Hi everyone,
I'm so excited to share this chapter with all of you. I received a great reaction from my beta-reader and editor BrownB, so I'm hoping that you also share her enthusiasm about this new chapter.
Let me start with thanking all of my readers. A bonus thank you to all of you who have taken the time to leave me a review; they really help my writing and give me motivation.
LoverGurrl411: Thank you so much for your positive feedback and kind words:) I hope you enjoy this chapter.
NikkiBC: I hope you get your answer in this chapter. If you want, send me a pm with the idea that you have in mind; I can give you hints (wink, wink) LOL. Enjoy.
Moon86: I hope you enjoy this chapter.
Guardians314: Was this soon enough?:D So here's the new chapter and I sure hope it lives up to your expectations. Let me know what you think. Cheers.
Guest: Thank you for your incredible eye:) I do have a lot of misspells, I know. But my great beta-read is helping me to overcome that. However, the misspell you mentioned (three) when Shingo is talking to Usagi, that one is actually intentional. Because Usagi has her hand clapped on his mouth, so, he's unable to form the correct words (you know:D) But I'll try harder to avoid such mistakes in the future. I'm thinking about 22-23 chapters. But I'm not sure. And yes, I have a few new ideas about new fics. Enjoy.
Latebuttruefan: Thank you for your kind words. And I totally share your sentiment. It was about time that Usagi showed everyone who she is and that she is totally capable of handling herself. Enjoy the new chapter.
Tinatin: I'm so glad that you like the intimate scenes, because to be quite honest, I'm usually really unsure about them. I don't want them to be vulgar or too much, yet, I don't want them to be subtle as well:D:D So I try you know. I hope you enjoy the new chapter.
Serenity312: Thank you for leaving me a review. I'm so glad you find my writing exciting. That makes me so happy. And don't worry, as long as nothing major happens in my real life (falling ill, go broke, get pregnant etc:D:D) I will finish this story for sure. I hate leaving the readers without an ending. Enjoy the new chapter.
Like always, a major THANK YOU to my awesome beta-read BrownB. She has been a tremendous help throughout this journey.
Enjoy.
Daiki jolted up from slumber when he heard the soft click of the door and it took him a few seconds to regain his focus.
Hisa was fast asleep and he smiled when he saw her peaceful round face. She looked so child-like when she slept. That tiny line that seemed forever nestled between her brows was gone and for a moment, Daiki wished he had a camera to capture her image like this.
It would be the greatest bait to taunt her with, after all!
He stood up from the chair and stretched wondering if he could find a cup of hot tea somewhere. With another glance at Hisa, he tip toed to the door.
Daiki heard whispering from the other side and his slow approach faltered for a moment; one voice was strangely familiar.
He carefully opened the door and slid through it, trying hard not to wake the patient who had been in pain all through the night and seemed to find some amity with the drugs she had consumed.
He tried even harder to close the door without uttering a sound; his tongue touching his upper lip while doing so, in a typical Daiki way, whenever he was concentrating on something he considered important.
He noticed that the whispering had seized the moment he had stepped out of the room and when he turned around he understood why.
With pursed lips and a tight demeanour, Daiki nodded and bowed a little despite himself and grimaced immediately. The man in front of him always had an aura of charisma and he never knew how to act around him.
He knew that a part of him always hated the guy. What kind of a man abandons his own daughter like that? What kind of a man doesn't appreciate the precious soul of a young girl who was obviously suffering from parental negligence? A girl who was not only smart enough to understand life's cruelty, but wasn't even happy enough to see beyond that darkness and find a light to brighten up her days.
"How is she?" Hisa's father asked as he did a once over on Daiki with a face that was too familiar to overlook.
Daiki didn't answer right away, a rebellious part of him wanted to delay the answer to the question and he wasn't even sure why. Would he be suffering if he didn't know how his daughter was doing? Would he even care?
"She's fine," he finally said, brows furrowing slightly. "She's sleeping," he immediately added when the man in front of him made a move to enter the room.
"Okay." The middle-aged man nodded but still proceeded to open the door.
"She needs to rest," Daiki followed the man's movements and gingerly stood in front of the door, "she's had a rough night," he continued when Hisa's father shot him a confused glance.
"I see," Mr. Toyama said without breaking eye contact with the shorter man in front of him. He did another slow once over on Daiki and took a step back. "What was your name again boy?" he suddenly asked with a low voice.
Daiki narrowed his eyes. "Daiki," he replied while following Mr. Toyama's movements with caution.
The older man stepped away from the door, slowly making his way to the small bench on the other side of the narrow corridor. He sat down and faced Daiki once more. "Are you the boyfriend?" he asked without a blink and met the teenager's eyes with raised brows.
"I'm not…" Daiki's answer came sharp and fast, "I'm…a friend." He was suddenly uncomfortable under the man's intense gaze. "She's my best friend," he added as if putting "best" before "friend" would give him more leverage in front of this man.
"I didn't know she had a best friend," Mr. Toyama whispered. He leaned forward as he put his elbows on his knees, all the while looking straight at Daiki. "Tell me, Daiki-kun," he said, "what happened tonight?"
Daiki was skeptical even though he had wanted to call this man himself, letting him know that Hisa was in the hospital. But now that he was sitting in front of him, immaculate grey hair pushed back from the forehead, stark white shirt collar in perfect contrast with his dark suit and body leaned forward in a nonchalant way, Daiki was questioning his willingness to tell him anything about his daughter. 'He doesn't deserve to know,' a tiny voice said in his head.
"I know what you're thinking," the older man said surprising Daiki once more. "I can only imagine the things she has said about me," he murmured almost to himself, but the corridor was empty, save for the two of them. The only sounds that were heard around them were the distant whisper of the staff. Daiki only raised a brow.
"I'm not going to ask you again boy," Mr. Toyama suddenly said and something in his tone of voice made Daiki even more uncomfortable than before.
His green orbs met the older man's hazel ones and for a moment, Daiki was lost in the familiarity of those eyes.
"Say something."
She didn't even cast him a look. She kept looking out the window; very much like the last fifteen minutes or so that he had spoken.
"Please?" he added, hesitantly. But he met with silence once more.
Mamoru let out a deep sigh and stood up, covering his face with both hands and putting pressure on his temples.
He looked at Usagi again who was seating on the couch, facing the large windows of his balcony with both hands clasped on her lap. Her healthy leg was bent under the injured one. The pack of ice he had handed her once they had arrived at his apartment was long forgotten on the sofa, leaving a wet dark spot in its wake.
"What are you thinking about?" he asked, seating on the arm of the loveseat.
Usagi was still deep in thought and he could now see the slight trembling of her hands. In fact, now that he was really looking at her, instead of avoiding her face the whole time he was speaking, he could see the tiny jump of her lower lip as well.
"Are you…crying?" he asked slowly while simultaneously reaching out his hand to hold on to hers.
She turned suddenly and he immediately dropped his hand and braced himself.
"I'm not crying" She said in a tone that sent a wave of an unpleasant feelings down his spine.
"Why do guys always assume that girls cry, all the time, for everything?" She looked at him from under her lashes with an unreadable expression.
He didn't answer.
"I'm not crying, why would I be crying? In fact," She stood up out of nowhere and didn't even wince as she put her weight on her bad ankle, "I'm so angry right now that I might make you cry!" she cried.
Mamoru was confused and frankly a little amused; her flushed face reminded him of all the other times that she had looked at him with the same expression; eyes spitting fire, cheeks crimson with anger, nose blades shaky, mouth forming a thin line.
A tiny, barely-even-there, barely-even-heard chuckle left his mouth.
He froze.
She didn't!
The next thing Mamoru knew, he was being pushed back on the loveseat with an enraged blonde on top of him and tiny fists at his chest.
"YOU ASSHOLE!" Usagi shrieked as she laid another punch on his shoulder. "YOU ARROGANT, ARROGANT…ASSHOLE!" she howled.
Mamoru had his arms in front of him, shielding himself from her surprisingly hard punches. "What the…!" he growled when Usagi's knee met his inner thigh. "Calm down!" he hissed and tried to avoid another punch to his abdomen.
"DON'T TELL ME TO CALM DOWN, YOU MORON!" Usagi screamed on the top of her lungs. "Why didn't you tell me all of this sooner?" She pushed away his hands. "Did you think I couldn't handle it?" She pushed her body closer to him. "You didn't see me as an equal Mamoru-Baka?" Her right knee pushed against the seat's arm and a sudden pain in her whole leg had her whole body shocked. "OWWWW!"
"What?" Mamoru immediately dropped his arms and looked up at her from his perch on the loveseat. "What's wrong?" He was on his feet in a second.
"My ankle," Usagi hissed from between clenched teeth and shut her eyes against the pain.
"See, that's what happens when you physically abuse me," Mamoru hissed back and guided her to seat back on the sofa.
"WHY YOU-!"
The rest of her angry remark was muffled by Mamoru's hand. "That's enough anger release for you Odango," he said with a raised eyebrow. He took her right leg and gently laid it on the sofa. "I'll bring you some more ice." He stood up. "Maybe we should've gone to the hospital," he muttered to himself as he walked to the kitchen.
Five minutes later, the pain had subsided as Usagi kept the ice pack on her ankle, shivering slightly from its coldness. Mamoru was sitting beside her with his head resting on the back of the sofa. His eyes were closed, but Usagi knew that he was not asleep. She kept watching him in the dim light of the afternoon. Orange arrays of the fading sun were spread across his handsome face and Usagi felt her heart sore; he was really, really, good looking! Like ridiculously so.
"What happened to her?" Usagi's voice was small as if all the energy had left her body with the little backlash she had bestowed on him.
"Who?" Mamoru responded without opening his eyes.
"That girl…the girl who was…" She couldn't bring herself to say it out loud. What kind of monsters were they living among? Attacking an innocent girl like that, shattering her life into tiny pieces, taking away her trust and peace of mind forever.
"She lives…" Mamoru's voice lured her out of her reverie. "She eats and drinks; she even started going to school after a month or so…" He let out a deep sigh and finally opened his eyes.
Usagi's heart soared in her chest once more; she had never seen such a dark and sad expression on his face. She had gotten so used to his cocky demeanour that she sometimes forgot he was just a boy. He could put up a smug façade for the world for all she cared, he was just a teenager who was struggling to find his way; and he had been alone, all alone, to do so.
When she reached out her arms and hugged him she was trying to comfort him as much as she was trying to take refuge in his warmth.
She kissed the top of his head like a young mother would to her infant child; she ran her hands up and down his back like a sister would to a stressed-out brother; she kept whispering adoring non-sense in his ear like a lover would to a broken man.
He tightened his grip around her waist, willingly drowned in the comfort she was offering. He could hear the steady beats of her heart. He could feel the tiny puff of her breath against his hair. He could hear the words she was speaking to him; words that he would have laughed at if it were coming from someone else.
"I support your decision," she whispered in his ear and his focus was back to what she was saying.
"I would have done the same thing if someone had hurt my friend like that," she continued without pausing her gentle touch on his back.
"I don't think any less of you Mamoru," she suddenly said and he tensed.
"If you hadn't told me all of this sooner because you were afraid that you would lose me…I don't think any less of you, in fact," she hugged him tighter, "I think I'm in love with you even more…"
He had never thought about how he would react if those words were ever spoken to him by her; he'd never thought he would actually hear them, let alone knowing how he should, would, react when they were whispered by her.
So, he stayed buried in her arms for a few more seconds, letting the unknown feeling that had rocked him once the word "love" had come out of Usagi's mouth pass.
He was suddenly aware of her breathing that became noticeably heavier. The uncomfortable shift of her body, even though she didn't loosen her grip on him at all; and he knew that she was waiting for something. A word of acknowledgment, or maybe, a word of reassurance that he felt the same way about her.
He immediately lifted himself out of her arms, coming face to face with her and looking straight into her eyes. The room was fast becoming dark; as if the sun was trying that much harder to hideout the lovers from the rest of the world and even from themselves
Usagi remained calm. Her exterior didn't show anything less than usual, but she was feeling so many feelings inside.
She had told herself that she was taking a risk by confessing her feelings to him. She always knew that there could be a big chance that he didn't feel the same way about her. But like her grandmother always said: "Sometimes is more important to love than to be loved; we love because our souls yearn to be connected to someone. To be loved is a privilege. But to love…you get to decide on it; no one can tell you how and when." And Usagi always listened to the wise woman.
So, this is what she kept telling herself; she had chosen to love Mamoru, no one had forced her to do it. Her heart had decided to cherish the young man in front of her, for whatever reason, she didn't care.
She didn't need the privilege.
She just needed to satisfy her own heart's longing.
So, she kept staring into his eyes without a blink.
'I don't need him to love me back, my love is enough for the both of us,' it came like a mantra in her head.
The sound of the telephone snapped Usagi out of her trance and her eyes jumped to the counter where the sound was coming from.
'Cliché', she thought.
Her eyes glanced back at Mamoru who started to move on the couch; probably to go answer the…
His kiss was as gentle as a caress of a feather and so sudden that she didn't even get the chance to respond.
He pulled back and stared into her confused eyes again.
He leaned forward and kissed her again with a little more force. She responded mildly this time.
When he pulled back he settled his hands on her waist and pulled his whole body closer to hers. "Care to participate, Odango?" he murmured and she took a deep breath, ready to strike at the nickname and the fact that he seemed to be ignoring her words from a few minutes ago.
This time when he kissed her she didn't respond on purpose. Her grandmother's words of wisdom be damned! If he was going to act all unaffected by her romantic confession then she would do the same with his physical replication of the act.
"Come on…kiss me back," Mamoru whispered against her lips and drew her back in.
Her lips remained sealed!
Mamoru's amusement at her stubbornness was fast replaced with desperation. He needed her to kiss him back; he needed to feel her tongue and her teeth.
His hands cupped her face and he pulled on her jaw. "Open," he begged and kissed her harder. "Let me have a taste," he begged again and pushed his tongue inside her mouth.
Usagi's control was thinner than a newborn's hair. Her body always betrayed her when it came to him and this time was no exception.
Mamoru let out a deep growl when she finally complied and started to respond to his passion. She pulled at his lower lip with her teeth like she always did. She let her tongue mingle with his, a tactic that always made him shiver with pleasure.
The phone ranged again and Mamoru seemed deaf. "The phone," Usagi murmured when his lips left hers to travel down her throat. He didn't seem to care.
"Oh," Usagi let out when Mamoru pulled on her left leg and effectively placed her body under his. "This okay?" he asked, taking her injured leg in his hand and putting it gently on his hip. "Uhah," Usagi responded breathlessly as she wound her arms around his shoulders.
"Would it remain okay for a while longer?" he whispered in her ear as his hand travelled down her neck and cupped her breast. "I can move us to the bedroom," he continued.
"No…I'm fine." She closed her eyes and gave into his ministrations.
"You love me?" he suddenly asked, without seizing his fondling or his attack on her neck.
Usagi opened her eyes with shock; was he seriously going to ask her that? In the middle of this?
"You love me…" It came out like a statement; a true, yet, unbelievable statement.
"Why are you being like this?" she asked as she felt her eyes water and her emotional control slipping away.
"Like what?" He nipped at her ear.
"A conceited, emotionally-dead jerk," she hissed and blinked, finally letting the tears wet her cheeks.
Mamoru didn't remark on her tears; instead, he started kissing them away and that act alone made Usagi cry even harder.
She couldn't understand why she let him pull away her cloths. She couldn't understand why she would let him touch her, fondle her and grope her if the love she had offered meant so little to him.
Her tears kept streaming down her face as Mamoru stripped her down to her underwear. His hands roamed all over her with an unrestrained urgency; keeping her injured leg fastened around his waist and safeguarding it from his activity. He kept kissing her wet face, never commenting on her tears and Usagi felt her heart breaking little-by-little.
Grandmother Tsukino didn't know what the hell she was talking about!
"I can't wait to be inside you," Mamoru whispered in a tight voice as he lifted himself up and removed his shirt. Usagi closed her wet eyes and tilted her head away from him.
He lowered himself on top of her again and fancied at the shiver that ran through her body when their naked torsos touched. He cupped her breast and pulled it up so he could lick her erect nipple. Usagi let out a throaty half sob, half moan.
He went back up and kissed her jaw.
"I love you," he breathed in her ear and Usagi's heart stopped beating for a second.
She immediately looked up at him. "What?" She wasn't sure if she had heard him alright. Maybe her pitiful heart was hallucinating now?
"I love you so damn much," he repeated the words he had held back to say ever since her little confession. He'd needed time to bask in her words.
Usagi's whole face puckered with more tears. She let out a loud sob and punched his bare shoulder. "YOU SICK TWISTED ASSHOLE!" she cried and punched him again. "YOU REALLY ARE SICK MAMORU-BAKA!" She slapped his chest as she felt the tension slowly leave her limbs.
Mamoru payed no heed to her outburst. He kept kissing and licking her soft skin, nipping and biting her breasts and going further down her body. The need to taste her had his whole body in urgent erection.
Usagi was still crying and whimpering nonsense when he pulled aside her panties and buried his face between her thighs.
He chuckled when her high-pitched screeching immediately turned into pleasured mewls.
"You're a jerk Mamoru-baka," she breathed as she let her fingers caress his soft hair.
For a few moments, there was nothing said between the lovers; the sound of Usagi's breathy gasps and whimpers, and the faint sound of Mamoru's assault on her lower regions was the only noises heard in the dark room.
"You liked that?" he asked when he reappeared on top of her spent body once more.
She was still breathing hard from her release. She felt a delicious tingling in her stomach and her arms felt like heavy burdens.
A smirk appeared on Mamoru's face when he gazed down at her flushed face. "I can see that you did," he said while his hand fumbled with his pants' zipper.
Usagi let out a deep sigh, mingled with a giggle, and pushed away her hair. "Screw you." She stuck her tongue out at him.
'He loves me,' the mantra was now replaced with a far more exciting and cherished words in her head and the giddiness she felt was overpowering her other emotions.
Mamoru finally freed himself from his pants and boxer shorts as he took hold of Usagi's waist and pulled her up on his lap, straightening her right leg. "No…" he groaned and gently settled her on his lap. His length touched her soft stomach, "I'm going to screw you, Odango," He wrapped her good leg around his waist and stroke himself in preparation. "Hard." He kissed her lips lightly and took one of her hands and lowered it to his straining member. Usagi watched him with half lidded eyes, her desire building up with each dirty word that he whispered to her.
"I'm going to pleasure myself with your body." He licked the tip of her nose. "Over and over again." He pushed away her hair from her shoulder and grazed her skin with his nose and upper lip. Usagi's head automatically tilted backwards as her eyes closed. Her hand stroking him slowly, his deep groans a token to her success in pleasing him. "Is this what you wanted?" He then asked, "Dirty talk like this?" He covered her hand with his larger one. "Do you want me to tell you how much I want you?" He removed her hand from himself and lifted her up a little.
"Yes," Usagi's tiny whisper reached his ears and his lust tripled. He had himself a little minx.
He buried himself deep inside her. "Did you want to know how I wanted to ride you?" he asked as he started a tantalizing slow movement.
Usagi's mind was no longer focused on his words. She was too aroused and too focused on what he was doing to her; it felt amazing. He felt amazing.
"Don't close your eyes," Mamoru whispered against her lips and stared straight into her eyes when his words finally reached her ears.
"Tell me again," Usagi whispered back as she tried to meet his movements; her inexperience was no longer an issue. It seemed that he would get beyond excited with a simple touch from her.
"Ladies first," Mamoru panted and the smug look was plastered back on his face. "Tell me and I'll give you what you want." Oh, how she wanted to punch his face repeatedly sometimes. 'But you love him,' a voice sighed in her mind, 'and he loves you…'.
"I asked you first." She bit his lower lip and basked in the deep groan he let out. "Ow…" she winced when she tried to move her injured leg around his slim waist.
"What?" Mamoru immediately stopped his slow movements.
"Nothing…it's just my ankle." She massaged her knee as if trying to send waves of relief to the pained part of her anatomy.
Mamoru's warm hand covered her slender fingers. "Wanna lie down?" he asked and she nodded; maybe this wasn't the greatest position after all.
He slowly laid her back on the couch and covered her body as she went. "Keep your legs there," he told her once he managed to fasten her legs around his waist once more. "Can you do that?" he continued with a teasing tone and chuckled when she sent him a dirty look and pouted with annoyance.
And that little gesture was his undoing.
Usagi had always deemed Mamoru a sexual person. Heck, their whole relationship had started on sexual activities. And was it just her, or did the society teach girls that all boys cared about was getting into their pants? Well, not that it was entirely a false statement, but ever since she had started making love with Mamoru, his passion, his selflessness and his eagerness to make her happy had her questioning all her previous beliefs. Is this how love felt like?
She gazed up at him, taking note of his lust filled eyes and the small bulging vein on his forehead…it probably wasn't easy to balance one self's weight while making slow and wonderful love while holding the other person's legs in the same position the whole time.
'Did we have to do this now…and here?' She thought to herself for a second and then Mamoru bit her collarbone and that thought went straight to hell. 'Yes…yes, we had to,' she giggled to herself and bit her lower lip.
Mamoru's movements were becoming faster and deeper and Usagi could tell that he was at his limit. "Oh my God…" she let out, when his previously innocent hand ventured down her torso. "Don't…I'm...Oh I'm…" she mewled. She could feel the same boiling in her lower stomach, the same one she always felt when reaching her peak. "Are you close?" Mamoru panted near her ear and shifted a little to be able to go a little deeper…a little faster. "Are you? Because I am." He braced his arm above her head on the arm of the couch.
The phone ranged and the high-pitched sound shocked Usagi. For a second her body froze and instantly felt warm again because Mamoru's control was no longer there and the couch was shaking with the force of their movements.
"Mamoru…aaaah, the phone…" she managed to choke out in between drawing much needed air into her lungs.
Mamoru didn't even slow down.
The phone kept ringing and ringing…and Mamoru's thrusts became deeper and faster. He was a man on a mission and nothing could stop him now…
In between their heavy panting and shaky breaths, Usagi could hear the faint sound of the phone going to the answering machine.
"I'm so close…come on Usa…let me know you love me…" He squeezed her waist.
"I…" Usagi's eyes were closed and she felt like her heart would soon jump out of her chest if he didn't give her what she wanted. "I love y…"
"Chiba-san…"
A man's voice resonated across the apartment and Mamoru stopped dead in his intense love making. Usagi's body froze once more.
"You're not a good listener, it seems…" The voice sounded firm and strong; but there was a certain hint of sarcasm that Usagi didn't miss. "I don't play by the rules," the voice continued.
Mamoru had gone still above Usagi. His head was turned in the direction of the answering machine and Usagi could see the unsteady rise and fall of his chest.
"You probably haven't understood your position Chiba-san," the man said. "You and your pathetic friends are a no body." Usagi could almost hear the smirk in the man's voice and her blood boiled with anger.
Mamoru was still connected to her and he was listening with a small furrow on his forehead.
"The little stunt you pulled today was amusing…and cute." The man openly chuckled this time and Usagi felt Mamoru's body tense.
"I'm not a merciful man, Chiba-san…"
Mamoru finally detangled himself from Usagi and reached for his discarded underwear.
"I hear you're a nerd…so I think you will remember what I say," he continued.
"Mamoru…" Usagi's slow plea went unheard as Mamoru walked his way to the counter. "And remember…" the voice remarked, "I know exactly where you go, when you go, and…" Mamoru stood by the counter and stared down at the machine, "who you go with…" he finished and Mamoru's head suddenly jolted up. He reached for the phone but the man had already hung up.
"Mamoru…" Usagi had managed to throw on her shirt and small panties, "who was that?" She stared at her boyfriend's back with confused eyes and an unpleasant feeling in her gut.
"Get dressed," Mamoru suddenly ordered. "I'm going to take you home."
Motoki was taking his time cleaning up his desk at the back of the arcade. It was overflowed with papers and text books; he really needed to get his act together and start with his postponed projects.
He had tried his hardest to focus on work that day. Working his way through the devastation he was feeling inside was impossible.
He had tried to act like his normal self. The always smiling and cheery Motoki-kun his customers had come to know and love. He had tried to listen to the chatter and laughter of the teenagers who had rushed inside of the arcade after school as if the devil himself was on their heels and their only haven was the small establishment.
He had nodded and smiled at their requests for milkshakes and burgers; he had given them game tokens and he had tried very hard not to cringe at the memory of her beaming face and out stretched hand every time he had handed her a fistful of the small coins.
'Don't think about her.' He couldn't keep count of the number of times he had demanded of himself.
Unazuki had wisely kept her distance ever since her shift in the afternoon. She would give him a worried glance every once in a while, but she hadn't said one word to him. And Motoki was thankful for her thoughtfulness.
He had pushed away Usagi's image to the very back of his mind for the good portion of the day, cutting the memories of her and their time together as soon as one would pop up in his mind's eye.
But now, in the confine of his tiny office, he had find himself unable to stop those recollections.
He could vividly remember her bored expression a few times she had to wait for him to finish his daily work. She had done everything in her power to distract him; not that she needed to go to extreme measures. He was only too eager to focus on her and more interesting activities than adding up numbers.
He crumpled the paper he had in his hands.
How could she have been so warm and passionate with him, if she was sleeping with another guy behind his back?
He sat on his chair and stared at the arcade's notebook on the desk.
How could he be so stupid and blind? He still remembered all the times he had tried to be more intimate with her. How he had tried to feel more of her skin with small caresses and kisses.
The little bitch!
The new vending machine they had installed in the very front of the arcade was broken! Again! And he needed to call the company for repair. Or had he already called them this morning? He couldn't remember, but he could see that his famous red "done" mark was not beside the small note he had written down.
His memory of one time with her came cruising into his mind and for a moment, Motoki wished that he had never met Usagi.
They had been making out on the small couch on the other side of the office. He had lured her in there with delicious promises of spending time alone with her favorite snacks. She had giggled the whole time he had feed her his signature sundae. She had alternated eating the sweet delight herself and feeding him a very small spoon every now and then.
Her lips and tongue had been stone cold when he had finally scooped her up on his lap.
He hadn't taken his usual patience with her. He was just so overwhelmingly horny and hot. So instead of giving her small, butterfly kisses that he usually did and letting it build up into something more intense, he had delved into her mouth like a drowning man; and every time she had pulled away to inhale deeply, he had only followed her.
"Motoki…slow down…" She had probably said that once or twice; he really couldn't be sure. His mind was just too hazy and dazed with her scent and the soft skin of her midsection when he had finally lifted her shirt up. Had she tried to prevent him from doing so?
He suddenly had a bad feeling in his gut. He racked a hand through his blond, messy hair and tried to remember the details of the memory.
Had she tried to push away his hands when he was lifting her shirt up, or was she trying to help him through the process, like he had originally deemed?
"It's okay…" He could still hear his own voice whispering to her, "God, you feel so good…" He had growled once her upper body was bare for his eyes.
Had she uttered a word of protest at all? Or had she been as eager and willing?
Had she been imagining Chiba the whole time?
A pang of disgust shook his heart and he tried not to go in that direction.
"I'm not…" He recalled her tiny voice calling to him when his mouth had closed around her breast through the tiny white bra and he had tuned out whatever else she was saying by letting out a loud groan of appreciation.
God, even the thought of her would make him weak in the knees!
The slow sounds of chatter outside of the office snapped him back to reality and he looked at his wrist watch with confusion. They were about to close, everybody knew that they closed the arcade a few hours earlier on weekdays.
He walked out of the office and came face to face with Unazuki who seemed a little confused.
"Uh, Onii-Chan…" She began to tell him something when Minako thrust her whole body into his line of sight.
"Motoki-san…" she called him in a serious tone of voice and gestured for him to go to her.
He saw the other three girls standing not too far away; and his anger towards them returned full force.
"What the hell do you want?" he snapped and heard the surprised hitch in Unazuki's sharp inhale.
"We need to talk to you," Rei demanded and her authoritative tone made him angrier.
"I don't want to talk to you…in fact, I don't even want to see any of you," he hissed and walked back to his office to gather his stuff.
He heard the rustling and foot steps behind him and he shook his head with annoyance when he figured that they had all followed him inside the small room.
"Was I not clear? Get out. I don't want to talk to you." He didn't even cast them a look. Those girls were no longer his friends. They were his ex-girlfriend's backstabbing besties. And he was done with all of them.
"Then shut up and don't talk," Rei snapped back. "We want to talk to you. So, you can either shut up and listen to us or act like a total jerk." She knew she was being totally unfair. Heck, he was the victim here. She loved Usagi so much, but the fact is that she had cheated on Motoki and had broken his heart. But what he had done, going to Usagi's parents like a 12-year-old boy, was not okay.
"Watch yourself Rei," Motoki growled and stared straight into her eyes; how dare she belittle him like this? Who did she think she is?
"Motoki-san, please…" Ami's small voice was lost in Minako's loud shriek. "How could you do that Motoki? Going to Usagi's parents was super lame." She folded her arms against her chest.
Motoki looked at each of them for a second before his restraint was broken. "This is my fault now? Your friend is a conniving little…"
"DON'T FINISH THAT SENTENCE!"
Makoto's scream surprised all of them. "I like you Motoki-san. So, don't make me hurt you," she continued when Motoki's green eyes landed on her with disbelief.
"This is getting out of hand," Ami muttered and send Rei an angry glare when she opened her mouth. "Let's all calm down and be civil," she continued when Rei wisely shut her mouth and flipped her hair over her shoulder.
"Why are you here?" Motoki hissed. "There is nothing left to be said. Usagi cheated, I took my revenge and that's that." He started gathering up his stuff. "She's probably ran back to Chiba's loving arms, and I'm here…trying to get over her." His voice broke a little and the book he was trying to stuff into his bag got stocked. "God damn it!" He pushed away the book and the bag all together and let it fall on the desk. He was mad and frustrated; and the last thing he wanted was to be disciplined by Usagi's little pack of friends.
"Well, Chiba knows what you have done and he's probably out for your blood," Minako put her hands on her hips and looked at his nonchalantly. "So we just came here to warn you." She glanced at the other three girls as if waiting for their approval.
Motoki's blood boiled at the mention of his name, "Fucking bastard," he muttered to himself and met Minako's eyes. "So? Do you think I'm afraid of that bastard?" He hit the desk with his fist and shook Ami by surprise. "He is a no-body…an outcast! and if Usagi chose him over me, then she must be out of her mind." He took a sharp intake of breath. "If she has stooped so low to associate with the likes of him, then I guess I just got lucky that she showed her true colors early enough." He felt like his heart was breaking all over again.
Usagi had chosen Chiba over him…he had always been the good guy and his girlfriend had chosen the ultimate bad boy over him.
The little bitch!
"Motoki-san..." This time, Ami's voice was loud enough to resonate in the room. But Motoki didn't raise his head to meet her eyes. Suddenly he felt so tired and drained. And oh God, why wouldn't they leave him alone?
"I don't want to talk about what happened between you and Usa-chan. That's between the two of you." She walked towards him. "But no one will benefit if something goes down between you and Chiba-san." She raised her hand and touched his shoulder as gently as she could. "The only people who will get seriously hurt would be you, Chiba-san and Usagi-chan…" She squeezed his shoulder to silence his potential outburst. "And I know that hurting them may seem something that you want right now, but Motoki-san, this is you we're talking about." She sighed when Motoki's brows fell in a deep furrow. "You would never be able to live with yourself if anything happens to anyone, let alone the girl that you have, or use to have, feelings for." She retrieved her hand and clasped them behind her back.
Motoki bent his head. He could feel their questioning stares on the top of his head and for a moment he wished that he had some super powers to remove them from the room; or even make himself invisible.
"Please leave." His raspy voice sounded pathetic, but he no longer cared about his image in their eyes. He had lost the person he loved, he'd be damned if anyone else's judgment of him was important to him!
They all looked at each other and it was Minako's tiny nod and made them all pile out of the room.
Motoki only raised his head when the soft click of the door was heard.
"I really don't want to go home," Usagi whispered for the hundredth time and like the other times, her plea fell on deaf ears.
Mamoru had rushed her to get dressed. Throwing his own clothing back on with great speed, he had helped her to pull up her pants; taking cautious with her injured ankle. He had helped her to do her hair; although she had finally snapped at him because he clearly didn't know what the hell he was doing.
He had taken her hand none to gently in his dash out the door. When she had refused to get on the bike, saying that she didn't feel comfortable to ride it while he was obviously upset, his eyes had finally softened and he had hugged her close, telling her that he would never let anything happen to her and that she needed to learn to trust him.
Usagi had felt a little relief. Giving him a tiny nod and allowing him to put the helmet on her.
She had wrapped herself around him like second skin.
She still felt the tingling in her body and she could tell that Mamoru's body was as tense as the moment he had panted in her ear.
"I need to be somewhere, and you need to go home." Mamoru tilted his head to the side at a red light as he touched her clasped hands on his waist, as if to make sure she was still hugging him tight.
"I can't go home like this, Ikuko-mama would kill me," Usagi said in a hurry, before her voice was lost in the roar of the bike.
Mamoru's mind wasn't entirely focused on Usagi's words. The fucking phone call just had to come through right then; fuck! And he had been so close.
But…
Mamoru's mind tuned out everything else except for what he had heard on the phone.
What did he mean by his little "stunt"? What the hell had happened?
The need to see Daiki was unbearable.
The eldest of the Saburo bastards was very well connected; or at least, that's what Daiki always said about him. And even though Mamoru had never seen him, he was 100% sure that the man who had left him the message was none other than him.
He even had that annoying ring in his voice; just like his younger brother!
"Take me to the Shrine," Usagi's voice stopped his wondering mind.
"What?" he yelled through his helmet and the howl of the wind.
"Take me to the Hikawa Shrine, to Rei's," Usagi yelled back and he pulled over.
He removed his helmet and turned around to glance at her over his shoulder. "Why do you want to go there?"
"I snuck out of the house Mamoru." She let out a deep sigh. "I'm not sure if I'm ready to face them just yet." She let go of his waist and massaged her knees. The sweat on her hands was killing her!
Mamoru sat in front of her for a moment before fully getting off the bike and facing her. "Hey," he called out to her and gently started to pull up her visor, "I think it'd be better if you go home right now." he said once he was able to see her worried eyes. "You'd have to go home eventually, ne? If you don't go home tonight you'll just make everything more complicated."
Usagi knew what he was saying was true. The initial adrenaline that had pumped in her system when she had decided to climb out of her window was gone and now she was feeling dreadful. What was she thinking? What had come over her? Her parents hated Mamoru greatly enough, why did she have to make a stupid move to make it worst?
"I'll go with you," Mamoru grabbed her hand and urged her to look at him. "Don't worry. I'll tell them that I made you do it and-"
"No!" Usagi hurried and clumsily tried to remove her helmet. "I don't want you to get involved. This is something that I did and I need to take responsibility for it." She vigorously shook her head when Mamoru started to protest.
"It's our responsibility Usagi, I certainly didn't ask you to go home and I would've asked you to go with me even if I hadn't seen you on the street." He started to put on his helmet.
"I said no Mamoru." Usagi was still shaking her head and glaring at him.
"Listen," Mamoru said in a louder tone of voice and removed his own visor so she could see the seriousness in his eyes, "I won't let you go alone. Okay? You were grounded because of me and you snuck out because of me. Your parents don't like me. I get that. Your dad would probably kick my ass when he sees me with you. I don't care. Because Usagi," he cupped her face in both hands and stared right into her worried eyes, "they are your parents. They're important in your life; and you're important in mine. So, do the math Odango." He caressed her chin with his thumb. "I hope I can get through to your parents one day Usa, but for now, let them hate me as much as they want. But I won't let you ruin your relationship with them, okay?" He tilted her head up. "Okay?"
After she reluctantly nodded her head in understanding Mamoru helped her with her helmet once more. Making sure that it was safely placed on her head.
The motorcycle roared one more when they drove off towards the Tsukino residence.
Flashback:
"Isn't this illegal?" Hisa looked at both boys with raised eyebrows.
Daiki let out an exasperated sigh. "Maybe." He glanced at Mamoru who was concentrating on what he was doing.
"Uhah…" Hisa said in a neutral tone of voice and just then the door was finally open.
"Be quiet," Mamoru whispered and turned the knob slowly and let himself in with calculating eyes. "Don't touch anything and…just follow me." He stared right into Daiki's eyes when he said that and the blond rolled his eyes. So, what? Picking locks wasn't really his forte. He hadn't promised to have "all" the details of the plan! And wasn't this the very definition of team work? He'd plan, Mamoru would carry and Hisa…Well he really wasn't sure why she was there, but…
"Shit!" Hisa cursed under her breath and before he knew it, he was grabbed by the collar and dragged violently inside a dark room.
They all stood immobile as the men who had been walking their direction walked passed their hiding place.
Daiki exhaled with relief. "Well, that was close," he muttered and then tiptoed behind Mamoru.
They had left Saburo's main office ten minutes after that and they hadn't stopped running until they had reached the park.
"Whatever this is," Hisa had claimed with a glint in her eyes, "I want in."
The whole time they had walked around the average looking office, trying to find the best place they wanted to leave their "warning" for the Saburo brothers, Hisa had stood watch.
"Hurry up lazy ass," she has snapped at Daiki when he had let his eyes settle on the small note for a few seconds: "It won't stay impersonal forever. Watch your back from now on." He had imagined how the Saburos would react once they find the package with the Noh Mask inside. Mamoru had personally gone out and bought the mask; the wording of the note was also his brilliance.
The plan had gone perfectly! Now they had to wait for the reaction.
"What do you think this is? A moppet show?" Daiki had said to Hisa with boredom. "You're taking revenge on the Subaros." She had put her hands on her hips with glowing eyes.
"It's not revenge…" Mamoru had mumbled under his breath, but Hisa was too absorbed in the adrenaline to be able to hear him. "Count me in." She had met Daiki's eyes with defiance and he knew from that moment on, that getting rid of her was no longer an option.
"If this is not revenge, then I don't know what is," Hisa had said to Daiki a few weeks after that, while they had watched the younger Saburo's expensive motorcycle burn in flames.
"It's not revenge," he had hissed at her, hearing the sirens of fire trucks in the distance. "This is delayed justice being served."
End of flashback.
Shingo was watching TV, but really, his focus was set more on the quarrel in the kitchen.
"I don't even know her anymore," his dad hissed in between angry remarks about the Chiba guy. "He is a bad influence on her, look! Just look at what he has made her do. Usagi would never do something like this!" Kenji had been beyond mortified when he had find out Usagi had ran away from home. He hadn't stopped cursing the Chiba guy, cursing the day he had been born and planning all sorts of punishments on him. "I'll kill him…God help me Ikuko, I will kill him."
Shingo could clearly hear the frustration in his mother's voice.
He had walked casually inside the house after Usagi's departure with Chiba, pretending to be ignorant of what had happened. For the remaining of the hour until Ikuko-mama had finally acknowledged Usagi's absence, he had stayed planted in the living room, eyes fixed on the TV.
To his surprise, Ikuko-mama hadn't seemed scared. He didn't know what was going through her head, but she hadn't made a big fuss about it. She had stayed calmed and collected until Kenji had arrived.
She had waited for her husband to do his daily after work routine and settle in his favorite chair. That's when she had broken the news to him.
And ever since then the house had fallen into madness!
"I'm going to kill him…bring him back, and then kill him again!" Kenji was still shouting. "And then I'm going to send her away to a boarding school…no…no..." Shingo could hear his angry footsteps. "I'm going to keep her in the house for the rest of her life. We're home schooling Usagi from now on Ikuko!"
Shingo's head had turned violently towards the window when he heard the roar of the motorcycle. His heart started beating fast when his father's voice suddenly dropped into silence.
Shingo took a few hurried steps towards the window out looking the street. He couldn't see everything through the short wall and the tree in their front yard, but he was able to make out Chiba's tall form with his black helmet.
Shingo gulped down the lump in his throat.
Two hours later:
He opened his eyes and immediately closed them again. A continuous beeping sound was in his ears and he couldn't hear anything beyond that.
He opened his eyes one more.
Usagi's tear-stained face was looking down at him. Her lips were moving but he couldn't hear what she was saying. He could feel her tiny hands on his cheeks, against his forehead and he wanted to reach out to hold her hands, but the pain in his body prevented him to do so.
He closed his eyes again.
Someone was shaking him. He opened his eyes.
Usagi's face was turned away from him; her head was tilted upwards. Right beside her another face came into his view and Mamoru's eyes narrowed a bit.
He had never known that apron boy had green eyes. But now that he was looking at him with such intent, such worry, he was able to make out the colour of his eyes.
Apron boy's mouth was moving too but he still couldn't hear what was being said. The fucking beeping just wouldn't stop.
Usagi turned her face towards apron boy and he said something to her. Something that made her tears fall faster. She sobbed harder and clutched Mamoru's hand to her heart.
What was that excruciating pain in his body?
Apron boy was still speaking to Usagi but her blue eyes were set on him.
Mamoru was trying to call her name, he wanted to tell her that he was okay and call her "Odango" for good measure.
The excruciating pain in his body suddenly doubled and the beeping sound tripled.
Apron boy's hand settled on Usagi's shoulder and Mamoru couldn't help his eyelids falling together anymore.
He didn't hear Usagi's horrified cries that called out his name.
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.