Hello! This is my first fic, so please be kind. Any questions, comments, and flames are welcome. By the way, the beginning of this might sound like a fic you've read, but the plot is MINE....ALL MINE....Let's get on with the fic. Doncha just love short ANs?
Sailor Moon belongs to the great and powerful Naoko Takeuchi. It still belongs to her, but if she ever decides to sell, I get first dibs!
The Threads of Fate
Chapter One
Tsukino Usagi walked silently home, silently sobbing and her head hung down. She didn't look at where she was going, and did not see the people looking at her like she was some maniac. Nothing mattered to her anymore, Mamoru didn't love her. She couldn't face anything now without being reminded of him. A slow idea slowly entered her mind, and by the time she got home, her mind was made up.
Walking silently up the stairs, she went into her room. She took out of her hiding place her savings. She had saved the money for years, and now she was going to use it. Counting it, she found out that it was going to be enough for a one way plane ticket to anywhere she wanted. Getting out her suitcase, she packed everything that was going to be important to her; clothes, pictures of her friends and Chibi-Usa, and finally, a picture of Mamoru and their locket. Usagi waited until her entire family was asleep, and then left, carrying the suitcase, and an item that were to be dropped off at Rei's temple.
After Usagi had completed the necessary errands that would allow her to leave Ju-ban forever in peace, she walked to the airport and boarded a plane. The next day, a very surprised priestess found a letter in front of the temple, and Usagi's brooch. "What have you done, Usagi-chan?" Rei whispered as she picked up the brooch and the letter, then going inside to the privacy of the shrine to read the letter that would seal the Senshi's fate.
"Rei,
I know that this letter is unexpected. But now you must be the leader of the Senshi, by the time you get this letter, I will be gone, boarded a plane off to somewhere. I can't go on after what Mamoru has done to me. Without his love, both the warrior and Princess of the Moon is dead. She is no more, and now the Senshi will have to depend on you to lead them into victory.
I ask you, my friend, not to try to do anything to find me. I need to leave and start a new life, the Usagi you knew is no more.
I will always remember and cherish you and the other Senshi, but I must leave because of what happened. I hope that someday, you will forgive for leaving so suddenly.
Your friend,
Tsukino Usagi"
(A.N- This might sound like a story you have read, but I'm not really copying anything, so please don't sue me!)
Rei crumpled the letter in her hands as tears ran down her face. She ran to her room to get her communicator and call for a meeting. After that, she would seek out the man who broke Usagi's heart and make sure he was going to pay.
*****
Mamoru got up to answer the knock at the door. He was very surprised to find four VERY angry looking girls. "What are you doing here?" he asked.
"We came here to make sure that YOU, Chiba Mamoru, are going to pay for what you did to our best friend," Makoto said in reply to his question.
"What are you going to do about it? So what, I lost interest in Usagi. Why should I pay for anything except the things that I need?" Mamoru asked. (Yes, that was a VERY corny pun. You didn't get it? Oh, well, you're not really missing anything...)
"In case you didn't know, genius. Usagi left sometime yesterday night. She went somewhere, but we have no idea. And it's all because of YOU! Thanks to you, we lost our best friend and our leader. Since all four of us are willing to share YOU, I suggest that you get your first aid kit ready. But then again, you're Tuxedo Kamen, there's no reason for you to prepare medical supplies...you're a superhero, aren't you?" Rei spat.
So Mamoru got beat up...mainly by Makoto, after being shown the letter that Usagi had written. He didn't care though, he hardly felt the physical pain. What he felt was the emotional pain, he couldn't stop thinking of what he had done to his Usa-ko. He should have told her the truth, every single ounce of it. But he had driven her away, and now she was lost to him forever.
(A.N.-Fine, this scene is really messed up! I GET THE IDEA! If somebody can give me suggestions as to how to polish this scene up, I will forever be in your debt. :))
*****
8 years later, in the town of Chiba... (if you're really wondering, Chiba actually IS a town in Japan)
*****
Tsukino Usagi turned off her alarm and got up. She had to hurry and get dressed, eat breakfast, etc. As she went into her bathroom, she was yet again reminded of what happened eight years ago. 'Serves me right for not paying attention. I should have noticed that I was going to Chiba instead of America. Now I have to be reminded of Mamoru everyday.' She got ready and went to work.
Over the years, Usagi had changed. When she arrived at Chiba and resolved all her problems, she remembered that she had a friend who lived here. So Usagi went to live with her. Because of her broken heart, she had became a different Usagi. She had dove into her studies and graduated high school with the highest honors. She even skipped a few grades, when she went to college, she had a big scholarship. Usagi decided that her major would be medicine, and medicine she studied. After only THREE years, she graduated. Amazingly, somehow the loss of Mamoru had sort helped her. Usagi was surprised to find out, one day, that she was the most sought after woman in the entire college. But, of course, she never dated anyone, Mamoru was still the only man she could ever love. She was now the most renowned doctor in Chiba, and she was proud of that. After getting a job, Usagi had bought her own house and had lived there ever since.
*****
"Tsukino-san, today the college students that I told you about are coming. They are all either on the verge of graduating or have already graduated. All of the doctors here are going to provide the students with some basic training. Mr. Yohashi had volunteered for that when he found out that his best friend needed a hospital full of good doctors to train his students. You remember all of this, right?" With Usagi's nod, the speaker continued, "I just thought I'd remind you again if you forgot."
"They're here already, Anio-san? Wonderful, I just know that working with the students will be a wonderful experience!"
The morning flashed by in a flash, and soon it was time for the doctors to meet their "students". "Whoever gets you for a teacher will be the luckiest person in here. After all, you're the best doctor in Chiba, Usagi," one of the doctors said.
"Come on, now, Natsumi, you're making me feel really self-conscious," Usagi said, blushing.
"Excuse me, can I have your attention, please. All trainees please go to the front. You will meet your doctor "teacher" there," said a voice.
So all the doctors called out their trainee's names. Finally, it was Usagi's turn. Mr. Yohashi gave her the folder that contained her "student's" name and all the information about that person. She went up on stage and opened the folder. The name she saw made her heart stop. Shaking, she called, "CHIBA MAMORU."
Slowly, a dark-haired man came up to the front to meet his "teacher".
*****
"I cannot believe this. Out of all the people...I just had to get HIM," Usagi muttered to herself. "I thought he BECAME a doctor already. Now I'm actually going to TRAIN him. How in the world am I going to do this?!"
"Excuse me? Is something wrong, doctor?" Mamoru asked, puzzled as to why the doctor was muttering to herself. He found out soon enough, though...
"Congratulations, Chiba-san," a voice said. "You must be wondering who I am. I am Natsumi Akyato, a friend of Tsukino-san. You are truly lucky to have her as your trainer. She is probably the best doctor in Japan. You will learn well with her."
Mamoru's heart stopped. I mean it REALLY STOPPED. Tsukino-san? Was this his Usa-ko? Or was this doctor just a relative of Usa-ko? 'Anyway,' he thought. 'It's going to be hard working with someone who related to HIS Usa-ko.' His thoughts were interrupted as he heard ANOTHER voice.
"Tsukino-san, there you are. You might not know this, the first day you spend with your trainee will be spent on getting to know each other better. If you have any complications, please let me know. I understand that Chiba-san here is a very bright student from Juban. I think that you two will get along well together. Now if you'll excuse me, I have to talk to the others."
"That's okay, Yohashi-san. I think I will manage just fine," the doctor called Tsukino-san said. Little did Mamoru know that deep inside, "Tsukino-san" was shaking and wondering how she was going to handle the situation...
*****
"Chiba-san-"
"Tsukino-san, please just call me Mamoru. It's so hard being referred to as Chiba-san," Mamoru broke in.
"Mamoru-san-"
"Mamoru alone will be fine, thank you, Tsukino-san," Mamoru interrupted yet again.
"MAMORU. I guess if we are going to know each other better, you might as well call me Usagi. By the way, did you know of a Tsukino Usagi that lives in Juban?" Usagi said, quickly making up a story as to why she was named Usagi.
"Yes, I did know her, actually," Mamoru said. His hopes raised when he had heard that Tsukino-san was named Usagi, but they were dashed when he heard the doctor ask about the OTHER Usagi, his Usa-ko. "Why do you ask?"
"She and I are cousins, born on the same day, month, and year. Our parents thought it would be fun to give us the same names. How is she, do you know?"
"She left. She doesn't live there anymore. I made her leave...you wouldn't understand. I LOVED her, and yet I broke her heart, I made her leave..." Mamoru said bitterly. Somehow, he found it easy to talk to this cousin of Usa-ko. He needed to let it out. He had kept the secret to himself for too long....
"What do you mean, Mamoru?," Usagi asked, somehow knowing that everything would be revealed now, she could find out why Mamoru left her. All she had to do was to convince him to let her do so.
"Well, we were happily dating-" the sound of a telephone interrupted Mamoru's explanation.
"Excuse me for a moment, Mamoru," Usagi said as she went to pick up the phone. She was glad for the break, anyway, for she was having a hard time calling him Mamoru and not Mamo-chan. "Hello?"
"Tsukino-san," the voice on the other end said. "I just found out that another student will be coming to Chiba to study with us. Do you think you can take her in too? You're the best doctor in the hospital and I thought that'd maybe you could handle two students at once. By the way, how is Mamoru doing? Has he settled in yet?"
"Yohashi-san, of course it will be all right for me to take in another student. I have plenty of room at my house for them to stay. Mamoru is doing just fine, although he hasn't unpacked yet. Will I meet the new student tomorrow?"
"Yes, you will be introduced to her tomorrow. Thank you, Tsukino-san, you don't know how much this means to me," Mr. Yohashi said on the other end, relieved.
"You're welcome, Yohashi-san. And please, call me Usagi. I'll see you tomorrow then?"
"Of course, have a good day."
As Usagi hung up, she wondered who the new student would be. Her thoughts were interrupted-what is with all the interruptions in this fic?!!-by Mamoru's voice. "Usagi? Is it all right if I tell you the story tomorrow. I'd sort of like to get unpacked now."
"Of course, Mamoru. I'll lead you up to your room."
*****
The next day, Usagi yet encountered yet ANOTHER surprise...
"Tsukino-san, I'd like you to meet your student...Mizuno Ami."
Usagi's heart stopped. 'Ami-chan?!! First Mamo-chan and now her, how am I going to handle all this?' Usagi thought to herself.
"Excuse me, doctor?" Ami's voice broke into her thoughts.
"Yes, Mizuno-san?" Usagi asked absently.
"First of all, I want to clear up something. Will I be staying at your house during my time here? If I will, is there any boarding fees or something? And second of all, please just call me Ami."
"In answer to your question, Ami," Usagi replied. "There will be no boarding fees or anything of the sort. This is a completely free program for talented students, and yes, you will stay at my house. Since I'll be calling you Ami, please just call me Usagi."
"USAGI-CHAN?!!" Ami gasped.
"Excuse me?" Usagi said, feigning surprise. "Oh, I get it. Since you're from Juban, you must have been a friend of the Tsukino Usagi who lives there. She and I are cousins, born on the same day, month, and year. We also have the same names. Our parents ARE quite strange."
"Oh, I'm sorry. You just looked so much like the OTHER Usagi that I thought-"
"That's perfectly all right, Ami," Usagi said, relieved that Ami hadn't recognized her.
*****
The day soon ended. Usagi noticed that when she "introduced" Ami to Mamoru, they both stiffened a little bit. "YOU!!" Ami had spat when she saw Mamoru.
"What about me, Ami?" Mamoru asked coolly. 'How am I going to handle this? First, an Usa-ko look-alike who's actually NAMED Usagi. Then I get to meet Ami.'
"Excuse me, since you're both friends of the other Usagi, I assume you know each other?" Usagi asked, trying to break up the tension.
"We know each other, all right. That CHICKOSHOUME [A.N. I know it's a little intense, but I had to set the mood. I feel so terrible, calling Mamoru a chickoshoume, I really don't think that of him, so don't flame me!!!!! :'( ] is the idiot who broke Usagi's heart," Ami said fiercely.
"YOU DON'T EVEN KNOW THE REASON WHY I LEFT HER!" Mamoru shouted back.
"EXCUSE ME!" Usagi yelled. "I can see that you two are not on good terms, but you both are going to spend your time in Chiba with me. The best I can do is give you rooms that are far away from each other. Right now, though, I will settle for a handshake. I think-I know-that you guys probably hate each other. Please, though, don't show any open hostility."
Ami and Mamoru glared at each other, then shook hands. They let go extremely quickly, though. (A.N. Does this sound like something from Harry Potter? I hope not.)
*****
"Excuse me, doctor, but I was told that I would find Mizuno Ami here," said a voice. "She left one of her suitcases at home when she left for Chiba."
Ami turned and saw Rei. She said, "Thank you, Rei. I'd like you to meet Tsukino Usagi, a cousin of OUR Usagi. She's the one that will be training us. Oh yeah, meet Mamoru the chickoshoume..."
Rei turned and saw that the doctor she had just talked to had turned very pale. She, of course, noticed Mamoru, but didn't say anything. "Nice to meet you, Tsukino-san. I'm Hino Rei."
"Nice to meet you, Hino-san," Usagi said, now composed.
"Just Rei, please. Ami and I both hate properness when it comes to names."
"Of course, thank you for bringing Ami's suitcase here. Did you come here with anyone? If you didn't, stay here for today, then I'll drive you back tomorrow."
"Oh no, I'm not here with anyone. Besides, I couldn't possibly take you up on your offer. I'll just take a couple of buses back as not to disturb you."
"That's okay, I haven't been in Juban for a while anyway. It would be nice to visit Aunt Ikuko and Uncle Kenji and the rest of the family."
Rei felt a pang of sadness being reminded yet again of Usagi. But then again, a ride home would cost a lot less then an five bus rides home, and she'd have someone to talk to. "If you insist, Tsukino-san, I will. I just hope it won't bother you."
"It will bother me if you call me 'Tsukino-san'," Usagi said, smiling.
"All right, Usagi. When should I meet you tomorrow?" Rei asked, already starting to like this Usagi.
"YOU are not going to meet me. You will stay at my house for the night and I'll wake you up tomorrow."
"BUT-"
"No buts about it. Now all three of you, come with me."
*****
As Usagi drove him and the girls back to her house. Mamoru's mind began to wander. He wondered who this cousin of Usagi really was. He had a feeling that she hadn't told him everything about her relationship with his Usa-ko. And this Usagi looked so much like his Usa-ko too...he was really starting to wonder if the renowned doctor was INDEED Usa-ko. Perhaps this is where she had went when she disappeared eight years ago. His hopes were dashed, however, by what happened next.
That's all for this chapter, minna-chan. If you really want to find out what happened, e-mail me and I'll put out the next chapter when I have time.
Sailor Moon belongs to the great and powerful Naoko Takeuchi. It still belongs to her, but if she ever decides to sell, I get first dibs!
The Threads of Fate
Chapter One
Tsukino Usagi walked silently home, silently sobbing and her head hung down. She didn't look at where she was going, and did not see the people looking at her like she was some maniac. Nothing mattered to her anymore, Mamoru didn't love her. She couldn't face anything now without being reminded of him. A slow idea slowly entered her mind, and by the time she got home, her mind was made up.
Walking silently up the stairs, she went into her room. She took out of her hiding place her savings. She had saved the money for years, and now she was going to use it. Counting it, she found out that it was going to be enough for a one way plane ticket to anywhere she wanted. Getting out her suitcase, she packed everything that was going to be important to her; clothes, pictures of her friends and Chibi-Usa, and finally, a picture of Mamoru and their locket. Usagi waited until her entire family was asleep, and then left, carrying the suitcase, and an item that were to be dropped off at Rei's temple.
After Usagi had completed the necessary errands that would allow her to leave Ju-ban forever in peace, she walked to the airport and boarded a plane. The next day, a very surprised priestess found a letter in front of the temple, and Usagi's brooch. "What have you done, Usagi-chan?" Rei whispered as she picked up the brooch and the letter, then going inside to the privacy of the shrine to read the letter that would seal the Senshi's fate.
"Rei,
I know that this letter is unexpected. But now you must be the leader of the Senshi, by the time you get this letter, I will be gone, boarded a plane off to somewhere. I can't go on after what Mamoru has done to me. Without his love, both the warrior and Princess of the Moon is dead. She is no more, and now the Senshi will have to depend on you to lead them into victory.
I ask you, my friend, not to try to do anything to find me. I need to leave and start a new life, the Usagi you knew is no more.
I will always remember and cherish you and the other Senshi, but I must leave because of what happened. I hope that someday, you will forgive for leaving so suddenly.
Your friend,
Tsukino Usagi"
(A.N- This might sound like a story you have read, but I'm not really copying anything, so please don't sue me!)
Rei crumpled the letter in her hands as tears ran down her face. She ran to her room to get her communicator and call for a meeting. After that, she would seek out the man who broke Usagi's heart and make sure he was going to pay.
*****
Mamoru got up to answer the knock at the door. He was very surprised to find four VERY angry looking girls. "What are you doing here?" he asked.
"We came here to make sure that YOU, Chiba Mamoru, are going to pay for what you did to our best friend," Makoto said in reply to his question.
"What are you going to do about it? So what, I lost interest in Usagi. Why should I pay for anything except the things that I need?" Mamoru asked. (Yes, that was a VERY corny pun. You didn't get it? Oh, well, you're not really missing anything...)
"In case you didn't know, genius. Usagi left sometime yesterday night. She went somewhere, but we have no idea. And it's all because of YOU! Thanks to you, we lost our best friend and our leader. Since all four of us are willing to share YOU, I suggest that you get your first aid kit ready. But then again, you're Tuxedo Kamen, there's no reason for you to prepare medical supplies...you're a superhero, aren't you?" Rei spat.
So Mamoru got beat up...mainly by Makoto, after being shown the letter that Usagi had written. He didn't care though, he hardly felt the physical pain. What he felt was the emotional pain, he couldn't stop thinking of what he had done to his Usa-ko. He should have told her the truth, every single ounce of it. But he had driven her away, and now she was lost to him forever.
(A.N.-Fine, this scene is really messed up! I GET THE IDEA! If somebody can give me suggestions as to how to polish this scene up, I will forever be in your debt. :))
*****
8 years later, in the town of Chiba... (if you're really wondering, Chiba actually IS a town in Japan)
*****
Tsukino Usagi turned off her alarm and got up. She had to hurry and get dressed, eat breakfast, etc. As she went into her bathroom, she was yet again reminded of what happened eight years ago. 'Serves me right for not paying attention. I should have noticed that I was going to Chiba instead of America. Now I have to be reminded of Mamoru everyday.' She got ready and went to work.
Over the years, Usagi had changed. When she arrived at Chiba and resolved all her problems, she remembered that she had a friend who lived here. So Usagi went to live with her. Because of her broken heart, she had became a different Usagi. She had dove into her studies and graduated high school with the highest honors. She even skipped a few grades, when she went to college, she had a big scholarship. Usagi decided that her major would be medicine, and medicine she studied. After only THREE years, she graduated. Amazingly, somehow the loss of Mamoru had sort helped her. Usagi was surprised to find out, one day, that she was the most sought after woman in the entire college. But, of course, she never dated anyone, Mamoru was still the only man she could ever love. She was now the most renowned doctor in Chiba, and she was proud of that. After getting a job, Usagi had bought her own house and had lived there ever since.
*****
"Tsukino-san, today the college students that I told you about are coming. They are all either on the verge of graduating or have already graduated. All of the doctors here are going to provide the students with some basic training. Mr. Yohashi had volunteered for that when he found out that his best friend needed a hospital full of good doctors to train his students. You remember all of this, right?" With Usagi's nod, the speaker continued, "I just thought I'd remind you again if you forgot."
"They're here already, Anio-san? Wonderful, I just know that working with the students will be a wonderful experience!"
The morning flashed by in a flash, and soon it was time for the doctors to meet their "students". "Whoever gets you for a teacher will be the luckiest person in here. After all, you're the best doctor in Chiba, Usagi," one of the doctors said.
"Come on, now, Natsumi, you're making me feel really self-conscious," Usagi said, blushing.
"Excuse me, can I have your attention, please. All trainees please go to the front. You will meet your doctor "teacher" there," said a voice.
So all the doctors called out their trainee's names. Finally, it was Usagi's turn. Mr. Yohashi gave her the folder that contained her "student's" name and all the information about that person. She went up on stage and opened the folder. The name she saw made her heart stop. Shaking, she called, "CHIBA MAMORU."
Slowly, a dark-haired man came up to the front to meet his "teacher".
*****
"I cannot believe this. Out of all the people...I just had to get HIM," Usagi muttered to herself. "I thought he BECAME a doctor already. Now I'm actually going to TRAIN him. How in the world am I going to do this?!"
"Excuse me? Is something wrong, doctor?" Mamoru asked, puzzled as to why the doctor was muttering to herself. He found out soon enough, though...
"Congratulations, Chiba-san," a voice said. "You must be wondering who I am. I am Natsumi Akyato, a friend of Tsukino-san. You are truly lucky to have her as your trainer. She is probably the best doctor in Japan. You will learn well with her."
Mamoru's heart stopped. I mean it REALLY STOPPED. Tsukino-san? Was this his Usa-ko? Or was this doctor just a relative of Usa-ko? 'Anyway,' he thought. 'It's going to be hard working with someone who related to HIS Usa-ko.' His thoughts were interrupted as he heard ANOTHER voice.
"Tsukino-san, there you are. You might not know this, the first day you spend with your trainee will be spent on getting to know each other better. If you have any complications, please let me know. I understand that Chiba-san here is a very bright student from Juban. I think that you two will get along well together. Now if you'll excuse me, I have to talk to the others."
"That's okay, Yohashi-san. I think I will manage just fine," the doctor called Tsukino-san said. Little did Mamoru know that deep inside, "Tsukino-san" was shaking and wondering how she was going to handle the situation...
*****
"Chiba-san-"
"Tsukino-san, please just call me Mamoru. It's so hard being referred to as Chiba-san," Mamoru broke in.
"Mamoru-san-"
"Mamoru alone will be fine, thank you, Tsukino-san," Mamoru interrupted yet again.
"MAMORU. I guess if we are going to know each other better, you might as well call me Usagi. By the way, did you know of a Tsukino Usagi that lives in Juban?" Usagi said, quickly making up a story as to why she was named Usagi.
"Yes, I did know her, actually," Mamoru said. His hopes raised when he had heard that Tsukino-san was named Usagi, but they were dashed when he heard the doctor ask about the OTHER Usagi, his Usa-ko. "Why do you ask?"
"She and I are cousins, born on the same day, month, and year. Our parents thought it would be fun to give us the same names. How is she, do you know?"
"She left. She doesn't live there anymore. I made her leave...you wouldn't understand. I LOVED her, and yet I broke her heart, I made her leave..." Mamoru said bitterly. Somehow, he found it easy to talk to this cousin of Usa-ko. He needed to let it out. He had kept the secret to himself for too long....
"What do you mean, Mamoru?," Usagi asked, somehow knowing that everything would be revealed now, she could find out why Mamoru left her. All she had to do was to convince him to let her do so.
"Well, we were happily dating-" the sound of a telephone interrupted Mamoru's explanation.
"Excuse me for a moment, Mamoru," Usagi said as she went to pick up the phone. She was glad for the break, anyway, for she was having a hard time calling him Mamoru and not Mamo-chan. "Hello?"
"Tsukino-san," the voice on the other end said. "I just found out that another student will be coming to Chiba to study with us. Do you think you can take her in too? You're the best doctor in the hospital and I thought that'd maybe you could handle two students at once. By the way, how is Mamoru doing? Has he settled in yet?"
"Yohashi-san, of course it will be all right for me to take in another student. I have plenty of room at my house for them to stay. Mamoru is doing just fine, although he hasn't unpacked yet. Will I meet the new student tomorrow?"
"Yes, you will be introduced to her tomorrow. Thank you, Tsukino-san, you don't know how much this means to me," Mr. Yohashi said on the other end, relieved.
"You're welcome, Yohashi-san. And please, call me Usagi. I'll see you tomorrow then?"
"Of course, have a good day."
As Usagi hung up, she wondered who the new student would be. Her thoughts were interrupted-what is with all the interruptions in this fic?!!-by Mamoru's voice. "Usagi? Is it all right if I tell you the story tomorrow. I'd sort of like to get unpacked now."
"Of course, Mamoru. I'll lead you up to your room."
*****
The next day, Usagi yet encountered yet ANOTHER surprise...
"Tsukino-san, I'd like you to meet your student...Mizuno Ami."
Usagi's heart stopped. 'Ami-chan?!! First Mamo-chan and now her, how am I going to handle all this?' Usagi thought to herself.
"Excuse me, doctor?" Ami's voice broke into her thoughts.
"Yes, Mizuno-san?" Usagi asked absently.
"First of all, I want to clear up something. Will I be staying at your house during my time here? If I will, is there any boarding fees or something? And second of all, please just call me Ami."
"In answer to your question, Ami," Usagi replied. "There will be no boarding fees or anything of the sort. This is a completely free program for talented students, and yes, you will stay at my house. Since I'll be calling you Ami, please just call me Usagi."
"USAGI-CHAN?!!" Ami gasped.
"Excuse me?" Usagi said, feigning surprise. "Oh, I get it. Since you're from Juban, you must have been a friend of the Tsukino Usagi who lives there. She and I are cousins, born on the same day, month, and year. We also have the same names. Our parents ARE quite strange."
"Oh, I'm sorry. You just looked so much like the OTHER Usagi that I thought-"
"That's perfectly all right, Ami," Usagi said, relieved that Ami hadn't recognized her.
*****
The day soon ended. Usagi noticed that when she "introduced" Ami to Mamoru, they both stiffened a little bit. "YOU!!" Ami had spat when she saw Mamoru.
"What about me, Ami?" Mamoru asked coolly. 'How am I going to handle this? First, an Usa-ko look-alike who's actually NAMED Usagi. Then I get to meet Ami.'
"Excuse me, since you're both friends of the other Usagi, I assume you know each other?" Usagi asked, trying to break up the tension.
"We know each other, all right. That CHICKOSHOUME [A.N. I know it's a little intense, but I had to set the mood. I feel so terrible, calling Mamoru a chickoshoume, I really don't think that of him, so don't flame me!!!!! :'( ] is the idiot who broke Usagi's heart," Ami said fiercely.
"YOU DON'T EVEN KNOW THE REASON WHY I LEFT HER!" Mamoru shouted back.
"EXCUSE ME!" Usagi yelled. "I can see that you two are not on good terms, but you both are going to spend your time in Chiba with me. The best I can do is give you rooms that are far away from each other. Right now, though, I will settle for a handshake. I think-I know-that you guys probably hate each other. Please, though, don't show any open hostility."
Ami and Mamoru glared at each other, then shook hands. They let go extremely quickly, though. (A.N. Does this sound like something from Harry Potter? I hope not.)
*****
"Excuse me, doctor, but I was told that I would find Mizuno Ami here," said a voice. "She left one of her suitcases at home when she left for Chiba."
Ami turned and saw Rei. She said, "Thank you, Rei. I'd like you to meet Tsukino Usagi, a cousin of OUR Usagi. She's the one that will be training us. Oh yeah, meet Mamoru the chickoshoume..."
Rei turned and saw that the doctor she had just talked to had turned very pale. She, of course, noticed Mamoru, but didn't say anything. "Nice to meet you, Tsukino-san. I'm Hino Rei."
"Nice to meet you, Hino-san," Usagi said, now composed.
"Just Rei, please. Ami and I both hate properness when it comes to names."
"Of course, thank you for bringing Ami's suitcase here. Did you come here with anyone? If you didn't, stay here for today, then I'll drive you back tomorrow."
"Oh no, I'm not here with anyone. Besides, I couldn't possibly take you up on your offer. I'll just take a couple of buses back as not to disturb you."
"That's okay, I haven't been in Juban for a while anyway. It would be nice to visit Aunt Ikuko and Uncle Kenji and the rest of the family."
Rei felt a pang of sadness being reminded yet again of Usagi. But then again, a ride home would cost a lot less then an five bus rides home, and she'd have someone to talk to. "If you insist, Tsukino-san, I will. I just hope it won't bother you."
"It will bother me if you call me 'Tsukino-san'," Usagi said, smiling.
"All right, Usagi. When should I meet you tomorrow?" Rei asked, already starting to like this Usagi.
"YOU are not going to meet me. You will stay at my house for the night and I'll wake you up tomorrow."
"BUT-"
"No buts about it. Now all three of you, come with me."
*****
As Usagi drove him and the girls back to her house. Mamoru's mind began to wander. He wondered who this cousin of Usagi really was. He had a feeling that she hadn't told him everything about her relationship with his Usa-ko. And this Usagi looked so much like his Usa-ko too...he was really starting to wonder if the renowned doctor was INDEED Usa-ko. Perhaps this is where she had went when she disappeared eight years ago. His hopes were dashed, however, by what happened next.
That's all for this chapter, minna-chan. If you really want to find out what happened, e-mail me and I'll put out the next chapter when I have time.