Beginnings, A Sailor Moon Fanfic
By Lady Shay
I do not own Sailor Moon. I wish I did, but unless they start selling
the rights for under $10, I will never own Sailor Moon! Please don't
sue me!
This is an alternate reality fanfic. Don't expect that the relationships
between characters will be the same, and don't expect the same
storyline... This is MY fanfic. *grin*
-----------------
Beginnings
Chapter One
-----------------
Usagi stepped out of the station and started her short walk. Stopping in
front of an apartment building only a couple of blocks down the street,
Usagi looked up and grinned. 'This is going to be fun.' After quickly
walking up two flights of stairs and halfway down a hall, Usagi grinned
again as she knocked on a door while covering up the peephole.
"Hai!" A voice shouted out from inside, "Hmmm... I can't see who is
there..." The door was thrown open and a young woman with long blond hair
stepped out. "Usagi!"
Usagi smiled, "Ohayou, Minako-chan!"
Minako stared blankly at the girl standing outside her apartment before
stuttering, "But... well... I mean, I didn't expect you." Smiling, she
grabbed Usagi's bag and walked back into the apartment. "Sorry it's a
mess... but, what are you doing in Tokyo?! I haven't seen you since you
were here as an exchange student... last time I heard from you, you were
finishing up your teaching degree at a small university in Michigan."
"Well, after I finished my year here, I decided to visit again after I
graduated." Usagi smiled. "I missed you, Minako. You were my first
friend in Japan."
Minako grinned and threw a pillow at Usagi before falling gracelessly
onto the couch, "None of that sappy stuff, Usa!" She made a face and
motioned for Usagi to sit down. "Make yourself at home and tell me how
long you're planning to stay."
"Forever."
"What?!" Minako jumped up from the couch and walked over to her friend.
"Are you serious?"
Usagi grinned, "Of course. I was offered a job teaching English at
Juuban Junior High School, so I decided to visit you while I looked for a
place to live."
"Well..." Minako smiled slyly before continuing, "I'd let you stay with
me, but I think I'd kill you after a while! It was hard enough when you
were here last time, having to look at someone just as beautiful as
myself every morning."
Giggling, Usagi threw a pillow at Minako. "I see you still have that huge
ego of yours, hummm?"
"Ego?" Minako pretended to look offended before giggling herself. "It's
not an ego if it's the truth, right?" Ducking another pillow, she
grinned, "So... do you want to go shopping while we look at apartments?"
***************
The two women dragged themselves and eight shopping bags back into the
apartment five hours later. Usagi dropped into a chair and sighed, "I
have no idea why I go shopping with you, Minako... how am I going to get
this stuff back to the States?"
"Don't." Minako yawned. "Just leave it here. You're moving here in a
couple of weeks anyway."
Usagi caught herself yawning and glared over at Minako. "Stop! Yawns are
contagious!" She giggled. "So, what are we doing tonight? I can't stay
out too late, since I have to catch my flight tomorrow afternoon... isn't
it a good thing we found that room for rent so quickly?"
"Yeah, it's good..." Minako sat up straight and looked over at Usagi,
"Wait a minute! You just got here today... you can't leave tomorrow!"
Blushing, Usagi looked down and murmured, "I guess I forgot to tell
you... I have to go back to start packing, and I visited my aunt in Kyoto
before coming over to Tokyo."
Minako sighed, "Well... ok, I guess. So we'll go out to a bar tonight
and get you home early so that you can get your beauty sleep."
Both girls giggled as they headed off to take a nap before dinner.
***************
Walking into the dimly lit bar a step behind Minako, Usagi faltered.
Turning around, Minako grabbed one of Usagi's arms and pulled her
forward, "What's wrong, Usa-chan? You look gorgeous!"
Usagi smiled and walked more confidently into the bar. She paused as she
reached the middle of the room, unconsciously letting the light glimmer
on her short red silk dress. A thin silver chain sparkled around her
neck, and her hair was curled and piled on top of her head, held by
silver pins that all seemed to shine in the light of the candles that
were placed on each table, "Minako-chan?"
"Hummm... what Usa?" Minako spun to face Usagi, causing her dark green
silk dress to flare out.
"Everyone is looking at me..."
Minako grinned, "All except the ones who are looking at me! We're the
best looking women in here tonight."
Grinning, Usagi sat down and asked a waitress for a margarita. Looking
around after taking a sip of her drink, she noticed a handsome man
walking toward her. His black hair fell over one side of his forehead
and his eyes sparkled as he looked at her. "Ohayou... would you like to
dance?" He asked.
Usagi found herself held close in the stranger's embrace as they swayed
to the slow, seductive song. His hands brushed across her back, making
Usagi shiver. "What is your name, beautiful?" the stranger murmured.
"Usagi." She whispered. "And yours?"
"Mamoru."
Usagi looked into his blue eyes and everything else disappeared.
***************
Usagi felt sunlight shining against her closed eyelids and, grumbling a
little, stretched. Opening her eyes, she looked around the room with an
increasing feeling of panic. Grabbing her clothing off of the floor, she
dressed quickly and looked back at the sleeping man only once before
running out the door.
Usagi ran out of the apartment and found herself not too far from the
Ueno station. Sighing, she ran quickly to the station and caught a train
over to Minako's district. Finally running into Minako's building,
Usagi let herself in and found that her friend was still asleep. Usagi
pulled on a nightshirt and crawled into the guest room bed, falling
asleep with a relieved thought, "Maybe she'll never know..."
***************
"Wake up, sleepy-head!"
Usagi pulled the covers up over her head and grumbled, "Go away." A hand
reached out and pulled the covers down, leaving Usagi looking up at the
cheerful face of Minako. Sighing, Usagi stretched and crawled out of
bed. "Wow... I had the weirdest dream last night..."
Minako grinned, "That's what you get for staying out all night drinking,
Usa! What did you do anyway... head out to another bar? I looked for
you when I was ready to leave, but you were already gone. When you
weren't here at the apartment, I just figured that you had gone somewhere
with that cute guy you were dancing with."
Usagi turned pale and spoke slowly, "Yeah... we went out to another
bar... with, umm, some other friends of his..."
Grinning, Minako gave Usagi a quick hug, "Good for you. Did you get his
number? What is his name?"
"I don't... remember..."
***************
A couple of hours later, Usagi waved to Minako before heading down the
terminal toward her plane, "Ja ne! See you soon!"
"Ja ne, Usa-chan!"
Usagi boarded the plane and sat down, looking out at Tokyo and trying
desperately to think of anything except what she didn't remember
happening...
-----------------------------------------------------
-----------
Chapter Two
-----------
Usagi stepped out of the gate terminal into the busy airport, clutching
her bag with both hands as she looked around. Sighing, she sat down on a
bench and pushed her long, blond hair back behind her ears.
"Tsukino Usagi?"
Looking up with tired-looking blue eyes, the woman nodded, "Hai. I'm
Usagi."
"Konnichiwa. My name is Yuuichirou. I work at the Hikawa Shrine."
"Konnichiwa." Usagi stood up and stretched, looking over at Yuuichirou.
His messy, shoulder-length hair made it hard to see his features, but he
looked nice. "You work at the shrine? Do you have the same room and
board deal that I have?"
Yuuichirou grinned and pushed his hair back from his face {'Wow... he's
really cute when you can see his face...' thought Usagi.} Yuuichirou
took Usagi's bag and started toward the exit. "Well... no. I do a lot
more work than you'll be expected to do. Rei will explain more when we
get home, but I do most of the maintenance work while you'll be helping
Rei with the general running of the shrine. Oh, and before I forget,
your trunks showed up."
Usagi shrugged, "Good... oh, and the rest sounds fine with me. It's
going to be nice not to have to worry about paying actual rent." She
grinned. "How long have you been working at the shrine? Is Rei your
sister? I haven't actually met her yet, just talked over the phone."
Laughing, Yuuichirou turned and winked at Usagi. "I think you'll do fine
with Rei... you both like to talk! Anyway, I've been at the shrine for
about eight years now, and Rei isn't my sister. We're not related at
all... yet."
Usagi raised an eyebrow at Yuuichirou as they stopped to wait for traffic
to clear. "Not yet?"
Yuuichirou blushed, "I plan to propose to Rei-chan soon."
"Do you think she'll say 'Yes'?"
Grinning happily, Yuuichirou grabbed Usagi's hand and dragged her across
the street. He dropped her hand and winked at her again. "I know she
will! We've been dating for about four years now, but I wanted to wait
until Rei became a full Priestess so that I wouldn't interfere with her
studies... and then her grandfather died last year, so I gave us time to
mourn." Yuuichirou rubbed his eyes and smiled slightly. "I miss him. He
and Rei were my only family."
Usagi smiled, "That sounds wonderful, though I'm sorry for your loss."
She stopped suddenly as Yuuichirou pulled her into a shrine gateway,
"We're here?"
"Yuuichirou-kun? Usagi?" A raven-haired woman ran out of the shrine,
her hair streaming out behind her. "Good, you're here! Yuuichirou-kun,
the furnace blew-out... I need you to re-light it." As Yuuichirou
started to walk into the house with a sigh, the woman grabbed his arms
and stood on her toes to kiss him. "I'll see you later." As Yuuichirou
bounced happily inside, the woman turned to Usagi with a laugh. "Men...
you just have to know how to treat them. Anyway, I'm Hino Rei. Welcome
to your new home."
Usagi laughed. "I think I'm going to like it here!"
Grinning, Rei walked inside the main house, "I hope you do. You'll
mainly be helping me: selling charms and talismans during our busy
moments and on Saturdays. Yuuichirou cleans everything except the
bedrooms and the kitchen, so you'll help out with those areas... except
Yuuichirou's room." Rei scowled. "He's a pig! That man can keep the
shrine spotless, but you can't even see his bedroom floor. I don't
understand."
Turning to Rei, Usagi grinned, "Men. Can't live with them, and there's
no re-sale value, right?" She looked around the room. "Anything else I
should know right now? Does anyone else live here?"
Rei smiled and opened a door, "Just us three, though I have an older
brother who visits." She motioned Usagi into the room. "This is yours.
You probably have jet lag, so I'll let you rest. Dinner is in three
hours, but you can help yourself anytime! I hope you like it here."
Usagi closed the door and lay down on the bed. Closing her eyes, she had
one last thought before falling asleep... 'Home.'
***************
Usagi settled in quickly. School started, and even though Usagi was
nervous, everything went fine. The girls wanted to hear everything about
living in America and the boys just stared at Usagi. Usagi helped out
at the temple almost every workday for about an hour selling charms, and
worked for four hours on Saturday. Minako came to visit almost every day
for the first two weeks, and everyone seemed happy.
In the beginning of the third week, Usagi came home to find a red car
parked in front. 'Strange,' she thought. 'I haven't seen this car
before.' Shrugging, she walked into the building and saw Rei sitting down
next to a dark-haired man.
"Usagi-chan!" Rei waved. "You have to meet my brother. Chiba Mamoru,
this is Tsukino Usagi."
Usagi stared at Mamoru, and Mamoru stared back. 'He looks familiar,'
thought Usagi. She stepped back when Mamoru reached to take her hand.
"We've met before," whispered Mamoru.
Usagi blinked. "Really? You look familiar... but I don't remember
where from."
Mamoru stepped back and sat down again with a crest-fallen expression.
Rei laughed, "Mamoru doesn't like to think that anyone could forget his
pretty face!"
Standing up, Mamoru walked toward the door. "Ja ne, Rei-chan. Ja ne...
Usagi."
Rei looked at Usagi, who shrugged. "I don't remember..."
--------------------------------------------------
-------------
Chapter Three
-------------
Usagi ran quickly into the bathroom and threw up. Leaning against a
wall, she tried to slow down her breathing as her stomach continued to
churn.
"Usagi-chan? Are you ok?" Rei peeked her head into the bathroom.
"You've been throwing up a lot, recently. Would you like to go to the
Doctor's office?"
Usagi nodded her head slowly.
"Good, because I already made you an appointment." Rei helped Usagi up
off of the floor, "Let's go."
***************
Rei sat nervously in the waiting room. 'I really like Usagi-chan,' she
thought, 'and I hope that nothing is really wrong.' She picked up a
magazine and tried reading it for a few moments, until she noticed that
it was upside-down, 'Darn it, I want to know...'
The door opened and Usagi walked out, her face pale white, "Rei-chan?"
Rei stood up quickly and walked over to Usagi, "What's wrong,
Usagi-chan?"
"I'm... pregnant."
***************
Two silent women arrived at the shrine. As they reached the front door,
Yuuichirou stepped out and gave Usagi a hug, "Is everything ok,
Usagi-chan?"
Usagi pushed past Yuuichirou and walked slowly to the bedroom, closing
the door behind her. As they heard the door lock, Rei motioned for
Yuuichirou to follow her further away from the house. Sitting down on
the steps, Rei sighed. "Usagi's pregnant."
Yuuichirou's eyes opened wide and he whispered in a shocked voice, "What?
Who's the father?"
Rei buried her head in her hands. "I don't know... some guy from America,
I suppose. Usagi must have already been pregnant when she moved here."
Frowning, Yuuichirou put one arm around Rei and stroked her hair, "Did
she tell you anything?"
Rei shook her head and curled up against Yuuichirou, "No... nothing
except that she didn't want the two of us to tell anyone."
***************
Usagi curled up in ball on her bed, crying. 'Why? Why did this happen?'
She sat up and brushed her tears away. 'Ok...' she thought. 'This had
to have happened from that one night... but I don't remember anything!'
Usagi got up and stood, looking out the window. Slowly, she thought back
to that alcohol-clouded memory and started to put the pieces together.
Going out to the bar with Minako... meeting that man - 'What was his
name?' - dancing... drinking... his kiss... walking to his apartment...
Usagi closed her eyes and remembered his gentle hands, his passionate
kiss... she tried to remember... she could see his deep blue eyes, the
dark hair falling over his forehead, his... Her eyes snapped open,
"Mamoru."
***************
Rei looked up with startled eyes as Usagi opened her door and ran quickly
out of her bedroom, "Usagi-chan?"
Usagi sat down at the table in front of Rei and, reaching forward,
grabbed both of Rei's hands. "Rei-chan... you promised that you and
Yuuichirou wouldn't tell anyone..."
Rei nodded.
Sighing with relief, Usagi let go of Rei's hands and got up. "I promise
that I'll tell you everything... someday. I have to go now! I'll be at
Minako's if anyone calls."
***************
"So, you're telling me that you went with some stranger to his apartment
and slept with him... so that's why you didn't come home until morning!"
Usagi slumped down in her chair, "Minako-chan! What am I going to do?
I'm pregnant!"
"Calm down!" Minako hugged Usagi. "Let's think about this... did you
ever remember what his name is?"
Usagi nodded and mumbled something.
"Usa-chan?"
Usagi dropped her head on her hands, "Mamoru."
"Mamoru?" Minako raised an eyebrow, "Isn't Mamoru the name of Rei's
brother?"
Usagi nodded and started to cry.
"Usa-chan..." Minako whispered. "Does he know? Do Rei and Yuuichirou
know who the father is?"
Usagi looked up, her eyes bright with tears, "No... and I'm not going to
tell them."
"Usa-chan! Don't you think you should tell Mamoru?" Minako begged.
"No. I don't even know him..."
"That didn't stop you from sleeping with him!"
"I was drunk!"
"So? It's his child, too."
Usagi got up and headed to the door. She paused and turned,
"Minako-chan... you're my best friend. I need your help, but I'm just
not ready to tell Mamoru. Please understand."
"I'll try, Usa."
Usagi walked out the door and headed home, taking the "scenic" route
though the big shopping district. Stopping to stare at a crib though a
store window, Usagi never noticed when someone walked up behind her.
"Dreaming of children, Usa-ko?"
Usagi turned around slowly and stared in shock at Mamoru. "Konbanwa,
Mamoru-san." She turned back to face the window.
"You didn't answer my question, Usa-ko." Mamoru said, "Do you like
children?"
"Yes," whispered Usagi. She closed her eyes. "Do you?"
Mamoru rested a hand on Usagi's shoulder. "I've always dreamed of having
a nice family: a beautiful wife and a couple of children. One night, I
thought I had met that woman... we talked and kissed and loved... but
then she disappeared. When I found her, she didn't remember me."
"I was drunk." Usagi whispered.
"You do remember!" Mamoru turned Usagi toward him, but Usagi pulled away.
"I didn't. I do now, but..."
"Usa-ko... wait!"
Usagi ran blindly down the street. When she stopped, she found herself
in front of a movie theater. Hiding in the dark theater, Usagi felt
tears slide down her cheeks, "...but I'm pregnant by someone I know
almost nothing about..."
----------------------------------
End of Chapter Three
Continued in Chapter Four
Do you like it?
Email me please!
shaychan@thesimpsons.com
----------------------------------
By Lady Shay
I do not own Sailor Moon. I wish I did, but unless they start selling
the rights for under $10, I will never own Sailor Moon! Please don't
sue me!
This is an alternate reality fanfic. Don't expect that the relationships
between characters will be the same, and don't expect the same
storyline... This is MY fanfic. *grin*
-----------------
Beginnings
Chapter One
-----------------
Usagi stepped out of the station and started her short walk. Stopping in
front of an apartment building only a couple of blocks down the street,
Usagi looked up and grinned. 'This is going to be fun.' After quickly
walking up two flights of stairs and halfway down a hall, Usagi grinned
again as she knocked on a door while covering up the peephole.
"Hai!" A voice shouted out from inside, "Hmmm... I can't see who is
there..." The door was thrown open and a young woman with long blond hair
stepped out. "Usagi!"
Usagi smiled, "Ohayou, Minako-chan!"
Minako stared blankly at the girl standing outside her apartment before
stuttering, "But... well... I mean, I didn't expect you." Smiling, she
grabbed Usagi's bag and walked back into the apartment. "Sorry it's a
mess... but, what are you doing in Tokyo?! I haven't seen you since you
were here as an exchange student... last time I heard from you, you were
finishing up your teaching degree at a small university in Michigan."
"Well, after I finished my year here, I decided to visit again after I
graduated." Usagi smiled. "I missed you, Minako. You were my first
friend in Japan."
Minako grinned and threw a pillow at Usagi before falling gracelessly
onto the couch, "None of that sappy stuff, Usa!" She made a face and
motioned for Usagi to sit down. "Make yourself at home and tell me how
long you're planning to stay."
"Forever."
"What?!" Minako jumped up from the couch and walked over to her friend.
"Are you serious?"
Usagi grinned, "Of course. I was offered a job teaching English at
Juuban Junior High School, so I decided to visit you while I looked for a
place to live."
"Well..." Minako smiled slyly before continuing, "I'd let you stay with
me, but I think I'd kill you after a while! It was hard enough when you
were here last time, having to look at someone just as beautiful as
myself every morning."
Giggling, Usagi threw a pillow at Minako. "I see you still have that huge
ego of yours, hummm?"
"Ego?" Minako pretended to look offended before giggling herself. "It's
not an ego if it's the truth, right?" Ducking another pillow, she
grinned, "So... do you want to go shopping while we look at apartments?"
***************
The two women dragged themselves and eight shopping bags back into the
apartment five hours later. Usagi dropped into a chair and sighed, "I
have no idea why I go shopping with you, Minako... how am I going to get
this stuff back to the States?"
"Don't." Minako yawned. "Just leave it here. You're moving here in a
couple of weeks anyway."
Usagi caught herself yawning and glared over at Minako. "Stop! Yawns are
contagious!" She giggled. "So, what are we doing tonight? I can't stay
out too late, since I have to catch my flight tomorrow afternoon... isn't
it a good thing we found that room for rent so quickly?"
"Yeah, it's good..." Minako sat up straight and looked over at Usagi,
"Wait a minute! You just got here today... you can't leave tomorrow!"
Blushing, Usagi looked down and murmured, "I guess I forgot to tell
you... I have to go back to start packing, and I visited my aunt in Kyoto
before coming over to Tokyo."
Minako sighed, "Well... ok, I guess. So we'll go out to a bar tonight
and get you home early so that you can get your beauty sleep."
Both girls giggled as they headed off to take a nap before dinner.
***************
Walking into the dimly lit bar a step behind Minako, Usagi faltered.
Turning around, Minako grabbed one of Usagi's arms and pulled her
forward, "What's wrong, Usa-chan? You look gorgeous!"
Usagi smiled and walked more confidently into the bar. She paused as she
reached the middle of the room, unconsciously letting the light glimmer
on her short red silk dress. A thin silver chain sparkled around her
neck, and her hair was curled and piled on top of her head, held by
silver pins that all seemed to shine in the light of the candles that
were placed on each table, "Minako-chan?"
"Hummm... what Usa?" Minako spun to face Usagi, causing her dark green
silk dress to flare out.
"Everyone is looking at me..."
Minako grinned, "All except the ones who are looking at me! We're the
best looking women in here tonight."
Grinning, Usagi sat down and asked a waitress for a margarita. Looking
around after taking a sip of her drink, she noticed a handsome man
walking toward her. His black hair fell over one side of his forehead
and his eyes sparkled as he looked at her. "Ohayou... would you like to
dance?" He asked.
Usagi found herself held close in the stranger's embrace as they swayed
to the slow, seductive song. His hands brushed across her back, making
Usagi shiver. "What is your name, beautiful?" the stranger murmured.
"Usagi." She whispered. "And yours?"
"Mamoru."
Usagi looked into his blue eyes and everything else disappeared.
***************
Usagi felt sunlight shining against her closed eyelids and, grumbling a
little, stretched. Opening her eyes, she looked around the room with an
increasing feeling of panic. Grabbing her clothing off of the floor, she
dressed quickly and looked back at the sleeping man only once before
running out the door.
Usagi ran out of the apartment and found herself not too far from the
Ueno station. Sighing, she ran quickly to the station and caught a train
over to Minako's district. Finally running into Minako's building,
Usagi let herself in and found that her friend was still asleep. Usagi
pulled on a nightshirt and crawled into the guest room bed, falling
asleep with a relieved thought, "Maybe she'll never know..."
***************
"Wake up, sleepy-head!"
Usagi pulled the covers up over her head and grumbled, "Go away." A hand
reached out and pulled the covers down, leaving Usagi looking up at the
cheerful face of Minako. Sighing, Usagi stretched and crawled out of
bed. "Wow... I had the weirdest dream last night..."
Minako grinned, "That's what you get for staying out all night drinking,
Usa! What did you do anyway... head out to another bar? I looked for
you when I was ready to leave, but you were already gone. When you
weren't here at the apartment, I just figured that you had gone somewhere
with that cute guy you were dancing with."
Usagi turned pale and spoke slowly, "Yeah... we went out to another
bar... with, umm, some other friends of his..."
Grinning, Minako gave Usagi a quick hug, "Good for you. Did you get his
number? What is his name?"
"I don't... remember..."
***************
A couple of hours later, Usagi waved to Minako before heading down the
terminal toward her plane, "Ja ne! See you soon!"
"Ja ne, Usa-chan!"
Usagi boarded the plane and sat down, looking out at Tokyo and trying
desperately to think of anything except what she didn't remember
happening...
-----------------------------------------------------
-----------
Chapter Two
-----------
Usagi stepped out of the gate terminal into the busy airport, clutching
her bag with both hands as she looked around. Sighing, she sat down on a
bench and pushed her long, blond hair back behind her ears.
"Tsukino Usagi?"
Looking up with tired-looking blue eyes, the woman nodded, "Hai. I'm
Usagi."
"Konnichiwa. My name is Yuuichirou. I work at the Hikawa Shrine."
"Konnichiwa." Usagi stood up and stretched, looking over at Yuuichirou.
His messy, shoulder-length hair made it hard to see his features, but he
looked nice. "You work at the shrine? Do you have the same room and
board deal that I have?"
Yuuichirou grinned and pushed his hair back from his face {'Wow... he's
really cute when you can see his face...' thought Usagi.} Yuuichirou
took Usagi's bag and started toward the exit. "Well... no. I do a lot
more work than you'll be expected to do. Rei will explain more when we
get home, but I do most of the maintenance work while you'll be helping
Rei with the general running of the shrine. Oh, and before I forget,
your trunks showed up."
Usagi shrugged, "Good... oh, and the rest sounds fine with me. It's
going to be nice not to have to worry about paying actual rent." She
grinned. "How long have you been working at the shrine? Is Rei your
sister? I haven't actually met her yet, just talked over the phone."
Laughing, Yuuichirou turned and winked at Usagi. "I think you'll do fine
with Rei... you both like to talk! Anyway, I've been at the shrine for
about eight years now, and Rei isn't my sister. We're not related at
all... yet."
Usagi raised an eyebrow at Yuuichirou as they stopped to wait for traffic
to clear. "Not yet?"
Yuuichirou blushed, "I plan to propose to Rei-chan soon."
"Do you think she'll say 'Yes'?"
Grinning happily, Yuuichirou grabbed Usagi's hand and dragged her across
the street. He dropped her hand and winked at her again. "I know she
will! We've been dating for about four years now, but I wanted to wait
until Rei became a full Priestess so that I wouldn't interfere with her
studies... and then her grandfather died last year, so I gave us time to
mourn." Yuuichirou rubbed his eyes and smiled slightly. "I miss him. He
and Rei were my only family."
Usagi smiled, "That sounds wonderful, though I'm sorry for your loss."
She stopped suddenly as Yuuichirou pulled her into a shrine gateway,
"We're here?"
"Yuuichirou-kun? Usagi?" A raven-haired woman ran out of the shrine,
her hair streaming out behind her. "Good, you're here! Yuuichirou-kun,
the furnace blew-out... I need you to re-light it." As Yuuichirou
started to walk into the house with a sigh, the woman grabbed his arms
and stood on her toes to kiss him. "I'll see you later." As Yuuichirou
bounced happily inside, the woman turned to Usagi with a laugh. "Men...
you just have to know how to treat them. Anyway, I'm Hino Rei. Welcome
to your new home."
Usagi laughed. "I think I'm going to like it here!"
Grinning, Rei walked inside the main house, "I hope you do. You'll
mainly be helping me: selling charms and talismans during our busy
moments and on Saturdays. Yuuichirou cleans everything except the
bedrooms and the kitchen, so you'll help out with those areas... except
Yuuichirou's room." Rei scowled. "He's a pig! That man can keep the
shrine spotless, but you can't even see his bedroom floor. I don't
understand."
Turning to Rei, Usagi grinned, "Men. Can't live with them, and there's
no re-sale value, right?" She looked around the room. "Anything else I
should know right now? Does anyone else live here?"
Rei smiled and opened a door, "Just us three, though I have an older
brother who visits." She motioned Usagi into the room. "This is yours.
You probably have jet lag, so I'll let you rest. Dinner is in three
hours, but you can help yourself anytime! I hope you like it here."
Usagi closed the door and lay down on the bed. Closing her eyes, she had
one last thought before falling asleep... 'Home.'
***************
Usagi settled in quickly. School started, and even though Usagi was
nervous, everything went fine. The girls wanted to hear everything about
living in America and the boys just stared at Usagi. Usagi helped out
at the temple almost every workday for about an hour selling charms, and
worked for four hours on Saturday. Minako came to visit almost every day
for the first two weeks, and everyone seemed happy.
In the beginning of the third week, Usagi came home to find a red car
parked in front. 'Strange,' she thought. 'I haven't seen this car
before.' Shrugging, she walked into the building and saw Rei sitting down
next to a dark-haired man.
"Usagi-chan!" Rei waved. "You have to meet my brother. Chiba Mamoru,
this is Tsukino Usagi."
Usagi stared at Mamoru, and Mamoru stared back. 'He looks familiar,'
thought Usagi. She stepped back when Mamoru reached to take her hand.
"We've met before," whispered Mamoru.
Usagi blinked. "Really? You look familiar... but I don't remember
where from."
Mamoru stepped back and sat down again with a crest-fallen expression.
Rei laughed, "Mamoru doesn't like to think that anyone could forget his
pretty face!"
Standing up, Mamoru walked toward the door. "Ja ne, Rei-chan. Ja ne...
Usagi."
Rei looked at Usagi, who shrugged. "I don't remember..."
--------------------------------------------------
-------------
Chapter Three
-------------
Usagi ran quickly into the bathroom and threw up. Leaning against a
wall, she tried to slow down her breathing as her stomach continued to
churn.
"Usagi-chan? Are you ok?" Rei peeked her head into the bathroom.
"You've been throwing up a lot, recently. Would you like to go to the
Doctor's office?"
Usagi nodded her head slowly.
"Good, because I already made you an appointment." Rei helped Usagi up
off of the floor, "Let's go."
***************
Rei sat nervously in the waiting room. 'I really like Usagi-chan,' she
thought, 'and I hope that nothing is really wrong.' She picked up a
magazine and tried reading it for a few moments, until she noticed that
it was upside-down, 'Darn it, I want to know...'
The door opened and Usagi walked out, her face pale white, "Rei-chan?"
Rei stood up quickly and walked over to Usagi, "What's wrong,
Usagi-chan?"
"I'm... pregnant."
***************
Two silent women arrived at the shrine. As they reached the front door,
Yuuichirou stepped out and gave Usagi a hug, "Is everything ok,
Usagi-chan?"
Usagi pushed past Yuuichirou and walked slowly to the bedroom, closing
the door behind her. As they heard the door lock, Rei motioned for
Yuuichirou to follow her further away from the house. Sitting down on
the steps, Rei sighed. "Usagi's pregnant."
Yuuichirou's eyes opened wide and he whispered in a shocked voice, "What?
Who's the father?"
Rei buried her head in her hands. "I don't know... some guy from America,
I suppose. Usagi must have already been pregnant when she moved here."
Frowning, Yuuichirou put one arm around Rei and stroked her hair, "Did
she tell you anything?"
Rei shook her head and curled up against Yuuichirou, "No... nothing
except that she didn't want the two of us to tell anyone."
***************
Usagi curled up in ball on her bed, crying. 'Why? Why did this happen?'
She sat up and brushed her tears away. 'Ok...' she thought. 'This had
to have happened from that one night... but I don't remember anything!'
Usagi got up and stood, looking out the window. Slowly, she thought back
to that alcohol-clouded memory and started to put the pieces together.
Going out to the bar with Minako... meeting that man - 'What was his
name?' - dancing... drinking... his kiss... walking to his apartment...
Usagi closed her eyes and remembered his gentle hands, his passionate
kiss... she tried to remember... she could see his deep blue eyes, the
dark hair falling over his forehead, his... Her eyes snapped open,
"Mamoru."
***************
Rei looked up with startled eyes as Usagi opened her door and ran quickly
out of her bedroom, "Usagi-chan?"
Usagi sat down at the table in front of Rei and, reaching forward,
grabbed both of Rei's hands. "Rei-chan... you promised that you and
Yuuichirou wouldn't tell anyone..."
Rei nodded.
Sighing with relief, Usagi let go of Rei's hands and got up. "I promise
that I'll tell you everything... someday. I have to go now! I'll be at
Minako's if anyone calls."
***************
"So, you're telling me that you went with some stranger to his apartment
and slept with him... so that's why you didn't come home until morning!"
Usagi slumped down in her chair, "Minako-chan! What am I going to do?
I'm pregnant!"
"Calm down!" Minako hugged Usagi. "Let's think about this... did you
ever remember what his name is?"
Usagi nodded and mumbled something.
"Usa-chan?"
Usagi dropped her head on her hands, "Mamoru."
"Mamoru?" Minako raised an eyebrow, "Isn't Mamoru the name of Rei's
brother?"
Usagi nodded and started to cry.
"Usa-chan..." Minako whispered. "Does he know? Do Rei and Yuuichirou
know who the father is?"
Usagi looked up, her eyes bright with tears, "No... and I'm not going to
tell them."
"Usa-chan! Don't you think you should tell Mamoru?" Minako begged.
"No. I don't even know him..."
"That didn't stop you from sleeping with him!"
"I was drunk!"
"So? It's his child, too."
Usagi got up and headed to the door. She paused and turned,
"Minako-chan... you're my best friend. I need your help, but I'm just
not ready to tell Mamoru. Please understand."
"I'll try, Usa."
Usagi walked out the door and headed home, taking the "scenic" route
though the big shopping district. Stopping to stare at a crib though a
store window, Usagi never noticed when someone walked up behind her.
"Dreaming of children, Usa-ko?"
Usagi turned around slowly and stared in shock at Mamoru. "Konbanwa,
Mamoru-san." She turned back to face the window.
"You didn't answer my question, Usa-ko." Mamoru said, "Do you like
children?"
"Yes," whispered Usagi. She closed her eyes. "Do you?"
Mamoru rested a hand on Usagi's shoulder. "I've always dreamed of having
a nice family: a beautiful wife and a couple of children. One night, I
thought I had met that woman... we talked and kissed and loved... but
then she disappeared. When I found her, she didn't remember me."
"I was drunk." Usagi whispered.
"You do remember!" Mamoru turned Usagi toward him, but Usagi pulled away.
"I didn't. I do now, but..."
"Usa-ko... wait!"
Usagi ran blindly down the street. When she stopped, she found herself
in front of a movie theater. Hiding in the dark theater, Usagi felt
tears slide down her cheeks, "...but I'm pregnant by someone I know
almost nothing about..."
----------------------------------
End of Chapter Three
Continued in Chapter Four
Do you like it?
Email me please!
shaychan@thesimpsons.com
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