Title: Coming Home~Chapter 1
Author: SailorSpectra@msn.com
Rating: PG-13 for language and disturbing violence.
Summary: Usagi disappeared years ago, and the Senshi were never
able to find her. What happens when she comes home, married and
completely different?
Author's Notes: Sorry this took a week to come out! I had finals
start as soon as I released the prologue, so I had to do those
before I wrote anymore. Anyhow, as a quick warning, nothing in
this chapter is as it seems, even to the characters, so please
stick with it. Everything will be revealed in time.
Thank you to all of you who reviewed! It kept me wanting
to write more :) I'm sorry if I did not respond personally to
your review, but it was because there was no e-mail addy included.
Well, here you go, and enjoy.
Usagi allowed her husband's hand to help her out of their
Corvette. Stepping towards the mountain of steps that lead to
Cherry Hill Temple, she sighed when she sensed Mamoru was once
again standing next to her.
"What time did Motoki-onii-kun say he would get here again?"
"He should be here any sec...Speak of the devil." The couple
turned towards the bright red Miata just pulling up behind their
own black car. Usagi's face cracked up into a smile, the first
time since her meeting with Minako earlier that day. As soon as
the tall blond stepped around his car, Usagi bounced into his
arms burrowing into his neck. After a quick hug, Usagi stepped
back.
"You look exactly the same," she said grinning.
"I could say the same for you." It was true. Despite the
depression that the young woman had endured, she only looked
slightly older than she had 5 years prior. She had not grown
any taller, and her pigtail hairstyle was probably what added
to her youthful look.
"How is Reiko-chan?"
"Glowing. The baby is due in 4 months. She can't wait to
see you."
"I'm glad." Dragging her friend over to her husband, the
two grinned at each other. The happy mood surrounding the three
quickly dissipated when Usagi turned back to the steps.
"Are you sure that you are ready to do this Usako?"
A chagrined look crossed her face. "And this coming from the
man who kept pressing me to contact them for so long?" at his
concerned look she tightened her lips and added, "Yes Mamo-chan.
It's been too long, and they are already waiting for me." And with
that the blonde began the upward journey to her destiny.
*******************************************************************
Rei looked around the silent room at the 2 cats, the 3
other women she had known for so long, and at the 17-year-old
brother of her best friend who sat beside the tall brunette.
The room had been silent since the first person had entered.
The wounds were still too fresh, despite the years that separated
them from each other.
She tried to be the best hostess that she could before they
appeared, having set up some platters with food, only to find that
when they all arrived, everyone refused to speak to each other.
Surprisingly enough, Minako had been the first to enter
followed by Makoto and Shingo. When the two women had seen each
other, they both clammed up, which was understandable seeing as
what they said to each other. Not that it got any better when Ami
arrived. Truth was, the uncomfortable air in the room increased
ten-fold. She had been the first to lose her temper at the battle
that had started the major sift in their friendship. So they sat
and waited until their guest of honor arrived.
*********************************************************************
Upon reaching the porch of the temple, Mamoru fumbled for
Usagi's hands. "For luck," he replied at her questioning look.
She looked over her right shoulder to insure that Motoki was
still there, and he smiled at her, trying to give her comfort
any which way he could.
Taking a deep breath, Usagi slid the door to the shrine
open, and stepped over the threshold with her husband and their
best friend.
The three stopped right inside the uncomfortably silent
room, with Mamoru and Usagi glancing around at the people (and
cats) situated at different corners. "Uh, Hi every one... " This
still generated no response from anyone, and Usagi was beginning
to worry. Suddenly a cry broke the silence, and Usagi found herself
wrapped in Shingo's arms and he was sobbing openly onto her shoulder.
She did the first thing that came into her mind, which was to try to
soothe him, by running her hand over his head, the same way her
mother...no, she would not think of that woman. "Shh, it's ok
Shingo-kun, I won't leave you anymore. I'm so sorry." She whimpered
helplessly onto his head.
Holding back tears, she looked around the room at the other
girls, not knowing what to say. Rei was the first to speak up.
"Why Usagi?"
"Luna didn't tell you?" Usagi looked at Luna in surprise.
"You didn't tell them anything?" at the cat's shake of the head,
she asked why.
"Usagi, I don't know why you left. I had my suspicions, but
you never told me what was going on." For the first time in four
years, it dawned on her, the cat did not know, the reason being
that it was never stopped. Every time it happened, no one, except
for Shingo, was there, and she swore him into secrecy the first
time that he found her nursing her wounds.
"I guess I should start from the beginning..."
"Hold up, why are they here?" Makoto asked pointedly, gaze
shifting between Mamoru and Motoki.
"That's part of the story, Mako-chan," Usagi replied,
emphasizing the title, although everyone else, other than
Minako, had tried to push her away. "Anyhow, it all started
about a week after we found you, after we defeated Neflyte..."
****************************************************************
"Stupid Haruna-sensei. Giving me another 45 on my test."
She muttered as she slowly shuffled towards the arcade. "At
least I have one day left of freedom." She continued to the
counter at the Crown Arcade and plopped down into her seat.
Strangely disappointed that her nemesis wasn't present, she
turned to Motoki who was smiling at her. Upon seeing her
crestfallen face, he realized something was wrong.
"What happened Usa-chan?"
She pouted. "I won't be seeing you in a while Motoki-
onii-san...I got another bad grade on my test. Mama said
that the next failed test means that I am grounded for 3
weeks."
"Usa-chan, you were such a good student until you...
ah...started doing what you do. Other than your grades,
have you been getting by alright?" Motoki knew about her
nightly rendezvous with the Youma in the park. He had known
for a while, discovering it after being at an attack where
he saw Sailormoon get cut along her midriff. When he saw
Usagi the next day, she was raising her arms in an attempt
to grab her paper back from Mamoru's hands, and due to the
tailoring of the school uniforms, he saw that Usagi had a
nasty scab in the same place where Sailormoon had been
injured. When she walked in, he told Unazuki to watch the
counter and grabbed the surprised blonde's hand before
dragging her to the staff lounge. From that moment on, he
appointed himself to be her makeshift doctor since she refused
to go to the hospital for the wounds she received in the attacks.
"No, everything else is ok. Well it is until my social
life goes down the drain when Mama finds out about this," she
added waving the paper in his face. "How I am going to get out
to do our, ah, club meetings, I have no clue. Maybe she won't
continuously come up to my room..." She sighed.
Motoki felt bad for the blonde nymph seated in front of him.
"Usa-chan, is there anything I can get you since you won't be here
for a while...It's on the house," he added with a grin.
"Thanks Onii-chan, but I'm not really hungry right now. Maybe
I can take a rain check." At his sad smile she added, "I better get
home now. Maybe she will take pity on my poor soul," she added with
a chagrinned look.
Usagi walked the rest of the way home with her head down kicking
a poor defenseless stone the entire way. Upon reaching her house, she
stopped suddenly on her porch. She could sense that something was
wrong, but she could not place it.
Stepping inside of her house, she closed the door and walked
into the kitchen where her mother was waiting for her. She froze at
the look on the blue haired woman's face.
"Haruna-sensei called," she began. "What did I tell you about
your grades?"
*********************************************************************
"Before I knew it, my mother had jumped on top of me and was
beating me senseless." At the look of horror on the 4 other girls'
and the 2 cats' faces, Usagi said, "She made sure not to hit my from
my neck up, or anywhere below the knees because she did not want to
get caught by anyone. But one day she just got sloppy," she paused
in her story telling, leaving room for the surprised women to ask
questions. They never did.
"I had been quite late in leaving the house that morning, we
had a particularly nasty Youma the night before, and I had finally
been getting to sleep after getting in when my alarm rang. Nothing
new, I got to school late, and Haruna-sensei gave me detention, and
made me hold two buckets of water out in the hallway for half an
hour. Not an easy task when your arms already feel that they have
been ripped out of the sockets because you were dragged around."
Usagi took a deep breath before she continued. Furiously blinking
back tears, she felt Mamoru squeeze her hand in his own attempt to help
her. Shingo was rubbing her back, and she could tell that he wanted
to pull her into a hug once again. Wiping her face with her free
hand, she resumed. "Well, I got home and she was particularly upset.
One of the blows landed on my calf right before she threw me out
again. I couldn't tell any of you what was going on..."
"Why Usagi-chan? Why the hell couldn't you have told us?"
Makoto asked her, tears openly running down her face.
Usagi looked at Makoto for a long time before carefully
responding, "I didn't trust you."
"What do you mean, you didn't trust us? After having had
pulled your ass out of danger countless numbers of times, you
still didn't trust us?"
"Mako-chan, that's just it. I knew that you would want to
protect me, but I was afraid of what you would do to my mother
if you found out. She is my mother you know, even if she doesn't
act like it." Seeing that there were no further interruptions,
she continued. "Anyhow, after she threw me out, I headed out,
any where, cause by that point, I didn't really give a damn
where I ended-up." Usagi gathered her breath to continue the
story when a deeper voice continued from where she stopped.
"Luckily, she ended up at the arcade. Usa-imo-chan had
just been by earlier that day, so I was pretty surprised when
she showed up again. Not as surprised as when I saw her limping,
and then again when I saw the giant black bruise on her leg. I
pulled her to the back to ask if there had been another attack
that she had fought at that I didn't know..."
"You told him?" Ami asked disbelieving.
Shaking her head, "no, he found out." At the senshis'
questioning looks, Usagi explained how Motoki had discovered
before allowing him to continue.
"Anyhow, she spilled, no longer being able to hold it
in. If it weren't for how bad the bruises were, for how much
Usa-imo-chan needed a shoulder to cry on, there wouldn't have
been much of Ikuko left for you guys even if you had found
out about it all."
"I convinced him not to tell anyone, telling him that
it would be worse if Shingo-kun and I were sent away to
orphanages and I was pulled away from the duties." She felt
Mamoru's hand tighten at the mention of the orphanage, and
she unconsciously soothed him by slowly running her thumb
over the web of his hand.
"So it kept going." Minako whispered, tears brimming
in her eyes.
Usagi looked her dead on. "No Mina-chan, it gets worse.
Much, MUCH worse...and one day, it just reached the final
straw."
*********************************************************************
Usagi had finally been able to find a position where
her mattress springs did not dig too deeply into her bruises
when her stupid cat had to scratch her.
"Damn it Luna, what now?"
If the language surprised the cat, it didn't show, but
how much could it show? She was covered in fur. "There's an
attack. You have to transform and get down the park! I'll meet
you there Usagi-chan." With that, the cat jumped out the window.
Usagi, muttering uncomplimentary thoughts about the
Generals and how unoriginal they were with their fight
scenarios, dragged herself out the window and transformed behind
the tree facing her room. With renewed energy that she knew would
only last for a few minutes until the fight actually began, she ran,
actually flew down the street and across the rooftops, reaching the
park in moments.
The Youma was hideous, just as they usually were, but this one
had an extra ugly gene compared to the rest she thought. Seeing that
the girls were starting to tire, she jumped out and spewed another
stupid poem of hers. She sardonically grinned at her ability to
blurt out complete and utter manure whenever she needed to.
Unfortunately, that talent of hers could not help her with school.
She was barely finished with the stupid saying, of which
she couldn't even remember anymore since she knew it was crap,
when the stupid Youma turned to her and launched an attack. For
once not being frozen to her spot, which she rooted to the fact
that she was too incredibly exhausted for whatever hypnotic trance
that the Youma always had her in, she dodged. Taking in the surprised
look of the monstrosity, she took the moment to launch
her attack.
God's it was so painful, the attack. How could it not be?
You are one person standing there throwing out how many volts
or rays or whatever the pure energy attack is measured in, through
a little metal rod. All of the energy is being focused on being
pushed through your hands. The other girls never knew how raw
and burned her hands were after the attacks, and she planned to
keep it that way.
Surprisingly enough, the Youma was instantly dusted.
"Wow, they must be getting either incredibly lazy, or just
incredibly desperate to be sending out the ones they have been
lately." Makoto stifled a yawn. "I don't know about you guys,
but I'm going back to sleep. See ya tomorrow!" And with that
she flitted away in the direction of her apartment. The other
girls, finally feeling the effect from the lack of sleep all said
their own good byes and left for their homes. Usagi turned to Luna
who had come out of the bush she hid in during the battle.
"Usagi-chan, do you think you can make it home? I want to head
over and consult with Artemis about what he thinks is the cause for
these multitude of attacks."
"Sure Luna, I'm positive that you two will be doing a lot of
consulting." She dodged the attack that the cat swung at her and
giggled as she ran home.
Climbing the tree out her window, she realized with horror
that it was closed and locked. "Oh my God, did she find out?"
Sliding back down, she headed to the back door that was never
locked. She slipped in, quietly latching the door behind her,
and paled at what she saw before her.
*****************************************************************
Her mother stood with a marble rolling pin in one hand
and a brick in the other. Feet spaced apart, she snarled at
her daughter. "What did I say about going out young lady?"
And with that, she hurled herself and her weapons at her
daughter.
The young girl could feel ribs cracking when the pin
struck the first blow. Keeling over in an attempt to protect
herself, she realized that it wasn't working. She fought back
as hard as she could in her detrasformed form, but it wasn't
enough. Her mother seemed to be possessed. But she knew the
truth. A daughter who only brought disgrace to her family had
to be dealt with in this way.
It seemed like an eternity passed while she lay there being
beaten. But she could not tell. But extreme relief passed over
her when her mother spit on her and left her lying on the floor.
The relief lasted only a moment though. The woman returned, and
grabbing the battered girl's feet, she dragged her out the front
door and kicked her down the porch.
"Leave," she said bitterly. "You are not my daughter and
therefore not welcomed in my home. Leave and never come back."
With that, she turned on her heel and slammed the door behind
her.
Usagi did not know how long she lay on the grass before
she gathered the strength to pull herself into a somewhat
standing position. Vaguely knowing that she needed medical
attention, she started towards Motoki's house.
Halfway there, she fell to the ground, unable to keep
what was left of her dinner down. She knew that she wouldn't
be able to get to Motoki's in time. But she prayed that she
did not die before she had a chance to say goodbye. In front
of the park Usagi laid, unconscious.
************************************************************************
"And that's where Mamo-chan found me," she whispered.
The strain in her voice was evident, and did not pass lightly
over Mamoru's listening ears. He decided that the recounting
would end now, before Usagi ended up rebuilding the walls that
had took him years to pull down.
He pulled her fully into his arms and kissed her temple,
murmuring to her that the story would have to be continued the
next evening. At her nod, he turned to the four other girls in
the room. Mamoru could see that they wanted to run up and wrap
Usagi in their arms in their tear-tracked faces. But they were
afraid. With a quick realization on why they were scared, he
turned to Motoki.
"Get her down to the car. We'll finish this tomorrow. I
need to talk to the girls," At Shingo's pleading gaze, he nodded,
letting the boy know he could stay with them that evening. After
the three left the room, Mamoru turned to the girls.
"I know that we never really got a chance to get to know
each other before, but I am the one who knows Usako the most
now, and I need to let you all know. She does NOT blame you.
She never did, but she was too scared to let you know. Don't
blame yourselves either. I couldn't even tell what was going
on back then until I found her, and heaven knows that I should
have seen it the way that I was always watching her"
"Why didn't she tell us why Mamoru-san...Why?" the usually
even headed Ami sobbed, but then again, Ami had not been very
even headed in a few years.
"That is for her to tell, not I. There is more to this story."
He laughed bitterly, "Gods there is more to this story." He shoved
his left hand through his hair frustratingly to pull it out of his
face. "We will be back tomorrow, same time to finish this, or you
can come to our place." That was when the girls finally noticed the
ring on Mamoru's finger.
*************************
AN: Aren't I evil? I'm sorry about the somewhat graphic scenes
between Usagi and her mother, but it is not what it seems, so get
ready for a long ride. I know I said that this chapter was going
to be a lot longer, but I didn't want to leave you all out in the
cold while I piled on more. The next part should be out in a few
days, so, I'll see you then!
If you are or know someone who is currently suffering abuse, whether
verbal, physical or sexual, please seek help. No one has the right
to hurt you no matter who you are.
Author: SailorSpectra@msn.com
Rating: PG-13 for language and disturbing violence.
Summary: Usagi disappeared years ago, and the Senshi were never
able to find her. What happens when she comes home, married and
completely different?
Author's Notes: Sorry this took a week to come out! I had finals
start as soon as I released the prologue, so I had to do those
before I wrote anymore. Anyhow, as a quick warning, nothing in
this chapter is as it seems, even to the characters, so please
stick with it. Everything will be revealed in time.
Thank you to all of you who reviewed! It kept me wanting
to write more :) I'm sorry if I did not respond personally to
your review, but it was because there was no e-mail addy included.
Well, here you go, and enjoy.
Usagi allowed her husband's hand to help her out of their
Corvette. Stepping towards the mountain of steps that lead to
Cherry Hill Temple, she sighed when she sensed Mamoru was once
again standing next to her.
"What time did Motoki-onii-kun say he would get here again?"
"He should be here any sec...Speak of the devil." The couple
turned towards the bright red Miata just pulling up behind their
own black car. Usagi's face cracked up into a smile, the first
time since her meeting with Minako earlier that day. As soon as
the tall blond stepped around his car, Usagi bounced into his
arms burrowing into his neck. After a quick hug, Usagi stepped
back.
"You look exactly the same," she said grinning.
"I could say the same for you." It was true. Despite the
depression that the young woman had endured, she only looked
slightly older than she had 5 years prior. She had not grown
any taller, and her pigtail hairstyle was probably what added
to her youthful look.
"How is Reiko-chan?"
"Glowing. The baby is due in 4 months. She can't wait to
see you."
"I'm glad." Dragging her friend over to her husband, the
two grinned at each other. The happy mood surrounding the three
quickly dissipated when Usagi turned back to the steps.
"Are you sure that you are ready to do this Usako?"
A chagrined look crossed her face. "And this coming from the
man who kept pressing me to contact them for so long?" at his
concerned look she tightened her lips and added, "Yes Mamo-chan.
It's been too long, and they are already waiting for me." And with
that the blonde began the upward journey to her destiny.
*******************************************************************
Rei looked around the silent room at the 2 cats, the 3
other women she had known for so long, and at the 17-year-old
brother of her best friend who sat beside the tall brunette.
The room had been silent since the first person had entered.
The wounds were still too fresh, despite the years that separated
them from each other.
She tried to be the best hostess that she could before they
appeared, having set up some platters with food, only to find that
when they all arrived, everyone refused to speak to each other.
Surprisingly enough, Minako had been the first to enter
followed by Makoto and Shingo. When the two women had seen each
other, they both clammed up, which was understandable seeing as
what they said to each other. Not that it got any better when Ami
arrived. Truth was, the uncomfortable air in the room increased
ten-fold. She had been the first to lose her temper at the battle
that had started the major sift in their friendship. So they sat
and waited until their guest of honor arrived.
*********************************************************************
Upon reaching the porch of the temple, Mamoru fumbled for
Usagi's hands. "For luck," he replied at her questioning look.
She looked over her right shoulder to insure that Motoki was
still there, and he smiled at her, trying to give her comfort
any which way he could.
Taking a deep breath, Usagi slid the door to the shrine
open, and stepped over the threshold with her husband and their
best friend.
The three stopped right inside the uncomfortably silent
room, with Mamoru and Usagi glancing around at the people (and
cats) situated at different corners. "Uh, Hi every one... " This
still generated no response from anyone, and Usagi was beginning
to worry. Suddenly a cry broke the silence, and Usagi found herself
wrapped in Shingo's arms and he was sobbing openly onto her shoulder.
She did the first thing that came into her mind, which was to try to
soothe him, by running her hand over his head, the same way her
mother...no, she would not think of that woman. "Shh, it's ok
Shingo-kun, I won't leave you anymore. I'm so sorry." She whimpered
helplessly onto his head.
Holding back tears, she looked around the room at the other
girls, not knowing what to say. Rei was the first to speak up.
"Why Usagi?"
"Luna didn't tell you?" Usagi looked at Luna in surprise.
"You didn't tell them anything?" at the cat's shake of the head,
she asked why.
"Usagi, I don't know why you left. I had my suspicions, but
you never told me what was going on." For the first time in four
years, it dawned on her, the cat did not know, the reason being
that it was never stopped. Every time it happened, no one, except
for Shingo, was there, and she swore him into secrecy the first
time that he found her nursing her wounds.
"I guess I should start from the beginning..."
"Hold up, why are they here?" Makoto asked pointedly, gaze
shifting between Mamoru and Motoki.
"That's part of the story, Mako-chan," Usagi replied,
emphasizing the title, although everyone else, other than
Minako, had tried to push her away. "Anyhow, it all started
about a week after we found you, after we defeated Neflyte..."
****************************************************************
"Stupid Haruna-sensei. Giving me another 45 on my test."
She muttered as she slowly shuffled towards the arcade. "At
least I have one day left of freedom." She continued to the
counter at the Crown Arcade and plopped down into her seat.
Strangely disappointed that her nemesis wasn't present, she
turned to Motoki who was smiling at her. Upon seeing her
crestfallen face, he realized something was wrong.
"What happened Usa-chan?"
She pouted. "I won't be seeing you in a while Motoki-
onii-san...I got another bad grade on my test. Mama said
that the next failed test means that I am grounded for 3
weeks."
"Usa-chan, you were such a good student until you...
ah...started doing what you do. Other than your grades,
have you been getting by alright?" Motoki knew about her
nightly rendezvous with the Youma in the park. He had known
for a while, discovering it after being at an attack where
he saw Sailormoon get cut along her midriff. When he saw
Usagi the next day, she was raising her arms in an attempt
to grab her paper back from Mamoru's hands, and due to the
tailoring of the school uniforms, he saw that Usagi had a
nasty scab in the same place where Sailormoon had been
injured. When she walked in, he told Unazuki to watch the
counter and grabbed the surprised blonde's hand before
dragging her to the staff lounge. From that moment on, he
appointed himself to be her makeshift doctor since she refused
to go to the hospital for the wounds she received in the attacks.
"No, everything else is ok. Well it is until my social
life goes down the drain when Mama finds out about this," she
added waving the paper in his face. "How I am going to get out
to do our, ah, club meetings, I have no clue. Maybe she won't
continuously come up to my room..." She sighed.
Motoki felt bad for the blonde nymph seated in front of him.
"Usa-chan, is there anything I can get you since you won't be here
for a while...It's on the house," he added with a grin.
"Thanks Onii-chan, but I'm not really hungry right now. Maybe
I can take a rain check." At his sad smile she added, "I better get
home now. Maybe she will take pity on my poor soul," she added with
a chagrinned look.
Usagi walked the rest of the way home with her head down kicking
a poor defenseless stone the entire way. Upon reaching her house, she
stopped suddenly on her porch. She could sense that something was
wrong, but she could not place it.
Stepping inside of her house, she closed the door and walked
into the kitchen where her mother was waiting for her. She froze at
the look on the blue haired woman's face.
"Haruna-sensei called," she began. "What did I tell you about
your grades?"
*********************************************************************
"Before I knew it, my mother had jumped on top of me and was
beating me senseless." At the look of horror on the 4 other girls'
and the 2 cats' faces, Usagi said, "She made sure not to hit my from
my neck up, or anywhere below the knees because she did not want to
get caught by anyone. But one day she just got sloppy," she paused
in her story telling, leaving room for the surprised women to ask
questions. They never did.
"I had been quite late in leaving the house that morning, we
had a particularly nasty Youma the night before, and I had finally
been getting to sleep after getting in when my alarm rang. Nothing
new, I got to school late, and Haruna-sensei gave me detention, and
made me hold two buckets of water out in the hallway for half an
hour. Not an easy task when your arms already feel that they have
been ripped out of the sockets because you were dragged around."
Usagi took a deep breath before she continued. Furiously blinking
back tears, she felt Mamoru squeeze her hand in his own attempt to help
her. Shingo was rubbing her back, and she could tell that he wanted
to pull her into a hug once again. Wiping her face with her free
hand, she resumed. "Well, I got home and she was particularly upset.
One of the blows landed on my calf right before she threw me out
again. I couldn't tell any of you what was going on..."
"Why Usagi-chan? Why the hell couldn't you have told us?"
Makoto asked her, tears openly running down her face.
Usagi looked at Makoto for a long time before carefully
responding, "I didn't trust you."
"What do you mean, you didn't trust us? After having had
pulled your ass out of danger countless numbers of times, you
still didn't trust us?"
"Mako-chan, that's just it. I knew that you would want to
protect me, but I was afraid of what you would do to my mother
if you found out. She is my mother you know, even if she doesn't
act like it." Seeing that there were no further interruptions,
she continued. "Anyhow, after she threw me out, I headed out,
any where, cause by that point, I didn't really give a damn
where I ended-up." Usagi gathered her breath to continue the
story when a deeper voice continued from where she stopped.
"Luckily, she ended up at the arcade. Usa-imo-chan had
just been by earlier that day, so I was pretty surprised when
she showed up again. Not as surprised as when I saw her limping,
and then again when I saw the giant black bruise on her leg. I
pulled her to the back to ask if there had been another attack
that she had fought at that I didn't know..."
"You told him?" Ami asked disbelieving.
Shaking her head, "no, he found out." At the senshis'
questioning looks, Usagi explained how Motoki had discovered
before allowing him to continue.
"Anyhow, she spilled, no longer being able to hold it
in. If it weren't for how bad the bruises were, for how much
Usa-imo-chan needed a shoulder to cry on, there wouldn't have
been much of Ikuko left for you guys even if you had found
out about it all."
"I convinced him not to tell anyone, telling him that
it would be worse if Shingo-kun and I were sent away to
orphanages and I was pulled away from the duties." She felt
Mamoru's hand tighten at the mention of the orphanage, and
she unconsciously soothed him by slowly running her thumb
over the web of his hand.
"So it kept going." Minako whispered, tears brimming
in her eyes.
Usagi looked her dead on. "No Mina-chan, it gets worse.
Much, MUCH worse...and one day, it just reached the final
straw."
*********************************************************************
Usagi had finally been able to find a position where
her mattress springs did not dig too deeply into her bruises
when her stupid cat had to scratch her.
"Damn it Luna, what now?"
If the language surprised the cat, it didn't show, but
how much could it show? She was covered in fur. "There's an
attack. You have to transform and get down the park! I'll meet
you there Usagi-chan." With that, the cat jumped out the window.
Usagi, muttering uncomplimentary thoughts about the
Generals and how unoriginal they were with their fight
scenarios, dragged herself out the window and transformed behind
the tree facing her room. With renewed energy that she knew would
only last for a few minutes until the fight actually began, she ran,
actually flew down the street and across the rooftops, reaching the
park in moments.
The Youma was hideous, just as they usually were, but this one
had an extra ugly gene compared to the rest she thought. Seeing that
the girls were starting to tire, she jumped out and spewed another
stupid poem of hers. She sardonically grinned at her ability to
blurt out complete and utter manure whenever she needed to.
Unfortunately, that talent of hers could not help her with school.
She was barely finished with the stupid saying, of which
she couldn't even remember anymore since she knew it was crap,
when the stupid Youma turned to her and launched an attack. For
once not being frozen to her spot, which she rooted to the fact
that she was too incredibly exhausted for whatever hypnotic trance
that the Youma always had her in, she dodged. Taking in the surprised
look of the monstrosity, she took the moment to launch
her attack.
God's it was so painful, the attack. How could it not be?
You are one person standing there throwing out how many volts
or rays or whatever the pure energy attack is measured in, through
a little metal rod. All of the energy is being focused on being
pushed through your hands. The other girls never knew how raw
and burned her hands were after the attacks, and she planned to
keep it that way.
Surprisingly enough, the Youma was instantly dusted.
"Wow, they must be getting either incredibly lazy, or just
incredibly desperate to be sending out the ones they have been
lately." Makoto stifled a yawn. "I don't know about you guys,
but I'm going back to sleep. See ya tomorrow!" And with that
she flitted away in the direction of her apartment. The other
girls, finally feeling the effect from the lack of sleep all said
their own good byes and left for their homes. Usagi turned to Luna
who had come out of the bush she hid in during the battle.
"Usagi-chan, do you think you can make it home? I want to head
over and consult with Artemis about what he thinks is the cause for
these multitude of attacks."
"Sure Luna, I'm positive that you two will be doing a lot of
consulting." She dodged the attack that the cat swung at her and
giggled as she ran home.
Climbing the tree out her window, she realized with horror
that it was closed and locked. "Oh my God, did she find out?"
Sliding back down, she headed to the back door that was never
locked. She slipped in, quietly latching the door behind her,
and paled at what she saw before her.
*****************************************************************
Her mother stood with a marble rolling pin in one hand
and a brick in the other. Feet spaced apart, she snarled at
her daughter. "What did I say about going out young lady?"
And with that, she hurled herself and her weapons at her
daughter.
The young girl could feel ribs cracking when the pin
struck the first blow. Keeling over in an attempt to protect
herself, she realized that it wasn't working. She fought back
as hard as she could in her detrasformed form, but it wasn't
enough. Her mother seemed to be possessed. But she knew the
truth. A daughter who only brought disgrace to her family had
to be dealt with in this way.
It seemed like an eternity passed while she lay there being
beaten. But she could not tell. But extreme relief passed over
her when her mother spit on her and left her lying on the floor.
The relief lasted only a moment though. The woman returned, and
grabbing the battered girl's feet, she dragged her out the front
door and kicked her down the porch.
"Leave," she said bitterly. "You are not my daughter and
therefore not welcomed in my home. Leave and never come back."
With that, she turned on her heel and slammed the door behind
her.
Usagi did not know how long she lay on the grass before
she gathered the strength to pull herself into a somewhat
standing position. Vaguely knowing that she needed medical
attention, she started towards Motoki's house.
Halfway there, she fell to the ground, unable to keep
what was left of her dinner down. She knew that she wouldn't
be able to get to Motoki's in time. But she prayed that she
did not die before she had a chance to say goodbye. In front
of the park Usagi laid, unconscious.
************************************************************************
"And that's where Mamo-chan found me," she whispered.
The strain in her voice was evident, and did not pass lightly
over Mamoru's listening ears. He decided that the recounting
would end now, before Usagi ended up rebuilding the walls that
had took him years to pull down.
He pulled her fully into his arms and kissed her temple,
murmuring to her that the story would have to be continued the
next evening. At her nod, he turned to the four other girls in
the room. Mamoru could see that they wanted to run up and wrap
Usagi in their arms in their tear-tracked faces. But they were
afraid. With a quick realization on why they were scared, he
turned to Motoki.
"Get her down to the car. We'll finish this tomorrow. I
need to talk to the girls," At Shingo's pleading gaze, he nodded,
letting the boy know he could stay with them that evening. After
the three left the room, Mamoru turned to the girls.
"I know that we never really got a chance to get to know
each other before, but I am the one who knows Usako the most
now, and I need to let you all know. She does NOT blame you.
She never did, but she was too scared to let you know. Don't
blame yourselves either. I couldn't even tell what was going
on back then until I found her, and heaven knows that I should
have seen it the way that I was always watching her"
"Why didn't she tell us why Mamoru-san...Why?" the usually
even headed Ami sobbed, but then again, Ami had not been very
even headed in a few years.
"That is for her to tell, not I. There is more to this story."
He laughed bitterly, "Gods there is more to this story." He shoved
his left hand through his hair frustratingly to pull it out of his
face. "We will be back tomorrow, same time to finish this, or you
can come to our place." That was when the girls finally noticed the
ring on Mamoru's finger.
*************************
AN: Aren't I evil? I'm sorry about the somewhat graphic scenes
between Usagi and her mother, but it is not what it seems, so get
ready for a long ride. I know I said that this chapter was going
to be a lot longer, but I didn't want to leave you all out in the
cold while I piled on more. The next part should be out in a few
days, so, I'll see you then!
If you are or know someone who is currently suffering abuse, whether
verbal, physical or sexual, please seek help. No one has the right
to hurt you no matter who you are.
