Dear minna, I hope you enjoyed Love Revealed Part 1! This chapter will keep
switching view points, so don't get confused. I want to thank Princess Sora,
Sailor November, Sailor Dolphin (you have GOT to read her Night and Day), 
Crystal Heart (her Masquerade is FABULOUS), Lianne Sentar 
(and HER Surfacings:Desperation is soooo good *SOB* You MUST write to her), 
Pandora, Fushigi, Razzzberi, Sue Riley, Tim Nolan, Tux Will, Valerie Chow, 
Amelia, Jen Wand, MJ, David Widhalm and everybody else in the SM Universe. 
I also want to congratulate Sailor Jes on her Part 3 of Always Watching You, 
I'll write soon, I promise. All usual disclaimers apply. And tell me how you 
liked this, I tried to basically drown you guys in romance this time. I just
hope I didn't go overboard. Write to me at ts_cheah@pacific.net.sg


                     Love Revealed Part II
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        The setting sun sets the tall office buildings of Tokyo on fire 
with its reds, yellows and oranges. I stare  out at it wistfully. Will it 
be the last time I ever see it again? I remember my goodbye with Serena and 
feel a numbness in my chest. Serena, you will never know how much I truly 
love you. Forgive me.
        I square my shulders and become as alert as I possibly can. If 
Zoicite knows that I am weak, she will not hesitate to kill me and take the 
nijizuishou from my lifeless form. I will show no weakness to her.
        Then, I hear the faintest sound. The softest whisper of a hand 
reaching towards my shoulder.
        I spin around, my martial arts training taking over. My hand is 
already flying through the air when I finally see who my 'attacker' is.
        She leaps back, crying out in surprise and staring at my hand with 
an expression of horror. My hand freezes itself in mid-air with shock and 
horror of my own. In another part of me, I ache that she would ever have 
reason to fear me. Hating me I could maybe live with, but fearing me, I 
would rather die first.
        "Odango Atama?!"
        Her expression changes from one of fear and shock to one of 
righteous indignation and fury.
        "What do you think you're DOING?!"
        My own fright and relief slide straight into fury. What was *I* 
doing!? I might have killed her had I been holding a rose in my hand and 
she asks me what *I'm* doing!?
        "*I* might ask *you* the same question!"
        Her anger fades away, leaving uncertainty, concern and a hint of
shyness on her delicate features.
        "I...I was worried about you, so I came to see if you were all 
right."
        Those few simple words send hope flashing through my body. She 
was worried...about...me? Darien, the jerk, the tease? I try desperately 
to get a hold on my feelings, trying vainly to tell myself that she 
probably meant nothing by that...why should she be worried about me? 
Could I accept her as a friend and nothing more? Did she even think of 
me as a friend?
        "You were worried about...me?"
        Serena blushes slightly, embarrassed and almost defensive.
        "You're hurt,your shoulder's bleeding. You should get it looked at."
        Dissapointment drops my heart through the pavement, I struggle to 
keep from letting it show on my face. She was just following me to see if 
I was all right, as a friend. I wish, almost that she had run after me 
because she was also in...love with me...as much as I was in love with her.
Doubts cloud my mind again.  Can I ever...

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

        ...win his heart?, I ask myself.
        My gaze is locked onto his, as my heart pounds from running, from 
relief and from something else as well. My knees weaken, being this close 
to him without exchanging our usual insults...Will he tell me what's wrong? 
He looked almost surprised that I was worried about him. Was I truly that 
terrible to him? Had I treated him that badly, said so many hurtful things, 
things I don't really mean, to him? 
        Even as I watch, his face flickers with emotions I cannot define, 
finally settling on one clear emotion, which I have no problem in 
recognizing. Wariness, caution.
        "It's really none of your business, Odango..."
        I reply without thinking, even as my heart tells me to stop. The 
words fly out of my mouth,never able to be taken back, even as my heart 
gives a pang at his expression, as if he had something to fear from me.
        "That's...true..."

@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@

        Her words crush me, my hopes, as a boulder might a fragile flower. I 
was right, then, she only ran after me as a friend. 
        Funny, but I don't feel any satisfaction in being right this time.
        Disappointment and pain change quickly to anger. It drowns out the 
ache, everything else. It is less painful for me this way, and I feel relief 
in this small respite from the never-ending song of longing and the almost 
synonymous pain in my heart.
        "Then, you should mind your own business! Stop following me like a 
little child!"
        Already I am regretting the words as I see the shock on her face. At 
least she had followed me out of concern, as a friend, if I ever did 
anything to her that was worthy of her friendship. Now, I cannot claim 
even that. Love, with all it's turmoil, was confusing to me.I had never 
felt this way before, towards a girl. So many regrets, so much pain. For 
the billionth time, I curse myself for the day I had first seen her, my 
Odango, the day I had first given her her hated nickname, the day I had 
first insulted her as I did to all the other girls out of habit than 
anything else because my feelings were in a whirlpool of confusion, and 
the day I fell in love with her, deeper than anyone could ever possibly 
understand.
        I turn away quickly, unable to stand the hurt look on her face and 
start to walk away, stumbling a little with the sudden incredible weight on 
my shoulders. Memories flash through my mind like a movie reel.
        I remember how I went out with her friend, Raye, possibly destroying 
any chance I had had with her, foolishly thinking that maybe I could fight 
the senseless love in my heart. Somewhere, deep in the back of my mind, I 
hoped that she would be jealous, knowing that Raye publicised our 'dates' 
like a sales promoter would a new movie. I thought of them more as torture 
sessions because I kept wishing that we would maybe meet Serena somewhere 
and get her jealous, or that it was beautiful Serena, not Raye on my arm. 
There were some days and nights that the longing for her got so strong that 
I simply had no strength to fight it and stood Raye up. She was a nice 
enough girl, though possibly a bit too eager to get close to me. I never 
let her get close, actually. I only wanted to allow one girl to get close 
to me, to know all my feelings, and that girl hated me. 
        I remember how worried I could get over Serena, all the times I 
nearly panicked that she could get attacked by a youma, that she would be 
drained of her energy, that she might...she might...I tried not to dwell 
on that, on a life without Serena, bright and laughing and loving, in it. I 
had even gone out of my way to see her, hoping to get at least a glimpse of 
her. I hid behind a tree to watch her walk home from school everyday, even 
keeping a rose handy in case the fates chose to be kind and have a youma 
attack her. I'm not saying that I wanted a youma to attack her, but at least 
I could play the 'knight-in-shining-armour' bit. I was even sometimes sorely
tempted to walk up to her, offer her the rose and walk her home.
        It had never happened, of course. And now, it probably never will.
        But the small melodrama in my head keeps showing me my memories, 
making me experience the feelings all over again.
        I remember how, when I watched her walking home, usually with Luna, 
just far enough away, out of earshot in case she should see or hear me, some 
friends would walk with her also. And I hated that.
        To be honest, I didn't actually hate the fact that she was walking 
home with friends. I loved the fact that my Odango HAD so many friends. And
sometimes I wished she wasn't QUITE so friendly. She was having fun with 
them, that I knew. She was always chatting and laughing, cheering people 
up with her own special mixture of golden sunlight and happiness no one 
else could match. And I loved it that she was happy. And sometimes I
wished she wasn't QUITE that happy.
        Because some of her friends were boys. 
        That didn't really surprise me. We WERE talking about Serena here 
after all.
        Her beauty, I simply cannot describe it. She is just...beautiful. 
She is much much more than beautiful. She just seems to become more 
beautiful every day. It has almost become an addiction to me, now. To 
see her everyday.Sometimes to talk to her. Always, my brain froze up and 
my tongue just worked out of habit, while I just stared at her, at her 
beauty. I know that she will become even more beautiful when she grows up, 
if it is possible, but looking at Serena, I can believe anything. If she 
had any request, any plea, all she would have to do would be to look at me 
with her eyes, that I sometimes thought I could see the silver stars in the
night sky in, and I would give my life to her. And I have a feeling that 
those boys would too. 
        They were smitten, that much I could tell, and they had it bad, but 
not as bad as I did. But I don't think that any thought like that ever 
crossed Serena's innocent mind. I would stand behind the tree, seething 
with anger and jealousy ,just itching for them to make one wrong move so 
I could throw the rose in my hand. I almost felt as if I was burning up 
in jealousy, that others would even THINK of Serena, look at her, talk 
with her, and hear her sweet voice replying to them, when I had been 
denied that chance...
        
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

        I snap back to reality again, from my own world, suddenly aware, 
that within my reverie of Serena, I had been caught off guard.
        The landscape, the trees and air around me have become tinged with 
bold crimson. The air is thick, almost swirling around me. I know with a 
sinking feeling that only one person can be behind this.
        "Zoicite!"
        I can sense the energy buildup in the air, becoming highly-charged
with energy.
        "What on earth is this!?"
        My heart stops when I hear her sweet voice behind me. No, oh gods, 
no, it couldn't be...I spin around...please let it not be her, anybody but 
her...
        "Odango!!?"
        She looks at me, frightened at the panic and urgency in my voice, 
her schoolbag raised in front of her chest protectively. Oh, gods, why did 
she come!?
        "Baka! Why did you follow me!?"
        "But..."
        Tears are already rising in her blue eyes. She is unaware of the 
danger. I start forward, hoping against hope that I can push her out of the
way, that she might be safe. I cannot put her in danger...you will pay 
dearly, with your life if need be, for this, Zoicite...
        She cries out as the energy peaks in the air, the red mist closing 
in around us, and I cry out, knowing that it is now too late, please kill 
me, oh ye gods, I have put her in danger, the oblivion of death would be so 
much sweeter, where I can never hurt her ever again...
        The red bubble of energy collapses in on itself with a bang, the two 
occupants vanishing into thin air, and the mist itself disappears without a 
trace, leaving only an empty sidewalk and the lingering feeling of 
desperation and tension 
of a young man and woman in love with each other.
        
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        So, whatcha think? I don't know if I can get Part 3 out next week, 
I'll be very busy because for Chinese New Year coming up (Show me the 
MONEY!-Jerry MacGuire).  Tell me (Sue Mei) your opinions at 
ts_cheah@pacific.net.sg.