Hello all and welcome to chapter 4 of Love, Labors, Lost. Sorry it once
again took me so long to post, but I couldn't wait any longer, my
cliffhanger even worked on me! Is it healthy to be waiting up at night
wondering what's going to happen in your own story? Hmm, oh well, I guess
I'll find out now, along w/ the rest of you Sailor Moon happy kidz! I LOVE
EVERYONE WHO REVIEWED AND READ (are reading) MY STORY! Seriously I read all
of your reviews like 500000 times, I was so touched! Please feel free to
add any suggestions or constructive criticism as well! Thanks a bunch!
Disclaimer: Do I really have to write this? Ya'll know the drill.
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Love Labors Lost.
Chapter 4: Gathering Fog
Rated: PG-13, as always.
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"To be alive! Oh to be alive!" The dark prince sang as he paced the room. "And the boy, my son! Oh, can you believe it? A son! Not only will I have a wife, but an heir as well!" he chuckled.
He took a sip of his wine toasting himself and turned to his crystal globe, eyes burning into the soul of the sobbing girl displayed there. He traced her outline with a finger. This was all that man's fault. Making her cry like this, he should be ashamed! To think the man was still searching for her even to this day! Couldn't he see that she left for a reason? He saw now it was his son, their son, he was the reason. His plan worked out after all, she had no choice but to be his now.
"Keep on writing Love, hate me. DESPISE me, you'll realize the truth soon enough." He let an ear piercing cackle sound throughout the room as the figure in his globe suddenly dried her tears, and continued with her work.
***********************
Mamoru ran a hand through his hair as he took out a coke from the faculty fridge. He had forgotten how tiring teaching could be, but this was the only way for him to earn his graduate.
He ran his assignment over again in his head as he and sat down on the couch, laughing slightly at the teacher's luxurious lounge room.
"The effect of young genius minds on modern day views of Science." He groaned as his head fell back to rest on the rim of his couch, he knew the rest by heart, "At the end of the term, you are required to select one child out of the group, whose intellect is slightly, or highly above rest, to nominate for our studies."
The image of a particularly bright student suddenly popped into his head then. For some reason, he had taken a liking to this boy. Perhaps because he was of Japanese decent and it was something familiar in a strange land. Well, not so strange, he had been here before; the last time he was, it was with... NO! He would NOT think of her today, or any day this week. It was not that he had given up hope on her, far from it. But according to his physiatrist he was forming an "unhealthily obsession" with her- disappearance.
He smirked to himself, since when had he ever listened to his shrink? But in any case he looked around the room for another distraction. He couldn't go home yet; he still had several papers to grade. AH HA! That was it. He picked up his brief case and opened up his laptop, along with his school files.
The boy appeared once again in his head. It was not just that the boy was a touch above the rest, even though they were all very bright children, but something about him seemed familiar. His feelings towards the boy were strange, as if he wanted to hug and strangle him both at the same time. He shook his head once more. What was his name? It was an American one.
He rapidly hit the 'up' button on his list of student names. Cassandra, Cassie, Casey- CASEY! He scrolled over to see a last name and stopped dead when he reached it. He read it once, twice; three times, and still it stayed the same. Casey Tsukino.
Images came rushing back into his head, explanations, reasons, anything to disprove what he just saw. But did he really want to disprove it? The strange thing was, he had no idea why this name was so important to him. He knew he was supposed to remember it, but it was as if something, or someone, was blocking the part of his memory that connected to this name.
Suddenly images came back to him in a flash, memories he knew all too well.
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Eighteen-year-old Chiba Mamoru steeped out of his shower rubbing his jet- black hair vigorously with a towel. He wrapped another around his waist and ran to the ringing phone, smiling when he saw her family name on the caller ID. No doubt Usako was calling to tell him she'd be running late, as usual, and to "please not be mad" although he never was. Something had been bothering her lately, ever since they had gotten back from the 30th century, and even after the Black Moon and Wiseman was defeated but he had passed it off as her missing Chibi-Usa, or maybe even shy about the fact that they would one day be married and that Chibi-Usa would be their daughter. However it had been a good three months since they defeated the Black Moon and she was still not her usual self. Even with the coming of March, which for her meant only two more months of school, she was still. out of sync was the only was to describe it. So tonight he planned to get to the bottom of it.
With this in mind he grinned as his picked up the phone.
"Hey beautiful."
"Ma-Mamoru-san?" a shaky woman's voice was on the other line was heard, and Mamoru could barely make it out as Iluko, Usagi's mother.
"Oh! Moshi Moshi Iluko-san, is everything all right?" he asked, concern lining his voice.
"Mamoru-san, is, is Usa there with you by any chance?" her voice was beginning to crack despite her obvious attempt to keep it steady.
Now it was Mamoru's turn to worry, "No... She's supposed to meet me at Kabuto's in an hour. She- isn't she with you?"
Iluko burst into tears and Mamoru could picture her clutching the phone on the other line, "Oh Kami-sama, Mamoru-san! We can't find her!"
"Iluko-san, calm down, shh. it's all right. I'm sure she's up and about somewhere... Here, I'm getting dressed right now I'll go look for her." He soothed, hopping into a pair of jeans, trying to calm himself more than the distressed mother on the other line.
"No Mamoru-san! That's, that's the thing!" she gasped in between choked sobs. "Her room, everything seems to be okay, but... her dresser! Mamoru- san where could she be?" not letting him respond she continued, "We called all her friends, she's not over at any of their houses! Minako, Rei, Ami, Makoto, she's not with any of them! Not even Naru! Her dresser! It's, there's nothing inside it! NOTHING! Except for a couple of old shirts that don't fit her anymore!"
With every word Mamoru blanched more and more, and soon his face had lost all color completely. But what made him hang up and run out the door was not the missing clothes, there could be an explanation for that, but when she said, "She took the picture of the two of you," he was gone.
He searched every store, every park, every house, for four years he searched them. But even with the help of Ami's computer, and Luna's magical devices, they found nothing. It was as if she literally dropped off the face of the planet.
Her mother went into a hyperactive state. She refused to do anything with her time but search, harass the police, the private eyes, everyone they knew. It was not until about the third year that she just gave up, not only did she give up, she would not acknowledge that Usagi was even missing. She talked and acted as if nothing had changed, and her beloved daughter was still by her side.
For Mamoru's part, he was in another form of denial, one that the Senshi had only recently realized and come out of, but Mamoru could not and would not accept that she might never be coming back.
"You, still don't get it," he tried explaining to four sad humans, and one feline, "If she's not coming back, if that's true, then I have no reason... I have no reason to live..."
Rei jumped up from her seat, "Now THAT is NOT true, what about your career? You've wanted to be a doctor, or a scientist or whatever it is, your whole life! We miss her too God dammit! Don't you think that we wish everyday for her back? But we have to go on, and accept the fact that that might not be the case!" he was about to argue his point once more, but she sighed and spoke first, "Mamoru, I know we've always been a bit closer than you might be with everyone else. I- I consider you to be, somewhat of a brother to me, which is why I don't want you to throw everything away that you've worked for years to achieve. You might say that it's nothing without her-,"
"Usako," he corrected, not liking the way she was avoiding her name.
"Usagi," she continued slowly, "but, but you have to start thinking of yourself. All right, say you do find her, what are you going to have to show her?"
She leaned over and took his hands in hers, "Mamoru-kun, PLEASE, take this job you've been offered in America, I know you want to earn your degree right?"
"Well... yes," he said, still cautious she might be implying that he give up on his Usako. "Yes, of course I do but-"
"Then good," she cut him off, "take this trip, who knows, it's one of the places we haven't searched personally, and it's a long shot but she just might be there, and even if she ISN'T then think of it as... a break, of sorts. It'll help clear your mind, will you do that Mamoru-san? If not for yourself, then do it for me..."
He sighed, defeated. "Alright, alright I'll do it." He grimaced at his subjection, tears threatening to fall. "I miss her so much."
Rei's heart broke at the sight of him, and for the first time she cried, she lunged for Mamoru and hugged him tightly, sobbing all the while. Her best friend in the whole world was gone and there had been nothing she could do to bring her back.
Ami looked away as Makoto clenched her fist. A tear fell from Minako's eye and Luna let out a howl. And Rei and Mamoru clung to each other, holding onto one another as if they could somehow squeeze their best friend and lover out of the other.
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Mamoru growled at the memory. "I swear I'll find you Usako, and when I do, I'm never letting go."
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"So what happened the otha right Sere? I I.M.-ed ya and you didn't respond!" Molly paused from scrubbing the table and asked in her very thick accent, true to her upbringing in the Bronx.
Usagi laughed and waved her hand uneasily, "Sorry, Casey and I had a small argument. I was distracted." Boy was that was an understatement.
Molly shrugged and returned to her work, "Oh, I'm sorry Serena, didn't mean to pry, ya just always answer um so I was surprised is awl."
Usagi smiled at her co-worker and friend. They both worked at "The Twelve Months" restaurant, a chain originating from New York. Molly's parents owned the restaurant and had just moved to Virginia the year before when they decided to branch out their chain to the south, as upscale restaurants were becoming a fad there.
Molly had no friends and was very out of place it being her senior year. She met Usagi, who was eighteen, but only a junior at the time as she had taken off a year from school when Keisuke was born, and they became friends immediately. It was Molly who saved her pride by giving her a job at her parents restaurant, which paid significantly more than her previous job at a pizza parlor, thus allowing her to pay rent, and feel like she was earning her stay at the Anderson's house, even though they assured her it wasn't necessary.
She lived for her work hours now that Molly had graduated, it was one of the only times she got to have fun and actually feel like a teenage girl. Even if it was work, she and Molly always found something to giggle about in between orders.
Usagi shot up from cleaning and glanced at the clock. "SHIT!" she yelled wiping her hands and running to use the phone.
Molly grabbed her arm, "Sere what's the matta? It's only 3:00!"
"I know!" Serena groaned. "I forgot all about my new hours this morning when I dropped Casey off, and I told him I'd be there at 3:00, NOW!"
She was about to dial the school's number when Molly clicked the receiver. "Don't worry about it Hun, I'll cova for ya, go get ya kid."
Usagi's eyes softened, "Moll, I couldn't ask you to-"
Molly shrugged her off, "Gwan', get outta here. Sides I owe ya one from last year." At Usagi's blank look she rolled her eyes exasperated.
"Ya know that time me and Melvin were makin' out! Jesus! You're late as it is, shoo!" She shoved Serena towards the door and draped her coat over her shoulder along with her purse.
Serena stopped on her way out and hugged her friend briefly, "thanks girl, you're the best."
"Whata friends for?"
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Mamoru whistled as he packed up his suitcase and was on his way out the school when he spotted a boy sitting alone in the cafeteria. He leaned his head in the door, "Hey kido, what are ya still doin here? All after school activities are closed today."
The little boy whirled around and to Mamoru's surprise and even delight, even though he wasn't quote sure why the later, it was none other than Casey Tsukino, the bright boy he was thinking of recruiting for his study.
The boy smiled softly, "Nah uh, there was study hall, but my mommy's just late is all." He squinted his eyes at him as Mamoru stepped fully into the doorway. "Hey, you're Mr. Chiba my science teacher right?"
Mamoru grinned, "Yup, sure am. Say do you want me to wait with you until your mom comes?"
Keisuke beamed, he had liked Mr. Chiba the best out of all his other teachers so far that day, so he happily obliged. "Sure! I could sure use the company!"
Mamoru set down his suitcase on the lunch table and sat on the stool across from the boy, bemused by the way his speech would jump from amateur language, to the way and adult would speak.
"I wonder where my mom could be, she's never this late." He said worriedly, scratching his head.
"I wouldn't be too worried, it's only quarter after, I'm sure she'll be here any minute." Mamoru tried to reassure him, but Keisuke still looked worried.
"Um, so tell me, is it just you and your mom?" He asked in an attempt to keep his mind off of it.
"No, we live with Aunt Kate and Uncle Max. Well, they're not my real Aunt and Uncle, they're-I'm not sure. They take care of us, they were my mom's foster parents since she was sixteen but when she turned eighteen, they couldn't be her legal guardians anymore, but they like us a lot so they let us stay with them."
"How old was she when she had you? If you don't mind me asking of course." Mamoru inquired, taking an interest in this young boy's tale.
He hesitated, knowing he shouldn't be sharing so much information with a stranger. But he was his teacher, and Keisuke always had a knack for telling if a person was to be trusted or not, and everything told him that he could defiantly trust Mr. Chiba.
"She was fifteen when she had me. We lived in New York for a year in a shelter. Kate and Max met my mom at a baby store when they were on a tour of the city. They were thinking about having a baby, and so they chatted with my mom cause I was, ya know, little and all. They're really sweet people and when they found out our situation they took us in right away."
He looked down, expecting the normal wave of shock and disapproval to cover the young man's features.
"That must have been tough on your mom huh? Raising a kid so young. You too, but from the looks of it, she's done an all right job." Mamoru said softly, smiling at the four year old.
Keisuke shot him a surprised glance, "You, you mean you don't think my mom's a bad person for having me so young?" he asked hopefully.
Mamoru almost laughed in disgust over who would think such a thing, but knew better than to actually do so. Instead he gave another warm smile before answering. "Well, for one thing, I have no idea what circumstances she had you under. So I'm in no position to judge you or your mother. Even if it was choice on her part, everyone makes mistakes, but then wonderful things come out of them. You seem like you must be a wonderful thing in your mom's life am I right?"
Keisuke looked up into the older man's eyes with what seemed to be pride. He hadn't let him down on being worthy of his trust. "Yeah, she's sad a lot of the time, but she says that she's only sad cause she loves me so much and wants me to be happy. She says I make her happy too."
Keisuke blushed, "I'm sorry Mr. Chiba, I know I talk too much, but no one ever really listens, besides Mama, but she knows all this already and bringing it up makes her sad."
"Don't worry Casey, you're fine. Besides isn't that what teachers are for? To listen? Where I come from people don't listen nearly enough until it's too late..." He drifted off but before Keisuke could pick up on his sad tone, a soft voice was heard behind them.
"Casey?"
Keisuke whirled around and squealed in delight, "Mama!"
Usagi knelt down to his level, as her arms encircled her son. "Oh gosh baby I'm so sorry I'm late. I forgot my schedule changed at work! I'll have to pick you up right after I get out of school from now on, and drop you off at home." She pulled him out to arms length to face her, as she ran a hand down his face, "is that okay with you?"
He nodded enthusiastically; just happy to see she was all right.
"Good then." She stood up and reached for his hand, "ready to go?"
He was about to nod when suddenly he remembered his teacher. "OH!" he turned around and faced Mamoru, and held out his hands presenting him to his mother. "This is my Science teacher Mr. Chiba, he's really cool, he stayed with me while I waited for you."
"Well then it's a pleasure to meet you Mr. Chi--" her breath caught as she recognized the name, and she slowly raised her head from her outstretched hand to meet his eyes.
His eyes caught hers and the polite smile fell from his face, and he choked out a name, "Usa?"
It was Keisuke's turn to be surprised as he heard his teacher say his mama's old name. However before he could comment, his mother's now icy hand tightened on his shoulder.
"I'm sorry? What was that?" she said with a strange calmness that sent shivers down Keisuke's spine.
Mamoru blinked and suddenly regained his composure as if snapping out of a trance, or just as easily into one. He coughed briefly before shaking his head and re-extending his hand. "Sorry Ma'am, you reminded me there for a second of someone I know."
Usagi smiled politely, but Keisuke caught a sharp pain go through her eyes as Mr. Chiba took back what he had called her.
"It's quite all right, I get that a lot. My name is Serena Tsukino, I'm Casey's mother." She said taking his hand and firmly shaking it.
"I gathered as much." He joked, but something still didn't seem right.
He could have sworn there for a second that she was his Usako! But he saw now that was impossible. Usako had blue eyes--- but so did this woman. Oh! But Usako had golden hair! Yes that was it, and this woman's hair was--- golden as well. He blinked. No, aside from that they looked nothing alike. Usako was nineteen, well, so was this woman, but lots of people were nineteen. He laughed at him self, growing more frustrated by the minute as he looked into this girl, Serena's, challenging eyes. Well ok, she LOOKS like Usa, but-she just isn't! The last name! He should know it! But he didn't! Something wasn't right.
His brain fought with him furiously, much like an Autistic's world. Something wasn't connecting!
"Is something wrong Mr. Chiba?" Usagi said, didn't ask, but said, as if she expected it.
He shook his head once more, thinking fondly on a bottle of wine he had at home. He smiled politely once more, and grabbed his suitcase. "Well it was very nice meeting you Ms. Tsukino. Casey, I'll see you in school tomorrow."
Usagi kept her grin plastered to her face until he was out of sight. Keisuke opened his mouth to ask just one of the million questions running through his head, but slammed it shut when he looked at his mother.
The light in her eyes was gone as she starred at the space the man had just occupied, her mouth also slightly ajar, wanting to say words that wouldn't come.
A sob cracked through her lips that made Keisuke jump. "Mama!" he gasped, hugging her leg.
Her head flew to him, and then she did something he'd never seen her do. She fell to her knees before her baby boy and sobbed.
"Oh Mama!" he cried as he hugged her tight. Her arms flew around him as she rocked him gently back and forth.
"Casey, oh God my baby boy what have I done? It should have been him! That's the one don't you see? He should've been the one. GOD I wish it was him!" she bit out through her sobs.
Poor little four-year-old Keisuke could do nothing but hug his mother's neck tightly. How little he knew. As smart as he was he realized then, just how little he knew. And as his mother sobbed in his arms the weight of all that she had sacrificed, all that she had held in, all that she sheltered him from, and just how much she truly loved him, all of it sunk in finally on his little not even half a decade old mind.
It was too much for such a young boy to handle. So for the first time in his life, Keisuke: boy genius, acted his age; he cried. No words of wisdom found their way to his lips, nor any words of condolence. He simply fell onto his mother and he cried. And so they were, mother and son, crying together each for themselves and for each other, as both vowed the same thing, to always protect the other.
Little did they know that the same vow had been made, in the same way weeks before, between two not-quite brother and sister, and little did they all know that it was at that moment He truly came into being. He had finally broken her and He was free, and He was looking to tear them all apart, once and for all.
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THE END
LOL j/k, AAA!! Jeez put the knife down it was a joke see? Hahahaha-ok next scene boys! Anytime now!
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The car ride home was a silent one, both knew better than to say anything, or perhaps didn't know any better. But in any case Keisuke couldn't help but notice how his mother's eyes were lacking in light, nor could mother help but notice the intelligent wisdom in her son's eyes had also somewhat dimmed.
Usagi glanced at the dashboard clock as they turned onto Hull Street, the road that would normally take them home. It read 5:50.
"How about we go to Burger King for dinner tonight hmm?" she asked softly.
"Sure!" Keisuke burst out happily with a momentary surge of excitement, before quickly remembering recent events and slumping back in his car seat. "If you want..."
Usagi smiled wryly, "why not?" she sighed and turned right into the Burger King Parking lot.
"I'll have a Whopper meal with cheese and a Sprite, and he'll have a cheese Burger Kids' meal with fruit punch." Usagi ordered as the blank teen cashier punched in something on the computer.
"Do you, like, want fries with that?" she droned.
"Yes... that's why I ordered the MEAL."
"Oh." She said truly surprised.
Usagi rolled her eyes as the girl rung up the price.
"Ok, that's a Whopper meal with cheese and a sprite with a cheese burger kids meal, your total is $9.50."
Usagi reached out to hand the lady a $10, when another paler hand offered the money first.
The teen rolled her eyes up to the stranger's shaded ones. "Sir?"
"I've got it covered," a voice said, and only one word ran through Usagi's mind to describe it: ice. She caught the sight of translucent hair out of the corner of her eye and she screamed.
She knocked the money out of his hand and dug a shoulder into his stomach.
She grabbed Keisuke and swung around to look into a pair of ice-brown eyes? That couldn't be right! She gasped as a young BROWN haired Burger King Employee lay groaning on the ground.
"Jeez lady you dropped a ten back at the door and I just -OW! - Was trying to give it back to you." He squirmed as the recently arrived manager tried to tuck something under his head.
She looked around to see the entire store's occupants staring at her in horror.
"No..." she gasped. This wasn't right! It wasn't him who handed her the money it was--!
"Ma'am?" she swung around to see her teen cashier holding out her tray. "Here's your food ma'am," she held out her other hand, "and," she swallowed, "10 cents is your change."
Keisuke's maturity returned in an instant as his mother stood starring dumbly at the girl. "Here, I'll take it." He said softly.
The girl handed him the tray after he tugged on his mother's shirt, "Come on Mama, you didn't mean it, lets go sit down."
Usagi nodded stupidly and followed her son to a booth.
She took a deep breath as she slid into the mini padded couch. A cool arm wrapped around her and a voice whispered in her ear, "You didn't think you could hide forever did you Usa?"
She screamed again and pushed him out of the booth.
"Mama!" Keisuke yelled worriedly as he rushed to her side. "Mama what's wrong? Why'd you scream again?"
Usagi turned wild eyes to her son, and then to where she had pushed the man out of the booth onto the floor, but all that met her eye was bare brown tile.
"But! I don't understand!" she turned back to a frightened Keisuke, "Didn't you see him baby?"
Keisuke furrowed his brows, "See who mama?"
She frowned and fell to her knees shaking him, "Your father!"
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Disclaimer: Do I really have to write this? Ya'll know the drill.
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Love Labors Lost.
Chapter 4: Gathering Fog
Rated: PG-13, as always.
***********************
"To be alive! Oh to be alive!" The dark prince sang as he paced the room. "And the boy, my son! Oh, can you believe it? A son! Not only will I have a wife, but an heir as well!" he chuckled.
He took a sip of his wine toasting himself and turned to his crystal globe, eyes burning into the soul of the sobbing girl displayed there. He traced her outline with a finger. This was all that man's fault. Making her cry like this, he should be ashamed! To think the man was still searching for her even to this day! Couldn't he see that she left for a reason? He saw now it was his son, their son, he was the reason. His plan worked out after all, she had no choice but to be his now.
"Keep on writing Love, hate me. DESPISE me, you'll realize the truth soon enough." He let an ear piercing cackle sound throughout the room as the figure in his globe suddenly dried her tears, and continued with her work.
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Mamoru ran a hand through his hair as he took out a coke from the faculty fridge. He had forgotten how tiring teaching could be, but this was the only way for him to earn his graduate.
He ran his assignment over again in his head as he and sat down on the couch, laughing slightly at the teacher's luxurious lounge room.
"The effect of young genius minds on modern day views of Science." He groaned as his head fell back to rest on the rim of his couch, he knew the rest by heart, "At the end of the term, you are required to select one child out of the group, whose intellect is slightly, or highly above rest, to nominate for our studies."
The image of a particularly bright student suddenly popped into his head then. For some reason, he had taken a liking to this boy. Perhaps because he was of Japanese decent and it was something familiar in a strange land. Well, not so strange, he had been here before; the last time he was, it was with... NO! He would NOT think of her today, or any day this week. It was not that he had given up hope on her, far from it. But according to his physiatrist he was forming an "unhealthily obsession" with her- disappearance.
He smirked to himself, since when had he ever listened to his shrink? But in any case he looked around the room for another distraction. He couldn't go home yet; he still had several papers to grade. AH HA! That was it. He picked up his brief case and opened up his laptop, along with his school files.
The boy appeared once again in his head. It was not just that the boy was a touch above the rest, even though they were all very bright children, but something about him seemed familiar. His feelings towards the boy were strange, as if he wanted to hug and strangle him both at the same time. He shook his head once more. What was his name? It was an American one.
He rapidly hit the 'up' button on his list of student names. Cassandra, Cassie, Casey- CASEY! He scrolled over to see a last name and stopped dead when he reached it. He read it once, twice; three times, and still it stayed the same. Casey Tsukino.
Images came rushing back into his head, explanations, reasons, anything to disprove what he just saw. But did he really want to disprove it? The strange thing was, he had no idea why this name was so important to him. He knew he was supposed to remember it, but it was as if something, or someone, was blocking the part of his memory that connected to this name.
Suddenly images came back to him in a flash, memories he knew all too well.
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Eighteen-year-old Chiba Mamoru steeped out of his shower rubbing his jet- black hair vigorously with a towel. He wrapped another around his waist and ran to the ringing phone, smiling when he saw her family name on the caller ID. No doubt Usako was calling to tell him she'd be running late, as usual, and to "please not be mad" although he never was. Something had been bothering her lately, ever since they had gotten back from the 30th century, and even after the Black Moon and Wiseman was defeated but he had passed it off as her missing Chibi-Usa, or maybe even shy about the fact that they would one day be married and that Chibi-Usa would be their daughter. However it had been a good three months since they defeated the Black Moon and she was still not her usual self. Even with the coming of March, which for her meant only two more months of school, she was still. out of sync was the only was to describe it. So tonight he planned to get to the bottom of it.
With this in mind he grinned as his picked up the phone.
"Hey beautiful."
"Ma-Mamoru-san?" a shaky woman's voice was on the other line was heard, and Mamoru could barely make it out as Iluko, Usagi's mother.
"Oh! Moshi Moshi Iluko-san, is everything all right?" he asked, concern lining his voice.
"Mamoru-san, is, is Usa there with you by any chance?" her voice was beginning to crack despite her obvious attempt to keep it steady.
Now it was Mamoru's turn to worry, "No... She's supposed to meet me at Kabuto's in an hour. She- isn't she with you?"
Iluko burst into tears and Mamoru could picture her clutching the phone on the other line, "Oh Kami-sama, Mamoru-san! We can't find her!"
"Iluko-san, calm down, shh. it's all right. I'm sure she's up and about somewhere... Here, I'm getting dressed right now I'll go look for her." He soothed, hopping into a pair of jeans, trying to calm himself more than the distressed mother on the other line.
"No Mamoru-san! That's, that's the thing!" she gasped in between choked sobs. "Her room, everything seems to be okay, but... her dresser! Mamoru- san where could she be?" not letting him respond she continued, "We called all her friends, she's not over at any of their houses! Minako, Rei, Ami, Makoto, she's not with any of them! Not even Naru! Her dresser! It's, there's nothing inside it! NOTHING! Except for a couple of old shirts that don't fit her anymore!"
With every word Mamoru blanched more and more, and soon his face had lost all color completely. But what made him hang up and run out the door was not the missing clothes, there could be an explanation for that, but when she said, "She took the picture of the two of you," he was gone.
He searched every store, every park, every house, for four years he searched them. But even with the help of Ami's computer, and Luna's magical devices, they found nothing. It was as if she literally dropped off the face of the planet.
Her mother went into a hyperactive state. She refused to do anything with her time but search, harass the police, the private eyes, everyone they knew. It was not until about the third year that she just gave up, not only did she give up, she would not acknowledge that Usagi was even missing. She talked and acted as if nothing had changed, and her beloved daughter was still by her side.
For Mamoru's part, he was in another form of denial, one that the Senshi had only recently realized and come out of, but Mamoru could not and would not accept that she might never be coming back.
"You, still don't get it," he tried explaining to four sad humans, and one feline, "If she's not coming back, if that's true, then I have no reason... I have no reason to live..."
Rei jumped up from her seat, "Now THAT is NOT true, what about your career? You've wanted to be a doctor, or a scientist or whatever it is, your whole life! We miss her too God dammit! Don't you think that we wish everyday for her back? But we have to go on, and accept the fact that that might not be the case!" he was about to argue his point once more, but she sighed and spoke first, "Mamoru, I know we've always been a bit closer than you might be with everyone else. I- I consider you to be, somewhat of a brother to me, which is why I don't want you to throw everything away that you've worked for years to achieve. You might say that it's nothing without her-,"
"Usako," he corrected, not liking the way she was avoiding her name.
"Usagi," she continued slowly, "but, but you have to start thinking of yourself. All right, say you do find her, what are you going to have to show her?"
She leaned over and took his hands in hers, "Mamoru-kun, PLEASE, take this job you've been offered in America, I know you want to earn your degree right?"
"Well... yes," he said, still cautious she might be implying that he give up on his Usako. "Yes, of course I do but-"
"Then good," she cut him off, "take this trip, who knows, it's one of the places we haven't searched personally, and it's a long shot but she just might be there, and even if she ISN'T then think of it as... a break, of sorts. It'll help clear your mind, will you do that Mamoru-san? If not for yourself, then do it for me..."
He sighed, defeated. "Alright, alright I'll do it." He grimaced at his subjection, tears threatening to fall. "I miss her so much."
Rei's heart broke at the sight of him, and for the first time she cried, she lunged for Mamoru and hugged him tightly, sobbing all the while. Her best friend in the whole world was gone and there had been nothing she could do to bring her back.
Ami looked away as Makoto clenched her fist. A tear fell from Minako's eye and Luna let out a howl. And Rei and Mamoru clung to each other, holding onto one another as if they could somehow squeeze their best friend and lover out of the other.
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Mamoru growled at the memory. "I swear I'll find you Usako, and when I do, I'm never letting go."
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"So what happened the otha right Sere? I I.M.-ed ya and you didn't respond!" Molly paused from scrubbing the table and asked in her very thick accent, true to her upbringing in the Bronx.
Usagi laughed and waved her hand uneasily, "Sorry, Casey and I had a small argument. I was distracted." Boy was that was an understatement.
Molly shrugged and returned to her work, "Oh, I'm sorry Serena, didn't mean to pry, ya just always answer um so I was surprised is awl."
Usagi smiled at her co-worker and friend. They both worked at "The Twelve Months" restaurant, a chain originating from New York. Molly's parents owned the restaurant and had just moved to Virginia the year before when they decided to branch out their chain to the south, as upscale restaurants were becoming a fad there.
Molly had no friends and was very out of place it being her senior year. She met Usagi, who was eighteen, but only a junior at the time as she had taken off a year from school when Keisuke was born, and they became friends immediately. It was Molly who saved her pride by giving her a job at her parents restaurant, which paid significantly more than her previous job at a pizza parlor, thus allowing her to pay rent, and feel like she was earning her stay at the Anderson's house, even though they assured her it wasn't necessary.
She lived for her work hours now that Molly had graduated, it was one of the only times she got to have fun and actually feel like a teenage girl. Even if it was work, she and Molly always found something to giggle about in between orders.
Usagi shot up from cleaning and glanced at the clock. "SHIT!" she yelled wiping her hands and running to use the phone.
Molly grabbed her arm, "Sere what's the matta? It's only 3:00!"
"I know!" Serena groaned. "I forgot all about my new hours this morning when I dropped Casey off, and I told him I'd be there at 3:00, NOW!"
She was about to dial the school's number when Molly clicked the receiver. "Don't worry about it Hun, I'll cova for ya, go get ya kid."
Usagi's eyes softened, "Moll, I couldn't ask you to-"
Molly shrugged her off, "Gwan', get outta here. Sides I owe ya one from last year." At Usagi's blank look she rolled her eyes exasperated.
"Ya know that time me and Melvin were makin' out! Jesus! You're late as it is, shoo!" She shoved Serena towards the door and draped her coat over her shoulder along with her purse.
Serena stopped on her way out and hugged her friend briefly, "thanks girl, you're the best."
"Whata friends for?"
*************************
Mamoru whistled as he packed up his suitcase and was on his way out the school when he spotted a boy sitting alone in the cafeteria. He leaned his head in the door, "Hey kido, what are ya still doin here? All after school activities are closed today."
The little boy whirled around and to Mamoru's surprise and even delight, even though he wasn't quote sure why the later, it was none other than Casey Tsukino, the bright boy he was thinking of recruiting for his study.
The boy smiled softly, "Nah uh, there was study hall, but my mommy's just late is all." He squinted his eyes at him as Mamoru stepped fully into the doorway. "Hey, you're Mr. Chiba my science teacher right?"
Mamoru grinned, "Yup, sure am. Say do you want me to wait with you until your mom comes?"
Keisuke beamed, he had liked Mr. Chiba the best out of all his other teachers so far that day, so he happily obliged. "Sure! I could sure use the company!"
Mamoru set down his suitcase on the lunch table and sat on the stool across from the boy, bemused by the way his speech would jump from amateur language, to the way and adult would speak.
"I wonder where my mom could be, she's never this late." He said worriedly, scratching his head.
"I wouldn't be too worried, it's only quarter after, I'm sure she'll be here any minute." Mamoru tried to reassure him, but Keisuke still looked worried.
"Um, so tell me, is it just you and your mom?" He asked in an attempt to keep his mind off of it.
"No, we live with Aunt Kate and Uncle Max. Well, they're not my real Aunt and Uncle, they're-I'm not sure. They take care of us, they were my mom's foster parents since she was sixteen but when she turned eighteen, they couldn't be her legal guardians anymore, but they like us a lot so they let us stay with them."
"How old was she when she had you? If you don't mind me asking of course." Mamoru inquired, taking an interest in this young boy's tale.
He hesitated, knowing he shouldn't be sharing so much information with a stranger. But he was his teacher, and Keisuke always had a knack for telling if a person was to be trusted or not, and everything told him that he could defiantly trust Mr. Chiba.
"She was fifteen when she had me. We lived in New York for a year in a shelter. Kate and Max met my mom at a baby store when they were on a tour of the city. They were thinking about having a baby, and so they chatted with my mom cause I was, ya know, little and all. They're really sweet people and when they found out our situation they took us in right away."
He looked down, expecting the normal wave of shock and disapproval to cover the young man's features.
"That must have been tough on your mom huh? Raising a kid so young. You too, but from the looks of it, she's done an all right job." Mamoru said softly, smiling at the four year old.
Keisuke shot him a surprised glance, "You, you mean you don't think my mom's a bad person for having me so young?" he asked hopefully.
Mamoru almost laughed in disgust over who would think such a thing, but knew better than to actually do so. Instead he gave another warm smile before answering. "Well, for one thing, I have no idea what circumstances she had you under. So I'm in no position to judge you or your mother. Even if it was choice on her part, everyone makes mistakes, but then wonderful things come out of them. You seem like you must be a wonderful thing in your mom's life am I right?"
Keisuke looked up into the older man's eyes with what seemed to be pride. He hadn't let him down on being worthy of his trust. "Yeah, she's sad a lot of the time, but she says that she's only sad cause she loves me so much and wants me to be happy. She says I make her happy too."
Keisuke blushed, "I'm sorry Mr. Chiba, I know I talk too much, but no one ever really listens, besides Mama, but she knows all this already and bringing it up makes her sad."
"Don't worry Casey, you're fine. Besides isn't that what teachers are for? To listen? Where I come from people don't listen nearly enough until it's too late..." He drifted off but before Keisuke could pick up on his sad tone, a soft voice was heard behind them.
"Casey?"
Keisuke whirled around and squealed in delight, "Mama!"
Usagi knelt down to his level, as her arms encircled her son. "Oh gosh baby I'm so sorry I'm late. I forgot my schedule changed at work! I'll have to pick you up right after I get out of school from now on, and drop you off at home." She pulled him out to arms length to face her, as she ran a hand down his face, "is that okay with you?"
He nodded enthusiastically; just happy to see she was all right.
"Good then." She stood up and reached for his hand, "ready to go?"
He was about to nod when suddenly he remembered his teacher. "OH!" he turned around and faced Mamoru, and held out his hands presenting him to his mother. "This is my Science teacher Mr. Chiba, he's really cool, he stayed with me while I waited for you."
"Well then it's a pleasure to meet you Mr. Chi--" her breath caught as she recognized the name, and she slowly raised her head from her outstretched hand to meet his eyes.
His eyes caught hers and the polite smile fell from his face, and he choked out a name, "Usa?"
It was Keisuke's turn to be surprised as he heard his teacher say his mama's old name. However before he could comment, his mother's now icy hand tightened on his shoulder.
"I'm sorry? What was that?" she said with a strange calmness that sent shivers down Keisuke's spine.
Mamoru blinked and suddenly regained his composure as if snapping out of a trance, or just as easily into one. He coughed briefly before shaking his head and re-extending his hand. "Sorry Ma'am, you reminded me there for a second of someone I know."
Usagi smiled politely, but Keisuke caught a sharp pain go through her eyes as Mr. Chiba took back what he had called her.
"It's quite all right, I get that a lot. My name is Serena Tsukino, I'm Casey's mother." She said taking his hand and firmly shaking it.
"I gathered as much." He joked, but something still didn't seem right.
He could have sworn there for a second that she was his Usako! But he saw now that was impossible. Usako had blue eyes--- but so did this woman. Oh! But Usako had golden hair! Yes that was it, and this woman's hair was--- golden as well. He blinked. No, aside from that they looked nothing alike. Usako was nineteen, well, so was this woman, but lots of people were nineteen. He laughed at him self, growing more frustrated by the minute as he looked into this girl, Serena's, challenging eyes. Well ok, she LOOKS like Usa, but-she just isn't! The last name! He should know it! But he didn't! Something wasn't right.
His brain fought with him furiously, much like an Autistic's world. Something wasn't connecting!
"Is something wrong Mr. Chiba?" Usagi said, didn't ask, but said, as if she expected it.
He shook his head once more, thinking fondly on a bottle of wine he had at home. He smiled politely once more, and grabbed his suitcase. "Well it was very nice meeting you Ms. Tsukino. Casey, I'll see you in school tomorrow."
Usagi kept her grin plastered to her face until he was out of sight. Keisuke opened his mouth to ask just one of the million questions running through his head, but slammed it shut when he looked at his mother.
The light in her eyes was gone as she starred at the space the man had just occupied, her mouth also slightly ajar, wanting to say words that wouldn't come.
A sob cracked through her lips that made Keisuke jump. "Mama!" he gasped, hugging her leg.
Her head flew to him, and then she did something he'd never seen her do. She fell to her knees before her baby boy and sobbed.
"Oh Mama!" he cried as he hugged her tight. Her arms flew around him as she rocked him gently back and forth.
"Casey, oh God my baby boy what have I done? It should have been him! That's the one don't you see? He should've been the one. GOD I wish it was him!" she bit out through her sobs.
Poor little four-year-old Keisuke could do nothing but hug his mother's neck tightly. How little he knew. As smart as he was he realized then, just how little he knew. And as his mother sobbed in his arms the weight of all that she had sacrificed, all that she had held in, all that she sheltered him from, and just how much she truly loved him, all of it sunk in finally on his little not even half a decade old mind.
It was too much for such a young boy to handle. So for the first time in his life, Keisuke: boy genius, acted his age; he cried. No words of wisdom found their way to his lips, nor any words of condolence. He simply fell onto his mother and he cried. And so they were, mother and son, crying together each for themselves and for each other, as both vowed the same thing, to always protect the other.
Little did they know that the same vow had been made, in the same way weeks before, between two not-quite brother and sister, and little did they all know that it was at that moment He truly came into being. He had finally broken her and He was free, and He was looking to tear them all apart, once and for all.
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THE END
LOL j/k, AAA!! Jeez put the knife down it was a joke see? Hahahaha-ok next scene boys! Anytime now!
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The car ride home was a silent one, both knew better than to say anything, or perhaps didn't know any better. But in any case Keisuke couldn't help but notice how his mother's eyes were lacking in light, nor could mother help but notice the intelligent wisdom in her son's eyes had also somewhat dimmed.
Usagi glanced at the dashboard clock as they turned onto Hull Street, the road that would normally take them home. It read 5:50.
"How about we go to Burger King for dinner tonight hmm?" she asked softly.
"Sure!" Keisuke burst out happily with a momentary surge of excitement, before quickly remembering recent events and slumping back in his car seat. "If you want..."
Usagi smiled wryly, "why not?" she sighed and turned right into the Burger King Parking lot.
"I'll have a Whopper meal with cheese and a Sprite, and he'll have a cheese Burger Kids' meal with fruit punch." Usagi ordered as the blank teen cashier punched in something on the computer.
"Do you, like, want fries with that?" she droned.
"Yes... that's why I ordered the MEAL."
"Oh." She said truly surprised.
Usagi rolled her eyes as the girl rung up the price.
"Ok, that's a Whopper meal with cheese and a sprite with a cheese burger kids meal, your total is $9.50."
Usagi reached out to hand the lady a $10, when another paler hand offered the money first.
The teen rolled her eyes up to the stranger's shaded ones. "Sir?"
"I've got it covered," a voice said, and only one word ran through Usagi's mind to describe it: ice. She caught the sight of translucent hair out of the corner of her eye and she screamed.
She knocked the money out of his hand and dug a shoulder into his stomach.
She grabbed Keisuke and swung around to look into a pair of ice-brown eyes? That couldn't be right! She gasped as a young BROWN haired Burger King Employee lay groaning on the ground.
"Jeez lady you dropped a ten back at the door and I just -OW! - Was trying to give it back to you." He squirmed as the recently arrived manager tried to tuck something under his head.
She looked around to see the entire store's occupants staring at her in horror.
"No..." she gasped. This wasn't right! It wasn't him who handed her the money it was--!
"Ma'am?" she swung around to see her teen cashier holding out her tray. "Here's your food ma'am," she held out her other hand, "and," she swallowed, "10 cents is your change."
Keisuke's maturity returned in an instant as his mother stood starring dumbly at the girl. "Here, I'll take it." He said softly.
The girl handed him the tray after he tugged on his mother's shirt, "Come on Mama, you didn't mean it, lets go sit down."
Usagi nodded stupidly and followed her son to a booth.
She took a deep breath as she slid into the mini padded couch. A cool arm wrapped around her and a voice whispered in her ear, "You didn't think you could hide forever did you Usa?"
She screamed again and pushed him out of the booth.
"Mama!" Keisuke yelled worriedly as he rushed to her side. "Mama what's wrong? Why'd you scream again?"
Usagi turned wild eyes to her son, and then to where she had pushed the man out of the booth onto the floor, but all that met her eye was bare brown tile.
"But! I don't understand!" she turned back to a frightened Keisuke, "Didn't you see him baby?"
Keisuke furrowed his brows, "See who mama?"
She frowned and fell to her knees shaking him, "Your father!"
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