Sailor Moon: Destiny of the Stars

Chapter 12:

Yaten Kou quietly sat on his large couch inside of his spacious living room, reading a small book of poetry and enjoying a relaxing night. The wounds he received from the fight he had with the sea-creature had long since started to heal and fade, and he was even able to take off his bandages yesterday. The scars he had received were actually not as bad or deep as everyone thought, and they were now virtually gone. But right now, he was looking forward to some quiet time before having to go to the studio again tomorrow. The young singer's face wrinkled in distaste at that thought. Although he liked the fame and attention he got from the fans when he was part of the Three Lights, he surely didn't miss the small, hot recording studio, the pushy producers, the hectic schedules, and the hoard of screaming girls that rushed him every where he went. He barely had time to go back to school, and he knew he missed a lot already.

He stretched out his long legs, leaned back, and was just about to read the first few lines of poetry when the doorbell rang loudly through the apartment. Yaten jumped slightly, not expecting anyone, and quickly went over to answer it.

"HIIIIIII!" yelled out Tanya and Tilly as the door opened. When they saw the surprised expression on his face, they turned to each other and giggled. The young man smiled with amusement.

"Hi yourself! What are you two doing here?" Yaten asked as he ushered the two girls inside. Once he closed back the door, the two girls took off their shoes as customary.

After taking off her shoes, Tilly immediately rushed forward and wrapped her small arms around his waist. "We came to see you Yaten-san! Tanya thought you might be lonely!" The little girl giggled again when Yaten's eyes widened and looked up at the older girl standing before them.

"Tilly! Don't say that!" said Tanya, blushing hard as she pried the child off him.

"What? It's true, isn't it?" asked Tilly slyly. As Tanya laughed nervously with her hand behind her head, the little girl looked around, saw all the decorations, vases and small porcelain statues, and decided to go exploring. "Wow, it's so pretty in here!" she exclaimed as she ran into the living room and stopped before a 17th century painting of an English Lady.

"Be careful Tilly, try not to touch anything!" Tanya called out. She turned to Yaten and shyly looked up at him. "Ummm...I errr..I was hoping to talk to you about today. We had another attack, and I just wanted fill you in on what happened."

Immediately, the protective side of Yaten emerged, and he narrowed his eyes as he thought of how he wasn't there to protect her and Tilly. "Are you alright? Was anyone badly hurt?" he asked, looking her over once again.

"Yes, I'm fine...everyone is," said Tanya, tucking a black strand of hair behind her ear. "It's just that, well...me and the other senshi have tried very hard to come up with why those...aliens...or whatever, wants Tilly, and we can't figure out a thing," She looked up into Yaten's green eyes with worry. "And I'm afraid it might get much worse."

"Don't worry, I will not let anything happen to you or Tilly," vowed Yaten. He reached over and put an arm around Tanya's dark shoulders, and drew her close to him. "Besides, how can I let someone who worries about if I'm lonely down?" He winked mischievously.

Tanya rolled her eyes and was about to punch him in the shoulder when a crashing sound suddenly erupted from the living room. The two rushed inside, and gasped when they saw a broken statue right at the feet of a medium-sized shelf. Tilly looked up in surprise when she saw the two, then looked down shamefully.

"Oh no! My replica Ming Dynasty statue!" exclaimed Yaten as he rushed forward and bent down to look at the damage. Fortunately, only part of the face was broken off.

"Tilly, what happened?" asked Tanya as she knelt down beside the child.

"I only wanted to look at it! It was so pretty and looked like the ones my papa used to..." Tilly stopped herself and looked up at the two with sadness in her eyes. "I...I'm sorry, I didn't mean to break it." She sniffed and looked down at her feet.

"It's okay Tilly," said Yaten as he picked up the few broken pieces and stood up. "I can easily fix this, but you have to be careful next time, alright?" He smiled reasurringly, and the little girl breathed out a sigh of relief and nodded. Then, seeing something else that caught her eyes, she ran off again.

"Oh Yaten, I'm really sorry," said Tanya, walking up and laying a hand on his shoulder as she also looked at the statue that was made to look like one of the many warriors of ancient China.

Yaten chuckled slightly and turned to her. "It's fine, really. You know what? The funny thing is, I was having second thoughts about spending 20,000 yen on this thing. It's ugly!" (20,000 yen=180 U.S. dollars)

"20,000 YEN!" gasped Tanya, nearly falling over from shock. Yaten laughed out loud at her widened eyes, then gently laid the doll back on the shelf.

"I don't why I bought it. I usually like authentic antiques, but I guess sometimes when you have too much money, you're eager to spend it," He chuckled once again.

"Oh yeah, sure...some people can only be so lucky!" said Tanya sarcastically as she rolled her eyes and crossed her arms over her chest, looking away. She would never waste money like that. Most of the time, she had to worry about NOT having enough money.

Right then, Tanya's thoughts were interrupted when she felt a hand on her shoulder. She turned, looked up at the young man besides her, and saw the understanding and love shining in his clear eyes. Almost unconsciously, they moved closer towards each other for a soft kiss. But before their lips could meet, another loud crash shot through the tender moment. Both jumped in surprise, then ran into the den to see a whole pile of books that fell from the low shelf around Tilly's small form.

"Oh no, not again Tilly!" cried Tanya as she rushed forward, grabbed the child around her waist and picked her up front ways.

"S...sorry!" Tilly whispered, lowering her eyes in embarrassment. Oh no, he must really hate me now! the little girl thought to herself as she felt tears mist in her eyes.

"I'm sorry Yaten, she's usually not as troublesome as this," gushed out Tanya, a huge sweatdrop over her head. "We'll leave if you want, it's getting late anyway..."

"No, it's okay!" Yaten said, then sighed at the mess, "There's no real damage done, and it can be cleaned up in no time," He turned to look outside the window at the growing darkness. "Besides, it's very late now, and I don't want to send you both out there at this time.

The silvery-haired singer walked up and placed a reasurring hand on Tanya's arm. "You go and put Tilly in my bed to sleep, and I'll sleep out here. Just go down the hall a little and turn right."

Tanya nodded and put Tilly down to stand. "Thanks, I'll make sure she doesn't cause any more trouble," The older girl sighed in relief and reached down to take Tilly's little hand as she smiled. "Come on Squirt, time for bed!"

"Alright," said Tilly softly. The two walked away, and just as they were about turn the corner, the child turned back and looked deeply into Yaten's eyes. "I'm really sorry Yaten-san," she said, her voice quivering. Before the young man could say anything, Tilly ran forward in front of Tanya to the bedroom.

Yaten blinked a few times, then smiled and began to clean up the stack of books.

A little while later, as he sat comfortable on the fold-out bed from his couch, Yaten suddenly looked up from the book he was reading, and watched as Tanya shyly walked up and stood in the living room doorway, wearing only her white socks and a short white nightshirt that stopped a little above her knees. Her jet black hair was free from her loose ponytail and spilled down her shoulders like a black wave of an ocean.

"Hi. Um, I hope you don't mind. I don't have anything else to sleep in. Tilly's asleep now..." A large blush spread across the girl's dark features as she saw him sitting there. The young man had taken off his shirt, and his now muscular chest and arms gave evidence to how he had matured over the year since he and the other Starlights had been here and defeated the evil side of Galaxia. Tanya stared for a few moments at him as she imagined how it would feel right now in his strong arms, then shook her head to clear it. This definitely wasn't the time for any thoughts like that. Tilly was here! But still...she couldn't help but appreciate how well-developed he had become, and she blushed a bit harsher.

Yaten meanwhile could only stare at Tanya, admiring the way the shirt accented her shape as she leaned nervously against the doorway. He instantly thought of how mature she herself had gotten since he was last here. From the small, self-conscious girl he had been friends with first, to this voluptuous young woman now. Even with his nightshirt on her, her curves and the shape of her breasts were still outlined, leaving nothing to the imagination. Wait, what am I thinking! he suddenly thought desperately.

To stop himself from thinking any more thoughts on that, Yaten took a huge gulp to compose himself, shook his head, then turned back to the book in his hand.

"No, it's fine!" Yaten said quickly. He tried to read some more, but gave up after a moment. There was no way he could pay attention to anything else with HER here...looking like that. He sighed and laid the book down beside him. Tanya looked at him curiously for a second, wondering why he was acting so strangely, then noticed the book he was reading.

"Hey, what book is that?" asked Tanya as she walked over and sat down next to him. She picked up the book and turned it over in her hand. It was very plain, with white covering and very small letters.

"It's...it's a book of poetry by Emily Dickinson," Yaten replied, glad for the slight distraction, "She was a famous American poet with a tragic past. She died almost 200 years ago."

"Emily Dickinson? Oh yes, I've heard of her before," smiled Tanya, "But I never really knew you were into poetry, Yaten. Perhaps you have changed from the snob you used to be!" Tanya chuckled softly to herself.

"Oh really? Just for that, I think I might forget to make breakfast in the morning," the young man scowled mockingly.

"No, I'm sorry, really!" Tanya tried to compose herself, but still couldn't help let a few giggles escape. "Actually, I'm more into..well...romance novels, but I would love to hear some poetry. Can you read me one, please?" She touched Yaten's arm to show that she meant it.

"Well, alright," Yaten said, a smile on his lips as he pretended to still be hurt. He took the book from Tanya and opened it to a place that contained his favorite poem. As Tanya snuggled up closer to him, Yaten cleared his throat nervously, then began reading:

"Because I could not stop for Death-

He kindly stopped for me-

The Carriage held but just Ourselves-

And Immortality

We slowly drove-He knew no haste

And I had put away

My labor and my leisure too,

For His Civility-...

Before he could go on then, Yaten heard steady breathing beside him. He turned his head to see that Tanya had fallen asleep with her arm draped around his waist and her head laying on his shoulder. Smiling, he put the book down and gently scooped the smaller girl up in his arms, then leaned over and carefully laid her across the large fold-out bed on her back. He softly ran his fingers through Tanya's thick, black hair, and kissed her on the forehead.

For a few moments, he watched her chest rise and fall with each breath she took, clearly mesmerized. Then with a frown of self-admonishment, Yaten shook his head to clear the sensuous thoughts he suddenly had, then stretched out beside her and dutifully put enough distance between himself and Tanya. As much as he would like to cuddle with her...and admittedly MUCH more, he didn't want to compromise the situation any more than it already was. Yaten looked down at her beautiful and innocent face, admiring how her hair spread out under her like a black river to frame her face, and suddenly, the longing for the girl laying besides him filled his whole body grew so strong and quickly, it tightened his lower regions almost painfully. But Yaten fought hard against the urges. Besides, there was a child here with them! There was no way he could try anything now. But still, he couldn't help eyeing the swell of her ample breasts, the curve of her thighs under his nightshirt...it was almost too much! He sighed softly to himself, wondering how he'll survive the night. Boy, I wonder how Mamoru-san manages when he's alone with Usagi! he thought.

With a soft, almost sensuous moan, Tanya turned over on her side in her sleep towards him, almost as if she knew he was there and was seeking his warmth and protection. Yaten smiled softly, and not even a few seconds later, the young man's eyes slowly closed in sleep, not realizing he was staring at Tanya's sleeping face the whole time.

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Moaning softly, Tilly's eyelids fluttered open as she suddenly heard bells jingling and ringing. She sat up slowly, then rubbed the hours of sleep from her eyes with her small fists. She heard the ringing again, and blinking in confusion, she got up and ran to the balcony outside the bedroom. She opened the glass doors, and as the wind blew the curtains aside, Tilly stepped out and looked around.

At first she saw nothing, but then, the jingling sounded again. There was a flash of light a moment later, and out stepped a tall giggling clown. He had a pale white face, large red nose, dark blue eyebrows, and dressed in an over-sized suit that was a mixture of many colors Tilly never knew existed. To top off the whole effect, he wore big red shoes that looked as big as tennis rackets.

Tilly gasped with surprise and delight as the clown then began to do somersaults and hand stands, giggling the whole time as the bells on top of his large pointed hat jingled loudly. When he finished, Tilly clapped her hands and giggled along with the clown.

He smiled, then raised a hand and crooked a finger at her, indicating that she should come down to him. The little girl's green eyes widened in delight for a moment, and she turned and rushed back into the bedroom. She quickly opened her door, then walked on tiptoes out into the living room. When she reached the fold-out bed, she looked to see that Yaten and Tanya were still asleep. She smiled shyly when she saw Yaten's arm was laying protectively across Tanya's smaller body, and his long white ponytail resting gently across her neck and cheek as she comfortably lay very close to him.

Walking to the front door, Tilly quickly put on her tiny shoes, then softly and slowly opened the door and walked out. After she closed the door back, Tilly quickly made her way down the hall stairs and into the chilly midnight night air. The child looked around for a few moments as she wrapped her arms around herself to fend off the cold. Suddenly, she heard the sound of jingling bells a little ways off, and she ran quickly down the street to a small patch of bushes in front of an abandoned shrine. Tilly looked around again as confusion began to spread across her delicate features. There was another flash of light seconds later, and she gasped loudly as the tall clown appeared in front of her.

The tall figure giggled once again, and this time, he reached behind his back and pulled out a handful of flowers. The clown bowed low, and offered them to her with a wink.

"Oh thank you!" cried Tilly joyfully. She looked up at the funny man and nodded. "Maybe I can give these to Yaten-san. He's mad at me right now..." The child's face then fell with the thoughts of what happened earlier that day in Yaten's apartment. Why oh why did she have to be so clumsy?

Immediately after she said those words, the bouquet of flowers suddenly flashed brightly, and long, black vines shot out and wrapped around the little girl's body. Tilly screamed and tried to drop flowers, but they burst into flames and disappeared. The clown's eyes blazed deep red, and Tilly watched in horror as his face changed; sharp-pointed teeth grew out from the ones he had in his mouth, and his eyes grew larger and slanted. His skin turned a dark green color, and the clothes disappeared from his body. In its place were large black scales that ran the whole length of the monster's body. From the lower back, a huge tail grew out and began flicking back and forth. When transformation was finished, a seven foot lizard warrior stomped his foot in front of the captured child as she screamed once again. The monster flicked out a red tongue, and at the taste of her fear, let out a loud evil laugh. "There is no escape now, little human BRAT!" he hissed.

"No, go away! TANYA-CHAN, HEEEELP!" screamed out Tilly, her eyes wide with fear and confusion, "TANYAAAA!" She tried to struggle out of the black vines, but each time she moved, they squeezed tighter.

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With a loud gasp, Tanya's eyes flew open as a flash of terror raced through her body. Oh my God, Tilly's in trouble, I can feel it! she thought to herself. The black-haired girl was about to get up when she felt an arm around her middle. She looked behind her and saw Yaten sleeping peacefully. A blush spread across Tanya's face as she turned her body to face him, then touched a hand to his face to wake him. "Yaten-chan, wake up! Something's wrong!" Tanya called desperately.

The young singer woke with a soft moan and looked up at Tanya. He started to smile, then his eyes flew wide open as realized the position they were in. "Oh! I'm so sorry! I..." A blush quickly appeared on his own cheeks as they both got up.

"L...let's not worry about that now," Tanya stuttered nervously, "I have a very bad feeling about Tilly. I think she's in trouble!" Yaten's eyes widened at that news, knowing that if Tanya felt something wrong, then it must be true. Both nodded, then quickly raced to the bedroom. To their horror, they were only met by an empty bed as the long curtains blew around in the night air, like a ghost in front of the open balcony doors.

"Where is she?" Tanya cried, her hands balling into fists in worry as she looked around the room. A far away scream filled the air a second later, and they both lifted their heads and looked at each other.

"That's her! Come on!" exclaimed Yaten. With quick movements, Tanya grabbed her skirt, put it on, and shoved a pair of Yaten's slippers on. Both then ran out to the balcony, climbed on the railing, and jumped down. When the reached the ground, Tanya and Yaten raced down the street toward the scream, both praying they weren't too late.

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To Be Continued.....

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