Disclaimer: I do not own Sailor Moon or any of it's characters. I simply use them in my stories... ;)
Holding you Close
'NO!' his mind screamed, so loud it cut off all other thought. Even the cries of the monster as it faded to nothing.
He watched her fall slowly to the ground, doll-like, lifeless -the pink strands containing the entity that was Sailor moon retracting back into the broach, Even as his legs pushed him towards her, the cane flew from his fingertips thundering to the ground in the silence. She was nearing the grass he leapt, throwing himself forward, his arms bracing the weight against his body as he caught her, the air whooshing out of his lungs as the force and gravity threw him backwards and onto the grass below.
He didn't care, about the face he saw as the magic of Sailor Moon became undone, he didn't care that it felt as if a blanket had freed what he had always known, what he had always suspected; he didn't have time to.
Almost fearfully laying her cold skin against the warm concrete, even as he freed his face from his mask and his fingers from their gloves; he freed her face from the strands of gold, dirt and glass that assaulted it. His fingers leaving a bloody rampage in their wake, he winced. 'Stupid! Stupid!'
He checked for some sign of a heartbeat, two fingers against a pale neck, "Come on, come on" he whispered, moving to grasp her wrist. There! A light fluttering against his touch. But it was weak, far too weak. He brushed her bangs back from her forehead, wincing at the deep gash he saw there.
His mind completely focused he brushed light fingers along her head arms and legs, checking for any broken bones or fractures. Her breathing seemed shallower and shallower coming in gasps.
'She may have punctured a lung…but how do you know?...you can't possibly check! – stay focused!! STAY focused…' he urged himself
"Come on Sail...Usa, stay with me…stay with me" he pleaded. Somehow, she seemed to hear him and her eyes fluttered open. He was not the person she had expected either
"Mam…mamoru?"he nodded perceptibly. "Just…stay with me…okay?" he felt his voice rasp. She nodded weakly. He undid his cloak, wraping her in it and scooping her small form into his embrace he stood and ran, holding her closer than he ever did before and faster than he had thought possible, to his apartment.
Lightning and thunder crashed ominously against the black backdrop, and just as the heavens opened they crashed into the lobby. Wasting no time-he forgot the elevator- it was broken anyway and would waste too much time. Hoping not to jar her too much with his footfalls, he ran, full pelt towards his home.
On reaching the door, he fairly jammed the key in the lock and kicked it open. Moving towards his room, he laid her on his bed and unwrapped the cloak taking the time to check her over. Her wounds were extensive, but even as he looked, beginning to heal over. The gash on her head had stopped bleeding, but there was still blood soaking through the side of the blue chequered shirt she wore, not to mention the other cuts and bruises marring her body. He swore.
Heading for his bathroom, he flipped the switch and rummaged through the draws for a first aid kit and a bottle of antiseptic- he made sure to take extra bandages. There wasn't much he could do for the sterilisation, but he couldn't- too many questions would arise, even with the number of monster attacks and wounded happening in the past week. He sighed, he was training to be a doctor,– 'training, college level-'not' a doctor' – he sighed again, squaring his shoulders and made his way back over to where Usagi lay. This was going to be a long night.
Having patched her up, he sat back on his heels a moment from where he had knelt by the bed. Watching her chest rise and fall evenly under the coverlet with each breath she took. She was pale, too pale- he could only guess at how much blood she had lost. The bandage over the gash at her head, made her face look smaller- younger. He absently twirled a strand of hair round his fingers as his mind took him back to earlier that night. The silence, the cold – and of course the monster, attacking a building down on the financial district- he didn't even stop to ask why
'stupid, stupid…why didn't you ask!?!'.
But she had stepped through the broken glass and approached the monster before he could blink. He flowed her cautiously, the Dark Moon had a habit of bringing more surprises when they were least expected, but the biggest surprise of all was as he entered to find both the Sailor soldier and the monster in a battle of 'face off'. No other Sailor Senshi in sight. But he simply waited the familiar rose in his fingertips, the tension descending like a blanket.
'Baka! you should have done something!' - but how could he.
It was her, something was off about her...Sailor Moon, the way she stood- shoulders thrown back, the look in her eyes, observing the creature like it were a piece of gum stuck to her shoe. He had waited, but neither moved- The monster, all of seven feet, with purple tentacles and green eyes, its head and torso anthropomorphic covered in brightly coloured clothing dotted with stars, the rest a pulsing mass of literal mush, he frowned; The Dark Moon Monsters were usually so...together...
Suddenly, in a move too fast for him to see, the monster lashed out. There was no pre-eminent speech, no fancy tricks, no scouts, no agent of the Dark Moon, just this thing, and them. But it seemed the Sailor had already been expecting it. Catching one of the tentacles in her hand, she missed the other that wrapped itself around her middle and she fought against its pull. He quickly released two roses to distract it, aiming to buy the hero enough time to push herself backwards.
Sailor Moon leapt away, releasing her tiara at the same time; shocking the monster; not destroying it. He prepared to aim again, but a hand on his arm stopped him. He looked down at the blond head with a frown
"Let me do this on my own" she whispered "Please" it was so plaintive, it was almost desperate and it made his heart shudder uncomfortably. He had hesitated for a moment unsure, but her voice, stronger this time broke into his thoughts
"Tuxedo Kamen…please" He stared at her a moment, too surprised more than anything to do anything more. Reluctantly he nodded in acquiescence and stepped back. As if on cue she focused her attention back onto the slathering monster, a concentrated frown on her otherwise perfect features. He saw her lips move, steadily gathering strength as she said her words:
"Moon…tiara…MAGIC"
And in a blaze of light, from which even he had to shield his eyes, flew off her forehead with such force as to cut the monster in half.
It exploded in a haze of mist around her, and the young sailor scout dropped to hands and her knees in one fluid motion and let out a breath she didn't even know she had been holding. He moved then, almost unconsciously gathering her in his arms feeling surprise at himself when he realised where he he was, but more so when he felt her tense almost immediately.
He cursed himself 'he should have know better!'
Suddenly she pushed him off her and off to one side, crying out as tentacles wrapped round her middle, yanking her off her feet and dragging her across the floor, his echoed 'NO' not being heard over her terrified yell. Instantly roses flew from his fingers, but both the monster and the Scout were too far away. He leapt, a tentacle catching him in his mid-section, sending him flying, directly into the side of a building- with enough force to knock him out.
He awoke suddenly however much time had passed he didn't know. But as he looked up, the monster and Sailor Moon stood on the roof of a nearby building preparing for a final attack; and even from here he could see the dark patch on the side of her uniform. The monster hadn't fared well either, half of one side of itself had disintegrated and the other drooped formlessly. He felt his stomach drop as he watched both hero and monster released their attacks.
He watched, unmoving, as if in some kind of trance as the monster disappeared, just as sailor moon- the monster's last blast of power catching her full on- was thrown off the roof. He dimly remembered his voice crying out in anguish, shocking him into action – before he ran towards her falling body.
A slight movement at the corner of his eye drew him out of his thoughts and instantly to his feet. She was stood at the doorway, watching him. Her hair glinted golden in the dim light of the lamp, the bandage visible against her skin, contrasted painfully against the enforced paleness of her skin.
"Usagi." He breathed.
"Mamoru" she acknowledged softly "…thank you" she moved forward into the light.
"It's nothing; I couldn't leave y- Usagi!" He involuntarily cried out, even as she moved to catch her- as she stumbled and almost fell, catching herself on the edge of the chair. He grasped her upper arms, taking her weight. She looked up at him through her bangs, a quirked smile on her lips.
"You're wondering why I didn't tell the rest of the scouts". Straight to the point. Surprising him for the second time that night, she smiled again and he felt his heart jump.
"No"
It was her turn to look surprised and slightly worried, as if she had unwittingly divulged secrets to him- she thought he knew. He could see the confusion register across her face, even as his slid back into a carefully structured facade.
"Oh" she said in a small voice, she studied the floor in front of her intently for a few moments before looking at him decidedly, she straightened and drew herself out of his grasp.
"Look…Mamoru, thanks for everything…but I really should be…my parent's will be worried" but he had moved with out registering, scooping her back into his arms and moving towards his room.
"What are you doing!" she said somewhat alarmed. But he paid her no attention. He placed her back on the bed and pulled the covers over her legs. He fixed her with an unreadable stare
"Look I really need to go" she persisted.
"No."
"No?"
"You can't?"
"Mamoru…"she sighed irritably "I need to go home"
"You need to rest, you're lucky those wounds weren't worse…" he took a breath "look, I'm sure sailor moon and tuxedo mask can take the rest of the night off" he said pointedly. Watching with a small smile, as she jerked back suddenly, her mouth opening and closing like a fish. He fixed her with another look almost watching the cogs working in her head and her face change as it dawned on her.
He rose to go, but not before leaning in slightly, hearing her breath hitch suddenly as his hit her cheek. His heart seemed to pound in his chest, they were close now, close enough that he could smell the antiseptic mingling with the perfume she wore.
He placed a slight kiss on her forehead, before looking down at her. "Now get some rest…I'll call Ami" the blond sailor nodded dumbly before lying back on the soft pillow. He stood and walked across the room, as he turned to shut the door he turned back, she was still staring at him openly; he stared back at her for a few moments, before he quietly closed the door.