Mamoru's mind was a tangle of thoughts. Had she known? Did she know? How could this be? How could Odango Atama, of all people, be Sailor Moon? It just blew all his beliefs about her out of the water. It seemed singularly impossible that this infuriating, silly girl was the same warrior with so much sadness in her eyes.
And had she been playing him all along? Had she known he was Tuxedo Mask? His brain jeered that she must have found out, somehow, in order to have suddenly started treating him so differently. Suddenly her odd behavior of today had found an explanation.
He gripped her arm firmly and pulled her from the booth, deaf to her protests and sputtering. Right now, he wanted answers, and she was going to give them to him.
"Satan! What the heck do you think you are doing? Let go!" Usagi twisted and squirmed, panic rising up in waves. However warm she might have though his eyes could be, they were cold and ruthless now. He seemed intent on battle and she was very sure that she would lose. Why she would have to defend herself, she didn't know. Why is he so angry? What's wrong with him? Is he so disappointed to realize that I'm Sailor Moon? The fight in her crumpled at the thought. Was it that bad? She had been so busy trying to untangle the myriad feelings surging through her when she found out Mamoru might be Tuxedo Mask, she hadn't stopped to wonder what his reaction would be if he found out her secret, likewise.
She stumbled after him as he dragged her from the eating court, past booths and tables, looking for a more secluded area. She looked around desperately, wishing she had let the girls find her at the food court. She would much rather answer their questions than Mamoru's. No-Tuxedo Mask's. She shut her eyes tightly and reeled a bit from that. He IS Tuxedo Mask! Oh my god...
"Excuse me, miss. Do you need some assistance?"
Usagi's eyes flew open as Mamoru ground to a halt and brought her struggling feet to a stop beside him. Her gaze alighted on an earnest young man, around Mamoru's age, who was looking at Mamoru's grip on her arm suspiciously.
"W-what?" she squeaked.
"Do you need help?" he repeated politely. With a start, Usagi realized how the situation must look to him. Her face was flushed and strained, eyes unhappy, body struggling as Mamoru pulled her along. She fidgeted nervously, not sure if she should take this opportunity- which was surely offered from the very heavens above- or just face the lion now and get it over with.
She looked from Mamoru's closed, forbidding countenance to the stranger's worried face. She weighed her options. Mamoru's hand tightened around her wrist in warning and she fought down a shiver. His eyes promised bloody murder if she dared...
"Yes," she rushed, before she could change her mind. "Yes, I would most definitely appreciate some help." The irony to need saving from her savior!
The man's eyes hardened and he stepped forward threateningly. He wasn't as tall or built as Mamoru, but he seemed undaunted. "Now, see here. It's obvious the girl doesn't want to go with you. Why don't you let her go?"
Mamoru was counting slowly to one hundred, knowing it wasn't this man's fault for interfering. He would have done the same thing if he had thought some young woman was being manhandled. However, the poor idiot had no clue that this "young woman" could probably moondust both of them before they could even blink, if she so chose. And, he reasoned, he had no idea that Odango had been making him jump through hoops all morning.
Mamoru took a deep, calming breath. "It's not what you think," he said reasonably. "She-she stole my wallet."
Usagi and the mystery man gasped in unison. The man looked highly doubtful as he studied the petite blonde and the tall, dark-haired man. He had a hunch that this man wouldn't let ANYONE steal something that belonged to him.
"L-look, I don't know what's going on, but I don't think that you should-"
Usagi was seething. Stealing his wallet? Yeah, right! Now she was supposed to be thief? The nerve! Well, if that's how he wanted it... She drove her foot into his instep with all the strength she had, bopped him on the head much like she'd done to Diamante the day before, and took off running before her savior's bemused gaze.
"Thanks!" she called back breezily as she disappeared around a corner.
The man only had time to blink before a growling Mamoru pushed past him and raced after the girl. He blinked again, shook his head, and decided to forget the whole matter. He had no doubt now that the blonde was more than capable of taking care of herself.
Usagi ran faster than all her late-for-school dashes combined. Her feet literally flew over the polished flooring of the mall, sliding around corners and keeping precarious balance as she zagged between shoppers. She was sure that Mamoru, had he been furious before, would now be in a rage after that little spectacle. The last thing she wanted was to be caught now.
She heard his rapid footsteps behind her and turned up the speed another notch. Her breath was starting to become ragged; she didn't know how much longer she could keep it up. Without paying much attention to where she was going, she ran headlong down one more corridor, skidding to halt only when she realized the exit was cut off by renovations. She cursed with a fluency that would have earned her a scandalized lecture from Luna, cast one desperate glance behind her to see Mamoru closing in fast, and dove for the one sanctuary she could find:
Victoria's Secret, the lingerie store.
Instantly she was surrounded by lacy concoctions of silk, daringly cut nightwear, bras, and panties in a rainbow of colors and textures. It was a woman's domain, a place men avoided like the plague. The few men forced inside by wives or girlfriends always stood, highly uncomfortably, stiff and unyielding by the "safe" part of the store: the flannel bathrobe section. They would try with all their will to keep their gazes from falling on the more racy articles of clothing: the teddies, the miracle bras, the thong bikinis, etc. And on the off-chance that their flustered gazes might catch on these items, they'd snap back embarrassed faces and contemplate their feet for the duration of the visit.
Yes, this was Victoria's Secret and no man, no matter how sophisticated, dared enter willingly.
Usagi took refuge behind a counter of lace underwear and watched with grim satisfaction as Mamoru ran towards the entrance, only to halt instantly as he realized just what store he'd been about to enter. Apparently, the invisible testosterone barrier was still in effect. A look of shocked panic crossed over his features.
Usagi giggled gleefully, waving with piquant mischief from her spot. He glared at her through the vast shop window as she proceeded to stroll around the store. The one clerk was busy demonstrating scents and lotions to a group of girls in the corner, completely unaware of the game her new customer was playing.
Whistling, Usagi ventured to a section dominated by beautiful gold silk teddies, elegantly sexy pieces that cost three times her month's allowance. She held it up cheerfully for Mamoru to see from outside the store, laughing in his face as he flushed with embarrassment and placed one angry fist on the store window. She replaced the garment carefully, and cast around for some new entertainment.
It was as she moved over to the sheer gowns that she saw it: a display of Sailor Senshi inspired nightwear. The store, no doubt trying to cash in on their local super-heroines, had constructed a parody of the Sailor Suit. The bodice was a sleeveless sheath of white velvet, held up by two thin blue straps that tied over the shoulder. The skirt was, amazingly, even shorter than the real sailor suits, and made from thin, iridescent blue silk embroidered with white ribbon to form the sailor stripes. The plunging décolleté was adorned by a red bow with a faux crystal in its center. It was too obvious which Sailor THIS suit represented.
Usagi picked it up with eager hands and burst into laughter. This was great! She turned to face Mamoru, secure behind a wall of glass, and held the gown in front of her, rakishly standing in Sailor Moon pose, one v-hand slanted across her face and feet shoulder-width apart.
Mamoru froze as she taunted him openly. It was so absurdly obvious now that he knew she was Sailor Moon. She blew a kiss in his direction as she pantomimed throwing her tiara at him, even going so far as to spin in place with a graceful flourish that regular Odango Atama would never have been able to accomplish. He felt even his ears turn red with fury. Damn the consequences, he was going in.
Usagi was winding down from her spin when she chanced to look back at Mamoru. What she saw made her blood freeze. No...surely he isn't about to...No! It couldn't be possible! She was so sure that even HE wouldn't enter. She lost precious seconds as she reeled from the shock. He was marching purposely through the last display that separated her from certain doom before her body decided to cooperate. She flung the nightie at him and dashed towards the back of the store. The dressing rooms...the dressing rooms...Where are the damn dressing rooms?
He was fast on her heels when she reached the pink alcove. She flung open one latticed door and jumped inside, closing it behind her. She was fumbling with the rusty lock when it flew open in her face. She staggered back with an "EEP!" of fright and cringed when Mamoru's tall form filled the tiny room.
Ami looked up as the draft brushed against her bare legs, the sound of hurried footsteps receding into the dressing room area.
"Ami! Pay attention! We're getting a good deal!" hissed Rei and gesticulated towards the sales lady they were all crowded around. Minako and Makoto were busy perfuming themselves with a variety of free samples.
"Oh? Oh! Yeah...you know, Rei, I don't really wear any of this stuff," frowned Ami as she surveyed the dizzying amount of lotions, talcum, and perfumes set before her. "And I think we should be looking for Usagi."
Rei rolled her eyes. "Ami, we've looked all over the mall twice now and there is no sign of a 'Tyeow' anywhere. Either Mamoru got the name wrong, or the restaurant isn't inside the mall. Whichever it is, since we are here we might as well look at the sales."
Ami chewed her bottom lip thoughtfully. "It's just that I'm worried. Perhaps we should try beeping her communicator."
Rei's eyes turned serious. "Do you really want to call her in when it's the first weekend free that we've had from youmas? Remember how tired she looked this Thursday? I, for one, don't want to disturb her if she is actually having fun somewhere out there. Maybe she's out with Naru; she hasn't hung out with her in a long time."
Ami sighed. "I guess you're right. I just wanted to see if she was alright after that fight on Friday."
Rei cast a slanted glance her way. "Uh-huh. I'm sure she's dandy if she was able to kiss Tuxedo Mask like that." She rummaged along the bottom of her tote and fished the paper out again. "Just look at that! WOW!"
Ami couldn't help but draw nearer as the two girls began to sigh and "oooh" over the picture. "Okay, but in the very least we can beep her a message, right? Just telling her where we are in case she wants to join us?"
"Okay. In five minutes, after the lady rings up the sale," conceded Rei.
Usagi realized, somewhat belatedly, that taunting Mamoru in his present state of mind perhaps wasn't the smartest thing to do.
"Not feeling so brave now, huh Odango?" he towered over her, trapping her against a corner.
"Jeez, Satan, can't you take a joke?" She forced an inane laugh that faded into nothingness when his eyes turned even colder. "Er...guess not."
"How?" he demanded.
Usagi gulped and fiddled with a ponytail. "How what?"
"How did you know who I was? How can YOU be Sailor Moon?"
Usagi figured playing the innocent at this moment would be futile, but she couldn't help but put up token resistance. "What? Are you insane? Me be Sailor Moon? Be serious!"
To her utter amazement, doubt flitted over his features. Obviously, he had not yet come to terms completely with her and Moon being the same person. Of course not, you dolt. He hates you, and he likes her. Why would he want to think you are she? Still, no matter how much that hurt, it would be what would allow her to convince him. But why? Why would you want to do that? Because it's the only way I can keep him, she thought sadly. Because, even if he likes only Sailor Moon, that means that I'll be able to have him at least some of the time. If he knew-if he knew for sure that Tsukino Usagi was Sailor Moon, no doubt he would be disgusted with both personas. At least this way, at least for a little bit, he might...
Mamoru shook his head, as though shaking free of her argument, and pressed onward. "Is that right. Then why'd you run?"
Usagi sputtered as she looked for an excuse. "W-well, what was I supposed to do when you suddenly whacked out on me like that?"
"Uh-uh, I don't buy it. Something happened," he bit out, unable to describe that silent moment of communication when it had seemed so obvious that both knew each other's secret.
"Yeah, something happened. You freaked out's what happened. And then suddenly you're chasing me like a madman," she reasoned shakily.
"And that bit with the lingerie? The little play with throwing a tiara? What excuse are you going to make up for that?" he pushed. Why is she denying it? Why won't she confess? Why-Why do I want her to confess?
"Good grief! How was I supposed to know you had this insane idea in your head? So I look a little like her, I play it up. What's with this sudden infatuation you have with her? Do you have the hots for her or something?" Usagi couldn't believe that had slipped out of her mouth. DORK! Think before you speak! Think think think think! Now what have you done?
Mamoru studied Usagi's alarmed face, wondering what she was trying to get at. Was this another trick? He was almost 100 sure that she was lying to him, but could not figure out her reasons for doing so. If she already knew he was Tuxedo Mask, which he was sure she had somehow been able to figure out, it was much more like her to just want to get it out in the open. But something was holding her back...
"Do you really want me to answer that?" he murmured, leaning forward slowly and inspecting the various emotions flowing behind her clear blue eyes.
"No?" she ventured. "I mean, NO! Look, I'm sure that this is all very interesting, but I really do have stuff to do. If you don't mind..." She tried to step around him.
"I mind."
She stopped. "Oh." She blew her bangs upward and decided to take the offensive, "Well, that's too bad. You are being ridiculous. Even stupider than you usually are, Satan. I'm USAGI! Remember? U-S-A-G-I. Odango Atama, whom you like to torture and pester. And I've had enough of your stupid accusations. You obviously had too much coffee today. Step aside."
Mamoru did, from the pure surprise of her vehemence. Really, Mamoru, it's ODANGO ATAMA, after all. What are the chances?
She might have made it out had not a distinct ringing stopped her in her tracks. Mamoru was on her in a second.
"What is that?" he demanded, sure he'd heard the unique sound before. He reached for her.
She danced backwards and around him, keeping her communicator out of reach as she fumbled to turn off the link. "It's a beeper, Satan. Haven't you ever heard a beeper before?"
He stalked her around the small area of the room. "I have. I'm sure I've heard that beeper before."
Usagi managed to read the small message, thankful it wasn't a live feed, and wanted to scream in frustration.
Usagi, we are at the mall if you want to join us. Take care.
Well, duh! She shoved the communicator down her shirt just as Mamoru made a grab for it.
"HA!" she crowed triumphantly.
He eyed her speculatively. "You think that's going to stop me?"
"It better, if you want to keep your teeth. I'll be going now." She sauntered by.
"Not quite yet," he snapped, finally too frustrated for words. His rampaging mind had found a foolproof way to test his theory. Rubbish. You just want an excuse. Maybe, but that didn't change the fact that it would tell him, once and for all, what he wanted to know. "Let's settle this." He snagged the back of her shirt and drew her towards him.
"Still? Won't you give up! You can't prove anything," she shouted at him, struggling to free her shirt from his hand. If he dared reach inside to grab her communicator, she was going to boot him into next week.
"I can and I will." He dragged her against the corner, back to her original position, and let go of her shirt. She huffed angrily as she smoothed down the creases.
"Well? I'm waiting." She crossed her arms moodily.
"I'm not," he stated. With a movement too swift for Usagi to evade, he drew her up against him and crushed his mouth against hers.
Usagi went instantly limp. I spend all morning trying to do this, and the jerk just goes for it like it's a piece of cake, she thought mutinously. Granted, it was the last thought she had.
His senses were instantly flooded. Every taste, breath, touch was identical and equally as erotic. The moment his lips had touched hers he had known beyond a shadow of a doubt that his Odango was not a regular girl. His Sailor Moon was not a regular superhero. Both were Tsukino Usagi.
Yet, even though he had his answer in a matter of milliseconds, he couldn't end the kiss. He didn't want to end the kiss. This time he poured into her mouth the emotions he had been keeping at bay all morning, a mix of attraction and frustration that had accumulated for her since the time they had met. And the passion he held for a certain short-skirted hero.
Usagi wasn't sure she was breathing any longer. She realized she didn't care. This kiss could make the one in the school seem innocent. This kiss was threatening to send the dressing room into flames. Mamoru slanted her head backwards and delved into her mouth. A sound of surprise escaped her throat before she decided to return the favor. Their mouths dueled hungrily as her fingers dug tentatively into the muscled expanse of his shoulders. If she had had any more doubts-which she didn't-she would know this instant that Mamoru was Tuxedo Mask. The smoky taste of chocolate was heavy on her tongue.
Again, place and time were forgotten. A marching band could have filed into the room and they would never have noticed. Mamoru's hand climbed unerringly to her hair, tangling behind her head and using the leverage to guide her sideways, to hold her mouth still for further exploration. He groaned and lost himself in the sensation of kissing Odango Atama and Sailor Moon all at once.
The minutes passed.
"Do you want to try that on, miss?" queried the sales lady.
Minako held up the gold silk teddy and smiled. "Hmmm, it sure is pretty."
Makoto laughed at the openly-avaricious expression on Minako's face. "Down, girl. It costs a fortune. And anyway, who would you wear it for?"
Minako's hopeful sigh told volumes. "Hey, just because I'm currently single and available doesn't mean there won't come a time when I won't need something like this."
Rei sneaked up behind her. "Sure. But I doubt that it will be in style ten years from now," she sniggered.
"Hey!" protested Minako as Ami and Makoto dissolved into giggles. "Just for that, I AM trying it on!" She turned on her heel and marched towards the dressing rooms. The girls followed her, still laughing softly. Minako stood before a set of three doors, debating which room to use. With a shrug, she went for the middle one.
She opened the door and stepped inside.
The girls stood impatiently for a few moments.
"Hmmmf, now we have to wait," sighed Ami, sinking into a burgundy chair.
Makoto appeared with a green nightgown embroidered with sheer flowers.
"You wait, I'm trying on this sexy little number. I'm tired of sleeping in flannel," she stepped forward and Ami and Rei cheered her on as she arbitrarily flung wide another door.
The scrap of green satin fluttered to the floor.
Ami fell from her chair and Rei blinked her eyes a few times to make sure she wasn't seeing things.
"Hey guys, what do you think?" announced Minako as she stepped out from the adjoining room, dressed in shimmering crepe de chine.
"I think I need a camera, is what I think," muttered Makoto.
For there, in the corner of a miniscule and now very public dressing room of Victoria's Secret, Chiba Mamoru and Tsukino Usagi were locked in a heated embrace.