Hi everyone,
Happy Monday!
I'm so sorry for the super late update. I was having some major writer's block for this chapter and I seriously struggled with it. But as always, my amazing beta, BrownB, came to my rescue and with only a few back and forth emails, we were able to get it done.
Anyways, I hope everyone's having a great spring (it's still mid-November here in Vancouver! It just won't stop raining!)
Last week was Persian New Year (Nowruz) so to anyone out there that celebrates it, Happy New Year. The clock turned on 9:15 am last Monday morning, and we had to wake up at 6, to shower and dress and go to my parent's for the celebrations (my mom does it big and you have to, have to, be fully dressed and put-together!)
So this chapter basically picks up where we left off on chapter 20. It's not really my style to continue from the last chapter, but after talking it over with BrownB, I figured that I'm not famous enough to be having a style:D:D so I decided to obtain a different style:D
As always, all of your reviews are much appreciated. I usually don't like to pressure my readers to leave me a review, but honestly, every single one that I receive makes me want to write more. One of the reasons that I was having difficulties writing this chapter was because I didn't receive too many reviews for chapter 20, so I figured, maybe people are over INTL. BUT, then I remembered my own motto, "even if I have one reader, I shall continue writing for them until the finish line."
To all of you who did leave me a review, THANK YOU.
NikkiBC: I'm so glad you came to your senses and have been waiting for this chapter fatefully:D:D Let me know what you think of the new chapter. How's life these days?
Miss Mango: I'm sorry that I left you hanging for quite a while again! But voila! Here's the new chapter and I really hope you like it. Read on, you might be surprised about Mamoru (hint, he really isn't involved in anything undercover.) Let me know what you think. Have a great week.
Guest: Thank you so much for your kind and encouraging words When I read your review, I actually puffed up a little bit :D Yes, I will be doing more stories. I actually have a synopsis in mind. But I will try to finish INTL first and then start a new journey.
Guardians314: LOL, so I saved your big bro! see? I'm really nice:D I hope you enjoy this chapter. Cheers.
Serenitysweety: Yes, the Daiki plot twist threw me off too! Honestly, I didn't know I was going to do that to him and the group! Read this chapter and maybe some of your confusion will be answered. But if it didn't, please send me private message. I always love to hear from my readers so I can better my writing. Cheers.
Krys7: I'm sorry it took me a few months to update. I hope you're still there and wanting to read this chapter. If you did, please let me know what you think. Cheers.
Rei0ki: Here's the update It wasn't "soon", but it happened finally sorry to keep you waiting.
Karinori: Did you finish all the chapters? The last review you left me was on chapter 14. I would love to know your general feeling about the story. Cheers.
Silver Milinium Uhura: I will finish this story. I will. I will (I keep reminding myself of that every day )
As usual, a big thank you to the great BrownB, for her continuous support.
Enjoy.
"Told you so…"
Three sets of eyes strayed from the scene in front of them and settled on their blonde companion.
"What?" Rei asked in a hushed and urgent voice.
"That she's in love with him," Minako whispered back, her eyes still glued to her friend who was almost on top of the black-haired boy on the bed, showering his face with kisses, while weeping like a 4-year-old child.
"You never said that…" Makoto hissed, "Ami did."
Minako rolled her eyes, but didn't stop looking at Usagi; she clearly wasn't going to let that poor nurse do her job.
"It doesn't matter who said it…I knew it from the start," she replied with a dreamy smile.
"I think they're going to throw us out," Rei said as another nurse, accompanied by a hospital guard, neared them.
"Let them…" Minako's eyes were still clouded with a soft emotion, "our work here is done."
Minako was walking as slowly as she could. The air was crisp with that unique tenderness that only a rainy night can bring and Minako found herself taking deep breaths more than once.
There weren't many people around, apparently not too many early risers on a Sunday morning in this neighbourhood, she thought, as she walked leisurely with her hands clasped behind her.
She had always taken the same route to the shrine; in fact, if someone was willing to bet on it she could probably make her way through the familiar path with blindfolds on. Sadly, her friends weren't that excited about her God given abilities! They'd always appreciated her quick intake on people's love affairs, of course, but that was about it; Makoto always called her the "love goddess".
She neared the little house that she always admired only a block away from the shrine. She'd always pass it with a glance or two, awe glowing in her eyes. But today, her slow walking came to a sudden stop in front of the old, rusty building. It stood lonesome and out casted amongst the new buildings and Minako realized, with a jolt, that she had never noticed the beautiful green colour of the wooden door.
Her eyes took in every bit of detail and her strong imagination took her to the house's glorious years. Days that could've been filled with a young couple's laughter; maybe, a small child's happy giggles? Evenings calmed with a mother's gentle lullaby and a baby's cooing and perhaps, Minako hoped with a mischievous smile, when nothing could be seen in complete darkness, when air is stilled with heavy night, the happy sounds of a normal household would be replaced by affectionate whisperings, pleasured gasps and intimate groaning; fortunately for Minako, she had long passed her blushing phase!
Her eyes strayed from the little house and settled on the approaching figure of her friend. Her mind didn't catch up for a few seconds, as it was still occupied with the thoughts of the house, so she didn't immediately respond to Ami's greeting.
"Uh…sorry Ami-chan." She smiled sheepishly. "How are you?"
The other girl offered a tiny smile. "I'm okay. A little tired, but nothing that I can't manage," she said as they started walking shoulder to shoulder.
Minako did a once over on the blunette, "You look as composed as ever Ami-chan. But remember," she pushed her face towards the other girl and wiggled her brows, "nothing damages your skin more than boredom and tiredness. You have to rest well so your skin can have that certain glow…see…" she moved her head side to side, "like mine."
"Um, Minako-chan, I don't think boredom has anything to do with that…"
"But it does, don't you see? Whenever you're like doing math and algebra or reading history books and get bored out of your mind, a tiny cell dies in your skin…" the blonde proclaimed with a nervous look as she did another once over on Ami, as if she could clearly see those tiny cells dying right then and there!
"But Minako-Chan, I never get bored when-"
"Oh, nonsense my dear Ami-chan, everyone gets bored when studying. You included," Minako said and immediately bounced on her heels and took the other girl's hand. "Now come on. We're gonna be late."
Ami simply rolled her eyes heavenward and let the bubbly blonde drag her towards the Hikawa Shrine, where they were supposed to meet Rei.
"Have you seen her?" Rei asked as soon as she saw them coming up the endless stairs of the shrine.
"I had a volleyball tournament all weekend, I haven't seen anyone," Minako said and she too turned her eyes towards the nodding Ami.
"Yes, I saw her this morning for 10 minutes. I wanted to give her my science notes; she left immediately after; said something about meeting with Toyama Hisa…"
"What? Why would she want to meet her?" Rei asked as her hands clutched the broomstick closer to her body.
"I'm not sure. I tried to ask her, but she literally ran out of the park. I wasn't able to catch her," Ami explained as she sat on the top stair of the miko's bedroom.
"I'm sure it has something to do with Chiba," Minako said with a suspicious look and Rei couldn't help but roll her eyes. "Of course it's about Chiba. What else would they talk about? Toyama's fabulous personality?"
"Or maybe the fact that she's very much like Rei-chan in some ways…" Minako said matter-of-factly and completely ignored Rei's deadly glare.
"Do you think she'd be able to visit him any time soon?" Ami asked slowly, without directing her question at anyone specific. Her light blue eyes were fixed on her hands and Rei noticed, for the very first time, how Ami always seemed to have the same expression when something was weighting on her mind.
"I hope so…" Minako mumbled.
"I'm sure she will. It's Usagi-chan we're talking about after all," Rei said with confidence, taking a long side stare at her friends. "That Odango always gets her way. Whether with tears or those deafening screeches… She'll see him soon enough."
Minako stared at the raven-haired miko; her eyes straying from the hem of the miko's white, clean haori, and settling on her face, meeting her familiar stare; and even though the two friends always had their differences, little banters and arguments, Minako wished from the deepest parts of her heart that Rei's prophecy was true.
"Um…I have an idea…"
Minako tore her eyes away from Rei and looked at Ami; the calculated expression on the genius's face was also familiar.
There was a time in Toyama Hisa's life that everything was simple.
She was an orphan; sure her father was still very much alive, but his seemingly permanent lack of interest in his daughter's life had made Hisa decide to bury him right beside her mother at the Aoyama cemetery long ago.
Burying her dead mother was one thing, but emotionally burying a parent that was all flesh and blood, healthy and handsome was a different story.
And it had changed her in so many ways.
She was no longer the trusting little girl she once was; the girl that was loved and patted by her mother on every turn in life. "You are perfect" was whispered to her by her mother more times than Hisa could remember;
She hadn't had felt worthy in years. And she really hadn't noticed how isolated and emotionally dead she had become.
Until she'd met Daiki.
Meeting him had changed her once more; this time in a subtler, almost unnoticeable way. She couldn't even fathom how it had happened.
She had slowly come out of the abyss of despair and animosity towards the world and even though she hadn't realized for a long time, his friendship had taught her who she was and what it meant to feel important to someone.
She had known of her feelings for the "stupid" blond longer than she had let on; but she was Toyama Hisa for crying out loud and being indifferent, cruel and unloving was her thing.
She hadn't wanted to fall in love with him, she wasn't even sure if what she was feeling was love. She was only aware of the slight clench of her insides every time he'd laugh, the barely-noticeable shudder she'd feel every time he'd direct a smirk at her…those stupid smirks!
His betrayal…
"Hisa-san? Are you listening to me?"
Hisa's eyes that had long strayed away from Usagi's face turned back towards the smaller girl's questioning stare. "No," she answered honestly and sighed with a mixture of annoyance and exhaustion, "I'm not sure what it is that you think I can do." She said and crossed her arms over her chest.
The wound on her arm had healed nicely. But the permanent white scar was forever there for her to remember that God awful night.
And him.
Those stupid, stupid smirks…
Usagi's lips immediately fell into a small pout. "I thought maybe you'd be able to help me go and visit him?" she asked hesitantly, her absolute need to see Mamoru getting the best of her; what could Hisa do after all? She was just as normal as she was, she didn't have any special arsenals at her disposal. She wasn't some magical girl that could be anywhere, anytime, with a snap of her fingers!
"In case you haven't noticed, I'm not super popular around here right now," Hisa hissed and looked away from the blonde's pleading eyes, "I barely made it out myself. Do you really think they'd let me go and see him?"
Usagi had known that any positive outcome of her meeting with the tall brunette was minuscule but she had remained hopeful as she had jogged her way towards their meeting point that morning.
It was the same hope that she had held since the day Mamoru had reassured her everything was going to be alright, only a few hours before he had walked into a police station voluntarily.
She had nodded her head at his explanations with hope in her heart. He'd asked her to trust him; and if a trust was the only thing she could do for him at that very moment, then trust could very well be her middle name!
He had held her so tightly, so desperately that only the memory of it would bring tears to her eyes.
That was almost 2 months ago. It was exactly 58 days and 18 hours ago.
She had remained hopeful during the long lecture her father had given her on the nature of Mamoru's faults with her mother's worried eyes looking intently at her.
She had remained hopeful when she hadn't found a way to see him, even as she had wept for the police officer, simply to be told that she was not an immediate family and thus, she wouldn't be able to visit him before his court date.
Even when Daiki had suddenly appeared in front of her school, with a serious look in his eyes, so much unlike the cheerful and annoying blond she had come to know, and given her the details of Mamoru's verdict she had still held onto that hope.
The same hope that was crumbled when she found out that Mamoru was sent away to a juvenile correctional facility.
That's when the tears had finally come.
Daiki had enveloped her in a tight hug, murmuring reassuring words in her ears, telling her that he'd do whatever in his power to get him out of there.
And for a moment, Usagi had wished that she was still in the dark about Daiki and who he really was; maybe only then she could find some solace in his words.
She had pushed him away and it hurt so much that he didn't even look shocked at her antic.
He knew what he had done.
"If you think that I'd plan something stupid with you, then think twice," Hisa's voice snapped Usagi out of her reverie.
The tall brunette was gazing out the window of the coffee shop, the trace of annoyance apparent on her face.
"I really need to see him Hisa-san, please, please help me," Usagi pleaded as she reached out and tried to grab the other girl's hand. She paused when Hisa gave her a stern stare.
"I'm not sure which part of 'I can't' is difficult to understand. I cannot," Hisa said with a frustrated sigh.
"I thought maybe…I mean…maybe…Daiki…" Usagi mumbled in a slow voice, knowing too well that she was probably signing her death wish.
If Hisa was in fact a magical girl with the power of destroying someone with her eyes, Usagi would've been dead in a heartbeat: "DON'T SAY THAT NAME TO ME!" she almost yelled, noticing that the guy sitting on a table to their left jumped out of his seat a little.
"I don't want to hear that name." She stood up and grabbed her wallet that was lying beside her coffee cup. Tossing a few bills on the table she walked out of the coffee house, a pleading blonde stumbling behind her.
"Hisa-san please, I know you don't like him…"
"I don't like him?" she cried without pausing her mad dash down the street.
"I know you must be angry with him, but he's the only person that can help-"
Hisa suddenly stopped, causing Usagi to do a sudden stop herself; and well, graciousness was never Usagi's best forte.
"You dumb blonde," Hisa howled as she whirled around and looked down at the fallen girl at her feet. "You don't get it do you?" the fact that her voice was shaking made her angrier; this stupid, stupid girl. "He lied to us, he's not who we thought he is. He's a fucking fake!"
Usagi cringed at the foul language, trying to remember that the person standing in front of her was a slim of a girl, only 2 years her senior and she was not dangerous. "He fucking lied to our faces. He's the one that got Mamoru where he is. What makes you think he'd help us now?" Her eyes followed as Usagi lifted herself from the ground and straightened her pale blue skirt.
"I'm angry with him too, believe me, but I think he'll help us…he will help you." She shrank away as soon as the words left her mouth; because, even though she had noticed how the other girl's voice waivered as she shrieked, how her skinny hands balled with hurt and how her eyes flashed with something above irritation, she couldn't help but also notice how much taller Hisa was;
She was intimidating!
"I DON'T WANT HIM TO HELP ME. I WANT HIM TO DROP DEAD!" the brunette screamed, uncaring of their audience. "BETTER YET, I WANT TO KILL HIM WITH MY OWN TWO HANDS!"
Usagi threw a worried glance at their surroundings; Juuban was not a big neighbourhood and news traveled fast; Usagi wouldn't be surprised if every single person around them knew exactly who Hisa was by now. "Hisa-san…"
"THAT TWO-FACED, TWO-HEARTED BASTARD LIED TO US. HE WAS PLOTTING AGAINST US ALL ALONG. HE ONLY BEFRIENDED US TO USE US!"
"Hisa-san, please…"
"WE THOUGHT HE'S WAS OUR FRIEND…I THOUGHT HE WAS MY FRIEND!" she kept howling and then suddenly stopped.
Usagi was no longer fretting the onlookers as she recognized the anguished look on the other girl's face. Hisa was clearly hurting and Usagi cursed herself for not noticing it sooner.
She was so deep in self-pity, so involved with her own problems that she hadn't realized how hard it must have been for the third person in the group.
Daiki was supposedly their friend, their partner in crime, all the while working as an undercover agent.
Usagi had heard the truth from Goro, who had paid her a visit only a day after Mamoru had gone to the police.
She had reluctantly decided to go to school that morning, albeit the screaming in her head that was telling her not to; but Minako had called the night before, convincing her that staying home and isolating herself from the world wouldn't help one bit. "You're strong Usa-chan," her friend had told her. "You'll get through this…we'll get through this together."
So the morning had found Usagi in a depressed mood; waking up much earlier than usual, getting ready in silence and descending the stairs with her head bowed.
She hadn't noticed Ikuko's worried stare at all!
Goro was waiting for her near the school. She didn't know who he was, so her initial reaction was rather harsh. "I'm a friend, honest," the muscular guy dressed in a pair of loose jeans and hoody had told her. "Don't worry about Mamoru-kun, he's a fighter," he'd said. For all the muscles the guy had which gave him a look obvious to daunt, he had the gentlest eyes and Usagi couldn't help but trust him straight up, "I'm always around. Just give me a shout, ne?" He'd given her a tiny smile before turning to leave, "Oh and, stay clear of Maeda Daiki," he had suddenly declared as he faced the blonde once more. "What? Why?" Usagi had asked with surprise. Wasn't Daiki, like, Mamoru's best friend? "You don't know?" The puff in front of her had asked with shock. "The bastard ratted us out." Usagi's stare was probably too lost and too confused, because the guy sighed and his jaw clenched. "He was working with the police all along."
Usagi was sure he had said some other things to her, but the pounding in her ear forbade her to hear him.
She was jolted out of her reverie once more when Hisa made a mad whirl to walk away from her.
"Hisa-san…" she called and immediately grabbed the other girl's hand, unfazed by the sudden tensing of the said hand, "I'll go with you if you want to kick his ass."
The brunette's head turned sharply to look at the petite blonde that was basically hanging off her arm, her ridiculously large eyes looking at her with determination.
"I know he has hurt you and he didn't have the right. He had no right to hurt you or Mamoru, or Goro-san…so if you want to avenge that, I'm in!"
Hisa's eyebrows were touching her hairline and she couldn't help the tiny pull of her lips. "Do you even know what 'avenge' means Odango?"
Usagi's eyes widened for a second, before her nose was wrinkled, brows knitted with displeasure. "Don't call me that…" she challenged.
"I'll call you whatever I want."
"Don't be so mean!"
"Don't be such a baby!"
"Don't call me baby, I'm not-"
"Listen," the brunette pulled her hand rather harshly out of Usagi's grasp and stood up straighter, "I sure won't need your help if I decided to kick the bastard's ass." She immediately clasped her hand against Usagi's mouth. "No! No more talking from you. You know, I always thought you were this tiny, quiet girl. What Mamoru's sees in you is beyond me….no…shhhh!" She pulled Usagi towards herself and tightened her hold on her mouth. "I told you that I cannot do shit for you. If you want to see Mamoru, find another fucking way and stop stalking me…OOOOOOOW!" She immediately pulled her hand away. "Did you just bite me?" She looked at her hand and then at Usagi, disbelief, and anger apparent in her eyes.
"Now you listen!" Usagi's hiss made Hisa's next insult to die on her lips and the taller girl was a little shocked by the sudden change in the blonde's tone. "You will help me find a way to see Mamoru. Because whether you like it or not, I'm his girlfriend and you are his friend, we're the two people who supposed to love him and care for him, and…and…for fuck's sake can't we just get along?"
Usagi completely dismissed the brunette's raised brows and thin lips as she put her hands on her waist and stood defiantly. "Secondly, you'll need someone now… NO.!" She lunged at the other girl and put her fingers against her half-opened mouth. "You had your turn, now it's mine!" She never broke her stare away from Hisa's brown orbs. "Now…we are going to find Daiki and give him what he deserves…you and I together…GOT IT?" She stared at the brunette's eyes for a moment longer before she retrieved her hand and relaxed her stance on the heel of her shoes.
"AND!" she suddenly shrieked again, making Hisa jump out of her skin, "my name is Usagi…U-S-A-G-I."
Hisa stood perplexed as Mamoru's "girlfriend" flipped a long pigtail behind her back and adjusted her skirt, before whirling around.
It was only then that she let go of the surprised gasp she'd been holding since the blonde's sudden mood change.
God… Mamoru had always managed to find a way to get under her skin; and apparently, he no longer needed to have a "physical' presence to do the deed!
He'd managed to irritate her through his "girlfriend"!
"Fuck…" she hissed under her breath, before trailing slowly behind the blonde who was now walking ahead with bouncy pigtails and firm steps.
"Will you be signing off on this, or will Wada-san?"
Daiki didn't even bother to look up from the computer screen. He simply gestured with his hand and grabbed the file from the young officer.
He reached for his coffee cup, when he was alone once more, taking a sip and wincing at the cold, disgusting taste.
He settled back on his seat and massaged the bridge of his nose.
He was so fucking tired!
He couldn't remember the last time he had a good night sleep. He was always a light sleeper; waking up with the slightest noise.
But this level of insomnia was new.
And he knew exactly what the cause was.
His last encounter with Mamoru was fresh in his mind and it was haunting him day after day.
"I should've known," Mamoru hadn't even flinched at his confession. He'd only stared up at Daiki with a blank face.
"Listen, Mamor-" he had paused, waiting for Mamoru to cut him off and prevent him from explanation.
He had "hoped" to be prevented from explanation.
But Mamoru had only kept staring at him. His eyes hadn't show the slightest of emotion.
The silence between them was the loudest noise Daiki had ever heard in his life.
"You can leave now." When he lifted his head to look at his black-haired friend, his blue eyes were still glued on him and Daiki had felt little drops of sweat coating his back.
There was no hatred, no animosity in Mamoru's eyes.
The indifference was deeply rooted in his eyes and Daiki couldn't help but wonder if Mamoru had anticipated his betrayal.
Now that he was sitting there, reflecting on all the decisions he'd made, all the people he had deceived, he could only think of one thing.
Was there any hope left?
Sure, with the help of the high school group he had befriended, their team of investigators were able to track down some of Tanaka brother's cronies.
It wasn't a big victory though. Tanaka's were much higher class than that, and Daiki knew that taking down a bunch like that called for years and years of planning and work; and even then, with the relationships they had in town, chances of ever ridding the city of the likes of them, was low.
"Go home."
Daiki lifted his head from the back of his chair and regarded the older man with raised eyebrows.
"I still have to go through some paper work."
"That paper work will still be here when you come back on Monday," Wada-san said, "go home boy. Get some sleep, have some decent food, and for the love of God, take a shower!"
He then wrinkled his face in amused disgust.
Daiki only rolled his eyes. He was aware of his lack of less than perfect personal hygiene; Wada-san really didn't need to rub it in his face.
The sleepless night and overslept mornings really didn't leave enough room for the luxury of a shower!
"I'll be back in 10 and when I do…" the older man walked out the door, "you better not be here boy."
The early afternoon found Daiki reluctantly pushing himself towards his "apartment".
The same place that the unit had rented for him once he had gone undercover and for some reason, he couldn't stop calling the small condo "home" and even when his superiors had ended the lease term, he had sought after the landlord and had rented the place on his personal income.
He wasn't ready to leave.
He looked up at the gloomy exterior of the building and sighed. It really wasn't the best building in the world!
But it meant the world to him. He had built a life here; friends that he was probably never going to see again. He ran an irritated hand through his disheveled hair and sighed.
"HEY!"
The sudden girlish screech deafened him for a second before his mind confirmed what his eyes had registered.
Tsukino Usagi was probably the loudest, tiniest person he had ever met.
"WE NEED TO TALK TO YOU!" she screamed once more, coming up to Daiki's face and shoving a slim finger at his chest.
"Blondie-"
"WE'RE GOING TO TALK, AND YOU'RE GOING TO LISTEN!" Usagi hissed once more and for the life of him, Daiki couldn't understand why she insisted on screaming like that.
Daiki felt like his head was spinning. All those sleepless nights and poor nutrition was taking its toll on him.
"AND!" He jumped. "YOU DON'T HAVE THE RIGHT TO CALL ME BLONDIE ANYMORE!" she was obviously standing on her tiptoes, because she was suddenly an inch or two taller.
"Oh for the love of…" suddenly Daiki felt another presence beside the small girl and the spinning of his head got worst.
"Your voice is on my last nerve!" Hisa hissed before snatching Usagi away from Daiki.
Seeing Usagi and getting yelled at by her was one thing, but meeting Hisa out of now where, after months of not even taking a glimpse at her was another!
He felt a bile coming up his throat. There was a sudden pounding in his head and he felt a severe headache threating to come.
"I had to listen to you all the way here, and now you need to be quiet," Hisa was glaring down at Usagi and the smaller girl was meeting her with a compatible stare.
"Hisa…" he couldn't fathom what happened next.
But one minute he was staring at the girls, and the next, he was clutching his nose and staring up at the sky.
There was a thin line between pain and sensation, and he so desperately tried to will his mind and body to stay within the comfort of the latter. So, instead of thinking about the excruciating pain in his midsection, he tried to focus on the soft press of her body to his.
His mind was clouded with thoughts of the dream he had of his parents, the murmur of Usagi's loving words and the approaching lights of that damn car…
"You okay?" he pulled himself a breath away from her lips and tried to run a tired hand over her face.
"I'm fine…I'm fine, don't worry," she murmured and showered his face with more kisses, "Oh my God…Mamo-chan, I was so scared, I thought I'd lost you…"
He felt his mouth twitch upwards with the nickname, "Well you sure have a funny way to show your relief." His throat was dry and speaking was difficult, but he was never one to miss his chance at teasing his Odango Atama!
He'd barely opened his eyes when a distant voice had called out his name. There was a soft pillow of comfort surrounding him when he was coming back to the world of the living, and it had been unceremoniously crushed with Usagi's frightened gasp and her violent withdrawal; it had resulted in her sprawled against the white floor, with Mamoru's hospital blanket on top of her.
A flash of green and sandy disheveled blond suddenly invaded his jumbled thoughts, "Is…apron boy…"
"He's fine, he's fine," Usagi's lips were pressed against his temple, "thanks to you. We both are." Her soft, salty lips were on his once again, and this time, he ordered his mind and body to stay in the sensation of her closeness.
"Chiba?"
He averted his eyes away from the grey ceiling, not bothering to pull himself off the lumpy bed.
"You have a visitor."
"You promised. You said that he'd only go in and out," She put her hands on her hips and looked down at Daiki. "It's been months and he's still in there."
Daiki sighed for the millionth time, wincing at the pain in his face. "I know. But I don't have control over everything." He reached out and grabbed his forgotten ice pack from the coffee table.
"Well, you should've just said that, instead of making stupid, false promises," Usagi was on the edge of crying; she knew it, probably the other two knew it as well, and she fought hard to stay strong. There was no time for tears. She was a grown up, she was no longer a crybaby and there was a certain black-haired, handsome boyfriend she needed to see.
"I said I would keep him safe and that's exactly what I did," Daiki suddenly snapped, wincing once more.
He had tried to stay calm even after Hisa's not-so-surprising attack. He had even tried to ease Usagi's anxiety when she had pulled him to his feet and walked him to his apartment.
He was sure Hisa had only agreed to come with Usagi to punch him square in the face, and he was genuinely surprised when she had followed them silently, but with a certain huffing irritation, into the building.
She hadn't said one word since they'd invaded his privacy. She had stood beside the window, gazing outside.
And Daiki knew that a part of his uneasiness was because of her disconnection; the bigger part, if he was completely honest.
A part of him had been relieved when her fist had connected with his nose, thinking that by inflicting physical pain on him, she might calm down and give him a chance to explain himself.
His relief was short lived!
"You sent him off to a prison!"
"It's not a prison."
"Oh yeah? What do you call a place with walls, guards and no way of communication?"
"Well-"
"SEE?" He jumped a little and looked over at Hisa who was apparently immune to the blonde's sudden outbursts.
He sighed again. "Listen, Usagi-chan-" he stood up and walked to the small kitchen to get a new ice pack. Damn it, when he had taught Hisa just the right angle to make someone bleed in the nose, he hadn't thought about being on the receiving end one day!"Mamoru's fine. I have an old friend that works at the facility. He's keeping an eye on Mamoru at all times."
"That's not enough. He didn't do anything, he shouldn't be there at all," Usagi followed him into the kitchen and continued standing with her hands on her hips. "I want to see him."
"No." his reply came without hesitation and Usagi blinked at him.
"What do you mean 'no'? I want to see him and you-" she went up to him and thrust her forefinger in his chest, "are going to help me."
"No." He was certain that by refusing her request, he could be facing more damages, both physically and mentally; but he was not going to let her visit Mamoru at juvie. He might be a traitor, but he wasn't ignorant. The last thing Mamoru wanted was for his girlfriend to see him in the confines of stingy walls.
"I can deliver your message to him. But I won't help you see him," he said sternly; he even managed to look her straight in the eye. 'The discussion is over' his body language said, and it made Usagi irritated.
"You don't have a say in this," she hissed. "You are going to help me, or help me God-"
"Let it go Odango," Hisa's voice was dull and so unlike the voice, Daiki had come to know.
Two blonde heads turned in time to see Hisa making her way to the front door. "It's better if you don't see him in there."
"What are you saying?" Usagi's shoulders slacked a little as if all fight had drained out of her system with just that one simple statement. "You were on board a minute ago."
Hisa snickered, "I wasn't on board voluntarily. I was trying to save my eardrums and my mental health from your annoying screeches."
"But you said-"
"Listen," Hisa interrupted her with a shake of her head and a deep exhale, "if it was a good idea for you to see him, then he would've helped you." She did a quick gesture towards Daiki with her head.
The three of them stood there in silence, each one buried in their own thoughts and worries.
Daiki's eyes were glued on Hisa, trying to comprehend what was going through her head. For a moment, he wished that the two of them were alone. He needed to talk to her and he needed her to listen.
"He is a conniving bastard," Usagi's head whipped up to look at the tall brunette, her previous thoughts of Mamoru now replaced by the shaky voice of the girl in front of her, "and I hate him…" Usagi glanced at Daiki, who was watching Hisa with an unreadable expression, "but…"
she turned her back on them and made her way to the door, "if he knew it's a good idea, he would've helped you." She crouched down to grab her shoes.
Usagi did a double take on Daiki, who was still looking at Hisa. "She's talking about you, you know," she whispered to him.
He didn't even blink.
Hisa had slipped on her shoes and was almost out of the door when Usagi felt Daiki's sudden movement.
One moment he was standing right beside Usagi, and the next, he had imprisoned Hisa between his body and the closed door.
"WHAT THE…!" the brunette yelled and out of reflex, her hand came up; Daiki covered her mouth with a tight grip and stared right into her eyes.
"You can yell all you want," his voice was gruff and if she would've met his eyes, she would've recognized the desperation nestled in his green orbs, "you can beat me all you want," the hand that was flattened on the door behind her clutched her forearm, "but let me talk, let me explain. Damn it Hisa, you must let me tell you," his grip tightened, "you have to let me explain. I don't have anyone else but you…"
She finally met his eyes and for whatever reason (Usagi wasn't a psychic, she didn't know what was on in people's minds!) she lost her cool.
Usagi slowly walked away, trying to busy herself in the kitchen (it was well past lunch time and Tsukino Usagi did not skip a meal!).
She opened the fridge and tried to give the couple in the hallway some privacy.
She felt tears rushing up to her own eyes as she listened to Hisa's heartbroken sobs.
Mamoru regarded the tiny girl in front of him with raised eyebrows. Her blue eyes were shimmering with the feeling that Mamoru could only describe as fear. And he thought for the millionth time that who, in their right state of mind, would have allowed a young girl to enter a correctional facility? Apparently, the people running the place weren't that intelligent!
Her disguise was really, really bad!
"Why are you here again?"
Ami fixed her thick-rimmed glasses on the bridge of her nose and regarded him with a cool expression. "I told you, we want to help you."
"And by helping me, you mean-" he leaned forward in his seat, "what? Who are you trying to be, exactly?"
Ami turned a page in the organized folder in front of her. "Well, your lawyer, obviously!" She looked up and rolled her eyes at the expression on Mamoru's face. "Can't you just play along?" She looked around nervously. "We're only doing this to help you, you know! The least you can do is to cooperate!"
"I can't cooperate with a bunch of high schoolers playing dress up! Do you think this is some kind of a game?" he hissed back angrily. "Does Usagi know you're here?"
"Usagi-chan doesn't know a thing. Let's keep it that way!" her reply came quickly. "Until we can actually do something, we'd like to keep her in the dark. She can be very emotional and she's not in the best place right now." She looked at him with a frown. "But I think you know all about that." It wasn't a question, and Mamoru had come to recognize the strong bond Usagi had with her friends long ago, so Ami's observation of the blonde's jumbled emotions didn't come as a surprise to him.
"How is she?" His question came in a huff of breath, and his eyes settled on the folder in front of Ami in time with his whispering.
"Not so good," she said and for some reason, she decided to show the young man in front of her some mercy. "But she's stronger than she looks. She's been trying to find a way to see you. She even went to see Toyama-san the other day-"
Mamoru's eyes jumped up to her face with surprise, "why?"
"I think she believed Toyama-san and Maeda-san could help her."
"Daiki? She saw Daiki?" he hurriedly cut her off.
Ami's gentle soul was a little hurt by the way her explanation was cut short rather rudely, but this was not the time, nor the place to be disciplining a young adult, she had to remind herself. "She did. And he told her that he wouldn't help her come here and visit you." She misunderstood the emotion surfacing on Mamoru's face for disappointment. "But you know what, I know what he's done and who he is." She rolled her eyes at him. "Yes, we tell each other everything," she took off her glasses and massaged the bridge of her nose, "but I don't think that he had any mal intentions when he told Usagi-chan off."
"You think I'm mad that he didn't help Usagi come and visit me?" A dark chuckle rumbled through the room. "I'm relieved he didn't!" He met Ami's questioning stare with a stern look. "Look at where we are," he gestured around with his head, "it isn't exactly the Buckingham Palace! I would never want Usagi to see me here."
They sat there in silence for a moment. Ami looked at her wristwatch, noticing that they had very little time left.
"Ok, so let's make sure that she wouldn't need to come and visit you here," she said quickly, rustling through the papers she had in front of her.
When she started pulling out pictures and names and putting them neatly in front of him, Mamoru regarded her with a certain fascination. "I thought the folder was just for show."
"Well you clearly do not know me Chiba-san," she folded her arms on the table, "I never carry anything just for show!"
Mamoru smirked at the seriousness he saw in the small girl's face and he remembered that one time at the arcade, where he'd nonchalantly corrected this girl's misspell as he walked past their table. He remembered the horror he'd seen on her face. She probably hated to be wrong, he'd thought back then; she was probably one of those people who took refugee behind endless books to hide her anxiety of new experiences!
"First thing's first," her voice lured him out of his reverie and he met her stern stare.
"Who are the Tanaka brothers and what did you ever do to them?"
His eyebrows went up. He wouldn't confess at all, but obviously, he'd been wrong about this girl.
Very, very wrong!
"So?" Minako asked as soon as Ami walked slowly and gracefully out of the building. The grey deux piece she had "borrowed" from her mom hugged her frame in all the wrong places (Ms. Mizuno was probably 5 inches taller than her daughter, and, she was much more "impressive" in the chest area!) but all in all, with the dark, square glasses she had on and the way her short hair was pulled back from her forehead, and the perfect eye make-up Minako had forced on her, she could go as a paralegal!
"I think I know who ran Mamoru over with their car," Ami said as she came to a stop in front of her blonde friend, "and my research tells me they are highly notorious around town…and dangerous," she took off her glasses and sighed.
"What did Chiba say? Was he surprised to see you there? Did he ask about Usagi? Were there any cute guys in there?" She widened her eyes and met Ami's shocked and horrified expression. "What?" Ami rolled her eyes upward and sighed; harder than before. "Minako-chan, this is a juvenile facility? As in, people who've done a crime are here?" She sighed once more when Minako only pouted.
"So? Chiba is in there and he's not a criminal…"
"He is at fault though…" Ami pondered for a moment, "but no. I don't think he's a criminal."
Minako made a gesture as if to say: "see what I mean?" she then looped her arm around Ami's and started walking, "So, what's the plan detective?"
The same calculating look found its way on Ami's face, "I think we need to talk to Usagi-chan before we do anything." She immediately raised her hand and stopped Minako's protest. "If she finds out later, she would be furious… and hurt," she looked ahead, "besides, we will need Maeda-san's help as well, and it'll be much easier if Usagi deals with him."
Minako pondered for a moment and then finally nodded in agreement.
"Well, enough about Chiba, Usagi-chan and the whole Sherlock plotting," the blonde chimed in, "now, tell me about those hot criminal guys?"
"That's such a great turn on in bed," he grunted and chuckled at the same time, his hand fisting in endless strands of hair, "a crying girl!"
Usagi opened her eyes and glared at him with menace. "Shut up!" she blasted and when he chuckled again, more tears rushed to her eyes.
It was only two days since his release from the hospital, and Usagi hadn't left his side for a moment. He didn't know how she'd manage that with her family, but he wasn't going to question her; he wanted her there…he needed her there with him!
Mamoru lifted his head from the side of her neck and looked down at her. His heart dropped at the sight of her flushed face. Her eyes were watery and her tiny nose was turning into a small tomato. He had freed her hair from the odangos and strands of shimmering gold were sticking on her wet face.
"Can you stop crying? I'm like giving you some of my best moves!" he whispered as he leaned down and kissed the side of her mouth and then licked the saltiness away.
More tears streamed down Usagi's face. "These are your best moves?" She might have been devastated by the news her "alive" boyfriend had shared with her less than an hour ago, but she wasn't the one walking away from snarky remarks.
Mamoru looked at her with a glint in his eyes and smirked. "Are you unsatisfied with my moves?" He cupped her exposed breast and squeezed. "You weren't complaining two minutes ago…" He licked the hard nipple as slowly as he could.
Usagi's eyes rolled to the back of her head. "The doctor said that you shouldn't engage in any…" she moaned, "…sexual activities…" she arched her back when Mamoru's hand snaked down her front.
"The hell with what he said," he entered her with one finger and immediately added one more. "Our last 'sexual activity' was cut short." He moved in between her legs and retrieved his hand. "We might be a part for a while..." He bent down and kissed her lips softly and immediately added, "but only for a while…I promise." His entry was slow and gentle, even though from the moment he'd started to undress her, he'd imagined this wild, sweaty and all-consuming lovemaking; where teeth and tongues and hands were involved and hearts were burning with the intensity of the ecstasy.
But now that he was moving slowly inside her and her soft whimpers and moans were mingled with her quiet sobs, he knew that this was exactly what he needed… what they needed.
And when they were finally falling off that cliff, that glorious moment where ears were deaf to anything but the sound of heavy breathing and the eyes were blind but to that brilliant white light, he knew that he was ready to face anything.
He would walk into that police station, knowing that someone was waiting for him on the other side of those walls.
As long as she was by his side, he was ready to face anything.
Disclaimer: I do not own Sailor Moon or its fabolous characters in any way. I wish I did! But I don't! All the delightful rights of this wonderful manga/anime and its characters belong to Naoko Takeuchi.