A War of the Roses part 2 ~ distractions Aino It was bad news. Luna and Artemis could never hide the truth from the scouts. Minako, Usagi, Rei, Ami and Makoto had all assembled on the steps of Cherry Hill temple, as was the request of their two cat guardians. Usagi was sitting on the steps playing with her hair in her blue skirt and white sweater. Minako was right behind her sitting cross-legged. She was wearing a gray sweater and blue jeans and her usual red bow. Makoto and Ami were leaning on the porch in front of Luna and Artemis listening intently. Makoto had on khakis and a plain green shirt that accented her light green eyes. Ami, in her usual way was wearing a orange and yellow striped shirt and jeans, which meant she had been called out of her studies and threw something on ad ran out the door to the temple. She was the first to speak. Her voice was calm and soothing, it melted the first layer of tension in the air. "So what did you want to tell us?" Ami asked slowly as if she had been preparing that line for a month and had decided to give it a mellow approach instead of the withdrawn tenseness the remark deserved. Artemis was the first to explain. "Well here it is scouts short and simple. There are aliens among us." He whispered dramatically. Usagi grabbed Makoto's arm and began to shake. Mina's eyes peered at Artemis with gleaming excitement. "Wipe that grin off you face Minako this is dangerous." Artemis scolded. "Usagi for god sake stop cowering!" Luna hung her head in disappointment. It was a large task for such a small creature. Shaping Usagi in to the Queen her mother had always dreamed she would become. Makoto tried to brake free form Usagi but the blond clung on for dear life. "Are they dangerous?" She quivered. "Let?s hope so! We could all use some excitement." Minako smiled making a fist. The four girls stared at her in awe. Rei was the first to call her on the statement. "Come on Minako-chan, you always said that but you never mean it!" Rei spat as lovingly as she could. Minako folded her arms defiantly. "I do to!" She stuck her tongue out at Rei. "Stop it you two!" Luna scolded. "We don't know much about these new enemies but we will kept looking, we will need you girls to report here everyday after school until we know what?s going on. Luna knew what was coming. The phrase 'everyday after school' was a potentially dangerous one to say to four sophomore girls. They all started in at once. "Now Luna, you know I don't think that is such a good idea!" Makoto yelled. Usagi simply whined. "Nooooo!" "Are you even serious?" Minako chimed in. "What? You know I have to work, my apartment doesn't come for free!" Makoto reminded. "And how am I supposed to get here everyday! I can't drive and my house is across town!" Mina yelled. "What am I supposed to do say 'Mamo-chan I can't see you until I'm a senior because we are having 80,000,000 scout meetings!" Usagi stated questioningly. "Why do I even rent an apartment if we're like gonna be living here for three weeks!!" Makoto wondered. "Huh?" Rei stammered. "It's supposed to snow tomorrow!" Minako cried. "You guys can't hang around here forever my Grandpa will pitch a fit!" Rei yelled devastated. "I have to stay after school tomorrow for a whole hour already! You would want me to get behind in my school work would you Artemis?" Minako pleaded knowing his weak spot was her educational well being. "I have faith in you." Artemis sarcastically answered. Minako folded her arms angrily. "Mamo-chan is already so forgiving of me..." Usagi stated. "SHUT UP BAKA!" Rei screamed in Usagi's ear. Usagi fell off the porch heavily surprised. "REI-CHAN YOUR SOOOO MEAN TO ME!" Usagi sobbed. This Mamoru was, from how Usagi described him, a god. Not just any god, a tall dark handsome god, a perfect, strong, fashionable cool god, the kind of god Seiya despised. The kind of god he had to do a way with not for himself, for Usagi. From how he saw it this guy was way too cunning and sharp for his awkwardly cute petit little girlfriend. It seemed clear to Seiya that when some sexy model came along, Mr. Chiba would dump his innocent girlfriend in a moment. Usagi was simply too delicate for that kinda of treatment, she would shatter! It was for Usagi's protection that he made an effort to 'bump into her' everywhere she went. He had to separate this delicate flower from the sly fox that had snatched her up for his own. No, this would simply not do. Although he was somewhat of a catch himself, or so he thought, it was boarder line impossible to separate two lovebirds who were seemingly made for each other. Mamoru was Usagi's other half, she simply couldn't get enough of him and she made it her business to torture Seiya with that simple truth every single day! Seiya didn't know why Usagi tortured him so. She was cute and kind hearted, but what should that matter there were three hundred thousand cute girls on this planet earth or so Tekki said. Seiya pulled up in front of the CVS at 4:30 on Thursday afternoon. The sky was dark and it was drizzling slightly. It was crisp and cool, as an early December day should be. He parked the silver Porche in the fire- lane and waited patiently for Usagi to emerge. She had mentioned something about coming here for Christmas cards later in the afternoon. Now Seiya reasoned that if early after noon was 1 or two then middle afternoon was three and late after noon was 4-5.According to his calculations. 4;30 was the exact middle of late afternoon, he couldn't miss her. As if according to plan spotted Usagi at the register. "Bingo." He whispered. Usagi looked out the front window of CVS. It was decorated with stick on Santas and angels, all very tacky but cheerful. Behind the peeling Santa Claus Usagi spotted a familiar figure. For a moment it seemed to be Mamoru but she realized that it was Seiya Kou, her friend from Juuban High. He seemed to be waiting for someone, as usual. Usagi seemed to be constantly running into Seiya now a day. She always saw him at various times after school. Whether he was driving, at the movies, the bookstore or even the salon, which she thought was rather odd. Kou Seiya always seemed to be waiting for someone. Here she comes, just a little bit closer, just a little bit..."Usagi." "Seiya moshi moshi!" Usagi smiled in her usual upbeat manor. This always took Seiya off guard, but he would stand his ground. "We just keep meeting in the strangest places." He stammered smirking a little. Usagi nodded. "It must be fate." Seiya whispered in a raspy voice. Fate, that was a well that never dried up. He had noticed that the young ladies of earth cherished the thought of fate, just as much as they cherish the thought of love. Usagi looked up at him. She was wearing overalls with a white shirt underneath. Seiya believed that this was the most adorable this cute little girl had ever looked in her life. Such a child, but a transfixing one. Usagi paused. "So why brings you to the drug store?" She wondered innocently. Seiya gulped, crap, he hadn't though of that. "Well I was..." He was interrupted by the look on Usagi's face. In one instant her face had gone from the everyday optimism it held to something quite different. A gorgeous grin spread like butter from cheek to cheek and her eyes sparkled as if hey were illuminated with stars. Then Seiya realized that it wasn't stars lighting her up. It was a man. A man getting out of his car. His red sports car. A tall, dark and handsome man that resembled him, as far as Seiya knew there was but one man in Tokyo with such qualities. He felt ill. All right, all right...baka just act naturally, cool calm. Before Seiya could ask Usagi who the approaching man was, right as if he didn't know, she bounded out into the middle of the parking lot to meet him. It's okay, perfectly natural for two acquaintances to shake hands and greet each other. Okay, so maybe they would wave, okay so maybe they would hug, okay they would probably hug. Hello, they are boyfriend and girl friend of course they are gonna hug. Oh and watch it be one of those long warm hugs that last for a few minutes. Damn. Then it happened something strange. ----------- It began to snow heavily. Seiya looked up yep clouds were gray. Plus Tekki had said something about snow in the forecast. When Seiya looked back down at eye level he saw...he saw... "No." he whispered opening his mouth slightly. They were kissing. After a minute Seiya coughed, and sneezed and coughed again them began to hum. Then after none of these succeeded in parting the lip locked lovers her walked up to them and tapped Usagi on the shoulder. Her eyelids flickered when she felt the tap. She was hesitant to pull away from Mamoru. He was so warm and another tap. She softly ended the blissful kiss. Mamoru and Usagi huddled close to each other. Seiya coughed again. Them Mamoru coughed. Then they both coughed several times. Then it struck Usagi that it wasn't the Flu that was making them cough she hadn't introduced them. Oops. "Umm...Mamo-chan this is Kou Seiya, he goes to my school. Mamoru nodded. :::Mamo-chan. Yuck they have nicknames for each other:::: "Hello." Mamoru bowed slightly to Seiya with a kind face. Drop dead "Seiya, Chiba Mamoru." Seiya nodded slightly but did not look at Mamoru. He didn't need to look straight in his eyes to see the kinda of man Mamoru was he saw him all right. All Seiya could think of was this sweet innocent young bunny namely Usagi being unknowingly corrupted by this devilishly delightful boyfriend of hers. Sure now it's a heartfelt kiss. Then when Usagi least expects it, Mamoru would undoubtedly put some kind of drugs in her drink and she would wake up in his cave of forbidden love. Or he would put some kind of spell on her with his annoyingly deep blue eyes and she would most certainly give her life to him at too young an age and become...gulp...Chiba Usagi! "No." He growled aloud. This simply couldn't happen! He wouldn't let it happen, if Usagi was going to fall under the spell of anyone it would be Kou Seiya not Chiba Mamoru! Seiya paused, what was he saying, did he seriously see Usagi in that light? He had only known her for a week or so, could that possibly be enough time to fall completely, deeply and totally in love with one girl? He didn't know. "Yes." He stuttered nodding profusely at Usagi she nodded back at him. "Are you okay?" She asked happily. "Yes." he answered still half dazed. Mamoru's gaze shifted. "So dinner tonight 8:00 see you then?" Usagi smiled fully. "Huh?" Seiya blinked emerging from his subconscious. Suddenly Mamoru pulled away from Usagi and walked to the edge of the parking lot where a woman had knelt down in the snow. He walked until he was about a foot in front of her. Noticing his black shoes she looked up the body to the young strong face of a young man. "Is they?re anything I can help you with ma'am?" Mamoru asked respectfully concerned at this older woman kneeling ankle deep in the cold snow. He waited a moment as she shifted her weight from her arms to her legs. "Well...it?s the strangest thing, I seem to have lost my keys here in the snow. I'm a little absent minded." The woman apologized to herself more than Mamoru. He knelt beside her without a moment's hesitation. "Here, let me help." The two scanned the ground for a small green key chain. The woman had described it as reading "Spencer's Garage." in large white letters. Seiya nodded his head in disapproval. Usagi's boyfriend was a pansy. "He is going to get soaked." Usagi didn't look at Seiya but continued to watch Mamoru contently, he was sorting through the snow with the woman who seemed still to be chattering away. Although Seiya had not directly addressed her, she felt it her duty to explain her Mamo-chan. "Mamoru is a nice guy." Usagi smiled. Thinking of how fare he had come since they had begun dating. "Extravagantly nice." Seiya scoffed. "I have never thought of kindness as a weakness." Usagi replayed catching his unspoken meaning. "It is a strength I think." Needing to show him her meaning, Usagi gave an example. "Take you for example." Usagi shifted her soft gaze to Seiya who was already intently watching her. He narrowed his eyes suspiciously. "You are kind to me, aren't you?" She could see the uneasiness in his glare. He could smell the trap she had laid. "I am kind to you because," silence "you are kind to me." He finished uncertainly. He was almost asking himself this as a question. "See you." He bowed slightly and began to back up. It was time for him to vacate the premises. "Okay tonight, dinner 8:00. Don't forget at the Luisian Grill! A few friends and Mamoru will be there!" She yelled. Seiya cringed. "I hold my breath in anticipation." He yelled back to her. She smiled. That had gone well, Seiya and Mamoru, she was sure, would be come friends in no time. After all they were so much a like! "Seiya, Usagi and Mamoru in the same room at once. This could get messy." Seiya sighed, bring it on, he was ready for anything that Boy Scout could dish out. Hey minna, I am writing some author?s notes at the request of a friend of mine. You know who you are. ? Anyway, I hope everyone is enjoying the turmoil that has been set before you. Please feel free to e-mail me with comments, just keep ?em tasteful okay? Thanks guys. Enjoy there is much, much more to come.