Hello all,
I hope you've had a great Thursday so far. And if you're day has already ended, salute to you for hanging in there one more day:)
Since I'm in a little bit of a hurry today, I'll just go straight to the reviews. But as always, I want to thank every one of you for giving me the chance to tell you this story.
SailorGuardian314: So I'm updating this chapter on a Thursday, and I still hope you find it amazing:) Cheers.
Laurelya: Voici le nouveau chapitre mon ami:)
DarkenedHrt101: I love how you don't have any self-control when it comes to this story (evil laughter)And I see you have kept your word on putting up cliffhangers on your stories. What is up with that? I'm not happy at all:D:D So here you go. Another cliffhanger, just for you;)
SerenitySweety: I get what you say about their past selves. I just think that it's a little hard when you are thrust into a situation where you had no control over. There are so many things in life that we don't have any control over, so when you are told that well, here's your future and this is going to be destiny, you'll just want to scream. But you know what, I think as the story continues, you will see all the changes in the characters, as they grow and understand and come into terms with their lives. Let me know what you thought of this chapter:)
Zanahana: I hope you find this new chapter as amazing as the one before:) Let me know your thoughts.
michiru61600: There's always hope my friend. Even in the darkest of moments, there's a light. Because, what is darkness without light after all? :) Let me know your thoughts. Cheers.
Guest: Here's some juicy Hiro Usagi for you:)
Guest: I hope you find this chapter more endearing. It could answer some of your questions from the previous chapter as well. Let me know what you think:)
Sieee: There's always hope. Always and always:)
ericsookieforever: See? your wish is really my command:) I have not only added juicy Hiro/Usa combo, but I've also given you more of Haruka and Michiru. Sigh, I should really receive a big hug from you:) Cheers. Let me know your thoughts.
Enjoy every one.
Golak
I must confess. I sleep as if I'm dead to the world.
It's unbecoming, I know; especially when I tell people what a deep sleeper I am, more often than not, I receive irritated stares.
I never understood what a blessing it is to simply hug my pillow, snuggle into my light comforter and fall asleep as if the world didn't exist.
Not until the first night Usagi slept over.
It hadn't been planned for her to spend the night; but she had come to my apartment to study, which had turned into an hour of unrelated historical questions about our families and friends, an hour of flirtatious stares and nods and sly touches, a blissful couple of long minutes of tender make-out session which would have easily turned into something more had Usagi not shied away as I'd shed my shirt; we had ordered in after that and cuddled against each other as she read me from her favorite manga.
We'd only realized it had been well past midnight when my next-door neighbor had come home; she was a nurse and I knew she'd returned home after her 12-hour shift.
We were having such a great time and I had a little too much to drink, so driving by that point was a big no. The unspoken words had passed between us. I knew she'd already told her parents that she'd be spending the night at one of her girlfriends', otherwise I had to take her home by 10; Tsukino-san had made it clear, more than once, that by not obeying his rules, I've ceased to respect him and therefor, a horrible death could easily befall me.
I'd lent her one of my shirts; it stopped a little below her knees and hung loosely around her shoulders. I had never seen a sexier vision in my life.
We had laid down on my small bed, chest to chest, as we continued sharing stories about our lives. I learned about her relationship with her parents and her little brother, Shingo. She also talked about her friendship with the girls I had met a couple of times, "you're not gang members, right?" I'd asked with laughter. She had smiled, and the thought that there'd been an awkward moment somewhere in there had completely vanished from my mind the moment she had licked her lips.
We had ended up learning more stuff about each other; she'd learned that by running her fingers through my short, short hair, I would exhale sharply into her mouth. She'd also figured out a very specific tingly part near my ribcage, as she touched the tips of her fingers subtly against my naked chest.
In return, I had discovered that by sucking on her lower lip, I could elicit a delicious whimper from her. I'd also figured out the way her body trembled when I ran my tongue against her collarbone, the junction between her neck and the tiny dip above her jugular. She'd pushed herself against my palm, when I had cupped her small round breast and that…that had taught her so many things about my self-control.
I'd pulled away then, sucking on her lower lip before bestowing a kiss on the tip of her nose
"Go to sleep," I'd whispered against her forehead, before drifting off to the dreamland as if the reality had never been real.
I'd woken up, probably an hour later, with Usagi's trembling. It had been so subtle and barely noticeable that at first, I'd shrugged it off as a dream. So, I had pulled her closer to my chest and closed my eyes and opened them again when she shook harder and a gentle, albeit, agonized groan escaped her lips.
"Usagi, wake up…" I'd mumbled, "you're having a nightmare…wake up rosy lips…"
She'd opened her eyes, sluggishly, and had looked at me in that why-the-fuck-would-you-interrupt-my-sleep kind of way.
"Were you having a nightmare?"
She blinked lazily, "aha…"
"Do you want to talk about it?" I asked, even though I saw her falling back to sleep almost immediately and all I was left with, had been her loud snoring.
I'd woken up with her toss and turn two more times that night. And each time I'd wake her up and ask her if she was okay and she would fall back to sleep as if nothing had happened.
"You don't sleep easily at night, do you?"
I asked her the next morning, as we walked to the small café near my apartment.
"Why would you say that?" she'd raised her brows as if I had asked the strangest thing.
"You just seemed to be having a nightmare all through the night…"
"I did?" she seemed even more confused.
I frowned when the hold she had on my hand loosened; I gripped her hand a little tighter.
"Yes. I woke you up a couple of times. Don't you remember?"
A look of annoyance settled on her face, "you woke me up a couple of times? Why would you do that? Why? Why?"
We stopped at the pedestrian light. The old couple waiting to cross the street had looked at us with easy eyes and I smiled at them.
"And now you smile about waking me up over and over again."
The light turned green and we followed the old couple. I rolled my eyes at Usagi, "I didn't wake you up over and over—"
"You just said that you did—"
"Well, I thought you were having a nightmare—"
"So? Do you know how important it is for a growing girl like me to have her good night's sleep?"
I looked at her accusingly, "you woke up at eleven Usagi; and not by choice I may add. How much more sleep do you need?"
I dropped her hand to close my fingers around her waist and maneuver her around a group of teenagers.
"Well excuse me for being tired…" she pouted and looked away.
We reached the café. The place had been jammed with salarymen and cram school students who had to keep their weekly routine even on the weekends. We squeezed our way to the cashier, where a small girl with pink highlights, a pink apron, and a pink smile, greeted us.
Usagi allowed me to order for the both of us, though she made sure to add extra whipped cream and marshmallows to her hot chocolate, and extra chocolate syrup…no, no I want Nutella, to her pancakes.
We had just sat down to eat when I met a familiar set of eyes on the other side of the café. I hadn't mistaken; I'd seen the women sitting on the far end of the small squared shaped hall with Usagi before. I specifically remembered meeting them, because I had mistaken one of them as a young man. I'd still been puzzled about her sexuality. With her strong jawline, short dirty blonde hair and intense stare, she looked like a male model. But then again, she had a stare as smooth as the wind and her hands had been so slim, her oval-shaped nails so very delicate. Had I mentioned what a dreamer I am about a girl's nails?
Usagi's face broke into a big smile when she spotted them as well, "I'm gonna go say hello…" she sing song.
I watched her zig-zag her way to their table. Before she'd reached them, the manly girl had stood up, full height. She had given Usagi a wholehearted smile and when they hugged, I saw how she had wrapped her arms around Usagi's shoulders; sheltering and warm.
The smaller women, the one I had shied away from looking at the last time, asked Usagi something and she pointed at me.
I smiled and waved uncomfortably as three sets of eyes settled on me. Usagi smiled big, and so did…Michiru, was that her name? The taller woman nodded, curtly, and looked back at Usagi as if I hadn't been sitting at this small table beside the window.
I sipped on my coffee and moved my eyes around the café.
Right from the start, Usagi's relationship with her friends had puzzled me. I'd seen girls look after their friends, guarding them against doucebags and assholes that tried to win them over by acting too soft, too devoted before setting their hearts on fire; I appreciated the cocoon women built for one another. But this…Usagi's friends had seemed unmerciful, almost murderous in their piety to her the first time I had picked her up from Hikawa Shrine.
They had eyed me as if I'd been an alien from another planet, there to steal their most precious belonging away. I'd tried to make amends by memorizing every single unique characteristic about them; what they liked, disliked and in Rei's case, for the most part, loathed wholeheartedly.
I'd devoured éclair after éclair, even though I had an important match the very next day, just because I knew Makoto lived to bake.
I'd tried to memorize the chemistry table, backward, only to show off my exceptional intellect to Ami.
I'd gone shopping with Usagi and Minako and had allowed the latter to dress me up however she wanted because I knew how important fashion was to Minako and how important she was to Usagi.
Rei's interest in spending time with me had been next to nothing. Usagi had invited her out to dinner; she'd reclined. She had asked her to go to the movies with us and her only respond, as per Usagi's spectacular imitation, had been: "I don't like movies."
Finally, after watching Usagi's desperate attempts in making a connection between us, I had gone to the shrine, alone and carrying a white flag.
Rei had stared at me in a way that made me believe she could've easily turned me into raging flames. She'd continued making her chores around the temple, as I strolled behind her like an obedient puppy. She'd huffed and shaken her head, mumbling incoherent words and a few obvious "idiot"s.
"You won't let this go, will you?" she had finally asked after she had swept the garden, mopped and shined the temple, as I stood on the side and pointed to all the places she'd missed.
"It's unlikely," I'd shrugged.
She had sighed and untied her mane of black hair, "oh well, you did help me dust the top of the torii gate," she looked at me with boredom, "I think it's only polite that I at least serve you some tea."
Little by little, I had tried to prove myself worthy of their trust; even though I could still feel their resistance every time I spent time with all of them at the arcade. I tried to look away from the strange stares they'd threw one another when the topic of the future would come up. I closed my ears against their hushes whenever Usagi would whisper words of adoration to me. What did they fear? Did they see me as an older boy who'd wanted to get into Usagi's pants and leave her to her own wits right after?
"They're just very protective of me," Usagi had said, "I mean, we're all so protective of one another. You know, girl power and all."
"Hey…"
I looked back at Usagi, as she settled back on her seat with a sheepish smile, "sorry it took forever. Haruka likes to ask the same question over and over again."
"Did that question involve yours truly at all?" I raised my brow when she giggled and shook her head.
"You're being paranoid…"
"Am I, really?"
"My friends like you—"
"I know they do. She doesn't." I pointed at where Haruka brought her fork to her mouth.
Usagi shook her head as she sipped on her overly whipped creamed hot chocolate and smeared white deliciousness on her nose. It just looked so inviting and I felt a little too adventurous.
She yelped when I leaned in and licked her nose. Her hand flew to the remaining whipped cream on her upper lip and a teenage blush colored her cheeks. I chuckled and settled back on my seat and when I looked up, I met Haruka's fatal stare. I met her gaze steadily as I took another sip of my coffee.
She narrowed her eyes and I felt a chill run down my spine. Had they turned on the AC?
I tried to look away from her, but her eyes pulled me in like magnets. And I remembered that I had experienced the same feeling with the rest of the girls; every single one of them.
But then, her stare moved away from me and I was finally able to breathe. Usagi had been oblivious to the whole ordeal. She'd been munching away on her pancakes while her face showed a left-over hue of the blush I'd caused.
I braved another look at Haruka. Her eyes had zeroed on the entrance and I could not not look at what had interested her so.
I frowned when my eyes landed on Mamoru and his girlfriend, who'd been standing on order lineup. I frowned, even more, when I noticed how his eyes jumped between Haruka's stern face and Usagi's chocolate stained one.
And then, as if responding to a calling, Usagi stopped her chewing and looked at where Mamoru had been awkwardly trying to hide.
My curiosity piqued.
There was something going on between all of them, and a part of me wanted to stay in my own little bubble, blissfully ignorant and naïve.
Usagi waved at Hiro as he drove away.
The house seemed empty when she walked in. She called out and met with silence.
"Usagi-chan, Shingo and I have gone to visit your obaasan. I will give her your love." Ikuko-mama's kanji had always raised Usagi's envy.
Damn it. It'd been ages since Usagi had visited her grandmother. She'd promise her on the phone that she would visit soon, and every time, something would come up; detention, an outing, a meeting, a date and most of the time, a fight.
I'll go see her this weekend, she promised in vain; she knew better than anyone how broken her promises had been lately.
She plopped down beside the short chabudai table in her room and dropped her head in her hands.
What a morning; and it had started so romantically, so utterly perfect.
She had fallen in love with that small café almost instantly; Hiro had a great taste in food, and Usagi secretly thanked the skies for it. The pancakes had been a slice of heaven. Her mouth watered just by thinking about them.
And then he just had to show up. It was hard enough to bump into him every other day at the arcade, while their paths crossed every other night as they tried to keep themselves and everyone else alive.
Now he had to just pop everywhere she went? And how the hell could he have these many personalities?
Usagi had come to know him as Mamoru-baka; the older boy who'd always seemed ready to jump at any opportunity to piss her off. As the mysterious man behind the mask, who'd had her heart boil with warmth one minute, and iced-over like a thick glacier the next.
She had seen how he behaved with Motoki and Unazuki as well; friendly, but never too close. He always seemed prisoned by inhibition, and Usagi couldn't think of a reason why. In her eyes, Mamoru conveyed all the characteristics that put him above most of his peers (if she didn't count what a total jackass he was).
And today, she had seen yet a new side of him.
She had seen his girlfriend a few times before. She seemed like a gentle soul, someone Usagi could definitely connect with and maybe, somewhere in another life, they could have been friends.
Mamoru had really shown a humane side of him today, in a way that had made Usagi question some of the past judgments she had of him. He had seemed like a real person in Ayane's company.
They'd come to their table to say hello, and Usagi was sure that it had been Ayane who had wanted to greet them.
Usagi had avoided looking at Mamoru, his voice from the previous night still rang in her ears and she still didn't have the heart or the energy to deal with what he had said.
She had tried to be extra sweet to Ayane though; she gushed over the older girls leather jacket, her trendy boots and high knee socks. Ayane really had great taste in clothing; maybe in a different life, she and Minako were best of friends.
Hiro had invited them to join their table, and Usagi had sighed in relief when Mamoru declined the invite almost immediately.
"I think that's us…" he had said to Ayane in a tight voice that had made Usagi brave a quick look at him.
What was with his face? He'd seemed in pain. As if someone had been twisting his arm behind his back. He took a side-glance and caught her staring. She had quickly averted her eyes and fought down the blush she knew was coming. They had finally took their leave.
Hiro had asked her if she wanted anything else and she had only nodded as she ruefully eyed her perfectly fluffy and chocolate glazed pancake; something was blocking her throat.
She had felt a light breeze, carrying the smell of the sea, touch her face. She'd turned around on her seat and only nodded in confirmation when she met Haruka and Michiru's worried eyes.
"I have to go home," she'd told Hiro.
Fuck.
She lifted her head from the chabudai and went to the shower.
As warm water splashed against her entire body, kissing every tensed muscle and pale wound, she thought of Serenity.
As days passed and hours ticked, more and more memories of her past life invaded her mind.
She remembered the lukewarm baths Serenity used to take in her oval crystal room, where the stars had seemed to shine brighter.
Usagi started washing her hair.
She remembered how Sailor Venus used to tease her about the long baths she took, "do you enjoy your nakedness that much?"
Usagi slowly massaged her scalp and inhaled the fresh scent of strawberry and mint.
She remembered how Serenity would pile her hair, like a golden crown, on the top of her head, before going shoulder deep into the water; they never needed to wash their hair on the moon.
She rinsed her hair and shivered as foams ran down her back.
She added a few drops of the conditioner Minako had given her and started massaging. Minako had been right; this conditioner was perfect for her hair.
And then, her memories did a dangerous turn.
She inhaled sharply when an image of Serenity, floating in a green river, danced in her mind. She looked glorious in the backdrop of the darkness that engulfed her. Her hair shined brighter than it did on the moon and her laughter rang in Usagi's ear.
She hadn't been alone.
Usagi's hold on her hair tightened.
Serenity's sultry murmurs intertwined with Endymion's passionate chuckle as he hugged her from the back and pulled her deeper into the water.
Usagi cursed and her hold on the end of her hair became harsher.
Endymion whispered adoring nonsense in Serenity's ears. She'd leaned the back of her head against his shoulder and Usagi could vividly remember how she had looked at the moon, safely tucked in the sky.
Usagi tried to wash her hair and herself faster.
Endymion's hands had been everywhere; around her waist, against her back, in between her thighs.
Usagi's harsh assault on her hair lessened, as she felt Endymion's front pressed against her back; it felt so real, that for a moment, she opened her eyes and looked over her shoulder.
"You're seducing me…"
Serenity's voice had come in a slow whisper, as she allowed her lover to rain kisses on her neck.
Usagi shivered.
"One can only hope to succeed in seducing you temptress…"
He said again Serenity's ear, and Usagi felt his breath going down her spine.
"So maybe I'm the one seducing you..."
Serenity turned fluidly in the water, her hair buoyant around her, and faced the man she had been forbidden to ever see.
"You can seduce me for an eternity…wife…"
Usagi choked on her breath, as she felt every ounce of Endymion's hard rod entering her in a smooth movement. She leaned her hand against the shower tile and tried to take a deep breath.
Oh fucking hell.
She could feel him move against her, deep inside of her. And her head exploded with Serenity's needy moans and Endymion's needier groans.
Warm water ran down Usagi's spine, as she felt a man who had died hundreds of years ago make tender love to her, here, in the 20th century, in the small shower stall of her parents' house.
"I dream of us…" Mamoru had said that night.
"So? We all have dreams of back then…" she had replied without looking at him.
"No, you're not listening to me. I dream of us…"
She had rolled her eyes, "you mean of Endymion and Serenity? Ok, I dream of them too and—"
"Usagi. Try to comprehend what I'm saying—"
"You think I'm dense? Why you—"
"I know you're dense. And you're not listening to what I'm—"
"That's it. I'm leaving…"
She had only taken two steps towards the shrine when Mamoru had latched on her elbow.
"I dream of us having sex. Don't you get it?"
She had turned around, horrified, and had finally looked into his eyes.
"I dream of Endymion and Serenity do it in every position and every turn. And it's destroying my sense of peace…"
Is this what he had meant? Is this how he dreamt of their past selves making love?
Fuck. But this felt…unreal.
This was unreal…snap out of it Usagi. This isn't real.
She opened her eyes and exhaled loudly as if she'd been underwater for several minutes.
Shit. Shit. Shit.
She jumped out of the shower and wrapped herself in her fluffy pink towel. Maybe the towel alone could keep the memory of Endymion's touch away.
She stood in front of the mirror and looked at herself through all the steam. Why did her eyes look this big? Her pupils looked double their actual size.
"And you know what's even worse?"
Mamoru had pushed his hands through his hair roughly. The look he'd given her had looked confused, scared and maybe a little feverish.
"Lately, it's not them that I see in my dreams. It's us…" he'd covered his eyes with his palms. Usagi had stood rooted on that step with her heart against her throat.
"It's me and you…and I can't seem to shut my fucking mind off…" he'd looked at her again, "you've had them too…right?
Negative.
"What? You've never…" he'd seemed horrified. His eyes had widened bigger than sauces and he had taken a few unconscious steps down.
That fucking moron. He just had to tell her what he dreamed about and put the fucking idea into her head.
Now, look at what happened.
A piercing ring violated her ears and she hurried to her room.
"Usagi…we have a situation." Makoto's seemed to be running as she spoke on their communicator.
"Where?" Usagi started to get dressed. Her morning dashes out the door had given her priceless life tricks.
"Shibuya station…hurry."
She scribbled a grammatical poor note for Ikuko-mama and ran out the door.
Fuck. He was probably going to be there.
How could she face him, now that she knew how he felt inside of her?
Disclaimer: I do not own Sailor Moon or its characters. All the rights are reserved for its amazing creator Naoko Takeuchi. I just own the story I tell.
