she would be involved again in a city so large?

In retrospect, the reaction had seemed odd. Naru had later told Usagi that she had behaved so rationally to keep from screaming. Usagi didn't tell Naru that this was why she couldn't stop smiling.

As a matter of fact, Usagi's grin had remained painted on her face until she saw that stupid guy at the arcade again. What was his name? Mamoru?

She clenched her fists just thinking about him. The mere thought of him was enough to send her reeling again. Just who did he think he was trying to speak to her after what he had done? And how dare he show up at her hang out? That was where she went to get away from jerks like him for a few hours not spend time with them! It was horribly inconsiderate of him to keep popping up in her life like that.

But oddly enough, even though she stopped smiling, his presence reassured her. That was why she had followed him out after all. Maybe it had been because no monster's disposition could be worse than his.

Usagi sighed. Nothing she did made any sense any more. She didn't want to be dwelling on this. She just wanted to buy her mother the stupid flower and go home. There were television shows to watch and homework to avoid.

"Excuse me?" Usagi called, her impatience growing. This place was entirely too dark for a flower shop. It made her uneasy. "Is there anyone here?"

There was still no answer.

"Answer me!" Usagi insisted, quickly realizing what she had said after she said it.

"Stupid Usagi..." she muttered, walking forward and looking around. "They can't talk to you if they aren't here." She kept moving however, checking every nook and cranny for a salesperson. She really did want to get that flower for her mother. She didn't have any better ideas for a birthday present and time was running out. It was also the only feasible way Usagi could think of to save her life once her mother saw her grades.

Usagi then noticed that there was a door slightly propped open behind the counter. She saw light filtering through it and thought she heard something from within. She frowned. There was absolutely no reason why no one could hear her from that distance with the door open no less. Someone was ignoring her! A potential customer!

She huffed and started to turn and walk out of the store... When she thought better of it. Usagi was going to tell that salesperson exactly what their rude negligence had done. And then she was going to say that she would tell everyone she knew to avoid coming into this store because of the way they treated their customers. Yes, that was what she would do.

Usagi nodded and stalked forward. She was going to give this person a piece of her mind. She walked behind the counter and pushed open the door, a scowl on her lips and a rant forming in her mind. She held up a hand and said, "Now listen up, Miss. I just wanted to tell you that..."

Usagi trailed off. Her eyes went wide at what she saw.

There was a woman standing with her back to her. She was a bit on the large side and quite muscular. She had nearly jet black, curly hair. She was wearing a rather tacky looking orange and yellow ensemble that didn't compliment her skin tone. However, this was all trivial information that Usagi was taking extreme care to notice for reasons she could not explain.

What she should really have been paying attention to was the fact that the woman was holding her hand out to the side. There was a ball of hovering blue and white light floating above her splayed fingers. It was moving as if it was alive, but something told Usagi that she wasn't quite right. Of course, the real source of panic was that the woman's skin tone was robin's egg blue.

Usagi's stomach hit the floor. It couldn't be. This was a nightmare. She was sleeping through one of Haruna's lectures or detention or a bad movie. This couldn't actually be real. Not again.

The woman's head literally spun around so that her head was actually one backwards. Usagi nearly shrieked at the cracking of her neck, but the cry was stopped in her throat when she got a look at her face. It was horribly misshapen and lacking in any symmetry whatsoever. It was covered in craters and warts and wrinkles. Her skin sagged down to the base of her neck. Her chin was so pointy, it looked as if it would impale her. Her eyes were bright purple with orange irises. It didn't look as if she had any pupils to speak of. Her ears resembled those of bats. She was covered in nasty looking scars as if her face had been cut and stretched and beaten into the position it was in now. As if some mad scientist had attempted to improve the human form and come up with this. Perhaps he had tried to erase the horror he had created.

The woman... or whatever it was let its long, acid green tongue hang out of its mouth. She snarled like a hungry lion lusting after a wounded gazelle.

Usagi backed up as fast as she could. Dream or not, she did not want to stick around. She kept peddling backward and naturally wound up tripping over her own feet in her haste. She went crashing to the ground, crying out in pain.

Usagi froze for half a moment. It hurt. Her wrists throbbed from the force of impact and it felt like she bruised her tailbone. It hurt. It wasn't meant to hurt. Not here. Not in her mind. Illusions couldn't hurt her. Nightmares could only terrify her. They couldn't make her bleed.

But it hurt.

She screamed in horrible realization long before the monster towered over her. This was real. It was happening all over again. And just like before she was all alone. There was no one around to help her. And she couldn't help herself because she was petrified. All she could do as the demon hovered over her and reached out for Usagi's milky throat with mangled, twisted hands was scream.

"HELP!"

-----

As Mamoru fled from the Crown Arcade, a million thought were swimming through his mind. The first and foremost being that he had to be crazy. Or perhaps he had become stupid as a result of all of this. So what if Unazaki and Motoki were tired? They ad always been stretched pretty thin. Kagami more so. It was only natural that all of their hard word would eventually catch up to them. The fact that it had happened at the same time and that they both happened to have purchased the same flower had to be a coincidence.

But then what was this feeling in the pit of his stomach.

Mamoru almost cursed, but it would have looked quite strange as he attempted to weave through the crowd of salary men and schoolgirls on their way home or to the mall or somewhere else entirely. He was trying to run against the grain in Japan. That didn't come easily. Still, it gave him time to think.

Maybe this superhero business (God that sounded so weird) really was making him paranoid. He had to be reading too much into this. It couldn't be happening again so quickly. The enemy needed time to regroup. They had to rework their strategy. They had to assess how much of a threat he was. They had to do something aside from attack immediately and give him time to breathe!

Or did they know so much about him? Did they know he was a rookie? Did they know that he was overwhelmed? Did they know he was alone? Did they know that he would be unprepared for another attack so soon after the last one, and therefore, they had redoubled their efforts to launch another one soon after the first?

He walked faster, pushing through the crowd without apologizing...

And nearly kicked someone because it was just a stupid flower!

He should contact Luna somehow. She was still at the apartment. He had to find a payphone. He had to call her. He had to ask her what was going on. He had to get her down there and...

And have her tell him he was mad! Loony! Idiotic! She was a cat for God's sake! She couldn't answer the phone!

Then again she wasn't supposed to talk was she?

His head was beginning to hurt from all of the back and forth arguments in his brain. He wasn't used to be being unable to make a decision. Then again, it was not as if he had been forced to deal with issues quite this pressing before. Usually, all he had to decide during the day was between A and C or which pair of boxers he would wear that day.

Finally, he concluded that even if he was being stupid, he had to check it out. And he would not call Luna. She was incredibly annoying and overbearing on a good day.

Mamoru strode forward confidently, moving with purposeful haste. Yes. That was what he would do. He would march right into that flower shop and figure out what the heck was going on, perhaps even purchase the blossom and investigate. If he passed out, it was evil. If not, it was a coincidence. Of course, the plan had its flaws, but he didn't have time to come up with a better plan. Besides, his head was killing him.

Mamoru choked on his own saliva when something exploded behind his right eye. He nearly doubled over in pain, almost dropping his book bag. He held his head with his free hand, squeezing his eyes shut. He had never experienced pain like this before in his life. It wasn't like someone was pounding at his brain... It was like someone was setting off a continuous string of high explosives while trying to rip out his eyeballs.

He groaned quietly and moved to his left where he had seen an alley. People let him pass as he looked quite insane. He stumbled into the alley, collapsing against the dirty brick. He nearly asked himself what was going on when he saw it.

Well, he didn't actually see anything. He sort of got the sense that something horrible was happening. He really would have liked to have been more specific than that, but he would have to make do. And somehow, he felt this confirmed his suspicions as he found that he could think of nothing but that exotic flower, the mysterious shopkeeper...

And Usagi.

Mamoru didn't know why, but all doubts that he was being paranoid flew from his mind. He reached into his pocket without consciously ordering his arm to move. His hand closed around something thin and crisp. He flinched as his thumb grazed against something sharp.

The pain in his head cleared away as he pulled out a single, perfect rose.

-----

Yumeko and Suzume walked out of the public bathroom, holding their shopping bags and laughing so loudly that they were beginning to attract attention. Their bags did not hold any recent purchases, but rather their school uniforms from earlier that day. It had become a custom that they would shed the dreadful looking pieces of cloth after school every Friday and go spend their parents' hard earned money. It wasn't as if they got yelled at for it. There was plenty to go around.

"So, where do you want to go today, Yumeko?" Suzume asked quietly. She was a bit embarrassed from all the attention their antics had warranted. "Have any new boutiques opened up?"

Yumeko shook her head vigorously and responded, her voice much too loud. Suzume sometimes wondered if the girl was hard of hearing and didn't realize that her volume was inappropriate given the fact that they were not at a football game. "Sadly, no. Daddy would have told me if he had heard anything. But did you hear about the jewelry shop a couple of days ago?"

Suzume's eyes sparkled. She did love a good pair of earrings. "No, what?"

"Well," Yumeko began, feeling very impressed that she had come up with this knowledge. "I heard that the Osa-P Jewelry Shop had a huge sale the other day. It seems Osaka was practically giving the stuff away. Daddy thinks she's going out of business or something."

"No!" Suzume whispered, awed.

"Yes!" Yumeko insisted. Then she pouted and added, "But it was only a one time thing. It's too bad. I could have used some more pearls."

"No kidding," Suzume said, not really sharing the sentiment. She had always preferred sapphires. "But really, what do you want to--"

She was cut out when a figure in black suddenly darted out of the alleyway to her left. He cut her off, making her drop her things. She screamed, almost worried that she was being attacked. It quickly trailed off though as the mysterious figure actually stopped and tipped his hat.

"Sorry about that," he said cordially. And with that he leapt over her head and was out of sight. She turned, but she didn't seem him land again.

Yumeko just stared, her mouth hanging open. The people around them had a similar reaction. In fact, only one person seemed to be blissfully unaware of the events that had transpired and kept walking. She was apparently too engrossed in book to notice anything out of the ordinary.

-----

"Somebody help me!" Usagi shrieked again as she wriggled away from the monster's grasp. She couldn't believe this was happening to her again. She also couldn't believe that no one could hear her cries from outside. Was everyone in Japan that self absorbed?

Usagi screamed and rolled under the table, putting something between her and this demon. Her tongue was still lolling out of her mouth, and Usagi swore she saw the thing lick its lips in sick anticipation more than once. It was disturbing. It was disgusting. It was terrifying.

Seeing no other option, Usagi kept narrowly escaping the monster's hands. It was almost a replay of Wednesday's events. Usagi kept rolling, running, and throwing herself out of the way. It was exhausting. Every time she neared the exit, the thing would leap over her head and block it. The blonde was beginning to get the feeling that the thing was taunting her or found some amusement in this.

This running all over the place wasn't getting her anywhere. She began running backwards again, realizing all the while that this was a bad idea, but too fearful to turn and show unprotected back to the youma.

Usagi actually avoided the only obstacle that would have caused her to fall over. She stopped. She looked it at. She looked back at the demon.

Well, it certainly couldn't hurt anything.

Usagi reached down and picked up the watering can as the monster hopped over the table. She could have done this at any time, but perhaps she was growing tired of the thrill of the chase. Her tongue was quite literally wagging now. And she did not attempted to make conversation... Maybe this one was dumber?

At least she had intelligence on her side. That wasn't something she could say very often.

The monster advanced, and Usagi somehow managed to remain rooted to her spot. She was whimpering quietly under her breath. She was trembling so hard that she nearly dropped the can on several occasions. She could feel tears welling up in her eyes, threatening to spill over if she blinked too much. But in spite of everything in her being telling her to run away as fast as she possibly could, she stood her ground.

The monster gurgled like it was coming up from the black lagoon or something. It came forward, its immense arms swinging back forth at its side before the thing brought them up. She sprang forward, reaching for Usagi's neck.

Unsure of what would happen as a result of this action, Usagi leapt backwards with great effort and flung the water in the monster's face. She kept moving away from the monster, dropping the empty can at her feet. However, she didn't immediately flee the scene of the crime. If that thing was going to melt, she wanted to see it happen. At least then she could get some sleep at night. She backed away slowly, eyeing the monster to see what would happen.

The youma simply stared at her for a moment, water dripping off its face. It did not appear to be in any pain. It wasn't shrinking. Layers of skin weren't falling off its face. In fact, it just stood there staring at Usagi for a moment before spitting out a mouthful of water.

Okay, maybe Usagi didn't have an intellectual advantage.

Usagi started running again, turning around as fast as she could. She lifted her legs off of the cement, fighting gravity, and then slamming her feet down on the pavement again. She tried to gain speed, but it was if she was trapped in that dream where she was trying to run but couldn't get anywhere fast enough. It was like she was dragging the weight of a few elephants behind her in her escape. The demon was hot on her heels the entire time, never really moving as fast as it could. The cat and mouse game was maddening, but Usagi didn't know how to put an end to it.

She began to notice that it seemed as if she wasn't moving nearly as fast as she had been before. Usagi wasn't exactly physically gifted as it was, but she would have thought that adrenaline would have kept her going. As time when on, she started to feel really tired... Like she wanted to go to sleep. She felt drained, and she didn't know why.

Usagi heard that strange gurgling noise coming up behind her. She had to run. She had to get away. God only knew what would happen if she didn't.

She pitched forward, unable to run anymore.

-----

Tuxedo Kamen entered the Flower Shop not really expecting to find it in the circumstances he had seen it in the past few times he had passed by. However, he did not expect to see none other than Tsukino Usagi attempting to flee from yet another monster. He nearly called her by name, but stopped just in time.

He decided that talking wasn't really the best course of action as Usagi fell forward. Predictably, she couldn't stand without his help. Any thoughts of those flowers just being a coincidence fled his thoughts in that moment.

Of course, the big scary monster had pretty much proved that point, but Tuxedo Kamen could only process so much at once.

"Motoki," Usagi murmured softly, clinging to Tuxedo Kamen's shirt.

Tuxedo Kamen would have slapped himself if he hadn't been too busy holding her up. He needed to get her out of there and fast. Unfortunately, the youma did not seem to be too keen on that idea as it rushed towards them.

He only had a few seconds to act. He managed to hold on to the woozy teenager with one arm and pull yet another rose out of thin air. The blue demon garbled and grated out something intelligible, perhaps her name. Tuxedo Kamen paid it no attention and let the rose fly, streaking through the air towards its exposed face. It hit right on target, opening up a relatively large wound on the side of the youma's face. She screeched as if burned and clutched at it, backing away.

Tuxedo Kamen hoisted the limp girl into his arms. She was surprisingly heavy for someone so short and thin. He quickly began to run from the flower shop, hoping to get Usagi outside and away from these flowers. Not to mention, he wasn't sure how long he would last within.

Unfortunately, his rose had not proved to be an ample distraction. Just before he reached the door, the youma leapt in front of him. Her eyes were glowing with rage and malice. She let out a cry that chilled his bones, but he didn't pay his fear much mind. His main priority was keeping the girl safe from harm and killing this thing before it did any more damage.

Tuxedo Kamen leapt backwards, just missing her fist that could probably have done a lot of damage. He quickly placed Usagi's limp form under the display table. She would be safe for now, assuming being locked up in here too long didn't kill her.

He swallowed. He decided not to think about that again.

It gargled at him again, its right ear twitching in a manner that made him cringe. Then the demon raised its hand above its head. The thing surged forward again, but Tuxedo Kamen decided that he wasn't about to let this monster lay one hand on him. It had done enough damage for one lifetime.

He grabbed one of the offending blossoms and hurled it at the youma's head. The potted plant hit dead on. Thanks to relative velocity, the force of impact was much greater because she'd been coming at him. It staggered, disoriented and hurt. Tuxedo Kamen knew that these demons couldn't bleed, but he thought he saw a trail of sand raining down from her temple.

Tuxedo Kamen took that opportunity to run towards the back. He knew that there would not be a back exit to the shop as it faced buildings on all sides. But perhaps he could find a weapon of some sort. He wasn't sure what he was looking for. A gun? A machete? A really big gun?

Tuxedo Kamen burst through the partially open door at the back, sparing the youma one last glance. It was beginning to regain its bearings once more. It was coming for him slowly. It did not look down at the golden pigtail trailing out from underneath the table.

He breathed a sigh of relief and shut the door, latching it. It wouldn't keep the demon out for long, but perhaps it would give him enough time to find something useful.

Unfortunately, it seemed that the gods would not be as kind as they had been to the bumbling super hero before. He was faced with a room full of gardening tools. While some of them could have been used to bludgeon the thing to death, the youma or someone working with it had possessed the foresight to place anything sharp and heavy under lock and key.

There had to be something useful. There had to be.

Tuxedo Kamen heard the strangled scream from outside the door. Then there was a large thunk against it. Another and the door began to crack.

He spun around, his eyes flying over everything on the table. Watering cans, seeds, wooden stakes which would have been useful if the thing outside was a vampire, and a garden hose.

Tuxedo Kamen furrowed his brows. It was insanity. It was suicide. It was stupid.

The door nearly gave way under the third thunk.

It was his only option.

Tuxedo Kamen reached for the garden hose, praying to heaven above that this would work. Or that one of those fabled Sailor Senshi he was supposed to be looking for would just miraculously drop down through the ceiling and take care of it. They were supposed to be more powerful anyway. They could probably toast this thing with a flick of their wrist.

But that probably wasn't going to happen. He was on his own. He didn't even have Luna around to nag him! He had really thrown himself to the wolves this time.

And as the door gave way with the fourth and final blow, he hoped they didn't tear him to shreds.

The youma burst in, letting out that same garbled screech. Tuxedo Kamen snatched the nearest heavy object, another flower pot although this one was empty, and hurled it at the demon. It was prepared for the assault and brought up its hand to block it. With one deadly movement, the youma had knocked it back to the ground. It shattered on impact.

It leapt forward, drawing its fist back in a surprisingly arcane manner. He was still surprised that these monsters were so hands on. Tuxedo Kamen didn't marvel for long as the hand made contact with his jaw. He staggered back out into the store front. His back went crashing into the service counter. He did not let go of the garden hose.

The monster came barreling out, her eyes spinning around wildly in her head. It did not give Tuxedo Kamen a chance to recover from her previous assault. She leapt on him, lifting him up and slamming him down on the counter. He gasped as the wind was knocked out of him, but he didn't have much longer to breathe. The youma's gnarled hands closed around his throat, blocking off his airway. He of course saw the bitter irony in all of this, but naturally, he couldn't comment. Tuxedo Kamen just attempted to pry her hands off his throat, desperately gasping for air and receiving nothing in return. He still did not let go of the hose.

He struggled and pushed at the monster, fighting with all of his might. He was overtaken not only by some deep sense of duty he did not hope to understand but pure survival instinct. He pushed and punched and grappled, but adrenaline was not enough. The monster could easily crush him as if he were nothing more than an empty soda can. And as time passed, he got weaker.

He knew exactly how long he had until he died. He also knew that his struggling was expending more and more energy and was thereby only hastening his trip towards death. However, it his hands struggling against the youma's that was saving his trachea and a few other things from being crushed. He knew all of that, but he did not know the one thing that would actually be useful in this situation: How he was going to get out of this alive.

The youma was leaning into him, putting all of its weight into strangling him. Consequently, Tuxedo Kamen's body slid against the smooth counter until his head was hanging over the edge. This made the struggle decidedly more difficult as he was now dealing with blood rushing to his head and no oxygen. It was becoming harder and harder to struggle or think straight.

But he could still see. And all he saw when he gazed out at the storefront was that one sunny gold tendril sticking out from underneath the display table. That and a patent leather shoe.

It was then that it occurred to him that his legs were fully functional.

Tuxedo Kamen curled up his legs underneath the demon and pushed out as hard as he possibly could. He managed to get enough leverage to knock it off the table, sending it sprawling to the floor.

He would have liked to take a few moments to reacquaint himself with the air, but he did not have the time to spare. Taking a large gulp of oxygen, he flung himself off the counter and to where the monster had fallen. He landed directly on top of it. It nearly threw him off, but Tuxedo Kamen wouldn't let that happen.

He wrapped his legs around the monster's waist, looping the hose around its neck. He pulled it taught until the demon's gurgled scream became nothing but a nearly silent wheeze. It thrashed beneath him. Its wrinkled, scarred hands clawed at his back, drawing blood. The youma tried to throw him off, but his legs held on fast. He knew in his heart that it probably could have ripped the hose off without much effort, but this didn't appear to occur to it. This one, by some miracle, was stupid.

Finally, after what seemed like hours, he felt the garden hose pass through the youma's neck and his legs didn't have anything to hold on to. The youma turned to sand beneath him. He got up before too much of it got on him.

As Tuxedo Kamen rose to his feet, he saw the potted plants wither and die all at once. Then, once they were nothing but black, lifeless shells of what they had been, they too turned to dust. Within seconds, all that was left inside the store was a number of empty pots, piles of dust, and an unconscious school girl.

He snorted, finding levity in spite of that fact that he wanted to retch. "Some people really can sleep through everything."

-----

Mamoru sighed as the doors of the elevator finally opened, dropping him off on the twenty-second floor of his apartment complex. His back was killing him yet again thanks to that thing digging into his back. His arms even hurt a little after carrying Usagi all the way back to the Arcade and leaving her inside the door. He had gotten a number of weird looks, but he had dropped his guise as the masked hero at the time. Still, it must have looked odd.

Mamoru touched his neck slightly, standing just outside the elevator doors. He was afraid to get a good look at his throat, suspecting that his pale pallor had been rendered black and blue. He didn't want to see it. He didn't to think about it again until he woke up in the morning and saw that it had healed.

He shook his head slightly, forcing himself to walk forward and not think about the fact that he had narrowly escaped death. Again.

He was really bad at this saving the world stuff.

Mamoru dragged himself over to his apartment, fumbling with his keys to try and get them into the look. When he finally managed to get the door open, he was greeted with a rather unwelcome sight. There was Luna, his adorable little cat with one very large axe to grind, sound asleep on his couch.

He glared at her peaceful, sleeping body. There was clearly no justice in the world. None whatsoever.
Mamoru walked forward, leaving the door to his apartment open. A few moments later, he stuck his arm outside the door, holding on to a rather groggy feline by her scruff. He then released her with no regards for her personal safety whatsoever. Then he shut the door and locked it behind him, just in case.

And Luna just sat there, wondering what he was so testy about.

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