Title: Shipwrecked
Author: Lisa
Chapter: 1
Rating: G
Author's Notes:
Here's the revised chapter 1 of "Shipwrecked!" I hope you all will like the new version better than the old. Don't forget to leave feedback! Thank you!
Disclaimers: Sailor Moon and the others don't belong to me, but this story does.
Usagi drew back, her eyes trained on his, and found that she suddenly had trouble breathing. They stood there under the cloudless night, unmoving, blue clashing against blue. In person, he looked even more handsome! The thought caused the girl to blush, and her pale cheeks flushed to a delicate shade of crimson. Horrified by the sudden rush of blood to her face that practically screamed her attraction to him, the blond broke eye contact and covered one cheek with a hand. 'Distract him, you idiot,' her mind screamed, "say something!' Usagi was surprised she didn't run away, because he positively terrified her.
"You…you're the captain's son...right?" she managed finally with a light smile, her hand sliding from her still pink face and falling limply to her side. She wanted to shake his hand but at the same time didn't want to make the first move. Usagi waited anxiously for his reply; to her surprise, however, he didn't answer. He continued to pin her with that scrutinizing gaze that she had quickly come to dread.
"Of course...who else would I be?" he replied coldly and crossed his arms over his chest. Usagi immediately picked up on his arrogant, almost condescending tone, and didn't know what to think of this behavior. A considerable swell of disappointment followed soon after. She would've thought that a man who appeared to be every bit the gentleman would have better manners than this.
"Well, how am I to be certain that you are, since I've never seen you before today," Usagi shot back, a glint of blue fire sparkling in her eyes. She sighed, not wanting to fight and possibly make an enemy of him. Since he was the captain's son, he had obvious influence on this ship and could easily make Usagi's trip less pleasant if he desired. As a conciliatory gesture, she offered him her name first and extended her hand. "My name's Tsukino Usagi, what's yours?" He simply looked at the hand, half the size of his own, but outwardly showed no intention of shaking it.
"Why?"
"Nani?" Usagi became more and more upset at his rudeness. "Because..." she trailed off, looking at the ground. "No particular reason," she replied finally, "just curious, I suppose." Did she really need to have a reason to ask for his name?
"My name's Chiba Mamoru, if it's any of your business," he stated firmly, and turned around, his back to her as he began to gaze at the full moon overhead.
By now, Usagi had enough with this "Mamoru" and felt senseless to have thought about him so much at the dinner. Why, she had practically wasted a perfectly good meal on this man! Usagi couldn't stand such blatant impoliteness. Although…she couldn't blame where he rested his eyes; the sky was truly a breathtaking sight tonight.
"Tell me Mamoru, do you treat everyone this way?" she questioned him. Even with his back turned, Usagi could see the smirk which lifted the corners of his mouth. "Or am I the only lucky girl?"
"Rabbit, ne?" He chuckled, and anger began to burn within her. Such an infuriating man! Usagi glared threateningly at him, and, if she weren't half his size, the blond would've appeared rather intimidating.
"Yes." Without waiting for a reply, Usagi now turned her back to him and walked away, her head held high. 'Two can play this game,' she fumed silently. She could hear Mamoru laughing behind her and willed her ears to block the offensive sound. 'Well, I guess this is going to be a long trip,' she thought with a sigh. Instead of trying to track Mamoru down and follow his every move as she'd originally planned, she'd now have to spend her time actively avoiding him. 'How ironic.'
On her way back to the room, Usagi found the captain walking down the same narrow hallway, and she seized the opportunity to speak with him.
"Captain," she greeted with a smile, "it's nice to see you again. That speech you gave was great, and this ship is absolutely beautiful." Up close, Usagi realized that the captain was older than she had originally thought, and with his captain's hat off, she could see his graying hair. The captain's face was slightly crinkled, but his eyes twinkled in the pale light.
"Well, I'm glad you liked it Miss, and thank you," he said, flashing the blond one of his smiles that, in his earlier years, brought women to their knees. "May I ask what your name is?"
"Tsukino Usagi, Sir."
"Usagi, is it? Wonderful name," he chuckled, and a thought suddenly occurred to him. "Say, have you met my son, Mamoru?" That question was just what Usagi wanted to hear. After all, she had been deeply insulted by Mamoru, and this was her chance to report his bad behavior to his father (Usagi felt not an ounce of guilty for telling on Mamoru). He seemed much nicer than Mamoru, and Usagi was certainly glad of that. It was relieving to see that at least some members of the Chiba family possessed decent manners.
"Yes I have, sir. And I must say…I wasn't pleased with the way he treated me."
The captain coughed discreetly and his eyes grew strangely distant. "Yes, well Mamoru has a tendency to do that, especially since..." He trailed off, seemingly lost in painful memories of the past. His eyes glossed over, seemingly focused on a fixed point on the wall. Usagi looked down and felt a rush of guilt and sympathy overtake her.
Had something happened in Mamoru's life that made him cold and bitter? All of a sudden, she wished she hadn't acted so childishly. "I see," she nodded with understanding, "you don't need to go any further." Usagi gestured that this was her room. "I'll go in now, if you don't mind." Her mouth opened to say "goodnight" to the captain when a voice from behind prevented her from doing so.
"Father?"
Usagi froze the instant she heard the deep, familiar voice and found that, for the thousandth time tonight, she had lost the ability to speak. She knew that it made her look like a complete idiot, but Usagi couldn't help it, and, at this point, she didn't care that much. The girl wondered if Mamoru had overheard their conversation. She shuttered to think the conflicts this would lead to. Had Usagi just made a complete enemy out of Mamoru?
"Goodnight Captain Chiba, and to you as well Mamoru," Usagi managed to say, and before anyone could stop her, she went inside the room. She leaned against the wooden door and pressed her entire weight onto it with a sigh. Usagi's eyes closed, and the only audible sounds were her breathing, the waves of the ocean rocking the ship, and the murmurs of Mamoru and his father discussing something Usagi doubted she would like to hear.
"I wonder if Mamoru hates me now," she whispered and shook her head. "Tomorrow's going to be a long day..."
The whirlwind of emotions (no thanks to Mamoru) had definitely taken a toll on Usagi's body. She soon felt a heavy weariness seek into her bones. Smothering a yawn, the blond pushed aside any nagging thoughts of Mamoru behind her and prepared for bed. After completing her nightly routine, Usagi lay on the bed and closed her eyes, savoring the soft bed and the light rocking of the ship across the calm waves. The cool ocean breeze entered through Usagi's slightly ajar window, causing the girl to shiver. She tucked the blankets tightly around her in an attempt to get warm. Finally, all else having failed, she closed the window and her room warmed instantly. Satisfied, she closed her eyes, and was asleep within seconds…
"Do you treat everyone you meet this way, or am I the lucky one?" He laughed, a sound that sent shivers down her back. The heartless laugh caused Usagi to wince, as if he'd physically slapped her. She stood and faced him, her body trembling with no small dash of fright…and something else she couldn't identify…a feeling that frightened her even more. She couldn't see him under the black cloak of night, but she knew he was close. The girl could feel his hot breath on her cheek. He grabbed her arm suddenly, harshly, and the touch sent a shock of electricity into her entire system. Her lips, now dry and quivering, formed one word: "Mamoru..."
"You're the lucky one," he spat after an eternity. Tears of hurt, emotional and physical, pooled in her crystalline orbs. His words cut into her like a knife to flesh, while his grip tightened on her arm even further, eliciting a whimper from Usagi. She had no idea why she felt this way…frightened yet…thrilled. It was inexplicable. He was inexplicable.
"Why?" Why did he insist on treating her this way? Why was she secretly excited by it? The questions swarmed her mind, throwing her into utter confusion. Instead of replying, he turned and walked away without a hint of hesitation.
"Mamoru, wait! Mamoru..."
She fell to her knees, and the tears that had previously filled her eyes overflowed, drowning her in an ocean of despair…
Usagi sat straight up, her breath coming in ragged gasps. Outside, the sun cast its warmth upon the calm waters, and birds were screeching loudly from above. Usagi pushed off the blankets wrapped around her body and opened the window. Immediately, the warm breeze blew at her face and she felt somewhat comforted by the peacefulness of the moment.
But it was not enough to stop her body from shaking as she recalled the bizarre, vivid dream which had invaded her otherwise peaceful slumber. 'Nightmare is more like it,' she thought bitterly. She couldn't remember the exact words that Mamoru and she had exchanged. The emotions, however...they lingered. The blond remembered the pain, the frustration, the overwhelming perplexity that she'd felt…the pleading in her voice as she begged him to stay…
The girl attempted to shake away the effects of the dream and diverted her attention to her daily ritual. She brushed her teeth, washed her face, and changed her clothes swiftly. Once brushed, the golden strands streamed down her back and rested gently at her ankles. Her eyes, however, belied her exhaustion, as dark circles surrounded them. Just as Usagi finished straightening the creases from her shirt, she heard a knock on her door. "Room service," a sarcastic voice chimed from outside.
'That's strange,' Usagi thought as she went to unlock and open the door, 'I didn't remember the brochure saying that this ship has room service.' The confusion caused her to fail to realize that the voice sounded familiar until she opened the door. Her jaw dropped open in shock as she saw the visitor, and Usagi soon found herself in a dilemma. Half of her wanted to burst out laughing, perhaps as payback for his taunting last night, while the other half wanted to close the door in his face. The latter would provide more satisfaction. Instead, she settled for closing her mouth and swinging the door open wider.
"Mamoru, I didn't know you..." She didn't finish saying what she wanted to say and took the tray of food from his hand.
"I didn't," was his cold reply. "Father wanted me to apologize. I don't know what for though," he smirked.
"You didn't have to," she replied venomously. Usagi was surprised as Mamoru chuckled.
"Quite a temper there, Miss Tsukino," he remarked, and his laughter grew obnoxiously louder. Usagi saw red from both anger and embarrassment. She didn't know which was stronger at that point.
"So?" Her retort seemed to make Mamoru even more amused. He shook his head and walked inside without being asked.
"Father thought it'd be nice for us to start over again...to try and be friends."
"Oh really? How thoughtful of him."
"Yeah, so..."
The awkwardness of the situation proved too much for Usagi to handle. She wordlessly grabbed a piece of toast from the tray and began nibbling on it, refusing to meet his eyes all the while. Mamoru used this opportunity to take a good look at her, something he hadn't done the first time they had met. He had been too busy insulting her for a reason unknown to him even now. The young man usually wasn't that harsh to others, especially those he met for the first time. But it seemed that this girl brought out a side of him no one else had before. The realization made him feel very uncomfortable.
'She is quite pretty, especially when her face turns red,' he mused. His mouth lifted into a barely perceptible smile. Usagi's hair was still down, which made Mamoru see her differently. A few strands had fallen over her face as she ate, and he had the strange urge to brush them away. He imagined the hair would be wonderfully soft to touch. 'Beautiful...'
"Mamoru?" Usagi waved a hand in front of his face.
"Weird..." she muttered.
"H-hai?" He had the decency to look guilty, as if Usagi could read his innermost thoughts.
Usagi shook her head. "Nothing." She looked at her food once more. "You can leave now…we can talk later."
"As you wish, my lady," he said, causing the blond to snort in disgust. Mamoru complied by walking out the door after he gave her a quick wink. Usagi sat down with a sigh and eyed her food once more. "He can be so cold...then…charming? Oh what I am talking about?" Another sigh escaped her lips. This trip was growing more complicated by the minute.
Meanwhile, the sky outside darkened, as many massive layers of dreary clouds covered the once clear blue sky, turning it into a mass of dark gray. The once bright, shining sun was hidden behind the thick clouds, and thunder roared overhead. Usagi sat straight up; the sudden rumble of thunder had startled her.
"Looks like a storm's coming," she whispered and looked out her window. Sure enough, numerous raindrops began falling from the clouds. Usagi was afraid of thunderstorms—she had been ever since she was little. As the heavy raindrops began battering the ship, it broke the calmness of the ocean. Waves formed and slapped against the ship. Usagi slid under her blankets and listened to the rain beat against her window. A flash of lightening struck, and Usagi screamed, instinctively pulling the blankets over her head.
The intensity of the storm continued to grow, and huge waves ripped the ship off its intended course. Yet more frightening were the flashes of lightening that seemed to get closer and closer to the ship. Without warning the entire ship became bathed in darkness. Usagi whimpered quietly. She could hear all the commotion outside of her room. Another flash of lightening stuck, this time, nearly by Usagi's room. The electricity came back on, much to Usagi's relief. Without another thought, Usagi ran outside of her room. She had to find out what was happening. People were everywhere in the hallways. 'What's wrong?' she wondered silently as she pushed her way through the crowd.
Distracted by the frantic passengers, Usagi collided into another person, and stumbled backward. "Ouch," she mumbled, and got up quickly.
"Usagi?" The blonde knew, without a doubt, who that voice belonged to.
"Mamoru?"
Without answering, as was his habit when it came to Usagi, Mamoru grabbed her arm. "Come on." He pulled her with him and the pair went inside a vacant room together.
"What's happening?" she asked and hurriedly pulled her arm from Mamoru's tight grasp. His grip was reminiscent of the nightmare she had last night, a dream she wished nothing more than to banish from her memory.
"Hurricane."
It only took one word. Usagi's legs failed her, and she sank to the ground in a wretched heap. Tears began forming beneath her eyelids, and the blond didn't stop them. She didn't care if Mamoru saw her cry or considered her pathetic. All her problems appeared miniscule compared to the watery death that they now apparently faced. Only one thought ran through her mind. 'I'm going to die,' she repeated wildly, 'I'm going to die. I'm going to die.'
"How?" she finally managed to whisper when she regained the ability to speak coherently. Her question was soon followed by another. "Are you sure?"
"I'm positive. There's no way we can avoid it...Usagi, get up, we don't have much time…"
A sob was his reply. Usagi hugged her knees, making no attempt to rise from the cold floor. After the initial shock had subsided, a million thoughts flooded the girl's mind. There were still so many things she wanted to do... to see…and her family...
As Usagi cried, she couldn't help but blame fate.
This story was posted January, 2002, edited November 2003 and June 2005.
