A GREAT BIG THANKS TO: Jen23, Golden_Tuna, Golden Girl 2002, Shuffle Queen,
GoldAngel2, anime-eagle, HeavensRain, and Rain's love-domon's heart for
reviews in this and past chapters. I greatly appreciate each and every one
of you.
Disclaimer: G Gundam property of Sunrise, the Sotsu Agency, and Bandai. I am a devoted fan. Don't you think I should get a part of the cut? ^_^
~Rayne~: *is running out of witty comments to spice up the disclaimer!* *panics*
§~The Best Years of Your Life~§
by: Rayne Rhiana
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Chapter Ten: Reflection
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
* Look at me - You may think you see who I really am - But you'll never know me - Every day - It's as if I play a part - Now I see - If I wear a mask I can fool the world - But I cannot fool my heart *
* Who is that girl I see - Staring straight back at me - When will my reflection show - Who I am inside *
* I am now - In a world where I have to hide my heart - And what I believe in - But somehow - I will show the world what's inside my heart - And be loved for who I am *
* Who is that girl I see - Staring straight back at me - Why is my reflection someone I don't know - Must I pretend that I - Am someone else for all time - When will my reflection show who I am inside *
* There's a heart that must be free to fly - That burns with a need to know the reason why - Why must we all conceal - What we think, how we feel - Must there be a secret me I'm forced to hide *
* I won't pretend that I - Am someone else for all time - When will my reflection show who I am inside - When will my reflection show who I am inside *
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
The second Rain had changed into her sleeping clothes, she fell onto her bed and buried her face in her soft pillow. The irony of the night had her head spinning. The dance had been wonderful, Domon's confession had been slightly scary, the confrontation with Allenby had been heartbreaking, and the kiss had been indescribable. She sighed contently. There wasn't anything that could spoil the end of -this- night.
She glanced over at her digital clock, the glowing red lights visible in the darkness. It was 1:30 in the morning. But then something else red and flashing caught her eye. Her phone said there was a new message.
Confused, she leaned over to press 'play'. Who could have possibly called her? Everyone she knew had been at homecoming . . .
"Hey, Rain, it's - " the message machine began. Immediately, Rain slammed her hand down on the stop button and the words came to an abrupt halt. Breathing hard, she stared at the unblinking '1' on the display screen. Her eyes hovered over the erase button and then the play button again. She couldn't decide if she really wanted to hear the message, because she knew that voice. And it sent shivers down her spine.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Marie Louise slipped into her pink nightgown and dismissed her maid. Then she crossed her bedroom (where pink and white were the supreme colors) and got into bed. She fumbled around for the remote for her plasma big screen TV, planning on watching some of her favorite late-night shows before falling asleep. Instead of finding the remote, she found her cordless phone, which had suddenly started ringing. She picked it up, confused. The caller ID said 'Mikamura'. Why would Rain be calling so late?
"Hello?"
"Marie Louise? Thank God you're awake. You'll never believe what happened."
"What happened?"
Rain took a few deep breaths and swallowed before continuing. "Umm . . . I came home and there was a message on my machine."
"Really? Sounds scary, Rain," Marie Louise said sarcastically. She was missing talk shows for -this-?
"Listen!" Rain insisted. "The message . . . it was from . . . Saette."
"What?!" That got Marie Louise's attention. She immediately sat straight up in bed. "You're kidding! He . . . He has no business calling you! What did the message say? For crying out loud, Rain, are you okay?"
While the inital shock had stunned Rain, she was now dealing with it maturely. "I'm fine. It said . . . Well, how about you listen to it?" She pressed play on her answering machine and his voice flooded the line.
"Hey, Rain, it's Saette. Um . . . well, I know you're probably really angry with me. I haven't called you for a while, have I? Almost - what - two months? Sorry about that. I've been getting adjusted. Anyway, I'm gonna be in town visiting some relatives tomorrow and I was wondering if you wanted to get together and reminise. Um . . . yeah, call my cell. You've probably still got the number. Yeah . . . call me. Bye."
"That asshole!" Marie Louise spat out as soon as the answering machine beeped in an unusual display of fury. "He has no business calling you! I hope you delete that message and forget all about it."
"Um . . . well . . ." Rain took another deep breath. "I called him. I left him a message - "
"You WHAT?!"
"Just listen to me for once!" Rain cried. "I told him to meet me at the diner. If he wants to see me, it's probably to either apologize, which I want to hear, or to argue with me, which I want to be around for to defend myself. Saette is no longer a major concern for me, Marie Louise."
"Rain, you're out of your mind. You don't know what you're doing! Saette is - "
"Look, I'm sorry!" Rain burst out, scaring poor Marie Louise who almost dropped the phone. "I'm tired of everyone thinking they know what's best for me. I make my own decisions. I proved that tonight. I -will- go meet Saette and I -will- make sure he knows I don't sit at home crying over him!"
Marie Louise was still speechless minutes after the line had gone dead.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
The next day, noonish, Rain drove her father's pickup truck to the corner diner. She parked and headed inside, smoothing out her outfit. She was wearing a flippy pink skirt, white tank top, and nice white sandals with heels. She sat down at a booth by a window and waited.
It had been such a long time since she'd seen Saette. It had taken her a surprisingly short amount of time to get over him. She knew she hadn't done anything wrong. It was all his fault. But still . . . she couldn't help but wonder what he was like now.
And if he showed up with Vanessa . . . oooh, Rain would have to kill him.
Fifteen minutes later, the bell over the door jangled. She looked up quickly and saw something she definately did not want to see. Domon, Chibodee, and Sai Saici walked in, laughing about something. She quickly tried to hide her face. This was horrible! How was she going to talk to Saette with Domon around? And worse yet, how would they react to each other?
Domon, Chibodee, and Sai sat down across the diner, a safe enough distance away. But at that moment, Rain would have preferred Domon to be a few miles away, rather than feet.
The bell rang again, interrupting her thoughts. Saette walked in, radiating his usual confidence. She could recognize him even when he was wearing dark sunglasses. Luckily, neither he nor Domon seemed to notice each other. Instead, he spotted Rain, smiled, and walked towards her. Sitting down with his back to Domon and the others, he took off the sunglasses.
"Wow, Rain. You're sure looking lovely today."
Instead of blushing and giggling like she would have when they were going out, she stared at him coldly and said, "Saette, cut the crap. What are you here for? Why did you want to see me? You made it perfectly clear I don't mean anything to you." She said this all in a low voice, meant to both sound dangerous and conceal her location from Domon.
Saette's expression was rather shocked. "S'pose I expected a rather friendlier welcome than that, but okay. Guess I deserve it. Rain, I'm sorry. I had to see you. Ever since we broke up . . . nothing's been the same for me. I miss you. It hurts all the time. I hate myself for cheating on you. I really do."
Rain was surprised. "You're . . . apologizing?"
"Yeah, guess so." Saette scratched his head. "And . . . well, I was wondering . . . Rain, I'm begging you. Give me another chance. I've never loved someone as much as I love you. I can't just let that go."
She didn't know what to say. Of everything she expected, this was at the very bottom of the list. She may have thought of an answer, given time, but she got none. Instead, she heard her name from across the diner. She looked beyond Saette and saw Domon standing up slowly, as though he couldn't believe his eyes. Saette turned to see what she was looking at and saw Domon. Smiling, he stood up.
"Goddamn . . . Domon? Man, it's been a while. How are you doing?"
Domon crossed the diner with furious strides but he hid his anger well. "Saette? What are you doing here?" He looked at Rain with an expression of mingled hurt and fury. "Thought it was over between you guys."
~He's acting like we're nothing,~ Rain thought sadly. ~He's not going to defend me.~
"Well, as a matter of fact, I'm here humbly asking Rain if she'll consider giving me another chance."
Those words struck Domon like a lightning bolt. He stood there, shocked, for a moment before looking at Rain. "And what was her answer?"
Chibodee and Sai stared at Rain as well, disbelieving. Saette turned to look at Rain as well, his eyes friendly. The only friendly pair there. And Domon . . .
Saette finally couldn't stand the waiting. He reached out and grabbed Rain's hand. "Rain . . . please . . ."
"Get your hands off my woman!" Domon's fist connected with the side of Saette's head and he fell to the ground, his hand wrenching Rain's with him. She fell to the ground as well, skinning her knee and breaking the heel of one of her new white sandals.
"The hell . . .?!" Saette got up quickly. "-Your- woman? Since when have you been going out with her?! What business does Domon Kasshu have going out with someone like Rain?!"
"Shows how much you care about her!" Domon yelled, furious. "Did you expect her to hang around waiting for a jackass like you to come back and decide she's good enough?"
Rain, getting to her feet with Chibodee's and Sai's help, watched the two guys fight over her. She didn't know what to do. If she said something, she risked angering one or both. So she watched them shoot daggers at each other. Her hand tightened on Chibodee's upper arm. He glanced down at her and then looked at Domon.
"Hey, man," he said to Domon. "Not here, all right? C'mon, you're gonna get in trouble." Already the other patrons were staring. Rain shot Chibodee an extremely grateful look for being her voice.
Domon looked towards Chibodee and his expression softened when he saw Rain, unstable on a shoe without a heel and her knee bleeding. "Fine." He glared at Saette, whose lip was bleeding. "You stay away from her. You hear me? Far away. Go back to Coalition and never talk to her again."
Sai pulled Domon towards the door. Rain wrapped her arm around Chibodee's shoulder and hobbled after them. Every few steps she'd stumble, confused as to how to walk while missing a heel. Saette didn't dare approach her with her entourage following.
Once they were outside, everyone piled in Domon's car. Rain got the front seat and the second he got in the car, Domon immediately began interrogating her.
"Why did you meet up with Saette?" he asked. "I thought the two of you were over."
Rain proceeded to tell the three the same thing she'd told Marie Louise. Domon sat, not moving the car, as he listened. When she'd finished, Chibodee leaned over the seat. "But why would he want to meet up with you again? Just to ask you out?"
"He enjoyed manipulating everything I did. It was a control issue. He was obsessed with having the upper hand. I didn't get to be myself. I had to . . . wear a mask. I was only 'Saette's girlfriend'. I wasn't a person anymore. -I- didn't even know who I was. I was so glad to pull out of it." Rain looked down at her hands clasped in her lap. Suddenly, Domon's hand slid over her own, strong, warm and protective.
"Don't worry. You're with me now. I'll never try to change you. I love you just the way you are, believe me." Domon smiled at her warmly. Chibodee clapped a hand on her shoulder.
"That goes for all of us. Don't change on us, Rain."
She smiled and looked out the window towards her dad's pickup. Suddenly her eyes squinted as she swore she could see silvery streaks across the red paint . . .
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
"So . . . Miss Mikafurry - "
"Mikamura."
"Yes, Miss Mikamura . . . you're filing a 'damage of property' claim, are you not? For the 'keying' of your father's pickup truck?"
Rain nodded miserably, her hand clasped tightly in Domon's. "Yes. I'm almost positive it was my ex-boyfriend, Saette. We had a fight. This is something he'd do." She shook her head. "My father is going to kill me."
"It's not your fault," Domon replied, squeezing her hand. He looked at her bored female cop interrogating Rain and asked, "When will this report be filed?"
"Tomorrowish," she replied, scribbling in her notes. "We hope. Things have been slow lately. If we can catch him and get legitmate proof, he'll be responsible for the damages. In the meantime, the damage is only to the body. The vehicle still runs, so we can't give you a rental."
"That's fine. Thank you. Call me when you find him," Rain requested, turning to leave with Domon.
When they got outside, Rain stared at the truck. It was pitiful-looking. "What a bastard," she muttered, stomping her foot irritably. She'd forgotten about the missing heel and tripped, landing in the grass. Domon, laughing, helped her up.
"Yeah, he is. Wanna get something to eat?"
She nodded. "Sure."
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
~ This was mainly meant to be a Saette-bashing chappie and there was more, but I had to split it in two. I'll update again soon. In the meantime, sorry for a slightly inadequate chappie . . . ;_;
Rayne~
Disclaimer: G Gundam property of Sunrise, the Sotsu Agency, and Bandai. I am a devoted fan. Don't you think I should get a part of the cut? ^_^
~Rayne~: *is running out of witty comments to spice up the disclaimer!* *panics*
§~The Best Years of Your Life~§
by: Rayne Rhiana
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Chapter Ten: Reflection
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
* Look at me - You may think you see who I really am - But you'll never know me - Every day - It's as if I play a part - Now I see - If I wear a mask I can fool the world - But I cannot fool my heart *
* Who is that girl I see - Staring straight back at me - When will my reflection show - Who I am inside *
* I am now - In a world where I have to hide my heart - And what I believe in - But somehow - I will show the world what's inside my heart - And be loved for who I am *
* Who is that girl I see - Staring straight back at me - Why is my reflection someone I don't know - Must I pretend that I - Am someone else for all time - When will my reflection show who I am inside *
* There's a heart that must be free to fly - That burns with a need to know the reason why - Why must we all conceal - What we think, how we feel - Must there be a secret me I'm forced to hide *
* I won't pretend that I - Am someone else for all time - When will my reflection show who I am inside - When will my reflection show who I am inside *
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
The second Rain had changed into her sleeping clothes, she fell onto her bed and buried her face in her soft pillow. The irony of the night had her head spinning. The dance had been wonderful, Domon's confession had been slightly scary, the confrontation with Allenby had been heartbreaking, and the kiss had been indescribable. She sighed contently. There wasn't anything that could spoil the end of -this- night.
She glanced over at her digital clock, the glowing red lights visible in the darkness. It was 1:30 in the morning. But then something else red and flashing caught her eye. Her phone said there was a new message.
Confused, she leaned over to press 'play'. Who could have possibly called her? Everyone she knew had been at homecoming . . .
"Hey, Rain, it's - " the message machine began. Immediately, Rain slammed her hand down on the stop button and the words came to an abrupt halt. Breathing hard, she stared at the unblinking '1' on the display screen. Her eyes hovered over the erase button and then the play button again. She couldn't decide if she really wanted to hear the message, because she knew that voice. And it sent shivers down her spine.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Marie Louise slipped into her pink nightgown and dismissed her maid. Then she crossed her bedroom (where pink and white were the supreme colors) and got into bed. She fumbled around for the remote for her plasma big screen TV, planning on watching some of her favorite late-night shows before falling asleep. Instead of finding the remote, she found her cordless phone, which had suddenly started ringing. She picked it up, confused. The caller ID said 'Mikamura'. Why would Rain be calling so late?
"Hello?"
"Marie Louise? Thank God you're awake. You'll never believe what happened."
"What happened?"
Rain took a few deep breaths and swallowed before continuing. "Umm . . . I came home and there was a message on my machine."
"Really? Sounds scary, Rain," Marie Louise said sarcastically. She was missing talk shows for -this-?
"Listen!" Rain insisted. "The message . . . it was from . . . Saette."
"What?!" That got Marie Louise's attention. She immediately sat straight up in bed. "You're kidding! He . . . He has no business calling you! What did the message say? For crying out loud, Rain, are you okay?"
While the inital shock had stunned Rain, she was now dealing with it maturely. "I'm fine. It said . . . Well, how about you listen to it?" She pressed play on her answering machine and his voice flooded the line.
"Hey, Rain, it's Saette. Um . . . well, I know you're probably really angry with me. I haven't called you for a while, have I? Almost - what - two months? Sorry about that. I've been getting adjusted. Anyway, I'm gonna be in town visiting some relatives tomorrow and I was wondering if you wanted to get together and reminise. Um . . . yeah, call my cell. You've probably still got the number. Yeah . . . call me. Bye."
"That asshole!" Marie Louise spat out as soon as the answering machine beeped in an unusual display of fury. "He has no business calling you! I hope you delete that message and forget all about it."
"Um . . . well . . ." Rain took another deep breath. "I called him. I left him a message - "
"You WHAT?!"
"Just listen to me for once!" Rain cried. "I told him to meet me at the diner. If he wants to see me, it's probably to either apologize, which I want to hear, or to argue with me, which I want to be around for to defend myself. Saette is no longer a major concern for me, Marie Louise."
"Rain, you're out of your mind. You don't know what you're doing! Saette is - "
"Look, I'm sorry!" Rain burst out, scaring poor Marie Louise who almost dropped the phone. "I'm tired of everyone thinking they know what's best for me. I make my own decisions. I proved that tonight. I -will- go meet Saette and I -will- make sure he knows I don't sit at home crying over him!"
Marie Louise was still speechless minutes after the line had gone dead.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
The next day, noonish, Rain drove her father's pickup truck to the corner diner. She parked and headed inside, smoothing out her outfit. She was wearing a flippy pink skirt, white tank top, and nice white sandals with heels. She sat down at a booth by a window and waited.
It had been such a long time since she'd seen Saette. It had taken her a surprisingly short amount of time to get over him. She knew she hadn't done anything wrong. It was all his fault. But still . . . she couldn't help but wonder what he was like now.
And if he showed up with Vanessa . . . oooh, Rain would have to kill him.
Fifteen minutes later, the bell over the door jangled. She looked up quickly and saw something she definately did not want to see. Domon, Chibodee, and Sai Saici walked in, laughing about something. She quickly tried to hide her face. This was horrible! How was she going to talk to Saette with Domon around? And worse yet, how would they react to each other?
Domon, Chibodee, and Sai sat down across the diner, a safe enough distance away. But at that moment, Rain would have preferred Domon to be a few miles away, rather than feet.
The bell rang again, interrupting her thoughts. Saette walked in, radiating his usual confidence. She could recognize him even when he was wearing dark sunglasses. Luckily, neither he nor Domon seemed to notice each other. Instead, he spotted Rain, smiled, and walked towards her. Sitting down with his back to Domon and the others, he took off the sunglasses.
"Wow, Rain. You're sure looking lovely today."
Instead of blushing and giggling like she would have when they were going out, she stared at him coldly and said, "Saette, cut the crap. What are you here for? Why did you want to see me? You made it perfectly clear I don't mean anything to you." She said this all in a low voice, meant to both sound dangerous and conceal her location from Domon.
Saette's expression was rather shocked. "S'pose I expected a rather friendlier welcome than that, but okay. Guess I deserve it. Rain, I'm sorry. I had to see you. Ever since we broke up . . . nothing's been the same for me. I miss you. It hurts all the time. I hate myself for cheating on you. I really do."
Rain was surprised. "You're . . . apologizing?"
"Yeah, guess so." Saette scratched his head. "And . . . well, I was wondering . . . Rain, I'm begging you. Give me another chance. I've never loved someone as much as I love you. I can't just let that go."
She didn't know what to say. Of everything she expected, this was at the very bottom of the list. She may have thought of an answer, given time, but she got none. Instead, she heard her name from across the diner. She looked beyond Saette and saw Domon standing up slowly, as though he couldn't believe his eyes. Saette turned to see what she was looking at and saw Domon. Smiling, he stood up.
"Goddamn . . . Domon? Man, it's been a while. How are you doing?"
Domon crossed the diner with furious strides but he hid his anger well. "Saette? What are you doing here?" He looked at Rain with an expression of mingled hurt and fury. "Thought it was over between you guys."
~He's acting like we're nothing,~ Rain thought sadly. ~He's not going to defend me.~
"Well, as a matter of fact, I'm here humbly asking Rain if she'll consider giving me another chance."
Those words struck Domon like a lightning bolt. He stood there, shocked, for a moment before looking at Rain. "And what was her answer?"
Chibodee and Sai stared at Rain as well, disbelieving. Saette turned to look at Rain as well, his eyes friendly. The only friendly pair there. And Domon . . .
Saette finally couldn't stand the waiting. He reached out and grabbed Rain's hand. "Rain . . . please . . ."
"Get your hands off my woman!" Domon's fist connected with the side of Saette's head and he fell to the ground, his hand wrenching Rain's with him. She fell to the ground as well, skinning her knee and breaking the heel of one of her new white sandals.
"The hell . . .?!" Saette got up quickly. "-Your- woman? Since when have you been going out with her?! What business does Domon Kasshu have going out with someone like Rain?!"
"Shows how much you care about her!" Domon yelled, furious. "Did you expect her to hang around waiting for a jackass like you to come back and decide she's good enough?"
Rain, getting to her feet with Chibodee's and Sai's help, watched the two guys fight over her. She didn't know what to do. If she said something, she risked angering one or both. So she watched them shoot daggers at each other. Her hand tightened on Chibodee's upper arm. He glanced down at her and then looked at Domon.
"Hey, man," he said to Domon. "Not here, all right? C'mon, you're gonna get in trouble." Already the other patrons were staring. Rain shot Chibodee an extremely grateful look for being her voice.
Domon looked towards Chibodee and his expression softened when he saw Rain, unstable on a shoe without a heel and her knee bleeding. "Fine." He glared at Saette, whose lip was bleeding. "You stay away from her. You hear me? Far away. Go back to Coalition and never talk to her again."
Sai pulled Domon towards the door. Rain wrapped her arm around Chibodee's shoulder and hobbled after them. Every few steps she'd stumble, confused as to how to walk while missing a heel. Saette didn't dare approach her with her entourage following.
Once they were outside, everyone piled in Domon's car. Rain got the front seat and the second he got in the car, Domon immediately began interrogating her.
"Why did you meet up with Saette?" he asked. "I thought the two of you were over."
Rain proceeded to tell the three the same thing she'd told Marie Louise. Domon sat, not moving the car, as he listened. When she'd finished, Chibodee leaned over the seat. "But why would he want to meet up with you again? Just to ask you out?"
"He enjoyed manipulating everything I did. It was a control issue. He was obsessed with having the upper hand. I didn't get to be myself. I had to . . . wear a mask. I was only 'Saette's girlfriend'. I wasn't a person anymore. -I- didn't even know who I was. I was so glad to pull out of it." Rain looked down at her hands clasped in her lap. Suddenly, Domon's hand slid over her own, strong, warm and protective.
"Don't worry. You're with me now. I'll never try to change you. I love you just the way you are, believe me." Domon smiled at her warmly. Chibodee clapped a hand on her shoulder.
"That goes for all of us. Don't change on us, Rain."
She smiled and looked out the window towards her dad's pickup. Suddenly her eyes squinted as she swore she could see silvery streaks across the red paint . . .
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
"So . . . Miss Mikafurry - "
"Mikamura."
"Yes, Miss Mikamura . . . you're filing a 'damage of property' claim, are you not? For the 'keying' of your father's pickup truck?"
Rain nodded miserably, her hand clasped tightly in Domon's. "Yes. I'm almost positive it was my ex-boyfriend, Saette. We had a fight. This is something he'd do." She shook her head. "My father is going to kill me."
"It's not your fault," Domon replied, squeezing her hand. He looked at her bored female cop interrogating Rain and asked, "When will this report be filed?"
"Tomorrowish," she replied, scribbling in her notes. "We hope. Things have been slow lately. If we can catch him and get legitmate proof, he'll be responsible for the damages. In the meantime, the damage is only to the body. The vehicle still runs, so we can't give you a rental."
"That's fine. Thank you. Call me when you find him," Rain requested, turning to leave with Domon.
When they got outside, Rain stared at the truck. It was pitiful-looking. "What a bastard," she muttered, stomping her foot irritably. She'd forgotten about the missing heel and tripped, landing in the grass. Domon, laughing, helped her up.
"Yeah, he is. Wanna get something to eat?"
She nodded. "Sure."
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
~ This was mainly meant to be a Saette-bashing chappie and there was more, but I had to split it in two. I'll update again soon. In the meantime, sorry for a slightly inadequate chappie . . . ;_;
Rayne~