~Wavering Destiny~
by Strawberry Moon Rose
I can't believe I got 50 reviews! I'm so happy :D I seriously thought nobody would read this story. You guys rock :)
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Disclaimer: I do not own Sailor Moon or any of the characters. They belong to Naoko Takeuchi.
Chapter 16: Coming Out of the Closet
"I'm sooo hungry," Usagi groaned. She felt tingles shooting up her butt from sitting on the ground for so long. She stood up, trying to shake off the pins and needles.
"Don't worry Usagi, I bet they're looking for us right now," Minako assured her. But even she was starting to get impatient.
Usagi stretched. "Are you sure? How long have we been locked in here, anyways?"
"Beats me. I'd say at least two hours."
"Only two? It feels like we've been in here for days! I'm so bored!"
"Wanna try yelling again?" Minako suggested. She stood and brushed the bottom of her skirt.
The began pounding their fists against the solid, thick wood.
"Hey, is anybody out there!?" Usagi yelled.
Their voices reverberated inside the closet. "We're locked in here!" Minako shouted.
Usagi heaved a sigh after a minute. "It's useless. No one can hear us!"
"Are you sure there isn't another way out of here?" Minako stepped over the box of decorations, looking for a secret door of some sort. The only thing in the tiny closet were the shelves that ran along the back wall.
"I'm starting to get claustrophobic," Usagi said hugging herself. "We're going to be in here all day, aren't we?"
Minako was afraid she was right. Nobody knew where they were at except Kakyuu. She wondered how long it would be until somebody told her they were missing. She was sure they would come looking for them...Eventually.
"Yaten, just get that chord down, and it'll be perfect," Seiya said, shutting the music room door behind them. The Starlights had just finished rehearsal and were making their way towards the outside entrance to check on the girls' progress.
"Yeah, yeah." Yaten waved Seiya's comment away like it was a pesky fly. The songs they chose to preform were ones they wrote together a while ago.
"It's almost lunch time," Taiki said, "we should tell the girls so we can hurry and eat. We still have a lot to do before the party and no time to waste."
Seiya and Yaten nodded in unison. The trio approached the back doors and stepped outside.
The palace's enormous backyard stretched out before them. Green trees and tall, manicured bushes lines the perimeter like a fence. Beyond that, the ground sloped off into the rocky shore that lead to the ocean. Birds chirped and the sun beat down on them from high in the sky. There wasn't a cloud in sight after last night's vicious storm.
Workers scurried by, carrying various decor. Small speakers were being set up near the trees to play music outdoors during the party. Tables were being positioned by the center wishing fountain. A good portion of the town was invited and the large palace was going to be packed.
"There they are." Taiki pointed at the large gazebo. Ami, Rei, and Makoto were helping the staff tie flowers to the entrance.
"Hey girls, it's looking nice!" Seiya called with a wave.
"You really think so?" Rei stepped back to admire their work. Ami tied one last flower in place while Makoto adjusted it.
"Lovely work," Taiki told them, but she only looked at Ami.
"Where's Minako?" Yaten muttered, peering around. She wanted to talk to her about something. The place was crowded, but she couldn't spot her. "And Usagi," she added quickly to avoid suspicion.
Makoto tightened her ponytail and set the flowers down. "They went to ask Princess Kakyuu what they could do to help, but we don't know where they're at."
Taiki nodded. "Well, we just came to inform you that it's lunchtime. We can come back and decorate after we eat."
"Sounds good, I was getting hungry," Rei said and wiped a bead of sweat off her forehead.
"Princess!" Seiya called, hurrying down the hallway.
Kakyuu turned. "Oh, Fighter. What's the matter?"
Seiya caught up to her red-haired Princess. "Do you know where Minako and Bun- I mean Usagi, are?" It felt weird to call her dumpling 'Usagi', but she was speaking to the Princess and had to be formal.
"Yes. They are helping in the ballroom, I believe."
"Thank you." Seiya bowed before walking away. The ballroom? But I told Bun Head we'd set up there later. She strolled into the ballroom, which was busy with workers. Blonde wasn't a common hair color on Kinmoku, so she figured it would be easy to spot the duo, but after circling the enormous room once without success, she stepped back into the hall. Huh. Maybe they're already at lunch.
"Geez, what's taking so long?" Yaten complained. "Everybody's started eating already."
"They're not in the dining room yet?"
"No..."
Seiya frowned. "That's weird. I wonder where they could've gone. I'm gonna check their rooms. Maybe they went back there."
"I'll come too," Yaten said quickly, and followed the lead Starlight down the corridor.
Seiya gave her a surprised glance. Yaten rarely offered to do anything she didn't have to.
"Bun Head!" Seiya knocked on her door. It was silent as she listened for a response. "It's lunchtime! I'm supposed to let you know." She figured mentioning food would get her attention. She strained to hear, but there was no answer. Seiya and Yaten exchanged glances. Yaten gave her a nod.
Seiya pushed the door open and peeked her head inside. "Hey, are you in here?" The pastel room was vacant and eerily quiet. The only movement was the white curtains fluttering in the wind from the open window.
"I don't like the feeling of this," Yaten mumbled. She walked over to Minako and Rei's room and threw the door open, not bothering to knock. "Mina? You here?" Their room was empty too.
"This is weird," Seiya noted, walking up behind her. "I don't know where else they could have gone to."
"The palace is huge. You don't think they could've gotten lost, do you?" Her lime-green eyes widened.
Seiya thought for a moment. That did seem like something Usagi would do. "We should split up and look for them," she said.
"Right."
"You go tell the others, I'm going to find the Princess. It just seems kinda strange we haven't run into them yet, don't you think?"
Yaten nodded. "Yeah." She turned and went to fetch everyone else. Seiya headed in the opposite direction.
One hour later...
"Minako, this really sucks, you know that?" Usagi whined, throwing her hair in frustration. She had braided it and unbraided it three times because she had nothing else to do.
"I know..." They sat next to each other on the cold floor, bored out of their minds.
"I bet they're all eating right now." Usagi imagined plates full of steaming food. Warm biscuits drizzled in butter, salty soup, fresh blueberries that glistened from just being washed, and a rich chocolate cake for dessert.
"Don't remind me, Usagi." Minako's stomach was rumbling too and she was starting to feel light-headed.
"Things like this always happen to us."
"I know. Why did you have to let the door go? Right now I'd be eating and playing footsie under the table with Yaten-" She blushed when she realized she said that aloud.
"What do you mean me?" Usagi threw her a glance. "It's not my fault the door locked behind us."
"Oh come on Usagi, if you had just held it open like you were supposed to-"
"What? You could have found the lights yourself, Minako!" Usagi shot back.
"This isn't my fault!"
"Well it's not mine either!"
They eyed each other for a minute. "Why are we arguing over this anyways?" Usagi smiled apologetically.
"I don't know," Minako admitted. "I guess the wait is just starting to get to us." She returned the smile. It was silent for couple more minutes.
"I'm actually pretty disappointed," Usagi said finally.
"About what?"
Usagi grinned. "Seiya hasn't come to rescue me yet. I figured she'd be here by now." She winked playfully and stuck out her tongue.
Minako giggled. "Oh, Usagi, you're full of it."
As if on cue, the door handle rattled, making Usagi and Minako jump in surprise. Usagi thought she was imagining it at first, but she realized that somebody really was on the other side. The door swung open with a whoosh.
"Bun Head!"
Usagi scrambled to her feet. "Guys!" She couldn't believe they finally found them. Usagi stepped out into the palace's hallways she thought she'd never see again.
"Bun Head!" Seiya lifted her up in her arms and spun her around. "You had me so worried! I really thought something happened to you!" Seiya set her down, but didn't let her go.
"I'm okay, Seiya! We got trapped! The closet door locked behind us and we couldn't get out."
Seiya hugged her tighter. Seiya could smell the fruity shampoo of her hair. It was comforting. "That sounds like something that would happen to you," she teased.
Usagi pretended to be offended. "Hey!"
Seiya grinned and mussed her hair. Usagi didn't object, her touch felt nice, even if the gesture was childish.
Kakyuu stood behind them and bowed. "Please accept my apologies. I forgot to warn you about the lock."
"Don't worry about it, it's Usagi's fault anyways..."
"Minako!"
"Just kidding! But hey, we found the decorations! That counts for something, right?"
"Hey guys, we found them!" Seiya shouted. A moment later, everybody came running over.
"You're really troublesome, you know that, Usagi?" Rei put her hands on her hips.
Usagi stuck her tongue out at Rei.
Yaten stood awkwardly with the others. She was relieved to find Minako after an hour of searching, but she was never one to get all sentimental in public. She managed to catch Minako's attention and offered a small smile.
Minako's heart swelled at the simplest motion. She want to run over and throw her arms around her, but she resisted the urge. She figured Yaten might push her off.
"I bet you two are hungry," Ami said, looking at her wrist.
"Yes," said Taiki, who stood beside her. "Now that we have found you, we can return to our preparations we were distracted from."
"We're sorry to trouble you guys," Usagi apologized. "Really."
"Aw, don't worry about it, Bun Head!" Seiya patted her shoulder reassuringly. "Right now, let's go get you something to eat. After that, we've got a date!"
"A date?"
"We've gotta set up the lights outside the ballroom, remember?"
Usagi's shoulders shook as she gave a nervous laugh. "Ah, right. A date. Ahaha..."
A platter of exotic Kinmokian vegetables, and a warm meat and cheese sandwhich later, Usagi and Seiya were untangling strings of lights in the hall outside the ballroom. Taiki had went back outside with Ami, Makoto, and Rei to decorate. Yaten had asked Minako to come to the music room with her.
"Well...this is sure is going to be fun," Usagi said sarcastically, untwisting the bunched up lights. She had them coiled around her arms in an intricate web.
"Where's your holiday spirit? This is going to be great!" Their job was to line the hallway with the lights so it looked ornate and dreamy. All the workers were inside the ballroom, leaving the hall empty except for the two of them and the occasional passerby.
"Maybe for you! I suck at this kind of stuff," Usagi said. "Ugh!"
Seiya looked over at her and laughed. She was completely tangled up in the lights.
"What's so funny?"
"Nothing." She tried to suppress her laughter, but Usagi just looked too cute, she couldn't help herself.
"Oh shut up," Usagi mumbled and dropped the lights back into the box. "How about you unravel them and I hang them up then?"
Seiya skillfully wound them into a circle as Usagi untangled them from herself. "This is so like you," Seiya muttered with a smile under her breath.
Usagi looked away and held her tongue, holding back what she wanted to say. It bugged her because she knew Seiya was right. She pulled the cords off of herself and handed them to the taller girl.
"You get on the ladder and I'll hand them up to you, 'kay?"
"Alrighty."
Seiya handed her the end of the lights when she was halfway up. Their fingers brushed against each others and both of them pretended not to notice.
"Don't fall, okay?" Seiya warned her as Usagi moved up the ladder. She was about fifteen feet from the ground.
"I'm fine," Usagi lied. She hadn't realized how high up she was until she looked down. The distance to the floor seemed to grow larger the more she looked at it. Seiya appeared smaller and smaller, shrinking to the size of an ant. Usagi shook her head. No! I'm going to do this, and do it right! I don't want to seem like a complete baby, scared of thunder and heights!
"You sure, Bun Head? I can do it if you want. The unraveling shouldn't be too bad now that I've-"
"I'm fine!" Usagi turned back to the wall. I'll show her! She draped the string to the wall in the decorative fashion, fastening it under each nail that the workers had done earlier. This is cake, what was I worried about? As long as I don't look down...
"Perfect! Looks great," Seiya called from below.
"No problem..."
Seiya fed her more lights. "You know, you really had me worried back there when we couldn't find you two. We looked all over. Even the Princess was panicking, though you'd never notice. I was starting to believe that you took off back to Earth without saying goodbye."
Usagi's mouth popped open like a baby bird's and she looked down at Seiya. "I...would never do that," she said.
Seiya smiled sheepishly. "I know."
Usagi studied her expression. She couldn't even imagine leaving Seiya like that. Not now.
"Anything could have happened to you. You could have gotten lost, or a new enemy could have appeared and attacked you," Seiya went on. "Or worse, that Haruka woman could have came and kidnapped you away from me."
Usagi felt her lips curl into a smile. "Haruka isn't that bad, Seiya. Once you get to know her, she's a really cool person."
"Whatever you say, Bun Head. I'm just glad that you're okay." She smiled up at her.
Usagi couldn't help but be dazzled by her smile. How does she do it?
"Thanks, I guess," Usagi replied and turned back to the wall. She wasn't sure what to say, so she focused on her job. She stretched out further to the left, hanging the lights over the pins. "That's...all I can reach for now. We'll have to move the ladder again." She turned back to climb down.
Usagi gulped. The shiny floor was so far away. Her palms began to sweat and she hesitated, which she knew was the wrong thing to do.
Seiya took a step toward the ladder. "Are you okay?" She set the coil of lights on the floor and readied her arms just in case.
Usagi nodded quickly. "I-I'm fine!" She lowered one foot onto the next rail, shifting her weight carefully. She hoped Seiya didn't notice her shaky grip.
Seiya could tell she didn't sound too confident, so she positioned herself right under the ladder. "Here, take my hand," she said and outstretched her arm.
Usagi brought her gaze down. "D-don't stand there, you idiot!" she said, suddenly flustered.
"Why not?"
"Because you can see up my skirt!" Usagi blushed furiously.
Seiya looked away. A crimson shade burned over her face when she realized what she meant. "I swear, I wasn't-"
"You saw!" Usagi argued and fumbled to get down.
"Only because you pointed it out!" Seiya said, embarrassed. "Slow down, you're going to slip!"
"Back up, you perv!" Usagi cried, hugging the ladder. The floor seemed to be swaying and Seiya was still so far below her. Usagi hastily lowered one leg at a time, fumbling for the next step, but her foot found nothing but air. Her eyes widened. She reached out to steady herself, but lost her grip. She flailed her arms desperately, but it was too late. She fell.
"Bun Head!"
Usagi squeezed her eyes shut, preparing for the collision with the hard, marble floor. She knew Seiya was standing under her, but there was no way she'd be able to catch her without taking her down too.
Everything happened so fast. Usagi tumbled into something, but not the floor. Adrenaline rushed through her, and her heart thudded against her rib cage. And all too quickly, she collided with something, but not the ground.
Usagi blinked, trying to take in her surroundings. Beautiful blue eyes looking into hers.
"Are you okay?" Seiya whispered, her face close to Usagi's. Her words were warm, her breath heated the side of Usagi's cheek like a hairdryer.
Usagi nodded slowly, hypnotized. Seiya had managed to catch her in time without being knocked over.
"I..." Usagi started. Being so close interfered with her thought process. "You can...put me down now," she murmured.
Seiya studied her face. "Do you have any idea how close that was? You need to be more careful."
"Yeah. Sorry..." she breathed, getting lost in her eyes again. For a second, she forgot how she'd ended up in Seiya's arms in the first place.
Out of the corner of her eye, Usagi saw a worker hurrying passed them, shaking her from her thoughts. The girl held back a giggle.
"It's not what it looks like!" she called over Seiya's shoulder.
"What are you talking about? Yes it is."
"You wish!" Usagi rolled her eyes .
"You're right. I do."
Usagi's stomach fluttered. "Just put me down already."
"Okay, okay." Seiya grinned and set her upright. Usagi's feet hit the floor and she soothed out her mini dress. She folded her arms across her chest, completely flustered, and still thinking about how Seiya probably knew what color panties she was wearing.
"I don't even get a 'thank you'?" Seiya teased. "After I just practically saved your life?"
Usagi sighed. Even though it was partially Seiya's fault she'd slipped in the first place, she was grateful she hadn't learned how it felt to go splat on the floor. "Thank you, Seiya," she said sincerely.
"No problem. But I think you should stick to the unraveling," she said and pushed the ladder over to the next spot.
"I think you're right," Usagi agreed. She bent and picked up the ball of lights.
Seiya swiftly climbed the ladder. "Don't get tangled up, okay? I may be strong and talented, but I don't know if I can help you from way up here." She winked.
Usagi inhaled sharply and held out the string of lights. She thought it would be best to say nothing.
"Look on the bright side, we're nearly done with this section of the hall."
Usagi groaned when she saw how much more they had to do. "I'm starting to think I should've stayed in that closet all day!"
"Just wait until tonight. I've got a surprise for you."
"A good surprise or a bad surprise?"
"Definitely good. I'm sure you'll love it. I know I will."
Usagi raised an eyebrow.
"I want to take you somewhere special tonight, okay? But after dinner when everyone's asleep, we'll sneak off." Seiya laughed at Usagi's expression. "It'll be great, I promise. But it's a secret place, just for the two of us..."