Chapter Twenty

Kitsune

She grasped his gentle hand as they walked down the street. He always insisted on walking her to school everyday. It was unnecessary, of course, but always endearing to her. It was strange to be walked to high school by her husband, but extremely wonderful at the same time. He would even carry her books. They walked down the street at their own pace chatting quietly among themselves.

They finally reached the entrance of Matsumura High and walked up to the other Sailors gathered around the courtyard. On one of the picnic tables, the other girls sat talking among themselves. Ami was working on her homework while Raye sat with her fist pressed against her face. Mina sat on top the table and stretched out to catch the rays of warm sun. Serena was standing and eating her breakfast, of course. They all shifted their attention as Lita and Eiji approached.

He slung the book bag off his shoulder and handed it back to Lita. He leaned in and gave her a kiss on the cheek before staying goodbye. The girls made an awe sound as Eiji walked away, and Lita stood blushing. She glanced back at her husband as he walked out of the schoolyard. He had found a job as a delivery boy and was saving up money to go to college in the fall. She was very proud of him.

"So has anyone seen the new Sailor V movie?" Serena asked, doughnut stuffed in her mouth.

"No, is it any good?" Lita asked. "Eiji has never been to the movie theater."

Ami looked up from her schoolwork. "Hayate hasn't either. We should take them together."

Lita nodded. "Double date! That sounds perfect!"

Serena starting waving. "Kyoji!"

As he was walking by, he heard the call of the blonde-haired girl and walked over to her. His head was down, and his eyes would rarely come up to meet anyone.

"Is there something wrong?" She asked, taking another doughnut out of the box.

"No," He uttered quickly.

"Are you sure? You don't seem like yourself today." She studied him for a moment along with the other Sailors. He was always sad, but this time, he was sadder than usual. He glanced up for a moment at the five girls, but quickly returned his gaze to the ground.

"I'm fine. Just a lot on my mind. I have to go now." He walked away from them.

"What's wrong with him?" Lita questioned.

Mina shrugged. "Who knows with him? Nobody ever knows what's going on in that head of his."

Raye sighed deeply and stared at the grains of wood in the table.

"Anyway, when did you want to see the Sailor V movie, Ami?" Lita asked.

Ami looked up again. "Well, it is Friday. Why don't we go tonight?"

Lita nodded. "Yeah, that sounds…"

"Wow! Look at that!" Mina interrupted, sitting up from her relaxed sun-bathing position. The other girls turned their attention towards the street.

A short black limousine pulled up in front of the school. All the other students rushed towards the gate to see what was going on. Was some movie star lost? Was some famous person visiting the school today? Everyone looked with anticipation at the limousine. They tried to peer through the glass into the car, but the inside could not be seen into.

"Eight private schools in the last three years, and now look where you're at." A voice uttered bitterly through the silent interior of the limousine.

The young man slightly shifted against the grey leather seat. He looked out the window. "This school doesn't look so bad."

"It's a public school, Diego!" The voice hissed. "You are lumped in with everyone else into a big mass!"

"What's wrong with that?" The boy continued to look outside towards the school and the students lined up against the wall to look at the car. "You've caused a riot with this thing. I asked you to park a block away."

"Exactly my point! They're not used to seeing money. You are different than they are! You should be in a private institution learning how to be a gentleman…"

"How am I different than they are?" Diego interrupted.

"You are heir to a 3 billion dollar corporation! Of course you are different! You are better than they are!"

Diego shook his head and opened the door of the limousine. A large gasp filled the schoolyard.

"Try not to disappoint your mother and me."

Diego slammed the door shut. The limousine drove away leaving the boy at the steps of Matsumura High. All eyes were on him. He was wearing the school uniform except it was sloppily worn. His pants were baggy, his shoes were shiny and not regulation, his collar shirt stuck out from his sweater and carried his jacket. His skin was dark and tanned, eyes were pure brown, and hair was short and black. He was Diego de La Vega, son of Alejandro de La Vega the founder of a multi-billion dollar investment company. Not that any of the students recognized him, but they did recognize that he was a rebel, he was rich, and he was a ladies man. He swaggered into the schoolyard as students instantly crowded around him, especially females. They latched onto his arms and tried to introduce themselves all at the same time. They escorted him through the school grounds.

"Who is that?" Lita asked.

Ami studied the boy for a moment. "That's Diego de La Vega."

"How do you know?" Serena asked.

"I read it in Forbes magazine. His father is Alejandro de La Vega, an international investor. They were originally from Spain, but moved to Japan about three years ago."

"How come we've never heard of them?" Raye asked.

"Well, the article said they were in Osaka. Perhaps they just moved to Tokyo."

Mina crossed her arms. "What's someone with that much money coming to a school like this?"

Ami pondered. "He looks…"

"Rebellious," Mina uttered, not impressed. "He looks like such a player. I don't think I like him at all."

"You haven't even met him." Lita almost laughed.

"I don't need to meet him." She stuck her nose in the air. "He looks like an arrogant jerk anyway."

While he was passing, Diego caught something in the corner of his eye. He looked over at the blonde-haired girl. That was the girl he wanted, and he would have her by the end of the day.

Instead of doing her homework, she played a few videogames last night. Now she was paying the price, and she scrambled to write down the answers to her French homework. A shadow came over her, and she looked up. The boy stood with a smirk towering above her. She had to admit that when she looked up at him, he was extremely cute. She did always love the look of a Latin man, but she shook her head. She was not a piece of meat, and she would not be sold for a cheap price.

"What do you want?" She uttered then looked back down to her French homework. "Can't you see I'm busy?"

"Can't you see I'm mesmerized by your beauty?"

She looked up from her paper, stunned. What nerve this guy had to say such a thing. "Can't you see that I don't care?" She answered back. "Now, leave me alone."

"Feisty like a fox, you are." He uttered then smiled.

"I'm not flirting if you're missing the cue. I'm telling you to get away from me."

He put his hand on her desk and leaned toward her. "How about dinner tonight?"

Mina groaned. "I'm trying to do my homework! I don't understand it so just leave me alone!"

Diego glanced down at the paper. "Je veux aller à la bibliothèque avec ma soeur."

Mina looked up at him. "You speak French?" She quickly scribbled down the answer.

He smiled. "Naturally." He glanced around the room then locked his eyes back with Mina. "So how about dinner tonight?"

She pondered on saying yes, but two others girls from the class walked up to him and tried to steal his attention away. Her nose immediately wrinkled as the girls started to pull him away, but he tried to look back at her. "So how about it?"

She crossed her arms. "No!"

He smiled. "Then I shall try again, Kitsune!" He was pulled away from her, by the girls.

"What nerve!" She exclaimed to herself. She slightly huffed as she thought about the fact that he called her Kitsune. It was the word for fox in Japanese.

Raye noticed that he was sitting alone. He usually did that at the beginning of the school year, but as time passed, he started making friends and sitting with them. But today, he was alone again. He looked sadder than ever, but people had made the same comments about her too. They all assumed it was because of the breakup with Daita when in fact, that relieved her greatly. She sat alone at her table with her fist pressed into her cheek. She couldn't help herself from staring at him. She scolded herself over and over again for what she did as Raye and what she did as Sailor Mars. He would barely talk or look at her as Raye, but as Sailor Mars, he was a completely different person. She didn't understand it. She wanted to be Sailor Mars with him all the time, but she knew he would never want to be with Sailor Mars. He was truly and faithfully in love with Serena. But she didn't understand something—he kissed her just as passionately and forcefully as she was kissing him. Did he feel it too? Did he feel the fire and passion running through his heart and soul like she did? It made no sense. They had only been together a couple of hours, but something deep inside of her was released. Did he feel it too? She had to know. She closed her eyes, trying to separate the confusion. Yes, her destiny and past was with Tuxedo Samurai, but her present here and now ached for the shrine boy, and she didn't know why. She didn't want to feel this way, and she hated the fact she did. But one thing was for sure, something about this boy brought her to her knees.

Flustered, Mina walked up with her lunch and sat down next to Raye. She slightly huffed and sighed trying to get Raye's attention while she prepared her salad.

"What's wrong?" Raye sighed.

"What's wrong?" Mina hissed. "What's wrong? I'll tell you what's wrong! That Diego de La Vega is a jerk!"

"You met him?"

Mina picked up her fork and starting stabbing it into her salad. "Yeah, and he had the nerve to ask me out to dinner."

Raye looked confused. "What's the problem?"

Mina glanced up, confused that Raye would even ask such a thing. "I don't want to go out to dinner with him."

"Why not?"

Mina paused for a moment. "I just don't want to!"

Raye and Mina forgot about their conversation when Serena, Ami, and Lita walked up with their lunches. Ami looked around then pulled out her supercomputer. "Mina, we've got news."

"What?" She asked.

Ami opened the computer and brought up a map of Japan on the screen. "Your Planet Crystal has moved." Mina looked closer. A flashing orange light appeared on the screen. "It's here? In Tokyo?"

Ami nodded. "It's moved. I don't know what this means, but I suggest that we get to the bottom of it. We know for a fact now that these Crystals aren't useless since Lita has been able to unlock hers…"

"Yes, but none of us have been able to use ours," Raye said. "And without them, we're no where near able to defeat Beryl's Generals."

"We'll just have to figure it out." Ami said. "I propose that we all get together at Raye's tomorrow. We've got to figure this out."

"And we've got to find my Crystal too," Serena said. "Trista's crystal and mine are the only one's left."

"Right," The girls said concurrently.

"Kitsune!"

Mina shot straight up in her seat and turned around slowly, cringing. "You never give up, do you?"

He stood smiling. "How could I give up? It would be like giving up breathing." He handed her a red rose. "For you, Kitsune."

Not impressed at all, Mina took the flower and laid it on the table. "Are you done now?"

"Kitsune, the sun chases the moon throughout eternity and even if only sometimes they meet, it stops the world in wonder."

"What? That's the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard!" Mina asked, confused. The other Sailors sighed from Diego's romantic prose.

He thought deeply for a moment. "It is said, 'Love's sweetest meanings are unspoken; the full heart knows no rhetoric of words.'"

She almost laughed. "What is wrong with you?"

"I am stricken ill from the sight of your beauty."

"And how many times have you used that line before?" She asked, crossing her arms over her chest.

He stood silent for a moment, but smirked. "Only once, Kitsune."

She frowned. "Stop calling me, Kitsune."

"Why?" He smirked. "You're as elusive as a fox." He bowed and started to back away. "I will try again, Kitsune." He walked away. A swarm of girls surrounded him immediately.

"Mina!" Serena exclaimed. "Why don't you go out with him?"

"Look at him!" Mina exclaimed. "I'm sure he's feeding those other girls the same line!" She shook her head. "I'm not just another face in the crowd. I'm not just a girl who's going to fawn all over him."

There were more roses in her locker after school. She rolled her eyes at the sight. Just because he was rich and could afford fresh cut roses didn't make her swoon over him. She threw most of them away, except for one. It was white. She did always like white roses over the red ones. Nobody ever thought of white roses—they were unique. As she dug deeper into her locker, there was a card. Again, she rolled her eyes, but she decided to see what it said. She opened it up.

Dearest Kitsune,

You are the white rose. Different and more beautiful than all the rest; you're the only one who stands out to me.

If you would grace me with your presence at 7:00PM at Canaletto's, I would be grateful.

Diego de La Vega

She couldn't help it. She smiled as she leaned her head against the lockers. Maybe he wasn't as bad as she thought. He did come on a little strong, but so did she when she really liked a man. But why, out of all the girls in the school, did he want her? She gathered her things and walked out of the school to leave for the day. She held onto the white rose and occasionally inhaled the sweet scent. It filled her nostrils and intoxicated her mind with lovely thoughts and feelings. "So this is what love smells like?" She giggled to herself as she strolled home that day.

She miserably played with her rice and chopsticks as she pressed her fist into her face. Nobody seemed to notice her at the dinner table as Grandpa flipped through the pages of the newspaper and Kyoji quietly stared down at the table as he ate. It was miserable to sit at home that night. Lita and Ami were on a double date, Serena was watching movies at Darien's apartment, Mina was going out to dinner, and she was by herself on a Friday night. It was miserable. She sighed as she played with her food some more. She glanced up at Kyoji and studied him for a few moments. It took awhile, but she eventually managed to work up enough courage to speak to him. "So Kyoji, have you memorized Act 4 yet?"

"Yes," He uttered not even glancing up at her.

She paused for a moment to think. "Do you want to run lines tonight sometime?"

"No."

She closed her mouth and looked away. He always answered her briefly and never looked at her. Not feeling hungry anymore, she excused herself from the table and walked down the hallway silently. She wanted to cry, but she stopped herself. She deserved what she got, and there was no use crying over it. He hated her, and she deserved every bit of it.

"Where are you going, sir?" An elderly man in a tuxedo walked into the bedroom of Diego de La Vega. Diego stood in front of the mirror checking his appearance.

Diego looked over to the butler. "On a date."

"Sir Diego, your parents were unaware of this activity."

Diego hunched his eyebrows. "They're unaware of every activity unless it's at the high society ball." He played with his hair for a moment. "How do I look?"

"Like a punk teenager." The butler answered.

Diego smiled and walked towards the doorway. "Thanks a lot."

She wore the little black dress. Perhaps she was overdoing it, she thought, but she wanted her looks to kill. One thing was for sure—she didn't want Diego thinking that he was in control. After all, she was Princess Venus—goddess of love herself. She smirked as she walked down the street. Diego de La Vega would be begging at her feet for her affections, and she would not so easily swoon into his arms.

He wore the suit that framed him perfectly. It clung in the right places, was loose in the right places, and fit like a glove. He smirked as he carried the one white rose in its plastic wrapper. The little fox danced throughout his mind and into his heart. She was elusive and untouchable, but he would have her. She could be sly and play all her little games, but she would never win. He would catch the little fox.

Finally, they met in front of the restaurant. Both full of confidence and extremely flirtatious, they circled each other, eyeing each other down. After a complete circle, he stopped and handed her the rose. She coyly took it and rubbed it against her nose. She closed her eyes as she took in a deep breath. Her blue eyes fluttered open teasing him with her long beautiful eyelashes while her lips curled into a smile.

"I am glad you've come, Kitsune."

She was still playful and trying not to look him directly in the eye. Her gaze racked over the ground. "I might be glad to be here, but…" Something in her senses screamed. Her head shot up straight, and her playful mood flipped to serious within moments. Diego's eyes were wide open. Mina turned around.

Behind her, the General of Fire, Azariah, stood with her palms open and small flames burning within them. She stepped forward with hands still on fire. She raised her right arm and pointed towards the couple. "Give me the Planet Crystal!"

Mina was about to speak, but Diego stepped forward, pushing her behind him. "You can't have it!"

"What?" Mina was shocked. She took a step back. "Who are you?"

He glanced back at her. "I will explain in due time, Kitsune, but you must transform now."

He was right about one thing. She pulled out her Sailor pen and started the process of transformation to Sailor Venus. Soon, the Sailor of Love stood before Diego and General Azariah. To protect Diego, she immediately went into an attack. "VENUS LOVE ME CHAIN AND CIRCLE!" However, the attack was easily dodged by the General.

"Stand back, Sailor Venus!" Diego pushed her aside and ran forward. Before her eyes, the boy transformed as he ran into a darkly dressed warrior. His suit was replaced with a pure black tuxedo with a cape black on both sides. His face was covered with a black cowl mask. It wrapped over his head and covered his eyes but stopped at the nose. And to cover his head, a black Andalusian-style hat with silver embroidery appeared.

The General didn't seem to be phased by the transformation. She leapt into the air and started throwing fireballs and the charging tuxedo warrior. The warrior dodged the attacks quickly. He grabbed the black whip that hung on his belt and cracked it. The end of the whip wrapped around the General's ankle. He jerked it, and she fell to the ground. Before she could scramble up, the warrior towered before her, holding a thin sword, the rapier, at her neck.

"What was your request?" The dark warrior smirked.

"Are you going to kill me?" Azariah asked, bitterly.

The dark warrior almost laughed. "No, that's what you would do. I don't commit such atrocities even to my enemy." He pulled the rapier away from the General's neck. "Now, go! Tell your Master to leave us alone!"

The General stared angrily at the warrior for a moment before disappearing. After she was gone, the warrior turned around to look at the stunned Sailor Venus.

"Who are you?"

"Diego de La Vega, my lady." He bowed. "I am who I say I am."

Sailor Venus shook her head frantically. "That's not what I mean? How did you know I was Sailor Venus? Why do you have those powers? What's going on?"

He slowly walked up to her while digging in the pockets of his shirt. He held out his hand to her and opened his palm. In his black gloved hand rested an orange crystal. Sailor Venus' eyes went wide open at the sight. It dazzled her eyes for a moment, but she tore them away to look up in the eyes of the dark warrior. His beautiful brown eyes could be seen through his dark mask, and they smiled back at her blue eyes.

"It's yours, Sailor Venus." He put the crystal in her hands and closed her hands over it. "I found this crystal three years ago when I moved to Japan. It gave me dreams, visions, and supernatural powers."

"Powers?" She questioned.

He nodded and motioned to his clothing. "I am Tuxedo Zorro, and I'm supposed to protect you, Sailor Venus." He looked up to the sky and pointed towards the first "star" of the night—Venus. Once upon a time, a long time ago, I was a nobleman and you were a Princess." He looked back to her. "Maybe you've felt like I've come on a little strong, but I knew you were the only one I was destined to be with."

She pondered the words deeply. She couldn't remember the past, but part of her did feel truth in his words. Tuxedo Mask was for Serena, Tuxedo Knight was for Ami, Tuxedo Ninja was for Lita, and Tuxedo Samurai seemingly always protected Raye, so she assumed that this Tuxedo Zorro was the last remaining warrior, and she was destined to be with him. She nodded at him and smiled. "Would you tell me more over dinner?"

He nodded. They transformed back into normal human beings. He held out his arm for her, and she took it. He guided her down the street.

"You look beautiful tonight, Kitsune," He said before opening the door of the restaurant.