"…Just as a dancer is nothing without fire, she is little without inspiration

Hi!! Just so ya know, Manashiai Wakuma IS a name. I would tell you what it means, but it will ruin this chapter, and others to come. Near the end after I have developed his character, I will tell you all what it means ^_^. Anyway, I broke my own resolution not to post this until I got 10, but trust me, this time I'm sticking to it. 10 reviews or no chapter 3. I mean it! God bless Naoko Takeuchi!

Disclaimer: I don't own the sailor moon characters, and as a certain someone (you know who you are) would point out, I don't want to get sued. I do not nor will I ever claim to own the characters. I just use and manipulate them to my will insert evil laugh the amazing wonderful beautiful smart Naoko Takeuchi owns sailor moon. Not me. no suing. Suing is bad ::brings out chalkboard with big x over the word suing:: Ok? Ok. Ja!

"…Just as a dancer is nothing without fire, she is little without inspiration. You have fire, but no motivation. For that, we cannot accept you. I'm sorry."

Nodding, Usagi took her critique papers, and fled the room. After pushing past the double doors guarding the audition hall, she took a left and went to the locker room, hoping to change then go home and get fat out of desperation.

"How am I ever going to get inspiration for something I have never experienced?" she wondered aloud in a straggled voice. "I can't believe this!" she turned another corner. " I want to scream! Inspiration for love!" she turned another corner. "How am I ever…"

"Boyfriends are normally good ideas," her last sentence was cut short as she bumped into a tall, gorgeous blue eyed man who at the same time interrupted her.

"Because I hear they sometimes help in things like that." He continued kindly, his voice reflecting the same delight his eyes were.

But she didn't notice his eyes, just the tone of his voice. She was a very beautiful woman, and had been hit on many times; this stranger's tone sounded much like that of someone who would want more then an a nice 'Hi-how-do-ya-do?' Only a little different- more sincere, and gentile. But the second her ears picked up the first hint of a pickup line, her automatic womanly defense kicked in. 'Let them know you aren't drawn into what ever they're planning to say. Besides, you have Manashiai.' she reminded herself. "Why, you want to volunteer?" he blushed when she said this, but without thinking, she continued. "Because to be honest, I'm not interested, I already have one." She told him through her weeping as she pulled away from him.

His blush faded when he heard the words 'I already have one', but also as he caught the crying tone in her voice. He immediately became concerned. 'Why would an Angle like this be crying so deeply? What could have hurt her this badly?' He asked himself. Placing his hands on his hips, he looked her in the eye and started to speak. "Are you ok? Are you…are you crying? Do you need some help? Is there anything I…"

"I don't need any help," she cut in. "I'm just getting over a little ripping apart of my dream." She added dramatically as she wiped away her tears, and began to stalk angrily away.

But he wouldn't let her leave without more information. There was something amazing about her that saw in her face and heard in her voice. "Wait," he called after her. Luckily for him, she paused. The expression on her face proved she wasn't happy to be doing so; she wanted to get home. But he wasn't going to let her get away. "Please…let me apologize. I'm sarcastic sometimes, I guess now wasn't a good time." He said, hoping she would stop giving him a death glare. Fortunately she stopped, and instead of gluing her cerulean eyes on his masculine face, let them wander. 'If this man's going to stop me in my tracks, I might as well see what he looks like…Tall, at least six feet…towering over me, ebony hair...gracious it looks so soft, dark blue eyes…amazing dark blue eyes. Oh my, look at those muscles...Wow, he's really sexy. Much more sexier then Manashiai.' But right as the last thought entered her head, she contradicted her self out of pure habit. 'Come on girl, Manashiai puts up with my dreams of attending, even if he didn't show up today, or ever come to my rehearsals, and he yells sometimes. It's not like I'm the only one in his world anyway, ' She thought to herself. 'But he also doesn't make me feel like this…'

He saw the approval in her face and took it as a signal to continue apologizing, which he did right away. He didn't want to lose her attention after all. He began to walk towards her slowly, and once he was in arm's length, offered his hand out to her. "My name's Chiba Mamoru. I'm a stagehand here," he paused, "or at least until I finish college and get a better job."

She took his hand; he was a lot more polite then most of the creeps that hit on her. At least he was introducing himself. So she obliged and introduced herself. "My name's Tsukino Usagi. It's nice to meet you Mamoru." She held onto his had a little tighter and smiled. Then she realized that she had almost completely stopped crying. In fact, she felt quite a bit better than she had only moments before. 'This guy definitely has a weird affect on how I'm acting. Funny thing, I really don't seem to mind.' But she caught herself, and added silently 'Get a grip Usagi. You have Manashiai Wakuma. It doesn't matter that he doesn't look at you like this. Mamoru is just a stranger. Come on, simply focus on getting out of here.' Reminding her self of her steady boyfriend of two years was all that was needed to make her to drop his hand as if it had burned her. But she kept the smile.

"I see you've stopped crying," Mamoru said with a grin. "It's a good thing too, you might have actually done some damage had you run into anyone else!" He laughed a little at his own joke, and his heart leaped with joy when she laughed with him. He stopped laughing and added questionably, "Why were you crying anyway? What was all that you were saying about 'inspiration for love' or something?" he placed his hands back on his hips, and sighed silently as her eyes darkened at the reminder of what had happened earlier.

Without a word, she handed him her critique sheets. Silently, she prayed that he wouldn't think less of her because she didn't make it. But she saw by the way his eyes danced when he looked up from the sheets that he didn't.

"What do they mean when they say no inspiration for love in your dance?" he asked, acting genuinely puzzled. The truth was, he wasn't. His mother had been a prima ballerina. She had raised him to know that inspiration and motivation that led to passion where everything. But he wanted to keep her talking as long as he could.

Taking the critique sheets back from him, she raised her eyes to meet his. But she hesitated. 'What is this guy going to think when I tell him they mean that I'm a ditz in love and made that totally obvious to everyone?! I'll probably even wind up telling him about how the only way Manashiai will stay with me is if I'm basically his slave. Mamoru would never understand that even in such a serious relationship, I have no motivation to express love!' her mind screamed at her

"I don't know?" she finally answered weakly as she looked down at the papers- hoping to avoid his eyes. She knew if he looked her in the face right then he would know she knew exactly what the judges meant. But for the sake of her secrets, she kept her eyes down.

He simply rubbed his chin, and nodded in response. He didn't buy it for a second, but let her think he did. He dropped his hand back to his side, and smiled. "Well, maybe we could figure it out over some food." He paused as she looked up, a somewhat hungry look in her eyes. "I know this really great diner only a few blocks from here. Would you like to go get a sandwich with me or something?" He finished.

The grin that was normally so rare plastered it's self on her delicate face once again as she nodded. 'Oh my GOODNESS!! This is the most beautiful man I have ever met and he's asking me to go eat with him!!' her mind shouted in joy, this time completely forgetting Manashiai.

"Wonderful!" he almost yelled, letting his joy show through his normally calm exterior. He linked his arm through hers, and led her towards the stairwell that led to the first floor and the exit. Just as they were half way down the steps, Usagi remembered she was in her audition leotards.

She stopped in her tracks, causing Mamoru to do the same.

"What are you waiting for Usagi?" he asked, his face showing the disappointment that he felt. But it subsided when she smiled reassuringly at him, and gestured towards her attire.

"I don't think diner would appreciate me coming in half naked," she said, pausing to mentally kick herself the second 'half naked' escaped her lips. He saw it too, and blushed heavily. He was having a hard of enough time keeping himself from kissing her right then and there. Her half naked was way too much to bear. "So I'm just going to go change into my street clothes, and grab my bag." She added in an attempt to cover up her slip of the lip.

He nodded, and watched her turn and jog back to the area she had been headed in the first place. He smiled to himself, and mentally patted himself on the back. "Well, at least you didn't wet your pants. You've come a far way from high school." He quipped to himself.

"What was that? Are you talking to your self?" a male voice asked from behind Mamoru.

Blushing heavily, he turned. A few steps down the stairs stood a man almost as tall as Mamoru, about the same age too. Brown hair, cloudy green eyes and a Roman nose that looked as if it had been broken many times before made up the face of the guy who had heard him congratulate himself on bladder control. Luckily, depending on how you look at it, Mamoru was able to cover up the fact that he wanted to fall down the stairs the rest of the way to the first floor.

"It was nothing. I just invited very beautiful woman to lunch, and was proud of my self." He said, hoping by now that his fierce blush had declined.

The guy nodded, and shrugged it off. "Whatever weirdo." The random guy replied. "Do you know where the chick's dressing room is?" His voice changed to one of annoyance as he added "My girlfriend had some stupid audition today, and I was, supposed to be here." He snorted. "Can you believe she actually wanted me to come and watch?" This man was beginning to give Mamoru a bad feeling. The feelings were confirmed when the guy punched him in the shoulder and added "Some times she's just stupid."

Mamoru was now thoroughly disgusted by this man. Who did this guy think he is? Trying to hide the sneer he felt growing on his lip, Mamoru answered the man's original question. "I'm sorry you feel that way. Anyway, the dressing rooms are that way." He pointed towards the direction the Usagi had gone.

"Thanks stranger." The green-eyed man called over his shoulder as he walked in the direction Mamoru had pointed him in.

Mamoru simply nodded. It wasn't more then a few minutes later when he thought he heard a girl scream…a girl that sounded horribly like Usagi. His calm instincts took over, and he paused for a second. When all that followed was silence, he shrugged it off.

A few minutes later, Usagi turned the corner that blocked the view of the dressing room area, and ran up to Mamoru. Avoiding his eyes, she quickly spat out "Mamoru, I'm sorry, something came up. I can't go eat with you." And without another word, she ran.

Feeling crushed, Mamoru simply stood there for a few seconds before it sank in. he finally thought to ask why, but she was already gone. Numbly, he walked down the rest of the stairs, and out to his car. Seconds after he pulled away from the curb, a green eyed man shoved through the double doors of the St. William's Academy of Dance auditorium, pulling a petite blond goddess-like woman behind him.

OH NO!!!!! WHAT IS THIS MAN DOING!?! PLEASE REVIEW (I GET 10 OR I WON'T PUT UP THE NEXT CHAPTER) OK, I CAN'T HOLD IT IN ANY MORE!!!!! "Manashiai" means "without love", and "Wakuma" means "ugly". Can you guess who the green-eyed stranger is?!?! 10 reviews, or once again, I won't confirm your suspicions!!!