by Sailor Earth
*Author's Notes*
"I wish you well and so I take my leave,
I Pray you know me when we meet again."
William Shakespeare
I sat, bored, seeing no sign of Mamoru anywhere. Then, the crowd cheered as someone hit a bullseye. I stopped fiddling with my braclet, and looked around. I squinted, and noticed the the dart was an unuasual red colour. who had thrown it, I couldn't see. Then, I saw Mamoru standing with the other competitors, dressed in a white shirt, beige slacks, and brown leather boots, so that he blended right in. Maybe he would not be found out, I began to think. That was when I realised that it was not a dart that had been thrown, but a rose. What was he thinking?! Did he actually want to get caught?!
Dimando had also noticed the rose, and he grinned wickedly, nudging Saffir, who then whispered something in one of the guard's ears. The contest continued until only one person was left in - Mamoru! He had won! My heart sank. He came forward to collect his prize. The crowd roared and clapped and cheered as he climbed the steps to the gazebo. He knelt in front of my seat so that our faces were level.
"What are you doing here?! It's a trap!" I hissed as I presented him with the silver rose.
"So?" he grinned, "No one will ever catch the great Tuxedo Kamen! Besides, it's your friend Matoki's fault I'm here now - because he interupted us last time, I have to resort to this to get a kiss from you, instead!" He looked at me mischieviously, "I'm waiting..." he told me, closing his eyes, and offering me his cheek.
"Fine..." I muttered, annoyed at how cool he was acting regarding the whole about-to-be-arrested-by-Dimando situation. I looked at his cheek, then twisted around planting a kiss squarely on his lips instead. I pulled back, and the look on his face when he realised that someome had actually managed to catch him off guard was hilarious, he was just in total and utter shock. Yeah! One point to Serenity! I thought to myself.
"Yeah...well..." he mumbled, trying to regain his composture. The guards either side of me then rose swiftly and silently from where they were sitting, and each took hold of one of Mamoru's arms. "Later, honey!" he called over his shoulder to me in a husky voice, as they led him away across the grass.
That was when all hell broke loose. First, the two guards were struck simultaneously, one by a bolt of lightning, and the other by a blast of flames, sending them both flying. Then I heard a voice above the roar of the crowd cry out,
"Mercury Shabon Spray!" and the air was filled with a thick, icy mist. As it cleared, I saw that Mamoru was now dressed in his tuxedo and cape and infamous white mask. From the surrounding trees, leapt about a dozen mysterious warriors. From what I could see, four appeared to be men, each wearing silvery capes, and masks, similar to Tuxedo Kamen's. The rest were women, clad in sailor-style suits with short skirts flapping in the gentle breeze. They also wore masks, matching the colours of their skirts. The crowds scattered, hurrying away into the forest for protection. Everyone inside the gazebo ducked down for protection, but I kept my head up, watching as Dimando's many soldiers battle with the stranged masked warriors. The soldiers were strong, and well-trained, but no match for the warriors' powers. Fire and colourful beams of energy clashed blades, and arrows were struck down by ice and lightning. As the assualt ended, a great tidal wave appeared from nowhere, sweeping through the clearing, and washing away the devastation of the battle. And with that, they were gone. I wanted to follow them, to see that Mamoru was OK, but I felt a handed grab my wrist roughly.
"We're going home!" an angry Dimando commanded.
"Where is Rubius?" Saffir asked him.
"Don't know. Don't care," grumbled Dimando, "Probably killed by those wicked sorcouresses!" Mama gasped. It wasn't that she cared very much either, but I think she was incredibly shocked by Dimando's apparent lack of concern for his friend. Quite frankly, I couldn't give a damn about Dimando, or Rubius, or any of Dimando's other little cronies.
I spent the rest of the afternoon hiding away. To be honest I was a little shook up by the whole thing. Plus, I didn't really want to have to talk about Dimando - before the contest he had announced our engagement to everyone. Everyone was shocked - Esmerodo had whined and whined about it for ages, and kept giving me evils all afternoon. But worst was facing Beruche and her sisters - I didn't know how to explain the whole Dimando situation to them - afterall I'd never even had the courage to tell them myself. I think that perhaps I was hoping that ignoring the problem would make it go away.
After hiding away in a unused part of the palace with a book for a several hours, I started to feel tired. Yawning, I realised that it was getting late. Dinner would be ready. I hurried into the dining hall just as everyone was sitting down to eat. Dinner was a sombre affair - Rubius, who had infact run off at the beginning of the attack, was reflecting on the masscre of almost 40 of his soldiers, Dimando was fuming about the fact that Tuxedo Kamen had escaped, Esmerodo was pulling sour faces at me, and Saffir was worrying about the money he would have to pay to the soldiers' families.
"Don't pay them," Dimando told him, "let them suffer - it's not our problem if they can't afford to feed themselves."
I kept my eyes down and stayed silent throughout the meal, and when I'd finished, I hurried upstairs to my room. I'd just walked through the door, expecting to find my room empty, when something, or should I say someone, gave me such a fright that I jumped right back. Who was sprawled out quite casually across my bed, flipping through my scrapbook? None other than Tuxedo Kamen...
"Don't look so shocked," he crooned, "I told you I'd see you later..."