Author's Notes: Oooh it has been a long time. After writing out Inevitable, I didn't have any inspiration for anything happy, and I certainly didn't want to load up on more sad stuff. So here's something a little happier.
"Scandal"
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Naru slammed a piece of brightly colored newspaper onto Usagi's desk suddenly, making Usagi jump in surprise. Naru pointed a finger at the photographs on the cover and said, "Look at this!"
Usagi looked, and for a moment, her heart stopped beating. Staring back at her from the front page was the face of Sailor Moon, her own face. It took Usagi a full thirty seconds to calm herself down, to realize that even though the heroine in the photo obviously looked identical to Usagi herself, no one else could tell. There was something about the transformation that turned her into Sailor Moon, something that made it impossible for anyone to tell who she was. Once she'd even seen her own parents on the street. They'd stared her directly in the face and hadn't recognized her.
Assured that her identity was safe, Usagi studied the photos. To the left was a photo of Sailor Moon, her brows drawn into a frown, bright blue eyes narrowed in anger. Usagi struggled to keep her lips from twitching into a smile as she noticed the dramatic way Sailor Moon's gloved hand was pointing in accusation at the camera. Clearly the photographer had caught her in the middle of one of her more melodramatic speeches aimed at a youma.
The other photo was clearly what Naru had been pointing at. In this photo, Tuxedo Kamen had his arms wrapped around Miharu, a girl from Usagi's class. Miharu's own hands were clenching tightly to Tuxedo Kamen's black jacket, her face upturned towards his, lips slightly parted. Tuxedo Kamen himself looked ruffled, his black hair out of place, cheeks slightly flushed, dark eyes heavily lidded.
The headline above the two photos screamed: "A Jilted Sailor Moon: Soldier of Unrequited Love and Betrayal?" Below it, in slightly smaller lettering, the tabloid questioned whether Tuxedo Kamen had found himself a new love and left Sailor Moon to fight the forces of evil and heartbreak all alone. Apparently, the story continued on page three.
Now Usagi did allow herself to smile. Maybe in the past she would have flushed bright pink, filled with doubt and hurt and anger, wondering why Tuxedo Kamen would betray their love. But she had grown up a lot over the past few years, and of one thing she was certain: Mamoru loved her. He would never betray her.
When Usagi said nothing, Naru grew impatient. "Well," she asked, "what do you think of this?"
Still smiling slightly, Usagi replied, "It's certainly clever editing."
Naru seemed shocked and was about to say something when none other than Miharu entered the classroom, flanked by a large group of chattering girls. Miharu herself looked rather pleased by the attention and sat down in her seat with a smile.
"Is it true, Miharu?" Naru asked, flashing the tabloid at the girl.
Looking like this was exactly what she'd been hoping for, Miharu took the tabloid from Naru and examined it. Quickly covering the smile she'd been wearing, Miharu lifted her chin and pursed her lips. "I think it is so trashy of them to post our photo like that. Don't we have a right to privacy? I mean, just because Kamen is a superhero doesn't mean he doesn't have rights!"
Usagi had to suppress laughter at the familiar, almost intimate way Miharu referred to Tuxedo Kamen. Mamoru would get quite a laugh about this later. But Makoto, who had walked in with Minako behind Miharu's mob, looked furious. Clenching her fists, she met Usagi's gaze. Smiling widely, Usagi merely shook her head. She knew Makoto wouldn't like it, but there was no reason to overreact.
"Anyway," Miharu was saying, "I just feel bad for Sailor Moon. She's done so much for our city, but Kamen and I… well, when there's a spark, you just can't ignore it, can you?"
"So you've seen each other more than once?" Minako asked quietly, but her voice carried. Miharu looked over, her brow furrowing slightly.
"What do you mean?" Miharu asked.
"I mean," Minako said, coming over to stand by Miharu's desk, "since this photo was taken, have you seen him? Has he shown up outside your window with roses? Taken you across the rooftops of the city? Kissed you? Or did this 'spark' happen only when this photo was taken?"
Miharu looked surprised, confused even, and Usagi could clearly see her try to come up with a believable lie, a romantic story she could tell to mollify the suddenly uncertain crowd. "I… we…"
"Sounds like a whirlwind romance to me!" Minako said from behind the crowd. And suddenly the group of girls dispersed, Naru explaining to everyone how Tuxedo Kamen and the Sailor Senshi had rescued her a few years ago, and how she hadn't claimed some illicit romance.
Miharu was looking down at the color photo splashed across the front page of the tabloid, looking as though she might cry. Usagi started getting up to comfort her, but at that moment the teacher told them all to settle down and began the lecture.
Careful not to be caught, Usagi took out her cell phone and typed a text message to Mamoru: "Did you see the paper?"
Several minutes later, the phone vibrated. Glancing down, Usagi read: "Yeah. Looks like it's time for another front page kiss between Tuxedo Kamen and Sailor Moon. Sound good?"
Hiding a smile, Usagi typed: "Sounds perfect."
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