Okay and we're back! I'm in a super bouncy mood. Waaaaay too much Cardcaptor Sakura for me. But I love it so much! Catch you catch you, catch me catch me!!! I totally swear I'm done. (Nice to meet you, good to see you…)
Disclaimer: I don't own Sailor Moon. I keep trying for it.
Warnings: Angst. And my favorite senshi!
Will Usagi return Seiya's feelings, much to all the Seiya+Usagi fans' delight? Will Mamoru win fair maiden's heart? Will Rei's interference be just what the doctor ordered? What was with the mysterious lady? Will all the fans guess who she is partly because there's just not that many mysterious women that go around talking about the timeline? Will these questions have a point? Just reach out and…
Close Your Eyes
Chapter Three
"The timeline?!" A young girl of fourteen leaned forward so fast that she spilt some of her tea. She sheepishly began to wipe it up with a napkin, before adjusting a large pair of glasses.
"If this continues, fate may not work itself out…" The woman hesitated. "It did not foresee this Kou Seiya."
"Well, maybe it hasn't right this second but if you give it some time, it'll work itself in." The dark-haired girl tried to remain upbeat about it.
"No…it's one of those times…" The woman looked a little troubled. "That I must interfere…"
"Well, you know that I will help you in any way I can." The dark-haired girl reminded her of the promise that she had made before they had left on this trip.
"Yes, I do." The woman smiled fondly at the girl across the table from her. "If only Seiya wasn't in love with Usagi…if only he was distracted somehow…" A gleam appeared in her eyes that the other one apparently did not like at all.
"Um…it sounds like it's over my head." The girl got up from the table. "I think I'll go to the library for a little while."
"Hotaru." She said in such a way that the dark-haired girl knew what she was thinking. She whirled around quickly.
"No, I already know what you're going to say, Setsuna." Tomoe Hotaru tried to remain firm.
"Then I don't have to explain and you understand completely." Meioh Setsuna raised her eyebrows.
"I can't…no…no…" Hotaru shook her head, hoping with all her might that Setsuna was just going to change her mind. Tell her to go have fun; Setsuna would take care of everything. Setsuna was the Keeper of Time, it was really her job.
But then, Setsuna had done so much for her. In the previous life, before she had died, Hotaru asked Setsuna to look for her reincarnation very carefully and that when she was reborn, she wanted to go live with Setsuna at the Gates of Time. Setsuna was like a mother and a sister all rolled into one for Hotaru during this lifetime.
"You said you would help on this trip any way that you could." Setsuna reminded her of what she had said not more then five seconds ago.
"Couldn't you do it?" Hotaru pleaded.
"I'm much too old to attract Seiya's attention." Setsuna was very old, considering she hadn't died back in the time of the Moon Kingdom. She had the appearance of someone who was twenty-five. "But you're just right."
"Just right?" Hotaru glanced at herself in one of the mirrors in the living room. She had almost to her shoulders black hair and huge lavender eyes which were magnified by her large glasses that she really only needed to wear for reading. She didn't think of herself as an attractive young lady. "But…Setsuna…" She searched for some last argument. "I…" And then she whispered the next part so quietly that Setsuna couldn't hear it.
"What?" Setsuna leaned in a little more. Hotaru's face pinked considerably.
"I don't know how to talk to boys." Hotaru repeated herself more audibly this time.
"There's no time like the present to start trying." Setsuna smiled again. "Besides, it really isn't that hard."
"Can I go to the library now?" Hotaru sighed, utterly defeated.
"So you agree then?" Setsuna didn't look smug or anything. She just wanted to confirm.
"I'll do it." Hotaru felt like sinking into a puddle, somehow, she had a feeling that this was going to be a whole lot harder then Setsuna made it sound.
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"Okay…I feel weird." Mamoru told Rei as they hid around the corner in an alley. Rei kept peeking around the corner, obviously waiting for something. "What exactly are we doing?"
"Just wait for it." Rei rolled her eyes and walked around Mamoru so that she was on his other side. "Now, listen, if you just trust me, you'll have a chance to spend time with Usagi today."
"How so?" Mamoru cocked his head to one side. Rei grinned and then shoved him with all his might so he fell backwards out into the open. Right in the path of a certain blonde-haired girl.
"Oh, gomen." Usagi looked up at him and then blinked in surprise. "Mamoru-san!"
"Um, hey." Mamoru glared at the alley but saw that Rei was no longer there.
Gee, Rei thanks.
"Konnichiwa." Usagi smiled. "What are you doing?"
"Not really anything." Mamoru was still cursing Rei. "And you?"
"I was thinking about going to the arcade but I don't know." Usagi told him. Then they stood there for a few moments in silence as they had run out of things to say for the moment. Mamoru tried to think fast. Rei would probably be pissed if he didn't take advantage of the opportunity even she had set the whole thing up.
"Would you like to go get a milkshake?" Mamoru asked her. "My treat."
"Really?" Usagi's eyes shone brightly and Mamoru knew he had done at least this right. "Okay!"
And with that, the two walked towards the arcade.
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"I was thinking we'd go to a few more museums, for Yaten." Taiki told the other two as the bus stopped. It wasn't their stop but Seiya suddenly saw something out the window and took off.
"What the hell was that about?" Yaten asked Taiki.
"No idea, but he left his coat." Taiki pointed out.
"He's not worth this." Yaten grabbed the coat and also left the bus. Taiki sighed.
"So much for museums." Taiki watched out the window as Yaten tried to get through the crowd and follow Seiya. "Good luck."
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Well, it can't be helped Hotaru. You just have to do this one thing. Maybe it's not really that hard, you've just never tried it before.
Hotaru sighed as she kept on walking through the crowd trying to get to the library. It was Saturday and the streets seemed pretty crowded. Her agoraphobia was not helping at all. She supposed it was because she had lived at the Gates of Time all her life with Setsuna, they just didn't have much in the way of crowds there.
"Omph!" She let out as someone ran straight into her. The person stopped immediately.
"Are you okay?" A male voice asked and Hotaru looked up to see that it was Kou Seiya.
Of all the people…
"I-I'm fine." Hotaru looked down at her feet and turned a shade of red.
"I'm really sorry about that." Seiya apologized. "What's your name?"
Hotaru looked up briefly and found she couldn't say anything. She kept choking on her words. She couldn't one single word and she knew she was supposed to. She knew Setsuna would be mad if she knew.
But it's hard.
"Well…" Seiya looked uncomfortable. "I really must run." And then he dashed off into the crowd. Hotaru stood there; starting to shake when yet another person collided with her.
"Seiya!" Another male voice called out. "Dammit Seiya!" Hotaru saw that it was yet another one of the Kou brothers or cousins or whatever it was that they were. Setsuna had not really explained that to her. His bright green eyes focused on her. "Sorry."
"I-I…" Hotaru tried to say something. Anything. Why did she have to be so stupid? Why couldn't she do this one thing for Setsuna after all the nice things Setsuna had done for her.
"What's your name?" There was a tone of demanding in the silver-haired young man's voice.
"T-T…" Hotaru tried hard. She couldn't help it. Why couldn't she do anything? She was just so useless! And there were people all around and Setsuna wasn't there. She started crying. The green-eyed boy looked perplexed by this reaction.
"I didn't hit you that hard did I?" He asked looking around in a near panic.
"N-no." Hotaru tried to wipe away her tears. She was being a baby.
"Then what are you crying for?" He questioned. "Girls look ugly when they cry."
"Sorry." Hotaru shook her head. "I'm…Tomoe Hotaru."
"Kou Yaten." The man offered a hand and shyly she shook it. "Tomoe Hotaru? I'll remember you. It's hard to forget someone who just starts crying like that."
"Gomen." Hotaru adjusted her glasses.
"Did you see an idiot?" Yaten asked her. "Dark-haired, moronic expression on his face?" Hotaru giggled.
"Yes, he went that way." Hotaru pointed and the silver-haired man ran off in that direction. She shook her head.
I'll remember you…
He was kind of strange. But in a good way.
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"Hey Motoki-kun!" Usagi greeted the blonde-haired boy who looked up and his jaw nearly dropped to the floor upon seeing Usagi and Mamoru together.
"Wait, wait, before you say anything else, I gotta go call hell and check on the temperature." Motoki started to go towards the phone.
"Oh haha." Mamoru gave him an annoyed look.
"You guys are on a date? I was wondering when Mamoru was going to finally ask you out, he's liked you for ages." Motoki shook his head.
"We aren't on a date!" Mamoru and Usagi protested together, both going red in the face.
"Uh huh." Motoki gave them a disbelieving look. "Just decided to go on a friendly visit to your friend Motoki this afternoon, huh?"
"Mamoru wanted to know if I wanted to get milkshakes." Usagi supplied.
"Oh, Mamoru wanted to know if you wanted to get milkshakes, huh?" Motoki wiggled his eyebrows. "Well then, that's completely different."
"I'm going to come over that counter and smack you if you don't get making with the milkshakes." Mamoru glared.
"Okay, calm down tiger." Motoki laughed. "Usagi, you want chocolate-strawberry right?"
"Yep!" Usagi nodded happily.
"And Mamoru…what'll you have?" Motoki asked. "I don't think you've ever gotten a milkshake here."
"I guess I'll just get what Usagi-san is getting." Mamoru murmured moodily. Stupid Motoki and his shooting his mouth off.
"Usagi-chan!" Usagi turned around to see Seiya. She blushed a little as she remembered the previous day and the kiss that had taken place.
"Hi Seiya-kun." Usagi didn't notice Mamoru gritting his teeth. "You look a little warm." She gestured to her own face to show that Seiya's own face looked flushed.
"Yeah, I'm a little warm." Seiya tried to shrug it off. "So…what are you doing here?"
"Getting milkshakes with Mamoru-san." Usagi answered.
"Oh." Seiya glared at Mamoru quickly. Mamoru wasn't exactly smiling in return. Motoki swore that if one fistfight broke out, they would both be kicked out for life. His dad would kill him if any damage was done to the place.
"Here's the milkshakes." Motoki put straws in both cups. "Pay up Mamoru."
"You make it sound like I never do." Mamoru rolled his eyes and handed him the money.
Seiya went to make some snide comment but was cut off when his jacket hit him in the face.
"Here!" Yaten's angry voice told him. Seiya picked the coat off his own head. "Next time you're gonna run off like some loony, at least take your coat with you."
"Why Yaten, it almost sounds like you care." Seiya shot back acidly.
"I don't." Yaten folded his arms. "Taiki made me."
"I forgot about you and Taiki's secret relationship." Seiya snickered.
"We do not have a secret relationship." Yaten glared. "You're just mad 'cause Kakyuu—"
"Shut up!" Seiya told him fiercely before Yaten could go on. "Just shut up about her."
"Whatever." Yaten shrugged as though it wasn't his problem. Seiya turned back towards Usagi but she seemed very into the conversation she was having with Motoki and Mamoru.
For today…I'll accept defeat.
But just wait…Usagi is going to fall in love with me…
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Okay, you know what sucks? I've got like eleven chapters of this story but see this chapter and the next one got deleted in a freak accident. As I suck at re-typing things, it's been awhile. I swear right after this I'm gonna start the next chapter. I hope you guys like this one. I love Hotaru and Setsuna, so DUH they're in the story. Geez. I love you guys with your reviewing ways. And Teresa, if Yaten HAD been there when Seiya met Usagi, it would have been a whole different scene and so he was barred from being there. But just for kicks:
**Seiya meeting Usagi with Yaten there**
Seiya: It must be my lucky day.
Yaten: You got hooked on phonics?
Seiya: **Trying to ignore Yaten** I said it must be my lucky day, running into a beautiful girl like this.
Yaten: Congratulations, you're a klutz.
Seiya: **taking Usagi's hands** It would be a shame to run into a pretty girl and not get her name.
Yaten: So you can stalk her?
Seiya: SHUT UP!!! **tackles Yaten and a mad SD brawl begins**
Taiki: **To Usagi** I'm really sorry about this, Yaten has the emotional range of a teaspoon.
The end!