Warning, this scene is mostly Limes. Not terribly crucial to the plot, but there is some connection.

Starting where the last chapter left off: Usagi's taking Chibiusa to her sleepover.


They got to the house.

"Thank you for having her over tonight."

"Oh, she's a doll."

"Be good Chibiusa!"

"Bye!"

Usagi snorted as she turned around to walk home.

Now, it was time to get ready for this bar crawl. She decided she wanted to wear bright colors since it was a pride parade and she went with a yellow dress with a pink scarf-like belt that went around the waist. She put on her feather eyeliner and some pink lipstick. Instead of her odangos she wore her hair down with a pink ribbon.

All she needed was her clutch and she was good to go.

Diamond picked her up along with Minako and Sapphire. Minako was wearing an orange top and white skirt. Sapphire had on his classic blue polo and jeans. He had learned his lesson from last year. Diamond, however, wore a silver sparkly shirt and was covered in glitter.

"Should I call you Edward?"

"I promised Rubeus he could pick out my outfit."

"Haha!"

They met the others at the first bar, which was Nori's. They turned in their tickets and got wristbands.

As expected, Diamond got a lot of attention from both men and women at the event. He laughed it off, keeping his arm around Usagi as they shared a drink. Neither of them wanted to be drunk. He had to drive and Usagi already got one hangover in her life and she did not wish to have a repeat.

Rei, on the other hand, was perfectly fine doing shots, especially when she got to do them off her girlfriend. Of course, the crowd was cheering when they saw her putting a shot glass in her girlfriend's cleavage.

"WOOOOOOOT! HOT!"

The next bar they went to sold cocktails by the pitcher. They picked a gin-based drink and a rum based drink and split the pitchers amongst the group. "I like the gin one," Usagi said. "What is it?"

"It's a Tom Collins."

"Who?"

"Just the name of the drink. It's American."

"Well, I approve."

"Are you drunk already, Odango?" Rei teased.

"Not as drunk as you are, Mrs. Bodyshot."

"How about we get some food before the next bar?"

They got wings and fries to tide them over until the next place.

They found themselves in Verve again. This time, they were having a King and Queen of Babylon contest. The winners get $300.

Rubeus went and signed up Diamond. "You will totally be the King."

"What is this contest?" He didn't even remember last year's.

"Just go up there and show off your dance moves. When they see you, you will win!" He didn't mention that Diamond would have to strip to his underwear.

"Maybe Usagi should sign up. She's going to be a queen," Esmeralda slurred drunkenly.

"She's too clumsy to win a dance contest. I could win!" Rei declared.

"I could win too!" Usagi had no idea if this was actually true. "I'm signing up."

"Me first." The girls ran to the front to find Queen Elizabeth so they could sign up.

Rubeus's jaw dropped. Oops! The Kings go first anyway, so if the girls want to bail, they'll have plenty of time.

Diamond knew he'd need a bit more booze to get through a dance contest. If all else fails, he could take a cab home and get his car tomorrow.

"When am I dancing?"

"In about an hour," Rubeus told him, Rubeus assumed about 5-7 guys and girls would enter the contests, or at least would take the stage.

"How about some shots?" They all did a round of tequila shots.

"I've never been in a dancing contest," Usagi told Diamond as they moved across the floor.

"The patrons are drunk and rowdy. They just want to see you shake your ass. If you can shimmy on top of that, you'll win for sure."

"Really? But Rei's really good at dancing."

"But she's not you, Love." He kissed her mouth. "You are clearly a queen."

He took one more shot before it was time for him to meet in the back.

There were outfits you could change into if you wanted. You had to strip down to your underwear? What! You CANNOT strip naked or the bar might lose its license. You can pick the song.

Diamond wanted to kill Rubeus, but he wouldn't back down. He was determined to be the king, and hopefully, his dance will excite Usagi.

"Can I go last?" Diamond requested. He wanted to be the only one the crowd remembered.

"Sure."

He looked at the clothes they had. He thought his outfit was pretty much a male stripper outfit anyway. He did go back and get his leather jacket from the coat check. He also grabbed his shades to deal with the stage lights.

Diamond sized up his competition. He had one guy who definitely juiced. Another guy who was a bit lanky and three who had decent physiques. They went for more cliche outfits, the cop, the fireman. Diamond was just going to be the badass.

QE came to announce the beginning of the King of Verve contest.

"First up, we have Jadite who likes walks on the beach, corgis and sex." Buttons by the Pussy Cat Dolls began to play. Jadite wore a suit and when the vocals came off, he started popping the buttons off his shirt. He left it on for now, taking his time as he moved around the stage.

Diamond didn't bother to watch his competition. It wasn't his taste to watch men stripping, and he didn't want to psyche himself out.

Usagi was not expecting Jadite to strip. This was a stripping contest? "What the hell did I sign up for?"

"I am not stripping," Rei fussed.

"Me neither."

"So you're both chicken," Esmeralda challenged.

"I'm a priestess!"

"I'm a princess."

"Diamond's going up there."

Usagi just realized he would be stripping in front of the crowd.

"Don't tell me your boyfriend is braver than you are."

"Of course he is, that's why he's my boyfriend."

"Rei, are you scared Usagi will beat you?"

Like I would lose to that klutz. "No because I'm winning. We're doing it," Rei told her defiantly.

"What? Are you nuts?"

"Don't be chicken."

"More shots?" Rubeus brought them. This would be awesome.

The other strippers danced to Nasty by Janet Jackson, Yeah by Usher and Supafreak. "Last but not least is Prince Diamond. He likes his car, his awesome girlfriend and dancing."

"Should he have announced that he's straight in a gay bar's stripping contest?" Rei questioned.

"Yes. Gay men love hot straight guys. They hope to be the one to change their minds."

Diamond decided he was going to go all out. There was no reason to dance like a timid straight guy in a gay bar, no matter what he was actually thinking. He walked out on stage with his sunglasses on and his jacket zipped up. Paradise City by Guns and Roses started to play. He started to move, slowly moving his hips as he leaned against the stripper pole.

He didn't try and go all over the stage like his predecessors. He wanted all eyes on him. He turned around, the crowd watching his ass as he started to unzip his jacket. He turned back around, pulling his sunglasses to the top of his head, so that people could see his red eyes. Whistles and screaming filled the room as he tossed his jacket to the side.

Diamond picked up the front of his shirt, but instead of taking it off, he pulled it over his head, exposing his pecs and abs, but leaving the silver shimmery fabric on him. His body was covered in glitter. He jumped on the stripper pole, spinning around as the crowd cheered him on.

Usagi was mesmerized. He was dancing for a crowd, but he was dancing for her. His eyes found hers and he never lost track of her as he moved around the pole. He slid down to the ground, doing a body roll before he reversed himself to get up. He undid his belt, but then refastened it around his waist. He started shaking his ass, letting his tight jeans just get to the edge of his hips. He turned around, giving them a little shove as they fell to the ground. He jumped out of them, back on the pole as he spun around again. He had time for one last slide and he took off his glasses, giving them to Queen Elizabeth.

The curtain closed. He took his clothes and was about to put them back on, when someone said after they announce the winner.

"Whatever." That's only 10 more minutes.

"You're boyfriend is fucking hot," Rubeus told Usagi.

She was still too frozen to speak. He was a god.

"I take it you've never seen him without his clothes on before," Rei teased.

"Shut up!" She had seen him in his boxers before, but it was different when he was on stage.

"And the winner is …. Diamond!"

The men rushed the stage, each of them eager to get ahold of the king. He smirked as he took his crown. Diamond put his pants back on but left everything else off. He sat on his throne. "Hello, my fellow Monarch."

"We still have to find out who the Queen of Verve is…"

Now the girls were cheering loudly. Usagi and Rei had been led to the back. Usagi was only wearing a one-piece outfit, so she couldn't really do a striptease in it. She saw a skirt and cowboy hat. She figured that and a pink tank top would be enough.

Rei was wearing a bodice over her shirt and a skirt. She was going as is.

"I already know what song I'm going to do," Rei said.

"What should I do?" Usagi asked.

"It's a competition. You have to think of it yourself."

"Meanie!"

Usagi had no idea what to strip to. Should she go with a rock song like Diamond? She doesn't know that many other than the Beatles and the Doors. Wait a minute. Touch Me sounds like it could be a stripper song. Why not? It didn't quite fit the cowgirl theme though.

"Can I go last?" Usagi asked, trying to buy more time.

"Sure."

"Copycat!" Rei hissed.

Usagi stuck out her tongue. Well, now that she mentioned it. She went out to Diamond and whispered in his ear. "What should my song be?"

He was surprised she was going to do it. He did it, so he couldn't say no to her doing it too. "How about Pour Some Sugar on Me?"

"That's the perfect song for me. I love sweets."

"Haha, you're so cute Odango!"

The first girl did "I touch myself." She was a bit clumsy, but once her clothes came off, she got plenty of applause.

"She's very bursty," Usagi commented.

"I think she got her bursts done," Rei retorted.

The next girl did Cherry Pie. She danced well, but she fumbled when it was time to strip.

Esmeralda was loving all of this. "I can't believe goody two shoes Usagi is going to strip at a bar. HOT!"

Rebeus was smiling. "I got my fantasy tonight! Woot."

"If Luna were here," Amy commented.

"Good thing she's not," Makoto retorted.

The third girl did Hot for Teacher and she actually did dress like a slutty school girl.

Sapphire couldn't believe that people did this in public. His brother did this in public. What the fuck?

Minako thought it was quite amusing. Sapphire was so embarrassed when Diamond started stripping. She thought his reaction was cute.

"Fourth, we have Rei. She's a priestess and she likes meditation, dancing and singing." Like a Prayer started to play. She had a smirk on her face as she moved around the stage. She knew exactly how to move her hips to bring attention to herself. Her long raven hair flowed behind her as she dipped and turned. She jumped on the stripper pole and went upside down for a bit. She knew Odango would only bust her ass if she tried to keep up with this, so she pulled out all the stops. Her bodice hit the stage as she spun around on the pole. Her shirt came off as she was doing a body roll.

Usagi was finding herself a bit excited by the show herself. "If I'm affected, who knows how the people who are actually into girls are doing. I'm in trouble."

She took a deep breath and drank her water. I'll just do my best.

Rei got a very loud boom of applause when she left the stage. "Good luck Odango, you're gonna need it."

"Shut up!"

"Last, but certainly not least is Usagi. She likes sweets and video games and manga." Queen Elizabeth gave her a giant lolly before she went on stage. "Trust me." Usagi tucked it in her shirt for now.

Pour Some Sugar on Me started to play. Usagi had a bit of stage fright at first. She timidly began to move her hips to the music. Her trepidation made her even cuter and the crowd cheered. When she heard that and not boos, she got more confident. She pulled the cowboy hat forward, using it to block her eyes from the audience. She bit her lip, carefully moving around the pole. She wasn't sure if she could jump on it and not fall, so she held onto it, dipping herself backwards as she moved towards the floor.

Diamond had turned his throne around to watch her. He felt like a king who had the most lovely dancer there to entertain him.

Usagi took the lollypop out of her shirt and started to lick it, slowly and teasingly, earning a lot of whistles and catcalls. She saw Diamond and turned to him. They made eye contact as she licked the lollypop. She sauntered over to him as the crowd roared.

Realizing how close he was to the stage, she hopped onto his throne, straddling his hips and doing a body roll on him, driving the crowd wild and making his heart skip a beat, or three. She traded her hat for his crown and then jumped back onto the stage and continued her dance. She had to remove her crown to take off her shirt, which she threw to the side stage. She turned around, her back facing the crowd as she began twerking.

The room was deafening. She had somehow transformed from an awkward girl to a vixen on stage.

Haruka and Michiru were watching. "Who is this sexy girl?" Haruka wondered. They had not seen her at the club before.

Usagi tugged down her skirt, letting it fall as she moved her hips back and forth before kicking the skirt off her ankle and then she did one simple spin on the stripper pole. She waved goodbye to the crowd and that was it.

She saw Diamond's jacket backstage and put it on.

The deliberations began. Usagi came back out to give Diamond his crown back. He grabbed her before she left, kissing her in front of everyone.

"Now that was a performance," he said as he let her go.

Queen Elizabeth came back. "And our Queen is … drumroll Usagi!"

"Hah! I beat Rei!" she yelled, making the crowd laugh.

"Shut up!" she hissed.

"And you said I couldn't dance." Usagi gladly took her crown and rejoined her boyfriend on her own throne. "I'm exhausted." She said after they had been up there together for a few minutes.

"Me too! Want to come over tonight?"

"Sure, I already told my mom I'd be at Minako's."

They left, well after they got dressed. Diamond needed a shower. "Join me," he whispered as he began kissing her neck. He led her into the bathroom walking backwards and then he made quick work of her clothes. He took his own off and turned on the shower.

She had never been completely naked in front of him, even though he's touched her all over with his hands. She told him she wanted to wait before they went "all the way" and he said he would wait until she told him she was ready. She was nervous. What if he wanted more tonight? What if she didn't look good naked?

His lips hit hers as he led her into the shower. "You're so beautiful," he told her as he kissed her neck. He washed her back and then her front with the loofa. She washed him next. This was relaxing once she got over the shock of it. He handed her a towel, and they went to bed naked and sleeping side by side.