For the One I Love
Chapter Five
"Familiar Tales"
Usagi kept her eyes locked on the man she didn't know before her, his warm hand resting against her skin. For a second she felt the strange urge to fall into his arms and cry, but stopped herself. Shakily, she pushed herself away from him, "Excuse me," and ran away in a daze, forgetting he even called her name. Seiya turned around after her, stunned, watching her leave in tears.
"Dumpling?" Seiya picked himself up and tried to follow her through the throngs of people.
Something was wrong and he wanted to help, but wasn't sure how. He'd already done too much. He knew this was a new start and a new chance, but her not recognizing him at all felt daunting. He didn't know where to start.
People began to diminish in number as the city around him started to form into a residential area. He'd only lost sight of her a couple minutes ago as she turned the corner he was now approaching. Coming around it, he spotted her curled up in a red phone booth. The same red phone booth he had once so desperately tried to call her from. Her arms were wrapped around her knees, and her face was squashed against the foggy glass. As soon as Seiya made to move towards her, paper flyers suddenly came raining down out of nowhere, littering the ground with commercial snow.
"Otafuku Ya?" He picked up a flyer and read it aloud. Over to his side Usagi picked up the same one. Her puffy eyes scanned the writing on the paper and with it clutched in her hands, she stood up and headed back into town. From behind, Seiya followed her all the way until she stopped outside the doors of a cosmetic shop, with the words 'Otafuku Ya' written above.
"Shoot." Seiya side stepped behind another store's sign as a black cat with a gold crescent moon appeared from the alleyway and followed Usagi into the store. "I always forget about that cat."
He moved out from behind the sign and slipped into the store after them. There were shelves among shelves of cosmetic products, all he noticed with the same black marking on them, what seemed to be a mirrored crescent moon.
"Why do I have a bad feeling about this place?" He said as he touched one of the products on a shelf beside him. "This place is filled with negative energy, why doesn't Usagi sense it?" But Usagi was already up front talking to the lady at the counter.
"Ah, your poor face is covered in tears?" The lady at the counter leaned over and said. Usagi just stood there with her head slightly down.
"What?"
The sales lady reached down and grabbed a bunch of her products, placing them on the counter to show her and giving her directions on how to use them. Seiya heard Usagi stop the lady and say something, but he couldn't make out exactly what she said. He moved a little closer so he could hear better as they continued to talk.
"You're wrong!" Usagi yelled. "Mamoru isn't like that! You don't know anything about him. What are you a complete idiot?"
"What?" Seiya didn't have any idea what was going on, and why, why did she say his name?
"Never mind about the make-up!" Usagi turned to leave when the sales lady reached out and grabbed her wrist.
"Wait! Do you think you can just leave after saying all that?"
"What?" The sales lady tightened her grip around Usagi's wrist, pulling her harder towards her.
"Hey stop! What are you doing?" She screamed out.
"Hey!" Seiya said stepping forward a little. Other people in the store started to leave after watching the sales lady flip out and grab Usagi.
"Look what you've done, you chased away all my customers!" She growled.
"That's because you tried to force make-up on me!" She replied. "What, what are you doing?" Before his eyes, the sales lady had transformed into something evil.
"What the hell is that?" He said taken aback. The makeup stand fell to the floor and Usagi fell backwards, as Luna jumped into the monster's face.
"Usagi transform!" She yelled. Usagi pulled out a pink locket and shouted.
"Moon Crystal Power Make-up!" Standing right in front of him fully transformed was the fourteen-year old version of Sailor Moon. He knew Usagi had been Sailor Moon before he had arrived to Earth, but he never thought she had been Sailor Moon this young. He momentarily wondered how much she had been through without him.
Sailor Moon had tripped and fell onto the floor, leaving her cornered and defenseless against the approaching creature. "What is she doing?" Seiya thought. "Get up and attack her Dumpling!" But Sailor Moon just laid there, starring at the approaching monster. "Damn!" Seiya reached into his pocket to grab his transformation pen. This Sailor Moon seemed to not have as much battle experience like the one he knew.
Just as Seiya was about to transform, a red rose flew out from nowhere and stopped the monster from coming any closer to her. They both looked up at an open window, where Tuxedo Kamen was standing.
"Mamoru-san?" Seiya asked himself. He jumped down by a wide-eyed Sailor Moon and blocked an oncoming attack the creature had fired at him, sending it back and hitting her in the face, blinding her.
"Now Sailor Moon!" He yelled at her. Sailor Moon looked at him for a moment but then grabbed her wand.
"Moon Princess…Elimination!" She shouted. With swirls of colorful magic hitting it in the face, it was reduced to nothing more than a pile of dust on the floor. The make-up with the strange symbols on it also began melting off of the shelves and into dust as well.
Both Tuxedo Kamen and Sailor Moon stood there in silence before he started to walk away without saying a word. Sailor Moon blushed, and desperately followed after.
"Tuxedo Kamen!" She called out his name which made him stop. She caught up with him just outside of the doorway, the sun setting in the distance. Once she caught up with him, Sailor Moon stood there with her head down, her fingers playing with the hem of her skirt. Tuxedo Kamen waited for a second with his back turned to her before saying 'goodbye' and walking off.
"Wait!" Sailor Moon started walking after him again. "Tuxedo Kamen, you were lying when you said you didn't like me anymore right? Because you came to save me again!" Tears started to form in her eyes again.
"What?" Seiya moved closer to them, still trying to conceal himself. Had he just heard the right?
"That has nothing to do with this!" Tuxedo Kamen said coldly.
"Then, Mamo- Mamoru, can you tell me why you don't love my anymore?" Seiya was filled with mixed emotions. His heart wanted to reach out and pull Usagi into his arms at the sound of her muffled teary voice. Could Mamoru have broken up with her at some point in the past, and been so cold? The Mamoru he knew didn't seem capable of doing something so cruel, especially to her?
"I hate weak girls." Was his reply. Cold hatred ran up Seiya's spine. "Goodbye, Sailor Moon." And finally, he walked away. Sailor Moon made no move to go after him, except for trying to call him back, but it was useless.
Behind all the now empty shelves, Seiya sat on the cold tiled floor, leaning his head back with his eyes closed.
He didn't belong here; he knew he didn't belong here. He was never supposed to see what had just happened. Seiya was no fool; as much as he hated to admit it, there was probably a reason why Mamoru had left Usagi behind. He didn't know it for sure, but, with the possibility, was he still going to try and get close to Usagi? Or would that be taking advantage of the situation? Still, Seiya asked to come to a place in time where they were not together, and he had.
He slowly reached around his neck and pulled out the time key he had stolen from the small Dumpling. As he looked down at it, trying to take in everything at once, he suddenly felt extremely weak.
"Seiya…"
Usagi's voice called out his name. Through his blurring eyes, he looked back to where he had last seen Sailor Moon standing, but she was now gone.
"Seiya…"
He heard her voice calling his name again, and this time he smiled weakly.
"Funny, I dream of your voice calling my name even when I'm not asleep. I must be…going crazy…" Seiya closed his eyes and fell onto the floor unconscious.
Back in the present, all the Senshi had crowded around a fever high Usagi, who muttered Seiya's name in her sleep.