Disclaimer: I don't own Sailor Moon. Sailor Moon belongs to the
almighty Naoko Takeuchi.

AN's: I blame this on finals and ::checks cd:: Tchaikovsky's Concerto for the Violin. Minna! I'm free, at last! ;) Oh, I was eating cappuccino candy when I was writing this. Beware of cynicism. ;)

Note: Oh, btw, there's a bit of swearing, but nothing too horrible. ;)

***

Rule #4 : "Hell hath no fury as a woman scorned." (proverb)
So, try not to irritate one.


***

Rules of Conduct : Part IV
By Mizu
email: tokiya_ensui@yahoo.com

***

Wars have never been glamorous. There were always many concepts to consider. Tactics, reserves, stratagems, they were all part of the grueling work that must be endured during wars. Sorrows that beheld the heart were painful experiences that no human being should ever endure. If the points above weren't enough to make me reconsider, call me cold-blooded reptile.

So, perhaps I went a little overboard in this endeavor of mine to beat the crap out of some egotistical co-workers. No biggie.

I found myself humming to the tune of "We are the Champions" while driving down the empty, two-way street. My pale white car pierced into the dark night like a ghost ship in the races. To the regular pedestrian, I was no more than a white zephyr flying across the city at breakneck speed.

Mamoru, on the other hand, seemed to be having *great* fun in the car. No, actually, he was gripping the dark dashboard with an iron-clad grasp. His icy knuckles contrasted with the black interior of the car *wonderfully*. His other hand, I feared, would snap the pearly door handle in two. You win some, you lose some. However, I was in the mood for winning tonight. My confidence in this mission would not disappoint me. I wouldn't let it anyway.

"Usagi, slow down," Mamoru hissed between clenched white teeth. His face was frozen in that adorable horrified expression. An expression that I usually saw during some of my most successful arguments against him, and it gave me joy that words could not express. A sadistic thought, some would say. I would settle for success instead. Besides, he deserved it for teasing me.

I smiled and made an exaggerated swerve around a light pole to the next street. A petrified expression of pure fear seemed to cloud over his eyes. The poor door handle would need to be fixed tomorrow morning.

We passed by houses darkened by the evening sky, their artificially lighted houses were poor reflective counterparts of the rousing stars above. Sad, really, but one could only try their best. I spared a glance at Chiba and grimaced.

The Starlight Gala was an annual event located at the edge of the district. The lone hotel stood solemnly at the crest of a series of thin strips of white beaches, sloping gently into a vast sparkling lake. When the moon rose at its zenith among its courtyard of stars, the spared light seemed to give the area an ethereal glow. A few clumps of basalt lined the beaches, their angular forms jutting out sharply where water lapped upon the sand dunes.

I pulled up behind a sleek black car in the curved driveway. The path was really arched to partially wrap itself around the spouting fountain in an expression of artful landscaping. I was never much of a landscapist. My artistic comments ranged from adequate looking toasters to the faded carpet mat by my door. I never did care for sunsets and lovey dovey, fairy tale-type environments. I could get the same sensation by eating a fistful of marshmallows. Besides, marshmallows were cheaper.

The friendly valet opened the door for me kindly as I stepped out with my voluminous skirts in hand. I dropped the car key into his hand, smiling as I did so. It would do me no good to scowl at the temporary keeper of my car, would it now?

"This ought to be fun," I whispered quietly to Mamoru, placing my hand in the crook of his arm as I did so.

"Very," he grinned a la Chiba, a grin that many would learn to fear in due time. We ascended up the few stairs leading to the interior of the hotel, and inevitably, the chrome elevator doors that would allow us passage to the battlefield upstairs.

We rode the elevator in silence, awaiting for the twinkling chime that would mark the final launch of our mission. The elevator chimed as it was supposed to, marking our point of no return.

Nothing prepared me for the sight my eyes beheld as the metal doors slid open with a deep rumble of well-maintained mechanisms. The walls were ivory-colored, and rather plain-looking. However, upon closer inspection, I could see the tiny details and imprints painstakingly hewn out of the rock. I knew that it couldn't have been machine-made; some of the designs were slightly deviated that a machine could never have done in all its perfection. Now, why would anyone choose a wall where all the beautiful art was camouflaged was another
thing.

The carpet was a classic cherry red, plush beneath my feet. Ahead, a pair of French doors, well beyond Mamoru's height, stood solemnly as if they were akin to the gates of heaven. Brass knobs polished to a shining perfection fixed themselves at arm level.

We had only been through the hallways and yet, the rich décor was fit for royalty! How I knew that, I still do not know to this date. Perhaps I was a princess in a previous life.

Then, we were standing before the gates to heaven, or possibly hell, depending on how you saw the situation. Both Chiba and I had enough confidence to soar through the roof of the skyscraper, and did not doubt in the success of this night.

"Ready?" Mamoru murmured quietly, a small, quirky grin appearing on his face. I nodded and summoned enough courage to turn the brass knob.

The doors swung open ornately, giving us a clear view of the opulent ballroom. Twelve marble columns edged with gold and silver towered to the dome-like ceiling. Twelve marble columns that reminded me of the Greek titans before they fell at the hands of their children, the gods.

Tall, square-paned windows reached high above, stopping just before the point of inflection of the circular ceiling. Each was a facet in the giant crystal that was this ballroom. You could look out each window, and probably see a different world. Or perhaps that was just my girlish, imaginative side peeking through its confines.

Soft blush-rose curtains, were held back with tasseled silver ropes. The inhabitants of the luxurious room seemed small and insignificant in my field of vision. They reminded me of strategy computer games, where you built a world, and cultivated a civilization. Everyone would just be a pawn in your game, and you would never identify each person by name. Since I knew them, maybe I was just another pawn as well, playing out some ridiculous role.

The floor was composed of black marble, polished to a high-glossy shine. The dancing couples glided across the surface, their reflections waltzed in mute silence to music that could be heard in the marble depths. If management added a centerpiece, the entire chamber would resemble one giant music box.

Out of curiosity, I glanced upwards. A giant skylight held within its gaze the star-speckled sky above like some sort of cosmic bowl. The entire room seemed as if it was plucked out of some picturesque fairy tale.

We descended down a few steps, merging ourselves into the rich atmosphere. Multiple gasps of surprise were heard from below, as expected.

Phase one: complete. I smiled confidently, gliding down the steps with as much grace as I could muster with four-inch heels. Let it be noted that it was no easy task.

"Tsukino-san! Chiba-san! How nice to see you here! We weren't expecting you two to show up after the hour!" exclaimed the jovial little man as I later recognized to be one of the three bumbling idiots from the restroom. He laughed heartily. It resembled an awful gurgling sound that one would hear from a swamp. Chiba and I barely held ourselves back from cringing in public.

Two other men approached us from behind, whom I later recognized to be part of the little man's gossip crew. What do you know? Idiots do come in flocks! I've always prided myself with scientific facts that were proven through observation. I've always wondered where these people went to university, the National Institute for the Bovine, perhaps?

I strained to smile, and made no motion to cover up that fact. "How could we ever miss this event?" I sidled next to a Greek urn lavishly filled with tumbling vines and fresh pink roses.

"Right, Tsukino-san," he said stoutly, "It wouldn't be complete without two of our very best CEO's!"

"Two of our very best CEO's? I wasn't aware that we had company in the land of prestige," I remarked innocently, my face bore a placid expression. The chortling fool didn't seem to understand my not-so-subtle insult. What was the address to the Institute for the Bovine, again?

"Oh, Tsukino-san, you look absolutely lovely tonight! May I have the honor of a dance tonight? I will not step on your feet, I assure you," Washroom Idiot #2 offered. I glanced over at his right side, and low and behold was my glamorous cousin, Aino Minako. So, this was our little rumormonger. Surely Minako had better taste than this!

Although, the same could be said for my appearance with Chiba...

"Maybe later, Akari-san," I replied coolly, tilting my head toward him in mock respect. He nodded curtly in reply, a sign that went unnoticed by most. Perhaps Mr. Heir to the Corporation wasn't so stupid after all.

"Mamoru?" I extended a hand to him, a silent invitation meant for him, and him alone. For some inane reason, he hesitated for a moment. He seemed reluctant until he accepted my hand in mute resolution.

We strode across the ballroom, pausing in the exact center of the floor, or so the tile designs decreed. He placed one unsteady hand over mine. His fingers of the opposite hand lightly traced over the seam of my dress, not quite touching.

I smiled, and realized at this moment that pairs upon pairs of gawking eyes were staring directly at us. The timing, the situation, the scene, was utterly perfect.

The music cued in, and the last block fell into place. It was a soft waltz written by Strauss. We were ready to initiate phase two of the plan.

Or, so I thought...

I stepped forward, and then...he stepped forward! Our feet met with a light tap that seemed to bounce back and fourth in my ear canals. All right, I proposed silently to myself or to him, I wasn't sure whom, we would try this again.

I stepped sideways, and he stepped-oh crap.

Someone snickered in the background. Once I figure out who that someone is, I was going to have a field day with them.

It was then that I noticed that Chiba could not dance. How could he NOT dance?! He didn't look like the type that had two left feet. Well, that is, if people that were cursed (or blessed, it depends how you look at the situation) with the inability to do a simple box step could be distinguished from large crowds by some aesthetic feature.

"Chiba!" I ground out. He seemed to be...blushing? "Chiba!" I could hear more people sniggering at our, ah, attempt? "Why didn't you tell me that you couldn't dance?"

"I didn't want to disappoint you," he replied, after much hesitation. "Your heart was set on this event tonight." We stood still on the dance floor, listening to the threatening whispers around us.

"It was all an act!" Someone shouted loudly.

"I told you! Chiba couldn't find someone decent even if he tried!"

"You owe me 1,000 yen now!"

Act? Decent? ONE-THOUSAND YEN?! Was that all this was worth?! I seethed, my fury was barely contained by the confines of my mortal shell. Chiba glanced at me and faltered slightly. The proverb, "Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned," seemed a fitting caption to this situation.

"Had I declined your invitation, your reputation would have been in shreds. It would be awkward had you danced with Akari first, before your own companion for this evening," he noted calmly, our hands still loosely linked together.

Damn him for being the voice of reason.

I let out the breath that I had been holding, "So, what do we do now?" I watched our battlefield burst in flames, our victory flag waving remotely visible among the crackling hearths, out of reach.

Another pause.

"Well," he commented with uncertainty, "We could walk off this dance floor and leave this place with whatever shreds of pride we have left, or..."

"Or?" I prompted quickly, ready to pounce on the next opportunity.

"Or, we could spend the night staying here and trying to salvage our pride by confronting the mob of employees over there," he jerked a thumb over to the small crowd behind him. "Although, I have a feeling that solution would not benefit us very well."

"That's your options?!" I blurted out hysterically. "Don't you have a third option? Can't you *make up* a third option? You're intuitive! You're an engineer!"

He gave me one of his rare, flat stares. "If you've forgotten, so are you." He ignored my threatening death glare. "Well...we could try this instead."

"Try what?"

Suddenly, a hand clamped down on my waist, drawing scandalously to my hip. His other hand rested on my shoulder and traced an imaginary trail down to my palm. He took hold of the aforementioned palm and intertwined his fingers with mine.

He grinned wickedly when he heard some of the employees gasp in surprise. Why wouldn't they gasp? I was shocked to the toes! If my feet weren't confined to my expensive, painful pumps, I might have felt the tingle too.

"What do you think you're doing?!" My eyes widened substantially.

"Honestly, Usagi, I have no idea," he grinned boyishly, his true nature peeking out from the cool exterior again.

God help me.

"Now that we have our 'relationship' façade secured nicely, mind giving me a crash course in ballroom dancing in the next, say, ten seconds?"

"Chiba, it took me two years of dancing lessons with a professional dancer to learn how to dance properly. You're asking me to sum all that information up in ten seconds?" I was beyond amazed. Perhaps I should just say that I was surprised that he was willing to learn new skills. This is Chiba, might I remind you.

"Five, and counting down, actually-"

"Oh, shut up."

"Well? I've already started on our third option. We could work on strengthening that part of our plan, if you wish. Although, I think the next thing at hand would be a kiss-no, don't scowl, your face might stay that way-but I'm sure the dancing would work nicely, no?" He grinned handsomely, using it as a powerful weapon of persuasion. I, on the other hand, was unaffected by his infectious grimace. To this date, he still thinks that that was what tipped the scales to his favor, but I disagree.

"Lesson one, the box step." Perhaps that victory flag *was* in reach, after all.

His grin grew wider, white teeth flashing. I swear, if I saw a sparkle, I would punch the living daylights out of him.

"If I step forward, the mirroring foot steps backward, got it? If I step sideways, you step sideways in the same direction. The same goes for me, got it?" I searched his eyes for a glimmer of understanding, but his nod was more than sufficient for me. "I'll lead, for now."

I stepped forward, slowly gathering up a little speed to match the rhythm of the music. To my astonishment, he stepped backwards, as he was told. Chiba was always a fast learner in our classes together.

Next step was to go sideways, and I did so. Again, he stepped sideways-but in the wrong direction.

"Chiba!"

"Sorry."

We tried the step again, and completed it successfully. Problem was, his eyes were permanently glued to the ground.

I raised an eyebrow, tapping him on the shoulder. "What are you doing?"

He shrugged, not lifting his eyes from the ground. "I don't want to step on your feet."

To his surprise, I laughed cheerfully at him. His head snapped up, an expression of pure astonishment plastered on his face.

Let it be known for the record that I surprised Chiba, for once.

"Chiba, I wouldn't *let* you step on my feet," I pointed out dryly, directing him to the side of the ballroom. His startled look disappeared off the face of the earth, and was promptly replaced with his usual cocky expression.

"Now, Chiba?" I increased our pace in conjunction with the stringed instruments. "Lesson two..."

***

We danced the night away, and somehow, managed a shaky twirl in the process. Perhaps, with a few more lessons, Chiba might turn out to be a wonderful dancer.

"May I?" A voice cut in, pausing Chiba and I in mid-step. I recognized him to be Akari-san. Chiba turned to me in silent question. Did I really want to dance with Akari-san?

The answer was no, but it would be impolite to decline his invitation. After all, it wouldn't be wise to bite the hand that feeds you-er, that is superior to you. You'd be surprised what Akari had access to, being the owner's first-born son.

Chiba stepped back gallantly, bowing to me once before turning to the refreshments table. He looked a little upset. Most likely, he'd order himself some port and brood leaning against one of those stately columns.

"Tsukino-san?" Akari had threaded his fingers through his hair, causing the locks to settle in a disheveled manner. It was an image that was commonly seen in magazines these days. The lights reflected off his lightly gelled hair. Briefly, I wondered if I could see my reflection in his chemically treated hair.

The music was cued in, and we began to dance smoothly. It was a strange smoothness. We could never match patterns perfectly, for some reason. Even with Chiba's simple box step, we could achieve some sort of synchronization. With Akari, who I assumed has had as many dancing lessons as I have, if not more, we were never in perfect unity.

"So, you've put on an interesting show on tonight," he remarked idly, an air of cockiness perpetually present in his demeanor.

"Interesting? I'm not quite sure what you mean by that, Akari-san," I answered innocently, attempting to direct us from the center of the ballroom. However, he was intent on being the center of attention. Oh well, it wasn't that big a deal.

"You really think that this façade would last all night?"

"Façade, sir?"

He sighed, exaggerating it to the point of irritating me. "Of course, we'll have it your way. It's not a façade, merely just a..." He clucked, searching for the correct word to finish his string of thoughts. "An act, then, if you'd rather prefer it that way. But do me a favor, and drop it? It is so demoralizing," he added, "on both parties." He completed his sentence with what was supposed to be a handsome grin. In my opinion, he looked too much like vermin to look handsome.

"Stop the act?"

"Please, Usagi-you're going too far with the questions," he interrupted, either ignoring or was busy being oblivious to my infuriated glare.

"Of all the inferiority!" I muttered, but the comment did not escape his hearing. He responded by freezing mid-step, hand clenching mine with unbridled anger.

"Inferiority?! Are you denying the fact that this isn't all an act?" He said rapidly in a deadly tone.

I unsuccessfully tried to wrench myself free of the painful grasp. Our physical contact on the dance floor was beginning to make me nauseous.

"Yes! It is an act! But I wouldn't stop it for the world! Why should we stop to salvage your reputation that you've endangered all by yourself?" I scolded him, like one spoiled child to another. I refused to watch my victory go down in flames because of one little pedestrian who said that I had to. "How much money do you have on the line? One thousand? Two? Ten? Perhaps even a million?!" He gaped at me, as if I had just seen right through his plan. Perhaps I did, or perhaps I did not, but my next words angered him beyond any sane human would have in my place. "Or is it your filthy pride that you have on the line?"

It was then that he slapped me across the face. It was a loud, painful smack, which was unfortunately drowned out by the raging, intense music. Couples danced past us, but if any of them saw, they did not halt to stop the madness.

I finally wrenched myself free of his grasp, twisting my arm painfully in the process of doing so. "How *dare* you?" Were the first words that escaped my lips. "What gives you the *right* to hit a woman?"

Out of the corner of my eye, I could see Chiba striding over to our direction. He must have seen Akari hit me across the face, and was probably going to have a few 'words' with him. If my memory serves me correctly, Chiba never did give two cents about what his superiors thought of him. An injustice was an injustice, after all.

I watched the rage build up noiselessly within him. He was quivering like a volcano about to explode. Logic dictated that I leave, but my pride would not allow it until I finished with my thoughts.

"You are the most despicable, pitiful, and disgusting man I have ever met! Why you're dating Minako, I will never know, but I do know that she deserves to hear that you have the *gall* and cowardice to beat a woman!"

"You--!"

He didn't have a chance to answer, for I kneed him in the ribs.

***

"Are you all right?" Chiba ran a finger over the cheek that Akari hit, tracing the swelling red mark. I ran a hand over the injured part of my face, and smiled, despite the pain that the moving muscles caused.

"I'll be fine. I don't bruise that easily, remember?"

He seemed to take that as a valid response. I think I strengthened Chiba's hate for Akari. I wouldn't want to see both of them fighting out a match in a boxing ring. What a horrifying thought...

"By the way, nice work," he complimented. I looked at him oddly.

"What are you talking about?"

He tried to explain what he was thinking through wild gestures that made absolutely no sense to me. I raised an eyebrow at him.

"When you kneed him in the ribs."

I answered with a short and simple "Oh."

"Yeah, that."

"Would you have preferred me to have aimed lower?"

***

We left the inquisitive crowds, claiming that we would come back and that we only wanted to take a 'walk on the beach.' The latter was Chiba's invention, by the way.

So, here we were, walking along a sturdy little pier. Judging by the sanded boards, the small dock was well kept and maintained. I stopped at the side edge of the pier, throwing a stone into the watery depths of the lapping waves. Another stone followed mine, Chiba's stone.

"Thanks, Usagi," he said quietly to my backside. He seemed reluctant to break me free of my dream-like reverie. Perhaps it was the relaxing crash of the waves, or perhaps the twinkling stars above, but for once, I removed all sarcasm from my voice.

"No problem. What are friends for?" I turned my head back at him briefly and smiled softly. Perhaps this was the core of our friendship, the fact that we would come to each other's rescue when the need arose. In any case, I was grateful that someone would always be there to break my fall, and that I was equally important to them.

Once more, my back faced him, and I faced the majestic sea before me. I was almost expecting sirens or mermaids to break the surface of the rolling waves. However, it seemed that something else entirely different came instead.

A hand grasped mine gently, fingers were caressing the back of my palm. "Usagi?" Mamoru's tone was several times softer than usual. It was almost...awkward.

I laughed quietly in good humor, "It's not necessary to keep up the act. I'm sure they get the message up there," I pointed a finger up at skyscraper. I turned my head to his direction and made the mistake of looking directly into his rich, cobalt blue eyes.

They were soft, yet seemingly impenetrable. All his internal struggles, conflicts, joys, weaknesses, strengths, were all recorded and set in the golden stone that was his soul. Truthfully speaking, even looking in the window to his soul frightened me beyond words could express. I tried to turn away, but found that I could not. He trapped me, a hunter cornering his prey.

"The reason why you came," he whispered, voice hushed. I strained to hear his voice above the sound of the rolling waves. "It wasn't an obligation out of friendship. You came out of your own free will, and the act and the effort of the act itself would be placed in a different category..."

"Friendship, the category, isn't it, Chiba?" I maintained my train of thought, lest I drown in the very words coming from his lips.

"No..." Only his lips moved, for I could not hear his dismissal.
He broke the eye-lock, turning his head to his left shoulder, looking disappointed.

With the broken contact, an ounce of bravery, coupled with courage leapt to my throat. "Then what, Chiba?"

The intense gaze returned, and I soon found my newfound courage disappearing down the drain with a liquid gurgle.

"Of lovers," the expected, unavoidable words rolled from his mouth like rich, sweet honey. It was too sweet for my taste, however. The fluttering in my stomach increased ten-fold.

Out of reflex, I turned my back toward him, seeking safety and refuge in the sea I had only known for the last half hour. The waves provided me with no consolation, except for an ancient, chanting wisdom that I could never understand. No, I would never learn the song of the waves, nor the speech of the stars. What hope was left for me?

Two arms snaked around my waist from behind, as Mamoru encircled me in a firm embrace. It was one that made me feel uneasy. I was unused to hugs or affection of any genre.

"Usagi," his lips were very close to my ear, my golden tendrils were probably tickling his face. I felt his chin rest on my unsteady shoulder.

"All these years, I've always adored you. When I was alone, and the world turned its back harshly in my face, or when an icy gale of wind would throw me back, or when the snow stung my eyes and froze the tears upon my face, you were always there. You were always there to stop my world from turning upside-down. You were always there to support me against the wind. You were always there to wipe the stinging tears from my face. All these years..."

All these years...? Every word was warm against my face. I stood, frozen in time, watching the everlasting waves perform their eternal dance. The waves roared in my ears, the dim light of the stars blinding me from unspoken distances above. Nevertheless, Mamoru continued, determined, firmly pressing his face to mine.

"You are everything to me...everything," he murmured, the waves claiming his words, attempting to distort them into something less understandable. They didn't have to, but by some wicked twist of fate, his words were as clear as a sparkling crystal.

Moments passed. Silence ensued. I began to shake uncontrollably, tearing myself from his grasp. He stared at me, bewildered.

"No, Mamoru, I am not everything to you-"

"But..." He interjected, an odd lilt in his voice.

"I am nothing!"

"Iie, iie..."

"I am nothing more than a friend, and a terrible one, at that!" I heard someone sobbing, and found that it was myself. Anger and passion welled in my voice, coming out in the form of screams and tears. "I care for no one, except for myself."

"I don't care!" The rich, soft voice exterior was gone, and the full-fledged fury of his passion exhibited itself with little regard to the universal laws demanded by common civility. "I love you!"

The three words, the three *inevitable* words that would commence or complete this onslaught of powerful emotions that no man had the power to wield.

I feared that power. I feared it with every fiber of my being.

"You do not," I said quietly, sounding as drained as a dried husk of wheat that had fallen to the floor, rejected by the graders. "You were poorly misinformed, Mamoru. Life is short. Go find someone else more...deserving of your affections."

I disappeared from the scene promptly after my input, receiving the last word, and his last, affectionate gaze.

***

Mercenary Editor for this installment: Alicia Blade
::Incapacitating GLOMP:: Thank you ever so much! I couldn't have done this without you!

June 28/01