Subject: The Blind Kiss 3--Pearl Date: Sat, 14 Nov 1998 16:29:52 -0800 From: Pearl ^_^ Organization: @Home Network To: storysubmit@hotmail.com Thanx to everyone who gave me any kind of feedback! Naoko created Sailormoon, Naoko made the characters, Naoko's story inspired me. Thank her for the characters, thank me for my story. Please e-mail me with lots of comments and suggestions! "This is someone talking" <> *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ THE BLIND KISS BY PEARL Usagi sat quietly in the office she shared with Mamoru. She was very happy with herself because of the design they had made a few nights ago, the night she fell asleep, the night he kissed her. She blushed at that memory. It was sweet. She liked it. Usagi knew that Mamoru was more than just a friend to her. <> At that moment, Mamoru knocked on the door and came in. "What are you thinking about, Usako?" Mamoru asked. Usagi smiled. "Things." she said. "You seem to be happy today." "I am, Mamo-chan." "Well, we should keep you that way." Mamoru grabbed his chair and sat down beside Usagi as he reached over her shoulder for the folder of designs they made. He flipped through it and thought that it was quite good. Usagi leaned over to look with him. She put a hand on his shoulder to support herself. "This one's my favorite," she said, pointing to their newest design. Mamoru smiled. "I can tell." He pointed to the frame of stars and hearts she drew around the design. <> "Usako?" "Umm?" "Gomen, but, what is it? I mean, I like it because it's unique but I have no idea what you'd wear this for." Mamoru asked. Usagi thought for a while. "Well... It's not for anything, really. It just looks cool. You know, like a costume people could wear for a space show or something." "Oh." Mamoru looked at the design more closely. (Note: I'm not describing it on purpose. I will do that later.) He noticed Usagi's hand on his shoulder and could see that it was a really uncomfortable position for her. He put an arm around her shoulders and pulled her closer so she could lean her weight on him. She looked up at him and smiled. Mamoru and Usagi went over their designs the whole morning. They watched previous fashion shows, examined other people's work, admired other people's work, and laughed at many designs people came up with. Before they knew it, it was lunchtime. "Usako, what do you want to do for lunch today?" Mamoru asked. "Nothing special. May be something fast," Usagi answered. "You want fast food? Okay. Let's just go to McDonalds then." "Sure." *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ "You full, Usako?" Mamoru asked. Usagi nodded. "Hai! Three sundaes and apple pies always do the job!" "You want to go to the park? I want to do some sketching." "Sketching?" "Yeah. I like to draw non-design things once in a while." "Okay." Usagi and Mamoru sat down under the same tree again and Mamoru took out his pencil and paper to start drawing. Usagi spread herself out on the grass and looked up into the tree. She giggled when she saw squirrels running in the tree. She looked so carefree and innocent at that moment that no one passing by could have realized that she was one of the most successful businesswomen in Japan. Mamoru looked at her and decided that he would draw her. Usagi closed her eyes unknowingly as Mamoru sketched her down. As the clock ticked by, Mamoru concentrated on his drawing and sat back when he finished. Usagi opened her eyes and turned to look at Mamoru. <> She then got up to look at his drawing but found his book closed. So, she looked at his pencil and laughed. "What's so funny?" Mamoru asked. "This pencil is so cute! Who is he? A cartoon character?" Usagi pointed to the picture of a cute guy in a tuxedo and top hat on Mamoru's pencil. "I just like him. He looks cute." Usagi giggled. "Ah, Mamo-chan. So *YOU* like cartoons as well!" Usagi said. "I do not! I only like this guy." "Whatever, Mamo-chan. You are so kawaii! I never knew you liked cartoons!" "Usako! I do not!" Usagi got up while still holding the pencil and pretended to be the character on Mamoru's pencil. She wrapped her hair around her face and pretended that a trig was a cane. "Look at me, I'm 'Tuxedo Kamen'!" She yelled out in a low voice and threw the pencil so that it pierced the ground. Mamoru looked around to make sure no one was looking. No one was in the park but them. He relaxed a bit at the realization. Usagi went on, "I am here! All shall be saved!" She started fencing with the tree and burst out laughing. "Ooohh! I've GOT to tell Haruka-san! She'll flip at the thought of you having a cartoon hero!" Mamoru's face went shocked at the thought. "No! Usako!" "Gotta catch me first!" Usagi laughed out as she ran away with his pencil. Mamoru put his papers down and chased her around the park. Usagi went in and out of trees, over benches, and around garbage cans. Mamoru was a little upset at first but Usagi's giggling made him enjoy chasing her. Pretty soon, all that there was, was two people laughing and giggling and chasing each other around the park. All of a sudden, Usagi tripped on a hole in the grass and fell flat on her face. Mamoru got really worried. "Usako!" he yelled out in alarm. Usagi remained unmoving for a while. He got to where she was and turned her over. Her eyes were closed and she didn't move. "Usako?!!" He shouted at her. He put his face closer to see her breathing. "Gotcha!" Usagi yelled out. She slapped him on the back and caused him to fall to the grass. Then, she got up and continued running away. Mamoru was stunned for a while. When he came out of his thoughts, she was well ahead of him. "Usako! That wasn't very funny." He tried to say but ended up laughing at himself for falling for her trap. He quickly got up and continued chasing her. She was heading out towards the lake. For the next two minutes, he slowly gained in on her. When she stopped in front of the lake, he was only four seconds behind her. She turned around to look at him then looked down at the lake again. Mamoru realized that she stopped a bit too late. He was running too fast. He grabbed Usagi around the waist from behind and sent them both flying into the lake. "Ah!" Usagi screamed out when she came in contact with the water. "My suit! My hair!" She looked down at them and concluded that they were unsavable now. She looked around for Mamoru. He was nowhere. <> She started to go back out. "DROWNED!!!" She started to frantically look for him everywhere. There was no sign of him. "Mamo-chan!" She yelled out worriedly. No response. "Mamo-chan!" She yelled out once more. When no answer came again, Usagi started to panic. "Mamo-chan! Where are you?" She was almost freaking. <> Usagi searched all around her again. There was no movement at all. No one else was at the park so she had no one to yell to. The trees made the only sound as wind blew through their leaves. Usagi didn't have time to observe the park though. She was almost crying with panic. She was grabbed from behind into a wet embrace. "Miss me, Usako?" Mamoru laughed out. Usagi turned around in his arms. "Mamo-chan!" she cried out in joy. "That was not very funny." "I know. Gomen nasai, Usako." Mamoru pleaded. Usagi swung her head around as two wet streams of hair hit Mamoru on the face. "Hey! You can be mad but don't kill me with your hair!" Mamoru protested teasingly. "Well, you'll have to earn your forgiveness." Usagi said. "Really?" Mamoru asked with a mischievous hint to his voice. He took Usagi's face in his hands and kissed her wet lips. He hugged her tightly as she let herself be kissed. When he ended, she was blushing furiously. "You look cute like that, Usagi!" Mamoru said. "Mamo-chan!" Usagi punched him playfully. Now, it would have been all right if she was thinking straight. But, of course, after the kiss, she wasn't. So, she pushed him just a *little* bit too hard, hard enough for him to fall backwards. In fact, hard enough for him to fall backwards *AND* take her with him. Therefore, the both of them were once again in the water as Mamoru slipped. When they came up again, they were both laughing crazily. It wasn't the usual lunch hour. <> Mamoru thought. <> Usagi thought. They quickly got out of the water and sat down on the grass to find a way to dry off. The sun was high but Usagi couldn't help but feel cold. Mamoru noticed that and put an arm around her. "I would give you my jacket but it's kind of wet." "It's okay. Let's go back. I have to tell Haruka-san that I have to take the afternoon off so I can go home to change." Mamoru agreed. "Me too. I can't work in wet clothes." Usagi looked up at him. "It was fun though." "It's always fun being with you, Usako." Usagi smiled and leaned her head on his shoulder as they walked back to the office. *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ Haruka laughed as she saw the two dripping people enter the office. "Whoa! You two caught the only cloud of rain or something? I was pretty sure it didn't rain today." "Actually, Mamo-ch, I mean Mamoru-kun, decided that he wanted to go swimming at lunch." Usagi replied. "Really? And you decided to join him?" Haruka asked with mirth. Usagi pointed at Mamoru. "No. He pushed me in." "By accident." Mamoru finished. "Okay. So you two probably want to go home now? I wouldn't want you to get your office all wet." "Yeah. Could we? We'll make up for the work lost somehow." Usagi pleaded. Haruka smiled. "Sure. Go home. You two look drowned." As the two closed the door to Haruka's office, Haruka burst out laughing. "It's not funny." They both said at the same time, causing the rest of the workers to turn to look at them with questioning glares. "Oh bother!" Usagi sighed. Mamoru took her hand and lead her out the door. *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ When Usagi reached her home, she was almost dry. Her suit was ruined but she didn't really care. She had fun and that's all that mattered to her. She giggled at the memory of Mamoru's face when she faked unconsciousness and laughed when she thought about how stupid she must have looked when she couldn't find Mamoru. She changed out of her clothes and into something more casual. After she was done, she sat on the couch and thought about what she would do with the rest of her day. <> She looked at her watch to find that it was only two o'clock. <> Usagi went over to her balcony and looked out. It was indeed beautiful. The streets were almost abandoned because everyone was at work. It was rather quiet. <> With that thought, Usagi put on a short pink skirt and went out. *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ Usagi stopped in front of Crown center. <> She walked in the arcade and saw Motoki cleaning the counter. "Hello, Motoki-kun!" She greeted him. "Hi, Usagi-chan! Haven't seen you in a long time." "Yeah. I've been rather busy." Usagi said. "Come on, come on!" A voice could be heard out of all the noise in the arcade. Usagi turned to look at the man at the crane game. "Mamo-chan!" She cried out. "So, is this what you do on your days off?" She asked. "Aww, shoot!" Mamoru cried out when the little guy in the tuxedo escaped from the crane. He turned around to see Usagi. "Hi, Usako! What are you doing here?" "I came to visit Motoki-kun. I haven't been here for a while. "Really? Motoki and I are old friends, are we not, Motoki- kun?" Mamoru looked to his friend. "Yeah. We went to the same school." Motoki replied. "Listen, I have to go help some customers so see you guys around!" "Sure thing." Usagi said. "Ja ne." "So, Usako, what are you gonna do now?" Usagi smiled. "Well, I'm going to go shopping. What about you?" "I don't really know. I'll just go home and slug around the whole day." "Okay then. I'm going to go." "Wait!" Mamoru held Usagi's wrist. "We still have to make up for the time we missed today. What if you come to my place tomorrow night? We can design stuff and start to look at model resumes before Haruka eliminates half the people." "Okay. Fine with me. See you tomorrow at the office!" Usagi said. Mamoru added, "And don't forget to bring a change of clothes just in case I decide to take you swimming again!" Usagi laughed. "I have it all ready." She stepped out of the arcade. Just before the automatic doors closed, she turned around and blew a kiss to Mamoru. Mamoru took a breath in. Usagi looked really adorable that moment when she turned around. Her small pink skirt whirled around with her and her hair caught the afternoon sun. Her legs looked incredibly long with her casual heels. She wore a light red top which had a low round neck and a moon necklace which sparkled when the sun touched it. Mamoru watched every action of hers with a slow motion, observing every detail. When she smiled and blew the kiss, she made the perfect picture wonderful. Mamoru couldn't help but smile at her image. He pretended to catch her kiss as it hit him in the face and kissed it. Usagi giggled and the doors closed in front of her. *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ The bell rang. Mamoru switched off the TV and went to the door to discover Usagi looking through the eyehole at him. He chuckled and opened the door. "Hello, Mamo-chan! I didn't forget your number this time!" "I'm glad, Usako. Make yourself comfortable. I'll be with you in a sec." "Okay." Usagi went and sat down on Mamoru's couch and out her bag down on the carpeted floor. She looked around his living room once more. There were almost no pictures at all. He only had one of him and his parents. <> Usagi thought of her own home. It was all nicely decorated with the necessary frills and laces to make it look princessy. Usagi loved fantasies. She dreams of being a princess looking for her prince. Her place was messy at times, of course, being Usagi, but it wasn't painful to look at. <> Mamoru came back with two drinks and a piece of cake for Usagi. "Here. This should keep you for the next half an hour." He said. "Why, thank you, Mamo-chan." Usagi took the cake and popped the whole piece into her mouth. Mamoru laughed then got down to business. "So, let's look at these models." "Here." Usagi handed him two stacks of paper. Mamoru's eyes widened. "So many!!!" He exclaimed. "That's probably why Haruka-san always eliminates half the people before she actually looks at the information about them." "Okay. Let's do that then." Usagi and Mamoru began a game. They first threw away all the applications without any pictures then looked at the photos briefly. They set up three baskets around the couch and would throw applications into the baskets according to preferences. The one behind the couch was for people who had no hope, the ones how don't even look like models or those who are way too old for their liking. The basket beside Mamoru was for people they could consider if they needed extras and the one beside Usagi was for the ones they really liked. There were over a hundred entries so it wasn't a fun job. However, the way Mamoru and Usagi did it was more like a game. They would race to see which one of them could find a ridiculous one and try to score in the basket behind them. In order to do that, they had to be really fast in chucking all the other ones into their corresponding piles. Usagi was laughing whole-heartedly while Mamoru chuckled at her failed attempts to throw paper into baskets. Usagi protested that flat paper was too hard to aim but Mamoru said that he wasn't having too much trouble. Usagi giggled loudly whenever she saw Mamoru miss and screeched whenever she scored. By the time they finished, Mamoru's carpet was nearly covered in paper. The area behind the couch was just a mountain of applications. Mamoru sighed and began throwing the documents into the baskets. "But Mamo-chan! Your room doesn't have to be clean!" Usagi protested. Mamoru pointed at her. "I think you missed on purpose so you'd get to see my place messy." "I'm innocent." Usagi batted her eyelashes at him. "Fine then, princess, come and help me clean." "Anything you say, Chiba-sama." When everything was clean and neat in baskets, Mamoru and Usagi started to go over them in detail. They took turns reading out the applications for each other to decide if they liked it. They put the photos of the applicant beside their designs to see if they'd work out. It was a really boring job. No designers actually really have to go over each and every one like this but Mamoru and Usagi had time. When they finished closely examining half the pile, Usagi was very tired. She did not like sitting around and reading information about people. "This reminds me too much of school and learning about people!" Usagi complained as she leaned back on the couch. "We'll take a short break then." Mamoru decided. "Thank the lord!" Usagi said was she closed her eyes. Mamoru looked over at her and concluded that she's had enough. Usagi wasn't the type to read things and make decisions. She wasn't born with the patience. She was more of the bouncy kind. Usagi spread herself out on the couch and since Mamoru was also sitting on it, she used his lap as a pillow. "This is comfortable." She sad while looking up at him. Mamoru looked down at her uneasily. "You know, Usako, this is an awkward position for me. I can't move." Usagi grinned. "I know. You're stuck there." She closed her eyes and fell asleep. <> Mamoru closed his eyes to rest them for a while but unconsciously fell asleep. When Mamoru woke up, it was well after ten o'clock. <> He shook Usagi to try to get her up. Usagi blinked and looked up at him. "Nani?" "It's 10:25, Usako." He told her. "What! I have to go!!! I won't be able to get up tomorrow!" Usagi exclaimed. "I know. I'll drive you home." "Really? Thank you, Mamo-chan." "Come on then." Usagi gathered her things and followed Mamoru out the door. They walked down the hallway and into the elevator. Usagi realized that it was raining hard when they got to the main lobby. Sheets of water poured down from the sky and splattered against the glass of the foyer. Usagi gulped as she thought of going out in the rain. "At least it's better than walking home, Usako." "Yeah. It's okay. It's not like I haven't been in the rain before." Usagi said. But, when they stepped outside and found the front all flooded, Usagi wasn't so optimistic anymore. "Umm... Mamo-chan, it looks quite cold." She pointed out. "Yes, it does doesn't it? You'll be wet from your knee down if you run across this huge puddle." Usagi looked down at her nylons and winced. They were quite expensive and she REALLY didn't want to get then wet and dirty. Mamoru knew what was going through her head and thought up a solution. He put one arm around her waist and another around her knees as he picked her up. Usagi cried out in surprise, "Mamo-chan! What are you doing?" "Getting you home." Mamoru ran through the flooded area with Usagi in his arms. He tried to keep her from getting wet unsuccessfully. There was water coming at them from above and below so he was soaked to the bone. Usagi was wet but not nearly as much as Mamoru. She hugged her arm around Mamoru's neck for balance and clung onto him for dear life. Mamoru skipped through the water and finally made it to his car. He opened the door and placed Usagi in the passenger seat then went around to the driver's seat. He started the engine and drove for Usagi's apartment. "You okay?" He asked her. "I'm fine. You look drenched though." "We seem to attract water don't you think, Usako?" "Yeah. We seem to have trouble staying dry." "That was fun though. I used to love running in the rain when I was little." Usagi reached out her right hand to squeeze water from his bangs. "Me too. We can do that next time. I just want to go home right now." Usagi leaned back and looked out the window on her left at the wet city. She listened to the steady pace of the rain and observed the colors of Tokyo at night. Mamoru stopped at a red light and looked at Usagi on his left. (Note: The driver sits on the right side of the car in Japan.) Usagi turned around and gave him a tired smile. He squeezed her hand and drove her home without another stop. *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ "No! That's wrong!" Usagi shouted at someone in the office. "Gomen. It's supposed to be around the shoulder like this." She took the piece of silk and draped it around the models left shoulder. "Oh. I get it now, Usagi-chan." "Good." Mamoru walked in. "I see you guys started without me." "We couldn't wait for you. Mizuno-san was here fifteen minutes early so we decided to just let her try this on. It fits pretty well, doesn't it, Mamo-chan?" "Yes, it does. Nice to meet you, Mizuno-san. Blue is definitely your color." "Mamo-chan. Mizuno-san here is Taiki's friend. Remember when we met her last time at the Three Lights' party?" "Oh! Ami Mizuno! I remember you!" Ami smiled and looked down at herself. "This dress is gorgeous! You guys are geniuses!" she exclaimed. "Why, thank you!" Usagi said. Mamoru just smiled. "Konichiwa, minna!" Haruka said as she came in the office. "Looks like everyone's here." "Not really, Haruka-san. I'm still waiting for two more models. The rest have already done their last check but these two still have to see me." Usagi said. "Oh. Are you modeling too, Kenekko-chan?" "No. I didn't plan for me to model." "But we do need more models." Mamoru added. "Yes, Kenekko-chan. I think you should model." "But I don't think I'll look good!" Haruka laughed at the statement. "You? Not look good? Don't worry, Kenekko-chan. You are modeling." "Fine. I'll just model a few designs I really like." "Sure!" Makoto stepped into the office. She looked around and found several people inside a dressing room. They were looking at a pretty girl dressed in blue. The dressing room was very big. Aside from the actually dressing table, it looked like a photo shoot suite. There were lights everywhere. Makoto knocked on the door and everyone turned to look at her. "Hello," she said. "I'm Kino Makoto." "Hi, Kino-san. We were waiting for you," Usagi said. "Come in!" Usagi picked up another dress and told Makoto to put it on. Makoto put the dress on and many people came up to her to adjust many things. As they were all focused on Makoto, a younger girl stepped in the door. Usagi noticed her there. "Hello! You must be Tomoe Hotaru! You are just on time," Usagi said. "please put this on." The whole morning went by as the models put on designs and Usagi and Mamoru inspected them. They were really proud of their work. Usagi grinned everytime a design fit perfectly and squealed with delight everytime the designs looked good on the models. She had to make the models exchange some dresses at times but it all worked out well in the end. By the time all the designs were tried on, Usagi and Mamoru were very familiar with the models. "Okay. That's it everyone." Usagi announced. "You can all go." The three models nodded and got ready to leave. "Umm, Hotaru-chan, could I talk to you for a minute before you go?" Usagi requested. "Sure." Hotaru agreed. "Okay. I just wanted to tell you that you are wonderful! Could you please remember to bring your brooch next time? I remember that you had a circle shaped one when you came for your interview. It would look really nice with one of the designs." "Okay. I'll remember to bring it, Usagi-chan." "Thank you." "Ja, Usagi-chan!" All the models said. "Bye!" Usagi sat down and thought about the very close show excitedly. Mamoru sat down beside her proudly. <> *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ Usagi wondered around nervously. She checked on models and fixed her own dress. This was not her first fashion show but she was very excited. She wanted it to be good because it was the biggest show in the whole year. This one was like the opener of the season and it was the first time Haruka could get a big center. "Calm down, Usako." Mamoru comforted her. "Nothing can go wrong. We made so many preparations and precautions." "I know but I might just run and fall on my face!" "We both know that you're quite past that age." "But it might happen!" "No, Usako. You're fine. Now, stop worrying and relax. The show starts in half an hour." "AAAAHHHHHH! I'm not ready!" "Yes, you are." Usagi paced around more. <> She closed her eyes to calm herself down. <> Mamoru slipped his arms around Usagi's tiny waist. "Come on, Usako. There's nothing to worry about. You should be jumping up and down with excitement." "I know." Usagi rested her head on Mamoru's chest. "I'm over excited, I guess." She looked up at Mamoru. "Thanks for being here when I need you." Mamoru gave her waist a squeeze then held her hand. "Let's go make our last minute check-ups." *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ Usagi took a deep breath as all the lights went on. Every single one was centered on her and Mamoru and every single eye was on them as well. Usagi couldn't see the audience because the lights were too bright. She was in a light pink dress. The dress was simple. It fit her body snugly and was held up by two lace straps. It went down to Usagi's knees where it flowed open lightly. To a commoner's eye, it would have been just a plain small dress but to all the spectators and other designers present, it was a statement that the show had begun and *this* was the first piece. Usagi wore a moon necklace along with the dress and medium heels. Her hair was not in their traditional two buns, it was done up in a single long braid which hung over her right shoulder and went down to her thigh. Seiya took a breath in. She was beautiful. He had not seen her in almost two months and she was still just as beautiful. Seiya had just gotten back the night before so he did not get a chance to see Usagi. He just came to see her show. He noticed the man standing beside Usagi. The man was wearing a deep violet suit. The color went very well with Usagi's dress. Seiya dismissed the man from his mind and imagined how good he would look if it were HE (Seiya) whom stood beside Usagi at that moment. "Welcome to our annual beginning of season show." Usagi said. "And to the opening of Galaxy's fifth year." Mamoru continued. Usagi and Mamoru went on introducing themselves and the company and explained some designs. When they finished, the lights went off and music started to play. Usagi quickly ran backstage to change into her second design. Ami stepped onto the stage with her blue dress. Unlike Usagi's opening dress, this was not simple. It was more like a princess dress. It was held by straps as well but each side was held by five straps. Her dress had many different shades of blue. It went down to the floor so it was very hard to walk in. Ami had to practice walking in this dress several times in the last week. She wore tall heels which helped the dress go off the floor one inch. Usagi had Ami wear one hoop inside the dress to make the skirt puff up. Ami's blue hair was decorated with seashells and draped with ribbons. Her skirt had at least seven layers of ribbons and frills. The top was low cut framed with blue velvet and she wore a star necklace. She looked like the queen of the sea. Ami walked in and out with the grace born onto her when she was born. Usagi had practiced with her several times but Ami had been able to handle it since the second try. She walked so smooth that she looked like she was floating from far away. (Note: There you go, Carmina, lot's of description ^_^ More to come!) Next, Makoto stepped on. She wore a long sleeved evening gown with puffed shoulders. Her skirt went down to her ankles but was tight fitting around her legs. She had an even harder time walking than Ami but she looked just as confident. She glided down the stage holding a small green purse. Where as Ami was the queen of the sea, Makoto was the lady of the forest. She was all covered with green. She wore her hair down to her shoulders and tied it half up with white lily flowers. Makoto flaunted her dress a bit then went back to let Hotaru enter. Hotaru was wearing a purple silk dress. The neck was tied back by two strings and formed a small X on her chest. She wore her round star brooch just below the X. Her dress flowed freely and went down to her knees. Her waist was wrapped with a simple decorative belt which lead to a bow at the back. She walked with an air of innocence. And wore a light smile. Her hair was all down and went to just above her shoulders. Usagi had decided not to put anything in it to show the modesty and innocence she wanted Hotaru to have. Hotaru did not have to walk with extreme grace like the others. She walked down the stage with the bounce that Usagi had taught her to control. She looked very free and happy, a contrast from the other two who just passed her. Hotaru showed a vision of a happy girl. An image some girls give up when they grow up. When she finished smiling at everyone she saw, she turned and went back to change into her next design. As the time went by, models came on and off with Usagi and Mamoru's designs. In the middle of the show, the men's section took place. Usagi sat and just watched Mamoru walk around commanding people. She had not been able to help much in that section except tell Mamoru how good the designs looked. When the end approached, Usagi got ready to go on again and changed into her favorite design. The lights dimmed as an upbeat music started to play. "Gomen ne sunao janakute..." (Moonlight Densetsu) Usagi stepped on the stage in her pride design. She wore her hair up in their odangos with red decorations on them, she also wore a tiara around her head, and she was dressed in a sailor suit. Her neckline was the traditional sailor neck, it was followed by a tight white bodysuit with a skirt. She had no sleeves but had a bow where the neckline finished. She wore a heart brooch in the middle of the bow and her very short skirt was lined with yellow and blue. Her collar was blue with two strips. The skirt she wore also had a heart shaped decor. Usagi wore long white gloves that went to her elbows lined by red and red boots which went up to her knees to make up for the exposure of her legs. The boots were lined with white with a half moon on them. Usagi grinned as shocked gasps filled the room. This was a VERY unusual design. She looked like a beautiful Japanese heroine from TV. The large bow at Usagi's back trailed down her legs as Usagi began walking down the stage. She walked with a confidence no one could duplicate. In her hand, she held an ornament that looked like a sword but with a heart shaped handle at the end. (Note: My favorite sailor fuku of hers is the SuperS one so I used that one) Mamoru looked at her in awe from where she had just gotten on. She looked very stunning in her design. Her long thin legs were flaunted by the short skirt and her beautiful figure was outlined very well by the bodysuit. He wondered how people would react if she turned out to actually be a real heroine. Mamoru watched for a few more seconds then went to make sure the others were ready. Usagi was being blinded by all the photographers. All the flashes would have upset her if it wasn't for that she was so proud of her design. She smiled and posed for everyone present and looked down at the audience. That was when she found out that Seiya was there. She was so surprised that she turned stiff for a second. When she saw the others come on with sailor fukus in their colors, she turned and posed for one last time before she went off. "Mamo-chan!" Usagi cried out. "That was sooo fun!" "Yeah. I can tell. So many people were surprised to see such a design. I think we knocked them off their feet this time!" Mamoru said before Usagi gave him a high-speed hug. "I'm so happy!" Usagi said as she let go of him. "That was the best time of my life!" Mamoru laughed at her excitement. "I guess you're not nervous anymore?" "What? Was I nervous before?" Usagi asked innocently. "Humph! You forget so fast. Oh well, go change fast. We have to go out for the end in thirty seconds." "AHHH! I totally forgot! I guess I'll juts go in this then." Mamoru lead Usagi out onto the stage and they said their 'thank yous'. The show was done! *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ Seiya got up and stretched. The show was quite long. He had been surprised when Usagi came on with such a weird design. He admitted that she looked good in it but he thought it was too different. He didn't like it very much. Seiya decided to go backstage to find Usagi but Rei, who spotted him as soon as he stood up, already had her plan. "Hello, Seiya-san!" Rei said to him. Seiya looked at her. "Hi. I was just about to go somewhere. Please excuse me." "Wait! I was wondering if you'd like to go to the celebration party with me." Rei asked. Seiya groaned. He wanted to take Usagi and was just about to go ask her. "I'm sorry, Hino-san. I'm going with someone else." "Really? Have you already asked her?" "No. I was just going to." "Well then. You don't have anyone to go with yet." "I will." "Why not take me?" "I just want to take Tsukino-san, okay?" Seiya said annoyingly. Rei scorned. "Is this how super stars turn down girls?" She asked angrily. Seiya noticed some reporters looking at them and knew that he was cornered. "Okay. Fine! I'll go with you." "Yes! Meet you here in half an hour!" Rei skipped away home to change. Seiya sighed and went to find Usagi. He found Usagi hugging Mamoru when he entered. "Odango!" he yelled, half-happy, half-mad. Usagi turned. "Seiya!" She went over to him and gave him a hug. "I'm so glad you're back!" Mamoru looked at Seiya and cursed in his mind. This was the guy whom Usagi was supposedly "perfect" for. "Seiya-kun, this is Mamo, um, Mamoru-san. He's my partner in my office. Mamo-chan, this is Seiya, one of the Three Lights." Usagi introduced. "By the way, where are the others?" "Oh. They're coming back later tonight. I came ahead." "Oh, I see." Usagi gave no thought as to why Seiya would come back early but Mamoru could see the meaning Seiya had. *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ Mamoru waited in the hall. Usagi said to meet him here. She did not want to come to the party with him. She said that they'd meet at the party. The Three Lights weren't here yet. <> The party celebration started fifteen minutes ago, Usagi was late. Mamoru paced around more. Usagi took a big breath and nodded to the servant. He opened the front door to the party. Usagi stepped in. Mamoru looked up as everyone went silent. He saw Usagi standing there like the princess of his dreams. She wore a strapless white dress with gold designs across her chest. Her shoulders were covered by round puffs with ribbons hanging off. She had no sleeves. Right below her ribs was a string of golden beads. The beads marked the end of the top part of the dress. The rest was a flowing piece of white skirt. Her skirt had two layers of silk and dragged behind her when she walked down the stairs. Her hair was done in their odangos with no decorations on them but three clips beside them. Usagi's shoes were covered by the white dress so no one could tell what she was wearing. She wore a bracelet of golden beads on her wrist. She was a vision. Mamoru quickly walked to the bottom of the stairs to greet her. She held her hand out for him and he took it. He was wearing a black tuxedo with a tie. Also, he wore a big flowing cape behind him, like the Anime character he liked so much. He wore white gloves on his hands and held a cane. As he lead Usagi onto the dance floor, everyone started clapping. They applauded for Usagi and Mamoru's success in the show and encouraged the two to dance. Mamoru threw his cane away to the side and held Usagi as they started dancing to a slow piece of music. Because of them, the Three Lights were unnoticed when they entered. Seiya frowned as he saw everyone at the other end of the room. Usually, people would crowd around the Three Lights and ask them tons of questions. Today, no one paid any attention to them. Rei clung to his arm and the other two followed. Taiki held Ami's hand and Yaten walked with Minako. Everyone watched as Usagi and Mamoru danced. They looked so good together. When the Three Lights joined the crowd, people started to notice them and slowly left Usagi and Mamoru alone. When the music stopped, Usagi looked around and spotted Minako. "Minako-chan!" Usagi went up to her and embraced her. "Usagi-chan! I'm so glad to see you!" "Me too!" "I have so much to tell you!" "I have so much to hear!" Usagi chatted with Minako for a while and danced with Mamoru several times. Seiya wanted to dance with her but was always held off by Rei. As midnight approached, the party came close to an end. Usagi and Mamoru danced the last song then went out for some fresh air on the balcony. "So, Usako, are you proud of your success?" Mamoru asked. "Couldn't have done it without you, Mamo-chan!" "You did really well for the modeling part. Everyone loved you." Usagi blushed a little and sat down on a bench. "If you modeled, the girls would have gone wild, you know." Mamoru looked down at her. "You are great, Usako." "Thank you, you too." Usagi smiled up at him. Mamoru observed Usagi for a moment. She was sitting gracefully in her beautiful dress and the moon acted as her spotlight. She looked like a moon goddess to Mamoru. Mamoru couldn't resist his urge. He gave Usagi a small kiss then lead her inside. Seiya turned around in anger. <> Seiya stormed away quickly. Mamoru caught a glance at Seiya leaving and thought about how Seiya is going to affect his relationship with Usagi. Afterall, Seiya was supposed to be Usagi's boyfriend or something. < *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ Usagi sat in her office. Seiya was sitting beside her and was telling her what he thought about the show yesterday. "You looked really good in your first dress." Seiya said. "Really? I liked that one." Usagi was excited that Seiya would agree to her taste. "Ami-chan looked really good in her blue dress too." "I thought so too, Seiya-kun." "But,..." "But?" "The last design you did was sort of weird. It was too spacey and didn't make any sense. I mean, what kind of a person would wear that kind of thing? I bet that Mamoru guy made it up, didn't he?" "Actually... I made it up with him." Usagi replied disappointedly. She was sad that Seiya didn't like her favorite design. She had been so proud of it and was so proud of Mamoru for thinking up the original. Seiya was shocked. "You made part of it up? Come on, odango, why would you make something like that?" "I, um, liked it, Seiya-kun." "Oh." Silence. Seiya was very embarrassed and Usagi was very disappointed. Mamoru stepped into the office. Usagi looked up. "Mamo-chan!" Usagi greeted. Mamoru saw Seiya sitting in his seat. "Hello, Usagi," he said. <> Usagi tilted her head in confusion. <> Mamoru put down the newspaper in front of Usagi and pointed to the front page. "Look here. You're on the front cover! They loved our design and even gave it a name! They called you the "Pretty Sailor Soldier"! Isn't that fantastic? Now people will know our brand!" "Really! Wow! I'm so happy!" Usagi exclaimed. "Me too!" Seiya looked at the picture. "Oh. Is that your spacey outfit, odango? I guess it's not that bad afterall." Usagi and Mamoru both fell silent. Their prize design was being examined like a bug and they didn't like it. Usagi slowly took the paper away and looked at Mamoru. Mamoru nodded and she smiled then put the paper into her bag. "I'm going to frame it." she said. "So, Mamoru-san, what are you doing here? I thought that you would go back to Osaka after the show." Seiya said. "Actually, I'm going to stay here permanently now. I already have a place and Haruka wanted to close down the Osaka office. She thought that we worked better when we were both in Tokyo." "That's SOO good!" Usagi said excitedly. "Oh." Was all Seiya said. *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ As weeks went by, Usagi grew really uneasy around Seiya and Mamoru. She didn't know what to do with them. Seiya really pressured her and she could feel that Mamoru was different when Seiya was around. He wouldn't call her nickname and would not be too friendly around her. Usagi didn't like the change. Life was simpler with just one of them around. Now, she was just plain confused. Mamoru was also confused. He didn't know what Usagi was thinking. Seiya was back and she was happy but she didn't seem to understand Seiya's feelings when he asked her out. Mamoru got waves of jealousy as people talked about how good Seiya was for Usagi and how they looked together. Mamoru was angry and confused. He didn't know what to do. They went on like that for a month. Not knowing each other and too confused to figure anything out. Until one day, it got even more complicated... *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ Usagi was in her office talking to Minako. It was early so no one was there yet. Seiya came in all of a sudden. "Morning, odango!" He said. "Hi, Seiya!" Both Minako and Usagi said at the same time. Seiya looked at Minako meaningfully but she didn't get the message. Seiya became really uneasy. "Um, Minako-chan, could you please excuse me? I would like to speak to Usagi alone." Minako shot a look at Usagi and gave her a thumbs up sign. Usagi didn't know what Seiya was up to but she didn't like it. She became really nervous. "Of course, Seiya-kun." Minako said. She quickly left and closed the door then leaned on it. Usagi knew that Minako would be listening to them from outside but Seiya didn't so he continued. "Odango, I mean, Usagi, I have a really important question to ask you." "Ask away." Usagi said. Minako listened from outside the door and gasped when she heard what Seiya asked Usagi. She had thought that Seiya would ask if Usagi wanted to go steady with him. Minako got up and ran to the elevator. She wanted to tell somebody, ANYBODY! BY luck, the first person she ran into was Mamoru. "Mamoru-san! You WON'T believe what I just heard!" She said excitedly. "What did you hear, Minako-chan?" Mamoru asked. Minako, not being here for almost two months, did not know about Mamoru's feelings towards Usagi, and being Minako, she told him what Seiya asked Usagi. "Seiya-kun just asked Usagi-chan to marry him!" Minako beamed. "Isn't that just fantastic?" *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ Love the ending, don't you? This part was longer than part 1 and part 2. I had planned more for this part but decided to put it in part 4. Look for that part sometime within a month, I can't really hurry anymore because school started and I get VERY busy. Please e-mail. Pearl ^_^ pearlhsu@home.com