Welcome back to another chapter of Office Blossomings. I can only apologise for the THREE months since I updated. I have very little excuse, but my work has me in a position where I am there and my only free time is used to act as guardian for my nephew due to unforeseen circumstances. I will be honest I have completely deviated from my original plan, so I am literally following a skeleton plan here and am trying to find my way back on track. I hope you have all enjoyed this so far however! I know I have enjoyed writing it.
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Mamoru spent the following days tense and unsure of himself, completely unsure if Usagi had heard his confession. He had once had a reputation for being the man that woman wanted to be with and having new ones hanging off of his arm on a weekly basis. That man however was a front to hide his inner turmoil and a mere distraction from his wandering thoughts. Since he had developed a relationship with Usagi over the months that she had joined the company, he found his attention completely on her and his desire to run away from his thoughts less. It was a culmination of events that led him to a build up of his emotions, a tidal wave just for the petite blonde, and the relief to finally say out loud how he felt was immense. However he wasn't quite ready for Usagi to know how he felt, even if he had told her. With days left till they left for the Christmas party and the confrontation of Diamond Kurotsuki and his family, they were able to see each other less and less with the building levels of work. He seemed to never be out of a meeting, but relished in the time that he was able to monopolise Usagi's attention whenever she was around. Whether it was her bringing coffee for him and his guests or the rare break they managed to sneak together, it all brought a smile to his face. More tension left his frame as he stood with her now making coffee as she was still showing no knowledge of the confession, though the sly smiles that she sent his way would always warm his heart as well as send a streak of tension through his shoulders.
"Not long now..." Usagi sighed, leaning her hip against the table as she waited for the coffee. She had been working all hours finishing everything and pulling it all together. Nephrite had pulled all that he could to get the venue, and what a venue it was. An old western styled mansion which stood in many acres of private land, the whole thing had been rented for a few days thanks to the money pool from the three key companies hosting the event. Not all staff could stay the night there, but the option was available to those who wished it. The remaining room numbers were released and divvied between companies once all of the key management had RSVP'd and confirmed their stay. They were now just waiting on the remaining last details to be finalised.
"Indeed, what time do we need to be there by?" Mamoru said, his tall frame leaning in the doorway as he observed Usagi and noting the effects of stress on her.
"Noon at the latest, Kunzite and Mina are going to be travelling with us. Zoicite and Ami will meet us there a little later, but Setsuna will be there on time. Nephrite won't be there till later at night, he has offered to cook for us all that night. Jadeite can arrive till the day of the event because of complications with his company and he can't get away but he will try. Anyone else that I might be missing that you can think of?" Usagi said, ticking people off on her fingers.
"Think that is all the key players... Wait what about Makoto?" Mamoru said with a shake of his head.
"Oh... She will arrive with Nephrite..." Usagi said, suddenly turning away from her boss and 'busying' herself with the mugs not in front of her fidgeting hands.
"Oh? And why is that then?" Mamoru asked, moving swiftly further into the room and sinking into a chair.
"No reason... Nothing to worry about really..." Usagi threw over her shoulders, avoiding eye contact.
"I wasn't worried..." Mamoru countered, relaxing further into the seat. "More curious why my employee is arriving with the caterer." He smirked. Heaving a huge sigh, Usagi turned to face Mamoru with a blush dusting her cheeks.
"They seem to have hit it off... Rather quickly too..." She said, bringing a thumb to her mouth to chew on. When she noticed Mamoru's quirked eyebrow she continued speaking. "Let's just say that I caught them in a compromising position and leave it there." She said curtly, her cheeks going from a rosy pink to a fiery red colour. Relieved that the coffee machine was finally finished she set about making two cups.
"Oh that I can believe..." Mamoru muttered, an amused smile plastered across his face. "So it's finally going to happen. Let's hope that everything goes to plan..." Mamoru said, loud enough for Usagi to hear.
"Well now that I have you here mumbling to yourself. Are you going to tell me what the huge announcement at the evening will be about?" She asked, handing a steaming mug the the raven haired man.
"Nope, that is a surprise to for everyone except those that it involves." He said "Though it technically involves everyone..." He added on thoughtfully.
"Oh really? So can I find out now?" She asked teasingly, when Mamoru shook his head she broke out into laughter. "Well I'll find out sooner or later, preferably sooner." She said, taking a long and savouring sip of much needed coffee. The pair settled into a comfortable silence, enjoying their coffee, but it was soon interrupted when Usagi's phone began vibrating on the table. She picked it up and her face paled immediately when she looked at the display. "I'll be right back..." She said and hurried out of the room to answer the call.
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It had been hours since Usagi had disappeared from the room taking a phone call, Mamoru wanted to go after her but unfortunately he had other things that had to take prority. His mind never strayed far from the blonde, and a a result struggled with concentrating.
"You can't keep zoning out man." Jadeite's voice broke through his daze, drawing Mamoru's attention.
"I know, I can't help it. There was something wrong with Usagi today... Something I don't trust about that phone call she received." He said, his brows scrunching together. Jadeites merely quirked an eyebrow, waiting for the black haired man to elaborate. "Normally she doesn't have qualms about answering her calls around me, or she will tell me who it was. Today she looked shocked at the caller ID, she couldn't get away quick enough." Mamoru sighed and covered his face with his hands. "Maybe I am just getting paranoid, we are days away."
"Maybe you are, but maybe you are onto something. When had your intuition ever lead you astray?" The blonde man reasoned, his posture relatively relaxed.
"I know, but this is Usagi... I can't imagine why she would betray us... betray me." Mamoru said in defeat just as there was a timid knock at the door.
"Mamoru?" Mina asked as she poked her head round the door.
"Mina? What do I owe this pleasure?" Mamoru said, composing his business face.
"Oh, I was just wondering if you knew where Usa was... Also Kunzite is here." She said, a light smile on her face, but Mamoru lost his composure and glanced to his male companion.
"She isn't in her office?" Mamoru asked, shock plain across his features.
"Nope, her stuff is there but I can't find her..." Mina said, frowning as she picked up on Mamoru's worry.
"Oh... Well send Kunzite in and then give her a phone will you?" Mamoru asked, trying to calm the niggling in his gut telling him something was wrong. With a slight nod, Mina left the doorway and was replaced with Kunzite who quickly sat down next to Jadeite.
"Usagi is missing?" Kunzite asked, his eyebrows rose.
"Not missing, just not here..." Mamoru said, trying to push the niggling to the side. "So today..."
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"Come on Usa... Pick up... Pick up... Pick up..." Mina muttered as she held her phone to her ear for the umteenth time trying to get through to her roommate.
"Welcome to NTT docomo answer service the number you are trying to reach is currently unavailable..." She hung up not bothering to leave a message again.
"Damn it Usa!" She exclaimed, throwing her arms in the air in exasperation.
"...No... Yes but-... I know-... Yes but list-... Okay... Okay... Yes I will... Okay... Bye." Floated Usagi's quiet voice as she stalked down the corridor to her office once more. Mina quickly moved to lean against the door frame to face her as to where the hell she had been for the past half hour and why she couldn't contact her on the phone.
"Nice of you to finally show up..." Mina said coldly, her blue eyes icy. Startled, Usagi's eyes jumped from the phone in her hand to the blonde standing before her blocking the way to her own office.
"Mina...? I'm... I'm sorry, must have lost track of time. Let's get started shall we?" Usagi said, her face bunching into a frown and her mind still obviously on the phone call.
"I'll bet." Mina said turning and taking a seat at Usagi's desk. When Usagi finally took her own seat, Mina launched into her interrogation. "So are you going to tell me what that was about?! You are half a damned hour late, this is unlike you Usa... I love you but I won't let you fuck this up." Usagi gaped at her blonde friend, never had she ever imagined Mina talking to her like that. Then she realised she had two options, lie to her best friend or tell her the whole truth. And she really didn't want to do the former.
"Well... This is gonna be a long story Mina..." Usagi began, clasping her hands together tightly. "That was Diamond's assistant, about tomorrow." Usagi said, pausing to judge Mina's facial expression but it was curiously blank. "She was making arrangements for their arrival, but she was trying to get more information on the meeting which has been set up between Diamond, Mamoru and Kunzite. She tried to pry information about it from me, using the whole 'We want to be prepared'. I told her that I had no information and that I couldn't help her, so she tried to get to Mamoru... I don't know why it mattered so much that I tell her there and then but it seemed like it was pretty urgent, so I glossed over how I thought it was an extension of an olive branch between the companies but apart from that I had no idea." Usagi explained, telling the truth but struggling to tell the full truth to her blonde friend.
"And that made you run off from Mamoru? Stopped you taking the call in front of him? And made you a half hour late? Even after taking the call a few hours ago? I'm not buying it." Mina said, moving to rest her elbows on Usagi's desk, her head resting on her hands.
"Mina... I don't know what else I can tell you. It was Emerald from Moon LTD asking for more information about tomorrow." Usagi said exasperated. She wanted to drop the subject, but Mina was not letting go.
"And how the fuck does she even have your mobile number in the first place? Plus a conversation like that doesn't take almost 3 fucking hours!" Mina said, her eyes blazing with fury, though her body language gave none of it away.
"Mina... Please... Just drop it. I promise you right now that it was a call that lasted far too long. I am sorry, but can we please just move on?" Usagi begged, refusing to wilt under her friends gaze.
"No... You will tell me what is going on! We don't keep secrets... We are not starting now!" Mina demanded, straightening her spine.
"But... Please... Mina, please, do not involve yourself in this." Usagi pleaded, her walls crumbling and the truth poking out ready to be told.
"Too late, tell me." Mina said, relaxing back on the chair, folding her arms across her chest.
"Well..." Usagi began to tell Mina the true extent of the phone call that lasted hours.
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The tension in the car between Mamoru, Kunzite, Mina and Usagi was unbearable. The two blonde woman couldn't wait to dash from the car, and when they got the chance they did, both dodging their respective partners and employers. Grabbing Usagi's arm none too gently, Mina dragged her companion to a room reserved for them.
"I can't keep this from him Usa... This is killing me. Tell me that this isn't going to be quiet for long." Mina practically begged, tears shining unshed from her eyes. It broke Usagi's heart to see her friend so torn.
"This is why I didn't want to tell you... But you will be pleased to know that it will be open as of tonight... Just... Just don't hate me anymore than you already do..." Usagi said, turning her back on her long time friend and confidant. "I know you have lost all trust in me, just don't let me feel your hate too..." Usagi said, hugging herself and holding back a heartbreaking sob.
"Usa... I'll never hate you, I still trust you. I just hope you know what you are doing. I am worried about you, worried about this plan." Mina confided, hugging Usagi her arms covering her friends. "Everything will work out, and I will support you... I just wish you had told me sooner."
"I know, I wish I had too... I love you Mina, I am completely undeserving of you are a friend." Usagi said, turning in her friends arms to bury her face into Mina's hair.
"No, you completely deserve my friendship, I love you too." Mina said, holding Usagi tighter. The pair broke apart and hurriedly brushed the tears from their cheeks and tried to pull themselves together. Mina moved to the door to open it a crack only to have it forced open and moved to the side.
"Usagi you are coming with me. Now." Mamoru said abruptly, striding into the room and grabbing her by the elbow. Steering her out of the room, she was in too much shock to fight back, with a helpless look shared between Mina and Usagi, Kunzite swooped in and captured Mina.
Dragged unceremoniously into a room, Usagi landed on the soft leather sofa with the grace of a swan running on land. Her eyes turned venomously onto Mamoru, only to be met with his own murderous gaze. Her instincts told her to recoil in horror and beg for mercy, but the stubborn voice in her head told her to stand her ground.
"What the fuck?" Were the only words, his tone as icy as his eyes. A shiver crept its way through Usagi's body, her skin covered in goosebumps and her voice stuck in her throat. Dragging a shivering breath she tried to speak, but once again it stuck. "I am waiting. My PA disappears with no explanation, a mysterious phone call and her best friend drags her off and I find them both distressed and close to or on the back of tears. Just fucking tell me Usagi." He turned away from her trembling body unable to bear seeing her to so utterly distressed.
"I... I can't..." She whispered her voice barely audible. "I'm sorry..." She tried to flee the room, but Mamoru grabbed her arm and spun her to face him. Before she had registered that she had turned direction, he had crushed her body to his and his lips were on her own.
"I need to know, you have been driving me crazy woman." He muttered against her lips, his heart racing against both his and Usagi's ribs.
"I can't tell you love. Not right now..." She whispered and pulled away, darting through the door only to lose herself in the long and winding corridors. Mamoru stood still, stunned by the brokenness of her voice, but his brain registered one thing, 'not right now'. This meant later, which meant she needed time. Time that he didn't have with the night ahead of him which will make or break everything he and Kunzite had planned. His heart budded with hope, but it was shadowed with fear for the woman that he had so completely fallen for. His deepest wish was they had made amends long before the plan was enacted, otherwise he may lose her permanently. His greatest fear.
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Standing in front of four separate mirrors stood four people whose lives were about to change. For better or for worse was yet to be seen, two had no idea of the knowledge of the other pair and yet they all had the same hope: they the trust and relationship would survive the night. There was no guarantee; Mina looked to Usagi who shared the apprehension. Mamoru turned to Kunzite, who clapped his shoulder reassuringly. Tonight was make or break... and none knew if they would be made or broken. Only the following hours would tell.
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Well I can only truly apologise. It has been a hellish past few months for me, and as such have had no time to me let alone to allow myself time to write. I hope this chapter (although it is mostly a filler chapter to set the scene) has met your expectations. I would love to hear a little feedback on this story so reviews and PM's are always appreciated. With the bringing of summer, I have even less time for myself though my hubby-to-be has Graduated! (today in fact) SO I have been busy with those preparations, but no longer. I wish all those graduating, whether it is high school, college or university all the best in their chosen fields and may the future be kinder to you than it has me. Thought as the saying goes: "That which does not kill us makes us stronger." - Friedrich Nietzsche.
Hopefully get the next chapter out ASAP
ACL out~