Chapter Three: Meeting Demando
The next day, Minako came over to the palace and changed places with Usagi. Usagi helped Minako put her hair up like Usagi's, and picked out a dress for her to wear. Usagi changed into her peasant outfit and put her hair into one messy bun.
"Good luck," said Minako as Usagi climbed out the window and down the trellis. Usagi expertly hopped over the wall and entered the forest. She came to the end of the rugged path and found herself in the marketplace. She looked for a tall man with white hair and a completely white outfit. She walked down one of the streets, ignoring the shopkeepers calling out what they had to sell until someone clapped a hand over her mouth and pulled her into an alleyway. The hood of the cloak slid off of her head and onto her shoulders.
"Well, well, well, what have we here?" asked a voice. Usagi lifted her head and gasped with shock. It was Jaedite. "The princess of the White Moon, out for a stroll. How convenient. Thank you so much, Serenity. You saved me the trouble of looking for you."
"Who-Who are you?" she asked, playing dumb.
"Don't play dumb with me, Serenity. You know exactly who I am."
"Serenity? Who's Serenity?" she asked.
Demando rushed up and down the street, looking for a mop of blonde hair. "Where is she? She had to have gotten out. She's got Minako as her look alike." He heard a scream coming from an alleyway and rushed to find out whose scream it was. He saw a blonde man pinning a small girl to the sidewall of a building. He lunged at the man and sent him flying backward. Demando stood up and looked down into the girl's eyes. His eyes widened when he saw who it was.
"Usagi, come on," he said, taking her hand and pulling her toward a small café. "Two please," he told the waitress. She raised an eyebrow at the sight of Usagi, and the well-dressed man that she was with, but led them to a table. "Get back to the palace, and disguise yourself as Minako. She nodded and raced around to the side of the building.
She whipped out her disguise pen and shouted, "Disguise Power, turn me into an exact duplicate of Minako!"
She stood a minute later in an ankle length orange dress, her hair falling past her waist, partially tied up with a red bow, and orange sandals with a very thin heel.
She calmly walked back to the table and sat down across from Demando. "Disguise Power is fun," she grinned.
"You are so lazy," he laughed.
"Why did you want to meet me here?"
"I just wanted to be able to talk to you."
A few minutes later, the palace guards of the White Moon ran up to Usagi.
"Princess Venus," began the leader. "Have you seen Princess Serenity? She is nowhere to be found."
"Darn you, Minako," muttered Usagi. To the guards she said, "Yes, I have seen her. When I left the palace an hour ago, she was in her room."
"Okay. Thank you, Miss."
They ran off in search of the "missing" princess.
"Close shave," muttered Demando.
"Yeah," blushed Usagi.
"Usagi, I just wanted to know. When is your and Mamoru's wedding?"
"We're not sure yet. If I have my way, there won't be a wedding at all. Sure, he looks kind and passionate about our romance when we're in public, but when we're alone, he's awful. He hits me when he's mad, and I know that when our parents arranged this marriage, he didn't have this in mind, but I have a feeling that he's using this marriage to get to my kingdom. It's supposed to unite us, but it's not going to. His father is the same way, an overly possessive ruler who wants everything to himself. I've seen the way he treats Lucinda, and it's the same way that Mamoru treats me."
"Usagi," Demando began. "I think I'm in love with you, but I can't explain it. From the first day that I met you, ten years ago, I've been in love with you. My brother, Saffiru, says to just forget about it, because your mother would never let us be together, with me being from Nemesis and all. Usagi, I think that I love you."
"Demando," she began quietly. "I can't abandon Mamoru. There's no way. He's entirely possessive, and would kill the both of us if we were together. Truthfully, there's nothing that I want more in the world than for us to be together."
"Really?"
"Yes. Oh no!" she gasped, jumping up. "I have to go. Minako needs me back."
"All right. Come at the same time tomorrow then," he said.
"I will."
Demando leaned down and their lips met, first just barely touching, and then in a passionate kiss. Usagi pulled away first, and nodding to Demando, ran off, her cheeks flushed from the kiss.
Usagi shook off her disguise and climbed back over the wall, climbed back up the trellis, and into her room, where Minako sat, brushing out her hair.
"Welcome back. What happened?" she asked, turning around.
Usagi flopped down on the bed. "Minako, I…I can't see him anymore."
"Why not?"
"Because. I'm betrothed. I kissed him, Minako."
"Good. You need someone else to love besides the possessive jerk. You deserve better than someone who verbally abuses you and hits you."
"I know, but still."
"Usagi. You are going to stand up to your mother, and to Mamoru. You are going to call off the wedding!"
The next day, Minako came over to the palace and changed places with Usagi. Usagi helped Minako put her hair up like Usagi's, and picked out a dress for her to wear. Usagi changed into her peasant outfit and put her hair into one messy bun.
"Good luck," said Minako as Usagi climbed out the window and down the trellis. Usagi expertly hopped over the wall and entered the forest. She came to the end of the rugged path and found herself in the marketplace. She looked for a tall man with white hair and a completely white outfit. She walked down one of the streets, ignoring the shopkeepers calling out what they had to sell until someone clapped a hand over her mouth and pulled her into an alleyway. The hood of the cloak slid off of her head and onto her shoulders.
"Well, well, well, what have we here?" asked a voice. Usagi lifted her head and gasped with shock. It was Jaedite. "The princess of the White Moon, out for a stroll. How convenient. Thank you so much, Serenity. You saved me the trouble of looking for you."
"Who-Who are you?" she asked, playing dumb.
"Don't play dumb with me, Serenity. You know exactly who I am."
"Serenity? Who's Serenity?" she asked.
Demando rushed up and down the street, looking for a mop of blonde hair. "Where is she? She had to have gotten out. She's got Minako as her look alike." He heard a scream coming from an alleyway and rushed to find out whose scream it was. He saw a blonde man pinning a small girl to the sidewall of a building. He lunged at the man and sent him flying backward. Demando stood up and looked down into the girl's eyes. His eyes widened when he saw who it was.
"Usagi, come on," he said, taking her hand and pulling her toward a small café. "Two please," he told the waitress. She raised an eyebrow at the sight of Usagi, and the well-dressed man that she was with, but led them to a table. "Get back to the palace, and disguise yourself as Minako. She nodded and raced around to the side of the building.
She whipped out her disguise pen and shouted, "Disguise Power, turn me into an exact duplicate of Minako!"
She stood a minute later in an ankle length orange dress, her hair falling past her waist, partially tied up with a red bow, and orange sandals with a very thin heel.
She calmly walked back to the table and sat down across from Demando. "Disguise Power is fun," she grinned.
"You are so lazy," he laughed.
"Why did you want to meet me here?"
"I just wanted to be able to talk to you."
A few minutes later, the palace guards of the White Moon ran up to Usagi.
"Princess Venus," began the leader. "Have you seen Princess Serenity? She is nowhere to be found."
"Darn you, Minako," muttered Usagi. To the guards she said, "Yes, I have seen her. When I left the palace an hour ago, she was in her room."
"Okay. Thank you, Miss."
They ran off in search of the "missing" princess.
"Close shave," muttered Demando.
"Yeah," blushed Usagi.
"Usagi, I just wanted to know. When is your and Mamoru's wedding?"
"We're not sure yet. If I have my way, there won't be a wedding at all. Sure, he looks kind and passionate about our romance when we're in public, but when we're alone, he's awful. He hits me when he's mad, and I know that when our parents arranged this marriage, he didn't have this in mind, but I have a feeling that he's using this marriage to get to my kingdom. It's supposed to unite us, but it's not going to. His father is the same way, an overly possessive ruler who wants everything to himself. I've seen the way he treats Lucinda, and it's the same way that Mamoru treats me."
"Usagi," Demando began. "I think I'm in love with you, but I can't explain it. From the first day that I met you, ten years ago, I've been in love with you. My brother, Saffiru, says to just forget about it, because your mother would never let us be together, with me being from Nemesis and all. Usagi, I think that I love you."
"Demando," she began quietly. "I can't abandon Mamoru. There's no way. He's entirely possessive, and would kill the both of us if we were together. Truthfully, there's nothing that I want more in the world than for us to be together."
"Really?"
"Yes. Oh no!" she gasped, jumping up. "I have to go. Minako needs me back."
"All right. Come at the same time tomorrow then," he said.
"I will."
Demando leaned down and their lips met, first just barely touching, and then in a passionate kiss. Usagi pulled away first, and nodding to Demando, ran off, her cheeks flushed from the kiss.
Usagi shook off her disguise and climbed back over the wall, climbed back up the trellis, and into her room, where Minako sat, brushing out her hair.
"Welcome back. What happened?" she asked, turning around.
Usagi flopped down on the bed. "Minako, I…I can't see him anymore."
"Why not?"
"Because. I'm betrothed. I kissed him, Minako."
"Good. You need someone else to love besides the possessive jerk. You deserve better than someone who verbally abuses you and hits you."
"I know, but still."
"Usagi. You are going to stand up to your mother, and to Mamoru. You are going to call off the wedding!"
