So Hard to Find - Chapter 2
by Sereko
sereko13@yahoo.com
I'm going to skip over the very large apology that I should give
detailing my varying reasons for being incommunicado for something
like six months. Needless to say, life caught up with me. I'm
finally back, though. I hope there are still some people out
there who remember me. If not, then welcome to all you newcomers!
I'll do my best to get Chapter 3 up when I can. I have a lot of
this story outlined already, so as long as writer's block doesn't
knock me down, this should continue smoothly. Enjoy!!
Disclaimer: I do not own Sailor Moon or any of the characters
associated with the story. I merely use Naoko Takeuchi's genius
as a starting point for my own storytelling.
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Chapter 2
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Usagi stared dully ahead of her. The princess's revelation had been
quite a shock and her system was still feeling the effects. She vividly
remembered the look Mamoru had given her on the sidewalk. He had stripped her
down in a matter of seconds, boring his eyes past her magical illusion and
finally seeing her for the senshi she was.
His stance betrayed his disbelief just as his steady walk towards her
had betrayed his deep desire for the news to be true. "Odango?" he whispered
reverently as his hand rose to her cheek.
She was confused by his happiness, but did not pull away from his
touch. Luckily for her, the other senshi were slightly preoccupied with each
other and with the princess. After their initial outcry towards Mamoru, they
had diverted their attention from him. Well, most of their attention anyway...
The ball was in his court, but even so, Usagi couldn't help herself
from being the first to speak. "You're Tuxedo Kamen?" Her tone was low so that
the passers-by could not pry.
His eyes held enough emotion in them that he didn't have to nod his
head in affirmation. "And you're Sailor Moon."
"I can't believe...I mean...of all people," Usagi stuttered helplessly,
finally shrugging her shoulders for lack of anything better to do.
The man's next words were what had caused the heroine to fall into a
lifeless stupor. The stupor that had left her in her place even as Mamoru was
pulled away by the senshi for interrogation purposes. It was just two simple
words. They held acceptance in them, however, and Usagi had been craving that
from him for a very long time.
"I'm glad."
-----
Tentatively, everyone gathered together in the café for explanations.
They had temporarily gotten over their previous shock - enough so that they
could converse with one another and find some answers.
"Who is Endymion?"
"Why the Prince of Earth, of course," Belle said surprised that they
didn't know. Then she shook her head. "I am sorry. I continuously forget that
none of you remember the past. You must be patient with me," her apology
slipped past her lips while she bowed her head.
"Of course we will be patient, princess," said a sympathetic Makoto.
"Don't worry your pretty little head over it," Minako's voice piped
up as she nudged Belle and sent her a wink.
The princess blushed becomingly. All the men in the arcade swooned
because of it.
"As you were saying..." Rei prodded.
"Yes, yes. Endymion was the Prince of Earth. If there is one thing you
must know about the past it is that the Earth did not get along with any of
the other planets. It was riddled with dark powers that scared the rest of the
solar system from attempting any treaties of any kind with it. When the
darkness grew, the members of Earth pleaded with the Moon, the head of the
Silver Alliance that was a council of all the system's planets, to form a
treaty with them. They needed outside help to keep their citizens from
corruption," the princess stopped her account and took a sip of her water to
soothe her drying throat.
She raised her head to stare into Mamoru's eyes as she explained the
next part. "The Moon agreed. We thought we would be strong enough to fight
back the darkness and keep harm from the rest of the system. To strengthen
the military treaty, the royal families of each party decided to join two of
their children in matrimony." Belle had to keep herself from laughing at the
disbelieved gasps that echoed around her. She rested a placating hand upon
Minako's wrist.
"It was commonplace back then to use marriage as a form of business
merger. In fact, people rarely married for love." The silver-haired girl was
unable to keep back a chuckle as her idealistic senshi continued to stare at
her in shock. "Anyway," she drawled. "The royalty of Earth offered up their
son, Endymion. He was their only child, so there really was no choice in the
matter."
"The Moon offered..." her voice trailed off. For some reason she had
reached a block in her memory. There was a haze settled around the piece of
information she wanted and she was unable to sift through it. Belle squinted
her eyes and tried with more determination to push past the fog.
"You," Mamoru's statement startled her out of her concentration.
Once she processed what Mamoru was indicating, she started to slowly
and unsurely nod her head. She looked once more in her mind for anything that
would tell her what she needed to know. A vision rose up to meet her. It was
a picture of Prince Endymion standing in front of a garden fountain. Within
his arms rested a slender girl in Lunarian clothes. Her hair was wound up
into two tight balls from which fell two brilliantly long streams. The royal
hairstyle.
-----
"I told you that everything would work out, did I not?" his baritone
held the tone of an instructor.
Her eyes paled in the earthlight as she gazed up at him. "Yes, you
did," she whispered.
"And everything *did* work out, did it not?"
She reluctantly nodded the affirmative, already knowing where he was
leading the conversation. "Yes, it did."
His gentle touch on her chin sent a shock down her spin. After so
many days and so many touches, she was surprised that he could still affect
her so strongly. "Then why do you not believe that I am correct this time
around, as well?" he asked with an earnestness that was eager to shake her
stubbornness.
"Because, Endy..." her whisper failed to continue. The cool breeze
of night brushed by and kicked up the ends of her skirts. A slight flush came
to her cheeks at the cold.
The black-haired prince lowered his head seductively. "Enough of
this, my love," he crooned so that his breath tickled her skin. In one last
movement he slipped down to capture her lips in a tender kiss. She was hell-
bent on stealing her resolve against him, but failed miserably and crumbled
beneath him instead. Her worry would have to wait for a few more minutes.
-----
Belle shook herself from her daze. Rich, sapphire eyes pierced into
her view. They were so sure of what they had just assumed. The princess nodded
her head more firmly. "Yes. The Moon Kingdom offered me." She frowned only
once more before settling into the news as if she had always known.
Mamoru reached forward tentatively and clasped the royal's hand. She
squeezed it affectionately. "I, Princess Illesande, was engaged to you, Prince
Endymion."
"I knew it," the young man breathed.
All of the senshi had been told about his recurring dreams of the
princess. It was a part of his 'initiation' that he told them of his purpose
behind interfering in the battles. He looked around the table in a quick
sweep and noted the happy smiles that the girls held for him. He had finally
found his princess and it was time he told her.
"I have dreamed of your image for as long as I can remember. I could
tell by the feelings of them that we were close, very close." There was a
slight hesitation before he spit out his next words. "I just knew that we...
cared about one another." He had meant to say that he knew they were in love,
but the words wouldn't move pass the block in his throat. Mamoru mentally
berated himself. Why was he unable to admit to her what he had admitted to
himself night after night? Was it because he still had that uneasy feeling in
the pit of this stomach? Something, that for some reason, cried out
desperately that something was wrong.
His gaze flickered over to Usagi. She was the only one not looking
upon the scene with a smile of happiness gracing her pink lips. Her attention
was focused at some point outside the window next to her. As his eyes fell,
Mamoru was surprised to see that the hand that the blonde rested on the
booth's table was fisted tightly.
He immediately went to reach out for her until he felt that his hand
was already caught within another's. Isabella's.
Mamoru blinked harshly. How could he so easily forget? His princess
was with him now. He had to give up his heroine. His odango.
-----
Needless to say, the next few days were tense amongst the group.
The senshi retained their distance from Usagi by taking the princess
out to the mall or to the park or over to one of the girls' homes for a
sleepover. That is not to say that Usagi wasn't invited to such events. She
was still a comrade after all. However, if ever Usagi were to accept an offer
to go out with the girls, she would be met with indifference over the matter.
What's worse, the blonde was mostly ignored during any and all interactions
with her friends. It seemed as if Minako at least tried to integrate her into
conversations, but the other senshi never picked up her attempts and Usagi
was thrown to the outside once more.
Usagi oftentimes found herself smiling at the sight of her house, a
move that was quickly followed by a violent shudder. 'The day that I actually
enjoy running into my twerp for a brother and my mother's angry spatula is
the day that I need some serious psychiatric help.'
Her sleeping became restless for reasons not completely known to her.
Usagi assumed that all the new changes in her life were simply taking over,
leaving no time for silly little things like rest. She could rarely sleep in
past six in the morning - a fact that scared her as much as it scared her
family. Though she missed her bed and comfort it used to lend her, Usagi
found that the mornings were a surprisingly nice time to be out. Since she
didn't have to worry about running to class, she was actually able to enjoy
the quirks of a waking Tokyo.
It didn't take her long to realize that she still ran into Mamoru
every morning, even though she wasn't in a rush and crashing into him. If
she didn't know any better, she would've thought that the man keep an eye
out for her to ensure that he saw her in the early hours.
One morning, in particular, she would never forget, for Mamoru had
been flustered. Had she but a camera to take a picture of the moment.
He had come at her jogging as if to catch up to her. "Odango!"
"Mamoru-baka. Nice to see *you* running for a change," she bit.
Then, she nearly fell flat on her face. The man had smirked at her.
One thing that was universally known was that whenever Mamoru smirked, the
angels of beauty visited him and he became the most devastatingly handsome
man within a twelve-block radius. Stealing her resolve as she always did for
defense, Usagi managed to keep herself once more from showing any outward
sign of attraction. She may have bickered with the man every day for the past
year or so, but that did not mean that she hated him. And it certainly didn't
mean that she was blind and couldn't see that he was positively gorgeous.
"You're early," he simply replied.
Usagi quirked an eyebrow. "Am I? Well I have been trying to give this
whole responsibility thing a whirl. So far it seems a bit dull. How do you do
it all the time, baka?"
The man in question put a hand on his hip - another incredibly sexy
gesture for those who don't know. "It is hard I assure you. I'm not sure if
you're up to the task."
After fighting for so long, Usagi knew how to get out of being
cornered by an insult. "How exactly do you know that I am early, Mamoru?" As
she said this, the leader of the Sailor Senshi sensuously swayed her hips
towards the man before her. Once in front of him, she dragged an index finger
along his jaw line and tapped it against his chin. "Do you keep watch on me?"
Picture moment number one ensues...
It was hard enough to concentrate on keeping a cocky and stony
exterior when she was slithering up to him, but it became even harder when
her questions registered in his mind. How exactly was he supposed to explain
that he had his mornings clocked to the moment that he ran into her?
"Well...you see..." Good lord, now he was fumbling. What was this
woman doing to him?
Ah, yes, that had been a great moment in her life. Afterwards, her
sparring with Mamoru became more a friendly and intelligent game than the
immature banter it had started out as. And since Usagi was now waking up at
around five in the morning on a daily basis, she began to pass the time at
the Crown Arcade. Technically, the arcade and the café attached to it didn't
open until 7:30, but Motoki was nice enough to let her in while he prepared
the store for the day's customers.
"This is a bit early for you, don't you think Odango?" Mamoru asked
the first day that she walked into Crown. She knew that her tormentor was
aware of her new early morning regime because of her previous encounter with
him on the street. This was at least an hour earlier than when that had
occurred, however.
She shrugged her shoulders. "I couldn't sleep." Motoki ambled over to
them and Usagi ordered a hot chocolate.
"No coffee?" Mamoru asked with a raised brow. "And here I thought you
were striving for a grasp on maturity."
"Coffee's too bitter," she said succinctly in a way that made him
believe she was actually referring to him. But then a small smile graced her
lips. "It's nice to be out when the rest of the world is still asleep."
"Yeah," he agreed. "I like walking here from my apartment and watching
the fog."
"No cars. No people. No noise," she emphasized the last as if she were
relieved. "It's nice."
She came in the next morning as well.
"Still can't sleep?" Mamoru asked her.
She shook her head. "Nope."
By the third morning, Mamoru swiveled all the way around on his stool
and leaned his elbows back on the counter. He watched with a glint in his eye
as she came through the sliding glass doors. "This is becoming serious,
Odango. You might need to see a doctor or we'll have you dropping in dead
faints during battle."
Usagi's eyes flickered around the room and noted that Motoki was
nowhere to be seen. After being assured that Mamoru hadn't just given away
the biggest secret that side of the ocean, she plopped down beside him. "That
won't be a problem. I don't feel tired." She turned to face him. "I can't
quite explain it."
"I think I know what you mean." He had been waking up in the middle
of every night since he was a child either from nightmares about his parents'
death or from visions of his princess. Afterward, he was never able to fall
back asleep. His body was perfectly accustomed to only getting four hours of
sleep a night.
"I promise to be chipper when the time calls for it. There's no need
to worry."
His gaze became deeper, softer and more serious. "But I do worry."
Usagi looked up from the counter startled.
And then it became a ritual. Every morning at 7:00am when Mamoru was
making his way through his second cup of coffee, Usagi would wander into the
café and ask Motoki for a hot chocolate. Neither talked much. They just had
small, simple, quiet conversations with each other. Motoki would join in every
now and again when he wasn't setting things up for the day or cleaning in the
back. On occasion Usagi would find Mamoru sitting in a booth instead of his
usual bar stool and she would slide in across from him without a word. If he
brought the morning paper, she would snag the Entertainment section that he
had discarded.
There developed a rhythm. The two of them with their steaming drinks,
sometimes a muffin or two, the morning paper, silent conversation, Motoki
interventions every few minutes and a crisp, breezy fog just outside the
window.
-----
The shock of all shocks came for Mamoru when he found Usagi sitting
in the middle of his university library one afternoon. He made a beeline for
her through the crowded tables and chairs. Once he was standing next to her
table, he waited for her to lift her head and acknowledge him. It took a few
moments, but when her eyes shifted as she flipped a page in her book she saw
him. "Mamoru!" she exclaimed in shock. "You nearly gave me a heart attack!"
"Look who's talking! I'm beginning to seriously believe that you're
playing a rather elaborate joke on me, Odango. First the early mornings, now
the library. What's next?"
Usagi just smirked and he couldn't help but smirk back. He dropped
his bag on the other side of the table and sat down across from her. "So,
what are you doing here anyway?"
"I thought I'd see what all the hubbub was about."
"At the university library?"
"Well, if I was going to cave and go to a library, it might as well
have been the best."
Mamoru nodded. She returned to reading her book and he watched as
she did so. He could only stand to give her a few minutes of privacy before
he questioned, "Are you going to tell me what brought you here?"
She pretended to look confused. "What?"
"Usagi," he drawled. She hated that he not only knew her well enough
to know that something was wrong, but also that he had a way of saying her
name that practically forced her to blurt out anything he wanted to know.
"It's nothing," she hedged.
Mamoru reached out over the table and laid a hand over one of her
own. "No, that's not it. Try again." He gave her a soft smile.
Usagi dipped her head, partly because of embarrassment and partly
because she was afraid she might have been blushing. "It's really nothing,
Mamoru. My friends are just going shopping at the mall and I wasn't in the
mood."
"Nope, that's not it either." He squeezed her hand slightly. "Odango,"
he implored.
When had that name become an endearment instead of an insult? Usagi
wasn't sure, but she knew that now anytime he said it, her chest tightened.
"They did go shopping..."
"But?"
She let out a heavy sigh. Too late now, might as well tell him
everything. "But they forgot to invite me."
Mamoru's back straightened. "Forgot to invite you?" he balked and
then tried to think rationally. "Maybe they didn't think they had to. You
are all practically attached at the hip, maybe they thought that it was
implied that you would join them."
"No," she said while shaking her head. "Good try, but no. They left
without me. I was talking to Haruna-sensei after class and by the time she
was finished with me, they were gone. No note, no call, nothing."
"Usagi," he sighed. "I'm sorry."
He paused a moment before something occurred to him.
"How exactly did this all lead to you being at my university library?"
She bent her head again so that he couldn't meet her eyes. "I wanted
to be someplace that they couldn't find me...or would never think to look
for me. On the off chance that they actually did try to find me, of course,"
she scoffed. "And..."
When it didn't seem like she was planning on finishing her sentence,
Mamoru rubbed his thumb over the back of her knuckles. "And?" he prompted.
This time she did look up and straight into his eyes. "And I thought
I might find you here." Mamoru's eyes widened at her admission. She quickly
turned her head away, a becoming blush staining her cheeks.
"Well, here I am," he whispered. Now it was Usagi's eyes that
widened. She looked at him in disbelief. It took a few moments for her heart
to start beating again. Her mouth opened as if she was going to respond and
that was when her communicator started to beep.
She didn't answer it immediately; instead she glanced at her
companion and said reluctantly, "Duty calls."
"So it does," he said while pulling his hand away from her and
standing up. He grabbed his bag and turned to her. "Shall we?"
Usagi shook herself out of her stupor and grabbed her own bag. As
she stood, she flipped open her communicator and began to quiz Rei on
location and stats. The two walked quietly out of the library together. He
subtly rested his hand on the small of her back so that he could guide her
along as she looked down at Sailor Mars' face.
End Chapter 2
--------------
Well, there you go. Chapter
2 up and running. I hope you
liked it. I'm crossing my
fingers and hoping that I
can get Chapter 3 out in
two weeks...but school just
started, so we'll see if I
live up to that promise. ^_-
Please send ANY comments to me, Sereko.
My e-mail is: sereko13@yahoo.com
Copyright © 2003 by Sereko
(
geocities.com/sereko13)