Kurisutaru

kurisutaru_faithful@hotmail.com

http://fly.to/kuris-chan/

Title: Off Again...

Chapter: 3

Editors: Evil Illusions, Lady Moon (Thanks very much!!!)

Disclaimer: @_@....ahhh the usual!

*COUGH* yes, I know I've been out of it for a very long time...my

excuse?!...Reality and life slapped me around a little and I

needed time to recover and pull myself together...*minna nods in

confusion*...

September 2002-May 2003

HOHOHO...

You are recommended to read the first part, Slide (A separate

story!)

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~~~~~

Ahhh, the inevitable sound of silence hung in the air as the word

that was carelessly shouted lingered down the hall. Usagi slowly

swallowed and looked thoroughly embarrassed as nurses and little

children holding their mommy's hand looked in her direction.

She sputtered out a loud sorry, and people went about their way.

She tormented her nails, gnawing away at them mercilessly. Her

face was flushed a rose pink and her eyes dilated in a warm haze.

She had fallen in love with HIM!

Her heart felt torn apart in frustration, how ironic of her to

fall in love with the one type, the one insane man she vowed to

stay away from. She was supposed to marry someone very simple and

plain, much like herself. That or remain single and become an

extreme lover of the company of cats, not that she didn't already

own one. But fate always preferred satire allowing Usagi to fall

for the highly, mentally ill and unattainable ones. She puffed a

breath of air, figures...

"Usagi?!" Mamoru demanded after her strange outburst, though his

exterior was collected, his interior was zealously giddy. His

heart thumped excitedly, perhaps she felt the same frustrations

as he had been facing all this time next to her? Her face was

flushed more than usual, after a ritual torment from him. Also her

eyes were distracted and distant. Sure symptoms of whatever

madness he had encountered himself...

He looked into her eyes for an answer. She looked away, downward,

and mumbled, "Sorry, I realized that I had stubbed my toe on the

chair here."

He looked away, as did she. His heart plunged back in its hiding

place. Is that all? Wait, since when did he ask for any more than

that? He practically felt a physical blow to the back of his head,

and some voice screeching "Baka" at him. Though stubborn, there is

one thing that he would admit. He wanted Usagi.

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~~~~~

Minako arrived shortly after Usagi's outburst, Usagi left without

a word to Mamoru. Mamoru was left with his thoughts, and more.

"Usagi?" Minako questioned, she never knew putting Usagi up for

the job included putting her life in danger.

Usagi sighed, "Minako-chan, I just want to go home, I've had

enough for one day."

Minako merely nodded and drove Usagi silently home.

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~~~~~

Minako was vaguely aware that something obviously had occurred

before she arrived. She looked at the two, who sat facing away

from each other and their minds fully occupied. As expected,

Mamoru Chiba was a looker, though he looked calm, it was evident

that he was in deep thought, the slight blush that touched his

cheeks were a sign that he was thinking of Usagi. Minako grinned;

she that boy would be good for Usagi. Bringing her out of her

she'll, that hideously cozy little place.

It was about time her friend had some action in the romance world

after so many years of solitude. Usagi wasn't always the shy quiet

girl that no one knew. No she was the bright one in the room, she

would pull loyal boyfriends' gazes away from their loved one. Usagi

was essentially at the time more wanted than any woman, however that

was then. It was the day Usagi's parents passed away did she hide

her spark, her wonder. She buried it away when her parents were buried.

Minako smiled at the thought of the return of the real Usagi Tsukino.

Signs seeped through Usagi's walls already. Mamoru was worming his way

into her heart, Minako had never been happier for her friend.

Usagi needs him.

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~~~~~~

"USAGI?!!!!!"

"Absolutely not!"

"PLEEEEEEAAASSSSSSSSE"

Usagi had her hands placed powerfully on her hips, and her eyes

narrowed into a thin slit.

She opened her mouth filled with protests, "Minako-chan I refused

to wear that!"

Minako rolled her eyes, and crept closer to her, "Honey, it's a

formal dinner, a sweater and a plaid dress won't pull it off!"

Usagi pointed and gaped at the taunting piece Minako waved in

front of her, "And *THAT* would?"

The piece in question was a long fitted gown that hung a cascading

flow of green vines, pale pink flowers and white slip. The top

consisted of a low, loose cross, no straps.

Minako pouted, "Well than Usagi-chan, I'll just have to tell

Chiba-san that he'll have to buy a dress for you. We both know you

have nothing in your drawers." Minako blinked, then smiled all too

sweetly. Usagi imagined spending a day, alone, shopping with

Mamoru Chiba... She felt a shiver up her spine; it didn't matter

whether it was of delight or disgust.

Usagi just held the dress in front of her and dropped her head in

defeat. She sighed, "Alright Minako-chan, you win, you win." Glee

spread across Minako's face like a well-drenched lighter fluid

frenzy. Usagi's eyes filled with terror as Minako leaped for her.

"Its make over time!" Minako squealed.

Doom, doom was the only thing the trickled through Usagi's brain

as Minako crammed her into her tiny bathroom.

Three gruesome hours later, (which primarily consisted of

getting Usagi into her dress...) Usagi steps out of the bathroom

gobbling up the fresh air around her. Stuffed in her puny bathroom

for three hours is certainly not any form of entertainment.

Her airway was dreadfully constricted, probably due to the corset,

or the loads of hair spray topped like snow on her head. However,

it was then Usagi got a good look at herself in the only full-

length mirror in her bit-size apartment. Usagi gasped at the

reflected sight, she looked, nothing like the Barbie doll she

feared. The dress fit quite well, and the hair was tousled up

looked soft, instead of tight and strict. Usagi couldn't remember

the last time she dressed up like this. She could barely recognize

herself.

Minako swivelled around Usagi and whipped her glasses off her face.

"Usagi-chan, you won't be needing these." She taunted, proud of

her end product.

Usagi protested at the blurred vision, "Minako-chan!!! I need

those to see!"

"Usagi, I know you purchased contacts before, where did you stash

them?" Minako answered, all too knowingly.

Submission fell upon Usagi, Minako had won her way, yet again.

Best friends. You gotta love them.

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~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Usagi stood at the grand gates of her apartment complex. Usagi had

insisted that Mamoru, NOT retrieve her for the outing. To insure

he didn't do anything maddening, Usagi left an extra half-hour to

avoid him. Crazy? Yes of course, after all she's dealing with Mamoru Chiba.

Usagi held the thin jacket to her limbs as she clicked, and

clanked her way down the sidewalk. Cars passed from side to side,

one car even slowed significantly next to her to have an

overbearing man roll down his window and hoot an animal

compliment. The compliment angered Usagi to a boiling degree

that sent her pounding her lovely pearl shoes into the pavement.

She looked down to curse at her long gown that half trailed the

ground, and half gathered in her palms.

Usagi too concentrated her on pathetic gown she smacked straight

into an innocent bystander.

Okay-- As it would be, the bystander would be anything but

innocent.

"Usagi-san!"

Usagi's eyes bolted from her defenceless gown up to the eyes of

the man she ploughed into. "Motoki-san, what are you doing here?"

Motoki smiled sweetly and shoved his cold hands into the pockets

of his tux. "Usagi-san, I was instructed to pick you up, of course."

Usagi's eyes bolted wide, all too wide. Pick her up? Whatever did

he mean? Surely he didn't mean that Mamoru sent him looking for

her? Usagi shook her head from such sentimental thoughts. Mamoru

Chiba was not a man that would do such things. He was a businessman,

her employer! Reflexively, Usagi's pure blue eyes

clouded over in disappointment.

"No, Motoki-san, I believe you're mistaken. Thank you very much

anyway." She answered politely, then dashing off like the hounds

of hell were after her.

Motoki shook his head in amazement, and then proceeded to flip

open his cell phone and dialled to his anxiously waiting

'fallen-for-her' friend. "Mamoru! Like I said, no worries,

she's safely arriving... No, you knew she wouldn't ride with you...

What about the rope?! You actually wanted me to go through with that?!

Pull yourself together man!" That was the last of the conversation

Motoki had with Mamoru as he ignored all barked commands and protests

and turned off his phone.

Usagi was one of the few women he had ever met with the knowledge that

Mamoru was a man with money and power, and not flock to him like a moth

to those annoyingly bright electric lamps. Mamoru's "older sister"

Yuka, and Mamoru's first grade teacher Yoka-san has ever seen past

Mamoru's extensive materialistic exterior. Yuka had taken Mamoru under

her care in his earlier years of college, while Yoka-san was a harsh

disciplinarian Never once did Mamoru attempt to chase either as a romantic

interest. Motoki quickly wiped away the vulgar image of Mamoru hitting on

his sixty-year-old first grade teacher and returned his thoughts to his

current contemplation. Usagi Tsukino, a woman unintentionally after only

his heart. Boy, did she ever get it. A heart, at times, Motoki thought was

non-existent. Yet, there are times when Mamoru's heart could be one of the

biggest hearts ever, simply waiting to be filled by love. Motoki complimented

himself on his valiant effort of poetically inputting love and Mamoru

in the same sentence. He patted himself on the back as he waltzed towards

the entrance of the banquet.

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~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Honestly, it was very boring. Usagi actually caught herself

slumping towards the shinny plates as drool threatened to trickle

from the corners of her lips. It was unbelievable, her lips were

so very chapped, all that expensive lipstick and it can't

moisturize for the life of it.

Mamoru was thinking about her lips too...Just not quite the way

that she was...

Motoki banged the glass, as if it was his life long ambition to snap

Mamoru from his thoughts. Mamoru looked up to his friend's face to see

the look of 'I'm saving your ass so get on with it' look. He

practically smacked himself audibly, the banquet! Usually, Mamoru would

be skilfully becoming fast buddies of prospecting

stockholders and capital investors, or even sucking up to

Stockholder's wives or newly purchased cars (not in the order of

"importance", of course). However tonight he found himself staring

at Usagi, a gentle light of the shadows halfway across the room,

and contemplating thoughts of her intense kisses.

Usagi's eyes turned Mamoru's way and noticed he held a smug smile on his

awfully handsome face. He invited her here to die! She deducted after

practically wiping the drool collecting at the

corner of her lips. Who said these things where romantic and

beautiful, blah blah blah, they were so wrong, so very wrong.

Minako was going to get a beating when she got home. To think,

Minako made her wear this atrocious thing to something like this.

She guessed it was fitting for such an event, courtesy of Mamoru

Chiba. She clashed eyes with his in a menacing, "You're going to

die if it takes me all night to get you," look.

Mamoru widened his eyes as he realized the object of his attention had

turned her attention to him. His eyes then proceeded to soften as he found

himself thoroughly amused, she hated it here. Her eyes were ablaze, just

the way he liked them.

*Kuris-chan: oO;; okay, so I'm making Mamo just a

little too crazy ne?? HAHAHAH... but hey, it's about 3 am, finals are coming...

Why not he join my insanity?!? BHWAHHAHAHA*

He decided, that there was enough staring for one night. Action must persist!

It was Usagi's turn to widen her eyes, in frantic half-thought of,

'please don't let him come here,' she found herself hurrying out

the glass doors and out to, her doom. She wanted to scream for she

had stupidly trapped herself on the second story balcony! Of all the

idiotic things she had ever done, not that she could count all of them mind you,

she just had to flee out those doors. Her heart pounded a million miles a second,

whether it was because she had foolishly trapped herself, or the fact that the

man who had previously kissed her senseless was making his way through the

doors.

It smacked him like a wet noodle; the tension in the outdoor air

was immense. It was then the chaotic thoughts that ran laps

through his head came to a stop. The arrived at one simple conclusion,

she was scared. Instantly, Mamoru sighed as he felt his heart tumble and

approached Usagi slowly.

"Usagi-san, how are you this evening?" He greeted carefully while

he kept a safe distance away. Mamoru couldn't understand why, but the

moment he saw her scared eyes, he felt torn. He wanted to do everything

in his power to take that fear away. With all the

madness that had happened the past few months, it hadn't occurred to him

that he had strung Usagi along the way.

Half a grin managed to make its way to her flawless face. Usagi

took in some air, and tried once again to deal with this man

rationally. "It's been a lovely evening." She said curtly.

Mamoru couldn't help but raise an eyebrow and present "the look" of distaste,

"Really Usagi-san? I found tonight almost unbearable." Usagi met his look with

her own eyes. Mamoru's heart thumped away melodically for her eyes were bubbling

in pleasant amusement.

Usagi broke the gentle silence in a choked laugh, "Ahhh Chiba-san, you're mistaken.

I said the evening was lovely, I meant nothing of the event."

They genuinely exchanged smiles.

It was a new start, you could say, the next step of their bizarre

relationship.

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MY goodness, it's been a while... I've been tearing my hair

out trying to figure out what to do with this sequel!!!

AHHHH... I hope it went okay... I really didn't want to make it

another cliqued fic... I already caught myself doing that in other

fics... *wails*