Well, it's not as big of a delay as last time, right? I'm not that late! What? Me? In denial? No, of course not! How dare you accuse me of being delusional!

Right, moving on… Now we've finally reached the chapter, not perhaps the one you have been waiting for, but the one I've been waiting for. A lot of things happen here… In fact, this is basically the chapter where the whole plot really starts of. It took me five chapters. Yes, I'm a bit slow. :P

And, in somewhat related news, my fic I Know Better has been nominated in the Annual Sailor Moon Reader's Choice Fanfiction Awards in the categories Angst/Darkfic fic and One-shot. I'm so giddy! I've never been nominated in anything before. So, please…support me.

Well, I think I've babbled quite enough now…

Read, review and enjoy!

-Cherry

A huge thank-you to Luna a.k.a Temptation Angel for reading this through and not killing me when you were done.

Angels and Demons

Chapter five – When Angels Fall

It took Usagi a good half an hour to actually get home from the park. Usually, it probably wouldn't have taken her more than a few minutes, but she'd been tired after all the running she had already done during the day and had simply been unable to muster the energy she needed to run all the way home.

Her hair was windblown and messy, falling out from her usually tidy odango and into her eyes. She exhaled, blowing a few strands of hair away from of her eyes tiredly. "Mama," she called breathlessly, pushing her shoes off the doormat. "I'm home!"

"Yo, Usagi-chan."

She whirled around. "Oh! Motoki-onii-san!" She smiled. "What are you doing here?"

He smiled, ruffling her hair playfully. "I came to deliver those antibiotics I promised yesterday."

She nodded, smiling softly. "Arigatou. So how is he?"

"He looks a lot better than he did yesterday and he's been walking around the house all day, from what I've heard. In fact, if he keeps on healing at this rate he'll be able to leave tomorrow without any problems."

Her face fell. "L-leave?" she stammered. "Tomorrow?"

Motoki, oblivious to her crestfallen appearance, bent down, tying his shoelaces swiftly. "Yeah. Oh, and your okaa-san is out shopping for lemons. She mentioned something about lemon pie…"

Usagi brightened, if only marginally. "Lemon pie! I love lemon pie!"

He laughed, ruffling her hair once again. "I know. Well, I better go. Unazuki can't handle the Arcade longer than fifteen minutes without my help…" He smiled, giving her a short wave. "Ja, Usagi-chan."

"Bai bai, Motoki-onii-san!" She waved back before turning around, quickly walking into the living room. She glanced around, her eyes darting from one side of the room to another, until she finally spotted him on the couch, sitting with his back turned towards her. "Tuxedo Kamen-sama," she whispered softly.

His gloveless hands were tucked behind his head as he leaned back. "Tenshi," he greeted.

She gaped. "How did you—? You couldn't possibly—! Oh, never mind." She smiled, slumping down onto the couch beside him.

He smiled lopsidedly. "So, how was school?"

She sniffed. "Horrible, as usual. I got a detention and on top of that we had a math-test!" she wailed dramatically, her lips forming a pout. Then her demeanor brightened considerately, a smile forming on her lips and she threw her arms around him, enveloping him in a big hug. "But, I actually passed it and it's all thanks to you! Arigatou!" A happy laugh bubbled up in her throat as she buried her face deeper into his shirt.

His cheeks turned faintly pink as he chuckled huskily. "May I see it?"

"Hmm?"

"The test. May I see it?"

"Oh. Oh, right. Of course." She pulled back reluctantly from his arms before digging through her pocket, pulling out a small sheet of folded paper. She held out the note, her hand hovering nervously above his, as if she was afraid to give it to him.

He took her small hand in his own much larger one, giving it a soft squeeze before gripping the note gently.

She released it slowly, a light blush covering her cheeks.

He unfolded the note carefully. "Sixty-three point five?"

Her cheeks immediately turned into a brighter shade of pink. "Anou…I know it's not good, but I passed…" She squirmed, her hands playing nervously with the hem of her skirt.

A small smile tugged at his lips. "And what was your last score? Before this one, I mean."

Her cheeks flushed, now sporting a rather interesting beet-red color. "Thirty," she mumbled, her fingers rubbing against each other nervously.

He reached out with his hand, cupping her cheek gently. "Tenshi, you managed to better your score with thirty points. Don't be so harsh on yourself, it's impressive!" He smiled, letting his thumb caress her cheek. "Smile, Tenshi. Frowns don't suit you."

She smiled weakly, leaning into his warm touch. "Tuxedo Kamen-sama… Motoki-onii-san said that you're leaving tomorrow."

His hand dropped to his side and she missed the warmth immediately. He nodded slowly. "Yeah, I'd like to stay, but every moment I'm here…I'm putting both you and your family in danger. Should anything happen to you…" he trailed off, his voice getting softer with every word.

Her gaze dropped as her bottom-lip quivered. "I-I know," she whispered. "I'm going to miss you."

"I know it sounds silly, I've only known you for a couple of days…but I can not help but feel that I knew you somehow long, long ago…" His eyes clouded over behind his mask, darkening into a misty cobalt blue. He paused for a moment before shaking his head. His eyes cleared, returning it its usual stormy blue color. "I'm going to miss you too and I'll try to visit you whenever I can."

She nodded, biting her lip in an attempt to stop it from quivering. "I—arigatou," she whispered.

He smiled gently at her. "So, how about that tour of your house you promised me yesterday?" he asked, deliberately changing the topic to a much lighter one.

She nodded, sending him a weak smile. "Hai," she replied, pulling herself up.

Tuxedo Kamen rose slowly, carefully trying to avoid disturbing his injured shoulder. He winced when he accidentally bumped it against the couch, causing a searing pain to shot through his injury. He gritted his teeth, clenching his right first a couple of times, forcing himself to keep quiet. The last thing he needed was to give his golden-haired angel anything more to worry about.

Usagi smiled softy and he forced an equally cheerful smile to appear on his face. "So, I suppose you've already seen most of the bottom floor, right?" She waved her hand towards the kitchen.

He leaned against the couch, his right hand still clenched tightly. "Yeah," he replied as cheerfully as he could. The pain in his shoulder had faded into a duller, pulsing, ache, but it still felt as if someone had stabbed him with a burning knife.

She eyed him suspiciously, but chose not to comment. Instead she smiled, gripping his hand enthusiastically before dragging him along as she skipped up stairs.

He smiled, even through the burning pain that shot through his shoulder at her hasty movements. "Oi, oi there, Tenshi. Slow down."

She slowed down marginally, pulling him into the nearest room on the upper floor. "This is Shingo's room," she said, and he found himself transfixed at the beautiful bright smile which lit up her face like a million-watt light-bulb. She shook her head, pointing with her hand at something he couldn't quite muster the interest to look at. Instead, he found himself almost mesmerized by her hair and how it cascaded like an endless waterfall of gold down her back.

He clenched his hand in an almost futile attempt to keep himself from reach out and touch a stray strand of golden locks. Instead he shifted his gaze towards her face, in a desperate attempt to concentrate on what she was saying. But it was futile, and he knew it. He could see her pink lips move as she continued to talk and yet he heard nothing.

He gave himself a mental shake. He was behaving like a hormonal teenager! Granted, he was a hormonal teenager, but he wasn't supposed to behave like one. He was a warrior; a hero; Tuxedo Kamen, protector of both Tokyo and Sailor Moon. He had to control his feelings, and his hormones, in all situations.

But there was something about her, his angel, something utterly captivating and warm. Something that made him trust her. Something that forced him to open up and to relax…

She gripped his right arm suddenly, dragging him out and along the hall and into a small room. "And this is my room." She twirled around, waving her arms around her.

Tuxedo Kamen smiled, letting a rare chuckle escape his lips. The room truly was filled with bunnies. Everything from her wallpaper to her pillowcases had, at least, some kind of rabbit imprint on them. Piles and piles of stuffed bunnies covered her floor and most of the vacant space on her bed.

"I guess you weren't joking when you said your room was filled with bunnies."

She giggled, letting herself fall backwards onto her bed, shoving off the bunnies without a moment of hesitation. "Iie!" she replied, a happy laugh bubbling up through her throat at the sight of his amusement. She patted the bed with her hand, signing for him to join her. "Now it's your turn, Tuxedo Kamen-sama."

He quirked an eyebrow as he seated himself at the corner of her bed. "Nani?"

"Tell me more about yourself, Tuxedo Kamen-sama. Anou…why do you always come to m— Sailor Moon's rescue?"

A lone golden strand of her long hair found its way into between his fingers and he twirled it thoughtfully, noting absently how silky it felt against his skin. "I don't think I have much choice," he replied after a moment of silence. "My blood starts boiling and it makes me want to rescue her."

She studied him in silence for a moment. "You love her," she whispered, cocking her head to the right.

He paused, her silky hair nearly slipping away from his fingers. "No, I don't love her. I have the feeling that we're connected somehow due to something which happened a long, long time ago. I have the same feeling with you," he murmured softly, slowly cupping her cheek in his hand, "only, with you, it's much stronger." A gentle smile tugged at his lips as he felt her cheeks heat up under his hand.

"Tuxedo Kamen-sama…" she whispered slowly, breaking their gaze.

He lifted her face gently. "I don't know much about myself, but I'm willing to tell you what I know." His thumb traced a small circle on her cheek, his eyes darkening slightly under his mask. "I've been having these visions for as long as I can remember. I don't know what they mean; I just know they're important, somehow. They're always the same… I'm standing in front of a castle. It's a beautiful building, but there's something about it which makes it seem so…hallow. Dead.

"Fog and darkness surrounds the whole area, only adding to the feeling of tragedy it radiates. Sometimes I feel like I have trouble breathing. It's all so intense… Music starts playing and I don't know from where…all I know is that the melody makes my heart clench every time I hear it. A young girl appears on one of the many balconies. I never get to see her clearly, but somehow I know she's beautiful. Then she starts talking, her soft voice echoing through the silence, begging me to find the Ginzuishou for her. And I don't know why, but I just know that if I find it…everything will make sense. I'll learn who I am and why I'm…doing this."

"The Ginzuishou…"

"I'm not exactly sure what it is," he said, mistaking her hesitated sentence for a question, "I know it's a crystal of some sort and that the Sailor Senshi are searching for it as well, but beyond that…" he trailed off.

"Does that…" she paused for a brief moment, "does that mean you're fighting against the Senshi?" she asked, her voice weak and frail – almost as if she didn't want to know the answer.

He trailed her cheek with his hand thoughtfully. "I…" he paused. "I don't know. It would depend, I think. I want the Dark Kingdom to win as much as the Senshi does, but when it comes to the Ginzuishou…I might be their enemy."

Her eyes widened. "En-enemy?"

"Not that I'd want to be their enemy, but if we're after the same thing… All I know is that I have to find the Ginzuishou, with or without their help."

She inched closer, closing the nearly extinct gap between them. "But if you asked…I'm sure they'd be willing to help."

He lowered his head, their lips so close he could feel her warm breath playing on his skin, tickling his senses. "Maybe. But not everyone's as good as you, Tenshi," he whispered huskily, his hand burying itself in her hair.

She licked her lips nervously. "I—Tuxedo Kamen-sama…"

"Tenshi…" he whispered, his breathing seemed to quicken as he leant even closer, so close their lips nearly touched when he spoke.

"Usagi!" Her mother howled from the kitchen. "I'm finished with my lemon pie! Would you like a piece? I have one for Tuxedo Kamen as well…"

They both jerked away from each other, their faces flushed red.

Usagi's eyes were wide open, her breathing shallow. "I'm coming, mama!" she called back, her voice nearly stuck in her throat. She cleared her throat nervously, sending him a weak smile. "Would…would you like some lemon pie?"

He nodded mutely, not trusting his voice to speak.

"Okay. I'll be right back." She rolled off her bed, hastily walking out the room.

Tuxedo Kamen racked a hand through his hair, messing it up even further. What on earth had happened? One moment they'd been having a serious discussion, and then in the next…in the next he'd almost kissed her. What on earth was wrong with him? Controlling his emotions had never been so hard before… And now… Now there wasn't any doubt that he'd scared her; why else would she run out from her room like the dogs from hell were hot on her trail?

He sighed, letting his shoulders rest against the wall with a soft thump, his head spinning with every thought. Moments without her passed slowly, and for a brief moment it almost felt like all the clocks in the world had started to tick backwards.

"Tuxedo Kamen-sama?" Her voice was soft, yet still loud enough to break him out of his reverie.

His head jerked up, his eyes locking on her small form. "Hai?"

She blushed, her cheeks turning into a faintly pink color. "I brought you the lemon pie-slice I promised. I didn't know how much cream you wanted, so I guessed. I suppose it's a bit too much, but I thought that it's easier to remove the cream than to get¾" she broke of, her eyes widening to twice of their normal size. The plates in her hands slipped out of her grasp, shattering against the floor.

Tuxedo Kamen nearly gasped in shock as he felt his angel's small frame slam into him, shielding him against the bed with her own small, trembling body. "Tenshi, what¾?" A blast of heat filled the air and the sound of windows shattering broke him off. Shards of glass flew around him, thundering against the mattress. He twisted around, staring over Usagi's shoulder, only to see a man there, his dark wavy hair seemingly floating around him as he hovered outside the now shattered windows. His hands were raised, dark energy crackling between them.

The man raised shaved his arms forward, his mouth forming a smile as the energy shot forward, straight towards them.

Tuxedo Kamen inhaled sharply, desperately trying to shove his angel out of harms way.

"Iie!" she cried, her grip around him tightening. The orb of dark energy slammed into her back, and she cried out in pain. "Tuxedo Kamen-sama…" she whimpered, her hold on him loosening. "I just couldn't let you get hurt…" she smiled sadly at him as she slumped to the floor

He gasped, his eyes widened in both chock and disbelief. "Iie… Iie. TENSHIKO!"

To be continued...

Japanese translations:
Tenshi – Angel
Tenshiko – My Angel
Nani – What
Ja (ne) – See you later
Hai – Yes
Iie – No
Okaa – Mother
Onii – Big brother
Arigatou – Thank you
Anou/Eto – Um/Err
Ginzuishou – The Silver Crystal