Disclaimer: The plot of this particular story is mine. The big ugly critter in this chapter is (unfortunately) mine. Sailor Moon and all other characters from the anime are not mine. Liability for the damage to Mamoru's car is definitely not mine.
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Night of the Killer Bunny Slippers
By Jessyca Thornbrook
Chapter Four
Mamoru was only out for a moment, but it seemed much longer to Usagi, as she dangled upside-down in her seatbelt. She had somehow managed to hold on to Luna when the car flipped, so now she lowered her carefully onto the ceiling. The black cat shook herself and muttered something about wretched machines, then quickly jumped out the shattered window as Sailor Moon pressed the release button on her seatbelt.
"Ow!" Landing on your head and knees in bits of broken glass was, she found, every bit as unpleasant as one might expect. She squirmed around in the tight space to face Mamoru, who groaned as he came to.
"What happened?" he mumbled, rubbing his head where an ugly bruise was starting to form.
"We got in a car crash. I think you hit your head on the steering wheel," she explained. Then, as her usual coping mechanism for scary situations kicked in, she added "If this thing was supposed to have airbags, you should sue!" She grinned slightly at her own joke, but he didn't seem to have heard her.
In fact, his brain had frozen on the words car crash. Somewhere in the back of his mind, a tiny hole had been knocked in the wall that separated him from his earliest memories. Through that hole poured pain and terror that paralyzed him. For one moment he was six years old again, suddenly alone in a cold, dark world.
"Mamoru! Are you okay?" her voice cut through the haze, real and warm and full of concern. He came back to the present; the hole sealed itself up again, though the hands he raised to his face still shook.
"I'm okay," he answered, surprisingly steadily. He reached for the seatbelt buckle with one hand, bracing the other against the ceiling to catch himself when the belt let go. Which it didn't.
"Damn. It's jammed or something." He tried to see what the problem was, but in his current position he really couldn't tell.
"Let me try," said Sailor Moon. She crawled forward, trying to ignore the cuts on her hands and knees, and turned over onto her back. "Don't squish me, okay?" she said, as she reached up to manipulate the buckle. Her face was so close to his that his dark bangs brushed her cheek, and he could feel her breathing as she struggled with the seatbelt. He found he was holding his own breath.
"Nope, it's really stuck," she finally declared. "I think we need the jaws of life."
"We need a knife or something."
"Do you have one?"
"No. You?"
"No."
"Sailor Moon!" a voice from outside suddenly broke in. "Watch out!"
"What?" yelled the heroine, tipping her head back for an upside down look through the driver's side window. It had broken, but the glass hadn't fallen out. Through its distorted surface, she could see something moving toward the car. Something large. Very large.
What had they run into, anyway?
"Get out of here!" said Mamoru suddenly.
"What? No!" Sailor Moon was struck by sudden inspiration. She stretched one hand down along her side, feeling around until she found (and cut herself with) a good sized piece of glass. Grabbing it, she began sawing away at the seatbelt strap, just above the buckle.
"Go on!" Mamoru insisted. "Get out of the car! We're both sitting ducks in he—"
He never got to finish. The window shattered inward under a ferocious blow. Sailor Moon threw her arms over her face reflexively, and before she could lower them, something grabbed her by the hair and pulled her out the window. Mamoru grabbed at her feet as she slid out from beneath him, but not quickly enough.
The creature was about ten feet tall, and it looked as if it had been pieced together from parts of different animals, some of which Mamoru couldn't even identify. It also looked like most of the animals had been dead for a week or two first. Its body seemed mostly feline, though the feet weren't right for a cat, and its snout was definitely reminiscent of a crocodile. It held one of Sailor Moon's pigtails in its teeth, and was shaking her like a dog with a chew toy.
Even as Mamoru took this in, a rose was forming in his hand. He flung it away and conjured another almost before his transformation had finished. The second rose flew straight at the monster's head, striking it just inches below its reptilian eye. It dropped its prey with an angry bellow, clawing at its injury with bear-like paws.
Sailor Moon rolled away, feeling like a sock that had been through the spin cycle. She raised her head painfully, just in time to see Tuxedo Kamen slice through the seatbelt strap with one of his roses. Her jaw dropped, her eyes grew round as dinner plates, and if the masked hero hadn't scrambled out of the car and hurled another rose at their enemy, it probably would have bitten her head off before she'd even remembered it was there. The monster staggered, howling in rage and pain, black ooze spurting from its ruined eye. The last rose had found its mark.
"Now, Sailor Moon!" shouted Tuxedo Kamen.
She obeyed without thought, like so many times before. Surprise, confusion, fear were all bundled into a corner of her mind as instinct took over. Her tiara flew, glistening, through the night air, struck its target, and returned to her hand. The creature gave a horrible, gurgling cry and toppled over sideways, hitting the ground with a resounding thud.
Silence followed. Sailor Moon found herself staring across the quiet street at the masked man of her dreams, her hero, her ideal. Also the man who had just this morning been her only human enemy. What do I say to him now? Is he disappointed that I'm just me?
Tuxedo Kamen stared back, eyes troubled behind his mask. What is she thinking? Does she hate me for being the guy who always put her down? I didn't know!
The silence stretched out between them, expanding, smothering. Usagi felt she had to say something, but she knew that whatever she said would be wrong.
Mamoru knew without a doubt that he would open his mouth with the best of intentions and call her Odango Atama before he could stop himself. The empty air was stifling. Why couldn't a car drive by, or a dog bark, or something? Anything!
And then, soft as a sigh, they did hear something. Drifting on the night breeze, a gentle, lilting melody waltzed its way around them. It filled the space, closing the chasm between the two, though they stood in the same places as a moment before.
Usagi slowly drew out the locket from its hiding place and stared at it, mesmerized, as it lay glittering in the palm of her hand. Suddenly another gloved hand slipped beneath her own, holding it gently. The music grew stronger, clearer. Usagi raised her eyes to Mamoru's face, dimly wondering which of them had crossed the street, or whether they had met in the middle.
In the back of his mind, Mamoru suspected the laws of physics had been temporarily suspended, and they had just gravitated to each other. Why not? If eyes could be as blue and deep as hers, wasn't anything possible?
"I know this song," whispered Usagi, remembering for some reason the brush of his hair against her face earlier. So soft. . . .
"It only plays for you," Mamoru replied, also in a whisper. He felt as if he were falling toward her in slow motion. Their eyes drifted shut. . . .