::sighs:: I'm being blackmailed, can you believe that?! I was told that the newest chapter of a certain fic I've gotten into wouldn't come out until I updated my fic… sooo… here it is, Chapter 6. ::sticks tongue out::
This chapter moves the story quicker cause let's face it, it's been dragging a bit. U_U Well I hope you enjoy it and it is also the part for all of you who wanted to know who won Taiki and Seiya's bet.
[::Akuen::]
by Lady in Red
(Fulfillment of a Debt/A Deception of a Lie)
The grass was so soft, when the wind blew it swayed slightly and tickled my bare skin. The sky was blue and the sun shone brightly with a few lingering clouds drifting across it. I closed my eyes and felt the heat of the sun shining down upon me. "This is what love feels like…" I heard her speak and turned my head. I opened my eyes and smiled at her. She was sitting straight up next to me looking off into the distance with a smile on her face.
The wind picked up and blew my bangs into my eyes. She struggled to keep her hair behind her. "A storm is coming…" She said and turned her eyes to the sky behind us. I started to get up so that we could go inside. "No, let's stay… it will pass… just don't leave…" She took my hand and pulled me closer to her.
"Aishiteru Odango…"
Seiya woke up from the dream to an empty bed beside her. She had ended up staying at Usagi's apartment last night. Was that why her dream was different, pleasant? It was almost like the dreams she had before the nightmares came. Was being here with Usagi what made the difference? It figured that the good dreams were the shorter ones.
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Usagi knew that Mamoru was skipping school today, after all he did have a personal slave, what fun would going to school be? Since he wouldn't be here, she had no qualms about a possible run in with him while she came to visit Ami. It's not like the campus didn't allow visitors on it, but Usagi still liked to think she was sneaking around, perhaps it brought a little adventure back to her life. Seiya had stayed over at her apartment last night after Mamoru and the other guys left. The only couch that Usagi had was an antique wooden love seat and therefore wasn't going to be very comfy to sleep on so she offered to let Seiya share her bed. Of course she refused at first but with Usagi's persuasion she caved in.
"Ami!" Usagi whispered rather loudly from behind a bookshelf. She had made her way into the main library of the university and weaved in and out of the bookshelves like this was 'Mission Impossible' or something. "Ami!"
Ami's head whipped up from her studying and looked around feverishly. She wasn't just imagining that voice. "Usagi?" She questioned while still looking around. Suddenly she noticed a girl come out from behind the bookshelf and do a summersault over to her table. Ami shook her head and sweat dropped. "Usagi, what on Earth are you doing?"
Usagi got up and smiled a closed eye grin at her while taking a seat. "I wanted to come and visit you."
"You're supposed to be in class."
Usagi stuck her tongue out and pulled down her eye. "Don't worry, Mamo-chan won't catch me."
"You shouldn't be worried about Mamoru catching you, you should be worried about your grades!" Ami said closing her book, she wasn't going to get any more work done, she could just tell. "What did you need?"
Usagi immediately got a hurt look on her face and began pouting. "Why do you always assume I need something?"
"Because that's usually why you come to see me in the middle of the day!" Ami stood up and looked over at the librarian who was about to shush her. "Come on, we have get out of her. I'm supposed to be meeting with Kureko soon."
Ami and Usagi walked out of the library and to a shady spot on the campus lawn. "How did you know that you liked Kureko?" Usagi asked while looking questioningly at Ami.
The blue haired girl nearly choked on her own breath as she looked over at her friend. "I don't know, why do you ask?"
Usagi shrugged and pulled her knees to her chest. She had barely gotten any sleep last night because her and Seiya had stayed up for the most part talking about anything that came to mind. Some how, with them being sleep deprived and all it came out that when they were both 32 they would build a sky scraper and live on the second to highest floor just so the pizza delivery man would have to give them their pizza for free for being late. Hey, she never said it made sense. Somewhere in all of the madness and conversation Usagi began to see Seiya as being a little sweeter than she remembered. Suddenly she found herself comparing the little things that Seiya did to the non-existent things that Mamoru would never even think to do. "I was just curious." Usagi blinked the glare of the sun out of her eyes and looked around. "So how do you know that you're just not going through a phase or something? Are you sure you don't like guys any more?"
"Usagi?" Ami looked over at her shocked again, she had no idea these kinds of thoughts went through her princess' head. She is the same age as me, it's not like they shouldn't be, but still… she was just too innocent for such questions. "I don't know how to explain it. I mean if you think about it, how do you know you like guys?" Ami looked over at her to see Usagi thinking rather hard about the matter. "I just have no interest in engaging in physical contact with a guy… and when I go out I find myself looking at women more."
"I look at women to, but I think it's just a comparison issue." Usagi said seemingly not embarrassed about any of this conversation. This bothered Ami slightly, is she wasn't bothered by it at all that means she's been thinking about the topic a lot and since Seiya's back…
"No, trust me, it's not a comparison issue." Ami laughed lightly and noticed Kureko waving at them from across the courtyard.
"But I mean, weren't you nervous… I mean when it came down to doing the… you know… having…" Usagi finally began to blush as she looked down poking her two fingers together.
"Having sex?" Ami said bluntly but with a sincere and understanding tone. "Why would I be any more nervous about having sex with a woman than a man?" She wanted to make Usagi understand that this was only natural and that even though she liked women, they still had the same problems.
"I don' t know, it's just that you're pretty much guaranteed that you're going to get a guy off… I mean so I've heard." Usagi's blush increased. "But, I don't know, I guess you'd just have to be more 'skilled' per say to pleasure a woman."
"Ohayo!" Kureko came up to them to see Ami laughing and Usagi just looking at the grass contemplating something. "Did I miss something?"
"No, Usagi and I were just talking about…"
"NO! Ami!" Usagi warned her not to tell anyone else with the evil glare she shot her.
"We were talking about a friend of ours that you don't know." Ami smiled and picked up her books.
"Why do I get the feeling that there's a huge part of your life that you're not telling me about?" Kureko questioned Ami with her eyes narrowed as they watched Usagi stroll away.
"Now, what would give you that idea?" Ami asked nervously with her hand behind her head.
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"Why do all of these people have to suck!" Minako said as she crumpled up yet another application and threw it in the trash. Yaten merely snickered across the room and didn't say a word. "I'd be surprised if any of those people had even seen a camera before!" Minako got up and looked out the window. "Where the hell is she going!" She said in pure anger as she pointed out the window.
Yaten got up from the couch on the other side of Minako's office and looked to see what she was so upset about. There crossing the street in a coat in sunglasses was Minako's model. "It looks as if she's going home for the day." Yaten smirked, she felt bad for Minako's misfortune but found it amusing at the same time.
"Ms Shoki!" Minako bellowed into the intercom.
"Yes, mamma." A meek voice came back as if she was almost afraid of what Minako was about to say.
"Where the hell is that wafe of a model going?"
There was a short pause and Yaten could swear she heard the secretary gulp on the other end. "I sent her home for the day, I didn't see anyone else on the interviewee list."
Minako's face began to turn a shade of red that Crayola hadn't even invented yet. "1… 2… 3…" She slowly began counting to ten and the anger faded. "Fine." She said slamming down the intercom. "Well that's just great. How the hell are you supposed to show me what you've got if I don't even have a model for you?" Minako huffed and sat down.
Yaten's lips curved into a smile and she situated herself on top of Minako's desk. "You used to do modeling didn't you?"
"Yeah, but I couldn't get one of my friends to get in here on such short notice." She waved her off and continued to think and fume at the same time.
Yaten just shook her head and stood up in front of Minako. "No Minako, I was suggesting that you should be my model."
"Me!?" Minako squeaked and blushed a bit. There really wasn't any other alternative to the matter. "It would save me a lot of money." She thought as she stood up and walked around her desk to face Yaten. "Alright, but you really don't have your work cut out for you, I mean it's not that hard to make BEAUTY look beautiful!" She winked and giggled as Yaten just rolled her eyes.
"Ego-maniac…" Yaten mumbled and followed her to the studio. Minako helped Yaten fix and turn all of the lights. It was a large room that would have been able to hold the entire photo shoot crew, but now it was just Minako and Yaten. "You might as well just stay in the outfit you have on now." Minako nodded and agreed. There was a platform about the size of a dining room table only shorter with a sheet draped over it. "Sit over there." Yaten directed and Minako obliged.
"So if I choose you for my photographer, how long can I expect to have you on my staff?" Minako asked while posing a bit and leaning back on the platform.
Yaten snapped pictures but then stopped and walked up to Minako. "I guess we're not going to be here that much longer." She unbuttoned Minako's suit jacket and pulled it a bit off her right shoulder. "I guess it all depends on Seiya being satisfied with Usagi's well-being." She backed up and started taking more pictures. "You seem really comfortable in front of the camera."
Minako moved around in more positions and then took off her blazer. "Well I guess you may just have to do for a while then." She smirked. "Did you see Seiya leave this morning?"
"No and I didn't see her come home last night either. My guess is that she stayed at Usagi's. I wonder if Mamoru's the jealous type." Yaten laughed at the thought, but a part of her hoped that the situation wouldn't come to that.
"What would Mamoru have to be jealous of?" Minako asked lying on her stomach to pose. "Seiya's a girl now, I don't think he has anything to worry about."
"So you're saying that you think that if Usagi had any feelings for Seiya before when she was a guy that they're all gone now that she's a woman?" Yaten stopped taking pictures to reload her camera quickly.
"I suppose so." Minako shrugged not seeing anything else to it. "I wouldn't worry about it though, Usagi didn't have any feelings for Seiya last time you guys were here."
"And what about me?" Yaten questioned coming up to Minako again and pushing her hair back over her shoulder. "So does that mean that you've gotten over your little thing with me?"
Minako laughed but felt her heart pounding the same way it had before. "I think I just have a thing for people with light hair."
Yaten backed away from her and started taking pictures again, this time a little more slowly. "Unbutton your blouse." Minako looked at her surprised. "Minako, it's not like you're not wearing a bra or camisole." This seemed to be good enough reasoning for Minako and she did as she was asked. "Who else was there with light hair?" Yaten asked casually.
"In Artemis' human form he has white hair and then there's Kunzite." Minako laughed a bit at the irony of the whole situation.
"There's a weird shadow from your skirt, just take it off." Yaten said motioning to Minako as she waited for her to do so.
Minako did so and was now sitting in her panties with her white button down shirt covering her the curves of her breasts. "It's not like it matters. White hair, black hair the situation doesn't change."
"What are you talking about?" Yaten snapped some more pictures, the mood Minako was in and the way she was looking off in the distance was so picturesque that she couldn't help herself. She walked over and pushed Minako's shirt off onto her shoulders, taking her bra straps down with it.
Minako seemed unphased by her 'undressing' and went on with her thoughts. "I was cursed in love. Can you imagine, the senshi of love and beauty being cursed?"
"You know you really are beautiful Minako." Yaten said from behind the camera not showing her face. Minako smiled when she looked over just in time for another great shot.
The game was starting again. Minako slipped her shirt off and posed seductively for the camera. "How's this?"
"Great." Yaten answered coming a little closer with her shots. Minako turned around and put her back to Yaten while she undid her clasp of her bra. The pictures paused for a moment and Minako smiled. It was working, she would win this time. Placing one arm over her breasts she tossed her bra to the side and looked over her shoulder to Yaten who was just standing there staring. Yaten put the camera back up to her eye and proceeded with her task. "So what was your curse?"
Minako laid on her stomach, pressing her breasts against the platform and kicking her heals up behind her. Yaten came over to the platform and stood above her to take some shots from above. "I was cursed to never find a man to fall in love with, I'm going to be alone for the rest of my life." She said sadly but then rolled over onto her back and stretched her hands high above her head giving Yaten a clear shot of her entire body.
Yaten knelt down beside Minako. "But Minako…" Minako turned her head and sat up face to face with Yaten who had a certain smirk to her face. "… I'm not a man." She said before pulling Minako close to her and pressing her lips firmly against hers. Minako didn't pull away as she had suspected, but instead wrapped her bare arms around Yaten.
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Last night had been great, Seiya got to sit up and hang out with Usagi all night long. She had gotten to know her even better than she had before, but this was definitely a bad thing. Knowing her better just made her want her more. "Damn you seduction." Seiya cursed as she got out of the shower and got dressed.
"I'm in the living room when you're done!" Mamoru called from the other room, he had come in while Seiya was in the shower. He tried to take a peak at her but she had locked the door, (lucky her, it was force of habit from living with Yaten and Taiki ^.~)
Mamoru was here already?! Seiya took her time in getting dressed, no sense in rushing her funeral. What the hell did he have on his mind anyway? He was probably going to beat the crap out of her for staying over night with his girlfriend, especially sleeping in his place in her bed! "I'll be out in a minute."
Seiya came out dressed casually and walked into the kitchen. "So what happens if I refuse to be your slave today and just give you $20 later on?"
"Now what fun would that be?" Mamoru asked looking over the back of the couch at her. "If you refuse then…" He thought to himself for a moment. "If you refuse then Usako will have to pay your debt five times." Mamoru smiled at himself.
Seiya groaned, she couldn't push this off on poor Usagi. "So what do you want me to do anyway?"
"Nothing, just sit here and talk with me for a little while and then I figured I'd take you to lunch."
"You're being awfully nice for a slave driver." Seiya mumbled again as she sat down near Mamoru with a cup of tea in hand, she had purposely not offered him a cup.
"First off, you can start by handing me that cup of tea." He said taking it from its saucer. "Secondly, why don't you tell me about what you did before you came to Earth."
Seiya's eyes narrowed and she got up to get another cup of tea. "What do you care anyway?" She said in passing.
Mamoru's eyes followed her into the kitchen. "Why do you have such an attitude with me? Have I done you any wrong?" He asked sipping his tea to hide his grin. He knew very well why Seiya held such an attitude towards him.
"I don't have an attitude and don't take me for an idiot, I know exactly what you meant by that statement." Seiya came back down and sipped her tea once more with a grin on her face. "Oh, are we surprised?" She mocked him and crossed her legs. "Did you think that I would try to hide from you the fact that I'm desperately in love with your girlfriend?"
Mamoru didn't like that smirk, she was much cockier than he had taken her for. "From what I hear you haven't tried to hide anything of the sort, but it seems the only one who doesn't get it is Usako herself." Mamoru grinned and came to sit by her a little closer. He had to put this woman beneath him mentally otherwise she wouldn't respect him. "I can imagine how many times you laid in bed at night thinking of her and things you could have done, things you could have said. Sometimes I bet you even think of how much you envy me, and think of what I possess that you don't that could make her love you."
Seiya sat as still as stone. He was too close, she wasn't comfortable any more and she was losing ground here, valuable ground that she desperately needed. She could feel Mamoru's breath across her neck. She wanted to call him an asshole and shove him away but what he was saying was the truth. It just hurt… so badly…
Mamoru backed away seeing that his actions were enough to calm her sarcastic tongue. "I think we've gotten off on the wrong foot." He said with a smile and leaned back on the couch. "Just because we have the same desire doesn't mean that we have to be enemies, besides, I think Usako would like it better if we got along, ne?"
Seiya nodded numbly, he was right. She would tolerate him for Usagi. She really had no reason not to like him except for the fact that he had what she so desperately wanted… no, needed. Seiya looked over and realized that she didn't know this man at all and she still had her prejudgment from when he didn't answer Usagi's letters last time she was here. But he was dead… in his dying breath he whispered her name… could he love her as much as she did?… If so, shouldn't she be happy for Usagi to have been destined for some one who would love her half as much as she did? Nope, half as much wasn't good enough for Usagi. "Gomen, I'll behave."
Mamoru laughed at her grin. He figured that a good way to start a conversation with her was to talk about himself and the girls before she would have known them. Seiya seemed quite amused with the stories that Mamoru told her about the senshi before when they were younger. "Yeah, Usako used to hate me. I ran into her and Rei at an amusement park once and sat on the back of the train, I was actually interested in Rei then, but Usagi spotted me and started making fun of me. She stood up and yelled to the driver to dump the extra baggage or something like that, referring to me."
Seiya laughed at the stories, she did however notice how many of them involved Mamoru and Usagi not liking one another though. He must really be a good guy if Usagi had such a turn around about him. Seiya told him some funny stories about Yaten and Taiki on Kinmoku and watched him laugh. She noticed the similarities between the two of them, pretty much physically only.
It was turning out to be a pretty good day and Seiya really couldn't complain about being a slave since all she really had to do was hang out with this guy, who turned out to be not so bad after all. The day was coming to an end and Usagi would be home pretty soon. Mamoru saw his window of opportunity closing fast, he had to act on Seiya now. There was a couple kissing on a bench on the side of the street on their way back to Usagi's apartment. "That's the weirdest part." He commented still walking next to Seiya.
"What is?" Seiya looked at the couple and had no clue what he was talking about.
"That first kiss. Everyone kisses differently, some people are set in their ways, and it's usually not because they don't care about the way the other person kisses, it's just that they don't know any better. And then there are the people who just conform and go along with the way their partner kisses them. Does this make sense?" He asked with a smile while looking down somewhat at Seiya.
"Yeah I guess. I still think you're just pulling it out of your ass." She shrugged and kept walking putting it behind her.
Mamoru sighed and stopped her by her shoulders. "Here I'll show you." He said as he brought his face down to meet with hers and kissed her very forcefully.
Seiya shoved him away from her and wiped her mouth with the back of her hand. "What the hell are you doing?" She asked while staring straight at him.
"I was just demonstrating something to you." He said coming closer to her, she didn't back away, she wasn't going to let him get the upper hand here. He grinned down at her and took her by the shoulders again. "Besides, you should enjoy it, I'm the closest thing to Usako that you're going to get." He pressed his lips against hers once more but soon crumpled to the ground as she kneed him in the nuts.
"Bastard!" She spat on him. "You don't deserve Usagi." She walked off in the direction of Usagi's apartment to go and wait for her.
The apartment was still dark when Usagi got home, she figured that Mamoru and Seiya would be there any moment. She turned around suddenly at the sound of the door. "Mamo-chan!" She said kind of surprised. "Where's Seiya? Did you leave your personal slave behind?" She asked him jokingly before giving him a quick kiss hello.
"Usako, I have to talk to you about something." Mamoru's tone was serious and she knew that it couldn't be something good. "Seiya's trying to drive you and I apart. She told me she was going to tell you that I was cheating on you and that there was nothing I could do about it." Mamoru was shaking and looked genuinely upset.
"Oh Kamisama!" Usagi put a hand to her mouth. "That doesn't sound like something she would do."
"Usako, I told you she wanted you. She told me that you would be hers at any cost!" A knock at the door prevented Usagi from asking any further questions and she had left to answer it before she had seen Mamoru's evil smirk.
"Seiya?" Usagi asked as she saw Seiya standing in the doorway.