Sailor Moon Fan Fiction ❯ Shades of Grey ❯ To Tell, or Not to Tell ( Chapter 9 )

AN: Ok, at least this chapter was out faster than the last one, ne? Hope that counts for something… So yeah. On with the show.

Title: Shades of Grey

Authors: Moonlight Storm

E-mail: MoonlightStormSM@aol.com

Genre: Romance/Action/AU

Season: 1st

Disclaimer: All your Sailor Moon (not) belong to us.

Chapter 9

Usagi stepped outside of school gratefully after the final bell rang, reveling in the sunshine. Stretching, she walked from the entrance amidst the other students to wait for Ami in a more secluded area off to the side.

She kept her eyes trained on the school's main entrance, patiently awaiting her friend.

"Usagi-chan, my sweet. It's been too long."

She jumped. Turning abruptly, she met the eyes of the man behind her.

Gorgeous, tall, and buff. Rakish, dark brown hair adorned his hair, perfectly complimenting deep, emerald colored eyes.

"Ghyard. Always a pleasure."

She threw her mask back up hastily, allowing herself to throw clipped, frosty tones at handsome man before her. She could never show weakness before him. Never. It had been ingrained in her from the moment he made her Vampire.

She took several steps to the side, maneuvering herself to a position where Ami could be seen exiting the building as well as never losing eye contact with Ghyard.

"So, my little one, how have you been fairing?"

"Perfectly."

Always keep answers short.

Usagi's mind raced, to foresee where this was going. Did he know of her newfound duties as Sailor Moon? If so, why did he care? Was this a test of her loyalty, should she come clean?

Usagi shook her head. She was no longer his charge. She was on her own, and fully capable of defending and providing for herself. Ghyard was now merely… an ally. Who occasionally felt it necessary to check up on her. Annoyingly often, almost.

Not that she would ever tell him that. It would be signing her own death warrant; treason, in his eyes.

`Don't bite the hand that feeds you and all that. Or DID feed you, as the case may be.'

What to tell him… Did it really matter? He would no doubt find out she was the heroine Sailor Moon eventually. She STILL could not always detect his watchers. It annoyed her to no end.

"I've been hearing some interesting tales around here. Any idea of what's going on, my little one?"

Ami slowly walked from the school's main door.

`Thank Kami-sama, some breathing time.'

"Perhaps. I must go, an earlier engagement. I'm assuming you shall be visiting me this evening?"

Ghyard grinned roguishly, and bowed mockingly.

"Of course, my sweet. Until tonight."

He left her then, ambling away from the school.

Could she never leave first, or have the last word? Unerringly, he made the judgments in their relationships. Trivial? Perhaps. But at that moment, it would have considerably brightened the day to have flounced from his presence upon seeing Ami.

Usagi sighed, letting her mask slowly drop, only to be replaced by the cheerful visage of the Usagi that Ami was coming to know quite well.

She could never let her guard down around Ghyard; its what he wanted. But she could never be sure of his intent. At first, she had leaned heavily upon his help. Yet as time passed, she relied on him less and less, becoming more self-sufficient than she ever had been.

`I guess being a vampire will do that to a person.'

Perhaps, he was not as bad as she pictured. But to find out, she would need to lose all inhibitions, banish her doubtfulness.

`No!'

Inwardly, she shook her head viciously. This is what he always did to her. Self-doubt and new, possibly self-damaging ideas always rampaged through her when Ghyard was near.

Bouncing over to Ami, Usagi waved drastically to catch the blue-haired girl's attention, again reverting to the Usagi those around her were familiar with.

"Ami, over here!"

Ami turned her head, school bag held docilely before her, the perfect picture of a Junior High School girl, and smiled at Usagi,

"Usagi-chan, I was wondering if you had already left school."

Usagi waved her hand around nonchalantly, "Oh, I just saw someone I needed to talk to for a second. C'mon, Luna's going to meet us outside Crown, then we'll need to find a place to talk in private."

AN: Ok, so, how was it? Not much happened besides Ghyard showing up, and I'm not quite sure where I'm going with him. I'm trying to make him sort of, well, bastard-y. But not in a really bad way, `cause I haven't totally figured out the role he's going to be playing in this. Ghyard is almost reminiscent of typical 1st season Mamoru (not to bash Mamoru or anything). Yet the two are totally different. I bet I'm not making any sense right now. Anyway, please review! OR, you can email me at MoonlightStormSM@aol.com. Got it? Thanks!