Re-Painting the Past
By: Cosmic
Hey y'all. This is my first fic posted on ff.net and I'm hoping it won't be the last, and that you'll enjoy it. It's about Usagi, a young model returning home to CA to start her dream job, photography, and Mamoru, a far from suffering artist. This is a AE (alternate existence) fic so don't expect any henshins. Also it's rated R for adult content, not in this chapter but in chapters to come. Enjoy and please Review!
feedback is welcome at cosmic@sailormoonfanclub.net
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Please note: I don't own any of the Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon cast. They are copyrighted by their own respective owners. Don't sue me. Thanks.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Chapter 1 ~ Running into the Past
She stared at the ground, not daring to look up. He was the last man she wanted to see, and yet here he was, standing before her. Tentatively she raised her eyes.
Usagi Tsukino found herself looking into blue eyes, beautifully dark and deep blue eyes, and felt her nerves come alive. She quickly looked at her aunt, but not before he caught the look of unrest on her face.
"Usagi, this is Mamoru Chiba," her Aunt Minako was saying. "Mamoru, this is-"
"I know," he interrupted, holding out his hand. She shook the thoughts of the past away and slightly hesitated before putting her hand in his. His eyes flashed slightly and the returned to normal, but Usagi saw it and knew it was a reaction to her hesitation.
Then he smiled. "How are you Usagi?"
"Fine," she lied. She wanted to leave. To get away from his warm hand and her pounding heart, away from the past. But she forced herself to look at him.
He was still tall and lean, and obviously still strong by the looks of his muscles showing through his pale cotton shirt. But not in a bad way, like those guys on muscle magazines, whose veins pop out every time they move, she decided. Still deeply tan. The same thick, black hair she was itching to run her fingers through. And his smile, oh gods that smile. A flash of even white teeth against that suntanned face was dazzling and nearly took her breath away.
"It's been a while," he continued.
Had it? The memories were as clear as yesterday. And he looked so familiar. Of course he does, she scolded herself. You dream about him enough. The pressure of his hand on hers brought her back to the land of the living, out of her unwanted thoughts.
"Yes." Four years, she added to herself. Four damn years! Suddenly anger was threatening her composure. She jerked her hand free, ignoring Mamoru's eyes as they narrowed, then returned.
"We're blocking traffic," was all she could think of to say. As the three shifted, Usagi caught Minako eyeing her in puzzlement, and knew she was going to have some explaining to do later. They just stood there, looking at Usagi. She didn't know what to say. The air felt thick. She just wanted to go. Or tell Mamoru that she had missed him terribly and kiss the living daylights out of him right then and there. And she knew she couldn't do either.
She was saved when Kunzite Hikari, Minako's boyfriend, arrived. He had gone to park the car after dropping the girls off. Minako happily took his arm and introduced him to Mamoru. As the two men shook hands, Usagi studied the ground. It was already trampled looking, and this was only the second day of the Music Festival that was taking place. She sighed inwardly. For four years she had avoided Moon Township, and the festival, and when she finally thought it safe to come back, she ran into Mamoru on her first day home, before she even found her seat for the concert that night. Of course he'd be here, she though angrily. The damn man loves music. Even she knew that from the brief time she had spent with him. For god's sake he kept a guitar in his trunk, just in case. In case of what? She asked herself. In case he ran into some gorgeous woman he just had to charm and sing to?
Singing, along with the radio or serenading by moonlight, that man could sing. And when singing love songs, his rich, deep voice could be lethal.
Usagi tuned back into the conversation to hear Kunzite say, "-your work. In fact, I have two or three of your seascapes, that I got before you went out of my price range." Usagi studied a little boy with a huge ice cream cone. In a second, those three scoops of ice cream would be on the ground if he weren't careful. She turned back to the talking trio.
"-I'm no fool," Minako was saying. Everyone but Usagi laughed. She was trying hard to concentrate on anything but Mamoru, and since they were talking about his artwork, it made conversation hard for her.
But he wasn't about to let her politely ignore him. He turned to her, his blue eyes holding her to him. "I'm surprised to see you here," he told her. "I heard you were living and working in New York."
Usagi only nodded.
"She's a model," Minako explained. "As you probably know."
"I know. Who doesn't? It's almost impossible not to see that lovely face at least once a day. It's everywhere- commercials, TV specials, magazines, billboards, store displays."
His angered tone caught Usagi by surprise. Why was he angry? What did he have to be angry about? He's being almost insulting with that tone of voice, and talking as if I'm not even here, she thought angrily. If he's still angry about that, well it was his fault anyway.
"I thought you wanted to be a photographer," he continued bitingly.
"I did. I mean, I do." She paused. "I was working as a photographer when someone asked me to try modeling for them." That was the modest version of her career. Really, she was working a photographer's assistant at a fashion shoot when the designer saw her and insisted she represent their entire line. Suddenly, she had gone from minimum wage to cover girl status, overnight. She had had many contracts, and right now had an exclusive contract with Kaline's, a cosmetic company.
"So you just gave up photography?" Mamoru asked, with angered disbelief.
"No! I just... put it aside."
"After all, when someone offers you fame and fortune, do you just say no?" Minako put in.
"Obviously Usagi didn't."
"I am now," Usagi said, irritated by Mamoru's holier than thou attitude. "I have one more assignment, and then I'm done modeling for cosmetics."
"How about fur coats?" He asked, a hard edge in his voice.
"Usagi's having a portrait done to advertise a new perfume," Minako cut in, trying to change the direction the conversation was going.
"Oh really? Who's doing it?" Mamoru asked, now interested.
"They haven't decided yet," Usagi said harshly. Sure modeling was a waste of her life until painting got involved. And who was he to decide what she should or shouldn't do, anyway? Damn artists, she thought angrily. "We better take our seats," she said turning to her aunt, barely able to hide the anger in her voice.
"Sure dear," Minako nodded. "Oh, Mamoru, stop by my parlor sometime, ok? You look like you could use a hair cut, and I have my eye on two new paintings for it, and I want your opinion."
"Sure. I'll stop by soon Minako. Nice meeting you Mr. Hikari." Mamoru looked at Usagi a while before just nodding good-bye.
As they walked away, Usagi could feel his eyes on her back. She made sure to walk gracefully, her head held high, years of a practiced model facade on full display. She was sure only she knew of the emotions that were raging inside her.
Mamoru released a deep breath as he watched her walk away. God, she looked so beautiful. Her hair had grown, something he thought wouldn't be possible. The long, silky, blonde hair nearly touched the ground, and is it was up in a very odd hairstyle. Two buns on top of her head, with childish pigtails streaming down from them. But it looked far from childish on her. It looked damn sexy. Mamoru stifled a groan, try hard not to think of what her hair pooling around them would be like. She still affected him after all this time. And when he had looked into her blue eyes, he knew that he still affected her.
She had wanted so much. Her eyes were the windows to her soul; you could just look into them and see everything she felt. And when he woke up and looked into her eyes, he knew what he saw. But to hold her again would be heaven...
Mamoru sighed. I have to get control of myself, he thought angrily. I'm an experienced man, not a teenager with raging hormones. How can one women get to me like this? His thoughts went immediately back to Usagi and her slender body, her beautiful skin, her- Right, control. He snorted and went to go find his seat, ready for the music to take his thoughts away for awhile.
Usagi sat in her seat, trying not to squirm. She felt like an immature adolescent again, and she wasn't enjoying the feeling. The string quartet finished and she joined the applause hollowly, not really thinking. She watched as a rather large man came up to the microphone to speak while a crew cleared the stage behind him. After studying him she decided that he was the festival chairman and tuned out his speech, studying the back of the chair in front of her. Its wooden back had patched of white paint peeling off and was carved into by many graffiti artists, if that's what you would call them. Call this number for some fun, Ayeka is a bitch, some drawings of little animal type things, Michiru and Haruka forever, and other scribbles decorated the chair.
Usagi started suddenly, thrown from her thoughts as a man's voice crooned out he beginning of a love song, echoed by a woman's. He had sung this song to her that day by The View. She couldn't look at the stage, in fear that it was him up on the stage. It was silly, she knew, because he didn't sing, publicly anyway. She looked around her into the crowd, trying to look at anything but the stage. Her eyes fell upon him, three rows behind her. Night sky met aquamarine. Usagi gasped and turned around quickly, knowing he saw her. God, he was the one she was trying not to look at, the one she was trying to avoid, the one she wanted, the one that broke her heart, the one that-
"No!" She burst out, and then blushed. Luckily the duo had just finished and thunderous applause was filling the fair grounds. Only Minako heard her.
"They were really good, weren't they?" She asked leaning over to her niece, misunderstanding why she had cried out. "But don't worry dear, I'm sure they'll do another piece."
Usagi turned to her aunt. "I have to get out of here," she said in a low voice. "I don't want to stay. Let's go."
Minako blinked. "But there's a lot more music-"
"Then you and Kunzite stay. I'll go get a cab." Usagi stood before the audience returned to their seats, eager to get away before people realized she was leaving and began to wonder why.
"No, we can leave," Minako said, also standing. "Kunzite..."
"All right..." was all he said, not really understanding why they were leaving, but going anyway because of Minako. Usagi watched as he helped Minako into the car. That was definitely love. Minako had once said to her after a night out with Kunzite, "Ain't love grand?" Usagi sighed and stared out the window. She would have probably agreed more whole-heartedly before she met Mamoru Chiba.
By: Cosmic
Hey y'all. This is my first fic posted on ff.net and I'm hoping it won't be the last, and that you'll enjoy it. It's about Usagi, a young model returning home to CA to start her dream job, photography, and Mamoru, a far from suffering artist. This is a AE (alternate existence) fic so don't expect any henshins. Also it's rated R for adult content, not in this chapter but in chapters to come. Enjoy and please Review!
feedback is welcome at cosmic@sailormoonfanclub.net
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Please note: I don't own any of the Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon cast. They are copyrighted by their own respective owners. Don't sue me. Thanks.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Chapter 1 ~ Running into the Past
She stared at the ground, not daring to look up. He was the last man she wanted to see, and yet here he was, standing before her. Tentatively she raised her eyes.
Usagi Tsukino found herself looking into blue eyes, beautifully dark and deep blue eyes, and felt her nerves come alive. She quickly looked at her aunt, but not before he caught the look of unrest on her face.
"Usagi, this is Mamoru Chiba," her Aunt Minako was saying. "Mamoru, this is-"
"I know," he interrupted, holding out his hand. She shook the thoughts of the past away and slightly hesitated before putting her hand in his. His eyes flashed slightly and the returned to normal, but Usagi saw it and knew it was a reaction to her hesitation.
Then he smiled. "How are you Usagi?"
"Fine," she lied. She wanted to leave. To get away from his warm hand and her pounding heart, away from the past. But she forced herself to look at him.
He was still tall and lean, and obviously still strong by the looks of his muscles showing through his pale cotton shirt. But not in a bad way, like those guys on muscle magazines, whose veins pop out every time they move, she decided. Still deeply tan. The same thick, black hair she was itching to run her fingers through. And his smile, oh gods that smile. A flash of even white teeth against that suntanned face was dazzling and nearly took her breath away.
"It's been a while," he continued.
Had it? The memories were as clear as yesterday. And he looked so familiar. Of course he does, she scolded herself. You dream about him enough. The pressure of his hand on hers brought her back to the land of the living, out of her unwanted thoughts.
"Yes." Four years, she added to herself. Four damn years! Suddenly anger was threatening her composure. She jerked her hand free, ignoring Mamoru's eyes as they narrowed, then returned.
"We're blocking traffic," was all she could think of to say. As the three shifted, Usagi caught Minako eyeing her in puzzlement, and knew she was going to have some explaining to do later. They just stood there, looking at Usagi. She didn't know what to say. The air felt thick. She just wanted to go. Or tell Mamoru that she had missed him terribly and kiss the living daylights out of him right then and there. And she knew she couldn't do either.
She was saved when Kunzite Hikari, Minako's boyfriend, arrived. He had gone to park the car after dropping the girls off. Minako happily took his arm and introduced him to Mamoru. As the two men shook hands, Usagi studied the ground. It was already trampled looking, and this was only the second day of the Music Festival that was taking place. She sighed inwardly. For four years she had avoided Moon Township, and the festival, and when she finally thought it safe to come back, she ran into Mamoru on her first day home, before she even found her seat for the concert that night. Of course he'd be here, she though angrily. The damn man loves music. Even she knew that from the brief time she had spent with him. For god's sake he kept a guitar in his trunk, just in case. In case of what? She asked herself. In case he ran into some gorgeous woman he just had to charm and sing to?
Singing, along with the radio or serenading by moonlight, that man could sing. And when singing love songs, his rich, deep voice could be lethal.
Usagi tuned back into the conversation to hear Kunzite say, "-your work. In fact, I have two or three of your seascapes, that I got before you went out of my price range." Usagi studied a little boy with a huge ice cream cone. In a second, those three scoops of ice cream would be on the ground if he weren't careful. She turned back to the talking trio.
"-I'm no fool," Minako was saying. Everyone but Usagi laughed. She was trying hard to concentrate on anything but Mamoru, and since they were talking about his artwork, it made conversation hard for her.
But he wasn't about to let her politely ignore him. He turned to her, his blue eyes holding her to him. "I'm surprised to see you here," he told her. "I heard you were living and working in New York."
Usagi only nodded.
"She's a model," Minako explained. "As you probably know."
"I know. Who doesn't? It's almost impossible not to see that lovely face at least once a day. It's everywhere- commercials, TV specials, magazines, billboards, store displays."
His angered tone caught Usagi by surprise. Why was he angry? What did he have to be angry about? He's being almost insulting with that tone of voice, and talking as if I'm not even here, she thought angrily. If he's still angry about that, well it was his fault anyway.
"I thought you wanted to be a photographer," he continued bitingly.
"I did. I mean, I do." She paused. "I was working as a photographer when someone asked me to try modeling for them." That was the modest version of her career. Really, she was working a photographer's assistant at a fashion shoot when the designer saw her and insisted she represent their entire line. Suddenly, she had gone from minimum wage to cover girl status, overnight. She had had many contracts, and right now had an exclusive contract with Kaline's, a cosmetic company.
"So you just gave up photography?" Mamoru asked, with angered disbelief.
"No! I just... put it aside."
"After all, when someone offers you fame and fortune, do you just say no?" Minako put in.
"Obviously Usagi didn't."
"I am now," Usagi said, irritated by Mamoru's holier than thou attitude. "I have one more assignment, and then I'm done modeling for cosmetics."
"How about fur coats?" He asked, a hard edge in his voice.
"Usagi's having a portrait done to advertise a new perfume," Minako cut in, trying to change the direction the conversation was going.
"Oh really? Who's doing it?" Mamoru asked, now interested.
"They haven't decided yet," Usagi said harshly. Sure modeling was a waste of her life until painting got involved. And who was he to decide what she should or shouldn't do, anyway? Damn artists, she thought angrily. "We better take our seats," she said turning to her aunt, barely able to hide the anger in her voice.
"Sure dear," Minako nodded. "Oh, Mamoru, stop by my parlor sometime, ok? You look like you could use a hair cut, and I have my eye on two new paintings for it, and I want your opinion."
"Sure. I'll stop by soon Minako. Nice meeting you Mr. Hikari." Mamoru looked at Usagi a while before just nodding good-bye.
As they walked away, Usagi could feel his eyes on her back. She made sure to walk gracefully, her head held high, years of a practiced model facade on full display. She was sure only she knew of the emotions that were raging inside her.
Mamoru released a deep breath as he watched her walk away. God, she looked so beautiful. Her hair had grown, something he thought wouldn't be possible. The long, silky, blonde hair nearly touched the ground, and is it was up in a very odd hairstyle. Two buns on top of her head, with childish pigtails streaming down from them. But it looked far from childish on her. It looked damn sexy. Mamoru stifled a groan, try hard not to think of what her hair pooling around them would be like. She still affected him after all this time. And when he had looked into her blue eyes, he knew that he still affected her.
She had wanted so much. Her eyes were the windows to her soul; you could just look into them and see everything she felt. And when he woke up and looked into her eyes, he knew what he saw. But to hold her again would be heaven...
Mamoru sighed. I have to get control of myself, he thought angrily. I'm an experienced man, not a teenager with raging hormones. How can one women get to me like this? His thoughts went immediately back to Usagi and her slender body, her beautiful skin, her- Right, control. He snorted and went to go find his seat, ready for the music to take his thoughts away for awhile.
Usagi sat in her seat, trying not to squirm. She felt like an immature adolescent again, and she wasn't enjoying the feeling. The string quartet finished and she joined the applause hollowly, not really thinking. She watched as a rather large man came up to the microphone to speak while a crew cleared the stage behind him. After studying him she decided that he was the festival chairman and tuned out his speech, studying the back of the chair in front of her. Its wooden back had patched of white paint peeling off and was carved into by many graffiti artists, if that's what you would call them. Call this number for some fun, Ayeka is a bitch, some drawings of little animal type things, Michiru and Haruka forever, and other scribbles decorated the chair.
Usagi started suddenly, thrown from her thoughts as a man's voice crooned out he beginning of a love song, echoed by a woman's. He had sung this song to her that day by The View. She couldn't look at the stage, in fear that it was him up on the stage. It was silly, she knew, because he didn't sing, publicly anyway. She looked around her into the crowd, trying to look at anything but the stage. Her eyes fell upon him, three rows behind her. Night sky met aquamarine. Usagi gasped and turned around quickly, knowing he saw her. God, he was the one she was trying not to look at, the one she was trying to avoid, the one she wanted, the one that broke her heart, the one that-
"No!" She burst out, and then blushed. Luckily the duo had just finished and thunderous applause was filling the fair grounds. Only Minako heard her.
"They were really good, weren't they?" She asked leaning over to her niece, misunderstanding why she had cried out. "But don't worry dear, I'm sure they'll do another piece."
Usagi turned to her aunt. "I have to get out of here," she said in a low voice. "I don't want to stay. Let's go."
Minako blinked. "But there's a lot more music-"
"Then you and Kunzite stay. I'll go get a cab." Usagi stood before the audience returned to their seats, eager to get away before people realized she was leaving and began to wonder why.
"No, we can leave," Minako said, also standing. "Kunzite..."
"All right..." was all he said, not really understanding why they were leaving, but going anyway because of Minako. Usagi watched as he helped Minako into the car. That was definitely love. Minako had once said to her after a night out with Kunzite, "Ain't love grand?" Usagi sighed and stared out the window. She would have probably agreed more whole-heartedly before she met Mamoru Chiba.