Author's Notes:Hey guys! Okay, so I couldn't stop writing, yesterday I've been writing 'til midnight OO; And today I finished it! Although I've got to do some school stuff, heh heh... But ah well. I like to write more.
So, I've seen that many of you (about ninety percent of the reviewers, hehe) have questions about the story that they didn't understand. Okay, I'm gonna make some things clearer althoughsome of them are already in the story and I guess you haven't been reading cautiously enough.. Ah, it happens, happened to me too a lot of times -smile-. So, let's start, and if you don't understand something, it's better that you read this. If you understand everything, then just go read the story, but for the reviewers who have questions, here it is:
- EmmJay: Yes, the Senshi know who Usagi is. And you'll see that in the Chapter One, at the end, there is a phone call between Motoki and Mamoru in which I thought it was pretty clear that Motoki told Mamoru who the little girl was... And about the Senshi, her friends: Look, this is a first season, and Mamoru and the Senshi didn't know each other, so I think it's a bit hard for them to just go to his apartment to play with her. Also, the little Usagi doesn't know that the Senshi are her friends, they were totally strange to her. And BTW, they could see her when she'd come to the arcade with Mamoru and they saw she was well and happy, and that was enough for them. They didn't know how to turn her back, right? And since no one had noticed her disappearance, it doesn't reallymatter. Hope you get it.
- Crystal Rhapsody: Oh, I'm sorry I didn't notice I was doing that... The whole thing is in the past, but if I move to the Mamoru's or Usagi'sPOV while I'm still talking in third person, I maybe go to the present tense because it's present to him and her, ne? And maybe you were confused about the 'would -verb in present tense-' thing. Ah, I think that's the same thing.
- san01: Yes, he does know that it's his Odango, Chapter One again. Oh, and maybe you guyswere confused about the Usako/Odango stuff, though I think it's pretty understandable. 'Usako' is the little girl, and 'Odango' is the fourteen year old girl.
- Alicia Blade: Now, that's a good question. You see, he doesn't miss her. You noticed how I constantly said how his Usako did the same things as his Odango, right? Well,he has like this inner feeling (of which he's unaware) that there are two people in hisUsako: the little girl and the fourteen year old girl, because sometimes she (Usako)did the same stuff as his Odango, (like pouting, laughing etc.) that I've mentioned before, and as she did those things like his Odango, he felt that he already has her by his side, don't you get it? She pouted like her, laughed like her, FOUGHT with him like her (remember, "So she's my Odango after all"?), so he just didn't feel the need for her because he had her. Although, she did have some qualities of her own (Usako), so that's why he had both Usako and Odango by his side. Understand?
- writefast: -sad smile- No senshi here. I just wanted to concentrate on Usagi and Mamoru only... I don't really have the inspiration to deal with the Senshi, sorry. And Haruka is an Outer, and this is a first season, so... Not that I have anything against Outers, I'm a great fan of Haruka, Michiru and Hotaru myself, but... heh. Sorry again.
- Markus777: Why she got back to the age of eight, you have the explanation in the Chapter One.
So, thanks to all the reviewers for their kind reviews, love ya all, and that would be all for now.
Enjoy!
Title: Love So Far Away - Chapter Four
Rating: K+
Author: Sabreen
Love So Far Away - Chapter Four
Mamoru unlocked the door of his apartment. The sounds of opening and closing echoed through the seemingly empty apartment, but the hollow echo didn't strike his heart as much as before, because now, it didn't mean entering in a dull emptiness engulfed with unbearable silence, but entering in an apartment filled with happiness and innocence that his Usako always spread around, wherever she was.
It wasn't odd to him that the apartment was quiet; sometimes Usagi would take a nap when she'd come back from school, waiting for Mamoru to return from work/college, depending on the day. Automatically deciding that it was so, he went to the kitchen and started preparing lunch.
He was chopping some vegetables, but his mind had drifted far away from the apartment or carrots long ago. Other thoughts were on his mind. His college assignment, for example. Assuminghow many applications he'd get to do at home and how many he'd have to let his secretary fill out. How he had been mistaking Usako for his Odango too often lately. How he hadn't visited Motoi for a few days now.
He kept convincing himself that he didn't know why his gorgeous Odango Atama kept appearing in his head when he'd look at his Usako, though the truth was different. Namely, in the back of his mind he knew very well why it had been happening more and more often, that he'd glance at whatever his Usako was doing, and suddenly saw an image of his Odango doing the same thing, making the exact moves his Usako did, giggling in that special, chiming laugh of hers - it was because he liked watching his Odango. He enjoyed in it, as he enjoyed the sweating of his palms and the unsteady, quick beating of his heart whenever he'd imagine her smiling, or laughing, or talking. And whenever he'd imagine her like that, a sudden, adrenaline-like desire would start to pound at his chest...
But he denied all of that. He kept repeating, 'This is not true. This is not true. This is not true,' and he believed that, if he says that enough times, it'll become the truth - but it didn't. So he just pushed all those unwanted emotions down to the darkest, farthest bottom of his heart, and tried everything humanly possible to not let Usako see that he'd been distracted in talking to her or looking at her, in which he had succeeded most of the times.
Clouded in his thoughts, he prepared lunch almost automatically, and time went by as fast as you could imagine. Suddenly, he glanced at the clock and saw that two hours had already passed, and his Usako still didn't wake up. A bit worried, he dried his hands on a clean dish towel that hung by the sink and went to their bedroom, to find the doors closed. He opened them slowly and the first thing he noticed was - an empty bed. Usako's empty bed. Widening his eyes in surprise, he opened the door further and stepped into the room more fully, to glance across the room from her bed, and to find a little figure sitting on his bed, leaned against the bedpost, her arms embracing her knees loosely and staring at the gloomy, grey weather through small slits on the huge window's roller blind. She hadn't even turned to him when he got in, she just kept staring at nothing with the same, heartbreakingly serious expression on her face.
"Usako?" he whispered hoarsely, with a small sigh of relief evident in his deep voice. She still didn't react, keeping that so unsuitable serious frown on her face. It didn't even seem like she noticed him being in the room. Now, he got worried again and sat on the bed, about two feet away from her.
"Usako?" he asked, ending in a higher tone. "Daijoubu?" On that word, she blinked, and her eyes were suddenly filled with tears, tears she seemed to be holding in for a while now.
He gasped in surprise, widening his stare and sitting closer to her.
"Usako, what's wrong?" Tears splashed on her face and glided slowly down her soft features, leaving a lone wet streak.
"Please, Usako, tell me what's wrong..." His voice sounded helpless as he stared at the only scene he never wanted to see - her crying, and he couldn't help it.
Suddenly, her right arm shot up from her side and she wiped the tears quickly.
"Nothing, Mamo-chan," she said through her tears. He sighed, putting his hand gently on her small feet, squeezing them just a bit in reassurance.
"It's okay," he whispered hoarsely, like he thought that if he spoke up, his voice would betray him. "You can tell me anything, don't you know that?" His voice got a little bit more sure as he continued on.
"Remember what we promised each other? All I can say to you is all you can say to me? I say everything that bothers meto you, so you can say whatever's on your mind to me."
She still stared through the window.
"C'mon, Usako..."
Suddenly, a surge of tears broke free and she sobbed, letting out the angst and sadness that had been compressed in her little heart so long. He squeezed his eyes in pain, hardly bearing to sit there looking at her like that but he didn't say a thing, because somehow he knew it was the right thing to do. And he was right.
"I just... I just don't get it! Why am I so repulsive to everyone? What is it about me that makes me so obnoxious to the boys around me?" she yelled, full of anguish and sorrow. He just stared at her, trying to process through what she had yelled to him, through her bitter tears and sobs.
"W...what...?" he whispered, mesmerized.
"Today, during the lunch break, some boys and girls played a game where a girl and a boy held hands in a high arch above their heads and other girls and boys held hands and ran through it while they sang something, and when it was my turn, all the boys made these disgusting faces and said 'jeez, it'sTsukino!', and 'who'd want to hold your hand' and 'eeww, she touched me!'" More tears spilled on her cheeks as she was saying it, and even Mamoru could feel the sting in her heart.
"But what if I stay ugly like that forever? I mean, all the other girls already got to k.. kiss a boy, most of them brag how Shio kissed them, and he's the most popular boy in my school..." She sighed. "He is handsome, and if he says something pretty to you, it'slike the highest praise you can get... And I would never be kissed by him, or anyone else, because I'm so..." Her eyes once again got clouded with tears, and she couldn't finish as a sob racked her body. "And all I want is a simple kiss, which I'm never gonna get..."
Mamoru sat there listening and not believing his ears. Usako! Ugly! Repulsive! Disgusting!
Those boys in her school must've been idiots and jerks with fried brains.If she was something, than it was just the opposite. She wast he most beautiful girl in the whole Juuban, and when they walked down the streets of Tokyo, people, even boys older than her, turned around, saying 'What a beautiful little girl! And happy!', and Mamoru would smile crookedly and with pride, as he held her little hand more tighter or move to her a little bit closer, as her endless chattering continued on and on.
"Listen to me," he said in a low, sure voice filled with determination. He neared her face a bit and looked her in the eyes, with a little frown.
"You are the most beautiful girl in that school and all other schools within a mile. You are constantly happy, your eyes have the bluest color they could possibly imagine, your hair is as soft and shiny as many women could possibly wish for, and your warmth covers the place immediately after you get in it... Those boys are stupid and manipulated by one jerk who thinks he's head of the world. Well, he's not, and you don't need his approval or his... kisses, okay? Or any other approval of those other stupid boys around him, all right?" She stared at him in confusion and a question in her eyes, but she nodded slightly. Her sobs had subsided, but leftover tears still remained in her eyes and on her cheeks.
"But... But... Even if I don't care about them... I still... won't be... k-k-kissed. And I... I'd like one... little... k-kiss... just to see how it... feels. And I won't get that." She lowered her voice to a whisper and bowed her head.
Suddenly, Mamoru inhaled sharply, as the image of the fourteen-year-old Usagi jumped in front of his sight, instead of the little girl, and that desire once again started to bang on his chest. This time he could feel his heart pound like a beast, spreading that desire through his veins, like venom.
"All right, one little kiss."
His lips, together with his voice did something he wasn't in charge of, letting a whisper through his lips, a whisper so silent that nobody except her could've heard it, but powerful nontheless. She looked up at him in a surprise, staring at his face with her lips agape and her eyes wide, a big question in their oceans of azure.
Every so slowly did his right hand raise, touch her chin softly with a finger, and ever so gently did he lean in and capture her lips in a full kiss.
As she felt the encopassing softness on her lips, something as delicate as she had never felt in her life, brushed upon her lips and then captured them gently, her eyes slowly closed. His lips did not move, but they were just there, holding hers tenderly. She felt dizzy for a moment, but it didn't last for long...
As he held her soft, small lips in a gentle embrace, he could feel the blood rush through is body like crazy. He had, once again, imagined that the little girl in front of him wasn't herself, but a beautiful teenage girl who had thoroughly been driving him crazy for the longest time -and half under that impression, half under the small girl's wish, he kissed her. And he felt how the thing, the monster, that had been pounding on his chest fo rso long whenever he'd think of her, went crazy by the touch, desiring only more and more of her sweet taste. But, the other half, which knew who in reality was he kissing, stopped him from doing that, alluding to the fact that he was kissing a little girl, not the young woman he loved.
The young woman he loved.
And although his lips stayed on hers a bit longer than he intended them to, he stopped himself from kissing her passionately, like he wanted to kiss his Odango. But she wasn't his Odango, at least not yet, and he had to stop it.
Very gently,very slowly, he pulled away. Her eyes fluttered open and with a blurry gaze, she looked at him.
"Mamo-chan.." she whispered, sounding almost broken. He smiled a bit, reassuring her.
"It feels like that," he whispered.
"Oh," she replied. Gulping, he moved away from her and sat normally on the bed.
"Are you feeling better now? Lunch is ready and I guess you're very hungry by now, aren't you? Let's eat." Saying that he got on his feet and, hesitating, he reached out and offered her a hand. She took it and slid down from the bed herself.
"H..Hai."
Although it was quite a shock to her, it made a great deal for her tofeel better about herself and to be confident.A couple of hours later, everything was just as it was supposed to be, just as it was before, but for some time after it, she couldn't help constantly touching her lips in the rememberance of his gentle lips upon her own...
Motoki, as soon as he saw his best friend that hadn't been visiting him for a while, smiled with an ear to ear grin.
"Hi, Mamo-"
"I kissed her, Motoki."
His grin faltered a bit.
"You kissed who?"
"Her, Motoki, her!"Mamoru said, annoyed.Motoki's grin faded away quickly to be replaced with an expression of utter shock and disbelief.
"You did WHAT?" Motoki stared, wide-eyed, at Mamoru with a gaze that clearly alluded to the fact that he thought he had a psycho in front of himself.
"Yes, I kissed her! She got depressed because all the boys in her school thought she was ugly and disgusting, and she was really sad because she thought no one will ever kiss her, so I kissed her to make her feel better, all right? But that doesn't matter," he said louder as Motoki tried to say something. "The thing is that... while I was kissing her, I.. imagined that she was Odango, okay? And... and... I love her, Motoki, and I have no clue about what to do!" Motoki just kept looking at him with a sorrowful look in his eyes, before he shook his head and ran his hand through his hair.
"Where is she now?" He asked nervously. Mamoru sighed, closing his eyes.
"She went to a playground nearby, she needed to go out and play a bit to get her mind off of those... things that happened."
"Oy, Mamoru-kun, why do you get yourself into these situa-"
"YOUMA!"
"Huh?" Both of the men looked through the big window of the arcade and saw a tall, skinny, slimy youma attacking people and taking their life energy. All the people screamed trying to get oout of the way,making a huge chaos out on the streets, people fainting, collapsing, running away... Soon, four senshi were seen, trying to defeat the youma with all their might, but failing.
"What's going o-"
But Mamoru wasn't there.
Hiding in an alley, he transformed and leaped onto one of the roofs, to show up when the senshi need help. But, in the last few battles, Sailor Moon hadn't even showed up, and the senshi had to do everything by themselves. He saw that it was the case now, too.
'Where is the damn girl?' he asked himself angrily, taking out a rose and fixing a position so he could throw it as soon as possible, as he watched what was happening down on the streets.
- - - - - - - - -
Usagi was walking to the arcade, she had hadenough of playing, it wasn't really fun when she was alone, and she had a desire of a big chocolate milkshake. She knew that Mamoru went to talk to Motoki, he always did that when they'd go somewhere in the direction of the Crown Game Center. He asked her if she'd like to go out for a bit, and so they went to this park together, and Mamoru left soon, saying that when she gets enough of playing, that she can come visit Motoki with him. And now it was that case.
Suddenly, people started to run in the direction opposite to her, screaming and yelling their lungs out, saying 'Youma!' She looked around herself, scared to no ends.
'What's happening? Y...Youma?'
Deciding that she'd be most safe while she was with Mamoru, she took a deep breath and ran down the street, towards the arcade, hoping that she'll find her Mamo-chan, he'll take her out of there and everything would be all right.
As she ran, a tall, ugly creature showed up in her line of sight. Although she was running directly towards it, she didn't stop, only thinking how to get to the arcade.
No one was there. except for the creature and four girls, trying desperately to defeat it, but it keptthrowing blinding, powerfulwhite beams of light towards them. They dodged them, but Sailor Venus was once too careless and one of the beams hit her arm, causing a big wound and soaring pain filled her face. If it had hit her in her back, she'd probably be dead.
Seeing that, she stopped dead in her tracks, about fourty feet away from the creature and the Senshi who tried to defeat it. But, the youma shot a powerful attack with its whips, and blasted all the senshi away. When one of the whips flew to strangleSailor Mercury, a rose cut the air briskly, tearing itin two pieces.
All the eyes rose to the masked man, holding another rose by his side, including Usagi.
"It is unforgivable to attack innocent people amidst their daily duties, and steal their precious life energy while they are going home from work, or school. Their life energy is priceless, and I shall not forgive you for stealing it!"
The Senshi, lyingthere on the ground, looked at him with happy gratitude. They believed he'd come and save them, and they were not disappointed.
Usagi stared up at the man dressed in black, with a white mask and a black top-hat, who had an unusual elegance about him. His cape waved behind him, and he held still, with a cane in his hand.
"Tuxedo Kamen-sama..." she whispered.
She had never seen him live, although shehad seensome pictures in the newspapers, and she always dreamed about him, encouraged by many stories that Mamoru had beentellingher every night. She was so mesmerized with his real looks, that she forgot everything happening around her; all she could hear or see was him.
Suddenly, he noticed that everyone was staring at him, which was usual when he'd appear. He fixed a battle position, ready to fight with his cane, when suddenly, his gaze caught up witha little girl in a purple skirt, who was staring, fascinated,at him. His breath caught up in his throat and he widened his stare, gulping throughly.
'Oh, no, Usako! Go away!' he screamed at her in his mind, but she couldn't hear him, as she stared at him like before.
Suddenly, he leaped from the roof and landed smoothly as a cat on the street, trying to attract attention to himself so nobody could notice her, and started throwing steel-tipped roses towards the creature. It rose one of its whips and tried to throw him away, but he fought with his cane, and finally broke the whip in two.
But, all of a sudden, the creature noticed the little girl standing far behind the man and its black, thin lips curved in an evil smile.
"Break that, masked stranger, cape boy!"
It rose its long, slender arm and threw a beam of the blinding light towards the little girl. Mamoru looked on, terrified at what he knew was going to happen.
"NOOO!"
But in a surge of adrenaline, he ran as fast as his legs coul bear, came to her andembraced her very tightly to him, suddenly feeling burning pain surge through his entire body, knocking him down on the floor face-down, still holding his Usako to him,blowing away his hat and mask, as it collided with his back. His cape was torn to shreds, and his whole tuxedo was dirtyand torn.
He lay like that, feeling pain in every muscle, his breath only short gasps, and with a frightened Usako below him. She stared at his painful face with a scared disbelief, hardly comprehending that it was her Mamo-chan, who wasTokyo's mysterious masked hero. But it was the least of her worries now...
Mamoru rose his body off of her a bit, hardly succeeding in staying up like that.
"Go away," he hissed. "Go to safety, now!" She got out from the pressure of his body, and kneeled next to him as he collapsed again.
"M... Mamo-chan..." she moaned, tears gliding down her face as she was forced to see the pain of the person she loved. He frowned in sadness, and tears filled his eyes, half of the scene of her face, and half of the pain he was feeling.
"Please... Usako... Go away... You c-" he gasped painfully, "You can't stay here, you must go... somewhere safe..." he closed his eyes as another gasp contracted his lungs.
After a few seconds, she shook her head powerfully. "N...no! I... I c-can't... I can't leave you here!" she cried. He slowly dragged his arm and held her hand as tight as he could.
"Please..." he whispered, "Onegai... I beg you... Go away..." She cried more as she took his hand in her hold and held it close to her heart.
"No..." she said almost inaudibly.
Fourty feet away, the Senshi were fighting the youma again, after Tuxedo Mask helped them rest for a moment. But, there was just no way they could beat it, it was simply too strong...
Sailor Mercury stared at the brooch held in her palm, biting her lip. "We need Sailor Moon," she whispered to herself. She rose her gaze to the little girl who was now sitting next to Tuxedo mask, holding his hand. The hairstyle was unmistakable: it was her. She also remembered her from seeing her in the arcade when she'd come with Mamoru, and she could recognize her anywhere.She looked at the innocent brooch in her hand again, and at the trouble of her fellow Senshi.
And the decision was made.
She ran towards the little girl.
"Mercury!" Jupiter yelled.
"Usagi-chan, CATCH!" she yelled, and when the little girl looked at her, surprised, she threw the brooch to her. She caught it with ease, staring at it.
"Yell 'Moon Prism Power, Make Up,' NOW!" The little girl looked at her wide-eyed, scared out of her wits. But Mercury didn't give up. "If you want to save Tuxedo Kamen, DO IT! It's the only way!"
When she heard that, she gulped and held it more firmly, getting up. 'If it's the only way...' she thought.
"Usako..." Mamoru moaned looking at her from below.
She thrust her arm high in the air. She gulped, closing her eyes.
"MOON PRISM POWEEEER!" she screamed, "MAAAKE... UP!"
The sudden explosion of light stunned everyone. Suddenly, Usagi's little body was floatingi n the air, naked, shining with a strong light. But, her legs started to grow, so did her arms, her hair grew longer, her hips rounded and so did... other things, all together creating a beautiful fourteen year old girl who then transformed into Sailor Moon.
Mamoru stared on in disbelief, not believing his eyes.
"Who are you to disturb the peacefulness of a Tuesday afternoon when all people need their peace? For that, I will not forgive you! Tsuki ni kawatte oshioki yo! Moon healing escalation!"
And in a few moments, the youma was gone.
"Wow, glad THAT's over," she said cheerily.
"Good job, Sailor Moon," Jupiter said tiredly.
"Oh, but where's Tuxedo Kamen? Why didn't he come today?" she asked, looking around herself, and finally shrugging. "Ah well. Let's go."
Mamoru looked at them from an alley as they all detransformed and went away, shaking a bit, and he smiled a bit. "Odango." And with a swoosh of his cape, went home.
The first thinghe saw when he got home and collapsed on his bed was a tiny blue skirt hung on a chair, that was her favourite. How many memories were tied onto that skirt... Closing his eyes in pain, both physical and heartbreak, he drifted off to sleep.
"I'm gonna miss you, Usako..."
End of Chapter Four -
So, okay, some parts aren't the best, but I tried. And about that Ami thing, she found her brooch after the battle when Usagi became a little girl, and always had it with her. She didn't really know if it would succeed in turning Usagi back to normal, but she still carried it around. And now she didn't have any choice, she had to save all of them.
Hope you like it!
Sabreen