This
is a collaborative story between Bethany (my editor)
and myself. Originally,
it was suppose to be a Christmas story, but stupid
me (who wrote this chapter
of the fic) made it so unChristmas-like and
lengthy that it was
dropped. However, it was also interesting, and now,
after a month or so,
I have decided to revive it.
For
now, it'll remain a solo venture.
email: doniswong@hotmail.com
Rated: R (questionable
scenes and cussing)
"Escapades of the Heart"
Chapter 1
A fanfic
by
Don
Reporters
readied their cameras and stood at rigid attention. Crazed
fans were stoic, completely
docile since their idols hadn't arrived. Chefs
and servers worked quietly
behind the scenes preparing for the upcoming
blitz. Exclusive friends
and family were lead inside the party hall by
policemen, shielded
and protected like foreign ambassadors.
Everything
and everyone was quiet like the calm before the storm, the
second before a battle.
Then,
the awaited couple arrived and the crowd exploded.
The
black limo pulled up in front of the red rug that lead to the party
hall. Security was pushed
to the limits as roving bands of reporters tried
to penetrate their ranks
and steal a coveted photo. Rabid fans - formerly
quiet and reserved -
screamed at the top of their lungs and charged into
the unlucky reporters.
It was war...
...
but to Haruka and Michiru, it was perfect.
Stepping
out from the stretched limousine, they waved to their admirers
and posed for the papers.
They could just see the headlines slapped on
every paper tomorrow:
Racer Marries Musician - Match Made In Heaven. And
indeed, perhaps a little
part of heaven came down and blessed this very
occasion; never was
there a more perfect romance, a more perfect union...
After
an eternity of lingering on the makeshift catwalk, Haruka and
Michiru strode inside
to their exquisite wedding reception.
"Kaioh-san!"
one of the reporters yelled, "How does it feel to be
married?"
Michiru
gazed deeply into her love's eyes, joy brimming from her soul.
"Wonderful," she passionately
whispered as the two kissed once more.
Meanwhile, inside...
"Ooooooh!!!
I'm so happy for them!!!" Usagi squealed with delight.
Actually, the exclamation
was more like "Mmmmmmh!!! M'm zo mappie por
dem!!!" since her mouth
was stuffed with exotic food.
Mamoru
smiled at his little bunny's oddity. "Careful darling. I don't
want you choking on
anything."
"Hmph!"
snorted Rei, "I only wish! That baka odango atama has a throat
the size of a barrel!"
Of
course, the two had gotten in a heated argument on the way to the
wedding reception; something
about a... no, nevermind, it's not worth
mentioning.
Minako,
who was also pigging out on the food, glanced around and tried
to say, "Where's Haruka's
family?" Unfortunately for her, she choked on an
oversized pastry and
was sent into spastic fits. While Makoto performed the
hemilich maneuver on
the blonde, Ami took notice to her friend's previous
statement, got up from
her seat, and checked around like a nosy... nosy...
nosy type person.
After
spitting out the pastry (Which rocketed across the room and
landed on a woman's
plate.), Minako - who was nearly unconscious from
oxygen deprivation -
fell face first onto Mamoru's lap. This, in turn,
surprised our tuxedo
clad friend and he immediately jumped up, nearly
knocking the table over.
Luckily, Makoto, with her quick thinking and even
quicker reflexes, kept
the near-free-falling table balanced by shifting her
weight. The see-saw
effect created by Mamoru's jump and Makoto's grip sent
a piece of cream pie,
which was awaiting its demise on Usagi's plate,
flying into Rei's face.
As expected, this turn of events enraged the
priestess who promptly
laid the blame at Usagi's feet. Amidst the shouting
match that erupted between
the two, Setsuna suddenly appeared behind the
group and greeted them.
"Welcome!"
she laughed uncharacteristically - don't get me wrong
though, it was one of
those good, happy uncharacteristic laughs.
Everyone
at the table was immediately aware of the older woman's
presence. "Setsuna-chan!"
they all screamed in surprise. In a mad attempt
to preserve some sort
of dignity, Rei lunged for a napkin while Usagi bit
back her lashing tongue
and sat down. Because of the two movements, the
see-saw effect was re-created,
this time lobbing one of the entrees in the
direction of Setsuna.
Fortunately for her, her timed honed skills and
alertness kicked in
and she gracefully sidestepped the projectile...
...
which sailed straight into Ami, who was returning from her nosy
expedition.
Setsuna
merrily giggled at the sight before turning to leave, "I'll
come back when it's
safe."
And
like so, the rest of the evening continued. Yes, Usagi and Rei were
arguing. Yes, strange
foodfight-like events did take place. And yes, much
dancing/toe-stomping
was also involved.
Ami,
who had discovered the absence of Haruka's family, forgot all
about her find, a topic
that'll be discussed in further detail some other
day in another fanfic.
As
with all good things, they must come to an end. At two in the
morning, the jubilant
crowd was pretty much partied out, and, for lack of a
better term, no longer
jubilant. Everything that was planned took place and
even a few other things.
All that remained of the wedding process was the
honeymoon...
....
oh, right, and the ceremonial, traditional, time-tested,
everyone-must-do, never-forget-at-the-reception
ceremony - the tossing of
the bouquet.
Lucky
fans (Who snuck inside.), Michiru's friends and relatives, and
the five girls - Usagi,
Minako, Rei, Ami, and Makoto - ogled at the bouquet
in the newly wed's hands.
They all waited like lions ready to pounce on
their prey, like soldiers
about to ambush their enemies. Emotions - ok, so
maybe one emotion, greed
- hang in the air, so thick that it could be cut
with a knife. Some wanted
the bouquet to sell; others thought it imbued a
loving relationship.
Whatever the reason, the crowd was ready to fight for
the coveted prize like
a group of middle-aged women drooling outside the
mall two hours before
After-Christmas sales.
Suddenly,
Michiru, who had her back turned to the hungry vultures,
threw the bouquet over
her head.
Time
seemed to go slower. Shouts were slowed to amusing moans and
groans.
If
Minako didn't know better, she'd say Setsuna was making a bid for
the bouquet.
Almost
on cue, Setsuna charged out from the little samurai's room
(Madly trying keep her
dress up, by the way.) and leapt over the slowed
hunters. With calculated
precision, Minako stuck her hand out and by some
divine intervention,
snared the older woman's ankle as she leapt. Setsuna
came crashing to the
floor in an undignified heap, accompanied by a
sickening and painful
**SMACK**.
Time
resumed its normal flow as Setsuna lost her concentration and
consciousness.
No
longer hampered by the guardian of time's tricks, each of the senshi
utilized their enhanced
physical abilities to the fullest extent. With a
hop-hop here and push-push
there, the five girls stood exactly 10.21 feet
under the falling bouquet.
They simultaneously jumped on the heads of
people around them and
reached like the dickens. Of course, the women the
girls were standing
on had no intention of remaining still; upon feeling
the pressure of high
heels on their heads, the women backed off and
**CRASH** fell Makoto,
Ami, Minako, Rei, and Usagi.
"YEEEEEESSS!!!"
screamed an overjoyed, albeit battered, Minako. When
she got up to do her
dance of joy and to show off her prize, she felt
something - or rather
someone - also holding onto the bouquet.
Usagi
opened one eye and smiled. "Gomen nasai, Mina-chan, but it's
mine."
"No!
I saw it first, it's mine!"
"NO!
I grabbed it first, so it's mine!"
"NO!
It's mine!"
"NO!
It's mine!
"MINE!"
"Mine
times infinity and one!"
"Mine
times infinity and-"
Suddenly,
there was another tug at the bouquet. The arguing blondes
shifted their attention
to the disturbance which turned out to be Rei.
"BAKA ODANGO ATAMA!"
the priestess yelled, "You just HAD to step on fingers
when you fell!!!"
"REEEEEI!!!
Tell Minako the bouquet's mine!"
"No,
no, no, no. It's mine! You saw it Rei, didn't you? I clearly had
the-"
"Ahem,"
Rei interrupted, "I don't know what you two ditzes are talking
about, but I had it
wayyy before both of you."
"And
I had it before any of you!" roared a disgruntled and heavily
stepped on Makoto.
Frowning,
Minako placed one hand on her hip and glared daggers at her
friends. "Look here
minna-chan, I say you should give this to the person
who needs it the most.
There's only four of us here-"
"Five,"
came a shy little voice. The crowd receded and produced Ami,
whose hand was at the
stems of the flowers.
"Okay,
five," Minako corrected, "And since all of you have or had
boyfriends at some stage
in your lives, I propose you all let go and give
it to me because I have
never had a date-"
"NO!"
the four other girls all screamed at once.