NVR ment 2 B mun
by zizi luna
PG-13
Chapter 6: Exposed
***
Ami special Mercurian Fortune cookie says:
"Your soulmate shall enter your life when you least expect it to. Your love for this person will lead you into a road of self discovery and enlightenment. Beware of objects capable of
destruction and dark places, especially alleys or parks at night.
"Lucky numbers: 3 13 10 24 45"
***
We're walking into a mouse trap, I thought as we arrived into the ballroom.
The people, they were everywhere. Like an unusual picture painted disorderly and frantically, the people danced, drank, and laughed. Diamond was the only person that looked whole and calm, his composure so cool.
"You know Diamond's my cousin?" Mamoru asked or more like stated. "But he's been acting stranger than usual -if you know what I mean."
No, I didn't, I thought. Nothing disrupted his gentleman's grace, nothing unusual or out of sync.
"That's why we're having a change of plans," Mamoru said. "Only minor things though. Nothing to worry about, really."
That last statement disturbed me. What did he mean 'change of plans'? Not following orders? That's like playing with the devil himself. Diamond would kill us for sure.
But somehow I trusted him. It must have been the way he smiled, the way he held my hand and twirled me about in a story of wonder. I never knew a guy I despised so could make my life more complicated than it was and yet make it worth living.
As we danced, he decided to tell me a story about the history of the family who owned the mansion, the Rinoa family.
The Rinoa family owned a large successful oil corporation in America. As of late, the Rinoa oil corporation expanded to include several banks in Japan, America, and England. The name is very well known in the Western world but lack the same influence in Asia. Then, Mrs. Rinoa, the head of the family business, wasn't satisfied with just an oil company and banks either. She wanted more, like, for example, Diamond's jewelry company and two or three smaller jewelry companies to the side to add to the collection of profit. When Diamond heard about it, he was infuriated. His precious work would not be bought out by some American-wannabe family.
So that's where we come in. In this case, we were to implant a spycam in the surveillance room and download their entire computer hardrive into a memory stick.
He twirled me around, once, twice and holding both my hands, he led me into the simple footwork of a ballroom waltz. Again, I felt his gaze on me and his smiles without having to look up. As soon as I caught the look on his eyes, the world was ours and ours alone. Time slowed down until the moment came when our lips met into the sweet taste of white wine. Minutes passed by with his soft hands caressing my face, running through my hair and down my back, his lips never left mine. It was a bliss so inexplicable that I find no words to describe the feelings I felt and which surpassed the strange pleasure from my first kiss shared with Mamoru.
"Mamo-" I started saying when he cut me short with another kiss.
When it ended, I saw Diamond lift his wine glass in acknowledgement to us. It's our show now. We would be centerstage.
"My love," Mamoru boasted loudly. "I must say that your beauty is quite unsurpassable."
Mamoru ended his embrace with a sweet kiss to my left hand which he delicately held in his own. I caressed his hand in return.
"Thus I must acclaim this to the world," Mamoru said as he rushed up to the orchestra. "All must know my love for you and how just being with you inspires life itself."
A crowd had gathered around us and the guards at the far left seemed to be watching us as well. Diamond smiled approvingly.
"But, my dearest love," I said. "I know this without you shouting out to the world that your passion for me is greater than the earth itself."
"I know that but even so, my little star,the strongest of love needs reassurance and I shall bestow to you such," Mamoru said before he halted the orchestra's performance. "Here in this hand I hold a gift for you that shall mark an eternal bond if you shall accept."
Mamoru jumped from the stage and knelt before me. Everyone gasped and seemed enthrilled to see Mamoru's confession of love. "My star, my beloved flower, will you marry me?" More gasps, more surprises.
It's just an act, I thought to myself. Make it as real as possible to these people. Make it-
Who was I kidding? My heart pounded so loud in my ears and my hands had turned into ice. It felt real to *me* more than anything else. His eyes, his gaze, his whole being burned into my mind until I felt daze and lightheaded. Call it deja vu, call it love at first sight, call it what you will but I felt *love*. It must have been.
"Yes," I whispered. "Yes, yes, yes!"
I jumped into his arms and showered kisses all over his lovely face. The crowd applauded a bit and I knew every eye was on us now. Joy all around us, happy faces nodding in approval. This was my heaven, my perfect love story and yet none of it was real. All of it was for business, all of it was for Diamond.
Tears stung. I hated the stranger I embraced, the crowd who watched me, at what I'd become. I had become a product of a play,a tool against my own beliefs, and stolen from my own dreams. I was Diamond's puppet in his plot of revenge and hopes of another life meant nothing. It would always come back to him.
"Usagi...."
"Don't let me go," I whispered as I buried my face into his tuxedo. "Let's stay like this forever."
"The play is over, we have to go," Mamoru said. "That's the change in plan."
No bugging computer networks, or security cameras this time, eh? It was only the theatrical act that he wanted, huh?
After a minute or so, I quieted down and we were able to leave the mansion in Mamoru's car. Ten minutes of driving in silence, a mansion in the distance blew up.
***
My room's dark, foreboding. The moonlight filters in, the curtains sway in it. Cold seeps through the open window, the silence of the trees are heard. COmplete solidarity. Just me, the moon and the stars, all of us draped in the cloak of night. Beautiful.
I stretched my arms and proceed to take off my heels. As I reached for my second shoe, a thin cool blade point pricked my throat.
"Luna..." I whispered, surprised to meet her angry eyes behind the blade. I looked down and noticed her luggage piled down at the bottom of my open closet.
"Artemis couldn't do it but I can," Luna said. "He has too big of a heart but I, I'm different, you see?"
"What's going on?" I gasped.
"Stop with your games, Usagi," Luna said. "I can see right through that; I can see the scum that you are. No wonder the locket has been lost for so long. You *want* it to be lost."
"Luna, I don't-"
"Silence! I should be the only one talking," Luna scouted the room until her eyes rested on one piece of clothing. She picked up the outfit and dangled it in front of me. "Spying. How very convenient for the enemy to have a spy."
Exposed. I was finally exposed
***********
A/N:
as promised, here's the chap. school's a big pain in the a** so I won't be writing another one in a while but hey, what can i do? i'll try not to rush through it too bad.
luv,
zizi