Title: The Butterfly Stroke By: Azurite/Andromida Email: sailor_andromida@yahoo.com Sites:www.geocities.com/sailor_andromida/ members.xoom.com/sailor_azure/ www.delphi.com/sailorstuff/ members.delphi.com/andromida/ Rating: PG Notes, Disclaimer: Hello ! This is my new fanfic, about Usagi and Mamoru (yes, I'm using the Japanese names-kinda sort of. Well, you'll understand later). I've noticed recently that plenty of people are into changing how Serena/Usagi and Darien/Mamoru meet, or find out about each other's secret identities. They may even give them different jobs, or totally different roles, without ever bringing the senshi into it. Half the time, those stories get corrupted into Hentais. Not this one, no way. The other, pure half, are the ones that I read, and most of which I like. So I'm writing my own. I was inspired when I was swimming. So guess what sport is gonna be in this story... Legal disclaimers apply here, and for safety's sake, to all my other works involving Sailormoon. So don't sue me ! On with the story. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Usagi woke up drowsily, to say the least. She was downright worn out. She had had to fight another Negamonster last night, another Nijizuishou carrier-Rei's grandfather. It had shocked everyone to say the least, but the end result was a frightened, very tired Sailormoon. 'Usagi! You are never on time! You're no sailor senshi! You're a failure senshi!' Rei's bitter words from two days ago still stung like needles. Although Usagi had gone to the temple and apologized, just as Rei had, the words still remained. 'I can't ever do anything right...' Usagi thought sadly to herself. Her grades were under average, even in gym and home ec, and in the entire school, she was the only one who had a detention record for one file cabinet, and a tardy record for another. Gloomily, Usagi dressed. She went downstairs,a frown furrowing her features. Her mother was nowhere in sight, and her father had already left for work. It being late summer, Shingo was away at camp, and Usagi had nowhere to go. She almost hoped that the seventh Nijizuishou carrier would show up soon, so she'd have *something* to do. She ate a meager bowl of cereal and went on her way. 'No Luna. Thank God.' Usagi thought as she shut the door. Usagi found herself wandering the long route to the arcade, and into a fairly warm building, only a few blocks from her home. She wandered in and out of some long, lighted corridors. She was startled when she heard a loud "Yeeeeahhhhh !" as if screamed out by a rather large crowd. She turned to look through the opening from which the sound had come. There was a large pool, with several people doing laps in a timed race it seemed, and several people were crowded around very spare inch of the pool, but not so close that they might fall in. Usagi, being rather slender, squeezed in between a pair of people and watched the match intently. She never thought she'd like sports, let alone swimming. But the more she watched the swimmers, the more fascinated she became. 'Their bodies are like the water itself...and they're so healthy looking... not skinny like me...' Usagi thought. Everyone swimming looked fit and healthy. Her thoughts were again interrupted by a noise, this time, a loud buzzer. "And the winner is....Rei Mizuyo !" A person in a blue, short-sleeved bathing suit came up from the water, back to Usagi. The announcer handed the person a golden trophy, which the swimmer proudly held up and displayed for the audience to see. The swimmer then removed their swim cap, to reveal a head of shimmering, long, dark brown hair. 'A girl ? But I thought all the swimmers were guys...they had all had such muscular bodies...' And Rei did. She must have been practicing for several years, for muscles were evident on her slim arms and legs. 'No wonder why she's so good. Her name means spirit of the water.' Usagi looked at Rei smiling for a minute. Then she turned away. Usagi made her way to the nearest people-free area in the center. There, Usagi was confused, and all alone, in the ladies locker room. Her thoughts drifted to her confusion from two nights previous. 'You know, I think I know why Tuxedo Kamen is being so cold-hearted lately. He wants to see a physically fit, active girl. One who could beat him in an arm-wrestling match, like Makoto...he'd never want to be with a skinny, inept, clutzy girl like me...' A small sob escaped Usagi's mouth. She began to cry, ever so softly. 'Boy, Usa, you sure do pick the time and place.' Usagi chided herself. Here she was in the middle of some foriegn swim center, with no one she knew around. And she would probably get in trouble for being in the locker room anyway... "Bye, Coach! See you tomorrow!" A young woman's cheery voice echoed throughout the 'almost' empty locker room. Usagi tried to hide, but the entrance she came in was blocked by a crowd of people-and the other entrance led to where 'whoever' was coming from. "Hey, who are you?" The voice asked Usagi. Usagi, seeing no where else to go, settled on a bench in front of some lockers. She suddenly looked up at the person who spoke. "Rei-san!" Usagi immediately rose and bowed deeply. She was a celebrity at the pool; she deserved some respect! "Call me Rei- who are you?" Rei blushed at the bluntness of the question. She brushed aside a strand of hairs blocking her eyes and smiled. "Tsukino Usagi." Usagi said, pausing. "Call me Usagi-chan." "Okay. Not to be rude, but what are you doing in here?" Rei knew that anyone that had been watching the match would be outside, leaving, and anyone at the pool for the next class wouldn't be arriving till noon. It was only 11:00. "I...I was watching the match, and then I didn't want to get caught in the crowd, so I came in here?" Usagi mumbled shyly. She looked down, flushed, then up again in fear. "Am I in trouble?" She asked nervously. Rei grinned. "No. But you weren't exactly waiting. What's wrong?" Rei seemed like a caring person, not some stranger that would manipulate her, or anything. 'Besides, if she's really bad, I'll just put some Moon Power in her technique, and she'll be good.' Usagi thought. "I...I was thinking about joining a class." Usagi finally blurted. 'Well, why not? If it could get me buffed up enough to impress Tuxedo Kamen, then I'll do it!' Usagi thought, determinedly. Rei smiled again. But inside, she knew there was more to it. "There's only two possible reasons why someone like you'd be crying and then tell me you're joining a class. One, the class you wanted is full...or Two, you're signing up to impress somebody." Usagi looked up in surprise. There was no use squirming around the topic, so she nodded,and asked, "How did you know?" Rei smiled again. "I actually joined the classes here five years ago-only to impress a guy I had a crush on. I finally began liking the class becaused it improved my confidence, and made me tougher. The guy, on the other hand, could have cared less, so I forgot about him. Now...I've won the City Championships for the third straight year in a row." "Wow..." "You look like you'd enjoy swimming. In fact, you remind me of what I used to be like when I was younger. Why don't you sign up? Maybe then you'll get into the Teen Championships!" Rei winked, and left Usagi wondering to herself. 'Teen Champion...and for once, I'll have earned it-- not Champion of Justice- Teen Champion. It won't be some dumb title that Negamonsters -and Rei (*the other one*)-make fun of. Yeah !' Usagi happily smiled at Rei, and ran out of the room to sign up. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ "If you want to sign up, you have to get all of these signed by your parents-if you're younger than 13." "Oh no, I'm 15 !" "Then you just fill these out-remember your height, weight, age, birthday, and all that other stuff. Return it by Friday to qualify for the trials. If you pass the trials, then you make it into the team. There is one team for each school in Azabu Juuban, and then those for all the other wards. The only reason why it's divided up into schools is because it continues after school starts, afterschool, and during gym classes. Good Luck. " The secretary handed Usagi a wad of papers and a pen, and pointed to some chairs. Usagi immediately sat down and began filling them out. 'If I put my real name, everyone might tease me. I need a fake name...got it ! Serena. I am-or will be-serene after all this. After I make the trials...' "All done ?" The secretary asked later. Usagi nodded. She handed the woman the papers, and gave her back her pen. "Okay. You go to Juuban JH, so you should come here on Friday around 3:00, and bring a swimsuit, goggles, a swim cap, if you want one, and-shampoo if you want to get the chlorine out of that hair." "Chlorine ?" "Yes, it's a chemical that they put in the water to make it clean. Don't worry though, it doesn't bleach your hair or anything." "Okay..." Usagi smiled and left. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ "Mamoru. Hello?" Motoki waved his hand in front of his friend's face. He was totally out of it. "Huh? What?" Mamoru suddenly snapped back to life. He looked at his friend in surprise. "Who is she?" "Who is who?" Mamoru asked curiously. "You were staring there into space, red as a tomato. You've gotta be thinking about some girl. So spit it out -who is she?" Truthfully, Mamoru had been thinking about a girl. No, scratch that, girls. There was the mysterious princess that haunted his dreams, the strong-willed Sailormoon -and this last girl even being in his mind shocked Mamoru- Usagi. She had that bright smile, and a cheery attitude that everyone seemed to like. No one cared if she scored 30 on a test, they just all wanted to be her friend. She was so nice. And she was very caring. On one incident, Yumi, a girl Mamoru had seen hang out with Usagi and another girl at school sometimes, came into the aracde rather upset. Usagi had been diligently dumping coin after coin in the Sailor V game, but when she saw her friend, she dropped everything, took all her coins, and bought Yumi a sundae. Yumi suddenly lit up like a Christmas tree. They chatted away happily, and whatever had caused Yumi's depression had vanished into the air. "Hello...?" Motoki again waved his hand in front of Mamoru's face. "She must be quite a girl, for you to just go out like that. Face it, you're ga-ga over her. And I'm going to find out who she is. You'll see!" Motoki winked and then went back to fixing the UFO doll game. 'Oh great...' Mamoru thought to himself. Then he happened to glance out the window. Who should be turning the corner-not from the direction of her house, either-('Now why would I know where her house is?')but Usagi. Ah- that familiar head of hair, that cheery smile, those shining eyes. But when she neared closer, he noticed she seemed deep in thought. She wandered into the arcade, and finally deciding she was too preoccupied to actually play a game, she came into the cafe. Mamoru had a funny thought in his head. It told him, 'Be nice.' He ruined that chance in a minute, because as soon as she came into earshot, he shouted, "Hey Odango Atama!" (Meatball Head/Dumpling Head) Immediately, the blonde turned and faced Mamoru with an evil glare. "Shut up! Mamoru-baka! My name is Usagi. Usagi Tsukino. NOT ODANGO-ATAMA!!!!!!" Her face grew flushed with anger. She turned to face him directly, her azure eyes shining with a fierceness that Mamoru had never seen before. It made her look... beautiful. 'No... even more beautiful. She already is gorgeous.' Mamoru thought dreamily to himself. Once again, he reeled from the thought as if someone had slapped him. 'Nani ?! What is wrong with you ?! It's Usagi Tsukino, for kami's sake !' Mamoru chided himself. Still, she did look beautiful... he looked as Usagi rambling on about her name and her hair. Finally she looked at him, and noticed he was looking, nothing more. "What are you looking at, Mamoru-baka?" She asked him snidely. "You." Usagi was flabbergasted. 'What is that supposed to mean ?' Usagi thought to herself. 'Those eyes...they're so dark blue-like a deep blue ocean... so handsome...' Usagi found herself admiring Mamoru's face, as Mamoru was admiring hers. Finally they both snapped out of it when Unazuki walked inbetween them. "I didn't interrupt your staring contest, did I?" She asked jokingly. "What?" Usagi asked, breaking her almost hypnotic stare on those eyes... "No Unazuki... no staring contest." Mamoru finally muttered. Unazuki looked strangely at Usagi and Mamoru, Usagi just standing there, staring at him, and Mamoru sitting, staring right back. "I... have to go..." Usagi finally blurted. She gathered the few papers on the counter, and scrambled out of the cafe, having not bought anything, or played any games. Mamoru watched her from the booth as she rushed down the street as if being chased by a rabid dog. "Usa..." Mamoru immediately slapped his hand over his mouth, and shook it wildly, cursing himself for thinking that Usagi Tsukino, sweet, caring, clutz-would ever-he cursed himself doubly for thinking about thinking that he wanted to go out with Usagi Tsukino... ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Usagi ran home as fast as her slender legs would carry her. She was blindly running, for small tears threatening to fall out were dripping from her misted lashes. She didn't know why either... "Ooomph !" Usagi ran headfirst into a stranger. 'Oh no... not again...' Usagi cried internally. Usagi immediately bowed and apologized over and over again. "It's okay Usagi-chan!" Usagi peered up with one eye, and then the other. It was Mako-chan! Usagi heaved a sigh of relief, and realized with joy that the tears she didn't want to explain were gone. "Where you off to in such a rush anyway? Usually you'd be at the arcade this time of day -unless there's another..." "No, Mako, not another crystal. Just that dumb Mamoru-baka..." Usagi grumbled. She began to picture his laughing (at her!) smile, those deep blue eyes... Mako looked at her and noticed with a smile that Usagi was slowly turning various shades of pink... "Usagi?" "Umm?" "You flirt. You're all red." "I am NOT!" Usagi shouted indignantly. She was afraid that Mako-chan knew that she had a crush... 'Oh my god... I have a crush on Mamoru Chiba! Kami-sama, help me!' Usagi thought desperately. She never wanted to have a crush on him. Still, from the time they had met, they had both admired the other in one way or another. (*literally*) "Mako, let's go shopping. If I'm going to the beach in the next two weekends, I need a swimsuit !" Usagi had made up the excuse so as to change the subject-(and because she needed one for the trials)and she needed someone to accompany her on her daily mall raid. She was going to ask Unazuki, but then the whole 'staring incident' with Mamoru had occurred. Mako heartily agreed. "So when exactly are you going to the beach?" "Huh? Oh, I don't know. I have to ask mom." "You mean you didn't plan it ahead of time? Maybe then you could invite some friends..." Makoto trailed off sheepishly. Usagi looked up at her tall, brunette friend and smiled. "I'll ask." The girls walked to the mall, trying on countless swimsuits. Usagi tried on some of the sparkly ones, with gliterring embroidery on the edges. Finally she found one that suited her. 'Not too showy for the trials, and not too plain for the beach. Perfect.' Usagi held out the size 2 bathing suit for Mako to see. It was a two piece suit, with inch thick straps that would slimly cover Usagi's shoulders. On the top of the suit was a stained glass-type print in shades of aqua, navy, blue and green, with black dots. The bottom was solid navy. "Great! It matches your eyes!" Makoto told her. She held out a bathingsuit herself. Slightly larger than Usagi's, it was a one-piece pink bathingsuit, with black sides from under the breast area to the hip. These two hunks of black were lined in white, on both the front and back, where there was a large V-shaped opening for sun-tan. "See? And they're both on sale!" Makoto pointed out the red marker line on the tags. Usagi grinned. They walked to the front, casually admiring some jewelry, and got in line. Usagi was flipping through a magazine (which she had no intention to buy) when Mako tapped her on the shoulder. "Usagi-chan... hey isn't that the gut you have the hots for ?" Mako pointed to a tall, dark haired guy near the front of the line. He did look an awful lot like Mamoru... "I don't have the hots for anyone Mako!" Usagi hissed. Because she had hesitated, Mako just smiled and laughed Usagi's response right off. The girls were in line for only three more minutes, and they arrived at the register. The guy Mako had pointed out to Usagi earlier was still at the register, arguing to the clerk about a misread label or something. Usagi stifled a giggle, which, thankfully, went unnoticed. "Paying separately?" The clerk asked Makoto. Usagi forked over a bill, as did Mako. He totaled up two receipts, and handed the girls their suits in separate bags. "Thank You for shopping at Juuban Mall." The clerk said in a monotonous voice, before accepting the next customer's purchases. "Needs to add a little spice to his tone, don't he ?" Mako grinned as they started for the escalators that led back to the mall. Mako stopped. She saw Usagi gulp and stare at the same stranger as before. Mako 'accidentally' dropped her bag behind her, and caught a good look of the guy who was still arguing. 'It was Mamoru!' Mako looked at Usagi, and tapped her on the shoulder. Soon after, she had to jab her in the ribs, because Usagi just kept on staring... 'That silky, jet-black hair... Waitaminute ! This is BAKA MAMORU we're talking about here...' She thought. "Usagi-chan!" Mako muttered. She saw a very angry Mako at her side. Luckily, Mamoru didn't notice. Mako grabbed Usagi's arm and dragged her out of the store. Mamoru stole a glance at the two retreating figures. It was totally unintentional that they should be at the same store, but he was glad they had been, even if they hadn't spoken to each other. Her sunny smile and bright attitude had radiated throughtout the entire store. Almost. This one clerk was so stubborn... he turned away from the golden odango haired girl and her companion, just as she looked back at him. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Thursday... 'The trials are tomorrow...what am I going to do ?' Usagi was desperately pulling at her hair, pacing her room. She had been so apprehensive about Friday that she had actually finished her chores, eaten her dinner, and even gotten five levels further in her Sailor V game. But none of it helped. Her chores, her video game... she tried them all, and finished, and yet she had nothing to do. Luna walked in just as Usagi paced over to the window. It was after six- o'clock, and it was still light out. 'Summer. Oh Joy.' Usagi thought unenthusiastically. Finally Usagi sat down, still unaware that Luna was in the room. Finally she noticed when she saw the silent reflection of Luna in the windowpane. "Hey, Luna..." Usagi trailed off. "What's wrong Usagi ? You're never this apprehensive-not even before a big fight !" "No well, I... I... I'm nervous." 'Don't ask why, please don't ask why...' Usagi prayed silently to herself. "Whatever for? It's not like you have any tests or anything-school's over with!" "No, it's just...I signed up for a play -and I'm nervous about the auditions tomorrow. Thing is, it's a private play, so if I do make it, I don't have to worry about you and the senshi laughing at me..." "A play? Good way to pass the time. Private? That's new. And you know the senshi wouldn't laugh at you, Usagi, they're not that mean. Good Luck." Luna streamed on and on, and when she finally finished, she took a breath, and hopped out the window with the words "I'm going to Central." Wherever that was. Usagi was slightly calmed down. She had an excuse for having bought a bathingsuit, an excuse for being agitated-and being gone tomorrow... 'And an excuse to stop by the arcade twice a day...' Usagi's mind thought. "What for?" She said aloud. 'Mamoru, you baka-brains!' Usagi blushed, and then she knocked on the side of her head because she was talking to her mind...how foolish... "Mamoru?" Usagi's mind and heart were pulling her in separate directions. "I need a break..." Usagi muttered. She grabbed her change purse and made tails for the arcade. She deliberately walked the long route, and passed by the pool center. She went to look at a small colored piece of paper that was hung on the glass door of the center. "School Trial Schedule" it read. Below the title was a listing of the participating schools and the coach who would have the trials. Usagi skimmed the list: Juuban High ('My future school!'), Juuban Junior High ('My current school'), Azabu Tech, Narita, etc. The list went on and on. 'Azabu Tech...now why does that sound so familiar ?' Usagi thought to herself. She read the name 'Coach Hinjo' next to it, and Coach Kenzo for Juuban JH. 'I hope he's nice...' Usagi thought. She didn't want to have to suck up to him in order to pass the trials... 'I hope I can do this...' Usagi thought mentally. Then the anxiety and apprehension washed over her again. Thoughts of her friends suddenly showing up at the pool, distracting her during a match-it made her begin to sulk. They would laugh, and point, and tell everyone that Usagi was a clutz. 'What if I don't even make the trials ? Someone from school will tell Mako, or Ami, and they'll tell Rei, and they all laugh at me !' Usagi thought sadly. Usagi walked dejectedly to the arcade, her spirits low. Thankfully, Mamoru was nowhere in sight. Just thinking about him made Usagi's heart twist, and she wondered why. Determined to think of other things than the big trials or why Mamoru was not at the arcade, Usagi sat down at her favorite Sailor V game and set to beating her old High Score. It was about two hours later that Usagi chanced to look at her watch. As usual, she screeched in surprise, waved goodbye to Motoki and Unazuki, and tore down the street to her home. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ "Usagi! You are *late*!" "Gomenasai, Mama, but I lost track of the time!" "Well... you're lucky I started dinner late. I just hope you're not like this for those try-outs of yours tomorrow." "I won't be." Usagi smiled and settled down at the table to eat. Precisely an hour later, Usagi was finished with dinner, and marched up to her room. Instead of collapsing as she normally did, she lay on the floor and began stretching. "What are you doing?" Luna asked from her position on the bed. "What does it look like? I'm stretching!" "You? Exercise? The two words don't go in the same sentence!" Luna stifled a laugh. Usagi glared at her menacingly, but still refrained from starting a fight. She wanted a whole new image, one that would be likable to all, not stupid, and not liked simply for her looks... one that could impress *anyone*... except maybe Umino... Usagi shuddered at that thought. "You should try it sometime, Luna... might get rid of some of that fat." Usagi giggled as she finished stretching and pulled out her night clothes. Usagi ran to the bathroom to change and ready herself for bed. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ "Hey MOM! I'm gonna be gone for a while, okay...tryouts !" "Okay dear! Be back before ten, okay ?" "Okay, MOM!" Usagi grabbed her duffel bag and skipped out the door. 'This is it. Trials are here.' Usagi shuffled her bag from one hand to another, worriedly. She stared at her feet the entire way to the pool. When she got there, the place was literally *swarming* with girls from school. Kari, her friend, was among them. 'Please don't let her see me...' Usagi begged. She quickly undid her odangos and made a thick braid, which she piled into a bun on the top of her head. No one recognized her. 'Thank god...' Usagi stuffed her things into a duffel bag, grabbed her towel and went to the showers. The water was freezing in the showers, so the slightly warmer pool water felt a lot hotter than it was. "You all from Juuban JH?" All the heads in the pool whipped around. The Coach was a large, well-built man, wearing a sweatsuit in blue in white. "I'm Coach Kenzo, and today are your school's trials. To compete in any trial or match, you have to have had passed your last year's class-no F's...and you can't be going in 8th grade. This team sport is 9-12 only. Got it? Anyone who didn't fill out a form, or is here for some other reason, get lost! Trials only!" Usagi gulped. She knew she had done everything right: she hadn't any F's, and she filled out the form properly. She was relieved that for some odd reason, she would be called to 'get lost.' "Alright. Everyone go stand over at the four feet line, right there." Everyone stood in a single file line on that one black strip that marked where the depth was four feet. "Now everyone- swim over to the rope over there. GO!" Everyone was off in a shot. Usagi concentrated as best she could, and made it to the rope first. The Coach had everyone stop when they reached the line. "Alright, what's your name?" The Coach asked Usagi. "Me...? I'm..." 'If I give my real name, then everyone would know that it was me! I'd get taunted and teased...' Usagi remembered how she had filled out the form with an alias. "I'm Serena." Usagi finally told him. She said it with an air of confidence, so nobody suspected anything. "Serena here is the best example in this lot we got. If anyone else watched, she concentrated on herself, not anybody else. The goal. That's what you strive to reach. Now everyone, do 180? and swim back. GO!" Once again Usagi had the leading start. She was amazed she didn't even have a small cramp. She practiced and practiced until an entire hour had gone by. All they had done so far was lap swimming. First, to see who could reach the rope first. Then, who could get to the rope fastest. Usagi made it most of the time, but if the coach ever started immediately after another race, she'd lag behind a small amount- usually third or second. "All right. Now I've looked through all your school files. The following people are excused- they don't make it. Cuts people, they happen. So after these cuts, we'll have around twenty people left. From there,we'll cut it to 12 at the most. Got it?" Everyone nodded nervously. There were over sixty kids in the pool. If only twenty were left after the first cut... "All right. Kimo, Raimon...Guimi, Tina..." Name after name was called on the list. Not once did Usagi/Serena hear her name. Either of them. She heaved a sigh of relief. The pool seemed dead silent with so few people -not even enough to make a decent classroom- in it. "All right. These are the second cuts. This time, there is no rope. You swim the entire length of the pool. First way, above water, second, under. You stop, you sink, you're out. Easy as that. GO !" The adreanaline piled up in Usagi burst forth, full throttle, and she zoomed ahead of everyone else. She touched the side of the pool, and began going underwater. She *refused* to look down, and she squinted her eyes shut, just to prevent that. The chlorine was kind of stinging... "ALL RIGHT!" The Coach blew his whistle. The first twelve people to arrive, Usagi being first, included, were in the team. Everyone else solemnly left the pool. Usagi looked at Kari, still in the match. She was on the team! "You all have shown outstanding work. Juuban JH must have great gym teachers for you all to be working out so well. This is going to be one heck of a team. I'll be glad to coach you. Show up next Friday for a run- down on rules, and a short practice. I'll give you more details then. Congratulations. Hit the showers!" Everyone slowly exited the pool. "Serena?" Usagi quickly remembered her 'name' and walked over to the coach. "You're a great swimmer Serena. Now, for all the number ones on my teams, I coach them personally. Like Rei." "You---you coached Rei?" "Yep. If you want to be Teen Champion like she was, then keep up the good work. Get good grades, stretch, exercise. Remember to show up next Friday, or you can forget all that." "Got it. Thanks- Coach Kenzo." "Call me Coach." Usagi smiled as she went into the locker room. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Usagi was overjoyed. Not only had she made it past the trials, but she was on the team, *and* a favorite of the Coach himself! She had left the center with a broad smile on her face, and her light blue eyes sparkling happily. As she had yesterday, she headed to the arcade, and caught sight of... Mamoru? He was walking towards her... and for some reason, that seemed unusual, for he didn't see her. Where was he going? "Konnichiwa, Mamoru-kun!" Usagi greeted, her smile still evident on her face. Inside, she was confused. He hadn't called her 'Odango Atama'. For some reason, a part of her was mad... but why? It wasn't as if she *liked* it when he teased her, did she ? Come to think of it... "Eh? Oh, Konnichiwa, Usagi-chan." 'No Odango Atama!? This *is* strange...' "What, no Odango Atama?" Mamoru grinned lopsidedly and tossed a duffle bag over his shoulder. "You said it, not me, Odango." Usagi, not meaning to, blushed and ran off, muttering something about 'Baka Mamoru and too many odangos for breakfast.' Mamoru smiled as he walked into the swim center. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Friday came quicker than Usagi anticipated, but the pent-up energy from not fighting with Rei *or* any youmas allowed her more confidence, and she thought she would do well. She started off to the center early, forgetting completely about her hair... ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Mamoru was casually walking down the streets on Friday. He was bored, to a certain extent. It wasn't that he had nothing to do... just that what he HAD to do wasn't interesting. It was almost as if he wanted another Nijizuishou carrier to show up... he pushed that thought out of his head, for he remembered with each crystal fight, there was always confrontations with Zoisite and uncomfortable situations between him and Sailormoon. He tried to stare off at *something*, but ended up looking at *someone*. Usagi. Yes, it was her, going down the side street from her house to the arcade... the long route. She didn't see him though, and when she started to unravel her long hair as she walked, he paused. There was a slight breeze that made the tresses lick the branches of the tree he stood by... she was *that* close. He watched intently as Usagi piled her hair into her palm, put it into a long, long ponytail and headed off... 'Into the swim center? I wonder why...' But Mamoru decided he had more pressing matters, although he couldn't think of exactly what... and he walked off. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Usagi slipped out of her regular clothes, her swimsuit already on. She showered quickly, hating the coldness of the water. 'Ami would like it... anything icy is her thing...' Usagi recalled how Ami liked every drink with ice in it, how her powers were from ice... the thought made her shiver. Usagi was eager to get into the pool and warm up, practice... anything! She wrung her hair slightly before twisting it into a bun and stepping out into the pool area. She was sure she got some stares from someone... she felt eyes on her. Making sure nothing was *showing*, Usagi stared at herself as she walked. No... everything in place, and she had her goggles, towel... she placed the towel on a bench and slipped into the water, adjusting the goggles on her forehead.' "Hey Serena." Usagi turned to face the source of this voice. It was a young boy from her school... oh... what was his name? Usagi racked her mind for the name, but nothing came. "Oh...sorry, I'm Evan." "Oh yeah..." 'He doesn't know *Serena*, he knows *Usagi*. Usagi is in his classes, Serena is not." "Um well, I haven't seen you around the school. Are you new?" Evan inquired. "Yeah... I transfered here from a private school..." Usagi lied. "Me too... only mine was in America." "Wow..." Usagi smiled, faking her expressions. When Evan had *first* told her about this, she had pestered him with questions, and later suspected that may have annoyed him... 'That was the old Usagi. The new Usagi, Serena, will not be a pest. Or a drop-out, a flunkie, or a clutz.' Usagi reassured herself. *PHWEEEETTT* A whistle shrilled, making Evan, Usagi and the rest of the team turn and face the source. "Glad you all made it. I see 12 faces, and that's the number of people on this team. Team has no I in it, so you all have to get to know each other, work together, and learn how to cooperate. Help each other out. Make sure everyone shows up to every practice, or we get someone from last cuts in here." "Yes sir..." The small group voice montounsly. "Get started. One minute. GO!" The team quickly lined itself at the four foot marker and took off for the other end of the pool. When they reached the other side, they tapped the wall and swam back. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ For weeks, it was like this. Practice was usually on Mondays and Fridays, and Usagi...or 'Serena' was always on time, and practicing to her fullest extent. After practices, she would go to the arcade, but would NOT discuss anything swimming-related with anyone. For some reason, Mamoru gave her some strange looks on one visit, but she dismissed them as something *else* on his mind. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ "Serena, I wanted to talk to you." "Yeah, Coach?" Usagi slipped out of the pool and wrung her hair out. After picking up her towel and beginning to dry herself off, she walked over to the coach. "School is starting soon, and for about two weeks, we'll have double practices, for people who want to participate in the Teen and Citywide school championships." "And...?" "And I want you there. You're the best swimmer this school and this team has got, and I think you'd stand a great chance against people from Azabu Tech and Narita." "High schoolers? You really think *I* could beat a high schooler?" Usagi smiled broadly. "I believe in all the people I coach. Especially you. Give it a shot; you just might end up like Rei- Citywide Teen Chamipion and City Champion when you're old enough." "Thanks, Coach. Yeah, I'll be here. Thanks!" Usagi smiled and walked off to the locker rooms. The Coach believed that *she* could do this... *she* could beat high schoolers from Azabu... It was then that that 'deja-vu' feeling overcame her. What was with her? That name... did she know someone who went there? Usagi racked her brain, btu could come up with no solution. She soon forgot about it though, with the excitement of competing in Citywide Championships. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ "Hey girl, you excited?" Makoto asked Usagi. "Huh ? About what?" Makoto rolled her eyes. "School. Only two days left of freedom..." "Yeah..." "You know we never *did* go on that beach outing." Makoto said slyly, eying Usagi. "Right! Well, how about tomorrow? I'll ask my mom... and maybe Rei and Ami can come too!" "Just don't start another cat fight with Rei if we do go, okay?" Makoto winked and walked off. As soon as Usagi got home, she asked her parents, and they both agreed. "You've been really diligent with your chores, getting up early and eating right... I think you deserve this as a treat." Usagi grinned at her mother's praise. "You can invite your friends too, but you know Shingo will get to invite his friends too." "Yeah..." Usagi groaned, suddenly "remembering" that she had a little brother... ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ "Wow, this view is so nice!" Rei remarked staring out her window. "Yes, it is very scenic. In fact, this area used to be covered in formations of..." Ami started, staring into a book. "AMI! We're not in school yet, stop talking like a textbook!" "I do not..." "Yeesh...." Usagi groaned, shaking her head in her hands. She chanced a look out *her* window and saw the beach stretch out before her. The road was a scenic route, lining the coastline like a gray ribbon. On Usagi's side of the minivan, you could see the beach, rocks decorating the edges and small trees growing behind them. 'It's like a beautiful beach with hidden caverns and a spacious forest all on one place...' Usagi thought to herself. She made a mental note to explore the small 'forests' and 'caverns', if there really were any with easy access. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Half an hour later, the group consisting of Usagi, her parents, Rei, Ami, Makoto, Shingo and his two friends, had trouped their way onto the beach and made 'camp': two wide towels, several picnic baskets thanks to Usagi's mother and Makoto, and a collection of beach toys, a surf board (Rei) and a pile of books on sea life identification (Ami). "Hey guys, I'm going for a walk...I'll be back in a while, 'kay ?" Usagi smiled and walked off, the hot sending melting over her feet. It was only five minutes later that Usagi had wormed her way through some caverns, a small patch of bushes, and found herself in a sandy area, surrounded by trees. In the center of this clearing was what looked like a large tidepool. Usagi dipped her foot in the water and was pleasantly surprised to find that it was warm. 'Must be because the trees prevent the heat from getting out.' Usagi slapped her hand over her mouth, thinking she was starting to sound like Ami... a thought beyond impossible even for her. She slowly stepped into the water, and found the floor was not rough or rocky, but smooth sand, like the beach itself. No crabs, shells or rocks to hurt her feet... 'I should come here more often... when I want to swim alone and avoid the chlorine.' Usagi thought to herself. She did just that for a while, swimming in the warm water, and practcing the different swimming techniques. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The rest of the beach trip was fun, with only one small fight between Shingo and Usagi when she returned from her 'secret spot'. The lunches Makoto and Ikuko made were delicious, and Ikuko encouraged Makoto to keep up the great work. Rei had done some surfing, and had had Shingo and his two friends gawking when she caught a rather high wave. This was something they never thought a *girl* could do... and it surprised Usagi, Ami and Makoto too, because they never knew Rei surfed... "Oh yeah, I come here with Yuuchirou sometimes." "Oooooh! Yuu-chi-rou!" Usagi teased. After that, Rei bonked her on the head with a plastic shovel, and Usagi put sand on her towel. The fights began... And they ended with Usagi and Rei getting buried in the sand by Makoto and Ami. Ami sculpted the sand so both girls looked they had castles growing off their bodies. This had made Shingo snap thirty or so pictures, and thusly, Usagi wouldn't let Makoto, Ami *or* Shingo live it down. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ School started two days later, and everything went as anticipated. Rei went to her private school on Sendai Hill, while Makoto, Ami and Usagi, who only had ONE class together, worked their way through 9th grade text work. Usagi had her gym class at the pool, so she was allowed out of school early (gym was normally her last period, so after practice, she was let out early by the coach). "Ten more days..." Usagi murmured to Kari. "Yeah. Serena, aren't you excited?" Kari asked. The two had become friends after a while, and because 'Usagi' knew so much about Kari, 'Serena' and Kari became fast friends. Inside, Usagi hoped Kari wouldn't be mad if she ever found out that Usagi and Serena were the same. She was relieved that Kari never bothered to ask who her teachers were, for if she did, Usagi would have to lie, because Kari was in all of HER classes... in truth, there was no 'Serena'. But Kari never did. "Yeah I am... ten more days and then we begin the championship trials again...ooh... I hope I make it..." "Yeah, me too...I mean, I hope YOU make it... I just joined this to get out of gym class, so I'm not in it for the competition." Usagi smiled as the two girls slipped into the pool water to start practice. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Two weeks later, Coach Kenzo had made a listing of who was to compete in the vs. school championships. Everyone had competed against each other, guys vs. guys and girls vs. girls. After the coach had determined the best girl and the best guy, he made them go against each other; the winner would compete in the school championships as the main representative from Juuban JH. It was rigorous work and tough training, but Usagi made it. Or rather 'Serena' had made it. But the two were fast merging into one, because everyone noticed how much more agile and healthy Usagi was. But Serena was never 'seen' at school, and Usagi never undid her hair unless she was 'Serena.' "I knew you'd make it." Evan told Usagi happily. Usagi grinned. Like Coach, and Kari, Evan was one of her best supporters, although she had had to compete against him to represent the school. But if something happened to her, he'd get to be the secondary representative. 'Not that anything *will* happen... I plan on winning this all the way...' Usagi thought to herself. "Thanks Evan. You did great too." Usagi got out of the pool and over to the Coach's office. "Hey, Serena. Here's the deal, you're going to compete against each school in a match... then whoever comes in first, second and third compete against each other and then... whoever wins that last match is the Citywide Teen Champion." "Got it. Do I have the chance to practice before I compete?" "Yeah... here, wherever... but not against the other people, just yourself." "Thanks Coach." "Go make me proud, Serena." The Coach encouraged as Usagi walked off. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ "Hey Usagi-chan!" Motoki greeted as the girl walked into the arcade. "Hey, Motoki-kun! I feel great! How about a triple hot fudge sundae?" "Comin' right up!" Motoki told her as he walked into the kitchen. In high spirits, Usagi walked over to the gaming area. She decided to try something new, and started to play the UFO catcher game. In minutes, she had got Sailormoon, Sailormercury and SailorV. She was *trying* to get Tuxedo Kamen and Sailormars... At that minute Mamoru walked into the arcade, happy himself, although he never did show emotions very well... "Hey Odango!" "SSH ! I'm trying to get Tuxedo Kamen !" Usagi hissed at him. Surprised, Mamoru walked over to where she was staring intently at the UFO catcher game. She pushed the button to release the claw down... "Nuts!" Usagi groaned as the claw missed and snapped back up to the top. Mamoru grinned slyly... "I knew you couldn't get it Odango. You have no coordination whatsoever..." "ARGH ! First of all *BAKA*, my name is Usagi Tsukino, not Odango. I think you must be blind to see my hair is not some dessert! Second, I have plenty of coordination..." Mamoru closed his eyes and looked smug, as if waiting for her to try and do something to prove it... and clutz miserably. "Or I wouldn't be able to do this!" She punched Mamoru square in the nose and walked over to the cafe, where her sundae was waiting for her. 'Temper Temper... and quite an arm..' Mamoru thought to himself as he walked up the small stairs to join her. "What do you want? I *was* in a perfectly good mood until you showed up and teased me, you know." "Well, I--" Mamoru paused, not really knowing what to say. His presence put her in a bad mood? Cheery, lively Usagi... she *hated* him? Mamoru wished with all his heart it wasn't true. "I knew it! You won't even 'sink so low' as to apologize. You're a real conceited jerk Mamoru, and I hope you learn your lesson!" Usagi finished off her sundae and stomped off from the arcade angrily. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The matches were the following week, so Usagi stopped going to the arcade even when she had free time. Not just because she wanted and needed to practice, but if she could avoid Mamoru, then all the better... she was so mad at herself for what she had said and done... 'Mamoru...I'm so sorry... I didn't mean anything I said... I really do care about you...' But there was no time to think about any of that. No, she had to go and practice. Coach had told her that with each school, she'd compete against her own grade: 9, and then against the higher grades if she beat all the other 9th graders. Time flew by, and soon it was time to go to the matches. Usagi came first against First Girls T.A. School (where Rei Hino went) and all the other local Junior Highs. "I can't believe I made it... now I get to compete against 11th and 12th graders !" Usagi excitedly squealed to Kari. Kari came to all the matches to cheer 'Serena' on, and even if Kari didn't REALLY know, it still made Usagi feel good to have support. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ "All right coach, who's today's victim?" Usagi remarked as she walked inside the pool area. But Coach Kenzo was nowhere to be found. 'Must be in his office...I'll go and--" Usagi was cut off by a shockingly familiar voice. "Me." Usagi turned around suddenly, after slowly placing her towel on the bench. It could NOT be... "Mamoru?!" Mamoru gave a lopsided smile. 'Oh no... now he'll know it's me." "You know me... and you are... ?" Mamoru faked it. He knew it was Usagi. Ever since that day when she had walked into the center, her hair undone and tied loosely in a ponytail, that other day when she had punched him with what was later called 'a killer arm' by Makoto and Motoki, who had both apparently arm-wrestled her and...*lost*. "Serena... You... you can call me Serena." Usagi said shakily. He honestly *didn't* recognize her?! This was too good to be true!!! In a funny manner of speaking... 'Good: he doesn't recognize me, so he can't tease me. Bad: he is faking it. Even if he's not, how am I supposed to compete against him... I LIKE HIM!!!' Usagi had finally admitted it to herself, and her face suddenly went deathly pale. "Serena? You okay? Today's only practice, you know, you can back out..." "Practice?" Usagi repeated, suddenly aware. "Yeah, Mitsugi couldn't make it today, and in order to have a match, both the first and second reps have to be there. So Coach Hinjo and Kenzo agreed that it should just be practice today." Mamoru explained. "Well... I..." Evan hadn't been there for any of the JH matches... and he had come in second... so what was Mamoru talking about?! "High school rules only... I never thought I'd compete against a Junior high schooler..." "I guess there's a first time for everything then..." Usagi muttered, refraining from insulting this... this... 'Incredibly handsome baka....' Well he *was* cute... he wore black trunks that made his hair look like silk, and his eyes like the ocean at midnight. Black was definitely his color. 'He'd look *great* in a Tux.... Tux... forget him...' "Guess so, Odango..." Mamoru muttered slyly. But this comment did not go unchecked. Totally blowing her cover, Usagi glared right at him and said, "There is no way I AM practicing with a conceited, two-tongued, selfish jerk like you!" With that, she stormed past the now arriving Coach Kenzo and back into the locker room. Ten minutes later, she walked out, fully dressed and her hair done in the same long ponytail as before. She expected to see Mamoru practcing, or at least sitting near the exit so he could taunt her, but he was nowhere to be found. Usagi pushed the thought aside and ran home, grabbed her bicycle and sped off to the beach. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Mamoru knew she was mad at him... but *this* mad... he couldn't stand it. He decided to leave too, and go to someplace where he could be alone... he still needed to practice, so he took off for the one place that only HE knew about... The secret lake at the beach. He tossed on his clothes, grabbed his bag and helmet and sped off on his motorcycle on the long, scenic route to the beach. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Usagi stripped off her T-Shirt and shorts, so she was in her bathingsuit. She grabbed her duffle bag and towel and turned the small corner in the sandy dunes only yards from the small lake. Just as she rounded the corner, she heard a slight rustling in the dark trees edging the lake. From them emerged a tall shadow... ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Mamoru had gotten here later than he thought, because of traffic. School was back in session, but being a weekend, he hoped that not TOO many people would be at the beach... He wove his way through the bushes, the small cluster of rock formations and then another groe of trees. When he emerged, he thought he heard something... a gasp? Was someone else here? ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ (*I love these ~~~,don't you?*) Usagi drew in a sharp breath... oh no...not *HIM* not NOW! She had left the center to get AWAY from him, as cute as he was... he was mean, rude, arrogant, self-centered... 'And I like him ! How crazy am I?!' "You again." Usagi muttered, frozen to the spot. "Usagi?" Again, the way he said he name... although it was in no paticular manner or tone, made her shiver. Perhaps it was because he normally called her Odango Atama, and when he didn't say it, it made her feel strange... like mad, happy and sad all at the same time, if it was at all possible. "What are you doing here?" They both asked at the same time. "What am I doing here? I found this place--!" "You?! I've known about this place longer than you !" "Yeah right!" "Wanna bet?" "Doesn't look like you have much money in those trunks of yours!" "You either !" Mamoru retorted. "Ohhh...." Both people looked down in frustration, neither noticing that the other was blushing. Usagi started towards the pool and slipped in. "Just what are you doing?" "I'm going to practice. I was here first, you know." "Yeah, and you're a sailor senshi." Mamoru remarked sarcastically. Usagi cringed suddenly, out of reflex, and she had no idea why... Mamoru went into the lake too, and they both tried their hardest to ignore each other. It wasn't as if the lake was small, so both of them could swim there without *really* bothering each other... ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Usagi had done almost all the strokes perfectly across the lake, and was now working on her hardest-to-perfect, most challenging one. The Butterfly Stroke. Coach Kenzo, Evan and Kari had all tried to help her with this one stroke, and they all failed. "I just can't do it... maybe it's better if I skip this stroke..." Usagi had said to them. "But if you pass City then they might make you do laps in this stroke. It's best to master it now." Coach had responded. Reluctantly, Usagi tried her hardest, but only managed a few strokes before sinking miserably in the water. She was now trying again, but could not seem to concentrate. 'They'll find out. Rei, Makoto and Ami will show up at the match and make fun of me. Then Mamoru will tease me, and call me a loser. He'd never go out with me after that, he'd say I'm a loser and weak, and that I must have won all the other matches by accident... Mamoru will brag that he won...' Usagi was stroking over the deepest part of the lake, and these thoughts caused her to lose her delicate balance, and she arched backwards into the water. "Ack!" Usagi cried as her face filled with water. She struggled to regain her balance and swim to shore, but something... something heavy was weighing her down. "Help!" Usagi cried as she sunk below the surface. Would Mamoru save her? He wouldn't be so low as to let her die, would he? WOULD HE?! Usagi struugled more and more, trying to get SOME control... she had to save herself! She felt something wrap around her and pull her to the surface, and that was when everything got hazy and dark. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Mamoru turned suddenly when he heard a scream from the deep center of the lake. He saw Usagi's small hand disappear under the surface of water as a gargled scream came. "Help!" Mamoru dove over to her, willing himself to be faster, to get there quicker... oh, why was time so slow!? Seconds only passed when he reached her, grabbed her body and raced to shore. She was coughing up water when they both got there, and he steadied her with his arm on her exposed back. When she started breathing normally again, she closed her eyes and rested her head on a tree trunk. "Thank... you..." Usagi muttered. Mamoru simply smiled, concerned for her health and well-being. He knew... he felt something for Usagi. He always had, he knew inside, but the feeling was much stronger now... 'The first time I saw her, I was attracted to her... even though she was young, and uncoordinated. But I got to know her, and I would purposely bump into her, talk to her, even if it was just teasing. Now, she's even more strong now, more cheerful... but I can never provoke that side in her... she hates me...' He looked at Usagi resting, and her arms were still wrapped around his neck from when he had caried her to shore. Her breathing was slowed and regular, almost as if she were asleep. Her eyes were half-open, however, and looking right at him. Both were silent, lost in the moment, when finally Mamoru spoke. "I had problems with that stroke too..." Mamoru said quietly. Not exactly choice conversation, but it was something. "Yeah...uh, it's hard." "Do you want some help?" Mamoru offered. He didn't want her getting hurt again. Not if someone wasn't there to help her next time. "Uh....yeah... I guess so..." Usagi said quietly. She started to sit up. "Just how did you find out it was me, anyways?" She finally asked. She *had* been wanting to know how Mamoru knew that Serena and Usagi were the same. "I saw you go into the center and undo your hair a week or so back." Usagi blushed a slight pink, which made Mamoru smile. "Oh... uh... yeah..." Usagi stuttered, for lack of anything better to say. She would have tugged at her collar if she had been wearing one, but she was only wearing her swimsuit. "Come on, it'll be getting dark soon if we don't practice..." Mamoru led her into the shallow water and asked her to float on her back. Usagi complied somewhat nervously, wondering if he was really going to help her... She floated there, her arms out at a 180? angle to the rest of her overly stiff body. She became even more stiff when she felt a light touch on her lower back. She knew it was Mamoru steadying her, but his touch made chills run up and down her spine. "You're really tense. Relax a little bit." Mamoru told her. 'Relax? How can I relax? You and me... alone on a beach, at sunset, in the water... and you're touching my back!? TELL me to relax again and I'll cream YOU!!!' Usagi mentally yelled at him. She tried to relax, but only succeeded partially. Mamoru felt her loosen, only a very little, and he took that as nervousness. 'Probably for the match tomorrow.' Mamoru mused. He started to tell her about how she had to stay afloat, and then how once she was balanced and floating, how to stroke. She attempted it, but flailed and couldn't remain floating long enough to do a full stroke. Mamoru held her steady to help her float and they were just there in the water, him steadying her so she could float. Finally, they both just started talking, and slowly Mamoru moved his hand away without her noticing. "Usagi." Mamoru said quietly. It caught her attention, but she remained still, thinking he was still next to her. He tapped her lightly on the shoulder, as he was now behind her, just behind her head. "Wait.... if you're over here, then who's holding me up?" Usagi asked, half-frantic. "You." Mamoru responded with a smile. He told Usagi to try the stroke again, and she did, this time succeeding. Minutes later, she perfected it, and got faster and faster. "Yay! I did it! I did it! Oh, thank you Mamo-chan! Thank You!" Usagi cried happily, not noticing her slip of the tongue. 'Mamo-chan? I like that...' Mamoru thought to himself. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ It was some time later that the two of them had finished practicing, and sunset had enveloped the sky. But with sunset, came darkness. "Do you want me to give you a ride home?" Mamoru asked, drying his hair off. Usagi slipped on her shirt over her swimsuit top and her shorts over the bottoms. "Huh ? Oh no, I have my bike..." "It'll be dark soon... " Mamoru wasn't looking at the sky, but at Usagi... and because her head was bent over so she could dry her hair, she never noticed. "Well, I'm not afraid or anything. And I'm sure as hell not weak..." "I never said..." Mamoru protested. "Fine, fine. I'll get my bike back tomorrow." Mamoru smiled as she wrung out her hair and put in up in a long ponytail. "Let's go... Bike's this way..." Mamoru picked up his bag and motioned to the parking lot. "Wait... I'm leaving my bike just to get on *your* bike...?" "No..." Mamoru led her from the trees and walked over to his motorcycle. "Eek! You want me to ride *THAT*?!" Usagi looked frightened. "Here. It's just a motorcyle..." Mamoru tossed her his spare helmet and stashed their bags in a side compartment. "Just a motorcycle he says... yeah, so fun and easy..." Usagi muttered. "Uh...I'd recommend hanging on." Mamoru told her as Usagi sat behind him. "To what? The rails of air at my side?" Usagi quipped sarcastically. "Me." Mamoru told her as he started up the bike. Usagi immediately gripped him when the bike shuddered underneath her and tighter when he finally took off. "I would scream, but the better half of my voice left me at the parking lot." Usagi remarked as they sped along. Mamoru smiled underneath his helmet visor. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ When the pair got to a stop light as they entered Tokyo city limits again, Mamoru tilted up his visor. "I take it your friends don't know about you being 'Serena', either." "No... I don't want them to." Usagi was careful with her tense, to make sure he wasn't trying to trick her or anything... "Why not? I mean, you're good and all, wouldn't you want them there to cheer you on?" "Yeah right. Rei would tease me, Ami would try and tutor me and Makoto would be gawking at all the cute guys. And why would I want them there if I'm just going to lose? So they can make fun of me and tease me, like you do?" "I'm sorry." "What?!" Mamoru tilted the visor down and sped off again, the noise so loud Usagi couldn't ask him what he meant. They were only blocks from Usagi's house when she asked him to stop. "What for?" "If you want to live to compete tomorrow, you'd best stay away from my gun-totin' dad." "I see..." Mamoru smiled and stopped the bike, taking off his helmet. "About what you said..." "I meant it. I'm sorry for being so mean to you Usagi-san--" "Usagi-chan is fine with me, Mamoru-san." "Okay, but I did mean it, Usagi-chan, I'm really sorry." "Are you trying to soften me up so I'll let you win tomorrow ?" Usagi grinned. "I thought you were bent on losing." "Not exactly..." "If you think you stand a chance of winning, you should ask your friends to come..." "I don't know... maybe I will." "Good luck..." "Are you trying to jinx me ? Remember, I'm competing against you tomorrow." "No, I just..." "Never mind. Thanks for the ride. Thanks for the ride, Mamoru-san." Usagi gently kissed Mamoru on his cheek and raced off towards her house, leaving a poorly balanced, shocked and flushed Mamoru in her wake. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ "Hey, Rei-san?" Mamoru asked. Rei Mizuyo was a girl who had been a senior three years ago. She had won the Citywide Championships for the last three years, and the Citywide Teen Championships before those. Her coach had been Kenzo, the same coach Mamoru knew Usagi had. "Yeah, Mamoru-san?" "You know about the Championships tomorrow, right ?" "Yeah, congrats, you're the new Teen Rep for Azabu." "Yeah well..." "You and this 'Serena' girl from Juuban JH ? Must be pretty tough to get into the HS matches." "You did too! And Usagi sure is..." "Wait... did you say Usagi ? Usagi Tsukino ?" "What, you know her?" "Yeah, I'm the one that convinced her to sign up for trials a few months back. Wow! She made it this far!? This I have to see!" "Expecting something amazing?" "I never saw Usagi after that day because my practices are on different days, just like Azabu's is. But that one day I talked to her, she was really depressed and all, and if she's gotten this far, her confidence is sure a lot higher than it was before." "Not *too* much. She was so afraid that she'd lose that she hasn't told any of her friends or family-and a few of them are ON the swim team!" "No kidding. I'll call up Coach and maybe he can tell the team or something." "Just tell the coach. Don't want Usagi to wring my neck or anything..." "Hehhe... okay, I will. You get some of her friends to show, would ya?" "Yeah I'll call Rei." "Uh, earth to Mamoru ? You're talking to her." "No, another Rei. Rei Hino. Friend of Usagi's." "Woah... okay, you do that. Uh, Mamoru?" "Yeah?" "You don't sound like you really want to compete with Usagi." "I don't. I kinda..." "*gasp* Has Usagi Tsukino taken the cold heart of Mamoru Chiba and melted it?" Rei asked slyly. "What?! I mean, well, I kinda... and..." "You like her, man! Tough choice." "What are you talking about?" "How much do you care about her? Enough to forfeit winning the Citywide Title?" "I don't know..." "Once in a lifetime. Just pick which lifetime is worth more to you." "Thanks Rei." "Any time. Better go call Coach. See you tomorrow." "You too." ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Usagi could NOT sleep that entire night. She was thinking about how Mamoru was acting towards her... much different, and very likable. And what about the fact that she was competing against him tomorrow? What if she ended up staring at him the whole time while he went ahead and won the match ? Even if only Evan and Kari were there to watch and support her, Usagi would get laughed at by them, the audience, maybe even Mamoru if she failed. 'But how can I just beat him like that? I don't even think I can... but still...' *Believe in yourself... that's where it all starts.* Usagi remembered saying that to Yumeno Yumeni(*I don't know her REAL name, just the Jap. alias, so I'm using Loni Lenai as the alias)when Yumeno was afraid that no one would like her beautiful artwork if she used her real name, instead of her alias of Loni Lenai. But she *did* change it, and people still loved her artwork. 'Yes... I will believe in myself, and no matter what anyone says, I'll try my best.' Usagi went to sleep, having had a fitful exercise and meals for the day. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Usagi was up bright and early, as was usual for her new routine. She immediately showered and brushed her hair out, getting ready for her big day... the Championships! She would get excused midway through her classes, so she could get to the pool, practice, and then compete! 'I am ready, up to it, and I'm going to do my best!' "Bye MOM!" Usagi called as she walked from the house, lunch, duffle bag and book case in hand. "See you later, Usagi!" Ikuko called out to her daughter. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Mamoru had stayed up all night telling Rei Hino about how Usagi was the champion for her school. "What?! You are talking about a different Usagi, right?" "No, I'm talking about Usagi Tsukino. If you haven't noticed, she's changed in the past few weeks, months even. She's beaten the best of the other guys and girls at the other Citywide Junior Highs and High Schools. Now the Championships for Citywide Teen Champion are tomorrow and--" "Wait...Usagi's in the chmpionships? WOW! I heard from Keiko, the champ from my school, that it was some tough, silent type girl named 'Serena'." "Yeah, she used an alias so you and your friends wouldn't find out." "So how did you find out?" "Guess who she's playing tomorrow?" "No way... YOU?!" "Well I was going to..." "Ah... but you don't want to. Afraid she's going to beat you, Mamoru-san?" "Actually no. But I think she needs support, because if she doesn't win the match tomorrow, and no one teases her, she'll still have all the confidence." "I could never picture an Usagi with a lack of confidence." "Believe it. Tell your friends to be at the Swim Center tomorrow right afterschool. No buts." "You got it." "Bye." "Bye." Now he knew all Usagi's friends were going to be there, Rei Mizuyo included. Only a few more hours before he had to go to the swim center. 'I'm not going to compete with Usagi. It's not becuase I think she'll lose to me, and she'll be disappointed, or because I'm afraid she'll beat me either. I just love her so much...' *I LOVE HER ?! Wait... I Love HER !* Mamoru plastered a happy grin on his face as he walked down the stairs to the garage, and to where his car was parked. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ "Coach?" Mamoru asked. Hinjo turned around to face his best student from Azabu Tech. Mamoru was one of those silent types, but he was really smart and athletic when he needed to be, and one of the fastest and strongest guys Hinjo had ever trained. "I can't compete today." Hinjo stared at Mamoru, shocked. "Why not?" "I...I...personal reasons." "Somethin' about that Serena girl?" Hinjo asked, turning around to file some papers. "I...uh... how'd you know?" "Kenjo told me that her real name's Usagi Tsukino, and you two know each other? Rei Mizuyo had all the details." "Yes, sir." "It's all right man. I've seen it all before. Just let Tami know, all right ?" Tami was the second representative for Azabu, a very good swimmer, but kind of stuck-up. Mamoru gave the coach a grateful smile and rushed to his next class, where he'd tell Tami that it was HER competition today. And he knew Usagi would beat her... ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Usagi tied her hair with shaking hands. Here she was at the center, and already crowds were beginning to form. She had just gotten out of her uniform and into her swimsuit when the first groups arrived. Mamoru was still nowhere to be found, and that worried Usagi. 'Is he chickening out ? Does he think I'll beat him that easily ? Or maybe he thinks I CAN'T win, and won't show so I'll win by default ! Why, that BAKA!' Grumbling, Usagi walked from the locker room, towel and goggles in hand. "YEAH!!! Look, it's Serena!!" "SERENA!!!" "SERE-NA!!" Flushing, Usagi made her way to the pool and slipped in her lane. She didn't bother to look at the crowds, or even the benches; she was too embarassed. She started her laps just as someone emerged from the ladies locker room. "Huh?" 'So *this* is Usagi... that girl Mamoru seemed so ga-ga over in Trig class when he told me he was forfeiting to me... I'll be sure to beat her and knock some sense into him. After all, why would Mamoru like some small shrimp... a loser, no less, like her?' Tami thought to herself wickedly. This girl was kind of small, but that was to be expected... after all, she was ONLY in 9th grade, while Tami was in 12th. "I'm sorry, but we're having a championship and you can't..." "Oh, yes I can... Mamoru forfeited and I'm competing in the name of our school." "What?" Not only was Usagi taken aback by this snotty brat's attitude, but Mamoru forfeited? But if he knew someone would take his place, he wasn't chickening out OR letting her win by default. So why? "You heard me... Usagi." "The name's Serena. And you are?" Usagi frowned. "Tami. And don't play dumb, I know you're Usagi, Mamoru told me EVERYTHING." "Every-what? I haven't told him anything." "Forget this." Tami splashed Usagi as she started in the same lap lane Usagi had started in. Astonished and actually MAD, Usagi tore off towards the other end of the pool in a separate lane. She reached the other end before Tami, and watched her from the corner of her eye as Tami tried to catch up, an angry look on her face. 'She doesn't know the Butterfly Stroke !' Usagi thought excitedly when she saw the older girl struggle with the complicated stroke. She paused when she reached the other end of the pool. "Makoto? Ami? Rei?" The three girls walked up as far as the poolside rope would allow and nodded. "Hey there. We heard about the match, and we're here to cheer you on." "Us too!" Evan, Yumi and Kari said, emerging from the crowd. "Yeah, Usagi, good luck!" Umino and Naru said from the sides. "Beat that girl; she deserves it." Makoto hissed. "I'll say. She's got such bad vibes..." Rei smiled. "Mamoru told me she's been hitting on him." Rei Mizuyo smiled. "Just another reason for you to kick her butt." Mamoru smiled. "Mamo-chan!" Usagi exclaimed. So he WAS here! And he seemed to be on her side, even if it meant his school wouldn't win the Championships if Usagi won. "Ooooh!" Both Rei's and Makoto chorused. "*PWEEET*" The shrill whistle of Coach Kenzo and Hinjo brought the group back to attention. Usagi straightened herself out and faced the coach. "All right people! This is the Citywide Teen Championships! As representative for Azabu Technical Insitute, we have Tami Mitsugi!" "Psst ! Coach... call me Usagi." Coach Kenzo looked down on his student and nodded. So she had enough confidence. Let's hope Rei and the others help her win. "And for the second year, a junior high school student from Juuban Junior High is here to compete... this is Usagi "Serena" Tsukino!" "YEAAAHHHHHHH!!!" "You GO girl! "Go Sere!" "Usa, you can do it!" "Are you ready?" Coach Hinjo asked. The two girls positioned themselves at the side of the pool... They pulled their goggles on. "Set?" Usagi nodded abruptly, flashing a smile to all her supporters. "GO!!!" In seconds, Usagi and Tami were off like a shot, swimming like fish while people from both sides cheered them on. ...Only six more laps to go... Usagi had completed five of the eight laps.... Tami was finishing her fifth... Usagi was feeling weak, and she knew in order to speed up, she'd have to slow down, and conserve energy. But Tami was gaining on her... Usagi kept at her pace, while Tami over-exerted herself in attempts to pass Usagi. She did, but Usagi's now pent-up energy released itself on the sixth to seventh lap. She shot past Tami and was nearing the end of her sixth lap... it was then Tami decided to speed up faster than Usagi thought possible. 'She must work out a lot...' It then occurred to her what Tami's weakness was... Usagi started the Butterfly, and although it was on her stomach and not her back, she was still VERY fast... 'Thank you Mamo-chan. I owe it all to you.' Usagi smiled as she finished her seventh lap. One more... "COME ON USAGI!!" "Go USA! COME ON!!!" Rei Hino encouraged. "Come on..." Evan gripped his hands into fists... "USAKO! I know you can do it!" Mamoru called. Usagi only heard the 'Usako' part before she turned her head and went underwater, but it was enough to get her shooting ahead of Tami, who had been right on Usagi's feet. "AND THE WINNER IS USAGI TSUKINO!!!" Kenzo called. "YEEEAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!" ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Usagi took a short breather in the water before Mamoru pulled her out. He hugged her tightly, not caring that she was getting him soaking wet. "Usako..." "I owe it all to you, Mamo-chan. Thank you..." "You did it. Not me." Tami was grumbling angrily at the stairs while both Rei's were giggling up a storm. Kenzo and Hinjo were exchanging knowing glances. "Do you want this or not?" Kenzo finally asked, tapping Usagi on the shoulder. Usagi glanced at him, her arms still wrapped around Mamoru's neck. In his hands was the golden trophy, engraved with the words "Citywide Teen Champion, Tokyo, Japan". Usagi relased herself from Mamoru's hug and thrust it up in the air proudly, causing yet another round of applause, screams from her friends and grumbles from Tami. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ "*sigh* I never thought I'd see the day." Rei quipped as their large group walked to a restaraunt. Mamoru and Rei Mizuyo had insisted on celebrating, even though Usagi was 'worn out'. "Don't worry, That's nothing a cake can't fix !" Rei had told her, making Usagi's eyes sparkle like diamonds. The group consisting of Rei Hino, Ami, Makoto, Usagi, Rei Mizuyo, and Mamoru all trouped off to the Crown Fruits Parlor and Arcade. "What do you want to order, my lady?" Mamoru asked graciously as the pair sat down next to each other in a large circular booth. "One of everything I've tried NOT to have these past few weeks." "Okay... that'll be one of everything on the menu then..." Rei remarked, prompting a glare from Usagi. "If looks could kill..." Makoto muttered. "Then you'd all be staring at Usagi in wonder, because she is the most beautiful girl I've ever met." Mamoru said. "I think the chlorine got to his brain." Rei said, making a swirly motion around her ear. "That's not possible..." Ami started before Makoto clapped her hand over her mouth. "Just...just forget it. We're here to celebrate." "Right." ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ End of PART ONE! Can you believe THAT was only part one?! Hehehheheeh !!! Part two will have action, part three (if any) romance and then...who knows what? I haven't written those parts yet, so be patient. FEEDBACK PEOPLE! sailor_andromida@yahoo.com, and let me know what you think! Okies, bye bye!