A/N: This story is set after episode 22 of the original 1992 anime. However, it's not strictly set in the same time period as there are a few anachronisms here and there.
This story is a gift for Lin Lamont
I'd like to thank ReisPinkOveralls/ReisPinkOveralls00 and Heavenly Pearl for beta reading this fic for me! They are both utter stars and you simply MUST check their works out on Ao3 and FFN!
u/14864092/ReisPinkOveralls
/users/ReisPinkOveralls00/pseuds/ReisPinkOveralls00
/users/Heavenly_Pearl/pseuds/Heavenly_Pearl
A handsome, yet sinister man stood alone in an abandoned woodland mansion.
"The stars know everything. O stars, grant me your mysterious powers," chanted Nephrite.
The massive star chart before him glowed, sending a beam of light to his forehead. He opened his eyes and saw in his mind the face of a Mediterranean woman in her thirties.
Accompanying the face was a name that resounded in his head…
"Henrietta Bertreau?"
Motoki nodded towards Usagi as he finished affixing the flyer to the wall.
"She's from Europe. Apparently she's mastered all sorts of dancing styles."
Returning to the flier, Usagi read that Bertreau would be giving cheap dance lessons at the Juban Youth Centre starting this weekend. Her mind raced with possibilities, recalling dance scenes from Grease, West Side Story, Dirty Dancing, Singing in the Rain and a dozen other Hollywood movies!
"Ami, why don't we sign up for this?"
Ami peered up from her book and scanned the poster Usagi was pointing to. "I'll be busy studying that weekend. And besides, I'm…" Ami suddenly became shy. "I'm not that great of a dancer," she said quietly before retreating back behind her book.
Usagi heard Rei snort behind her and clenched her jaw. "Usagi, you wouldn't even be able to handle the new D.D.R. game," Usagi's face grew red. "Once Motoki finally finishes setting it up, of course," Rei added. Now it was Motoki flushing red. As inconspicuously as possible, he shuffled over into another aisle of the arcade.
"Stop being mean, Rei!" wailed Usagi, "I could handle that game way better than you ever could." Ami began to pinch the bridge of her nose. "And besides, it won't let you do the kind of dancing I had in mind anyway."
"Oh, and what type of dancing did you have in mind, bun-head?" Usagi tensed, her face contorting as though she'd just stepped in something foul. "Don't tell me you were interested in something more 'sophisticated'?"
She whirled to the right and glared at Mamoru Chiba, who'd evidently just entered the arcade.
"Maybe I was! What's it to you?"
He shrugged, a pompous expression adorning his features. "I just feel sorry for the poor guy who'd be forced to try to tango with you. Let alone foxtrot, waltz or-"
"Oh yeah, well I got no complaints the other week!"
Ami peered back up from her book again whilst Rei and Mamoru shot her skeptical looks.
"Yeah right," huffed Rei.
"When was this, Usagi?" Ami politely inquired.
"And with who?" added Mamoru.
"It was…" Usagi stopped herself, a pink hue mingling with her still crimson cheeks. "…He…It…That's none of your business, Mamoru-baka!"
He fired off a knowing smirk. The sight of it made Usagi's blood boil, and she marched straight out of the arcade. Several minutes later, she was still maintaining her fury fuelled pace, drawing concerned looks from the odd pedestrian.
"Stupid Mamoru," she muttered to herself. "As if he has any clue."
His frustrating smirk flashed in her mind. She'd wanted to tell him the truth. Him and Rei both. That would've shut them up for sure.
But she just couldn't bring herself to do it.
For whatever reason, she'd kept quiet about the events of the other week, even though Ami and Rei had technically been present too. But they hadn't been there the whole time and, silly as it might've been, Usagi somehow felt telling them what happened would…
Her brow furrowed as she tried to phrase it exactly.
It was as though sharing the moment would somehow taint it. Like it'd become less special.
Maybe someday she would tell them. Vaguely, she even wondered if she should've done that already. It might prove helpful in finding the Silver Crystal and the Moon Princess. But, for now at least, she was determined to keep quiet about it.
For now the memory belonged to her and her alone.
Well…her and Tuxedo Mask…
The Saturday sunshine beat down on Rei as she walked to the youth centre. Whilst changing, she re-ran her weeklong fantasy one more time.
A date with Mamoru at a fancy candlelit restaurant. The orchestra striking up a classical melody. Then the two of them gliding onto the dance floor, wowing the crowd with their elegant moves.
Snapping out of her daydream, Rei clenched her fist, her eyes suddenly burning with determination. The determination to become an expert dancer…and to ensure Usagi and Ami never found out she'd come here…
A minute later, she left the changing room and found her way to the massive hall Ms. Bertreau was supposed to be teaching in. The walls were covered in mirrors, and there was more than enough space for a dozen or so people to dance in. However, the only people in the room were a trio of red-faced girls who were practically dragging themselves towards the exit.
"She's crazy," one of them muttered.
"I think I'm going to pass out," another said weakly.
"Don't. Even. Think. About. It!" the final girl panted to Rei.
"So, another student, eh?"
Rei's attention was drawn to the athletically built Mediterranean woman at the centre of the room.
"Um…" Her eyes darted back to the door as the three girls vanished .
"Oh them? They just didn't have the stamina for my lesson. You need fire and passion if you want to be a real dancer like me. So…do you have what it takes, young lady? If you don't, I'm afraid I can't accept you as my student."
Rei re-centred her eyes on Ms. Bertreau. She fixed the woman with a fierce glare and a cocky grin. "Fire and passion? Yeah, I think I got those covered."
A condescending look came over Ms. Bertreau. "We'll soon see." She went over to her radio, and music soon reverberated throughout the hall. Abruptly, she whipped back around to Rei, extending her arm to point directly at the young shrine maiden. "Now, try to keep up!"
Fast breaths across her lips.
A pounding in her chest.
A buzzing thrum through her limbs.
And a satisfying rising heat from her core.
Short of fighting Youma, Rei had never felt more alive!
A quick spin. An elegant pirouette. A swaying of her hips. Rita Moreno could eat her heart out!
Five minutes later, Rei was still going strong, the seemingly endless music practically daring her to keep pace with Ms. Bertreau's movements.
After ten minutes, Rei was starting to feel slightly out of breath. She began to wonder if Ms. Bertreau wasn't simply giving a demanding lesson. It was starting to feel like she and Rei were competing to see who'd stop first.
A quarter of an hour into the lesson Rei was no longer wondering, but her own competitive fire wouldn't permit her to surrender. Something began to niggle at the back of her mind.
At the twenty minute mark, Rei's fire had dwindled, extinguished to mere fumes by the sweat dripping down her neck. Ms. Bertreau, however, showed no signs of flagging. If anything, her movements were intensifying, as was the nagging sensation within Rei.
By minute twenty-five, Rei's dancing had devolved into lethargic swaying and knee bending, her tongue hanging out like a dog. Despite her exhaustion, she was still incredulous that Ms. Bertreau's moves had grown ever faster and more vigorous. It was as if something was compelling her to completely give herself over to the dance.
Then it all clicked.
Rei recognized what that feeling at the back of her mind was. She sensed an evil presence around Ms. Bertreau! And more specifically from her radio!
In an abandoned mansion deep in the woods, Nephrite saw a strange symbol materialise in his mind.
His eyes snapped open. "The energy level has peaked!" he exclaimed.
"Do it, Odoriko!"
To Rei's horror, a strange symbol appeared on Ms. Bertreau's radio. Less than a second later, Ms. Bertreau screamed in pain and a shadowy creature began to erupt from the device.
Had Rei not been so exhausted, she might've tried running directly for her transformation pen. The device was concealed amongst her other belongings by the wall. Instead, reacting instinctively, she pulled out an ofuda and began to chant.
"Rin, Pyou, Tou…"
The creature fully materialised!
"...Sha, Kai…"
It wore a garish green leotard along with bright purple leg-warmers and sweatbands around its head and wrists. Its skin was a hot pink, and where its mouth would've been was a radio speaker. A much larger speaker was also located in its stomach area. The Youma's eyes were a solid azure blue, as was its hair, which was tied back into a tight bun.
"...Jin, Retsu…"
The bizarre visage was completed by a dial on its left hip and a few buttons running up its other side.
"...Zai, Zen!"
The Youma shot out a series of concentric yellow rings from its left hand.
"Evil Spirit Be- WHOA!"
Rei halted her chant and dove out of the way!
Scrambling to her feet,, she began her chant again and rushed towards her belongings, hoping to reach the pen in time.
She didn't.
Although Rei managed to evade a second blast from the creature, the first had hit the mirrored walls and ricocheted back upon her. She didn't feel any pain, but her body felt strange all the same.
The creature laughed, the sound emitting unnervingly through both of its speakers. "Welcome to the second half of the lesson!"
The Youma hit one of the buttons on its right hip and cranked the dial on its left. Club music began playing through the speakers on its mouth and stomach, filling the dance hall.
"Now…Dance 'til ya drop!"
Rei's eyes widened as her arms and legs began to move of its own accord. She tried to stop herself but found she only had limited influence over her own movements. Somehow, she could sense that she might've had more control if she hadn't already been so exhausted. Unfortunately, right now she was a mere passenger in her own body.
A body whose feet were starting to ache.
When she was within feet of the youth centre, a horrible thought hit Usagi.
She'd come in jeans and a pink jumper. Not exactly the best dance attire. Then again, a professional like Ms. Bertreau would surely have a spare outfit handy for students like her. Right...?
Frantically, she began to search for the Disguise Pen.
After exhaling in relief a moment later, she straightened up and puffed up her chest. "Alright! Let's do this!"
It took her less than five minutes to locate the dance hall Ms. Bertreau was supposed to be teaching in. As she approached, she dimly heard heavy club music from within and hoped she wasn't too late for a lesson.
Her jaw dropped before she'd even opened the door all the way.
It was Rei. She was dancing and looked to be on the verge of collapse. A split second later, she actually did, falling limply against one of the mirrored walls before crumpling onto the floor. Usagi nearly shouted out to her friend, but managed to stop herself just in time, having spotted a freakish monster in one of the mirrors.
Dashing away from the door, she ran outside and found a deserted alleyway. Fishing out her transformation brooch, she raised it into the sky and yelled out:
"MOON PRISM POWER, MAKE-UP!"
Back inside the dance hall, Odoriko stalked towards the dark haired youth.
She'd already transmitted the energy from Henrietta Bertreau to Master Nephrite. Both the woman and her would-be-student were unconscious. There was no reason for her to hang around this place.
But, since she was here and had completed her mission, she felt she was entitled to a little bit of 'fun'. Especially after being stuck in that human device for so long.
"Hold it right there!"
Her head whipped around to the rafters of the large hall.
"Dancing is a beautiful way for people to express their feelings without words. How dare you try to exploit that!"
Odoriko's eyes followed the figure as she leapt from the rafters and landed on the dance floor.
"I am the pretty sailor suited soldier who fights for love and justice! I am Sailor Moon! And now, in the name of the Moon, I will punish you!"
Odoriko let out a derisive laugh as her enemy crossed her arms in a ridiculous pose.
"Punish me? Odoriko? In a dance hall? You're challenging me in my natural habitat!"
Odoriko poised herself on the tip of one of her toes and began to spin on the spot. Her speed was so intense the ground beneath her began to lightly smoke. She sped up and rushed towards Sailor Moon, lashing out with a vicious kick when she got close enough.
To her chagrin, the sailor-suited soldier evaded her attack, although 'evaded' might've been too charitable a word. She had merely tripped and luckily fallen out of Odoriko's way.
"A tad clumsy are we?"
"Er…I mean, no!" Odoriko used the momentum of her missed kick to pivot around and bring her other leg above her head. "You just can't – WHOA!" Odoriko brought the heel of her raised leg crashing down into Sailor Moon's stomach!
Or at least, where her stomach would've been.
The senshi had abruptly scuttled backwards just in time. However, she was still on the ground, and this time Odoriko was determined to finish her off. Retracting her leg until it was bent behind her knee, she prepared a devastating kick for Sailor Moon's pretty little fa-
A searing sensation lashed across her knee, and she lost her balance, toppling onto the floor. Once the feeling subsided, her vision began to clear and she saw the source of her pain.
It was a bright red rose embedded into the ground by its stalk.
Odoriko craned her gaze back towards the rafters. There, she saw a black caped figure wearing a top hat and white mask across his eyes.
"The dance floor is where ladies should be held by their lovers. You have befouled it by harming a young maiden and seek to do so again. Unforgivable."
"Tuxedo Mask!" Odoriko was sickened by the obvious joy in Sailor Moon's voice.
She fired one of her dance rays at the overdressed fool, but he easily dodged it. She soon realised that, during her own distraction, Sailor Moon had gotten to her feet and put some distance between them.
"Do it now, Sailor Moon!" yelled Tuxedo Mask.
"You got it!" she enthusiastically replied.
Odoriko watched in horror as Sailor Moon removed her tiara from her forehead and prepared to fling it at her, the item starting to glow ominously.
In desperation, Odoriko hurriedly rolled to the side and fired one of her dance rays at Sailor Moon. To her delight, Sailor Moon hesitated for the briefest of instances, allowing Odoriko to painfully regain her footing, her knee burning where the rose had sliced her. To her frustration, Tuxedo Mask had leapt down from the rafters and pushed Sailor Moon out of the way. He exclaimed in shock as the ray hit him, his hat flying off his head.
Sailor Moon let out a gasp. Odoriko was unsure if that was due to Tuxedo Mask's predicament, or because her tiara had been sent skittering across the dance floor. Regardless, Odoriko exploited the situation and fired a second shot, this time directly nailing Sailor Moon.
She cried out in triumph as her enemies stood helpless before her, their faces shocked and uncertain. The Youma decided some humiliation was in order before she finally finished them both off.
"When I was stuck in that device and connected to that woman's mind, I learned all about the music and dance rituals you humans practice."
She cranked up the dial on her left hip.
"Sailor Moon, you said dancing is how people express their feelings without words. Well, let's see what feelings you two have when I'm pulling your strings!"
She hit the 'play' button on her other hip.
"Let's boogie on down, kids!"
Music she knew to be from a long bygone era emitted from her organic speakers. At once, Tuxedo Mask and Sailor Moon's bodies began to move. Tuxedo Mask began shooting his arms (index fingers pointed) upwards into the air one at a time, swinging his hips side to side as he did so. Sailor Moon, to Odoriko's savage pleasure, kept losing her balance and falling over. It seemed she was as clumsy a dancer as she was a fighter.
"Oh no, that's far too dignified for you two," she mocked. "Let's try something else." She hit another button on her hip and the music abruptly changed. "I believe you humans call this next one 'The Macarena'!"
"The what?" yelled Sailor Moon.
"…Not….that…" Tuxedo Mask groaned through gritted teeth.
The pair immediately lowered their arms but continued to swing their hips from side to side. They stuck their right, then their left arms out in front of them palms down. Next, they flipped their palms up and brought them up to their shoulders, arms crossed. Their hands then flew up behind their ears before crossing downwards to their parallel hips. Odoriko smirked when their hands moved behind them onto their butts. Tuxedo Mask scowled at her, whilst Sailor Moon let out a wail of embarrassment.
"This cannot be happening!"
Their hips gyrated around before they jumped, landing with their bodies now facing to the right.
Odoriko guffawed at the pair and made them repeat the routine until they'd jumped back to their starting position. Thanks to the mirrored walls, she had an all encompassing view of Sailor Moon growing clumsier with each cycle of the routine. Often the senshi would mismatch the movements and be forced to awkwardly correct them, or else smack her own chin as her arms flew upwards.
Soon her face was as red as the rose embedded in the floor. It glowed a little more crimson every time her eyes darted towards her would-be-saviour. Clearly, Sailor Moon's shame was accentuated by Tuxedo Mask's presence. That gave Odoriko a rather wicked idea.
"Even the two of you together couldn't defeat me! I think we need to do a little team building!"
Her eyes flashed maliciously, and she switched the music once more. The hall resounded with the blare of trumpets, castanets, and guitars.
"Uh…?" grunted Tuxedo Mask.
"Oh, no!" exclaimed Sailor Moon.
Tuxedo Mask began to glide towards Sailor Moon on the balls of his feet. And, just as Odoroiko had wanted, Sailor Moon became yet more embarrassed. Her eyes flashed in delight, loving every moment of humiliation she heaped upon her enemies.
"Oh, yes! Time to tango!"
Usagi was in serious danger. Her body was having a major workout forcibly imposed upon it. But that had very little to do with why her heart was currently beating a mile a minute.
She and Tuxedo Mask were circling one another. The gap between them was growing ever smaller, their pace slowing or quickening in time with the music. Usagi wasn't sure if it was part of Odoriko's magic or not, but her gaze was firmly locked on Tuxedo Mask's eyes, the blues of them just visible beneath the white coverings of his eponymous mask. Oddly, her embarrassment, whilst still present, was starting to be drowned out by something else she couldn't quite describe.
The music abruptly changed tempo, and for a millisecond, they stood opposite one another. Usagi's left leg was bent forward, resting on the ball of her foot. Tuxedo Mask's arms were extended at his sides. He looked as uncomfortable as she did, but there she could tell he too couldn't look away from her.
Then the music picked up and the gap between them disappeared.
One of Tuxedo Mask's arms was wrapped around the small of her back, his other hand gripping her fingers. Suddenly the room spun, Usagi's golden streamers briefly twirling around her.
The next moment, her stomach lurched as she dipped, stopping herself with one knee bent forwards and her other leg extended behind her. Tuxedo Mask's legs mirrored hers, and his arm had returned to the small of her back.
Their faces were less than a foot apart and grew closer as they gradually rose up together.
Usagi raised her left leg, half wrapping it around Tuxedo Mask's right hip and leg as he spun them around three or four times. Usagi's other leg was stretched out at an angle when they finally came to a stop. Tuxedo Mask's grip on her loosened and she fell back. Her own grip released from his shoulder, at first slipping to his arm and then down to sweep the floor.
The room upside down, Usagi spied something embedded in the floor and, heart pumping, instinctively reached out for it. In one fluid motion, she snatched it up, brought it to her mouth, bit down, and returned her grip to Tuxedo Mask's arm in time for him to raise her back up.
She unwrapped her leg and was swiftly spun around again, the rose petals just lightly caressing Tuxedo Mask's lips as she rotated around. Usagi's spin ended with her back to him, but his right hand was soon reaching around to cover her stomach, with their left arms extending out and locking fingers.
Together they glided across the room, a single rose petal breaking off and floating in their wake.
Odoriko didn't understand.
Earlier the pair had been pathetic and hopeless, especially Sailor Moon. But now they were dancing perfectly.
More worryingly, Odoriko found herself positively transfixed by the rhythm and beauty of their movements. She wondered if this was a side-effect of being connected to the human woman or stuck in that device.
Regardless, Odoriko couldn't bring herself to stop the dance. Not yet anyway. They still needed to die of course; the sting in her knee didn't let her forget that. But they didn't need to die quite yet.
At least not before the song ended.
"Great idea, Sailor Moon," muttered Tuxedo Mask.
Usagi blushed. "Tanks, Tuxedo Mask," she muttered back, her speech impeded by the rose.
"We can't stop dancing, but we do have limited control of our movements. If we can manoeuvre ourselves over to your tiara, you can grab it like you did the rose. Then we can finish off that Youma."
"Oh, er, zactly. Dats der pan."
He spun her again, this time away from him, their bodies only connected by their outstretched hands. He reeled her back in and began to guide their dance within reach of her tiara.
Even though everything was happening in millisecond bursts, Usagi found her perception of time had slowed and a part of her mind started to drift.
She wondered why she hadn't screwed up the dance yet, like she had with the other ones earlier. Her dancing wasn't great at the best of times, but here she was doing the tango of all things. Then again, she had little idea how to ballroom dance, but she'd managed that the other week too…
A glint in her eye snapped her mind to attention. It was her tiara. It was close enough for her to grab it!
Or at least it would've been if she'd been able to simply bend down and extend her arm. Unfortunately, she was still compelled to dance. More importantly, Tuxedo Mask's plan relied upon things looking natural, or else Odoriko would catch onto them.
Suddenly, Usagi almost missed a step, then another, and then another. Panic began to build within her. Why was this happening now? Could it be that she didn't want to dust off the Youma? Did she want this dance to last forever? Was she deliberately sabotaging their efforts? She felt Tuxedo Mask grip the small of her back a little tighter. Dimly, she realised her partner wasn't the problem.
Yes, she was loving the dance; she couldn't deny that. But the real reason she was starting to screw up was because she was thinking too much about everything. Before, she was just lost in the moment and letting her instincts guide her. On the upside, her partner made it incredibly easy for her to get back into the moment.
Tuxedo Mask brought her closer to him, leaning back on the balls of his feet as her upper body leaned towards his. Their faces were so close that she could've kissed him if not for the rose.
They glided closer to the tiara.
Her leg rose up and half wrapped around his.
He released his grip and allowed her to drop.
She released her own grip from his shoulder, lowered it to his arm then let it fall to the floor.
He gripped her tighter with both hands and began to swing her upwards.
In one fluid motion, Usagi snatched up the tiara and began to chant as she was righted upwards.
"Moon."
Her leg still locked in place, Tuxedo Mask spun them around again.
"Tiara."
Usagi's leg lowered and, with the motion of their spin, she kicked her other leg out. When her leg lowered, she moved closer to him. He wound her in, then spun her out again until they were joined just by the locked fingers of their fully extended arms.
"ACTION!"
Sailor Moon used the momentum Tuxedo Mask had given her to fling her tiara with her other arm.
She never saw it find its mark. Tuxedo Mask had reeled her back in and dipped her once again. This time however, she kept her grip on his shoulder and so didn't fall nearly as far back. As a result, she was acutely aware that Tuxedo Mask's face was incredibly close to her chest.
Vaguely, she registered a scream from behind them and, equally vaguely, noted the music beginning to fade.
Tuxedo Mask raised her up, but not completely.
Usagi tightened her hold on him, her eyes massively dilated.
She noticed his cheeks were as red as the rose in her mouth. She figured her own cheeks must look the same.
Panting in unison, their faces inched closer as the last notes of music echoed through the hall.
When every trace of the music had vanished, Tuxedo Mask hesitantly straightened himself, pulling Usagi up with him.
"Well done, Sailor Moon," he said quietly.
Tentatively, Usagi reached up and removed the rose from her mouth.
"I…I couldn't have done it without you, Tuxedo Mask." She spoke in a quiet tone of her own.
"I'm sure you'd have found a way."
"I dunno about that. You saw me earlier, I'm a pretty hopeless dancer. Actually, the whole reason I came here today was to get lessons."
"You seemed to do just fine a moment ago."
"Well, maybe I just needed the right partner…" Usagi swiftly lowered her gaze so Tuxedo Mask wouldn't see the shock in her eyes.
How could she have just let that slip out!
She could practically feel him smirking down at her.
"If that's true…" he leaned towards her slightly and lowered his voice, "…I hope you never learn how to dance."
Usagi didn't dare raise her gaze again until Tuxedo Mask had bid her farewell.
She stood stock still in the middle of the dance hall, the rose still gripped in her hand.
She'd survived serious danger. Her body had endured a major work out forcibly imposed upon it. But that had very little to do with why Usagi's heart was currently beating a mile a minute.
The next morning, Motoki cheerfully strode up to Mamoru, Usagi, and Rei, all of whom were in the seating area of the arcade.
"Guess what, guys? I finally finished setting up the D.D.R. game! So, any of you want to be the first to-"
"NO!" they all chorused, re-applying the ice packs to their feet.
A/N: The inspiration for this story actually came from a Youtube video by user SG27 titled 'Tuxedo Mask / Kamen (The ultimate Theme)'. They combined together some versions of Tuxedo Mask's theme(s) and for whatever reason listening to it gave me the vision of Tuxedo Mask and Sailor Moon dancing mid-battle. Between the Spanish style music and the old cliche of holding a rose in your teeth which dancing meant the dance HAD to be a tango.
The dance scene itself was a major headache to write. Not only because action scenes in prose form is just generally hard, but researching how to write a dance scene was particularly hard and for the most part I wound up just watching videos of people doing the tango or dancing and trying to describe what I saw. My major go tos were Gomez and Morticia from 'Addams Family Values', Antonio Banderas and Catherine Zeta Jones from 'The Mask of Zorro' and most of all the tango scene from 'Take the Lead'.
A big thank you to DinkyCharlie, Silver and A_Reptile_Dysfunction for organizing UsaMamo Week 2022!
Also, just to let you know I am involved in a discord called 'Moonlight Legends' which is dedicated to sharing all sorts of Sailor Moon fanworks, including other fanfics. If you would like to join so you can share your own work, get help with your current projects or just connect to other fan creators shoot me a PM and I'll send you an invite. All are welcome!