Here it is, folks: the sequel to "Rushing In"! I've only gotten to work on the first part so
far... it might be slow going. ^_^ But I hope you enjoy it as much (or more) as you did
"Rushing In".
Disclaimer: Sailor Moon does not belong to me. But Naoko and I are arranging a deal.
She gets my college course work and I get her creations. ^_~
Rushing In II:
The Misadventures of Mrs. Tuxedo Kamen
By: Star Bunny
Rated: PG-13
Chapter 1
~~~
"Usagi?"
Tsukino Ikuko ran up the stairs to her daughter's room. "Usagi, can you help me put
dinner on?" she asked as she slowly opened the door.
"Sorry Mom," Usagi replied, not even looking at her. She just kept staring at herself in
the mirror and carefully applied her eyeliner "I'm busy tonight."
Ikuko narrowed her eyes, a calculating gleam hidden behind her calm facade. "So
Usagi," she started, barely able to contain her excitement. "Who are you dressing up
for? Who's causing you to make this extra effort?" And Usagi did look good. She was
dressed in a light summer dress, her hair still up in her odangos, but tonight with a few
very strategically placed flowers. Usagi never wore makeup -- she didn't have to -- but
tonight she had gone to the extra effort of putting on what little makeup she owned. The
mother in Ikuko knew that something was up, and the girl inside of her couldn't wait to see
what that was. "Is there anyone special you'd like to tell me about? A boyfriend, perhaps?"
"A boyfriend?" Usagi halted, eyeliner in hand, and slowly turned around. "Mom, I can
assure you that I do not -- and will not in the foreseeable future -- have a boyfriend."
"Oh." Ikuko was a bit deflated at that, but was glad to know that her daughter was not on
her way to a broken heart. "Well then what are you so dressed up for?"
"I'm going out to dinner with some friends. It's supposed to be a really nice place, so I
thought I'd try to look the part for once."
"Well have fun, dear," she smiled. "And don't be too late."
"Oh, I won't be home tonight," Usagi called over her shoulder to her mom. "We're
having a sleepover."
Ikuko sighed as she headed back to the kitchen to finish dinner. "Let me know a little
sooner next time, okay, Usagi?"
"Sure thing mom!" Usagi paused a moment to make sure her mom was out of sight,
then giggled slightly to herself. A boyfriend indeed!
Whatever would she need with a boyfriend, when she could spend the night celebrating
her one month anniversary with her husband?!
Although she did feel a little bad -- okay, a *lot* bad -- about keeping it a secret from her
family. But she just wasn't sure how they would react to finding out that their daughter
was married to the Caped Crusader himself, Tuxedo Kamen... Not to mention the fact
that she herself was a superhero. No, that was definitely not on the top of her list of
things to tell her family.
She once more turned all of her attention to her eyeliner.
Grrr...
How did some girls manage to do this every day? She kept getting this thick, wobbly
line that made her look more like a clown than the "I'm a gorgeous model" look she was
going for. And once she was finished with this, she would move on to the only genre of
makeup she hated more: the dreaded lip-liner. She sighed dramatically. Mamoru was
supposed to be meeting her in fifteen minutes at the fountain in front of the museum,
and she really didn't want to be late for their first anniversary dinner. Of course, she
didn't want to show up looking like a clown, either--
"Gaah!" she cried in frustration. She had been so lost in her thoughts that she had
forgotten all about the makeup. And to show for it, there was a big, black line running
from her eyelids to her temple. "Forget it," she ground out. "Makeup isn't worth the
trouble." Mamoru would just have to deal with it. She hurried into the bathroom, where
she proceeded to scrub her face until it shone.
"There," she murmured, a satisfied smile on her face. "Much better."
She ran a brush through her hair one last time and ran out the door. "Bye, Mom! See
you tomorrow!"
~~~
Usagi was a bit breathless as she walked up the steps to the museum.
She sincerely hoped that her hair hadn't gotten mussed up on the trip over, but it was too
late to worry about that now. She could see Mamoru waiting on her, and she smiled at
the cute picture he made. He had yet to notice her, and she took advantage of the time
she got to just watch him.
She would be the first to admit that their marriage had gotten off to a rough start. In fact,
for the first two weeks she didn't even like him! But things had changed since then, and
both of them had been very willing to at least try to make things work. She couldn't
describe what they had now as being real love, per se, but they were making slow
strides in that direction.
She thought about it for a moment, before coming up with a word to describe what she
felt for him: fondness. She was very fond of him -- and she appreciated him as one of
her good friends and a very devoted husband. He was wonderful to her, and she had to
admit that he was slowly but surely winning her over to him.
Just then, he turned his head and caught her eye. He smiled brightly, waving at her to
join him. She rushed up the stairs, hoping to God that she wouldn't fall over herself, and
joined him on the edge of the fountain.
"Well, hello there!" he said, playfully tweaking one of her pigtails. "I was beginning to
think that you weren't going to show up!"
"Yeah, well, I had makeup difficulties. It's hard being a girl."
Mamoru chuckled, shaking his head. "I don't know why you even bother. You look great
without it."
Usagi beamed. "So where are we going to eat?" she asked suddenly.
"I was wondering when you were going to remember that!" he laughed. "Come on. Our
reservations are in just a little bit."
The restaurant was a small, elegant place inside of the museum.
Usagi was a bit overwhelmed at the prices on the meals, but Mamoru assured her that
he could afford whatever she wanted.
"After all," he smiled, "This is a very special occasion."
So they shared a comfortable dinner over candlelight and soft music, all the while talking
about the little things that were going on in their lives. Just as Usagi was scooping up
the last of her peanut butter pie, Mamoru gently took her hands and helped her out of her
seat.
"Come on. There's something I want to show you."
He led her to a wing in the museum that she had never been to before. Well, she
actually hadn't seen much of the museum at all before, but that was a moot point.
Usagi was very curious, because she knew very well that Mamoru wouldn't have taken
her to the museum without a specific purpose. He knew her too well to think that she
would actually *enjoy* walking around a museum for a couple of hours.
"Where are we going?" she asked softly as he paused in front of a set of doors.
"Well," he started, "I realized the other day that I never got you a wedding present. So
this is it: your wedding present."
Usagi blinked. "You bought me the museum?" Mamoru just smiled.
"Close your eyes. It's a surprise." Usagi dutifully obeyed and allowed herself to be led
into what she assumed was the room they had been standing in front of.
"Can I open them yet?" she asked after a few moments.
"Not yet," came Mamoru's amused response. He led her further into wherever they
were and sat her down in a plush chair. "Okay. You can open them," he whispered in
her ear, his breath tickling her stray hairs.
"Mamoru, I sure hope you didn't do something stupid and get me the
Mona Lisa, or -- Oh!" She stopped short when she opened her eyes and took in all that
was around her. They were in some sort of observatory or planetarium. The room was
very dark, almost black, with a few lights coming from the ground. But the biggest
source of light was the stars and the moon shining through the ceiling above.
"It's beautiful," she breathed.
"It is, isn't it," he agreed. "But that's not why I brought you here." Usagi turned to face
him, a curious look on her face. "I want to show you something else."
He turned to the seat next to him, but hesitated before pulling out a picture of a star.
"What is it?" she asked.
"I -- I bought you a star. I know this isn't exactly a typical gift that one gives to his wife...
but the way that I feed you, chocolates are out of the picture, and roses seem a bit
cheap for Tuxedo Kamen to give. Of course I can't give you jewelry, because you'd
never be able to wear it... so I was running a little low on options, and--"
She silenced him with a sudden and decisive kiss on his lips. "That has to be the most
romantic thing that I've ever heard of," she smiled as she pulled away. "Thank you."
Usagi wasn't quite sure because of the lighting, but she thought that she saw him blush
at the compliment.
"So what's its name?" she asked curiously. It really was a beautiful star... and it was
hers!
"Well," Mamoru's teasing voice was back, "I thought about calling it
Usa Major, but common sense got a hold of me and I decided not to."
"Good thing, too." She wrinkled up her nose at him. "But seriously, what did you call it?"
"Serenity," he said softly, his voice low and warm.
"Serenity? That's beautiful..."
"It just seemed to fit you," he murmured as he leaned in to kiss her.
"Mmm, Mamoru?" she mumbled after a while. He pulled back slightly, eyes soft and
dark. "Don't you think that we could see that star better from your bedroom window?"
Mamoru laughed, kissed her again, and winked. "Race you back!"
~~~
Review, please! I want to know how you liked it.
Bunny ^_^
far... it might be slow going. ^_^ But I hope you enjoy it as much (or more) as you did
"Rushing In".
Disclaimer: Sailor Moon does not belong to me. But Naoko and I are arranging a deal.
She gets my college course work and I get her creations. ^_~
Rushing In II:
The Misadventures of Mrs. Tuxedo Kamen
By: Star Bunny
Rated: PG-13
Chapter 1
~~~
"Usagi?"
Tsukino Ikuko ran up the stairs to her daughter's room. "Usagi, can you help me put
dinner on?" she asked as she slowly opened the door.
"Sorry Mom," Usagi replied, not even looking at her. She just kept staring at herself in
the mirror and carefully applied her eyeliner "I'm busy tonight."
Ikuko narrowed her eyes, a calculating gleam hidden behind her calm facade. "So
Usagi," she started, barely able to contain her excitement. "Who are you dressing up
for? Who's causing you to make this extra effort?" And Usagi did look good. She was
dressed in a light summer dress, her hair still up in her odangos, but tonight with a few
very strategically placed flowers. Usagi never wore makeup -- she didn't have to -- but
tonight she had gone to the extra effort of putting on what little makeup she owned. The
mother in Ikuko knew that something was up, and the girl inside of her couldn't wait to see
what that was. "Is there anyone special you'd like to tell me about? A boyfriend, perhaps?"
"A boyfriend?" Usagi halted, eyeliner in hand, and slowly turned around. "Mom, I can
assure you that I do not -- and will not in the foreseeable future -- have a boyfriend."
"Oh." Ikuko was a bit deflated at that, but was glad to know that her daughter was not on
her way to a broken heart. "Well then what are you so dressed up for?"
"I'm going out to dinner with some friends. It's supposed to be a really nice place, so I
thought I'd try to look the part for once."
"Well have fun, dear," she smiled. "And don't be too late."
"Oh, I won't be home tonight," Usagi called over her shoulder to her mom. "We're
having a sleepover."
Ikuko sighed as she headed back to the kitchen to finish dinner. "Let me know a little
sooner next time, okay, Usagi?"
"Sure thing mom!" Usagi paused a moment to make sure her mom was out of sight,
then giggled slightly to herself. A boyfriend indeed!
Whatever would she need with a boyfriend, when she could spend the night celebrating
her one month anniversary with her husband?!
Although she did feel a little bad -- okay, a *lot* bad -- about keeping it a secret from her
family. But she just wasn't sure how they would react to finding out that their daughter
was married to the Caped Crusader himself, Tuxedo Kamen... Not to mention the fact
that she herself was a superhero. No, that was definitely not on the top of her list of
things to tell her family.
She once more turned all of her attention to her eyeliner.
Grrr...
How did some girls manage to do this every day? She kept getting this thick, wobbly
line that made her look more like a clown than the "I'm a gorgeous model" look she was
going for. And once she was finished with this, she would move on to the only genre of
makeup she hated more: the dreaded lip-liner. She sighed dramatically. Mamoru was
supposed to be meeting her in fifteen minutes at the fountain in front of the museum,
and she really didn't want to be late for their first anniversary dinner. Of course, she
didn't want to show up looking like a clown, either--
"Gaah!" she cried in frustration. She had been so lost in her thoughts that she had
forgotten all about the makeup. And to show for it, there was a big, black line running
from her eyelids to her temple. "Forget it," she ground out. "Makeup isn't worth the
trouble." Mamoru would just have to deal with it. She hurried into the bathroom, where
she proceeded to scrub her face until it shone.
"There," she murmured, a satisfied smile on her face. "Much better."
She ran a brush through her hair one last time and ran out the door. "Bye, Mom! See
you tomorrow!"
~~~
Usagi was a bit breathless as she walked up the steps to the museum.
She sincerely hoped that her hair hadn't gotten mussed up on the trip over, but it was too
late to worry about that now. She could see Mamoru waiting on her, and she smiled at
the cute picture he made. He had yet to notice her, and she took advantage of the time
she got to just watch him.
She would be the first to admit that their marriage had gotten off to a rough start. In fact,
for the first two weeks she didn't even like him! But things had changed since then, and
both of them had been very willing to at least try to make things work. She couldn't
describe what they had now as being real love, per se, but they were making slow
strides in that direction.
She thought about it for a moment, before coming up with a word to describe what she
felt for him: fondness. She was very fond of him -- and she appreciated him as one of
her good friends and a very devoted husband. He was wonderful to her, and she had to
admit that he was slowly but surely winning her over to him.
Just then, he turned his head and caught her eye. He smiled brightly, waving at her to
join him. She rushed up the stairs, hoping to God that she wouldn't fall over herself, and
joined him on the edge of the fountain.
"Well, hello there!" he said, playfully tweaking one of her pigtails. "I was beginning to
think that you weren't going to show up!"
"Yeah, well, I had makeup difficulties. It's hard being a girl."
Mamoru chuckled, shaking his head. "I don't know why you even bother. You look great
without it."
Usagi beamed. "So where are we going to eat?" she asked suddenly.
"I was wondering when you were going to remember that!" he laughed. "Come on. Our
reservations are in just a little bit."
The restaurant was a small, elegant place inside of the museum.
Usagi was a bit overwhelmed at the prices on the meals, but Mamoru assured her that
he could afford whatever she wanted.
"After all," he smiled, "This is a very special occasion."
So they shared a comfortable dinner over candlelight and soft music, all the while talking
about the little things that were going on in their lives. Just as Usagi was scooping up
the last of her peanut butter pie, Mamoru gently took her hands and helped her out of her
seat.
"Come on. There's something I want to show you."
He led her to a wing in the museum that she had never been to before. Well, she
actually hadn't seen much of the museum at all before, but that was a moot point.
Usagi was very curious, because she knew very well that Mamoru wouldn't have taken
her to the museum without a specific purpose. He knew her too well to think that she
would actually *enjoy* walking around a museum for a couple of hours.
"Where are we going?" she asked softly as he paused in front of a set of doors.
"Well," he started, "I realized the other day that I never got you a wedding present. So
this is it: your wedding present."
Usagi blinked. "You bought me the museum?" Mamoru just smiled.
"Close your eyes. It's a surprise." Usagi dutifully obeyed and allowed herself to be led
into what she assumed was the room they had been standing in front of.
"Can I open them yet?" she asked after a few moments.
"Not yet," came Mamoru's amused response. He led her further into wherever they
were and sat her down in a plush chair. "Okay. You can open them," he whispered in
her ear, his breath tickling her stray hairs.
"Mamoru, I sure hope you didn't do something stupid and get me the
Mona Lisa, or -- Oh!" She stopped short when she opened her eyes and took in all that
was around her. They were in some sort of observatory or planetarium. The room was
very dark, almost black, with a few lights coming from the ground. But the biggest
source of light was the stars and the moon shining through the ceiling above.
"It's beautiful," she breathed.
"It is, isn't it," he agreed. "But that's not why I brought you here." Usagi turned to face
him, a curious look on her face. "I want to show you something else."
He turned to the seat next to him, but hesitated before pulling out a picture of a star.
"What is it?" she asked.
"I -- I bought you a star. I know this isn't exactly a typical gift that one gives to his wife...
but the way that I feed you, chocolates are out of the picture, and roses seem a bit
cheap for Tuxedo Kamen to give. Of course I can't give you jewelry, because you'd
never be able to wear it... so I was running a little low on options, and--"
She silenced him with a sudden and decisive kiss on his lips. "That has to be the most
romantic thing that I've ever heard of," she smiled as she pulled away. "Thank you."
Usagi wasn't quite sure because of the lighting, but she thought that she saw him blush
at the compliment.
"So what's its name?" she asked curiously. It really was a beautiful star... and it was
hers!
"Well," Mamoru's teasing voice was back, "I thought about calling it
Usa Major, but common sense got a hold of me and I decided not to."
"Good thing, too." She wrinkled up her nose at him. "But seriously, what did you call it?"
"Serenity," he said softly, his voice low and warm.
"Serenity? That's beautiful..."
"It just seemed to fit you," he murmured as he leaned in to kiss her.
"Mmm, Mamoru?" she mumbled after a while. He pulled back slightly, eyes soft and
dark. "Don't you think that we could see that star better from your bedroom window?"
Mamoru laughed, kissed her again, and winked. "Race you back!"
~~~
Review, please! I want to know how you liked it.
Bunny ^_^