Some Time Alone
                 by Rick Federle
                         
          
          William Johnson suppressed a sigh as he listened to his wife
     Mina, a.k.a. Mina Johnson, a.k.a. Sailor V, a.k.a. Sailor Venus,
     a.k.a. Her Royal Highness who was currently making a royal pain
     out of herself.  She'd worn a soft cream sleeveless dress to the
     concert tonight, the casual one with the V-neck cut.  He loved her
     more than life itself, but it was getting well past old.  It was the
     same complaint that she'd had since the tour started three months
     ago.  She was complaining that they hadn't gone anywhere together
     without an escort since the tour started.  His head was tilted to the
     side slightly, studying his wife's face, not really listening to what she
     was saying because it was the same thing she'd said every city
     they'd been in.  Right now her brow was furrowed slightly in
     concentration as she leaned over slightly, her fists resting on her
     hips, to make sure that he heard what she was saying.  He could
     lose himself in the study of her face, everything from her sparkling
     blue eyes to the way she set a red bow in her hair
          It was a delicious distraction from her complaints.  And it
     usually worked.  The only problem with it was that her complains
     grew more specific and longer with every city they stopped at. 
     She'd apparently caught onto what he was doing the last time she'd
     given this lecture and he could tell by the look in her eyes that she
     wasn't going to give up until he gave in.  He'd lost track of how
     long she'd been at it, but it had to have been for at least ten minutes. 
     Usually, she waited until they were alone in whatever hotel suite
     they were staying in before starting up with her routine, but this
     time, she hadn't even waited until he'd gotten off of stage before
     she'd intercepted him and started complaining.  So, he sat on the
     piano bench, his hands folded in his lap, turned on the bench to face
     her as she went on.  Occasionally, she'd waggle her finger at him,
     mainly when she wanted to emphasize some point or another.
          It was during one of those times that he reached out and
     took her hand.  "Whatever you want, my heart."
          She paused in mid-word, her mouth hung slightly open as
     she contemplated how to deal with his abrupt change of heart. 
     After a moment, she closed her mouth and straightened up, a
     twinkle in her eyes.   "Good."  She stated as he took her free hand. 
     "I want some time with you.  Without an escort and wherever I
     want to go."
          That, of course, was the gist of the problem.  They were
     soul-mates.  They had to be together.   And right now, what little
     time they did have alone was usually spent sleeping.  Not that he
     didn't want to do more than sleep, but the emotional drain on him
     was rather significant.  He sang about the Moon Kingdom, and
     every time he went on stage, he remembered all those people who
     had died there at the hands of the Negaverse.  It was painful, and
     sometimes, Mina was his only refuge, his sole source of sanity,
     much the same as when he had been a prisoner of the Negaverse. 
     He knew how much she cared, and this little outing would be as
     much for his sake as hers.
          "Wherever you want."  He agreed.  "But let me get out of
     this penguin suit first.  I don't want to go traipsing around town
     dressed like a mutual friend of ours."
          Mina giggled at the half joke as he got to his feet.  "I love
     you, you know."
          "I know."  He leaned forward and kissed her.  "And I love
     you, too."
          "Good."  She stepped over to his side as he let go of one of
     her hands and they began walking together toward the dressing
     room set aside for his use.  They ignored the escort that followed
     only about two steps behind them.  William closed the door to the
     dressing room to guarantee at least some measure of privacy while
     Mina went to the room's only chair in front of the lighted mirror
     that was usually used by a performer to check his or her makeup. 
     She turned the chair to face the middle of the room while he locked
     the door.  She settled into it, resting her elbow on the table in front
     of the mirror while he went over and began to burrow through the
     suitcase that he'd brought with him.  He hated going anywhere in a
     tux.  He only performed in one because they insisted.  Very, very
     loudly.  He paused his rummaging long enough to take off his
     jacket and drop it on the table next to the suitcase.
          "That'll wrinkle it, love."  Mina commented as she got up
     and walked over to where he was.
          "If they insist that I wear it, they can pay to get the wrinkles
     out of it."  He murmured absently, his attention focused on
     something suitable to wear tonight.
          She picked up the jacket and went back across the room to
     the clothes rack, picking a hanger for the jacket and slipping the
     jacket onto it.  She hung the hanger on the rack, leaving the jacket
     hanging on the rack by itself.  She turned back as he spoke back up. 
     "What about this?"  He asked, having turned toward her so he
     could hold up a white shirt and a pair of brown slacks.
          She frowned, examing the set.  "That's just fine."  She said
     after a moment of contemplation and walked back across the room
     as he put the clothes back on the table.  "Here, let me help."  She
     said as she walked up next to him and reached over toward him. 
     He turned toward her and she began to undo the bowtie.
          "You just can't keep your hands off of me, can you?"  He
     asked, taking the tie out of her hands and tossing it onto the table.
          "Of course not."  She agreed, resting her wrists on his
     shoulders as he put his arms around her waist.
          He leaned forward and kissed her.  "You'll just have to wait
     until we get back to the hotel."
          "That sounds suspiciously like a promise."
          "Could be."  He agreed, taking his hands off of her and
     reaching back to unbutton his shirt.  "Now, go sit down so I can
     change."
          "Do you need any help?"
          "Not right now."
          "Spoilsport."  Mina pouted.
          He smiled slightly then leaned forward long enough to kiss
     her briefly on the nose.  "I love you, you know."  
          She giggled, dropping the pouting look.  "I know."
          "Now, get."  He said.  "The sooner we get out of here, the
     sooner we can get started."
          "All right."  She agreed, stepping away and settling back
     into the chair, watching him intently.
          He changed in silence, neither of them saying anything. 
     "Ready?"  She asked as he began to dig back thru the suitcase.
          "Can't find my power pen."  He commented, his head half
     buried in the suitcase.  "That's because I've got it."  She told him,
     holding it up for him to see when his head turned to look.  He
     walked over to her and reached out for it.  "What do you say?"  She
     asked, pulling it backwards.
          "Gimme."
          "Your power pen, Milord."  She offered it to him.
          "Your Highness is too kind."  He accepted the pen from her
     and tucked it away.  He offered her his elbow.  "Shall we?"  He
     asked.
          "Of course."  She slipped her hand into his elbow and they
     headed for the door.  They paused before the door while he reached
     up and unlocked it.  He opened it to present the escort's still face.
          "Where to, sir?  Back to the hotel?"  The escort asked.
          "Not tonight."  William answered.  "We're going out
     tonight."
          "Of course, sir.  I'll have the car brought around."
          "Absolutely not."   Mina put in.  "We're going out alone."
          "But, sir, this is unusual."  The escort began.
          "Get over it."   William said flatly.  "We're going out tonight
     by ourselves."
          "But the concert tomorrow . . . "
          "Will have to wait."  William interrupted.  "I need to spend
     some time with my wife."  He glared at the escort.  "Am I going to
     have to plow you over or are you getting out of the way?"
          The escort got, muttering something to himself about crazy
     entertainers as the couple walked down the hall.  Once outside,
     Mina let go of William's elbow so he could flag down a taxi. 
     William held the door open so Mina could climb in first.
          "Where to?"  The taxi driver asked.
          "Well?"  William asked as he took the seat next to his wife.
          "Somewhere with food and dancing."  Mina told the driver.
          The driver glanced at her with the rearview mirror. 
     "Anyplace in particular?"
          "Not really, no."  William echoed his wife.  "Just
     somewhere we can spend some time together."
          The driver turned to them, resting his elbow on the top of
     the bucket seat he sat in.  "You're that entertainer that's been
     performing here for the past couple of days, aren't you?"
          Mina and William exchanged a look.  "What makes you
     think that?"  Mina asked.
          "I was at the opening night.  I recognize you.  You're the
     author of the Silver Millennium series."  William nodded slightly in
     answer and the driver went on.  "And I bet they don't give you
     much time together, do they?"
          "No, they don't."  William admitted reluctantly.
          "Sit back and relax, Mr. Johnson.  I've got just the place." 
     He said and he turned back around.  "Old Charley here knows
     exactly what you want."  With that, Charley put the taxi in gear.
          
                                     * * *
          
          "That was perfect."  Mina commented as the two emerged
     from the dance club later that night holding hands.  "Exactly what
     we needed."
          "Oh, yes."  William agreed.  "Any other requests?"
          "Yes."  Mina stopped and put her arms around his neck.  He
     turned to her and placed his hands on her hips.  "You can take me
     back to the hotel and join me in the hot tub for some more
     entertainment."
          "Mm.  Sounds promising."
          "It will be."  She promised.  "It most certainly will be."  She
     stretched up on her tiptoes and kissed him.
          "I can hardly wait."
          The two looked back at the dance club as the sounds of
     screaming came from within and people began to pour out. 
     "Monster!"  One man called as he ran past them.  "Run!"
          "Of course."  Mina sighed, lowering her head onto William's
     shoulder.
          "At least this way we'll feel like we earned it."  He
     suggested.
          "We've earned it, anyway."
          "I was referring to the hot tub, not the entertainment after."
          "Oh."
          He laughed in spite of the situation.  "I love you."  He
     stated, letting his arms fall to the side.  "Let's go, love."
          "Right with you, love."  Mina agreed, unwrapping her arms
     from his neck.
          He glanced around then grabbed her hand.  "Over there." 
     They ducked behind some bushes.   They crouched down and
     glanced around.  "Clear."  He declared.
          "Clear."  She echoed.  "Sailor Venus Transform!"
          "Warrior of Light Transform!"
          The two stood up in time to see a section of the front of the
     building explode outward.  They instinctively raised an arm to
     shield themselves from the blast.  When they looked back, whatever
     had caused the explosion stood framed in the opening it had
     created.
          A huge blue skinned humanoid with horns coming out of its
     shoulders stood there.  Red eyes that seemed to burn with fire were
     separated by a large, hooked nose, which was centered over a
     hideously grinning mouth filled with large black teeth.  It huge,
     bulging muscles that seemed all out of proportion to it's otherwise
     thin frame.  White horns came from the centers of the shoulders as
     well as out of the elbows and knees.
          "Ugly, ain't it."  The Guardsman observed.
          "With a capital 'Ug.'."  Sailor Venus agreed.  "What do you
     think it is?"  She asked, glancing over at him.
          He frowned.  "I'd have to guess a demon of some sort."
          "Then we can ask Raye when we get back to Tokyo what it
     was."
          "Yes."  He agreed.  "I'll distract it and you flatten it."
          "Sounds like a plan."  Venus concurred.  With that, the
     Guardsman began walking boldly toward it while Venus waited
     where she was, glancing around occasionally to make sure that
     there were no more or that nothing was trying to sneak up on them.
          "Leave this place and return to whatever dimension
     spawned you, evil one."  The Guardsman warned as he approached
     the demon.
          "I fear no mortal."  The demon snarled.
          "Your first mistake."  The Guardsman said dryly as he
     stopped about ten feet from the demon.  "Your second will be not
     leaving when you have a chance."
          "And who are you, puny one, that you can stop the likes of
     me?"
          "I am the Guardsman, the Warrior of Light!"  The demon
     recoiled, apparently in fear, at the mention of the last title.  "As
     darkness gives way before the Light, so you must give way before
     me!"  He leveled a warning finger.  "This is your last chance. 
     Leave.  Now."
          "Never."  The demon hissed.  "I alone can destroy even
     you."
          "As you wish."  The Guardsman acknowledged, drawing his
     sword.
          "Venus Love and Beauty Shock!"  The demon staggered
     backward as the golden heart tore through its shoulder.
          "Where?"  The demon asked as it straightened back up,
     black ichor dripping from between its clawed fingers as it covered
     the wound with its hand.
          "Oh, yes.  I forgot to introduce you to my wife.  Say hello
     to Sailor Venus."  The Guardsman introduced.  "Or rather, good
     bye."
          "What?"  The demon looked up sharply.
          "Venus Love and Beauty Shock!"  The demon toppled over
     in a spray of black ichor as the golden heart ripped into the demon's
     face.
          The Guardsman walked over to check on the now faceless
     demon to make sure it was dead before sheathing his sword.  He
     walked back over to where Venus was waiting.  "Very nice, love."
          "Thank you, milord."  She gave him a minute curtsy.
          "We'd better start walking."  He suggested as he took her
     hand.  "I don't think they'll be a taxi around here for quite a while."
          
                                     * * *
               
          Mina sighed contently as she snuggled up next to William in
     the hot tub.  "That was quick."  He commented.
          "Hmm?"  She inquired and he pointed at the television they
     had left on.
          "They picked up the news of our little battle tonight
     already."
          Two sets of eyes fastened on the television to watch the
     story.   "In related news," the announcer continued.  "Several of
     Tokyo's own superheroines and superheros came to the rescue of a
     number of our citizens here tonight at a local dance club, where,
     according to eyewitnesses, they confronted and neutralized what
     authorities are calling a . . . " He frowned down at his script for a
     second.  " . . . a  demon'.  Authorities believe that they were  The
     Guardsman' and  Sailor Venus' although we are unable to confirm if
     this is the case at this time."
          Mina reached over and touched the power button on the
     remote and the television winked off.  William raised an inquiring
     eyebrow as she turned around.  "Well?"  He asked.
          She smirked at him and the phone rang.  "Come here."  She
     wrapped her arms around him.
          "What about the phone?"  He asked as he took her in his
     arms.
          "They can call back later.  We're busy."