Terrible Conditions – Chapter 3
Author's Note: Once again, I'm really sorry about poor structuring. I've tried to fix it this time by taking the advice of a reviewer (Thank you, wherever you are!) and I'm saving this under a different format. I hope it works. If it doesn't, sorry! ^^
It was at night the next time I saw her. I had spent my entire day in an office, working with other people over the financials of the town. Yet my mind never slipped away from the sound of Serenity crying. I was devastated. Oh, but think of how Serenity must have been feeling. How would she react when I came back to the bedchambers to sleep? Would she remain in the same room, or kick me out? Or would she say anything at all? This was going to be very hard…
Usagi was avoiding me, too. She was very frightened of me now, afraid I would hit her, probably. I could hear her coming down the grand staircase and retrieving something from the kitchen. Then she would peek into the office. I could see her in the reflection of the window. When she saw me look at her reflection, she backed out quietly with a glass of water in her hands and tiptoe upstairs. I knew she was spending her day with Serenity. The water and other items were for Serenity, I knew. Serenity was probably still too deep in shock to do much more than cry and move about the room some. But at that thought, I felt like I was being egotistical. So I just imagined her, walking about the room, propping up some of the flowers in the vases, pulling back the curtains, going into the bathroom to take a bath or something. Oh…. Poor woman…. What could she possibly be doing?...
Why had I been so harsh?
Taking in all the horrible thoughts with the dizziness overcoming me, I took to the stairs, walking up. I held tight to the railing just in case the condition came over me again. I was feeling normal again inside. No mood swings. No heartburn or heart pains. I was just fine.
I stood by the door to our bedroom. The doors were closed. Through the thick wood, I could hear the faint, small voice of Usagi talking to her mother. But no voice of Serenity. I sighed. Taking in a deep breath, I opened the doors and walked in. Usagi jumped when the doors opened. She turned to look at me, obviously not saying anything to me. I didn't smile. Neither did she. She only scooted closer to her mother who lay on the bed, on her side. She hugged her arms, her back facing me. Usagi sat on the bed next to her. The poor girl…
Swallowing hard, I lowered my eyes. "Usagi, could I talk to mommy alone for a minute? Alone?" I couldn't tell what Usagi's expression was. All I heard was the silence of three seconds, then the small patter of her feet landing on the rug and walking past me. I caught a glimpse of her as she walked out. She seemed at a loss. I couldn't blame her.
I turned my head back to Serenity. She obviously knew it was me. Otherwise, she would sit up and look at me. I heard her sniffle. Trying to keep a light mood, I smiled a little and went to sit beside her. I looked at her face. She had been crying. She was still in the same gown she had worn last night.
I looked at the clock on the wall. 9:30 at night. I sighed again. Then I turned my gaze back on Serenity. She sniffled again and wiped at her eyes. I had stopped smiling by now. With a shaking hand, I reached up to brush back some of her hair from her face. She winced a little, then her gaze slowly traveled up to mine. I didn't smile this time. "Usako, I am so sorry…" My voice traveled off after that. She watched me for a moment, then let her gaze fall.
"No, I'm sorry," she whispered. I stopped moving. She was still, then said, "I should have warned you about the conditions. I shouldn't have been so selfish."
"Usako," I whispered. She looked at me. I sighed. "Love, what are these conditions linked to? What caused them?"
She was silent. She swallowed, then shakily spoke. "It was something Sailor Pluto insisted that I do, for the sake of the city and… you. It's…" I stopped her before she could go on with a fingertip to her lips. She looked up at me a little surprised. By now, she had turned onto her back so she could see me better. I smiled at her.
"Better yet… tell me tomorrow. It'll give you more time to think it over. Plus, if you put this on my shoulders now, it might ruin my feelings."
She looked a little worried. "F-feelings?"
"Yeah, like the fact that I feel like going to bed, I feel like going to bed with you, and how I feel like having sex."
"Oh, you!" she said abruptly, hitting my shoulder and smiling. I laughed a little.
"See? There's my little rabbit," I said, then kissed her. She kissed back, wrapping her arms around my neck and pulling me down further. I pulled back the covers and climbed in with her, kissing down her neck. Then she released her hold on me and started pushing me away, giggling. "Mamo-chan! You have to go tuck in our poor, deserted daughter!"
"I'll get Mars-san to do it," I mumbled while nibbling at her throat. I could tell she was rolling her eyes and smiling. She successfully pushed me back. I sat up and watched her, smiling. She crossed her arms and glared at me with a cocky smile. I sighed, rolled my eyes, then climbed out of bed. "Alright, alright, I'll go tuck in Usagi. Don't go anywhere."
"I won't," she giggled, and brought the sheets up to her neck. She gave me her most innocent smile. I laughed and walked out of the room.
A roll of thunder echoed throughout the kingdom, and I could see a hint of lightning through the window of Usagi's room. I stood there now, watching Usagi. She had already successfully fallen asleep with her blue teddy bear under her arm and a hand clutching her dress. I smiled at the little girl, then reached down and pulled the slippers off her feet, then carefully unclipped the two bows in her hair. Setting those on the nightstand, I brought the sheets up around her and kissed her forehead. She murmured something in her sleep, something about a horse, I suppose, then cuddled against her bear and became quiet. The room was filled with the sound of her breathing. Every now and then, faint thunder echoed through the palace, but died instantly. But I never looked away from Usagi. Our daughter was so precious. I was so proud of her. And I loved her so much. I crossed my arms, thinking. Well… we'll just see how "precious" she is when she decides to go off and get married. Oh, boy. She'll have to deal with me before going off and getting hitched. I mean, this guy she marries someday… He's gotta prove himself first. But then again… I did see some kind of special connection between Usagi and Hotaru back in the 20th century. Hm… we'll see. All in good time.
Thinking about what would come in the future, I walked out of her room and back to my room, ready to pay more "attention" to my dear wife…
I yawned when I next awoke. It was probably too soon, because the sky was still dark from what I could see. I stretched a little, then went ultimately still when I saw the figure huddled up against my chest. It was Serenity. Her head rested against my chest with a hand on my stomach. Her hair was down, and she was bare of clothes. Much like myself. We both rested bare in bed after making love. She had fallen asleep almost immediately after we stopped. I was awake for a little bit though, watching her. Now that I was awake, I could see her again physically. My eyes raked over her, even though the sheets covered us from the waist down. I brushed a hand through her hair, then stroked her shoulder and closed my eyes. I was so glad she wasn't upset with me anymore. And I was also glad that I wasn't experiencing anymore mood swings. But I was still dizzy, however. Not at the moment, but frequently I would get dizzy. Now I was at rest, which was quite pleasing.
Serenity shifted against me, then I heard her groan. I felt her eyelashes brush against my skin as she opened her eyes. Slowly, her head lifted to see me. I saw her sparkling blue eyes wander to my gaze, and she smiled. "Hey," she whispered.
"Hey," I whispered back. She yawned a little then moved closer to me, resting her head on the pillow next to my head. She kissed my cheek and closed her eyes. "Thanks," she added. I looked over at her.
"For what?"
"Mm… nothing. Never mind." Her voice drifted off as she yawned again and cuddled up against me more. I wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her closer. She rested her head on my shoulder and let her hand wander to my chest. I stroked her hand with my free hand. Her eyes opened and she looked up at me. I smiled and kissed her forehead. "Don't ever let me get mad like that again. I don't know why I did that. I was just being… stupid."
"It's okay," she murmured and patted my chest in sympathy. She moved one of her legs over mine and moved as close as possible. I brought the covers up around us a little more and smiled. "Just how tired are you?"
"Mm… I don't know. Awake if you need to do something."
"Yeah… I need one more go," I said boyishly and pushed her over onto her back, rolling on top of her pinning her down. She squealed a bit, then laughed and watched me. "Awake enough for that?" I asked and started kissing her neck. She squirmed underneath me, then gave up and let me do what I wanted.
After a moment, she squirmed and tried to get me to stop. "Mamo-chan! Usagi…"
"Is tucked in bed, it's alright."
"No! Usagi's over there!" she shouted quietly. I stopped and looked up at the doorway. Sure enough, there stood little Usagi, clutching her teddy bear and watching with wide, curious eyes. We both blinked, then Serenity gasped, pushed me over, and brought the sheets up to cover her exposed parts. I rubbed my head and sat up. "What's wrong, Usagi?"
"Um…" she mumbled, then sighed. "The storm woke me up."
For the first time that time of the night, I noticed how loud and banging the storm had gotten. And usually Usagi was afraid of storms, so she always came into our bed until the storm died.
I sighed, but Serenity just smiled and patted the space in between her and myself. "Come on, Usagi," she said. I watched Serenity with a look of disbelief. God, no fair!
Usagi smiled and jumped into bed between me and Serenity. Burying herself under the sheets, she cuddles up against Serenity's side and went to sleep. I just watched my wife. She smiled up at me, then closed her eyes and rested. I pouted. Stupid storm…
Frustrated, I sank back down into bed and stared at the ceiling. After a little while, I erased those thoughts and turned on my side, facing my daughter and wife. I smiled at their sleeping form, then placed a hand on Usagi's shoulder and began to go to sleep. Placing a kiss on the back of Usagi's head, I closed my eyes and slept.
Author's Note: Once again, I'm really sorry about poor structuring. I've tried to fix it this time by taking the advice of a reviewer (Thank you, wherever you are!) and I'm saving this under a different format. I hope it works. If it doesn't, sorry! ^^
It was at night the next time I saw her. I had spent my entire day in an office, working with other people over the financials of the town. Yet my mind never slipped away from the sound of Serenity crying. I was devastated. Oh, but think of how Serenity must have been feeling. How would she react when I came back to the bedchambers to sleep? Would she remain in the same room, or kick me out? Or would she say anything at all? This was going to be very hard…
Usagi was avoiding me, too. She was very frightened of me now, afraid I would hit her, probably. I could hear her coming down the grand staircase and retrieving something from the kitchen. Then she would peek into the office. I could see her in the reflection of the window. When she saw me look at her reflection, she backed out quietly with a glass of water in her hands and tiptoe upstairs. I knew she was spending her day with Serenity. The water and other items were for Serenity, I knew. Serenity was probably still too deep in shock to do much more than cry and move about the room some. But at that thought, I felt like I was being egotistical. So I just imagined her, walking about the room, propping up some of the flowers in the vases, pulling back the curtains, going into the bathroom to take a bath or something. Oh…. Poor woman…. What could she possibly be doing?...
Why had I been so harsh?
Taking in all the horrible thoughts with the dizziness overcoming me, I took to the stairs, walking up. I held tight to the railing just in case the condition came over me again. I was feeling normal again inside. No mood swings. No heartburn or heart pains. I was just fine.
I stood by the door to our bedroom. The doors were closed. Through the thick wood, I could hear the faint, small voice of Usagi talking to her mother. But no voice of Serenity. I sighed. Taking in a deep breath, I opened the doors and walked in. Usagi jumped when the doors opened. She turned to look at me, obviously not saying anything to me. I didn't smile. Neither did she. She only scooted closer to her mother who lay on the bed, on her side. She hugged her arms, her back facing me. Usagi sat on the bed next to her. The poor girl…
Swallowing hard, I lowered my eyes. "Usagi, could I talk to mommy alone for a minute? Alone?" I couldn't tell what Usagi's expression was. All I heard was the silence of three seconds, then the small patter of her feet landing on the rug and walking past me. I caught a glimpse of her as she walked out. She seemed at a loss. I couldn't blame her.
I turned my head back to Serenity. She obviously knew it was me. Otherwise, she would sit up and look at me. I heard her sniffle. Trying to keep a light mood, I smiled a little and went to sit beside her. I looked at her face. She had been crying. She was still in the same gown she had worn last night.
I looked at the clock on the wall. 9:30 at night. I sighed again. Then I turned my gaze back on Serenity. She sniffled again and wiped at her eyes. I had stopped smiling by now. With a shaking hand, I reached up to brush back some of her hair from her face. She winced a little, then her gaze slowly traveled up to mine. I didn't smile this time. "Usako, I am so sorry…" My voice traveled off after that. She watched me for a moment, then let her gaze fall.
"No, I'm sorry," she whispered. I stopped moving. She was still, then said, "I should have warned you about the conditions. I shouldn't have been so selfish."
"Usako," I whispered. She looked at me. I sighed. "Love, what are these conditions linked to? What caused them?"
She was silent. She swallowed, then shakily spoke. "It was something Sailor Pluto insisted that I do, for the sake of the city and… you. It's…" I stopped her before she could go on with a fingertip to her lips. She looked up at me a little surprised. By now, she had turned onto her back so she could see me better. I smiled at her.
"Better yet… tell me tomorrow. It'll give you more time to think it over. Plus, if you put this on my shoulders now, it might ruin my feelings."
She looked a little worried. "F-feelings?"
"Yeah, like the fact that I feel like going to bed, I feel like going to bed with you, and how I feel like having sex."
"Oh, you!" she said abruptly, hitting my shoulder and smiling. I laughed a little.
"See? There's my little rabbit," I said, then kissed her. She kissed back, wrapping her arms around my neck and pulling me down further. I pulled back the covers and climbed in with her, kissing down her neck. Then she released her hold on me and started pushing me away, giggling. "Mamo-chan! You have to go tuck in our poor, deserted daughter!"
"I'll get Mars-san to do it," I mumbled while nibbling at her throat. I could tell she was rolling her eyes and smiling. She successfully pushed me back. I sat up and watched her, smiling. She crossed her arms and glared at me with a cocky smile. I sighed, rolled my eyes, then climbed out of bed. "Alright, alright, I'll go tuck in Usagi. Don't go anywhere."
"I won't," she giggled, and brought the sheets up to her neck. She gave me her most innocent smile. I laughed and walked out of the room.
A roll of thunder echoed throughout the kingdom, and I could see a hint of lightning through the window of Usagi's room. I stood there now, watching Usagi. She had already successfully fallen asleep with her blue teddy bear under her arm and a hand clutching her dress. I smiled at the little girl, then reached down and pulled the slippers off her feet, then carefully unclipped the two bows in her hair. Setting those on the nightstand, I brought the sheets up around her and kissed her forehead. She murmured something in her sleep, something about a horse, I suppose, then cuddled against her bear and became quiet. The room was filled with the sound of her breathing. Every now and then, faint thunder echoed through the palace, but died instantly. But I never looked away from Usagi. Our daughter was so precious. I was so proud of her. And I loved her so much. I crossed my arms, thinking. Well… we'll just see how "precious" she is when she decides to go off and get married. Oh, boy. She'll have to deal with me before going off and getting hitched. I mean, this guy she marries someday… He's gotta prove himself first. But then again… I did see some kind of special connection between Usagi and Hotaru back in the 20th century. Hm… we'll see. All in good time.
Thinking about what would come in the future, I walked out of her room and back to my room, ready to pay more "attention" to my dear wife…
I yawned when I next awoke. It was probably too soon, because the sky was still dark from what I could see. I stretched a little, then went ultimately still when I saw the figure huddled up against my chest. It was Serenity. Her head rested against my chest with a hand on my stomach. Her hair was down, and she was bare of clothes. Much like myself. We both rested bare in bed after making love. She had fallen asleep almost immediately after we stopped. I was awake for a little bit though, watching her. Now that I was awake, I could see her again physically. My eyes raked over her, even though the sheets covered us from the waist down. I brushed a hand through her hair, then stroked her shoulder and closed my eyes. I was so glad she wasn't upset with me anymore. And I was also glad that I wasn't experiencing anymore mood swings. But I was still dizzy, however. Not at the moment, but frequently I would get dizzy. Now I was at rest, which was quite pleasing.
Serenity shifted against me, then I heard her groan. I felt her eyelashes brush against my skin as she opened her eyes. Slowly, her head lifted to see me. I saw her sparkling blue eyes wander to my gaze, and she smiled. "Hey," she whispered.
"Hey," I whispered back. She yawned a little then moved closer to me, resting her head on the pillow next to my head. She kissed my cheek and closed her eyes. "Thanks," she added. I looked over at her.
"For what?"
"Mm… nothing. Never mind." Her voice drifted off as she yawned again and cuddled up against me more. I wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her closer. She rested her head on my shoulder and let her hand wander to my chest. I stroked her hand with my free hand. Her eyes opened and she looked up at me. I smiled and kissed her forehead. "Don't ever let me get mad like that again. I don't know why I did that. I was just being… stupid."
"It's okay," she murmured and patted my chest in sympathy. She moved one of her legs over mine and moved as close as possible. I brought the covers up around us a little more and smiled. "Just how tired are you?"
"Mm… I don't know. Awake if you need to do something."
"Yeah… I need one more go," I said boyishly and pushed her over onto her back, rolling on top of her pinning her down. She squealed a bit, then laughed and watched me. "Awake enough for that?" I asked and started kissing her neck. She squirmed underneath me, then gave up and let me do what I wanted.
After a moment, she squirmed and tried to get me to stop. "Mamo-chan! Usagi…"
"Is tucked in bed, it's alright."
"No! Usagi's over there!" she shouted quietly. I stopped and looked up at the doorway. Sure enough, there stood little Usagi, clutching her teddy bear and watching with wide, curious eyes. We both blinked, then Serenity gasped, pushed me over, and brought the sheets up to cover her exposed parts. I rubbed my head and sat up. "What's wrong, Usagi?"
"Um…" she mumbled, then sighed. "The storm woke me up."
For the first time that time of the night, I noticed how loud and banging the storm had gotten. And usually Usagi was afraid of storms, so she always came into our bed until the storm died.
I sighed, but Serenity just smiled and patted the space in between her and myself. "Come on, Usagi," she said. I watched Serenity with a look of disbelief. God, no fair!
Usagi smiled and jumped into bed between me and Serenity. Burying herself under the sheets, she cuddles up against Serenity's side and went to sleep. I just watched my wife. She smiled up at me, then closed her eyes and rested. I pouted. Stupid storm…
Frustrated, I sank back down into bed and stared at the ceiling. After a little while, I erased those thoughts and turned on my side, facing my daughter and wife. I smiled at their sleeping form, then placed a hand on Usagi's shoulder and began to go to sleep. Placing a kiss on the back of Usagi's head, I closed my eyes and slept.