30 Houshin Challenge Community by Tenshi no Nozomi

Theme: succor; savior; sanctuary

Crossover: Weiss Kreuz

Summary: Usagi is drowning in her sorrows. On a rainy day in empty streets, who would be willing to save a lonely, broken girl?

Savior

By samisweet

It was one of those days that never went well. One of those days that made you question why you decided to leave your bed and why you chose to step out of your room and why you went and stepped out of your home. The humidity outside had been suffocating the day before, but now, the clouds pushed away the sun and rolled in with booming thunder. The rain fell in pouring gray sheets.

The day itself went poorly. She woke to the sound of frightening thunder with only ten minutes to get ready and have breakfast. Grabbing toast and an umbrella, she ran out the door, only to have her umbrella break thirty seconds after her sprint. She arrived to school drenched and tardy by five minutes because she had slipped in a puddle and almost hit by a car.

Even though she had done it (everything had a first), her homework was wet and the ink had leaked, making the paper illegible. She failed her pop quiz and forgot her lunch. Not only that, but she had to have served detention for her tardiness and because of it, was caught in an offending downpour.

She hated her life. She hated not being perfect. She hated fighting every damn day. Even more, she hated this weather. She hated storms because they were loud. They scared her with their terrible howling winds and flashes of bright hot light. The thunder was always rumbling and it was almost as if it chastised her. But most of all, she hated storms because they made her remember.

That day had been just as stormy as this one. She found herself happy and giddy for scoring her first A on a math test. The rain was almost blinding and she couldn't see two feet ahead of her. She didn't mind it. The roads were eerily quiet and only the sound of falling rain echoed around her. The stores were closed with drawn blinds, the owners already gone home. And before she could even think, she had been drawn into a dark alleyway, a group of disgusting men looming over her. They said nasty things and made ludicrous comments about her body and what they'd do with her.

The fear was unnerving. She was a god damn warrior. No one scared her and she could fight better than any man. But the things they were saying confused her and angered her, to a point where she couldn't function correctly.

All she could feel was the fear. It suffocated her, embraced her in its dark, swirling depths until she couldn't see. Her heart pounded ferociously against her rib-cage as she struggled, tears gathering in her azure eyes. They slapped her; beat her to the point of numbness. The rain washed blood down her body and across the ground.

She screamed for all she was worth. All the while, the thunder drowned out her voice and the rain sheltered her as the men loomed closer. She screamed louder, sobbing, crying, and trying her best to fight off the men that clawed at her body. Her chest heaved for air as she tried to wrench out of their death-grips. Her eyes were drawn and cloudy from terror. They ripped her skirt from her body with dark eyes, hungrily staring at her wet legs. She squirmed, crying louder, as they clawed at her breasts, intent on touching her tastelessly.

It was her last hope for her innocence –for her sanity. She took it. She screamed loudly and heaved with all the strength she could muster. They fell back, surprised as she ran down the alleyway and out onto the street. Stumbling over every crack and rock, she cursed herself. Their footsteps slowly met her ears and she cried out, running harder, but they had hit her well. She fell over the curb and skidded onto the street. The men laughed and sneered, walking towards her slowly, as if they enjoyed this kind of torture.

And then, he came. With surprising skill and quiet danger, he dispelled all four men in a few mere hits. It made her feel inadequate, vulnerable, and weak. She had grown off of her dependency for a reason and hated feeling that way. He offered her a hand and she took it in that moment of feverish horror, allowing him to pull her to her feet. She fell into his arms, tears running free, her sobs and his soothing words the only sounds. He looked at her state of dress and shook his head sadly before bringing her into a shop and lending her a jacket and a pair of too-big jeans.

Her teeth clenched as the memory played again and again in her head. She turned her face towards the pouring sky and allowed the rain to wash across her face. Her Odango-ed blonde hair clung to her skin and she parted her lips, allowing the water to enter her mouth. Her face was squeezed into a grimace and she shivered.

"Memories?" a voice softly asked. She whirled around, her face contorting to surprise, fear, and finally anger.

"Not that it's any of your business," she retorted uncharacteristically, already turning to walk away.

"Wait."

"Why?" she paused, her back turned towards him.

"Because, I wanted to know. Why are you avoiding me? I thought we were friends."

She didn't know the answer to that. The rain filled the silence. Why did she? Was it because she didn't want his help? Was it because she hated the vulnerability he made her feel? Or was it because he had proved that she, the almighty Sailor Moon, was not invincible? That she had human fears and that the strength she had gained from her experiences was basically nothing? That her senshi were right when they said that she was weak? She loathed this insecurity he had given her. It had rocked her then-sturdy foundations, made her realize that she had a long way to go before she could ever reach the likeness of her tough senshi.

"We are," she whispered, willing her voice to remain strong. "I-I…" her voice cracked and she could not hold back the tears. They dripped down her face, and for once, she was happy that it was pouring. Her tears mingled with the rain, downsizing her puffy eyes until they were no longer visible. What could she say to him? That she was the glorious heroine Sailor Moon and that he had broken her focus and her strength? That he was the reason why she couldn't sleep at night and why she was no longer truly happy? That that day had broken her cocoon and made her realize the weakness of men? She began to run as fast as she could, away from him, away from her thoughts, tears dripping from her face. She didn't want to face him, not now. Suddenly, someone grabbed her wrist, pulling her to a stop.

"Then why don't you talk to me anymore?" he prodded gently, placing a hand on either side of her shoulder. She refused to meet his eyes. She didn't dare to open her mouth. "Usagi... is it because you're embarrassed about what happened? It could have happened to anyone. It's not your fault… you're not a bad person to have it happen to you."

Usagi's face was contorted in pain as her trembling grew worse. When she looked up at him, he winced slightly. Her eyes were dull. "You wouldn't understand."

"Try me. Here, let's go somewhere dry," he led her towards the sidewalk and out of the middle of the street. She did, naturally, resist, but his grip was firm and his arm strong. Trudging along with him, she found herself inside a cute, warm floral shop, dripping water onto a clean linoleum floor. "Can I trust you to stay here?"

Usagi thought it over for a moment before nodding. He broke into a smile and left for the back of the store. Usagi turned towards the windows, watching the rain pour in sullen gray sheets, her own eyes finally drying up. How had she ended up in a floral shop of all places? She should have resisted. She should have left while she had the chance. She didn't want to see him or meet him, not now, not ever. She jumped slightly when someone offered her a towel. Looking up into mischievous green eyes, she accepted the kind gesture.

"Kudo Yohji, at your service, princess," the long-haired handsome male said, bowing over her hand while placing a kiss on the back of it. Usagi instantly shrank and snatched her hand away, her eyes reflecting her fear.

"P-Please don't touch me," whispered Usagi. Tears began to well in her eyes once more as she pressed her back against the shop window.

"Yohji," a voice sharply barked.

"Omi," Yohji nodded towards the younger male. Usagi inched her way over to him and threw her arms around his shoulders, burying her face into his chest.

"It's alright, Usagi, he's a friend. He wouldn't dare hurt you," Omi said soothingly. He shot a glare towards the notorious playboy.

"I'm sorry, princess," Yohji apologized. "I didn't realize I had hurt you so."

"It's alright," Usagi replied softly, using the back of her hand to wipe away her tears. "I-I'm Tsukino Usagi."

"Bunny, what a fitting name," Yohji laughed, winking. Usagi giggled lightly. "Well, Omi, I'm heading out. Be back later."

"Aya said to be back by nine," Omi nodded towards the clock.

"Ah, don't worry about it, I'll be back," Yohji shook his head before blowing a kiss towards Usagi and waving good-bye. "Seeya later, beautiful. Once again, sorry for scaring you."

"Bye," Usagi breathed. She relaxed once the taller man left the shop.

"Here, Usagi, dry up," Omi shoved another towel into the blonde's hands and pushed her towards the bathroom. "Then, we can talk." Usagi slowly shut the bathroom door behind her before catching a glimpse of herself in the mirror. Her hair was plastered to her body and her eyes were red and puffy. She shook her head. Her senshi would tell her to be strong. How could she when her strength had left her? Before, she had at least believed in herself. Now, she couldn't trust herself to properly get rid of a youma. Her independency was gone. She splashed cold water on her face before using the towels to get the wetness out of her hair and skin. Once she was satisfactorily dry, she left the bathroom o find Omi waiting for her with a tray of steaming tea. He gave a warm smile.

"Just leave the towels on the counter." Usagi followed his directions and neatly laid her towels on the counter, suddenly becoming a little shy. Here she was in a little shop, alone with who most girls called 'the cutest guy ever', and waiting for a thick scolding. She resolved not to tell him much. Her senshi wouldn't appreciate the fact that she went to someone else with her woes. They loved her too much and worried about others taking advantage of her. Omi motioned for her to sit on a stool and she did so, her hands folded in her lap and fidgeting. He poured her a cup of tea and set the steamy mug in front of her on a coaster.

"Are you hungry?" Omi asked kindly. Usagi quickly shook her head, her eyes lowering to her wet school skirt. "Well, where do you want to start?" Usagi stayed silent, staring at her reflection in the cup she held in her hands. "Usagi, you should know that when I saved you, I did it because I care. I won't laugh at you for the reasons why you refuse to talk to me. I just want to know why."

"Why do you care so much?" Usagi whispered. The shop became silent for a moment or two as Omi reflected on the question.

"Because you're my friend and you're always so happy. You make a lot of people happy, including me. And finding people like that is really hard and when you find someone like that, you should protect them so that they're never sad."

Usagi blushed lightly at this and carefully took a sip of her tea. Omi watched quietly. "You know. Omi-kun… I work really hard." Usagi tried her best to stop the tears from collecting in her eyes. "I work really hard to stay happy so that everyone else can be happy. I worked hard to be independent. I worked really, really hard to protect myself and fight for myself," Usagi sniffed as tears once again began streaming from her eyes. "B-But then… then those guys came and I could do nothing. Nothing at all against a man! Did you know th-that I have a black-belt in three different martial arts? Did you know that I constantly train with bow-and-arrow and swords and projectiles so that I c-can protect myself when the time comes? A-And all of that, all of that hard work, all of those hours spent sweating blood and tears… all of it went to waste! I can't do this anymore, Omi-kun! I can't… when those men attacked me, I froze. It was like –like I had forgotten how to breathe. And then, you came and you had to save me and I felt like my world was falling apart!"

Usagi paused as the tears fell harder. "I train so that my friends don't have to protect me! So that I can protect them for once… the girls, they are constantly getting into fights. For me! Because I'm too damn weak to help myself." Usagi's voice took on a bitter note.

"A-And I was living under the illusion that I was pretty much invincible by a normal person because I worked so hard and became independent. And you came and you shattered it." Usagi's voice was tight and clogged with emotion as she sobbed softly. "Y-You just… you shattered it! And I hated myself for that. I just wanted to be strong and independent, like my friends… and suddenly, after believing in myself, I realized that I was weak. I was immature and a baby a-and a burden no one wanted!" Usagi broke down, sobbing into her hands. Omi watched the blonde silently, his cup left forgotten. He didn't move to comfort her or hug her. Usagi gave a sour laugh. "All an illusion. What was I thinking? That becoming a fighter would make me strong? That training hard would give me the upper hand? I'm just a weak, whiny, ditzy crybaby who can't tell left from right. I'm sorry, Omi-kun. I ignored you because of my weakness. Because I lack strength."

"Usagi," Omi simply stated. Usagi fell quiet, sniffling and wiping away stray tears. "Usagi, you know, in my eyes, you're one of the strongest people I know. You say that you're dependent, but isn't everyone?"

"This is different… I can't tell you or explain it," Usagi whispered.

"You don't realize it, but your friends are dependent on you. You hold them together. And because you smile for others even when you're hurt, you're very strong."

"I'm weak."

"Stop telling yourself that! You're strong. If you're willing to go that far to make sure that others are fine and that you can protect them, it makes you strong," Omi grabbed Usagi's hand, holding it comfortingly. "Usagi, you need to trust yourself. People do things for you because they want to help you. They want to protect you because you're the kind of person that needs to stay innocent."

Usagi's hand fell limp. Her shoulders sagged and she looked defeated. How could she explain to him her situation? How could he understand how important it was for her to be strong? She couldn't tell him anything, but he cared genuinely. And somewhere in his speech, he made sense. She supposed, in her own small way, she had strength. Somewhere under all those tears and immaturity, she had strength. And slowly, as realization hit her, she could feel a little bit of the confusion and despair lift from her shoulders.

"I'm so sorry, Omi-kun… I-I'm so sorry," Usagi fell into his warm arms. "I never meant to ignore you but I was so confused… I'm so sorry."

"It's alright," Omi replied, hugging the blonde back.

"Thank you for helping me," she whispered, looking up into his warm eyes and sweet smile. "Thank you for saving me… both times."

"You saved yourself, Usagi. I only helped."

Usagi smiled at that, bottom lip trembling. "You're too sweet, Omi-kun." With that, she leaned up and pressed her lips against his in a bold and daring move, her hands clutching his shirt as she deepened the kiss. He responded slowly at first, but then eagerly massaged her mouth with his own. And, for a moment, it was only them, kissing in the middle of a storm, safe in the sanctuary of each other's arms and a simple floral shop.

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For those of you that are undoubtedly asking; yup, this is a rewrite! There were a lot of errors and stuff, so I made it a little longer. Hopefully, it's not so rushed anymore. Do you guys want me to complete the ByakuyaUsagi oneshot first or the SiriusUsagi oneshot? I can't decide, lol. Well, seeya next time!