(c) rikki-chan (lady bundtcake) 2005
CHAPTER EIGHT - UNLIMITED-TIME OFFER
Author's Note: So it's been a long, long time since I last updated this story. I would like to say I do plan on finishing this at some point. I really do. I just occasionally get busy with "real life" and then I forget to do things like write fluffy Seiya/Usagi fanfiction.
Anyway, here's Chapter 8. Enjoy! Behold the power of Seiya/Usagi fluff!
Seiya couldn't sleep.
Admittedly, this wasn't unusual. Seiya had always been a light sleeper, prone to wandering around in the middle of the night trying to find something to do while his friends slept. Back on Kinmoku, Maker and Healer used to get very frustrated when Fighter would wake them up in the wee hours of the morning, asking if they wanted to play a round of some game or join her in a stroll along the castle grounds. When that failed, Fighter usually found herself walking aimlessly through the castle until finally knocking softly on the doors to Kakyuu's bedroom. Kakyuu would come to the door, her long red hair tousled down her shoulders, her amber eyes blinking tiredly. Then she would allow Fighter to come in and wrap her arms around her and carry her back to the bed. Kakyuu would soon fall asleep, nestled against Fighter's chest, while Fighter leaned back against the headboard, softly stroking her princess' hair and still too restless to sleep.
Seiya wondered now what it would be like to slip quietly out of Haruka's house, catch a cross-town bus to Usagi's district, sneak up her stairs and knock softly at her door. He wondered if Usagi would come to the door, sleepy eyed and messy-haired, and allow him to come in and pick her up and …
Idiot, Seiya chastised himself. This isn't Kinmoku. She isn't your princess.
Seiya felt his cheeks grow warm as he threw aside his blankets and crawled out of the bed. He approached the window and gripped the sill with his hands as he pressed his forehead against the cool glass. For the most part, he admitted, the midnight trysts with his own princess had been fairly innocent. Although Maker and Healer often teased about it, Fighter and Kakyuu usually just fell asleep in the same bed. Seiya bit his lip. What he dreamed about doing with the Moon Princess went beyond just sleeping beside one another.
Seiya left the window and grabbed a pair of pants that were hanging off the end of his bed. He tugged them on, his long black hair falling in his face as he did so. Standing back up, he pulled his hair back over his shoulders and bound it in its usual ponytail. Sighing, he softly opened his door and stepped into the hall.
As he passed the room that Taiki and Yaten were sharing, Seiya thought he could hear snoring. He grinned in spite of himself. He'd be sure to remind Yaten of it in the morning.
Seiya padded into the kitchen and flipped on the light. He was pretty sure Haruka wouldn't mind if he raided their fridge. Come to think of it, Michiru was probably the one who did all the shopping anyway. He opened the refrigerator and was disappointed to find nothing but an array of health food.
"What is this?" he muttered, eyeing a carton of tomato juice with distaste. He closed the refrigerator with a heavy sigh. Okay, maybe he'd just make a pot of coffee instead.
As he dug around in the cabinet looking for coffee filters, he heard someone else coming down the hallway to the kitchen. Quickly, Seiya slammed the cabinet shut and threw his hands up in the air. "I'm not doing anything, Haruka! I just wanted something to drink!" he shouted.
Setsuna came around the corner, eyes narrowed. "I thought I heard someone rustling around in here. Don't worry, I won't tell anyone," she laughed, "I promise, I'm not armed."
Seiya dropped his hands and gave her a sheepish grin. "Hey, Setsuna-san," he said. "Sorry, did I wake you up? I forgot you sleep down on the first floor with the rest of us hooligans."
"No, you didn't wake me. I usually get up around this time." Setsuna glanced at the clock on the microwave, which was blinking 4:37 AM. "Okay, maybe not quite this early, but still. Want a cup of cocoa?"
"You actually have something in this house with sugar in it?" Seiya gaped. "I swear, all I could find were carrots and granola bars."
Setsuna laughed. "Michiru likes to keep us all eating healthy food. But Haruka has to have her occasional sweets, and so do I. We hide them in this top cabinet where Michiru can't reach them." She stood on her toes and creaked open the cabinet above the refrigerator. Smiling at Seiya, she said, "I guess you can't reach it, either."
Seiya smirked. "No, but now that I know you're also an insomniac, I'll just hang out in here every morning until you show up. Have any chocolate in there?"
The dark-haired time guardian tossed Seiya a candy bar. "Go easy on us. Haruka will have your hide if you deplete her stash." She pulled out a box of cocoa mix and shut the cabinet.
Seiya leaned against the kitchen counter and tore the wrapper off his candy bar. "What time do you go to work?" he asked.
Setsuna pulled out a pot and filled it with water for boiling. "Oh, I usually try to get to the lab around five-thirty or six. And I usually stay until eight or nine in the evening."
"You work that long every day?"
The time guardian nodded. "Haruka's always saying I spend too much time at the lab, and I need to take time out to enjoy the 'finer things in life', as she puts it. Of course, in her opinion, those finer things involve fast cars and women, and neither is really my taste. Besides, I enjoy what I do. After so many years fighting as a senshi, it's nice to be able to do work of my own choosing. Get two mugs out of that cabinet, please."
Seiya obliged, setting the mugs down next to Setsuna. She poured hot water into each mug and handed Seiya a packet of cocoa. He tore it open and dumped the contents into his mug. "Don't you have any hobbies besides work?"
"Oh, sure," Setsuna said, handing Seiya a spoon. "I love to sew, for example. And you probably didn't notice, but I quilted the blanket on your bed."
"Really? I'm terrible at making things," Seiya laughed. "I once tried to make something for Odango, but it looked so bad that I was afraid she'd think I hated her and I was giving her an ugly present on purpose."
"What did you try to make?"
Seiya blushed in spite of himself. "Oh, I…hah. I was trying to paint a picture of her. I wanted her to see herself as I see her."
"Which is?"
"Utterly beautiful. Incredibly perfect. The most wonderful woman in the galaxy. Something along those lines," Seiya laughed. He took a sip of his cocoa. "Unfortunately, it looked more like I threw up on a piece of canvas, which isn't exactly the message I wanted to convey."
Setsuna smiled softly. "Well, if you paint from your heart, it shows on the canvas, no matter how it looks to your eyes. That's what Michiru is always saying."
"Easy for her to say! She's been accepted into galleries. No, I think my heart just stinks at painting," Seiya grinned. He gazed down into his mug of cocoa. "Anyway, I don't think I could ever create anything that would really show Odango how I feel. Hell, I can't even put it into words. I'm a lost cause, hah."
A silence descended between the two insomniacs. Seiya continued to stare disconsolately into his cocoa mug, while Setsuna pursed her lips together in thought. Finally, she reached out a hand and grasped one of Seiya's in her own.
"Seiya-kun," she murmured, causing him to look up into her garnet eyes. "You…"
"You know the future," Seiya cut her off. "What am I doing here? Why am I here? Am I…am I just making a fool out of myself?"
Setsuna gripped his hand harder. "I don't know the future, Seiya-kun. I guarded the gates of time, yes, but I didn't KNOW the future. I had impressions of it. I know of the thirtieth century, yes, and of Crystal Tokyo and…and Chibiusa. But I don't know everything."
"But you know enough to know that Mamoru and Odan—Usagi stay together," Seiya said bitterly.
"I know that in one thousand years, yes, they are married and they have a child," Setsuna agreed. "But as for the years leading up to that moment, it's unclear. After all, they're only human. They live each day just like the rest of us. They make their own decisions."
"But…"
"Seiya-kun, Usagi-chan is a smart girl. She's much smarter than any of us ever give her credit for, and it's not because she makes decisions with her head. It's because she follows her heart. She follows her pure heart and it's never failed to lead her down the right path," Setsuna's eyes gazed fiercely into Seiya's. "Whatever the best thing is, Usagi-chan will choose it. I promise you, she will."
The time guardian's expression softened, and she released her grip on Seiya's hand. "In the meantime, Seiya-kun, you've done nothing wrong by loving her. You shouldn't hate yourself for it. Usagi-chan is lucky to have you. You've always been willing to be there for her. You're definitely not wasting your time here, if that's what you think." Setsuna smiled. "Honestly, since you've been here, this is the happiest I've seen her in a long time. Even when Mamoru-san is around. I'm glad you're here, Seiya-kun, because you've brought the life back into our princess."
Seiya brightened at that, and felt his chest swell with gleeful pride at the fact that he finally had seemed to best Mamoru at something. He glanced at the clock on the microwave, which was now blinking 5:14 AM. "Thanks for the cocoa, Setsuna-san," he said, as he headed for the door to the hallway.
Setsuna collected the two mugs and dumped them in the sink. "You're welcome, but where are you off to in such a hurry?"
"Oh, I've got some plans for today. And I need to get some things arranged first, and then I'll probably drop by Odango's school later to see what she's up to."
"Sounds nice," Setsuna smiled. "But Seiya…"
"Yeah?" Seiya poked his head back around the corner into the kitchen.
"Put a shirt on first."
"Usagi-chan?"
Usagi blinked. She realized she had been staring intently at her desk for several minutes, and now she looked up to meet the eyes of Makoto and Minako. She glanced around and realized the classroom was empty except for the three of them.
"It's lunchtime," Makoto said. "Didn't you hear the bell?"
"You've been staring at your desk all through last period," Minako chortled. "It isn't going to turn into Seiya-kun anytime soon, you know."
"Minako-chan!" Makoto reprimanded, throwing her blonde friend a shocked look.
"What? Come on, Mako-chan," Minako said, tossing her hair over her shoulder with a look of maddening superiority. "It's plain to me that something is on Usagi-chan's mind. When was the last time she forgot about lunch? Obviously, she's thinking too much about seeing her… 'friend', heh."
"Minako!" Makoto snapped. "You're talking like Seiya and Usagi are long-time lovers or something. Just because you and Yaten-kun are having nightly snuggle-fests lately doesn't mean Usagi-chan has lost her self-control, too!"
"Hey!" Minako clasped a hand to her chest, swaying in an overdramatic fashion. "There's no call for you to belittle the love of two beautiful idols! Besides, if you had someone as good-looking as Yaten wanting to be all over you, you know you wouldn't turn him down."
Makoto smiled and shrugged. "Not my type, Minako-chan. He's rather short for me, don't you think?"
"Yes, but don't tell him that to his face. He gets really embarrassed. You know he doesn't like it when I wear high heels?"
"She's right, Mako-chan," Usagi cut in.
Makoto blinked. "I didn't realize Yaten-kun was so sensitive about his height…"
"No, I didn't mean that," Usagi shook her head. "I meant…well, she's right that I was thinking about Seiya."
Makoto's eyes widened, and Minako whirled around immediately to stare directly at Usagi. "Seriously?" the blonde senshi gasped, "I mean, I always knew there was something between the two of you, I just wasn't sure if YOU knew about it! But this is great!" Minako squealed, clasping her hands together. Her blue eyes melted into a lovesick expression. "This means that I, Aino Minako, the goddess of love and beauty, have possibly brought together two meant-to-be lovers!"
"What are you talking about?" Makoto interjected, whacking Minako on the shoulder. "Usagi-chan already HAS a lover. And furthermore, Mamoru-san is definitely a meant-to-be lover!"
"Yes…" Usagi said, tracing her fingers across the desktop.
Minako stopped arguing with Makoto and glanced at Usagi's desk. Her blue eyes snapped wide open. "Usagi-chan…" she gasped.
"What?" asked Usagi, glancing up at her friend.
"You…you…did you carve yours and Seiya's names into the desk?"
Now it was Makoto's turn to gasp, as she lunged across the desk to gaze at the little carving on the woodwork, crudely scratched with a pocketknife. Sure enough, there were two little stick figures, one with odango and the other with a long ponytail, with "Seiya + Usagi" etched beneath them. "Oh my god, Usagi-chan!" Makoto exclaimed. "Have you been hiding a secret love affair from us for a YEAR?"
Usagi blushed furiously and covered the carving with her hands. "No!" she burst out. "No, no, SEIYA did that. He did that last year, when he was in class with us! I would never…I never did that! I swear, it was Seiya!"
Her friends were exchanging looks of disbelief. Usagi cleared her throat. "Seriously, you guys," she said, her face reddening further, "Seiya did that last year. It wasn't too long before he left with the other Lights to return to Kinmoku. I remember, because we both had detention that day for showing up to class late, and we had to spend an hour after school doing homework. The teacher had to take a phone call in the main office, and Seiya started poking me in the back and teasing me, asking if I needed any of his genius help on my homework. You know, he ALWAYS used to tease me, because he sat behind me. And when I said that I bet I would get a higher score on my homework than he did, he said he bet I wouldn't, and if he got a higher score, I should go on a date with him. And I said I wouldn't ever go on a date with someone so full of himself, and that I already had Mamo-chan, and then he pulled out his pocketknife and reached for me. And that made me nervous, because I didn't know what he was doing. I thought maybe he was going to cut off my hair or something because I said I wouldn't date him, so I started screaming, 'Seiya, don't you dare cut my hair off with that knife!' And he gave me a funny look and said, 'How dare you think I'm so cruel? No, I was going to make a picture for you, you silly Odango-head.' And that's when he carved this into my desk, because he said it would remind me later, after he'd gone, that I had missed my chance to have a date with such a 'good-looking and brilliant guy', as he put it."
Usagi took a deep breath after finishing her story and smiled lamely at her two friends. She uncovered the drawing with her hands and ran her finger lightly across the Seiya stick-figure. "I thought he was being an idiot at the time. You know, he was always saying how much he wanted to date me, and I just thought he liked to tease and didn't really mean it. I mean, he's Seiya Kou. He's a famous idol. He could have any girl he wanted."
"Except you," Minako said softly, her eyes locked on the rough little etching.
"Except me. I thought for a long time after he left that he just teased me because it was a challenge for him. He's so arrogant sometimes. He likes to be the best at everything. I thought maybe I was just another goal for him," Usagi murmured. She glanced out the window. "But after he left, I found myself thinking about him more and more. I don't think I really realized what he thought of me."
"He really likes you, Usagi-chan," said Minako, patting Usagi on the shoulder. She smiled. "We all knew it all along."
Usagi grinned sheepishly. "Well, one thing's for sure. He was right about this drawing. Every time I look at it, I think about missing my chance at dating a good-looking and brilliant man!"
Minako and Usagi burst out laughing, but Makoto looked slightly worried. The tall senshi tugged on the end of her chestnut ponytail and focused her emerald eyes on Usagi.
Usagi caught the look. She stood up and hugged Makoto, smiling. "Don't worry, Mako-chan," she said cheerfully. "I promise I won't run away to Kinmoku or anything."
"I didn't say that…" the brown-haired girl said.
"I know. I just meant that…well, I promise not to rush into anything. But at the same time, it would be nice to make some of my own decisions for a change," Usagi said, her eyes slightly misty. "I haven't really done anything for myself in such a long time."
"And Seiya-kun is a nice thing to do!" Minako quipped, her eyes sparkling mischievously.
"Oy, Minako-chan!" Usagi said, pulling away from Makoto and giving her blonde friend a swat on the arm. "I just said I'm not rushing into anything!"
"I found some beautiful china place settings in a department store last week. Do you have a preference for the kinds of curtains you want?" Minako said, smirking.
Usagi rolled her eyes, and Makoto finally laughed. The tall girl checked her watch and gasped. "It's already 15 minutes after the bell, you guys!" she exclaimed. "If we don't hurry to the cafeteria now, we're never going to get anything to eat!"
"Oh!" Usagi muttered, snatching up her bag. "Come on!" she cried, "Let's hurry! I'm starving!"
The three girls darted out the classroom door and into the hallway. They were halfway to the cafeteria when Usagi suddenly checked her bag for her wallet. "Oh no," she muttered, digging through her bag.
"What's wrong?" Minako asked.
"I can't believe it…I don't have my wallet," Usagi moaned. She slapped a hand to her forehead. "I guess I'll have to go back to the classroom and get it."
"We'll save you a seat, of course," Makoto said.
"We might not save you any food, though," Minako added. "Well, maybe you can have the crusts off my sandwiches."
"Har, har," Usagi glowered. "I'll catch up in a second."
She turned around and ran back down the hallway, her footsteps padding softly on the tile floor. She couldn't believe she forgot her wallet. Now she was going to be even later in getting lunch, and she would only have a few minutes to wolf it down. Usagi hated to eat fast. She felt food was something that should be savored, and savored often.
Rounding the corner, Usagi flipped her long ponytails over her shoulder and brushed her bangs out of her face. She hurriedly opened the door into her empty classroom and darted over to her seat, looking under the desk.
"It has to be here somewhere," she muttered to herself. She dropped to her knees and crawled beneath her desk, searching the floor.
"Is this what they do for detention now? Make you stay in at lunch? Honestly, Odango, I'm surprised you're surviving it!"
Usagi jumped at the sudden voice and whacked her head on the underside of her desk. "OW!" she moaned, rubbing the back of her head with her hand. She crawled out backwards from beneath the desk and sat back on her heels, gazing up at the open classroom door. Impeccably dressed in a neatly pressed charcoal-colored suit, complete with a fashionable red tie, Seiya was leaning languidly in the doorway, his slim frame looking relaxed and, as usual, completely full of himself.
Usagi grinned in spite of herself, and then attempted to correct her expression to look more annoyed. "What are you doing here? Idol business, or do you just enjoy scaring beautiful schoolgirls?"
"I enjoy doing lots of things with schoolgirls, especially the beautiful ones," Seiya smirked, ambling into the room. His hands were casually shoved into his pants pockets, and Usagi couldn't help but smile at his typical swagger.
She made a face, sticking her tongue out at him. "You're a real pervert Seiya, you know that?"
"Who said anything about doing anything perverted? I'm not always picky about what I do with said beautiful schoolgirls," Seiya said. He sat down in the desk in front of hers and swiveled around to look Usagi in the eyes. "So what are you doing in here, Odango? Isn't it lunchtime? I went by the cafeteria to see if you were there, and Ami-chan she hadn't seen you, so I thought I'd drop by here."
"I forgot my wallet. But I AM going to lunch, because I'm starving!" Usagi whined, gripping at her stomach.
"Well, I'm glad I caught you before you made it to the cafeteria, because I was going to ask if you wouldn't rather go do something with me," Seiya said.
"Do something?" Usagi gave Seiya a quizzical look. "What, right now? You may not have noticed this, but I'm sort of at school right now." She giggled and poked Seiya in the ribs.
"Oh, come on. It's not like you were ever a star student anyway."
"Hey!"
"Please, Odango," begged Seiya, clasping his hands in front of himself and giving her puppy eyes. "It will be fun."
"Well, it's a day with you. How could it not be fun?" Usagi blushed as she realized what had just slipped out of her mouth.
One of Seiya's eyebrows shot straight up into his blue-black hair as his eyes gleamed at her. Usagi giggled and stood up, patting Seiya lightly on the head. "I'd better not give you any more compliments, Seiya-chan," she sang at him. "Your head might swell up too big and then we'd never be able to get you out of this room."
Seiya jumped to his feet and grabbed Usagi by both her hands, pulling her directly to him. He suppressed the urge to laugh at her surprised expression and instead clasped her hands firmly, running his thumbs over her small wrists. "Odango," he whispered, his eyes glinting with mischievous delight, "Let's get out of here."
Usagi balked. One corner of her mouth twisted into an unsure grin as she lightly shook her head. "I don't underst—weren't we just talking about leaving? What are you saying?"
"No, I really mean it. Let's get out of here," Seiya said, his voice rising with excitement. "Let's just run off and go someplace for a while, maybe a couple of days. No one has to know. It could be an adventure."
"What?" Usagi exclaimed, her jaw dropping. "But—Seiya! People will worry about us! And it wouldn't look…well, DECENT! People would wonder, they'd start talking…"
Seiya cut her off. "Who cares? Our friends don't have to know every single detail of our lives. We should be entitled to just go off and do something crazy occasionally. Besides," he said, smirking happily at her, "Weren't you saying just the other day how your life is too boring? How you need a little excitement in your fairy tale life?"
"Seiya…" Usagi's face went suddenly pink and she felt tears beginning to well up in her eyes. This was too hard, she thought. She had been dying for something exciting and different to happen to her for so long, and now that it was available and being offered by her wonderful and handsome friend, she didn't know what to do. I could do it, she thought fleetingly, I could just run away with him. I wouldn't have to leave a note. No one would have to know why. It would be what I've always wanted; I would finally get to do something for myself for once. Just for me. Because I wanted to. Because I…
You WHAT? Her thoughts were swirling. Because you feel WHAT? You CAN'T feel that way, you just can't; it's not right, is it? It isn't meant to be that way…
Well, she argued back at herself. Why can't it be the way I WANT it to be?
Yes!
…no. Not now.
She tried to pull away from him, but Seiya's grip tightened ever so slightly. He then thought better of it, released her hands from his, and pulled her into a light hug. He gently rested his jaw on the top of her golden head.
"I'm just trying to make you happy, Odango," he whispered into her hair. He kissed her lingeringly on the forehead and then abruptly pulled away from her. Sliding his hands into his pockets, he leaned back against her desk and smiled. "But I understand. Maybe it would be too weird," he said with a small shrug.
"I…" Usagi murmured. She swallowed hard and gazed up at him. She noticed it was becoming increasingly difficult to just LOOK at Seiya. It was never this way before, she thought, almost chiding herself. I used to be able to look into those eyes without feeling…this.
"I better let you get to lunch," Seiya said, checking his watch. "It's ten till one. You'd better hurry, if you want to get anything to eat before class starts again. I'll see you tonight, when you guys come to Haruka's for dinner."
He flashed her one more small smile, and then turned to walk up the aisle and out of the room. Usagi's breath caught in her throat. She wanted to cry out and tell him to stop, or maybe yell at him for making her feel this way. She wanted to at least say goodbye. She wanted to do SOMETHING. Her legs felt like iron and her throat was too dry to speak. It seemed like it was taking an eternity for Seiya to turn around and begin to walk, and yet she knew that if she didn't act quickly, he'd be gone and she wouldn't see him again until that night, when everyone was gathered in Michiru's dining room, and everyone would be talking and laughing and there wouldn't be a chance for her to be with Seiya alone…
She didn't know how she managed to move fast enough, but her hand shot out and gripped Seiya by the sleeve. The dark-haired youth turned around to look at her, his sapphire eyes clouded and confused.
"Don't," she said hoarsely. She swallowed and cleared her throat. "Don't…don't leave, Seiya."
She found her voice, and was even able to give him a shy grin, which rapidly widened into a full, beautiful smile, and she saw Seiya relax when she gave him that smile. He lifted his hand to capture the one on his sleeve, and Usagi wiggled her fingers until she had locked them with his. "I want to go with you," she whispered. "Please."
"You don't have to say please," Seiya murmured, squeezing her hand lightly. "The offer still stands."
Usagi giggled. "So it wasn't a limited-time deal or anything, then?"
"Well, semi-limited. Subject to availability. You know how it is."
"Well, I'm glad I'm such a worthy customer, then. I seem to be getting top service."
Seiya reached out and brushed a stray lock of Usagi's golden hair behind her ears. "For you, Odango, I'm always available. You never have to worry about good service with me."
"Good, because I hate writing complaint letters. My kanji isn't very good, you know."
"I know," Seiya grinned. "Now, let's get out of this school before they make you learn any more."