Woohoo, chapter next and a half baby!
Teresa, yeah, you're a hentai. Nice review.
Disclaimer: I don't own Sailor Moon.
Warnings: I'm a doughnut!
Will Seiya be heartbroken now that Usagi and Mamoru have officially gotten together? Will he mope continuously? Maybe he needs some chocolately goodness? Why doesn't Word accept that 'chocolately' is in fact a word? Will Taiki do something in this chapter? Isn't Taiki painfully neglected? Will Luna and Artemis get some lines? Will Mamoru and Usagi stay together for long? Will Yaten draw lots of pictures of Hotaru? Is this an excuse to get to spend time with Hotaru? Could the plot device be anymore obvious about it? Will Jade reveal who the Princess is so people will stop asking? Will Jade continue to wonder if anyone has read the Sailor Moon manga? Will Minako's strange ace of hearts buddy show up? Will Rei get to be cool in this chapter? Will we all cheer? Will Ami and Makoto get to do stuff? Will the Starlights start talking about what's going on? Will Setsuna continue to be vague?! Now all you have to do is…
Close Your Eyes
Chapter Ten
Hotaru was glad that Setsuna left to go on some errand that Wednesday because she didn't want to have to answer any questions. In fact, Hotaru wasn't sure she should say anything to Setsuna.
But then, maybe Setsuna already knows?
Well…I mean, it's probably not all that important if she knows or not…so…
She hefted the back on her shoulder and set off. She couldn't believe Yaten was serious about this; she wasn't exactly a great beauty by any means. In fact, she had never really thought of herself as even semi-attractive.
She checked the address three times, stalling for time. But eventually she had to knock on the door. Yaten answered immediately, like he had been standing right by the door just waiting for her to knock on it.
"Come in." He led her right passed the living room which looked really nice and into what was obviously Yaten's room. It was rather big with the bed pushed into the corner and his easel plus what looked like an entire art store's worth of supplies next to it.
He immediately went over to his set up and began looking through it.
"Um, er, what should I do?" Hotaru asked nervously.
"Did you do what I asked you to?" Yaten questioned as he looked through his various supplies.
"H-hai." Hotaru clutched her bag. "The clothes, r-right?"
"Hotaru, do you have a stutter?" Yaten looked up at her and motioned for her to give him the bag.
"No." Hotaru blinked. "Why?"
"Then s-s-stop it. You're making me nervous by doing that." Yaten opened the bag.
"O-of course." Hotaru wanted to hit herself. Of course she had put herself in this situation to begin with so she couldn't blame this one on anyone, not even Setsuna.
"Wear this." Yaten threw her the simple white nightgown she wore every night. "Stand in front of the window." He went separating things and getting his canvas ready. When he finally looked back up, he saw Hotaru standing there holding the nightgown. "What are you doing?"
"Um, I was actually wondering…if you could leave the room." Hotaru blushed a little. Yaten sighed, sounding rather annoyed. He got up and left the room. Hotaru started to dress quickly, the whole time berating herself about appearing so stupid.
He knocked on the door and asked if she was done yet. She let him back in, apologizing and wringing her hands before he told her to stop it. After she stood in front of the window, Yaten had posed her, his hands moved to put her face in just the right position. He kept leaning back and surveying her before making a few corrections. Finally she seemed to be just right because he went back to his easel.
"Try not to move too much, I hate it when the models do that." Yaten told her before starting. It was a little on the boring side in Hotaru's opinion. She was just standing there and she couldn't move a muscle so it was a little hard.
After awhile, she decided to try and make some conversation, hoping that he wouldn't get too annoyed with it.
"That's a pretty painting." She nodded her head towards the painting on the wall behind him. He turned to look at it for half a second. "Who is that?" The painting featured a red-haired girl with dark-red eyes.
"Kakyuu." Yaten answered shortly.
"Are you two friends?" Hotaru inquired curiously.
"I guess." Yaten didn't sound all that thrilled by it. "I should just give the painting to Seiya, I don't really like it."
"Why don't you like it?" Hotaru questioned.
"Look at her eyes. She looks sad doesn't she?" Yaten looked up at Hotaru who was surveying the painting. "That's the problem. When we last saw her, that's how she looked. There was nothing I could do about it. The only one who could didn't, because he's a coward."
"She doesn't live around here?" Hotaru glanced at Yaten's contemplative green eyes.
"She lives very far away." Yaten sounded very mysterious. "And I don't really want to talk about her. It's her own fault she's unhappy."
"Sorry." Hotaru glanced down at her hands. "I…I didn't know…"
"Of course you didn't." Yaten muttered as he painted. "So don't apologize like that. If you always apologize, what good are they when you really need them?"
"I…guess I never really thought of that before." Hotaru admitted. "But then I've never really done anything really bad that I had to apologize for."
"That's because you're a pure soul." Yaten stopped painting and looked directly into her lavender eyes. "People like you don't know regrets. You're the reason others have regrets."
"I am?" Hotaru blinked.
"Once you meet a beautiful soul, all you want to do is to be just like them." Yaten's eyes lowered back down to his painting. "Thus regrets are born." Hotaru's cheeks went pink and she tried not to look too embarrassed.
He seems so rude…
And yet…
That's one of the nicest things I've ever been told.
But I'm not a beautiful soul. I'm the Soldier of Destruction. Death. Decay.
People fear me. I can't be…
"Maybe you just can't see my regrets." Hotaru murmured. "I don't think there's anyone who doesn't know what it's like. That's kind of why we live I suppose."
She realized that Yaten was no longer painting but staring at her as if he had just seen something he had never seen before.
"There's not a way to make you keep that light in your eyes." Yaten said in a slightly awed voice. "But let me capture it before it goes away."
Let me capture you…
Before you flit away like the firefly that you are.
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It's just a card Minako. It's just a card.
But he was there! He was!
That's impossible. He's dead. You saw him die.
You killed him.
Minako flipped over on her bed and rested the back of her hand against her forehead as she stared at the object her other hand held out in front of her. How many times had she seen it? How many more times would it appear in her life?
He kissed her cheek, his lips resting on her skin for only a moment. Then he pulled away and looked directly into her eyes.
"I ask of you earnestly, don't be unfaithful."
But you lied to me.
And that wasn't my fate. But why the curse? Did you really hate me that much in that moment? That moment when you revealed who you really were? And as you died…you never looked so cold…
"I'll tell you your final love fortune…"
"Your love will be hopeless for all eternity."
"Why are you haunting me?" Minako asked the card. It said nothing. Artemis jumped up on her bed and curled up beside me.
"If he is back, there's no telling whether he's still working for the Dark Agency or not." Artemis reminded her. "Remember they revealed they were part of the Dark Kingdom."
"He isn't back." Minako felt tears stinging her eyes. "He just can't be."
"It is possible." Artemis tried to be logical. "The cards, the behavior, it seems like him. And the Dark Kingdom has proven it can bring the dead back to life. Like at the Shittenou."
"Don't talk about that right now." Minako closed her eyes painfully. "I'm the only one who remembers the Silver Millennium and I'm so sick of thinking about it."
"The others will know soon." Artemis nudged her arm with his nose. "In the meantime, you should be on the alert."
"I will." Minako turned towards the window.
Kaitou Ace…are you really back from the dead?
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"Now that you guys are together, it better stay that way." Motoki told Mamoru and Usagi. "It took way too long to accomplish."
"Just give me my order milkshake slave." Mamoru ordered and Usagi giggled.
"I've been reduced to 'milkshake slave'?" Motoki scratched the back of his head. "Great."
"Mamoru didn't mean it like that." Usagi smiled brightly. Then she glanced at the window and saw that Seiya was walking by.
I should go talk to him.
After all…
We haven't spoken since the beach party.
"I'll be back in a minute." Usagi excused herself. Mamoru and Motoki looked up in surprise.
"But I just finished your milkshake." Motoki pointed to the large glass he was holding.
"In a minute." Usagi waved it away and was out the door.
"Did Usagi just postpone food?" Motoki asked the dark-haired young man next to him. Mamoru seemed just as stunned as he was. Usagi immediately ran towards Seiya who hadn't seemed to notice her at all.
"Seiya-kun!" Usagi yelled as she ran towards him. He turned around just in time to see Usagi trip and fall flat on her face.
"Usagi-chan?" His voice sounded like he was trying to cover up sadness with cheerfulness. "You looked like you hurt yourself."
"No, I'm fine." Usagi got up. "I'm used to falling."
"Oh." Seiya started to turn away. "Well…um…"
"I just wanted to say," Seiya turned as Usagi started to speak. She couldn't quite meet his eye. She suddenly bowed, putting her hands on her legs. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry I couldn't…love you the way you wanted me to."
"I…" His throat was dry. Had he really expected an apology? "Its okay, Usagi-chan."
"Seiya?" Her dark red eyes looked at him, full of tears that she was trying to hold back. "Seiya…please understand…"
What was there to understand?
You were getting married. To another man.
Did you think I can accept it?
And it happened again.
Am I not enough?
"I just know that it must have been so horrible for you." Usagi was still bowed. "I feel so awful about it. But I don't know what else to do. I love you like a friend Seiya. And we'll always be friends if you'd like. But there's only one person I can be in love with."
"Stand up Usagi-chan." Seiya told her softly. "It's my fault for being a fool to think someone like you could fall in love with someone like me."
"You deserve to be loved!" Usagi stood up and Seiya was shocked to see there were tears in her eyes. "And somewhere, someone does love you the way you deserve! I know it!"
Seiya found himself stepping forward and nearly crushing Usagi in a hug. She was so sweet and innocent. So bright-eyed. How can one person be like this? Mamoru may not realize just how lucky he was.
"Thank you, Usagi-chan." He whispered.
For you, I could never be enough.
I'll hope that Mamoru is. That's what you deserve.
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Omigod, that took freaking forever. I would stare at this chapter. Then I would play Typer Shark. Then my Typer Shark free trial ran out. So I wrote a Somewhere Out There update. Then I was like, "Goddammit, I'm writing this update right freaking now." So…ta da!