I know you want to read this as soon as
possible, so the customary notes:
Disclaimer: Sailor Moon belongs to Naoko
Takeuchi, I don't own it.
e-mail: tokiya_ensui@yahoo.com
URL: www.geocities.com/mizuno_kagami
Chapter 5: Crystal Clear
"They evaded us." A hollow figure voiced
into the darkness. She took a lock of her red
hair and began fondling with it between two
clawed fingers. "Surprising."
"Yes, they did, my lady," rasped a husky
tenor voice. A shadowy arm held an open wound
on it's shoulder.
She continued to stroke the single, snaky
lock with her fingers. Her catlike-eyes
narrowed. "No thanks to you!" She screamed.
The shadow seemed to shrink away into the
darkness, trying to cover it's shadowy ears with
whatever the sailor senshi had left him.
"You fool!" The woman screamed furiously.
Her cool contralto voice lifted to a higher
pitch. "If you hadn't failed, we wouldn't even
be in this predicament!"
"My lady," began the shadow. "Please,
please forgive me!" He begged endlessly,
dropping lower onto the ground. The tarnished
stone embedded on his lower ankle appeared.
Before, it used to shine and gleam with a
peculiar power planted firmly into the cool
stone, however, it's green marbled sheen had
disappeared. Instead, a dull gray-brown stone
replaced the polished stone.
"Forgive you?!" She asked incredulously.
"You used too much power! More than you could
replenish at the same time! That stone of yours
couldn't bear that much of an energy drain! How
could one possibly use that much energy for a
pitiful squabble! You fool!" The woman cried
again in a deafening voice.
"But my lady, they were powerful! They
threw lightning, fire and, and—"
"They threw what?" The woman interrupted,
lowering her voice into a deadly tone.
"They were powerful! They were—"
"Answer my question!" She thundered, eyes
aglow in absolute fury. The shadow nodded
meekly.
"Lightening and fire, my lady," The shadow
answered in a small squeak.
"Lightening and fire, you said?" She was
beginning to get interested.
"Lightning and fire. Yes, my lady."
The woman tapped her foot thoughtfully,
once again, fondling with a lock of bright red
hair. She brushed away her long silk skirts and
looked at the shadow before her thoughtfully.
"They weren't wearing a uniform, were
they?" She asked, lifting up a thin eyebrow.
The shadow hesitated, then finally nodded,
confirming his mistress' theory.
"So, they're real after all." She pursed
her thin lips, releasing the lock of hair she
was playing with. Turning her heel, she sighed.
"No matter," she concluded. "We can evade them
easily. This factor will show no complication
to our mission."
"Yes, my lady," the shadow bowed gravely.
"However, as for you…" she drawled,
looking dangerously at the wounded figure before
her. Her bright eyes grew wide gleamed briefly.
Raising her clawed hand, she motioned casually,
a sadistic smile appearing on her face. A surge
of power focused at her clawed finger appeared
as a huge, green light ball and shot forth
toward her underling.
The sound of a marble stone cracking was
gradually swallowed up by loud maniacal
laughter.
***
"This is odd," murmured Ami, amidst the
clacking sounds of her rapid typing. She
frowned and paused to check the connection
between her mercury computer pad and her PC.
"What is it, Ami?" Luna rose from her
snug napping position on the soft, thick rug and
pounced on the polished hard wood desk. She
made a muffled padding sound as she landed. She
craned her neck around the monitor curiously.
She was confronted by a number of charts and
graphs on the glowing screen.
"I'm trying to get the statistics for the
new monster attacks," replied Ami, getting up to
check the connections behind her PC. "This week
has been hectic. Four attacks!"
"What are you using the statistics for?"
Artemis walked demurely through the open door
way. Something colorful on the desk caught his
attention. Curiously, he crept closer to the
object and pounced on the table quietly.
"Oh, hello Artemis. Mina-chan let you out
today?" Ami asked, thoroughly engrossed in her
task of connecting wires.
Artemis, meanwhile, began to rummage
through the contents neatly arranged on the work
desk, leaving an array of disorder behind him.
"Yeah. She said something about this cute guy
in the park and didn't want me to destroy her
chances." Artemis scowled. He never did
anything to affect Mina-chan's dating life!
Well, except for that time when he decided to
play hide and seek with his foot, scaring the
wits out of the poor boy. And that time when he
had *forgotten* that Mina-chan *was*, in fact,
allergic to certain rare wild flowers and he
*did* take the liberty to roll around in them
before jumping into her arms. Soon, after,
Minako was left sneezing for the entire day,
without being able to complete a full sentence
before sneezing again. All that came out were
incoherent fragments. And, there was also that
time when…
Artemis shrugged. So he did destroy some
of Mina-chan's chances with men. At least, he
convinced himself, that he didn't do it every
day—just every week or so.
"Artemis! You're making a mess!" Luna
scolded. Artemis retrieved himself from his
thoughts and began to obediently push the blue
stapler back where it was with his pink-padded
forepaws.
"Sheesh! Ragging on me again!" Muttered
Artemis, looking for the tape dispenser.
"What was that?" Luna asked, eyes
gleaming dangerously. She was prepared to
unsheathe her claws if needed.
"I think I've got it!" Ami cried, as she
discovered a breakthrough. She reconnected the
wires quickly before returning to her PC and
Mercury computer. She began to type vigorously
at her PC, increasing her pace every second.
Suddenly, a beep sounded from the PC. Ami let
out a sigh of relief.
"Is that all? A beep?" Artemis asked.
He was quickly rewarded with an irate glare from
Luna.
"Quiet!" She reprimanded before turning
her head back at the computer screen.
"Okay, what I've been doing is trying to
figure out a pattern for these attacks. It
seems that these attacks go by an inverse
variation." She smiled. "I guess shadows can
be mathematicians at the same time."
"So, what do you conclude?" Luna asked
inquisitively.
"Well, with these calculations and this
simple formula I've devised, we can find out
where they will attack next."
"Which is?" Artemis remarked
impatiently. Ami cleared her throat, continuing
on with her findings. She switched to her
Mercury computer and punched in a few figures.
"Here," she said, pointing to a blinking
light on the small screen.
"But that's…" Luna gasped.
"Takumashii University," replied Ami
calmly.
Artemis narrowed his eyes. "It's only a
matter of time when they will attack again."
"We'll be ready for them."
***
Usagi, yet again, was found trekking up
the tall hill that lead toward the white-washed
observatory. She paused midway and collapsed to
regain her breath.
She had no idea why she would go to all
these lengths. However, the company she found
up there was rather nice and refreshing.
She found Gyokuren waiting by the door,
with his arms crossed across his chest.
"Usagi-san!" He greeted, helping her up
the stairs. The poor girl was tired, he could
tell. However, she managed to hide it under
that bright sunny smile of hers.
"Gyo-kun!" She said cheerfully, reaching
for his outstretched arm. "Nice to see you
again!"
He mirrored her smile. "There's a café
down there that serves drinks. Want to go
there?" He invited, pointing toward a general
direction.
"Where?" She questioned, trying to look
for the small building. Gyokuren laughed.
"You can't see it from here, silly. It's
too small."
"Gyo-kun?" Usagi begged, extending the
syllables. "Couldn't we rest for just a
*little* bit?" She raised her hand and measured
about a millimeter between her thumb and index
finger.
Gyokuren cocked an eyebrow mischievously.
"I don't know, Usagi-san. But I heard that they
serve the best chocolate cake there…"
The keyword, *chocolate* registered into
Usagi's mind and her eyes began to sparkle with
a certain child likeness. Immediately, she
began dragging Gyokuren down the hill
impatiently.
"Come on, Gyo-kun! We don't want it to be
sold out when we get there!"
The two happily made their way down the
path in a rapid pace—courtesy of Usagi's
eagerness, of course.
***
"What in the world was bothering Usagi?"
Mamoru pondered, trying to figure out why she
had been so cold to her that day. He refused to
think about his dream. Needless to say, it
shocked him and he was afraid to face that
mysterious figure in his dreams. He hated it
when he couldn't help someone.
"Maybe Usagi is mad at me for something,"
he thought, drumming his fingers on the polished
table in the patio.
In the distance, he could hear a very
familiar, melodic laughter.
"Usagi?!" He gasped. He turned, and
there, just a few tables away, was where the
laughter emanated from. Sunlight bounced upon
her stray golden curls and formed the classic
halo over her blond head. Her back was toward
him and she seemed to be alone.
Gingerly, he picked up his ceramic coffee
mug and made his way through the other customers
and tables to the origins of the musical
laughter.
Usagi, completely unaware of all her
surroundings, sipped her hot chocolate
contentedly. Before her was an empty plate—an
empty plate that once held a large, moist piece
of chocolate cake.
"Well, chocolate cake from this café is
definitely going on my list of favorites!" She
sighed and attempted to drink more of the hot
chocolate without burning herself.
Mamoru reached forward and tapped gently
on Usagi's shoulder. She jerked. He had caught
her by surprise. She turned to confront him.
"What are you doing here?" She asked,
almost accusingly. She dropped her spoon on the
small saucer and stared at Mamoru questioningly.
Mamoru was yet again, taken aback by her
icy expression. The Usagi he spotted, was
laughing and there seemed to be this golden aura
about her. Now, this looming dark cloud hung
about her, blotting out her sunlight.
"Anyone with you?" He asked, almost
cautiously.
"What is it to you?" She bit back, taking
another sip from her cup.
"Touchy touchy…" Mamoru remarked. "Can I
sit here?" He asked, indicating to the adjacent
to hers. She looked over the rim of her cup,
raising an eyebrow.
"Do what you will," she said plainly,
voice muffled by the cup. She returned her
attention to her hot chocolate once more.
"Usagi—" he began, unsure of how to begin.
"Yes?" She asked, still hiding in her
cup. She refused to face him.
Mamoru glanced at her hopefully before he
began.
"Usagi, I can tell something is bothering
you. Would you mind talking about it? I rarely
see you alone when you go to a restaurant and—"
"It's a café," she stated simply.
"That's off topic Usagi." He paused,
taking a sip out of his own mug. "Anyway," he
continued. "Has someone done something to hurt
you?" He asked. He figured that if she
wouldn't tell him, he might as well pry it out
of her until she did.
She froze, but regained her composure and
remained sipping out of her cup. Within, she
laughed bitterly, thinking of what an
understatement it was. At this rate, she'd run
out of hot chocolate very soon. But, this was
an extra large cup, so quantity wasn't that much
of a problem.
"That is—" She began, reaching for an
extra packet of sugar. She put the contents of
the packet in whatever remaining hot chocolate
was left in her cup.
"None of my concern," interrupted Mamoru.
"I know, I know." He raised his hands
resignedly. "But I just want to help." There
was almost this yearning in his voice.
Something that perked Usagi's curiosity.
"You've helped enough," came her sarcastic
reply. "Trust me, you've helped plenty…" Her
voice trailed away. She reached for her fallen
spoon on the saucer. Gently, she placed it into
the cup and stirred mechanically.
"What do you mean, Usagi?"
"Well, you should at least have the
decency to figure it out for yourself!" The
cloud above her got a little darker and
gloomier. Mamoru blinked. He thought he saw
lightning coming from those same clouds.
"So I did do something wrong," he mused,
taking a sizable gulp from his coffee cup. "You
won't tell me what it is?"
"Never mind."
"Why?"
"I said, *NEVER MIND*."
Thunder began to rumble.
"Usagi, a clue?" Mamoru asked, almost
childishly. That soft look that appeared in his
azure depths made him look simply adorable. The
same look that you would find in a mischievous
child or a curious kitten prodding a ball of
spun wool for the first time. The way that the
hair fell over his eyes made him seem like that
curious kitten, popping up dreamily from the
pile of unraveled wool. She paused and their
eyes met momentarily.
For that one moment, she lost control and
her defenses dropped, exposing the real Usagi.
The same, vulnerable, hurting and healing Usagi
within.
She pulled back, as if he had ripped down
her defenses and intruded into her mind.
Mamoru, on the other hand, gasped, surprised.
Those, cold, hard, crystalline eyes just
suddenly melted before his gaze. Her soft ocean
blue eyes were misty. They were soft as rose
petal, and for that one moment, Mamoru saw the
same eyes that only saw all the good in the
world. However, this time, there were mixed
feeling intertwined in those depths.
Depression, sadness, anger, fear, and that same
icy coldness that would bite him every so often.
However, those clear, blue pools froze again,
denying him access to her feelings.
"Usagi," he said, reaching out an arm to
comfort her.
"It's Tsukino-san," she replied coolly,
resenting that he had intruded upon her most
delicate emotions.
"Usagi, come on—"
"Tsukino-san," she corrected, going back
into her cup. She refused to meet his eyes.
She would not go through another unveiling like
that again.
"Usagi-san!" Another voice cried from
beyond the crowds. "I managed to get another
piece of cake for you!" The voice got louder as
the figure approached.
Gyokuren popped from the busy crowds, a
plate of chocolate cake raised above his head,
as if to protect it. Usagi turned and smiled,
reaching for the cake.
"Arigato, Gyo-kun!" She thanked,
cheerfully. Her gaze lingered for a brief
moment before she picked up her fork and happily
consumed the cake.
Mamoru froze and sputtered in his coffee.
Gyo-kun? Who was this? He pondered, eyeing the
stranger that had just set himself down near
Usagi.
"Oh? I don't remember seeing you here
before?" Gyokuren said, smiling politely. He
extended his hand in greeting. "I'm Gyokuren.
I'm an astronomer in training."
"An astronomer?" Mamoru nodded absently.
However, even after Gyokuren's brief
introduction, he still wanted to know who this
man was. Politely, he took Gyokuren's hand and
shook it.
"Chiba Mamoru," Mamoru replied.
"Chiba-san, nice to meet you."
"Nice to meet you too," he managed to say
casually. Gyokuren took the other seat beside
Usagi and put an arm around her shoulders
protectively. Usagi paused for a moment, then
settled back into her cake.
"Well, I should be taking my leave."
Mamoru picked up his now-empty coffee cup.
"Good bye, Gyokuren, Usa-Tsukino-san," he
corrected himself.
"Chiba-san," Gyokuren nodded, before
Mamoru rose from his seat and left.
"Nice person," Gyokuren commented, staring
toward the direction that Mamoru had left.
Usagi paused again in her eating and
glared at Gyokuren. She proceeded to look at
the arm that was slung around her. She lifted a
quizzical eyebrow at Gyokuren and merely
shrugged before returning to her food.
***
I don't know if cats are attracted to bright
colors… but just because it's Artemis, let's
just leave him be, ne? And I also don't know
what Minako is allergic to, if she is at all…
Anyways, many thanks goes out to Antigone and
Eternal Angel! You've been so nice!
Of course, as always, thanks to Andrea for
putting up this fanfiction in the first place.
Arigato!
Comments, Questions, Flames? e-mail to:
tokiya_ensui@yahoo.com
URL: www.geocities.com/mizuno_kagami
Ja!
-mizu
possible, so the customary notes:
Disclaimer: Sailor Moon belongs to Naoko
Takeuchi, I don't own it.
e-mail: tokiya_ensui@yahoo.com
URL: www.geocities.com/mizuno_kagami
Chapter 5: Crystal Clear
"They evaded us." A hollow figure voiced
into the darkness. She took a lock of her red
hair and began fondling with it between two
clawed fingers. "Surprising."
"Yes, they did, my lady," rasped a husky
tenor voice. A shadowy arm held an open wound
on it's shoulder.
She continued to stroke the single, snaky
lock with her fingers. Her catlike-eyes
narrowed. "No thanks to you!" She screamed.
The shadow seemed to shrink away into the
darkness, trying to cover it's shadowy ears with
whatever the sailor senshi had left him.
"You fool!" The woman screamed furiously.
Her cool contralto voice lifted to a higher
pitch. "If you hadn't failed, we wouldn't even
be in this predicament!"
"My lady," began the shadow. "Please,
please forgive me!" He begged endlessly,
dropping lower onto the ground. The tarnished
stone embedded on his lower ankle appeared.
Before, it used to shine and gleam with a
peculiar power planted firmly into the cool
stone, however, it's green marbled sheen had
disappeared. Instead, a dull gray-brown stone
replaced the polished stone.
"Forgive you?!" She asked incredulously.
"You used too much power! More than you could
replenish at the same time! That stone of yours
couldn't bear that much of an energy drain! How
could one possibly use that much energy for a
pitiful squabble! You fool!" The woman cried
again in a deafening voice.
"But my lady, they were powerful! They
threw lightning, fire and, and—"
"They threw what?" The woman interrupted,
lowering her voice into a deadly tone.
"They were powerful! They were—"
"Answer my question!" She thundered, eyes
aglow in absolute fury. The shadow nodded
meekly.
"Lightening and fire, my lady," The shadow
answered in a small squeak.
"Lightening and fire, you said?" She was
beginning to get interested.
"Lightning and fire. Yes, my lady."
The woman tapped her foot thoughtfully,
once again, fondling with a lock of bright red
hair. She brushed away her long silk skirts and
looked at the shadow before her thoughtfully.
"They weren't wearing a uniform, were
they?" She asked, lifting up a thin eyebrow.
The shadow hesitated, then finally nodded,
confirming his mistress' theory.
"So, they're real after all." She pursed
her thin lips, releasing the lock of hair she
was playing with. Turning her heel, she sighed.
"No matter," she concluded. "We can evade them
easily. This factor will show no complication
to our mission."
"Yes, my lady," the shadow bowed gravely.
"However, as for you…" she drawled,
looking dangerously at the wounded figure before
her. Her bright eyes grew wide gleamed briefly.
Raising her clawed hand, she motioned casually,
a sadistic smile appearing on her face. A surge
of power focused at her clawed finger appeared
as a huge, green light ball and shot forth
toward her underling.
The sound of a marble stone cracking was
gradually swallowed up by loud maniacal
laughter.
***
"This is odd," murmured Ami, amidst the
clacking sounds of her rapid typing. She
frowned and paused to check the connection
between her mercury computer pad and her PC.
"What is it, Ami?" Luna rose from her
snug napping position on the soft, thick rug and
pounced on the polished hard wood desk. She
made a muffled padding sound as she landed. She
craned her neck around the monitor curiously.
She was confronted by a number of charts and
graphs on the glowing screen.
"I'm trying to get the statistics for the
new monster attacks," replied Ami, getting up to
check the connections behind her PC. "This week
has been hectic. Four attacks!"
"What are you using the statistics for?"
Artemis walked demurely through the open door
way. Something colorful on the desk caught his
attention. Curiously, he crept closer to the
object and pounced on the table quietly.
"Oh, hello Artemis. Mina-chan let you out
today?" Ami asked, thoroughly engrossed in her
task of connecting wires.
Artemis, meanwhile, began to rummage
through the contents neatly arranged on the work
desk, leaving an array of disorder behind him.
"Yeah. She said something about this cute guy
in the park and didn't want me to destroy her
chances." Artemis scowled. He never did
anything to affect Mina-chan's dating life!
Well, except for that time when he decided to
play hide and seek with his foot, scaring the
wits out of the poor boy. And that time when he
had *forgotten* that Mina-chan *was*, in fact,
allergic to certain rare wild flowers and he
*did* take the liberty to roll around in them
before jumping into her arms. Soon, after,
Minako was left sneezing for the entire day,
without being able to complete a full sentence
before sneezing again. All that came out were
incoherent fragments. And, there was also that
time when…
Artemis shrugged. So he did destroy some
of Mina-chan's chances with men. At least, he
convinced himself, that he didn't do it every
day—just every week or so.
"Artemis! You're making a mess!" Luna
scolded. Artemis retrieved himself from his
thoughts and began to obediently push the blue
stapler back where it was with his pink-padded
forepaws.
"Sheesh! Ragging on me again!" Muttered
Artemis, looking for the tape dispenser.
"What was that?" Luna asked, eyes
gleaming dangerously. She was prepared to
unsheathe her claws if needed.
"I think I've got it!" Ami cried, as she
discovered a breakthrough. She reconnected the
wires quickly before returning to her PC and
Mercury computer. She began to type vigorously
at her PC, increasing her pace every second.
Suddenly, a beep sounded from the PC. Ami let
out a sigh of relief.
"Is that all? A beep?" Artemis asked.
He was quickly rewarded with an irate glare from
Luna.
"Quiet!" She reprimanded before turning
her head back at the computer screen.
"Okay, what I've been doing is trying to
figure out a pattern for these attacks. It
seems that these attacks go by an inverse
variation." She smiled. "I guess shadows can
be mathematicians at the same time."
"So, what do you conclude?" Luna asked
inquisitively.
"Well, with these calculations and this
simple formula I've devised, we can find out
where they will attack next."
"Which is?" Artemis remarked
impatiently. Ami cleared her throat, continuing
on with her findings. She switched to her
Mercury computer and punched in a few figures.
"Here," she said, pointing to a blinking
light on the small screen.
"But that's…" Luna gasped.
"Takumashii University," replied Ami
calmly.
Artemis narrowed his eyes. "It's only a
matter of time when they will attack again."
"We'll be ready for them."
***
Usagi, yet again, was found trekking up
the tall hill that lead toward the white-washed
observatory. She paused midway and collapsed to
regain her breath.
She had no idea why she would go to all
these lengths. However, the company she found
up there was rather nice and refreshing.
She found Gyokuren waiting by the door,
with his arms crossed across his chest.
"Usagi-san!" He greeted, helping her up
the stairs. The poor girl was tired, he could
tell. However, she managed to hide it under
that bright sunny smile of hers.
"Gyo-kun!" She said cheerfully, reaching
for his outstretched arm. "Nice to see you
again!"
He mirrored her smile. "There's a café
down there that serves drinks. Want to go
there?" He invited, pointing toward a general
direction.
"Where?" She questioned, trying to look
for the small building. Gyokuren laughed.
"You can't see it from here, silly. It's
too small."
"Gyo-kun?" Usagi begged, extending the
syllables. "Couldn't we rest for just a
*little* bit?" She raised her hand and measured
about a millimeter between her thumb and index
finger.
Gyokuren cocked an eyebrow mischievously.
"I don't know, Usagi-san. But I heard that they
serve the best chocolate cake there…"
The keyword, *chocolate* registered into
Usagi's mind and her eyes began to sparkle with
a certain child likeness. Immediately, she
began dragging Gyokuren down the hill
impatiently.
"Come on, Gyo-kun! We don't want it to be
sold out when we get there!"
The two happily made their way down the
path in a rapid pace—courtesy of Usagi's
eagerness, of course.
***
"What in the world was bothering Usagi?"
Mamoru pondered, trying to figure out why she
had been so cold to her that day. He refused to
think about his dream. Needless to say, it
shocked him and he was afraid to face that
mysterious figure in his dreams. He hated it
when he couldn't help someone.
"Maybe Usagi is mad at me for something,"
he thought, drumming his fingers on the polished
table in the patio.
In the distance, he could hear a very
familiar, melodic laughter.
"Usagi?!" He gasped. He turned, and
there, just a few tables away, was where the
laughter emanated from. Sunlight bounced upon
her stray golden curls and formed the classic
halo over her blond head. Her back was toward
him and she seemed to be alone.
Gingerly, he picked up his ceramic coffee
mug and made his way through the other customers
and tables to the origins of the musical
laughter.
Usagi, completely unaware of all her
surroundings, sipped her hot chocolate
contentedly. Before her was an empty plate—an
empty plate that once held a large, moist piece
of chocolate cake.
"Well, chocolate cake from this café is
definitely going on my list of favorites!" She
sighed and attempted to drink more of the hot
chocolate without burning herself.
Mamoru reached forward and tapped gently
on Usagi's shoulder. She jerked. He had caught
her by surprise. She turned to confront him.
"What are you doing here?" She asked,
almost accusingly. She dropped her spoon on the
small saucer and stared at Mamoru questioningly.
Mamoru was yet again, taken aback by her
icy expression. The Usagi he spotted, was
laughing and there seemed to be this golden aura
about her. Now, this looming dark cloud hung
about her, blotting out her sunlight.
"Anyone with you?" He asked, almost
cautiously.
"What is it to you?" She bit back, taking
another sip from her cup.
"Touchy touchy…" Mamoru remarked. "Can I
sit here?" He asked, indicating to the adjacent
to hers. She looked over the rim of her cup,
raising an eyebrow.
"Do what you will," she said plainly,
voice muffled by the cup. She returned her
attention to her hot chocolate once more.
"Usagi—" he began, unsure of how to begin.
"Yes?" She asked, still hiding in her
cup. She refused to face him.
Mamoru glanced at her hopefully before he
began.
"Usagi, I can tell something is bothering
you. Would you mind talking about it? I rarely
see you alone when you go to a restaurant and—"
"It's a café," she stated simply.
"That's off topic Usagi." He paused,
taking a sip out of his own mug. "Anyway," he
continued. "Has someone done something to hurt
you?" He asked. He figured that if she
wouldn't tell him, he might as well pry it out
of her until she did.
She froze, but regained her composure and
remained sipping out of her cup. Within, she
laughed bitterly, thinking of what an
understatement it was. At this rate, she'd run
out of hot chocolate very soon. But, this was
an extra large cup, so quantity wasn't that much
of a problem.
"That is—" She began, reaching for an
extra packet of sugar. She put the contents of
the packet in whatever remaining hot chocolate
was left in her cup.
"None of my concern," interrupted Mamoru.
"I know, I know." He raised his hands
resignedly. "But I just want to help." There
was almost this yearning in his voice.
Something that perked Usagi's curiosity.
"You've helped enough," came her sarcastic
reply. "Trust me, you've helped plenty…" Her
voice trailed away. She reached for her fallen
spoon on the saucer. Gently, she placed it into
the cup and stirred mechanically.
"What do you mean, Usagi?"
"Well, you should at least have the
decency to figure it out for yourself!" The
cloud above her got a little darker and
gloomier. Mamoru blinked. He thought he saw
lightning coming from those same clouds.
"So I did do something wrong," he mused,
taking a sizable gulp from his coffee cup. "You
won't tell me what it is?"
"Never mind."
"Why?"
"I said, *NEVER MIND*."
Thunder began to rumble.
"Usagi, a clue?" Mamoru asked, almost
childishly. That soft look that appeared in his
azure depths made him look simply adorable. The
same look that you would find in a mischievous
child or a curious kitten prodding a ball of
spun wool for the first time. The way that the
hair fell over his eyes made him seem like that
curious kitten, popping up dreamily from the
pile of unraveled wool. She paused and their
eyes met momentarily.
For that one moment, she lost control and
her defenses dropped, exposing the real Usagi.
The same, vulnerable, hurting and healing Usagi
within.
She pulled back, as if he had ripped down
her defenses and intruded into her mind.
Mamoru, on the other hand, gasped, surprised.
Those, cold, hard, crystalline eyes just
suddenly melted before his gaze. Her soft ocean
blue eyes were misty. They were soft as rose
petal, and for that one moment, Mamoru saw the
same eyes that only saw all the good in the
world. However, this time, there were mixed
feeling intertwined in those depths.
Depression, sadness, anger, fear, and that same
icy coldness that would bite him every so often.
However, those clear, blue pools froze again,
denying him access to her feelings.
"Usagi," he said, reaching out an arm to
comfort her.
"It's Tsukino-san," she replied coolly,
resenting that he had intruded upon her most
delicate emotions.
"Usagi, come on—"
"Tsukino-san," she corrected, going back
into her cup. She refused to meet his eyes.
She would not go through another unveiling like
that again.
"Usagi-san!" Another voice cried from
beyond the crowds. "I managed to get another
piece of cake for you!" The voice got louder as
the figure approached.
Gyokuren popped from the busy crowds, a
plate of chocolate cake raised above his head,
as if to protect it. Usagi turned and smiled,
reaching for the cake.
"Arigato, Gyo-kun!" She thanked,
cheerfully. Her gaze lingered for a brief
moment before she picked up her fork and happily
consumed the cake.
Mamoru froze and sputtered in his coffee.
Gyo-kun? Who was this? He pondered, eyeing the
stranger that had just set himself down near
Usagi.
"Oh? I don't remember seeing you here
before?" Gyokuren said, smiling politely. He
extended his hand in greeting. "I'm Gyokuren.
I'm an astronomer in training."
"An astronomer?" Mamoru nodded absently.
However, even after Gyokuren's brief
introduction, he still wanted to know who this
man was. Politely, he took Gyokuren's hand and
shook it.
"Chiba Mamoru," Mamoru replied.
"Chiba-san, nice to meet you."
"Nice to meet you too," he managed to say
casually. Gyokuren took the other seat beside
Usagi and put an arm around her shoulders
protectively. Usagi paused for a moment, then
settled back into her cake.
"Well, I should be taking my leave."
Mamoru picked up his now-empty coffee cup.
"Good bye, Gyokuren, Usa-Tsukino-san," he
corrected himself.
"Chiba-san," Gyokuren nodded, before
Mamoru rose from his seat and left.
"Nice person," Gyokuren commented, staring
toward the direction that Mamoru had left.
Usagi paused again in her eating and
glared at Gyokuren. She proceeded to look at
the arm that was slung around her. She lifted a
quizzical eyebrow at Gyokuren and merely
shrugged before returning to her food.
***
I don't know if cats are attracted to bright
colors… but just because it's Artemis, let's
just leave him be, ne? And I also don't know
what Minako is allergic to, if she is at all…
Anyways, many thanks goes out to Antigone and
Eternal Angel! You've been so nice!
Of course, as always, thanks to Andrea for
putting up this fanfiction in the first place.
Arigato!
Comments, Questions, Flames? e-mail to:
tokiya_ensui@yahoo.com
URL: www.geocities.com/mizuno_kagami
Ja!
-mizu