Hello Minna, Here is Chapter 3. I hope you enjoy it. Please R & R and let me know what you think...
Author's Notes - 'Denotes People's Thoughts' To my wonderful reviewers - You guys really make my day.
Cardcaptoreternity - Cherie means love or darling...Thank You, Crescendo - I am glad you are enjoying it. I would like a teacher like that too, Starangel07 - Here you go, Santi - Here is more I hope you enjoy it. Faerex - I am glad you are enjoying it, Poisonmoon - How do you know that? Have the characters been in this situation before?
Anyway on to the good stuff...
Fantastic Journey
Chapter 3 - Confusion
Usagi stumbled out of bed half-asleep the following morning. Throwing her uniform on, she hastily grabbed her bag and lunch before racing out the door. She was nearing the school when she ran straight into a muscled chest.
"Good morning Usako." Mamoru caught her before she tumbled to the ground. She smiled to hear his voice.
"Mamo-chan," She snuggled closer to him trying to banish thoughts of someone else in a dream world farther away.
"Usako is everything all right?" He could sense her strange mood and wondered at the cause. She ducked her head as a faint blush stole across her cheeks
"I...have just missed you, that is all. We have all been so busy..." She let her words trail off as guilt swamped her.
Her mind whispered insidious words. 'How can you lie to him like that when you are dreaming of another man kissing you?' She tried to deny it and ease her conscience. 'That is simply not true. I cannot control my dreams anyway.' The voice in her mind was cruel and uncaring. 'So you are using Mamo-chan to try and dampen your desire for another man!'
Mamoru glanced down at Usagi to see guilt creep across her features. He wondered at it but at that moment, she pulled him even closer.
"I love you Mamo-chan, but I really gotta go...bye." She slipped from his arms and took off at a dead run. He watched her disappear off towards her school as he pondered what had just happened.
The day passed slowly for Usagi; she banished her guilt and tried to get through the day. When the bell finally rang, she hurried home to change.
Arriving in her bedroom, glancing around, the words from earlier danced through her head. She pondered not going, even telling Mamoru, but only for a moment, before the magic called to her again. She pushed the words from her mind and banished all thoughts of telling Mamoru.
Usagi changed quickly and hurried for the dojo, all thoughts of Mamoru left in her room.
Etienne waited patiently for his pupil to arrive. He had no idea what lesson he would teach her today. Anger and need mixed with desire coiled in his lithe form. He wore his usual black silk clothing with his mask; liking the air of mystery, it created, protecting him.
Bouncing lightly on the balls of his feet, he tried to dispel his sense of excitement. 'I should not be excited.' He could feel it coursing through him like electricity. 'I am not even going to think about why.' He put those thoughts aside not wanting to examine them too closely.
The door opened, announcing the arrival of Usagi, interrupting his musings. He bit back a smile not wanting to give anything away. He could sense her excitement it radiated off her in waves.
Usagi opened the door to the dojo her excitement showing. She saw Sensei standing in the center of the room waiting for her. With an almost angry air, he stood stiff holding himself still. His blonde hair, loose today rather than pulled back as it had been before, surprised her with gold highlights and the way it hung almost to his shoulders.
She paused inside the door, staring at him in surprise. Her first thoughts were of a predator stalking its prey. A shiver slipped up her spine; shaking it off she did not want to appear frightened. Slipping off her shoes, she straightened her spine and walked towards him.
"Your hand to hand skills are severely lacking so today we are going to focus on learning the basics." He motioned her to the center of the mat.
"Now first things first, turn your body to the side. You make less of a target that way." He grabbed her by the shoulders and adjusted her properly. When his warm hands landed on her shoulders memories of her dream surfaced.
She glanced up at him as a faint blush stole across her features. He grabbed her hand and held it up in front of her.
"Now always keep your hand up so you can block anything I send your way." His first jab landed just beneath her arm. "You are not focusing! Remember to watch my eyes."
She watched for his next move and blocked it when it came in low. When she blocked his third move, he finally smiled.
"That is better you are starting to pay attention ma petite." Etienne used the name without thinking but Usagi felt a chill pass over her as the name from her dream passed his lips. Her eyes jumped to his face, to find him lost in thought before he continued.
"Now I want to teach you something that will help you if someone ever attacks you from behind." He turned his back on her as he spoke.
"I am going to show you first and then you are going to do it. I want you to approach me from behind and set your hand on my shoulder." She did as he commanded and walked up behind him setting her hand on his shoulder as though to catch his attention.
She found herself seconds later, flat on her back with him standing over her. He reached down clasped her hand and hauled her back up.
"You can now do that to me." He smiled at the stunned expression on her face. "Yes it works that well. Did you pay attention to how I did that?"
She nodded hoping she would have the strength to manage it. He watched as doubt filled her features and his conscience pricked him for just a moment.
"It is not about strength ma petite but rather the element of surprise. Now it is your turn." He turned her away from him and began to walk her through the move.
"When you feel my hand on your shoulder I want you to reach up and grab my wrist while bending forward. Use your hip to help throw me around and over you. Are you ready to try it?" He watched as she nodded.
"Yeah let's do it." Her voice quivered and she hoped he assumed it was what they were doing not the use of her pet name. He set his hand on her shoulder and she immediately grabbed his wrist, bending forward and using her hip to help with his weight.
Etienne found himself flat on his back. She had successfully managed it. He quickly picked himself up and brushed off his clothes.
"Good job," he did not want to praise her too much because he knew that a giant ego and being over confident might get her killed in a real confrontation.
"In Zen Buddhism there is a strong belief in meditation. So that is what I feel you need now. With meditation, you reach a different level of conscientious awareness and with training you can learn to withstand pain, fatigue, or anything." He nearly rubbed his hands in glee; this would be the real test.
She glanced at him with surprise to see that he was serious. Taking a deep breath, she tried to prepare for whatever he threw her way. He motioned her to the center of the mat and knelt signaling for her to follow suit.
"Now stretch out on your back and close your eyes, I want you to breathe slowly in and out and clear your mind." He watched her as she changed positions, closed her eyes and began breathing slowly.
"Listen to my voice and focus on it. I want a blank black void, breathe in breathe out, clear away everything. Feel your self relaxing...breathe in, breathe out, breathe in, breathe out." He reached over and felt her wrist to see if her pulse had slowed.
Usagi's heart raced when his warm hand grasped her wrist. She lay motionless trying to steady her breathing.
"You are not focusing." Leaving his hand there, he continued monitoring her breathing. She almost startled to hear the anger in his voice.
"Breathe slower, you must lengthen each breath. Slowly draw air in and then gently blow it out." He noticed she was finally listening and she was slowly starting to relax.
She could feel herself slowly relaxing, the tension draining from all of her muscles. She listened to his voice, as it became the only sound lulling her into a soft warm place.
"Focus only on my voice, now let your self go deeper. Give in to what your mind wants. Deeper yet, let yourself find your center.
Usagi found herself floating in a warm sea of light. Nothing mattered but the voice she listened to guiding her.
"I want you to answer a question for me. Can you do that?" He glanced over to see her nod softly.
"Are you relaxed?" He waited for her to answer.
"Yes." Her voice came out soft and dreamy as though she was asleep.
"Tell me ma petite, what do you desire most?" He watched her as his excitement built.
"Love", her answer surprised him. He smiled and continued with his questioning.
"Aren't you loved?" He held his breath to hear her answer.
"Not for myself, I am loved for who I have been and what I am," her answer was not what he expected. He thought for a moment on how to word his next question.
"Ma petite, tell me of your dreams. What do you dream of?"
"Dancing with you, and waiting for your kiss", His eyes flew to her face in surprise.
"Very good, soon enough, ma petite, now it is time for you to come back slowly. Feel yourself rising through the layers of sleep. You will not remember this but you will feel completely refreshed. Now feel your self wake." He watched as her eyes slowly opened and she sat up.
"How do you feel?" He glanced at her in concern. She smiled and stretched before answering him.
"I feel refreshed. Did I fall asleep?" She yawned and then quickly covered it and ducked her head.
"No you didn't, you just became very relaxed. What do you remember?" He glanced at her curiously.
"Nothing really just relaxing", she stretched again as she spoke. He smiled innocently and waved her away.
"You may go for today. I will see you tomorrow." He watched as she stood and wandered over and put on her shoes. Slipping out the door into the sunshine she never glanced back to see the wistful expression on his face.
Etienne thought about her as he watched her disappear. 'Sympathy is not allowed. I cannot relate to her, I cannot...okay so maybe I can.'
"No one loves me either ma petite." His voice echoed around the empty room, taunting him with the cold hard truth as a tear ran down his cheek. With a sad smile, he let his emotions get away from him. "Damn it!" He walked over to the mirror and all he could see was the ugliness that he had become.
He lifted his hand and shattered the mirror. Watching the blood drip from the slice in his knuckles he fought the pain and banished it back to the thing he called a heart. His cold hard psyche back in place, Etienne put everything away and killed the lights. 'I can have someone fix the mirror later.' Locking the door, he made his way to his true home.
Usagi had only been home a couple of hours when her communicator beeped. She answered it immediately and smiled to see Sailor Mercury.
"Sailor Moon We are outside of Tokyo Memorial. Please come quick. This one is stronger than last nights and he seems more dangerous." Mercury watched her nod and then disappeared. Usagi grabbed her henshin and ran out the front door.
"Bye Mom I am going to study with Rei. I will be back a little later." She listened for a reply as she hit the porch.
"Okay dear be back before too late. I don't want your dad mad." Her mom's voice floated from the kitchen where Usagi knew she was fixing dinner.
"Okay", she yelled to let her mom know she had heard and then hurried towards the hospital. A few blocks before reaching that area of town, she found an alley and transformed.
Arriving at the hospital, she found her four friends and Tuxedo Kamen hard at work. The newest enemy also looked to be human. He was standing on the roof of an ambulance laughing at her friends.
"You girls just don't give up. What's it going to take, all of you being killed before you realize how serious we are?"
"A hospital is a place for healing and hope, not tragedy and threats; in the name of the moon I shall punish you!" She landed lightly on the edge of the ambulance just several feet from where he stood.
"Ah the famous Sailor Moon has arrived. Better late than never I guess. I owe you for Jonquil's death don't I?" He threw a blast her way and she barely dodged it landing in a heap near the girls.
"Itai itai...that hurt," she grimaced and then grinned at the girls as she stood. Tuxedo Kamen watched as the enemy prepared to throw another attack at her.
Flipping a rose from his wrist, the enemy found himself stunned by a whizzing slice to his cheek. In his anger he threw out several smaller attacks at once distracting everyone so that he could slip away unnoticed. Sailor Moon was just preparing to attack as one of the enemies hits glanced off her.
She cried out in surprise as it sizzled through her. She did not feel any pain just a very odd tingling. Dropping to her knees, she tried to stop everything from spinning around her. As she started to collapse further, Tuxedo Kamen caught her.
"Mamo-chan help me," The last thing she glimpsed was the worried look in his eyes as he held her before darkness took her sight.
No one noticed the stranger standing just a few feet away. They never saw the look on his face as he glimpsed Sailor Moon's face as she collapsed. When he hurried off no one saw the look of pain and betrayal in his eyes.
The Senshi and Tuxedo Kamen carried her to the shrine. It was the closest and safest. Everyone hurriedly de-transformed except Mercury who was still scanning Sailor Moon for injuries. Mamoru laid her gently on the bed and sat beside her picking up her hand.
"It appears that she has no injuries. At least none that my computer can find. I watched as the attack hit her and it did not seem to hurt her. This makes absolutely no sense. She looked more like she was shocked."
Ami studied the handheld computer closely watching for signs. She stood over Usagi and everyone else was lounged around the room.
"Well of course she was shocked I mean weren't we all?" Minako glanced at everyone looking for agreement with her statement.
"Not shocked as in surprised I meant shocked as in electrocuted." Ami did not even look up as she spoke; worry creased her face as she studied Sailor Moon and her mini-computer.
"Oh...I see," Minako watched Sailor Moon as she thought about Ami's statement. Seconds later, everyone gasped in surprise when cerulean eyes groggily blinked open.
"What happened?" Her voice was soft and sluggish like she had been sleeping. "Where is he...is everyone all right?"
"Everyone is fine, how do you feel?" Mercury was the first one to respond to Usagi's questions.
"I feel okay, just a bit tired." She slowly sat up glancing around the room at everyone. Smiling softly she could sense all of their worry on her behalf and it warmed her heart. De-transforming she tried to be reassuring.
"I am fine just tired. Thank you for catching me." A slight blush graced her face when she glanced at Mamoru, still sitting beside her gently chafing her hand.
"Your welcome, I am just glad you are all right." He smiled tenderly just watching her. Remembering her odd behavior that morning, he studied her more closely.
"Do you need me to walk you home?" He watched for her reaction and it surprised him.
"Nah I think I can manage; besides I need to get home before my Dad so he is not mad." She stood seemingly steady and turned hugging Mamoru close.
"I love you but I really must get home." She pecked him on the cheek and waved at her friends before hurrying out the door.
Mamoru sat stunned for a moment before he finally spoke. "Have any of you noticed her acting strangely lately?"
Four girls all nodded in unison and Rei answered his question. "Yeah and I think it is time we talk about it."
Here is an end to Chapter 3. I hope you have enjoyed it. Please R & R and let me know what you think.