Chapter Four: Mamoru's True Side
"Really, Minako-chan?" asked Usagi, uncertainly.
"Yes! We all know how horrible Mamoru treats you. Come on. We're going to find your mom."
Minako grabbed Usagi's arm and led her to Queen Serenity's bedroom, where they could hear light music playing.
"Minako-chan, she's trying to sleep. She always plays that music when she's trying to sleep."
"Ah, Usako, there you are," came a voice from behind them. Usagi made a face at Minako and turned around to face Mamoru.
"Hello, Mamoru," she said coldly.
"Are you okay?" he asked.
"I'm fine."
"Usagi, come with me for a second."
"Why?" she asked, crossing her arms.
He grabbed her arm and pulled her down the hall and into an empty room. He shut the door and turned on her.
"When I tell you to come with me, you do it, get it?" he yelled, grabbing both of her arms and slamming her against the wall, her head falling back and hitting a picture on the wall. Minako heard this and pulled out her henshin pen.
"Something's wrong," she said to herself. "Venus Star Power!" She transformed just as Queen Serenity dashed out of her room.
"What happened?" she asked.
"I think it was Mamoru. I heard something slammed against the wall, and Usagi's been telling us lately that he's been verbally abusing her and slamming her against walls when they're alone," she said. She ran to the door and turned the knob. It wouldn't budge. Sailor Mars and Sailor Mercury ran up the stairs.
"Is Usagi okay?" asked Sailor Mercury. "We were just getting here and we heard the thud.
On the other side of the wall, Usagi slumped down, knocked unconscious from the blow to her head. Mamoru heard the scouts talking outside and looked to the closet, and then to the window. He went to the window, and saw the trellis along the side of the palace. He opened the window and climbed halfway down, reaching up to close the window and finish climbing. He saw the door into the kitchen and went back in and ran up the stairs just as Sailor Venus released her attack.
"Venus Love Me Chain Encircle!" cried Sailor Venus, breaking down the door with her attack.
The three senshi searched the room and found Usagi, slumped unconscious on the floor against the wall.
"I wish Makoto was here," muttered Rei, trying to lift the princess. She hoisted her onto her back and walked up the staircase to Usagi's room. She gently laid her on the bed and stepped back to comfort a worried Queen Serenity.
"Call a doctor," said the Queen.
"There's one here," said Minako.
"I mean a real doctor."
Ami had de-transformed and grabbed her medical stuff. She was checking on Usagi. After a few minutes, she stood up. "She was hit badly on the head when she was slammed into a wall or something. I seriously doubt that she will remember the incident, which means that we can't find out who did it. What we do know, is that whoever did it escaped, and it couldn't have been through the door, because we were there, so it had to have been out the window."
"It couldn't have been. The window was closed," protested Queen Serenity.
"It wasn't locked. Someone pulled it shut," said Ami.
"My guess is on Mamoru," said Rei.
"Mine too," agreed Minako.
"He wouldn't do that," protested Serenity. "He's too kind."
"That's only in public," said Ami.
"We'll never know now though," said Rei.
"Unless…" muttered Minako.
"What?" asked Ami.
"Usagi and I traded places yesterday. She went out to the market and I stayed here as her. She met Demando. If she talked to Demando about Mamoru, Demando would be able to tell us what she said, and we could compare it to what she's told us," said Minako.
"That might work," said Rei.
"I don't trust Demando. He's an enemy of the Earth," said Serenity.
"But not of the Moon," protested Ami.
"I'm not having this conversation with a bunch of teenagers who don't know what they're doing. I'm leaving. Tell me when she wakes up, or better yet, I'll have Mamoru come in here and watch her," said Serenity, leaving the room.
Makoto ran through the door after Serenity left. "Mamoru's coming. I heard him talking to himself about how wonderful it will be when he and Usagi are married and he has complete control of the Moon Kingdom, with a beautiful queen beside him." She picked up Usagi, "Come on," she said, and began to climb down the trellis. "We'll see if Demando can have her stay with him until she wakes up."
"I'm writing a note "from her." My handwriting is identical to hers," said Minako.
Ami picked up the finished note and read what Minako had written. "Dear Mother and Mamoru,
Until you call off the wedding and betrothal, I won't be coming back. I don't agree with this marriage, even though it isn't my place to say so. Mamoru has been beating me and verbally abusing me. The senshi are living proof. I told them before he knocked me unconscious. I don't care if I have to rule the moon during a time of war between the earth and moon. I am confident in my ability to rule my kingdom, even without a husband.
Once again, I am refusing to return until the wedding is called off.
Love always,
Usagi"
"Nice, Minako," complemented Rei.
"Thanks. Now let's get out of here!"
The three remaining girls climbed out Usagi's window and hastily ran across the castle grounds until they reached a carriage with the symbol of Venus on it.
"This is how I got here. We can take her back to my place, and call Demando from there," said Minako.
"Okay," agreed the rest of the senshi.
Once inside the Venus palace, no one asked any questions as they watched the senshi carry an unconscious Princess Serenity through the palace. The four senshi de-transformed and tried to wake Usagi. Minako picked up her phone and called the operator, then asked for Prince Demando from Nemesis.
"Hello?" asked Demando.
"Demando, it's Minako."
"Hi Minako. Listen, the next time you call, don't call collect, okay?"
"Okay, sorry. Listen, we were wondering…"
"Who's we?"
"Me, Ami, Rei, and Makoto. Anyway, we were wondering if you could have Usagi stay at your place since she doesn't want to go home and Mamoru is being horrible to her again."
"Sure. I'll come get her. Is she okay?"
"Unconscious, but fine, so Ami says."
"Okay. Bye."
"Bye."
Minako turned to the scouts. "He's going to come get her."
"Who's going to come and get me?" asked Usagi, sitting up.
"We finally woke her up," breathed Ami.
Usagi looked around. "Where's Mamoru?" she asked. "I have to go transform and kill him with my tiara," she said, grinning.
"Nice to see that you didn't lose any brain cells in the process of being smacked against a wall," said Makoto.
"Like she had any left to lose," muttered Rei.
"I heard that," said Usagi.
A servant knocked on the door. Minako answered it. "Prince Demando is here," she said. "He is in the tea room."
"Okay. We'll be there soon, like in five minutes," answered Ami from across the room.
The servant curtsied and left the room. Ami helped Serena off the bed and the five princesses went down to meet Demando for tea.
"Really, Minako-chan?" asked Usagi, uncertainly.
"Yes! We all know how horrible Mamoru treats you. Come on. We're going to find your mom."
Minako grabbed Usagi's arm and led her to Queen Serenity's bedroom, where they could hear light music playing.
"Minako-chan, she's trying to sleep. She always plays that music when she's trying to sleep."
"Ah, Usako, there you are," came a voice from behind them. Usagi made a face at Minako and turned around to face Mamoru.
"Hello, Mamoru," she said coldly.
"Are you okay?" he asked.
"I'm fine."
"Usagi, come with me for a second."
"Why?" she asked, crossing her arms.
He grabbed her arm and pulled her down the hall and into an empty room. He shut the door and turned on her.
"When I tell you to come with me, you do it, get it?" he yelled, grabbing both of her arms and slamming her against the wall, her head falling back and hitting a picture on the wall. Minako heard this and pulled out her henshin pen.
"Something's wrong," she said to herself. "Venus Star Power!" She transformed just as Queen Serenity dashed out of her room.
"What happened?" she asked.
"I think it was Mamoru. I heard something slammed against the wall, and Usagi's been telling us lately that he's been verbally abusing her and slamming her against walls when they're alone," she said. She ran to the door and turned the knob. It wouldn't budge. Sailor Mars and Sailor Mercury ran up the stairs.
"Is Usagi okay?" asked Sailor Mercury. "We were just getting here and we heard the thud.
On the other side of the wall, Usagi slumped down, knocked unconscious from the blow to her head. Mamoru heard the scouts talking outside and looked to the closet, and then to the window. He went to the window, and saw the trellis along the side of the palace. He opened the window and climbed halfway down, reaching up to close the window and finish climbing. He saw the door into the kitchen and went back in and ran up the stairs just as Sailor Venus released her attack.
"Venus Love Me Chain Encircle!" cried Sailor Venus, breaking down the door with her attack.
The three senshi searched the room and found Usagi, slumped unconscious on the floor against the wall.
"I wish Makoto was here," muttered Rei, trying to lift the princess. She hoisted her onto her back and walked up the staircase to Usagi's room. She gently laid her on the bed and stepped back to comfort a worried Queen Serenity.
"Call a doctor," said the Queen.
"There's one here," said Minako.
"I mean a real doctor."
Ami had de-transformed and grabbed her medical stuff. She was checking on Usagi. After a few minutes, she stood up. "She was hit badly on the head when she was slammed into a wall or something. I seriously doubt that she will remember the incident, which means that we can't find out who did it. What we do know, is that whoever did it escaped, and it couldn't have been through the door, because we were there, so it had to have been out the window."
"It couldn't have been. The window was closed," protested Queen Serenity.
"It wasn't locked. Someone pulled it shut," said Ami.
"My guess is on Mamoru," said Rei.
"Mine too," agreed Minako.
"He wouldn't do that," protested Serenity. "He's too kind."
"That's only in public," said Ami.
"We'll never know now though," said Rei.
"Unless…" muttered Minako.
"What?" asked Ami.
"Usagi and I traded places yesterday. She went out to the market and I stayed here as her. She met Demando. If she talked to Demando about Mamoru, Demando would be able to tell us what she said, and we could compare it to what she's told us," said Minako.
"That might work," said Rei.
"I don't trust Demando. He's an enemy of the Earth," said Serenity.
"But not of the Moon," protested Ami.
"I'm not having this conversation with a bunch of teenagers who don't know what they're doing. I'm leaving. Tell me when she wakes up, or better yet, I'll have Mamoru come in here and watch her," said Serenity, leaving the room.
Makoto ran through the door after Serenity left. "Mamoru's coming. I heard him talking to himself about how wonderful it will be when he and Usagi are married and he has complete control of the Moon Kingdom, with a beautiful queen beside him." She picked up Usagi, "Come on," she said, and began to climb down the trellis. "We'll see if Demando can have her stay with him until she wakes up."
"I'm writing a note "from her." My handwriting is identical to hers," said Minako.
Ami picked up the finished note and read what Minako had written. "Dear Mother and Mamoru,
Until you call off the wedding and betrothal, I won't be coming back. I don't agree with this marriage, even though it isn't my place to say so. Mamoru has been beating me and verbally abusing me. The senshi are living proof. I told them before he knocked me unconscious. I don't care if I have to rule the moon during a time of war between the earth and moon. I am confident in my ability to rule my kingdom, even without a husband.
Once again, I am refusing to return until the wedding is called off.
Love always,
Usagi"
"Nice, Minako," complemented Rei.
"Thanks. Now let's get out of here!"
The three remaining girls climbed out Usagi's window and hastily ran across the castle grounds until they reached a carriage with the symbol of Venus on it.
"This is how I got here. We can take her back to my place, and call Demando from there," said Minako.
"Okay," agreed the rest of the senshi.
Once inside the Venus palace, no one asked any questions as they watched the senshi carry an unconscious Princess Serenity through the palace. The four senshi de-transformed and tried to wake Usagi. Minako picked up her phone and called the operator, then asked for Prince Demando from Nemesis.
"Hello?" asked Demando.
"Demando, it's Minako."
"Hi Minako. Listen, the next time you call, don't call collect, okay?"
"Okay, sorry. Listen, we were wondering…"
"Who's we?"
"Me, Ami, Rei, and Makoto. Anyway, we were wondering if you could have Usagi stay at your place since she doesn't want to go home and Mamoru is being horrible to her again."
"Sure. I'll come get her. Is she okay?"
"Unconscious, but fine, so Ami says."
"Okay. Bye."
"Bye."
Minako turned to the scouts. "He's going to come get her."
"Who's going to come and get me?" asked Usagi, sitting up.
"We finally woke her up," breathed Ami.
Usagi looked around. "Where's Mamoru?" she asked. "I have to go transform and kill him with my tiara," she said, grinning.
"Nice to see that you didn't lose any brain cells in the process of being smacked against a wall," said Makoto.
"Like she had any left to lose," muttered Rei.
"I heard that," said Usagi.
A servant knocked on the door. Minako answered it. "Prince Demando is here," she said. "He is in the tea room."
"Okay. We'll be there soon, like in five minutes," answered Ami from across the room.
The servant curtsied and left the room. Ami helped Serena off the bed and the five princesses went down to meet Demando for tea.
