Chapter Ten

The next morning dawned as any other, but Mamoru didn't want to get up. His bed was empty and his mind full, completely opposite of his waking yesterday. It was wrong. Irrevocably wrong, in fact. His first instinct was to race across the hall, bang down Usako's door and demand she come and lay down beside him. It wasn't possible, though, from the way she was yesterday. Odd would have been a vast understatement.

She had been completely silent after that, skipped school to sleep and do homework. When she disappeared into the shower, there were no sobs to break the steady rhythm of the water. He worried that the revenge had gotten to her, that she would turn on the entire Dark Kingdom, that he would lose her…

He shook his head and sat up. There was no way he would allow that to happen. Usagi was…everything…to… His mind ceased to function at the thought and he paused, staring into nothing. Usagi was everything…to what? To whom? The thought refused to finish itself, leaving him puzzled and even more confused than before.

The phone rang down the hallway, echoing through the apartment. A moment later, Mamoru was shocked as Usagi picked it up. What on earth was she doing up this early? She normally slept in rather late and didn't get off to school until about five till. A second later, there was a knock on his door and he walked forward, ready to see her pale, lifeless face on the other side. Instead, he saw two horrified eyes and a mouth gaping.

"Someone wants to move into the house." He nodded reassuringly, knowing what torture she must be going through. He touched her face softly and sighed.

"Don't worry, Usa-chan. Everything will be alright." She shuddered, but didn't pull away from him. It appeared that she'd been up for quite some time now, showered and dressed for the day. Maybe whatever had happened yesterday had done her some good then? "Moshi moshi."

Usagi could only stare in horror as Mamoru worked out a meeting time with the girl on the phone. Her rational mind wouldn't accept the fact that someone 0ther than her family would be living in her house. All her mother's fine furniture had been left as it always was, but she hadn't had the heart to go look in the living room again. She could hardly bear to think of the blue walls, or the baseball memorabilia in Shingo's room –the dark cherry wood table and dresser that had belonged once to her grandmother. Tears began to prick at the back of her eyes, and she turned away, unable to watch as Mamoru all but flirted with the girl on the phone.

Her heart was breaking all over again. After killing Ziocite, it had been difficult to remind herself that it was over, that the perpetrator had been put out of commission. The dark kingdom was down and out for a while, much the same as it had been with Nephrite's death. But something stung her conscience at the thought. Mako-chan had been so…haunted the next day. And Ami-chan…yesterday, she had looked so…horrified. Usagi grimaced a little at the thought. It had been a pretty gruesome way to go about her revenge, but it worked. That look on Ami's face, though, had only made the pain worse, not better. Something spoke of a certain…knowledge? Ami…knew Zoicite maybe?

"Usa-chan?" She spun, a little shocked that Mamoru had snuck up behind her so deftly.

"H-hai?"

"Did you want to go with me to the house?" and watch him flirt with the college girl face to face? Not a chance!

"No thanks. I need to get to class." She murmured, slipping past him with eyes lowered. She knew that it would happen, she would have to let go, but did it have to be so soon? It had been 8 days! It wasn't long enough to…work out the loose ends. Mamoru understood immediately, though and took her shoulder.

"Usa-chan. Come here." Usagi was completely caught off guard as those warm arms wrapped around her. How did he always know when she needed him most?! She buried her face in his chest and took a deep breath. "Everything will work out, k? Don't give up, I'm here for you." She gripped his waist and took another deep breath to keep the tears at bay. Those feelings of disappointment, sorrow, and pain came bubbling up to the surface and she sniffled, holding on tighter to him. His hand smoothed through one pigtail and he kissed her forehead softly.

"I'm sorry, Mamo-chan." She whispered finally, finding her voice through the pain. "I…I didn't mean to…yesterday, I…" She coughed, fingers gripping the folds of his shirt. He held on tighter, fingers teasing down her face and neck.

"Usa, sh," he cleared his throat quietly and pulled away just enough to look her in the eye. "You're ok, though, right? You…you're going to move on? Please?" She nodded, unable to break his steady gaze.

"I'm done." She whispered quietly. Mamoru felt his soul quake in the finality of those words and he took a breath to steady himself. That light, always seemingly present in the back of those eyes, had gone almost completely out. It was perhaps the most disturbing thing he noticed about her in the past few days. He did the only thing his rational mind could possibly conceive.

Their lips touched softly and she sucked in a breath, fingers tightening. Her lips were tender against his, hair already wound around one hand. Her whole body shivered against his as he pressed further, hand angling her head to the side. She whimpered and his inside squirmed deliciously to the sound of it. This, right here, was the completion of that perfect feeling yesterday. This was exactly what was supposed to follow the cuddling, not the fight. That had been a mistake. Now that his mind could follow the progression of events, he'd have to use this particular tool more often.

She stiffened suddenly, and pushed him away, the look in her eyes bitter. He could only stare at her, curious why on earth she would break that moment. A hollow sounding laugh fell from her mouth and she turned away.

"I'm sure the princess will enjoy those much more than I will. You better save them for her."

Somewhere between sitting down on the grass alone and taking her first bite of sushi, Usa noticed someone staring at her from across the yard. It had begun as the strange tingling feeling between her shoulder blades and grown till she turned. The space was seemingly empty, though, and she turned back to her lunch in silence.

"You look lonely." Someone whispered threateningly close to her ear and she yelped, nearly jumping out of her skin. Dark violet eyes stared down at her and she felt a shiver crawl up her spine. Dimon smiled charmingly, backing away just a bit. "Sorry, Buns, didn't mean to scare you. Haven't seen you around in a while." She gulped down her mouthful, trying to think of any explanation other than the truth.

"I, uh…moved." Tears pricked the back of her eyes, but she simply turned back to her lunch without explanation. It was too painful to think about the changes in the past week or so. She didn't even really feel like talking to anyone. It was the reason she'd avoided Ami-chan and Mako-chan's pointed looks. Even Naru-chan had stared at her this morning, as if she didn't quite know what to make of the little blond girl.

"You seem so…sad today, little one. What's wrong?" Dimon whispered, settling down beside her.

"And this is the kitchen." Mamoru gestured crudely around the room as a knock came to the door. The two girls glanced at each other curiously, then looked to him. Clearing his throat, he slipped from the room.

"Usagi-chan! Usagi-chan!" Rei's voice called through the door and Mamoru grimaced inwardly. How could he even hope to explain the situation to her, let alone have her understand why he was there, of all places.

He slipped open the door, looking down on the obviously distraught Shinto priestess. There were tears streaming down her face and her cheeks were red from crying. Those dark violet eyes opened wide at seeing Mamoru in Usagi's house, but she brushed off the fact, coming forward to grip his shirt pleadingly.

"Please, Mamoru-san, where is she? Where is everyone?!" Mamoru could only grip her shoulders and pull her away long enough to look her in the eye. She really had no clue what was going on, did she?

"Your parents were murdered?!" He whispered, shocked eyes as wide as saucers, tears were streaming freely down her face and she clutched to his shirt as he held her. Broken sobs emanated across the yard and she shook uncontrollably in the aftermath of her broken heart. In her mind flashed images of blood, Shingo's wide, terrified brown eyes, mouth hanging open in a silent scream. It was something she could almost hear in the back of her mind as she clung helplessly to the older boy for comfort.

"No one knows about it, nothing was ever put in the papers. They don't even know who did it or why." Her voice cracked painfully. Dimon's hand slid across her back and she gulped, feeling that warning tingle shoot through her mind. The voice of that man…the one that finally caught her last week…whispered in her head. His words were jumbled, unintelligible. But the tone could not be denied.

"Don't cry, little Bunny." Dimon whispered and she glanced up, feeling that ridiculous fear shoot through her again. His eyes seemed darker than normal, his hair lighter. Sunlight reflected off the top of his head, making him seem pale and…strange….

"Rei-chan, didn't you hear? They were…" The ground all but heaved in revolt and Mamoru paused mid-sentence, feeling nauseous. His grip on the dark girl's shoulders slacked and he felt, more than heard, Usagi whimper in the back of his mind. Something was happening to her, he knew it. His eyes narrowed dangerously, the muscle in his jaw jumping. Rei took a step back, feeling terror race through her for the first time in the presence of the college student. He'd never looked so murderous before.

"M-Mamoru-san?" She whispered curiously, watching as navy eyes turned nearly black in anger and he set himself, breathing harshly.

"We'll continue this later, ladies." He turned, ushering the other girls out of the house and locking the door. They barely had time to say goodbye before Mamoru was in his car and racing away. Rei, for one, had never really been so confused before.

First, Sailor Moon had completely forgotten all manner of self control and literally beat Zoicite into the cement. The sight had been the most terrifying thing Rei had ever witnessed. To see Usagi-chan so…broken, ferocious…and lost. It had been horrible. It was bad enough that she'd refused to speak to them since her leadership had been ousted. And now…it was too late.

Rei stared down the empty road, wondering when things had gotten so far out of control.

Usagi had never been paralyzed by a single look, but the way Dimon's eyes darkened, when he came closer, she couldn't move. Terrifying memories of Zoicite's kiss shot through her, that dead taste invaded her senses and she whimpered helplessly as the older boy loomed closer. The strangest thing of all, though, was that the closer he came, the less she really cared if he kissed her or not. What did it matter, her mind argued, nothing would ever happen between them. If it did, he would die just like everyone else and she would be alone again. But she was always alone, it didn't matter anymore. Nothing did.

A few tears streaked unnoticed down her cheek at the first tentative brush of his mouth against hers. She felt her whole body shudder…but it was in revulsion. It was as if her very being rejected this boy above all others, tried in vain to pull away from him, do anything that would keep him far from her. But it didn't matter how hard she tried in her very soul, she couldn't pull away, she couldn't say no. Her heart was too broken to force the will on the rest of her and she let him kiss her –but took no part nor pleasure in it. He was everything that didn't matter, and in the end, Mamoru was everything she couldn't have.

It ended abruptly.

Dimon was lifted from his sitting position beside her and thrown into a tree by a VERY pissed Mamoru. Usagi's eyes was filled with the vision of her protector, shoulders nicely outlined in a dark blue button up, muscles straining in the effort to pin the younger boy to the tree. His eyes spoke of all the hatred in the world, all the injustice, all the holy anger that could be summoned. The muscles in his back defined through the shirt and his face distant, powerful and terrifying was focused solely on the pop idol, and it was more than apparent that given the chance, the boy would already be dead.

Usagi leapt to her feet, noting that the vein in Mamoru's forehead was bulging, and that he was trying to form words. It was obvious that the indignity was too much, that he could no longer find the expressions that he needed. It was only after a moment of silence that he spoke, his voice a dark and demanding thing that shook Usa's heart in fear.

"Don't. Touch. Her." He whispered, enunciating every syllable. "If I ever catch you near her again, no force on earth will keep you alive. Do you understand me, American?" He spoke the word with distaste, as if the very thought made him want to puke.

"And what are you, her brother?" Dimon asked calmly around the hand at his throat. He wondered faintly why his bodyguards hadn't already come to tackle this jealous guy to the ground. One glance behind them, though, showed two unconscious people in the grass and he rolled his eyes. So hard to find good help these days.

"Her pit bull." He paused, turning his head only slightly to check on said girl, noting that she actually looked scared of him. "Daijoubu, Usagi-chan?" He asked softly, tightening his grip on the boy as he turned.

"H-hai. Arigatou, Mamo-chan." Straitening her shoulder again, Usagi tried in vain to smile, show him she was really fine. It obviously didn't have the same effect she'd wished for.

"Good." His eyes trained themselves on Dimon again and he tried to smile through the irritation. "Remember what I said, punk." Even the ground seemed to shiver in response to some unseen power as Mamoru released the boy and took a step toward Usagi. She felt that energy course through her feet and up her legs. It was…strangely protective, almost sentient. His hand touched her shoulder and she glanced up, careful to hide what she could of her earlier tears. He noticed, though, wiping at the streaks with his thumb.

It didn't even matter if Dimon was there anymore, Usagi's heart pulsed painfully in her chest and she took a deep breath to calm her nerves. It was difficult. Every fiber of her being wanted to jump in his arms and cry till the world fell away and it was just them. But she knew it could never be like that, no matter how sweet his kiss had been earlier, she couldn't allow herself to get close. The princess was a mere breath away, and soon he'd be lost to her.

"Come on, I'll walk you back to class." His arm went pointedly around her shoulder and they ducked under a branch. Dimon glared angrily at the two as they left, thoughts raging. He kicked at the two on the ground in irritation, if even a little consoled as they fell to dust.

"He's every bit as gorgeous as I remember him." A woman's voice broke through the trees and he glanced sideways. The ebbing and flowing red mane was enough to say who she was and he cleared his throat, shaking the white locks as they lengthened shaggily.

"So I take it that's his Highness? Pitiful little wretch." Beryl glanced his way in annoyance, flicking a floor length lock behind her shoulder.

"He's twice the man you'll ever be, my dear. It's no shock the princess fell for him. I remember falling quite hard myself." Her eyes glinted maliciously. "I can't wait to have her long pale throat in my hands; just to see those eyes pop out as I squeeze." Long red nails glinted in the afternoon sun and her fingers twitched. Diamond reached out, gripping those hands harshly and glaring her down.

"She's mine, Beryl. If you so much as touch her, I'll have you filleted like bad fish."

They walked in silence, not quite sure what to say to each other. Usagi had gone pretty far out into the fields to eat, so it took some time to get back to the school building. How exactly Mamoru had tracked her down so quickly was a little bizarre, but she figured it probably had something to do with being Sailor Moon. Of course, how on earth he knew she was in trouble was a whole new story.

"Are you sure you're alright?" Mamoru asked finally, pulling her to a stop to look her over. He didn't appear to have hurt her at all, but sometimes the wound is on the inside. Usagi nodded, smiling gratefully.

"How did you know?" Mamoru cocked his head curiously and she tried again. "I was hiding from everyone and he just showed up. How did you know where I was? How did you know that I …didn't want it?" Mamoru's dark eyes went steel grey for a moment and his jaw muscle twitched. He was quite for a while, probably still trying to calm his nerves, she discerned to herself.

"I know what it's like when you kiss someone and enjoy it, Usa-chan. You get this cute little smile in the corner of your mouth and your eyes light up. Back there you just looked like a rag doll. I probably overreacted," he paused again to take a breath and forced a smile "Can you blame me if I wanted to kill him right there, though? I could tell he was…using you."

Mamoru felt dirty even saying the word. She just nodded, almost feeling his distaste as much as seeing it. Now, he hadn't mentioned in inexpressible rage hadn't just been for Dimon's use of her, it had been the fact that the younger boy had actually assumed she wanted it. Didn't he realize that Usagi was way out of his league? Didn't he realize he wasn't worthy to breathe the same air as her, let alone touch those perfect lips or defile her skin with his touch? Wasn't it obvious that an angel like Usa could never have feelings for him, no matter who he was?

Well, that, and Mamoru couldn't stand the thought of anyone else that close to her.

"Want to hear the funny thing?" He asked with that cocky grin on his face again as they turned toward the school once more. Usagi cocked an eyebrow curiously and he laughed at himself. "I could have killed for a sword right then."