Held By The Wings of an Angel
The Cherry Project-Part Eleven
By Bonnie-Chan
Email: hunniebunny@aol.com
Web page: http://www.geocities.com/sailor_moon_rose/
Today is February 20, 2002
Welcome back! Here's part thirteen...this story's starting to speed up!
Mostly Usagi today, yay!
Welcome to Day Thirteen of the 2002 Winter Olympics! I've always loved the Olympics, haven't you? Anyways, to memorialize this historic event, I am releasing a chapter of this story every single day for the next 4 days. By the Closing Ceremonies on February 24th, this story will be ending as well.
Watch the Olympics...you never know when the tides will turn and what you thought would happen can change in the blink of an eye!
Sailor Eeyore-you're a wonderful beta reader, thanks so much!! ^_^
Well, on with the story!
_____________________________
Held By the Wings of an Angel
The Cherry Project: Part Eleven
By Bonnie-Chan
_____________________________
"Motoki, turn on the TV, hurry!"
The buttery-blond haired boy looked up as a golden whirlwind flew into the Crown Fruit Parlor, plopping down onto a stool and reaching over the counter to grab a chunky black remote.
"Usagi, what are you-"
"Shh! I wanna see this!" She turned the volume up and stared at the screen, engrossed.
"Number 21, Akiyama Canty, skating to the music of Emperor!"
Usagi watched through narrowed eyes as the petite blond flew around the ice, landing difficult jumps before performing her own special spin, the on-parade, and launching into the first junior quadruple toe loop ever used in competition. Once she was done skating, she sat in the kiss-and-cry area, smiling when a string of 6.0's were announced.
"Number 22, Asuka Chieri, also skating to Emperor!"
Usagi's eyes widened as she watched her friend mirror the previous skater's program, reaching the part with the quadruple and crashing into the cameras at the edge of the ice before finishing her performance and heading off the ice.
"Asuka-san's marks are all over the board! Why, she has one 6.0! She also has a 3.1! The results have never been this varied in competition before! It looks like this season we're in for a showdown between newcomer Asuka Chieri and skating favorite Akiyama Canty, better known as the Princess!"
Usagi growled in frustration as she jabbed the power button, cutting off the announcer's comments. "Tsuzuki, what have you done!? How could you let Chieri skate Tsuzuki's program?"
"Usagi, calm down! It's just a meet!"
She turned to glare at Motoki. "No, it's not! You should know that better than anyone, Toki!"
"Why, cuz that could have been you?"
"That would never be me! I turned him down when he asked me to pair skate!"
"You turned him down because you broke your arm and ruined your Olympic dreams."
"No, Motoki. I turned him down because I don't have the heart of a skater."
"Then why are you so upset right now?"
"Because Chieri is my friend! He's messing around with her heart! She's in love with him, she'll do anything he asks her to, and this is what he does to her!"
"Ah, I see. That's why you're so mad. You're still in love with him."
"What!? I was never in love with him; we were never anything but friends!"
"Just friends?"
"That's right."
"How do you know it couldn't have been something more?"
"Well, let's see. A) He's not my soul mate, and B) He's already half in love with Chieri…We were never in love!"
"I think you-"
"You thought wrong, Motoki. I'm not in love with Tsuzuki, and I no longer dream of the gold medal in any Olympics. Now if you'll excuse me, I'm leaving." She slammed the remote down on the counter and stormed out of the arcade, stopping at a nearby crosswalk and waiting for the light to change.
"Usagi, wait up!"
"Why can't you leave me the fuck alone?" She turned around with a scowl on her face, only to have it wiped off as a look of amazement replaced it. "Mamoru, you actually know my name? Color me impressed."
The light changed to green and the little white man on the sign appeared, allowing her to briskly walk cross the street, Mamoru at her heels. "Why are you following me?"
"Maybe I'm just going where you're going."
"Well, I'm going to sit on this bench right here and get my thoughts together. So, while parting is such sweet sorrow, yaddi yaddi yadda…it's time for you to go." She plopped down on the bench and stared at him expectantly.
"Actually, Usagi, I-"
"You said my name again!"
"So?"
"So…you're being nice to me today. Why?"
"You look sad, like you could use a friend."
"She looked up at him with wide eyes. "You want to be my friend?"
"Well…yeah. I mean, I know we tease each other a bit-okay, a lot, but…I don't know. Aren't we friends on some level?"
"I-I don't know, I never really thought about it before."
"I mean, look at you and Rei. You guys are always at one another's throats, and yet you're still the very best of friends."
"True…even though we do nothing but bicker-worse than you and I at times if you can believe it!-I love her to death, and I would totally trust her with my life, ya know?"
"Could you ever trust me?"
"Well, I, uh…"
"I know I'd trust you."
"You would?"
"Of course."
"Why? You hate me."
"No I don't. I just like to tease you. There's a difference."
"Why do you enjoy teasing me so much?"
"Because I can? I don't know, Motoki says I tease you because you're like the little sister I never had. Maybe it's true. To tell you the truth, I'm not really sure why. I just…don't know what to say when I'm around you. It's strange."
"Wow."
"Wow what?"
"We just had a moment."
"A moment?"
"Yeah. Chiba Mamoru, I think we just bonded." She grinned up at him with twinkling blue eyes. "I think this is the most we've ever talked without a yelling match. It's definitely the fist time you've ever confided in me, spoken to me as an equal instead of an annoying little bug…maybe that sister thing is accurate. That tends to be the way brothers and sisters view each other."
"You know this from experience?"
"Well, I do have a younger brother."
"I never knew that."
"Yeah, his name is Shingo, he's ten. What about you, any siblings?"
"I'm sorry to inform you that you are the only one I get to tease."
"Lucky me." She scowled playfully, then scooted over and patted the bench. "Here, sit down, take a load off…it seems you'll be staying awhile."
"As long as you'll tolerate me," he replied, flopping down onto the bench and turning to face her.
"Well in that case…"
"Then again, I never did need a reason to torment you."
"Oh, you! She sighed in exasperation before cocking her head at him thoughtfully. "Hey, Mamoru?"
"Yeah?"
"Since you don't have any other siblings…it's okay to use me as a stand-in. I've decide that maybe you're not so bad after all."
"That's really nice of you, Usagi."
"Who knows? Maybe if you take a shining to Shingo, he can be your new little brother. I have a feeling the two of you will get along really well."
"Why's that?"
"You both love to tease me-especially about my hair!"
He chuckled lightly. "I would be honored to be part of your family, Usagi…especially considering you used to hate me."
"Not hate…I don't hate anybody. Mainly, just…confused. You always tormented me for no reason, making me so mad that I would retaliate. Now I see why. And you're right, it does remind me of my relationship with Shingo. We may fight a lot, but we have our moments…much like the one you and I are having now. And, to answer your earlier question…I trust you, much as I trust Shingo-even Rei-despite our many differences."
"Really?"
"Mm-hmm."
"Thank you. That means a lot to me."
She returned his smile and glanced at him curiously. "What did you want to talk to me about, anyway?"
"Huh?"
"Well, did you follow me here just to make peace, or was there another reason for your presence?"
His eyes clouded over in remembrance and his eyes took on a concerned look. "Actually, I just wanted to know if you were alright."
"Yeah, I'm fine, why?"
"Cuz you left the parlor practically in tears, you looked really upset."
"You were there?"
"Yeah."
"And you came after me?"
"Mm-hmm."
"That's really sweet…the sort of thing an older brother really would do. I'm okay, though, really."
"Won't you tell me what's wrong?"
"I really don't-"
"It'll help to get it off your chest. Besides, wouldn't an older brother insist on knowing what ails you?"
"I guess you're right. It's just…so confusing."
"Something about ice skating?"
"Yeah."
"Did you want to be a skater?"
"Not really, no. I never really skated until last year, when Tsuzuki asked me to. You see…I didn't use to be the girl you know now. You would have thought me to be a very different person last year. To make a long story short, I've belonged to a gymnastics club for as long as I can remember. I was really good, I had a great shot for the next summer Olympics.
One day I met Tsuzuki, and he took me to the rink because I had always wanted to learn how to skate. I had a knack for it, so he kept teaching me new things.
Two weeks before nationals, I was at my afternoon session practicing my beam routine. As I was dismounting, I fell and broke my wrist. It healed and stuff, but it's always gonna be weak because of how it broke. So much of gymnastics relies on your hands. I can still do it, just not competitively.
Tsuzuki knew this, and said that since ice skating doesn't rely so heavily on your arms, I should be a competitive skater. In fact, he wanted me to skate pairs with him.
I told him I wouldn't because my heart wouldn't be in it, then I told his friends about one of my friends at school who loves skating.
They clicked, and Chieri decided to skate singles before being Tsuzuki's partner because she wants the approval of the Princess. Today, during that interview with the Princess, they said that Tsuzuki is her new coach. You saw it just now. The two girls had the same music, similar dresses, the same program! She put her trust in him, and he did this to her. It probably broke her heart. She loves him so much. Admires him, too, has an old poster of him in her room for inspiration. I don't understand how he could do this to her, especially since he loves her. Even if he is too stubborn to admit it."
"That's quite a tale."
"I know."
"Did you love Tsuzuki?"
"No, I never saw him as anything but a friend. I'm glad I didn't, he and Chieri are perfect together-soul mates."
"You believe in soul mates?"
"Don't you?"
"I don't know, I never really thought about it before."
"Well I do. Someday, I'll find my perfect guy, and we'll just…click. It will be perfect." She absently rubbed her wrist and winced.
"You okay?"
"Huh? Oh, yeah. My wrist just acts up sometimes, mainly when the weather changes drastically, like it did today, and during bat-erhm, bad storms. It also acts up when I use it a lot or put too much pressure on it."
"Ouch."
"Yeah. It sucks, but what can I do, ya know? That's life." She smiled shyly. "Thanks for taking the time to listen to me today, Mamoru. It was really sweet of you, and I really appreciate it."
"Hey, no problem. Besides, it gave me a better understanding of you, of what your life has been like. You're right, we did bond today."
"We did, didn't we?"
"I really admire you, bouncing back after such a devastating loss with no visible scars…it's inspiring."
"My scars are inside, and will be there forever. However, you're right. I am learning to be happy again. I even get to sleep in late now! Too late, usually. And I can eat whatever I want-no more strict diets! I don't always have to do my homework in order to maintain my average, and it's okay if I suck at math, I can flunk a class every now and then without repercussions." She cast a sheepish glance at Mamoru.
"I must say, when I first met you, and hit you with my test? That was the lowest test grade I've ever received. I just don't get the material, no matter how hard I try. I had a tutor for the longest time, but we stopped getting together once I stopped gymnastics.
Why do I always run into you when things go wrong? That day with the test. Every day I actually oversleep and am late. I wonder why that is, don't you?"
"Destiny, I guess."
"I guess." She smiled at him hesitantly. "We should try this bonding thing again sometime. Next time you get to tell me your life story, okay?"
"You're leaving now?"
"Yeah, it's getting dark. It will be dinnertime soon." She stood up and smoothed out her skirt. Do you have any plans tonight?"
"No, why?"
"Well, you can come to my house and eat dinner with us…if you want to, that is."
"You don't have to-"
"I know."
"Are you sure that your mother won't mind?"
"Of course. She always cooks so much that there's always leftovers in the fridge-My friends are always welcome. Shingo's, too."
"Well, it just so happens that I don't have any plans for the night. I would love to have dinner with my new sister, get to know her family-and her-better."
She grinned happily. "Good! Let's go, then! Mom may not care if I have company over for dinner, but she'll be really mad if I'm late! Oh, and ignore Daddy if he's mean to you-once he knows you're just a friend and nothing more, he'll be alright. And whatever you do, don't egg Shingo on, he's twice the trouble then!"
She kept up a stead stream of chatter as the walked to her hose, and Mamoru couldn't help but enjoy himself fully for the first time in years.
***********************
"You really did a number on your foot, Cherry."
Chieri looked up at Tsuzuki, who was examining her foot while she lounged on a sterile white hospital bed.
"You twisted it pretty badly during that fall on the ice. I've warned you about doing too many spins before you're ready." He turned to Coach Mori, who was standing beside him. "That was quite a shocking free skating she performed, was it intentional?"
"No, of course not."
"I'll be battling the reporters all night." He ran his hands through his sandy hair tiredly. His eyes glazed over, remembering the day he refused Canty's wish to make her his partner, remember his agreement to coach her instead. He shook his head and focused on Chieri as she began to speak again.
"I don't want to do this again, Tsuzuki. Was my skating really so similar to the Princess?"
"Your talent definitely isn't ordinary. You definitely impressed the officials tonight with your ability." He glanced down at her ankle and nodded tartly. "Your ankle will be fine. You didn't crash on purpose, right?"
"I emptied my head, and thought only of skating…"
Like always, she emptied her head…!?
"Have you seen Hiroshi and Kouichi lately?"
"Yeah, they stop at the rink sometimes."
"Good." He playfully tweaked her nose. "Hey, now, don't cry. What's wrong?"
"I'm not crying! It's just...you've forgotten me already. You only have eyes for the Princess now."
He looked at her curiously and slowly shook his head. "No, Cherry, I've always been thinking about you…" He stood up abruptly and quickly changed the topic. "I've got to go now." With that he waved to her and quickly walked out of the room before she had a chance to process what he had said.
"Tsuzuki, what's going on? The Cherry Project hasn't been broken up yet!"
He tiredly looked over at Yuni as he exited the room. "Come with me, we can't talk here."
***********************
"Cherry's becoming a copy machine!? How is that possible?"
Hiroshi cleared his throat to stare down at Yuni from him position at the window of Tsuzuki Groups. "The music was a gamble. The order the girls skated in was a lottery. Either way, her music would have been the same."
Tsuzuki nodded in agreement. "We wanted to make the Japanese Skating Union sit up and take notice."
"She showed off her technique better than we ever anticipated, skating right after the Princess." Kouichi sat down on the edge of Tsuzuki's desk, staring at his hands.
"Then…why did you become her coach, Tsuzuki? I don't get it. If you're doing this to help Cherry, then staying with her would be the best thing to do, right?"
"Not necessarily, no. It's more complicated than that."
"I have all the time in the world to listen."
***********************
The next afternoon, Tsuzuki stood in a spectator box high above the rink, watching Chieri's practice. Now we'll see if our gamble paid off. She can't go on being a copycat much longer…it's time for her to realize that she needs a unique style all her own.
He watched her skate slowly to the center of the ice, waiting for her music to begin. As the tempo began to crescendo, she fell to the ground and fainted.
***********************
I hope that wasn't too abrupt! That scene with Usagi and Mamoru has been written for a VERY long time, I've been waiting forever to finally reach this point! More tomorrow!!!
The end...until tomorrow, that is! Look for the thirteenth part of this epic tale tomorrow, and don't forget to watch the Olympics on NBC! Every day that you see events taking place, there's going to be a new chapter of this story! We're halfway done now! Whoo-hoo! There are only 4 Chapters to go! Usagi and Tsuzuki's stories are far from over!
Give me the next 4 days to tell you the rest of their story...I promise it will be worth the ride! ^_^
~Bonnie
February 20, 2002
Day 13 of the 2002 Salt Lake City Winter Olympics
DISCLAIMER: Both Sail Moon AND The Cherry Project belong to Naoko Takeuchi…man, she's one lucky lady! What I wouldn't give to own the rights to two of my favorite manga! In case you were wondering, TCP was Naoko's first epic story ^_^ …wait until you see what character shows up in part three-one that is in the original manga for TCP, and a character you know quite well from SM, as well!
Translations for The Cherry Project came from Alex Glover's wonderful webpage. If you want to read TCP-or any other manga by Naoko-hime, it's the place to go! The web address is:
http://www.nwlink.com/~kurozuki/manga.htm
A few lines were taken directly from the translated text by Alex Glover, but for the most part they remain uniquely my own! Please don't copy anything without emailing me first and asking!
The Cherry Project-Part Eleven
By Bonnie-Chan
Email: hunniebunny@aol.com
Web page: http://www.geocities.com/sailor_moon_rose/
Today is February 20, 2002
Welcome back! Here's part thirteen...this story's starting to speed up!
Mostly Usagi today, yay!
Welcome to Day Thirteen of the 2002 Winter Olympics! I've always loved the Olympics, haven't you? Anyways, to memorialize this historic event, I am releasing a chapter of this story every single day for the next 4 days. By the Closing Ceremonies on February 24th, this story will be ending as well.
Watch the Olympics...you never know when the tides will turn and what you thought would happen can change in the blink of an eye!
Sailor Eeyore-you're a wonderful beta reader, thanks so much!! ^_^
Well, on with the story!
_____________________________
Held By the Wings of an Angel
The Cherry Project: Part Eleven
By Bonnie-Chan
_____________________________
"Motoki, turn on the TV, hurry!"
The buttery-blond haired boy looked up as a golden whirlwind flew into the Crown Fruit Parlor, plopping down onto a stool and reaching over the counter to grab a chunky black remote.
"Usagi, what are you-"
"Shh! I wanna see this!" She turned the volume up and stared at the screen, engrossed.
"Number 21, Akiyama Canty, skating to the music of Emperor!"
Usagi watched through narrowed eyes as the petite blond flew around the ice, landing difficult jumps before performing her own special spin, the on-parade, and launching into the first junior quadruple toe loop ever used in competition. Once she was done skating, she sat in the kiss-and-cry area, smiling when a string of 6.0's were announced.
"Number 22, Asuka Chieri, also skating to Emperor!"
Usagi's eyes widened as she watched her friend mirror the previous skater's program, reaching the part with the quadruple and crashing into the cameras at the edge of the ice before finishing her performance and heading off the ice.
"Asuka-san's marks are all over the board! Why, she has one 6.0! She also has a 3.1! The results have never been this varied in competition before! It looks like this season we're in for a showdown between newcomer Asuka Chieri and skating favorite Akiyama Canty, better known as the Princess!"
Usagi growled in frustration as she jabbed the power button, cutting off the announcer's comments. "Tsuzuki, what have you done!? How could you let Chieri skate Tsuzuki's program?"
"Usagi, calm down! It's just a meet!"
She turned to glare at Motoki. "No, it's not! You should know that better than anyone, Toki!"
"Why, cuz that could have been you?"
"That would never be me! I turned him down when he asked me to pair skate!"
"You turned him down because you broke your arm and ruined your Olympic dreams."
"No, Motoki. I turned him down because I don't have the heart of a skater."
"Then why are you so upset right now?"
"Because Chieri is my friend! He's messing around with her heart! She's in love with him, she'll do anything he asks her to, and this is what he does to her!"
"Ah, I see. That's why you're so mad. You're still in love with him."
"What!? I was never in love with him; we were never anything but friends!"
"Just friends?"
"That's right."
"How do you know it couldn't have been something more?"
"Well, let's see. A) He's not my soul mate, and B) He's already half in love with Chieri…We were never in love!"
"I think you-"
"You thought wrong, Motoki. I'm not in love with Tsuzuki, and I no longer dream of the gold medal in any Olympics. Now if you'll excuse me, I'm leaving." She slammed the remote down on the counter and stormed out of the arcade, stopping at a nearby crosswalk and waiting for the light to change.
"Usagi, wait up!"
"Why can't you leave me the fuck alone?" She turned around with a scowl on her face, only to have it wiped off as a look of amazement replaced it. "Mamoru, you actually know my name? Color me impressed."
The light changed to green and the little white man on the sign appeared, allowing her to briskly walk cross the street, Mamoru at her heels. "Why are you following me?"
"Maybe I'm just going where you're going."
"Well, I'm going to sit on this bench right here and get my thoughts together. So, while parting is such sweet sorrow, yaddi yaddi yadda…it's time for you to go." She plopped down on the bench and stared at him expectantly.
"Actually, Usagi, I-"
"You said my name again!"
"So?"
"So…you're being nice to me today. Why?"
"You look sad, like you could use a friend."
"She looked up at him with wide eyes. "You want to be my friend?"
"Well…yeah. I mean, I know we tease each other a bit-okay, a lot, but…I don't know. Aren't we friends on some level?"
"I-I don't know, I never really thought about it before."
"I mean, look at you and Rei. You guys are always at one another's throats, and yet you're still the very best of friends."
"True…even though we do nothing but bicker-worse than you and I at times if you can believe it!-I love her to death, and I would totally trust her with my life, ya know?"
"Could you ever trust me?"
"Well, I, uh…"
"I know I'd trust you."
"You would?"
"Of course."
"Why? You hate me."
"No I don't. I just like to tease you. There's a difference."
"Why do you enjoy teasing me so much?"
"Because I can? I don't know, Motoki says I tease you because you're like the little sister I never had. Maybe it's true. To tell you the truth, I'm not really sure why. I just…don't know what to say when I'm around you. It's strange."
"Wow."
"Wow what?"
"We just had a moment."
"A moment?"
"Yeah. Chiba Mamoru, I think we just bonded." She grinned up at him with twinkling blue eyes. "I think this is the most we've ever talked without a yelling match. It's definitely the fist time you've ever confided in me, spoken to me as an equal instead of an annoying little bug…maybe that sister thing is accurate. That tends to be the way brothers and sisters view each other."
"You know this from experience?"
"Well, I do have a younger brother."
"I never knew that."
"Yeah, his name is Shingo, he's ten. What about you, any siblings?"
"I'm sorry to inform you that you are the only one I get to tease."
"Lucky me." She scowled playfully, then scooted over and patted the bench. "Here, sit down, take a load off…it seems you'll be staying awhile."
"As long as you'll tolerate me," he replied, flopping down onto the bench and turning to face her.
"Well in that case…"
"Then again, I never did need a reason to torment you."
"Oh, you! She sighed in exasperation before cocking her head at him thoughtfully. "Hey, Mamoru?"
"Yeah?"
"Since you don't have any other siblings…it's okay to use me as a stand-in. I've decide that maybe you're not so bad after all."
"That's really nice of you, Usagi."
"Who knows? Maybe if you take a shining to Shingo, he can be your new little brother. I have a feeling the two of you will get along really well."
"Why's that?"
"You both love to tease me-especially about my hair!"
He chuckled lightly. "I would be honored to be part of your family, Usagi…especially considering you used to hate me."
"Not hate…I don't hate anybody. Mainly, just…confused. You always tormented me for no reason, making me so mad that I would retaliate. Now I see why. And you're right, it does remind me of my relationship with Shingo. We may fight a lot, but we have our moments…much like the one you and I are having now. And, to answer your earlier question…I trust you, much as I trust Shingo-even Rei-despite our many differences."
"Really?"
"Mm-hmm."
"Thank you. That means a lot to me."
She returned his smile and glanced at him curiously. "What did you want to talk to me about, anyway?"
"Huh?"
"Well, did you follow me here just to make peace, or was there another reason for your presence?"
His eyes clouded over in remembrance and his eyes took on a concerned look. "Actually, I just wanted to know if you were alright."
"Yeah, I'm fine, why?"
"Cuz you left the parlor practically in tears, you looked really upset."
"You were there?"
"Yeah."
"And you came after me?"
"Mm-hmm."
"That's really sweet…the sort of thing an older brother really would do. I'm okay, though, really."
"Won't you tell me what's wrong?"
"I really don't-"
"It'll help to get it off your chest. Besides, wouldn't an older brother insist on knowing what ails you?"
"I guess you're right. It's just…so confusing."
"Something about ice skating?"
"Yeah."
"Did you want to be a skater?"
"Not really, no. I never really skated until last year, when Tsuzuki asked me to. You see…I didn't use to be the girl you know now. You would have thought me to be a very different person last year. To make a long story short, I've belonged to a gymnastics club for as long as I can remember. I was really good, I had a great shot for the next summer Olympics.
One day I met Tsuzuki, and he took me to the rink because I had always wanted to learn how to skate. I had a knack for it, so he kept teaching me new things.
Two weeks before nationals, I was at my afternoon session practicing my beam routine. As I was dismounting, I fell and broke my wrist. It healed and stuff, but it's always gonna be weak because of how it broke. So much of gymnastics relies on your hands. I can still do it, just not competitively.
Tsuzuki knew this, and said that since ice skating doesn't rely so heavily on your arms, I should be a competitive skater. In fact, he wanted me to skate pairs with him.
I told him I wouldn't because my heart wouldn't be in it, then I told his friends about one of my friends at school who loves skating.
They clicked, and Chieri decided to skate singles before being Tsuzuki's partner because she wants the approval of the Princess. Today, during that interview with the Princess, they said that Tsuzuki is her new coach. You saw it just now. The two girls had the same music, similar dresses, the same program! She put her trust in him, and he did this to her. It probably broke her heart. She loves him so much. Admires him, too, has an old poster of him in her room for inspiration. I don't understand how he could do this to her, especially since he loves her. Even if he is too stubborn to admit it."
"That's quite a tale."
"I know."
"Did you love Tsuzuki?"
"No, I never saw him as anything but a friend. I'm glad I didn't, he and Chieri are perfect together-soul mates."
"You believe in soul mates?"
"Don't you?"
"I don't know, I never really thought about it before."
"Well I do. Someday, I'll find my perfect guy, and we'll just…click. It will be perfect." She absently rubbed her wrist and winced.
"You okay?"
"Huh? Oh, yeah. My wrist just acts up sometimes, mainly when the weather changes drastically, like it did today, and during bat-erhm, bad storms. It also acts up when I use it a lot or put too much pressure on it."
"Ouch."
"Yeah. It sucks, but what can I do, ya know? That's life." She smiled shyly. "Thanks for taking the time to listen to me today, Mamoru. It was really sweet of you, and I really appreciate it."
"Hey, no problem. Besides, it gave me a better understanding of you, of what your life has been like. You're right, we did bond today."
"We did, didn't we?"
"I really admire you, bouncing back after such a devastating loss with no visible scars…it's inspiring."
"My scars are inside, and will be there forever. However, you're right. I am learning to be happy again. I even get to sleep in late now! Too late, usually. And I can eat whatever I want-no more strict diets! I don't always have to do my homework in order to maintain my average, and it's okay if I suck at math, I can flunk a class every now and then without repercussions." She cast a sheepish glance at Mamoru.
"I must say, when I first met you, and hit you with my test? That was the lowest test grade I've ever received. I just don't get the material, no matter how hard I try. I had a tutor for the longest time, but we stopped getting together once I stopped gymnastics.
Why do I always run into you when things go wrong? That day with the test. Every day I actually oversleep and am late. I wonder why that is, don't you?"
"Destiny, I guess."
"I guess." She smiled at him hesitantly. "We should try this bonding thing again sometime. Next time you get to tell me your life story, okay?"
"You're leaving now?"
"Yeah, it's getting dark. It will be dinnertime soon." She stood up and smoothed out her skirt. Do you have any plans tonight?"
"No, why?"
"Well, you can come to my house and eat dinner with us…if you want to, that is."
"You don't have to-"
"I know."
"Are you sure that your mother won't mind?"
"Of course. She always cooks so much that there's always leftovers in the fridge-My friends are always welcome. Shingo's, too."
"Well, it just so happens that I don't have any plans for the night. I would love to have dinner with my new sister, get to know her family-and her-better."
She grinned happily. "Good! Let's go, then! Mom may not care if I have company over for dinner, but she'll be really mad if I'm late! Oh, and ignore Daddy if he's mean to you-once he knows you're just a friend and nothing more, he'll be alright. And whatever you do, don't egg Shingo on, he's twice the trouble then!"
She kept up a stead stream of chatter as the walked to her hose, and Mamoru couldn't help but enjoy himself fully for the first time in years.
***********************
"You really did a number on your foot, Cherry."
Chieri looked up at Tsuzuki, who was examining her foot while she lounged on a sterile white hospital bed.
"You twisted it pretty badly during that fall on the ice. I've warned you about doing too many spins before you're ready." He turned to Coach Mori, who was standing beside him. "That was quite a shocking free skating she performed, was it intentional?"
"No, of course not."
"I'll be battling the reporters all night." He ran his hands through his sandy hair tiredly. His eyes glazed over, remembering the day he refused Canty's wish to make her his partner, remember his agreement to coach her instead. He shook his head and focused on Chieri as she began to speak again.
"I don't want to do this again, Tsuzuki. Was my skating really so similar to the Princess?"
"Your talent definitely isn't ordinary. You definitely impressed the officials tonight with your ability." He glanced down at her ankle and nodded tartly. "Your ankle will be fine. You didn't crash on purpose, right?"
"I emptied my head, and thought only of skating…"
Like always, she emptied her head…!?
"Have you seen Hiroshi and Kouichi lately?"
"Yeah, they stop at the rink sometimes."
"Good." He playfully tweaked her nose. "Hey, now, don't cry. What's wrong?"
"I'm not crying! It's just...you've forgotten me already. You only have eyes for the Princess now."
He looked at her curiously and slowly shook his head. "No, Cherry, I've always been thinking about you…" He stood up abruptly and quickly changed the topic. "I've got to go now." With that he waved to her and quickly walked out of the room before she had a chance to process what he had said.
"Tsuzuki, what's going on? The Cherry Project hasn't been broken up yet!"
He tiredly looked over at Yuni as he exited the room. "Come with me, we can't talk here."
***********************
"Cherry's becoming a copy machine!? How is that possible?"
Hiroshi cleared his throat to stare down at Yuni from him position at the window of Tsuzuki Groups. "The music was a gamble. The order the girls skated in was a lottery. Either way, her music would have been the same."
Tsuzuki nodded in agreement. "We wanted to make the Japanese Skating Union sit up and take notice."
"She showed off her technique better than we ever anticipated, skating right after the Princess." Kouichi sat down on the edge of Tsuzuki's desk, staring at his hands.
"Then…why did you become her coach, Tsuzuki? I don't get it. If you're doing this to help Cherry, then staying with her would be the best thing to do, right?"
"Not necessarily, no. It's more complicated than that."
"I have all the time in the world to listen."
***********************
The next afternoon, Tsuzuki stood in a spectator box high above the rink, watching Chieri's practice. Now we'll see if our gamble paid off. She can't go on being a copycat much longer…it's time for her to realize that she needs a unique style all her own.
He watched her skate slowly to the center of the ice, waiting for her music to begin. As the tempo began to crescendo, she fell to the ground and fainted.
***********************
I hope that wasn't too abrupt! That scene with Usagi and Mamoru has been written for a VERY long time, I've been waiting forever to finally reach this point! More tomorrow!!!
The end...until tomorrow, that is! Look for the thirteenth part of this epic tale tomorrow, and don't forget to watch the Olympics on NBC! Every day that you see events taking place, there's going to be a new chapter of this story! We're halfway done now! Whoo-hoo! There are only 4 Chapters to go! Usagi and Tsuzuki's stories are far from over!
Give me the next 4 days to tell you the rest of their story...I promise it will be worth the ride! ^_^
~Bonnie
February 20, 2002
Day 13 of the 2002 Salt Lake City Winter Olympics
DISCLAIMER: Both Sail Moon AND The Cherry Project belong to Naoko Takeuchi…man, she's one lucky lady! What I wouldn't give to own the rights to two of my favorite manga! In case you were wondering, TCP was Naoko's first epic story ^_^ …wait until you see what character shows up in part three-one that is in the original manga for TCP, and a character you know quite well from SM, as well!
Translations for The Cherry Project came from Alex Glover's wonderful webpage. If you want to read TCP-or any other manga by Naoko-hime, it's the place to go! The web address is:
http://www.nwlink.com/~kurozuki/manga.htm
A few lines were taken directly from the translated text by Alex Glover, but for the most part they remain uniquely my own! Please don't copy anything without emailing me first and asking!