A/N: I am sorry if this final chapter took so long. I hope you won't get disappointed. Enjoy :)
Chapter 17 - The New Beginning
The park was full of people that night. The fireworks festival aways gather people from all ages. Amidst the crowd, five girls walked side by side. They were having fun as they eat, chat and check guys out.
"Oh, what about him?" Minako pointed at a tall blonde that was near a park bench.
"I don't know...something about him looks familiar to me." Rei frowned.
"Oh, c'mon...maybe you just saw him at the shrine." Makoto implied.
"Um...I think Rei is right. Something about him is so familiar." Ami retorted.
"Let's see then." Minako grabs Usagi by the hand and they approached the tall blonde.
"Usagi-chan, pushed me." Minako whispered.
"What? I'm not going to push you." Usagi replied.
"Look, if you push me towards that guy, it'll break the ice." Minako schemed.
Usagi sighed, "Okay." She slightly pushed Minako towards the blonde. It worked but what happened next only gave Minako a very bright complexion. The tall blonde was in fact, Haruka.
"Haruka-san!" Minako gets up as fast as she could.
"I told you." Rei laughed so hard at Minako.
"Hey, just the girls I was looking fo..." Haruka stopped as she saw Usagi who was also laughing at Minako. She looked at Ami who gave her a reassuring smile.
"I don't believe I've had the pleasure." Haruka smiled at Usagi who blushed.
"Oh, This is Tsukino, Usagi. Usagi-chan, this is our dear friend, Tenoh Haruka." Ami introduced.
Haruka takes Usagi's hand and bends down to kiss it. Usagi blushed as she did this. "It's a pleasure to meet a beautiful girl like yourself." Haruka smiled.
"Are you here for the festival too?" Ami asked.
"No...not really. I got an invite to a gallery opening just across the street. I thought it would be good for me to re-join the human world. I've been cooped up at the house for sometime now." Haruka answered.
"Well, the human world welcomes you back." Minako smiled. "By the way, I'm sorry for the whole bumping into you thing."
Haruka combs her hair with her hand as always and smiled. "Don't worry about it. It's not everyday that I bump into a cute girl like you." Minako blushed again and the other girls giggled.
"I better go. See you around, my kittens." Haruka waved good bye and left.
"I wish she'd find what she's looking for." Usagi blurted out as they watch Haruka leaving. They turn and look at their friend.
"What do you mean?" Makoto asked.
"Something in her eyes. Sadness...feeling of lost. I just wish that whatever it is, she'd find it." Usagi replied. They all smiled at what Usagi said.
The five friends walked around the park for awhile when Rei noticed a familiar dark haired guy across the crowd. She nudged Ami and the others. They took Rei's cue and hatched their plan.
"Oh, jeez..I forgot to ask Haruka-san something." Rei began.
"Oh, yeah." Ami took Rei's cue and began to act with her. "We better go to that gallery opening."
"I'll go with you." Usagi said.
"No!" the four girls chimed. Usagi took a step back at their outburst and looked at them funny.
"Y-you don't have to go. Rei-chan and Ami-chan could go...it's not that far." Makoto replied.
"Ok. Hurry back." Usagi smiled. The four girls lets out a sigh of relief.
"Yeah, and while we're at the gallery, Mina-chan and Mako-chan could save a place for us so we'll have a better view of the fireworks." Ami replied.
"Sure...we'll do that." Minako smiled. Realizing that she was the only one that has nothing to do, Usagi voiced out.
"Hey, wait! What about me?" Usagi asked.
Rei noticed that Mamoru was standing near the ice cream cart. Probably contemplating on buying Usagi-chan ice cream or not, she thought.
"Why don't you buy the snacks?" Makoto suggested.
"Yeah...here's they money. Why not buy some ice cream?" Rei suggested as she gave Usagi money.
"Ice cream? Are you crazy? It's freezing!" Minako exclaimed only to be hardly nudged by Makoto.
"But...cold plus cold equals warm body...yeah, ice cream would be great." Minako saved. Usagi just gave her a weird look and smirked.
"Ok, so we've got assignments...now go." Ami ordered. She and Rei started to walk away, so did Makoto and Minako. Usagi, now alone, sighed and began to walk towards the ice cream stand where Mamoru was still standing. The four girls met up at a big tree near the ice cream stand and began to snoop.
Usagi arrived at the ice cream stand and began to look at their menu. Mamoru noticed the four girls peeping behind the tree and looked at who was standing next to him. He couldn't understand what was happening to him. He usually has no trouble talking to girls or even teasing Usagi, but now, he could feel butterflies in his stomach and a frog in his throat. What the heck! he thought.
"You know you'll just get fatter if you eat ice cream. And only an odango-atama will buy ice cream in this cold weather." Mamoru started.
Usagi turns and sees him. "Oh, it's you." she rolls her eyes and went back in looking at the menu.
"I'm sorry...I just lost my appetite." Usagi said to the vendor and started to walk away. Mamoru follows her. She stops walking and faces him.
"Why are you following me? Can't you bother someone else?" Usagi asked.
"What can I say? You're special." Mamoru flashed his most dashing smile hoping that she'll smile back but instead she just stared at him like she was shooting daggers from her eyes.
Meanwhile, the four girls hid on another tree so they could be close enough to hear Usagi and Mamoru and not get caught snooping.
"Uh-oh...I think something's wrong." Minako obsereved.
"You mean, someone's ruining their chances." Rei pointed out to Mamoru.
"Why can't he just be nice to her?" Ami questioned.
"The man has no romantic bone in his body!" Makoto implied.
Back at Usagi and Mamoru. She was giving him real dagger looks and he's becoming really uncomfortable and scared for his life.
"Could you please leave me alone? Is your brain capable of letting me be or are you that big of an idiot?" Usagi flared.
"Ooh...I'm hurt odango. But be careful now, making a face only makes you look uglier...not that you were ever attractive." Mamoru spilled. Realizing what he just said, he wished that he could put his foot in his mouth. He was about to apologize but Usagi looked like she was about to cry.
"Oh no...she's gonna blow." Rei commented.
"God! He is an idiot!" Makoto remarked.
Usagi looked like she was about to cry. Her hands were in a fist and she was trembling in anger. Mamoru became nervous but can't seem to find the words to calm her. Suddenly, she stopped trembling and just sighed. Few tears fall from her eyes.
"Please...just leave me alone. Just let me enjoy this night, please." she drops her arms as a sign of defeat and walked away leaving Mamoru wanting to smack himself. Then, somebody slaps him hard on the back. So hard that he almost tripped.
"What th..." he looked at his assailant and finds the four girls glaring at him.
"You are such a jerk!" Rei exclaimed.
"We gave you an opening and you...ugh!" Makoto retorted.
"Look, I'm sorry. It's just when I'm around her, I get nervous. So I do what I do best." Mamoru explained.
"And your best is?" Ami asked.
"Being a grade A asshole." he sighed.
"True." Minako agreed. "But don't tell us that. Go...find her...tell her what you really want her to know."
"After what I just said...I don't think that she'll even want me breathing the same air as her." he said.
"Usagi-chan is not like that, trust us. Now go!" Rei ordered. Mamoru gave out a heavy sigh and began to look for Usagi and apologize.
"He's so dead meat." Makoto uttered. The rest of the girls agreed.
oo00oo
Across the street, Haruka walks around the gallery looking at the different paintings and sculptures. They were too modern and bright for her taste. She liked Michiru's paintings. They were classic and soft. At times, she swears that her lovers paintings would move.
"Excuse me." a young woman with long red hair approached Haruka. "Aren't you Haruka Tenoh? The racer?"
"Used to be." Haruka smiled.
"I'm Yanagi. This is my opening." she replied.
"Oh...well, they're very nice." Haruka commented.
"Hm...is that why you've been looking like you'd rather be run over by a car than be here?" Yanagi asked.
"Oh...n-no. I mean it they're really nice." Haruka defended.
"It's ok. Contemporary art are not everyone's cup of tea. Actually, you remind me alot of my artist friend. You two should talk." Yanagi retorted.
"Yeah...maybe." she smiled.
"You know what? She's actually here. Wait here and I'll go get her." Yanagi left a dumbfounded Haruka. She sighed and ran her hand on her hair like she always does.
Why am I even here? she thought.
"Tenoh Haruka, meet my friend..." Yanagi started. Haruka turned around and almost choked on her hors d' ouveres. Her face was drained of color. Words cannot express the surprise she felt.
"Kaioh Michiru." Yanagi introduced.
"Hello." Michiru smiled as she offered her hand.
Haruka convinced herself that she was seeing a ghost, that this was not real. That she might still be in that dark vortex. But when she reached out for her hand and felt the softness and warmth of Michiru's hand. She knew that this was real, she just couldn't believe it.
"I...I have to..." Haruka couldn't finish her sentence and suddenly rushed to the door. Michiru smirked at Haruka's behavior.
"You sure know how to scare them, Michiru." Yanagi pats her friends' shoulder and went back to entertaining her guests. Michiru frowned and followed Haruka. She finds the former racer leaning on a tree up a hill that has a great view of the park and the city.
"Wow...nice view." Michiru commented.
"I'm sorry...for rushing out like that." Haruka replied.
"Yeah...you looked like you just saw a ghost." Michiru observed.
Haruka lets out a small laugh, "Yeah, you could say that."
"It's beautiful, isn't it?" Michiru asked as she stares calmly at the city landscape. Haruka just stared at her. The began leaves rustles and Michiru's hair seems to dance as the wind gently breezed through them.
"It sure is." Haruka replied. She walked up behind Michiru and placed her hands on Michiru's shoulders. Michiru rested her head on Haruka's hand. The two just stood at the top of the hill, looking like the lovers they used to be. No words were spoken between them again. This night, silence was their lover.
oo00oo
Back at the park. Mamoru found Usagi sitting at a park bench. He stared at her for awhile. For him, she was perfect. Her long golden hair fastened by the two buns on top of her head. Her bright blue eyes that he could feel them pierce into his soul. Her soft, white skin that he longs to touch and her pink lips that he longs to kiss. He just wished he wouldn't screw it up.
Mamoru cautiously approached Usagi. He picked out a rose while walking towards her. He took a deep breath and offered her the rose. Usagi was startled when she saw the rose. She turns to look at who her admirer was but when she saw who it was, her smile disappeared.
"You really don't understand the concept of leaving somebody alone, do you?" she asked.
Mamoru, still holding on to the rose, sat next to her and sighed. "I won't be long. I just need to tell you something and then I'll leave..I promise."
"Fine." Usagi sighed. Mamoru wiped his forehead. He was very nervous. It's not like he had never talked to a girl before, but Usagi was different. For him, she was a dream...an unattainable dream. Something about her made him feel so at peace. He cleared his throat and began.
"For what it's worth, I am so sorry. I never meant to hurt you or even say those nasty words. I'm really sorry." he pleaded.
"Fine, you're sorry...bye." Usagi rolled her eyes.
"I really screwed up, huh?" he asked. Usagi shot a glare at him. "Ok...I could see that you're really pissed off."
"Wow...you're a genius." she replied sarcastically.
Mamoru cleared his throat again, It's now or never. he thought.
"I guess what I'm trying to say is that ever since I saw you...I was mesmerize." he started. Usagi frowned as he confessed his feelings.
"By the look of your face, I see that you're confused. Why do I tease you profusely if I liked you? Well...the answer is quite simple and I have no idea what it is. The truth is, I tried to talk to you but for some reason, I just tease you. I become cold towards your feelings and I didn't mean to. I've been alone for so long that I pretty much take everything too seriously. You need to know that I don't mean any of it. You're the most beautiful girl that I've ever seen. You're beauty doesn't just come from your physical appearance but for some reason, you exude it from the inside as well." he confessed.
Usagi was speechless. She didn't know what to say or do. Here's the guy who have been teasing her and making her life miserable - and now, he's pouring his heart out to her.
"Anyway...I'm sorry." he apologized again. He leaves the rose next to her and began to walk away. Usagi picks the rose and gave it a sniff. She stood up and face him.
"Wait." she called out. Mamoru stopped and turned to her. "My name is Tsukino Usagi."
"Chiba Mamoru." he smiled.
"D-do you want to watch the fireworks with me? I don't think the girls will make it a-and I don't want to watch it alone." Usagi said.
Mamoru smiled and nodded. He went back and sat next to her. As the fireworks display was about to start, he noticed that she was shivering. He takes off his jakcet and placed it around her.
"Thank you." she smiled. He smiled back. Usagi never really noticed how handsome he was. His eyes were as blue as the ocean and they were full of kindness and warmth. She felt her heart skipped a beat as he puts his arms around her to warm her up.
The fireworks display starts. On top of a hill, Haruka and Michiru watches silently. Then Haruka takes Michiru's face on her hands, she brushed off a stray hair and kissed her. For the first time, Haruka felt at peace. The love of her life, her soulmate, was right there...and this time, no matter what happens, she will never leave her again.
Back at the park, the four girls are now resting under the tree. They all smiled at the sight of Usagi and Mamoru. For them, everything is as it should be. Usagi rester her head on Mamoru's shoulder. At first, he was surprised that she would even consider it but instead she lets her be and gently kissed the top of her head. To them, this was the start of a beautiful relationship.
Miles from the park, Setsuna and Taiki were watching the display from the balcony of the house. Inside, Hotaru was playing with baby Seiya and Yaten was making his bottle. As a gentle breeze passed, Setsuna closed her eyes and a smile escapes her lips.
"What is it?" Taiki asked.
"It's the new beginning. A second chance to make everything right." Setsuna replied. Taiki smiled at the guardian of time. He looked back and smiles as Hotaru is now trying to give Seiya his bottle and Yaten laughing as Seiya avoids the bottle.
"A new beginning." Taiki repeated as he watched the fireworks. Setsuna looked at him and smiled sincerely. She takes Taiki's hand and held on to it. He looked at her and smiled back.
THE END
A/N: To all the people who read and reviewed this story, Thank you so much. Your reviews kept me going. Thank you for the praises and support. I promise to write more stories for you.