Chocolate Fixes Everything
Chapter Four
Disclaimer: All right kids, if you answer this question correctly, you get a cookie! Does Riru-chan own Sailormoon or Gundam Wing?
Warnings: AU, OOC, Usagi-centric, semi-Rei-centric, love polygons, anti-Mamoru (very little bashing), profanity
Author's Note: Again, apologies for the patheticism of the previous chapter and the atrocious cliché-y-ness of the fic as a whole. I have planned a pleasant surprise for this chapter… well, pleasant for the readers, anyway. :evil grin: As of right now, the entire story has been planned (there will be eighteen chapters), and I'm starting plans for the sequel.
Usagi took a deep breath and stared at the quaint little house that had been sold as soon as it was up on the market. The papers in her hand rustled, reminding her of why she was here. She surveyed the house, remembering happier times when she and Mamoru would sit out on the swing on the front porch and watch the stars.
Had he been cheating on her then, too? Usagi bit her lip. No, she was certain this was a recent development, and that Mamoru had been completely sincere back then. Still, that didn't change the fact that he was a treacherous bastard and that Usagi was eagerly anticipating the look on his face when she told him he would have to leave the house within the week.
She began her trek up the hedge-lined path to the front door, smirking. She reached her destination and let herself in.
Mamoru was sitting on the sofa, watching TV. He looked up tiredly when Usagi entered, blinking.
"Where have you been Usako?" he asked, giving her a lazy smile. Usagi smiled back sweetly.
"Selling the house. You have until the end of the week to move out," she replied. Mamoru chuckled.
"Hey, Usako, your sense of humor's changed a bit. It's more sarcastic now, I like it," he said. Usagi's smile turned slightly wicked as she pulled on the aura she usually reserved for business dealings and errant employees: intimidating, omniscient, and downright scary.
"I'm not joking around Mamoru," Usagi placed the divorce papers on the coffee table. "Have these filled out as soon as you can. I suggest you find an apartment soon— I already have. Then again, I guess you could just move in with your girlfriend… Jun, was it? Unless she's married as well, in which case I don't think it would be a wise idea." Usagi turned and walked to the door to leave, but stopped in the threshold. "Oh, and don't worry about closing the bank accounts, I've already taken care of that."
Mamoru stared after her as she shut the door, and continued staring at the door for a full five minutes, stupefied. Suddenly, he came to his senses and snatched the papers from the coffee table, swearing as he read them over.
Usagi looked around at the boxes piled high in her new apartment. It was spacious, just the right size for a busy bachelorette with a lot of friends. She breathed deeply, inhaling the lemony-fresh scent typical of a recently cleaned room.
"Perfect," Usagi murmured to herself, drawing a chuckle as Rei entered the room behind her.
"I have to agree, I don't think you could get a better apartment if you built it yourself…" Rei said, trailing off. She then reflected on her words and smirked. "Then again, if you built it yourself—"
"Don't you dare finish that sentence," Usagi grumbled, shooting Rei a dark look. Rei snickered and opened a furniture box.
"I can't believe you did that to Mamoru…" she said, rolling her eyes. "It was so immature. What's he gonna do with no money?"
"I can't believe he cheated on me," Usagi snapped. "He can wander around the alleys looking like a hobo, for all I care." Minako and Ami arrived a moment later, Minako bearing two large pizzas and a six-pack of sodas
"How much do you think we're going to eat, Minako?" Rei said, gesturing to the pizza. "Do you want us all to get fat?" Minako and Rei began bickering, with Ami standing on the sidelines acting as referee. Usagi chuckled and continued to open the furniture box that Rei had started on.
Just like old times, Usagi thought ironically. All that's missing is Mako-chan. Usagi paused for a moment, and then sighed. She missed Makoto terribly. When Usagi had been ten, her parents had taken Mako in though a foster program. Since then, Mako had stayed by Usagi's side through thick and thin, hell and high water. She was Usagi's role model: tough and rough-talking, yet mature and poised; a jujutsu master and a brilliant ice skater; a tomboy through and through, but the perfect future housewife.
She had crushed on Motoki with Usagi, and played games at the arcade. She had comforted the odango-haired teen when her cat, Luna, ran away. Then Makoto had started military school while Usagi and Ami met Minako at Juuban High. Usagi had rarely seen her from that point on; immediately after she graduated from military school, Mako had gone to Paris to start her restaurant. (How she had made such a drastic transition from military life to cooking, Usagi could never comprehend.)
"Usagi, where do you want the plates and silverware?" Ami asked, drawing Usagi from her reverie and reminding the odango-haired young woman that she had an entire apartment to set up by nightfall.
"Just dump 'em in the kitchen," Usagi said. "Let's get started on the living room first… no! Minako, that's not for standing on!"
Prussian blue eyes scanned the manuscript, a small spark the only sign of the reader's amusement. Hiiro's lips curved into a small smirk. This next product would put Wing Corporations on the map. Again.
He placed the document on his coffee table and sauntered into his kitchen, pulling a bottle of white wine from the small wine cellar under the countertop and selecting a wine glass from one of the glass-front cabinets.
He poured the Chardonnay into the glass and took a sip.
Ah, the taste of victory.
Usagi struggled with the cardboard box, regretting now that she had sent the girls home without waiting for the final piece of furniture to arrive.
She thanked whoever was listening for elevators; it would have been hell on earth to struggle up the (what seemed like) thousands of flights of stairs with a box bigger than she was.
She peered around the box toward the end of the hall, where here apartment was. At last, the home stretch! She could almost relax…
Hiiro almost spat out the wine he had just sipped as a loud crash sounded from his hallway.
He set the wine glass on the counter and dashed to the front door of his apartment, flinging it open to see a young woman sprawled over the floor, a large box that she had apparently been trying to carry.
"Do you need help?" Hiiro asked after a moment, watching the poor young woman struggle to regain her footing and lift the box at the same time.
"Help…" she began, taking a deep breath, "…would be nice." Hiiro mentally rolled his eyes and lifted the box without any trouble. The young woman caught her breath and attempted to compose herself. "Thanks. Sorry, I'm just moving in, and this is the last box…" Hiiro simply nodded and the young woman smiled. "Would it be too much trouble to ask you to bring it inside?" Hiiro shrugged.
The young woman laughed and made her way down the hall, opening the door to the apartment opposite Hiiro's. "Not much of a talker, are you?" Hiiro followed her in, his eyes sweeping the slightly disorganized penthouse. He set down the box.
"Thank you so much!" the woman explained, smiling again. Her smiles made Hiiro a little nervous— who smiled that much? "I'm Usagi, by the way," she continued, "Tsukino Usagi."
Hiiro wondered if the universe hated him.
The kind young man who had helped her said nothing. Usagi frowned. "Uh… well. What's your name?"
"Yui Hiiro." Usagi stared for a moment, gaping.
Well, crap.
A/N: Whew. MAJOR writer's block on this one, I tell you. I planned the chapter too short, and it bugged me. Hence, it took a while.
Reviewers, my loves:
Moon Mage Goddess (No, the major plot is definitely cliché, but I've got a twist or two coming in later chapters. :secretive smirk:); Usagi Asia Maxwell (Heh, I never did like Mamoru. He won't been appearing again until maybe the next story. (Planning is still in the works!)); Aeden Hale (As you can see, I decided to focus less on revenge and more on Usagi's moving on with life. You can bet she's gonna forget Mamoru pretty quickly.); frosty; DuosBunnie; Kail Ceannai (If anything differs to much from real life, I'll pull the author's privileges card. :sweatdrop:); dreamfairy06; Concrete Tenshi; xxSilverWingsxx; kagie-chan; Katlin Grace; Angelight (Mou, I don't know much about business, nee? So all of your questions confused me. x-x In any case, just ignore my attempts to run this imaginary business thingie. Everything I say will be wrong. XD); CosmicBunny18; Ladee in Red; Silver Hawk Angel; Jewels15; i can't believe i'm alive; littleBUNNY92; Repori; GravityGoddessBlade (Hehe, good control you exhibit. :D); Sylverkaze; GemJewel; Name1; Alixa Elizabeth Hufflepuff; BlacKat; Blackrosebunny; Anya No Gin Hoshi; samisweet; Serena SilverMoon; serenity77; Phoenix Bakura (Ne, ne, you gotta share! XP); Raine of The Darkness Clan; Ivy Tearen; Tainted Spirit of Life; artemis (I don't know whether to be mad at your insults or appreciative that you read my story and like it enough to insult my lack of updating. As I said before, this chapter was a pain to write. I didn't like where it was going, it was too short, etc. etc… In any case, it made me not want to try, because I wasn't enjoying it. I love my reviewers, and yes I read every one. They're at least 50 of what makes me love writing, but the other 50 is my own enjoyment in it. If I'm not having fun, I act like the self-centered human being that I am and don't do it. Contrary to popular belief, I do have a life and do have better things to be doing. There is no law that says I have to finish this story. So don't insult me. You don't know me, what I do on a daily basis, and you definitely don't know how I feel about my reviewers. There are no words. I apologize for my preaching, especially if you did not mean your comment to be taken offensively.)