Disclaimer: ::Glares at disclaimer:: I'm so not in the mood for you. Why can't you go away and leave us authors in peace!!! :::Nothing from Disclaimer::: HELLO! I'm talking to you! Are you deaf?!?!? :::Disclaimer waits until purpose is fulfilled::: Say something damnit!! :::Silence::: Arrrgggh! Why won't you speak??? :::More silence::: ::Author growls:: Are you mute?! :::Nothing::: (Someone from the audience cautiously goes up to the raving lunatic and clears her throat) ::Author snarls menacingly at poor individual:: WHAT? (She cowers) 'It isn't real. It's not even a person! Why are you screaming at empty air?!' ::Author narrows eyes dangerously:: It is too! Can't you see it floating around just waiting for me to say: 'I do not own Sailor Moon?' :::Disclaimer disappears::: Damnit!!! Look what you made me do!! ::Author chases poor girl::
A/N: Kudos to all who have waited so patiently, I really appreciate it ::grins::
I loved reading your responses and your ideas of what should happen with Mamoru and Usagi and the grandmother! Lol, the possibilities are endless! There's so much to choose from! So much in fact that it makes me dizzy just thinking about it!!!
Enjoy!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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Chapter 9: Surprise!
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Morpheus was going to be sick.
How can a simple task of matchmaking get completely out of control???
He had stopped seeing what Usagi and Mamoru were up to a long time ago. Right up to the point where Usagi pulled down. . .
He shuddered. Now that just took the cake!
With his back turned to the image, he was disgusted to discover Aphrodite sitting on a cushioned chair munching on popcorn.
What surprised him even more was that she was enjoying it!
No not the popcorn!!! What was going on between Usagi and Mamoru! DUH.
"Wow," her eyes were wide as she stared on, "he's as big as a. . ."
Morpheus interrupted her before she could continue. He didn't want any details damnit!!! "Aphrodite!" he barked. "Can't you respect anyone's privacy?"
Eyes not moving away from the image, she replied, "Nope."
Morpheus's mouth tilted downward in disapproval. Was there not a single sorry bone in that girl's body? But with Zeus as her father--- he shouldn't be surprised. She may be too old to have someone chastising her every step of the way but someone had to keep her in line!
Grudgingly, he admitted even if that person was him.
He gave a startled yelp when he heard Aphrodite yell:
"SCORE!" She laughed delightedly, throwing her bowl of popcorn in the air.
Morpheus's eyes bulged. He didn't know what to think. What did she mean by 'score'?! She's not referring to. . . No. No! Impossible! It couldn't have happened so soon!!
Aphrodite was oblivious to the growing consternation on Morpheus's face. "This is better than I expected! Never in a million years would I have thought that Usagi would claim Mamoru while he's still naked!" she squealed, bouncing up and down in her seat.
Morpheus gulped. "So. . . soon?"
"Isn't it great?!?!?" She granted him with a wide smug grin, before turning her attention back to the couple. "Wow! Look at them go!!!"
He was starting to feel a little green. How can she stand to watch them DO that?!?! What kind of sick girl did Zeus raise??? "Umm Sweets? Shouldn't you stop watching? It isn't right that you're watching them while they're. . ."
She snorted, amused. "How can you ask me that? Don't I deserve to watch their first time together as a couple? If it weren't for me and you—sort of—then they would have never gotten together in the first place!"
"But. . ."
"Okay I'll admit. They're not officially a couple yet but they are on their way to becoming one and I have every right to see to it that it happens."
Morpheus gazed stonily at her. "So this gives you the right to watch them doing it???"
Catching on to the ill disguised abhorrence underlining his tone, she gave him her undivided attention. "What's your problem? People do it all the time! It's not anything we haven't seen before!"
Morpheus lips curled. "Watching people in the act of intercourse is not one of them!"
Aphrodite was caught off guard by his remark but got over it when she thought back to their recent conversation which made her hoot in laughter. It was too funny. He actually thought that they were. . . ?
"Oh please!" she managed to gasp out, finding it a bit difficult to breathe after laughing for such a long period of time. "They are ONLY kissing!!! How bad do you think I am?" Judging by the look on his face she could tell that he didn't think very highly of her and she didn't blame him. But come on! She had some morals. 'Well,' she conceded, ''some' sounds like a lot. . . saying that I have a small amount sounds much better.'
Morpheus turned red from embarrassment. He had always prided himself in being rational and never jumping to conclusions. Where was his good judgment when he needed it?
He glared at the golden-haired goddess who was still giggling gaily at him. Blast her! Ever since he met her, everything has gone wrong. One of them was that he never messed up on entering a person's dream and destroying two lives in the process from that incident. And now. . . Now! He has made a grave error in judgment!
Out of nowhere, a scream pierced the air.
Morpheus gasped and clutched a hand over his heart, ready to keel over and die.
"Oh my gosh!" The Goddess of Love squealed. "Is there any way I can tape this?!?!?!? It's like one of the best home movies I have ever seen!!!" It was then she burst into evil laughter. It was the sort of laugh that was reserved for the one goddess who has been able to possess. And that was Hera when she was about to do something horrible to her husband's new mistress. The laugh was so hideously evil that it could be heard for miles.
What shocked Morpheus was that Aphrodite possessed this laugh too.
"BWAHAHAHAHAHABWAHAHAHAHAHABWAAAA!"
With hands clapped over his ears, the God of Dreams roared desperately, "ARRRGGGH! Will you shut up???"
She didn't hear this. She was too busy laughing.
Morpheus's eyes were now doing the birdy dance. Instead of the "tweet, tweet" it was more like the "twitch, twitch". His ears weren't getting much protection from his hands and as time seem to pass with THAT mother of a goat BWAHA-ing away, his over-active imagination took over. And he SERIOUSLY thought that his ears were slipping away from his head! It scared him so much in fact that he grabbed onto his ears for fear if he let go they would fall off.
Tears streaming down her face, Aphrodite pointed at the second picture that popped along side with the other a few minutes ago.
"The two lovebirds are about to have a visitor."
Morpheus quickly turned towards the mirror and slapped his hand over his forehead. Then he mournfully shook his head in resignation. "Ladies and Gentlemen, the $hit is about to hit the fan."
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'I have died and gone to Heaven,' thought Usagi happily as she continued to kiss Mamoru but at a more leisurely pace as the minutes rolled by. Every now and then she would sigh into his lips whenever delightful shocks shot throughout her body. Everything was going great until a voice began to nag her in the back of her mind. She tried to ignore it but every second that passed it became more and more insistent.
'Usagi. . . you-whoooo Usagi!' it sang annoyingly.
'Go away!' she growled; trying to push the voice into the deeper recesses of her mind so she could concentrate more on the sexy man beneath her.
'You forgot to add that you have a naked, sexy man beneath you,' the voice said in a wicked tone.
Her lips halted their movements. Swallowing her throat, she lifted her head to gaze into his eyes nervously. But before she could start freaking out, Mamoru said something that would forever be ingrained in her heart.
"I love you Usako."
It was so simple, and yet, it made Usagi's heart swell with emotion all the same. She wanted to express her love for him as well but as she opened her mouth to do so, she froze.
That's it! She's hereby insane!!! Why can't she say it??? She'd shout to the world that she is madly, hopelessly in love with him if she could.
So what's stopping her?
Seeing the hurt that was starting to spread throughout Mamoru's expression, Usagi panicked. She didn't want him to get the wrong impression! Before Usagi could show her love for him, the bedroom door opened with a dramatic whoosh, making Usagi and Mamoru to swerve their heads to the new arrival.
"Usagi dear!" announced Hitomi Tsukino with a flourish. "It's so good to see you. . . again? . . ." Her eyes went wide in horror as she noticed her granddaughter straddling a. . . na-na-naked man?!?!?!?!?!? Dropping her pooch, which let out a pitiful squeak as it hit the floor, she shakily began to take a step towards them in disbelief but instead, fell forward in a faint.
And she fell alright. Fell so hard that Kenji heard it from downstairs and the sharp "Yip! Yip! Yip!" that accompanied it increased his fear. "Mother? Usagi?! What's going on up there?"
Meanwhile, Usagi was hyperventilating. What in Kami's name is she going to say to her father when he sees Mamoru?! 'It's like this Daddy. . . Mamoru has no clue how or when he got here. I obviously didn't do it. And the pink chains are indestructible. It'd be wrong to throw him away. Can we keep him? It's not his fault he's naked and chained to my bed.' Oh yeah. . . cause that would go over so well.
And how could she have forgotten that her grandmother was coming to visit??? There was no doubt in Usagi's mind that she has completely lost it!
. . . There was only one person to blame.
Usagi turned to face the cause of her distress. Glaring, she said, "If it weren't for you, I wouldn't be in this mess! This is all YOUR fault!"
Mamoru returned the look. "MY fault? You have got to be kidding me! This is not my idea of fun! You see this?" Mamoru lifted his wrists to emphasize his point. What he didn't expect to find was that they no longer inhabited them. He gazed up at her in shock. "Are they really gone?" he asked her, not believing what he was seeing.
Usagi's crystalline blue eyes sparked with relief and nodded smiling. Her smile faded when her ears picked up sounds of feet stomping hurriedly up the stairs, reminding her once more the situation that she and Mamoru were still facing.
Jumping off Mamoru in a flash, Usagi nervously told him (eyes averted) to get dressed and to find a place to hide.
Pulling up his boxers, he went to open the closet. "This closet is too small. How am I going to fit in. . ."
Usagi could tell that her father was now upstairs and only a few steps away from appearing at her doorway. With Mamoru peering inside the closet skeptically, Usagi didn't give him any warning when she forcefully shoved his backside with her foot. Just as she closed the closet door to construct him from view and to muffle his protests, her father rushed into her bedroom.
"Why isn't anyone answering me? What is go-. . .?" When he heard something whimpering in pain, he gazed down to see his mother on the floor and a squished, miserable dog beneath her. "Kami-sama! What happened here?" He slowly fell down onto his knees and turned his mother over, revealing a tiny black carpet.
The black poodle didn't move from its spot. It was flat as a pancake--- it was any wonder that most of its organs was still working in perfect order. Though it had to admit, it was finding it a little hard to breathe.
Shingo entered the scene right then. "Whoa! What happened here?"
Kenji turned to look over his shoulder. "Shingo, go find something to help Bon-Bon here. As you can see he is having difficulty getting up."
Shingo looked at the poor pooch and grinned. With a mischievous glint in his eye, he replied dutifully, "Okay Dad! And I know just the thing!" Then he was gone.
Kenji gave his attention back to his mother. "Usagi? Can you please tell me what happened?"
With her father not looking at her, it made it easier for her to lie. "I don't know Daddy. She came in here and fainted on the floor. It was if she saw something that scared her and she couldn't take it. I'm sorry I can't explain it any better Daddy."
'Real sorry,' she thought guiltily. She hated lying. Even though she has gotten used to doing it, since being Sailor Moon it was a necessity, doesn't mean that she still doesn't feel bad every time she does it.
Kenji nodded absently, his brows crinkled with worry. "It's alright Usagi. It's not your fault."
As if she weren't feeling guilty enough already. . .
Shingo came back into her room. 'That was fast,' Usagi commented inwardly. When she saw what her brother was dragging behind him, she covered her mouth with her hand to prevent anyone from seeing her smile. It shouldn't be funny.
The situation was quite serious!
Slapping another hand over her mouth, shoulders shaking, she knew she had to sit down for this.
As she sat down on her bed, Shingo picked up the flat Bon-Bon. He opened the dog's mouth and closed it over the tip of the helium tank.
Yep. . . you heard right. . . a helium tank! In Shingo's mind, if it could help him to inflate a balloon... why not a dog?
Shingo then proceeded to turn the knob and watched in fascination as Bon-Bon's body slowly went back to its original state.
Usagi was red in the face from suppressed laughter. She wasn't sure how much longer she'd last but seeing Bon-Bon being puffed up like a huge marshmallow, his face seeming to shrink and his paws becoming invisible--- she thought she might pee in her pants.
When Shingo was satisfied that Bon-Bon was nice and ROUND, he pushed the dog's mouth off the tank's tip. "Oops," he muttered, not sounding the least bit sorry as he watched the pooch floated up in the air.
Kenji turned to see the dog's progress.
Bon-Bon was now halfway up the ceiling.
Kenji flipped out; literally. "SHINGO! What have you DONE????"
Shingo, with a straight face, replied, "What you told me to do: to help Bon-Bon."
"I don't recall asking you to make THE DOG FLY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" Kenji exclaimed incredulously.
Shingo tilted his head to the side as he observed the pooch as its body hit against the ceiling, halting it from going up any further. "At least he's breathing now."
Kenji frowned darkly at his son. "Take him down right this instant! You hear me?!?!?! Before your grandmother wakes up and dies from shock!!!"
"Alright already!" Shingo huffed. "See if I give you a helping hand the next time you need it!" He stomped right out of the room and later came back with a ladder.
When Shingo set up the ladder and started to climb it, it was then a groan was heard by all the occupants in the room.
Usagi's urge to laugh had died down. Her life as she knew it was over. Her parents were going to ground her till she's fifty! But maybe she'll get lucky and they'll think that she just needed massive therapy. Though, from the way she's been acting lately they'll probably think it's what the doctor ordered.
Either way, she was screwed.
Hitomi groaned again and instinctively stretched out her hand for her dog. Instead of feeling a tiny wet tongue licking her, she felt a hand grab onto her own and heard a voice call out her name.
Encouraged, she opened her eyes. And encountered another sight to traumatize her for the next twenty years. . .
"BON-BON!" she cried in fear for her dear poochie, who was floating right above her.
Shingo was straining his arms, desperately making a grab for the dog that was bobbing away from him. Bon-Bon was pleased to hear his master and tried to bark.
But he gave a huge bullfrog of a burp instead, releasing much needed air, causing him to fall on Hitomi.
"MOTHER!" bemoaned Kenji when he lifted the dog off of her, only to find her knocked cold once more.
Usagi was pleased by these turn of events, it could be awhile before Hitomi Tsukino would awaken to the land of the living. It gave her the time she needed to think of a plan to get Mamoru out of here before her grandmother woke up.
But from the looks of it, she might need all the help she could get.
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When Ikuko came back home, she was hoping to find a nice, calm atmosphere.
Not a house full of chaos.
Sighing, she put the groceries down on the dining room table and headed towards the living room where she had first spotted her frantic husband fanning his dear, old mother as she lay cold on the couch when she entered the doorway.
Coming to stand beside Kenji, she asked in the most sympathetic voice she could muster. "Is she dead?" Alright, so it wasn't the nicest thing she could say. But her and Hitomi had never gotten along. Not as long as Ikuko could remember.
Hitomi never liked her since she took her son away from her. Ikuko rolled her eyes inwardly. It was pretty pathetic how Hitomi treated her son like he was a little boy and gave him orders on how to dress and explain the proper way of doing things like he didn't know any better. What's more was that he always gave in by bowing his head and muttering a "yes mother"!!!
Kenji gave his wife a stern glare. "Sorry to disappoint you, but she isn't dead. She fainted."
'Darn,' she thought, mentally snapping her fingers. Outwardly, she smiled gently to appease her husband. "Oh honey! How can you think of such a thing! I am very concerned for her well-being."
Kenji wasn't sure if she was being sincere or not. However, now was not the time to argue. He nodded his head.
"Alright, just help me wake her up," he said, worry evident in his voice.
Ikuko's eyes softened. 'He looks so distraught,' she thought. She couldn't blame him--- it was his mother after all. "Of course, dear." She went to the kitchen and wetted a small towel with warm water under the faucet in the kitchen sink. When she returned, she placed it carefully over her mother-in-law's forehead.
There wasn't much they could do for the time being and as they waited, Ikuko asked Kenji how it happened. As he told her the bits and pieces of what he knew, somewhere upstairs a frustrated Odango Atama was struggling to get a certain pest out of her room.
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"BON-BON LET GO!" Usagi bellowed. She had her hands wrapped around the poodle's body, yanking hard, hoping against hope that he would get tired of biting onto the piece of fabric that was peaking outside her closet.
"O-dan-go," said an exasperated Mamoru from inside the closet, "get that mangy dog off of me!"
In case you're wondering about the situation they currently found themselves in; it's quite simple. Not the situation but how it began.
When Kenji's mother had fainted for the second time, he decided that she would be better off lying on the couch than waking up with an aching back from being on the floor for too long.
You couldn't even begin to imagine the relief Usagi felt to see everyone leave her room. Until she turned to gaze at the closet, ready to tell Mamoru that it was all clear.
Save for a little pooch who was growling and sniffing at a piece of black fabric stuck between her closet doors, which were none other than Mamoru's boxer shorts.
Usagi went to pick Bon-Bon up to take him out of her room but before she could, he stubbornly latched himself onto Mamoru's only piece of clothing.
This now takes us back to the present. . .
'His boxer shorts again!' she griped as she dug her feet against the floor, leaning back, putting her weight into it. 'I'm so sick of the fact that his boxer shorts are always the issue!!!'
Usagi could feel sweat rolling down her face and was beginning to pant. For being a super heroine she sure was weak! How is it that this tiny, miniscule of a dog is stronger than her?
Sighing, she reluctantly pulled out her communicator, while her other arm was straining to keep Bon-Bon in her hold. As much as she didn't want to bring her friends into this--- there was no way around it. She needed their help.
Punching the communicator button, she waited for the others to appear on the screen. Dread was churning in her stomach, making her feel squeamish and downright scared of how they were going to react once she told them of her dilemma.
She was soooooooo not looking forward to it.
Meanwhile, inside Usagi's closet. . .
Mamoru was sitting miserably on the floor, grimacing each time he felt the tug on his boxer shorts. Not having anything better to do, he gazed at his surroundings for the first time since he was booted in there.
Usagi's clothes was strewn everywhere! Various articles of clothing were stacked high against the corners, dangerously tilting to the side, seemingly ready to topple over him.
He made a face. 'Somebody needs to teach this girl how to clean!!'
Though, as disgusted as he was about the pigsty he currently found himself in, he couldn't stop himself looking through the dirty pile of clothes. An impish grin broke out on his handsome visage when he found something worthwhile to taunt his Odango with.
Outside the closet. . .
It took no longer than a minute when all four of her friends appeared on the communicator screen.
"Where are you?" This came from Makoto. Her face eager for a good butt kicking; the others waited for Usagi's response.
Usagi grunted when she almost lost her hold on Bon-Bon. "In my room," she panted, exhaustion seeping in like deadly poison.
Minako's eyes widened. "There's a youma in your room!?"
Here, Usagi giggled nervously. "Uhhh. . . not exactly."
Rei's temper almost blew the roof with her impatience. "Well, which is it!?!?!? Some of us do have a life you know!!!!!!!!"
Usagi scowled. "I'm getting to it! Jeez can't you wait for even a---"
"Cute panties Odango," cut in a masculine voice smoothly.
Usagi's face turned deathly pale, when her friends' expressions stilled. 'Oh no! Kami-sama, please don't let this be happening!!!"
"Who was that?" asked Ami, her curiosity peaked. Her eyes attentive, thinking that the owner of the voice might pop up on the screen beside her blonde friend at any moment.
Usagi colored profusely, a tense smile creeping upon her lips. "No one. It was the television," she said automatically, not giving herself the time to think of a good response.
Rei rolled her eyes upward. "You don't have a television Odango Atama," she said wryly. "And even if you did. . . who else has that insulting name besides you?"
Usagi glowered.
"I especially love the bunny designs," drawled the voice, intruding in the girls' conversation once more.
Minako grinned wickedly, catching on quickly. "Usagi-chaaaaaan," she sang, "are you doing the hanky-panky with a booooooooy????"
Usagi shook her head so hard she could've sworn she felt her skin was ready to depart from her skull. 'Ugh. Couldn't I have thought up a better description than that?!' (AN: Heh. ::sweat drops:: No? At least I don't think so ::shrugs::).
"Odango?" asked Mamoru, sounding a bit bewildered. "Who are you talking to?"
"Wonderful," she mumbled quietly to herself. Focusing her attention back on her friends, she said in a rush, "I want you here pronto! Get moving minna!!!" Then she shut the communication off, threw it on her bed, and wrapped her free arm around Bon-Bon.
'They better get here soon,' Usagi thought, fatigue wearing her down. She couldn't wait for them to get here. The knowledge that she wouldn't have to handle this on her own anymore made her sigh.
She almost jumped out of her skin when her bedroom door opened, revealing Shingo.
He cocked his head to the side at the strange picture his sister and the dog made, as they moved back and forth like they were in a game of tug-o-war.
"Umm," he sweat dropped, "Mom and Dad sent me to get you and to let you know that our grandmother woke up. Also, she wants her poodle. Uhhh, so I'll see you downstairs." He left, glad to get away.
"Hey!" she called. 'Aaaarrggh! The least he could do was help me with Bon-Bon here!' That boy has never been considerate.
She faced forward. Her face alighted with determination. She was going to get this dog off even if it killed her! Squeezing her eyes shut, she began heaving.
'Heave!' her mind commanded.
'Heave!!!'
Gritting her teeth hard, her face looked pinched from all the concentration she was putting into, what she knew to be her last tug. Considering all the energy she has used up.
'HEAVE!'
And so she did. The cause of that action made her flew backwards with the pooch in her arms exclaiming a startled yelp. As she lay panting on the floor, she allowed her mind to ponder on the peculiar noise that she heard before her body hit the ground.
When she stood up, Bon-Bon enveloped in her arms, she told Mamoru it was okay to come out now.
But all he did was moan in despair, making Usagi tilt her head in question, even though Mamoru couldn't see her.
"Don't worry Mamoru; the dog is in my arms. He can't hurt you now." She said, misinterpreting his moan.
Usagi could hear him bang his head against the closet door from the inside. "That's not it," he groaned.
She frowned, her patience waning. "Then what is it?"
"I'm naked again," he blurted. Inside, his face was blushing bright red. He was staring remorsefully at the ripped boxer shorts in his hand. He never had to experience so many humiliating situations in the span of one day!! He was beginning to wish someone would shoot him and put him out of his misery already.
'It sucks being me,' he thought desparingly.
Usagi's jaw dropped. "HUH? Naked?!" she exclaimed dumbfounded. The dog yipped in her arms, his tiny tail wagging merrily. He was happy to hear his enemy suffering.
"But. . . how?????" she continued on. She couldn't fathom how Mamoru had gotten nude. . . for the second time in a row.
Mamoru wanted to go into as little detail as possible.
"Tug. Dog. Clothes. . . gone." He expounded in cave-man terms.
Usagi moaned, slapping a hand over her forehead. She was so tired! She missed the days were all she had to worry about were youmas and getting to school on time, as much as she hated to admit. Even though, those were the things she still worried about, now she has the added weight of finding Mamoru a way out of her house. And no matter how many times she fought her way through solving this terrible dilemma, it just kept getting worse!!!!!!!!!
Usagi's left eye twitched. And all restraints that she had on her sanity were gone. "Aaaaarrrrrgggggh! I'M GOING INSANE!!! Aaaaarrrrrgggggh!" The force of her screams were so loud, it made the poor dog shudder and whimper, Mamoru cringe and cover his ears from going deaf, and her family, who was waiting patiently for her below, gaze at each other in worry and fear for the girl's sanity.
When she stopped, her body trembling from anxiety and anger, she said, "Stay there Chiba! And don't MOVE!!!" The tone of her voice brooked no protests from the raven-haired man, who knew Odango Atama was going through some serious issues and he was only asking for trouble if he chose to voice his sarcasm based on her statement.
Satisfied that he didn't make a snide remark, Usagi stomped out of her room and didn't stop till she was standing in front of her family.
Shingo, recalling last night's event, slowly slinked behind his mother's back. He didn't want to take the chance that she might chase him again. He shivered when an image of her light blue eyes glazed over, madness inhabiting them, popped into his mind.
Ikuko and Kenji were not so fortunate to hide from their daughter. Her odd behavior was getting to all of them; especially her grandmother who claimed nothing scared her.
Hitomi Tsukino was reconsidering that assumption as she warily observed her granddaughter's appearance.
Usagi's blonde strands were gradually unraveling from her odangos. The golden wisps of her hair seemed to have taken a life of their own as they stuck up vicariously up in the air like an electric current was running through them.
Her body looked ready to collapse, she was shaking so hard. Her clothes also looked worse for the wear. Her light yellow dress decorated in white and pink petals was streaked with lines and creases.
But Usagi's expressive features are what got to Hitomi the most. Her face was tense; her brows drew downward making her forehead crinkle, her lips were pressed hard against each other, and her eyes. . . a battle can be seen in those eyes. Cerulean eyes that had once gazed at the world with optimism and joy were replaced with a strain that was hard to define.
It made Hitomi wonder what was troubling her granddaughter so much. But another important fact was worrying her:
Bon-Bon was in her grasp.
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Meanwhile. . . halfway around the world. . .
She had survived.
Praise Selene! The worst was over!
Luna smiled a smile so dazzling it reviled the sun. But as she looked down before her, the glittering smile faded.
Correction: The worst was not over. . . yet.
She still had to get down from the tree the monkeys had so generously left her when they got bored with playing catch.
Luna gulped, staring wide-eyed at the distance between her and the ground. My, she was up quite high, wasn't she? And the branch she was sitting on wasn't on the thick side either. If she were to jump in the slightest bit, Luna was sure that the branch would not be able to take the burden of her weight.
Trying not to shiver in fear, she began to mull on what she should do to get down without breaking her neck. However, her brain storming was cut short when she felt the branch move.
After what she has been through, she was not in the mood for anymore surprises. Alas, what could she do? Sighing wearily, Luna turned her head. . .
Ruby eyes clashed against familiar dark yellow eyes.
If Luna had the ability to howl, she would. How did her life become so unbearable?! And who, might she add, had gotten her into this mess????? She narrowed her eyes. Was it Usagi? No. This couldn't have been her doing.
Right?
A low growl reached Luna's ears, making her cringe in dread. 'NO! Not again!!!' She didn't want to go through this horrible ordeal all over again. This was the first creature she had met in this wretched jungle. And it was not something she wanted to experience twice. Maybe she could reason with this beast? It was worth a try.
Clearing her throat and straightening up her spine, she said in calm, lucid voice: "I am not your daughter." There. It was a perfectly reasonable explanation why this animal should leave her alone. How this panther could mistake her as one of her young was ludicrous!!!!
The panther currently had her claws digging into the tree. It took her awhile to climb it; though, it was no easy feat. She was tired and hungry; she searched high and low for her baby. And what was it doing? Defying her!
She was not pleased.
The panther's reaction was not what Luna was expecting. Its growls and its eyes burning bright like molten gold clued her in. 'Oh why did I have to open my big mouth?!' She should have kept it shut. Now, it's probably going to kill her. Luna has read about the panthers' ways of killing and it wasn't something anyone would want to meet their death. They use their robust jaws to crack their prey's skull or neck in one quick bite.
She gulped, too scared to feel droplets of sweat dripping down from her forehead. Though, even if death was swift in coming, that didn't mean it wouldn't hurt. Who'd want to have sharp teeth digging into your skull??? She didn't think she could handle it for even a second!!
Luna squeezed her eyes as tight as a lid. There was no way she could avoid the paw the panther swiped her way just now.
She was a goner for sure.
oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo
And I'll be stopping here. There wasn't that much action in this chapter. . . sorry about that. But things will be heating up in the next chapter. When it will be out, I don't know. Hopefully soon!!!
Oh. . . and one more thing before I go. I seem to be having trouble uploading my chapters recently. Why doesn't certain things upload? Like my smiley faces for one ::pouts::
Have a wonderful weekend!!!! ::wink:: Chow!