Chapter Two

The devil doesn't come dressed in a red cape and pointy horns. He comes as everything you've ever wished for.

-Tucker Max

Usagi paced as much as her strange little body would allow. Cardboard… cardboard… cardboard. It was all she saw since Mamoru had placed her inside a box for the night. Her leg ached, but it was better than yesterday. She didn't exactly rest as Mamoru had told her. Hard to sleep when your mind is racing a million miles a minute. As was her heart, though, the small rabbit heart wildly beating even when she wasn't necessarily scared.

She was terrified, but it still felt like her heart was on overload.

Was what Usagi going to do? She couldn't go home! Not like this, even if she could somehow get out of this box, out of Mamoru's apartment, figure out where she was and how to get home, and get there in one piece. It would include getting inside her home once she got there, and already the task was far too dangerous. And impossible.

She was stuck, hopping around on the soft downy towel Mamoru had put in the box with her. It didn't have a lid, but Usagi had no hopes of getting out with the edges so high with her hurt leg and new small body. Usagi had no clue how to get out of this body or her new 'home'.

A shadow fell over her, and (since she couldn't look up) Usagi cowered into the corner. "Good morning." Mamoru's gentle voice calmed her instantly, but she stuck to her corner. "I'm not going to hurt you, remember? I'm the one that saved you?"

His fingers carefully scooped under her, and she vaguely felt violated -being handled like this? His fingers on her belly without so much as asking? But then he set her on the ground with nothing to hold her back, and she instantly forgot her upset. Mamoru's place was large and clean, but the size was probably due to hers more than anything else.

"Here." Mamoru pushed a bowl her way, and she instantly reared back at the bright orange inside it. "Huh. That's weird. I thought all rabbits liked carrots?" He chuckled softly and laid down on the floor, so they were face to face. Usagi's breath caught as his massive blue eyes stared at her. "You remind me a lot of another little bunny I know…."

He stared for a few more seconds before hopping back up to his feet. Mamoru was humming to himself as he pulled out his phone.

"According to this, rabbits like fresh fruits and vegetables. I guess I shouldn't have gone off of stereotypes." He mumbled to himself and moved to his fridge. "Let's see. I don't have a lot of fresh stuff, but I do have some strawberries that should still be good."

Usagi loved strawberries. Her little bunny belly burbled at the thought, and Mamoru must have heard it somehow because he laughed and quickly sliced up the juice, red berries. A new bowl was placed before her, and she dug in without shame. She was starving.

Going to town, Usagi ignored Mamoru when he started to touch her leg. It was the injured one, and even though still tender, she knew he wouldn't hurt her. He still felt the need to explain as if he knew she could understand.

"I just want to check out your leg… wow. You're a fast healer!"

She glanced back; Mamoru was holding her fur out of the way to show an angry pink line where her skin was split down to the bone. It looks like Usagi's healing still worked even in this form?

Tentative fingers grazed the small space between her ears as Mamoru tested her. She remained still and allowed him to scratch the top of her head while she ate. It felt nice. Weird, but nice.

Mamoru sighed loudly and got back to his feet. "If only the other little bunny liked me as much as you do."

Why did he keep talking about some other bunny? It was starting to bug her. She wasn't jealous, that wasn't it. It was just… she was suffering here, and he was talking about another rabbit, that's all!

"I'm sorry, I'm rude talking about another bunny, aren't I?" Juice dripped from her fur, but she was too shocked that he read her mind like that. "It's just… I thought she would like you. And maybe want to keep you? I'm afraid I'm too busy to care for you and… well, I'm not sure how responsible she is, but she has a cat that hasn't died yet, so someone is taking care of it. Would you like that? We can go meet her today?" Mamoru was already getting ready, rushing around in a nervous manner that was cute but strange to her. "I need to… check on her anyway. I told you about her a little last night. She was out there too, and I didn't see her go home. I'm sure she's still asleep, but… I need to make sure she's okay."

Usagi was back in the box, but Mamoru had put a lid on it this time. It kept the chill out, and she snuggled into the towel. It smelled like Mamoru. Not that she knew what he smelled like! It was a guess! It was his towel, so of course, it would smell like him.

There was a lot of commotion outside as Mamoru carried her. She had to assume they were out on the streets of Tokyo. She had no clue where Mamoru lived; otherwise, she might be able to figure out a way to get to someone. One of the Senshi or her house. Although, what she would do once she got to them, Usagi had no clue.

It got quieter; the sounds of cars and people were replaced by birds and kids calling. Usagi didn't feel like she had been in the box long when she heard Mamoru knock on a door. She angled herself to peek out of one of the holes Mamoru punched into the top of the box. Her heart leapt in her chest when she recognized the door before them.

It was Usagi's front door.

Afraid to move, Usagi watched as her mother came to the door. But then her heart flopped to her belly at the sight of her mother's red-rimmed eyes. Mamoru shuffled his weight as if uncomfortable… or scared. "Forgive me; I'm here to see Usagi-chan?"

When more tears spilled out of her mother's eyes, Usagi started to cry herself. It would seem that the girls didn't come up with a very good excuse for why she was missing. Or they did, and her mother didn't believe it. It was hard to fool her mother; Usagi had never done something like this before.

Mamoru forgot himself and nearly dropped her box. Shoved harshly to a corner, she lost sight of her mother as Mamoru caught the woman before she hit the floor. "Usagi… Usagi didn't come home last night… we're so worried."

"I… I'm sorry." Usagi was shuffled around more as Mamoru adjusted the box and her mother. "I'll keep a sharp eye open for her. I'm sure she's fine…."

"Are you her boyfriend?"

Usagi didn't even know bunnies could feel embarrassed or flushed; she felt like her fur might catch on fire! "No… no, I'm not. I'm just her… friend. And I promise I'll help find her."

Mamoru was silent the whole way back to his place. Not that she expected him to say something to her. But she had been 'squeaking' inside her box for a while now. She wasn't in pain or distress; she was trying to tell him, 'I'm right here!' but had tired by the time he set her box down on his floor.

He lifted the lid and left her on the floor just outside her box. Then walked over to his couch and flopped to it. She watched him -confused and curious- as he showed genuine upset. It was when he fell forwards, tossing his head to his hands and groaning, that she felt a pain in her chest. "This is all my fault… I shouldn't have left her alone…."

Mamoru hid his face from her, but his voice sounded edgy and wrong compared to how it usually sounded. It was like he was angry, but she didn't understand why he would be. Shouldn't he be glad she was gone? All they ever did was fight the few moments they were together. Now that she thought about it, they were fighting a lot, weren't they? When did their spats become an everyday thing? Usagi found that she missed them already; no fighting would be happening today, not in this form.

Her legs had carried her over to him, craning her neck so she could look up at him. He spotted her through his fingers and slowly pushed them back, taking his shaggy black locks with him. Maybe it was her size, but Usagi felt like Mamoru's eyes were overwhelming since she entered his house. They were so dark now and big. They swallowed her as he looked down at her at his feet.

"Guess I won't be handing you over to her after all. Not yet. She'll… show up. I'm sure of it. Usagi-chan will be fine; she always is." He laughed hollowly and tugged on his hair. "I can't… imagine a world without her in it, so… she has to be fine, right?"

It was weird talking about herself like this. Or rather, listening to someone speak to Usagi about herself like this. It wasn't at all what she imagined Mamoru would say if no one were listening. She felt the need to… comfort him.

A paw on his shin, she leaned her weight on him to get his attention. Mamoru's eyes quickly darted down to her, and he picked her up as if she was glass. He cradled her against his chest, and she listened intently to the sound of his heart. It was so loud in her ears, and yet, it was soothing. That, and she hadn't slept at all last night. She considered it a comfort to Mamoru and herself; he held a Usagi while she was enjoying being in his arms. It could have been anyone's arms that she was in.

That's what she told herself as she drifted off to sleep.

This time, when she woke, Usagi was on the couch. Mamoru had taken the towel out of the box and placed it like a pillow under her. The apartment was dark and with no signs of life; she instantly began to get scared. Usagi didn't know this place; it wasn't home. The shadows were new to her and made her heartbeat frantically with fear.

Another shadow moved, sweeping across the living room and causing her to jump out of her skin nearly. "Whoa, Usako, it's just me!"

Mamoru was coming in through his balcony door, the moon lit him up from behind. He looked strange; his silhouette was distorted, and she blinked several times, but it didn't change.

When he reached down for her, his hands matched the color of her fur. White gloves blended into her as he brushed her back with his fingers. She pushed back from him and looked up, arching her back against the couch to see.

White mask on his face and a tux on his chest; it didn't take her long to put it all together. But it still didn't make sense; her brain and heart were burning up with all the pounding they were doing.

Because Mamoru was standing before her as Tuxedo Kamen.