Author's note: Thank you so far for the reviews! I really very much appreciate it :) Just to warn you, the way I am writing this story is in memories and flashbacks. Please keep this in mind as you read because they will not be in chronological order. Everything links together in the end, promise.
Thank you hani-licious and witchhazelmoon for the follows! Thank you again witchhazelmoon, rubyalix, and TropicalRemix for the reviews as well!
*** There is cussing in this chapter.
Enjoy!
Two
"Usako, come over here. I want you to meet my coworkers," he called out to her with a smile.
She quickly stuffed a cocktail shrimp in her mouth and made her way through the small group, beer in hand. Damn, should have grabbed some chips too. They were tailgating at some college football event that she honestly had no interest in. Plus, she was freezing. She was bundled up with two pairs of leggings, a tank top, T-shirt, cardigan, peacoat, and scarf. She shouldn't be dressed like she was at home in San Francisco. She was in San Diego.
Usagi greeted the coworkers with whom she hadn't met yet with a warm smile and hand shake. She offered a polite, "Very nice to meet you," followed by, "I'm just here to visit for the New Year."
"This is Stella." Stella was tall, taller than her (which really wasn't that hard), slim, and not unpretty. She was dressed casually – jeans, T-shirt, hoodie. She had nice skin, a light smattering of freckles, and that fair skinned, chocolate-y hair colouring unique to those of Eurasian descent.
"Usagi, it's so nice to finally meet you. I've heard so much about you," Stella greeted warmly.
"Hi, Stella, nice to meet you too," she said, offering her the same routine as his previous coworkers. When she shook her hand she noticed the watch - a large quartz face, gold trim and hands, and a simple brown leather band. She gasped, "Look! I have the same watch! Mamo-chan just gave it to me for Christmas."
They held their wrists up together and looked. Indeed they were the exact same watch except hers had rose gold trim with a charcoal leather band. "I like this because it has a large face, and it isn't too feminine, but the band is feminine. It's not too girly, I think he did a really good job picking this out."
Stella grinned back, "Oh I love it too! I'm thinking about getting it in black!"
Suddenly Usagi whirled around, teasing him, "Mamo-chan! Is this why you got me this watch?"
He looked down at the two girls' wrists and rubbed a sheepish hand through his dark locks, "Hah! I didn't realize. Maybe subconsciously I remembered that Stella had it and that's why I thought you would like it."
Usagi made an unimpressed noise and dismissed him, turned back to Stella to get to know her and made small talk.
"Do you like her?" Mamoru asked. "She's my best friend at work."
Usagi snorted, "Who isn't your best friend at work?" He had this annoying habit of saying how this so and so was his favorite, and that so and so was his best friend. Really. Annoying.
"No, she's my real best friend. The other guys are just my friends."
"Hm. Yeah, okay. She seems nice."
He was really happy. Also really buzzed. "I really wanted you to meet her. I feel like you two would get along really well."
And they did. She talked with Stella and her boyfriend almost the entire game and really enjoyed their company. Mamoru bought both her and Stella hot chocolates, which kind of annoyed her but she didn't think anything of it. They were friends. At some point in the night, Mamoru was being overly affectionate and Usagi was getting irritated, but trying to be a good sport about it. She hated drunk Mamrou, he man-handled her too much, his gentle touches were gentle no longer, more rough. A stroke of her cheek always ended up being more of a smack, and a light caress of her chin ended up feeling more like she was being clawed. She looked sheepishly at Stella, embarrassed at getting caught being unpleasant, "He's really drunk. I'm really annoyed." She wasn't sure if it was her imagination or not, but Stella's smiling eyes suddenly seemed to lose their friendliness.
Towards the end of the game he disappeared for a while. Stella got up to look for him and brought him back, "made" him get a bottle of water. Something about the tone of her voice and look on her face didn't sit well with Usagi, but she brushed it off.
After the game, everyone met back up at Mamoru's cousin, Rei's place for drinking games and late night snacks. It wasn't until the second or third shot that Stella handed to Mamoru did she see it – a lingering hand sliding along her boyfriend's waist. Usagi froze. Her blood ran cold and her buzz vanished.
After that, she noticed everything. It didn't matter that it was clear Mamoru only had eyes for Usagi, all she could focus on was how another woman was touching her man. And the bumbling idiot was oblivious. And she was furious. Each touch seemed to last longer and longer, pulled him closer and closer. She could see the way Stella looked at him, and she was furious at the both of them. She heard them in the kitchen, heard him raise his voice angrily, "Will you just stop? You need to stop this now!" He looked over Stella's shoulder and made eye contact with her. Usagi quickly looked away, suddenly embarrassed and uncomfortable, feeling like an intruder.
Stella's advances grew more desperate, going as far as bringing her face inches away from Mamoru's. Usagi didn't know why she didn't do anything. She didn't know why no one noticed, let alone Stella's own boyfriend.
"Okay, I think Mamo-chan's had enough to drink. Come on Mamo-chan, you tired? Let's go to bed," Usagi went over to grab her boyfriend, to corral him to the guest bedroom, but Stella reached him first.
"Okay, I got him," Stella wrapped her arms around him and brought him to the room. Usagi didn't know what to do, so she watched helplessly. When they reached the room, Stella released him and sweetly said, "It's time for you to sleep, mmkay?" She pulled him in for a hug, held his face in her hands and stared into his eyes. Pinched his cheek. As he turned around she wrapped her arms around him from behind, stared at Usagi and leaned in towards his neck, as if to kiss it, then stopped as if realizing what she was doing and in front of who. Drunk bitch. Stella ushered him into the room, shoved him and giggled as he fell back on the bed.
That's it. "Goodnight!" And with a wide smile, Usagi shut the door in her face.
Mamoru's phone received a text message some time later and a speech bubble popped up.
"From Stella.
Hi. I'm sorry. I'm just crazy about you."
The world seemed to stop, her heart, her lungs, everything. Stopped.
Disbelief couldn't even begin to describe what she was feeling. Neither could anger. Or fury. Or fear. Usagi trembled with this mess of emotions and opened his chat box. Immediate guilt ensued – she was breaking a vow she made to herself years ago – never to go through a significant other's personal objects. But something wasn't right and she needed to know. The drunk fool was out, snoring like a bear with no intention of waking, or being woken up. Stella touched Mamoru as if she'd done it before.
The texts were even worse than she thought. The words blurred together, everything was a jumbled mess in her head.
I'm crazy about you.
The feeling is mutual.
Turn that frown upside down. That's my girl.
I can keep my distance, I feel like I'm causing a lot of chaos in your life right now.
No don't do that, I'm beginning to think I want the opposite…
Are you awake? My head's all over the place.
And this went on and on and on for a month. They'd been on dates, shared literally every aspect of their lives with each other. Texted first thing in the morning, last person at night. Picture messages, encouraging words. It was like he had another girlfriend. She immediately pushed that thought away.
That last text was sent while Usagi was laying in his bed, early that morning. That last text was sent after a night of fucking his girlfriend.
The betrayal just kept cutting deeper, and deeper. And she felt used. And dirty. And suddenly, very ugly.
Her entire world fell apart, everything she believed she had with Mamoru was suddenly gone. Her body shook violently and she could no longer breathe. Her heart had been ripped out of her chest.
How could this have happened? How could he have let this happen? What did she do wrong?
How could she have been so stupid?
How could she have been so blind?
She put down his phone and hit him. "Mamoru, wake up."
When she didn't get a response she hit him again. Harder. And harder. "Mamoru, what's my name. Say my name."
"I love you, baby."
"No, not baby. What is my name?" She pinched him.
"Ow, babe. Why? Yes I love you." Words slurring together. Usagi knew she was being stupid to wake him up like this. She knew it wouldn't go anywhere with him being this drunk. But she couldn't help herself. "Get up. Get off this bed. You're sleeping on the floor."
She was crying now, shoving at him. Trying to roll him off the bed. "Stop, babe, why are you doing this?"
"God damnit, Mamoru! Say my fucking name. Right now. RIGHT NOW. I can't be near you, get UP."
He lifted his head looked at her and said, "I love you babe. Usa, I love you." And then he was out again.
She wasn't satisfied with that. She didn't believe him. Never in her entire life did she imagine he would ever betray her like this. They belonged together. He was her one, her person, her other half, her soul mate. Chibi-usa. She did not die after every incarnation for no reason. She was not reborn to have her heart broken so viciously like this. Destiny brought them together; it was their fate to rule the world.
Or was it their fate to forever be star-crossed? For him to be taken away from her time and time again? Doubt clouded her mind, and she did not like it one bit. Usagi doubted many things, and to suddenly have doubt about her and her Mamo-chan... It was unfathomable.
How could he do this to her?
After hours of crying and going through his entire chat with Stella, Usagi made up her mind.
She was leaving him.
Yikes? All feedback welcome!
P.S. As you can probably tell, this is more of an alternate universe, something I didn't plan on at all. I was going to have this story take place in America and Japan, but changed my mind and decided to base it in California.
P.P.S. (is that how that goes?) I chose the Japanese names to use because I just like them better. I think Usagi has more innocence than Serena does, and with the way I have this planned out… well she is just more of an Usagi than a Serena. Plus, I like how with Japanese, you can see a person's relationship with another person in the way they are addressed. A subtle change from Mamo-chan to Mamoru shows a lot in the change in the relationship. I don't think this same effect can be achieved by using the American names.
P.P.S.S. (?) THANK YOU FOR READING! Author notes will not be this long in future. Pinkie promise.
