Author's Notes: Yeah!! Chpater 5!! I'm having fun typing this, ^_^ I have so many ideas for this story! I hope I can get the majority of em down... Hmmm, I was originally going to have Mamoru a bit bitchier... But I wound up making him a bit of a softy when it comes to Usagi... *evil grin* I'll just have to change that... Hehe, enjoy!!
Disclaimer: If I owned Sailor Moon, Sega Dreamcast, and Skittles, do you REALLY think I'd be sitting here typing this crap?
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Heaven's Flames
Chapter 5
"Is this actually safe to eat...?" Usagi poked a finger at the group of berries in front of her.
Mamoru shrugged. "How should I know?"
"Thanks for your golden optimism..." The blonde picked up one of the small fruits and eyed it warily. "What if it's poisinous...?"
"Well, then it's your funeral," Mamoru retorted nonchalantly.
"I hope that was a metaphor," Usagi grumbled. "Here goes." She popped the berry into her mouth and chewed thoughtfully. "Hey... That's really good!!" Usagi stuffed another in her mouth.
"The poisinous ones always are." Mamoru dodged a pebble Usagi hurled in his direction. "It's the truth..." he replied innocently.
The vampire walked over to a boulder that had his teeshirt and sport jacket drying on it. He picked up the shirt and swung it back and forth slightly to help it dry faster.
"Are those your only clothes?" Usagi asked around a mouthful of berries.
"Yeah." Mamoru sat on a different rock. He gestured towards Usagi's school uniform she was wearing. "And those are your only clothes, now, Odango."
Usagi blinked. This newfound information was not very comforting. She had to wear her uniform?! For the rest of her life?! Thank God this was only a dream...
"Gross." Usagi stood up, brushing off her skirt. "I hate this stupid thing. It's too short."
"I like it." Mamoru winked. Usagi's face turned crimson.
"Ya know..." the blonde drawled. A devilish little idea just popped into her head. "Maybe I won't mind wearing it so much then..."
Mamoru cocked a curious eyebrow as Usagi stepped up to him. He was taken a bit aback as she sat herself down on his lap. He could feel his usually pale cheeks burning as the blonde stretched her legs out lazily and crossed them, letting her skirt ride up "accidently." Mamoru gulped.
"But..." Usagi leaned closer to him, brushing her lips on his temple. "Don't you think I'd look better without it on...?"
Mamoru jumped up in shock, sending Usagi sprawling on the ground. The blonde huffed, rearranging her skirt and dusting herself off. The raven-haired teen was staring down at her, mouth hanging open. The contrast from the purple skin under his eyes, to the dark red on his cheeks, to the white of his chest was so dramatic it nearly made Usagi's head spin. Usagi grinned mischeviously.
"I was right." The blonde sat in indian-style on the soft earth beneath her. "You poor thing. You've been all alone for the past six years. No wonder why you're so grumpy." She purred. "You've probably been craving some female attention. You've got the hormones of a twenty-one year-old, but the voice of a kid. Heh, how ironic."
Mamoru's hand flew to his face so as to not let Usagi see his deepening blush. He stared at her in a mixture of shock, amusement, and... lust...? The vampire cleared his throat and busied himself with putting on his still-damp shirt. Usagi giggled and proceeded to chew on another berry.
"Hmmm..." Usagi paused, thinking for a moment. "These taste kinda like... Skittles..."
"Skittles?" Mamoru plopped down next to the chewing blonde. "Really?"
"Yeah!" Usagi clapped her hands together and turned to the vampire. "Ya think, cuz this is a fantasy world, it might start raining Skittles?!"
The raven-haired teen stared at the bubbly young girl in surprise for a moment, then burst into a fit of laughter. Usagi watched on cluelessly as to why the vampire found her theory so amusing. However, after a few more seconds of Mamoru's chuckles Usagi soon found herself giggling along with him.
"You sure are odd," Mamoru told her breathlessly.
Usagi tugged a lock of hair behind her ear. "This coming from the boy with elf ears and fangs?"
"This coming from the girl who's not afraid of the boy with elf ears and fangs?" the vampire retorted matter-of-factly.
Usagi popped a small blue fruit into Mamoru's mouth to hush him up, letting her fingers linger a moment to long. He nipped slightly at the tip of her finger just to startle the blonde and smiled. Usagi blushed lightly and pulled her hand back into her lap.
"Mamoru?" Usagi began unsurely. "What's todays lesson?"
The vamp thought for a second, deciding on the next rule. "Don't piss people off." He flashed the blonde a cocky grin. "Especially the vampire."
"Darn," she mumbled. "And that's so much fun, too."
"Yeah, well-" Mamoru cut himself off, jumping into full alertness. He sniffed the air once and rose slowly.
"Huh?" Usagi eyed him nervously. "What is it?"
"Killing spree..." Grabbing onto his sports jacket, Mamoru began to step through the weeds surrounding the pond. "Something... No, make that a *bunch* of somethings... was just slaughtered."
"You... smell blood...?"
"Yeah," he whispered out. The blonde was now standing next to him as they crept deeper into the forest. "I think it's human blood. More kids probably being sucked into the game..."
Usagi gulped. Why was it that she was beginning to worry that this wasn't really a dream after all...?
A violent shudder shook itself over the blonde's frail form. She blinked in surprise as Mamoru draped his jacket over her shoulders. She nodded her thanks.
"Can... can you tell how many...?" she managed to croak out, pulling the coat tighter around her.
"No." The vampire's eyes darted around a bit. "But whatever killed em... It was probably REAL hungry..." He turned to Usagi with a semi-reassuring smile. "You sure are lucky. You're lasting longer than any other human here."
"Besides you." The blonde found herself slowly relaxing. "And you're the one who's helped me through the past twenty-four hours."
"I don't consider myself human," Mamoru bit out a bit harsher than he intended. "And you haven't been here twenty-four hours just yet."
"Chiba Mamoru's "The Sun is Shining" outlook on life strikes again," Usagi grumbled. "Does your cheeriness ever end?"
"You'd be suprised," he replied with a small wink. "Well, since you're gonna be stalking me for the rest of the night... Might as well give ya a small tour of the place..."
Usagi brightened. "Really?! You will?!" The blonde clung onto Mamoru's arm brazenly. "Thanks!!"
The vampire cringed, trying to wriggle free from the vice grip Usagi had on his arm, but to no avail. He sighed and pulled her to the left. He led her through a thick cluster of trees and then, to Usagi's surprise, to a large clearing. She looked around in curiousity.
"This is the center of this world." Mamoru gestured with his free hand to the right of him. "Over there is what I call the Nightmare Realm. Real wierd creatures. You know, ghosts, poltergeists, zombies," he paused, "vampires."
"There are... realms...?" Usagi repeated, not sure whether she heard him right.
"Well, that's what I consider them as. I think it's like different levels of the game." The vampire pointed straight ahead. "Mythological Realm. Centaurs, serpents, cyclopses. Real disgusting creatures, actually. Deffinately steer clear of those two realms."
"Got it." Usagi nodded nervously.
"Over there," he added with a point to his left, "is the Sprite Realm."
"Sprite...?" Usagi cocked an eyebrow. "Like the soda?"
"No, Odango," Mamoru sighed out. "Like, the Sun sprites."
"Oh..."
"They all look the same pretty much. But not all of them are as friendly as the others." He chewed on his bottom lip carefully, so as to not puncture it with a fang. "Like I said before, the Death sprites are pretty freaky."
"How can you tell the difference?"
"Well, the Water sprites are blue. The Nature sprites green. The Sun sprites orange. The Death sprites black... and so on." the raven-haired boy turned around. "And that's the Fairy Tale Realm. Pretty peaceful, actually. But I hate it."
Usagi beamed. "Are there unicorns, and faries?!" she cried happily.
"Yeah," he muttered in repsonse. "Girl stuff, ya know?"
The blonde jumped away from Mamoru and dashed in the direction of the Fairy Tale Realm, to the vampires dismay. He gasped and called out to Usagi, but that didn't stop her. With a cry of exhasperation and a tug of his hair, Mamoru chased after her.
"Odango!!" he hissed as loud as possible, but without trying to alarm any nearby creatures. "What the hell are you doing?"
"I wanna see!" she giggled. Usagi stopped running as she made her way into a meadow. She spun around childishly. "This place is beautiful, Mamoru!"
"You idiot!" Mamoru's voice cracked slightly. He rushed up beside her and tugged on her arm harshly. "What did I tell you about being quiet?!"
"But, you didn't make that a lesson-of-the-day, yet..." the blonde mumbled sadly. "I didn't think it counted."
"Well, now it is." Mamoru let go of her and ran a hand through his disheveled hair. He voice leveled back down to a normal pitch again.
"But, it can't be!" Usagi crossed her arms over her chest. Was she REALLY turning 17? "You already gave me a lesson today!"
Mamoru shot her an icy glare. "And what was that lesson, Odango...?"
Usagi blinked. "Don't... piss off the vampire...?"
"Bingo."
The blonde grinned sheepishly. "Sorry."
Usagi scratched the back of her head and looked around more carefully at her new surroundings. Oh, how she wished it was daylight, that was she would be able to see this realm more clearly!
A faint glimmer of something not far off caught Usagi's eye. With a squeal of delight the blonde rushed to the source of the shine. Mamoru groaned and followed her defeatedly. The blonde squeezed between two trees to meet the sight of a unicorn grazing on a few blades of grass.
Mamoru caught up with her, about to reprimand her again, when the sight in front of him came into view. He blinked slowly, lips slightly parted. It was... beautiful...
"Mamoru..." Usagi breathed. "That's a unicorn... isn't it...?" Her fingers tingled with the yearning to pet the unusual horse's white mane.
"Yeah." Mamoru couldn't help but let a faint smile grace his lips. He had never actually bothered to watch any creature in this realm before, but he was glad he was taking the time to do it now.
"Could I...?" Usagi took a shaky step foward. "Could I go pet him...?"
Mamoru considered this thoughtfully. He was about to give her a not-so-sure okay, but cut himself off.
"No." Mamoru grabbed Usagi's arm and pulled her back two steps. "Don't go near it."
Usagi gazed up at Mamoru in surprise. "Wha... Why not?"
The vampire pointed. "Look. It's eyes are black."
"How can you tell? It's so dark." Usagi squinted, but the moonlight wasn't allowing her to actually make out the true color of the unicorn's eyes.
"Call it a vampire sense." Mamoru's grip on the blonde tightened defensively as the unicorn lifted it's head ot gaze at them. "We're leaving," he croaked out loud enough so this mythical creature could hear them.
"Ma-mamoru!" Usagi huffed as the vampire pulled on her arm and back out into the clearing. "What was that all about?!"
"That wasn't a unicorn," he replied, letting her go. "It was a shape-shifter. You gotta be careful when approaching anything around here. If the eyes are black, it's a shape-shifter."
"What's wrong with that?" Usagi demanded, not fully getting his point.
"They're like vampires. They'll attack you and bite you. The only difference is that they don't suck your blood. They suck out your soul. That way they can use it as an identity."
Usagi cringed. "Ew."
"Well, now you learned three lessons today." He turned to the blonde. "Remember them, you're gonna need 'em."
Usagi gasped in confusion as he began walking away. She made a little "erk" sound and blinked.
"Wh-where are you going?" she cried hysterically. "It's not sunrise yet!"
"I'm hungry." Mamoru stopped walking and turned back to her. "I severly doubt you want me hanging around you when I'm hungry." Usagi gulped and shook her head. "It's settled then. This might take a while, so if i don't see ya before sunrise, sweet dreams."
Usagi sunk to the ground sleepily, watching Mamoru's retreating back in a bit of a daze. She absent-mindedly noted that she was still wearing his jacket. She smiled slightly as she lay down in the soft earth. Maybe she'd sleep the next day away, that way when she woke up it would be night again. Tightening the coat around her, the scent of Mamoru flooded her senses. The vampire was the only semi-coherent thought in the blonde's mind as she drifted off to sleep.
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Author's Notes: Woohoo!! Chapter 5 is done!! Me so happy!! Well, enjoy guys, I'm not typing anymore today (not like anyone is reading this anyway... -_-). Bai!!
Disclaimer: If I owned Sailor Moon, Sega Dreamcast, and Skittles, do you REALLY think I'd be sitting here typing this crap?
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Heaven's Flames
Chapter 5
"Is this actually safe to eat...?" Usagi poked a finger at the group of berries in front of her.
Mamoru shrugged. "How should I know?"
"Thanks for your golden optimism..." The blonde picked up one of the small fruits and eyed it warily. "What if it's poisinous...?"
"Well, then it's your funeral," Mamoru retorted nonchalantly.
"I hope that was a metaphor," Usagi grumbled. "Here goes." She popped the berry into her mouth and chewed thoughtfully. "Hey... That's really good!!" Usagi stuffed another in her mouth.
"The poisinous ones always are." Mamoru dodged a pebble Usagi hurled in his direction. "It's the truth..." he replied innocently.
The vampire walked over to a boulder that had his teeshirt and sport jacket drying on it. He picked up the shirt and swung it back and forth slightly to help it dry faster.
"Are those your only clothes?" Usagi asked around a mouthful of berries.
"Yeah." Mamoru sat on a different rock. He gestured towards Usagi's school uniform she was wearing. "And those are your only clothes, now, Odango."
Usagi blinked. This newfound information was not very comforting. She had to wear her uniform?! For the rest of her life?! Thank God this was only a dream...
"Gross." Usagi stood up, brushing off her skirt. "I hate this stupid thing. It's too short."
"I like it." Mamoru winked. Usagi's face turned crimson.
"Ya know..." the blonde drawled. A devilish little idea just popped into her head. "Maybe I won't mind wearing it so much then..."
Mamoru cocked a curious eyebrow as Usagi stepped up to him. He was taken a bit aback as she sat herself down on his lap. He could feel his usually pale cheeks burning as the blonde stretched her legs out lazily and crossed them, letting her skirt ride up "accidently." Mamoru gulped.
"But..." Usagi leaned closer to him, brushing her lips on his temple. "Don't you think I'd look better without it on...?"
Mamoru jumped up in shock, sending Usagi sprawling on the ground. The blonde huffed, rearranging her skirt and dusting herself off. The raven-haired teen was staring down at her, mouth hanging open. The contrast from the purple skin under his eyes, to the dark red on his cheeks, to the white of his chest was so dramatic it nearly made Usagi's head spin. Usagi grinned mischeviously.
"I was right." The blonde sat in indian-style on the soft earth beneath her. "You poor thing. You've been all alone for the past six years. No wonder why you're so grumpy." She purred. "You've probably been craving some female attention. You've got the hormones of a twenty-one year-old, but the voice of a kid. Heh, how ironic."
Mamoru's hand flew to his face so as to not let Usagi see his deepening blush. He stared at her in a mixture of shock, amusement, and... lust...? The vampire cleared his throat and busied himself with putting on his still-damp shirt. Usagi giggled and proceeded to chew on another berry.
"Hmmm..." Usagi paused, thinking for a moment. "These taste kinda like... Skittles..."
"Skittles?" Mamoru plopped down next to the chewing blonde. "Really?"
"Yeah!" Usagi clapped her hands together and turned to the vampire. "Ya think, cuz this is a fantasy world, it might start raining Skittles?!"
The raven-haired teen stared at the bubbly young girl in surprise for a moment, then burst into a fit of laughter. Usagi watched on cluelessly as to why the vampire found her theory so amusing. However, after a few more seconds of Mamoru's chuckles Usagi soon found herself giggling along with him.
"You sure are odd," Mamoru told her breathlessly.
Usagi tugged a lock of hair behind her ear. "This coming from the boy with elf ears and fangs?"
"This coming from the girl who's not afraid of the boy with elf ears and fangs?" the vampire retorted matter-of-factly.
Usagi popped a small blue fruit into Mamoru's mouth to hush him up, letting her fingers linger a moment to long. He nipped slightly at the tip of her finger just to startle the blonde and smiled. Usagi blushed lightly and pulled her hand back into her lap.
"Mamoru?" Usagi began unsurely. "What's todays lesson?"
The vamp thought for a second, deciding on the next rule. "Don't piss people off." He flashed the blonde a cocky grin. "Especially the vampire."
"Darn," she mumbled. "And that's so much fun, too."
"Yeah, well-" Mamoru cut himself off, jumping into full alertness. He sniffed the air once and rose slowly.
"Huh?" Usagi eyed him nervously. "What is it?"
"Killing spree..." Grabbing onto his sports jacket, Mamoru began to step through the weeds surrounding the pond. "Something... No, make that a *bunch* of somethings... was just slaughtered."
"You... smell blood...?"
"Yeah," he whispered out. The blonde was now standing next to him as they crept deeper into the forest. "I think it's human blood. More kids probably being sucked into the game..."
Usagi gulped. Why was it that she was beginning to worry that this wasn't really a dream after all...?
A violent shudder shook itself over the blonde's frail form. She blinked in surprise as Mamoru draped his jacket over her shoulders. She nodded her thanks.
"Can... can you tell how many...?" she managed to croak out, pulling the coat tighter around her.
"No." The vampire's eyes darted around a bit. "But whatever killed em... It was probably REAL hungry..." He turned to Usagi with a semi-reassuring smile. "You sure are lucky. You're lasting longer than any other human here."
"Besides you." The blonde found herself slowly relaxing. "And you're the one who's helped me through the past twenty-four hours."
"I don't consider myself human," Mamoru bit out a bit harsher than he intended. "And you haven't been here twenty-four hours just yet."
"Chiba Mamoru's "The Sun is Shining" outlook on life strikes again," Usagi grumbled. "Does your cheeriness ever end?"
"You'd be suprised," he replied with a small wink. "Well, since you're gonna be stalking me for the rest of the night... Might as well give ya a small tour of the place..."
Usagi brightened. "Really?! You will?!" The blonde clung onto Mamoru's arm brazenly. "Thanks!!"
The vampire cringed, trying to wriggle free from the vice grip Usagi had on his arm, but to no avail. He sighed and pulled her to the left. He led her through a thick cluster of trees and then, to Usagi's surprise, to a large clearing. She looked around in curiousity.
"This is the center of this world." Mamoru gestured with his free hand to the right of him. "Over there is what I call the Nightmare Realm. Real wierd creatures. You know, ghosts, poltergeists, zombies," he paused, "vampires."
"There are... realms...?" Usagi repeated, not sure whether she heard him right.
"Well, that's what I consider them as. I think it's like different levels of the game." The vampire pointed straight ahead. "Mythological Realm. Centaurs, serpents, cyclopses. Real disgusting creatures, actually. Deffinately steer clear of those two realms."
"Got it." Usagi nodded nervously.
"Over there," he added with a point to his left, "is the Sprite Realm."
"Sprite...?" Usagi cocked an eyebrow. "Like the soda?"
"No, Odango," Mamoru sighed out. "Like, the Sun sprites."
"Oh..."
"They all look the same pretty much. But not all of them are as friendly as the others." He chewed on his bottom lip carefully, so as to not puncture it with a fang. "Like I said before, the Death sprites are pretty freaky."
"How can you tell the difference?"
"Well, the Water sprites are blue. The Nature sprites green. The Sun sprites orange. The Death sprites black... and so on." the raven-haired boy turned around. "And that's the Fairy Tale Realm. Pretty peaceful, actually. But I hate it."
Usagi beamed. "Are there unicorns, and faries?!" she cried happily.
"Yeah," he muttered in repsonse. "Girl stuff, ya know?"
The blonde jumped away from Mamoru and dashed in the direction of the Fairy Tale Realm, to the vampires dismay. He gasped and called out to Usagi, but that didn't stop her. With a cry of exhasperation and a tug of his hair, Mamoru chased after her.
"Odango!!" he hissed as loud as possible, but without trying to alarm any nearby creatures. "What the hell are you doing?"
"I wanna see!" she giggled. Usagi stopped running as she made her way into a meadow. She spun around childishly. "This place is beautiful, Mamoru!"
"You idiot!" Mamoru's voice cracked slightly. He rushed up beside her and tugged on her arm harshly. "What did I tell you about being quiet?!"
"But, you didn't make that a lesson-of-the-day, yet..." the blonde mumbled sadly. "I didn't think it counted."
"Well, now it is." Mamoru let go of her and ran a hand through his disheveled hair. He voice leveled back down to a normal pitch again.
"But, it can't be!" Usagi crossed her arms over her chest. Was she REALLY turning 17? "You already gave me a lesson today!"
Mamoru shot her an icy glare. "And what was that lesson, Odango...?"
Usagi blinked. "Don't... piss off the vampire...?"
"Bingo."
The blonde grinned sheepishly. "Sorry."
Usagi scratched the back of her head and looked around more carefully at her new surroundings. Oh, how she wished it was daylight, that was she would be able to see this realm more clearly!
A faint glimmer of something not far off caught Usagi's eye. With a squeal of delight the blonde rushed to the source of the shine. Mamoru groaned and followed her defeatedly. The blonde squeezed between two trees to meet the sight of a unicorn grazing on a few blades of grass.
Mamoru caught up with her, about to reprimand her again, when the sight in front of him came into view. He blinked slowly, lips slightly parted. It was... beautiful...
"Mamoru..." Usagi breathed. "That's a unicorn... isn't it...?" Her fingers tingled with the yearning to pet the unusual horse's white mane.
"Yeah." Mamoru couldn't help but let a faint smile grace his lips. He had never actually bothered to watch any creature in this realm before, but he was glad he was taking the time to do it now.
"Could I...?" Usagi took a shaky step foward. "Could I go pet him...?"
Mamoru considered this thoughtfully. He was about to give her a not-so-sure okay, but cut himself off.
"No." Mamoru grabbed Usagi's arm and pulled her back two steps. "Don't go near it."
Usagi gazed up at Mamoru in surprise. "Wha... Why not?"
The vampire pointed. "Look. It's eyes are black."
"How can you tell? It's so dark." Usagi squinted, but the moonlight wasn't allowing her to actually make out the true color of the unicorn's eyes.
"Call it a vampire sense." Mamoru's grip on the blonde tightened defensively as the unicorn lifted it's head ot gaze at them. "We're leaving," he croaked out loud enough so this mythical creature could hear them.
"Ma-mamoru!" Usagi huffed as the vampire pulled on her arm and back out into the clearing. "What was that all about?!"
"That wasn't a unicorn," he replied, letting her go. "It was a shape-shifter. You gotta be careful when approaching anything around here. If the eyes are black, it's a shape-shifter."
"What's wrong with that?" Usagi demanded, not fully getting his point.
"They're like vampires. They'll attack you and bite you. The only difference is that they don't suck your blood. They suck out your soul. That way they can use it as an identity."
Usagi cringed. "Ew."
"Well, now you learned three lessons today." He turned to the blonde. "Remember them, you're gonna need 'em."
Usagi gasped in confusion as he began walking away. She made a little "erk" sound and blinked.
"Wh-where are you going?" she cried hysterically. "It's not sunrise yet!"
"I'm hungry." Mamoru stopped walking and turned back to her. "I severly doubt you want me hanging around you when I'm hungry." Usagi gulped and shook her head. "It's settled then. This might take a while, so if i don't see ya before sunrise, sweet dreams."
Usagi sunk to the ground sleepily, watching Mamoru's retreating back in a bit of a daze. She absent-mindedly noted that she was still wearing his jacket. She smiled slightly as she lay down in the soft earth. Maybe she'd sleep the next day away, that way when she woke up it would be night again. Tightening the coat around her, the scent of Mamoru flooded her senses. The vampire was the only semi-coherent thought in the blonde's mind as she drifted off to sleep.
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Author's Notes: Woohoo!! Chapter 5 is done!! Me so happy!! Well, enjoy guys, I'm not typing anymore today (not like anyone is reading this anyway... -_-). Bai!!
