AN: I know it's been a long time since I've updated this story but some
very nice and persistent readers have insisted I get the next chapter up,
so here it goes. ^-^
Chapter Five:
The three tall men sighed in relief and stretched their cramped arms and legs. Seiya moaned in reprieve as he extended his arms over his head, staring up at the inky sky above him. It was filled with twinkling stars and he could see the crescent moon arched over him, glowing with an ethereal light.
He sighed and released his arms, letting them drop to rest on the cold railing in front of him. The lake was stretched out before him, a glassy black façade reflecting the lights of the city on the other side. A slight breeze lifted tendrils of his long hair and irritably he flicked it from his face. He would have to cut it, he thought silently, and then stopped, his eyes closing slowly as the heady scent of cherry blossoms wafted into his nose. His fingers gripped the rail. Gods, even the air carried a reminder of her.
"Seiya."
Seiya sighed again, deeply, willing his fingers to let go of the rail and to turn to face his companions.
Taiki was looking at him intently, his dark eyes masking his emotions, as usual. His stance was casual, his lean arms crossed loosely over his chest. "We need to find a place." He said his deep voice somber and severe.
Seiya nodded and turned to look at Yaten, who was sprawled out over a near by bench, staring blankly up at the sky. Seiya walked over slowly, his hands shoved deep in the pockets of his slacks. Another slight stirring of the wind lifted the lapels of his blue button up shirt and he hunched his shoulders, trying not to breathe in. The last thing he needed was to be turned on again by a smell.
"Yaten. We're going." His voice was quiet when he stopped by his friend. Yaten's long hair was dragging on the ground and Seiya almost smiled when he thought of his feminine friend trying to brush the leaves and dirt out of his silky locks.
"Yeah. I know." Yaten exhaled and pushed himself up. He looked around, his green eyes flickering in the light of the street lamp. "It's good to be back. I'd forgotten how alive it feels here."
Seiya nodded, understanding what Yaten meant. Every fiber and particle of his body was singing with joy and unfulfilled longing. The air was crisp and clean and was rolling with energy.
"I know—"Seiya stopped abruptly, his eyes falling on the purse that Yaten must have been laying on. He hadn't ever seen it before but somehow he had this feeling...
He grabbed it, his stomach clenching with tension. Its snap opened under his strong fingers and he pulled a white and pink wallet from inside. He flipped it open, his fingers trembling slightly. Mentally, he was laughing at himself for being so stupid. It couldn't possibly be...His heart flipped. There was a picture of Mamoru in the picture flap. He flipped to the next one. Rei. The next: Mina with Makoto. Ami was in the next one with her arm wrapped around Michiru's neck. He held his breath as his fingers fumbled to the last one. It was Haruka, with a rare grin on her normally solemn face, and one strong arm draped around a petit blonde's shoulder-- Usako--his lady. Gods.
~**~
Usagi groaned with frustration as she fumbled for her beeping alarm clock. She swore when she bumped it and it hit the floor, making a fatal 'errrp' sound. At least the annoying beeping had stopped. She sighed and flopped back in bed, blinking slowly until her white ceiling came into focus.
She still felt groggy and wondered why her head hurt so much. Then the events of yesterday slowly filtered back into her mind, pushing her from sleepiness into full reality.
What had she done?
Not only had she not talked at all with the scouts about this, but they didn't even know that their futures were gone. They were all alone with nothing left except the memory of what might have been.
How could she have been so stupid and selfish?
Usagi sat up and ground her fists into her closed eyes, willing away her headache. Gods, how could she have been so stupid? What was going to happen? Was Chibi Usa already gone? Usagi shook her head. No, the girl didn't even exist yet, and now, thanks to her own selfishness, she never would. Usagi ignored the ache in her heart and pushed herself out of bed, trudging to the shower slowly.
Under the hot steam, she methodically scrubbed away the guilt and shame, trying so hard not to think of the repercussions of her reckless actions. She turned the water off and toweled herself dry.
Her clothes from the night before were lying in a crumpled mess on her bedroom floor. She picked them up and tossed them into the dirty clothes hamper, then pulled down a t-shirt and a pair of jean shorts from her closet. Her bra was hanging by a strap over the edge of her dresser and piles of fresh underwear were in a laundry basket. She dressed without hurry, trying to concentrate only on dressing herself. The blue t-shirt clung to her back where her hair hung down in a wet curtain, and she unceremoniously pulled her mass of hair into a loose bun on the nape of her neck.
Fully dressed, she padded barefoot into her kitchen, pulling down a bowl and the half-eaten box of cereal in the cupboard. She didn't have milk, so she ate the cereal dry, barely tasting it in her mouth.
What were the girls going to say to her? She could well imagine Rei attacking her, and Makoto trying to hold the smaller priestess back. Minako would be upset, and Ami would probably just stand up and walk out without a word. Usagi's stomach clenched with apprehension, and she shoved her bowl of dry cereal away, suddenly realizing it tasted like cardboard in her mouth.
She resisted the urge to cry and rested her forehead in her palms. What had possessed her...? She wasn't in love with Mamoru anymore but that didn't mean that she couldn't have sacrificed her own feelings so that she could make the scouts happy. And Mamoru...
Usagi choked back a sob when the image of his face last night surfaced in her mind. He'd looked so shocked and hurt before he'd hidden it under that mask he always wore. What was he supposed to do with the rest of his life now? She'd taken away everything just because of some stupid—
Usagi's fingers fumbled for the golden oval locket hanging from the twisted golden chain at her breast and ripped the necklace over her head, hurling it across the kitchen. It made a 'tink' sound when it hit the wall and dropped to the floor.
A tiny sweet melody drifted to her ears and she covered them as if they'd been burned. She couldn't listen to that song anymore. It was tearing her apart.
Seiya had left her and he wasn't going to come back.
Tears pooled in her cerulean eyes. She let a broken sob escape her lips and stumbled from her chair, sinking slowly beside the small melodic locket. Usagi picked it up, her vision swimming with the tears clouding her eyes. The minute picture of Seiya, grinning at the camera, his blue eyes shining, started out at her. He looked so happy.
Another sob escaped as she slid the necklace over her head with trembling fingers. The cool metal came to rest in the sweet valley between her breasts, and warmed with the heat of her skin.
Usagi wiped her face and resolutely stood up. The girls were going to want to know about what happened and she should be the one to tell them. If they hated her for it, so be it, but she had remembered why she could not go back to living a lie.
Her heart and soul already belonged to another.
~**~
Well? Let me know if you're still interested in hearing the rest. If you are, I'll write another chapter. If not...well, there wouldn't be a point in writing it.
Chapter Five:
The three tall men sighed in relief and stretched their cramped arms and legs. Seiya moaned in reprieve as he extended his arms over his head, staring up at the inky sky above him. It was filled with twinkling stars and he could see the crescent moon arched over him, glowing with an ethereal light.
He sighed and released his arms, letting them drop to rest on the cold railing in front of him. The lake was stretched out before him, a glassy black façade reflecting the lights of the city on the other side. A slight breeze lifted tendrils of his long hair and irritably he flicked it from his face. He would have to cut it, he thought silently, and then stopped, his eyes closing slowly as the heady scent of cherry blossoms wafted into his nose. His fingers gripped the rail. Gods, even the air carried a reminder of her.
"Seiya."
Seiya sighed again, deeply, willing his fingers to let go of the rail and to turn to face his companions.
Taiki was looking at him intently, his dark eyes masking his emotions, as usual. His stance was casual, his lean arms crossed loosely over his chest. "We need to find a place." He said his deep voice somber and severe.
Seiya nodded and turned to look at Yaten, who was sprawled out over a near by bench, staring blankly up at the sky. Seiya walked over slowly, his hands shoved deep in the pockets of his slacks. Another slight stirring of the wind lifted the lapels of his blue button up shirt and he hunched his shoulders, trying not to breathe in. The last thing he needed was to be turned on again by a smell.
"Yaten. We're going." His voice was quiet when he stopped by his friend. Yaten's long hair was dragging on the ground and Seiya almost smiled when he thought of his feminine friend trying to brush the leaves and dirt out of his silky locks.
"Yeah. I know." Yaten exhaled and pushed himself up. He looked around, his green eyes flickering in the light of the street lamp. "It's good to be back. I'd forgotten how alive it feels here."
Seiya nodded, understanding what Yaten meant. Every fiber and particle of his body was singing with joy and unfulfilled longing. The air was crisp and clean and was rolling with energy.
"I know—"Seiya stopped abruptly, his eyes falling on the purse that Yaten must have been laying on. He hadn't ever seen it before but somehow he had this feeling...
He grabbed it, his stomach clenching with tension. Its snap opened under his strong fingers and he pulled a white and pink wallet from inside. He flipped it open, his fingers trembling slightly. Mentally, he was laughing at himself for being so stupid. It couldn't possibly be...His heart flipped. There was a picture of Mamoru in the picture flap. He flipped to the next one. Rei. The next: Mina with Makoto. Ami was in the next one with her arm wrapped around Michiru's neck. He held his breath as his fingers fumbled to the last one. It was Haruka, with a rare grin on her normally solemn face, and one strong arm draped around a petit blonde's shoulder-- Usako--his lady. Gods.
~**~
Usagi groaned with frustration as she fumbled for her beeping alarm clock. She swore when she bumped it and it hit the floor, making a fatal 'errrp' sound. At least the annoying beeping had stopped. She sighed and flopped back in bed, blinking slowly until her white ceiling came into focus.
She still felt groggy and wondered why her head hurt so much. Then the events of yesterday slowly filtered back into her mind, pushing her from sleepiness into full reality.
What had she done?
Not only had she not talked at all with the scouts about this, but they didn't even know that their futures were gone. They were all alone with nothing left except the memory of what might have been.
How could she have been so stupid and selfish?
Usagi sat up and ground her fists into her closed eyes, willing away her headache. Gods, how could she have been so stupid? What was going to happen? Was Chibi Usa already gone? Usagi shook her head. No, the girl didn't even exist yet, and now, thanks to her own selfishness, she never would. Usagi ignored the ache in her heart and pushed herself out of bed, trudging to the shower slowly.
Under the hot steam, she methodically scrubbed away the guilt and shame, trying so hard not to think of the repercussions of her reckless actions. She turned the water off and toweled herself dry.
Her clothes from the night before were lying in a crumpled mess on her bedroom floor. She picked them up and tossed them into the dirty clothes hamper, then pulled down a t-shirt and a pair of jean shorts from her closet. Her bra was hanging by a strap over the edge of her dresser and piles of fresh underwear were in a laundry basket. She dressed without hurry, trying to concentrate only on dressing herself. The blue t-shirt clung to her back where her hair hung down in a wet curtain, and she unceremoniously pulled her mass of hair into a loose bun on the nape of her neck.
Fully dressed, she padded barefoot into her kitchen, pulling down a bowl and the half-eaten box of cereal in the cupboard. She didn't have milk, so she ate the cereal dry, barely tasting it in her mouth.
What were the girls going to say to her? She could well imagine Rei attacking her, and Makoto trying to hold the smaller priestess back. Minako would be upset, and Ami would probably just stand up and walk out without a word. Usagi's stomach clenched with apprehension, and she shoved her bowl of dry cereal away, suddenly realizing it tasted like cardboard in her mouth.
She resisted the urge to cry and rested her forehead in her palms. What had possessed her...? She wasn't in love with Mamoru anymore but that didn't mean that she couldn't have sacrificed her own feelings so that she could make the scouts happy. And Mamoru...
Usagi choked back a sob when the image of his face last night surfaced in her mind. He'd looked so shocked and hurt before he'd hidden it under that mask he always wore. What was he supposed to do with the rest of his life now? She'd taken away everything just because of some stupid—
Usagi's fingers fumbled for the golden oval locket hanging from the twisted golden chain at her breast and ripped the necklace over her head, hurling it across the kitchen. It made a 'tink' sound when it hit the wall and dropped to the floor.
A tiny sweet melody drifted to her ears and she covered them as if they'd been burned. She couldn't listen to that song anymore. It was tearing her apart.
Seiya had left her and he wasn't going to come back.
Tears pooled in her cerulean eyes. She let a broken sob escape her lips and stumbled from her chair, sinking slowly beside the small melodic locket. Usagi picked it up, her vision swimming with the tears clouding her eyes. The minute picture of Seiya, grinning at the camera, his blue eyes shining, started out at her. He looked so happy.
Another sob escaped as she slid the necklace over her head with trembling fingers. The cool metal came to rest in the sweet valley between her breasts, and warmed with the heat of her skin.
Usagi wiped her face and resolutely stood up. The girls were going to want to know about what happened and she should be the one to tell them. If they hated her for it, so be it, but she had remembered why she could not go back to living a lie.
Her heart and soul already belonged to another.
~**~
Well? Let me know if you're still interested in hearing the rest. If you are, I'll write another chapter. If not...well, there wouldn't be a point in writing it.
