Destined Love: It Takes Two to Tango
Chapter Three
Meeting for the First Time... Again


Usagi


Moving slowly, Usagi climbed out of the bed and into the chair, the nurse holding tight to her arm. After unlocking the wheels Mayu pushed her out of the room and into the long hallway. Neither said anything, though Usagi took comfort from her presence. The nurse was the only person Usagi truly trusted after what she had learned. With others lying to her, straight to her face, she felt a strong urge to flee as fast and as far as she could.

She was being taken down to radiology to have an MRI, which sounded a bit frightening, though the doctor had promised it wouldn't hurt. Doctor Mizuno was worried about the continued headaches. She was a little nervous about the test.

"What is it like?" she asked as they passed the nurses station.

"Loud," Mayu said, leaning over slightly. "It makes dozens of loud sounds, mostly like a big click or a hum. Some people hate it. Also, the machine can be a bit claustrophobic for some people. You aren't afraid of small places are you?"

Usagi shook her head carefully. She didn't want to move too fast and make her headache worse. "No. Just the dark sometimes."

"Well it won't be dark, and it doesn't hurt. They'll probably give you something to help you relax anyways, but I think you'll be just fine."

They passed through a set of doors and Mayu continued pushing her down the hall towards the elevators. There was a teenage boy being pushed towards her. He had thick black hair and vivid dark blue eyes which looked haunted. Their gazes locked and for a moment, just a brief instant, Usagi wanted to throw herself out of the wheelchair and into his arms. She bit her lip and fought the urge, uncertain where it came from.

Instead she leaned back in the chair slightly, though it pained her to do so. Somehow she felt better the moment she saw him. Safe. Happy. Content. Whole. It made no sense, but the feelings were overwhelming. She thought he was perhaps two, maybe even three years older than her, though he seemed very young for all of that. And lonely, sad. He needed someone to take care of him.

"Good Morning Mamoru-kun!" the nurse said, sounding happy. "They took the cast off then. I thought they might."

The boy looked uncertain what to say, and he was still looking at Usagi instead of the nurse. "Um, yeah. They said my leg was healed."

"That's certainly a good thing. Though faster than I thought it would happen. Any pain?"

He shook his head, then winced and touched the back of it gently. "No, but my head hurts," he said.

Usagi gave him a sympathetic look at that. She could certainly understand head pain. She had enough of it on her own. But she felt strangely uncomfortable, like she and the boy were meant to be talking about something else. That seemed wrong after learning what had happened to her, which only confused her more. But still it was difficult to pull her eyes from his. He stared just as intently back at her. Several times his hand twitched as though he would reach out and take her hand.

"Hmm," Mayu said, bringing Usagi back to the moment. "Maybe we'll have to get you to the MRI after Usagi-chan here. I'll let the doctor know as soon as I get back."

They moved past the boy and Usagi wanted to cry. When she'd been in his presence she felt whole, and now it was as though something was missing again. She rubbed her chest unconsciously as the nurse pressed the button for the elevator.

"Who was that?"

"Oh, that was Mamoru. He's in the room right next to you. Are your friends coming back today?" Mayu asked.

"Motoki is. He said he had someone he wanted to introduce me to."

"Probably the boy you just met," Mayu said. "Motoki came in with him yesterday."

"Oh." Usagi frowned and bit her lip. There was a ding and the doors opened. Mayu pushed her into the elevator and touched the number two. As the elevator started moving it felt like her stomach dropped out from under her. She thought about Motoki and Reika. From what she remembered they had been very insistent that she attend the party. She hadn't really wanted to go, she remembered, but she'd agreed because they were her friends.

The doors slid open again and they were moving down a hallway. Warning signs about radiation stood out from the walls close to the ceiling. Usagi was wheeled into a room and the nurse helped her get up and move onto a hard surface.

Looking at the machine, which seemed a bit like a thick straw big enough for a person, she shuddered. The nurse wasn't kidding about the tight fit. She suddenly had a mental image of the boy from Charlie and the Chocolate factory being pulled through the tube in the chocolate river. A giggle erupted and she told Mayu what she'd imagined. The nurse laughed with her as she helped Usagi get comfortable.

"Someone will bring you back upstairs when you're finished," she said. "Remember, if you eat all your breakfast you can take a shower."

Usagi grinned at her. "Yes mom," she said, giggling. Mayu laughed and waved as she left the room.

A young man in scrubs came into the room and put something under her neck to hold her head still. Then he was adding something to her IV which made her feel slightly sleepy and very calm. She listened to his instructions about staying completely still and promised she had no metal on her. Something was pressed over her ears and the noises in the room were muffled.

Then she was pulled inside the machine and there were incredibly loud sounds, making her grateful the man had put something over her ears. Her head throbbed in time with the sounds, making her eyes water a bit. She kept her eyes closed and her head still, not wanting to repeat the test. There were four parts to it and she did exactly as she was told, moving her head only slightly when ordered to.

As the machine worked, Usagi thought about the boy. His blue eyes, his thick black hair, his perfectly tanned skin. Just the thought of him made her feel better. She couldn't understand it, and she didn't try. If he was a friend of Motoki, then maybe she could be his friend too. And if they were friends, then maye he wouldn't look so lonely.

Finally the scan was over.

The person who brought her back to her room was a young man wearing blue scrub pants and a scrub shirt that was covered in anime characters. She grinned at the shirt, but didn't talk much. She felt slightly uncomfortable being with a man, though she didn't understand why she should. It wasn't as though they were alone. The hospital was crowded and even in the elevator there were people carrying cards, flowers, balloons, and even overnight bags.

Once she was back in her room, sitting in the wide blue chair, she felt a bit better. Mayu checked on her, then an orderly came in with her breakfast tray and reminded her to eat. She choked down the awful eggs and overcooked bacon, then poured every drop of syrup onto the pancakes and ate them as well. The orange juice tasted fine so she drank it down quickly.

Still her mind strayed to the boy. Mamoru. Protector. It seemed a good name for him. He hadn't even spoken to her directly, but she sensed so many things about him. He would be loyal to a fault, probably studious and a hard worker, and definitely quiet. Her complete opposite. What he needed was someone to shove him headfirst into life. Someone who wouldn't back down. Thankfully Motoki was that sort of friend.

Finally Mayu returned. "Are you ready for this?" she asked.

Usagi nodded slowly. Mayu had promised that after she had the MRI, if she ate all her breakfast, she could take a real shower. The prospect was an exciting one, because even though she'd had the sponge bath, she still felt gritty and gross. The IV tube was taken out of the port and Usagi breathed a sigh of relief. She hoped they would take the needle out permanently soon. It was uncomfortable at times and she wanted it gone.

Mayu helped her up and she walked slowly and carefully into the bathroom. There was a bench seat along the back wall. Mayu adjusted the shower head so it would fall on her as she sat, then pointed to a string attached to a red plate on the wall. "If you feel dizzy, or if you fall, you pull that string and I'll come running, okay?"

"Okay," Usagi promised.

As soon as the nurse was gone she stripped out of the flimsy gown and threw it in the hamper, then sat on bench and turned on the water. She washed her hair twice, using all of the shampoo in the tiny bottle, then scrubbed every inch of her body until her skin was red and gleaming.

Feeling a thousand times better, she grabbed the bar and pulled herself up, hurrying to dry off with the towel. Mayu had left a fresh gown and robe and she pulled them on, tying them loosely as she didn't want the gown to choke her. Then she stood long enough to brush her teeth, thankful Mayu seemed to have thought of everything.

When she was done she carefully made her way back to the blue chair. A brand new brush and several hair elastics were on the rolling table. With a happy sigh she grabbed the brush and began to run it through her hair, sighing happily as she took care of the knots. Putting her hair up into the buns she'd worn since she was two or three years old made her feel even better. Though Mayu had tried, they hadn't looked nearly as good as when she did them herself.

Exhausted after only half an hour of real physical work, Usagi crawled back into the bed, careful of the IV, and leaned back, closing her eyes.


Mamoru


He couldn't get the girl out of his head and it was driving him crazy. Usagi. He snorted. With that hair she looked a bit like a rabbit anyways. Though if he was honest her little buns reminded him a bit of dumplings and noodles.

Motoki poked his head around the door. "Knock knock!" he said in a happy tone.

"Hey Motoki," Mamoru said, his eyes straying back to the wall.

Motoki pushed the door open wide and came into the room. "How are you?" he asked, hurrying in to sit in the wide blue chair.

"Better I think. Strange headaches, but my leg doesn't hurt and I haven't had another panic attack."

"I still can't believe your bones healed that fast. When I broke my arm in second grade it took three months to heal. And my ribs are still killing me."

"I know. It's strange how fast I heal," Mamoru mused. "I always have though. Remember when I busted my knuckles in that door? It was better in three hours."

"Lucky," Motoki muttered, rubbing at his side where the busted ribs were bothering him.

"I am. Did you bring the homework? I'm bored stiff in here and they won't let me leave until tomorrow."

"I did," Motoki said, and pulled the papers out of his jacket pocket. They were folded in half and slightly wrinkled, but Mamoru didn't really mind as long as he had something to do.

"Did Reika get the scholarship?" he asked.

"We still don't know," Motoki sighed. "I almost hope she doesn't, but I don't want her to give up her dreams."

Mamoru laughed. "Nothing could keep her from them. She's going to be just as intense as her parents. Their last did was in the amazon wasn't it?"

"Yeah. She said they're leaving again soon. She wants to go with them, but there is so little left of the school year it doesn't make sense. She wouldn't have time to catch up if she was gone for two months."

"No, but she could do her work online," Mamoru reminded him. "They have that program for off site students now."

They heard voices and looked up in time to see two officers passing the room. Motoki sucked in a breath and his fist went white. Mamoru realized his friend's jaw was clenched. He had never seen Motoki react in such a way before and wondered what was happening.

"Toki?"

Motoki didn't answer.

"Toki!" he made his voice a bit louder.

"Hmm?" Motoki looked at him and visibly tried to relax.

"What's wrong? Are you afraid of police now?"

Motoki shook his head, then slumped and sighed. "No. I just don't want them talking to her yet."

"To who?" Mamoru asked, confused.

Another heavy sigh escaped his best friend and when Motoki turned to look at him, his eyes were devastated. "Usagi-chan," he said, dropping his gaze.

"What's wrong Motoki?" Mamoru asked, worried. Not just for his friend, but for the girl.

"Usagi disappeared from the party," Motoki said, his voice leaden. "She was gone for most of the night. Reika and I didn't notice at first, and when we finally did, we looked, but couldn't find her. Earlier I had seen Yodu messing with her and I told him to leave her alone because she's underage, but he laughed in my face. Then, just before the attack I saw him again, stumbling, falling down drunk. I asked if he'd seen her."

Motoki went quiet for a long time. "What did he say?" Mamoru prompted.

"He made it sound like he might have been with her. I yelled at him that she was just a kid and didn't know what she was doing and couldn't even say yes to something like that. He said he didn't really care if a girl said yes. That if he wanted her he would take her whether she liked it or not. So I punched him. A couple times."

"What happened to Usagi?" Mamoru asked, dread filling the pit of his stomach.

"When she was in the emergency room someone noticed that her panties were missing. They saw blood on her legs, so a nurse checked and it was pretty clear there had been sexual activity. There was alcohol in her system too, so its possible someone got her drunk and took advantage, or that they just held her down, because there were a few other brusies. They don't have proof either way, and her parents didn't want her told, but the officers are persistent. They came to see me while you were still out of it, and then I talked to them again yesterday. They think she was raped."

Mamoru felt numb. That young girl was too innocent and sweet for anyone to treat her so harshly. It wasn't right. He wanted to rush into her room, pick her up, and carry her away somewhere safe, where no one could ever hurt her again.

"Where is Yodu now?" he asked.

"No clue. He disappeared after the party. Someone said he's gone to work on a whaling boat or something.

"He hasn't finished high school," Mamoru said, frowning.

"No, he hasn't, which makes me even more suspicious of him."

"We should talk to the other girls at the party," Mamoru said. "See if he bothered any of them."

"Mamoru, it's my fault Usagi was there. I begged her to go. Set Reika to convince her father. I pushed her into it. If she was... you know, then it's my fault."

Mamoru could understand why his friend felt guilty, but he didn't agree. On the one hand, Usagi wouldn't have gone to the party on her own. That was true enough. On the other, Motoki could not take responsibility for the actions of others. It wasn't him that made the decision to hurt someone, and he shouldn't shoulder the blame.

"No, it isn't." He said firmly. "You didn't hurt her."

"But..."

"No!" He realized he had raised his voice and quickly calmed himself. "Toki, you're my best friend in the world. I know you. There is no way you ever would have taken her there knowing she would be harmed. Did you physically pick up Yodu's hand and put it on her? No. You didn't. You can't take the blame for what someone else has done. And from the sounds of it, we aren't even certain it was a forced encounter."

Motoki sighed. "You don't know her Mamoru. She would never give herself away unless it was to the man she wanted to spend the rest of her life with. She'd never even been kissed. I heard her and Unazuki talking once about kisses, about how their first ones had to be special."

"Still, we don't know if it was forced, we don't know if it was Yodu, but we certainly know it wasn't your fault. Who knows, maybe she did find her forever person."

Mamoru's gut clenched at those words and an odd feeling of jealousy rose up in him. Somehow he had grown fond of the girl he'd never truly spoken with, and he didn't want her to find her forever man unless that man was him. Shaking his head at his own foolishness, he turned to conversation to school, hoping to distract his friend.


Usagi


Boredom had driven Usagi to do something she never would have believed. Her homework. There were four packets of it, and she was halfway through the first one before the orderly came to deliver her lunch.

She wouldn't have minded her mother coming to see her, but the woman was exhausted, had housework, and a doctor's appointment of her own. She hadn't been taking enough care of herself. Even through the anger she held towards both her mother and father for lying to her, she loved them and missed them both.

There was a knock on the door just as Usagi finished her lunch. She looked up and met the eyes of a man wearing a badge on his chest. A woman followed him into the room. Usagi gulped.

"Hello Tsukino-san," the man said. "I'm officer Takahashi and this is my partner Officer Sato."

"Hi," Usagi said, feeling strangely comfortable with both of them, though she couldn't understand why. It hit her that she recognized the voice. "You were talking to my father yesterday."

"I was," the officer said, sitting on one of the chairs. "We were asking permission to speak with you, but you seemed to be having an issue so we decided to wait a day. I hope that's alright."

Usagi only nodded. These officers knew something about what had happened to her. She wondered if she should ask or keep her mouth shut about what she had seen in the records.

Officer Sato sat in the big blue chair and patted her hand gently. "Do you remember anything about the party?"

"No. My last memory was apparently from two days before the party. I've been trying to remember, but nothing comes to mind."

"It was your friends Furuhata Motoki and Nishimura Reika who asked you to attend, right?" Officer Takahashi asked.

"Yes. I wasn't sure I really wanted to go, but they asked several times. I must have eventually agreed because I remember Reika asking my dad if I could stay with her that night."

"Hmm. And is there anything after that? Do you know why they wanted you to go to the party?"

Usagi shook her head. "I have my suspicions, but I don't know for sure."

"Why do you think they wanted you to go?"

"I'm pretty sure they wanted me to meet a friend of theirs. Motoki said something about him a couple days ago too. I guess he was injured at the party as well."

"That's a major coincidence," said the female officer. "Not just you were hurt, but the one they wanted you to meet."

"Don't forget Motoki and Reika were both caught in the attack too. My dad told me they refused to leave until they found me. Toki has some busted ribs and his friend broke a leg and hit his head."

"A lot of people had injuries as though they had been slammed into the walls or floors, and others were trampled," Officer Takahashi explained. "Most people were able to make it outside though."

"Of course you had the worst injury," Officer Sato took over, "your head injury was worse than the broken bones and you stayed unconscious for ten days because you had been drained almost to death. I think you were very lucky Sailor V showed up when she did."

"I wish I could have seen her," Usagi said. "My brother would freak if he knew I talked to Sailor V. She's his hero."

Officer Takahashi laughed. "My kids adore her too."

"Huh. I thought the police wouldn't like her very much."

Officer Takahashi shook his head. "We don't care much for vigilantes. People who take justice into their own hands," the man explained at the blank look she gave him. "But Sailor V isn't a vigilante. She only fights those creatures, the Youma. And whenever someone gets hurt she makes sure they get help. You're the first one she went so far for though, I think because you almost died."

"We were there that night," Officer Sato explained. "We saw you come out. You had blood coming from your ears and nose. For a moment I thought your skull had been partially crushed. Then when we got to the hospital you looked quite a bit better."

"Wow," Usagi said. "No wonder I still have such a headache." She rubbed the back of her head. The headache was already better than it had been when she first woke up, but it hadn't disappeared. "They thought I was going to have brain damage," she explained.

"They did," Officer Sato nodded. "That's what they told us. They also found evidence of other injuries."

"Other injuries?" Usagi asked, feigning ignorance. She didn't want them to realize she knew. She didn't want to be treated differently.

Officer Takahashi let out a sigh. "There isn't really a delicate way to put this," he said. "There were indications of sexual trauma."

Officer Sato patted her hand again. "We can't be sure Usagi," she said in a soft voice, "but something happened to you that night, and without your memory to help us, we can't catch whoever did this to you."

"We can't even be sure if it was assault or not," Officer Takahashi said, "though your friends insist they didn't see you drinking alcohol before you disappeared."

"Disappeared?" Usagi asked.

"For several hours from what I understand. About forty minutes after you arrived. They did say you'd been avoiding advances from several boys, and Motoki admitted he punched one of them when he saw the boy grab you."

"Motoki hit someone? Motoki?" Usagi was shocked. He was the last person she would have ever expected to become physically violent.

"Apparently the young boy in question said something about not giving you a choice, and he lost his temper."

"Oh." There was nothing else to say to that. Perhaps they were right then, and she had been forced to do something against her will. She didn't want to think it though. She wanted to believe perhaps she had met some handsome boy and been swept off her feet.

"This is our card," Officer Sato said. "If you think of anything at all, call us. Both of our office and work cell phone numbers are listed." She stood and patted Usagi's hand again.

Officer Takahashi stood as well, and they both left the room. Usagi slid the card onto the nightstand and looked up at the ceiling. Her mind was filled with strange thoughts when they left. She hadn't expected quite so much honesty from them. They'd been very forthcoming about everything they suspected, though they had been gentle about how they'd told her.

But she couldn't stop wondering just what had happened at the party. Had she been raped? Or had she willingly been with someone? She didn't think she would have. She didn't know anyone well enough to be intimate with them. In fact, she wasn't planning on being intimate with anyone until she knew it was her forever love.

Suddenly it seemed as though there was a record playing in her head. A strange conversation filtered into her mind, though she had no idea when or where it had happened, or with whom.

"If we do this," a young man whispered in her mind, "you belong to me." His voice was deadly serious. "And I'll belong to you, completely."

"I know," she whispered.

"Forever," he pronounced. "You will never be with anyone but me. You won't date or touch anyone else, ever, and I will never touch another woman. Promise me," he ordered. "No one else, ever."

"I promise."

Opening her eyes, Usagi stared out the window. She didn't know when she'd had that conversation, or even if it was real. Maybe it was just a dream. Maybe she was just wishing to belong to someone completely. Someone who would never hurt her.

There was a knock on the door and Usagi looked up to see Motoki, pushing a wheelchair. Sitting in it was the boy she had met that morning. "Fancy a visit?"


Mamoru


Vague thoughts filtered through Mamoru's mind while Motoki continued to talk. He had changed the subject now and was chattering on about Reika's role in the school play. Mamoru wasn't particularly interested.

It seemed as though his world had changed since the party, and he couldn't figure out why.

"If we do this," he whispered, "you belong to me." His voice was deadly serious. "And I'll belong to you, completely."

"I know," she whispered back.

"Forever," he pronounced. "You will never be with anyone but me. You won't date or touch anyone else, ever, and I will never touch another woman. Promise me," he ordered. "No one else, ever."

"I promise."

Unsure where the conversation had come from, or who it had been with, Mamoru blinked. He didn't recognize the voice, and didn't have any context about who the conversation had been with. Maybe the Princess had spoken to him and he couldn't remember.

"Lets go see her," Motoki said, looking at the door.

"Who?" Mamoru asked, confused. His mind conjured an image of the little blonde in the wheelchair that he'd seen that morning.

"Usagi-chan. I want you to meet her, and I'm worried about her being alone. Those officers just left."

"Okay," Mamoru said, not hesitating in the slightest. Motoki gave him a strange look, but then went out into the hall and grabbed one of the wheelchairs, bringing it back to help him into it.

A few minutes later he was being wheeled into the room next door. Before either of them could even speak there was a gasp from the bed and the girl leaned forward.

"Motoki! You really hit someone?" Usagi asked.

"They told you about that?" he asked, rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly. He gave a self-deprecating laugh and looked away.

"Yeah," Usagi said, and her voice lowered. Then she met Mamoru's eyes. "Hi," she said, a little awkwardly.

He felt like he was sinking into the most beautiful cerulean sky he had ever seen. "Hi," he said, and for some reason, he was blushing. He noticed pink staining her cheeks as well.

Motoki pushed him right up to the bed and took the large blue chair. "How was it. With the police I mean?" he asked.

Usagi blew out a sigh that made her bangs sway on her forehead. "Fine. At least they were honest with me. I can't believe my parents wouldn't tell me. Shouldn't something like that have come from them?"

"Probably. I'm sorry I didn't tell you but they made all of us promise or we wouldn't be allowed to see you."

Usagi frowned. "It's okay. I don't blame you. I found out yesterday anyways."

"How?" Motoki asked, sounding shocked.

"Well I heard my dad talking to officer Takahashi, but I couldn't really hear much of what they were saying and I misunderstood and thought I was dying. I freaked."

"Understandable," Mamoru murmured. She nodded at him, and then held his gaze as she continued.

"I had a massive panic attack. My chest ached and I couldn't breathe. I was dizzy and nauseous and I just felt awful. Nurse Mayu came in and helped me get through it, then they knocked me out with some sort of medicine that made it so I couldn't even move. When I woke up I was determined to find out the truth, so I asked my mom, but I could tell she was lying. As soon as she left I checked my chart." She pointed to the file at the end of the bed. "I guess if they wanted to keep it a secret they shouldn't have left that in my reach."

"Wow," Motoki breathed. "You had a panic attack too?"

"Yeah," Usagi said, blushing again. "It scared me half to death."

"Mamoru here had one yesterday as well," Motoki said. "I thought he was dying of a heart attack or something."

"Scary," Usagi said, and her eyes were locked on his own. Some sort of understanding passed between them. He felt like he was telling her everything would be okay, though neither of them spoke a word as they searched each other's eyes.

Motoki seemed to think it was time to change the subject. "So when are you getting out of here?" he asked.

Usagi blinked, turned to Motoki, and shrugged. "I have no idea. I am hoping for tomorrow, since Doctor Mizuno already told me it won't be today. They want to do a couple more tests this evening."

"What kinds of tests?" Mamoru asked.

"I'm not sure. I had the MRI and something called a CT scan a couple hours later. The MRI machine looks like a straw and the CT thing looks like a big lifesaver. She said it's something called an EEG. There was another one but I can't remember what it is." She gave a soft sigh. "Not that I remember a lot these days."

"Are you having memory lapses other than the party?" Motoki asked.

She shook her head, then winced and grabbed the back of her skull. "Not really. I don't know what led up to the party, or what happened there. It's like my brain skipped over that time, then boom, I wake up in the hospital feeling like I've been run over. I thought, just for a second that I must have been hit by a car on my way to school."

"Memory loss can be very scary," Mamoru said, trying to be encouraging and supportive without pressuring her to talk.

"I'll say. Something major happened to me, and I don't know who, how, why, or where."

"I don't remember the party either," Mamoru said quietly. He wished he did.

"I had a thought about that," Motoki said. "The nurse said the cartoon thing with hitting someone again wont work, but we could take you back to where the party was and see if it jogs your memory."

"Maybe," Usagi said the word, but she didn't look like she was ready to remember. She bit her lip. Mamoru wanted to destroy anyone who ever hurt such a sweet girl.

"Toki, not yet," he said, giving his friend a meaningful look.

Motoki's eyes widened and he nodded. "Okay. If and when you're ready," he said.

"Thanks," She was speaking to Motoki, but staring at Mamoru. He knew the thanks was really meant for him and his heart swelled because he'd helped her.


Motoki


After Mamoru was back in his own room, and Usagi had been taken away for another test, Motoki made his way out of the hospital. He couldn't wipe away all the guilt about what had happened to Usagi, or even to Mamoru, but still there was a bit of joy filling him after he'd seen the way they reacted to one another. It was obvious, to him at least, that there was an undercurrent of attraction and even caring building between them.

Pulling out his cell phone, he called Reika. "You were right," he said, the moment she answered. "Usagi is perfect for him, and he's just what she needs."

There was a loud squeal through the line and he couldn't help laughing at her obvious excitement. "I knew it! I knew it! I knew it!" she said exultantly. "What's the next phase of our plan?" she asked.

"We need to give them reasons to hang out," Motoki said. "We can get them both in the Crown somehow. No more parties."

"Never again," Reika said.

"But," Motoki continued, "you should have seen them together today. She found out about what happened to her and when I suggested we go talk to her Mamoru leapt at the chance. They stared at each other the whole time. I really think there's something there."

"Yes!" Reika crowed. "Now we have to let it build. Carefully."

"We do. I'm thinking I might need help with my math and will only be able to get it if he comes to my work," Motoki said with a laugh.

"Brilliant. And I will need girl time to discuss a few things," Reika said, "I'll figure it out as I go along. Any idea when they're both getting out?"

"I think maybe tomorrow for Mamoru and probably the day after that for Usagi," Motoki confided. "We've got this."

"We do," Reika said. "We really do."


Reader Response: Most of you know I have a ton of stories that are already finished. Some I always intended to write sequels for, like Losing Control, or Kidnapping Sailor Moon. Recently however, I've also been asked to continue a couple other stories... and I'm giving you all a chance to have your say. Which story do you want a sequel for the most:

1. Kidnapping Sailor Moon (Rated T)
The story continues with the Black Moon Arc - a few twists added along the way.

2. Losing Control (Rated M)
The story continues with the Black Moon Arc - a few twists added along the way.

3. The Rose (Rated M)
The story continues with the approach of a new enemy and culminates in the Calamity that changes the world forever.

4. The HoneyMoon (Rated M)
The quest to find the fountain of youth and save the Shitennou. Then stories continue as the girls realize their love for their soulmates, as Haruki and Shingo are brought into the fold, and as a new enemy is faced and the time of the Calamity approaches.

5. Married Strangers (Rated M)
The continuation of the fight against Beryl

6. The Prison (currently rated T, but is being rewritten so that might change)
The story continues with the Black Moon Arc - a few twists added along the way.

Send me a message, or add it to a review. Just put in the number if you don't want to type the title out. I look forward to hearing what you want the most. The final decision will be made on May 15th!