Hi everyone,
So I'm back with another chapter of "It's never too late".
First things first. I don't want to brag, but what the hell! I HAD A BLAST IN JAPAN.
I had so much fun. It was probably one of the most exciting trips that I've had so far. There were some things that took me by surprise (not everything goes the way you want them obviously) but the whole experience was just great. I also got a better sense of little details that I can add into my stories, which I hope, will make all my readers happy.
Thank you to all of you who wished me a happy birthday and wished me a happy trip.
TropicalRemix: No one killed Hisa. Or did they? (hahahaha, evil laugh. I'm so bad at this!) read this chapter and find out. Cheers.
SerenitySweety: Okay not to sound controlling, but when you decided to go to Japan, please contact me. I want to get all jealous because you're going there and I'm not LOL. Thank you for your kind words. I also think that it made the whole "telling the parents" experience can be a lot easier when both parties are present. Although, I never had an over protective father myself, but I can totally relate to Usagi. I hope you find the new chapter to your expectations. Tell me what you think.
IamCharlotte88: I hope you get to visit Japan one day too That's exactly how I feel about this fic. I always wanted to see a competition for Mamoru (and although in my first fic, that was the whole storyline as well) but having Motoki as the opposite side is just too exciting for me (evil laugh right back at ya) I hope you like this chapter. Cheers.
Danykasd: Thank you for wishing me a happy birthday/japan trip. LOL. I'm in love with cliff hangers. Sometimes they get too much, but I can't help myself. Thank you for your kind words. I hope you like this chapter. Cheers.
Guardians314: I'm blushing because of your incredibly fabulous review. Thank you so much. I really hope that my readers find some sort of satisfaction out of my stories. Because personally, I started writing to distract myself from a day-to-day life, and I always think that if my readers come to fanfic for the same reason, so they should be able to get what they want. I hope you find this chapter to your satisfaction as well. Let me know what you think. Cheers.
Guest (April 7): LOL. Well if you want to find out what sort of "illegal" stuff Mamoru is doing, you would have to wait just a little longer. But I hope you find some answers in this chapter. Cheers.
Moon86: I'm so glad you like the story My visit to Japan was ASWESOME. But unfortunately, we only got to visit Tokyo (it's a big city after all, you can't just spend 3 days there!) but next time, I'd really like to visit Kyoto as well. I hope you like this chapter. Cheers.
Oloferne: Yes, the previous chapter was not full of events. Probably just that last two sections. And I think you might find this chapter lacking some heart beating events as well. But I'm hoping that readers will get a better sense of characters and their interactions with one another (which I believe shapes the whole story). Let me know what you think. Cheers.
Qb: Thank you for your kind words I try to be a good writer, and I sure hope that I am a good person as well. Hope you enjoy this chapter. Cheers.
Ba2004finn: LOL. Not to sound too obnoxious, but you should feel jealous :D:D:D (evil laugh) I really did have a blast. Thank you for your words and wishing me a happy birthday. And you're totally right, I don't feel any different :D:D I hope you like this chapter. Share your comments with me. Cheers.
BrownB: LOL. Well your prayers were answered my friend I haven't stopped updating. It took longer because life was on fast forward for me for the past two months. I hope you like this chapter. Cheers.
LAlaLAnd328: I've also always find Mamoru's fear of Kenji a little too much. I mean, I appreciate how he is polite and respectful towards the older man (he is Usagi's father after all) but, seriously, Kenji-papa is adorable; no need to be afraid of him. I actually do have another idea in mind, but I would really like to finish this fic and start the new one
Latebuttruefan: Have I told you how cute your pen name is?:D:D Love it. I'm sorry you got confused at the end of chapter 15. I hope your questions are answered in this chapter. You can also always pm me if you have any questions. Cheers.
Enjoy.
He could still hear the argument and the hushed voices from downstairs.
Every now and then his father's voice would rise and immediately lower after a loud "shush" from his mother.
He had been lying in bed the whole time, staring at the white ceiling and contemplating whether he should go downstairs to have a glass of water.
He was feeling uneasy. He had jolted up from his slumber when he had heard shouts earlier and couldn't help but tip-toeing towards the stairs.
He had heard everything.
And now, as he was trying to avoid his dry throat and the desperate need for a cold liquid, he was thinking about his sister and a load of trouble she was in.
He had wanted to run downstairs and punch the guy that she was with in the face. His parents had gone ballistic when that blond guy came to their door.
He had never seen Ikuko-mama that upset, and remembering Kenji-papa's murderous gaze was still sending shivers down his spine.
He was so lucky he was not the recipient of that horrible rage.
The argument and angry murmurs had died down a little bit and now he could hear a faint sound of sobs from somewhere upstairs.
Sobs that belonged to his sister no doubt.
Tsukino Shingo was far from an emotional brother. Heck, he had spent his whole life bickering with his older sister and teasing her non-stop when the opportunity presented itself.
And tonight, all he could feel towards her was pure madness.
How could she be that stupid? He thought to himself; the guy was bad news, and everyone in Jubban knew that. Hell, everyone in Minato probably knew that.
His sister was a total moron or she wouldn't have put herself in this situation.
'Shut up,' he thought to himself when Usagi's sobs became clearer when there was nothing else to listen to.
He tossed and turned for a bit, deciding that taking the risk of facing Kenji who was probably pissed as hell was far more enticing than having a chipped throat.
When he slowly opened his door, he tried to be as quite as a mouse. Taking every step with cautious. His parents' bedroom door was closed, indicating that they had retired to bed as well; although he could still hear some indistinct whispering.
He paused in front of Usagi's door, tossing an angry glare at the closed door whilst trying to block out the pained sobs coming out from within.
'For God's sake, it's your own damn fault,' he murmured under his breath, as if his sister was right in front of him, 'fooling around with Chiba? What the hell were you thinking?' he whispered as he raised his hand to knock on the door and ask her to shut it!
Usagi let out a sorrowful sigh and his hand lingered over the frame.
He leaned his forehead against the door, letting out a frustrated sigh himself; how dare she play the victim? She had most probably cheated on the arcade dude if they were still together and had nearly given their parents a heart attack. So how dare she lock herself in her room and give him a hard time with her ridiculous tears?
He fisted his hand when Usagi coughed, one of those uncomfortable coughs that come after long minutes of tears when the throat is parched and the nose is puffed and breathing becomes a hard task.
She was an idiot for crying over that guy.
He listened as the crying finally seemed to stop. He unclenched his hand and put it flat on the door, trying not to picture his sister who was probably perched on her bed, eyes were swollen and face all flushed. The tiny freckles on her nose always looked darker when she cried.
And he always hated to see her cry. Even though he himself had caused her to cry countless times, but…
He sighed when he heard a whimper from the other side of the door, indicating that the blonde was not asleep.
He didn't know what to do. He didn't know whether he should just walk in there and demand her to stop this ridiculousness, or simply walk away.
He froze when the door knob was turned and it creaked open slowly. He didn't want to be caught behind it.
But then Usagi looked up at him in all her disheveled appearance. Hair sticking out of her buns, some plastered to her forehead, face flushed and red. Her eyelids were heavy with moist and the freckles on her nose had never looked darker.
The siblings stared at each other for s moment; each thinking of something to say.
Usagi pursed her lips together, eyes filling up with fresh tears and she didn't even know why.
It was the first time she noticed that her little brother was now an inch or two taller than her. She really hadn't expected to be buried in his arms like that. He was just this small, not a long ago. How was it that now the confinement of his arms seemed like the safest place in the world?
Tsukino Shingo was not an emotional person, but he had always hated to see Usagi cry.
"I wanted a Pepsi, not a Coke; can't you get one thing right?"
"They only had this in the vending machine. It was either this or a coconut water…"
"Eww, I hate coconut water," she eyed the Pepsi in front of her, "and I hate Pepsi. Get me a coke."
Daiki let out an exasperated sigh and ran a hand through his hair, "it's 3 in the morning. And there are no Family Marts around, and everything else is cloed," he grabbed the drink and shoved it into her face, "so drink this and be grateful."
Hisa's face immediately turned sour as she looked up at him, "don't shove that poison in my face you jerk," she slapped his hand away, effectively moving the tiny blue bottle out of her sight.
Daiki raised an eyebrow at her and she met his stare with the same level of intensity.
"Alright," he said, making a move to open the can, "fine," he brought the cool beverage to his mouth and took a long loud gulp.
"HEY," she cried, "THAT'S MINE YOU BASTARD," her upper body shot straight up, "can't you see I'm injured and hurt you lousy jerk?" she brought up her bandaged arm and immediately winced.
Daiki made a satisfied "ah" and grinned at her, "well you said you didn't want it, didn't you? I wasn't going to let it go to waste,"
"You are such a pain," she shrieked, now nursing her arm and glaring daggers at the blond in front of her.
Daiki shrugged and made a focused face, "I asked them to remove your tongue while you were in there, why they didn't is beyond me!" he let out a dramatic sigh and plopped on the chair near the bed.
Hisa pinned him with an angry glare and he met her eyes with an amused look. They stared at each other for a moment.
"Get me a coke,"
"No,"
"Get me a coke,"
"No,"
"Get me a coke,"
"Nope,"
"Aaaaaaaaaah," she let out a loud shriek, ignoring the image of the shy looking nurse in her white ensemble with a long thin finger to her nose right above her bed.
"I HATE YOU," she cried as she threw herself back in horizontal position.
"Now you're just talking nonsense," Daiki smirked and put his feet up on the bed.
"Get your filthy feet off the bed," she snapped and attempted to push the converse clad feet off the surface. She winced once more.
Daiki rolled his eyes, "only you would hurt yourself continuously like that," he teased and stood up.
"Shut up, it's your fault," she snapped again, bringing up her arm to look at it. Damn that wound wasn't deep, but it hurt like a bitch!
"My fault? How in the hell is this my fault?" he said, although he had moved to adjust her pillows. He lifted her upper body a little to puff up the middle pillow. She might have had a sharp tongue, but her physic was all mild curves and thin slenderness.
She pushed out her lips, "Everything is always your fault baka, because you're a stupid jerk," she hissed, even though she had allowed him to make her more comfortable; her fingers grasping his forearm for support.
"Yeah yeah," he said with a tiny smirk. He looked down at her then, focusing on the bandage on her upper arm. He frowned and reached out to put her arm in a more comfortable position.
She watched his face for a second and not one for a long period of silence decided to break his concentration, "what now?" she asked.
"I was just thinking," he replied without taking his eyes off her injured arm, "If you'd bump your head any harder, would it be a possibility of aphasia?" he looked up and smirked.
"YOU FUCKING ASSHOLE," she shouted and he bolted away, a devilish grin on his face.
"Shhhhhh," they both jumped when a rather loud voice interrupted their bickering.
Daiki gave the middle-aged nurse a sheepish smile and bowed, "Gomen, she's being a difficult patient," he pointed to bed, "but don't worry, I have her under control," he gave the frustrated nurse his most charming smile. One that had wined over so many female teachers and older women in the past; and from the softened look on the nurse's face he could tell that he had done it again.
"Just make sure not to make so much sound, ne? There are other patients on this floor," she said and smiled at the tall blond.
Her eyes landed on Hisa, "and as for you young lady," she continued, a little frown on her forehead, "you've had blood loss you know; you should be resting rather than wailing like a 5-year-old," she finished her scolding before checking the brunette's arm, glaring at her some more and then turning on her heels and leave; but not before nodding at Daiki with a graceful smile on her face.
Daiki turned to Hisa with a mischievous smile and winked.
She just rolled her eyes and buried herself in the pillows, "cougar lover," she muttered and closed her eyes with an exasperated exhale.
"Jealous much?"
"Yeah, because I just want you for myself," she murmured in a sarcastic tone without opening her eyes.
Daiki watched her with a smile, even though she wasn't looking at him.
"I left a message for Mamoru, he wasn't home," he said before sitting on the chair once again.
"Probably getting lucky," she said with a knowing tone and he laughed.
"Yeah, probably."
They sat there in silence for a while. The distant voices and the clear beeping sounds surrounded them. It was obvious that most patients were already asleep, but Daiki could still hear two of them speaking in hushed tones of the beds not very far away from them. He had tried to get a private room for her but considering the circumstances and the fact that his heart was beating so fast by the time they got to the hospital his ability to negotiate with the hospital had dropped to zero.
He had rushed into the emergency room, with her limp body in his arms, and had demanded a doctor to see her right away. His panicked demeanor and wide eyes had left little space for anyone to argue with him.
When he was finally told that the cut on her arm was not very deep and her head injury was almost a non-existent wound, he had allowed himself to sink into a chair and take a few calming breaths.
He never wanted to feel like that again.
"Want me to call your dad?" he asked when she scratched her nose and he was sure that she hadn't fallen asleep, "let him know where you are and you're okay?"
She didn't open her eyes, but even so, Daiki could see the shadow of dejection that darkened her features, "no," she replied, her voice, not her usual tone, "he's probably not even home…" she trailed off, turning her back at him and settling on the bed on her uninjured arm, "he wouldn't even care where I'm at," she muttered the words almost to herself, but he heard her.
He also saw the glimmer on the corner of her eyes before she turned around and hid from him.
"What the…" she spat when she felt the bed shift under his weight as he settled himself behind her, "what the hell are you doing?" she hissed when he wrapped his arms around her carefully and pulled her close to his chest, "shut up and go to sleep," he said while making himself comfortable on the small bed clearly meant for a single occupant.
"I can't sleep with your scrawny arms touching me," she hissed once more but didn't do anything to push him away.
He smirked against the crown of her head, "Don't worry, my scrawny arms won't hurt your flat chest…" his laughter was short lived when she kicked him in the shin, "you sexist jerk…" she spat.
"It's not sexist if it's true," he avoided her next attempted assault by trapping her legs between his, "now go to sleep," he said, trying to lower his voice now that even the two patients on the far left were snoring loudly.
"They were trying to send us a message you know," she said after a few minutes; her voice was pensive.
He sighed deeply and brought his chin to her head, "I know," he breathed, his eyes focusing on the golden chain around her neck through the back of her collar.
"They won't get away with it," he whispered and she felt him tightening his hold on her, "they'll have a big one coming for them," he continued, "now go to sleep, you're giving me a headache, it's almost 4 in the morning," he smirked when she stiffened.
She didn't retort back because even though she always held a stoic exterior, right now, she was too busy fighting off a tiny smile that had appeared on her face.
It wasn't unusual for Usagi to be late for school. She was always panting hard when she got to class, a result of her daily run. It wasn't even a secret that she didn't like school that much; she preferred her time spent at the arcade or sprawled on her bed (or Rei's) with her favorite manga. But if Ami knew her friend (and she knew her quite well) she could swear that above everything else, Usagi enjoyed her time spent with her friends; even if that meant going to school every morning!
So, it seemed odd that it was already time for lunch and the petite blonde was nowhere in sight!
She had brushed off Usagi missing the first period as her eternal laziness. Missing the second period wasn't that big of a deal either. But missing lunch and Makoto's home-made egg buns?
"Maybe she's sick?" Minako's voice lured Ami out of her reverie. The blonde was facing Makoto while munching on a bun herself, "maybe she's got the flu," she added, spraying some of her food on Ami.
Makoto stayed quiet, her eyes focusing on her own food, never meeting her friend's, "but if she was sick, wouldn't she have called at least one of us? It's not like her to just not show up at school without telling anyone," Ami wondered as she calmly brushed off the food Minako's mouth had aimed at her.
"Maybe she was planning to come but didn't at the last minute, it's not a big deal really," Minako said as she reached into Makoto's bento once more and grabbed another bun, "hey Mako-chan, what's up with you?"
Makoto seemed startled when her name was called; she looked up at her friends sitting across from her with slightly wide eyes, "I'm…nothing is up, I was just thinking…" she said hurriedly.
"Why are you being weird?" Minako pouted, "You've been acting strange since this morning,"
"Weird? Me?" she let out an uncomfortable chuckle…
"You are hiding something," Minako shrieked as her upper body shot up and her hand latched onto Makoto's, "I know that laugh; it's 'when your hiding something and think you're very clever and no one will find out' laugh," she claimed with wide eyes and an over exaggerated hand gesture.
"WHAT?" Makoto jumped, "I'm not hiding anything, why would you think I'm hiding something, I'm not hiding anything," she pulled herself away from the blonde and pushed her lips together.
Minako watched her with calculating eyes for a second, the hand that had been left in the air settled beside her, "okay," she suddenly said, then shrugged and went back to eating, "but I'm telling you she's just sick or is being super lazy today," she was addressing Ami, who watched her with a raised brow.
"Usagi-chan cheated on Motoki-san…"
Makoto's abrupt outburst seized the words that were coming out of Ami's mouth. She looked at her friend with raised brows. What did she just say, or rather, yell?
Makoto had both hands clasped on her mouth, green eyes almost popping out of her face; it seemed that even she couldn't believe the words that had come out of her mouth.
"Ahaaaa," Minako declared, pointing an accusing finger at the brunette, "I knew you were hiding someth...WHAT?" she cried out when Makoto's words finally hit her, "how did you know?" she crawled over to the flushed Makoto who was now watching her with narrowed eyes, "you KNEW?" it was the brunette's turn to accuse; although it really didn't surprise her that much. Minako always had the tendency to know about peoples' love lives and affairs. But still…
"You knew and you didn't tell us?"
"Well technically…no wait…how do you know?"
"Motoki-san told me…
"WHAT? HE KNOWS?"
"STOOOOP..."
Both gapped at the blue haired genius. It was not often for Ami to speak in a voice louder than her usual sotto voce, and for her to shout like a man who was being chased by ghosts was rare…almost impossible.
"You both…" the blunette panted, "need to…" she exhaled slowly and returned to her usual calm composure, "shut up."
Fifteen minutes later the three young girls sat watching one another without uttering a word. By then, they not only knew about their friend's "infidelity" but they also knew about Motoki's rash and going-for-the-kill (as Minako had framed it) revenge on Usagi. They also learnt about what had happened on that fateful night at the restaurant and why Minako had insisted for Usagi to go to Chiba's apartment in the first place, "he really, really likes her," she defended her actions when Ami had looked at her with horrified eyes, "you told her to go and sleep with him?" Makoto had questioned with disbelief and, if she wanted to be completely honest, a little disappointment, "NO, she did that all on her own," the blonde cried, "but…I don't blame her. I would've done the same thing," she claimed with a pout, "but she has a boyfriend," Makoto had said firmly, "so? She's not married to him or anything," Minako insisted and met Ami's eyes firmly, "she likes him too you know…maybe even love him," she did a hand gesture which clearly meant that "love" was the topic here and not Usagi's slip in her relationship with Motoki.
They had left it at that. None of them knew what had really happened so Ami had decided that it wasn't really their place to judge any of the trio's actions.
"well…" Minako said when the silence was getting awkward, "crap…," she suddenly stood up, dusting away imaginary crumbs of food from her school skirt.
The only thing she said before flipping her hair over her shoulder and walking away was, "Kenji-papa…"
"We need to talk,"
Mamoru only glanced at him from the corner of his eye and nodded once.
Daiki followed him out of the room. Hisa was almost half asleep anyways; even though she had had a good sleep the previous night, but the painkillers were making her doze off.
"I called you right after we got to the hospital," he said to the silent Mamoru, who sat on the bench outside of the room.
"I didn't check my messages right away when I got home and I got home pretty late," he mumbled and tiredly rubbed a hand over his face.
Daiki's mouth turned up into a smirk, "Uha…care to elaborate?" his smirk turned into a grin when Mamoru glared at him from under his lashes and looked away, "no," he said and stretched out his legs, "but I'd like it if you tell me what happened," he leaned his elbows on his knees and looked up at the blond.
Daiki's amused face turned serious in a beat second as he pushed his back against the wall, "it's the second time they're sending us a message," he pushed his hands in his pockets, "first they come to the loft and fuck up everything, and now…" his voice trailed off as he glanced at the closed door in front of him, "this is getting out of hand Mamoru," he didn't look away from the door, but he felt Mamoru shifting in his sit.
"Did you actually see anyone when you got to her?" he asked.
"No one was there. But who else would do this? She's not all sunshine and smiles, but who else would want to hurt her like this?" the blond asked, finally looking away from the door and settling his eyes on his friend.
Mamoru sat silent for a moment, focusing his eyes on the opposite wall.
"Gather at the loft," he suddenly said as he stood up and looked straight at Daiki, "let's give them something to they'd remember," he said.
"Remember what?" Daiki asked as his eyes followed Mamoru's retrieving back.
"What it means to mess with our family."
And he was gone.
She was grounded which clearly meant that she wasn't allowed to do anything or go anywhere after school; at least, that's what being grounded meant, right?
But when she had woken up that morning, with heavy eyelids and a terrible headache, to get ready for school (thrilled to do so, because she couldn't handle the tension in the house anymore) she was told rather firmly that she had to stay home.
For a moment, she had wanted to argue and say that she had a test on the second period, but who was she kidding. Her parents knew better than that; she was never the one to stress over tests.
So instead she had changed to a simple dress and joined her family for breakfast, which was a painful experience. The silence was horrifying and the way her father was trying to avoid eye contact with her was even more upsetting.
Ikuko-mama hadn't said a word to her after "you won't go to school today" comment. And Shingo was not a morning person, so expecting a word out of him at this hour was just too much.
She had sat at breakfast with a swell in her heart. The bridge that had built between her and her parents since last night seemed so…long. She felt her eyes water.
She had played with her food, nibbling a little on the home-made egg bun, taking small sips from her juice; she really didn't have the appetite.
So she had excused herself from the table, her heart breaking when no one seemed to care whether or not she ate, no "princess don't forget to finish your juice," from Kenji-papa, no "Usagi, try to take smaller bites and chew more. You don't want to hurt your stomach," from Ikuko-mama. She felt more tears rushing to her eyes.
"Get some rest," she turned around on the stairs and looked at Shingo who was changing out of his slippers, "you look like a witch," he mumbled.
The tears that were on the edge of falling held back and something inside of her veins burst with warmth, "I will," she whispered as she watched him adjust his backpack and the blue cap on his head.
He glanced at her over his shoulder, "I'll buy you some chocolate ice cream on the way back," he said nonchalantly and the small light in Usagi's heart shone brighter.
"Okay…" she said with a tiny smile on her face.
She was now sitting beside the small table in the middle of her room, absentmindedly looking at her math book. She sighed with irritation and pushed the book away.
Her father had left to work as well, leaving her alone with Ikuko-mama who was probably doing housework. Usagi was almost intrigued to go downstairs and speak to her mother while they were alone, she kept remembering Ikuko's eyes the previous night; they held so much disappointment and…
Her bedroom door was opened suddenly without a knock and her mother's lean and tall form was standing at the threshold.
Usagi didn't move from her spot on the floor. She simply looked up at her mother and gulped. Kenji was very protective and everyone around them knew how he felt about his little girl; he could also be rather intimidating from time to time. But Ikuko…well, she was just scary when she wanted to be without even trying. She didn't need to say anything or even do anything, the way she held herself and the way her eyes pierced through her children was enough, and Usagi found herself suffocating under her mother's stare.
"We need to talk," the older woman said, walking towards the bed and settling on it with grace.
Usagi looked away, too patronized to look at her mother's face as she started fidgeting with her hands. She tried to calm her nerves but to no avail.
Ikuko watched her daughter closely; she noticed the dark little circles under her eyes, the shadow of a red line around her lips, indicating how dry and itchy they must be feeling. Her hair was down, cascading her shoulders and back and oh how Ikuko loved her daughter's hair. Ever since she was a little girl, she had the perfect hair and Ikuko loved nothing more than to brush them and put them up in different styles. She hadn't done Usagi's hair for years and now as she was looking at her sad little face, she ached to run her hands through the soft strands and make all her worries and fears go away.
But Tsukino Ikuko was a logical person. She understood her daughter's idiocy better than anyone else. She also knew that if she didn't play her part right, there could be irreversible consequences; Kenji was an emotional man and the way he felt about Usagi was perfectly clear to his wife; last night was the first time Ikuko had feared her husband. The way he had looked at the teenager was so unfamiliar; so, unlike all the other times he had tried to scare away boys from his little girl. He hadn't even tried to listen to Ikuko in the privacy of their room and the wise woman had decided to let him work out his anger alone.
She didn't have control over her husband's actions (although she was a big influence in his life,) but he was a grown man, a father of two teenagers and only God knew what went through his mind half of the time.
But what Ikuko had control over was her daughter's outings. She was smart enough to know that whatever she said to Usagi could most probably be a waste. After all, Ikuko was 16 herself once and she perfectly understood her daughter's emotions. And the Chiba boy looked like every young girl's fairy tale!
"What you did Usagi…" Ikuko began, addressing her daughter the way she always did when scolding the teenager and Usagi's small wince didn't go unnoticed, "lying to us and play with our trust was very wrong," she continued, "I'm not going to tell you how upset and disappointed I am, because I'm sure you already know," she watched as Usagi's shoulders slumped, "what I'm going to tell you though, is that you've lost the luxury of going anywhere you want, whenever you want from now on," she paused to see Usagi's reaction, but the blonde didn't utter a word, "from now on, you will come back home straight from school, and if you wanted to meet with your friends, you will have to do so after you come back home, tell me exactly where you are going and who you are going with; and you have to be back by 10:00…no questions asked, no…" Ikuko held her hand up when Usagi's head shot up and her mouth started to move, "don't interrupt me Usagi, I'm not finished," the older woman said with a frown, "now I understand how much your friends mean to you, so I won't take you away from them completely, but you are limited to hang out with them one day on a weekend, and one day during the week," she paused again while glancing around the bright room. Taking note of all the stuffed little animals that laid around the room and the all the lively colours that accentuated her daughter's personality. The room looked familiar as always, saved for a couple of tiny lip glosses, a few makeup brushes and a small blush pallet that was placed on her vanity. Ikuko's heart clenched upon seeing a glimpse of a light pink lingerie that was peeking out through the half-open dresser. Usagi was growing up and to Ikuko, it felt like this is the first time she is acknowledging the fact that her little girl was fast becoming a woman; a young lady who bought lingerie and probably gossiped about boys with her friends most of the time. Ikuko didn't even know when she had started putting on makeup and just that thought made her heart heavy.
Her little girl was growing up and soon, Ikuko was not able to protect her anymore. She would become her own person and she no longer needed her parents to guide her through life. Seeing the small pink scrap of clothing in her dresser had made Ikuko wonder if she had bought it for a specific reason. She was dating a college guy after all, and after seeing her standing beside Chiba, their bodies seemed familiar with one another, she was questioning her innocence. Ikuko was not ignorant. She had lost her virginity to Kenji while they were dating, and she had been only two years older than Usagi. But the thought of her baby girl being the victim of some boy's lustful advances made her angry.
She didn't want to ask Usagi anything about her sex life though; no…that was a topic to discuss when her daughter was not feeling like she was being victimized. Ikuko could tell from Usagi's face that she was feeling attacked, alone and probably uncared for; all those twisted little feelings teenagers got when something didn't go their way.
"And Usagi," she said with a tone of finality as she stood up and straightened her orange skirt, "I think it goes without saying that you'll no longer be seeing that young boy," she looked straight into Usagi's eyes, whose head had turned towards her mother in a sudden gesture, "and I'm sure that you won't be seeing Motoki-san either…considering the circumstances," Usagi turned a deep shade of red as she watched her mother walking her way to the door and the paused, with one hand resting on the knob, "I can't tell you how hurt I am Usagi," she whispered, and Usagi took in a sharp breath, "I can't believe you would lie to me like that, I thought we agreed a long time ago to not hide anything from each other," she turned around and faced her daughter once more, "I've never lied to you Usagi, so why was it that you felt the need to lie to me?" she stared at Usagi's blue eyes with a sad expression on her face and not being able to handle the hurt look, Usagi bowed her head once more. How did everything turn out this way? She tried to picture her life before last night, and funny enough, she couldn't seem to get pass it. She tried to picture her parents the way she had always known them; kind, compassionate and maybe a little over protective parents that they were. How did everything got so screwed up suddenly?
Last night was probably one of the worst nights of her life and yet, Usagi couldn't fathom why her heart fluttered with an unknown happiness every time she replayed the night's events. There was this…shrinking, at the pit of her stomach whenever she thought about last night.
He had finally shown her his emotions. He had said stuff that she wouldn't think possible coming out of his mouth. And the way he had held himself in front of her parents…
"Mama?"
Ikuko paused when Usagi whispered her name, not turning around to face her, she simply stood by the door. Waiting!
"Have you…" her voice trailed off as she gazed at her mother's back. Shiny blonde, purplish hair surrounding her slim figure, her mother was a definition of classic beauty. Oh, how she always wanted to be like her mother.
"I'm sorry," she said after a long pause, "I didn't want to hurt you," she continued. Her vision was getting blurry and she tried hard not to let those tears fall. She was a big girl, she had become a grown up, a complete grown up, and she needed to prove to herself that if she was old enough to explore physical pleasure, to feel a man's touch, then she was probably old enough to get a hold of herself. She needed to prove to her parents that she was an adult, a big girl that could take care of herself. What she had figured out the previous night, but was unable to voice it properly.
"I didn't want to hurt you Ikuko-mama, and I definitely didn't want to hurt Kenji-papa…but…" she paused once more, taking in a deep breath and exhaling through her mouth. All the while, Ikuko was still standing and facing the ajar door.
"But I can't help myself," she said in a voice lower than her usual tone, "I can't help myself from feeling the way I feel about him," she said in the same tone of voice; although, a hint of determination had entered her tone, without her own knowledge. But Tsukino Ikuko was a wise woman.
Therefore, when she slowly turned the knob and walked out of the room it wasn't because she wanted to dismiss Usagi's feelings. Quite the contrary.
She walked away because she had recognized that voice.
It was the same voice her little girl had used when she had announced her desire to do her own hair from then on…and this was the style she loved!
There were obviously some positive aspects in going to a separate school. She loved her friends dearly of course, but sometimes smaller doses of having them around all the time were just…better. What was that saying? "absence makes the heart grow fonder"? well, it sure made sense to Rei sometimes.
And obviously, there were those times, such as this, that she wished she could go to the same school with them. Because really, why did she have to be the one going to their school every day? Couldn't they just walk to hers instead? Or couldn't they just meet half way?
Rei let out an aggravated sigh and rolled her eyes internally.
Of course, they couldn't. because those four could be quite the bully when they wanted to be. Save for Ami and Usagi…
She immediately dismissed that thought! Usagi could be very manipulative when she wanted to be and Rei didn't need to even count the number of times that the petite blonde had her do things she really didn't want to do with that stupid pout on her face.
She let out another sigh. Well, this was the last time that she was going to walk all the way to their stupid school. From now on, they were going to walk to her school.
All four of them were going to get up from their lazy little behinds and walk to…
"Are you meeting with her?"
Rei jumped out of her skin when a deep voice rose near her. She clutched her school bag and whirled around, blinding him with the whoosh of her black hair.
"Ahhhh…" he cried and shook his head to get rid of the tingling feeling of the smack against his face.
"What the hell…" Rei cried right back at him, as she loosened the hold on her bag, "don't sneak up on me like that you freak…" she hissed when she was back to her normal Rei demeanour and her eyes were narrowed at the black-haired man.
Mamoru stared at her for a moment with annoyance. The last thing he wanted was to get into a tongue fight with one of Usagi's friends. He didn't have the time.
"Are you meeting with her?" he repeate as if the last 60 seconds hadn't happened at all.
"Meeting who?" she asked, knowing very well who he was referring to, but refusing to give him the pleasure of a straight answer.
Mamoru rolled his eyes when he saw the glint of evil in the priestess's eyes, "and I thought the blonde one was annoying," even before the last words came out of his mouth, a hard punch to his chest made him wince.
"What the fu..."he hissed, before cutting himself short and glaring at the fiery brunette in front of him, "you've chosen a wrong day to mess with me little girl," he immediately bent down to nurse his injured knee with a sharp intake of breath.
"This one was for calling me a little girl you creep," Rei said as she straightened her grey school skirt. Her hand rose once more to hit him on the head, but Mamoru had learnt his lesson.
"Let go of me freak…" she cried when Mamoru grabbed her hand and lowered it with anger.
"Cut that out little girl," he said as a tiny smirk played on his lips. They were all annoying all right. But it was quite entertaining to see how these tiny group of friends were alike.
Rei glared at him for a moment, before she stuck her chin high in the air and whirled around once more.
"I asked you a question little…"
"I don't have to answer you, you creep…"
"Are you meeting with her or not?" Mamoru asked as he started following her.
"It's none of your business, besides…" She suddenly stopped and glared at him again, "I don't think I want to anywhere near her," she narrowed her eyes as if to test him.
Mamoru rolled his eyes and let out an aggravating sigh, "I don't care what you want. I need to tell her something and you are going to deliver my message to her," he dodged her next assault, "what the fuck is the matter with you?" he asked with anger, "do that again one more time and…"
"What are you gonna do ha? Are you gonna hit a little girl?" Rei asked with raised eyebrows and a mischievous smirk on her lips, "come on, I can handle you…" she said as she put down her school bag and did some weird gestures with her hands.
Mamoru watched her for a second, "I would've laughed my pants off if it was another time, but…" he said as he started walking towards Usagi's school, "it's not. And I don't have the time to deal with your lousy punches, let's go," he said as he bent down and retrieved her abandoned bag.
"HEY…" Rei hissed when Mamoru started walking away with her bag, "where are you going with that? That's mine…" she almost ran to be able to fall in step with him, "you're a freak and I don't like you," she said as she reached out her arm and grabbed her bag.
"You're a lousy punch and I don't like you either," he shot back without looking at her, "but right now I need you to get Usagi for me."
"Why would I do that? I don't want you near her,"
"And I don't care what you want…"
"You took advantage of my friend,"
"I didn't take advantage of her, grow up,"
"You pompous asshole, you took advantage of her and…"
"REI-CHAN…"
They both stopped walking and looked over where a loud shriek had called the priestesses' name.
"Minako, stop yelling like a hyena," Rei said with a tight tone, taking a side-glance at her companion.
The blonde rushed towards the duo, with Makoto and Ami hot on her heels, "have you seen Usagi?" she asked, panting a little.
Mamoru's eyes narrowed as he jumped in the middle of the conversation, "doesn't she go to school with you?" he asked, recognizing the dark blue skirt and the red bow on the chest.
Rei frowned, "Was she speaking to you?" she challenged before turning her attention back to her friends, "wasn't she at school?"
"She didn't show up today," Makoto said, doing a once over on Mamoru with a frown; an image of Usagi and him together entered her mind and she blushed deeply; damn Motoki for telling her!
"Why do you sound so worried?" Rei asked with raised eyebrows, "that odango head…," Mamoru shot her a glare, "is always late to school, right? Maybe she overslept…"her voice trailed off when the three in front of her gave nervous glances to one another.
"What is it?" she asked, "what is it that you're not telling me?" she insisted.
Minako let out an irritated sigh, "Well…"
"Motoki-san told Usagi-chan's parents about her and him…" Ami was only able to smack her hand over Makoto's mouth after Minako's hard elbow punch to the brunette's side.
"You're just on fire today Mako-chan," Minako hissed, glancing over the Chiba guy with worry.
But it was too late; she could tell. Chiba's eyes were narrowed with calculation.
"Where are you going?" Minako cried when he turned and started walking away.
"Great," Rei said, glancing at Makoto with venom.
Ami let out a sigh and straightened her skirt, "listen," she looked at her friends, "whatever happens, just know that we have the right to remain silent," she said before walking at the same direction Chiba had gone.
Minako looked at her blunette friend with confusion, "what?"
"Let's go," Rei declared, before flipping her hair and following everyone else.
Disclaimer: I do not own Sailor Moon or its fabulous characters in any way. I wish I did though! But I don't All the delightful rights of this wonderful manga/anime and its characters belong to the awesome Naoko Takeuchi.