DISCLAIMERS: Shadow senshi and other OC characters related to BSSMShadows (C) 2006 - 2007 Wild Nature. Dan, and this storyline is (C) JeffJaffe. All other characters are (C) their respected artists/creators/mangaka.

Chapter Two: Can We Say ‘Crush’?

“I don’t understand it, how in the world does he know me?” Usagi was exclaiming. She then promptly gasped. “Oh no! Do you think he knows, you know,” she then whispered. “A princess?!”

Dan groaned as Kakure peeked down at him. She grinned and gave his face a hard slap. “Hey there, handsome. What’cha been doing?”

“Come on, let him up!” Kaki grunted as she tugged on one hand. “HELP?” She asked pointedly.

“Oh, come on, let him rest in my lap,” Kakure began.

Dan started. “What the hell? Get away from me!”

“Darn,” Kakure stretched out her legs, grinning at him. “You have cute hair! It’s soft as a kitten’s!”

“Really?” Sora blinked. “Let me see!”

Dan had to fight through a crowd of girls before turning to crash into a masculine body. Kakushi looked at him with a raised eyebrow.

“I’m surprised none of you think he’s the enemy. He fell from the skies even! I’m not some senshi and yet I’m the one noticing this?!” Kakushi snorted before wrapping his arm around Dan’s neck. “You have five seconds to explain,” he ordered evenly.

Dan’s face was turning blue as his lips sputtered.

“I think you need to loosen up the grip there, tough guy,” Makoto poked the older guy.

“Fine,” he let go as if Dan was a piece of garbage and resumed to his sister’s side, whispering in her ear about something. She looked up and her eyes narrowed.

Usagi on the other hand, was trying for Dan’s hair again. “It’s not at all like Mamoru’s. This guy’s blond hair is so, so soft!”

“Uh, Usagi?” Rei asked finally. “Don’t you think we should, you know, be careful?”

“Oh right. Okay then, explain please.” Usagi waited.

“Yea... um.. bye?” He turned and fled. “I don’t want to deal with you freaks anymore!”

“Freaks?” Nigori had jumped the highest, knocking him down as some of the girls grabbed his feet. She elbowed his back with a snort. “Bastard! I’ll show you freak!”

“STOP IT!” Eizou shouted. “If he was an enemy, he would’ve attacked us.. or he’s just buying his time...” Eizou thought out loud. “I mean, until we know more, let him up.”

“Why don’t you like me?” Usagi wailed.

“Oh for the love of God,” Rei shouted. “Not everyone likes you, crybaby!”

“Meanie!”

“Twit!”

Dan began to walk backwards, quickening his movement until he turned and began to take great leaps.

“HEY!”

“Aww, I didn’t get his name or anything,” Kakure crossed her arms in frustration. “He had the cutest hair! Did you see how mess it was?”

“You mean like yours?” Kaiki pointed out.

“It’s so not messy,” but Kakure absently tried to press her short hair down.

Dan wandered the roofs, looking for any clue to just how the hell he ended up here. He was supposed to be in his own timeline, not this place. Again.

“AUGH!!” He pulled on his hair. “Just got to keep that cat away from me.” He muttered darkly. “God sake’s, if it happens to me, I will kill! I will!”

He jumped down into an alley and found himself in a park. He settled down with a sigh and began to explore his self. He was only covered in slight bruises, the cuts healing when he did his sex change. But he was sore and at the moment, weaponless. Which meant he was either trapped here or he had to ask for help. And he knew only one group that could effectively help him.

“So it’s either die or be tormented by senshi,” he muttered. It took a moment to realize he was getting stares and for the first time since stopping to rest, he noticed his outfit. Torn, covered in blood stains, people were going to get the wrong idea if he stuck around.

He quickly resumed traveling by roof, retracing his steps. He didn’t have much of a choice.

Kakure was cleaning up. Eizou and Kakushi had left first, following by Usagi and her friends and then eventually, all that was left was Kakure. She didn’t mind it however. She loved the park to bits.

She pulled a single daffodil to her and breathed in the scent before she stilled, feeling strange.

“Eh?” She turned and saw no one and reluctantly turned away. Again, she turned around and for a moment saw nothing. Until she saw something blond.

“HEY!” She nearly shouted. “Get out of the shadows, will you? I’m the only one left.”

“Like I couldn’t tell that,” He muttered as he poked his head out.

They stared at each other. “Well?” Kakure crossed her arms.

“Err. My name is Dan Lakai Daroshay,” he bowed stiffly, never removing his gaze.

“Morino Kakure,” She did the same only she allowed herself to blink.

“I seem to be a bit in a situation,” Dan began carefully. “See, I’m not from here.. I mean, I am but it’s not like.. well, here.”

“America!” Kakure offered.

Dan raised an eyebrow. “Ah... what do you think about different dimensions?”

Kakure’s face darkened. “They exist. For example, the land of Void.”

“Uh huh..” Dan sounded very much uninterested. “Well, -I’m- from a similar Earth only where I come, senshi don’t exist.”

“That’s sad. Are there Shadows?”

“Shadows? Of course there are shadows!” Dan clearly thought she referred to what was always attached to his feet and not what she was.

“So why aren’t there no senshi if there are Shadows? We are senshi, you know.”

“There’s more of you?” He couldn’t have sounded more depressed.

“Uh, sha,” She beamed. “I’m Shadow Jupiter.”

“That guy had a point, you are a little too nice. Don’t you think you shouldn’t throw caution in the air like that?” Dan asked, perplexed.

“I happen to be a good person of judgment. Besides, I’d have to crush you if you were an enemy.”

He couldn’t help it. “You mean crush in the physical form or the whole goo goo eyes?”

Kakure’s smile faded and her face turned red. “What, don’t like girls?” She growled.

“I -like- girls,” he said through gritted teeth.

“Then what’s wrong with crushes!”

“It’s all very juvenile. Don’t you think you should, I don’t know, grow up?”

Kakure slowly moved forward until they had a foot between them. “What do you want?”

“I want to go home,” Dan said importantly. “I am needed with my team and...”

She was examining her fingers absently.

“Hey!” He grasped her left wrist, pulling her to face him. “I need help. Do I have to beg for it?”

“Fine, I’ll help you,” she said sweetly. He had a sinking feeling. “Let’s go see Usag...”

“NO! For the love of God, anyone but her!”

“Sheesh, why do you hate her?”

“She’s a baby! And loud! And her cat can make me..” He bit his tongue, swallowing the sentence. “Look, what about Sailor Pluto. She’s hot and nice.”

Kakure glowered at him.

“What?”

A moment later, he was sprawled on his back, holding his right eye wincing. “What was that for?”

“For ruining my ego!” Kakure walked over his fallen frame as he howled. “Bye bye, Danny boy.”

“Stupid little twit,” he grumbled. “I’ll find my own way home.”

He didn’t get far when he turned and began to stomp, following Kakure. She never once looked back so he assumed she didn’t see him or notice him.

Until he turned a corner and nearly had a heart attack. She was nowhere to be seen. “Fuck!”

“Hey there, Danny boy. Looking for me?” She quipped from a inward doorway to a bookstore. She tapped her toe.

“It’s late,” She said finally. “Why don’t we head to my place and tomorrow, we’ll see Setsuna.”

“Without Usagi?”

“We’ll see what happens. They ARE friends, you know.”

“Don’t remind me.”

Dan lay on the couch, listening for anything strange. Sure enough, he heard tiptoeing and he pretended to be fast asleep.

Kakure had an extra blanket and carefully placed it over him with a smile. She turned and tiptoed back out but before the door, he opened his mouth.

“Why are you home alone? Aren’t you a little young?”

“Huh? Oh, my dad travels a lot,” Kakure answered, flushing. “I thought you might be a little cold.”

“Couldn’t I sleep in your dad’s bed?”

“But you fit so nicely on the couch, being tiny and all.”

“I’m not tiny,” he sat up hurriedly. “I’m just short.”

“I think I’m even taller than you.”

“By no more than an inch!” He protested, now tossing the blankets off of him. “Besides...” But he didn’t know what else to say.

And anyways, Kakure was ogling him. “Wow.. you work out?”

He had taken off the majority of clothes, borrowing on her father’s pajama’s pants that he tied the hem into a tight knot so it wouldn’t fall down his hips. But the rest of him was clear of clothes.

“A bit,” he smirked. “I’m a superhero.”

“Really? What can you do?” Kakure smirked back at him.

“Lots of things,” he began. “Got a match?”

She frowned. “Uhh.. hold on.” She returned with a match box.

“Go on, light it on me,” he bragged.

She stared at him with a funny look. “All right..” She said uncertainly. She switched it and placed it on his head. His hair wavered and caught on fire and in seconds, he was dancing around the room, slamming his hands on his head with loud yelps.

“Oh holy fuck! What the.. damn it all!” He swore angrily. “Do that again!”

She raised her eyebrows and this time, had the flame hover over his chest hair.

“SHIT SHIT SHIT!” He resumed his dance, banging his hands against his chest, not unlike a monkey.

“Gee, that’s a nice power,” Kakure said pointedly.

His eyes bore at her, glaring daggers. “Fine, I’ll show you something else!” He pointed to the couch. “I bet I can lift that!”

“Uh huh,” Kakure was clearly unimpressed.

“Huhhhh...Uhhhhh.. Hurrr...” His face reddening, his muscles straining, he could barely get the couch’s end off the ground, unlike the whole as he had intended.

“What the hell is the matter with me?” He hit the couch and felt pain surge through his fingers into his body. “OUCH!”

“Oh boy,” she was clapping her hands, giggling.

“I don’t get it,” he scratched his hair. “There must be...” His face turned white. “Great! I have no way to defend myself!”

“That’s fine, I’ll be your protector!” Kakure said cheerfully. “Besides, you’ll probably be going home tomorrow so go to sleep now.”

Dan watched her exit, his eye twitching. “What else can I do? What’s left?”

And his face blanched as he thought of the two things he hated to do but had the ability to do. For one, being a man in drag sucked AND becoming a woman wasn’t the greatest opening in conversation. Like hell it would ever come up, not here, not with the senshi or that cat around.

“Sire, we’ve located the location,” David’s voice came out in the headphone set Emperor Daroshay wore. He looked bored as he answered. “Finally, I’ve been waiting for hours. Have the slaves punished for their slowness, will you?”

“As you wish,” David’s voice turned off.

“And now, here comes the fun part,” an ugly sneer slow grew on the older man’s face. “Poor boy, you don’t know what kind of trouble you’re going to get into.”