Re-painting the Past
By Cosmic
Chapter three, finally. It took forever guys, I'm sorry about the wait. I've been having a ton of trouble with both my laptop and normal computer (the one that has the Internet. I write on my laptop and put it on disk to transfer to my desktop computer. Confusing yes, but I share the desktop with 4 other people, so it's easier that way. Usually.) And my Internet provider just changed too, plus I was on vacation so all in all. Not much got done. This chapter is actually much shorter than I planned it to be, but I decided that I made you few readers I have wait long enough. And what a better place to end a chapter than at a character change. That's right, the beginning of chapter four is Mamoru's Semi-POV, if that's what you want to call it. Well, onward. Enjoy the chapter and please review! All comment, questions, flames, and suggestions go to cosmic@sailormoonfanclub.net please! Don't hesitate to e-mail me. I love e-mail!
Same disclaimers apply.
Chapter 3 ~ A Party Rerun
Usagi Tsukino sat at her dressing table fixing her two pigtails into long banana curls. It was a week later and she still hadn't chased all her thought of him out of her head. But she had pushed them back into the corners and that was good enough for now. She stood and looked into her full-length mirror, pouting her lips. Kunzite had insisted she came to the party he was throwing and since she was getting on with her life, she had agreed. A back-less blue dress with two blue ribbons that tied around her neck was the outfit of choice, completed with shimmering hose and blue stiletto heeled sandals. She blew herself a kiss in the mirror and then turned to go downstairs.
She paused at the front door, wondering if she could really go through with tonight. Sure she had decided to forget Mamoru, and yes, she had tried to do everything normally for the past week, but inside she still felt like she was dying. I was fine upstairs, Usagi thought desperately. Why am I breaking down all of a sudden? But it wasn't all of a sudden and Usagi knew it. She had put up a good front upstairs in the safety of her room, but now she really had to put it to the test. In public.
Usagi Tsukino, she told herself as she squared her shoulders and walked out to the car. It's a Saturday night and you are going to go to a party and look damn sexy doing so. You will enjoy yourself and the company of others, especially men. In fact you will even flirt if the guy is even remotely attractive or rich or nice or oh man whom am I kidding? No one! Yes that's right! No one! Usagi get a hold of yourself and don't give into him! You are your own person and he can't control your thoughts! So lets go party. Usagi nodded and started the car. She took a deep breath and pull out of the drive way and onto the road.
Three hours later found Usagi standing at the railing of one of Kunzite's upper balconies, looking at the moon shinning over the sea. A light wind blew against her face causing her dress and hair billow away from her legs. She knew she should be inside with everyone else inside, enjoying Kunzite's wonderful planning, but she didn't feel like it. She stared up at the moon, letting it calm her. She had always loved the moon. When she was little, when her parents where still alive and she lived in Japan, her nursemaid had told her the legend of the rabbit on the moon. In fact it had been her mothers favorite, and she had named Usagi for it. Usagi Tsukino: Rabbit of the Moon in Japanese. Usagi shook her head. Thinking of old times always made her sad. It was no wonder. She let her mind wander freely and suddenly wished she hadn't. Damn it, she thought angrily. Why must he always return to taunt me? My head is my space. Why does intrude into it?
"Aren't you cold?"
Usagi let out a gasp and turned to see Mamoru strolling toward her. Well speak of the devil, she thought while catching her breath. "You surprised me."
Mamoru only raised an eyebrow.
"And no, it's not cold out here. It's rather pleasant. Better than inside..." she trailed off as he walked closer, his eyes seeming to take in every curve and fold of her dress.
"It was a surprise to run into last week."
"It was." Usagi smiled inwardly. She was giving a great performance. Her tone had been cool, but not rude. She was going to remain sophisticated and distant, totally untouched be the man in front of her. It's just another New York Cocktail party, she told herself. And Mamoru is just some boring old man, who not all that important.
"Kunzite asked me to drop by," Mamoru said filling the silence.
"Oh."
"Yeah."
Usagi looked at the patio tiles feeling stupid. "So... You know Minako. What a coincidence." She winced. Her voice sounded strained and unnatural. An actress, she definitely, was not.
"Yes, she's a wonderful lady."
"Mmm hmm."
"Tell me about New York."
Usagi looked up. "What's to tell? Do you want to hear the latest gossip? What's hip for next season?"
Mamoru laughed. "No, tell me about your life there. You took apparently took the modeling world by storm."
Usagi shrugged. "That's this year. Next year it will be someone else and I'll be forgotten."
"And that doesn't matter to you?"
"Not in the least. New York wasn't my kind of place."
"Then why did you go?" Mamoru's voice adopted a harsh tone. "Why drop everything to go to a city you don't like to do a job you don't enjoy?"
Usagi blinked. What he really was asking was why did she leave and he already knew the answer to that one. Usagi felt her composure starting to slip. "Well, I believe that when a good opportunity presents itself, you should take it. You obviously feel the same way."
Mamoru narrowed his eyes. "You think I saw you as an opportunity."
"Didn't you? I was a naïve girl then Mamoru, but I know better now."
"Oh? So now you're hard as nails, hmm?" Mamoru asked with a smirk.
"No," Usagi replied calmly. "I just know a bit more about the real, adult world now."
Mamoru looked at her for a second and then took her hand. "Have dinner with me tomorrow night."
Usagi angrily jerked her hand away. How dare he! It was typical Mamoru not asking anyone, just throwing out orders he expecting a yes no matter what. Just because he knew he was gorgeous. "No."
Mamoru looked surprised. "Are you busy?"
"No..." Usagi squirmed uncomfortably.
"Are you seeing someone?"
"That isn't any of your business!"
"Well, if you're not busy and not seeing anyone, why can't you?" Mamoru asked angrily.
"Because I don't want to!" Usagi shouted, losing her cool. "You might have been a great catch once Mamoru, but you aren't anymore!"
"Oh, I see. Four years in New York and now you're down right jaded," Mamoru spat.
"Not jaded. It just takes more to pique my interest these days." As soon as the words were out of her mouth, Usagi wished she could take them back. Mamoru could only be pushed so far, especially in the piquing interests department. And she had definitely crossed the line.
He grabbed her shoulders and roughly pulled her to him. He was suddenly kissing her deeply and passionately and in a way she hadn't been kissed in four years. His grip tightened and the urgency increased and he was coaxing her mouth open and they were connected and god she suddenly felt alive again. He let go and pulled away as Usagi slowly opened her eyes.
"Did that pique your interest?" he asked in a way that told her it had definitely piqued his.
Usagi shook her head clearing her muddled mind. She knew what he wanted. And she wasn't going to go through the pain again. "I'm not looking for a one night stand Mamoru. I don't want this..."
"Then why are you shivering?
Usagi stared at him with big blue eyes that were beginning to show a little bit of water. "I won't see you again." She walked away from him and out of the house and climbed into her car, refusing to look back. She drove home and collapsed on her bed and all the while, her shivering never stopped.
By Cosmic
Chapter three, finally. It took forever guys, I'm sorry about the wait. I've been having a ton of trouble with both my laptop and normal computer (the one that has the Internet. I write on my laptop and put it on disk to transfer to my desktop computer. Confusing yes, but I share the desktop with 4 other people, so it's easier that way. Usually.) And my Internet provider just changed too, plus I was on vacation so all in all. Not much got done. This chapter is actually much shorter than I planned it to be, but I decided that I made you few readers I have wait long enough. And what a better place to end a chapter than at a character change. That's right, the beginning of chapter four is Mamoru's Semi-POV, if that's what you want to call it. Well, onward. Enjoy the chapter and please review! All comment, questions, flames, and suggestions go to cosmic@sailormoonfanclub.net please! Don't hesitate to e-mail me. I love e-mail!
Same disclaimers apply.
Chapter 3 ~ A Party Rerun
Usagi Tsukino sat at her dressing table fixing her two pigtails into long banana curls. It was a week later and she still hadn't chased all her thought of him out of her head. But she had pushed them back into the corners and that was good enough for now. She stood and looked into her full-length mirror, pouting her lips. Kunzite had insisted she came to the party he was throwing and since she was getting on with her life, she had agreed. A back-less blue dress with two blue ribbons that tied around her neck was the outfit of choice, completed with shimmering hose and blue stiletto heeled sandals. She blew herself a kiss in the mirror and then turned to go downstairs.
She paused at the front door, wondering if she could really go through with tonight. Sure she had decided to forget Mamoru, and yes, she had tried to do everything normally for the past week, but inside she still felt like she was dying. I was fine upstairs, Usagi thought desperately. Why am I breaking down all of a sudden? But it wasn't all of a sudden and Usagi knew it. She had put up a good front upstairs in the safety of her room, but now she really had to put it to the test. In public.
Usagi Tsukino, she told herself as she squared her shoulders and walked out to the car. It's a Saturday night and you are going to go to a party and look damn sexy doing so. You will enjoy yourself and the company of others, especially men. In fact you will even flirt if the guy is even remotely attractive or rich or nice or oh man whom am I kidding? No one! Yes that's right! No one! Usagi get a hold of yourself and don't give into him! You are your own person and he can't control your thoughts! So lets go party. Usagi nodded and started the car. She took a deep breath and pull out of the drive way and onto the road.
Three hours later found Usagi standing at the railing of one of Kunzite's upper balconies, looking at the moon shinning over the sea. A light wind blew against her face causing her dress and hair billow away from her legs. She knew she should be inside with everyone else inside, enjoying Kunzite's wonderful planning, but she didn't feel like it. She stared up at the moon, letting it calm her. She had always loved the moon. When she was little, when her parents where still alive and she lived in Japan, her nursemaid had told her the legend of the rabbit on the moon. In fact it had been her mothers favorite, and she had named Usagi for it. Usagi Tsukino: Rabbit of the Moon in Japanese. Usagi shook her head. Thinking of old times always made her sad. It was no wonder. She let her mind wander freely and suddenly wished she hadn't. Damn it, she thought angrily. Why must he always return to taunt me? My head is my space. Why does intrude into it?
"Aren't you cold?"
Usagi let out a gasp and turned to see Mamoru strolling toward her. Well speak of the devil, she thought while catching her breath. "You surprised me."
Mamoru only raised an eyebrow.
"And no, it's not cold out here. It's rather pleasant. Better than inside..." she trailed off as he walked closer, his eyes seeming to take in every curve and fold of her dress.
"It was a surprise to run into last week."
"It was." Usagi smiled inwardly. She was giving a great performance. Her tone had been cool, but not rude. She was going to remain sophisticated and distant, totally untouched be the man in front of her. It's just another New York Cocktail party, she told herself. And Mamoru is just some boring old man, who not all that important.
"Kunzite asked me to drop by," Mamoru said filling the silence.
"Oh."
"Yeah."
Usagi looked at the patio tiles feeling stupid. "So... You know Minako. What a coincidence." She winced. Her voice sounded strained and unnatural. An actress, she definitely, was not.
"Yes, she's a wonderful lady."
"Mmm hmm."
"Tell me about New York."
Usagi looked up. "What's to tell? Do you want to hear the latest gossip? What's hip for next season?"
Mamoru laughed. "No, tell me about your life there. You took apparently took the modeling world by storm."
Usagi shrugged. "That's this year. Next year it will be someone else and I'll be forgotten."
"And that doesn't matter to you?"
"Not in the least. New York wasn't my kind of place."
"Then why did you go?" Mamoru's voice adopted a harsh tone. "Why drop everything to go to a city you don't like to do a job you don't enjoy?"
Usagi blinked. What he really was asking was why did she leave and he already knew the answer to that one. Usagi felt her composure starting to slip. "Well, I believe that when a good opportunity presents itself, you should take it. You obviously feel the same way."
Mamoru narrowed his eyes. "You think I saw you as an opportunity."
"Didn't you? I was a naïve girl then Mamoru, but I know better now."
"Oh? So now you're hard as nails, hmm?" Mamoru asked with a smirk.
"No," Usagi replied calmly. "I just know a bit more about the real, adult world now."
Mamoru looked at her for a second and then took her hand. "Have dinner with me tomorrow night."
Usagi angrily jerked her hand away. How dare he! It was typical Mamoru not asking anyone, just throwing out orders he expecting a yes no matter what. Just because he knew he was gorgeous. "No."
Mamoru looked surprised. "Are you busy?"
"No..." Usagi squirmed uncomfortably.
"Are you seeing someone?"
"That isn't any of your business!"
"Well, if you're not busy and not seeing anyone, why can't you?" Mamoru asked angrily.
"Because I don't want to!" Usagi shouted, losing her cool. "You might have been a great catch once Mamoru, but you aren't anymore!"
"Oh, I see. Four years in New York and now you're down right jaded," Mamoru spat.
"Not jaded. It just takes more to pique my interest these days." As soon as the words were out of her mouth, Usagi wished she could take them back. Mamoru could only be pushed so far, especially in the piquing interests department. And she had definitely crossed the line.
He grabbed her shoulders and roughly pulled her to him. He was suddenly kissing her deeply and passionately and in a way she hadn't been kissed in four years. His grip tightened and the urgency increased and he was coaxing her mouth open and they were connected and god she suddenly felt alive again. He let go and pulled away as Usagi slowly opened her eyes.
"Did that pique your interest?" he asked in a way that told her it had definitely piqued his.
Usagi shook her head clearing her muddled mind. She knew what he wanted. And she wasn't going to go through the pain again. "I'm not looking for a one night stand Mamoru. I don't want this..."
"Then why are you shivering?
Usagi stared at him with big blue eyes that were beginning to show a little bit of water. "I won't see you again." She walked away from him and out of the house and climbed into her car, refusing to look back. She drove home and collapsed on her bed and all the while, her shivering never stopped.