Title: Tears Under My Pillow
Author: aquaxeyes
Rating: T, but I drop the "F" bomb a lot in this one
Full Description: Typical story about cheating. Chiba Mamoru and Usagi are envied by every one of their friends for what looks like a match made in heaven. Little do they know that behind their blissful marriage is a disloyal husband and a bitter wife, one who's decided she's had enough.
Disclaimer: I own nothing but the story.


I would like to thank: svgurl410, rosebudjamie, serenity11287, Princess-Anime, Cloud9WithSugar, SailorEarth87, Lady Serpentina, Champion of Justice, anon, Ch3RrY-ChiHa, starangel07, Moonlight Usagi-chan, anokas2757, sousie, JJBrowneyes, LightningRose, karenwalker, blonde-gal, Kana07, Lucie, skye668, MayPenguin, lil miss child, Connie, kireisnowtenshi and MoonPrincess568 for your reviews on the last chapter. I can't keep track of how many times you leave reviews (I'm not used to counting that many haha), but I usually respond to reviewers who have an account on FanFiction. Thanks for the support!

Author's Notes: There was a tiny discrepancy that I tried to fix right after I posted the last chapter up, but in case you didn't see it, when Ami refers to Mamoru she calls him "Mamo-chan", like the woman Usagi almost walked in on with Mamoru said, because Ami is that woman (Which was a painful "duh!" for me. Can we say, schizophrenic?! Haha. Ahem. I'm.. actually a very sad individual.). Like I said, spotted it right after I posted it, tried to fix it before anyone read it, but within one minute I got thirteen hits, so..

Also, this chapter is going to suck. But I'm posting it in the hopes of working quickly and diligently on a redeeming fifth chapter.

If you have any other questions about storylines, etc. please ask in a review or message me if you have an account. I'm more than willing to respond to them. Thanks.


Part Four. Good Idea.


Usagi took a big whiff of the hot and homemade Dutch apple pie, paired with two scoops of vanilla ice cream and caramel drizzle and her her senses overloaded. Her stomach growled for the fourth time, indicating that if she didn't eat something soon, she would certainly attack that apple pie without a second's remorse.

"Umm, Usagi-chan?" a feminine voice asked from behind her.

"Hmm?" she responded, too enthralled by the dessert to look up.

Her friend and head chef, Kino Makoto, moved to stand in front of her, her arms crossed in a scolding fashion. "Get the hell away from that customer's dessert."

Usagi moaned. "Not fair, Mako-chan! I own this restaurant!"

Makoto shook her head, causing her brown waves to fall from her chef hat. "Yes, but the customers are the ones that keep us in business. If anyone saw the way you were about to drool on that.."

The blonde moaned again. "It looks incredibly good!"

Makoto beamed. "I did make it after all." Then her face took up a scornful look. "I already made lunch for you and Rei-chan, I'm not about to deal with another waiting customer again." Usagi hmph'd and pouted as she watched Makoto pick up the dish and set it on a passing waiter's tray, telling them which table number it was supposed to go to. She waited until the waiter was out of earshot and hissed, "You're fired, Mako-chan."

The brunette ignored her friend. "No, I'm not."

"Yes, you are!"

Makoto laughed, which only seemed to infuriate Usagi more. "No, I'm not. By the way, isn't that Rei-chan's car?"

Usagi turned and saw Rei's car pulled up at the front of her restaurant. She was instantly nervous. "Yeah. We're hanging out tonight." Which was the safest thing she could say, since she didn't know where they were actually going.

Her friend was aghast. "Really?"

The blonde looked miffed. "Are you intentionally trying to give me a hard time?"

"No, no," Makoto quickly said and laughed. "I just haven't heard you say you were going out in a long time."

Usagi just smiled and slung her purse over her shoulder. "I'll see you tomorrow, Mako-chan."

"Bye!"


Usagi sat back in the booth and stared across the table at Rei. They were finishing dinner up at a California-style soup and salad buffet and her dark-haired friend still wasn't coming around. She lifted a skeptical brow. "It's not a club?"

"Usagi!" Rei growled. "For the fifth time, no!"

The blonde made a noncommital sound. "I can't help it! You're creeping me out with the secrecy. Please don't tell me it's an adult store.. or a strip club.. or a speed-dating service--"

"Just calm down," Rei said, taking her own advice once she realized they were receiving a generous amount of attention. "Do I look like the kind of person that would do that to you?"

Usagi snorted. "You're setting me up for something great here."

Rei tossed a piece of hair over her shoulder with narrowed eyes. "The temptation to kick you in the shin is getting too strong to deny."

The blonde beamed at her friend proudly. "I have that effect on people."

Her friend just rolled her eyes. "Well, let's go. We were supposed to be there almost an hour ago, but nooo, you just had to have one more plate of food, three soups and dessert!"

Stopping herself from grumbling that she was still hungry, Usagi scooted out of the booth and followed Rei--who still looked amazingly fit since she only ate half a bowl of soup--out of the restaurant and back to her car.

"How far away is this place?" Usagi asked, getting the jitters again as she buckled herself in.

"Not too far."

"Am I underdressed? Overdressed, perhaps?"

Rei backed out of the parking lot and turned onto the street. "Over."

"Ha!" Usagi shot triumphantly. "A semi-decent answer!"

"Oh no," Rei said without enthusiasm, "You caught me. What ever shall I do?"

Usagi glared though she knew her friend was concentrating on the road. "Sarcasm is my forte, Rei-chan. It doesn't suit someone as happy as you."

They pulled up to a red traffic light and Rei turned to face her. "Promise me something," she said, her face completely stoic.

Usagi was taken aback. "Of course.. What?"

"No more sarcasm."

The blonde smiled bitterly. "That's like asking me to stop being unhappy because my husband's cheating on me."

"Hey," Rei snapped, "After tonight it's not going to matter if he's cheating on you or not."

Usagi shook her head. "I don't get what you mean."

The light turned green. Rei returned to watching traffic, but she continued. "Usagi, your happiness does not depend on Mamoru-san. You were happy before you met him, and you can be happy again, if only you learn how to be happy for yourself."

She said nothing more, which left Usagi to sit on her words for ten more minutes. She gave Rei's earlier question some thought. When was the last time she was really happy? There was the time Mamoru got promoted as chief neurosurgeon--no.. Well, how about the time Mamoru received an award for--Usagi shook her head. That didn't count either. Save for opening a restaurant in her father's honor, she couldn't think of a single time she was happy in the past eighteen months.

Rei was right. Since she got married Usagi based her happiness on Mamoru's successes and failures. She'd sacrificed a lot--she gave up her father, who was her only family, her home, her job, her time--so that she could fit in to Mamoru's world. And now that their marriage had spoiled like sour milk, she had nothing but her restaurant and Rei to fall back on.

"How are you such an expert at this?" Usagi asked.

Her friend laughed. "Dear, I'm a divorce attorney," she said with a toss of her hair. "I see all sorts of crazy things; domestic abuse, kidnapped kids, drug addicts.. The thing they all have in common is the one individual who can't stand up to his or her partner or stand up for themselves."

"What do they do to see the light?"

"They go where we're going," came the reply.

Finally, they reached their destination. Rei pulled into a parking lot behind a large building and parked the car. She got out of the car first. Curious, Usagi followed after her.

Strangely, the building was all brick. No windows to show light coming through, except for the glass double-door entrance. Above them was an illuminated sign that said, "Anytime Zen."

Usagi pondered the meaning of it as they walked in and inhaled sharply when she took the place in. Treadmills. Steppers. Exercise bikes. Ellipticals. Benches. Walls made of mirrors, reflecting twenty or so men and women who looked like models from the front covers of body building magazines. A gym. Rei had taken her to a gym.

Usagi didn't know if she should be insulted or not. It was no secret that she had gained fifteen pounds in six months. Her usually thin body had pockets of excess weight in places she never used to see, especially around her stomach. Staring at the women who walked around like the sex goddesses they were made her want to pull her shirt a little lower so they wouldn't see her pudge.

Oh, she definitely regretted eating the extra salad, soups and dessert now!

Before she could do anything remotely violent to Rei, a woman a little older than them approached and gave Usagi an award-winning smile. "Good evening, Hino-san," she greeted warmly, "I see you've brought a friend."

Rei nodded and nudged Usagi forward. "This is Chiba Usagi, my best friend," she introduced. "Usagi, this is--"

"Elsa Gray," the woman interrupted, "I'm American."

With her bright pink hair and dark tan, it was hard to believe otherwise. "Nice to meet you, Gray-san."

"Elsa is fine with me, and it is a pleasure to meet you as well," the pink-haired woman said. She clasped her hands in front of her and looked from Rei to Usagi. "I take it you're interested in looking around?"

Usagi snorted. "A forced interest, maybe. But since I am here, and in the midst of someone with better manners than Rei-chan, I wouldn't mind taking a look."

So Elsa gave her the grand tour of place with Rei in tow. To her surprise, the gym was rather large inside. There were two rooms full of machines, a fairly-sized pool with a small upper level for track, two basketball courts, two volleyball courts, and a room for racketball. By the time the three entered the last hallway she had been surprised and impressed ten times over. She started making a comment when she heard it. Music. Three songs going on at the same time.

Elsa caught on and suddenly said, "This in the dance hall. We offer a wide variety of lessons, from waltz to salsa to ballet. It's a great way to fit a different type of exercise in your weekly routine."

"Do either of you take dance classes here?" Usagi asked, looking expectantly at Elsa and Rei.

Elsa shook her head. "I'm strictly for track and conditioning."

"I tried," Rei replied, "but my footwork sucks and my hips don't move. I stick with racketball."

"Something violent," Usagi interpreted and snorted. "I didn't see that one coming."

They reached the last room. Salsa music was blasting. There were fifteen or so couples dancing in a circle to the count of a man in the middle. Usagi laughed as a few men got their toes stepped on and more women got jabbed in the face by an elbow. Frustrated with how slow his students were picking the steps up, the man in the middle of the circle called for a ten minute break.

Most of the people left to go to the water fountain or the bathroom, so Usagi, Rei and Elsa waited until they emptied out of the dance room and entered. Elsa introduced Usagi to the dance instructor, who immediately asked if she had any dancing experience.

"A little," she answered, and threw Rei a warning "shut up" glance that spoke volumes.

"I see," he said pompously, "Is that why you were laughing at my students earlier?"

Usagi bit her lip, trying not to smile at the thought. "I suppose it is."

"Well, my best student just walked in the door, so maybe you can demonstrate how the dance is supposed to be done," he said.

Usagi turned just in time to run into a brunette with dark chocolate eyes. He caught and steadied her, and then she recognized him. "Hamada-san!" she exclaimed.

Hamada Kiyoshi was one of the radiologists at the hospital Mamoru worked at. He took x-rays for all of Mamoru's clients and for the ER. Like Mamoru, he was one of the younger workers at the hospital. He was handsome and certainly financially stable, but to Usagi's knowledge he was still a bachelor. It sounded unfortunate, but every time she saw him at a fundraiser or other black tie event the sexiest supermodel of the month was hanging on his arm. Back in the present, she had to stop herself from grinning foolishly as he flashed her his perfect, pearly whites. "Chiba-san. What a pleasant surprise!"

"Wait, you know this.. Hamada-san?" Rei asked incredibly.

Usagi nodded. "He's one of the radiologists at Tokyo International." She then took the time to introduce her best friend and her husband's co-worker and repeated the process with Elsa.

"So what brings you here?" Kiyoshi asked, his attention back on Usagi.

"She," the dance instructor interjected, "was just about to show us her professional dance moves."

Kiyoshi lifted a skeptical albeit amused eyebrow. "What is she going to dance to?"

"She'll dance with you, following our routine."

Usagi kept her face neutral when Kiyoshi burst in to laughter. "Sensei, isn't that a little bit unfair? She did, after all, only see the routine. She can't have learned it all."

"It's okay, Hamada-san, your sensei has something to prove."

And with that, she stepped in front of Kiyoshi, placed her left hand on his shoulder with perfect posture and counted off. "Five, six.. Five, six, seven, eight." The rest of the counting was marked by their footsteps as they stepped from side to side. The only other sound was the rustling of clothes as they swished to a silent beat.

The salsa was, in general, a sensual dance, and both parties were no stranger to that fact. Keeping in time both Usagi and Kiyoshi swayed their hips, bringing them closer together than a fit glove. Kiyoshi gently pushed her away, and she circled him, her right hand never leaving his torso. When she faced him again, he took that hand and pulled her close. Usagi felt a thrill as Kiyoshi half-spun her once, twice, then spun her a full time and brought her back so they could dip simultaneously, her left leg temporarily wrapped around his waist.

Once they straightened, she stepped back, smiling at the instructor's shocked face. She tried not to sound to troubled, but she knew she had to have sounded bitter when she said, "I was a dance major before I got married."

The dance instructor took a step toward them, and with a stern face, he.. applauded. "Marvelous."

Usagi let out a breath and looked up at a beaming Kiyoshi. "Please tell me you'll sign up for classes," he said. "I need a partner and sensei needs hope."

The blonde laughed. "Rei-chan and Elsa-san have been trying to talk me into getting a membership," she pointed out. "Do dance classes come with that?"

"Yeah, but they meet at night only," Elsa answered. "If you wanted to meet with Hamada-san, however, the dance studio rooms are available at any other time of the day."

Rei looked elated. "Usagi, you could practice dancing again! Isn't that exciting?"

Usagi was excited, but she didn't want to show it. Of course she wanted to dance again, she had been progressing very well in her class when she met Mamoru. But that's just it; she met Mamoru, she married him, and she had to give that up. Mamoru didn't want a dancer for a wife, he'd rather a homemaker, a domesticated woman to play the part of his other half. And she was too in love to argue. She looked from Rei to Kiyoshi. "Oh, Rei-chan, I don't know.."

"Usagi-san," Kiyoshi said, "You don't have to be my partner if you don't want to. You don't even have to dance. Just do whatever makes you happy."

She stared into his brown eyes, stunned that he could say something so simple that could turn her world upside down. And just like that, she came to her decision. "Do you take cash or credit card?"


Once Usagi reached the driveway of her and Mamoru's three-story house and saw Mamoru's car, her mood turned somber. 'No.. fucking.. way..' Mamoru was actually home. Home before midnight. Home before her. He hadn't been home before her--and stayed there--in a year. Usagi bit her lip. 'Did he come home directly from work thinking I would be home?' She told him she'd be home at five as sort of a courtesy statement and figured he'd come home late again. Never in her wildest dreams did she expect him to come home on time. To her.

Apparently, she had been wrong.

Usagi shifted her car into park and turned it off. She hesitated, but left her car and slowly walked up to the door. She checked her watch nervously as she did so. Nine twenty-seven. After signing up for that club membership, Usagi returned to the dance hall and got acquainted with the rest of the class. Then she spent an hour and a half working on some new choreography with Kiyoshi. She didn't intend on staying there that long, but working with the radiologist resurrected a sense of purpose she had long forgotten. And so when she realized what time it was, she hastily broke away, promising to come back next week, and drove like a madwoman home.

Still, it had taken her a half hour to reach the house. 'If Mamoru-san came home from work, he's been waiting for three and a half hours.' Guilt swelled up, but she immediately quelled it by remembering last night. 'He's made me wait enough. I'm through with waiting.'

As tough as those thoughts sounded, she still climbed up the front porch steps with as much caution as a cat sneaking up on a mouse. She opened the screen door and slowly slid the key into the keyhole. 'God, what could be on the other side of this door..' Taking a breath for courage, she turned it and opened the door.

Nothing.

Mamoru wasn't waiting at the bottom of the stairs or anything.

Usagi wiped at the sweat around her neck--an accumalation of dancing with Kiyoshi and anxiety over the fact that her husband was home when she wasn't--and forced her heartbeat to slow down so she could climb up the stairs to their room. 'This is ridiculous!' she told herself. 'You live here, Usagi, so why are you afraid?'

Maybe she was scared that Mamoru had some bad news. Maybe he decided to come clean tonight. 'Or maybe.. maybe he just waited for you.. And you weren't here.'

Usagi told herself to shut up once that thought came to mind. There was no real reason to be scared, or guilty. Mamoru wasn't going to be upset. He was probably on his way out. 'Yeah, that's it. He probably came back for some change clothes.'

She swung the door to their room open and almost stumbled back. Mamoru was sitting on their bed, staring at her. And he had been waiting.


End Part Four.


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