A.N. I'd like to stress once again that this is NOT being written from
personal experience, in case someone who knows me reads this & gets
worried. I don't know if Katsuo is a name from another anime, if it is it's
just a coincidence. Enjoy!
Disclaimer: I don't own SM or any of its characters.
Chapter 3
"Katsuo..." Usagi whispered. "It's Katsuo..."
"Usagi-chan..." One of the boys said coolly as they walked closer. He was tall & had pale blond hair that came down to about around his ears. He had light green eyes & a cocky grin on his face. "I haven't seen you in a while." He stopped, motioning to his 2 friends to continue on without him.
"Ka- Katsuo." She shrunk back as he stood in front of her.
"Where have you been?" He asked as he brushed his hand across her cheek & down her arm.
She tensed up & Mamoru had just about all he could take of Katsuo. "Hey! Don't touch her."
"And who are you?" Katsuo looked up at him.
"A friend. That's all you need to know." Mamoru said.
"A friend? Isn't he a little old for you Usagi-chan?"
"..." Usagi tried to speak but found no sound coming out of her mouth. She couldn't move, she was shaking & didn't even look up. She closed her eyes against nightmarish flashbacks, but they came anyway. Tears began to stream down her face.
"Get out of here." Mamoru stepped between them & glared down at Katsuo.
"Heh." Katsuo scoffed. "And here I thought that it was some big conquest... but you'll give it to anybody, won't you Usagi-chan?" He grinned. "Whore."
Usagi broke down & fell to her knees in the middle of the empty street. She began to sob uncontrollably like she had every night for the past 2 weeks. Mamoru saw red as he grabbed the younger boy by the collar of his shirt & slammed him up against the wall. "TAKE. THAT. BACK." Rage filled his entire body & his blood pumped hard.
"No." Katsuo grinned.
Mamoru put him down but still held onto his shirt & punched him in the face. Katsuo fell to the ground with a bleeding nose. Mamoru lifted him up again but he heard a whimper from Usagi & dropped him.
Katsuo snuck away while Mamoru went to Usagi & his back was turned. "Usagi..." He said softly. "Usagi, are you alright?" Dumb question, she OBVIOUSLY wasn't.
"I want to go home." She whimpered. She was kneeling on the ground, hunched over with her arms wrapped around her chest. "I want... to go home."
"Okay, Usagi. I'll take you home. Here, let me help you up." He put his hands around her shoulders to help her but she cringed at his touch as if it burned her. He immediately let go. "I'm sorry!"
Usagi slowly got up on her own. She wiped her eyes on her sleeve & Mamoru offered her a handkerchief. "Thank you." She said quietly. She blew her nose & handed it back to him, he pretended not to notice & put it out of his mind for the moment.
"Do you want me to walk you home still?" He asked.
"Yes." They continued walking towards her house. She kept her head down & her arms folded across her chest.
"Are you cold?" Mamoru asked her.
"No..."
They walked in silence for a few more minutes. "You know... Usagi... don't listen to what that guy said to you. Okay? He's wrong." Mamoru tried to comfort her.
"But-"
"No. Listen to me! He's wrong! YOU are one of the nicest people I know. Even though I'm a jerk to you sometimes, I don't mean it. You're kind & caring & HE is a cocky bastard that deserves to be shot!"
"But he isn't wrong! I AM a whore! I should've done more to stop him! There was so much I could've done!" She stopped walking & tears formed in her eyes. "I..."
"Stop, Usagi, please." Mamoru said softly. "It WASN'T your fault. Even if you didn't tell him 'no'... if you had would he have stopped?"
"May-"
"NO. He wouldn't have. Say it."
"No..." She cried. Mamoru didn't know what to do. She looked so fragile & small; he wanted to protect her, to make everything better again... but he couldn't.
He couldn't even touch her without her cringing & pulling away. He hated seeing her like this. If he had known that this would happen he would've been nicer to her from the beginning. Maybe then she would've taken his words of warning more seriously. Maybe she wouldn't have gone out that night with Katsuo...
He walked her up to her door but stood a few steps away from her so that she didn't feel threatened. "Usagi... did you tell anyone else? A girlfriend of yours maybe? Like Naru or one of the other girls?"
"No... I didn't want anyone to know." She whispered as she stood in her doorway.
"I'm worried about you. I don't like you being alone all the time." Usagi smiled weakly. She found it funny. She didn't like being all alone either, but she didn't want to be around anyone else. She was so confused. She was about to go inside but she paused again at the doorway. "Mamoru- san..."
"Yes?" He asked.
"I... I just- wanted you to know... that I did." She said.
"Did what?"
"I said 'no'. I told him no."
"I know you did." He smiled softly. She walked into her house & closed the door behind her. Mamoru stared at her door until he heard the click of it locking before he walked away.
*~*~*~*2 Weeks Later*~*~*~*
"Hey Motoki, hi girls!" Mamoru smiled as he sat down in the arcade. Usagi's 5 friends were about to leave. "Where are you going?"
"We're going to the beach. We were trying to get Usagi-chan to leave work early." Minako explained.
"Oh, come on, Motoki! Let her go to the beach with her friends if she wants. I'll fill for her if she's needed that badly." Mamoru said.
"I told her to go. She said no. She made up some excuse about not having a bathing suit." Motoki defended himself.
"Oh." Mamoru realized that she was afraid of being in a bathing suit in front of all of the guys that would obviously be at the beach on such a hot day. "I guess it can't be helped then if she doesn't have a suit. Have fun girls!"
"Thanks! Bye!" Naru called out as the 5 girls left.
"Where is Usagi, anyway?" Mamoru looked around.
"She must be in the bathroom. She hasn't been feeling well again. I thought you said she was aright?"
"What do you mean she isn't feeling well again?" Mamoru asked. "Have you noticed any guys with light blond hair & green eyes around here lately?"
"Like me?"
"No, younger, with REALLY light blond hair, almost white. His name starts with a 'K' I think."
"Nope, no one like that. Not that I remember, at least."
"Hm..." Mamoru paused as he thought. "Where's the girl's washroom here?"
"You're not going to walk in are you?!"
"I'm just going to see if she alright. I'll be right back." Mamoru said over his shoulder as he spotted the washroom. He knocked on the door. "Is anyone in here?" He called out. "Usagi? Are you alright?" He assumed that it was empty & walked in when no one else said anything.
"Mamoru?" He heard Usagi's voice. "Why are you in the girl's bathroom?"
"Are you sick?"
"Yeah. I haven't been feeling good the past few days. I think I've got the flu for real now." She laughed weakly.
He winced as he heard her get sick again. "Are you being honest? You didn't run into that guy again?"
"No. I haven't seen him since." She replied. "I'll be right out. Don't worry about me so much... it's creepy."
Mamoru laughed. He was glad to see that Usagi was slowly getting better. She was a lot more comfortable around him now... she was finally beginning to trust him a bit, but no one else. He found it ironic how he was now so close & protective of the one girl that he used to tease & bicker with mercilessly.
"How's she doing?" Motoki asked.
"She figures that she's got the flu."
"Is that all?"
"Yeah, that's all she said so I assume that's all. She also said that it was creepy that I was worried about her, so she's got to be fine." Mamoru laughed.
"Good to hear." Motoki grinned.
"I'm so sorry about that." Usagi walked out of the washroom.
"So you think that you have the flu?" Motoki asked.
"Yeah... or it could be..."
"What?" Motoki urged her to say.
"Mamoru-san's going to get mad at me." She whined.
"Say it." Mamoru said. "I won't get mad."
"There were really good prices at the grocery store yesterday... & so I bought a bunch of stuff & stayed up almost all night making curry." She admitted.
"How did you manage to stay up all night?"
"I ate lots of ice cream." She looked down.
Mamoru groaned & Motoki laughed. "Are you still feeling sick?" Motoki asked.
"A little." She replied.
"You can go home, then. It's not going to be a very busy day here anyway."
"I've missed so much time already, though."
"Don't worry about it. I'm not going to fire you." Motoki laughed.
"Go see your doctor to make sure you don't have the flu & then get some sleep for goodness sakes!" Mamoru said.
"Alright. See you two later." She left.
"It still bothers me..."
"What?" Mamoru asked him.
"Usagi-chan used to be so direct with people. This past month she's changed so much, she doesn't smile as much, blows off going to the beach & STILL doesn't look people in the eye. Not even you."
"Maybe she's just getting lonely. Her family has been away for a whole month already." Mamoru said. "At least she's wearing t-shirts in the hot weather."
"Yeah, at least she's not wearing big sweatshirts." Motoki agreed.
"I'm going to head home now. Just call me if things get to crazy here & I'll come help out, okay?"
"Sure thing. Bye Mamoru."
"Bye Motoki."
*~*~*The Next Day*~*~*
"Hello?" Andrew picked up the phone. "Hi Usagi-chan."
Motoki-niisan? Usagi asked.
"Yup, that's me. Are you alright?"
I'm fine, could I have Mamoru-san's phone number, please. I have to talk to him.
"Sure thing." Motoki told her the phone number. She thanked him & they said goodbye.
Usagi hung up the phone with little bunny stickers on it as she sat on her bed. She looked at Mamoru's number that she had just written down & dialled it quickly as she chewed on her lower lip.
Hey. It's Mamoru. His voice said on the other end of the line. Who's this?
"Mamoru-san... It's Usagi." Her voice cracked a little.
What's wrong? Are you okay?! He asked.
"I'm sorry but I didn't know who else to call! I got your number from Motoki-niisan!" She began to excuse herself.
Is everything all right? He didn't like how the panic in her voice was growing.
"No. It's the opposite of alright." She began to cry. "My life is over!" She hung up the phone before Mamoru could say anything.
Mamoru began to panic, himself. He quickly left his apartment & got into his car, driving as fast as he could to Usagi's house. "Usagi? It's me. Mamoru! Please let me in! What's wrong?" He banged on the door until she opened it.
"Mamoru-san!" She cried & fell into his arms, sobbing.
*~*~*~*~*~*
What a place to stop, huh? Don't be mad, okay? It's midnight, & I'm tired! In the meantime, go read more of my fics! (I know, I know. I'm a shameless self-promoter! ^_^; ) Anyway, I'll be updating soon. If you STILL don't know what happened to Usagi just say so in a review & I'll clear it up. Don't be shy; I don't always explain things as well as I think I do. ^_^ Ja ne! ^_~
Disclaimer: I don't own SM or any of its characters.
Chapter 3
"Katsuo..." Usagi whispered. "It's Katsuo..."
"Usagi-chan..." One of the boys said coolly as they walked closer. He was tall & had pale blond hair that came down to about around his ears. He had light green eyes & a cocky grin on his face. "I haven't seen you in a while." He stopped, motioning to his 2 friends to continue on without him.
"Ka- Katsuo." She shrunk back as he stood in front of her.
"Where have you been?" He asked as he brushed his hand across her cheek & down her arm.
She tensed up & Mamoru had just about all he could take of Katsuo. "Hey! Don't touch her."
"And who are you?" Katsuo looked up at him.
"A friend. That's all you need to know." Mamoru said.
"A friend? Isn't he a little old for you Usagi-chan?"
"..." Usagi tried to speak but found no sound coming out of her mouth. She couldn't move, she was shaking & didn't even look up. She closed her eyes against nightmarish flashbacks, but they came anyway. Tears began to stream down her face.
"Get out of here." Mamoru stepped between them & glared down at Katsuo.
"Heh." Katsuo scoffed. "And here I thought that it was some big conquest... but you'll give it to anybody, won't you Usagi-chan?" He grinned. "Whore."
Usagi broke down & fell to her knees in the middle of the empty street. She began to sob uncontrollably like she had every night for the past 2 weeks. Mamoru saw red as he grabbed the younger boy by the collar of his shirt & slammed him up against the wall. "TAKE. THAT. BACK." Rage filled his entire body & his blood pumped hard.
"No." Katsuo grinned.
Mamoru put him down but still held onto his shirt & punched him in the face. Katsuo fell to the ground with a bleeding nose. Mamoru lifted him up again but he heard a whimper from Usagi & dropped him.
Katsuo snuck away while Mamoru went to Usagi & his back was turned. "Usagi..." He said softly. "Usagi, are you alright?" Dumb question, she OBVIOUSLY wasn't.
"I want to go home." She whimpered. She was kneeling on the ground, hunched over with her arms wrapped around her chest. "I want... to go home."
"Okay, Usagi. I'll take you home. Here, let me help you up." He put his hands around her shoulders to help her but she cringed at his touch as if it burned her. He immediately let go. "I'm sorry!"
Usagi slowly got up on her own. She wiped her eyes on her sleeve & Mamoru offered her a handkerchief. "Thank you." She said quietly. She blew her nose & handed it back to him, he pretended not to notice & put it out of his mind for the moment.
"Do you want me to walk you home still?" He asked.
"Yes." They continued walking towards her house. She kept her head down & her arms folded across her chest.
"Are you cold?" Mamoru asked her.
"No..."
They walked in silence for a few more minutes. "You know... Usagi... don't listen to what that guy said to you. Okay? He's wrong." Mamoru tried to comfort her.
"But-"
"No. Listen to me! He's wrong! YOU are one of the nicest people I know. Even though I'm a jerk to you sometimes, I don't mean it. You're kind & caring & HE is a cocky bastard that deserves to be shot!"
"But he isn't wrong! I AM a whore! I should've done more to stop him! There was so much I could've done!" She stopped walking & tears formed in her eyes. "I..."
"Stop, Usagi, please." Mamoru said softly. "It WASN'T your fault. Even if you didn't tell him 'no'... if you had would he have stopped?"
"May-"
"NO. He wouldn't have. Say it."
"No..." She cried. Mamoru didn't know what to do. She looked so fragile & small; he wanted to protect her, to make everything better again... but he couldn't.
He couldn't even touch her without her cringing & pulling away. He hated seeing her like this. If he had known that this would happen he would've been nicer to her from the beginning. Maybe then she would've taken his words of warning more seriously. Maybe she wouldn't have gone out that night with Katsuo...
He walked her up to her door but stood a few steps away from her so that she didn't feel threatened. "Usagi... did you tell anyone else? A girlfriend of yours maybe? Like Naru or one of the other girls?"
"No... I didn't want anyone to know." She whispered as she stood in her doorway.
"I'm worried about you. I don't like you being alone all the time." Usagi smiled weakly. She found it funny. She didn't like being all alone either, but she didn't want to be around anyone else. She was so confused. She was about to go inside but she paused again at the doorway. "Mamoru- san..."
"Yes?" He asked.
"I... I just- wanted you to know... that I did." She said.
"Did what?"
"I said 'no'. I told him no."
"I know you did." He smiled softly. She walked into her house & closed the door behind her. Mamoru stared at her door until he heard the click of it locking before he walked away.
*~*~*~*2 Weeks Later*~*~*~*
"Hey Motoki, hi girls!" Mamoru smiled as he sat down in the arcade. Usagi's 5 friends were about to leave. "Where are you going?"
"We're going to the beach. We were trying to get Usagi-chan to leave work early." Minako explained.
"Oh, come on, Motoki! Let her go to the beach with her friends if she wants. I'll fill for her if she's needed that badly." Mamoru said.
"I told her to go. She said no. She made up some excuse about not having a bathing suit." Motoki defended himself.
"Oh." Mamoru realized that she was afraid of being in a bathing suit in front of all of the guys that would obviously be at the beach on such a hot day. "I guess it can't be helped then if she doesn't have a suit. Have fun girls!"
"Thanks! Bye!" Naru called out as the 5 girls left.
"Where is Usagi, anyway?" Mamoru looked around.
"She must be in the bathroom. She hasn't been feeling well again. I thought you said she was aright?"
"What do you mean she isn't feeling well again?" Mamoru asked. "Have you noticed any guys with light blond hair & green eyes around here lately?"
"Like me?"
"No, younger, with REALLY light blond hair, almost white. His name starts with a 'K' I think."
"Nope, no one like that. Not that I remember, at least."
"Hm..." Mamoru paused as he thought. "Where's the girl's washroom here?"
"You're not going to walk in are you?!"
"I'm just going to see if she alright. I'll be right back." Mamoru said over his shoulder as he spotted the washroom. He knocked on the door. "Is anyone in here?" He called out. "Usagi? Are you alright?" He assumed that it was empty & walked in when no one else said anything.
"Mamoru?" He heard Usagi's voice. "Why are you in the girl's bathroom?"
"Are you sick?"
"Yeah. I haven't been feeling good the past few days. I think I've got the flu for real now." She laughed weakly.
He winced as he heard her get sick again. "Are you being honest? You didn't run into that guy again?"
"No. I haven't seen him since." She replied. "I'll be right out. Don't worry about me so much... it's creepy."
Mamoru laughed. He was glad to see that Usagi was slowly getting better. She was a lot more comfortable around him now... she was finally beginning to trust him a bit, but no one else. He found it ironic how he was now so close & protective of the one girl that he used to tease & bicker with mercilessly.
"How's she doing?" Motoki asked.
"She figures that she's got the flu."
"Is that all?"
"Yeah, that's all she said so I assume that's all. She also said that it was creepy that I was worried about her, so she's got to be fine." Mamoru laughed.
"Good to hear." Motoki grinned.
"I'm so sorry about that." Usagi walked out of the washroom.
"So you think that you have the flu?" Motoki asked.
"Yeah... or it could be..."
"What?" Motoki urged her to say.
"Mamoru-san's going to get mad at me." She whined.
"Say it." Mamoru said. "I won't get mad."
"There were really good prices at the grocery store yesterday... & so I bought a bunch of stuff & stayed up almost all night making curry." She admitted.
"How did you manage to stay up all night?"
"I ate lots of ice cream." She looked down.
Mamoru groaned & Motoki laughed. "Are you still feeling sick?" Motoki asked.
"A little." She replied.
"You can go home, then. It's not going to be a very busy day here anyway."
"I've missed so much time already, though."
"Don't worry about it. I'm not going to fire you." Motoki laughed.
"Go see your doctor to make sure you don't have the flu & then get some sleep for goodness sakes!" Mamoru said.
"Alright. See you two later." She left.
"It still bothers me..."
"What?" Mamoru asked him.
"Usagi-chan used to be so direct with people. This past month she's changed so much, she doesn't smile as much, blows off going to the beach & STILL doesn't look people in the eye. Not even you."
"Maybe she's just getting lonely. Her family has been away for a whole month already." Mamoru said. "At least she's wearing t-shirts in the hot weather."
"Yeah, at least she's not wearing big sweatshirts." Motoki agreed.
"I'm going to head home now. Just call me if things get to crazy here & I'll come help out, okay?"
"Sure thing. Bye Mamoru."
"Bye Motoki."
*~*~*The Next Day*~*~*
"Hello?" Andrew picked up the phone. "Hi Usagi-chan."
Motoki-niisan? Usagi asked.
"Yup, that's me. Are you alright?"
I'm fine, could I have Mamoru-san's phone number, please. I have to talk to him.
"Sure thing." Motoki told her the phone number. She thanked him & they said goodbye.
Usagi hung up the phone with little bunny stickers on it as she sat on her bed. She looked at Mamoru's number that she had just written down & dialled it quickly as she chewed on her lower lip.
Hey. It's Mamoru. His voice said on the other end of the line. Who's this?
"Mamoru-san... It's Usagi." Her voice cracked a little.
What's wrong? Are you okay?! He asked.
"I'm sorry but I didn't know who else to call! I got your number from Motoki-niisan!" She began to excuse herself.
Is everything all right? He didn't like how the panic in her voice was growing.
"No. It's the opposite of alright." She began to cry. "My life is over!" She hung up the phone before Mamoru could say anything.
Mamoru began to panic, himself. He quickly left his apartment & got into his car, driving as fast as he could to Usagi's house. "Usagi? It's me. Mamoru! Please let me in! What's wrong?" He banged on the door until she opened it.
"Mamoru-san!" She cried & fell into his arms, sobbing.
*~*~*~*~*~*
What a place to stop, huh? Don't be mad, okay? It's midnight, & I'm tired! In the meantime, go read more of my fics! (I know, I know. I'm a shameless self-promoter! ^_^; ) Anyway, I'll be updating soon. If you STILL don't know what happened to Usagi just say so in a review & I'll clear it up. Don't be shy; I don't always explain things as well as I think I do. ^_^ Ja ne! ^_~