Serendipity
*****
"Any luck, Hiiro?" Duo asked when they met up the next morning.
"Nope."
"Have you tried looking her up online?" Duo asked.
Hiiro looked at his friend who usually didn't have ideas such as that. "I hadn't even thought about it."
"To the library!" the happy-go-lucky boy said with a laugh.
Their search in the library, however, was fruitless. They didn't find any records on Usagi, or the address of the Usagi currently living in the Great Britain area. Hiiro was sure that that Usagi was his Usagi though.
"How can you be so sure? I mean, there could be another girl with that name."
"Duo . . . do you know how odd that sounds? How many Usagi's would be living in London?" Hiiro retorted.
Duo nodded. "Point taken. So now what?"
~~
"Kate, do you remember anything you said last night?" Usagi asked when her friend finally woke up.
Kate, with hand held to her throbbing head, replied with a resounding "no!" before going in search of some very strong aspirin.
Usagi hit the back of her head against the wall in frustration. Now I'm beginning to wish that I had watched Kate's drinks . . .
"Usagi, I can't read these damn labels!" Kate yelled from the bathroom.
The blonde Brit sighed as she shoved away from the wall and made her way to the bathroom. "Sit down before you fall over or something, Kate," Usagi told her as she read the aspirin labels for the strongest one.
"Find anything?" Kate asked once she had sat down on the toilet.
Usagi shut the mirror cupboard. "You know what, I have just the solution for a hangover. Get dressed, we're going to visit Motoki!"
"Motoki?" Kate asked as Usagi pushed her out of the bathroom.
~~
"Hey there, Motoki," Hiiro said as he and Duo sat down.
"Back again, eh?" Motoki asked as he got out his notepad to take their orders.
"Might as well re-light my teenage years while I still can. Two coffees."
"Too true, Hiiro. Too true." Motoki went back to the counter to make the men's orders while they continued talking.
"Why don't you try going to your old hangouts?" Duo chewed on a straw as he said that. "They might know what happened to her."
"You're in it," Hiiro replied. "Motoki's place is our old haunt – well, this and the park."
Duo's ears perked up. "Let's go check the park, then."
"Already did, remember? Plus, we don't even know if she's in town."
"She?" Motoki asked as he set the two coffees on the table.
"Usagi," Hiiro replied. Everyone who frequented Motokis came to accept him listening into your conversations.
"Yeah . . . just saw her couple days ago as a matter of fact."
Hiiro and Duo both jumped up.
"Didn't you know she was back?" when Hiiro shook his head no, Motoki continued. "Yeah. She's only here for another week or so."
"Where's she staying?" Hiiro asked while trying not to sound too earnest.
Motoki thought for a moment. "I don't believe she mentioned it. But if she comes back in, I'll be sure to ask."
"Thanks Motoki!" Hiiro said as Duo and he left with their coffees.
~~
"Motoki, can you fix Kate a Hangover Healer?" Usagi asked once the two women made it to the bar.
Motoki did all he could to keep from chuckling at the state Usagis friend was in. "Sure thing, Usagi."
"Stop speaking Gibberish, Usagi!" Kate said irately.
"It's not Gibberish, Kate. It's Japanese."
"What's the damn difference?"
Usagi rolled her eyes. And I thought I was cranky on hangovers.
"One Hangover Healer," Motoki said as he set the drink down in front of Kate.
"I'm not drinkin' that! It smells funky!" Kate burst out when she had a whiff of it.
"Then plug your nose because you are drinking this!" Usagi replied in the same tone of voice.
Kate was not in the mood for a debate so she took the glass and plugged her nose. "Bottoms up!"
Motoki and Usagi had trouble not laughing as Kate made a series of disgusted faces.
"Urg! That's disgusting!"
"But it works," Usagi replied.
"Too bad you didn't come in five minuets sooner, Usa."
Usagi turned to Motoki. "Why's that?"
"Hiiro and his buddy Duo were here. Asked about you, actually."
Usagi hid her surprise very well. "Why were they asking about me?"
The middle-aged man shrugged. "Dunno. Maybe he wants to invite you to the wedding. You were his best friend after all. Inseparable – that's what you two were."
"Well, we better be going. Did you get my address I left you?"
"Yup. Have it at home . . . somewhere." Motoki said the last part to himself however.
Usagi hailed a cab once they were outside again. "How are you feeling?"
"A lot better, actually. Well enough, y'know, to know you are upset."
"I am not upset, Kate," Usagi said as she looked at her friend.
Kate snorted. "That's a lie if I ever heard one."
"Wouldn't you be? Where's a damn cab?" Usagi asked once she realized no cab had pulled up.
"Let's just walk, Usagi. It can't be that far," Kate said as she linked arms with her best friend.
~~
"So tell me again why Suki is having another rehearsal?" Duo asked as they went up the stairs, skipping two at a time.
"She wants everything to be fairytale perfect," Hiiro replied as they stopped briefly at the doors before going in. "Are we late?" he asked in a tone Suki never could get mad at.
"No, we were just getting everyone seated," Suki replied.
"Dearly beloved –" a cell phone ring cut the priest off.
Hiiro grinned sheepishly, "just a second." He pulled out his small cell phone and hit the talk button. "Hello?"
"Hiiro! Guess who I just saw?" Motoki's voice filled Hiiros ear.
"Who?"
"Usagi! She came in with her friend Kate. Anyway, that's not the point . . ."
"What is the point?" Hiiro asked, hiding his excitement from everyone.
"She reminded me that she gave me her address when she was in here last. It's at my place . . . somewhere."
"Really? When can I come for it?" Hiiro said, sounding half-bored to everyone in the room.
"Any day after seven o'clock – that's when I close up," Motoki replied.
"Alright, I'll see when I can make it. Thanks!"
"See you later then, Hiiro." Motoki clicked his phone off.
"Work," Hiiro said, holding up the phone. "Sorry about that. Please continue."
"Duo!" Hiiro grabbed his friend by the shirt. "Do you know who that was that called?"
"Uh . . . work?"
Hiiro laughed. "No! It was Motoki! He has Usagi's address in London! We are supposed to come to his place any day after seven to help him look for it."
"That's great, Hiiro!" Duo said a little too loudly.
~~
Usagi walked down the hallway to her room alone as she had left Kate with Suki. She looked up after she had fished the key out of her miniature messenger bag (she hated purses) and stopped dead. "Geoffrey?"
The lump of a fiancée lifted his head and then sat up when he saw her. "Usagi."
She walked to him and stood three feet away. "What are you doing here?"
"I'm sorry Usagi, I should've thought about why you wanted to come home," Geoffrey said.
Usagi sat down next to him. "Oh, no, Geoff. It's not like that. I just needed to come home again."
"I should have come with you."
"Geoff, I told you I just needed some time to think – I brought Kate along as her birthday present."
~~
Duo and Hiiro showed up at Motoki's place on the eve on the wedding ready to find that address.
"Hey guys, c'mon in. I've been looking for it since I mentioned it to you four days ago, but I haven't found it."
"Whoa! Motoki . . . this place is a mess."
"Well, when you're running a business most of the time, you don't really have time to clean," Motoki replied. "Though I really should . . ."
"Let's get to work, then," Hiiro said instead on continuing the conversation.
"It's on a napkin from the restaurant," Motoki called out as they all took different ends of the apartment. Little did Motoki know – he had tons of the restaurant napkins with writing on them all over the house. Motoki's post-it notes, apparently.
Three hours and thousands (or so it seemed) of napkins later, Hiiro let out a scream that brought Duo and Motoki running to him.
"Tell me that's right – my eyes are shot!" Hiiro said.
Motoki grabbed the napkin before Duo could. "Yep, that's it alright!" In the three hours of work, Duo had told Motoki why they were so desperate to find Usagi. The man was now just as enthusiastic.
"Now what?" Hiiro asked once the napkin was in his hands.
"Get your butts on a flight to London and find her maybe?" Motoki said in an obvious tone of voice.
"Right!" the thought hadn't occurred to Hiiro. "Thanks Motoki!" he said as they practically ran out the door.
"You know that if we leave even a minuet late leaving from London – I'll be late for my own wedding."
"Which makes me wonder why you're here," Duo said to himself. To Hiiro, however, he said: "yeah, I do."
Hiiro pulled up to the address written on the napkin as Duo got out to look. What he saw made him wish that he had never agreed to help Hiiro. He looked back at the said friend. Hiiro gave him a thumbs-up before getting out of the car.
Duo ran to meet him. "You know Hiiro, we really should call first."
"Why?" Hiiro continued on despite Duo's pushing him backwards.
"Because maybe she'll want to clean up a bit!"
"I don't care if her house is messy!" Hiiro replied, pushing past Duo.
"Well, maybe she does!" Duo said. "No! Hiiro, please don't –" he dove at his friend and held his leg, but was just pulled along the ground. "I don't want you to get hurt!" he cried in a whisper as he tugged Hiiro onto the ground.
"Duo!" Hiiro said in a furious whisper. He tilted his head back and saw what Duo hadn't wanted him to see. He and Duo crawled behind the bushes, the image of the couple making love burned in Hiiros mind. "Well, I guess it's over."
"Sorry buddy," Duo said. "But . . . do you think we're laying here . . . because you don't want to be standing somewhere else?"
Hiiro looked at Duo behind motioning to go to the car; they crawled there on their hands and knees.
"And now we're crawling," Duo said from behind his friend.
~~
Author's Note: Whew! I almost thought I wouldn't have any inspiration for the story since I've been away from it for so long! I spent the entire week at my friends' grandparents' house! She's here from New York City for the summer – I love getting to see her! :) Anywho thanks to . . .
Serene2Heero – I'm glad you love my story, hearing that always brightens my usually dim day! Hope you loved this chapter as well!
Siren Silver – I know, I like stories like this too. ;) (Which is why I write them.)
Dear Nobody – I'm glad it was interesting.
Sailor Nova – I know! Serendipity is one of my favorite movies – I rented it last night actually.
Bluejello – Yay, I've never known any of my stories to be on favorites lists! :) I'm glad you love my stories – I'll keep 'em coming!
Jacquelin Benito – Yeah, there really is Japanese beer. Heard of Saki? That shit's like Moonshine – almost 100% pure.
Tenshi-chan – One of the best romances ever – yay! And I am continuing! I already have the last chapter done.
~The Emz.