A/N: What's bound to happen now?

"CHAPTER THIRTEEN"

"Is he here yet?" the youngest one whined.

Serena had placed the little squirt on her shoulders so that she could have a bird's eye view of the place. If Rini hadn't been able to spot him yet, then apparently the answer was "no."

Time was ticking slowly yet surely. Only fifteen minutes had passed. Fifteen out of the three hours Amara had given them. Any longer, and Serena just might start bawling. Torture was the last thing she needed while in the middle of studying—or pretending to study—for the high school entrance exams that Ames was so fond of reminding her of. Surely Amara would understand...

Everyone had been positioned at different areas. Two girls for each corner of the room. The Scouts had decided to contact each other using their communicators. They were to contact Michelle and her friend Latoya Musashi by using little cheap flashlight keychains. And they all had to stay out of the couple's way.

Michelle had stated that this last bit was the hardest thing to do, but they'd be able to pull it off if they were quiet enough.

Serena's stomach growled, and she moaned in response. "Look harder, Rini!" she hissed. "I'm starving!"

"What am I, chopped liver?" the younger girl demanded. "I'm hungry, too, but a job's a job! And I'm not quitting until—" She suddenly gasped.

Serena looked up at her future daughter. "Did you find the doughnuts?" she whispered.

"No, Serena! Even better!" Rini looked down at her. "I found Allen! Get the flashlight!"

As the small device was passed up to the pipsqueak on her shoulders, Serena reached for her Sailor Scout communicator. She pressed the small red button on the side. "CrowFeet," she whispered, "come in, CrowFeet. This is Moon Dust, reporting for duty."

Raye glared at her. "CrowFeet," she muttered. "That's the stupidest code name I've ever heard!"

Well, it was better than CharredCrow. Which sounded a lot like the word "charcoal". "I found the prancing squirrel," Serena continued.

Amy spoke up. "Prancing squirrel?"

"The prey is on its way to the trap!"

"What prey?" both girls demanded.

"We found Allen," Rini stated blandly, still flashing the light on and off.

Raye growled. "Why didn't you say so?" She put a hand to her forehead. "And, Rini, you can stop with the signal now. You might get Amara's attention."

And suddenly Serena was dropped back into her sullen mood. If they were caught, they might never hear the end of it from Amara or Michelle...

COPHCOPHCOPHCOPH

Amara had been standing against the wall for the past fifteen minutes, actually taking Serena's advice. And it was the worst thing she's ever done. Michelle had gone someplace else, probably finding one of her male friends, which left her to be by herself.

Her hand reached up to finger the cross pendant around her neck, anything to keep from leaving the wall and searching the place for her younger cousin. She'd do anything to tell Michelle that it'd be best to forget the three hours, go home, make the others pay the price...

She saw a figure come up beside her, leaning up against that same wall. She could feel him staring at her...staring. The sensation made her more than a little uncomfortable. Not the same discomfort she felt around Allen. No, this was something different.

Something akin to agitation.

"So," the newcomer said, "nice night, huh?"

Amara only shrugged, glanced at him out of the corner of her eye. Dirty-blonde hair and hazel eyes. Eyes that were glazed over in a state of drunkenness. It was amazing the guy wasn't slurring. Which must mean he was still sober with more than a shred of his dignity still intact.

"What's your name?"

"That's for me to know," she grounded out, "and you to never find out." She didn't come here searching for relationships. Giving out her name would suggest something she didn't mean.

"Ah... Feisty, aren't we?" He trailed a finger across her arm, dangerously close to the faint indentions the Heartsnatcher had burned there. Then he chuckled. "Don't worry. I have ways of dragging out things. Information. Maybe even...something else?"

She edged away the best she could, a bit of the fear from this morning at the track thrumming through her veins. What she would give to be in a different position than this...

Allen's face appeared in her mind. Then the memory of how he had held her—Sailor Uranus, really—and how he had done everything he could to defend her earlier today. A deep yearning filled her soul. Three hours spent alone. No one worthwhile to share her time with.

"There you are," a bass voice said. "I knew I'd find you here."

Amara looked up to see—lo and behold!—Allen Toriyama grinning at her. Had to be her mind playing tricks on her, similar to a mirage in the sweltering heat of the desert. She shook her head, glanced away.

He grabbed her hand, the contact making her heart leap for joy. She looked back into his sparking bright eyes, saw the grin spread wider. Allen pulled her closer, wrapping an arm around her waist. "You know better than to run off like that. Had me worried sick."

Amara rose an eyebrow. Run off?

As if reading her mind, he gave her a quick wink, slightly nodded towards the guy he had drawn her from.

"Oh..." she muttered. She gave him a sheepish smile, gave him a pleading look and hoped he knew she was acting along with him. "Sorry, honey. Just had to get some breathing room."

By the amusement she saw reflected in his emerald orbs, there was a chance he took the endearment to heart. But he looked back at the other guy, flashed him a grin of his own. "Thanks, pal, for keeping an eye on her for me." His arm now slid along her shoulders, and he started to lead her away form the secluded wall in the back of the room.

His grip was possessive, gentle in its own way. Her pulse accelerated at being this close to him, so close that she could smell his masculine scent if she so desired. But she couldn't let herself indulge in such pleasures. That was for the other feminine girls to do.

She felt his thumb brush against that spot on her upper arm, where the indentions were. Last time she had checked, the lines were hardly visible. The only way someone could know they were there was if they were to feel along her arm.

The scrape on her neck, however, had merely scabbed over, hiding in plain sight. She hadn't bothered to place a bandage over it because there was no point. Besides, if she were to transform, the choker would hide it perfectly.

"He didn't hurt you, did he?"

Amara looked up at him, shrugged her shoulders after a moment. "Does it matter?"

"Of course. Anybody who should harm a woman such as yourself is bound to face my wrath." His hold tightened. "Now 'fess up."

She stopped where she was, feeling his arm drop from her shoulders. She crossed her arms over her chest and cocked her head to the side. "Your wrath."

Allen narrowed his eyes. "I'll have you know that I beat up a guy two years my senior. I can take down any man."

"I'm sure you can."

He just stared at her for the longest while, his eyes traveling every part of her. She wanted to turn around at that instant and leave this place behind, take her car and drive for miles...but something glued her to the tile floor.

"This isn't what you're used to, is it?" he asked.

Amara blinked, staring at him intently. "What makes you think that?"

"All of your emotions are in plain sight. I can read you like a book." He wrapped his arm around her waist and drew her closer, closer than she had been with him in front of the stranger. "It's like you're in a cage or something. But hardly anyone knows you here. Act like you would if you could start over."

The intensity of his gaze was overpowering, and she had no choice but to glance to the side. She felt his breath lightly fan the space between her eyes, and never had being this close to a man ever frightened her and yet comforted her.

Allen's words sounded a lot like what Michelle had told her before they had left the house. Truth rang in what they had both said, which soothed her even more. But if she were to screw up, then he'd know exactly who she was...which would raise questions.

Stepping a bit closer to her, Allen planted a kiss near her hairline, a feather-like touch much like the one from a few days ago. Her heart picked up a notch, her breath lodged in her throat. If only knew know how he made her feel, how he made her react...

"You smell pretty," he murmured. "It's...familiar in a way."

"F-familiar?" Amara stammered.

He probably hadn't heard her, because there was no answer. Instead, he stepped away, his hand slipping down to one of hers, a faint smile tipping the corners of his mouth. "Come with me," he said, leading her through this cheap idea of a ballroom.

"Where?" Part of her wanted to know, needed to know. The other part of her didn't care, would rather follow this man to the ends of the Earth if it meant she could stay with him forever.

She blinked in surprise. That was weird. I'm never like this...

"I'm getting you out of this place. There's too many walls. Too many people."

Her eyes narrowed. This from the guy that practically told her to change for the night, to relax. Who's being paranoid now, huh? "And do you happen to have any plans after this?"

"Nope. None." He brought her back up beside him. "Except to get to know a pretty woman better."

Amara wrinkled her nose at him. "Your idea of charming women? If I had to guess, I'd say it's been a while since you've had yourself a girlfriend."

"You're right. About two years. There's been no one I've been interested in." He winked at her, his smile widening. "Unless you'd be willing to fit the job's description."

Every muscle in her body stiffened. She was instantly brought back to that night at the track, where she and Allen had unknowingly met. Even then, he had a way of bringing out the strangest reactions in her.

Allen chuckled. "That seemed to have not worked," he mused.

"I'm thinking around the same lines."

"Well, then... I guess I'll have to figure out a different way to woo you."

Woo...me...? Another one of those strange concepts: a man chasing her. Not for sexual pleasures, but most likely just for an actual relationship.

He suddenly spun her around in a full circle, caught her by wrapping an arm around her waist. The next thing she knew, she was being tilted backwards, Allen's body hovering over hers. His lips dangerously close to hers... "I bet no man's ever done this to you before," he murmured.

Amara couldn't speak. How could she, when all she could think of doing was leaning up just a tad so that she'd be able to actually kiss him instead of wondering, wishing... It began to be hard to breathe. Yet again. "Y-you can...raise me up now..." she forced out.

He brushed his lips against the corner of her mouth, still flashing her that devilish smile of his. "As you wish."

A/N: Hmm... Curious, curious. Does he know that this woman is really his friend Ten'ou? Or does he think that she's just some random girl he met at a casual get-together such as this?

How was it possible that moments after he walked in the door, he walked up to Amara, anyway?

And what in the world is Michelle's plan?!

Only one way to find out: keep reading. As usual, I will have another chapter next week.

Please review!

-BDR