Okay, good music: check. Cranberry Raspberry juice: check. Laptop functioning: check. Well I guess I can write another chapter then! Heehehehehehehe! So yeah…Well today I actually…(Drum roll please!) Paid attention in Latin! Jade has finally gotten out of her weirdo rut thing-a-ma-bob. So yeah, Booker T., here I come! (Well in my junior year anyway.)
Disclaimer: I don't own Sailor Moon.
Warnings: Cussing, sadness, and other not so wonderful things…
Second Chances
Chapter Eleven
"It's like rain on your wedding day,
It's a free ride when you've already paid,
It's the good advice that you just didn't take,
And who would've thought it figures?
-Ironic by Alanis Morissette
Kakyuu opened her eyes happily, feeling for once not the heavy weight of the past, but the lightness of a new beginning. She couldn't believe how everything had turned out so perfectly. It was better than anything she had ever imagined.
A strange sight greeted her though. Seiya putting on his coat and starting to go out the door. Kakyuu smiled at him.
"Seiya? Where are you going?" Kakyuu asked curiously. He froze and her smile went away at the silence that had settled. Seiya turned around to face her. His eyes were dropped to the floor though.
"Um, Kakyuu, about last night…" Seiya hesitated.
"What about it?" Kakyuu's mind was already panicking. Something was wrong.
"I didn't mean to take advantage of you. I was lonely that's all. You just happened to be there though. You were lonely too and I just lead you on." Seiya's pronouncement made Kakyuu's eyes widen in horror.
"You can't…you aren't…" Kakyuu sputtered trying to think of something to say.
"I'm sorry Kakyuu. But…you'll never be Usagi." Seiya's cutting remark felt like someone had just run through Kakyuu's body with an armload of knives. Kakyuu burst into tears.
"Why…?" Kakyuu croaked. "Why Seiya?"
"See you." Seiya didn't answer her question and simply strode out the door, never once did he meet her eyes. Kakyuu fell backwards on her bed. She curled up in a ball and cried. Seiya had just broken her heart right as she thought it would finally mend.
Kakyuu wished that she could just die. The hurt was just too much. She would never be able to move again. Kakyuu just let her tears flow. Tears that needed to flow.
* * *
"Mamoru…" Usagi leaned against his chest on that nice Saturday afternoon. Mamoru's arms pulled her just a little closer.
"Yes?" Mamoru asked her.
"Why is everyone here?" Usagi asked him, blinking her large blue eyes. Mamoru sighed as he quickly remembered that indeed they weren't the only ones over at the moment. Minako, Makoto, and Rei were all playing video games while Hotaru cheered them on. They had come over to Hotaru's apartment when they found out that's where Usagi was going.
"I don't know." Mamoru shook his head.
"You're beating them Minako!" Hotaru cheered for the blonde haired girl who won the race and turned around, giving the lavender-eyed girl a victory sign.
"No one can beat me no matter what the lifetime!" Minako declared to them.
"Haruka could beat you!" Usagi countered.
"I think Minako should try playing Hotaru before she decides no one can beat her." Mamoru laughed. "Hotaru likes to play that game a lot."
"How about it Hotaru? We should play each other!" Minako asked Hotaru. Hotaru grinned and took a controller.
"You were warned." Hotaru teased. "I'm not really that good, Mamoru is just really bad at this game." They started to play and though it was a close race, Hotaru ended up beating Minako.
"The goddess of love has been defeated." Minako fell backwards. "Oh well, your good! But I'll beat you one day."
"Probably." Hotaru shrugged. "I think I just got lucky going around the track that last time."
"You don't have to make excuses Hotaru! Minako won't be a sore loser." Rei told her.
"Hey, what do you think the others are doing?" Usagi asked. "Maybe they want to come over and play video games too."
"Kakyuu might still be recovering and I don't know of the others will want to do anything without her." Hotaru explained. "That's okay, this apartment doesn't need to be overrun."
"Sorry to just come over on you but we wanted to go somewhere." Minako hit Hotaru on the back. "It's nice to go somewhere that doesn't involve parents."
"Hey! My parents are cool!" Usagi defended.
"Do your parents remember anything?" Rei asked Usagi.
"Well at first I didn't think so but then sometimes one of them will say something…It's weird. Like the other day my dad turned to my mom and said, "You think that's bad? Have you ever been a horse?" My mom just started laughing! It was obviously an inside joke to the fact that Helios was Pegasus." Usagi informed them. "But I haven't really asked."
"Wait, how would your mom know about that?" Minako asked. "She wasn't around!"
"No she was." Everyone turned towards Hotaru. "Didn't Setsuna tell you guys? Queen Serenity is always reborn as Usagi's daughter. So Chibi-usa was Queen Serenity."
"Oh hey!" Rei snapped her fingers. "That's right! I remember her saying something like that…in the last lifetime sometime…"
"Cool, you should ask Usagi!" Minako rocked up onto her knees. "That would be so unreal!"
"Well, now we only have to wait for Ami to remember." Makoto commented. "Then that'll be all of us."
"Except for Michiru and Haruka." Hotaru reminded them. "They still haven't remembered."
"I hope they do soon!" Usagi exclaimed.
"I think we all think that." Rei told her wryly.
* * *
No more tears would come out at all. Kakyuu decided that she had somehow cried out every drop of water left in her. She was still curled up in bed even though it was late in the afternoon by now.
"Kakyuu? Are you sick?" Setsuna came into the room. "Your still in bed. Don't tell me that youma got you that bad…"
"No…" Kakyuu felt her voice crack when she tried to speak.
"Then what's wrong?" Setsuna came and sat in the same chair that Seiya had just the day before. This brought tears that Kakyuu didn't realize could still come out.
"I-I did it." Kakyuu dropped her head slightly, looking away from Setsuna. "I told him."
"And?" Setsuna's voice prompted.
"Oh Setsuna…" Kakyuu smiled weakly. "It was wonderful. He held me in his arms and we fell asleep. I've never felt like that before Setsuna…never…"
Setsuna's eyes glittered slightly in sadness. "I am happy for you."
"But then…in the morning…oh gods Setsuna…" Kakyuu felt more tears come down her face and she didn't bother to wipe them away. "He said…he said I could never be her." Kakyuu began sobbing and Setsuna hugged her comfortingly.
"Kakyuu…" Setsuna felt her mouth twist in pain. She wanted to go to Seiya and smack him for daring to treat her little sister in such a way. But she wouldn't. "I realize how terrible this must be…"
"How could you know?" Kakyuu asked her. "How would you know?"
"Do you think I've never loved anyone before?" Setsuna questioned Kakyuu. "I've seen many lifetimes. Lifetimes where for just a moment they looked at me the way I wanted them to. Other lifetimes where they ignored me or didn't realize who I was."
"I'm sorry Setsuna." Kakyuu bowed her head, hiding behind a curtain of red hair.
"No need to be, it wasn't really your fault. But Kakyuu, not everything is meant to work out. Not everyone is destined to be with the one they love." Setsuna told her. "Look at me. They say the Time Keeper is a lonely fate and it's true."
"Are you saying that I will be alone?" Kakyuu asked her.
"I am not saying that. You know I can never reveal a person's destiny. What I am saying is that we learn to accept these things. Hotaru and I share similar fates but never has one of us not done what needs to be done." Setsuna had a faraway look in her eyes.
"You both have a purpose. I have none." Kakyuu looked down at her hands.
"Your purpose is to be the princess of the Starlights." Setsuna spoke in a sage-like tone. "If you do not do this, than you'll find fate will unravel itself. You cannot hide away, wasting away in your bed. You must be the princess."
"That's what the advisors use to say." Kakyuu's voice was very small.
"They were fools. You must continue your life. I have continued through such things. So has Hotaru." Setsuna explained.
"I guess we're all to end up alone? Me, you, and Hotaru." Kakyuu thought of the young kind-hearted lavender eyed girl and felt a wave of sympathy rise up in her.
"Hotaru thinks that is her destiny but I think she has a lot of love in her heart." Setsuna smiled a tiny secretive smile. "You must be strong though Kakyuu."
"I know. I am the Princess Kakyuu, Ruler of Kinmokusei, and Princess of the Starlights." Kakyuu spoke the title that she had learnt so well in her last lifetime.
"Well, I'm going to the store now." Setsuna got off the chair and began to walk towards the door. "I'll be back in a little while." Kakyuu nodded at her. Setsuna closed the door, then leaned against it, sighing a little.
It's not right…
* * *
Kakyuu took a deep breath before putting a hand on the handle of the school doors. She was carrying her briefcase bravely. She was going to do this. She could do this. Why did it have to be so hard? Kakyuu opened the doors and stepped inside. There was a slight rush of warmth for the cold weather had begun to start up. She had to be strong.
She kept her head up. Kakyuu had to act as though everything was natural. It was so like the past life that almost made her want to weep. No, it wasn't a time for tears. She had to strong.
"Seiya's late today." Yaten's voice made her turn her head towards the silver-haired boy and Taiki. "He didn't tell us how Kakyuu was doing!"
"Good morning." Kakyuu tried to sound as natural as possible.
"Kakyuu, your alright!" Yaten exclaimed. "Idiot Boy never talked to any of us."
"I meant to call." Kakyuu tried to keep herself from knotting in pain at Seiya's mention.
"That's okay." Taiki closed his book. "Are you alright Kakyuu?" Taiki was examining her very closely.
"Of course, the youma didn't do that much damage." Kakyuu smiled at him.
"That isn't what I meant." Taiki peered at her. Then he sighed, opening his book again. "I could be imagining things though."
"Yeah, your grasp of reality might be a little off considering your nose is constantly stuck in a book." Yaten commented coolly.
"Give him a break Yaten." Kakyuu felt herself freeze at the sound of the voice that came from behind her.
Turn around Kakyuu. Just turn around…
"Good morning Seiya." Kakyuu turned around to face the young dark haired man. Their eyes only met for a second before they both looked away from the other's face.
"Morning Kakyuu." Seiya greeted her. Yaten's green eyes narrowed suspiciously at the two of them.
"Okay what happened?" Yaten asked raising an eyebrow.
"What do you mean?" Kakyuu asked him, trying to feign ignorance the best she could.
"Fine! If you want to act like a bunch of dorks about it than I don't care!" Yaten crossed his arms. "Just because a bomb could go off next to Taiki and he wouldn't blink doesn't mean the rest of us are oblivious…"
"Hello!" Hotaru popped up. "What's up?"
"None of your business." Yaten snapped at her. "Don't you have anywhere else to be?" Hotaru blinked her big purple eyes, the look on her face clearly saying that the comment had hurt.
"I-I'm sorry I bothered you guys…" Hotaru took a step backwards, clutching her briefcase to herself.
"Just ignore Yaten." Kakyuu waved a dismissive hand. "He's in one of his bad moods."
"Oh." Hotaru looked a little more confident as she let her briefcase drop a little.
"And now he's going to apologize." Kakyuu beamed at the silver-haired boy, which meant that she expected absolutely nothing less.
"Forget it." Yaten pursed his lips.
"Yaten…" Kakyuu paused for effect. "Apologize!" She commanded.
"I'm sorry." Yaten said clearly without thinking. Then the green-eyed boy glared at everyone. "Would you stop doing that Kakyuu?"
"Well if your going to be uncivilized than you have to face the consequences." Kakyuu told him in a princess like tone.
"Consequences are stupid." Yaten muttered.
"Yaten, would you say that constituted as-" Taiki began to pull out his notepad.
"Shut up Taiki!" Yaten yelled frantically. Kakyuu felt strong. Maybe she would get through this. Maybe it wouldn't be as hard as it seemed. Kakyuu glanced at Seiya who was looking at her, immediately they both looked away.
Or maybe not.
* * *
Okay that was just downright painful to right. Poor KAKYUU! Seiya needs to be smacked a few times before he'll come to his senses. So do a lot of people. (Teresa, inventing love triangles (that became squares and then other polygons) for ROA is fun and difficult. (Okay maybe fun isn't the word for it. I think they all need to be smacked.) But as we know, for some reasons, the characters take my story from me and decide to do whatever they want! One day I'll get them back.
Second Chances Akugis!
Take One!
Hotaru: I-I'm sorry I bothered you guys…
Taiki: Oh don't mind Yaten, he's just mad because he found out he isn't the biggest Saturn fan.
Yaten: STOP TELLING PEOPLE!!!
Take Two!
Seiya: I'm sorry Kakyuu.
Kakyuu: You should be.
Seiya: Why?
Kakyuu: Because today I'm going to tie you up tight! (Cracks her whip.)
Seiya: Eep!