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Believe In Yourself
Part 4
By: Usa and Hoho
Disclaimer in Part 1
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"But, Mama... I didn't cheat! I swear!" Usagi cried in tears. "I studied! I studied at the library like you told me to!"
Ikuko eyed Usagi warily. "Usagi, there isn't any proof! I can't just go along with your stories! All I can say is that it depresses me to see you failing like this!"
"I did study, Mama! I can prove I did!" Usagi sounded hopeful.
Ikuko raised an eyebrow. "Can you? I want to see proof, Usagi, and I'd like to see it soon."
"Okay, Mama," Usagi replied, standing up. "I'll be right back." Without waiting for a reply, Usagi ran to the phone to call Mamoru.
Usagi quickly dialed her boyfriend's number. She heard him pick up the phone. "Mamo-chan!"
"Usa-ko?" Mamoru said into the phone. "How did everything go?"
"Not good," she told him. "Mama wants proof I studied." Usagi had stopped crying but she felt as though she were swimming in an ocean of despair.
"Is that a plea for help from me, Usa-ko?" Mamoru said, a hint of laughter in his voice. "I'll be right over."
"Arigatou, Mamo-chan," Usagi replied.
***********
"Tsukino-san," Mamoru said with a bow.
Ikuko smiled politely and had Mamoru sit down across from her. "Usagi tells me you have proof that she didn't cheat, Chiba-san. Can you explain what's going on?"
"Of course," Mamoru replied, smiling as well. "I helped her study yesterday at the library. She knew all the information about a half hour later."
Ikuko eyed Mamoru warily and took a sip of her tea. "Well, she *is* your girlfriend after all, could she have paid you to convince me that she did not cheat?"
Mamoru choked on his own tea. "Excuse me?"
Ikuko closed her eyes and took another calm sip of her tea. "Well, it *is* a possibility... I'm not saying she did, I'm just saying she could have."
"Well she didn't. Usagi is not that type of person. I don't even believe it would cross her mind."
Ikuko sighed and put her tea down. "I...I know, I know she wouldn't have cheated..." She looked ashamed. "I couldn't believe Haruna-san when she called me. I refused to. But Haruna-san was so adamant when talking to me... I don't think she believes in Usagi enough. Usagi is too sweet for that..."
Mamoru nodded. "She has so much potential. She just needed help to get it out. Whenever she tried on her own she got frustrated. And some of us weren't very patient with her."
Ikuko sighed again. "I wasn't patient at all... I feel so guilty about accusing Usagi like that now..."
"Why don't I leave you two to talk?" he asked, standing up.
"Hai... would you go get Usagi, onegai? I think it would be best that way, so she doesn't think I'm still angry..."
"Of course. Sayonara, Tsukino-san," Mamoru told her.
"Sayonara, Chiba-san." Mamoru turned and headed up to Usagi's room.
"Usa-ko?" He said, and pushed the door open. He poked his head in. "Usa-ko, your mother wants to talk to you downstairs. She'd not mad anymore..."
Usagi poked her head out from under the covers of her bed. "Yeah, right!"
Mamoru sighed and made his way over to the bed. He sat down next to her. "Come on, it'll be okay. She admitted to me that she wasn't being patient with you, and that she's going to give you another chance."
Usagi sat up. "I don't know, Mamo-chan. I've never seen her so angry before. It scared me."
"Usa-ko, she's not a monster. She may have been angry, but it was because she was worried about you."
"You're right. I'll go down and talk to her."
Usagi and Mamoru walked downstairs together, Mamoru stopping to give Usagi a kiss goodbye. When that was over and done, he left, and Usagi found herself alone to talk to her mother. Usagi walked into the living room, her head still hanging low.
Ikuko tried being gentle. "Usagi-chan, sit down with me. I just want to tell you how I feel about this situation..."
She didn't reply as she sat next to her mother.
"The first thing I want to say is that I love you as much as a mother can possibly love you. I'm not angry anymore, and I want you to know that I'm sorry. I'm sorry for not trusting you, for not being patient with you, for not letting you go at your own pace."
"Mama..." Usagi whispered. "Do you believe me now?"
Ikuko smiled. "Hai, Usagi, I do."
Usagi smiled back. "Arigatou, Mama! You don't know how much that means to me. Everyone at school, including my friends, think I cheated."
Ikuko smiled again. "I'm going to call Haruna-san now and tell her what happened. Everything should be fine by tomorrow morning."
Usagi nodded. "Mama, could you come up and help me with my math homework?"
Ikuko smiled. "Hai! Of course."
"Arigatou!" Usagi shouted, hugging her mother then rushing up the stairs.
Believe In Yourself
Part 4
By: Usa and Hoho
Disclaimer in Part 1
***********
"But, Mama... I didn't cheat! I swear!" Usagi cried in tears. "I studied! I studied at the library like you told me to!"
Ikuko eyed Usagi warily. "Usagi, there isn't any proof! I can't just go along with your stories! All I can say is that it depresses me to see you failing like this!"
"I did study, Mama! I can prove I did!" Usagi sounded hopeful.
Ikuko raised an eyebrow. "Can you? I want to see proof, Usagi, and I'd like to see it soon."
"Okay, Mama," Usagi replied, standing up. "I'll be right back." Without waiting for a reply, Usagi ran to the phone to call Mamoru.
Usagi quickly dialed her boyfriend's number. She heard him pick up the phone. "Mamo-chan!"
"Usa-ko?" Mamoru said into the phone. "How did everything go?"
"Not good," she told him. "Mama wants proof I studied." Usagi had stopped crying but she felt as though she were swimming in an ocean of despair.
"Is that a plea for help from me, Usa-ko?" Mamoru said, a hint of laughter in his voice. "I'll be right over."
"Arigatou, Mamo-chan," Usagi replied.
***********
"Tsukino-san," Mamoru said with a bow.
Ikuko smiled politely and had Mamoru sit down across from her. "Usagi tells me you have proof that she didn't cheat, Chiba-san. Can you explain what's going on?"
"Of course," Mamoru replied, smiling as well. "I helped her study yesterday at the library. She knew all the information about a half hour later."
Ikuko eyed Mamoru warily and took a sip of her tea. "Well, she *is* your girlfriend after all, could she have paid you to convince me that she did not cheat?"
Mamoru choked on his own tea. "Excuse me?"
Ikuko closed her eyes and took another calm sip of her tea. "Well, it *is* a possibility... I'm not saying she did, I'm just saying she could have."
"Well she didn't. Usagi is not that type of person. I don't even believe it would cross her mind."
Ikuko sighed and put her tea down. "I...I know, I know she wouldn't have cheated..." She looked ashamed. "I couldn't believe Haruna-san when she called me. I refused to. But Haruna-san was so adamant when talking to me... I don't think she believes in Usagi enough. Usagi is too sweet for that..."
Mamoru nodded. "She has so much potential. She just needed help to get it out. Whenever she tried on her own she got frustrated. And some of us weren't very patient with her."
Ikuko sighed again. "I wasn't patient at all... I feel so guilty about accusing Usagi like that now..."
"Why don't I leave you two to talk?" he asked, standing up.
"Hai... would you go get Usagi, onegai? I think it would be best that way, so she doesn't think I'm still angry..."
"Of course. Sayonara, Tsukino-san," Mamoru told her.
"Sayonara, Chiba-san." Mamoru turned and headed up to Usagi's room.
"Usa-ko?" He said, and pushed the door open. He poked his head in. "Usa-ko, your mother wants to talk to you downstairs. She'd not mad anymore..."
Usagi poked her head out from under the covers of her bed. "Yeah, right!"
Mamoru sighed and made his way over to the bed. He sat down next to her. "Come on, it'll be okay. She admitted to me that she wasn't being patient with you, and that she's going to give you another chance."
Usagi sat up. "I don't know, Mamo-chan. I've never seen her so angry before. It scared me."
"Usa-ko, she's not a monster. She may have been angry, but it was because she was worried about you."
"You're right. I'll go down and talk to her."
Usagi and Mamoru walked downstairs together, Mamoru stopping to give Usagi a kiss goodbye. When that was over and done, he left, and Usagi found herself alone to talk to her mother. Usagi walked into the living room, her head still hanging low.
Ikuko tried being gentle. "Usagi-chan, sit down with me. I just want to tell you how I feel about this situation..."
She didn't reply as she sat next to her mother.
"The first thing I want to say is that I love you as much as a mother can possibly love you. I'm not angry anymore, and I want you to know that I'm sorry. I'm sorry for not trusting you, for not being patient with you, for not letting you go at your own pace."
"Mama..." Usagi whispered. "Do you believe me now?"
Ikuko smiled. "Hai, Usagi, I do."
Usagi smiled back. "Arigatou, Mama! You don't know how much that means to me. Everyone at school, including my friends, think I cheated."
Ikuko smiled again. "I'm going to call Haruna-san now and tell her what happened. Everything should be fine by tomorrow morning."
Usagi nodded. "Mama, could you come up and help me with my math homework?"
Ikuko smiled. "Hai! Of course."
"Arigatou!" Usagi shouted, hugging her mother then rushing up the stairs.