Hello Minna, Here is the final Chapter of Makenai Please R & R and let me know what you think.
Author's Notes- 'Denotes People's Thoughts' Yes you read correctly above, it says last chapter, please see the AN's at the end of this Chapter for an explanation. I would like to take a moment to thank my reviewers.
THANK YOU FOR STICKING WITH IT TO THE END!
Makenai
Chapter 9 - Back To The Future
Makoto awoke first. Smiling she thanked whatever thoughtful person had covered her with a blanket and tucked a pillow under her head. Stretching slowly she looked around to see Rei asleep on the floor a few feet away. Ami, Minako and Usagi were all missing. Seiya, Taiki and Yaten were all out of sight too.
She stood slowly and wandered into the kitchen. Opening the fridge, Makoto was surprised to find all the makings of a great breakfast. Pulling out some of this and that she smiled and began digging for a skillet.
In a few minutes, she had bacon sizzling and was setting the scrambled eggs aside while, as she mixed up the pancake batter. Sleepy violet eyes blinked blearily at her.
"Mmm...Smells wonderful." Rei sat up slowly and stretched working out the stiffness from sleeping on the floor. "I'll help you in just a minute." Wandering from the front room, she disappeared down the hallway.
Yaten woke to a soft tickling. Blinking blearily, he found blonde hairs across his face. A blonde head rested on his shoulder and her arm was thrown across him. He smiled sleepily before noticing an odd smell. Wracking his brain, he tried to figure it out.
'Mmm smells wonderful but what is it?' He tried to slip out from under Minako without waking her. He laughed to see her shirt and skirt all rumpled. Glancing down at himself, he realized his clothes were just as messy. He was just sitting up when a comment came from the bed.
"Mmm I smell breakfast. Makoto must be in your kitchen cooking." Blue eyes sleepily opened and Minako glanced at him with a small smile. He leaned over and gave her a kiss.
"Good morning you", Yaten smiled as he straightened back up.
"Good morning yourself", Minako slowly sat up and stretched. When her arms reached skyward, the material of her shirt slid upwards and Yaten saw smooth firm stomach muscles.
Doing funny things to his breathing and heart rate he decided to turn around. She slid off the bed and stood walking towards Yaten.
"Let's go eat." She grabbed his hand and literally pulled him out to the kitchen.
Usagi knew she had to be dreaming. Standing in a field of flowers the sun high in the sky, she could smell the cherry blossoms. Looking around she saw a familiar dark head sitting under a nearby tree on a park bench.
Running closer her heart sped up as she realized it really was her Mamo-chan. She approached him slowly drinking in his features. Dropping to her knees in front of him, she dropped her head into his lap.
"Mamo-chan", His name slipped past her lips on a sob. She felt warm gentle fingers play in her hair. "Mamo-chan I have missed you so much." The tears ran freely down her cheeks soaking his lap. After a few minutes of silence he finally spoke.
"Usako I have missed you too but I am in a better place. Please be happy for me, I do not want you to be sad. It is time to let me go. Take care of Seiya, Usako; he really loves you as much as I have." He leaned forward and dropped a kiss on the top of her head as he began to fade.
"Remember me Usako but please be happy with Seiya." She tried to hold onto him as he spoke but by the time Seiya's name left his lips he was gone. She lay there and let the tears flow. They were hot and scalding as they ran down her face.
Seiya awoke when Usagi called out in her sleep. The despair in her voice called to him.
"Mamo-chan", she clung to him with her head pillowed on his arm. He looked surprised when her body began to shake softly; until a warm wetness plopped onto his arm.
His eyes widened in surprise as he realized she was crying in her sleep. 'What do I do? Let her sleep or wake her up?' He could see the confusion marring her features. He was trying to be patient but it was hard. 'What should I do?' It was hard trying to be strong for her and wait.
He pulled his arm gently out from under her head trying not to wake her up. Sitting up he covered her up and stood up stretching. Glancing down he was surprised to see cerulean eyes drifting open. A sad smile flitted over her features.
"Did you sleep well?" Seiya decided to pretend he hadn't just witnessed her crying and calling out to Mamoru. She looked confused for a moment before sitting up and stretching, choosing to ignore the question because of the dream she had just had.
Watching Seiya, Usagi felt his misery but did not know why he would be miserable. Deciding to take matters into her own hands, she just asked him outright.
"Seiya what is bothering you?" She watched him closely for a reaction.
"Eto, I am trying to be patient. Shimatta!" he stalked over to the side of the bed and sat heavily. "Can you honestly say if I am ever going to mean anything to you?" He looked weary sitting with his shoulders slumped. Dropping his head into his hands, he waited for the indecisive answer.
Her eyes widened in surprise at his answer. She thought for a moment. 'How dare he do this to me. It is too soon to think about such things." Wrapped up in her own selfish thoughts she did not see the hurt look on his face.
"You are not being fair. It is too soon for me to think about such things." Usagi glanced at Seiya trying to understand why he needed reassurance.
"I am being fair. I just can't help wondering what I am doing." He scrubbed at his face trying to keep his emotions from getting the best of him.
His words were like an icy dousing of cold water. Her face paled and tears burned at her eyes. "You don't even have a clue do you. I am dealing with a great loss and here you come along tempting me at every turn but..." Her tears started to escape the more upset she got. "But I cannot just forsake him like that."
"He is dead you know!" The words came out of Seiya's mouth before he had thought them through. Harsh even to his own ears he wasn't about to take them back though. He jumped up off the bed and turned, glared at her. "I understand you are grieving but it hurts me when you cry out in your sleep for a dead man! How am I supposed to compete with a ghost?"
The shocked looked on her face was enough to drive him out of the room. "I have to get out of here. I'll see you later." He turned and strode out of the room slamming the door on his way out.
Everyone was sitting around the living room eating when they heard Seiya's door slam. Shocked eyes watched as Seiya stalked out of the hallway. No one had ever seen him looking like that.
"I'll be back later" he bit the words out, not looking at anyone. "Usagi might need someone to talk too." Seiya added it as an afterthought before leaving. They all jumped when he slammed the front door on his way out.
The whole group glanced at each other, no one knowing what to say. The girls all looked towards Minako; silently electing her to talk to Usagi. Throwing her arms in the air, she succumbed to the pressure.
"Fine, I will talk with her. After all I am the goddess of love." She threw Yaten a wink before setting her plate down and heading for the hallway.
Walking down the hall, she knocked on Seiya's door and waited for Usagi to call out. She barely heard the choked voice.
"Come in." She grasped the handle and opened the door to find Usagi sitting in the middle of the bed crying. Unlike her usual wail, this was more of a soft broken sobbing.
"Usagi-chan are you okay?" Minako walked over to the bed and sat on the edge. Usagi immediately threw herself into her friend's waiting arms.
"S...Seiya is so unfair...he is pushing me to..to admit I care for him. I told him I am not ready to forsake Mamo-chan that way." Her tears increased as she repeated the conversation. "He think...thinks he is competing with a ghost."
"Usagi-chan it is all right. Seiya probably just cares so much that it hurts him to see you so upset. Do you think that is the reason?" Minako tried soothing Usagi to help calm her.
"I don't know?" she ducked her head, turning red in the face. "You see he heard me call out for Mamo-chan and I was crying because of the dream." Minako looked at her quizzically.
"What dream?" She waited to see if Usagi could remember it.
"I...saw Mamo-chan in a park with cherry blossoms. I told him how much I missed him." She broke down letting the tears flow. Taking a deep breath, she tried to pull her emotions back under control before continuing. "He...he told me to be happy with Seiya that he was in a better place." Suddenly she stopped talking and her eyes widened in surprise.
Minako just looked at her trying to understand the whole situation. "Eto... you are saying that Mamo-chan told you to be happy and move on but Seiya feels upset competing with a dead man."
"Yeah sort of", Usagi rather mumbled seeming to be lost in thought. 'Where would he go? Where would he go? I have to make him understand.'
"Umm Usagi-chan did you tell Seiya any of this?" Minako glanced at Usagi to gauge her reaction.
"Not really. You see I was um trying to explain that I could not forsake Mamo-chan like that." Usagi bowed her head with sadness realizing she might have hurt Seiya. Staring at her hands, she felt horrible and tried to think of how to fix her mistake.
"Two things Usagi, number one, you could not forsake Mamo-chan, even he realizes that I am sure. Number two, Seiya's feelings for you are strong and I know he loves you. He is scared that you just look at him as a friend." She paused trying not to shock Usagi.
"So Usagi, first, how do you feel about Seiya?" Minako took a deep breath and waited.
"I think I love him. No...no that is not true. I do love him but I am afraid of forsaking Mamo-chan."
"Honey, don't you see it? You are not forsaking him. He would want you to be happy and to find love again." Minako paused waiting to see if her words got through to Usagi.
When Usagi threw a hand over her mouth her eyes going wide, Minako smiled knowing that it had all just come together for Usagi.
"Mamo-chan said that." She paused for a moment, wiping at her eyes. He said, ("I have missed you too but I am in a better place. Please be happy for me, I do not want you to be sad. It is time to let me go. Take care of Seiya, Usako; he really loves you as much as I have.") Those were his exact words. I didn't see it before, I have to find Seiya."
She jumped up and began straightening her hair and clothes. Minako watched the hurricane that Usagi became.
"How are you going to find him? He just said he would be back later." Minako watched Usagi hurry in straightening her odango's.
"I think...I know where he will be. That is going to be my first stop." She grabbed Minako in a big hug. "Thank you for helping me to see clearly what I need and what I want."
Seiya stood on the school roof looking out over the now empty fields. He knew this place held no happy memories. Heading here with that in mind he figured it was the one place no one would look.
He remembered the first time he had been here. They had battled one of Galaxia's minions and transformed back into their regular identities when Usagi finally broke. She had dropped to her knees crying for Mamo-chan. Setting his hands on her shoulders, he asked the most important question.
"Am I not good enough?" He knelt down facing her before asking again. "Am I not good enough?" Her faint blush and wide-eyed look were his only answer. If it had been bad before it was worse now.
'How can I compete with a ghost?' He stood his arms hanging down to his sides, his face skyward just trying to control his emotions, when he heard soft footfalls pattering up to where he stood.
"Seiya...I" She took a deep breath calming her racing heart. Worry ate at her like a rabid disease. 'What if it is already too late? What if he refuses to listen?' Running nervous hands down her skirt, she thought about her words. His eyes widened in surprise that she had known where to look to find him.
"I never answered your questions." She waited for a sign that he was listening. He turned towards her his face unreadable. 'Okay here goes nothing...everything.' She took a deep breath and then laid her heart out on the ground.
"Yes you are good enough...too good in fact and more importantly...you mean the world to me. Gomen Nasai for hurting you, I should have made it clear sooner."
Not daring to breath, she closed her eyes. Afraid he would be gone when she opened them she cracked them back open. He stood not moving just watching her in shock until finally he had pulled himself together enough to speak.
"Are you sure, Odango?" At her nod, he held his arms open and she rushed into them. Dropping her head to his chest, she threw her arms around him and held him close. Tears leaked out of her eyes and she kept her head down.
"You do know I am still grieving and", She changed her mind and her words..."but I don't want you to ever think you are competing with a ghost or a dead man." She smiled, "That was my past and you are my future."
FIN
Author's Notes - Here is an end to this story. I know you are all wondering why it's doneso I will answer now as best I can.
I found that this story could have gone on for quite a while. Sorry, for some odd reason my Muse seems not to like long drawn out tales. I honestly believe that Usagi would have been strong enough to be able to start to move on within a week. Notice I said start; I am not saying that she would never get depressed or cry her eyes out or miss Mamo-chan! I just think she could start the healing process especially with Seiya's strong arms for comfort. I will think about an epilogue or a sequel at some point in the future, but not at this time. - Moon-Daisuke
I hope you have enjoyed this story. Please R & R and let me know what you thought?
