On a Moonswept Moor
By Lady M Harris
Editor: Sun Princess

Part Three

        Mamoru sighed tiredly, throwing his jacket onto the couch.  He
walked over to his balcony, not bothering to turn on his lights and slid the
glass door shut, also reaching out to close the curtains at the same
time.  Mamoru kept a flat in Juuban because it was only a short drive
from the hospital--especially when compared to the drive from his estate
on the outskirts of Tokyo.  The scenery before him was beautiful, lights
from all the buildings a fair rival to the stars shining above even in
the early morning's night sky.  But Mamoru didn't notice it, his
thoughts elsewhere.  He gazed, unseeing, at the Earth-bound stars of
Tokyo, his mind light years away.
        A shadowy figure detached itself from it's resting place hidden in
his living room. Mamoru was wondering when she would make herself known to
him.
        Melissa.  A pale, blonde beauty with an appetite for sex.  He had
known immediately that he wasn't alone in his flat by the scent of her
perfume
when he had walked in a few minutes ago.  He made a mental note to
himself to have a serious 'talk' with the new security guard downstairs.
        "Mamoru-kun," Melissa breathed silkily into his ear as she came up
behind him.  He felt her body slide sensuously up against the back of
him, purposely allowing him to feel ever curve of her shapely body.
"Where have you been, darling?" she asked, pouting and sulking at the
same time.  Her hands wound around him like two slithering snakes,
craving the feel of his hard, muscular body against hers.
"Oh--Mamoru-kun, is that for me?" she purred loudly, when her hand
encountered his erection.
        He pulled away from her and reached over in the darkness to close
another set of dark curtains, effectively closing them away from the
bright, silvery moonlight.  "Don't flatter yourself, Melissa," Mamoru
replied, sardonically.  "How long have you been here?" he asked as he
walked over to his bar and poured himself a nightcap.
        She glared at him, eyes blazing in the murky darkness.  He was
always so cold, she thought angrily, even in bed.  She didn't like the way
this
conversation was going.  Especially since he obviously  came home from
another woman's arms.  "Long enough to know that you're returning late
to your flat," she huffed indignantly.
        Mamoru took a deep swallow of his cognac, savoring the smooth,
burning liquor flavor before returning his attention to Melissa.  He reached
over to the table lamp beside him, and picked up her purse.  "I suggest
you call next time, and make sure you've been invited to come over
here," he said coldly, handing her purse to her.  "I answer to no one,
least of all to you, Melissa," he finished in the same icy tone as he
pushed her toward his door.
        She turned around, her amber eyes blazing even in the darkness of
his hallway.  "Are-are you telling me that this is it?" she asked, raising
her voice.
        He opened his entrance door and sighed as he leaned against it,
suddenly very tired.  "Yeah, I guess you can put it like that."
        "I knew it!  It's Beryl, isn't it?" she shrieked as she stormed out
onto the carpeted outside hallway.
        "Hardly.  Do you mind?  You're beginning to sound like a
fisherman's wife--someone's going to call security on you, sweetie," Mamoru
grinned,
but the smile didn't reach his eyes.  He didn't have much faith with
security these days.
        "No one dumps me, Mamoru-kun.  I dump them!" she threatened; her
voice was now low and taut as she stared back at him, her eyes aflame.  She
knew what she had said sounded childish, even to her ears.
        "Whatever," he stated coldly, and slammed the door in her face.

        "Usa-chan, someone's at the door.  Do you want me to get it?" Ikuko
yelled toward her daughter's bedroom.  Usagi's mom was visiting her this
weekend.  It was Saturday morning, and both mother and daughter wanted
to get some last minute Christmas shopping done today.  Christmas was
only a weekend away.
        "Would you please?" Usagi yelled back from her bedroom.  She was in
the midst of finishing the last twists in her odangos.  She made a face at
herself in her mirror, noting the faint, dark circles under her eyes.
All she could think about for the last couple of days was Mamoru and the
last time she had seen him.  After leaving him in the car, she would
periodically touch her swollen lips, still sure that it all been nothing
more than a dream.  All night, she had done nothing but toss and turn,
her young body yearning for, and craving, his Midas touch.  She had
awakened to her alarm a few hours later, blurry eyed and tired,
determined that it had indeed been a foolish fantasy of hers.
        For the next couple of days, when she wasn't at school, she had
merely moped about.  Usagi was disgusted with herself, ironically joining
the
ranks of the women at the hospital who were also pining after Mamoru.
She came home to her empty apartment with only Luna, her cat, to greet
her.  Even Luna's loud and happy meowing didn't do much to cheer her up.
She would sometimes stop grading her student's homework papers to stare
pensively at her phone, wondering if Mamoru was going to call her.  Of
course, I don't want him to call, she had thought angrily to herself.
She would then, turn her face away from the phone, trying not to
acknowledge how her heart would do somersaults just thinking about his
kiss.  She'd get angry all over again, knowing that he was just using
her to get to his fortune.  Yet, she knew that didn't seem fair either;
he had sounded genuinely content with his grandfather controlling the
fortune.  Oh Usagi, what do you really know about him, she thought
again, determined to shut him out of her mind.
        She had even been doing her best to avoid Ami-chan's calls to her
apartment.  Ami had demanded to know if the rumors were true about her
and Chiba-sensei being engaged.  Usagi had told her that she would
explain everything after she had a chance to figure it out herself.
What was that supposed to mean, Ami-chan asked anxiously?  She knew that
Ami was just worried about her.  Don't worry, Ami-chan, she had said to
her on the phone, and before Ami had a chance to say anything else, she
had quietly placed the phone back on its cradle.
        Today had dawned bright and white with snow blanketing all of
Tokyo.  It was also the day of Juuban Hospital's Christmas party.
        "Usa-chan, you got a package!" her mother yelled again.
        "I'm almost done," Usagi yelled back, wondering what she got.
"Would you open it for me, please?" she asked as she closed the clasp under
her
odango.  Usagi could hear an audible tear from her living room as her
mother began opening the package for her, followed by the sound of her
gasping loudly.  "What is it?" she asked, getting no response from her
mother.  Anxious now, Usagi quickly ran a brush through the rest of her
loose hair, streaming from the odangos, and rushed into the living room
where her mother still stood, staring at the open package.
        "I think, maybe you should have been the one to open it, Usa-chan,"
Ikuko looked up into her daughter's surprised face.
        Usagi gasped in shock, eyes as wide as teacups.  "The dress!" she
exclaimed out loud.  "Ohhh. . . ." She picked it up, her fingers
trembling as she held the exquisite material in her hands.  Usagi could
hardly believe that someone had sent her the lovely, blue dress that she
had wanted so badly in the department store.
        "Usa-chan!  Underneath the dress!  There's another one," Ikuko
pointed out.
        "Oh my God!" Usagi exclaimed again, gently setting aside the blue
dress to pick up an even lovelier, sophisticated, creation of a pale-silver
silk.  If it was possible, her eyes grew even wider when her gaze fell
on the price tag still attached to the dress.  The dress was worth four
times the blue one; she even recognized the highly coveted designer's
name on the label.  "Mamoru-san!" she whispered, knowing immediately
that the gifts had come from him.
        "Usa-chan, who is this from?" Ikuko asked, wonderingly.  It must be
from a man, she thought with dismay as well as a rising joy for her
daughter. And a man who's obviously well off, she summarized.  Finally,
Ikuko thought.  And if the way her daughter's voice's sounded when she
said, his name was any indication as to how deep her feelings went . . .
Mamoru was his name; she wondered where Usa-chan had met him.
        There was a note lying on top of silver dress, Usagi slowly picked
up the note, her hand still trembling.  Her mother was momentarily
forgotten as her eyes skimmed the elegantly written note, instantly
recognizing Mamoru's handwriting:

                'Usagi,' (Her eyes went wide again as she noticed how
he addressed her,remembering how he had said her name, before          he
had kissed her)
                'Usagi,'
                'I didn't forget about the Christmas party.  I'll be
at your place at seven.  The dresses are for you to keep. The         silver
dress is for a dinner party given at my estate for             Ojii-san.
I hope you don't have anything planned Sunday.'
                'Mamoru'

        He's definitely a man of few words, and no explanation of why I
haven't heard from him earlier too, she thought, a smile tugging at the
corners
of her mouth.
        "Usa-chan, what's going on?" Ikuko asked as Usagi put the dresses
reverently back into the box.  "Do you have a new boyfriend that we
don't know about?" she asked, trying to coax some information out of her
silent daughter.
        "Okaa-chan, please, I don't know," Usagi pleaded to her.
"Everything  . . . it's too new, and I . . . I really don't know right now,"
Usagi
said, at a loss for words to explain to her mother the situation between
her and Mamoru.  She didn't want to tell her about how Mamoru had
coerced her into becoming his fiancée.  Or the magical way he made her
feel when he was near her or touched her, much less the way he had
kissed her.  It still didn't make a whole lot of sense to her.
        "Oh, Usa-chan, I'm sorry.  You don't have to say a thing," Ikuko
said, smiling softly to her daughter in understanding.  When she was ready,
Ikuko knew that Usagi would tell her everything.  "Come on, the stores
are waiting for us and if we don't hurry up everything will be gone!"
she said, tactfully changing the subject.
        "Oh, we can't have that," Usagi said, smiling back happily,
grateful for her mother's tactful change of subject.  They grabbed their
jackets
and headed outside into the frigid, snowy, morning.

        The doorbell rang at exactly seven o'clock and for once, Usagi was
ready.  She ran a quick hand threw her large tousled curls, which hung
loose from the elegant, pyramid braid atop of her head.  More perfectly
curled ringlets hung loose like golden-white streamers down the sides of
her face.  After shopping for most of the morning, Usagi and Ikuko had
spent the rest of the afternoon at a beauty parlor to have her hair done
by a hairstylist.  Even though Usagi didn't tell her mother much about
whom the dresses were from, she did say that she was going to Juuban
Central Hospital's Christmas party with a date.
        Usagi had also splurged on a new, velvet swing coat the color of
navy.  It was as elegant as her pocket book could afford, while her mother
bought her a pair of beautiful, satin, white heels and matching, satin,
opera length, gloves.  My daughter has to look like a princess for this
party, Ikuko had said, when she picked out the gloves and shoes.
Fortunately, she could wear the same pumps for the silver dress.  Small,
diamond studs with hanging teardrop pearls bobbed elegantly at her ears.
She left her neckline bare; the delicate sweep of her neckline brought
attention to her creamy and full breasts.  She checked her lipstick in
the mirror again, once more going over her face.  She had taken extra
care and time with her makeup, wanting the effect to be natural, yet
subtle enough underneath the party lights.
        The doorbell rang again, more incessant now.  Usagi quickly opened
her door and nearly fainted into a heap of fluff, when her wide gaze settled
on Mamoru.  He stood there in casual repose, the epitome of raw, male
perfection.  He was dressed in an impeccable black and white tuxedo.
She knew immediately that it had been custom made for his tall, hard
frame.  His normally wild, midnight-black hair was sleeked back and
combed neatly, complementing his deep, sapphire-blue eyes.  She could
even make out his faint and tantalizing cologne, reminding her of wood
glens in a deep forest with traces of cinnamon.  He also wore an
elegant, long black coat; soft black leather gloves, and high-polished
black dress shoes finished his ensemble.
        A slow, knowing smile curved across Mamoru's lips as he noted
Usagi's intense gaze sweeping over his appearance.
        Usagi wanted nothing more than to melt like butter underneath his
lingering gaze.  She instinctively knew that she had met his approval as
his eyes smoldered like smoke, unconsciously caressing her shapely
figure.
        "Usako . . . you look beautiful," he said quietly, his voice rough
and husky at the same time.
        There, he said it again, her mind screamed.  The way a lover would
say her name. Mamoru had used that phrase before to his past amours, but
never with as much sincerity as he felt at that moment.  She was simply
a stunning vision of loveliness, dressed in blue ice.
        "I could say the same for you," she answered back, blushing at her
choice of words.  She couldn't think of anything witty to say as they
stood there in her hallway drinking in the sight of each other.
        "Thank you, it's not every day I'm complimented on my beauty,"
Mamoru chuckled softly, still mesmerized with her beauty.
        Usagi giggled, as a becoming pink hue stained her delicate
features.
        "Are you ready?" he asked.
        "Oh--oh yes, let me grab my coat," she said, backing into her
apartment to retrieve her new coat.
        "Here, let me . . . " Mamoru said softly, taking the coat from her
hands and placing it around her shoulders as he brushed away her curls,
exposing her swanlike neck to his view.  He sucked in his breath, and
unable to stop himself, grazed the back of her neck with the caress of
his lips.  "Usako . . . " He had been unable to think coherently the
last couple of days that he stayed away from her.  All he could think
about was the last time they were in his car and the kiss they had
shared.  Her beguiling face had haunted his days and her sweet body had
tormented his nights.
        He pulled back abruptly, wondering again at his lack of control
every time he was near her.  "We should get going," he said, coming around
to
face her.
        "Oh, yes," was all she could say, her body tingling where his lips
had touched her neck briefly.  She wanted to curl up and hug herself, still
enraptured with the way he made her feel every time he was near her,
with her, and touching her.
        They drove silently to the party, both of them submerged in deep
thoughts about each other.  The party was being held at the Hotori
center.  When they arrived, the party was already crowded and full of
laughter. The tinkling glasses could be heard above the noise and
general din of holiday merriment.  Important people from all over Japan
were also attending this party, Usagi noted as her eyes followed many
couples entering the gala.  Mamoru parked in the crowded garage and
turned to her after shutting off the engine.
        "There's one more thing that I haven't given you yet" Mamoru said,
reaching into his pocket to pull out a small, velvet box.  "What is a
fiancée without a ring?" he asked, and then gave a lopsided grin at her
silent, questioning look, opening the mysterious looking, black box.  Of
course, she couldn't know the time he had spent searching for the right
ring to grace her finger.  The lady at the prestigious jewelry shop had
made him feel uncomfortable with all her prying questions.  He had a
funny feeling during the whole shopping escapade that he was really
searching for his love's ring.  Nonsense, he had told himself at the
time.  Usagi was only playing a role in this whole charade.  Not to
mention, the dark side of him said to himself, satisfying this
infatuation she seems to hold over you.  Yet, when his gaze touched her
enchanted, almost childish face, all of his other thoughts flew out the
window.
        "A ring?" she echoed faintly, paralyzed in the suspense of the
moment.  Usagi gasped when he opened the small, black, velvet box to reveal
an
elegant, marquise-cut, diamond, solitaire ring, set in platinum gold.
"Oh my!" she breathed out softly as Mamoru took the ring out of the box
and placed it on her third finger.  The large, diamond sparkled
brilliantly even in the dim lighting of the parking garage.  It almost
feels real, this whole charade, she thought as she stared at the ring.
        "Don't think about it, Usagi-chan," Mamoru said quietly, as he read
her thoughts.  He quickly got out of the car and opened the door on her
side.  He held his large hand out to her and she stared down at it,
wondering again for the hundredth time if she was still dreaming.  The
feel of his warm hand when she placed hers within his grasp reminded her
exactly how real the whole situation was.  You're not dreaming anymore
Usagi, she said to herself as her gaze caught Mamoru's piercing stare
under the garage's parking lights.  And maybe, just maybe . . . you're
falling for him.  Is he the one, her heart whispered to her?  Is he the
one . . . the one you've been waiting for, Usagi?

        "Usagi-chan--Chiba-sensei!" Ami exclaimed loudly, her eyes widening
in amazement when they entered together.  Is it really true, she thought?
She noticed how Usagi-chan's eyes constantly strayed to Chiba-sensei and
how Chiba-sensei's gaze seemed to linger for long moments on Usagi-chan.
        "Ami-chan.  Taiki-kun.  I'm glad we're sitting together!" Usagi
exclaimed happily as her eyes settled on her friend and her husband as
they reached their table.  Neat, little name cards were set up around
the large and elegant, dining table.  Usagi turned toward Mamoru and
flushed becomingly when he pulled out a chair for her to settle in.
Usagi noticed how Mamoru's gaze seemed be challenging Ami-chan's,
disputing his right to be there.  Then before he settled himself into a
chair, he bent over and pushed back some of Usagi's loose curls softly,
and placed a caressing and lingering kiss on her forehead.  "Usagi-chan
. . . are you comfortable?" he asked with the deep rumble of his voice,
his lips right by her ear, effectively sending shivers of delight down
her spine.  Usagi noticed Ami-chan's eyes widen even more as she became
convinced of their 'loving' relationship.  "Yes, thank you Mamoru-san,"
she breathed out, her voice sounding husky even to her own ears.  She
noticed Mamoru's eyes flashing with a wordless message and Usagi could
feel herself flooding with heat.  Usagi promptly turned her flushed face
back toward Ami's still shocked face, determined not to let Mamoru
seduce her underneath the eyes of her friends.  And that's exactly what
he is doing, she thought to herself with alarm.  She let her eyes wander
past Taiki-kun.  It was on the tip of her tongue to introduce Taiki-kun
to Mamoru-san, when her gaze halted in shock at the figure sitting next
to Taiki with his face turned toward the crowd of party goers.  She knew
that familiar shock of black hair!  Just as her mind registered who it
was, he looked over his shoulder at her with a devilish grin spreading
across his lips.
        "Seiya?  Seiya-kun!" Usagi exclaimed in surprise.  She jumped up
from her seat only to launch herself into his laughing arms.
        "Usa-chan . . . " Seiya replied, his voice ruff as his arms came
around to hug her to him.
        From across the table, Mamoru and Seiya's eyes clashed like two
opponents fighting over a highly coveted prize.  Mamoru's eyes narrowed
into piercing, sharp sapphires as he met Seiya's dark and penetrating
stare above Usagi's head.  The challenge had been given and accepted;
and the prize was Usagi's heart.

Sparks fly between Mamoru and Seiya . . . stay tuned for part four . . .
Lady M Harris.