Chapter II

HLM jolts awake to the strains of Powerman 5000.

"Artificial bynecessity...." the tape in her alarm blares before she slams the button down to shut it off. Her head hurts and the light sends twin daggars of pain through her skull when she opens her eyes. With a groan, she sits up on her mat, irratably shoving the blankets away before yawning and stretching. She stands up, her thigh length, deep red spagettie string nightgown falling in satany waves over her body as she pads over to the bathroom and bends at the waist to splash cool water on her face. She stratens, looks at herself in the mirror and a terrified scream rips itself from her throat. She falls to her knees holding her head as Mariko comes rushing in.

"Ellie?! What is it?" She asks as she kneels by her sobbing daughter.

"M...mom...my eyes...my eyes...!"

The lovely Japanese woman pulls her distraught daughters hands away from her eyes and gasps at what's reviled. "Oh, M-chan..."

Her daughter's once ice blue eyes are now as black as the depths of space with only a neon green star peircing the twin spheres of darkness. Those strange eyes widen and start glowing.

"...mom...?! Wh'...what's happening? Wh...where did all these colors come from?"

HLM blinks a few times and cries out when her eyes flash brightly and the new world of flowing colors suddenly intensifies. The frightened young woman clings to her mother, absolute terror on her face.

"M...mama...so bright!" Tears fall from her freakish eyes and track down her cheeks.

"M-chan...it's going to be alright. Just close your eyes," Mariko says as soothingly as she can as she pulls her frightened daughter close. She strokes her strange two-tone hair, wishing she could help more and hiding the desperate fear that tears at her heart.

HLM eventually gets over her hysteria enough to go to school, albiet with dark sunglasses on and a note stating that they're prescription for extreme light sensitivity.

Heh...glad they bought that one...

It's lunch time, and she's sitting alone, as usual, under a tree with her small lunch. Everyone seems to be afraid of her, even though she long ago figured out a way how to braid her hair to hide the red among the black and now hides her eyes behind heavily tinted glasses. She feels very lonely, but by now is used to it.

I guess it's better than getting teased and beaten up, though...

"Excuse me," a familiar masculine voice says, "You look lonely. May I join you?"

She looks up in suprsie to see a boy her age standing there. His hair and face shape match Tuxedo Mask's perfectly, and he has a feint suspisiouse bruis on his jaw.

"...of course," she smiles slightly. "I'm glad you didn't swell up that much."

He blinks, now sitting by her. "Ah...have we met?" He asks, looking sharply up at her.

"Hai...but I'm afraid we weren't really introduced. I'm HLM," she says softly, bowing slightly.

His eyes aquire a sharp gleam to them as he bows back, trying to see beyond the darkly tined lenses over her eyes. "I'm Chiba Mamoru."

"It's nice to meet you, Mamoru-san."

Why do I feel as if I should be calling him something besides Mamoru or Tuxedo Mask...Cape Boy? Fitting, but that's not it...

"Likewise, HLM-san." He pauses. "Do you mind if I ask a question?"

"Not at all. Go right ahead."

"Why the sunglasses? It's pretty overcast today."

"Oh, uhm, light sensitivity. The doctor says I always have to wear them."

He looks at her sidways and blinks when she leans in close and whispers in his ear. "Ok, we know at least one secret of each other's. I know you're Tuxedo Mask, and you now that I'm not exactly human, so we share an odd kind of bond. We should get together after school and go somewhere we can talk openly." She pulls back and looks at him, a brow arched inquisitively.

He blinks and nods. "Alright, I'll meet you at the front doors at the last bell."

She nods. "Ok." The bell signaling the end of lunch rings. "I'll see you then," she says as she stands and brushes off the short skirt that she has to wear for her uniform. Snickering internally when she notes him eyeing up her toned legs she ponders to herself,  Wonder if he'd still be interseted if he knew most of that tone is from running from gangs and kicking ass...oh well...

She waves a bit at him before hurrying off to her next class, leaving Mamoru to wake up from his dazze and scramble off to his own class.

At the end of the school day, HLM's standing at the main doors wearing headphones.

"Feed mah Frankenstine," she sings along under her breath, "Hungry fer love, and it's feedin' time!"

She blinks when she sees a familiar red ferrari pull up to the curb and the driver waves to her.

Eh heh...that was well timed...

She jogs over and leans on the passanger side window, clicking off the walkman and sliding the headphones down to her neck.

"Hell, Maxfield. Good to see you!"

He smiles charmingly at her. "Same here, HLM-san. What were you listening to?"

She grins. "A collection of some of my favorite songs. I was just listening to 'Feed My Frankenstien" by Alice Cooper when you pulled up."

"I'm not evil, I'm just good lookin'," Neph quotes with a wicked grin.

She laughs. "You know it!"

"How could I not?"

She chuckles. "Well, it is one of the best songs written. Anyway, what brings you here?"

"I was just passing by and wondered if you wanted to go somewhere and do a little catching up."

"Ah, Maxfield, we've really got to work on our timing. I'm meeting a boy from school now," she responds regretfully.

"Oh, you have a date?" He asks teasingly, wondering inside why the thought of her dating anyone but him stings him so deeply.

"No!" She responds a little more vehamently than she really inteded. "Uhm, no, we're just going to go somewhere to talk a few things out."

Geeze, Moron, relax, will you? What is it about him that gets you so riled up?

He nods. "Perhaps some other time, then..."

"Hai," she blinks and straitens up, pulling her head from the car to wave the person calling her name over.

Nephrite watches the girl standing outside of his car as she waves her friend over. He can't help eyeing her figure up a bit as she turns to shout, "Mamoru-san! Over here!"

...those curves look familiar...

She leans back over and smiles at the auburn haired man. "I've got to go. You have a good day, ok?"

He chuckles and nods. "You, too, M-chan."

The excahange smile once more before the girl straitens up again, waves once and turns to face the slender dark haired boy who comes up behind her. The general is rocked by the powerful sense of dejavu he gets.

Who is that? He's as familiar as M-chan is...

He shakes his head as he notes the time on his stereo display. With a revving of the engine and cranking up some Ozzy he peels off.

"You didn't have to turn around, you know," Mamoru comments as he comes up to HLM, "the view was pretty nice."

The strange young woman sickers as she swats his arm. "Typical horomonal teenage male. Do you really want a matching bruise on the other side?"

He holds his hands up in surrender, and she chuckles as he comments, "I remember the last time, thanks. I don't need a repeat performance."

She laughs softly as he starts down the sidewalk. She easily deeps pace with the taller boy. "Do you have a place in mind?"

"Hai, how does my apartment sound?"

"Sounds alright to me," she answers with a shrug.

"So...was that your boyfriend with the nice car?"

"I wish!" She chuckles softly. "Iie, that was my friend, Maxfield Stanton. My mom and I know him from when we lived in New York."

He stops and stars at her. "The multi-millionare, Maxfield Stanton?!"

"One and the same," she answeres with a grin.

"Huh," he responds itelligently as they board the bus. The rest of the journey they spend in silence.

Chapter I
Chapter III
Book Two Index