Sailor Moon Fan Fiction ❯ Sanctuary ❯ Chapter 5

Title: Sanctuary
Author: Maetel
Email:  maemaechan@yahoo.com
URL: N/A
Rating: M 15+
Summary: When Sailor Moon witnesses the death of an innocent, Usagi ends up turning to Mamoru in her darkest hour. Minor alterations have been made on the timeline so that Mamoru knows who he is, while Nephrite is around.
Chapters: 5/?
Status: Incomplete
Year Completed: Incomplete

“Hide in bed, sheets overhead

Blocking out the sun

Feel like we are marooned at sea

Away from everyone

And I, I hate to say goodbye

I want you to touch me one more time…”

- Jem, “Stay Now”

When Usagi woke, she felt incredibly warm, comfortable, and most of all, peaceful. Her head was resting against something that was firmer than her normal pillows, and she noticed a soft rhythm coming from what her head was resting on. At first she thought that she had simply wound up using Luna as a pillow sometime during the night, but her eyes shot open when she remembered that she had sent Luna to Ami’s during the night.

She lifted her head, and blinked when she saw Mamoru’s sleeping face. She shifted her hand so that she could sit up and blinked when she noticed that her hand wasn’t touching the material she was so accustomed to feeling when he was normally in his tuxedo, but instead she was feeling the bare skin of his chest. She looked down and saw that he was only wearing a pair of blue boxers. She blushed brightly, her heart racing, as she shot up into a sitting position. She looked back over at him, trying to figure out how he was in such a state of undress.

Usagi noticed how Mamoru began to stir and smiled as his dark blue eyes slowly drifted open. She couldn’t help but think how sweet he looked when he was asleep, but quickly shoved those thoughts out of her mind when she heard some feet shuffling out side of her bedroom door.

“Crap!” she squeaked as she lightly began to shake Mamoru. “Oi… Mamoru-san, wake up…” she snapped quietly. “Now!”

“Nani…” Mamoru mumbled sleepily. He didn’t want to wake up. He’d been warm, and comfortable, and just wanted to stay like that, but then, something took the warmth away, and was quickly dragging him out of his restful slumber. “Odango… What’re you-” he started before the events of the day before began to come back to him. “Usagi-chan, what’s goi-”

“You aren’t wearing the tuxedo!” she hissed quietly. “If my parents catch you like that, they’ll kill you, and I will not be allowed to leave the house until I’m sixty!”

“Shit,“ was the word that went through his mind as Mamoru nodded and looked around for the standard red rose that usually appeared when his henshin reverted. He looked around at things surrounding the bed, and groaned when he couldn’t see it.

“What?” Usagi asked nervously.

“A rose… the… My rose… I can’t find it, and I need it if I want to be able to keep your parents from seeing me in next to nothing,” he said, noticing the blush that colored her cheeks at the mention of what he was, or rather what he wasn’t wearing.

“Standard red rose?” she asked as she turned and started to shift around her blankets and pillows in an attempt to find the flower.

“Yeah,” he answered before there was a light knock on her door. “Oh man…”

“Usagi-chan,” came the soft voice of her mother from the other side of the wooden panel.

“Go, into the closet now!” she ordered softly, as she rose from her bed. “I’ll tell mom that you left…”

Mamoru nodded, and did as he was told to try and make sure that he wasn’t discovered. He then heard a slight squeak of metal and Usagi’s voice.

“Ohayo, okaa-san,” she muttered sleepily. “Sorry I…” He heard her pause, most likely a yawn. “…was sleeping. Did you need something?”

“I was going to see if the young man who had kept guard over you would like some breakfast,” Ikuko said.

“Oh… Um… He’s outside. Contacting one of the sailor senshi, I think,” Usagi lied. “He said that he would be back in a couple of minutes.”

“All right, dear,” Ikuko said. She looked at her daughter’s bed for a moment and blinked. “What a beautiful flower.”

Usagi turned and looked towards where her mother was looking, but couldn’t see what she was talking about. “What flower, okaa-san?”

“The one just above your pillow. It’s a lovely shade of red from what I can tell… Maybe I could get your father to buy some roses, or at least some flowers while he is out today.”

“That’d be nice,” Usagi said “Demo, okaa-san, can I please be allowed to change for breakfast. I feel like going and seeing Rei-chan at the temple, if you don’t mind.”

“Are you sure that’s a good idea, Usagi-chan? If there is something out there wanting to attack you, then perhaps it would be safer if you stayed home,” Ikuko questioned, her dark eyes filled with concern.

“Hai,” Usagi said simply. “It’s just… They’ve attacked me at the house once already. I don’t want to put you, otou-san, or Shingo-chan in danger.”

Ikuko sighed, knowing that her daughter had made her point. “All right. You can go.”

“Arigato, okaa-san,” Usagi said with a smile. “Now I think I’m going to change, so…”

The blue haired woman laughed and nodded. “I’ll let you change, but before I go, is there anything in particular that you want for breakfast?”

“An omelette maybe?” Usagi said hopefully. “With waffles?!”

Ikuko nodded and smiled. “All right. They should be ready by the time you’ve changed.” She then turned and started down the stairs to the kitchen.

Usagi closed her door and walked over to her bed as Mamoru stuck his head out of the closet door. She couldn’t help but laugh at the pink shirt that was draped over his hair. He frowned as he carefully pushed the shirt off of his head and looked at the blonde.

“I don’t think you own enough pink, Usagi-chan,” he commented dryly. “And did you find my rose?”

She stuck her tongue out as she pulled the rose from where her mother had spotted it. “Hai… Well, actually , okaa-san did. She spotted it from my door.”

“Hidden in plain sight. Just like you,” Mamoru commented as he walked out and took the rose from her. “Thanks.”

Usagi nodded and watched as he closed his eyes and as the familiar tuxedo appeared. She couldn’t help but blush as she made a mental note of just how muscular he really was, now that she’d actually taken time to notice it. She couldn’t help but recall just how comfortable of a pillow he’d made when she had woken up, and felt her cheeks burn even brighter.

“What are you thinking, Odango?” Tuxedo Kamen quipped with a raised eyebrow. “Or did the sight of me make your brain stop functioning?”

“Baka!” Usagi snapped as she glared at him. “For that… Get out!”

“I’m sorry, Od-”

“Call me odango again, and I’ll make you eat an odango shaped slipper!” Usagi threatened, though her seriousness was belied by the smile she was trying to suppress. “Actually, I just need to change clothes, now get out! Okaa-san wanted me to see if you wanted any breakfast, and since I have a feeling that you might be hungry after what happened last night, you can wait outside my door.”

“All right, Usagi-chan,” said the masked man as he headed towards her door. “I’ll be waiting for you right outside.”

“You can probably go on down,” Usagi told him.

“Probably, but your father is kinda scary, even when compared to all of the youma we‘ve fought, so I am avoiding him for right now.”

Usagi laughed and nodded before he walked out of her room, closing the door behind him. After a couple of minutes and a few muffled thuds, Usagi walked out of her room wearing a long blue skirt, pale pink tank top, and a white over shirt.

“Come on,” Usagi said as she started down the stairs. He noticed how she walked down the stairs carefully, most likely to keep from tripping, but saw how she soon tripped on the end of her skirt, as she was reaching the bottom of the stairs.

Before she fell however, Usagi felt a pair of strong arms wrap around her waist, steadying her before she wound up falling headfirst down the stairs. “Daijobu, Usagi-chan?”

Usagi nodded mutely and took a moment to regain herself, not to mention try to calm her heart from such close contact twice in one day. She then started back down the stairs, and made it without any more incidents.

“There you two are,” said Ikuko as she saw the two walk into the kitchen. “Have a seat. Breakfast will be ready in a moment. Waffles are taking a bit more time than expected.”

“I-I should go, Tsukino-san,” started Tuxedo Kamen. “It wouldn’t be right of me to intrude on your family breakfast.”

“Don’t be silly. I don’t mind. It is the least I can do for you making sure that my daughter was safe,” said Ikuko as she looked over to finally notice the death glare that her husband was giving the masked man. “Kenji-chan…”

The spectacled man blinked and looked at his wife, noticing the warning look that he was giving, and looked down at the paper in front of him, causing Shingo, who was witnessing the whole event, to laugh at what was taking place.

Meanwhile Usagi was watching as Tuxedo Kamen looked around uncomfortably, but couldn’t pinpoint why since her father was behaving.

“Are you all right?” Usagi asked quietly as she leaned over so that her parents wouldn’t hear.

“Hai, I’m just not used to this sort of surroundings. I um… Being in the uniform in a more or less public setting is just… Odd.”

“It’s all right. You just reminded me of Luna when I am trying to give her a bath,” said Usagi. “I’m sure that okaa-san wouldn’t mind if you left. “

“I’m not sure if you remember, but I did try. Your mother wound up telling me to sit down,” he reminded her, drawing a laugh from the blonde.

Ikuko looked at the giggling blodne raised an eyebrow. “Might I ask what is so funny?” she asked as she placed a plate of waffles in front of her daughter and Tuxedo Kamen. The only difference between the two plates was the omelet on Usagi’s.

“It’s nothing, okaa-san. Just reminded of something that you said, and it just seemed kinda funny now that I’ve had the chance to think about it again,” Usagi explained.

“All right, dear,” said Ikuko as she watched her daughter and the masked man next to her. From the way they were acting. She knew the look in her daughter’s eyes as she looked to the masked man, and Ikuko wondered if the feelings were returned. She had watched the young man the previous night as he refused to put the girl down after the attack, even after she had woken up.

“Arigato, Tsukino-san,” Tuxedo Kamen said, drawing the woman out of her thoughts. “The breakfast looks delicious.”

“It is the least that I can do since you did stay to make sure that my daughter was safe last night,” Ikuko said with a small smile.

Tuxedo Kamen smiled and nodded. “You still have my thanks. It has been a long time since I’ve had a breakfast that looked this good.”

Ikuko smiled proudly. “It’s nice to hear that every once in a while,” she said looking pointedly at Shingo and Kenji, causing the boy to look down, while her husband kept his face behind the news paper, not seeing the look his wife was giving him.

Usagi simply laughed quietly to herself at her little brother’s expression as he at the last of his own waffles as she took a bite of her own.

“When are you going to be heading to the see Rei, Usagi-chan?” Ikuko questioned.

“Oh, about noon, I guess.”

Tuxedo Kamen watched the two talk, as he slowly ate the breakfast. He almost envied Usagi for the relationship that he had with her mother, but shrugged the feeling off.

“Tsukino-san, I hate to eat and run, but I am afraid I must be going. I doubt that the ones who attacked Usagi-chan will be making a second attempt so soon,” he said. “Arigato for the breakfast, but I must ask, is there a way I can get out without being spotted by any of the neighbors.”

“My window,” said Usagi as she looked at him with a gaze that told him that she knew what she was talking about. “It’s backed by some trees that separate our house from the empty house behind ours.”

Ikuko and Kenji looked at the small blonde, wondering how she knew so much about how much of an advantage point her room had when anyone needed to sneak out.

Usagi shrank in her seat with a slight blush. “There were times when Luna would get out, and I had a hard time finding her because of everything that was back there for her to hide in.”

Ikuko frowned but nodded. Kenji, on the other hand, sighed. “Usagi-chan, I understand that you worry about Luna, but I don’t want you sneaking out like that to search for her. Something could happen to you. Now, if I hear or catch you sneaking out, you will be grounded. Is that understood.”

Usagi looked down, and Tuxedo Kamen could tell that she had felt bad about once again lying to her parents, but it was worsened by the idea of getting into trouble. “Hai, otou-san,” he heard her say softly.

“Now, Usagi-chan, would you please show- I’m sorry, and I know that it is a strange thought to just come up, but I am not sure what to call you.”

“I’m known as Tuxedo Kamen, to the senshi,” he informed the blue haired woman with a slight bow.

“Arigato, Tuxedo Kamen-sama,” said Ikuko, not noticing the blush on her daughter’s face due to the fact that the very title she had just used was the same that her daughter used in battle. “Anyways, Usagi-chan, could you show Tuxedo Kamen-sama to the way out.”

“H-Hai, okaa-san,” she replied before leading the masked man up the stairs.

“Your family… I can see how you turned out the way you did,” he told the blonde as they walked into her room. “They’re great people.”

“Yeah… I just hate the fact that they don’t know the truth about what has been happening,” Usagi said softly. “I hate lying to them. I-I’m sure that you feel the same way whenever you have to suddenly excuse yourself when you’re talking to your fam-”

“I-I wouldn’t know,” he told her. “I’ve never had to tell them. I-…” He stopped and looked down, before breathing deeply. “I should go. I need to actually get dressed in something other than a Tuxedo.”

Usagi looked worried but nodded. “A-All right. Um… Again, thank you for staying… and…”

“I’ll see you, and hopefully it won’t be at a battle,” he joked lightly, knowing that would most likely be the circumstances.

Usagi nodded and watched as he climbed out of the window. “Mamoru-san…” she called out softly, causing him to stop and turn back to look at her. “Um… About what you told me. Whenever I needed to talk to someone? Well, I just… the same goes for you. I-If you ever need to talk to someone, then you can- You can always talk to me if you need someone…”

Mamoru smiled and nodded at the blonde. “Thank you,” he said before disappearing from the window.

Usagi sighed and stared at the window with a small smile on her face. “Now I’m starting to see what Rei and Motoki see when they say that he isn’t so bad,” she murmured to herself before turning and heading down the stairs to rejoin her family and finish her breakfast.

Once she had finished the breakfast, the blonde kissed her mother on the cheek lightly. “I’ll be back before dinner, okaa-san.”

Ikuko nodded and smiled. “Be careful on the way there, Usagi-chan.”

“I will, okaa-san,” said Usagi. “Tuxedo Kamen-sama said that one of the senshi would be watching me on the way there, so I should be all right.”

“That’s nice to know, dear. If you ever see him again, will you tell him that I said that he is welcome at any time.”

“I’m sure that he knows, but I will tell him that,” Usagi said before heading to the door and slipping on her shoes before heading out.

As the blonde was heading towards the temple that Rei called home, she felt an eerie calm that caused a cold chill to travel up and down her spine.

“I-I know that you’re there, Nephrite. What do you want?” Usagi snapped as she slowly turned.

“I simply want what my queen wants, Sailor Moon, and that is you dead,” said the auburn haired general as he wrapped one arm around her waist and wrapped his hand around her throat. He smirked when he felt her stiffen in his arms. “Now I suggest you agree to cooperate with me, or else, I kill you, your friends, and your family. And trust me, I will feel nothing but the honor of serving my queen while doing so.”

Usagi closed her eyes as she felt tears well up, and slowly nodded. “I’ll do whatever you say, just leave them alone. I don’t want anyone hurt…”

Nephrite smirked. “That’s a good girl. Now….” Usagi bit her lip before she felt a sharp blow to the back of her head and felt darkness closing in on her.

‘Gomen nasai, minna,’ were the last thoughts to go through her mind before she lost consciousness.

Meanwhile, Rei and Ami, who were already at the temple with Luna, looked at each other in alarm when they heard the blonde’s voice in their heads.

“Girls, what is the matter?” questioned Luna.

“Usagi-chan is in danger…” said Rei softly as she felt a cold fear wrap around her, sending shivers ripping through her.