He had to admit that she was pretty though. No, the word pretty didn't seem to suit her. She was beautiful! The combination of long, silky hair that was almost white, bright blue eyes fringed by thick lashes, rosy lips, and pale, unmarred skin made her look rather ethereal (2). And the regal way she held herself... If she was wearing a gossamer gown instead of those drab overalls, why, she could easily be mistaken as a queen!
Who was she really? He refused to believe that such a lovely creature was nothing but a lowly cleaner and a plaything for Ayame. And he refused to believe that the wave of pure energy he felt earlier didn't come from her. Who else could it have come from? Tohru?
His gaze landed on the brunette hiding behind the stoic doctor. He sneered. Was little Tohru still afraid of him? After their last encounter, it was a miracle that she chose to stay in Shigure's home. But then again, where else could she go?
Usagi watched the exchange with interest and frowned when another blast of cold air hit her again. Was this gorgeous, effeminate guy LITERALLY giving her the creeps? But how was that possible? She was a Sailor Senshi, for crying out loud! And not just a Sailor Senshi... She was THE Sailor Senshi. Did she not hold ten powerful starseeds within her? Did she not defeat Chaos? What would her beloved friends and Mamo-chan say when they find out that she was quaking before this mere human?
Of course, whether he was a mere human was still debatable. There WAS something unusual about him. Come to think of it, there was something unusual in all of them. (The blonde hottie transformed into her namesake, didn't he?) Well, maybe except for Tohru. She seemed normal enough. 'What is a sweet girl like her doing with these strange guys? Are they holding her against her will? If they are, then why is she defending them?'
She was about to muse some more when the creepy bishounen started to walk away. How dare he! She hadn't even questioned him yet on what he meant earlier. 'Services? What did he mean by that? Was he referring to...' A furious blush crept on her cheeks as she thought of him and that other guy, Hatori, doing the nasty (3). And it was a very vivid thought, mind you. She cleared her throat. She shouldn't let her imagination get away from her, especially at a time like this. For all she knew, they could be spawns of the Dark Kingdom wanting to wreak havoc on mankind or something. Not only that, she still needed to find out who summoned her and throttle his neck. 'It'll serve him right for waki...'
She didn't get to finish her thought as she heard The Creepy Bishounen - she dubbed him that... she didn't know his name, after all - say something. Unfortunately, she didn't quite catch it. "Pardon?"
"I said, 'Watch. Your. Feet.'"
"Watch my- Are YOU threatening me? Oh wait, you said 'my feet', not 'my back'-" Usagi looked down and stared quizzically at her white sneakers for a few seconds. When she felt the cool air creeping up her legs and causing goosebumps along the way, she finally discovered the source of her discomfort. She was about to say something, anything that would salvage what was left of her dignity, but when she looked up, he was gone.
Ayame, seeing this as his chance to persuade the short bombshell into becoming his model, was immediately by her side (4). Draping his arm around the flustered girl's shoulder, he cajoled, "What was that all about? Oh, never mind. What do you say we meet around nine-ish tomorrow morning. I still need to take your vital stats." He turned her body towards him and began deftly measuring her slim waist with his hands. "So, what do you think... My shop or your room?"
When the dazed Usagi felt his hands wrapping around her midsection, she reacted. She grabbed his wrist and, with a strength that impressed everyone in the posh room, flipped him overhead and sent him crashing down, face first, onto the carpeted floor (5). She was livid and rightfully so! "You... You ECCHI!"
Tohru gaped. Seeing the petite blonde do that to a grown man was unbelievable. 'Yikes! I must remember not to get on Usagi-san's bad side. Oh, poor Ayame-san!'
When Ayame didn't move from his spot on the floor or made any noise, Usagi started to worry. Did she truly, really, absolutely hurt him? Did she... kill him? But she had done the same thing to Seiya, hadn't she? And wasn't he alright afterwards? 'Of course, he was alright! He was a senshi too!' Before anyone, especially Hatori, could move, Usagi rushed to the perverted bishounen's prone form, kneeled by his side, turned him over so that he was now on his back, and proceeded to check if he was breathing. How could she have forgotten her strength? Sure, she wasn't as strong as Makoto or even Haruka, but still... She leaned ever closer to him, all the while trying to remember what Ami had tried to teach her about First Aid. 'Did she say, don't raise the head or raise the head? What about RCP, PCR, or whatever it's called? Oh, crap! Should I whip out the Ginzui...? EEEEEK!' She squealed when two strong arms suddenly encircled her. She landed not so gracefully on top of a warm, deliciously hard, body.
There was a cloud of smoke and the next thing Usagi saw was a... She fell into a dead faint.
Tohru started tearing her hair again as Momiji tried to calm her down.
Hatori only sighed. 'Oh, boy.'
-
Tohru arranged the meals on the low table and hoped that everyone would like them. She hadn't done grocery shopping yet as she'd been busy with other things lately. Her schoolwork and part-time job had taken up so much of her time that tonight she had to make do with whatever was left in the fridge. She sighed. Perhaps tomorrow she could go to the market and stock up some supplies. Maybe she could even discuss some things with Usagi. The other girl, after all, discovered two of the Sohmas' secrets. Not to mention the fact that Akito seemed alright with her being privy to it. Why else would he refrain Hatori from erasing Usagi's memories?
"Oh! You've outdone yourself. They look and," Shigure inhaled deeply, "smell absolutely heavenly!" He took a serving of Sukiyaki into his bowl, used a chopstick to put it into his watery mouth and, after savouring the rich taste, exclaimed, "And it's so delicious!" His admiration for Tohru's scrumptious meals was so great that his eyes started to tear up. He immediately filled his bowl with more Sukiyaki and, after he'd devoured it, turned his attention toward the Okonomiyaki and Tempura (6). While he attacked the Tempura, he said, "Oh, Tohru-kun?"
"Yes?"
"Will (gobble) you (chew) marry (slurp) me?"
The poor girl turned fire-engine red. She didn't think she'd get used to Shigure teasing her like this. If he wasn't careful, she might actually fall for him, even if he was ten years her senior! And if she did, what would the others say? Yuki and Kyo would be most upset. It wasn't that Shigure was cruel or anything. He, after all, welcomed her into his home and protected her from the full extent of Akito's wrath. It was just that it was no secret he was very amorous, especially toward high school girls. She might get her heart broken.
"Don't be such a pig! Stop teasing Tohru and, geez, chew the food properly!" Kyo admonished.
Shigure, upon swallowing the last morsel of grilled fish, wiped his mouth with a napkin and solemnly said, "I'm a dog. Or have you forgotten that? Besides, Tohru-kun knows I was only kidding." He looked at her and smiled, "Isn't that right?"
She nodded hastily. "O-of course."
Kyo only sneered before he stood up and left the room so he could brood by himself up on the roof.
While all of this was happening, Yuki kept quiet. He had just been informed that another girl had found out about the Juunishi curse. In fact, that same girl was out cold in one of the spare rooms right now. They had brought her in (actually, Hatori carried her as there was no telling what Ayame would do once he had his hands on her AGAIN) a couple of hours ago. Yuki hadn't seen her since he came in late, but from what he had heard, she was beautiful. If she wasn't, he doubted that Ayame would act like a love-sick fool.
He asked why they brought the girl here considering Ayame seemed to know where she lived, and Hatori replied that her family and neighbours might become suspicious if they saw her unconscious in a stranger's arms. Shigure's house, according to Hatori, was perfect because it was isolated. No outsider would ask questions.
Shigure pursed his lips before gently pushing his bowl to the side. Then he said, "I still can't understand why Akito doesn't want you to perform your... thing... to Usagi. What does he get out of it? Don't get me wrong. I don't mind that she knows, but seriously, Akito's motives, whatever they are, can't be good."
There was a moment of silence. It was true that Akito always had motives. Did he not let Tohru stay with Yuki and everyone so that he could expose Kyo's so-called shameful secret?
"She can take care of herself," Ayame, remembering what she had done to him earlier, attested. Mentally, he added, 'There's more to Usagi than she lets on. And I know one of her secrets.'
Shigure grinned. He could just picture Ayame getting all beat up by a girl, a small one, at that. If this Usagi decided to stay with them, so much the better. He didn't mind that his house was becoming crowded. In fact, he was ecstatic! Why, if his book (once he finished it, that is) became a best-seller, he might even add a new wing. "Oh, I can't wait to talk to her! I think she'll be my muse. Did you know that she and the heroine in my latest novel share the same name? Is that a coincidence or what!"
Ayame frowned. He knew what the twinkle in Shigure's eyes meant. And he also knew his cousin's reputation when it came to girls (7). Shigure wasn't discriminating when it came to them: beautiful girls, plain girls, rich girls, poor girls... They were all the same to him. He pursued them relentlessly until they either gave in or gave him a restraining order or moved out of the country.
To be fair, Shigure wasn't a mean-spirited guy. He just loved the chase, the challenge. Once a girl started to fall in love with him, or once he started to have deeper feelings for the girl, he'd back out (8). He just didn't want what happened to Hatori to happen to him. Hatori had found the love of his life and had even gotten engaged to her. Everything was perfect until Akito meddled. Akito ALWAYS meddled.
Ayame clenched his fists. If anyone were going to romance Usagi, it would be him! (Secretly, of course. He didn't want to attract Akito's unwanted attention. He wasn't THAT stupid!) Shigure would just have to find some other girl to target. Besides, he didn't think Shigure was her type anyway. Shigure was perverted and loud and obnoxious. Okay, so he was perverted and loud and obnoxious too. And voyeuristic to an extent. Keeping an eye on her for three weeks was tough considering he had to tend to his shop and do other things. But it was worth it. Oh, he hadn't seen her in her birthday suit or anything like that - and it wasn't because he hadn't tried, well, okay, he hadn't... that would be going too far. Believe it or not, he still had scruples - but he had gotten to know her: where she lived, what she ate (and in such large quantities too!), how she interacted with others, et cetera, et cetera.
That was how he was able to save her, so to speak, from Akito at the office. He had been spying on her. She didn't see him, of course, thanks to his ability to shape-shift. Then Hatori opened the door and all hell broke loose.
Despite their troublesome first, well, second encounter, he was still glad. For a long time, he had been debating on how to approach her. From what he had witnessed, she was cheerful and friendly when people were around. But when she was alone, she looked unbelievably sad and lost. She'd reach into her pocket, pull out several photographs, and wistfully stare at them. Her expression really tugged at his heartstrings. He'd been tempted to run, or rather, slither from his hiding spot a couple of times to comfort her, but it was a good thing he had some semblance of self-control. If she could hurl a man across the room because she thought he was feeling her up (okay, so maybe he was), imagine what she'd do to a snake! Hack it into little pieces, maybe? Hey, if she could do magic, she could do anything.
He was saved from continuing his morbid thoughts when Tohru placed a bowl of green tea ice cream in front of him. He beamed. "My favourite! Oh, Tohru-chan! You spoil me!"
The girl blushed as he attacked it.
Yuki only rolled his eyes.
-
Usagi's nose twitched. And twitched. And twitched. There was something wickedly delicious in the air and, much like a siren's enchanted song to a sailor, it enticed her. She tried to resist, really she did, but it was hard.
She woke with a start.
Her stomach rumbled, an obvious cry for attention. It had been a while since she'd satiated it. Casting her blanket aside, she stretched her limbs, yawned, and patted her flat stomach gently. 'Just you wait, my pretty.'
A gentle breeze caressed her bare, toned legs. She looked down, confusion written all over her face. 'Why am I wearing a huge shirt instead of my pink, bunny-decorated PJs?'
Then it dawned on her: she wasn't in her own room. 'Eeeek!' Had those crazy people abducted her? Did they bring her into their surprisingly clean and comfy and tastefully decorated lair so they could seduce her into joining their cause? What nerve! How shallow do they think she was?
Noises. There were noises coming from the adjacent room. She didn't want to listen to them any more than she had to. She knew she was at a disadvantage. Though she certainly had awesome powers, she simply could not take all of these "people" on. She still didn't know what they were capable of, aside from changing into deceptively kawaii animals. And Tohru... If Tohru was with them and she was just an innocent bystander, Usagi couldn't risk her getting hurt.
She tiptoed all the way to what she assumed was the door to the balcony and oh so quietly slid it open. It would have been a major pain if she had to escape without some footgear, but she wasn't about to use her disguise pen. Not if she wanted to make her getaway a hush-hush. As if the gods heard her silent complaint, she spied her sneakers carefully tucked to the side. She murmured her appreciation and put them on before sliding the door shut.
When she was done, she took a good look at her surroundings. There were no other houses nearby and it was eerily quiet save for the hoo-hooing of the owls. She must be in the woods. She didn't know if it was the same woods where she made her dizzying entrance not too long ago though.
Thanks to her senshi abilities, she was able to jump easily and stealthily up on the roof. Once she was up there, she tried to figure out which direction to go. She tried to peer into the dense foliage in front of her, searching for a sign that the path to freedom lay there, but she found nothing. She knew she could just teleport, but that would require energy. And if her guess that these so-called people were attuned to magic, then they'd surely notice her trying to escape. Who knew what they'd do?
Too absorbed was she in her thoughts, she didn't notice that she wasn't alone.
Kyo, half-hidden in the shadows, was laying on his back and admiring the myriad of stars that dotted the inky black sky when something whizzed by his line of vision. That something turned out to be someone. And not just anyone, mind you. It was their guest of honour. How quaint.
He turned his head ever so slowly to the right and then kept still. From this angle, he could study her intently. With the full moon beside her, her silhouette reminded him of a legend he had heard from his mentor many, many years ago. Tsuki no Usagi. Rabbit of the Moon. How fitting.
His mentor told him that legend after he had undergone an exhaustive training in the mountains. He was ready to give up, not just training, not just trying to be accepted by the rest of the Sohmas, especially Akito, but everything. Upon learning the rabbit's noble sacrifice, however, he became ashamed of himself. For being petty. For being pathetic. And so from that day, he strived to do his best. It hadn't been easy, and he suspected, it would never be, but he had friends and family. He had Tohru. And he'd be damned if he ever felt hopeless and helpless and worthless again.
'Over there!' She looked slightly to the left. She vaguely recognized that part of the woods. She had no idea how, but she did. Besides, why should she start doubting her intuition now?
Something moved from below. It was a black dog sniffing at the cool, crisp night air. For a moment, their eyes met. She tensed. It growled. Without a warning, she leapt into the trees then onto the ground. She ran. It chased her. She ran like the wind. And still it chased her. When she thought her lungs would collapse, she stopped.
Was it still following her?
Did she care?
When the blasted dog, foaming at the mouth, had her trapped, she laughed a weak laugh.
Then she teleported.
-
LONG AND BORING A/Ns. FEEL FREE TO SKIP THEM xPPP
Where the hell is this story going! I honestly don't know. Hmmm. I wonder when the bursts of inspiration will strike again?
(1) Another reason why I'm making Cosmos ditzy and funny and all that: In the last episode of S (episode 127), a letter from Neo Queen Serenity appeared just as Chibiusa returned from the future. NQS wrote to Chibiusa that she enjoyed all of her gifts and to remember to bring more when she went back. This part of the episode clearly shows us that even though NQS is graceful, powerful, and serious, she can be childlike (SO Usagi) at times. So if NQS can be like that, it is possible that Cosmos can be genki, funny, ditzy, and clumsy too.
(2) Okay, I might have gone overboard with my description, but honestly, if you Google her pics, you'll find she's very beautiful. Plus I'm biased. LOL.
(3) I don't mean to offend yaoi (especially AxH) fans. But then again, Akito is really a wommmmrrrmpphhh. Ehehehe.
(4) Is Usagi beautiful? I think so. A lot of guys (Umino, Seijuurou, Demondo, Seiya, and of course, Mamoru) had a crush on/were attracted to/fell in love with her, after all. Also, see reason #2. If Cosmos is beautiful then Usagi must be beautiful since they're the same person. Simple logic, ne?
(5) Usagi did this with Seiya in episode 183. They were talking outside Rei's cousin's cabin when Chibichibi suddenly opened the door. Seiya fell on top of Usagi and Usagi flipped him over . If you haven't seen Stars, I totally recommend you watch it!
(6) I don't know a lot about Japanese dishes. I also don't know much about Japanese eating custom. I made things up.
(7) I forgot how Shigure is related to Yuki and the rest. I do know that Yuki and Ayame are brothers. Oooh, one question: if Hiro and Kisa are related, why did Hiro like her THAT way? Or am I horribly wrong? I know Kagura is just protective of Kyo and all. Is it the same case with Hiro and Kisa? It's been a while since I've watched the episodes (I could rewatch them, but I don't have time) plus I'm horribly WAAAAY behind reading the manga. So anyway, for my sanity, I'll just make the Juunishi clan (with the exception of Yuki and Ayame) cousins, 'mmmkay?
(8) Shigure is OOC here, I know xP Why? Just taking creative liberties, is all ;P
If it seems like I'm bashing Ayame and Shigure because I'm making them perverted playboys, you're wrong! I heart them! (My fave is Hatori though. I'm just drawn toward angst-ridden, loyal, and totally HOT 2D doctors.)
Also, if this chapter seems rushed, it's because I wanted the plot to get going.I just realized that chapters 2-4 took place in one day. Oy! Plus I wanted to introduce the other key characters. So yeah ;
Should I inject SM characters (senshi, villains) into later chapters? I don't want to further complicate my story (I'm having a hard time thinking up ideas as it is), but if anyone has suggestions, mention them in your review.
REVIEW, PRETTY PLEASE :D