Chapter 3
The air was dark and thick, and the smell of death wafted into his nostrils. Endymion adjusted his armor as he made his way to the throne room. Two guards nodded at the prince as he approached two heavy wooden doors. The men pulled the doors open, and Endymion sauntered inside.
"Good evening, my queen," he spoke, kneeling on the ground to show his respect.
"Endymion," the queen smiled. "Please, stand up," she told him, motioning with her hand. "How did you fair during your first encounter with the Senshi?"
"Well," he replied, tilting his head, "I definitely think I made an impression. All in all, I'd say it was a success," he finished with a smirk.
Queen Beryl straightened in her seat. "Then you have obtained the Silver Crystal?" she asked, excitement evident in her voice.
"Well, no," he began, "but—"
"Then your mission was not a success!" she snapped, cutting him off.
"You are right, your majesty," he told her, bowing his head. "However," he continued, his head whipping up, "I have devised a plan to obtain it."
Beryl raised an eyebrow, intrigued. "Go on," she encouraged him.
"I noticed that the Senshi were a bit disarmed by my appearance as Tuxedo Kamen," he began.
"Yes," Beryl agreed. "The Senshi had always assumed Tuxedo Kamen was their ally."
"Precisely. Therefore, I thought I could exploit that former trust and current confusion. Sailor Moon seemed particularly effected by my presence," he disclosed, narrowing his eyes evilly.
Queen Beryl smirked as she tapped her fingernails against the arm of her throne. "This information is promising, especially since Sailor Moon has possession of the Silver Crystal. Do what ever it takes to get it from her—manipulate her, exploit her feelings for Tuxedo Kamen."
"It is done," Endymion replied, and bowed to his queen.
Usagi lay awake in her bed, her blood still pumping from her encounter with Tuxedo Kamen. She shook in her head in silent disbelief—he had actually struck her! "That jerk," she mumbled to herself. Her scowl then turned to a smirk as she thought over her brilliant plan. Although Usagi played the innocent, she was not a complete fool when it came to men. Sex was a very powerful weapon, and she intended to use it. Although her experience was limited, or non-existent to be exact, she had seen enough movies and heard enough stories from her friends to know what to do.
"This should be a breeze," she smiled to herself.
She closed her eyes and let out a soft sigh, contemplating what her first move should be during her next encounter with Tuxedo Kamen. She would temp him and lure him back to her side. She had a feeling the Silver Crystal would only work in restoring Mamoru's memory if he wanted it to, so she needed to get to work right away. Usagi bit her lip as she pictured herself flirting with Tuxedo Kamen…touching him…kissing him. Usagi opened her eyes as a sudden thought occurred to her. What if Tuxedo Kamen wanted to do more than kiss her? Just how far would she let this plan go?
Slight panic filled Usagi's stomach and a blush crept onto her cheeks. What if he wanted to…to… She shook her head, restoring her resolve. Usagi stared at the ceiling, her brows furrowed in determination. She would take the plan as far as she needed, her innocence be damned. Nothing was more important than getting Mamoru, her Endymion, back.
Usagi took a deep breath. "Whatever it takes," she quietly told herself.
Usagi picked at her already chipping nail polish, tuning out the discussion occurring around her. Her eyes were heavy, and she wanted nothing more than to crawl into bed—she had barely slept a wink the night before. She let out a dramatic sigh and rested her chin on the back of her hand.
"Usagi!" Rei scolded, tossing a pillow at Usagi's head.
The pillow hit Usagi square in the face. "Ow!" she whined in response.
"Would you pay attention!" Rei commanded. "We need to figure out a way to get Mamoru back!"
Usagi straightened in her seat and nodded. She had decided last night that telling the girls about her seduction plan probably wasn't the best idea. They would most likely scold her or try to talk her out of it. She felt guilty keeping secrets, but it needed to be done.
"As I was saying," Ami continued, scowling at Rei and Usagi for interrupting, "Mamoru seems to be under a very powerful spell. He has no recollection of his previous life as Mamoru or Tuxedo Kamen. He seems to identify himself primarily as Prince Endymion, but even his memories as Endymion have been altered. Queen Beryl has completely brainwashed him," she concluded, tapping her chin with her index finger. "Now, what we need to figure out is, how do we restore Mamoru's memory?"
Minako shook her head. "I don't get it," she sighed. "I thought the Silver Crystal would have been strong enough to heal him—to undo Queen Beryl's spell."
"Me too," Makoto agreed. "If the crystal won't work, what other options do we have?"
"Well," Luna began, "maybe repeated exposure to the crystal would be more effective? Or prolonged exposure?"
"That may work," Ami agreed, "but does Usagi have the power and energy for that kind of sustained healing?"
Luna shook her head, dejected. "I don't know…"
"What do you think, Usagi?" Makoto asked, and Usagi looked up to find five pairs of eyes staring at her anxiously.
"I-," she began slowly, "I don't know. I think all I can do now is try to hit Tuxedo Kamen with the Moon Wand each time I see him. Hopefully it will slowly break away at Queen Beryl's spell," she lied.
Tired and out of options, the Senshi simply nodded at Usagi's suggestion. "It's worth a try," Ami agreed.
"Why don't we all go home and get some rest," Rei yawned. "It's been a long couple of days. Plus, it's only a matter of time before the Negaverse attacks again—we need to be ready."
"Right," the girls agreed before making their way home.
Usagi paced anxiously around her bedroom. It had been nearly a week since the Negaverse's last attack and since her first encounter with an "evil" Tuxedo Kamen. She needed to begin her seduction of her new enemy before she lost all her nerve. The more she thought about her plan, the crazier it seemed, and at this point, she was ready to jump out of her skin. "Just what are they waiting for?" Usagi moaned to herself. Her patience with the Negaverse was wearing thinner than usual.
There was also the matter of just how Usagi was going to seduce Tuxedo Kamen. What should she do first, bat her eyelashes at him and make kissy noises? Maybe she'd be really bold and just pinch his ass… Usagi giggled at that thought.
"Alright, I need to get down to business," she told herself, stepping in front of her mirror. Looking at her reflection, she straightened her hair and took a deep breath. "Well, I guess practice makes perfect." Usagi twirled around dramatically before striking a sexy pose—she put her hands on her waist, cocked out her hip, and threw her neck back. "Hey there, stud," she drawled to her reflection. Seeing how utterly stupid she looked, Usagi dropped her arms with a huff and let out a groan. "This shouldn't be so hard!" she assured herself. "I can be sexy!" she pouted. Raising an eyebrow, she leaned forward, pushing out her cleavage at the mirror. "Hey, baby," she winked.
Usagi's communicator went off and she jumped with a squeal. Her cheeks reddened, embarrassed with her antics over the last few minutes. Still startled, Usagi grabbed the device and answered it with a "What?"
Sailor Jupiter appeared, eyebrows raised. "Uh, we have a youma in the park. We could use your assistance."
"On my way," Usagi replied and signed off. She took a shaky deep breath. This was it… Usagi pushed open her window and slipped outside. Once on the ground, she transformed, and headed for the park. Her feet flew over the pavement, only brushing it as she bounced from foot to foot. Her breathing was heavy, but not from the run. Nerves churned in her stomach and her heart pounded in her ears. She knew she had to pull herself together before reaching the battle. Sailor Moon tried to breath deeply as she repeated to herself, "What ever it takes to get him back. What ever it takes, what ever it takes…"
Sailor Moon's feet skidded to a halt as she arrived at the scene. The four Senshi were fighting a youma only meters away. Sailor Moon tried to assess the battle, and contemplated her first move.
"Why, good evening, Sailor Moon."
Sailor Moon jumped and turned in the direction of that all-too-familiar smoky voice. "Tuxedo Kamen, funny meeting you here," she drawled.
"I'm surprised to see you hanging back from the fight like this," he continued. "Picking the optimal moment to trip and fall into the battle?" he smirked.
Eyes narrowed and hands on her hips, Sailor Moon spat, "Cram it, you moron! I only fall down sometimes" she corrected him, crossing her arms.
"Oh, well my mistake," he chuckled. "Leave it to me to mix up constant clumsiness with only occasional clumsiness. Tell me, has the person training you had an inner ear infection, because I've noticed some major issues with your balance," he smirked.
Usagi balled her fists. "Why you—you—" Trying to stifle her rage, Usagi remembered her plan. She needed to seduce him, not pummel him!
Tuxedo Kamen furrowed his brow as he noticed a sudden shift in Sailor Moon's demeanor.
Sailor Moon shifted her weight to one leg and placed a hand on her hip. Flipping a pigtail over her shoulder, she giggled moronically, and hummed, "Oh Tuxedo Kamen, that's so funny!" She continued to giggle, throwing a few winks in Tux's direction.
Tuxedo Kamen raised an eyebrow, an utterly confused expression on his face. "Uh, Sailor Moon, are you…okay? Do you have something in you eye?" he asked uncomfortably.
"No I do not have something in my eye!" she yelled dropping her hands to her side and stomping her foot. "Ugh!" she wailed, "Why am I such a spaz?"
Sailor Moon's failed attempts at flirting were then interrupted by a scream. Moon turned toward the battle to see Sailor Venus clutching her shoulder in pain. "Oh no!" Moon breathed and leapt toward the monster.
"Sailor Moon!" Mars called. "The youma has a weak spot on its stomach. See if you can hit it with your tiara!"
"Got it!" she nodded, and hurled her tiara toward the monster. The disc hit it square in the stomach, stunning the creature. Sailor Moon then pulled out her wand to heal the youma, and free the human inside. Once the unconscious person fell to the ground, Sailor Moon rushed to Venus' side.
"Sailor Venus!" she cried. "Are you okay?"
Venus smiled weakly at Moon, "Yeah I'm fine. I was just a little slow tonight."
Sailor Moon placed a hand on Sailor Venus' hand, then turned to the rest of the Senshi. "Tend to Venus. I'm going to try and hit Tuxedo Kamen with the Moon Wand while I have a chance."
"We'll take care of her," Mercury nodded. "Be careful, though, Sailor Moon."
"Will do!" she replied before leaping back toward Tuxedo Kamen.
"You know," he began as Sailor Moon neared him, "I am really getting sick of you destroying my monsters."
"Yeah, well I'm pretty sick of you in general, so I guess we're even," she replied.
"Oh, come on now, Sailor Moon," he purred as he moved closer to her. "You don't really mean that, do you?"
Moon straightened a bit, realizing that Tuxedo Kamen was flirting with her. She narrowed her eyes a bit and thought, 'Looks like I'm not the only one willing to play games here.' Even more determined to be the one in control, Sailor Moon moved even closer to Tuxedo Kamen, leaving barely an inch between her chest and his.
"You really are full of yourself, aren't you?" she replied. "Although," she continued, stroking the label of his jacket with her index finger, "you always have been. Why is that?" she asked coyly, tilting her head.
Tuxedo Kamen took in a sharp breath as Sailor Moon touched him, and she smiled in satisfaction. "Well," he began, "when you're as good-looking as I am, it's hard not to be confident," he smirked, making an effort to regain control of the situation. He then brought a thumb to Sailor Moon's mouth and brushed it over her lips. "What's wrong, Sailor Moon," he purred again, "don't you find me attractive?"
"Freeze Cape-boy!" Jupiter's voice angrily interrupted.
Tuxedo Kamen took a step back from Sailor Moon and turned toward the rest of the Senshi. "What seems to be the problem?" he grinned.
"You know exactly what the problem is," Mars spat. "I don't know what you're playing at, but you stay away from Sailor Moon!"
Tuxedo Kamen raised an eyebrow. 'Looks like the Senshi are smarter than I thought,' he pondered. "The only thing I am playing at, Sailor Mars, is getting that Silver Crystal, and not you, Sailor Moon, or any of the other Senshi will stand in my way." He replied gritting his teeth. "I will do WHATEVER it takes to obtain it," he finished, sending a cold look toward Sailor Moon.
Sailor Moon shivered, finally realizing this was no game. There was genuine evil in Tuxedo Kamen's gaze, and she had no doubt he would harm her to get what he wanted.
"Goodnight, ladies," he called before disappearing into the night.
Sailor Moon stood frozen. He would do what ever it took to get what he wanted, but so would she. Only time would tell who would come out on top…
Usagi sat at the counter of the Crown Parlor, poking at her milkshake with the straw. Resting her chin on her hand, she occasionally released a few drops of the cold chocolate liquid from the straw onto her waiting tongue. She let out a sigh, and thought about Mamoru for the millionth time that day.
"Hey, Usagi-chan," Motoki called cheerily from behind the counter.
"Hi Motoki," she smiled. "How are you?"
"Just fine and dandy," he grinned, "but I'm not sure I could say the same for you. Are you okay?"
Usagi smiled again, "I'm okay. Just a little tired today."
"Oh, well, I'm glad to hear it's nothing serious getting you down. You're just so quiet, I was a little concerned," he told her.
"Thanks, Motoki," she smirked.
"Although, I guess you're usually at your loudest when Mamoru is around," he chuckled, and Usagi stiffened. "By the way, have you seen him lately?" Motoki asked, concern in his voice. "I haven't seen him in over a week, and he hasn't been returning my calls."
"No," she shook her head. "I haven't seen Mamoru." It was the truth. That man she encountered was NOT Mamoru, and she had to remember that fact.
"Well, if you see Mamoru, tell him I was asking for him," Motoki continued.
"I will," Usagi told him. "I hope to see him soon."
After a few hours at the Sailor V game, Usagi decided it was time to head home. The sun had already set as Usagi made her way through the dark streets of Tokyo. The air was crisp, and Usagi inhaled slowly, trying to forget her stresses. A shrill scream, however, prevented any possibility of relaxation. Usagi ran toward the commotion to find a young girl being attacked by a youma just at the edge of the park. Usagi transformed and ran to the girl's aid.
"Hold it, Nega-scum!" Sailor Moon commanded. "I will not allow you to harm that girl! You're moon dusted!" she finished and prepared for an attack.
Suddenly, however, both the girl and the youma vaporized and vanished. "What the…" she muttered to herself. She walked farther into the park to where the monster had just been and looked around. Where could it have gong? Was she seeing things?
"You're not going crazy, Sailor Moon," Tuxedo Kamen assured her.
Sailor Moon whipped around to see him leaning casually against a tree, arms crossed. "Tuxedo Kamen?" she questioned angrily. "What are you up to?"
Using only his shoulder, Tuxedo pushed himself away from the tree and began to stride toward Sailor Moon. "Well, I needed some way to get you here…alone," he smirked.
Sailor Moon pulled out her communicator to call for back up, but Tuxedo Kamen easily snatched out of her hand and threw it into the bushes. "Tsk, tsk," he teased her. "This was meant to be a one-on-one battle."
"Battle?" she questioned. "Well if that's the case, prepare yourself for the beating of a life time," she scowled, her heart racing.
Tuxedo Kamen narrowed his eyes, all mocking left behind. "I'd like to see you try," he responded, gritting his teeth.
Accepting his invitation, Sailor Moon instantly threw a round-house kick at Tuxedo Kamen's head. He blocked it easily and returned with a punch. Sailor Moon turned to dodge the hit, then stomped on Tuxedo Kamen's foot.
"Ouch!" he yelled, hopping up and down on the uninjured foot. "What kind of an attack was that?"
Sailor Moon bit her lip, holding back a laugh. "Apparently, a painful one."
Tuxedo Kamen sneered, her sarcasm igniting a familiar fire inside him. "Well, as painful as it was, if that's the best you can do, this fight is going to be over real fast."
"Bring it on," she gestured with her fingers, taunting him.
Tuxedo grinned and lunged toward Moon. She yelped before leaping into the air and out of his path. "Ha!" she yelled. "Looks like I'm too quick for the great Tuxedo Ka—ahhh!" she squealed as he grabbed her and pinned her to a tree.
Tuxedo Kamen gripped Sailor Moon's wrists and pinned them above her head. "What was that you were saying?" he goaded. "Too quick? I think not," he snarled, pushing her against the tree even harder.
Sailor Moon's breath caught in her throat. She was in a very vulnerable position, and he could, and probably would, hurt her. Remembering their last encounter, Sailor Moon decided her plan of seduction might be her best bet for survival.
"Maybe it's not that you're quicker than I am," she purred, "maybe I wanted to get caught," she finished, arching her back against the tree, pushing her chest against his.
Tuxedo Kamen immediately stiffened, and Sailor Moon knew she was effecting him exactly in the way she wanted to. "What's the matter, Tuxedo Kamen?" Moon continued, snaking a leg around his waist. "No witty come back?"
Tuxedo Kamen bit his lip and stared down at the blonde, letting out a deep laugh. Her body pressed against his was driving him crazy, and he needed to find some semblance of control. "Trust me Sailor Moon, whatever you dish out I can take and give back ten fold," he smirked, thrusting his hips forward.
Sailor Moon gasped, surprised not only by his boldness, but also by how good it felt to be in such a compromising position with her enemy. Her body became warm, and she wanted nothing more that to physically react to everything he was doing to her, but this was a battle of wills, and she had to retain the power.
Sailor Moon tilted her chin up, letting her lips only slightly brush Tuxedo Kamen's. "Empty threats," she teased, her lips buzzing against his as she spoke.
Tuxedo Kamen grunted, and, releasing her wrists, grabbed a hold of Sailor Moon's waist. Sailor Moon grinned seductively. She had him right where she wanted him. Moon let her hands travel up Tuxedo Kamen's chest, ever so slowly. She then grabbed the lapels of his jacket and—pushed!
Sailor Moon roughly pushed Tuxedo Kamen off of her, throwing him to the ground. Sailor Moon then walked over to the bushes, fetched out her communicator, and dusted it off. Clearing her throat, she turned toward Tuxedo Kamen, who stared at her dumbfounded. "Well, Tuxedo Kamen," she began, straightening her fuku, "it's been fun. Until next time," she assured him and blew him a kiss.
As she walked away, hips swaying, she glanced over her shoulder and gave Tuxedo Kamen one last lust-filled look. Tuxedo Kamen narrowed his eyes, trying to fight the smirk forming on his lips. As he got to his feet and dusted himself off, he shook his head. That girl was going to destroy him if he wasn't careful. He let out a soft chuckle and transported back to the Negaverse.