Meus Amor et Mea Culpa: My Love and My Mistake
Strangers
"Serena!" Lita yelled as she ducked underneath one of the incoming dresses flying her way. Serena was still over at her closet, desperately clutching at random outfits and tossing them behind her carelessly. A stiletto heel nearly poked out Mina's eye and something resembling a very large tutu still had Ami struggling with how to get out of it. The Halloween masquerade dance was coming up at their school. The girls had unanimously decided that costumes were overrated for the year and opted to find evening gowns and pair them off with some masks for the night.
Easier said than done.
"I can't believe this!" Serena exclaimed, jumping up from her crouched position on the floor and critically fingering some dresses she had pulled out of her closet. "It's been an hour and I still don't know what to wear."
"Don't be so harsh on yourself." Ami gasped as she finally found her way out of the frilly tent that Serena called a dress. Kicking it off, she said, "I mean, you left most of your belongings in Japan so it's not that big of a deal."
Serena sighed. "Yeah, I know. But it's still frustrating altogether."
Rei kicked off of Serena's bed where she was reading some comic books. "Serena, I'm sure you have something in this room." Her violet eyes trailed from Serena's closet to a set of pink drawers. Before anyone could protest, she had walked across the room and begun to open the bottommost drawer. Serena, hearing the creaking wheels of a drawer that was rarely opened, spun around almost fearfully.
"No! Rei…!" But it was too late. Rei had gasped and her pale hands reached in and, with an effortless tug, brought out what appeared to be a cape of glittering silver and lace. She gazed over the material with an appreciative glance, feeling the softness against her hands. Her entranced reaction attracted Main, whose keen eye for fashion lured her to what she recognized as a beautiful work of a skilled seamstress.
"My God Serena." Mina breathed, her fingers just hovering over the beaded bodice, as if her slight touch would cause the tiny fragments to scatter. Lita and Ami came to join them, neither very knowledgeable about fashion but knowing a beautiful work of art when they saw it.
"Geez, girl." Lita said. "What'd you sell for this? A car?"
Serena gave a dry laugh, eyes glued to the dress her friends were unfolding, choosing not to reply. Ami reached for the top part of the dress, her face changing to one of shock as she read the designer label.
"'Chronista'?" She blanched. "You've got to be kidding me!"
The other girls could only silently agree. Chronista was the name of the most highly revered fashion line ever.
Mina chortled. "Jesus! Beryl would sell out her daddy just to wear a Chronista item."
"Beryl would sell out her daddy for many things." Rei retorted wryly. With a smooth flick of her wrists, she held up the dress between her and Serena, tilting her head to one side and trying to figure out how Serena would look in it. She pushed the dress to Serena's chest. "Here. Put it on."
Serena stumbled back a little, caught off guard by the force of excitement Rei put behind the dress. The others looked at her expectantly but Serena just stood there, unable and unwilling to move.
"Sere…?" Mina waved a hand in front of her friend's face. "Serena you look like you've seen a ghost."
Serena shook her head, waking from her daze and smiled forcibly. "Nothing so nice." She stepped forward and took the dress out of her friends' hands. She cradled the material in her hands, memories uncontrollably flooding back to her.
The shock in his face died down to a goofy, but sincere, grin. 'You look beautiful.' There was such an honest feeling to his voice that she wasn't used to but she knew she wanted to hear it again.
Serena forced herself to open her eyes and re-enter the real world. The one that wasn't in Japan. The one that didn't have Naru, Anne, Umino, Alan or… him. She glanced at her current friends, who were looking at her curiously. She sighed weakly. "I don't think this dress really suits the situation, don't you?" She knew it was a pathetic attempt but she had to try anyway.
"Nonsense." Mina said, whipping the dress out of Serena's hands and unfurling it. She held it in front of Serena's figure, cocking her head to one side. "Serena, it's perfect." She looked up at Serena's face, not noticing the pained expression. "It's like…" She paused, scrunching her face until the right term came to mind. "It's like it was made for you."
Serena nearly scoffed aloud. 'If only you knew.'
"Usagi?"
Serena didn't reply to the nickname, since she was carefully adjusting her gown at the very moment that her brother walked in. Making a small face, she spun around to watch Kunthan enter, cocking her head to one side.
"At the risk of sounding like any other girl out there," She said hesitantly. "How do I look?"
Kunthan's initial shock wore off to a smile on his young face. At first, he sort of stood by the door, smiling dumbly. His little sister stood off to the side, standing in front of her full-length mirror, critically eyeing the back of her dress up and down. He was escorting her to her masquerade dance. It was a beautiful white gown with golden lace trimmings that trailed down to her ankles in slightly puffy layers. Her hair was left to spill over her shoulders, giving her an unkempt look that only she could make look stunning. He had seen her in this outfit before and he had seen how gorgeous she had looked dancing in it. Kunthan was still smiling as he walked the length of the room towards her and placed a placating hand on her shoulder, guiding her to a chair in front of the mirror.
"You look beautiful, Usagi." He said earnestly in a tone that made Serena beam happily. "However," Kunthan reached out for Serena's vanity mirror, groping for her brush. "I have a feeling that something's missing."
"…Kunthan…" She began hesitantly. "What are you doing?" Serena's voice had quieted now as she realized the familiar twists that her brother was putting her long hair through.
"You really can't be that forgetful, can you Usagi?" Kunthan teased absentmindedly, his eyes focused on the back of her head. One of Serena's delicate hands reached up to stop his.
"That's the thing, Kunthan." Serena said, staring back at his reflection on the mirror. "I can't forget." Her sad were crying but there were no tears.
Kunthan did not let her action stop him. Swiftly, he planted a soft kiss to her obtrusive hand before waving it aside. "'Can't' and 'won't' are two different things," He said matter-of-factly. "Plus: what's an old hairstyle going to hurt?"
Serena stared back at her reflection, at a loss for words. She saw herself, just newly sixteen in that mirror, wearing the same dress and the same hairstyle. The expression, however, was not the same one she had worn on the day of her sixteenth birthday.
"It's like looking at my own ghost." She finally managed to say after a moment's silence.
"Oh I don't know." Kunthan said, placing the final pin on his sister's hair. He stood back, admiring his handiwork. Surprisingly, even after all this time, he could still manage to put his sister's long mane into those memorable buns. "Somehow, I don't doubt that the same Usagi is in there somewhere."
She stood up so fast, the chair beneath her clattered to the ground. "Why must you try to remind me Kunthan?" She demanded shakily. "Don't you realize just how much it hurts to even think about what happened?"
Her teary words did not faze Kunthan as he reached over and engulfed her in a hug. "Of course I do." He said comfortingly. "But you and I sadly know that the things we wish to forget in the past, often tend to come back and haunt us in the present."
To which Serena could not reply to.
"Remind me again why I'm even here?" Jaden wondered aloud as he stared up at the main entrance of the New Moon Academy.
"Because you love your darling little sister so much."
"I have two little sisters and I can barely stand either of them." His retort was rewarded with a punch on either arm. "Jeez! Where'd you two get such a violent streak? Mom is so girly she makes Shirley Temple look like a call girl."
"Oh shut it, Jaden." Mina said good-heartedly. She smoothed her orange dress down and adjusted the half-mask over her face.
"It's not that big of a deal." Jaden said. "It's just that I could've sworn I was done with this place once I graduated."
"Barely graduated, you mean." Haruka reminded him. She recalled the four years she had to go through, poking her brother awake in class and helping him out of trouble by blinding the faculty with her high averages. Many considered it a pity that the oldest Aino daughter decided for a life of racing cars when she had a very good knack for business, like her brother. However, Haruka was more than happy to follow her own path in life, especially if it meant riling up her parents every so often. Haruka glanced around, taking in the scenery of her old alma mater. Not much had changed and she still felt that sense of comfort she had felt when she was a teenager in the school. Like, almost nothing could go wrong in a place so safe and right like New Moon Academy.
"Oh look!" Haruka turned without thinking at Mina's exclamation. "There's Rei and Sei!"
Almost nothing.
"I'm going ahead." Haruka would've done as she said had her younger sister not reached for her with a pout.
"Ruka, don't be rude." Mina said. "They're our friends."
Haruka would've said something to weasel her way out of the situation but Jaden decided to take the initiative, greeting Seiya with a warm smile and glanced over at Rei only to do a double-take. Of course, wearing a skintight fire-red dress that had slits up to the thighs would've made any guy past puberty do a double-take. Rei only rolled her eyes.
"Hey Jaden." Seiya chastised. "Quit staring at my sister. You're making me flush here."
Rei snorted. "It's okay Seiya. I'm getting used to hounds staring at me."
"Well, you might, but I sure as hell won't ever." Seiya retorted grumpily. He raised his head in time to meet the cool gaze of Haruka. Jaden was becoming an increasing pain in the ass as of lately for Seiya and Haruka. Both now became very wary whenever he suggested an outing to the mall or some party of his friends' since neither knew if the other would be at the same place.
"Mina! Rei!" Both teenagers turned around to see Ami walking towards them, her hand clasping Zach's. Dressed in a bright blue nightgown that flared up slightly with each step she took, Ami looked like a periwinkle fairy gliding towards them. The smile she wore was only rivaled by the one on Zach's face.
"Well," Jaden said, clapping his hands together. "Let's leave these kiddies together, shall we? Let's see if New Moon Academy can still serve up a buffet like before!"
Before either could argue, Jaden had swung one arm over his sister and the other over Sei's. Mina eyed the older siblings as they disappeared into the school.
"Rei?" Her raven-haired friend looked away from where Ami and Zach were coming and turned towards Mina. "You ever get the feeling that something's going to happen. Not something bad, mind you. Just…something?"
Rei looked at Mina, eyebrow quirked with a twisted smile that looked like it was holding back a sly retort. Instead, Rei leaned back against one of the columns of the school thoughtfully. "Sure, I guess." She said. "You getting that feeling now?" Wordlessly, Mina nodded. "You know, it's funny." Rei suddenly said. A few steps below them, Zach had lifted up Ami and pecked her on the cheek. "I've gotten that exact feeling before. But it's only been when we're all together." When Mina gave her a quizzical look, Rei clarified. "Us. You, me, and the others."
"Including Serena?" Rei nodded almost grimly.
"Especially Serena."
"What about Serena now?" Ami stumbled in, Zach's protective arm around her waist. They'd become more comfortable with each other in public now. It was strange for her friends to see her in such a state but, all the same, they were happy just to see her happy.
"Nothing." Mina said dismissively. "Where's Lita?"
"Right here." The brunette seemed to pop out of nowhere, curls bobbing, cheeks flushed. "Hey guys."
"Where've you been?" Mina questioned slyly. Lita glared at her good-naturedly.
"Get that tone out of your voice." Lita commanded. "I'll have you know Grandfather had me work overtime for this girl's sixteenth birthday party." She glanced around. "Hey. Where's Serena?"
"Oh." Ami started. "I'm sorry guys. I completely forgot. Serena called me up to say she was running late."
"Yeah." Zach put in. "I think she said something about an argument between her and her brother because Kunthan wanted to ride his bike to get here."
Rei rolled her eyes. 'What else is new?" She adjusted her mask. "Well, c'mon then. Let's get this party started!"
The group stopped in front of the gymnasium, admiring the decorations scattered around and the beautiful costumes their classmates were wearing. Mina suddenly stumbled onto Lita. The blonde turned around to see what had hit her and was faced with a redhead. Mina glared.
"Watch where you're going, Sinclair." She seethed. The head suddenly bobbed up and Mina met a pair of innocent and confused eyes.
"Oh," the young woman started. "I'm sorry. You'll have to forgive me; I have a tendency to be a bit clumsy."
Mina nearly blanched at the case of mistaken identity. "Oh, wow. I'm sorry." She said. "I thought you were uh…I thought you were someone else."
The redhead smiled and Mina felt immediately embarrassed that she believed for one second that this girl was Beryl. "It's no big deal, really."
Mina tilted her head to one side, studying the girl, trying to look past the redhead's mask. "You know, I don't think I know you. New Moon's a pretty small Academy. What did you say your name was?"
"She didn't." A clipped voice cut through.
'What is this?' Mina thought. 'Red-head's night?' Turning, Mina saw another red-headed girl coming through, glaring at Mina and blocking the more timid redhead from Mina's sight.
"Do you have a problem with my friend?" The new girl asked with heavy innuendo. Mina realized that this girl probably heard her sly comment when she thought that she had bumped into Beryl.
"Oh, no." Mina hastily said. "I just thought she was someone else."
The timid girl reached over and put a hand on her friend's shoulder. "She's telling the truth, Anne." She said, smiling at Mina somewhat apologetically. "There's no problem."
The other girl, Anne, as the more timid one called her, looked back at Mina with a slightly less grim expression and finally nodded. She took her friend's hand. "C'mon, Naru. We're out of here."
Before Mina could protest, the two were gone, disappearing into the crowd of masked faces. She turned to speak with her friends. "Hey guys." She said. "Do you know of any girls in our grade with red hair? Aside from Beryl, I mean."
The others looked at, amused and confused.
"Can't say I do." Lita said thoughtfully. Ami just shrugged.
"That's kind of rich, Mina." Rei said, laughing. "I mean, chances are, if you don't know them, they don't come here."
The others laughed and Mina forced a smile. Turning her head to where the redheads had gone to, she muttered, "That's what I was thinking."
"Oh, wow." Serena said. She had just arrived and Kunthan was by her side, absently admiring everything. Serena turned to her brother. "C'mon, Kunthan."
Kunthan smiled and followed his little sister. A gentle hush suddenly rippled through the dance floor. The girls, who had been laughing it up with some of their other classmates, all turned around and abruptly shut up. Serena looked like a heavenly angel, descending from one cloud to another, floating on the soft fabric of her dress. Strangely, the weird hairstyle she was currently parading didn't ruin the effect. If anything, the hairstyle enhanced her otherworldly appearance. Her long hair was pulled up into two, strange versions of pigtails that bounced slightly with every step she took down. The white mask she wore outlined her baby blue eyes that were taking in the decorations in the room. She didn't even realize that she was being admired by so many people in the same room.
"Ugh, the bitch." Well, not everyone, of course. Beryl stood by the punch bowl, obviously annoyed. Her eyes flicked over to Dion Crystaal, who was eyeing Serena with such a lusty expression it almost made Beryl blush. The plastic cup in Beryl's hand was suddenly crumpled.
In a more secluded part of the room, four pairs of eyes followed Serena's lithe figure as it finally reached the danced floor and headed towards her friends. Memories ran rampant in their minds, dejavu overcoming them as she walked down the staircase exactly like she had done over a year ago.
"Baby," One of the young men began. "I don't know if…"
"Now is not a time to second-guess ourselves." One of the girls snapped despite the shakiness in her voice.
"She's right." The other young man in the group consented. "We didn't travel over a freaking ocean to back down now." The speaker looked into the shadows the hid them from everyone's view. "Right, buddy?"
Through the shadows, a new figure stepped forward. A crimson rose was being twirled between its gloved fingers.
"Serena! You look beautiful!" Mina exclaimed. Serena blushed sweetly.
"Thanks guys." She said.
"I love your hair tonight." Ami said earnestly.
Serena's smile faltered slightly. However, she leaned over to give her friend an appreciative kiss on the cheek. "Thanks."
"Well, c'mon then!" Mina declared. We're not going to be wallflowers all night, are we?"
Everyone else laughed. The bubbly blonde looked over at Kunthan, who was looking around apprehensively at the teenagers who were hopping around all over the place dancing like they were in a strip club.
"Hey, Tsukino." She called at Kunthan. "You look like you got served with deep friend dung beetles."
Kunthan grinned. "How observant of you."
"Eh, I'm just that good." She replied. With a giggle, she grabbed Kunthan's arm. "C'mon! Let's go dance!"
Kunthan smiled politely. "Thanks, but no thanks, Mina. I'm not a very good dancer."
Mina smirked. "Who said it was a question?" For a small girl, Mina was actually pretty strong, being able to haul the older man onto the dance floor, leaving her best friends to laugh at her as she walked off, a flustered Kunthan at her heels.
"Well," Rei said. "We certainly can't let her have all the glory, can we?"
"They look like they're having fun." Haruka commented.
"Uh-huh." Jaden mumbled through mouthfuls of food. Seiya looked at his friend with mild disgust.
"Jaden, whatever happened to those things called manners?"
"Hey, I've got manners." Jaden said defensively. "I just choose not to use them"
"You don't say." Haruka said sarcastically. Sitting down at one of the tables provided, with Jaden situated between her and Seiya, she really wasn't having any fun.
"Oh, don't be such a sour-puss Ruka." Jaden admonished. "Go and enjoy yourself already."
"Thanks, but I'll pass." Haruka replied. Her eyes scanned the room, watching the students dancing all over the place, masks on their faces.
"You never did enjoy any of these things, did you?" Jaden said thoughtfully. "I remember we had to drag you over to the dances. You remember that, Sei?"
Against his own will, a smile graced Sei's face. "Yeah." He laughed. "I remember you looked like a tortured prisoner during our homecoming dance."
Jaden laughed and even Haruka cracked a grin, recalling how Michiru had literally tied Haruka down with her scarves just so Haruka would hold still while Michiru did her make-up. Those were good times. Very good times. Her eyes suddenly caught Seiya's. She quickly looked away.
Too bad things couldn't have stayed the same.
Something was wrong.
That was all Serena could think of, even while she and the others twirled and moved to the music. Something was terribly wrong. The lights of the room were dimmed, their vision only aided by the flashing neon lights that flicked on and off randomly. While she danced, Serena's eyes glanced over the crowd, as if searching for something she wasn't sure she was looking for. For a while, she ignored it. But, as the dance went on, she could feel someone's eyes hissing onto her back. But it wasn't just one person. It was more…more people watching her…studying her. Serena looked around, a slight twinge of panic welling inside when she realized she couldn't recognize where her friends were. All she saw were masks of different shapes and sizes, covered in glitter, gloss, feathers and an assortment of a million and one other knick-knacks on their decorated masks.
A whisper. She felt someone's voice fly past her ear, haunting. She spun around and saw the same rambunctious students dancing. It was nothing.
But then why was her heart pounding. The whisper had been something important…familiar. But what was it? Looking around, Serena tried to find her group of friends again in vain. There were too many people.
…
There it was again. It was faint, but someone was talking to her…softly. Serena spun around again, her pigtails flying as her desperate eyes scanned the area…looking. What the hell…
"Usagi…"
Serena gasped. That voice! She knew that voice! She had fallen asleep to that voice! Her breathing had quickened without her realizing it.
"Usa-chan." There it was again. But where was it coming from? Goddamnit! This music was too loud. She couldn't hear anything or even know for sure if she was really hearing things! What the hell was going on? Then…out of the corner of her eyes, she saw.
A dirty-blonde head was off to the distance. Bangs covering what she knew were one-cold blue eyes hovered over what could only be described as a bitter smirk.
"...No." Serena breathed. "It can't be."
"Denial much?" Serena spun around so quick she nearly got whiplash. Red hair that she had once played with a million and one times. Wide eyes that were glaring back with so many emotions with one glance at her. And a face that was so familiar, even under the mask.
No. This was impossible. No way could this be happening. Not now! Not when everything was going so well! No! No
"No, no, no, no, NO!" Her voice gradually rose but no one really heard her as she backed away from the all-too familiar face and ran into the crowd. Damnit! No! This was impossible. This couldn't be happening! She kept bumping into people but she didn't recognize or see them. All she saw were the dark blonde hair on some people, the auburn hair on others, thick glasses…while whispers of her true name were being echoed all over the place by unforgettable voices. She closed her eyes and covered her ears as she ran, wanting so much to block it all out.
Serena gasped, her eyes snapping open. It took her a split second to realize that she had blindly ran through the whole crowd and outside to the open-air garden of the school. Panting, she brought a hand to her chest, feeling her own perspiration and the rapid beating of her heart.
"What was that?" She muttered aloud. She barely registered that her hands were shaking. There was no way they could be here, right? Did she imagine all that in the dance floor? "Have I completely lost it?"
A single rose suddenly dominated her vision. She felt his breath over her shoulder before the first words were out of his lips and knew she wasn't crazy.
"Good evening, Usagi."
Her hand softly pried the flower from his, holding it between her fingers. Silently, she sniffed the rose, smelling its soft aroma as she walked away from him, turning so that she came face-to-face with the main reason she had left her homeland. Dark hair, sapphire eyes and an expression that was unreadable to most…except her. Shit. He knew. She closed her eyes, willing the world away.
"Hello Mamoru."
Crushed rose petals drop to the hem of her flowing gown. Droplets of blood trickled with the petals from her clenched hands. He had left on the thorns.
A/N: Okay…so I'm a little overdue on the chapter. Looks at calendar Okay…a LOT overdue on the chapter. Either way, it's finally here. Please don't be totally discouraged. My plans for this puppy have been outlined and I have no intention of backing out now. I will finish this damned story even if it kills me. Especially when everything's just about to unwind and let loose. So, please review and let me know someone's still paying attention to this despite my neglect in the past couple of months. Till next time.