Quicksilver's Quill Offers:
Virgo
quicksilver@tuxedomask.com
standard disclaimers
Do not post this anywhere without permission from the
author.
NOTE: Diverges during "Brotherly Love" -aka- "Saffir
dies! The 
Wiseman's trap" 

Part One: The Legend of the Virgo
-or-
Judge Not Less Ye Be Judged

~THE LEGEND BEHIND THE VIRGO SIGN~
"Pandora opened her box, and out sprang terrible
plagues to haunt 
mankind forever after: sickness and death for the
body; anger, envy, 
and revenge for the mind. At the bottom of the box lay
the one thing 
that had not escaped, hope.
"During the terrible times that followed, the gods
deserted earth one
by one and went to live in heaven. The very last to
leave was 
Astraea, goddess of innocence and purity. After
leaving the earth,
Astraea was placed among the stars and became the
constellation of
Virgo. The legend is that one day the Golden Age will
come again, and
Astraea (Virgo) will return to earth."
***

	Mizuno Ami walked through the streets of Tokyo, in
the Ward of 
Juuban, lost in her thoughts.   This wasn't all that
unusual an 
occurrence, but her thoughts were grimmer then any
fifteen-year-old's
should have been.
	The Black Moon Family was out to destroy the world,
and there was 
little she could do about it, even with her much
vaunted powers as 
Sailor Mercury.  She believed -had to believe- that
somehow, against 
all the odds, her friends would manage to defeat this
evil that was 
threatening their world.  
	The problem with being the most intelligent Senshi
was that her 
mind was never at rest.   She could calculate the odds
with an ease 
that was frightening.  With each battle the Senshi
fought, she nudged 
her mental calculations a little more in the Black
Moon's favor.  One 
day the Senshi WOULDN'T win a battle decisively, and
one of them 
would die.  Not Sailor Moon- probably herself or
Makoto.  Makoto was 
always the first into the fray, and her recklessness
could get her 
killed.  Ami had no illusions about her fighting
ability- she was the 
weakest of the Senshi.  Still, the idea was an
alarming one.  She 
wasn't even a legal adult, yet she courted death
daily.
	Biting her lip till it bled, she stopped in her
tracks, clenching 
her fist.  She would be damned if she was going to let
the Black Moon 
walk all over her.  She shut her eyes, remembering the
looks of 
ecstasy on the Ayakashi sisters' faces as the energy
from the Black 
Moon Nemesis was cleansed from their bodies.   Perhaps
we've been 
going about this the wrong way, she thought.  Rather
then trying to 
fight them, we should be trying to heal them.  She
touched her chin 
thoughtfully, trying to think of what she could do to
make the Black 
Moon want to accept Sailor Moon's healing.   They had
refused in the 
past, but surely they could see the destruction of
Crystal Tokyo was 
counterproductive?   They wanted a beautiful home
world, yet they 
were slowly destroying their chance at it.
	The gears of her mind began clicking on the new
viewpoint.   Try 
to see the Black Moon as victims, not the
perpetrators, she thought.
	Then she thought of Chibi-Usa, and her gentle heart
began to 
harden.  By doing THAT to an innocent child, making
her believe she 
was unloved and unwanted, and turning her into the
twisted Black
Lady, the Black Moon Family had forfeited all right to
mercy.   How 
could anyone be that cruel? she wondered.
	She suddenly realized that she was standing in the
middle of the 
sidewalk doing nothing aside from stare into space. 
The shadows were 
beginning to grow longer, and she recognized it was
well past time 
for her to be getting home.  She was just about to go
home to her 
empty house when she heard a slight groan come from
the alley nearest
to her.
	She withdrew her henshin stick.  If she was a normal
teenager, she
wouldn't have been stupid enough to walk into a dark
alleyway.   But 
she wasn't, so she could.  There could be someone in
trouble, and 
thanks to her Senshi powers, she was able to follow
her conscience 
and help.
	Her footsteps sounded too loud to her ears.  She
heard the sound 
of someone breathing heavily, in obvious pain.   Her
eyes grew 
accustomed to the dimmer lighting, and she gasped in
sympathy as she 
saw a man curled up in a fetal position.
	"Are you O.K.?" Ami asked unnecessarily.   The man
started, 
groaning as he shifted his ribs.   He looked up at her
with beautiful 
blue eyes.    He was very handsome, but that wasn't
what got her 
attention- it was the inverted Black Moon on his
forehead.

***
MAGICAL BIRTHSTONE:  Sapphire.  Sapphires bring
tranquillity of mind 
and protect against illness and injury while
traveling.
***

	He opened his eyes to be met by the sight of an
angel.  His 
eyelids fluttered a few times, trying to ensure that
he wasn't 
hallucinating; but no, she was still there, a petite
woman with blue 
hair and eyes to match his own.  She was looking down
at him with 
concern in her gentle eyes and he felt a wave of
regret wash through 
him.  He could have been like her, not warped and
twisted.  He tried 
to imagine one of the Family caring about an injured
person and came 
up blank.   
	"Are you O.K.?" she asked.  Her voice was soft and
there was a 
lilt in it he would have found entrancing if the
circumstances were 
different.  If HE had been different.
	He twisted his head to look at her and she gasped
lightly, her 
reaction setting off an internal alarm in him.  His
eyes narrowed 
dangerously as he realized that it must have been the
Mark of the 
Black Moon to cause that reaction- but how could she
recognize it?
	Her delicate hand reached out to touch his arm. 
"You're injured.  
Let me help you," she said.  
	"And why would you want to do that?" he shot back
angrily.  He was 
angry at everything, yet terrified at the same time.  
His brother 
was in grave danger, and there was little he could do
to help.   It 
only his brother would LISTEN to him... 
	He pushed himself up into a sitting position,
ignoring the pain 
that flashed through his body.   "I have to go," he
said, biting back
a groan.  
	"I'm afraid you're not going anywhere," she replied
rather grimly.
	His eyes flashed.  "Is that a threat?" he hissed.
	She jerked back slightly in surprise.  "No," she
replied as though 
the thought of threatening him had never occurred to
her.   "You're 
just in no shape to go anywhere on your own."
	"I have to," he whispered.  "I have something I must
do."
	"You need medical help before anything else," she
replied rather 
matter-of-factly.   "Since I doubt I can admit you to
a hospital, 
you'll just have to come with me."
	"Where to?" he asked suspiciously.
	He could see the hesitation in her face before she
replied.  "My 
house," she said finally.
	He nodded, not pleased, but unable to see any other
option.  She 
wrapped one of her slender arms around his waist and
helped hoist him
to his feet.   He could feel the surprising strength
in her lithe 
body, and he wondered about her.  "I'm Saffir," he
told her, decided 
that admitting his name couldn't hurt.
	He wasn't sure if it really happened, but Saffir
thought he felt 
the arm around his waist tighten for a second before
relaxing. 
There was that hesitation again, then she spoke.  "My
name is Ami.  
Mizuno Ami."

***
RULING PLANET: Mercury.   In astrology, Mercury rules
intelligence 
and reason.
***

	They walked back to her apartment together, Ami's
thoughts all 
ajumble.   She looked at the handsome man who leaned
heavily on her, 
almost unable to believe that he was one of the enemy.
  But if the 
Black Moon wasn't a dead giveaway, then the name
certainly was- Saffir.
	She wasn't sure why she was taking him to her place
when, in all 
good sense, she should be calling the rest of the
Senshi to help her 
deal with him.   Perhaps it was something in his eyes,
the way there 
was a desperation that had nothing to do with himself
reflected in 
them.  Perhaps, against all odds, one of the Black
Moon Family wasn't 
their enemy.
	She helped him into the elevator that would take them
into her 
place.   His breathing was heavy and she didn't like
his color- he 
was far too pale.  Then again, it could have been just
from his life 
on Nemesis- the rogue Moon probably didn't get much
sunlight.
	With shaking hands she managed to get the dead bolts
undone.   He 
leaned against the door as he waited for her to
finish.   She helped 
him over to the nearest couch and let him get
comfortable.   "I'm 
going to get some medical supplies," she informed him,
darting off 
into her mother's bedroom.  She shut the door behind
her and clicked 
her communicator, praying that Saffir wouldn't
overhear.   Makoto 
answered almost immediately.   
	"What's up, Ami-chan?" the tallest Senshi asked.   
Unlike usual, 
her eyes lacked the good cheer Ami had come to
associate with 
Jupiter's Senshi.  Chibi-Usa's fate was taking a toll
on all the 
Senshi.
	"Shhhh," Ami whispered warningly.    "I have one of
the Black Moon 
Family at my house," she informed her friend and
fellow warrior.  She 
prepared to tell Makoto about him, but didn't have the
chance.
	"What?!" Makoto replied, stunned.   "I'll be right
over!" she said 
as the communicator flashed off.   
	"But-" Ami trailed off as only static answered her. 
She rubbed 
her forehead, feeling the start of a migraine come on.
  She grabbed 
some medical supplies and started to the door, well
aware that in a 
few minutes, a group of frantic Senshi would be
arriving, prepared 
for a battle.
	She pushed the door opened, half expecting Saffir to
have left. 
When she saw him lying on the couch, almost
unconscious, she felt a 
deep desire to start shaking him.  He was one of the
enemy who had 
taken Chibi-Usa away, and he deserved to suffer for
that.  Ami 
blushed as she realized how uncharitable her thoughts
were- she had 
no clue who he was... perhaps he was just a citizen of
the Black Moon 
Family who desired the healing Sailor Moon was able to
perform.   She 
shook her head, denying the possibility.   The man had
looked at her 
as though he was used to be in control.
	She walked over to him, feeling his sharp eyes follow
her every 
movement.   She knelt down beside him, pulling out the
hydrogen 
peroxide and pouring a small amount of it onto a
sterile cloth.   
"This may sting, but I have to clean you up some," she
told him.
	He nodded stoically, seeming to be oblivious to her
presence, but 
she wasn't fooled.  She had the feeling that Saffir
noticed 
everything- like her, he was one of the world's
observers.  She 
quickly wiped down his face, surprised as blood came
away from it.  
The blood was as red as her own, which was something
she hadn't 
wanted to know.  It meant that the enemy was human
underneath all 
their evil.  "How did you get injured?" she asked
softly.
	He didn't reply, and she felt an uncharacteristic
sense of anger.  
Repressing it, she met his eyes evenly.   "We're going
to have to 
remove your jacket so I can tend to your ribs."
	Her hands shook as she helped undo the buttons.  He
watched her 
with a slightly cynical smile.   It was obvious she
didn't have much 
experience with men, and the way she modestly averted
her eyes made 
him almost want to chuckle- but only almost.  He
grabbed her wrist as 
she got ready to clean his battered rib cage.   She
looked up in 
surprise, dropping the cloth she had been using.  
"You're going to 
have to look at what you're doing," he warned her.
	Her face flushed and she was about to reply when it
happened.   A 
loud yell came from near the window.
	"I am Sailor Jupiter!"
	"Sailor Mars!"
	"Sailor Venus!  And we shall punish you!"
	The two blue-haired individuals turned to stare at
the Senshi who 
were posing in front of a large picture window.   Ami
sighed as she 
felt Saffir's grip on her wrist turn into a steel
vice.
	"Leave him alone," she said in her soft voice.
	The Senshi and Saffir looked at her in surprise. 
"But he's one of 
them!" the Mars Senshi spat angrily.
	Ami looked at Rei, saddened to hear her previous
opinion on her 
close friend's lips.  Judging from the way Jupiter and
Venus were 
glaring at Saffir, they felt the same.   "There is no
'them,'" Ami 
replied.   "Since when did we judge someone before
they acted?"
	"Since they warped poor Chibi-Usa!" Rei retorted
quickly.
	Ami could almost feel the tension in the room peak.  
 She looked 
at Saffir and watched as the Black Moon on his
forehead began to 
pulse with power.   Rei began to summon her fire, and
Jupiter started
to cry for her thunder.
	Just as Ami was about to transform into Sailor
Mercury, in walked 
Sailor Moon.  Ami hated how late Usagi always was, but
she had to 
admit that the girl knew how to make an entrance. "Ai
to seigi no, 
sailor-fuku bishoujo senshi Sailor Moon! Tsuki ni..."
Sailor Moon 
trailed off in the middle speech as a woman flew into
the room with a
glad cry on her lips.
	Beruche hurried over to Saffir, kissing him warmly on
the cheek.  
He looked up at her in amazement, for once truly
stunned.   Then his 
eyes hardened as he remembered that this woman had
betrayed the 
family.
	"You know him?" Sailor Moon asked, hoping, as usual,
to avoid 
battle.
	Beruche nodded.  "This is Saffir," she said.  Then
her face 
darkened with concern.   "He's Demando-sama's younger
brother."
	All the Senshi were, quite simply, dumbstruck.   Ami
looked at the 
man she had been caring for in a new light.   Not only
was he one of 
the enemy, but he was brother to THE enemy.   She
would have pulled 
away from him if her hand had been free.  
	"We can use him to get Chibi-Usa back," Mars said.
	Silence hung in the room.   Then Sailor Moon spoke,
her voice soft 
and commanding.   "No.  That will put us down to their
level.   We 
fight for love and justice- and there is no justice in
taking 
prisoners."
	The Senshi all bowed their heads guiltily. 
	"What are you doing here, Saffir?" Beruche asked
gently.   
	"I don't talk to traitors," Saffir said, then he went
stiff.   
Here he was, in a room full of his enemies, yet for
the first time 
since overhearing the Wiseman's plot, he felt safe. 
He looked at the 
girls in the short skirts and wondered why he, ever
the paranoid, 
trusted them.  Ami still was kneeling beside him, and
he realized 
that one of the Senshi was missing- Sailor Mercury.  
His mind 
quickly pieced the puzzle together and all of his
feelings of 
mistrust returned.  Ami must have noticed the Mark of
the Black Moon 
and decided to take him somewhere where she could keep
an eye on him.
	"What is she doing here?" Ami was asking while Saffir
entertained 
his other thoughts.  He was able to do both, as
multi-tasking was one
of his many capabilities.
	"When you said a member of the Black Moon Family was
here, Luna 
insisted that I bring one of the Ayakashi sisters
here.  Beruche was 
the only one I could find," she said.
	Beruche nodded.   "And since its obvious he's not
going to talk to 
me, I had better be going.   But just so you know, I'm
not the 
traitor, Saffir-kun.  Rubeus betrayed me and my
sisters, leaving us 
to fend for ourselves.  Is that the kind of Family you
want to belong 
to?" she asked, not expecting an answer.  "Even though
you would find 
this time period primitive and inconvenient, it is
much happier then 
anything a resident of Nemesis will ever experience at
home.  You 
have a place with the Ayakashi sisters should you ever
want it."  She 
turned and walked away, tossing her pale braid over
her shoulder.  
She paused at the doorway and looked back at Sailor
Moon.  "He's not 
a bad sort, Sailor Moon.   Of all the inhabitants of
Nemesis, I would 
say he is the best."   Then she was gone.
	The Senshi just looked at him.  It was though a bomb
had been 
diffused.  The tension was still almost palpable, but
the room no 
longer felt like a powder keg waiting for a match.
	"What are you here for, Saffir?" Ami asked.
	He looked at the Senshi and wondered if there was any
way to
escape.  He quick mind noted the details of the room,
and he finally 
had to conclude that he was well and truly trapped. 
"I came here to 
see someone," he said finally.
	"Who?" Venus asked.   "Sailor Moon?"
	"My oniisan, Demando," he said.
	Rei watched as Usagi's expression grew strained.  
After being 
captured by the White Prince, the Moon Senshi had
become decidedly 
nervous even thinking about him.
	"You're in no shape to do that," Ami said.   "Stay
here tonight," 
she told him.  She braced herself for the flood of
objections.
	"Ami-chan!" all of the Senshi exclaimed together.
	"You can't have him here by yourself!  He�s the
enemy!  He's 
dangerous!" warned Venus.
	"I can handle it," she said softly.    "Besides,
where else can he 
stay?   At the temple?  Uh-huh... and watch Yuricchiro
go after him 
in an attempt to protect his 'Rei-san'," she said,
ignoring the fact 
she was using the Senshi's real names in front of an
enemy.   "Jupiter's?  I doubt he could manage all the
stairs.  Venus'?  Or, 
perish the thought, Sailor Moon's?" she said.   "It's
going to have 
to be here.  I can defend myself well enough. 
Besides, my house has 
already been compromised."
	Saffir watched as Ami shot down each possible
suggestion before 
they were even offered.   The Senshi argued it out for
a few more 
minutes, but the conclusion remained the same. 
Finally they prepared
to leave.
	"I don't like you," Mars said to the blue-haired man.
  "Ami-chan 
is being nice enough to let you stay here, so you had
better not 
abuse her trust.   If anything happens to her, it's
going to be your 
neck," she said warningly.  Then she followed the rest
of the Senshi 
out, leaving an uncomfortable silence in her wake.
	Ami looked at him, not sure what to do now.   She had
an enemy 
spending the night, and she couldn't figure out why
she hadn't 
insisted at least one of the Senshi spend the night.  
And Chiba 
Mamoru would have been useful to invite over as well. 
 Sighing, she 
bent her head to attend to his ribs, yanking her hand
back.  He let 
her go without protest.  
	Saffir wasn't able to make sense of any of it.  "Why
did you 
defend me?" he asked.
	Her cheeks flushed slightly, but she continued her
efficient 
movements, binding his ribs tightly.  "I don't know,
Saffir-san.   
All I ask is that you don't betray me."
	Saffir almost laughed at that.  The Black Moon Family
was not 
known for its loyalty, and now this small girl was
blithely asking 
him not to betray her.   "Not this night, Mizuno-san. 
 You are safe 
from me."
	She caught the qualification to that remark and
decided she would 
have to settle for what she could get.   Tonight there
was an uneasy 
truce, and she intended to make full use of it.  If
she was cunning 
enough, perhaps she could coax him into letting a
piece of vital 
information slip.   "I'm not as weak as I appear," she
murmured as 
she tied off the bandage.   He had a nice chest,
muscular without 
being bulky, but he was paler then any human should
be.   She 
remembered how Demando looked almost like an albino
and decided that
white skin must be a family trait.
	"I should say not, Sailor Mercury," he replied with a
mocking 
smile.  He recognized her tactics almost immediately
and moved to 
counter without conscious thought.  He was a product
of a dangerous 
political system.
	Her flush grew deeper.   "I suppose you would pick up
on that," 
she said as she rose to her feet.  Her wrist was sore
from where he 
had held onto her, but she refused to rub it.  
	"It's rather obvious," he drawled mockingly.  "Aside
from the fact 
that Sailor Mercury was missing, you knew Sailor Mars'
name and the 
Senshi all knew you, your costume really doesn't
disguise you that 
much."
	"Most people don't see the obvious," she said.   Ami
rose to her 
feet and looked down on him.  "Would you like
something to eat?" she 
asked.  "I haven't had dinner yet."
	"As long as you promise not to poison me," he replied
lightly, 
even though he was more then half-serious.  
	"You are very paranoid," she told him as she headed
for the 
kitchen.  "If I wanted you dead, I could have killed
you in the 
alley.  The Senshi don't kill, Saffir-san," she
finished as she 
disappeared behind the kitchen door.
	Dinner was instant ramen.  Saffir was able to handle
his 
chopsticks, though there was an awkwardness that led
Ami to believe 
he didn't often use them.  The silence between them
was starting to 
get on her nerves.  Finally finished her dinner, she
cleared her 
throat.
	"Mizuno-san?" he asked, knowing that she was waiting
for a sign of 
his attention.
	"I'm going to have to ask you to get up for a minute,
Saffir-san."  
She stood and pulled him to his feet, then wrapped an
arm around his 
waist as she helped settle him into an over-stuffed
loveseat.  
	"What do you need the couch for?" he asked as she
began to tug it 
into the center of the room, away from the rest of the
furniture. 
	She glanced over at him, trying to send him a
friendly smile.  "I 
need to pull out the hide-away bed and make it for
you.  You need 
rest," she replied.
	Ami darted to the linen closet to get the sheets and
a few extra 
comforters.  Grabbing an armload, she walked back into
the living 
room and dropped then on the table as she attacked the
couch again.
	"You really don't have to do this," Saffir murmured
as he watched 
her rid the couch of its seats.
	She shook her head stubbornly, blue wisps of hair
falling into her 
eyes.  "You need a decent bed tonight, and the sofa
bed is pretty 
good," she informed him.  She reaching into the couch
frame and 
yanked out the bed, grateful for her Senshi strength. 
The thing was 
HEAVY.
	In less then two minutes she had the bed neatly made.
 She placed 
the last goose-feather pillow in place and returned
her attention to 
her somewhat unwanted (and unwilling) guest.
	"Now let's get you in there," Ami stated.
	Saffir waved away her hands and climbed to his feet
himself.   He 
walked over to the bed and sat down on it gingerly,
careful not to 
jar his ribs.  She watched him with eyes as calm as
the sea, her 
different emotions flickering through too quickly for
anyone to catch 
had they been looking at Ami.  "I'm going to go do
some studying," 
she told him.   "I have an exam tomorrow.  Try to get
some rest."   
She started to walk towards her room.
	Saffir stopped her.  "Won't your parents be in
later?" he asked.   
"How are you going to explain having a strange man in
the house?"
	She looked back over her shoulder and gave him a
weary smile.   
"My parents are divorced.   I live with my mother, but
she's at a 
medical conference for a few weeks."   Then she quit
the room.
	Saffir stared thoughtfully at the place she had just
vacated.   
The Mercury Senshi was much more complicated then he
had originally 
thought, which only made her more dangerous.  He tried
to focus his 
mind onto this new bit of information, but his
activities of the day 
finally caught up with him.  Being attacked by the
Wiseman, fleeing 
into the past and his minor confrontation with the
Senshi made for a 
very long day.   He barely managed to slip beneath the
thick 
comforters before falling into a deep healing sleep.

***
LUCKY NUMBERS: 5 and 3
***

	Usagi walked away from Minako, Makoto and Rei after
wishing them a 
good night.  The night was dark around her, but she
walked with an 
assurance that would have deterred even the most
experienced 
attacker.  Though she was young, her body posture was
confident.
	The last few weeks of her life had matured the future
queen 
rapidly.   She had a glimpse of the future, and it had
terrified her.  Usagi believed that Sailor Pluto had
been right when she had told 
them that no one should know too much about their
future.  Then to 
lose Chibi-Usa like that...
	Her face was stony as she thought of Prince Demando. 
He had much 
to answer for- how could he take the daughter of the
woman he claimed
to love and pervert her into the exact opposite of
what she had been?
If any of the Senshi had seen Usagi's face at that
moment, they 
wouldn't have recognized her.  The gentle princess
they guarded so 
fervently was infuriated.
	Without realizing it, her feet had taken her to
Mamoru's apartment 
complex.   She climbed into the elevator in a daze,
not exactly sure 
what she was doing there.  She knocked on his door,
getting the 
strangest feeling of deja vu.   The last time she had
come here, 
Usagi had barely been able to talk him into letting
her come in.
	The door opened and Mamoru stood there, a pair of
wire-frames 
perched on his nose.  Usagi thought glasses tended to
make people 
look nerdy (a certain person names Umino came to
mind), but on 
Mamoru, they looked sexy.   His face took on a slight
smile as he saw 
his soul mate.  "Usako," he whispered warmly, grabbing
her and 
dragging her into his apartment, kicking the door
closed behind them.
He bent his head down to kiss her, but she walked
passed him towards 
his living room.  He watched her with a slightly
pained expression.  
Since finally getting back together with her, he was
aware of a 
distance she had placed between them.   It hurt him
more then he 
cared to admit.
	"Mamo-chan," she said as he took the seat beside her,
"I'm not 
sure what to do anymore."  She turned her body towards
him, looking 
vulnerable.
	"What do you mean?" he asked.
	A single tear slipped from her eye.   "Am I such a
terrible 
person?" she asked.
	"No, Usako!" he protested, grabbing her into a tight
hug.   "Why 
would you ever say such a thing?"
	"So many things.   Look at Chibi-Usa!   She's my
future daughter 
and I fought with her like a child- how could she love
such a mother?
And the Senshi- I can't even get anywhere on time, and
I'm suppose to
be their leader?  And how about us?" she whispered.  
"You never had 
a choice about loving me- my mother forced the issue. 
Sometimes I 
think the world would be better off without me."
	He grabbed her with the shoulders with strong fingers
and shook 
her, trying to jar her back to reality.   "Usako!  
Never EVER dare 
think of such things again! Without you..." he shut
his eyes, not 
wanting to think of the possibility, "there is no
reason to continue 
living."
	"Isn't there?  You seemed to be doing it well enough
a while ago," 
she replied bitterly, referring to their enforced
break-up.  "I wish 
you had trusted me enough to let me know what was
wrong rather then 
just dumping me."
	This was the crux of the matter, Mamoru recognized.  
Usako 
thought he hadn't told her the reason behind their
break-up because 
he hadn't trusted her.  It couldn't have been farther
from the truth.
"Usako, I trust you beyond the brightness of the sun,"
he said.   "I 
knew exactly how you would react to my dream, and I
feared it.  I 
love you so much and I couldn't bear to see you hurt."
 He moved his 
hands from her shoulders up to her head, entangling
his fingers in 
her blonde hair.  He tilted her head back and kissed
the tearstain 
away.
	"As for Chibi-Usa," he said after a moment, "you
didn't know.   
You treated her as a sister, and with that comes
fighting along with 
the love.   You are not her mother- at least, not yet.
  At times, 
every child feels alone and unwanted.   It's a part of
growing up.   
She would have gotten over it if the Black Moon Family
hadn't twisted 
her.
	"The Senshi love you," he said, stilling Usagi's last
concern.  
"And though you may not be the bravest, or the
brightest, you are the 
most beautiful inside.   When someone is with you,
they just can't 
help but feel loved."  Mamoru hugged his princess
gently, relishing 
the feel of her soft body against his own.  "And that
is why they 
follow you."
	Usagi's eyes widened as she suddenly recalled why she
had come 
over to his house in the first place.  "I almost
forgot to tell you- 
I'm such an air-head!" she exclaimed.    She grabbed
his chest and 
met his eyes, trying to convey her concern.  
	"Tell me what?" he asked.
	"That Ami has a member of the Black Moon Family at
her house... 
and he's Demando's brother."
	Mamoru's face darkened at the mention of the White
Prince.  He 
remembered seeing him trying to force Usako to kiss
him... and Mamoru 
felt a familiar surge of jealousy in his veins.  "What
is he doing 
there?"
	She shook her head, her ponytails waving behind her. 
"We're not 
sure exactly.   What we do know is that he was injured
when he 
came... and he's troubled by something."
	"Who's with Ami?" he asked.
	"No one.   He's not much of a threat right now."
	Mamoru mentally cursed the Senshi's idealism.  They
all believed 
there was good in everyone, and were hardly able to
conceive of the 
idea of betrayal.  He started to rise to his feet, but
Usagi clung to 
him.   He looked down into her clear eyes and was
surprised by the 
wisdom he saw there.  "It will be O.K.," she said,
speaking in a soft 
voice that didn't seem to belong to her.   She buried
her face into 
his chest and inhaled his scent- chocolate and after
shave, the 
combination unique to him.  "I'm going to call my
parents and say I'm 
spending the night at Ami's.  I'm staying with you
tonight."
	Mamoru knew that he should object, but looking at
her, the words 
just deserted him.  His answer was a silent one, but
from the way he 
hid his face in her hair, Usagi got the message loud
and clear.

***
END VIRGO 1A

=====
Quicksilver
Lady of the Labyrinth
Full time student and part-time writer
She who is going to flunk statistics because she's a ditz
http://www.homestead.com/quicksilverslabyrinth
 "I'm a history book you never could write;
  Poetry in paralysis, too deep to recite."
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