Mamochan…
Somewhere behind her, Usagi heard a loud crash, the sound of two pieces of wood being violently smashed together. The suddenness of the noise caused her to open her eyes. She struggled to understand what she saw before her. Rather than the burning red lips of the Red Widow, she was looking at the head of a red rose, in full bloom.
She looked up, and now she saw the Widow's face. She wasn't looking at Usagi, instead staring in the direction the crashing sound had come from, an expression of shocked surprise on her face. Usagi looked back down, and she realised that the rose was poking out of the girls' bra, it's long green stem nestled snugly between her breasts.
"Get away from her," came a voice from behind Usagi, a male voice that was both soft and stern. Usagi recognised it, just as she recognised the red rose. Her heart skipped joyfully in her chest, and she felt her body filling with strength again, the terrible coldness she had felt before vanishing immediately.
She pushed the bewildered Widow aside with ease and stood, and turned to look at the doorway. The locked door had been smashed open, and behind it, silhouetted against the dark night outside, stood a tall man wearing a black suit. An elegant tuxedo, with a white shirt and bow tie and gold buttons. A long black cape with red lining flowed out behind him, dancing with the sea breeze. His hands wore white gloves, and his right arm was still curled, the elbow bent, from the motion of throwing the rose.
The man's black hair was mostly hidden beneath a tall top hat, and his eyes – those dazzlingly clear, blue eyes – were obscured by a white eye mask, like one would wear at a masked ball.
"Tuxedo Kamen-sama!" squealed Usagi with delight, and she ran to him and threw her arms around him, burying her head in his chest. He returned her embrace, his strong arms enfolding her. "Usako," he said softly, his voice abounding with relief. "Thank goodness you're safe."
Usagi removed her head from his chest and looked up at him. "I am now…" she murmured.
"Who the hell are you!" came an outraged voice from behind her. Usagi span around, to see the Red Widow standing there. In her relief and delight, Usagi had almost forgotten about her. She angrily plucked the rose from between her breasts and tossed it to the ground, crushing it beneath her foot. She took a step towards them, both her body and her voice shaking with anger. "Answer me, pathetic man!"
Tuxedo Kamen-sama regarded her with scorn, his arms still wrapped protectively around Usagi. "I am Tuxedo Kamen," he proclaimed, "and I oppose those who blight love and who seek to crush the spirit of a maiden's carefree heart."
He looked down at Usagi. "Usako," he said urgently, quietly so that the Widow could not hear. "Go and get your broach. I'll keep her occupied until you get back."
Usagi turned her head to look at the Widow, concerned. She had seen the effect this dreadful woman could have on a man, even one like Kazuo-san who dearly loved and honoured his wife. She looked back up at Tuxedo Kamen-sama. "Are you sure?"
"There's no time to argue!" he insisted. "Go!"
She nodded, giving him one last squeeze before reluctantly releasing her hold on him. "Be careful, okay?"
He smiled and nodded once, and then turned his attention to the Red Widow, who was watching him intently. Usagi stole one last look at him, at his handsome masked face, and then she charged through the door and bounded down the wooden steps to the ground, and took off running in the direction of their cabin. The grass was cold beneath her bare feet but she hardly noticed, the only thought in her mind being to retrieve her broach.
She crashed through the front door of the cabin and ran through the main room, almost stepping on the teacups she had knocked over earlier. She reached the bedroom door and flung it open, dashing inside. Her suitcase sat unpacked beside the bed, and she tore into it like a ravenous wolf, reaching in with both hands and pulling out skirts and shoes and underwear, before tossing them in every direction. The heavy marriage book that Ami-chan had given to her as a wedding present was in there too – Usagi had been planning to (attempt to) read it over the weekend – and she pulled it out and dropped it to the floor beside her.
Finally, she found what she was looking for, underneath the little silk negligee that Minako-chan had given her. Like the book, she had been planning to make use of it during their stay at the resort. Usagi tossed it onto the bed behind her and then pulled out a large broach. It was heart-shaped, gold in colour, embellished with white wings and adorned with glittering jewels. The 'Eternal Moon Article'. She gripped it tightly in her hand and stood, turning back to face the door.
She stopped as her eyes caught a glimmering shape. The Crystal Moon Rose, standing on the bedside table, the head glowing a radiant crimson. A gift from the future, from Neo Queen Serenity, her future self, and King Endymion, her husband.
Usagi took one look at it, and then turned and bolted out of the door, her determination growing with every step. She'd left Tuxedo Kamen-sama alone with the Red Widow, and if she didn't hurry, the future might change forever and that wonderful gift, and many other things besides, would never come to be.
"Be careful, okay?" asked Usako, her gentle voice rife with concern. Tuxedo Kamen smiled softly and nodded once, and then focused his attention on the girl in the red underwear. Behind him, he heard Usako exit, the sound of her footsteps quickly rescinding.
"Is she your lover?" asked the girl coldly. Her eyes, dark green and fathomless, threatened to bore holes in his mask. "My wife," replied Tuxedo Kamen. This seemed to amuse the girl. She smiled and shook her head slowly. "Have you ever hurt her?" she asked, her tone suggesting that she already knew the answer.
"I would never hurt her," replied Tuxedo Kamen sharply. "I love her more than anything else in this world."
"Ha!" snorted the girl, disbelieving. "You lie. You're all the same, every one of you. If you haven't hurt her yet, then you will, in time."
"Never," he stated fixedly. "And to suggest otherwise is folly."
"Folly, is it?" asked the girl, raising her eyebrows. She walked towards him slowly, her slender hips swaying with each step. Tuxedo Kamen kept his eyes trained on hers, refusing to look at her toned, scarcely-clad body. A mischievous smile was painted on her face as she stopped in front of him and placed a hand on his chest.
"I'll show you," she whispered. Her hand moved from his chest and reached up to caress his face. She stroked his cheek tenderly, with soft, gentle fingers. Then she reached further up and gently took hold of his mask between her thumb and forefinger, and delicately lifted it away. She dropped it to the ground, and stared into his sapphire-blue eyes.
Tuxedo Kamen felt his heart do a lazy somersault in his chest. Her eyes were deep, impenetrable. Enchanting. Her face was as beautiful as any model's he'd ever seen. Her floral scent crept up his nostrils and filled his head with stars. He felt dizzy, almost intoxicated as his eyes and nose drank in her beauty, but he found himself unable to look away.
"Kiss me, handsome stranger," purred the girl, her face slowly drawing nearer to his.
Usako…
Just before her lips touched his, he turned his head away fiercely, as if catching a direct glimpse of the sun. A low chuckle slid into his ear. "What's the matter?" asked the girl, revelling in his discomfort.
"My wife…" replied Tuxedo Kamen. "I love my wife."
The girl placed her hands on his cheeks and turned his head to look at her. "Don't be silly," she said. "I don't believe I told you my name. It's Mibo Akai."
Mibo Akai. The name repeated itself in Tuxedo Kamen's head. A beautiful name, for a beautiful girl. He could feel his mind beginning to slip away, his control beginning to falter. Her body, nubile and lithe, was pressed up against his. Her hands, on his face, were warm and balmy. Her scent was everywhere. A dark desire was rising in him, chasing away logic, stamping down reason.
"Don't fight me," breathed Mibo. Tuxedo Kamen watched as her lips ascended towards his.
"Mamochan!"
The voice, high and joyful and tinkling like a bell, cut through the dense fog that had crowded his head. A flurry of images took its place, dancing rapidly behind his eyes.
Usako, chewing on one of her
blonde ponytails.
Usako, her brow furrowed as she
leaned over a study guide.
Usako, asleep in their bed, her
cherubic face illuminated softly by the gentle moonlight from the
window.
Usako, grinning widely and
hopping up and down, excitedly relaying some important news.
Usako, her celestial blue eyes
overflowing with tears, her arms outstretched, waiting to be
comforted.
Usako, engaged in a fierce
argument with their future daughter, Chibiusa.
Usako, breathtakingly beautiful
in a white wedding dress, her hands linked with his, her mouth
opening to speak two short words.
Usako…
"NO!" cried Tuxedo Kamen, placing his hands on the shoulders of Mibo Akai and shoving her away with all of his strength. She stumbled backwards a few steps before losing her balance and tumbling to the ground. She stared up at him, mouth agape.
"How could you…" She trailed off. Tuxedo Kamen stooped slightly to retrieve his mask from the floor. He replaced it on the bridge of his nose and turned to face her, his hidden eyes looking down at her with disdain.
"I love my wife," he reiterated. "And I will never hurt her."
The girl scrambled to her feet. Her face, contorted with rage, was no longer beautiful. Her features were perfectly sculpted, but there was no warmth in her eyes. The youthful vitality, the boundless energy that he admired so in Usako, was absent. Beneath the surface she was ugly and twisted. A monster. He wondered how he had seen her differently.
"NOBODY can resist me!" boomed Mibo. "NONE OF YOU! You're all the same, every damn one of you! You only care about yourselves! You only care about what you can take!"
"Perhaps," replied Tuxedo Kamen, "you should take a look in the mirror. You might find what you're looking for."
These words struck a chord with the girl. Her face twisted into a mask of hatred. "YOU BASTARD!" she screamed. "I won't have one of YOU look down on me! I WON'T!"
Tuxedo Kamen watched, perturbed, as her hands and feet began to glow, and four points of red light began to travel along her body, growing brighter and brighter. He crouched slightly, preparing to move at a moment's notice, readying himself for her attack.
The lights congregated on her lips and intensified further. It took all of his resolve to keep from looking away. The girl raised a hand to her lips and kissed her fingers, and the light flowed onto them, retaining the shape of her mouth. She pulled her arm back, apparently to throw the "kiss of death" in his direction.
"Stop right there!"
The voice cried out just as Mibo swung her arm forwards. The distraction caused her throw to go wide and the burning light kissed the wall three feet to the left of Tuxedo Kamen's head. Both he and the girl turned to the doorway.
Usako stood there, her eyes narrowed and trained on Mibo like an attack dog eyeing up an intruder. She held the Eternal Moon Article in her right hand. Her eyes flickered to the right, to where Tuxedo Kamen stood. "Sorry to keep you waiting!" she said, a smirk on her lips.
She looked back at Mibo Akai, and the smirk disappeared. "As for you…"
She extended her arm, raising the golden, winged broach into the air.
"Moon Eternal!" she yelled. "Make-Up!"