Title: A Kiss In The Dark
Author:Princess Destiny
Email: In Profile
Author's Homepage: destinysgateway DOT com
Rating: M 15+
Summary: 'One Hour Challenge' #1 and 657 Combined: Response Fanfic. Eleven years ago, Mamoru's father married Usagi's mother. It's now almost Usagi's sixteenth birthday and she has to juggle her secret life as Sailor Moon, on top of school and a job at Motoki's shop. Her life is turned even more upside down when she begins to suspect the masked hero she is falling in love with is actually her awful step-brother!
Genre:Romance/UST/Comedy/Adventure/Action/Angst
Couple:Usagi/Mamoru
Category:SMTK
Chapters:19/?
Status:Unfinished
Year Completed: N/A
Size:438 KB

Comments: Hi everyone! LOL, the end of this Fanfic won't be happening for at least another five-ten Chapters, unless I get major cliff-hanging inspiration. :P Thank you for all the reviews, I really love hearing what you all thought about each Chapter, what you would love to see happen, and where I can improve. You guys are great. I might have a brief break after this Chapter, to write for 'Spin The Bottle' or perhaps that Evil Endymion story I've had floating around in my head. I have a need to write something dark. :) Scratch that last comment, my inspiration bug has bitten big time. I'm already off to write Chapter Twenty. O.o

Note: The new character, Hideki, that is introduced in this Fanfic is not a random addition. I have been planning to add him for quite a while now, and he will be a bigger character in the Sequel. He and his gang are going to be pivotal to Mamoru's self destruction, which is important to the plot later on.

Thank you, Usa, you're great inspiration!

Got a Sailor Moon Fanfic? Come on over to destinysgateway DOT com,
the Official Fanfiction Archives for the 'Sailor Moon And Tuxedo Kamen'
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A KISS IN THE DARK

By Princess Destiny

Chapter Nineteen

Motoki found that his work at his beloved Crown Arcade gave him a peacefulness that was often needed. Now was one such time. He couldn't get over the revelations of the night before. Mamoru and Usagi sharing a forbidden, and upsetting kiss by pure accident of fate. The girls turning out conclusively to be the Sailor Senshi. Not to mention the stress and humiliation his best friend was currently going through.

"He's a ticking time bomb, in my opinion," Rei said, purple eyes concerned. She sipped at the rosehip tea Motoki had placed before her without a word ten minutes before. He had taken one look at her face and gone for the big guns. A few minutes after she began to speak, the blonde man was also sharing this stressed expression. She could almost wish she hadn't said a thing...but he was Mamoru's friend.

The man sighed and began wiping at his bench, but after a moment, he realised that it was as clean as it was going to get and gave up. Motoki headed around the counter with a coffee in hand and slipped into the seat beside Rei. "I think I know Mamoru pretty well, and your assessment is most likely the right one." He admitted, frowning. "My best buddy is wound so tightly, you could bounce a brick off of him."

"He'd probably punch you for it," She grinned and ran her finger around the rim of the cup. Just how much was Motoki aware of? She had suspicions that he knew a lot more than he was saying. "So give, Motoki-after last night, you must have your suspicions." She said suddenly, trying to catch him off guard.

Their eyes met, and he seemed to be considering his answer carefully. "I know that things aren't what they seem. That you and Usagi and Ami and Makoto have an er-extra curricular vocation every couple of weeks."

Well...that was very conclusive! "Damn it, were we that careless?" She muttered sourly, ducking her head.

"Not entirely, although the running from the Arcade frequently part clued me in," He replied, gulping down his coffee. It was too hot and he gasped. Man, this was such an awkward conversation, but one he had wanted to initiate for quite a while. "I do worry." He admitted quietly, touching her hand.

"That's sweet of you," Rei said, grateful for the comfort. Although she was good friends with the other three, she frequently felt alone. Especially since she went to a different school than the other Senshi. Also, being gifted outside of the transformation into Sailor Mars somewhat set her apart. She was a little psychic and could command the Great Fire to show her the future sometimes.

Ami was very smart, but she couldn't do anything like Sailor Mercury. Makoto was strong, but she couldn't summon lightning. And Usagi...well, she was as loving and caring as usual, but couldn't exactly use her tiara or the Moon Wand untransformed.

"Care to talk about it?" Motoki questioned, feeling as if he were missing half of this conversation. Half of it was being said silently, reflected in her sad eyes.

"I'm different from the other three, and although I know they would say the same thing, I think I'm a special case," Rei said slowly. "Not as in 'special', but just 'odd'."

"Huh?" Motoki questioned, cocking an eyebrow. He turned fully towards her on his stool and watched her strained expression. Wow, who would have thought that a fifteen year old could have so many troubles in her life? Those girls all did, because they were also the Sailor Senshi. Whoever had decided to send such young girls into battle with fully grown Generals and monsters was-a really terrible person. Someone he would dearly love to punch in the face.

"I'm sort of psychic, and I can sometimes tell what's coming. I've been having some nightmares, but I can't quite recall what they're about. There's a...battle or something. And everyone is dying. But I can't remember where it was, or who I was with, or even when." The priestess became very distressed and her hands started to shake, vibrating the tea inside the cup. When Motoki patted her arm, clearly uncertain about what to say, she smiled slightly. "Or even if it's in the past, or the future."

Motoki gawked at her. "Seriously?" He said, stunned. She was psychic. She saw the future sometimes. Did the other girls also have similar powers when they weren't the Senshi? "Will I pass my medical exams?" He asked eagerly, grabbing at her free hand.

Rei made a face at him. "It doesn't work like that. And I mostly need some sort of flame to use to 'see'."

He blinked, then grinned as he made the connection. "You're Sailor Mars!" He exclaimed. When her expression dissolved into disbelieving anger and she glanced about her to see if anyone had heard, he groaned. "Sorry, I didn't mean to say it so loud. I just figured it out."

"It's easy, once you know. The glamour fades and you can tell what we really look like."

Hmm, Motoki had to wonder if Mamoru had a similar glamour about him when he was perching on light-poles, and throwing roses. Come to think of it, did the Senshi know about him? He turned his eyes towards the girl, unknowingly questioning.

"Huh?" Rei said, tilting her head to the side and assessing him. Motoki was very obviously dying to ask her something, but but was held back. What could it be? "I'll try and answer your questions, as long as it's nothing Luna would disapprove of." She said gently.

"Luna? Usagi's cat? No wait, don't tell me. She's the real leader of the Senshi? Or-ooh, a human in disguise as a cat!" Motoki's expression was bright as he considered that one. How exciting, finally being in the know-how with the Senshi. He could maybe help them.

"Usagi's cat-she talks. She was...let's just say, she was an Adviser to our past selves. You see, Luna told us we're reincarnated from warriors that used to live on the moon and rule the Solar System. We're looking for our lost Princess. The Dark Kingdom is trying to beat us to the Rainbow Crystals, which form a Mystical Silver Crystal and holds great power-" The raven-haired girl's voice trailed off into a chagrined look. Okay, what had she been just saying about not telling Motoki anything that Luna would have approved of? A little tea, and conversation, and she was blurting out all their secrets!

Motoki's eyes were glazed over. "Wow, too much information for my poor brain. So, you're basically saying you're reincarnated aliens, in search of your ruler, and battling the other aliens for some powerful gem?" He threw up his hands. "This sounds like an Anime or Manga or something."

"Our lives are a drama, I know, but that's the truth," Rei put her elbow on the counter, and rested her chin on her hand. She then regarded him steadily, waiting. This was definitely not the best place to be discussing such important things, but there was barely anyone in the Arcade that time of the day. Everyone was at school or work.

"What about Tuxedo Kamen?" Motoki frowned when he realised that Rei had not mentioned his friend. "Where does he fit into all of this?"

The priestesses nose wrinkled. She had not been expecting him to talk about that guy. "We don't know much about him. He steals the Rainbow Crystals before we or the Dark Kingdom can get them, rescues Sailor Moon, and disappears back into the night. The Senshi and I regard him as the enemy."

"All of you? How about Sailor Moon? It's all over the news and the net just how much those two have a thing for each other." Which was terribly mind-boggling when he thought about it. Usagi and Mamoru were brother and sister, but when they were in their superhero forms they were...lovers? This didn't sound right. Did the Senshi not know?

"It can't be helped. She moons all over him whenever he's around," Rei groaned theatrically, and rolled her purple eyes skyward. "He never fails to rescue her though, even if sometimes she gets hurt. Actually," She frowned darkly. "He didn't rescue her in time that last battle and she got hurt."

"Her arm!" Motoki exclaimed, clicking his fingers. So that was what happened? Oh man, the Senshi quite obviously didn't have a clue about Mamoru being Tuxedo Kamen, and he didn't frankly have the guts to be the bearer of bad news. But maybe he could keep Usagi and Mamoru apart somehow. Without anyone being the wiser. 'Yeah, like that will work! They live in the same house.'

"Usagi and Mamoru aren't talking to each other because of that-and the other thing. But you knew that because you were there with Makoto over the gift incident." The girl was pretty much talking to herself then, her thoughts moving about in circles. "Usagi is avoiding him like he has the plague."

"Oh, that's not good." He mumbled, distressed at the thought that two people so close were at odds. But after the kiss, who could blame them? Something else occurred to him, and his eyes went wide. Mamoru did know that Usagi was Sailor Moon. He must be feeling even worse than his sister at that point. Knowing that the girl he had a crush on was his sister.

So, the Senshi knew that Mamoru knew about his sister being Sailor Moon, but they weren't aware that he was Tuxedo Kamen...

"Up shit creek without a paddle!" Motoki muttered, getting to his feet as a customer approached the counter. "What can I get for you?" He asked the lady.

"I have to get going. School will be out soon, and I have to do some Temple duties before the girls come over." Rei announced, also rising to her feet. She smiled at Motoki. "Thanks for talking it out with me."

"Not a problem," He smiled back at her, aware that he hadn't helped much. And that he was keeping secrets.

As he made the lady's double mocha latte, he found his spirits dropping. Mamoru desperately needed someone to confide in, but was he willing to accept the help?

A few minutes later, Motoki was cleaning out the coffee machine when the sliding door opened. He turned with a smile of greeting-but saw nothing. "Hello?" He questioned, craning his head around the counter as if someone was hiding. To his shock, a small black form launched itself onto one of the stools of the counter. A small familiar black cat sat there and stared at him, as if she were a person waiting to be served.

Was the world going to hell in a hand-basket?! Motoki stared back at the cat, feeling as if he were in the twilight zone. "Can I-help you?" He mumbled as if to a customer. He really didn't expect an answer.

"A bowl of milk please, Motoki," Luna said, knowing how big of a shock this was going to be for the young man. To her amusement, she saw him blink, then reach for a bowl automatically. He went to the fridge in a daze, filled the bowl and came back to the counter. He slid it in front of her tentatively, as if he thought he was dreaming and would wake up any minute. "Thank you." She murmured politely.

Motoki smacked his left cheek, then pinched his arm to see if he were really asleep. But really, this was the oddest thing he had ever encountered. Other than the weirdness that was his friend's life. "Oh," He said, suddenly getting a clue. "You're Luna!" Thank god! He wasn't going around the bend. He wasn't going to be toted off in a straightjacket by spooky people from an asylum just yet.

"Well, this certainly makes things a lot easier," The black feline replied, looking a little annoyed. "I understand that Rei told you quite a lot about us?"

"You saw her?" He replied, leaning against the other side of the counter and looking her over. She looked like an ordinary cat, baring the golden crescent moon on her forehead. Really, it should have been clear right away who she was, although he had only seen her wander into the Arcade often. He had just thought that she was following her owner. Which Luna had been. "It's nice to meet you. I understand you're the real leader of the Sailor Senshi?" And all this said with a straight face!

Luna was startled. Is that what Mars had told him? She was...sort of pleased. It was nice to be the acknowledged leader of those girls, even if she was just a cat now. They would be lost without her, and never would have gotten their transformation wands. "I am the Adviser to the Sailor Senshi and Sailor Moon's guardian. I will also be Royal Adviser to the Moon Princess, when we locate her." She replied modestly, dipping her face down to the bowl to take a drink.

"It's all very fascinating. I had no idea." Motoki leant over even closer. "Do you know about Tuxedo Kamen?" He asked, wondering if the cat knew more about the guy living in her house when his sister didn't. It would only be logical that a cat saw things and wasn't noticed, right?

She choked on the milk, then levelled a glare at him. "Rei said that you brought him up. Why so much interest?" She asked suspiciously. Was Motoki hiding something. "Do you know who Tuxedo Kamen is?"

"Er-no," The blonde man said hastily, hands up in a defensive position as if she could force the truth out of him. "But I'm a guy and well, guys like to here about the male superheros. Well, okay, we still perv over the female ones so I didn't mean it that way. But a man that fights alongside the Senshi against the aliens sounds really cool." Okay, he was babbling, but couldn't seem to stop.

Luna looked him over with narrowed red eyes and then finally nodded her head. "Of course you don't know him. The chances of finding out his identity and that of the Senshi are very low."

Motoki wasn't going to respond to that one, and soon made himself busy with customers. When he finally looked towards Luna again, she was gone. What mysterious person was going to come by and visit him next? He found himself looking towards the door with an expectant expression. There was only Mamoru left, or some alien. Personally, he was crossing his fingers that it would be his best friend.

After a long thoughtful silence, Motoki went to the phone in the back of the counter area and dialled in a number.

"Speak to me," A voice said sleepily.

"Hideki? It's Furuhata Motoki," The blonde man said warily, but with an overt friendly tone. He did not know this guy very well, but offending him would be just stupid-and very possibly deadly.

"Furuhata? Oh, hey man. It's been a month now...are you in some trouble? Or is it Mamoru?" Hideki was now wide awake and listening.

Motoki winced, and prepared to have his ears blasted off, but it had to be said. "Look, Mamoru is going through a tough time right now, so don't pull him into anything, okay?"

A long silence greeted his order, and the blonde man heard the sound of knuckles cracking. "You know who you're talking to, right?" The man responded rather ominously. "I'm not the sort of laidback guy you give orders to, my man."

"You want to give TK a mental breakdown?" Motoki said harshly, suddenly losing patience. It was vitally important that his best friend was not pulled into something stupid.

"Eh, he's that close? Okay, sure. You owe me one, Furuhata." Hideki drawled down the line.

The line went dead and Motoki slumped in abject relief. "Thank you, god." He said fervently, replacing the phone into the cradle. That was one problem down. At least Hideki had agreed, and he wasn't sure if it scared him that he owed the guy a favour.

Motoki had met Hideki a month ago. Mamoru and he had been attacked by a youma, and his best friend had transformed into Tuxedo Kamen. He had made a quick call and then gone into battle. To his surprise, the Senshi had not been the ones to turn up, but a large gang of rough-looking thugs. The poor youma had never known what hit her, with dozens of men pummelling and worse. But Tuxedo Kamen had been injured and had lost consciousness.

The men had gathered him and Motoki up, and in cars and motorbikes, had retreated to a warehouse in the bay area. He was completely convinced that they were both going to die, but their leader Hideki had ordered Tuxedo Kamen put into a private office, where he proceeded to patch him up. The gang leader explained that Mamoru had once saved his life, and he had done so for some of the other men as well. Only Hideki knew his true identity as Chiba Mamoru though.

Mamoru, to Motoki's eternal astonishment, had been made gang leader more than a year ago! He had turned it down, but Hideki had agreed to be the stand in, until the dark-haired man one day wanted to really take over. His best friend-leader of a gang? It was beyond thinking!

This was how Motoki had discovered not only that his friend was the hero of Juuban, but also he had a dark side that he had not even shown anyone. Not even his sister. Mamoru sometimes stepped in when the trouble to the gang became too much, and they backed him up when he was Tuxedo Kamen and the Senshi weren't aware of the attack.

"I stay out of it, being a completely respectable store owner. Mamoru, you continually surprise me," Motoki muttered under his breath. He heaved a great sigh, stretched his arms over his head to relieve some tension, and headed back to serve his customers. He had done what he could to make sure Mamoru recovered from this huge blow, now only time could heal all wounds.

Dinner wasn't supposed to be so complicated and...angry. Shingo spent his time alternating between his food plate and the members of his family. His mother and his father were chatting away as cheerfully as ever about work and their usual adult stuff, but there was a strained silence between Usagi and Mamoru.

He had come downstairs when she arrived home in time for dinner and had actually witnessed his brother and sister's behaviour towards each other. She had flinched when he walked beside her, and refused to meet his eyes. They also weren't fighting as usual. In fact, both studiously ignored each other, even though they were sitting side by side. She had even shuffled her chair more to the right to put more space between them, and they didn't speak.

Shingo had never seen Usagi look more miserable, or Mamoru more angry. He hadn't been angry to begin with, but after a while, he clearly was. His fork moved about the plate with abrupt movements, and his brows were permanently drawn together.

His little brother had no idea what was going on, but he didn't like it one bit. Usagi and he got on great usually, despite their arguments. Mom had said that Mamoru was getting to 'that age', whatever that meant. Did it mean that he would be angry all the time? "Hey Mamoru?" He asked tentatively.

Mamoru looked up from the wilful destruction of his mash potato's, expression like a thundercloud. When he saw who was talking, his eyes softened. Shingo was staring at him like he was a stranger. Had his expression been so bad? "Yeah, little brother?" His tone was deliberately light. He truly couldn't help how he was acting, and was taking his cue from Usagi. She had avoided even touching him in the slightest, like he had the plague or something. And what was worse, she wasn't even looking at him. It had wounded him to the quick, and then anger had set in.

He had as much right to be like that as she did! Did his step-sister think she was the only shocked one? She had also been hiding a secret identity from him.

And...it turned out that he was the reason she was wounded. He had not protected her in battle, and Sailor Moon had been hurt. This was the most damning thing of all. Who was he, if he wasn't good enough to protect the ones he loved?

"Can you play some soccer with me later?" Shingo asked hesitantly, not sure of the response. When he received a big smile in response, he sighed in relief.

Was he in such a bad mood that his little brother was worried about asking him to play? Mamoru sighed deeply and put his hand over his eyes. His headache was a lot lower than it had been through the day, thank god.

A sideways look at Usagi's profile showed a tightening about the eyes that showed clearly that she was not feeling better. But she had not had the benefit of sleeping in a dark room, thanks to Rei's interferences. Mamoru still couldn't believe that she had the gall to ask him such a horrible, personal thing...or that it had a grain of truth to it. But it had helped a little talking to her. He really wished it could Motoki who was his confidant... But that would mean explaining about his and his sister's secret identities. And that just didn't seem right, betraying her in that manner.

"I might join you boys," Kenji said, eyes bright as they rested on his sons. When they looked at him like he had two heads, he deflated somewhat. Clearly, he had not been spending enough time with them. "If you don't mind." His tone was a little more humble. It's not that he didn't want to spent time with them, but with work and...other things, he never seemed to be home. Things were going to be changing soon though. Just one more trip to the states would give him the answer he needed. He felt a pang in the region of his heart at what he was going to do to their family.

A quick look at his wife confirmed that she had somehow divined his wandering thoughts and was not amused.

"Your father would love to play with you boys, so go easy on him." Ikuko murmured, eyes resting on her husband's face sternly. Honestly, either he wanted to be there, or he didn't. But his actions rebounded on the entire family, and they would be having a long talk about his neglecting his three children.

Usagi stiffened when Mamoru reached for his glass, accidentally brushing her hand with his own. "Shit," They both muttered, jerking back. Their eyes met for a moment, before returning to their plates.

"I need some pain-killers." The blonde stated, starting to rise to her feet. She needed to escape this stifling atmosphere before she screamed! Being around Mamoru was so hard. She wanted to talk to him, to smooth things over, but she couldn't help also wanting to run to her room and locking the door. She could sense his frustration and anger and wished the kiss had never happened. How could she be so reckless in trying to lay one on him when she was Sailor Moon?

"I'll get them," Mamoru said quickly, getting to his feet first. He used the time he went into the kitchen to compose himself, and rearrange his expression. Usagi didn't deserve this treatment, even if she was being a brat right now. He could feel she was as frustrated with their silent fight as he was. They were very close, and this was bad for their relationship. What if, they could just act normal?

"Yes, that's it. Everything is fine." He muttered under his breath, frowning at the tylenol packet as if he had never seen it before. After a few moments of utter blankness, he remembered how to take the tablets out and he headed back into the dining room.

The blonde turned her head and watched her brother as he headed back to the table, his hand closed around some tablets. He sat down and looked rather blank for a moment, like his thoughts were far away. But then she saw his jaw clench. That was all the warning she got before he reached out for her hand and let two of the tablets tumble into her palm.

"Thanks-" She choked out, trying to pull away.

Mamoru held on for a few minutes stubbornly, taking his time to close her fingers about the tablets. He didn't want to let go, because it felt like he was letting her go. "You're welcome. Odango Atama." His tone was stilted, but still, it was an olive branch he was extending. Would she take it?

Usagi's hand trembled under his, and then she pulled away gently. He was trying, and she knew it. But-he was trying too quickly, and too much. She quickly put the tablets in her mouth and downed them with water. And then she willed herself to look at him. Mamoru, looked haggard. Had he slept at all, or had the migraine been so horrible?

But as bad as he felt, they couldn't just make it up between them right now. She slowly looked away and refused to respond to his hopeful silence. Her hand tingle where he had touched it and she was unsure if it was because of distaste, or something else. She really didn't want to examine the feeling too closely. Mamoru was frankly pushing his luck, and she was in no mood to patch up their fight right right now. Her head was killing her.

"May I be excused?" She said, exhausted by the events of the last twenty-four hours.

"Of course, dear," Ikuko said in a soft voice, concern in her eyes. She looked at Mamoru's stony expression as he watched his sister depart, and then she sighed deeply. They had some big problems, but all kids did their age. This was not one hurdle they were going to overcome in one night.

To Be Continued...

Write me if you liked! Comments are adored and much appreciated.

The next Chapter will be out in a couple of days. Or, maybe tomorrow, if my writing continues this well. :) Not to worry, things won't be as tense in the next Chapter between Usagi and Mamoru.

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Hugs,
Princess Destiny