An alternate reality romance
by Time Guardian
Chapter 3 - Stories Told
She gasped.
THEY had found her. Damn her for listening to Mamoru. Usagi had been avoiding them for so long, and now that the media had found her, her stalker would find her too, and her life would soon be forfeit.
And her once chance for help had been dashed. There would be an extremely slim chance that he would listen to her now since they revealed part of her secret in such a callous and inhumane fashion. She had been framed though! It was getting harder for people to listen though and soon the people she loved were threatened, that is why she fled in the first place.
Tears streaked down Usagi's face, and her sobs mixed in with her child's. She couldn't help it. Happiness seemed out of her reach now.
Mamoru stood stunned for a moment when he had heard the question shouted from one of the reporters.
Looking around at Usagi, he saw her total expression of defeat. Her tear-streaked face tugged at his heart, and it was not doing anything for her daughter either, who continued to wail against the unwarranted intrusion.
His sensei had always drilled into him the need for objectivity where the patient-doctor relationship was concerned. That was first and foremost.
Right now though, all he wanted to do was kick out all of the reporters and hold her close until her cares went away.
Mamoru shook his head roughly to clear out the image. He did make a promise to help her and that was exactly what he planned to do. That was the only way he could help Usagi at this point, and it looked like he better hurry by the looks of the mob.
Diving for the phone on the nearby stand next to the bed, he quickly punched in a number he knew by heart. After a few rings, a familiar voice came onto the line.
Mamoru spoke quickly.
"Superintendent Karuka? Hai, this is Chiba Mamoru. It has been a long time sir. I know this is much to ask of you since I have not spoken to you in so long, but I need to ask a favor, and quickly. One of the patients in your hospital is being harassed by reporters and she has just given birth to a child. Neither are too happy at the moment, and we could use some interference on her behalf. Hai, it is kind of a complicated story. I am willing to take full responsibility for her actions, sir.
You will? You have my gratitude sir. Goodbye."
Hanging up the phone, he turned to the amassed crowd of media.
"Ladies and Gentlemen of the press, and I use that term quite loosely I assure you,
I have just spoken to the head of this hospital. He is currently sending a personal security squad to cordon off this room so that this patient can rest without being molested by members of the press. Is she wishes to make a statement, she will do so in forty-eight hours time when she is due to be released. If any one sneaks into this room anytime before then, they will be kicked out of the hospital and not allowed to return, is that clear?"
Grumbling and protests rose up from the group, but they were soon quelled as two large gentlemen dressed in gray suits came into the room and began escorting the crowd out.
Usagi was truly amazed. Mamoru had effectively in the course of an hour cleared her hospital room, and they were alone once more. The two men that had cleared the room were currently standing guard on the outside of the room.
Mamoru sat beside her as she uncovered one of her breasts, and allowed her daughter to drink to her heart's content.
She had thought at first that she would be embarrassed to feed her daughter in front of him, but as it happened, Usagi felt comfortable and at ease. All she had been feeling was a gentle tugging by her child.
Usagi was calm now, and yet a little prick of fear reared its ugly head. From the phone call that she had heard him make, Mamoru was willing to stake his reputation with the head of the hospital in order to see her safe. She didn't know whether to cry or to kiss him.
Well, at the very least she could thank him.
"Mamoru-san, words cannot express how grateful I am to you. I thought for sure once you had heard their side of the story, that you would turn your back on me."
Mamoru looked at her intently. "I made a promise that I intend to keep. You still have not told me everything though, and if I am to help you steer clear of those 'jackals', I will need to know. No more secrets, at least from me, okay Usagi-chan?"
Her ears perked up at the reference. He was willing to trust her! The miracle she was hoping for had finally come.
So finally, after being on the run for a little over a year, Usagi began her story:
"Ten years ago, I was just a carefree child who loved to sing. I would sing in the shower,
sing on the way to school, sing in the talent shows, basically in every opportunity I could,
I would sing. It felt good, and it was my favorite way to express myself."
"My parents enjoyed and encouraged my talent. Every night before I went to bed, they would always tell me to reach high, that the last and best piece of fruit is right at the top of the tree, and it would take effort and hard work to get there, but it would be well worth it."
"One day I had come home from school, and they were both there to greet me with a flyer they had gotten earlier. A talent scout had pooled his finances, and was holding a talent show, with the stakes being much higher: The prize for the winner was to be a walk-on role for a television show."
"They presented the idea to me, and asked me if I had wanted to do it. I was young, impressionable, and that sounded exciting."
"I ended up winning the competition, and that's is when my dizzying ride began."
"My agent managed to find the best gigs for me, I was playing to sold out shows, and then finally after about three years of just strictly performing, I was allowed to cut an album."
"It was an instant success. I became famous, was invited to all the right parties, met all the right people. I was having a blast."
"It wasn't until about two years ago that I finally began to feel my age. I had just turned twenty, and everything seemed more demanding. The record company was demanding me cut a second album which was long overdue, and my agent wanted me to branch out into acting."
"It was then that I met...HIM. Nakamura Toya. He was a handsome actor I had met during one of the many parties I always went to. With long raven black hair and black eyes, he was of the same mindset I was. Life had increased its demands on him, and he was ready to flee. we had subsequent dates, and I fell in love with him."
Usagi let out a shuddering breath. Now came the part of the story she dreaded to remember.
"It was then that the threatening letters began. At first they only berated me for having such a 'good life' but then they became downright menacing. I kept showing them to Toya, but he laughed them off, telling me that he got those type of things all of the time."
"Eventually for a few months there, the letters trickled off, and I was able to focus on Toya.
Our love grew like no other, and soon, he proposed to me on the last day of filming for the movie he was doing."
"The time for the wedding approached, and Toya decided to hold a party on a large boat- I think Toya called it a cabin cruiser. We invited friends from both of our circles, and it was shaping up to be quite a party. Toya had even driven the cruiser out into more open water, so we could be as boisterous as we wanted to."
"Later on the boat that night, Toya took me outside to see the stars. We had big plans, and I even brought up the subject of retiring from my singing career. He told me that it did not matter to him, as long as I was happy and still be able to spend time with him. He was due to start a new movie role in about two months, so for the moment, he had plenty of time."
"I will always remember that night like if it was yesterday. Things heated up between us- and we ended up retiring to his room on the boat. It had been my first time that I- I had ever 'been' with a man, and it was wonderful. We had no cares in the world. It was just me and Toya, hearts and minds within one and at peace with each other. We were due to be married the next day in front of our friends, family, and the media, and we loved each other deeply. What more could a girl ask for?"
"This next part...is difficult to talk about. We had both fallen asleep in his room, and we had woken up to the sound of an explosion. we rushed to put on our clothes, and found the whole boat in chaos. Flames all around us, party guests were jumping into the water, it was pure chaos."
"Toya grabbed for a cache of life jackets that were near the front of the boat and started handing them out to everybody, and I helped as much as I could, and then he got ready to send me off."
"'Stay safe my little rabbit' he told me, and then helped me over the railing so I could jump into the water."
"I saw him get ready to do the same...when the boat erupted into one final explosion. He was thrown about ten feet away from...us..."
Usagi's voice dissolved into sobs.
"The pain feels just as raw as it did that night. He died later that night on the operating table, or so I was told. I managed to only escape with bumps and bruises, and had a rough night's stay in the hospital. When my parents found out, they invited me back home to recuperate. It was then that I suffered the ultimate betrayal."
She took a breath, and managed to calm herself.
"From what I managed to gather, an anonymous tip was called into the police, and they in turn got authorization to search my apartment. They found papers, with partial writings of the death threats I had been receiving."
Mamoru saw Usagi shiver slightly.
"So, in the course of a few days, I went from grieving lover into a black widow. Never mind that my only alibi was Toya, and he died in the accident. They began their investigation of the boat and found it to have been sabotaged. By what, I don't know. Once they found those papers, they shut me out of everything. They also began weaving a theory that I had somehow arranged the whole thing."
"A week after that, I started getting violently ill every day. I thought it was just the stress of the whole situation, but my mom knew better. She had me smuggled into a women's clinic in a remote part of Kyoto. That was when...I found out that I was carrying Toya's child."
She looked down at her daughter tenderly.
"I would never forget that moment. In the back of my mind, I was insanely happy, because I still had a piece of Toya with me in this child. I had planned to stay in seclusion with my parent's until the child was born, but the threat's began again - sent to my parent's home this time. I knew that I could not stay. The man I had wanted to marry died because of me, I couldn't put anymore people in danger."
"So I did my best to conceal myself. I had my hair cut...and I forgone the makeup that I normally used. I took jobs wherever I could, and I took care of myself as best as I could. No one recognized me, and the name of Aria Aure soon left the spotlight. I managed enough to pay the rent and buy my maternity clothes. It was when I finally met Mrs. Chen that I received the most help. I think she took me in because she is a single mother herself. Her husband had died in an industrial accident abut six months earlier, so she was looking for a nanny for Keiko while she earned a living. She took care of me, made sure I ate, and that was where I stayed, until I met up with you."
Usagi sighed. "And that is my story, and why I am here, and that is why I need to leave. The media had followed my exploits all of the way to my parent's house, and that put them in danger. I can't put anyone else in danger."
Mamoru had listened quietly to her story, and watched Usagi finish feeding her daughter. Once she had called in a nurse to take the child back to the nursery, he made his move.
"Usagi-chan, you have seen more heartache than anyone should have to see in a lifetime, but you still have a lot to learn about people. Do not sell yourself short. In the past few hours you have done everything in your power to push me away, and wanting to face this danger yourself. For one thing, you are going to be busy raising a daughter and-" Mamoru raised a hand to sush her when she started to protest. "-and for another, you assume that no one would want to share in your troubles. I have already committed myself to your cause Usagi-chan, because for one thing, I can not stand for injustice."
He then leaned over and kissed her on the lips, then stood back up. "And for another thing, I can not bear to see you in pain one moment longer. You had the look of a caged animal when those reporters broke in here, and don't think I didn't notice either. Now I have to go get some sleep, but I will see you tomorrow afternoon, after my classes. Now get some sleep, and don't worry, ok?"
Usagi nodded as she watched him leave, still stunned by his reaction. It had been so long since she allowed anyone to get close, her feelings were all jumbled.
She leaned back into the softness of the bed, and slowly worked her way into an uneasy slumber.
Mamoru exited the hospital, and then turned to look back at the massive building. He had promised Usagi the world, but he did not have the first idea on how to begin. He had even automatically used a resource that he promised himself that he would never use.
Damnit though, she was hurting. His instinct told him to trust her and he found himself trusting Usagi even more so now.
Mamoru made the long walk to the parking lot to retrieve his bike so he could go home.
Okay, I am finally back. I have won NanowriMo (yay!) and hopefully will find a publisher for it,
after a little editing and tooling.
Next Chapter: Mamoru's best defense? He invites Usagi and her daughter to stay at his place while they find a way to clear her name, but could other things get into the way?
Edit: spelling corrections
Till next time,
Time Guardian