Author's notes:  Not too much this time around.  This is the 
chapter when the illustration come in.  Hope everyone likes 
it.  Please let me know <OTAKU9@aol.com> Remember not to look 
at the picture until after the point in the text marked with 
a "~".  If you can't find the "~", the illustration is of the 
picture one of the characters shows another character in the 
restaurant (when you read it, you'll know ^_^). There that 
should set everyone straight.  As I said, I drew this, so 
please let me know if you like it.

Of course you all know that Sailor Moon and it's characters 
belong to Takeuchi Naoko, Kodansha, and many other large 
miscellaneous companies.  Any other characters in this story 
(there aren't that many) belong to me, and if you want to use 
them, please let me know.

As always, any and all comments are very much appreciated.
On with the story.


                              Wrong Choices
                              by Lady Otaku
                         <OTAKU9@aol.com>


                                Chapter 4


Motoki stared at his friend as he nervously shredded his 
napkin.

"I'm sorry, but my friend is a little late," he said in 
heavily accented English.  "He speaks English better than I do.  
He will be able to take you to the theater.  I'm sorry, but 
my wife needs me..." he stammered as his friend's nervous 
attitude began to affect him.  A very pregnant Reika waited 
for him at home, and she needed him there to soothe her tonight.  
She was expected to go into labor any day now.  He looked out 
the restaurant's window searching for Mamoru.  Finally spotting 
him, he smiled at the American sitting in front of him.  He 
and Mamoru would get along, they both had that distant sadness 
in their eyes.

Mamoru walked to the table and the two men stood to greet him.  
"Ah, Mamoru, you are here.  Chiba Mamoru, I'd like to introduce 
you to Timothy Walters from America," Motoki said in English.

"Nice to meet you, Mr. Walters" Mamoru said in almost perfect 
English and smiled at Tim as he extended his hand.

"You too, Chiba-san," he said as he took his hand.

"I'm sorry, but I must leave you two to get acquainted.  
Reika is waiting for me at home.  Mamoru, could you please 
take Timothy-san to the theater, later?"

"Of course, Motoki."

"Thank you.  You are in good company, Timothy-san," with that 
Motoki shook Tim's hand and hurried out of the restaurant.  
The two men sat.

"So, Mr. Walters, what brings you to Japan?" Mamoru asks him.

"I'm here with a young lady who is a performer in a dance 
company."

"Ah, a young lady," Mamoru said with a knowing look taking 
the glass of water sitting in front of him to his lips.

"Serenity is not really..." trailing off, too immersed in 
self-pity to notice that Mamoru choked on the water he was 
drinking.

"Serenity?" choked Mamoru.

"Yes, that's her name.  She's the dancer I'm going to see 
tonight.  Would you like to come?  She's really the most 
beautiful dancer in the entire production company.  Here I 
have one of the proofs from some pictures she took for a 
magazine."

While Timothy searched his wallet, Mamoru's mind strayed.  
This can't be the same Serenity, but then again it is too 
much of a coincidence.  Usako, a dancer?  Timothy handed him 
a picture and Mamoru took it with trembling hands~.

He looked at it with a mixture of joy and pain passing through 
his eyes.  Serenity stood there in her dance costume in a 
dramatic pose.  Her face pointed away from the camera facing 
her right shoulder with her eyes closed.  Her arms bent and 
her hands clasped at her chest her long fingers pointing 
toward her left shoulder.  An invisible force seemed to rustle 
the skirt of the costume around her legs and her silver hair 
behind her.  On her head were two knots of hair, and on her 
forehead a crescent moon.  The costume was an abbreviated 
version of her Princess gown, and her white slippers had a 
crescent moon on the top.  Mamoru paled and he put down the 
picture as his hands began to tremble uncontrollably.

"Are you alright, Chiba-san?" Timothy asked looking at him 
with concern.

"Yes, Mr. Walters," he said absently.

"Anyway she's not really interested in me."

"What makes you say that?" Mamoru prodded.  Timothy saw that 
as an invitation to reveal everything to this stranger.  
For some reason, he felt as if he knew him in some way, and 
he had no problem talking to someone about Usagi.

"Well right before the trip, I finally had the courage to kiss 
her."  Mamoru flinched as if struck, and had to fight the 
overwhelming desire to hit the man in the face, but instead 
he continued to question him.

"What happened?"

"She responded at first, but then she whispered something and 
froze.  Then she told me that she could never love me, but she 
asked me to come to support her here.  So here I am.  We 
are still friends, and I do so love to watch her dance."  
He looked at his watch noticing that they only have an hour 
until curtains.  "Chiba-san, we must get going if we are going 
to be on time to the performance.  You are joining me, right?"

"I wouldn't miss it for the world," he answered truthfully.  
His mind was still reeling from what the American had told him.  
They stood, walked out of the restaurant, and strolled in 
silence to his car.  As Timothy began to sit in the passenger 
seat, he looked over at Mamoru who was on the other side 
opening his door.

"Chiba-san, what does 'mamochan' mean?"  At the question, 
Mamoru had to lean against the car for support.

"Where did you hear that?"

"That is the word that Serenity whispered as we kissed, but 
when I asked her what it meant she gave me the strangest answer."

"What did she say it meant?" Mamoru asked letting the tiniest 
bit of hope to seep into his heart.

"She said it meant 'my only love'" he shrugged as Mamoru 
nodded a confirmation and he got in the car.  

Mamoru was grateful for the dark parking lot and the fact 
that Timothy was already in the car; for he let two solitary 
tears spill from his eyes.  This time they were tears of joy 
and newfound hope.

*****

Serenity stood behind the curtain waiting for her cue.  She 
was dressed in her costume, but the crown with the ginzuishou 
completed the look.  She looked down at her costume and 
nervously smoothed out the wrinkles on one of the strands 
of her skirt.  The costume was an abbreviated version of her 
princess gown: the top and sleeves were an exact replica of 
her dress, but streaming from the adorned empire waist, hiding 
the leotard underneath, were strands of frilly white fabric 
that constituted the skirt.  The front strands ended above 
the knee while the strands in the back of the dress ended 
below her calves.  She wore white tights and white slippers 
with crescent moons adorning the middle.

She was nervous.  If she couldn't concentrate, she couldn't 
dance, so she tried desperately to push thoughts of the day's 
events from her mind.  The stage manager signaled that it was 
her turn to take center stage.  In the darkness she walked 
through the curtain and positioned herself in the center of 
the stage.  The melody began to play as the theater lights 
were gradually brought up.  A spotlight followed her every 
move, every slight movement of her arms, her graceful fingers 
caressing the air around her.  Her legs sliced the air as 
she twirled and danced on the stage.

The audience was silent as she brought them into the music, 
making them feel the joy she felt when she heard the melody.  
They could only hope to imagine the meaning behind the melody, 
but one member of the audience sitting in the front row, knew 
exactly what the melody meant.  It was their melody, the 
melody of their locket.  She danced for the world, yet she 
danced only for him.  Mamoru felt his heart soar as he watched 
her graceful movements.  She moved to the melody they shared, 
and his heart beat with her heart's rhythm.  They were each a 
part of the other.

As Serenity continued to dance a myriad of thoughts ran through 
her head.  Bits and pieces of conversations attacked her mind 
at the same time.  Right wrongs, Endymion, Chibi-Usa, Usagi 
is dead, Ami-chan, fulfill your destiny, it's all my fault, 
Chibi-Usa, Endymion, right wrongs, fulfill your destiny, 
Endymion....the thoughts begged for attention.  The crescent 
moon appeared on her forehead as she twirled ready to do the 
final leap.  She took two steps and leapt into the air her 
arms behind her, her silver hair waving a trail behind her.  
She seemed to fly as she stayed in the air for an impossible 
length of time until, suddenly, she clutched her head, gasped 
in pain, and collapsed on the stage with a loud thud.  The 
audience gasped in horror as their angel fell gracelessly 
to earth.

Mamoru was the first on the stage followed closely by Tim.  
Serenity lay on the stage grasping her knees to her chest and 
whispering to herself.  Mamoru knelt beside her only to be 
pushed aside by a very worried and oblivious Tim.

"Usagi, what's wrong?" he asked her as he placed a hand on her 
shoulder.  She looked up from her trance and her eyes were wide 
with horror.

"Tim," she said as she slowly got to her knees, "I need you to 
tell my uncle that I have to leave."

"But where are you going?" he asked as she stood.

"The hospital."

"I'll meet you there," he said as he got up and ran off the 
stage.

"Serenity," Mamoru said catching up to her, "what's the matter?  
Are you hurt"

"Endymion," she said looking at him through teary eyes, "it's 
Ami-chan she's slipping away.  Please go find Rei and the others, 
they need to be there too," she pleaded with him, and when he 
nodded she ran off the stage and into the cool night.

Serenity ran through the park taking a short-cut to the nearby 
hospital.  She was so intent on her destination that she didn't 
notice the man following her through the shadows.

*****

End of Chapter 4.

Really short chapter this time.  No need to worry, saved the 
best and longest for last.  What will happen to Serenity?  Who 
is the man following her through the shadows?  What will happen 
to Ami?  Will Serenity and Endymion be together?  Stop asking 
so many questions, and just read on!  Hey don't forget to let 
me know if you liked the picture <OTAKU9@aol.com>