Trapped Together Till Halloween
A Sekkushiaru Roman
By: Luna Hope
Email: [email protected]
Rated: "R"
Author's Note – I just want to say thank you to everyone who left a review (but I don't
have an email address for so I can't thank personally) for this story. "Thank You! You
really made my day!" ^_^
Chapter 8 –All Good Things…
"Yoo-hoooo! Trick or Treeeeat! Happy Halloweeeen…!"
Usagi and Mamoru slowly woke up to a very annoying voice yelling these ridiculous
phrases. In the last few days since they had first made love, they had taken full
advantage of their private little paradise. The two of them had enjoyed this new stage of
their relationship so much, that they had pretty much worn each other out. The last time
had been under the stars on the beach and they had fallen asleep where they were, on top
of the sleeping bag.
Usagi and Mamoru sat up with confused and disoriented expressions. Their eyes finally
focused on the source of the god-awful screeching. Out on the ocean just a little past the
breakers was a small yacht. Six people stood on the deck looking at them and the one
with long blonde hair was waving and hollering at them like a loon.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Motoki, Reika and the girls had set sail for the island the night before Halloween. They
neared the island in the early morning hours and all six, for many different reasons, were
anxious to see how the feuding pair had faired.
They had approached the beach area so they could sail around to the small pier just past
it. Suddenly Minako started hollering like a banshee and waving her arms. The others
shushed at her and tried to grab her to shut her up.
Minako excitedly exclaimed, "There they are!" then she yelled, "Hiiii…!" and waved her
arms to the two people sitting up on the beach.
The rest of the group looked toward the beach. After a moment of shocked silence, they
all started to snicker. Even from that distance they could see the hickys on Usagi's fair
skin and many were in places clothing would have covered to keep them secret. They
snickered more when they realized they saw a few on Mamoru too. The pair had
obviously settled their differences and gotten along!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Mamoru's brain finally kicked in. He realized their supposed friends were staring at
them. He didn't care so much about himself, but he especially didn't like the fact that
Motoki was looking at Usagi. Mamoru quickly stood up in front of Usagi to block their
view of her. Turning his back to the group, Mamoru crouched down and pulled the
sleeping bag up around Usagi's shoulders.
Usagi looked up at Mamoru with tears in her eyes. Their time together in paradise was
over and now they'd have to return to real life, battles and all.
Mamoru smiled sadly and leaned forward to give her a gentle kiss. With a sigh, he
reached for his wrap and stood.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
When Mamoru had stood up to shield Usagi, all five of the girls (Much to Motoki's
annoyance) stared and smiled appreciatively. A few of them had quietly whistled and the
ones who didn't know how to whistle cleared their throats. Mamoru stood before them in
bas-relief to the light sandy beach. The newly risen sun spotlighted his raven-black
tousled hair and created highlights and shadows that emphasized the sculpting of his lean,
toned body. Mamoru then turned his back to them and all the girls gasped in shock.
Motoki pumped the air with his fist and silently cheered at the red nail marks and
scratches they saw etched across Mamoru's back and upper arms. It was very clear their
plan had worked even better than some of them may have expected.
By the time Mamoru stood back up, tied his wrap around himself and turned around, the
group had mostly composed themselves. Mamoru glared at them as his voice boomed
out over the water, "You had *better* have some clothes for us!"
Minako reached down and grabbed a shopping bag at her feet. Waving it in the air, she
sang out, "Here they are! We'll meet you at the dock!"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Mamoru and Usagi sat on the yacht's deck next to each other. Usagi clutched her purse
in her lap and Mamoru's arm was around her. Watching them, Rei couldn't decide if he
held her in a possessive way or a protective way. Either way she was worried. There
was more to Usagi than Mamoru knew and this could complicate things for all of them.
Rei now realized they really should have thought this whole thing through a little more.
Motoki tried to joke with the quiet pair. He even mentioned some of the arcade gossip
they had missed over the last month. Mamoru gave Motoki a look that clearly said, "Cut
it out. Don't even bother trying."
Finally Motoki couldn't take it any more. With an exasperated sigh he stated, "Okay! It
may not have been the nicest thing to do but you can't be too angry with us. You're
obviously much closer now. You should be *thanking* us for that!"
The couple continued to be silent. The others started to wonder if realizing their hopes
for the couple would be at the expense of their friendship.
Usagi had watched Mamoru deal with their friends at the island and here on the boat.
She had seen an almost physical wall go down over his eyes and face when the others had
shown up. Mamoru now wore his reserve and aloofness like a cape over his shoulders.
He was so different from the man, who just a day ago was joking, smiling and so tender
with her.
Usagi could also see the difference Endymion's memories had made in him. Before, his
reserve was a desperate shield to keep others from getting too close and his attitude was
arrogant and defiant. Now, he carried an aura of self-assurance and quiet dignity. The
difference was subtle, but having known him both as Mamoru and Endymion, she could
see it. He wasn't afraid and alone anymore. He knew who he was. She looked down at
her hands and wondered if Serenity's memories had made a difference in her too.
Usagi knew her and Mamoru's relationship was destined to be, but how would it fair in
the day-to-day struggles of this world? She was afraid. She knew their ages alone would
be a difficult bridge to cross with her family.
They finally reached the marina later that afternoon. Mamoru helped Usagi off the boat
then turned to the others with a hard expression. "What you did to us was unforgivable,"
he ground out between his teeth, "Don't call us or try to contact us." Mamoru, with his
hand possessively on Usagi's waist, turned and walked away.
Makoto, Amy, Rei and Minako jumped off the boat. Desperately they called to her back,
"Usagi!"
Usagi stopped and turned to look at them. The sad look in her eyes broke their hearts. It
was clear she didn't consider them trustworthy anymore. Silently, she continued on her
way with Mamoru.
Amy tearfully whispered, "What have we done?!"
Makoto shook her head and quietly responded, "Luna is going to *kill* us when she finds
out!"
"Oh, Usagi!" Rei mournfully sighed.
Minako, apparently oblivious, offered, "Hey! I'm starved! Let's go get some burgers!"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Oh…Mamo-chan…please…" Usagi whispered a sigh.
Her plea almost made Mamoru turn around and take her back to his apartment. Never
mind the fact that they had just left there! Mamoru caught her lips with his and pressed
her up against the brick wall behind them. [There's a definite naughty thrill to making
out in public!] he fuzzily thought.
The couple could hear the dull noise of the arcade they were leaning against. Every so
often someone would enter or leave the arcade and the noise was louder until the door
shut again. Usagi and Mamoru were in the alleyway, hidden in the shadows. At first
they would freeze when someone walked past the alley, but they soon realized no one
even glanced their way. They were stalling and they both knew it. Neither of them really
wanted to go inside the building and do what they knew they needed to do.
Mamoru trailed kisses down her neck. He ran into the shoulder of her shirt and mentally
cursed. He had gotten used to not having to deal with clothing. It kept getting in his
way! With a sigh he changed directions and instead kissed along her collarbone to the
base of her throat then back up to her waiting lips. Mamoru had his fingers tangled in
Usagi's ponytail and he rubbed the strands lovingly.
Usagi's hands had slid down to Mamoru's hips and butt and she was also annoyed with
the fact that except for his face, neck and hands, she couldn't *get to* his skin!
Mamoru released their kiss and rested his cheek against one of Usagi's hair buns.
Sighing he quietly said, "Usako, We can't keep avoiding this. The arcade will close in a
few hours and we should get this over with."
Pouting, Usagi whined, "I don't know if I can be angry enough to do it! I'm really not
mad at them anymore. They actually did do us a favor."
"I know," Mamoru admitted, "I'm not as angry as I was either but this needs to be done.
Just because everything worked out okay in the end doesn't mean what they did was
right, especially the Senshi. They knowingly trapped Sailor Moon and that has to be
addressed. I also have a personal score to settle with Motoki. Let's just get this over
with, okay?"
Usagi sighed then reluctantly agreed.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Makoto, Amy, Rei, Minako and Reika sat in a booth together. Motoki was working, but
all six of them looked up each time the door opened. They all breathed a sigh of relief
when they finally saw the striking couple enter the arcade. Almost immediately, their
feelings of relief turned into leaded weights of anxiety and sank to the pit of their
stomachs. The stony expressions the couple wore made it worse.
Mamoru nodded to Usagi then resolutely strode toward Motoki who was taking an order
across the room from the girls.
Reika quickly jumped up and called, "Mamoru!" as she tried to intercept his path.
"Motoki just wanted to help you! Please!" she pleaded. Mamoru ignored her words as
he grabbed her arms and moved her aside. "Damn it, Mamoru!!" Reika desperately
cursed.
Stepping in front of Motoki, Mamoru's low voice clearly carried in the now silent arcade,
"Let's talk…in the alley out back."
Motoki blanched and he stuttered, "Um…M-M-Mamoru, I-I'm working…"
"Now!" growled Mamoru.
Motoki sighed with resignation. He looked at his sister as he took off his apron and said,
"I'm taking a break."
Both men headed for the back hallway. Reika followed. Grabbing Mamoru's arm she
begged, "Please, Mamoru! Please don't take him out there! Sit in here…*talk* in here!"
He continued to ignore her and she started to cry, "I'm coming too then!"
At this Motoki turned and pushed past Mamoru to Reika. He hugged her and whispered,
"Please, stay here. I don't think he'll kill me. You don't need to see this."
"But-but-but…Mo-chan!" Reika whispered, "I don't want him to hurt you at all!"
"Stay inside," Motoki reiterated firmly. Reika searched his face a moment more then
pulled out of his arms and ran to the women's room crying.
"Let's go," Mamoru impatiently stated.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Mako growled and stood, "I'll be damned if he's…"
"Makoto, sit down!" Usagi quietly ordered.
All four girls turned shocked faces towards the petite blonde. Mako slowly sat again.
Usagi silently stared at her Senshi for a moment then quietly said, "We need to talk.
We'll use the storage room." It wasn't a request. It was a command and each girl knew
it.
Rei's eyes started to snap angrily, "She can't just…"
Amy put her hand on Rei's arm to stop her words. Amy reminded her, "Yes she can, Rei
and she did. Let's go."
Amy stood to leave the table and the others reluctantly complied too.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Mamoru and Motoki stepped out the back door of the arcade. The dim glow of a light
bulb over the doorway lit a little of the alley but the area behind the building had only
moonlight. As they passed the corner of the building, Mamoru turned and grabbed
Motoki by the shirt. Swinging the blonde off his feet, Mamoru roughly threw him
against the wooden fence that surrounded the small area. The fence shook with the
impact and the garbage cans against it in the corner fell over, clattering together like
discordant cymbals in the quiet, night air.
Motoki knew he deserved whatever Mamoru dished out but he had still hoped.
[Apparently not!] he ruefully thought as he looked at the shadowed face in front of him.
Letting go of Motoki's shirt, Mamoru lifted his fist. "*This* is for slipping us mickys!"
He hissed as his fist shot forward. The second fist quickly followed as he said, "*This* is
for not leaving us any clothes!" The next was punctuated by, "*This* is for all my bills
being a month over due and I don't have a job!" "*This* is for letting the plants in my
apartment die!" "*This* is for suckering the girls into helping you abduct us! *This* is
for making us stay there a whole month!
Motoki had steeled himself for the pain and silently stood still as Mamoru's fists had
repeatedly flown. Mamoru paused and Motoki peeked open his eyes. He had felt the
wood splintering around him and now there were six fist-sized holes in the fence around
Motoki's head and body.
A sigh of relief exploded from Motoki's lips and Mamoru socked him in the stomach.
Not as hard as he could have, but hard enough to knock the wind out of Motoki and make
him wish he hadn't eaten dinner. Motoki doubled over gripping his stomach and fell to
his knees.
"*THAT* was for cutting Usagi's hair and making her cry!" Mamoru growled angrily.
Once Motoki was able to breath and he was fairly certain he wasn't going to loose his
dinner, he whispered, "Making her cry?" He then looked up at Mamoru and bitterly
exclaimed, "Making her cry! You hit me for *making her cry*! Shit, Mamoru!
*You've* made her cry many more times than I have! If I deserved to be hit for *that*
then *you* deserve to be hit even more!"
Mamoru blinked, surprised by Motoki's verbal come back, "Cry? When did I make her
cry?!"
Motoki grabbed the fence to help him slowly stand. He still held his stomach as he
angrily glared at Mamoru. He answered, "You know all those times you two fought and
Usagi had stalked away from you and out of the arcade with her head held high?"
Mamoru nodded and Motoki continued, "As soon as she was out of sight of the arcade
windows she'd turn into the alley and cry! Many times I'd go out the back door and find
her standing there. I'd try to comfort her and tell her you were a jerk. I wanted to go
back inside and beat the pulp out of you for hurting her, but I couldn't. She made me
promise not to and not to tell you she was crying. She told me that someday she hoped
you'd stop pushing her away and then the two of you could become friends."
Mamoru was shocked by Motoki's words. All along Usagi had been trying to reach out
to him! She had known he fought with her because he had been afraid to let her get
close!
Motoki explained, "I was fed up with waiting for you and decided I had to do something.
Because of my promise to Usagi I couldn't knock you around or even tell you. I needed
to find a way to make you face her and not be able to hide or push her away. I had
actually been thinking about it for quite a while. The last big fight you two had was what
finally made me angry enough to try it."
"You're right," Mamoru sadly whispered, "I feel horrible about hurting Usagi all those
times!" He looked up at Motoki then suddenly grabbed him and traded places against the
fence. "Okay, Motoki, give me your best shot. I deserve it," Mamoru instructed.
Motoki stood there considering Mamoru's offer. He pulled his fist back and with an
eager expression, swung with all his might. His fist crashed into the fence beside
Mamoru's face.
"Ow! Oh, shit! That *hurt*!! Ow!!" Motoki moaned as he shook and held his injured
fist. He examined it for splinters then pulled his handkerchief out of his pocket and
dabbed at the blood seeping from his cut knuckles. Looking up at Mamoru he added,
"I'm still bound by my promise to Usagi to not hurt you so I can't really hit you."
Motoki looked at the fence and considered the splintered holes Mamoru's fists had left.
Motoki hadn't even dented the wood when he had tried. Curious, Motoki asked, "How
did you do that without breaking your hands or even cutting yourself, Mamoru?"
Mamoru nervously ran his fingers through his hair then hesitantly answered, "Um…I
guess my hands are…um…callused or something…from Karate class." Motoki nodded
and didn't question Mamoru's answer. Mamoru silently sighed with relief.
"Motoki," Mamoru said and Motoki looked up from his hand. Mamoru quietly admitted,
"I…I really do love Usagi, a lot. Thank you for telling me what a jerk I've been to her.
I'll try to make it up to her, I promise." Hesitating, he then impulsively grabbed Motoki
and hugged him tightly. "Thank you!" he choked out, "Thank you for doing one of the
nicest things anybody has ever done for me and for being the best friend a guy could ever
have!"
Mamoru quickly let go of the stunned Motoki. With a threatening glare, Mamoru
warned, "If you *ever* tell anybody I said that or hugged you, I'll deny it!"
Motoki blinked a moment at Mamoru's mercurial behavior then began to laugh, "You're
still the same old Mamoru!" He shook his head and chuckled, "Someday, Usagi and I are
going to get you to drop that tough guy exterior, loosen up and enjoy life!"
Motoki then thought of something. He asked, "How did Usagi's hair grow back so
quickly? I *know* we cut it and you even said it."
Mamoru curtly answered, "Magic and don't ever ask again!"
Before Motoki could think of a good response, Mamoru looked up as if he had been
called. Looking back at Motoki he said, "Excuse me, I have another appointment," then
quickly went back inside the arcade.
Blinking a few more times at his friend's odd answers and behavior, which weren't really
all that odd for this friend, Motoki finally dismissed it with a shake of his head. Turning
around, Motoki looked at the broken and splintered fence. He ruefully sighed, "That's
going to come out of my paycheck."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The four girls and Usagi walked down the hall and entered the storage room. Usagi
walked to the far end of the room. She looked at the folding chair and the shelves. [So
much has changed since I was here last!] she thought.
Turning around Usagi contemplated her friends, her Senshi.
The girls shifted around uncomfortably on their feet. None of them knew what to expect.
Finally, Usagi sadly stated, "You didn't protect me. You sent me away knowing full well
that you could have been putting me at risk and even worse, the entire world at risk! I'm
certain Luna didn't agree to the plan. Rei, what did you tell her to get around her?"
With a guilty flinch the Priestess started to sputter. She looked up into Usagi's eyes then
sighed in resignation. There was something different about Usagi that made Rei
unwilling to antagonize her. Rei answered, "We told Luna and Artemis your parents had
sent you to visit your aunt for a month in Osaka. We then had Luna stay with Makoto so
your family wouldn't make Luna suspicious."
Usagi nodded, "That would work." Looking up at all the Senshi, Usagi continued with a
hard stare, "Luna and Artemis will have to be told."
All four girls gulped and nodded. They knew that was not going to be pleasant. Luna
could be a harsh taskmaster when provoked.
Makoto looked up and hopefully pointed out, "Nothing bad happened though. There
wasn't even one attack from the Dark Kingdom all month! Maybe we got the last of
them. Maybe there wasn't danger to the Earth after all."
Usagi sadly shook her head, "Makoto, don't try to tell me that. I now know for a fact that
our battle has only just begun. The Dark Kingdom is alive and well and we have yet to
meet their strongest fighter."
Usagi's quiet reprimands stunned the girls and filled their hearts with dread. Usagi
continued, "You were fortunate…*we* were fortunate…the Earth and all who live here
*were fortunate*…to not have paid for your actions with their lives! It wasn't because
you four were vigilant with your mission!"
Amy, Makoto, Minako and Rei hung their heads. They had no good answer to Usagi's
accusations. All four girls wondered what had happened to their easy-going, fun-loving
and gullible leader. They had never seen Usagi so serious. Even as her words stung, they
couldn't help admiring Usagi's new attitude.
"Rei, I want my brooch and wand," Usagi commanded.
Reaching into her sub-space pocket, Rei quickly complied. She could finally see that
Usagi was the only person qualified to use the weapons. She found the brooch and
placed it in Usagi's hand. Rei reached far back in her pocket searching. A frown crossed
her face as she searched again. After the third time she searched, panic was filling her
eyes. Rei looked up at Usagi with trepidation and whispered, "I-I can't find the wand! I-
It's not here!"
"What!" the others shrieked horrified.
Silently, Usagi pined her brooch to her shirt then reached into her own sub-space pocket.
All four girls gasped when Usagi showed them the wand in her hand. The crystal's
scintillating glow spoke of the strong power it contained.
Usagi held the wand above her head and whispered her transformation. The four
shielded their eyes from the bright shine that came from the crystal.
When the crystal's power subsided the girls raised their heads and were speechless with
surprise. Usagi now stood before them in a gown of purest white with gold details and a
crescent shaped emblem glowed on her forehead. She was beautiful and every inch of
her radiated royalty.
The Silver Crystal had also restored the four girl's memories of the Silver Millennium.
They were totally overwhelmed with the information that had flooded into them. Minako
finally rasped out, "The Moon Princess! Usagi, you're the Moon Princess!"
The door to the storage room opened behind them and all four girls spun around in battle
stance even though they hadn't yet transformed.
Mamoru entered the room and locked the door behind him. The girls stood between
Mamoru and the Princess. Their expressions of distrust were impossible to miss.
Makoto growled, "I *locked* that! How did you open it?! This is a *private* meeting,
leave at once!"
Mamoru didn't look at all intimidated or concerned by the amazon's aggressive warning
and stance. With a deft movement Mamoru pulled a rose and transformed into Tuxedo
Kamen right before their eyes.
Without a word, Tuxedo Kamen stepped forward and confidently passed between the
shocked girls.
When he was within arm's reach of the Princess, Tuxedo Kamen again transformed and
became Prince Endymion. He bowed to his Princess then handed her the rose with a
smile.
Turning around he stood next to Princess Serenity. He bowed and formally spoke, "I am
Endymion, Prince of Earth.
The four girls were totally bewildered as they stared at the stunning couple. It took a
command from their Princess to remind them to transform.
The girls transformed and as soon as they had finished, Mars blurted out, "Endymion and
Serenity?! How is this possible? We all died on the Moon!"
Mercury had her computer and visor out and frantically typed as she tried to make some
sense of all she had learned and seen. Shaking her head she muttered, "We must have
been sent to the future and were reincarnated! The power needed to be able to
accomplish something like that would have been enormous!"
Jupiter was shaking her head in bewilderment and Venus, with stars in her eyes, was
gushing, "You two look *soo…* good together! It's *so…* romantic! You found each
other again after a thousand years!"
Princess Serenity, still silent, gave them a disapproving stare. It was Sailor Venus who
finally realized. As she quickly bent her knees to kneel, she jerked on the skirts of the
two Senshi standing next to her. Startled, all three of them followed suit to show respect
to the Princess and her Prince.
Sailor Venus formally introduced herself, "I am Sailor Venus and I swear my allegiance
and loyalty to her Royal Highness, Princess Serenity of the Moon Kingdom and to Prince
Endymion of Earth, our Princess' betrothed since the Silver Millennium." The other
Senshi each followed Sailor Venus' example in turn.
Prince Endymion spoke first, "We thank you for your pledges of fealty. However,
warriors who are loyal to their leader would never have allowed Motoki's plan to
succeed. The entire world's safety and future depends on Sailor Moon. You knew that
and yet you deliberately deceived her and rendered her powerless. I am skeptical of your
oaths."
Princess Serenity gripped her hands together and made a conscious effort to not wince.
She had not put it as bluntly or as harshly as Endymion had. It hurt her to see her friends
look as if they had been slapped.
All four girls bowed their heads. Their cheeks were red with shame and more than one of
them had tears in her eyes. They knew the Prince spoke the truth. If they were stripped
of their powers and banished or even counted as enemies, it wouldn't be more than they
deserved.
Venus looked up and tears ran down her cheeks. She spoke, "I need to take the majority
of the responsibility for this." The other three Senshi looked perplexed but Venus
continued, "I had seen right away that Usagi and Mamoru were soulmates. It was pretty
obvious they, or rather, you two weren't going to stop fighting on your own. When
Motoki told us his plan I thought it would be a way to force you to get to know each other
better. I didn't really consider all the possible consequences and I pushed the other three
girls into going along with the plan. I'm *really* sorry. Even though I like how it
worked out, I now see it was foolish and risky."
Mars and Jupiter protested, "We weren't pushed into anything! We chose to participate.
We are as much to blame as Venus."
Mercury had a thoughtful look on her face. She hesitantly spoke, "Um…guys? Actually,
when I reviewed our conversations, Minako was pushy about it. I agree we chose and are
responsible too, but Minako worked really hard to convince us." The three girls turned to
Venus with shocked, angry glares.
Fearing for her life, Venus threw her hands together and with a bow, begged, "I'm
*sorry*! *Please* forgive me!!" She opened one eye to peek at them and make sure
they weren't going to grab her, wrap her in packing tape and throw her off a bridge. Her
expression was so comical the girls couldn't help but laugh.
Makoto then looked to the Princess and Prince. She admitted, "What we did was wrong
and we apologize." Then, with a sorrowful and desperate voice she begged, "Please
forgive us and give us another chance. We have finally found our Princess! Please give
us the chance to help protect her!"
Princess Serenity had tears in her eyes and it took everything she had to not run and
throw her arms around her friends to comfort them.
Prince Endymion could feel Princess Serenity's emotional turmoil and decided this was
enough. Looking at the Senshi he answered, "Princess Serenity, our powerful Sailor
Moon and precious Usagi has a big and forgiving heart. I have been a grateful recipient
of her forgiveness and she gave me a second chance more than once when I didn't
deserve it at all. If she is willing to forgive you then I will be willing too."
All five of them turned to look hopefully at Princess Serenity.
With tears running down her face, the Princess held her arms up and simply said, "My
friends!"
All four girls ran to their Princess. They hugged and cried and things were finally as they
should be.
Everyone de-transformed and the pall of emotional tension that had filled the room, lifted
and faded away.
Usagi and Mamoru with their arms around each other explained to the girls how the
crystal and wand had appeared to them on the island and what they now knew about the
enemy.
Just before they left the storage room Makoto looked meaningfully at the couple and
grinned. She joked, "At least we sent Tuxedo Kamen with you, Usagi. That has to count
for something even if we didn't know we had done it!"
Usagi laughed and much to Mamoru's embarrassment, she added, "Yes, sending the
hottest-looking, hunkiest guy in all of Tokyo was definitely something you did right!"
All the girls had a mental flash back of Mamoru standing naked on the beach. Fanning
themselves they all chorused, "You got that right! Uh-huh! Whoa! Yes, no contest
there!"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Just before closing time, the whole group sat together and ordered ice cream to celebrate
not only Usagi and Mamoru's very friendly truce but also the truce between them all.
Motoki and Reika sat at one end of the booth, Mamoru and Usagi sat across from them
and the girls had all sat around the rest of the table.
During a lull in the conversation, Minako looked up. With a mischievous twinkle in her
eye she asked, "Usagi? Did you two use up all the 'presents' I had left for you and
Mamoru?"
Everyone turned to look at Mamoru and Usagi curiously. With a surprisingly mature
grin, Usagi responded, "Why do you ask, Minako? Do you want any that are unused
back? Do *you* have a use for them?"
Minako scowled then looked down and stabbed at her ice cream. Everyone was waiting
for her answer. Finally she blurted with exasperation, "No, and *thank you so much* for
reminding me!" She then went back to muttering under her breath about gratitude while
stabbing her ice cream. Everyone couldn't help but laugh.
Usagi turned to Rei and asked, "Are my parents expecting me back tonight?"
Rei answered, "I told them tomorrow just incase we got delayed."
Usagi smiled. Turning to Makoto she asked, "Do you mind keeping Luna for one more
night?"
With a conspiratorial grin, Mako said, "Sure, but only one more night. She's a pain to
live with. She gets up *way* too early and all she does is talk, talk, talk!"
Usagi laughed, "Yes, I know! She can be a pain sometimes!"
Rei, Amy, Minako and Mamoru were looking at the two girls aghast. More than one of
them tried to kick the two girls in the shins. Needless to say all six of them suddenly
yelped and glared at each other.
Motoki and Reika were very perplexed as they listened and watched their peculiar
friends. Motoki asked, "Isn't Luna your cat, Usagi? She talks?"
The others looked nervously at each other and as usual, it was Amy who saved the
moment by saying, "Sure! You know, 'Meow, Meow, Meow'. She's *very* vocal."
Reika and Motoki answered, "Oh," in unison and everyone sighed with relief. They all
wondered when one of their slip-ups would prompt a question they couldn't find a good
answer to.
Reika then looked at the others and asked, "By the way, what happened with Usagi's
hair? I know we cut it. How'd it grow back so quickly?"
[And there it is!] they all thought in panic as they looked at each other. Not even Amy
knew what to say.
The silence stretched out at the table then Motoki answered his girlfriend, "Magic and
don't ever ask about it again."
All the other girls stared bug eyed at Motoki.
Reika, who had given Motoki a dubious look, said, "Oh, really?"
Motoki shrugged and added, "That's what Mamoru told me."
Mamoru put his head in his hands as he ruefully thought, [I *know* I'm going to hear it
for that one!]
Reika decided to shrug it off too, so the subject was dropped.
Mamoru leaned over and whispered something in Usagi's ear. She blushed and looked
up at him with a smile.
Usagi then turned to the others as she and Mamoru hastily stood, "We'll be going now.
Bye everyone." Before anyone could blink the couple was already out the door.
The girls, Motoki and Reika watch the couple cuddle together in each other's arms as
they walked past the arcade windows.
Minako observed with a sigh, "Damn! I wish I could go on a good vacation like that!"
The End! ^_^v
Disclaimer - Sailor Moon and friends don't belong to me! Thank you Takeuchi Naoko-
sama for creating such fun characters. ^_^
A Sekkushiaru Roman
By: Luna Hope
Email: [email protected]
Rated: "R"
Author's Note – I just want to say thank you to everyone who left a review (but I don't
have an email address for so I can't thank personally) for this story. "Thank You! You
really made my day!" ^_^
Chapter 8 –All Good Things…
"Yoo-hoooo! Trick or Treeeeat! Happy Halloweeeen…!"
Usagi and Mamoru slowly woke up to a very annoying voice yelling these ridiculous
phrases. In the last few days since they had first made love, they had taken full
advantage of their private little paradise. The two of them had enjoyed this new stage of
their relationship so much, that they had pretty much worn each other out. The last time
had been under the stars on the beach and they had fallen asleep where they were, on top
of the sleeping bag.
Usagi and Mamoru sat up with confused and disoriented expressions. Their eyes finally
focused on the source of the god-awful screeching. Out on the ocean just a little past the
breakers was a small yacht. Six people stood on the deck looking at them and the one
with long blonde hair was waving and hollering at them like a loon.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Motoki, Reika and the girls had set sail for the island the night before Halloween. They
neared the island in the early morning hours and all six, for many different reasons, were
anxious to see how the feuding pair had faired.
They had approached the beach area so they could sail around to the small pier just past
it. Suddenly Minako started hollering like a banshee and waving her arms. The others
shushed at her and tried to grab her to shut her up.
Minako excitedly exclaimed, "There they are!" then she yelled, "Hiiii…!" and waved her
arms to the two people sitting up on the beach.
The rest of the group looked toward the beach. After a moment of shocked silence, they
all started to snicker. Even from that distance they could see the hickys on Usagi's fair
skin and many were in places clothing would have covered to keep them secret. They
snickered more when they realized they saw a few on Mamoru too. The pair had
obviously settled their differences and gotten along!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Mamoru's brain finally kicked in. He realized their supposed friends were staring at
them. He didn't care so much about himself, but he especially didn't like the fact that
Motoki was looking at Usagi. Mamoru quickly stood up in front of Usagi to block their
view of her. Turning his back to the group, Mamoru crouched down and pulled the
sleeping bag up around Usagi's shoulders.
Usagi looked up at Mamoru with tears in her eyes. Their time together in paradise was
over and now they'd have to return to real life, battles and all.
Mamoru smiled sadly and leaned forward to give her a gentle kiss. With a sigh, he
reached for his wrap and stood.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
When Mamoru had stood up to shield Usagi, all five of the girls (Much to Motoki's
annoyance) stared and smiled appreciatively. A few of them had quietly whistled and the
ones who didn't know how to whistle cleared their throats. Mamoru stood before them in
bas-relief to the light sandy beach. The newly risen sun spotlighted his raven-black
tousled hair and created highlights and shadows that emphasized the sculpting of his lean,
toned body. Mamoru then turned his back to them and all the girls gasped in shock.
Motoki pumped the air with his fist and silently cheered at the red nail marks and
scratches they saw etched across Mamoru's back and upper arms. It was very clear their
plan had worked even better than some of them may have expected.
By the time Mamoru stood back up, tied his wrap around himself and turned around, the
group had mostly composed themselves. Mamoru glared at them as his voice boomed
out over the water, "You had *better* have some clothes for us!"
Minako reached down and grabbed a shopping bag at her feet. Waving it in the air, she
sang out, "Here they are! We'll meet you at the dock!"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Mamoru and Usagi sat on the yacht's deck next to each other. Usagi clutched her purse
in her lap and Mamoru's arm was around her. Watching them, Rei couldn't decide if he
held her in a possessive way or a protective way. Either way she was worried. There
was more to Usagi than Mamoru knew and this could complicate things for all of them.
Rei now realized they really should have thought this whole thing through a little more.
Motoki tried to joke with the quiet pair. He even mentioned some of the arcade gossip
they had missed over the last month. Mamoru gave Motoki a look that clearly said, "Cut
it out. Don't even bother trying."
Finally Motoki couldn't take it any more. With an exasperated sigh he stated, "Okay! It
may not have been the nicest thing to do but you can't be too angry with us. You're
obviously much closer now. You should be *thanking* us for that!"
The couple continued to be silent. The others started to wonder if realizing their hopes
for the couple would be at the expense of their friendship.
Usagi had watched Mamoru deal with their friends at the island and here on the boat.
She had seen an almost physical wall go down over his eyes and face when the others had
shown up. Mamoru now wore his reserve and aloofness like a cape over his shoulders.
He was so different from the man, who just a day ago was joking, smiling and so tender
with her.
Usagi could also see the difference Endymion's memories had made in him. Before, his
reserve was a desperate shield to keep others from getting too close and his attitude was
arrogant and defiant. Now, he carried an aura of self-assurance and quiet dignity. The
difference was subtle, but having known him both as Mamoru and Endymion, she could
see it. He wasn't afraid and alone anymore. He knew who he was. She looked down at
her hands and wondered if Serenity's memories had made a difference in her too.
Usagi knew her and Mamoru's relationship was destined to be, but how would it fair in
the day-to-day struggles of this world? She was afraid. She knew their ages alone would
be a difficult bridge to cross with her family.
They finally reached the marina later that afternoon. Mamoru helped Usagi off the boat
then turned to the others with a hard expression. "What you did to us was unforgivable,"
he ground out between his teeth, "Don't call us or try to contact us." Mamoru, with his
hand possessively on Usagi's waist, turned and walked away.
Makoto, Amy, Rei and Minako jumped off the boat. Desperately they called to her back,
"Usagi!"
Usagi stopped and turned to look at them. The sad look in her eyes broke their hearts. It
was clear she didn't consider them trustworthy anymore. Silently, she continued on her
way with Mamoru.
Amy tearfully whispered, "What have we done?!"
Makoto shook her head and quietly responded, "Luna is going to *kill* us when she finds
out!"
"Oh, Usagi!" Rei mournfully sighed.
Minako, apparently oblivious, offered, "Hey! I'm starved! Let's go get some burgers!"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Oh…Mamo-chan…please…" Usagi whispered a sigh.
Her plea almost made Mamoru turn around and take her back to his apartment. Never
mind the fact that they had just left there! Mamoru caught her lips with his and pressed
her up against the brick wall behind them. [There's a definite naughty thrill to making
out in public!] he fuzzily thought.
The couple could hear the dull noise of the arcade they were leaning against. Every so
often someone would enter or leave the arcade and the noise was louder until the door
shut again. Usagi and Mamoru were in the alleyway, hidden in the shadows. At first
they would freeze when someone walked past the alley, but they soon realized no one
even glanced their way. They were stalling and they both knew it. Neither of them really
wanted to go inside the building and do what they knew they needed to do.
Mamoru trailed kisses down her neck. He ran into the shoulder of her shirt and mentally
cursed. He had gotten used to not having to deal with clothing. It kept getting in his
way! With a sigh he changed directions and instead kissed along her collarbone to the
base of her throat then back up to her waiting lips. Mamoru had his fingers tangled in
Usagi's ponytail and he rubbed the strands lovingly.
Usagi's hands had slid down to Mamoru's hips and butt and she was also annoyed with
the fact that except for his face, neck and hands, she couldn't *get to* his skin!
Mamoru released their kiss and rested his cheek against one of Usagi's hair buns.
Sighing he quietly said, "Usako, We can't keep avoiding this. The arcade will close in a
few hours and we should get this over with."
Pouting, Usagi whined, "I don't know if I can be angry enough to do it! I'm really not
mad at them anymore. They actually did do us a favor."
"I know," Mamoru admitted, "I'm not as angry as I was either but this needs to be done.
Just because everything worked out okay in the end doesn't mean what they did was
right, especially the Senshi. They knowingly trapped Sailor Moon and that has to be
addressed. I also have a personal score to settle with Motoki. Let's just get this over
with, okay?"
Usagi sighed then reluctantly agreed.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Makoto, Amy, Rei, Minako and Reika sat in a booth together. Motoki was working, but
all six of them looked up each time the door opened. They all breathed a sigh of relief
when they finally saw the striking couple enter the arcade. Almost immediately, their
feelings of relief turned into leaded weights of anxiety and sank to the pit of their
stomachs. The stony expressions the couple wore made it worse.
Mamoru nodded to Usagi then resolutely strode toward Motoki who was taking an order
across the room from the girls.
Reika quickly jumped up and called, "Mamoru!" as she tried to intercept his path.
"Motoki just wanted to help you! Please!" she pleaded. Mamoru ignored her words as
he grabbed her arms and moved her aside. "Damn it, Mamoru!!" Reika desperately
cursed.
Stepping in front of Motoki, Mamoru's low voice clearly carried in the now silent arcade,
"Let's talk…in the alley out back."
Motoki blanched and he stuttered, "Um…M-M-Mamoru, I-I'm working…"
"Now!" growled Mamoru.
Motoki sighed with resignation. He looked at his sister as he took off his apron and said,
"I'm taking a break."
Both men headed for the back hallway. Reika followed. Grabbing Mamoru's arm she
begged, "Please, Mamoru! Please don't take him out there! Sit in here…*talk* in here!"
He continued to ignore her and she started to cry, "I'm coming too then!"
At this Motoki turned and pushed past Mamoru to Reika. He hugged her and whispered,
"Please, stay here. I don't think he'll kill me. You don't need to see this."
"But-but-but…Mo-chan!" Reika whispered, "I don't want him to hurt you at all!"
"Stay inside," Motoki reiterated firmly. Reika searched his face a moment more then
pulled out of his arms and ran to the women's room crying.
"Let's go," Mamoru impatiently stated.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Mako growled and stood, "I'll be damned if he's…"
"Makoto, sit down!" Usagi quietly ordered.
All four girls turned shocked faces towards the petite blonde. Mako slowly sat again.
Usagi silently stared at her Senshi for a moment then quietly said, "We need to talk.
We'll use the storage room." It wasn't a request. It was a command and each girl knew
it.
Rei's eyes started to snap angrily, "She can't just…"
Amy put her hand on Rei's arm to stop her words. Amy reminded her, "Yes she can, Rei
and she did. Let's go."
Amy stood to leave the table and the others reluctantly complied too.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Mamoru and Motoki stepped out the back door of the arcade. The dim glow of a light
bulb over the doorway lit a little of the alley but the area behind the building had only
moonlight. As they passed the corner of the building, Mamoru turned and grabbed
Motoki by the shirt. Swinging the blonde off his feet, Mamoru roughly threw him
against the wooden fence that surrounded the small area. The fence shook with the
impact and the garbage cans against it in the corner fell over, clattering together like
discordant cymbals in the quiet, night air.
Motoki knew he deserved whatever Mamoru dished out but he had still hoped.
[Apparently not!] he ruefully thought as he looked at the shadowed face in front of him.
Letting go of Motoki's shirt, Mamoru lifted his fist. "*This* is for slipping us mickys!"
He hissed as his fist shot forward. The second fist quickly followed as he said, "*This* is
for not leaving us any clothes!" The next was punctuated by, "*This* is for all my bills
being a month over due and I don't have a job!" "*This* is for letting the plants in my
apartment die!" "*This* is for suckering the girls into helping you abduct us! *This* is
for making us stay there a whole month!
Motoki had steeled himself for the pain and silently stood still as Mamoru's fists had
repeatedly flown. Mamoru paused and Motoki peeked open his eyes. He had felt the
wood splintering around him and now there were six fist-sized holes in the fence around
Motoki's head and body.
A sigh of relief exploded from Motoki's lips and Mamoru socked him in the stomach.
Not as hard as he could have, but hard enough to knock the wind out of Motoki and make
him wish he hadn't eaten dinner. Motoki doubled over gripping his stomach and fell to
his knees.
"*THAT* was for cutting Usagi's hair and making her cry!" Mamoru growled angrily.
Once Motoki was able to breath and he was fairly certain he wasn't going to loose his
dinner, he whispered, "Making her cry?" He then looked up at Mamoru and bitterly
exclaimed, "Making her cry! You hit me for *making her cry*! Shit, Mamoru!
*You've* made her cry many more times than I have! If I deserved to be hit for *that*
then *you* deserve to be hit even more!"
Mamoru blinked, surprised by Motoki's verbal come back, "Cry? When did I make her
cry?!"
Motoki grabbed the fence to help him slowly stand. He still held his stomach as he
angrily glared at Mamoru. He answered, "You know all those times you two fought and
Usagi had stalked away from you and out of the arcade with her head held high?"
Mamoru nodded and Motoki continued, "As soon as she was out of sight of the arcade
windows she'd turn into the alley and cry! Many times I'd go out the back door and find
her standing there. I'd try to comfort her and tell her you were a jerk. I wanted to go
back inside and beat the pulp out of you for hurting her, but I couldn't. She made me
promise not to and not to tell you she was crying. She told me that someday she hoped
you'd stop pushing her away and then the two of you could become friends."
Mamoru was shocked by Motoki's words. All along Usagi had been trying to reach out
to him! She had known he fought with her because he had been afraid to let her get
close!
Motoki explained, "I was fed up with waiting for you and decided I had to do something.
Because of my promise to Usagi I couldn't knock you around or even tell you. I needed
to find a way to make you face her and not be able to hide or push her away. I had
actually been thinking about it for quite a while. The last big fight you two had was what
finally made me angry enough to try it."
"You're right," Mamoru sadly whispered, "I feel horrible about hurting Usagi all those
times!" He looked up at Motoki then suddenly grabbed him and traded places against the
fence. "Okay, Motoki, give me your best shot. I deserve it," Mamoru instructed.
Motoki stood there considering Mamoru's offer. He pulled his fist back and with an
eager expression, swung with all his might. His fist crashed into the fence beside
Mamoru's face.
"Ow! Oh, shit! That *hurt*!! Ow!!" Motoki moaned as he shook and held his injured
fist. He examined it for splinters then pulled his handkerchief out of his pocket and
dabbed at the blood seeping from his cut knuckles. Looking up at Mamoru he added,
"I'm still bound by my promise to Usagi to not hurt you so I can't really hit you."
Motoki looked at the fence and considered the splintered holes Mamoru's fists had left.
Motoki hadn't even dented the wood when he had tried. Curious, Motoki asked, "How
did you do that without breaking your hands or even cutting yourself, Mamoru?"
Mamoru nervously ran his fingers through his hair then hesitantly answered, "Um…I
guess my hands are…um…callused or something…from Karate class." Motoki nodded
and didn't question Mamoru's answer. Mamoru silently sighed with relief.
"Motoki," Mamoru said and Motoki looked up from his hand. Mamoru quietly admitted,
"I…I really do love Usagi, a lot. Thank you for telling me what a jerk I've been to her.
I'll try to make it up to her, I promise." Hesitating, he then impulsively grabbed Motoki
and hugged him tightly. "Thank you!" he choked out, "Thank you for doing one of the
nicest things anybody has ever done for me and for being the best friend a guy could ever
have!"
Mamoru quickly let go of the stunned Motoki. With a threatening glare, Mamoru
warned, "If you *ever* tell anybody I said that or hugged you, I'll deny it!"
Motoki blinked a moment at Mamoru's mercurial behavior then began to laugh, "You're
still the same old Mamoru!" He shook his head and chuckled, "Someday, Usagi and I are
going to get you to drop that tough guy exterior, loosen up and enjoy life!"
Motoki then thought of something. He asked, "How did Usagi's hair grow back so
quickly? I *know* we cut it and you even said it."
Mamoru curtly answered, "Magic and don't ever ask again!"
Before Motoki could think of a good response, Mamoru looked up as if he had been
called. Looking back at Motoki he said, "Excuse me, I have another appointment," then
quickly went back inside the arcade.
Blinking a few more times at his friend's odd answers and behavior, which weren't really
all that odd for this friend, Motoki finally dismissed it with a shake of his head. Turning
around, Motoki looked at the broken and splintered fence. He ruefully sighed, "That's
going to come out of my paycheck."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The four girls and Usagi walked down the hall and entered the storage room. Usagi
walked to the far end of the room. She looked at the folding chair and the shelves. [So
much has changed since I was here last!] she thought.
Turning around Usagi contemplated her friends, her Senshi.
The girls shifted around uncomfortably on their feet. None of them knew what to expect.
Finally, Usagi sadly stated, "You didn't protect me. You sent me away knowing full well
that you could have been putting me at risk and even worse, the entire world at risk! I'm
certain Luna didn't agree to the plan. Rei, what did you tell her to get around her?"
With a guilty flinch the Priestess started to sputter. She looked up into Usagi's eyes then
sighed in resignation. There was something different about Usagi that made Rei
unwilling to antagonize her. Rei answered, "We told Luna and Artemis your parents had
sent you to visit your aunt for a month in Osaka. We then had Luna stay with Makoto so
your family wouldn't make Luna suspicious."
Usagi nodded, "That would work." Looking up at all the Senshi, Usagi continued with a
hard stare, "Luna and Artemis will have to be told."
All four girls gulped and nodded. They knew that was not going to be pleasant. Luna
could be a harsh taskmaster when provoked.
Makoto looked up and hopefully pointed out, "Nothing bad happened though. There
wasn't even one attack from the Dark Kingdom all month! Maybe we got the last of
them. Maybe there wasn't danger to the Earth after all."
Usagi sadly shook her head, "Makoto, don't try to tell me that. I now know for a fact that
our battle has only just begun. The Dark Kingdom is alive and well and we have yet to
meet their strongest fighter."
Usagi's quiet reprimands stunned the girls and filled their hearts with dread. Usagi
continued, "You were fortunate…*we* were fortunate…the Earth and all who live here
*were fortunate*…to not have paid for your actions with their lives! It wasn't because
you four were vigilant with your mission!"
Amy, Makoto, Minako and Rei hung their heads. They had no good answer to Usagi's
accusations. All four girls wondered what had happened to their easy-going, fun-loving
and gullible leader. They had never seen Usagi so serious. Even as her words stung, they
couldn't help admiring Usagi's new attitude.
"Rei, I want my brooch and wand," Usagi commanded.
Reaching into her sub-space pocket, Rei quickly complied. She could finally see that
Usagi was the only person qualified to use the weapons. She found the brooch and
placed it in Usagi's hand. Rei reached far back in her pocket searching. A frown crossed
her face as she searched again. After the third time she searched, panic was filling her
eyes. Rei looked up at Usagi with trepidation and whispered, "I-I can't find the wand! I-
It's not here!"
"What!" the others shrieked horrified.
Silently, Usagi pined her brooch to her shirt then reached into her own sub-space pocket.
All four girls gasped when Usagi showed them the wand in her hand. The crystal's
scintillating glow spoke of the strong power it contained.
Usagi held the wand above her head and whispered her transformation. The four
shielded their eyes from the bright shine that came from the crystal.
When the crystal's power subsided the girls raised their heads and were speechless with
surprise. Usagi now stood before them in a gown of purest white with gold details and a
crescent shaped emblem glowed on her forehead. She was beautiful and every inch of
her radiated royalty.
The Silver Crystal had also restored the four girl's memories of the Silver Millennium.
They were totally overwhelmed with the information that had flooded into them. Minako
finally rasped out, "The Moon Princess! Usagi, you're the Moon Princess!"
The door to the storage room opened behind them and all four girls spun around in battle
stance even though they hadn't yet transformed.
Mamoru entered the room and locked the door behind him. The girls stood between
Mamoru and the Princess. Their expressions of distrust were impossible to miss.
Makoto growled, "I *locked* that! How did you open it?! This is a *private* meeting,
leave at once!"
Mamoru didn't look at all intimidated or concerned by the amazon's aggressive warning
and stance. With a deft movement Mamoru pulled a rose and transformed into Tuxedo
Kamen right before their eyes.
Without a word, Tuxedo Kamen stepped forward and confidently passed between the
shocked girls.
When he was within arm's reach of the Princess, Tuxedo Kamen again transformed and
became Prince Endymion. He bowed to his Princess then handed her the rose with a
smile.
Turning around he stood next to Princess Serenity. He bowed and formally spoke, "I am
Endymion, Prince of Earth.
The four girls were totally bewildered as they stared at the stunning couple. It took a
command from their Princess to remind them to transform.
The girls transformed and as soon as they had finished, Mars blurted out, "Endymion and
Serenity?! How is this possible? We all died on the Moon!"
Mercury had her computer and visor out and frantically typed as she tried to make some
sense of all she had learned and seen. Shaking her head she muttered, "We must have
been sent to the future and were reincarnated! The power needed to be able to
accomplish something like that would have been enormous!"
Jupiter was shaking her head in bewilderment and Venus, with stars in her eyes, was
gushing, "You two look *soo…* good together! It's *so…* romantic! You found each
other again after a thousand years!"
Princess Serenity, still silent, gave them a disapproving stare. It was Sailor Venus who
finally realized. As she quickly bent her knees to kneel, she jerked on the skirts of the
two Senshi standing next to her. Startled, all three of them followed suit to show respect
to the Princess and her Prince.
Sailor Venus formally introduced herself, "I am Sailor Venus and I swear my allegiance
and loyalty to her Royal Highness, Princess Serenity of the Moon Kingdom and to Prince
Endymion of Earth, our Princess' betrothed since the Silver Millennium." The other
Senshi each followed Sailor Venus' example in turn.
Prince Endymion spoke first, "We thank you for your pledges of fealty. However,
warriors who are loyal to their leader would never have allowed Motoki's plan to
succeed. The entire world's safety and future depends on Sailor Moon. You knew that
and yet you deliberately deceived her and rendered her powerless. I am skeptical of your
oaths."
Princess Serenity gripped her hands together and made a conscious effort to not wince.
She had not put it as bluntly or as harshly as Endymion had. It hurt her to see her friends
look as if they had been slapped.
All four girls bowed their heads. Their cheeks were red with shame and more than one of
them had tears in her eyes. They knew the Prince spoke the truth. If they were stripped
of their powers and banished or even counted as enemies, it wouldn't be more than they
deserved.
Venus looked up and tears ran down her cheeks. She spoke, "I need to take the majority
of the responsibility for this." The other three Senshi looked perplexed but Venus
continued, "I had seen right away that Usagi and Mamoru were soulmates. It was pretty
obvious they, or rather, you two weren't going to stop fighting on your own. When
Motoki told us his plan I thought it would be a way to force you to get to know each other
better. I didn't really consider all the possible consequences and I pushed the other three
girls into going along with the plan. I'm *really* sorry. Even though I like how it
worked out, I now see it was foolish and risky."
Mars and Jupiter protested, "We weren't pushed into anything! We chose to participate.
We are as much to blame as Venus."
Mercury had a thoughtful look on her face. She hesitantly spoke, "Um…guys? Actually,
when I reviewed our conversations, Minako was pushy about it. I agree we chose and are
responsible too, but Minako worked really hard to convince us." The three girls turned to
Venus with shocked, angry glares.
Fearing for her life, Venus threw her hands together and with a bow, begged, "I'm
*sorry*! *Please* forgive me!!" She opened one eye to peek at them and make sure
they weren't going to grab her, wrap her in packing tape and throw her off a bridge. Her
expression was so comical the girls couldn't help but laugh.
Makoto then looked to the Princess and Prince. She admitted, "What we did was wrong
and we apologize." Then, with a sorrowful and desperate voice she begged, "Please
forgive us and give us another chance. We have finally found our Princess! Please give
us the chance to help protect her!"
Princess Serenity had tears in her eyes and it took everything she had to not run and
throw her arms around her friends to comfort them.
Prince Endymion could feel Princess Serenity's emotional turmoil and decided this was
enough. Looking at the Senshi he answered, "Princess Serenity, our powerful Sailor
Moon and precious Usagi has a big and forgiving heart. I have been a grateful recipient
of her forgiveness and she gave me a second chance more than once when I didn't
deserve it at all. If she is willing to forgive you then I will be willing too."
All five of them turned to look hopefully at Princess Serenity.
With tears running down her face, the Princess held her arms up and simply said, "My
friends!"
All four girls ran to their Princess. They hugged and cried and things were finally as they
should be.
Everyone de-transformed and the pall of emotional tension that had filled the room, lifted
and faded away.
Usagi and Mamoru with their arms around each other explained to the girls how the
crystal and wand had appeared to them on the island and what they now knew about the
enemy.
Just before they left the storage room Makoto looked meaningfully at the couple and
grinned. She joked, "At least we sent Tuxedo Kamen with you, Usagi. That has to count
for something even if we didn't know we had done it!"
Usagi laughed and much to Mamoru's embarrassment, she added, "Yes, sending the
hottest-looking, hunkiest guy in all of Tokyo was definitely something you did right!"
All the girls had a mental flash back of Mamoru standing naked on the beach. Fanning
themselves they all chorused, "You got that right! Uh-huh! Whoa! Yes, no contest
there!"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Just before closing time, the whole group sat together and ordered ice cream to celebrate
not only Usagi and Mamoru's very friendly truce but also the truce between them all.
Motoki and Reika sat at one end of the booth, Mamoru and Usagi sat across from them
and the girls had all sat around the rest of the table.
During a lull in the conversation, Minako looked up. With a mischievous twinkle in her
eye she asked, "Usagi? Did you two use up all the 'presents' I had left for you and
Mamoru?"
Everyone turned to look at Mamoru and Usagi curiously. With a surprisingly mature
grin, Usagi responded, "Why do you ask, Minako? Do you want any that are unused
back? Do *you* have a use for them?"
Minako scowled then looked down and stabbed at her ice cream. Everyone was waiting
for her answer. Finally she blurted with exasperation, "No, and *thank you so much* for
reminding me!" She then went back to muttering under her breath about gratitude while
stabbing her ice cream. Everyone couldn't help but laugh.
Usagi turned to Rei and asked, "Are my parents expecting me back tonight?"
Rei answered, "I told them tomorrow just incase we got delayed."
Usagi smiled. Turning to Makoto she asked, "Do you mind keeping Luna for one more
night?"
With a conspiratorial grin, Mako said, "Sure, but only one more night. She's a pain to
live with. She gets up *way* too early and all she does is talk, talk, talk!"
Usagi laughed, "Yes, I know! She can be a pain sometimes!"
Rei, Amy, Minako and Mamoru were looking at the two girls aghast. More than one of
them tried to kick the two girls in the shins. Needless to say all six of them suddenly
yelped and glared at each other.
Motoki and Reika were very perplexed as they listened and watched their peculiar
friends. Motoki asked, "Isn't Luna your cat, Usagi? She talks?"
The others looked nervously at each other and as usual, it was Amy who saved the
moment by saying, "Sure! You know, 'Meow, Meow, Meow'. She's *very* vocal."
Reika and Motoki answered, "Oh," in unison and everyone sighed with relief. They all
wondered when one of their slip-ups would prompt a question they couldn't find a good
answer to.
Reika then looked at the others and asked, "By the way, what happened with Usagi's
hair? I know we cut it. How'd it grow back so quickly?"
[And there it is!] they all thought in panic as they looked at each other. Not even Amy
knew what to say.
The silence stretched out at the table then Motoki answered his girlfriend, "Magic and
don't ever ask about it again."
All the other girls stared bug eyed at Motoki.
Reika, who had given Motoki a dubious look, said, "Oh, really?"
Motoki shrugged and added, "That's what Mamoru told me."
Mamoru put his head in his hands as he ruefully thought, [I *know* I'm going to hear it
for that one!]
Reika decided to shrug it off too, so the subject was dropped.
Mamoru leaned over and whispered something in Usagi's ear. She blushed and looked
up at him with a smile.
Usagi then turned to the others as she and Mamoru hastily stood, "We'll be going now.
Bye everyone." Before anyone could blink the couple was already out the door.
The girls, Motoki and Reika watch the couple cuddle together in each other's arms as
they walked past the arcade windows.
Minako observed with a sigh, "Damn! I wish I could go on a good vacation like that!"
The End! ^_^v
Disclaimer - Sailor Moon and friends don't belong to me! Thank you Takeuchi Naoko-
sama for creating such fun characters. ^_^