Yet another happy chapter here for you. V_V Gomen… To my lil' groupie, I
LOVE THE T-SHIRT!! ::big huggles:: To my little cheerleader, hell, I'm just
happy to see you! ::big huggles::
I have to defend Kounetsu here for a minute. ::sighs:: He wasn't supposed to be a bad guy, he's just emotionally distraught right now. I feel for the poor man… but if you want to loath him, go for it, it only makes the ever wonderful Seiya look that much better!!! (as if that was possible!)
BTW… go read Ms Monypeny's new fic, (there RHL, are you happy I called her that?) I'm in love with it and want her to write more so support her! Arigato!
[::Akuen::]
by LiR
(The Meaning of Life)
Usagi opened her eyes to the unfamiliar sight of red hair next to her. Picking her head up further she saw that she was in her own room and in her own bed. Her eyes traveled down again to fall on the sleeping form of Kakyuu. She didn't remember falling asleep with her here. She thought back trying to remember what happened before she went to sleep and that's when the pain came back to her.
Kakyuu stirred a bit with the sobs that were coming from Usagi's body. Usagi looked down once again to see if her eyes had opened but she was not yet awake. Looking down, she stared at the face of the woman she was destined to marry. She had better get used to this, she was going to have to wake up to this woman's face everyday for the rest of her life.
A new round of sobs racked her body and she could no longer keep quiet. Usagi had lost the one thing in her life that had ever mattered. She got up from her reclined position and walked down the hall towards her bathroom. She opened the closet as though she was rummaging through Dr. Kavorkian's medicine cabinet. Her hands along with her eyes desperately searched the cabinet for the quickest way out of this life.
Finally, catching the gleam of the ceiling light behind her, Kakyuu's package of straight blade razors came into her view. Usagi's shaking hands quickly reached out for them and ripped the package open. She selected one of the blades that had fallen to the floor in her attempt to open the package. Holding the metal assailant over her delicate wrist her eyes looked around at her surroundings one last time. Thinking the better of her position, Usagi moved and sat in the bathtub.
She was going to end this day before it could even begin. She saw no other solution to this problem, her vision was hindered by the blinders of the pain she felt. Her tears had stopped but her hand was still a little shakey. Through her blurred vision she held her arm out in front of her palm up and could almost see her life pumping through those veins. Her right hand came down to position the blade at the base of her wrist.
Putting a little pressure on it the thick, dark red of her blood began to surround the blade. This hurt, but not as much as what Seiya had done to her. Not only once but twice had she been deceived by some one she thought she loved and given herself completely. She was going to have to make this quick, she didn't need any more pain. Drawing the blade back towards her body, Usagi made her lethal gash up her arm releasing all of the pain she felt in this life to move onto the next.
"USAGI!" Kakyuu screamed from the doorway of the bathroom. She rushed over to the blond in the bathtub that was quickly becoming covered in blood. Usagi looked up at her and quickly switched the blade to her other hand to duplicate her act on her other arm. Kakyuu ripped the blade from her hand cutting her own hand in the process. "What are you doing? Stop!" Kakyuu was frantic, being a princess she had never seen so much blood before. She didn't know what to do.
"Leave me alone!" Usagi screamed back at her sitting up in the tub and squeezing her arm to speed along the process since it looked as though this was as far as Kakyuu was going to let her go. "Go AWAY!" She screamed when she realized that Kakyuu wasn't listening to her.
Kakyuu's hands were covered in Usagi's blood from struggling with her to keep her under control. "Oh god, oh god what do I do?" She looked around and finally ripped down the cloth shower curtain. Usagi was still weak from exerting so much emotional energy from the day before that she had a hard time fighting back. Soon Kakyuu had both of the blonde's hands in her own and was wrapping the curtain around her wounded arm.
Usagi's mood fell a little quieter when she realized that her struggling was getting her nowhere. "Why are you doing this?" She asked with her puffy eyes half shut and her arm out in front of her.
Kakyuu looked up from her work on Usagi's arm and looked at her confused. "What do you mean? I think I should be asking you that question. You're my friend, I don't want to see anything happen to you, even if you do."
Usagi just looked at her blankly. "If I died then you wouldn't have to marry me, you could marry Kounetsu instead."
"If you died I would never forgive myself for not being a better friend. And if you died I wouldn't have been saved from an unwanted marriage, instead this entire planet would perish along with you." Kakyuu tied a knot making sure that there was enough pressure on the wound. "Don't you see, the whole reason that we are forced into this marriage is for the benefit of this planet? If we don't get married, it will die." Kakyuu leaned forward and wrapped Usagi in a hug. "Even if you wanted to escape the pain in your life, you have to remember that you will also be killing everyone else."
"I'm so sorry…" Usagi sobbed as she held Kakyuu in return. "I didn't mean to… I'm sorry…"
"What happened anyway, is this because of the wedding?" Kakyuu backed up to look into her blue eyes. Usagi shook her head from side to side. "No? Well you can tell me on the way to the hospital." Kakyuu helped hoist Usagi up from her seat in the tub. Usagi didn't bother to change her bloody clothes and climbed into the car along with Kakyuu.
The majority of the car ride was silent. Kakyuu drove while Usagi stared blankly out the window. Every sight that she took in reminded her of why she needed to stay alive. The flowers, trees, gentle breeze, and the children playing in the grass, she couldn't let all of these things just disappear because she was unhappy with her life. "Can you tell me what happened?" Kakyuu asked looking over momentarily to Usagi's form slumped against the window.
Usagi picked her head up and looked over at Kakyuu and then down at her hands. She felt so ashamed that she had attempted to commit suicide. If had felt so right at the time and it seemed like her only alternative. "Nothing."
Kakyuu's eyes narrowed as she put both hands on the wheel. "You mean to tell me that you'd kill yourself over nothing?" Her expression softened and she started over. "Usagi, I only want to help you."
"No one can help me." Usagi sighed being more than melodramatic. "I was tricked again but this time it just hurt too much." She said looking back out the window.
"Who tricked you? Mamoru?" Kakyuu was confused and came to the most reasonable answers she could in her head.
It was weird talking to her fiancé about her troubled love life that didn't involve her, but then again she thought of the fact that Kakyuu's love life didn't involve her either. "No, Seiya."
"Nani?" Kakyuu hit the brakes rather hard for the red stoplight ahead. It had just come as shock to her. "Seiya tricked you?"
Usagi rested her elbow on the door and placed her chin in the palm of her hand. "I thought she loved me…" She felt the tears coming on again but tried her best to suppress them. "… But she told me that she was just using me and that she could never love me." It hurt remembering those words, the wound that Seiya had made in her heart stung even more after repeating them.
To the best of Kakyuu's knowledge, Seiya loved Usagi more than ever. Why would she say that to Usagi? The immediate realization of how much Usagi truly loved Seiya hit Kakyuu like a ton of squid (AN: I'm sick of saying bricks so I improvised… read on…). She was prepared to kill herself when she was brought to see the disenchantment of her love. Usagi finally felt the way that Seiya had always longed for her to feel about her and now she was pushing her away? This didn't make any sense. "I'm sorry." Was all that Kakyuu could answer. She was in no position to offer up an advice.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
"Where are we going tonight?" Makoto asked leaning back casually on the counter.
It was late afternoon and it would be dusk soon. "A strip club!" Rei said with a devious smirk but soon noticed the odd look she received from Ami. "What?"
"Hello, she's marrying a woman…" Ami raised her brow. "…Do you really think she'd want to look at some naked man dancing all about?"
"You're just disagreeing because YOU don't want to see it. Besides, I think Usagi should get a good eyeful of the male physique before she has to commit to a woman's." Rei crossed her arms and looked at Ami with a somewhat victory smile on her face. For once, she may have outsmarted the blue haired genius.
"Where's Minako anyway?" Makoto asked casually while looking down at her watch. 4:30. As if on cue, Minako came walking through the door… without Usagi. "So?"
"So what?" Minako shrugged and looked at the three women staring at her.
"Where's Usagi?!" Rei said with a tinge of annoyance lacing her voice.
Minako didn't want to tell the others about Usagi and Seiya's falling out last night. If Usagi wanted them to know then she could tell them herself. As it was, Minako wasn't supposed to have any knowledge of it anyway. There was nothing to worry about, she had left Usagi in capable hands. "I don't know."
Rei's eyes closed in frustration and her hand balled into a fist. "You were supposed to bring her with you."
Ami brought her hand up to pat Rei's shoulder. "It's not a big deal, we'll just go over to her apartment and pick her up." Makoto grabbed her keys and they headed out the door.
"Why do I have a bad feeling about this?" Minako mumbled to herself under her breath.
When the inner senshi arrived at Usagi's apartment no one answered the door. "That's odd." Makoto exclaimed.
"Maybe she's out looking for Minako!" Rei snorted, still not letting Minako's blond moment slip by.
"Shut up!" Minako growled at her.
"Guys, come on." Ami shook her head. "Maybe she's in the back and can't hear you, try the knob." She suggested to Makoto who was still knocking on the door.
The knob gave way in the tall girl's hand and she proceeded to push the door open. "Hello?" She questioned down the hall as she walked into the silent apartment. "Usagi?" She called again as Rei, Ami and Minako followed her in.
Makoto went to search the kitchen and Ami headed down towards her bedroom while Rei and Minako continued to argue in the living room. "You really kill me sometimes, you know that?" Rei huffed.
"Oh like you've never made a mistake?" Minako had her hands on her hips. "I could name a few if you can't seem to remember…"
"Go ahead, but only the ones that were dumber than half the stunts you pull!" Rei's retort was sent at Minako as a challenge… unfortunately Minako accepted.
"We don't have that much time in a day but I'll give you some starters:
-Going out with Mamoru- ouch that one hurt!
-Getting wasted and thinking it was a good idea to make a bikini out of pizza-
-When you thought that inflammable meant that it wouldn't catch on fire!- Look Yuuricho's hair still hasn't grown back from that one!"
"Alright, shut up already!" Rei stood defeated with her arms crossed.
"Guys, I think you should come here." Ami said standing in the hallway outside the bathroom door. The three girls walked down the hall to join her and to see what she was talking about.
Minako gasped when she saw the sight of blood staining the white porcelin of Usagi's bathtub. "What happened?" She asked but then they heard the front door open and close. All four of them peered their heads out into the hallway to see who had just come in.
Kakyuu and Usagi were taking their shoes off in the hallway and Usagi was covered in blood with a bandage on her arm. She almost slipped when removing her shoes but Kakyuu was quick to keep her steady. Usagi looked up at the fire haired woman with a smile. When they were finished they noticed their unexpected visitors staring at them from down the hallway.
"Uh… hi guys." Usagi waved with a confused look on her face.
Once they were spotted the girls filtered out of the bathroom and over to Usagi. "Oh my god, what happened?" Minako asked Usagi but her eyes quickly fell on Kakyuu, the person she had asked to take care of her.
"Nothing." Usagi waved with a fake smile. She and Kakyuu had come up with a feasible excuse in the car on the way back from the hospital to explain her injury without having to tell them what had really happened. Neither of them knew however that Minako knew about Seiya.
"Well are you ok?" Makoto turned Usagi's arm over to examine the bandage. "This isn't going to match your dress too well tomorrow." She tried to make light of the subject.
Usagi let out a slight laugh. "I put my hand threw the window this morning when I was getting dressed. You know me, Miss Clumsy!" She tried to act as normal as possible and when she thought about it, this really was something that she would have done.
"You're going to have to keep a better eye on her from now on Kakyuu." Minako said to sound like a joke but by the look she was giving Kakyuu, Kakyuu knew she was dead serious. Kakyuu nodded in response.
"So what are you guys doing here?" Usagi asked trying to draw the attention off of herself. The phone rang and Kakyuu went to answer it.
"We came to take you out for your bachelorette party!" Rei cheered a little over excitedly.
Makoto looked Usagi up and down. "You're definitely going to have to change first though."
"Hello?" Kakyuu answered the phone in the other room but kept an eye on the planetary senshi in her living room. "Taiki, it's good to hear from you… What's that? You're taking me out tonight?… With Yaten and Seiya?… Meet me here? Uh, no, I'll come over there to meet you… What? No, it's no problem… Really, I'll see you in a bit." She replaced the phone on its cradle and continued to look at the girls. The Lights had wanted to pick her up for a night out, she thought it best if Seiya didn't come over here while Usagi was here… ever. Is this how it was going to be? She would never again be able to spend time with Seiya and Usagi at the same time?
"Male strippers!" Rei argued with Minako.
"Female strippers!" Minako argued back and tried to pull Ami on her side. "Ne Ami?"
"I agree with Rei, definitely male strippers." Makoto moved along side Rei to come to her defense.
"Guys, geesh…" Usagi came between them. "Why do we even need strippers?"
"'Cause that's what you're supposed to do!" They all said in unison, even Ami, with big smiles on their faces. Kakyuu listened intently to see where they were going so that they could possible avoid that same place.
"Well let's go out and get some drinks first, maybe that will loosen you girls up a bit." Minako winked in Rei and Makoto's direction.
"I still think that we should leave it up to Usagi." Ami said blushing.
"I'm up for a few drinks, but let me shower first." She said bringing attention once again to her bloody attire.
Once Usagi disappeared down the long hall Kakyuu came into the living room. "So where are you girls headed tonight?"
"Oooo, the protective type of wifey!" Makoto pointed and poked some fun at Kakyuu.
Kakyuu merely shook here head. "No, I'm going out with Yaten, Taiki and Seiya, I don't think a girl should run into her fiancé during her bachelorette party. Do you?"
"Good point." Rei said thinking.
After a while and much debating, Usagi returned to the girls freshly showered and ready to go. "So where are we going?" She asked. She had to put on her happiest face so that none of them would know the true torment that was eating her soul away. Minako knew the truth however and was going to do her best to try and turn Usagi's night around.
"We still haven't decided." Makoto answered rubbing her temples. The arguing and bickering between Rei and Minako was becoming all too much for her.
"Ami, do you want to invite Kureko?" Usagi offered up holding the phone out to her.
Ami simply shook her head and felt the need to explain. "We broke up." She saw the astonished looks from her friends. "Yeah, I got dumped. I guess keeping little secrets from her wasn't the best way to construct a relationship."
"Secrets?" Rei and Minako said together taking a break from their fight. "Did you have some one on the side?" Minako asked raising her eyebrows up and down in a suggestive manner.
Ami turned scarlet and put a hand to her mouth. "Minako…" She looked down at her feet. "No, I was talking about senshi business."
Minako's mood deflated once she realized she wasn't going to get any juicy gossip from her genius friend. "Well, let's get this show on the road!" Minako looked over at Usagi and caught her off guard. She had been staring straight at the wall but when she felt Minako's eyes on her she put on her happy face once again.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Kakyuu walked into Minako's apartment without so much as knocking, they were expecting her, what harm could this cause? When she walked in she saw Taiki cleaning up after dinner in the kitchen, Yaten standing in front of the mirror trying to remind herself of how beautiful she was and Seiya… well she didn't see Seiya. "Where are we headed tonight?" She smiled brightly and waited for them to notice her.
Taiki turned around drying her hands on the towel and walked over to give her a hug. "You look lovely." She said holding her hands in her own to look at her princess. When she looked down at her hands she saw traces of red and a gash in her hand. "What happened here? Is that blood?"
Kakyuu cursed herself for not washing her hands better before she left the apartment. "It's nothing, I was trying my hand at cooking today and had a little accident."
Taiki grinned at her explanation. "I hope you didn't end up serving Usagi a finger sandwich!" Kakyuu smiled in light of the comment and turned her attention to Yaten who had come up to them.
"I say we go to a strip club!" She offered up making a last minute adjustment on her hair.
Kakyuu shook her head with her hand on her forehead. "Do you and Minako share a brain?" She asked. Yaten was puzzled but then realized what must have happened and blushed. "Why don't we just stay here and have girl time?"
"What? I just spent all this time on my make up and you want to stay in?" Yaten folded her arms. "No way!"
"Princess, I think we should really go out. Trust me, it would be good for Seiya to get out of the apartment." Taiki suggested. She was not too thrilled when she got home and found out what had happened. To make matters worse, since there were no walls in this damn apartment she had to watch Seiya in agony all night and day.
"Why? What's wrong with Seiya?" Kakyuu asked trying to play dumb.
Yaten quickly jumped in to save the conversation. She didn't want Seiya's pathetically depressed ass to ruin her princess' last night of freedom. "She's just been pent up in here too long, she's not in the best of moods."
"Where is she?" Kakyuu looked over Yaten's shoulder and tried to spot Seiya in the apartment. Yaten moved around making it hard for her to see. She finally shot Yaten a look of concern.
"I'll go get her, she's probably changing or something. You know, she can't look like a slob all the time!" Yaten gave Taiki an odd look and walked off.
"Here Princess, we'll wait in the car." Taiki ushered her out the door before she could see Yaten pry Seiya's body up off the floor.
"Seiya-baka, come on its time to go." Yaten knelt down next to her partner. Seiya was face down on her futon wearing the same clothes she did the day before. She hadn't moved a muscle since Kounetsu had left. "She's your princess damn it. You have to come."
Seiya's eyes were open and looking at nothing in particular. "I don't want to go."
"Tough shit! Get up and let's get moving." Yaten picked her up by her armpits and almost strained herself. "You're getting heavy, if I break a sweat picking your sorry ass up…" Seiya stood on her own and looked at Yaten with eyes full of sadness. "Come on." Yaten spoke in a little less harsh voice and began walking to the door.
Seiya didn't even bother to straighten herself out and just followed her.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Usagi knew she wasn't supposed to drink with the amount of blood she lost and kept her drinks to a minimum. She watched as Rei and Minako cheered on the strippers. Yes, they had actually found a club that had both. Coming to an agreement the two girls acted as though they were best friends. "Shake that thing!" Rei hollered with her hands cupped around her mouth.
They had quite a few drinks in them each and were standing at the end of the stage while Usagi, Ami and Makoto sat quietly at their table. "If one of them even tries to get on stage I'm getting a camera for blackmail!" Makoto warned with on arm slung over the back of her chair and her other hand swirling her drink.
This actually brought a small smirk to Usagi's face and Ami and Makoto felt some pleasure of relief. Usagi wasn't acting like her usual self and they just figured that it was because she was getting married to a woman she hardly knew, let alone loved, the next day.
"I think I'm going to head home." Usagi said pushing her chair back. They had gone for ice cream, to five different bars, three strip clubs and she finally couldn't take it anymore.
"We'll see you tomorrow." Ami waved.
"Don't worry, we'll make sure the nasties in the front row get home." Makoto pointed at Rei and Minako.
"Should we remind her that she has a boyfriend?" Ami asked while watching Rei hand the male stripper a five between her teeth.
"I'm telling you, I should have brought my camera!" Was the last thing Usagi heard them say before she left the bar.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Kakyuu watched Seiya put back yet another drink. They had been out for a good portion of the night and she was getting tired. Seiya hadn't spoken a word all night and just sat at the bar like a thirsty lump on a log. "Is she alright?" Kakyuu asked Taiki once Yaten had left to play a game of darts with some college guys. She knew that it was Yaten who had thought the better of telling her, so she had to wait until Taiki was alone, because Seiya certainly wasn't going to tell her.
Taiki gave her a sideways glance and then looked at Seiya at the bar. "No, she's not alright."
Kakyuu's suspicions had been confirmed and she watched Seiya put back two more shots in a row. "Is she trying to drink herself into a coma."
"If that will keep her from having to go to your wedding tomorrow then sure." Taiki commented immediately regretting saying those words.
"It's her own fault." Kakyuu said sternly.
Taiki hadn't thought Kakyuu would have reacted this way, she expected a little more compassion, pity even. "What do you mean, she can't control fate." It must have been the alcohol talking because Taiki would normally never talk back to her princess this way.
"There's no reason for her to have done what she did."
"You knew?"
"Yes, I live with Usagi. You don't think I'd notice something like her trying to kill herself in the bathtub!" Taiki didn't like Kakyuu's tone of voice and was even more amazed that she had found Usagi suicidal. "Seiya could have been with Usagi, I didn't care. I've still been with Kounetsu this entire time."
Kakyuu had not once taken her eyes from Seiya's depressed form at the bar. They watched as yet another guy tried his luck at the seat beside her and bought her a drink. Seiya downed the drink with a smile and continued to ignore him. Yaten must have also been watching the scene because when the guy became irritated with her Yaten marched over to her. Taiki and Kakyuu couldn't hear what was said. All they saw was Yaten throw her arms around Seiya and give her a kiss on the cheek. The guy smiled back and got up and left.
"You know Seiya as well as I do… I can't believe you ever thought she would subject herself to that kind of position." Taiki said turning her attention back to Kakyuu.
"I guess she didn't want Usagi that bad then."
"Princess!" Taiki said in disgust. "I wouldn't have done that either. Kounetsu is a different matter, hell the man is a different specie! But when you take some one with as much pride and self worth as Seiya and expect them to live with half of what they deserve you making a mistake."
"I think we should go." Kakyuu stood up and headed for the door.
Yaten saw her leave and looked to Taiki questioningly as she tried to coax Seiya off the stool.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Usagi lay in her bed peacefully as Kakyuu looked in at her. No one would have ever guessed the pain and torment this girl had been through by looking at her now. Kakyuu had been home for about an hour and was just now going to bed where Kounetsu was waiting for her. She had peered into Usagi's room before turning in just to be safe.
She turned to leave and a shine in the window caught her eye. Usagi's door was only open a crack and she hadn't opened it any more. There in the open window sat Fighter looking longingly at Usagi asleep on the bed. Her face was marked with tears and Kakyuu knew she hadn't seen her. She walked away without letting her presence be known.
I have to defend Kounetsu here for a minute. ::sighs:: He wasn't supposed to be a bad guy, he's just emotionally distraught right now. I feel for the poor man… but if you want to loath him, go for it, it only makes the ever wonderful Seiya look that much better!!! (as if that was possible!)
BTW… go read Ms Monypeny's new fic, (there RHL, are you happy I called her that?) I'm in love with it and want her to write more so support her! Arigato!
[::Akuen::]
by LiR
(The Meaning of Life)
Usagi opened her eyes to the unfamiliar sight of red hair next to her. Picking her head up further she saw that she was in her own room and in her own bed. Her eyes traveled down again to fall on the sleeping form of Kakyuu. She didn't remember falling asleep with her here. She thought back trying to remember what happened before she went to sleep and that's when the pain came back to her.
Kakyuu stirred a bit with the sobs that were coming from Usagi's body. Usagi looked down once again to see if her eyes had opened but she was not yet awake. Looking down, she stared at the face of the woman she was destined to marry. She had better get used to this, she was going to have to wake up to this woman's face everyday for the rest of her life.
A new round of sobs racked her body and she could no longer keep quiet. Usagi had lost the one thing in her life that had ever mattered. She got up from her reclined position and walked down the hall towards her bathroom. She opened the closet as though she was rummaging through Dr. Kavorkian's medicine cabinet. Her hands along with her eyes desperately searched the cabinet for the quickest way out of this life.
Finally, catching the gleam of the ceiling light behind her, Kakyuu's package of straight blade razors came into her view. Usagi's shaking hands quickly reached out for them and ripped the package open. She selected one of the blades that had fallen to the floor in her attempt to open the package. Holding the metal assailant over her delicate wrist her eyes looked around at her surroundings one last time. Thinking the better of her position, Usagi moved and sat in the bathtub.
She was going to end this day before it could even begin. She saw no other solution to this problem, her vision was hindered by the blinders of the pain she felt. Her tears had stopped but her hand was still a little shakey. Through her blurred vision she held her arm out in front of her palm up and could almost see her life pumping through those veins. Her right hand came down to position the blade at the base of her wrist.
Putting a little pressure on it the thick, dark red of her blood began to surround the blade. This hurt, but not as much as what Seiya had done to her. Not only once but twice had she been deceived by some one she thought she loved and given herself completely. She was going to have to make this quick, she didn't need any more pain. Drawing the blade back towards her body, Usagi made her lethal gash up her arm releasing all of the pain she felt in this life to move onto the next.
"USAGI!" Kakyuu screamed from the doorway of the bathroom. She rushed over to the blond in the bathtub that was quickly becoming covered in blood. Usagi looked up at her and quickly switched the blade to her other hand to duplicate her act on her other arm. Kakyuu ripped the blade from her hand cutting her own hand in the process. "What are you doing? Stop!" Kakyuu was frantic, being a princess she had never seen so much blood before. She didn't know what to do.
"Leave me alone!" Usagi screamed back at her sitting up in the tub and squeezing her arm to speed along the process since it looked as though this was as far as Kakyuu was going to let her go. "Go AWAY!" She screamed when she realized that Kakyuu wasn't listening to her.
Kakyuu's hands were covered in Usagi's blood from struggling with her to keep her under control. "Oh god, oh god what do I do?" She looked around and finally ripped down the cloth shower curtain. Usagi was still weak from exerting so much emotional energy from the day before that she had a hard time fighting back. Soon Kakyuu had both of the blonde's hands in her own and was wrapping the curtain around her wounded arm.
Usagi's mood fell a little quieter when she realized that her struggling was getting her nowhere. "Why are you doing this?" She asked with her puffy eyes half shut and her arm out in front of her.
Kakyuu looked up from her work on Usagi's arm and looked at her confused. "What do you mean? I think I should be asking you that question. You're my friend, I don't want to see anything happen to you, even if you do."
Usagi just looked at her blankly. "If I died then you wouldn't have to marry me, you could marry Kounetsu instead."
"If you died I would never forgive myself for not being a better friend. And if you died I wouldn't have been saved from an unwanted marriage, instead this entire planet would perish along with you." Kakyuu tied a knot making sure that there was enough pressure on the wound. "Don't you see, the whole reason that we are forced into this marriage is for the benefit of this planet? If we don't get married, it will die." Kakyuu leaned forward and wrapped Usagi in a hug. "Even if you wanted to escape the pain in your life, you have to remember that you will also be killing everyone else."
"I'm so sorry…" Usagi sobbed as she held Kakyuu in return. "I didn't mean to… I'm sorry…"
"What happened anyway, is this because of the wedding?" Kakyuu backed up to look into her blue eyes. Usagi shook her head from side to side. "No? Well you can tell me on the way to the hospital." Kakyuu helped hoist Usagi up from her seat in the tub. Usagi didn't bother to change her bloody clothes and climbed into the car along with Kakyuu.
The majority of the car ride was silent. Kakyuu drove while Usagi stared blankly out the window. Every sight that she took in reminded her of why she needed to stay alive. The flowers, trees, gentle breeze, and the children playing in the grass, she couldn't let all of these things just disappear because she was unhappy with her life. "Can you tell me what happened?" Kakyuu asked looking over momentarily to Usagi's form slumped against the window.
Usagi picked her head up and looked over at Kakyuu and then down at her hands. She felt so ashamed that she had attempted to commit suicide. If had felt so right at the time and it seemed like her only alternative. "Nothing."
Kakyuu's eyes narrowed as she put both hands on the wheel. "You mean to tell me that you'd kill yourself over nothing?" Her expression softened and she started over. "Usagi, I only want to help you."
"No one can help me." Usagi sighed being more than melodramatic. "I was tricked again but this time it just hurt too much." She said looking back out the window.
"Who tricked you? Mamoru?" Kakyuu was confused and came to the most reasonable answers she could in her head.
It was weird talking to her fiancé about her troubled love life that didn't involve her, but then again she thought of the fact that Kakyuu's love life didn't involve her either. "No, Seiya."
"Nani?" Kakyuu hit the brakes rather hard for the red stoplight ahead. It had just come as shock to her. "Seiya tricked you?"
Usagi rested her elbow on the door and placed her chin in the palm of her hand. "I thought she loved me…" She felt the tears coming on again but tried her best to suppress them. "… But she told me that she was just using me and that she could never love me." It hurt remembering those words, the wound that Seiya had made in her heart stung even more after repeating them.
To the best of Kakyuu's knowledge, Seiya loved Usagi more than ever. Why would she say that to Usagi? The immediate realization of how much Usagi truly loved Seiya hit Kakyuu like a ton of squid (AN: I'm sick of saying bricks so I improvised… read on…). She was prepared to kill herself when she was brought to see the disenchantment of her love. Usagi finally felt the way that Seiya had always longed for her to feel about her and now she was pushing her away? This didn't make any sense. "I'm sorry." Was all that Kakyuu could answer. She was in no position to offer up an advice.
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"Where are we going tonight?" Makoto asked leaning back casually on the counter.
It was late afternoon and it would be dusk soon. "A strip club!" Rei said with a devious smirk but soon noticed the odd look she received from Ami. "What?"
"Hello, she's marrying a woman…" Ami raised her brow. "…Do you really think she'd want to look at some naked man dancing all about?"
"You're just disagreeing because YOU don't want to see it. Besides, I think Usagi should get a good eyeful of the male physique before she has to commit to a woman's." Rei crossed her arms and looked at Ami with a somewhat victory smile on her face. For once, she may have outsmarted the blue haired genius.
"Where's Minako anyway?" Makoto asked casually while looking down at her watch. 4:30. As if on cue, Minako came walking through the door… without Usagi. "So?"
"So what?" Minako shrugged and looked at the three women staring at her.
"Where's Usagi?!" Rei said with a tinge of annoyance lacing her voice.
Minako didn't want to tell the others about Usagi and Seiya's falling out last night. If Usagi wanted them to know then she could tell them herself. As it was, Minako wasn't supposed to have any knowledge of it anyway. There was nothing to worry about, she had left Usagi in capable hands. "I don't know."
Rei's eyes closed in frustration and her hand balled into a fist. "You were supposed to bring her with you."
Ami brought her hand up to pat Rei's shoulder. "It's not a big deal, we'll just go over to her apartment and pick her up." Makoto grabbed her keys and they headed out the door.
"Why do I have a bad feeling about this?" Minako mumbled to herself under her breath.
When the inner senshi arrived at Usagi's apartment no one answered the door. "That's odd." Makoto exclaimed.
"Maybe she's out looking for Minako!" Rei snorted, still not letting Minako's blond moment slip by.
"Shut up!" Minako growled at her.
"Guys, come on." Ami shook her head. "Maybe she's in the back and can't hear you, try the knob." She suggested to Makoto who was still knocking on the door.
The knob gave way in the tall girl's hand and she proceeded to push the door open. "Hello?" She questioned down the hall as she walked into the silent apartment. "Usagi?" She called again as Rei, Ami and Minako followed her in.
Makoto went to search the kitchen and Ami headed down towards her bedroom while Rei and Minako continued to argue in the living room. "You really kill me sometimes, you know that?" Rei huffed.
"Oh like you've never made a mistake?" Minako had her hands on her hips. "I could name a few if you can't seem to remember…"
"Go ahead, but only the ones that were dumber than half the stunts you pull!" Rei's retort was sent at Minako as a challenge… unfortunately Minako accepted.
"We don't have that much time in a day but I'll give you some starters:
-Going out with Mamoru- ouch that one hurt!
-Getting wasted and thinking it was a good idea to make a bikini out of pizza-
-When you thought that inflammable meant that it wouldn't catch on fire!- Look Yuuricho's hair still hasn't grown back from that one!"
"Alright, shut up already!" Rei stood defeated with her arms crossed.
"Guys, I think you should come here." Ami said standing in the hallway outside the bathroom door. The three girls walked down the hall to join her and to see what she was talking about.
Minako gasped when she saw the sight of blood staining the white porcelin of Usagi's bathtub. "What happened?" She asked but then they heard the front door open and close. All four of them peered their heads out into the hallway to see who had just come in.
Kakyuu and Usagi were taking their shoes off in the hallway and Usagi was covered in blood with a bandage on her arm. She almost slipped when removing her shoes but Kakyuu was quick to keep her steady. Usagi looked up at the fire haired woman with a smile. When they were finished they noticed their unexpected visitors staring at them from down the hallway.
"Uh… hi guys." Usagi waved with a confused look on her face.
Once they were spotted the girls filtered out of the bathroom and over to Usagi. "Oh my god, what happened?" Minako asked Usagi but her eyes quickly fell on Kakyuu, the person she had asked to take care of her.
"Nothing." Usagi waved with a fake smile. She and Kakyuu had come up with a feasible excuse in the car on the way back from the hospital to explain her injury without having to tell them what had really happened. Neither of them knew however that Minako knew about Seiya.
"Well are you ok?" Makoto turned Usagi's arm over to examine the bandage. "This isn't going to match your dress too well tomorrow." She tried to make light of the subject.
Usagi let out a slight laugh. "I put my hand threw the window this morning when I was getting dressed. You know me, Miss Clumsy!" She tried to act as normal as possible and when she thought about it, this really was something that she would have done.
"You're going to have to keep a better eye on her from now on Kakyuu." Minako said to sound like a joke but by the look she was giving Kakyuu, Kakyuu knew she was dead serious. Kakyuu nodded in response.
"So what are you guys doing here?" Usagi asked trying to draw the attention off of herself. The phone rang and Kakyuu went to answer it.
"We came to take you out for your bachelorette party!" Rei cheered a little over excitedly.
Makoto looked Usagi up and down. "You're definitely going to have to change first though."
"Hello?" Kakyuu answered the phone in the other room but kept an eye on the planetary senshi in her living room. "Taiki, it's good to hear from you… What's that? You're taking me out tonight?… With Yaten and Seiya?… Meet me here? Uh, no, I'll come over there to meet you… What? No, it's no problem… Really, I'll see you in a bit." She replaced the phone on its cradle and continued to look at the girls. The Lights had wanted to pick her up for a night out, she thought it best if Seiya didn't come over here while Usagi was here… ever. Is this how it was going to be? She would never again be able to spend time with Seiya and Usagi at the same time?
"Male strippers!" Rei argued with Minako.
"Female strippers!" Minako argued back and tried to pull Ami on her side. "Ne Ami?"
"I agree with Rei, definitely male strippers." Makoto moved along side Rei to come to her defense.
"Guys, geesh…" Usagi came between them. "Why do we even need strippers?"
"'Cause that's what you're supposed to do!" They all said in unison, even Ami, with big smiles on their faces. Kakyuu listened intently to see where they were going so that they could possible avoid that same place.
"Well let's go out and get some drinks first, maybe that will loosen you girls up a bit." Minako winked in Rei and Makoto's direction.
"I still think that we should leave it up to Usagi." Ami said blushing.
"I'm up for a few drinks, but let me shower first." She said bringing attention once again to her bloody attire.
Once Usagi disappeared down the long hall Kakyuu came into the living room. "So where are you girls headed tonight?"
"Oooo, the protective type of wifey!" Makoto pointed and poked some fun at Kakyuu.
Kakyuu merely shook here head. "No, I'm going out with Yaten, Taiki and Seiya, I don't think a girl should run into her fiancé during her bachelorette party. Do you?"
"Good point." Rei said thinking.
After a while and much debating, Usagi returned to the girls freshly showered and ready to go. "So where are we going?" She asked. She had to put on her happiest face so that none of them would know the true torment that was eating her soul away. Minako knew the truth however and was going to do her best to try and turn Usagi's night around.
"We still haven't decided." Makoto answered rubbing her temples. The arguing and bickering between Rei and Minako was becoming all too much for her.
"Ami, do you want to invite Kureko?" Usagi offered up holding the phone out to her.
Ami simply shook her head and felt the need to explain. "We broke up." She saw the astonished looks from her friends. "Yeah, I got dumped. I guess keeping little secrets from her wasn't the best way to construct a relationship."
"Secrets?" Rei and Minako said together taking a break from their fight. "Did you have some one on the side?" Minako asked raising her eyebrows up and down in a suggestive manner.
Ami turned scarlet and put a hand to her mouth. "Minako…" She looked down at her feet. "No, I was talking about senshi business."
Minako's mood deflated once she realized she wasn't going to get any juicy gossip from her genius friend. "Well, let's get this show on the road!" Minako looked over at Usagi and caught her off guard. She had been staring straight at the wall but when she felt Minako's eyes on her she put on her happy face once again.
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Kakyuu walked into Minako's apartment without so much as knocking, they were expecting her, what harm could this cause? When she walked in she saw Taiki cleaning up after dinner in the kitchen, Yaten standing in front of the mirror trying to remind herself of how beautiful she was and Seiya… well she didn't see Seiya. "Where are we headed tonight?" She smiled brightly and waited for them to notice her.
Taiki turned around drying her hands on the towel and walked over to give her a hug. "You look lovely." She said holding her hands in her own to look at her princess. When she looked down at her hands she saw traces of red and a gash in her hand. "What happened here? Is that blood?"
Kakyuu cursed herself for not washing her hands better before she left the apartment. "It's nothing, I was trying my hand at cooking today and had a little accident."
Taiki grinned at her explanation. "I hope you didn't end up serving Usagi a finger sandwich!" Kakyuu smiled in light of the comment and turned her attention to Yaten who had come up to them.
"I say we go to a strip club!" She offered up making a last minute adjustment on her hair.
Kakyuu shook her head with her hand on her forehead. "Do you and Minako share a brain?" She asked. Yaten was puzzled but then realized what must have happened and blushed. "Why don't we just stay here and have girl time?"
"What? I just spent all this time on my make up and you want to stay in?" Yaten folded her arms. "No way!"
"Princess, I think we should really go out. Trust me, it would be good for Seiya to get out of the apartment." Taiki suggested. She was not too thrilled when she got home and found out what had happened. To make matters worse, since there were no walls in this damn apartment she had to watch Seiya in agony all night and day.
"Why? What's wrong with Seiya?" Kakyuu asked trying to play dumb.
Yaten quickly jumped in to save the conversation. She didn't want Seiya's pathetically depressed ass to ruin her princess' last night of freedom. "She's just been pent up in here too long, she's not in the best of moods."
"Where is she?" Kakyuu looked over Yaten's shoulder and tried to spot Seiya in the apartment. Yaten moved around making it hard for her to see. She finally shot Yaten a look of concern.
"I'll go get her, she's probably changing or something. You know, she can't look like a slob all the time!" Yaten gave Taiki an odd look and walked off.
"Here Princess, we'll wait in the car." Taiki ushered her out the door before she could see Yaten pry Seiya's body up off the floor.
"Seiya-baka, come on its time to go." Yaten knelt down next to her partner. Seiya was face down on her futon wearing the same clothes she did the day before. She hadn't moved a muscle since Kounetsu had left. "She's your princess damn it. You have to come."
Seiya's eyes were open and looking at nothing in particular. "I don't want to go."
"Tough shit! Get up and let's get moving." Yaten picked her up by her armpits and almost strained herself. "You're getting heavy, if I break a sweat picking your sorry ass up…" Seiya stood on her own and looked at Yaten with eyes full of sadness. "Come on." Yaten spoke in a little less harsh voice and began walking to the door.
Seiya didn't even bother to straighten herself out and just followed her.
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Usagi knew she wasn't supposed to drink with the amount of blood she lost and kept her drinks to a minimum. She watched as Rei and Minako cheered on the strippers. Yes, they had actually found a club that had both. Coming to an agreement the two girls acted as though they were best friends. "Shake that thing!" Rei hollered with her hands cupped around her mouth.
They had quite a few drinks in them each and were standing at the end of the stage while Usagi, Ami and Makoto sat quietly at their table. "If one of them even tries to get on stage I'm getting a camera for blackmail!" Makoto warned with on arm slung over the back of her chair and her other hand swirling her drink.
This actually brought a small smirk to Usagi's face and Ami and Makoto felt some pleasure of relief. Usagi wasn't acting like her usual self and they just figured that it was because she was getting married to a woman she hardly knew, let alone loved, the next day.
"I think I'm going to head home." Usagi said pushing her chair back. They had gone for ice cream, to five different bars, three strip clubs and she finally couldn't take it anymore.
"We'll see you tomorrow." Ami waved.
"Don't worry, we'll make sure the nasties in the front row get home." Makoto pointed at Rei and Minako.
"Should we remind her that she has a boyfriend?" Ami asked while watching Rei hand the male stripper a five between her teeth.
"I'm telling you, I should have brought my camera!" Was the last thing Usagi heard them say before she left the bar.
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Kakyuu watched Seiya put back yet another drink. They had been out for a good portion of the night and she was getting tired. Seiya hadn't spoken a word all night and just sat at the bar like a thirsty lump on a log. "Is she alright?" Kakyuu asked Taiki once Yaten had left to play a game of darts with some college guys. She knew that it was Yaten who had thought the better of telling her, so she had to wait until Taiki was alone, because Seiya certainly wasn't going to tell her.
Taiki gave her a sideways glance and then looked at Seiya at the bar. "No, she's not alright."
Kakyuu's suspicions had been confirmed and she watched Seiya put back two more shots in a row. "Is she trying to drink herself into a coma."
"If that will keep her from having to go to your wedding tomorrow then sure." Taiki commented immediately regretting saying those words.
"It's her own fault." Kakyuu said sternly.
Taiki hadn't thought Kakyuu would have reacted this way, she expected a little more compassion, pity even. "What do you mean, she can't control fate." It must have been the alcohol talking because Taiki would normally never talk back to her princess this way.
"There's no reason for her to have done what she did."
"You knew?"
"Yes, I live with Usagi. You don't think I'd notice something like her trying to kill herself in the bathtub!" Taiki didn't like Kakyuu's tone of voice and was even more amazed that she had found Usagi suicidal. "Seiya could have been with Usagi, I didn't care. I've still been with Kounetsu this entire time."
Kakyuu had not once taken her eyes from Seiya's depressed form at the bar. They watched as yet another guy tried his luck at the seat beside her and bought her a drink. Seiya downed the drink with a smile and continued to ignore him. Yaten must have also been watching the scene because when the guy became irritated with her Yaten marched over to her. Taiki and Kakyuu couldn't hear what was said. All they saw was Yaten throw her arms around Seiya and give her a kiss on the cheek. The guy smiled back and got up and left.
"You know Seiya as well as I do… I can't believe you ever thought she would subject herself to that kind of position." Taiki said turning her attention back to Kakyuu.
"I guess she didn't want Usagi that bad then."
"Princess!" Taiki said in disgust. "I wouldn't have done that either. Kounetsu is a different matter, hell the man is a different specie! But when you take some one with as much pride and self worth as Seiya and expect them to live with half of what they deserve you making a mistake."
"I think we should go." Kakyuu stood up and headed for the door.
Yaten saw her leave and looked to Taiki questioningly as she tried to coax Seiya off the stool.
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Usagi lay in her bed peacefully as Kakyuu looked in at her. No one would have ever guessed the pain and torment this girl had been through by looking at her now. Kakyuu had been home for about an hour and was just now going to bed where Kounetsu was waiting for her. She had peered into Usagi's room before turning in just to be safe.
She turned to leave and a shine in the window caught her eye. Usagi's door was only open a crack and she hadn't opened it any more. There in the open window sat Fighter looking longingly at Usagi asleep on the bed. Her face was marked with tears and Kakyuu knew she hadn't seen her. She walked away without letting her presence be known.