She's Back... - Chapter Three
Lady Nakosha
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As you've noticed, I've changed a lot of the things that happened, but they will lead up to the same events that have happened in the previous version of "She's Back" so don't think that I'm completely altering the plot or anything! Usagi will feel the same about everything that she has before—confused and completely lost!—but it's just that I'm changing how she goes about finding out her feelings and I'm just improving the plot and making things more realistic, I guess.
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ALL STANDARD DISCLAIMERS APPLY
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Usagi only made it as far as past the counter before Motoki grabbed her hand firmly and slowly turned her around to face him. "Usagi!"
Usagi's eyes were watery with unshed tears. Motoki's heart melted at her look of such vulnerability. "Usagi, please just... please don't run off. Stay, will ya?"
Usagi shook her head; she avoided eye contact with him at all costs. "I can't, Motoki. I need to go. I wasn't lying to Mina when I told her that I had a lot of things to still do."
"I understand that. But are they really that imperative that you need to run off from the man that you just shared this... amazing kiss with?"
"Motoki..." A voice hollered from a few feet behind Usagi. He was so close to her that she was sure she could feel his heavy, warm breath on the back of her neck.
Usagi whipped around, her eyes widened in a combination of horror and surprise. Oh, shit... Usagi froze as she instantly recognized the voice and the face. How could she not? He was her ex-lover, ex-soul mate, ex- everything to her. Mamoru. Usagi shot Motoki a panicked look and edged closer towards him.
Why had she been so careless? Of course Mamoru or any of her friends would come to the arcade. Maybe not in the purpose of finding her, but it was a strong probability that they would come here.
Motoki's hand unconsciously touched her shoulder and he gave her a reassuring squeeze.
Usagi despised herself, her heart mostly, for softening at the familiar sight of his ebony hair that he would affectionately ruffle whenever he was nervous and at the single glimpse of his soulful cobalt depths that still held that alluring, haunted gleam, Usagi felt that idiotic cardiovascular muscle also known as her heart pick up and thud unnaturally quickly against her ribcage.
His unquestionably handsome, chiseled features made Usagi's stomach knot together in a ball of nervousness, dread, and actual desire in seeing him. What was she, fourteen? "Ummm..." Usagi trailed off, what exactly were you supposed to say to your ex-boyfriend who cheated on you with your ex-best friend?
"Mamoru, what's up?" Motoki casually asked as he slipped behind the counter and smoothly poured him a cup of coffee while passing it down to Mamoru in one fluent movement.
"Nothing much." Mamoru shot Motoki a sly look and glanced at Usagi with a curious, guarded look. "But I see that you've been pretty busy."
Motoki blushed furiously. "God, you ass, what were you doing spying on—"
Mamoru clapped him on the shoulder. "Chill, my man. I was just kidding around with you, Motoki."
Usagi lowered her eyes in embarrassment. He had heard them talking? He knew that she and Motoki had been, to put it bluntly, making out in the backroom and now he was teasing him about it?
She must have been thrown back into the past because she felt like an awkward fourteen year old all over again, with Mamoru teasing Motoki and her as Usagi stood to the side with an uncomfortable smile plastered across to her face.
Motoki leaned closer to him and snuck a glance at Usagi. Her face was sickly white and her eyes were wide and had the deer-caught-in-headlights look. This promised to be interesting. "Yeah... so is there something I can do for you, buddy? Something you wanted to talk about? With me?" He added inconspicuously, but he could tell Usagi had caught it as she looked at him with an amused smile. Mamoru wouldn't stop staring at her every five seconds it seemed. Did he know who she was?
How could he have figured it out so quickly if he did know? Motoki mused silently. He's always seemed a bit more in tune with his inner self; he's always been the type to just know things about people.
Motoki just hoped that this one time he would prove to be wrong. But if he had hit close to home... Motoki would have to find a way to get rid of Mamoru before he did fully piece together the puzzle. "I just wanted to talk to you about her." Mamoru emphasized his words wholly, making sure that Usagi heard the great importance behind the meaning of whom he was speaking of.
Motoki noted on how poorly Mamoru was trying to implement his curiosity on who Usagi was. Well, Motoki wasn't about to be the one to enlighten him.
Motoki raised his brow in mild amusement. "Yeah? What about her?" he looked at Mamoru critically. "Are you sure this is the... well, time to talk about this?"
Motoki heard Usagi softly suck in her breath. Mamoru's intense gaze penetrated Motoki down to his very core. "Um, yeah. You're right, this probably isn't the time to talk about this." He glanced at Usagi from the corner of his eye and gestured vaguely in her direction. "I can see that I seemed to have interrupted something." He finished lamely after looking over at Usagi for the hundredth time.
Motoki could've sworn Mamoru's cheeks had become a pinkish color. Was it possible that Mamoru Chiba, intimidating, Mr. Leave-Me-the-Hell-Alone was actually blushing? This had proved to be more interesting than Motoki would have formerly thought... "Are you sure, man?"
"Yeah, yeah, definitely." Mamoru forced himself to laugh. "I just wanted to see you, you know? We haven't kept in touch in so long that I just wanted to visit you and catch up on a few... things."
Or people, Usagi thought bitterly, her eyes burning holes into his chest. Ha. If only I was so lucky.
Motoki pretended that a fourth of what Mamoru was saying actually made sense and to play along to Mamoru's odd, disbelieving game. "Okay, yeah, I'm glad you did stop by. Despite that you did seem to catch me in a bit of a compromising position." He motioned his head, ever so slightly; to Usagi that almost she didn't see it.
God, why did they keep on referring to her as if she was a freaking whore that Motoki had been discovered seeing? She decided to play up to the role that had been forcedly handed to her. "Well, Motoki," Usagi purred, giving him, what she hoped, to be something resembling sultry. "don't you have to get back to... work?" she asked innocently, implying more than just working in the arcade.
Usagi fought to suppress the laughter that bubbled up within her at the look of shock written across faces of both of the men. It was Motoki's turn to become flustered and a fumbling twelve-year-old. "Well..."
Mamoru looked Usagi in the eye, well close to it. "I—I—didn't know—that you—"
"Not many people know, Mr. Chiba." Usagi fluttered her eyelashes dramatically. She was so overdoing her act... but she couldn't help enjoying herself, for once, in the process! "Not many."
Then her enjoyment evaporated when she realized her mistake along with Mamoru and Motoki. Mamoru looked at her suspiciously as the wheels in his head began to turn. "I never told you my last name..."
Motoki, who seemed to have taken on the role as the hero who saved the damsel from distress, stepped in. "Mamoru. Now come on. You've got to go, remember?"
"Right..."
"So, it was nice seeing you, but like Us—you heard, I've got to get back to work." He said, correcting his close mistake.
Mamoru nodded to each of them, although his look lingered on Usagi before he rushed out, his deep green jacket flapping behind him.
Usagi let her already trembling legs buckle beneath her as she collapsed into the booth. She realized that she had been holding her breath when she had been waiting for Mamoru to disappear from sight. She felt a bit light headed and dizzy... maybe holding her breath hadn't been the best thing to do...
"Are you okay?"
"What do you think?" She began picking at the all ready ripped up upholstery with vehemence as she channeled her frustration into the poor booth's cushion.
"Yeah, stupid question, I'm sorry..."
"Do you think that he realized it was me?" Usagi asked as she laid her hand over her forehead in mental exhaustion.
Honestly, maybe. "No, no, I don't think so." Motoki lied, but only to spare her. He had already broken his first promise that he had made to her...
"I can't believe that... I just can't believe seeing him for the first time in five years." Her eyes shimmered with an emotion Motoki couldn't recognize. "It was unreal. It was completely unreal and nerve-wracking at the same time. I couldn't even speak, I was so petrified he may figure out it was me. It was like being with Mina only multiplied by a hundred- thousand."
Truthfully, Usagi was a bit disappointed in Mamoru's ability to recognize his past lover, the woman that he had shared a love with that had spanned over a thousand years. Not that she wanted him to realize who she was, but still, was she that forgettable? Had she and him not put in some quality time together before the unfathomable happened?
"Mmm-hmm." Motoki murmured, pre-occupied. He knew of Usagi's forgiving and loving nature. He couldn't help but to hope that Mamoru wouldn't recognize or find out about Usagi's reappearance until he and she had... committed to each other fully. He knew his wish was selfish, but he worried that if Mamoru was persuasive enough and if Mamoru changed his mind about Rei, which he could be prone to do and was known for doing, he could sway Usagi to come back to him.
That worried him more than anything. He had a chance with her, an actual chance! He had watched from afar as Mamoru had stole Usagi's young heart and trampled it countless times, and yet, Usagi would always go back to him, her pain forgotten the moment that they were together and in love.
It won't happen again. The past won't repeat itself, Motoki promised himself. He would love Usagi more than Mamoru could ever hope to!
Usagi placed her hand on top of Motoki's comfortingly. Motoki stared at it with fascination as he came back from his thoughts. Her hand was so much smaller and more delicate than his would ever be, with artistically slender fingers, and unlike his, they weren't callused and rough, but soft and smooth. Her grip wasn't exactly girlish either, Mamoru noticed as her fingers tensed.
He knew that her hands weren't the sexiest part of her body... but it was the way they felt and how she touched him that made the moment so intimate and made a flicker of hope that he had a chance with her...
It only strengthened his promise to himself that he would earn Usagi's love and unlike Mamoru, he wouldn't crush her heart a million times in order to satisfy his insecurities about her love for him.
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"Mamoru," Makoto began airily, "fancy meeting you here." Makoto remarked sarcastically as she quickened her pace to catch up beside him. She didn't want to lag behind and miss a single opportunity to cut him down to pieces.
"It's is odd, isn't it? Seeing people walk down sidewalks that happen to lead to their apartments." He quipped dryly. He wasn't in the mood to deal with her, his mind still lingered on the "mystery" girl that had practically been hanging all over Motoki.
He didn't know why couldn't get his mind off either of them. Mostly that girl. She was more than beautiful and mysterious, that secret woman that Motoki has obviously been seeing; she intrigued him... she reminded him of an old flame and Mamoru couldn't be sure, but somehow he just knew that it had to be her... Mamoru groaned quietly in frustration. But it made no sense, none at all...
"Awww, why so glum? Something wrong? Did you and Rei call off the wedding?" Makoto didn't bother to disguise her hopefulness too well.
"I'm so thankful for your gleeful concern." Mamoru said icily as he speeded up, trying to lose Makoto in the crowd. "Unfortunately for you, no."
He had no such luck in trying to lose her. He should have known better, Makoto could definitely give him a run for his money if they raced. "How long has it been now, Mamoru? I'll remind you, it's been five years, as I've been keeping count. Have you?"
"Every single minute I think about how Usagi would still be here if you and Rei hadn't slept together. Every second I think about how much she has suffered and how much she must be hurting right this second. I keep thin—"
"Are you getting up to some sort of point or a moral of this twisted story?" Mamoru asked as his eyes flashed violently. He had to find a way to get rid of her. He looked over his shoulder at the arcade that was quickly growing smaller and smaller, he wanted to go back and see the woman again, to reassure himself that he was being absolutely stupid and she wasn't... wasn't... back.
Makoto smiled sardonically, she was taking obvious pleasure from his irritation. "Nope. Just for your benefit, I'm reminding you that you are a lying, cheating, idiotic, selfish bastard who deserves to burn in hell for the rest of your natural and afterlife."
"Thank you for your input on what my fate should be, but thankfully, it won't be up to you when the decision is made on my what my destiny is meant to be."
"This could have all been avoided, Mamoru. If you had just ignored your manhood's"—she snickered—"or rather lack thereof, call to have sex and cheat on your soul mate, who you were in fact supposed to be destined to love and rule alongside with in the future." She glared at him with angry, accusing eyes, "But all of that is gone. Did you even think of Chibi-Usa? Of how she probably no longer even exists anymore? Did you think of how your choices doesn't just affect you, but it affects the existence and futures of others—"
"Makoto, I'm very close to hurting you. In about five seconds I'm going to go against my policy of hurting the female race—"
"—That's funny, really, because you didn't seem to think that when you slept with Rei and destroyed, absolutely broke, Usagi—"
"—Physically, physically hurting women."
Makoto turned her face to the heavens above and raised her upturned palms to the skies above. "Oh good! I'm so relieved, Mamoru! You have morals, how wonderful!"
Mamoru's mouth clenched in frustration as her hateful, spiteful words reverberated in his mind. "I do have morals, Makoto. It was a lapse of better judgment to cheat on Usagi and I regret the pain that I've burdened her with, but what seemed to be a mistake was also a blessing."
Makoto nodded. "Of course Rei was a gift to you. She was the only thing that you had left."
Mamoru knew that her words held truth, but he couldn't help but to wish that she was an enemy or a guy at least, so that he could rip her head off or at least twist her arm or something to get her to shut up. "You're wrong. I love Rei. You have no idea what you're talking about."
Makoto was in his face so fast, that Mamoru stumbled backwards, surprised. "You shouldn't even be allowed to say those words that are meant for true lovers. They aren't meant to be thrown around carelessly and they sure as hell aren't for two people who were intending to have a one night stand that they planned on telling no one about."
Mamoru glowered at her. "I wasn't going to keep it from Usagi. I was going to tell her because after it happened... I knew I couldn't keep it from her... it wouldn't be fair. Even I realized that."
"Mamoru, your little heartfelt lies means nothing to me. That's the biggest load of crap that I've ever heard; you were going to tell her like the good boyfriend that you were." Makoto spat angrily. What started as enjoyable torture had suddenly become chillingly serious and a tidal wave of memories. Memories of her friend that had disappeared years ago, but felt just as alive to Makoto...
"You know what? I think that after Usagi left and you figured out that she wasn't coming back to you, as you originally expected, you knew that she was the only person who could anchor you from the darkness and when you saw that with her gone, you having no one else, and since hell would freeze over before we comforted you or Rei, the smartest plan would be to stick with Rei because, well, she's the only thing left that stood between you and loneliness once again."
Mamoru turned away from her; he refused to let her see how his cheeks had suddenly become flushed with humiliation. He realized with scorn that she was partially right about his fear to be alone, but she was wrong about one thing, he loved Rei. No matter what she said in her angry display of defense for Usagi.
Makoto brushed past him, but on second thought, turned around and gave him an icy, half-hearted smirk. She was still recovering from the sudden emotions that flooded into her. "Are you going to that festival tonight? I'm pretty sure that the girls are." Her eyes lit up in mock-exuberance. "Maybe you could cheat on Rei and finish with your little plan to sleep with all the scouts! You got two out of five so far, right? You might even manage to send Rei away too! Wouldn't be that bad, would it? To send her away? It's not like you had sex with yourself, and sent Usagi away all on your own, right? Takes two to tango."
Mamoru glared at her. "Makoto, you..." he stopped himself; she was too far off to hear him anyway. Mamoru spun on his heel and continued in the opposite direction of both the arcade and Makoto. He didn't think that he'd be able to handle talking to Motoki or that... girl, even if he was in the right state of mind and not fuming from having a heated conversation with the formidable, Amazon-woman, Makoto.
Makoto had succeeded in her mission by leaving Mamoru behind in a pile of guilt, anger, and the most complicated feeling of all, confusion.
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Mina slowly dragged herself back to her apartment building. She had gotten a call from Ami earlier, inviting her to the festival that was taking place tonight, to support Motoki because he was running a booth and a big contributing part in the festival and to the church itself.
She said that she would think about it. And that was what she would do, on top of everything else that she was obligated to think about and find a solution or answer to.
But Ami's invite wasn't exactly on her mind at the moment. It was more of that strange woman who she was supposed to meet at the restaurant and discuss her modeling career with.
She had just upped and left so much without a backward glance or a second thought on how that would look to Mina. "She couldn't get away from me fast enough." Mina muttered to herself.
However, not even that, the fact that Mina had been so unappealing to dine with that that "Serena woman" had to practically run away, was what was on Mina's mind. In fact, that seemed to be one of the many other thoughts that were furthest from her mind's eye.
{AN: Right now, while I'm in Mina's thoughts, she refers to Usagi as Serena because that's how she knows her as. When she realizes the truth, then Mina will revert from calling Serena to Usagi.}
No, it was the waves of nostalgia that kept on rolling over her whenever she thought of Serena or even when the sheer image of Serena popped in Mina's mind, Mina would shiver as unrecognizable emotions flooded in her chest, inflated within her like an oversized balloon.
What was happening to her? Why was this all coming back? Mina threw her purse down in a fit of rage and frustration. Why was hope, hope that had deflated and left her years ago, suddenly blooming and more vibrant than it had ever been before? Mina hated to be so vulnerable, to be so incapable to control her own feelings.
Mina sagged as she approached an unoccupied bench. She sank into it, emotionally and mentally drained from just the past few hours. But even Mina could see that it was more than that. That the past few hours wasn't what was really draining her, it was only the tip of the ice-burg, it was only the final straw that broke the camel's back.
The past five years was what was really killing Mina inside, slowly tearing her apart at the seams until she would completely unravel into the mess that she truly was. Mina looked upward as if searching the skies for some sort of miraculous answer to her questions that hadn't been answered in five entire years. She may have known the facts, but did she truly know anything? She hadn't been there to comfort Usagi with her pain; she hadn't been there with Usagi to fully explore the reasoning behind Mamoru's actions; she hadn't been able to bitch out Rei with Usagi; or even have Usagi, with her compassionate heart, try to convince them to listen to Rei's side and not forgive her, but at least try to understand what and how it had happened.
Mina sniffed. But she couldn't. Mina could never get back that time with Usagi and there was a strong possibility that Mina would never have the opportunity to share another moment with Usagi ever again and that fact hurt more than anything. Even more than the fact that Usagi had felt that she couldn't confide in Mina or at least stayed long enough to say some sort of good-bye or just something...
And what was more ironically funny was that she still didn't know the whole story. Only that Mamoru had cheated on Usagi with Rei, and Usagi had run, she had run to God only knows where, probably America or somewhere far, far from here, away from the reminders of pain, away from—
Mina sat straight up as her thoughts came to a screeching halt. What—? She struggled to understand the inner workings of her mind, to comprehend why her heart was speeding up and chills of delight were—
Oh my gawd, Mina thought as she made the connections. Serena. Usagi. America. It didn't add up, yet it did. Mina was only vaguely familiar with Serena Kingsley's background. What was so astounding about Serena was that she was this sudden hit that came out of nowhere, no previous affiliations with any other companies, she only had a bachelor's degree with minors in fashion designing, everyone in America called her the "Cinderella story" because of her amazing way with luck. And five years after her incredible debut, she's one of most demanded designer in the business.
Usagi had run, probably America or somewhere far, far from here, away from the reminders of pain... And Mina's earlier thoughts nailed the spot, where better and further from Tokyo to run than halfway across the globe to the "land of opportunity" where Usagi might have an actual chance at another life?
Mina clapped her hand over her mouth as everything pieced together and what this would mean. Could it be...? Could Mina dare to hope that Serena was really her long-time missed friend, Usagi?
And even more than that, could she even fathom the idea that Usagi was... back?
Mina jumped up, slung the same purse that she had slammed into the ground, but was now clutching with a heart brimming with sudden hope and... a feeling where she felt complete. Totally and utterly complete.
All she had left to do was to find her friends and tell them and to...
...And to find Usagi and hug her, but only after hitting her over the head for leaving for five years and not even sending so much of a letter as to explain what was truth and what wasn't behind the entire romance scandal with the hot new model, Juan Dela Cruz!
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"Miss? Miss? Please, it's only two dollars and fifty cents—surely you can manage to spare just two dollars and a half. Surely you can." The vendor prodded as he held out the cone of cotton candy close enough to Usagi that she could smell it's sweet scent, but just far away enough that she couldn't quite take it for her own.
Usagi sighed audibly, but her taste buds were already perking up and she could already taste the sugar melting on her tongue... man, she had such a soft heart for anything sweet.
He had won her over. Usagi forked over the money and unwrapped the plastic around the candy. Peeling some off, she closed her eyes in bliss as it dissolved in her mouth after a few seconds.
She let herself sink into the taste of the cotton candy, somehow food had that affect on her, and it always had, before she returned to the reality of her life.
For a few seconds, Usagi forgot about her life, she forgot about the lies that she was leading, that her supposed soul mate had went against every rule of dating and trust and slept with her best friend. Ah. Almost.
Suddenly her cotton candy wasn't as appetizing as it had been earlier. In fact, the very mention of food seemed to make Usagi sick to her stomach. "Miss, can you—"
Usagi sharply turned around and gave the vendor a dark look before stalking off. The vendor stared at her in surprise as she pitched the treat into the trashcan beside her venomously. The vendor shook his head in confusion; their cotton candy couldn't possibly have tasted that bad.
Usagi wondered for the millionth time it seemed, why the hell she was even here. Usagi sighed as a single reason came to mind and made all the other motivations for her to leave suddenly become dull.
Motoki. He had asked her to come here and stay until his shift was over so that they could talk things over. And despite the fact that her heart was traveling in two different directions and that her heart was dividing among itself, she had complied and come anyway.
Motoki deserved the chance to speak to her, even though she was still reeling from the near confrontation with Mamoru. It had hurt so bad to see him, but at the same time it relieved her, it helped ease the pain that had been following her around like a sad, lost puppy. But then seeing him made her shake with such an anger, such a need to release the rage that fills her, that it was almost physically impossible to be around him without feeling that hurt.
Turning around, all thoughts vanished from her mind as she drew up a blank on what to say or do.
Usagi found herself standing almost in direct view of her two friends, Ami and Makoto. Seeing Makoto and Ami, standing there together, talking and chatting, sent a sharp stab into her heart. I could be there with them, if only...
But that was all her life led up to wasn't it? If onlys...
Ami caught her eye and vainly tried to distract Makoto from seeing her.
Too late, Usagi realized miserably. Makoto had already spotted her and only moments after just seeing her face, she was making a beeline straight towards her.
Had Makoto found out Usagi in the most awful, unforgivable way?
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"Makoto, wait! Please—just let me—I know it may look weird, but please... I can totally explain—and—and—don't do anything that would..." Ami tried unsuccessfully to pull back the stubborn brunette, but so far her attempts had no avail.
"Ami, get off, God, I've been waiting nearly my entire life for this chance!" Makoto said as she pulled away from Ami's sweaty, slippery fingers. "And now you're trying to steal it from me! Thanks!"
It was useless. Usagi was frozen in her spot and Makoto was nearly sprinting towards her full-force.
And Ami had to stop this somehow, even if she died in the process.
"Makoto!" Ami's voice reached all the way to Usagi. Ami was waving her arms around frantically, succeeding in looking like a madwoman. Ami ran to Makoto's side and began pulling at her arm, trying to tug her in the opposite direction.
Usagi didn't have the faintest idea what to do. Half of her wanted to see Makoto and hug her, but the other half of her was scared to death, she had no idea why, but the only thing that she was sure of was that she couldn't face her friends now, she wasn't ready...
Makoto shrugged her off and continued heading towards Usagi. Usagi's legs seemed to have rooted themselves on the spot, stubbornly refusing to move. Why couldn't she just turn around and run?
Ami looked completely fed up. She ran her fingers through her hair before a new spark lit in her eyes. Usagi didn't entirely trust that look...
Before Usagi could blink, Ami had reared up then charged into Makoto, successfully tackling her into the patch of grass beside them. Usagi stepped back as her hand flew to her throat in surprise at the scene that unfolded before her.
Ami had tackled Makoto for her! "Go Ami," Usagi rooted in barely above a whisper. She had a look of utter guilt and disbelief, while Makoto was obviously furious and perhaps amazed by the usually timid and calm girl's sudden show of physical contact and choice of violence to get her point across. Usagi took that as her chance and began running, to where, she had no idea, but all she knew that her plan was up in smokes, she definitely wasn't ready for this shit, to hell with coming back...
"You're running the wrong way!" Ami screamed to her. Usagi slowed as she let Ami's words comprehend. Oh damn, was she serious...? "You're running the wrong freaking way!"
Usagi broke from her reverie and realized her mistake. She wasn't running away from them, she was, unbelievably, instead running towards them.
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"Ami"—Inhale, exhale... Ami's your friend...—"Do you mind getting the hell off of"—("I'm trying to!")—"Me?!"
Ami slowly detangled herself from Makoto and fell back onto the grass and breathed deeply. Tackling Makoto had taken a lot more effort than she had counted on. That was odd, she thought that by multiplying the amount of force by her weight, then dividing that amount by Makoto's weight would have given her the...
"Just wondering, but what were you trying to accomplish by tackling me?" Makoto demanded as she gave Ami a rather menacing look.
"Well... to stop you..." Ami argued weakly. Ami's cheeks heated up as she began blushing furiously. "It was for your—I mean—her own good! She asked me and... and... you were going to—and... I just had to help because its my job—"
Makoto's face radiated confusion. "What are you rambling on about?"
"Ummm... I had to, Makoto, I know it may not make sense, but..."
"What exactly is so terrible about the line for Rock 'n Roll finally being short enough that I can ride it without having to wait forever?" Makoto burst out, clearly angry about losing her potential spot in line. She pointed to the ride with the growing line that had been directly behind Usagi.
Ami paled. "Oh."
Makoto threw her hands up in the air, "Unbelievable. You nearly kill me, make me lose my spot in line, and ramble on about whatever, and I get this one-worded answer of, 'Oh.'"
Ami wasn't concerned with Makoto anymore, however. From the corner of her eye, she could see Mamoru make his way over to Usagi, who had pulled a classic-Usagi by tripping over a crack in her two-inch heels, to see if she needed help.
"Makoto, this may not be the best time... but can we just skip the angry, God-I-can't-believe-you part and go straight to making up?"
Makoto gawked her, as if an alien right beneath her nose had suddenly abducted Ami. "Who are you and what the hell—"
"I know, I'm acting totally out of character—"
"I'll say, you—"
After they felt that they had interrupted each other enough, Makoto finally let Ami speak. "So you're all right, Makoto?" Ami asked, unsure. She had made the biggest mistake and now on top of feeling every emotion that you can possibly feel, she felt completely idiotic for assuming the worst and actually tackling her own friend, and perhaps, taking a big part in giving Makoto a permanent concussion.
"Yes, I'm just perky. Where had that come from anyway? Did you just, like, suddenly get the urge to tackle me or something?"
Ami smiled weakly. Eh... it was something like that... "Well. Do you think we should greet our favorite people or let them come to us?" Ami asked sarcastically as she brushed the dirt off of her worn out jeans. She was desperate to find reasons to go over to them.
Makoto nodded almost perceptibly. "Let them come to us. They might think we're being friendly if we approach them first." Makoto said, eyeing the couple with a great amount of dislike.
Ami had seen Usagi talking to Rei and Mamoru and she was dying to know what they were talking about. Did Mamoru and Rei know about Usagi's true identity?
Ami glanced at Makoto. She didn't seem to be keen on visiting Rei or Mamoru anytime soon, unfortunately for her. Which was just her luck, of course.
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"Hey? Are you okay?" Mamoru asked worriedly. He grabbed her hand and was startled by the sliver of electricity that shot up and down his arm and caused a blush to creep onto his cheeks.
Usagi looked up and a twinge of heartache stabbed her heart when she stared into his turbulent, dark blue depths. How could he sound so sincere and caring, and yet be such a jerk and complete heartbreaker on every horrible level? "I'm fine."
Mamoru recognized her from the arcade. It was Motoki's mystery girl... Mamoru narrowed his eyes, he intended to get to the bottom of this, right now, in fact—
"Mamoru!" Rei screeched as she sauntered over to Mamoru and Usagi. "Are you okay?" She asked, this time in a lower voice.
Usagi stiffened and felt her panic at the edge of her mind. Usagi forced a smile onto her lips. "Um, yeah. Thanks."
Mamoru shivered and realized he was still holding her hand. He dropped her hand so fast; his hand burned from touching her ivory skin. "That's good." He wanted to confront this girl, ask her a few questions, such as: where and when had she met Motoki, out of curiosity, of course. But with Rei around, that would be impossible without sounding jealous and completely absurd.
Which he wasn't. Jealous, that is.
Usagi fought the urge to roll her eyes, but she could feel her body physically relax. "Yeah, I remember." Usagi looked over her shoulder and noticed Ami's face was ashen and Makoto looked positively livid.
"Pretty wild, huh? What my friend, Ami did?" Rei piped up.
Usagi nodded. "Yeah, that was unexpected." Usagi feigned surprise. "Is she always like that?"
"No, usually she's really calm and not so... violent. Makoto looks so angry, Mamo-chan"—Please!—"Maybe, we should go over and help them."
Usagi fought to keep the venom from seeping from her voice. "Maybe you should just leave them alone."
"I beg your pardon?" Rei gaped at Usagi, who seemed to be this strange and now, rude newcomer.
Usagi had to get a grip on her anger or it would get the better of her. She had worked so hard to keep her identity secret... to keep them from finding out who she truly was...
"I—it looks like they don't need help. From you at least." Usagi said between gritted teeth.
Rei gave her a suspicious look over, as if she was seeing something she hadn't noticed before. "What do you mean?"
Usagi blew out her breath. Was she really this blind? "They've been giving you and Mamoru-san hostile looks all morning."
The color drained from her face. "T—that's none of y—your concern."
Usagi looked back over to Ami, who was staring at them with wide, questioning eyes.
"So... you're okay now, right?" Mamoru asked; his hands were trembling. With rage? Guilt? Sadness? Usagi couldn't read him, not that she had ever been able to, in the first place.
Usagi regarded Rei through narrow slits. "Right. Yes. I have to go, sorry."
Usagi breathed a sigh of relief as she hurried away from the sweet couple.
Seeing them together had caused a pang in her heart, she knew how safe and wonderful it felt to be in his embrace, how his dark eyes would glitter in the moonlight.
But all of that was over. She knew how it felt to be in his arms, but obviously she didn't know how he truly felt or was thinking. Obviously she wasn't the type of girlfriend that could understand her boyfriend.
Obviously she wasn't the type of girlfriend that fit Mamoru's credentials if she let a thousand-year love slip from between her fingers.
--- --- --- --- --- ---
Ami studied Rei and Mamoru's expressions for a split second then shook her head. Either Mamoru knew or he always stared at people with such an intense gaze and Ami had missed it. Rei was clueless to anything that much was for sure, she'd never been good at masking her true feelings, because at the moment the only feelings her face conveyed was both annoyance and curiosity.
"Doesn't seem like they're going to come over here, does it?" Makoto suddenly remarked. Ami looked at her taller, more muscular friend from the corner of her eye and realized that Makoto, too, was staring at Mamoru and Rei.
They were both probably staring at the two for totally different reasons. In fact, Ami was sure of it. "Yeah, I guess." She glanced at Makoto again, hoping that she would suggest that they go over to them instead.
Makoto sighed and motioned to Ami. "Oh, I guess we should go over there and get it over with, then."
Ami silently cheered, although she masked her happiness as to avoid a suspicious conflict with Makoto. "Okay, but you've got to promise me that you won't be too mean to them. We're here to have fun." On second thought... Ami added, "Even if there are here and that ruins the entire point of having fun and coming in the first place.
Makoto cackled, but Ami could tell that her smile didn't quite reach her eyes. Makoto's eyes were blazing with anger and loathing for the couple that had blown apart everything that they had shared as friends. After what had happened with Usagi... it was a complete understatement to say that Makoto hadn't thawed and forgiven the two of them in the least. Her dark feelings ran too deep and touched too many nerves, it seemed that the stubborn brunette had no intentions of being anything but uncaring and spiteful towards them.
The nicest Makoto had been towards Rei and Mamoru was tolerating them during scout meetings and battling youmas. The rest of the girls, along with Ami, shared in Makoto's evil joy when they let whatever youma they were battling slap the two of them around a bit before jumping in and helping.
Makoto began taking giant strides and in seconds they were only a few feet from the lonesome couple.
Makoto grunted in their vague direction, brusquely refusing to meet either of their eyes.
"Mamoru. Rei." Ami said, her voice equally cold and distant as Makoto's icy looks.
"Ami! Makoto! What are you two doing here?" Rei said, forcing a smile onto her face and her voice to be excited and perky, when she was anything but.
"Oh, I don't know. Maybe coming over here to be civilized when both of you deserve to be treated like dirt." Makoto deadpanned flatly.
Rei's smile fell from her face. "Oh."
"We came here to have fun, whatever else would there be to do here?" Ami asked sharply, causing Rei and Mamoru to flinch.
"I guess I just..."
"Are you two having fun?" Mamoru asked quietly, unable to meet either of their eyes.
"We were until you two showed up." Makoto said hotly.
Rei looked close to tears. "Ummm."
"Well, if you just came over here to ridicule us, then we don't need—"
"Oh, please, Mamoru-san." Makoto spat sarcastically. "Like we care what you need. We just came over here because we decided that maybe things would have changed, but since nothing evidently has, we're going to be leaving now." Makoto said, cutting off Mamoru. Makoto turned on her heel and began walking in the opposite direction.
Rei watched Makoto's retreating back with sad, wistful eyes. "Okay." She whispered hoarsely, slightly taken back, although she should have been used to this type of treatment from Makoto already, since it was the only way she's been treating her and Mamoru for the past five years or so.
Ami felt her heart soften a bit. "Whom were you talking to?" Ami asked, no longer shooting Mamoru and Rei death looks.
"Just to this girl that Mamoru knows." Rei answered quickly, her cheeks turning a pinkish color.
Ami turned to Mamoru; she hid the fear that crept into her voice well. "Oh? How so?"
"Motoki. He was chatting with her when I approached them." Mamoru looked at her. "Why are you so curious anyway?"
"Just trying to be friendly." Ami bit back. Mamoru nodded and stayed quiet, no longer interested in pissing off one of the only girls out of Usagi's entire group that was willing to speak to him.
"So, Ami..." Rei coughed uncomfortably. "About my wedding..."
Ami could feel her insides beginning to boil. "Oh, that's right. You two are getting married despite that—"
"We know, Ami. We know." Mamoru said, giving her a pleading look.
Like they had any right to need or plead for anything from her or anyone else for that matter. Besides, they weren't getting off that easy. "So. Who's this girl? Does she have a name?"
Mamoru blushed further. Interesting. Mamoru blushing wasn't an everyday sight. "Actually, I don't know her name. She never told me it."
"Smart girl." Ami said icily, her coldness returning.
Rei looked ready to burst into tears at any moment. "I guess. But Ami, please—"
"Do you like her, Mamoru?" Ami asked harshly.
"She's okay..."
"Why is she only 'okay?'"
"What do you want from me, Ami?" Mamoru asked as he glared at her. "I met her for maybe five seconds and then I left. I didn't really speak to her because she was so busy batting her eyes at Motoki and trying to get him all hot and bothered—"
"Well, she was a bit rude and started to talk about things that she had absolutely no idea about... I mean, how could she have..."
Ami looked at Rei, surprised by her interjection. So Rei was starting to sense something was different about this "mystery girl." If only she knew...
"She started to tell me to mind my own business before telling me that maybe you guys didn't need our help, especially from us. I mean, who does she think she is, saying all this crap about personal issues that she has nothing to do with and no knowledge whatsoever about?"
Ami gave Rei a dirty look. "Maybe she knows more than you think."
"What exactly do you mean by that?" Rei asked heatedly, frustrated by the lack of explanations and the growing confusion.
"Maybe she isn't who you think she is." A voice suddenly spoke from behind Ami, who had stiffened with shock at the sound of the high-pitched, feminine voice.
If she hadn't known any better, Mina could have passed off flawlessly for Usagi... evidently Rei and Mamoru thought the same thing, as they both had that far-away look of surprise on their faces.
"Right Ami?" Mina asked, her eyes dancing in half-amusement and half- excitement.
Ami realized that from the smug smile on Mina's face that Mina knew about Usagi's return, and apparently she had figured out that Ami knew, but that Mamoru and Rei were so thickheaded that they hadn't been able to piece it together yet.
And she was enjoying every damn minute of it too.
--- --- --- --- --- ---
Lady Nakosha
--- --- --- --- --- ---
As you've noticed, I've changed a lot of the things that happened, but they will lead up to the same events that have happened in the previous version of "She's Back" so don't think that I'm completely altering the plot or anything! Usagi will feel the same about everything that she has before—confused and completely lost!—but it's just that I'm changing how she goes about finding out her feelings and I'm just improving the plot and making things more realistic, I guess.
--- --- --- --- --- ---
ALL STANDARD DISCLAIMERS APPLY
--- --- --- --- --- ---
Usagi only made it as far as past the counter before Motoki grabbed her hand firmly and slowly turned her around to face him. "Usagi!"
Usagi's eyes were watery with unshed tears. Motoki's heart melted at her look of such vulnerability. "Usagi, please just... please don't run off. Stay, will ya?"
Usagi shook her head; she avoided eye contact with him at all costs. "I can't, Motoki. I need to go. I wasn't lying to Mina when I told her that I had a lot of things to still do."
"I understand that. But are they really that imperative that you need to run off from the man that you just shared this... amazing kiss with?"
"Motoki..." A voice hollered from a few feet behind Usagi. He was so close to her that she was sure she could feel his heavy, warm breath on the back of her neck.
Usagi whipped around, her eyes widened in a combination of horror and surprise. Oh, shit... Usagi froze as she instantly recognized the voice and the face. How could she not? He was her ex-lover, ex-soul mate, ex- everything to her. Mamoru. Usagi shot Motoki a panicked look and edged closer towards him.
Why had she been so careless? Of course Mamoru or any of her friends would come to the arcade. Maybe not in the purpose of finding her, but it was a strong probability that they would come here.
Motoki's hand unconsciously touched her shoulder and he gave her a reassuring squeeze.
Usagi despised herself, her heart mostly, for softening at the familiar sight of his ebony hair that he would affectionately ruffle whenever he was nervous and at the single glimpse of his soulful cobalt depths that still held that alluring, haunted gleam, Usagi felt that idiotic cardiovascular muscle also known as her heart pick up and thud unnaturally quickly against her ribcage.
His unquestionably handsome, chiseled features made Usagi's stomach knot together in a ball of nervousness, dread, and actual desire in seeing him. What was she, fourteen? "Ummm..." Usagi trailed off, what exactly were you supposed to say to your ex-boyfriend who cheated on you with your ex-best friend?
"Mamoru, what's up?" Motoki casually asked as he slipped behind the counter and smoothly poured him a cup of coffee while passing it down to Mamoru in one fluent movement.
"Nothing much." Mamoru shot Motoki a sly look and glanced at Usagi with a curious, guarded look. "But I see that you've been pretty busy."
Motoki blushed furiously. "God, you ass, what were you doing spying on—"
Mamoru clapped him on the shoulder. "Chill, my man. I was just kidding around with you, Motoki."
Usagi lowered her eyes in embarrassment. He had heard them talking? He knew that she and Motoki had been, to put it bluntly, making out in the backroom and now he was teasing him about it?
She must have been thrown back into the past because she felt like an awkward fourteen year old all over again, with Mamoru teasing Motoki and her as Usagi stood to the side with an uncomfortable smile plastered across to her face.
Motoki leaned closer to him and snuck a glance at Usagi. Her face was sickly white and her eyes were wide and had the deer-caught-in-headlights look. This promised to be interesting. "Yeah... so is there something I can do for you, buddy? Something you wanted to talk about? With me?" He added inconspicuously, but he could tell Usagi had caught it as she looked at him with an amused smile. Mamoru wouldn't stop staring at her every five seconds it seemed. Did he know who she was?
How could he have figured it out so quickly if he did know? Motoki mused silently. He's always seemed a bit more in tune with his inner self; he's always been the type to just know things about people.
Motoki just hoped that this one time he would prove to be wrong. But if he had hit close to home... Motoki would have to find a way to get rid of Mamoru before he did fully piece together the puzzle. "I just wanted to talk to you about her." Mamoru emphasized his words wholly, making sure that Usagi heard the great importance behind the meaning of whom he was speaking of.
Motoki noted on how poorly Mamoru was trying to implement his curiosity on who Usagi was. Well, Motoki wasn't about to be the one to enlighten him.
Motoki raised his brow in mild amusement. "Yeah? What about her?" he looked at Mamoru critically. "Are you sure this is the... well, time to talk about this?"
Motoki heard Usagi softly suck in her breath. Mamoru's intense gaze penetrated Motoki down to his very core. "Um, yeah. You're right, this probably isn't the time to talk about this." He glanced at Usagi from the corner of his eye and gestured vaguely in her direction. "I can see that I seemed to have interrupted something." He finished lamely after looking over at Usagi for the hundredth time.
Motoki could've sworn Mamoru's cheeks had become a pinkish color. Was it possible that Mamoru Chiba, intimidating, Mr. Leave-Me-the-Hell-Alone was actually blushing? This had proved to be more interesting than Motoki would have formerly thought... "Are you sure, man?"
"Yeah, yeah, definitely." Mamoru forced himself to laugh. "I just wanted to see you, you know? We haven't kept in touch in so long that I just wanted to visit you and catch up on a few... things."
Or people, Usagi thought bitterly, her eyes burning holes into his chest. Ha. If only I was so lucky.
Motoki pretended that a fourth of what Mamoru was saying actually made sense and to play along to Mamoru's odd, disbelieving game. "Okay, yeah, I'm glad you did stop by. Despite that you did seem to catch me in a bit of a compromising position." He motioned his head, ever so slightly; to Usagi that almost she didn't see it.
God, why did they keep on referring to her as if she was a freaking whore that Motoki had been discovered seeing? She decided to play up to the role that had been forcedly handed to her. "Well, Motoki," Usagi purred, giving him, what she hoped, to be something resembling sultry. "don't you have to get back to... work?" she asked innocently, implying more than just working in the arcade.
Usagi fought to suppress the laughter that bubbled up within her at the look of shock written across faces of both of the men. It was Motoki's turn to become flustered and a fumbling twelve-year-old. "Well..."
Mamoru looked Usagi in the eye, well close to it. "I—I—didn't know—that you—"
"Not many people know, Mr. Chiba." Usagi fluttered her eyelashes dramatically. She was so overdoing her act... but she couldn't help enjoying herself, for once, in the process! "Not many."
Then her enjoyment evaporated when she realized her mistake along with Mamoru and Motoki. Mamoru looked at her suspiciously as the wheels in his head began to turn. "I never told you my last name..."
Motoki, who seemed to have taken on the role as the hero who saved the damsel from distress, stepped in. "Mamoru. Now come on. You've got to go, remember?"
"Right..."
"So, it was nice seeing you, but like Us—you heard, I've got to get back to work." He said, correcting his close mistake.
Mamoru nodded to each of them, although his look lingered on Usagi before he rushed out, his deep green jacket flapping behind him.
Usagi let her already trembling legs buckle beneath her as she collapsed into the booth. She realized that she had been holding her breath when she had been waiting for Mamoru to disappear from sight. She felt a bit light headed and dizzy... maybe holding her breath hadn't been the best thing to do...
"Are you okay?"
"What do you think?" She began picking at the all ready ripped up upholstery with vehemence as she channeled her frustration into the poor booth's cushion.
"Yeah, stupid question, I'm sorry..."
"Do you think that he realized it was me?" Usagi asked as she laid her hand over her forehead in mental exhaustion.
Honestly, maybe. "No, no, I don't think so." Motoki lied, but only to spare her. He had already broken his first promise that he had made to her...
"I can't believe that... I just can't believe seeing him for the first time in five years." Her eyes shimmered with an emotion Motoki couldn't recognize. "It was unreal. It was completely unreal and nerve-wracking at the same time. I couldn't even speak, I was so petrified he may figure out it was me. It was like being with Mina only multiplied by a hundred- thousand."
Truthfully, Usagi was a bit disappointed in Mamoru's ability to recognize his past lover, the woman that he had shared a love with that had spanned over a thousand years. Not that she wanted him to realize who she was, but still, was she that forgettable? Had she and him not put in some quality time together before the unfathomable happened?
"Mmm-hmm." Motoki murmured, pre-occupied. He knew of Usagi's forgiving and loving nature. He couldn't help but to hope that Mamoru wouldn't recognize or find out about Usagi's reappearance until he and she had... committed to each other fully. He knew his wish was selfish, but he worried that if Mamoru was persuasive enough and if Mamoru changed his mind about Rei, which he could be prone to do and was known for doing, he could sway Usagi to come back to him.
That worried him more than anything. He had a chance with her, an actual chance! He had watched from afar as Mamoru had stole Usagi's young heart and trampled it countless times, and yet, Usagi would always go back to him, her pain forgotten the moment that they were together and in love.
It won't happen again. The past won't repeat itself, Motoki promised himself. He would love Usagi more than Mamoru could ever hope to!
Usagi placed her hand on top of Motoki's comfortingly. Motoki stared at it with fascination as he came back from his thoughts. Her hand was so much smaller and more delicate than his would ever be, with artistically slender fingers, and unlike his, they weren't callused and rough, but soft and smooth. Her grip wasn't exactly girlish either, Mamoru noticed as her fingers tensed.
He knew that her hands weren't the sexiest part of her body... but it was the way they felt and how she touched him that made the moment so intimate and made a flicker of hope that he had a chance with her...
It only strengthened his promise to himself that he would earn Usagi's love and unlike Mamoru, he wouldn't crush her heart a million times in order to satisfy his insecurities about her love for him.
--- --- --- --- --- ---
"Mamoru," Makoto began airily, "fancy meeting you here." Makoto remarked sarcastically as she quickened her pace to catch up beside him. She didn't want to lag behind and miss a single opportunity to cut him down to pieces.
"It's is odd, isn't it? Seeing people walk down sidewalks that happen to lead to their apartments." He quipped dryly. He wasn't in the mood to deal with her, his mind still lingered on the "mystery" girl that had practically been hanging all over Motoki.
He didn't know why couldn't get his mind off either of them. Mostly that girl. She was more than beautiful and mysterious, that secret woman that Motoki has obviously been seeing; she intrigued him... she reminded him of an old flame and Mamoru couldn't be sure, but somehow he just knew that it had to be her... Mamoru groaned quietly in frustration. But it made no sense, none at all...
"Awww, why so glum? Something wrong? Did you and Rei call off the wedding?" Makoto didn't bother to disguise her hopefulness too well.
"I'm so thankful for your gleeful concern." Mamoru said icily as he speeded up, trying to lose Makoto in the crowd. "Unfortunately for you, no."
He had no such luck in trying to lose her. He should have known better, Makoto could definitely give him a run for his money if they raced. "How long has it been now, Mamoru? I'll remind you, it's been five years, as I've been keeping count. Have you?"
"Every single minute I think about how Usagi would still be here if you and Rei hadn't slept together. Every second I think about how much she has suffered and how much she must be hurting right this second. I keep thin—"
"Are you getting up to some sort of point or a moral of this twisted story?" Mamoru asked as his eyes flashed violently. He had to find a way to get rid of her. He looked over his shoulder at the arcade that was quickly growing smaller and smaller, he wanted to go back and see the woman again, to reassure himself that he was being absolutely stupid and she wasn't... wasn't... back.
Makoto smiled sardonically, she was taking obvious pleasure from his irritation. "Nope. Just for your benefit, I'm reminding you that you are a lying, cheating, idiotic, selfish bastard who deserves to burn in hell for the rest of your natural and afterlife."
"Thank you for your input on what my fate should be, but thankfully, it won't be up to you when the decision is made on my what my destiny is meant to be."
"This could have all been avoided, Mamoru. If you had just ignored your manhood's"—she snickered—"or rather lack thereof, call to have sex and cheat on your soul mate, who you were in fact supposed to be destined to love and rule alongside with in the future." She glared at him with angry, accusing eyes, "But all of that is gone. Did you even think of Chibi-Usa? Of how she probably no longer even exists anymore? Did you think of how your choices doesn't just affect you, but it affects the existence and futures of others—"
"Makoto, I'm very close to hurting you. In about five seconds I'm going to go against my policy of hurting the female race—"
"—That's funny, really, because you didn't seem to think that when you slept with Rei and destroyed, absolutely broke, Usagi—"
"—Physically, physically hurting women."
Makoto turned her face to the heavens above and raised her upturned palms to the skies above. "Oh good! I'm so relieved, Mamoru! You have morals, how wonderful!"
Mamoru's mouth clenched in frustration as her hateful, spiteful words reverberated in his mind. "I do have morals, Makoto. It was a lapse of better judgment to cheat on Usagi and I regret the pain that I've burdened her with, but what seemed to be a mistake was also a blessing."
Makoto nodded. "Of course Rei was a gift to you. She was the only thing that you had left."
Mamoru knew that her words held truth, but he couldn't help but to wish that she was an enemy or a guy at least, so that he could rip her head off or at least twist her arm or something to get her to shut up. "You're wrong. I love Rei. You have no idea what you're talking about."
Makoto was in his face so fast, that Mamoru stumbled backwards, surprised. "You shouldn't even be allowed to say those words that are meant for true lovers. They aren't meant to be thrown around carelessly and they sure as hell aren't for two people who were intending to have a one night stand that they planned on telling no one about."
Mamoru glowered at her. "I wasn't going to keep it from Usagi. I was going to tell her because after it happened... I knew I couldn't keep it from her... it wouldn't be fair. Even I realized that."
"Mamoru, your little heartfelt lies means nothing to me. That's the biggest load of crap that I've ever heard; you were going to tell her like the good boyfriend that you were." Makoto spat angrily. What started as enjoyable torture had suddenly become chillingly serious and a tidal wave of memories. Memories of her friend that had disappeared years ago, but felt just as alive to Makoto...
"You know what? I think that after Usagi left and you figured out that she wasn't coming back to you, as you originally expected, you knew that she was the only person who could anchor you from the darkness and when you saw that with her gone, you having no one else, and since hell would freeze over before we comforted you or Rei, the smartest plan would be to stick with Rei because, well, she's the only thing left that stood between you and loneliness once again."
Mamoru turned away from her; he refused to let her see how his cheeks had suddenly become flushed with humiliation. He realized with scorn that she was partially right about his fear to be alone, but she was wrong about one thing, he loved Rei. No matter what she said in her angry display of defense for Usagi.
Makoto brushed past him, but on second thought, turned around and gave him an icy, half-hearted smirk. She was still recovering from the sudden emotions that flooded into her. "Are you going to that festival tonight? I'm pretty sure that the girls are." Her eyes lit up in mock-exuberance. "Maybe you could cheat on Rei and finish with your little plan to sleep with all the scouts! You got two out of five so far, right? You might even manage to send Rei away too! Wouldn't be that bad, would it? To send her away? It's not like you had sex with yourself, and sent Usagi away all on your own, right? Takes two to tango."
Mamoru glared at her. "Makoto, you..." he stopped himself; she was too far off to hear him anyway. Mamoru spun on his heel and continued in the opposite direction of both the arcade and Makoto. He didn't think that he'd be able to handle talking to Motoki or that... girl, even if he was in the right state of mind and not fuming from having a heated conversation with the formidable, Amazon-woman, Makoto.
Makoto had succeeded in her mission by leaving Mamoru behind in a pile of guilt, anger, and the most complicated feeling of all, confusion.
--- --- --- --- --- ---
Mina slowly dragged herself back to her apartment building. She had gotten a call from Ami earlier, inviting her to the festival that was taking place tonight, to support Motoki because he was running a booth and a big contributing part in the festival and to the church itself.
She said that she would think about it. And that was what she would do, on top of everything else that she was obligated to think about and find a solution or answer to.
But Ami's invite wasn't exactly on her mind at the moment. It was more of that strange woman who she was supposed to meet at the restaurant and discuss her modeling career with.
She had just upped and left so much without a backward glance or a second thought on how that would look to Mina. "She couldn't get away from me fast enough." Mina muttered to herself.
However, not even that, the fact that Mina had been so unappealing to dine with that that "Serena woman" had to practically run away, was what was on Mina's mind. In fact, that seemed to be one of the many other thoughts that were furthest from her mind's eye.
{AN: Right now, while I'm in Mina's thoughts, she refers to Usagi as Serena because that's how she knows her as. When she realizes the truth, then Mina will revert from calling Serena to Usagi.}
No, it was the waves of nostalgia that kept on rolling over her whenever she thought of Serena or even when the sheer image of Serena popped in Mina's mind, Mina would shiver as unrecognizable emotions flooded in her chest, inflated within her like an oversized balloon.
What was happening to her? Why was this all coming back? Mina threw her purse down in a fit of rage and frustration. Why was hope, hope that had deflated and left her years ago, suddenly blooming and more vibrant than it had ever been before? Mina hated to be so vulnerable, to be so incapable to control her own feelings.
Mina sagged as she approached an unoccupied bench. She sank into it, emotionally and mentally drained from just the past few hours. But even Mina could see that it was more than that. That the past few hours wasn't what was really draining her, it was only the tip of the ice-burg, it was only the final straw that broke the camel's back.
The past five years was what was really killing Mina inside, slowly tearing her apart at the seams until she would completely unravel into the mess that she truly was. Mina looked upward as if searching the skies for some sort of miraculous answer to her questions that hadn't been answered in five entire years. She may have known the facts, but did she truly know anything? She hadn't been there to comfort Usagi with her pain; she hadn't been there with Usagi to fully explore the reasoning behind Mamoru's actions; she hadn't been able to bitch out Rei with Usagi; or even have Usagi, with her compassionate heart, try to convince them to listen to Rei's side and not forgive her, but at least try to understand what and how it had happened.
Mina sniffed. But she couldn't. Mina could never get back that time with Usagi and there was a strong possibility that Mina would never have the opportunity to share another moment with Usagi ever again and that fact hurt more than anything. Even more than the fact that Usagi had felt that she couldn't confide in Mina or at least stayed long enough to say some sort of good-bye or just something...
And what was more ironically funny was that she still didn't know the whole story. Only that Mamoru had cheated on Usagi with Rei, and Usagi had run, she had run to God only knows where, probably America or somewhere far, far from here, away from the reminders of pain, away from—
Mina sat straight up as her thoughts came to a screeching halt. What—? She struggled to understand the inner workings of her mind, to comprehend why her heart was speeding up and chills of delight were—
Oh my gawd, Mina thought as she made the connections. Serena. Usagi. America. It didn't add up, yet it did. Mina was only vaguely familiar with Serena Kingsley's background. What was so astounding about Serena was that she was this sudden hit that came out of nowhere, no previous affiliations with any other companies, she only had a bachelor's degree with minors in fashion designing, everyone in America called her the "Cinderella story" because of her amazing way with luck. And five years after her incredible debut, she's one of most demanded designer in the business.
Usagi had run, probably America or somewhere far, far from here, away from the reminders of pain... And Mina's earlier thoughts nailed the spot, where better and further from Tokyo to run than halfway across the globe to the "land of opportunity" where Usagi might have an actual chance at another life?
Mina clapped her hand over her mouth as everything pieced together and what this would mean. Could it be...? Could Mina dare to hope that Serena was really her long-time missed friend, Usagi?
And even more than that, could she even fathom the idea that Usagi was... back?
Mina jumped up, slung the same purse that she had slammed into the ground, but was now clutching with a heart brimming with sudden hope and... a feeling where she felt complete. Totally and utterly complete.
All she had left to do was to find her friends and tell them and to...
...And to find Usagi and hug her, but only after hitting her over the head for leaving for five years and not even sending so much of a letter as to explain what was truth and what wasn't behind the entire romance scandal with the hot new model, Juan Dela Cruz!
--- --- --- --- --- ---
"Miss? Miss? Please, it's only two dollars and fifty cents—surely you can manage to spare just two dollars and a half. Surely you can." The vendor prodded as he held out the cone of cotton candy close enough to Usagi that she could smell it's sweet scent, but just far away enough that she couldn't quite take it for her own.
Usagi sighed audibly, but her taste buds were already perking up and she could already taste the sugar melting on her tongue... man, she had such a soft heart for anything sweet.
He had won her over. Usagi forked over the money and unwrapped the plastic around the candy. Peeling some off, she closed her eyes in bliss as it dissolved in her mouth after a few seconds.
She let herself sink into the taste of the cotton candy, somehow food had that affect on her, and it always had, before she returned to the reality of her life.
For a few seconds, Usagi forgot about her life, she forgot about the lies that she was leading, that her supposed soul mate had went against every rule of dating and trust and slept with her best friend. Ah. Almost.
Suddenly her cotton candy wasn't as appetizing as it had been earlier. In fact, the very mention of food seemed to make Usagi sick to her stomach. "Miss, can you—"
Usagi sharply turned around and gave the vendor a dark look before stalking off. The vendor stared at her in surprise as she pitched the treat into the trashcan beside her venomously. The vendor shook his head in confusion; their cotton candy couldn't possibly have tasted that bad.
Usagi wondered for the millionth time it seemed, why the hell she was even here. Usagi sighed as a single reason came to mind and made all the other motivations for her to leave suddenly become dull.
Motoki. He had asked her to come here and stay until his shift was over so that they could talk things over. And despite the fact that her heart was traveling in two different directions and that her heart was dividing among itself, she had complied and come anyway.
Motoki deserved the chance to speak to her, even though she was still reeling from the near confrontation with Mamoru. It had hurt so bad to see him, but at the same time it relieved her, it helped ease the pain that had been following her around like a sad, lost puppy. But then seeing him made her shake with such an anger, such a need to release the rage that fills her, that it was almost physically impossible to be around him without feeling that hurt.
Turning around, all thoughts vanished from her mind as she drew up a blank on what to say or do.
Usagi found herself standing almost in direct view of her two friends, Ami and Makoto. Seeing Makoto and Ami, standing there together, talking and chatting, sent a sharp stab into her heart. I could be there with them, if only...
But that was all her life led up to wasn't it? If onlys...
Ami caught her eye and vainly tried to distract Makoto from seeing her.
Too late, Usagi realized miserably. Makoto had already spotted her and only moments after just seeing her face, she was making a beeline straight towards her.
Had Makoto found out Usagi in the most awful, unforgivable way?
--- --- --- --- --- ---
"Makoto, wait! Please—just let me—I know it may look weird, but please... I can totally explain—and—and—don't do anything that would..." Ami tried unsuccessfully to pull back the stubborn brunette, but so far her attempts had no avail.
"Ami, get off, God, I've been waiting nearly my entire life for this chance!" Makoto said as she pulled away from Ami's sweaty, slippery fingers. "And now you're trying to steal it from me! Thanks!"
It was useless. Usagi was frozen in her spot and Makoto was nearly sprinting towards her full-force.
And Ami had to stop this somehow, even if she died in the process.
"Makoto!" Ami's voice reached all the way to Usagi. Ami was waving her arms around frantically, succeeding in looking like a madwoman. Ami ran to Makoto's side and began pulling at her arm, trying to tug her in the opposite direction.
Usagi didn't have the faintest idea what to do. Half of her wanted to see Makoto and hug her, but the other half of her was scared to death, she had no idea why, but the only thing that she was sure of was that she couldn't face her friends now, she wasn't ready...
Makoto shrugged her off and continued heading towards Usagi. Usagi's legs seemed to have rooted themselves on the spot, stubbornly refusing to move. Why couldn't she just turn around and run?
Ami looked completely fed up. She ran her fingers through her hair before a new spark lit in her eyes. Usagi didn't entirely trust that look...
Before Usagi could blink, Ami had reared up then charged into Makoto, successfully tackling her into the patch of grass beside them. Usagi stepped back as her hand flew to her throat in surprise at the scene that unfolded before her.
Ami had tackled Makoto for her! "Go Ami," Usagi rooted in barely above a whisper. She had a look of utter guilt and disbelief, while Makoto was obviously furious and perhaps amazed by the usually timid and calm girl's sudden show of physical contact and choice of violence to get her point across. Usagi took that as her chance and began running, to where, she had no idea, but all she knew that her plan was up in smokes, she definitely wasn't ready for this shit, to hell with coming back...
"You're running the wrong way!" Ami screamed to her. Usagi slowed as she let Ami's words comprehend. Oh damn, was she serious...? "You're running the wrong freaking way!"
Usagi broke from her reverie and realized her mistake. She wasn't running away from them, she was, unbelievably, instead running towards them.
--- --- --- --- --- ---
"Ami"—Inhale, exhale... Ami's your friend...—"Do you mind getting the hell off of"—("I'm trying to!")—"Me?!"
Ami slowly detangled herself from Makoto and fell back onto the grass and breathed deeply. Tackling Makoto had taken a lot more effort than she had counted on. That was odd, she thought that by multiplying the amount of force by her weight, then dividing that amount by Makoto's weight would have given her the...
"Just wondering, but what were you trying to accomplish by tackling me?" Makoto demanded as she gave Ami a rather menacing look.
"Well... to stop you..." Ami argued weakly. Ami's cheeks heated up as she began blushing furiously. "It was for your—I mean—her own good! She asked me and... and... you were going to—and... I just had to help because its my job—"
Makoto's face radiated confusion. "What are you rambling on about?"
"Ummm... I had to, Makoto, I know it may not make sense, but..."
"What exactly is so terrible about the line for Rock 'n Roll finally being short enough that I can ride it without having to wait forever?" Makoto burst out, clearly angry about losing her potential spot in line. She pointed to the ride with the growing line that had been directly behind Usagi.
Ami paled. "Oh."
Makoto threw her hands up in the air, "Unbelievable. You nearly kill me, make me lose my spot in line, and ramble on about whatever, and I get this one-worded answer of, 'Oh.'"
Ami wasn't concerned with Makoto anymore, however. From the corner of her eye, she could see Mamoru make his way over to Usagi, who had pulled a classic-Usagi by tripping over a crack in her two-inch heels, to see if she needed help.
"Makoto, this may not be the best time... but can we just skip the angry, God-I-can't-believe-you part and go straight to making up?"
Makoto gawked her, as if an alien right beneath her nose had suddenly abducted Ami. "Who are you and what the hell—"
"I know, I'm acting totally out of character—"
"I'll say, you—"
After they felt that they had interrupted each other enough, Makoto finally let Ami speak. "So you're all right, Makoto?" Ami asked, unsure. She had made the biggest mistake and now on top of feeling every emotion that you can possibly feel, she felt completely idiotic for assuming the worst and actually tackling her own friend, and perhaps, taking a big part in giving Makoto a permanent concussion.
"Yes, I'm just perky. Where had that come from anyway? Did you just, like, suddenly get the urge to tackle me or something?"
Ami smiled weakly. Eh... it was something like that... "Well. Do you think we should greet our favorite people or let them come to us?" Ami asked sarcastically as she brushed the dirt off of her worn out jeans. She was desperate to find reasons to go over to them.
Makoto nodded almost perceptibly. "Let them come to us. They might think we're being friendly if we approach them first." Makoto said, eyeing the couple with a great amount of dislike.
Ami had seen Usagi talking to Rei and Mamoru and she was dying to know what they were talking about. Did Mamoru and Rei know about Usagi's true identity?
Ami glanced at Makoto. She didn't seem to be keen on visiting Rei or Mamoru anytime soon, unfortunately for her. Which was just her luck, of course.
--- --- --- --- --- ---
"Hey? Are you okay?" Mamoru asked worriedly. He grabbed her hand and was startled by the sliver of electricity that shot up and down his arm and caused a blush to creep onto his cheeks.
Usagi looked up and a twinge of heartache stabbed her heart when she stared into his turbulent, dark blue depths. How could he sound so sincere and caring, and yet be such a jerk and complete heartbreaker on every horrible level? "I'm fine."
Mamoru recognized her from the arcade. It was Motoki's mystery girl... Mamoru narrowed his eyes, he intended to get to the bottom of this, right now, in fact—
"Mamoru!" Rei screeched as she sauntered over to Mamoru and Usagi. "Are you okay?" She asked, this time in a lower voice.
Usagi stiffened and felt her panic at the edge of her mind. Usagi forced a smile onto her lips. "Um, yeah. Thanks."
Mamoru shivered and realized he was still holding her hand. He dropped her hand so fast; his hand burned from touching her ivory skin. "That's good." He wanted to confront this girl, ask her a few questions, such as: where and when had she met Motoki, out of curiosity, of course. But with Rei around, that would be impossible without sounding jealous and completely absurd.
Which he wasn't. Jealous, that is.
Usagi fought the urge to roll her eyes, but she could feel her body physically relax. "Yeah, I remember." Usagi looked over her shoulder and noticed Ami's face was ashen and Makoto looked positively livid.
"Pretty wild, huh? What my friend, Ami did?" Rei piped up.
Usagi nodded. "Yeah, that was unexpected." Usagi feigned surprise. "Is she always like that?"
"No, usually she's really calm and not so... violent. Makoto looks so angry, Mamo-chan"—Please!—"Maybe, we should go over and help them."
Usagi fought to keep the venom from seeping from her voice. "Maybe you should just leave them alone."
"I beg your pardon?" Rei gaped at Usagi, who seemed to be this strange and now, rude newcomer.
Usagi had to get a grip on her anger or it would get the better of her. She had worked so hard to keep her identity secret... to keep them from finding out who she truly was...
"I—it looks like they don't need help. From you at least." Usagi said between gritted teeth.
Rei gave her a suspicious look over, as if she was seeing something she hadn't noticed before. "What do you mean?"
Usagi blew out her breath. Was she really this blind? "They've been giving you and Mamoru-san hostile looks all morning."
The color drained from her face. "T—that's none of y—your concern."
Usagi looked back over to Ami, who was staring at them with wide, questioning eyes.
"So... you're okay now, right?" Mamoru asked; his hands were trembling. With rage? Guilt? Sadness? Usagi couldn't read him, not that she had ever been able to, in the first place.
Usagi regarded Rei through narrow slits. "Right. Yes. I have to go, sorry."
Usagi breathed a sigh of relief as she hurried away from the sweet couple.
Seeing them together had caused a pang in her heart, she knew how safe and wonderful it felt to be in his embrace, how his dark eyes would glitter in the moonlight.
But all of that was over. She knew how it felt to be in his arms, but obviously she didn't know how he truly felt or was thinking. Obviously she wasn't the type of girlfriend that could understand her boyfriend.
Obviously she wasn't the type of girlfriend that fit Mamoru's credentials if she let a thousand-year love slip from between her fingers.
--- --- --- --- --- ---
Ami studied Rei and Mamoru's expressions for a split second then shook her head. Either Mamoru knew or he always stared at people with such an intense gaze and Ami had missed it. Rei was clueless to anything that much was for sure, she'd never been good at masking her true feelings, because at the moment the only feelings her face conveyed was both annoyance and curiosity.
"Doesn't seem like they're going to come over here, does it?" Makoto suddenly remarked. Ami looked at her taller, more muscular friend from the corner of her eye and realized that Makoto, too, was staring at Mamoru and Rei.
They were both probably staring at the two for totally different reasons. In fact, Ami was sure of it. "Yeah, I guess." She glanced at Makoto again, hoping that she would suggest that they go over to them instead.
Makoto sighed and motioned to Ami. "Oh, I guess we should go over there and get it over with, then."
Ami silently cheered, although she masked her happiness as to avoid a suspicious conflict with Makoto. "Okay, but you've got to promise me that you won't be too mean to them. We're here to have fun." On second thought... Ami added, "Even if there are here and that ruins the entire point of having fun and coming in the first place.
Makoto cackled, but Ami could tell that her smile didn't quite reach her eyes. Makoto's eyes were blazing with anger and loathing for the couple that had blown apart everything that they had shared as friends. After what had happened with Usagi... it was a complete understatement to say that Makoto hadn't thawed and forgiven the two of them in the least. Her dark feelings ran too deep and touched too many nerves, it seemed that the stubborn brunette had no intentions of being anything but uncaring and spiteful towards them.
The nicest Makoto had been towards Rei and Mamoru was tolerating them during scout meetings and battling youmas. The rest of the girls, along with Ami, shared in Makoto's evil joy when they let whatever youma they were battling slap the two of them around a bit before jumping in and helping.
Makoto began taking giant strides and in seconds they were only a few feet from the lonesome couple.
Makoto grunted in their vague direction, brusquely refusing to meet either of their eyes.
"Mamoru. Rei." Ami said, her voice equally cold and distant as Makoto's icy looks.
"Ami! Makoto! What are you two doing here?" Rei said, forcing a smile onto her face and her voice to be excited and perky, when she was anything but.
"Oh, I don't know. Maybe coming over here to be civilized when both of you deserve to be treated like dirt." Makoto deadpanned flatly.
Rei's smile fell from her face. "Oh."
"We came here to have fun, whatever else would there be to do here?" Ami asked sharply, causing Rei and Mamoru to flinch.
"I guess I just..."
"Are you two having fun?" Mamoru asked quietly, unable to meet either of their eyes.
"We were until you two showed up." Makoto said hotly.
Rei looked close to tears. "Ummm."
"Well, if you just came over here to ridicule us, then we don't need—"
"Oh, please, Mamoru-san." Makoto spat sarcastically. "Like we care what you need. We just came over here because we decided that maybe things would have changed, but since nothing evidently has, we're going to be leaving now." Makoto said, cutting off Mamoru. Makoto turned on her heel and began walking in the opposite direction.
Rei watched Makoto's retreating back with sad, wistful eyes. "Okay." She whispered hoarsely, slightly taken back, although she should have been used to this type of treatment from Makoto already, since it was the only way she's been treating her and Mamoru for the past five years or so.
Ami felt her heart soften a bit. "Whom were you talking to?" Ami asked, no longer shooting Mamoru and Rei death looks.
"Just to this girl that Mamoru knows." Rei answered quickly, her cheeks turning a pinkish color.
Ami turned to Mamoru; she hid the fear that crept into her voice well. "Oh? How so?"
"Motoki. He was chatting with her when I approached them." Mamoru looked at her. "Why are you so curious anyway?"
"Just trying to be friendly." Ami bit back. Mamoru nodded and stayed quiet, no longer interested in pissing off one of the only girls out of Usagi's entire group that was willing to speak to him.
"So, Ami..." Rei coughed uncomfortably. "About my wedding..."
Ami could feel her insides beginning to boil. "Oh, that's right. You two are getting married despite that—"
"We know, Ami. We know." Mamoru said, giving her a pleading look.
Like they had any right to need or plead for anything from her or anyone else for that matter. Besides, they weren't getting off that easy. "So. Who's this girl? Does she have a name?"
Mamoru blushed further. Interesting. Mamoru blushing wasn't an everyday sight. "Actually, I don't know her name. She never told me it."
"Smart girl." Ami said icily, her coldness returning.
Rei looked ready to burst into tears at any moment. "I guess. But Ami, please—"
"Do you like her, Mamoru?" Ami asked harshly.
"She's okay..."
"Why is she only 'okay?'"
"What do you want from me, Ami?" Mamoru asked as he glared at her. "I met her for maybe five seconds and then I left. I didn't really speak to her because she was so busy batting her eyes at Motoki and trying to get him all hot and bothered—"
"Well, she was a bit rude and started to talk about things that she had absolutely no idea about... I mean, how could she have..."
Ami looked at Rei, surprised by her interjection. So Rei was starting to sense something was different about this "mystery girl." If only she knew...
"She started to tell me to mind my own business before telling me that maybe you guys didn't need our help, especially from us. I mean, who does she think she is, saying all this crap about personal issues that she has nothing to do with and no knowledge whatsoever about?"
Ami gave Rei a dirty look. "Maybe she knows more than you think."
"What exactly do you mean by that?" Rei asked heatedly, frustrated by the lack of explanations and the growing confusion.
"Maybe she isn't who you think she is." A voice suddenly spoke from behind Ami, who had stiffened with shock at the sound of the high-pitched, feminine voice.
If she hadn't known any better, Mina could have passed off flawlessly for Usagi... evidently Rei and Mamoru thought the same thing, as they both had that far-away look of surprise on their faces.
"Right Ami?" Mina asked, her eyes dancing in half-amusement and half- excitement.
Ami realized that from the smug smile on Mina's face that Mina knew about Usagi's return, and apparently she had figured out that Ami knew, but that Mamoru and Rei were so thickheaded that they hadn't been able to piece it together yet.
And she was enjoying every damn minute of it too.
--- --- --- --- --- ---