Chapter 4

AN: hehe, author scratches back of her head... you know, I've had this sitting on my cd for awhile now... I'm sorry. I guess it's kind of my type of thing... but guess what? I am updating stories, even from way back.... there are a few I'm not, and I am also changing titles and summaries to a lot that are just plain stupid titled. Oh well, on with the chapter. I am going to try and find the end of Ties that Bind, as it has been done for awhile, I just never finished updating because I wasn't happy with the end, but then again, it's better to just end it right? I don't know, we'll see. Either that, or I promise you and myself I'll work on it, and I never do.... hm... never fear, for you thought you'd never get this chapter, did you?

I pulled off my sandals after a walk in the park. I rub my feet; I should never have walked that far in sandals. It was foolish, but oh so refreshing in the morning's dew. Spring was here and I was in happy state, things were starting to look up. My senshi and I were no closer to finding the 'blessed' moon princess but we were getting on a lot better.

I changed into a pair of gray slacks and a pink blouse. I wrapped my long hair into a braided bun with several braided strands hanging down my back. I also put on sexy matching gray tennis shoes, a new design to look like more fancy shoes in the front but with all the comfort of slippers or better yet, bare feet.

I am ready to go to school now and I grab my keys before heading out.

During class, the students have some work time and I stand up from correcting the previous class's homework. "I'm heading down to the copy room, I'll be back soon. Now I don't want to come back here and see the room in a complete mess, you got that?" I teased and they laughed when I winked. I walked out of the room and headed to the copy room.

As I was picking up the next day's assignment another teacher entered the room. "You know, it's still incredibly odd to see you here. I know it happens but you were such an adamant student to never come back, I'm still so surprised. However I guess with all that time you spent here after school it shouldn't be."

I turned and laughed. When Haruna found out that I had been employed to the same school, which she had taught me at for four years, she kept making sure in her disbelief. "Yeah, but I don't think anybody would expect me to actually pass college much less make a career out of education."

"I always knew you had potential to do great things and I think being a teacher will allow you to do just that."

I smile. "Thank you Haruna-san. Now that's something I won't be getting used to any time soon. Being able to call you by your name without adding sensei."

"Now your students will be the ones to call you that."

"True." I glanced down at my watch. "Well I've got to be getting back to my class, they are still testing me to see how much they can get away with."

"Trust me they'll be doing that long after you get settled in."

I smile at Haruna, knowing full well where her comment was coming from, and we parted on that to go our separate ways.

That evening I settled into a nice relaxing night without any interruptions or obligations of any kind. Mamoru and I didn't have a date planned and while not spending every waking moment with him was hard, not really, I knew I had him to fall back on. Besides, he had to pull a late shift, the curses of being a resident; he didn't always get to choose his shifts. But by next year that would be done with and he'd shift to optometry and gain seniority and with seniority more choices although he would have to be on call for a while.

I sigh blissfully, the sacrifices of being a doctor's girlfriend. Though I wouldn't give it up for the world.

What did I want to do with all of my free time? I yawned as I stretched out on the couch. I think I knew exactly what I wanted to do. I stood up and went to my refrigerator and pulled out a bottle of wine that Mamoru and I started awhile ago but never finished. I took a wine glass out of the cabinet and poured myself half a glass. I found a bucket and filled it with ice before stashing the wine bottle in it. I brought the glass and the bucket to the bathroom and filled my tub with warm water and bubbles and I stripped down to my birthday suit and sank into the bubbly goodness.

I smiled and turned on the jet streams and as it massaged my body the sweet smelling scent of the bubble bath that I used wafted over my senses. Honey and ambrosia took over for awhile and I almost fell asleep between the warmth around my body and the warmth from within due to the wine.

I switched on the stereo before I felt too lazy to do so and I sunk deeper into the water. I purred at how good I felt.

My cell phone beeped with a text message waiting for me and I glanced at it in annoyance. I wiped my hand on the hand towel next to me and I looked at it. It was Naru wanting to know if I wanted to do something with her tonight. I shrugged, I was looking forward to a calm night at home, but I was always game to a night out with us two girls. I take another sip of my wine, and the fresh coolness against all the warmth was invigorating and I made up my mind. Naru couldn't wait, she truly was my oldest and best friend, and I owed her more than anybody else to be there for her, and to hang out with. I was going to go.

I turn off the jet streams, luckily my hair was just a little steamed, nothing more. I unplug the drain and dried off. The stereo clicked off and I picked up the phone. "Moshi moshi." She greeted me and I smiled, I hadn't realized how long it had been since I talked to her.

"Hey Naru, it's me Usagi, I got your message."

"Oh hey!" She said excited. "So you up for something tonight?"

"I'm game, what do you have planned?"

There was a pause on the line and I looked at my phone to make sure we were still connected, we were. "I just heard of this new place, it's called the Ryoal. R, y, o, a, l, named after some Tajmahalian king or something, I think it's BS, they just wanted to spell Royale differently, but whatev. Anyways, it's supposed to be amazingly fancy and one of the best clubs on earth. What do you say, want to go?"

I laugh, Naru was special, she only became more social after high school, and in high school she was president of almost all the clubs. Naru's job was in public relations, she frequented events then talked them up, if she liked them. If she didn't care for it, she said a polite no comment and moved on. She didn't realize the public hung on every word, took her no comments to heart and only went to the ones she talked up. I don't believe there was ever a place to ignore Naru's presence if they knew she was there, and definitely never a place that was mean to her or refused her entrance.

I wrap the towel around me as I head out of the bathroom and to my room, and more importantly, my closet. I fling the doors open and look at the clothes staring me back in my face. Naru was still talking and something she said caught my attention. "I know what you are thinking Usa-chan. Wear the red flirty skirt you have, the white roman style shirt and your white ballet slippers from AE."

"That's really cute." I frown in thought, Naru knew my clothes too well, I needed to buy more or change my clothing style.

"I'm sure you have something in there that I haven't seen, you go shopping almost every week." Scratch that, Naru knew me too well.

"You can surprise me later. I just know what would go well in this place, and what looks really gorgeous on you." Naru paused as she talked to somebody else that was in the room with her as I waited for her again. "Oh, you can bring that lover boy with you if you want. We should talk about that sometime."

"We should but not now." I didn't want to talk about Mamoru, or what he suggested, I wanted to forget about it and hopefully never have to deal with that situation again. "How about not for a very long time."

"But Usa-chan!" Naru cut in. "I thought you'd be dying to talk about it!"

"I don't want to even think about it." I bit out, a little terse.

"Oh, ok. I guess it didn't go the way Motoki thought it'd go."

"Motoki knew about it?" I was amazed, Mamoru talked to Motoki about what he asked me? Again. Mamoru didn't talk about personal things to a lot of people and this? Before he talked to me about it? Wow.

"I, yes, he did." Naru sighed. "Ok. We won't talk about it."

"Anything else oh great one?" I mock teasingly.

"Yes. Get off the phone and get dressed because I'm in the elevator coming up." Naru ordered.

"Seriously? How did you get in the building?"

"Kyle let me in, he and I like to flirt every time I wait for you, so he just let me in this time." Naru explained. "I'm on floor two and on my way up."

"Ok, bye." I hung up and flung the phone on my bed. I shimmied into shorts cut red underwear and a white bra, nobody but me would really see it, but if they did, it would blend in. I slip the skirt on, it was tight on my body until it reached the bottom of my bottom and then flared until mid thigh where it ended. I threw on some deodorant then pulled my white shirt over my head. It hugged my breasts and was cut to show the top and inside of them, if Mamoru knew I was going out like this, without him, he'd kill whoever looked my way, but what he didn't know didn't hurt him. The straps to the shirt were wrapped by string then they hung down so it flew when I moved, along with the flare in the skirt. I push my feet into the ballet slippers that had a quilted pattern on it and a little bow.

I glance in the mirror and add a fresh coat of eyeliner, eye-shadow and added mascara. There was a knock on my door and I gave one last glance at my appearance before I answer the door to Naru. I wasn't trying to pick anybody up, but I did like looking nice when I went out. I opened the door and there was Naru dected out in a skin tight black skirt and a pink halter that was a deeper cut than mine, it went down to her belly button. What it did cover around her torso was also skin tight, except the straps that went from her neck to her waist, those were loose. I was amazed by my friend. I laugh and shook my head. "Hey Naru."

She launched herself at me in a hug and I could barely breath. "I'm so sorry."

"Hey! Sorry for what?"

"Mamoru!" Naru whined. "I was an insensitive lout."

"Naru-chan, honey, Mamo-chan and I are still together."

"Oh, you had me worried there for a moment. You two are the cutest couple in the whole wide world."

I smiled. "Thank you, now lets go party!"

Naru laughed and together we went out to the Ryoal club.

When we arrived it was amazing. There were round sofas in the color of milk and there were drapes everywhere, even in the middle of the dance floor. A sprinkling of the dancers were paid entertainers using a few of the drapes to do acrobatic tricks. The food floating around by half naked men in Egyptian style cloth were serving exotic food. I practically melted. Naru was staring at one man in particular. I groaned, I had to tear her away from it. The two of them had a particularly explosive history, three years ago they were engaged then something happened where at the end of two years ago they were ready to kill each other.

Since then whenever they saw each other it was thinly veiled threats and insults. I had never liked the cheese ball, but I couldn't tell Naru that at the time, she wouldn't have listened, she would have cut me off, that's how far her rose colored glasses took her. Then a year and a half ago, I introduced her to an old friend of mine that she happened to never have met. They got together and Naru didn't care quite as much about this guy, but they still hated each other. They would never see each other if it wasn't for the slight over fact that they both worked as PR representatives.

I pulled Naru away and shoved a pink drink into her hand and dragged her onto the dance floor. I grabbed a blue concoction as it was traveling around on one of the platters, there was an overhead charge, the people inside could drink as much as they want.

I think I drank too much, and in my hopes to keep Naru away from said cheese ball, I fed her too many as well. That's how one moment I was standing next to Naru and the next I was in a more heavily veiled curtained area. The music really was to die for, I gyrated to it. Hands were on my hips, spread from my waist down my thighs than back up. I shook my head and pushed the hands away, I didn't mind dancing, but touching was off limits.

The hands were insistent as they returned to my waist then skimmed my ribs, they settled over my breasts and squeezed, pulling me back against a firm chest. "No." I mumble, pulling the hands away and moving somewhere else. The guy followed me.

"What's wrong honey?" He mumbled into my ear, he slurred his words, great he was drunk.

"No touching." I say firmly, or at least I thought it was firmly.

His arms surround me and one hand lands on my butt, pushing me stark against his crotch and I feel his erection. "I'll touch all I want."

"No. Leave me alone." I push against his chest and he doesn't budge.

I smell the alcohol on his breath and I feel sick. "I think we should head over to the more private couches upstairs, and, talk."

"No." I push again, this time harder and he takes a step back, but pulls me with him.

"Oh come on." His face comes down and nuzzles my ear. I now feel really sick.

"The lady said no, now back off." The hand on my back side is removed and I see it in the grip of another male hand.

"All I want to do is talk."

"With something other than words, I'm sure. Now back off, she's with me." I glance relieved up at my rescuer and I feel like I want to throw up, for it was non-other than Naru's cheese ball. Hmm, I was in a predicament, either accept the creep's help or cope myself with the very forward male who could be stronger than me. I chose the creep, sue me, but once he got rid of the other guy, I'd get rid of him.

I nod. "Yes, Nech and I are together."

The other guy looks at me and I shudder at the grossness of it all. Then he sizes up Nech. "Fine, but keep a better eye on a beaut like this."

"Trust me, I plan on it." I'd find out years later that he had been keeping an eye on me and wanted to use this situation to his advantage before he stepped in, a leverage against my best friend. I of course never succumbed to it, everybody believed me over him anyways, I never did find out why he wanted Naru to come back to him.

"You seem to get yourself into sticky situations, don't you?" He asked while guiding me away from the drunk man.

"I only had two drinks." I told him with conviction. "And don't touch me." I wrench my arm out of his grasp. I was reviled by his touch. The events of the last few minutes made me more sober than I had been, I kept fading but I pulled out of it enough. A girl near me puked and I sobered up even more, I was almost clear headed. "Why does Naru hate you so much, beyond the obvious reasons?"

"She found something out about me that wasn't so good, but if she tells anybody it could be the end of a lot of things."

"You threatened the woman you were going to marry?"

"Once she found out she called off the engagement. Once I found out what she knew, I threatened her. I couldn't have anybody else finding out. She and I both are at an accord. I don't kill her, she doesn't blab my secret." I just realized I didn't know his last name, that didn't bode well, for me or Naru. "I don't kill you."

"What? Why would you kill me?"

"Because, you would be the first one she told. So I told her I'd kill you too if she said a word."

"What is this deep dark secret?" I ask, looking at him closely, hoping for a clue. There was none.

"Oh, pretty girl, no way would I tell you, just by asking."

"Whatever." I was finished with this conversation. "I'd rather see you dead before I set eyes on you again, but seeing as how that won't probably happen, just stay away from Naru and me." I tell him and walk away. I had to find Naru.

That night when I got home I crashed on my bed and slept longer than I had for a very long time, I slept until noon on Saturday, missing five phone calls from important people and seven from unimportant people or companies. Each were biding for my time. I laughed and called each back then graded papers, tomorrow I'd have more free time, including a breakfast date with Mamoru and dinner with the girls. Unless something threw a wrench into my plans.