by Sailor Earth
*Chapter Six - Escape*
I need a hero
"I'm holding out for a hero 'til the end of the night
He's gotta be strong
And he's gotta be fast
And he's gotta be fresh from the fight
I need a hero
I'm holding out for a hero 'til the morning light
He's gotta be sure
And it's gotta be soon
And he's gotta be larger than life"
From Holding Out For A Hero by Bonnie Tyler
"Hey, who gave you permission to look through that?!" I exclaimed, leaping onto the bed and snatching the scrapbook off him.
"I thought incest was illegal," he stated, ignoring my question
"Pardon?"
"You never told me you were going to marry to Dimando." his voice filled with hatred as he hissed Dimando.
"It is, and I didn't beacause I'm not."
"But he called you his fiancee."
"I know, I know, but there's no way on this Earth that I'd marry him. And like you said, incest is illegal. Thing is, whilst my father's away, he can change the law and no one can stop him."
"Yeah, well if that's the case, it doesn't look like you have much choice, honey. I mean you can't exactly hide, can you..."
"Look, Mamoru, I don't know what I'm going to do, but believe me, I will never marry him! I'll find a way ou-" I insisted, only to be cut off by Mamoru pouncing on me, pinning me down, and pressing his finger over my lips.
"Sssh!" he hissed quietly. I heard footsteps outside my bedroom door. I lay still, and deathly silent, until the footsteps passed. "You get good at listening for things like that when you're in my position." he explained.
"And what position would that be? Kneeling over young girls?" I joked as I pushed him off me.
"No, odango-atama," he laughed, "I meant the one where I sneak around, robbing from the rich and giving to the poor. I'm telling you, it's not all it's cracked up to be...everyone wants to catch me, so I gotta be careful not to ever be seen or heard."
He stared at me, an expression of concentration on his face. "Got it!" he exclaimed after a few minutes.
"Got what?" I asked.
"I got a plan so that you can escape your wedding! It's a brilliant idea! You can run away and live with me and the senshi! You can help us, and we'll look after you, and make sure Dimando never finds you!"
"You want me to leave? My home, my family, my friends, and live with you in the middle of nowhere with several warriors who are capable of killing full-grown men, and not even batting an eyelid?! I don't even know them!!! I barely even know you!!!" I screeched, hysterically (but quietly, if that's at all possible)!
"Hey, calm down, odango-atama, I'm only asking you to live in the forest, not the end of the Earth. And my warriors never kill without good reason. Anyway, you've already met two of them."
"Huh?"
"Makoto and Neph. Makoto's the girl whose stall you went to a few days ago, remember? And you spoke to Neph, I believe - he's one of my four generals. It was sweet of you to ask about me," he grinned, "I'm sorry Neph didn't tell you anything, but it would just have been too dangerous - for both of us."
"Yeah, well, I wish he had done - I was worried sick!" I huffed, "But I guess I won't have that problem anymore."
"So does this mean you're gone come with me?" he grinned even more.
"Yeah...but only if you quit with the name-calling, Mamoru-baka," I smiled, "Lemme pack somethings and say goodbye to my mother first, though."
"Your mother?! You must be joking! She'll just try and stop you!" he exclaimed.
"No, no...you've got it all wrong...she hates Dimando as much as I do! If I tell her, she'll feel much happier than if I go without saying anything, plus the chances are that she'll try and cover-up for me a little bit when Dimando realises I'm gone, tryand put him off our scent, if you see what I mean."
"OK, OK...I'll just wait here, if that's OK with you, of course"
"Well it never stopped you before," I pointed out. "And I think I'll be taking that with me, this time," I told him, picking up my scrapbook.
I found Mama in the gardens, sitting on a bench under her favourite tree - the one where Papa apparantly proposed to her.
"I don't want to marry him, Mama."
"I know, honey, I know..." Mama soothed, putting her arm around me, "If only your Father was here..."
"But he's not, so I'm leaving."
"Don't be rediculous, Serenity."
"I'm not, Mama. I'm going to live in the forest. Tuxedo Kamen will look after me."
"But you don't even know him! How can you know he'll take care of you?"
"I do know him, Mama. He always looks after me, protects me. And anyway, you saw his warriors today - I can't think of better protection than them!"
"Well, maybe it is not such a bad idea..."
"Oh, Mama! I knew you would understand! But you must promise me that you will try and hide the truth from Dimando - I don't care what you say, so long as you do NOT tell him that I am in the forest, or with Tuxedo Kamen."
"No honey, I won't. But please tell me where I can find you."
"I don't exactly, but Mamoru - Tuxedo Kamen - said that there are four cottages by a waterfall in the heart of the forest - that is where we will be."
"Oh God, Serenity, I will miss you so much! My only daughter!" she wept, hugging me tight. Then she removed the Silver Imperium Crystal from around her neck. "Here, you must take this," she told me, "You Father should probably have taken it with him - he may have been home now if he had. But he didn't - he left it with us, where it was safe, and so that we would be safe, too. However, now I think he would want you to take it - you need it much, much more than me." She hung it around my neck, and then I started to cry, too.
I hugged her again, then stood up to leave, to walk back to my room for the last time. "Now our only child is leaving too! Please let her have better fortune than my darling Sol," I heard Mama say to no one in particular, as I walked away.