Disclaimer: I don't own any characters used. :P
Dedications: To any Usagi fan who likes to see her with multiple bishounen. To everyone and anyone who knows me. Forgive me and my utter flaki-ness.
Warning: Alternate Universe. Multi-crossover. And I mean, multi-crossover. Future strange pairings. Swearing. *smirks*
Author's Notes: Gomen for the wait. Being a high school freshman takes some time getting used to... for me, anyways. I hate history! Argh! If I could pull out my hair, I would literally be bald. *coughs* Anyways, in this chapter, here comes Bachelor #1 and some other potential love interests. I did have this chapter done like months ago, but I didn't feel like converting it to HTML and I also didn't want to make the time. *falters at death glares* Hehehehe...
Major Tip: Don't let last names fool you.
"Once in awhile right in the middle of an ordinary life love gives us a fairy tale."
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The Wedding Bouquet
Chapter 2 - The First Encounter! A Shocking Result
Author: Krys Yuy
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Usagi pushed her glasses up her nose, almost growling in frustration as it slid down again. 'Maybe I should just get rid of these... it's not like anyone would care anyways...'
The elevator stopped with a small bump as the Lobby sign glowed above the doors. Usagi let out a sigh of relief, wanting to get away from all the people wanting to go out for late lunch. She vaguely recognized some of them. They had been guests at her sister's wedding but they showed no sign of remembering her, so she did just the same. She licked her lips unconsciously, the taste of pizza still fresh on her lips. She sighed as the doors slid open with a ding, and she pushed her way through the people who were still too occupied to notice.
Suddenly, someone pushed her and she knocked into a man with red-brownish hair. He stumbled but was able to keep his balance by holding onto whoever he was talking to, who just happened to have soft midnight black hair. He muttered a few choice words under his breath.
Usagi felt her cheeks flush crimson. "Gomen nasai," she mumbled quietly, quickly pushing past him, never noticing as a lock of her long hair whipped by his face.
All at once the man had the smell of roses and lilacs invade his senses. He let his eyes flutter close before they snapped open just as fast. He ran a hand through his red-brownish hair as he and his friend walked out with all the other employees. His eyes darted around the crowd until he spotted the blond hair, which had hit him in the face. He shouted a quick good-bye to his puzzled comrade as he tried to fight his way through the afternoon crowd coming in and going out.
Usagi tried to ignore the tingling sensation at the back of her neck. She had a vague feeling someone was following her, or trying to anyways. She hurried in her steps, finding it hard not to wonder why anyone would follow her in the first place. Should she just wait and find out? Or should she run for it?
It seemed fate decided to answer for her when someone tapped her on the shoulder. For some strange reason, Usagi gulped lightly and turned slowly to face warm chocolate eyes. If anyone could see Usagi's heart, there would be a slight dent in the barrier surrounding it.
The blond woman pushed her glasses up again. "Can I help you somehow, sir?" She asked as quietly and casually as possible.
The man gave her a small smile, somewhat close to a smirk, but not quite. "Sure you can," he replied just as easily.
"So... what might that be?" Usagi prompted, feeling the beginning of irritation tickle her mind.
"I wonder... could you direct me to an ice-cream shop?" The man inquired a glimmer of child happiness shining in his eyes for a split second.
"I-ice cr-cream?" Usagi stuttered, her eyes growing glazy for a few seconds before she shook her head. "I'm sorry, but I don't know of any... ice cream shops." She said the last part a bit wistfully. She quickly forced her mind to stay clear before she gazed up at the man. "Sorry again that I can't help you..."
The man didn't look the least disappointed. In fact, he seemed even brighter than before. "Then maybe... we can find it together?" He suggested a definite twinkle in his eye.
Usagi felt butterflies flying around in her stomach; feelings she thought were buried away. She gulped visibly as she began to fiddle with her large skirt. 'It's all coming back...' She thought with horror, frowning slightly. 'I can't let it happen... not again. I have to tell him no.' She looked up slowly to meet his face. 'I have to tell him-' She met his soft brown eyes, and saw a flash of disappointment flash through them as he read her feelings quite clearly. She figured she was displaying it like a neon sign. '... no...'
"Look, I better just find it myself then," the stranger said, masking his face for just a moment. He turned to leave but was stopped by her hand grabbing his arm.
"Wait!" She cried out, startling the both of them with the velocity of her voice. She lowered her eyes to the ground. "I- I c-can he-help you," she stuttered.
The man tilted her chin up gently, so she was looking at him directly. "Great," he whispered.
Usagi resisted the urge to shudder and broke away from him gently. "I think it's this way," she said nonchalantly, pointing towards the west.
"Well then, let's go," he replied. He surprised her by grabbing her hand and walking to where she had pointed, dragging her behind him.
Usagi kept up with his pace and ignored the sick feeling in her stomach. 'It's going to happen all over again...' A voice taunted in her mind.
'No, it's not,' she protested.
'Oh really? You don't think he's going to break your heart? You don't even know his name,' the voice retorted.
'We're not even on an official date!' She cried out mentally.
'Fine, fine...' The voice seemed to sigh. 'Don't listen to me. You're just setting yourself up again. But what do I know? I'm just your subconscious...' Then it was silent.
"So... what's your name?" The man asked, breaking through her thoughts. He glanced at her from over his shoulder.
She hesitated for a split second before she answered. "It's Usagi." She blushed under his intense gaze.
"Does a last name go with it?" He chuckled, unconsciously rubbing his thumb over her palm.
Usagi was trying desperately to ignore his soft rubbing. "Umm... it's Mizuno. Usagi Mizuno." 'Geez, Usagi! You've ignored tons of guys before! Why, out of the blue, do you decide to go nuts over this one?!' She complained to herself.
"Usagi..." The man said softly with a puzzled expression as if trying to remember something. He stopped right in front of the ice cream store. "Any relation with Ami Mizuno?"
"Uhh... why?" She asked, her defenses on guard.
"I was just at her wedding yesterday," he commented, shrugging. "Just thought you might have been there. Wait a minute... there was an Usagi who caught the bouquet..." He scrunched up his face for a moment.
Usagi panicked for the first time in a long while. "Iie! Iie! I wasn't at the wedding yesterday. I had an important business meeting to attend to."
"So you are related to her?" He asked slyly, winking.
"You just have to find out," Usagi said smoothly, surprising herself at its abruptness. 'Am I flirting?!' She demanded.
"Gladly," the man smirked, watching as Usagi blushed.
Usagi felt her cheeks grow red as she rubbed her eyes behind her glasses. "Well, you know my name... what's yours?" She inquired curiously.
He opened the door for her to go through and she did with him following. His red-brownish hair seemed to stand out so much more as she waited for him to answer. He gave her a sideways glance as he smiled slightly. "It's Maxwell," he replied.
"Like the coffee?" Usagi asked, tilting her head slightly, confused.
"Hai, like the coffee," he laughed. "Except it's Daisuke. Daisuke Maxwell."
* * * * *
"Well well sis'... I never expected you to crash a party," teased a deep voice. A man materialized in the misty space that a woman stood in. His black hair was sleeked back and he also had a goatee. A gold hoop earring was on his left ear. He frowned mockingly. "That's my job!"
The woman's long golden curls whipped around her as she turned to stare at him, before laughing gaily. "I had a good reason."
The man lifted an eyebrow skeptically. "Oh really?" He asked as he began to circle her. She responded by smiling innocently at him. He paused right next to her and glanced at the wading pool she was standing in front of. "Let's see what the object of your game is..." He pointed his finger and a ray of red light erupted at the pool.
Immediately, the pool began swirling around ferociously until two images appeared side by side. The first was of a girl with green-blue eyes but glasses hiding them. She had her blonde hair tied into a messy bun on the back of her head. Her skin was slightly pale as if she hadn't been out in the sun for quite some time. She had on a very small smile, but it didn't reach the rest of her face. Instead, she radiated a kind of sadness. The second picture showed a girl with sapphire blue eyes free for the world to see. Her blonde hair fell past her shoulders in waves. She was smiling brightly and happiness shown through every feature. However, she had an odd aura surrounding her of red, blue, and white.
The man stared at both pictures intently before his eyes widened. "I can't believe this. I know that spell!" He pointed to the aura surrounding the second girl. "That's dangerous!" He glared at the woman, questions burning in his eyes. "Why the hell did you do that!?"
The woman appeared calm despite the man's sudden anger. She brushed a lock of hair away from her face, tucking it behind her ear. "It had to be done. She would be wandering around forever stuck like that." She pointed to the first image. "A woman hidden behind a false identity, but with so much potential to do more than what an average person can do."
"Yes! But this!" He exclaimed as he gestured to the second image again. "This is only what might be! It is not guaranteed! You could taint her pure heart forever!" He sighed, shaking his head furiously. "Your specific spell contains a large amount of chaos among the mortals! Specifically those of the male species!" He gave her another piercing look here as he snapped his fingers. "You do know that she is going to be so pissed off?! Destiny is being thrown off course!"
The blond woman smirked back at him, not looking worried at all. "Well, brother dear, if it really was destiny, then she has nothing to worry about, does she?"
* * * * *
Usagi smiled at him again, now realizing why his last name had seemed so familiar, besides the fact that it was also a brand of coffee. It had been the name of the host at her sister's wedding. The one that had dragged her to the middle of the dance floor. She couldn't help but study Daisuke curiously as he led her into the ice cream shop. She could have sworn that he had been the one teasing the Inoue girl, which usually meant there were deeper feelings than just that.
"-- flavor do you want?"
Daisuke's sudden question snapped her from her thoughts. "Oh, I'm sorry! Could you repeat that?" She blushed slightly, realizing she had been lost in her mind.
"What kind of ice cream flavor do you want?" Daisuke asked again, studying her face intently. She looked as if she had been doing some serious thinking, and had been reluctant to disturb her. However, a sudden urge had come over him. Now, as she looked into his face, he couldn't resist the urge to lay a hand on her shoulder.
Usagi nervously took a step back from him, his hand dropping. She smiled apologetically. "Umm... I'll take rainbow sherbet... in a cone."
Daisuke tried to hide his disappointment at the sudden loss of contact, but forced a grin on his face. "No problem!" He turned to the employee helping them out. "Well, you heard the lady. As for me, I'll take rocky road in a large waffle cone as well."
The man behind the counter nodded and went to complete their order. Usagi averted her gaze to her hands as she was again left alone with Daisuke. "I'm paying," she blurted out.
"What?" Daisuke replied, startled. "Don't worry about it. I got it all covered." To her shock, he brushed a piece of hair from her eyes. "I'll take care of you," he whispered.
"One rocky road and one rainbow sherbet," the employee said, interrupting the tense moment. He stared at them impassively from over the counter.
Daisuke resisted the urge to yell at him for ruining it, but he checked himself. He took both cones from the employee's hands and offered them to Usagi. "Could you hold mine while I pay?" He asked, shrugging his shoulders. "I kind of need both hands."
Usagi granted him another small smile. "Of course," she replied. She took both ice cream cones off his hands, watching as he paid.
Daisuke handed the employee money and turned around quickly. He took his cone from Usagi and smiled down at her again. "Let's go and enjoy this, shall we?" He held his arm out to her.
Usagi hesitated but then held onto his arm loosely. They began to walk out when the employee called to them. "Hey! You forgot your change!"
Usagi gave Daisuke's arm a small squeeze. "I got it, go outside," she said. He began to protest but she assured him that it was all right. When he exited the shop, she went back up to the counter. "Sorry about that," she apologized.
"No problem," the employee said, shrugging. "It happens all the time." He held out the five-dollar bill to her.
Usagi reached for it and accidentally brushed her hand against his own. Both felt tingles run up and down their arms. The employee breathed in deeply for no apparent reason at all. After pausing, Usagi stumbled backwards, nearly dropping her ice cream. "Thank you again," she whispered, before running out of the store.
The man continued to stare at the spot she had just occupied, before his boss yelling pulled him from his thoughts at him. "Touya! Stop daydreaming and start working! We do have customers, you know!"
Touya shook his head, trying to clear his thoughts, and got back to work. He began helping out another customer, but kept thinking back to the girl who had just come in with her possible boyfriend. He frowned slightly before a silly grin came over him as he continued to think about her.
And why couldn't he stop smelling roses and lilacs?
* * * * *
Usagi licked her ice cream slowly and carefully, wondering just how long she had gone without the delicious treat. It used to be her favorite food, but along the road of self-discovery, she had forgotten the small pleasures in life. 'Maybe Toji was right,' she thought as she glanced at Daisuke. 'I probably should get out more...'
Daisuke glanced over at the shy blond and couldn't help but think of how cute she was. He shook his head, feeling a slight headache overcome him right then. 'Ugh... I think I need an aspirin, but I don't want to leave Usagi...'
Usagi noticed her "date" stop suddenly and look a little pale. She stood to face him and looked him in the eye. "Are you all right?" She raised her hand to touch his face before she knew what she was doing. Once she felt his tan skin under her fingers, she drew back just as fast. "You... you feel a little feverish," she whispered, putting one hand behind her back while the other still held on to her cone.
Daisuke was surprised at how fast his headache disappeared when she had touched his cheek. However, he had to admit that he did feel a little sick. "I'm fine," he lied. He didn't want to leave her side just when he was starting to really become comfortable at her side.
"I think you should get some rest Maxwell," she replied, not falling for it. She was starting to grow some concern for him, and her mind rang alarms. 'Warning! Warning! Hello?! You can't start feeling again!' Her subconscious screamed at her. 'Do you want to get hurt again?! Do you?!' Usagi remained silent as a part of her mind gave a verbal reprimanding.
Daisuke realized he wouldn't be going anywhere else with her, but he felt content with what they did for the day. Then he remembered what she had called him. "Please... call me by my first name, Daisuke," he said softly. "I'd really appreciate it."
Usagi nodded her head thoughtfully, half of her paying attention, the other half wandering through her mind. She was looking at him, but it was like she actually looking past him. 'I need a vacation. Maybe to get away from all these people...' Another taunting voice entered her mind. 'Anti-social again, I see...' She began to argue back. 'I'm not being anti-social! I just-' Her thoughts died when she felt something warm press against her lips.
Daisuke couldn't help himself. Her lips looked so rosy at that moment that he had the irresistible urge to taste them. So he did. He reveled in their softness, but pulled back a couple of seconds later when she didn't respond. He looked into her face and realized she was speechless. He chuckled quietly and caressed her cheek for a moment. He leaned next to her. "Good-bye for now... Usagi." He studied her face one last time before he turned around and walked away.
Usagi watched him go, her mind still in shock. Her first kiss! The cone began slipping from her fingers before her ice cream fell with a splat. She tried to think of something to say, something to do. But it continued to ring through her mind, through her soul. Someone she didn't even know had just kissed her. She brought a shaky hand to her lips and wondered briefly if it had really been her standing here. Maybe he had been thinking of someone else when he kissed her, maybe it was all just another cruel joke.
She could still feel his lips pressing against hers. The warm sensations that ran through her body when he did. She began to walk again, towards her apartment but her thoughts were filled with a certain red-brown haired man. She stopped as the shock began to drain from her system. She closed her eyes and her heart beat wildly. "Daisuke..."
* * * * *
A man watched her from the shadows, hearing her call out that single name. Jealousy coursed through him. 'Why isn't she even mad? Daisuke stole a kiss from her!' He exclaimed, not even realizing that in reality it had been her very first kiss. He could still smell her scent of lilacs and roses. He closed his eyes as she continued down the sidewalk, deciding that he would wait.
Tomorrow.
Tomorrow he would confront his love.
