Hi everyone,
I'm back with chapter 15 of "It's never too late".
I'm sorry that it took me long to update. Life had been crazy. We're in the middle of moving, and work is crazy... and on top it all, tomorrow is my 30th birthday, and somehow, I'm not really happy
But I also have some exciting news. I'M GOING TO JAPAN...YEEEEEY...ever since our trip was 100% I just wanted to share the news with you guys, since I know some of you have the same eagerness to visit the country. I hope each and one of you get to travel to places that you love.
Now for the awesome people who leave my awesome reviews:
TropicalRemix: Your questions will be answered in this chapter my friend. Enjoy.
SerenitySweety: I hope you enjoy this chapter. Let me know your thoughts.
Oloferne: I don't mind you repeating yourself at all I think Hisa's character is one of those that'll grow on you in time. Or maybe just because she's my creation I feel that way about her:DD but either way, I hope you enjoy this chapter. Leave me a comment.
Tinatin: I love your energy:DD Thank you so much for leaving me such great review. I think you'll enjoy this chapter. Don't get too excited though, I still have a few chapters to write. But I hope you stay with me until the end Enjoy.
IamCharlotte88: Here's the update sorry it took me long. And I love you too. I hope you enjoy this chapter. Let me know what you think.
Tryntee13: Here's an update. I hope you enjoy this chapter.
Guardians314: LOL, thank you for your great words. And I know this chapter took a long time, but I promise the next one won't take as long. It is a long chapter, so I hope you enjoy it
SMSM92:I JUST LOVE YOUR LENGHTHY REVIEWS:D:D As always, thank you so much for your detailed comments and passion. Did you get the chance to read the rest of the chapters? I really hope you did. Enjoy them all, and let me know what you think. Cheers.
Danykasd: I always appreciate new fans and their reviews. So thank you so much for your thoughtful words. I hope you enjoy this chapter. Let me know what you think. Cheers.
Jessielee14: WOW, I'm impressed. In one night? You remind me of me:D:D If I'm hooked, I can read a whole book in a course of 16 hours:D:D I really hope you enjoy this chapter. Let me know your thoughts.
Enjoy.
Makoto was restless. She hadn't had a good night sleep for the past week and she didn't know why. She would fall asleep at a reasonable hour, but would wake up after a short nap for no apparent reason.
For the first two nights or so, she tried to remain in her bed in hopes to fall asleep again. She had counted sheep and cows and birds and the number of milkshakes Usagi had per week countless times! But none of it seemed to work. So by the third night she had had it!
She had started a new routine; having a light dinner early evening and then tiring herself out of her brain with the help of jogging and workouts.
And tonight was no different. She had left her house more than an hour ago. She had jogged for the most part but she could tell that her body still had enough energy to burn.
She had then decided to head over to the park. She'd also thought about going to the shrine and spend some time with Rei (she was probably up and doing God knows what in front of the fire!) but then again, she knew she would probably end up spending the night at the shrine and she really wasn't up for waking up super early and going back to her own place before school.
She jogged lightly towards the park, taking the same route she always took when going to meet with Ami so they could walk to school together; so far, Usagi had never managed to walk with them in the mornings and Minako's morning beauty habits left little space to be on time to school as it was!
She had just passed the familiar gazebo that their group seemed to be a fond of, when a flash of yellow caught her eye.
She jogged backwards a few steps and peered through the darkness. Was that Motoki sitting on a bench with his head between his hands?
She frowned as she watched him. What was he doing here? And in that state of grumpiness nonetheless?
"Hey, Motoki-san?" he visibly jumped out of his skin when she called him, obviously too disturbed to notice her approach.
"Sorry, sorry, didn't mean to scare ya," she raised her hands and waved them, a tiny smile tugged at her lips.
Motoki watched her with wide eyes for a moment before he relaxed and greeted her back.
"So..." she sat on the bench looking around, "are you alone? Usa-chan is not with you?" she asked.
Motoki didn't respond back. He just simply sighed and nodded, avoiding any eye contact with the brunette.
"So..." she said again, a little uncomfortable this time, putting both hands on her knees and rubbing the soreness away, "how have you..."
"I did something stupid," he suddenly said, startling Makoto.
She turned to look at him with raised brows, "what?"
Motoki shifted on his sit, not meeting her gaze, "I did something really bad Makoto," he stood up and ran both hands through his hair. Makoto was confused more than anything else. It was probably the first time she was seeing him this stressed and frustrated; well, except for that horrific night at the restaurant...
She really didn't want to think about that night though!
"What's going on?" she urged, "tell me, maybe I can help," she leaned towards the edge of the bench and gazed up at him.
"I think it might be beyond repair now," he paced a little. His attitude was so foreign and she honestly didn't know how to react. She pushed her lips together and sighed, "Motoki-san, if you don't tell me, I really can't help you!" She stood up as well and went to his side. His back was towards her and when she gently touched his shoulder he didn't react, "what is it that you did? I'm sure we can figure it..."
"I told Usagi's parents about her relationship with Chiba,"
"...out..." Makoto wasn't sure if she heard him right and she sent a little prayer before addressing him, "what did you say?" she retrieved her hand from his shoulder when he moved to face her.
He sighed and looked past her head, "I went to her house and told her dad."
Makoto's heartbeat was escalating, but she tried hard not to let the anxiety appear on her face, "told her dad what?" she asked confused.
Motoki let out a sarcastic laugh before staring her right in the eyes, "come on Makoto-chan, let's not play this game," he pushed his hands in his pockets, "don't tell me that you didn't know about them, because I wouldn't believe you for a second," he looked at her pointedly as if he was daring her to challenge his belief.
Makoto was at a loss of words; she didn't know how to react to what he was saying, let alone daring to challenge it.
Her mind went into a fast track, trying to remember Usagi's each word from earlier that morning at school. Did she say anything about telling Motoki 'anything' about Chiba Mamoru? Nope, not as far as she could remember. All they'd talked about that day was how Usagi was late to school again and how Miss. Haruna was just about to give her another detention when something else had caught her eye and she had forgotten all about Usagi's tardiness...nope...she couldn't possibly fit in Motoki or Chiba's name within that story!
But then again, it's not like Usagi was obligated to tell them everything; well, she was! But it's not like she was obligated to tell them everything before those things actually happened; well, she probably could... 'focus', Makoto yelled at herself, 'this is not a time for measuring Usagi's level of friendship,' she was in front of a young man who was obviously heart broken, which had pushed him to do something stupid...
"Wait," she suddenly shrieked, surprising not only the blond guy in front of her, but herself as well, "what exactly did you tell Usa-chan's parents?" she said in the same tone of voice; everything else fleeing her mind; what if her friend was in trouble now? Chiba-san wasn't exactly papa Tsukino's style! "What did you do Motoki?" she grabbed his shoulders and shook him.
He visibly cringed and wriggled his way out of her tight grasp, "so you do know about their relationship," he pushed both hands in his hair as his face darkened with disgust, "I thought of you girls as my little sisters," he growled at her, "I though you were also my friends," he spat, "how could you all just...lie to me like that? So what, did you all just smiled in my presence and then laughed behind my back? "oh that idiot Motoki doesn't know shit..."," he imitated an obnoxious girly voice.
"Motoki, I don't know what you're..."
"Please Makoto, don't insult me with your lame excuses, you obviously knew Usagi's relationship with the bastard and you all chose to keep me in the dark," he said in one breath, his green eyes throwing daggers at the young brunette; and Makoto was truly flabbergasted. From the looks of it, he knew everything about Usagi and Chiba, he probably even knew about their naughty rendezvous here and there. She decided not to play with the poor guy's emotions any further.
"Motoki, whatever you think you know, please understand that Usagi was confused about her emotions," she paused, remembering the night at the restaurant and Usagi's reactions after the incident, "she probably still is a little confused about her emotions about that guy, but..."
"CONFUSED?" Motoki's angry yell ceased the words that were about to come out of her mouth, "She feels confused?" he looked at her with wonder and let out a dark laugh, "people who are confused dear Makoto-chan, try to overcome their confusion by talking about their feelings; they sure don't jump into bed with the subject of their confusion," the last few words came out with more anger and hurt; and it was as if someone had jabbed Makoto in her stomach.
"WHAT?" she shrieked once more, eyes wide and mouth agape as she did a once over on Motoki as if to see he was still in his right state of mind, "Who told you that? They've only made out a couple of times, that's it," she continued defending her friend, feeling her anger boiling towards the guy who was questioning Usagi's dignity, "How dare you..."
"How dare I? How dare you defending her when she's the one who's cheated?" he yelled back, "She told me herself Makoto, there's no need for you to try and conceal it,"
"Truth about wha..."
"She told me how she had been sleeping with that bastard...she looked me right in the eye and broke my heart..."
Makoto watched as Motoki spat the last words, her heart suddenly twisting from the sight of his broken face and devastated voice.
He let out a deep sigh and held his head between his elbows.
Somewhere in a distance, Makoto could hear sirens.
But for now, and in a closer distance, she could only take refuge in the silence around them.
"I'm so late..." Usagi whispered and moaned at the same time, "I'm late..."
"I heard you the first time," Mamoru murmured against her earlobe, where his lips were kissing and suckling the tender flesh.
Usagi smiled a little, "that means I have to get home...mmm," she tilted her head to give him better access to her neck, and he followed her lead by slowly kissing his way down, "I know," he mumbled incoherently again, earning a giggle from her and a clear shiver.
"So you have to stop, so I can go home..." she whispered, even as her hands flew around his neck to pull him closer.
They had gone back to his apartment after their confessions; after clearly laying out the fact that none of them could go on without the other. And making out some more in a private setting had seemed necessary.
They had behaved in the elevator and even in the corridor; although he hadn't stopped gripping her waist as if she was the only thing that could keep him stand on his feet; and she had giggled non-stop even when he had opened the door to his flat and had pushed her inside with urgency.
She had continued giggling when he'd hugged her from behind, crushing her to his chest while pushing closed the door with his foot.
Her giggling had subsided when his mouth was on her neck...and it had finally stopped altogether when he had lifted her face towards himself and his lips had met hers.
Usagi felt like her whole body was going to melt. Because even though they had shared many kisses before (heck, she had shared so much more with him), but this kiss was different. It was even different from the kiss that he had given her earlier outside. This kiss was what she had wanted for so long.
"You're not gonna stop, are you?" she sighed when her lips were free of his exploring mouth.
"Mmmm,"
"What do you mean 'mmm', I have to go home. I'm already late as is,"
"Mmmm,"
"Mamo...ooooh," her head fell back on the arm of the couch, as Mamoru swiftly covered her body; his lips never ceasing their attack on her collarbone and chest.
"I won't let you go," he mumbled against her throat, earning a little gasp from her, "stay with me tonight," he lifted his head and stared down at her.
Her eyes were still closed and long thick lashes were casting a shadow on her cheeks;and he couldn't think of anything more perfect.
"I can't," she said, opening her eyes and peering up at him, "I really have to go home, I didn't tell Ikuko-mama that I was staying out," she brought her hand to his face and pushed away strands of wild hair out of his eyes.
"Call them," he nuzzled her nose with his upper lip, "tell them that you're staying at a friend's?" he licked her upper lip and she giggled, "maybe your Amazon friend… ow," he smirked when she smacked him in the stomach, her little face darkened with obvious annoyance, "don't be rude baka," she hissed and turned her face away from his grinning one.
"Or maybe the creepy voodoo girl, owwww," he yelled and then looked down between their entangled bodies and then back into her eyes, "did you pinch me?" his hand was already nursing his assaulted abdomen.
"I warned you didn't I?" she met his gaze stubbornly and then started pushing him away, "if you're going to be mean to my friends, then you'd better get off of...HEY," she shrieked when Mamoru suddenly stood up and hauled her up over his shoulder, "HEY, MAMORU-BAKA PUT ME DOWN," she started struggling against him.
"Stop moving around Odango, I might drop you," he made a big show of dropping her right on her rear and his chuckle was lost between her loud yelp. He started walking towards his kitchen counter, where the phone was sitting.
She alternated between kicking her legs and punching his back with small fists, giggling and panting. She felt happy...beyond happy.
"Here," he said, gently putting her down on the kitchen counter and giving her the phone, "call Ikuko-mama," he mimicked her voice and earned another punch on the shoulder.
"And why would I do that?" Usagi asked, lifting her chin and crossing her arms against her chest, "You're mean and rude, why should I stay here then, hmm?" she raised her brows and pushed out her lips and then turned her face to the side, glancing away from him.
He regarded her with narrowed eyes and a smirk. His hair was tussled and his t-shirt was wrinkled, and some time during their heated session, she had managed to open his belt. He stepped closer to her, nudging her knees to spread and stood between her legs, putting both hands flat against the counter.
Usagi didn't turn her face on purpose; he was so close and her heart was beating fast enough, any faster and she could probably be faced with some serious damage. She could feel his warm breath against her jawbone and temple. The fine hairs on the nape of her neck stood and she felt like fainting. What was this effect that he had one her?
"Because," he whispered against her cheek, "I want to make love to my girlfriend," he heard the hitch in her breath; his own heart did a twitch when the words came out of his mouth; she was his girlfriend now...the notion was so foreign to him and yet, he had never felt so alive. He brushed his lips against the soft skin of her jaw, coaxing her face to turn and letting him taste the sweetness of her lips.
"Now call," he leaned back and handed her the phone again; not stepping away, Mamoru simply stood where he was staring at her while she dialed the number.
"Do you mind?" she asked him with a raised brow and he raised his in return; shaking his head.
Usagi sighed and dropped her gaze; how was she supposed to talk to her mom on the phone with those eyes staring right at her?
"Hello?" she said through the device, and Mamoru immediately recognized the annoyance on her face, "put Ikuko-mama on the phone baka," she hissed in the phone, "I said put mama on the phone...shut-up," she cried and jumped off the counter while pushing Mamoru out of the way with a surprising strength; he watched her with a half-smile, reveling to this side of her that could be a sensual little minx one minute and an aggravating older sister the next.
"Ikuko-mama, Shingo is..." whatever was said on the other side of the line stopped any words that were coming out of her mouth, and Mamoru could almost hear the screaming, "Mama what..." she listened with wide eyes and a surprised look on her face, "Mama wait...I..." again she was silent, and this time she actually pulled the phone away from her ear.
Mamoru was now watching the horrified look on her face; his whole body had gone tense as he regarded her with a deep frown, "what's going on?" he mouthed to her, but she just shook her head violently and looked away, "Mama let me...WHAT?" her cry sent an ugly jolt to Mamoru's body and he found himself taking deep breaths; so very similar to the times that he was getting ready for a fight.
Usagi lowered the phone with a shocked face, looking at the device in her hand as if she was holding something alien.
"What?" Mamoru was by her side instantly, "Usagi what happened?" he touched her shoulder.
She stared up at him wide-eyed, "my parents..." she said in disbelief.
"What? What happened to your parents...Usagi?" he grabbed both of her shoulders and turned her towards himself, "tell me what happened?"
"They know about us..." she whispered, her eyes that were focused on his chest averted to his eyes, "they know..."
They both stared at each other; Mamoru's hands tightened their hold on her slim shoulders.
Usagi was lost at words. Her mind was focused on her conversation with her mother.
'This is bad,' she thought to herself, 'this is really, really bad!'
"I'm not sure," she said on the phone, "I don't know," she said and immediately rolled her eyes, "well I'm not a psychic...well excuse me for being ordinary," she glanced through the dirty window at Motoki who was standing a few feet away, buried deep in thought, "that's all I know Rei, do you want to ask him yourself?" she squinted her eyes and then sighed; her shoulders slump in defeat, "fine...I'll see what I can do. But you guys owe me one," she listened and then rolled her eyes again, "yeah, yeah, whatever," she hung up the phone and walked out of the phone booth.
"Hey, Motoki-san," she called and he turned and looked at her. His grumpy and sad demeanor hadn't vanished, but he didn't seem angry anymore; he was just sad...so very sad, and for the first time since they had become friends, Makoto find it hard to think of Usagi without a hint of anger.
"I told Rei-chan everything," she said, averting her eyes to look at the empty street, "Usagi wasn't there," she saw the flash of anger in his eyes and immediately continued, "and I told Rei everything because there's a big chance that Usagi might not be able to stay at her house tonight," she watched as his eyes lost their previous rage and he sighed in despair, "I really am an asshole," he said, surprising her with his foul language, but then again, it seemed that tonight had been all about surprises.
"Why do you say that?"
"What Usagi did to me is unforgivable, but that was just between the two of us. I shouldn't have told her parents," he glanced away, "but I'm just so...angry with her," he pushed both hands into his hair in irritation and turned away, "all I could think about was how much I wanted to hurt her...how I wanted to break her heart, like she did mine," he rubbed both hands on his face and sighed.
Makoto regarded him with a little frown. Her heart reached out to him and she really wanted to comfort him, but she couldn't find the words. Usagi was her best friend after all, she really didn't want to say anything behind her back; and yes Usagi had done a horrible thing, but for what is worth, she knew her friends' feelings towards the ebony haired boy. Could she really blame her? Makoto wasn't there, she didn't know a thing about what had happened between them, and so, was it all right to judge Usagi on something that she didn't know about?
"I understand Motoki-san," she finally said, clasping both hands behind her back, "I know that you're hurting right now, but...Usagi is not a bad person," she pursed her lips together and stared at her feet, "she just did something bad; and I know that you probably don't want to hear this right now, but I know that she really does care about you," she glanced up and looked at him, "she has a big heart Motoki-san, and I know that might sound ridiculous to you...well with everything and all...but she's," she couldn't look into his eyes anymore; there was just too many emotions swirling around in those green orbs, "she's my best friend...and… I know her. She wouldn't hurt anyone intentionally," she took a deep breath and crossed her arms on her chest.
Motoki looked up at the sky, " I know," he breathed, "but I..." he pushed both hands in his pockets, and Makoto knew how frustrated he was, "I just can't forgive her."
Makoto regarded him with warm eyes, "I know," she said, a tiny smile tugged on the corner of her mouth, "but I know you too Motoki-san, and I know that you're a good guy. You have a big heart too...and I think in time, you'll find a way to forgive Usa-chan," her smile widened when he looked at her, "but maybe right now is just too soon."
Motoki didn't say anything. He just looked at her with calculating eyes, imagining how long will it take for his wounded heart to overcome Usagi's betrayal.
"Calm down Usa..."
"How can I calm down, Oh my God, mama sounded so mad, and she never sounds mad, even when I fail at exams...and Kenji-papa..." Usagi shuddered when she thought about her father's reaction, "Oh my God, he's going to kill me..." she cried out and clutched her head in her hands.
Mamoru glanced around for the tenth time, exhaling with relief when he met with the empty street again.
They had been standing near Usagi's street for the past ten minutes, contemplating on whether or not they should show themselves to the Tsukinos. Well, Usagi was contemplating, Mamoru was almost sure of what needed to be done.
"Usagi, this is insane, your parents won't kill you just because you have a boyfriend," he paused when she met him with disbelief, "it's not like we've done something illegal," he paused again, " well, I mean…they don't know how far we've…" he shook his head and sighed when her eyes widened, "they don't know okay? They don't know the extent of our relationship, and they don't need to know," he pursed his lips together and looked at her, "come on," he took her hand and pulled her towards her house, "standing here and freaking out won't do any good..."
"Are you nuts?" Usagi shrieked and pulled her hand out of his grasp, "my dad doesn't even like me to date if he finds out that I'm with you..." she completely ignored the glint in his eyes.
"What is that suppose to mean?" he asked, regarding her with a tiny frown on his face.
Usagi only rolled her eyes; her anxiety was getting the best of her...this was one shitty night and she didn't think she could handle any more drama, "my dad is a journalist Mamoru," she said pointedly, as if he just had to know what her father's profession had to do with anything, "care to elaborate?" he asked with a crooked eyebrow.
She let out an exasperated breath and whirled around to look at him, "he's an investigating reporter Mamoru," she paused and then rolled her eyes when he just stared at her, "he knows who you are and what you do..."
"And what exactly do I do?" his faced her completely and stood in front of her and when she didn't say anything he sighed with irritation, "what is it that you think I do Usagi?"
"I DON'T KNOW OKAY?" she yelled and immediately retreated to a lower tone, "I don't know what it is that you do, I just know that is not legal," she said while air quoting with her hands.
Mamoru's face had turned dark, but he still didn't say anything. What was there to say really; what she said was true after all, but… she really didn't know the whole story…
"Come one," he said again as if the last minute hadn't happened at all, "your parents are already mad as hell," he started walking in front of her and she watched him with confusion.
"What are you doing?" she ran up to him before he could open the gate to their front yard, "are you crazy?" she grabbed his wrist and pulled him, "you can't come with me,"
"Why not?" he asked, "if they have an issue with me, then they'd better say it in my face."
"Don't be such a baby," she rolled her eyes, "seeing you right now would just make everything worst,"
"Listen to me Usagi," he suddenly burst out as he grabbed her shoulders, "if we want this to work," he gestured between the two of them with his head, "you have got to trust me," he watched her as she stared at him with pursed lips and sad eyes, "I'm a big boy Usagi, and I think I can handle your parents," he raised his voice a little when she went to say something, "just trust me okay?" he looked at her with intensity.
Usagi saw the sincerity in his eyes and for a moment, she felt like the tension in her body went away. She remembered the time that he had stared at her with the same look in his eyes back at the restaurant; that horrible night. The confidence that she had witnessed in those eyes that night was what had kept her from falling apart completely. She had been so scared and confused, not knowing what was happening out side, worried out of her brain for her friends…but then… he had pulled her into his arms and had watched her with the same look he had right now…and she had felt safe.
"Okay…" she whispered and averted her eyes to the ground, thus missing the tiny smile that was tugged on Mamoru's lips.
"Let's go," he grabbed her tiny hand and led her towards the house. He could feel her shaking and he tightened his hold on her; even though his own heart was beating fast; hell, he'd never had to deal with parents… a girl's parents nonetheless… and these weren't just some middle-aged ordinary parents, they were Usagi's parents; he really didn't want to screw this up, and from the looks of it, he was already screwed somehow.
He stood in front of the door, still clutching her hand and took a deep breath, "ready?" he asked her, tilting his head to look at her dejected and terrified little visage.
She pushed her lips together and looked up at him; her nod was barely there, but he saw it nevertheless.
He raised his hand to knock on the wooden door, when the door flew open and he was met with a pair of angry eyes, behind a thin metal glasses.
"USAGI…" Kenji yelled on top of his lungs, "GET INSIDE YOUNG LADY…" his hand shot out and grabbed Usagi's right wrist and pulled her with force, effectively loosening Mamoru's hold on her.
"You are in a lot of trouble," Kenji said, when Usagi was within his reach, "when have you started lying to us? I am so disappointed in you," he eyed her with a deep frown, secretly doing a once over on her to make sure that she was alright.
Mamoru watched the interaction quietly, not knowing what to say for a moment, but then in the middle of her father's outrage, Usagi shot him a tiny glance and he knew what he needed to do.
"Mr. Tsukino," he said in a steady voice, the same voice that he always used when speaking to older people, "my name is Mam…"
It took him a few seconds to fully understand what had happened; Usagi's loud gasp lured his mind back to where it needed to be.
Tsukino Ikuko had rushed towards the entrance as soon as she had heard her husband's angry shouts, but when he had roughly grabbed the young man's collar she didn't even blink. She'd just held Usagi's hand and send her daughter a pointed look.
Mamoru stared at the flamed eyes of the shorter man, not attempting to loosen his hold on his jacket.
"You," Kenji growled under his breath, his voice taut with rage, "listen to me carefully…" he continued without blinking, "stay away from my daughter, I don't want to see you anywhere near her," he increased his hold on the younger man, "do you understand me?"
Mamoru didn't even nod; he continued staring at his face, noticing how similar Usagi's eyes were to her father; how she had regarded him with the same anger and irritation countless times; even the few tiny freckles on her face was a gift from her father and if it were another situation, he would have chuckled at the discovery.
But this wasn't any other situation…the man who was holding him captive by his jacket was his girlfriend's father (oh how that notion still twisted his insides) and he obviously hated Mamoru with as much passion as Usagi had kissed him an hour ago.
"Kenji-papa please," Usagi's small voice snapped him out of his trance and his eyes momentarily sought after her, "DON'T LOOK AT HER," Kenji yelled again, finally letting go of Mamoru's jacket and pushing him away from the door.
"PAPA," Usagi's horrified shout was met with Ikuko's surprised gasp; she had seen Kenji angry before, but never this angry, he had never been violent in his life…
"Usagi it's okay," Mamoru said as soon as he gained his poster and straightened his disheveled jacket,
"Don't you dare say her name you filthy little bastard," Kenji pushed his daughter behind himself, away from the ebony man's sight, "didn't you hear what I just said, don't come near her again,"
"I'm not going to do that," Mamoru finally lost his patience; he wanted to be rationale about this, he had promised himself to be calm and collected and try to win her parents over, but he had obviously lost that chance way before meeting them; they had built an image of him based on the rumors around, not giving him the chance to defend himself; they were just like all the other adults around him; judgmental and unforgiving.
"What did you say?" Kenji found his voice again, after a moment of shock of hearing the young man's authoritative voice and the meaning of his words.
Mamoru sighed with frustration, "Mr. Tsukino if you just let me explain…"
"EXPLAIN WHAT?" Kenji shouted and took a step towards him, "I don't want your filthy hands anywhere near my little princess; what, you saw a young naïve teenager and thought you could take advantage of her?" he took another step further, ignoring his wife's warning touch on his forearm.
"I'm not going to take advantage…" Mamoru began to say, but for some reason decided to take a different route, "I don't mean any harm to her, I'm not gonna hurt her…"
"I know who you are," Kenji raised his voice above Mamoru's, "I know exactly who you are, and I'm not gonna tell you again, you're no good for my daughter, you're no good at all," he walked up and stood right in front of the young man, "so stay away from Usagi, don't make me do something…that I won't even regret,"
"Go ahead and try…"
Usagi's eyes widened, almost as wide as her father's eyes.
For a moment, no one spoke. The sound of the rustling leaves and the faint sound of cars passing by in the main street were the only noises heard for a moment or two.
Ikuko had only one moment to launch herself on her husband and detain him from doing some serious harm to Mamoru's face.
"PAPA NO…" Usagi was hot at her heels when she also threw herself between the two men and pushed Mamoru away from her father.
"YOU LITTLE PIECE OF SHIT…" Kenji growled and tried to free himself from Ikuko's hold, "Kenji stop this…"
"Did you hear what he said to me?" he asked his wife, as she tried to pull him away from the teenager.
"You said you know me too well," Mamoru's voice rose above everyone else, "so you probably know that I don't react well to a threat," he ignored the dirty look Kenji send him when he absentmindedly wrapped his arm around Usagi's shoulder to calm her down.
"Keep your hand away from her, USAGI," Kenji eyed his daughter with a mixture of annoyance and hurt, "get inside."
"Kenji-papa, let us explain…" Usagi was still shaken up, but little by little, piece by piece she was gaining control over her emotions. She had known the way her parents would react, especially to the fact that she had lied to them, but she never thought of the possibility of physical attack on her father's account.
"There is nothing to explain," Ikuko said, as soon as Kenji opened his mouth; she had lived with him for the past 18 years, and she knew his reactions by heart… she had to take control over the situation, "you lied to us Usagi, you lied about your whereabouts and God knows what else," she continued, stepping forward and putting some distance between her husband and the young duo in front of them.
"I didn't lie…" Usagi said in a small voice.
"Oh really?" Ikuko said in a mocking voice, "so is this Rei-chan?" she pointed at Mamoru with her slim finger, "I was always under the impression that Rei-chan had a small physique," she continued while eyeing her daughter with disappointment.
Usagi stood silent, bowing her head in shame as she listened to her mother's calm scolding. This was even worse than her father's angry remarks.
"It's not her fault," Mamoru said, "I asked her to meet me,"
"You…" Kenji snarled, "not another word from you, get the hell out of my property,"
"Please papa, why are you being like this," Usagi cried, "you don't even know him. I'm sorry that I lied to you guys, but that's my wrong doing, not his…"
"You lied for him, you've never lied to us before Usagi…it's obvious that he's a bad influence,"
"No, he's not…" Usagi snapped, not believing her own ears. She tried to take a deep breath when her parents regarded her with wide eyes, "he has been nothing but good to me, you're judging him without really knowing what kind of a guy he is…
"I know exactly who he is Usagi," Kenji said, putting his hands on his hips and spatting out the words, "he's got a really bad reputation and I won't let him ruin yours too,"
"I'm not going to ruin her reputation…"
"Just by walking beside you her reputation will be ruined," Kenji didn't even look at Mamoru this time, his eyes were fixed on his daughter, "listen to me princess, I don't know how you've come to know him, or how he's wheedled with your mind…"
"He didn't do anything, I want to be with him, as much as he wants me,"
"You're 16 Usagi, you don't know the first thing about want,"
"I'm not a child any more Ikuko-mama,"
"That's right; you're not, so it's time for you to stop acting like one," Ikuko was trying desperately to put an end to the argument and call it a night. It was late, and all four of them were tired. And by this point she knew that the discussion was doomed.
This wasn't about the young man in front of them anymore, it was about Usagi's feelings about him... and by the looks of it, she had strong feelings for the boy; Ikuko was not blind. The way her daughter had stepped in front of the boy, and the way he had held on to her daughter was evidence enough.
"This discussion is over," Ikuko said, in a stern voice, "Usagi get inside the house," she raised her hand and stopped her daughter from saying anything else, "and you young man…"
She faced Mamoru and frowned, "it's time for you to go home…"
Mamoru regarded her with the same frown but before he could open his mouth, Ikuko stopped him as well, "we need to speak to our daughter. This part doesn't concern you, it's an internal family matter."
Mamoru's face lost its previous demeanor; what could he possibly say to that? An "internal family matter"... and there was just something in the older woman's stare that made him...obey her! How was that even possible? Chiba Mamoru had never obeyed anyone and now this tall, ordinary house wife made him feel like a 12-year-old just by looking at him!
He averted his eyes back to Usagi, whose head was hung low on her shoulders, "hey..." he raised his hand to touch her shoulder, when a low growl from Kenji made him decide otherwise, "Usagi...don't worry," he continued when she looked up at him with big tearful eyes, "you're parents love you...they won't do anything to hurt you..." he pleaded with her with his eyes, trying to sooth her fears away by just looking at her eyes, "I'll see you tomorrow okay?"
"You will do no such thing...I told you to..." Kenji's voice trailed off when his wife shot him an agitated look. He was confused for a moment.
"Say good night Usagi..." Ikuko said while taking a hold of her daughter's forearm.
Usagi looked up at her father who was still watching Mamoru with hatred and then slowly glanced back at the young man who was now closer to her than anyone else. She wanted so badly to bury herself in his arms and seek sanctuary in his warmth. But for now, she just had to settle for a small nod and a long eye-lock.
She let her mother lead her back into the house, as she watched Mamoru taking steps backward, carrying his lean form into the darkness of the front yard, without taking his eyes off of her.
Kenji closed the door with a loud "huff", and Usagi lost sight of those eyes.
He was perched on the couch when he heard the loud scream. He immediately straightened up and ran to the door.
He could recognize that voice anywhere.
He left the heavy door open and cursed all the way as he flew down the stairs.
His heart that was beating frantically against his chest a moment ago stopped altogether when he saw her fallen form.
The rush of adrenaline that had pumped into his veins the second he had heard the scream left his body altogether. He rushed towards her nonetheless, his calculating green eyes watching their surrounding carefully as he did so.
"Hisa?" he called out as he reached her and swiftly gathered her in his arms, "come on sweetheart, Hisa..." he shook her...but to no avail.
"Come on babe, open your eyes..." he called out again...still no answer.
He felt something warm on his elbow, where her head was resting.
Adrenaline and panic hurried back into his body when he saw the blood.
Disclaimer: I do not own Sailor Moon and its fabulous characters in any way. I wish I did. But I don't. All the delightful rights of this wonderful manga/anime and its characters belong to Naoko Takeuchi.