CHAPTER FIVE
"Mom, what in the world are you talking about?" Usagi questioned, stunned by Ikuko's statement. She felt the hands covering her own tighten slightly in response to the surprise announcement. The strong presence behind her kept her upright, even as she began to shake.
Ikuko nodded in reply with a pleasant smile. "Your father and I discussed it, and we believe that it would be best if you were under close supervision."
"And why can't you supervise me?" Usagi retorted.
"Usagi, don't you remember? Your father and I are going out of town this weekend. We both feel that Mamoru-san could provide you with better care while we're away."
"Dad agreed to this?"
Ikuko nodded once again, turning her attention to the stunned man. She smiled brightly at him, "Mamoru-san, you wouldn't mind taking care of my daughter while I'm unavailable, would you?"
Still in a state of shock, Mamoru could only shake his head in response. He finally cleared his throat as he regained his composure. "Not at all, Ikuko-san. It would be my pleasure."
"Oh, good! Then it's all settled! Usagi, I want you to go on over to Mamoru-san's apartment. I will bring your things by later this evening. You need to rest," she said pointedly to the obviously-frustrated Usagi. Her smile then returned as she moved to speak with Dr. Mizuno. "Well, if that's it, I guess we can just go to the front desk to check her out?"
Dr. Mizuno nodded, "Usagi-chan, I won't require a follow-up appointment. I would, however, appreciate it if you would let Ami know if you have any questions or concerns. Just take better care of yourself, dear."
"I'll be sure that she does," Mamoru stated intensely.
Mamoru moved to place the key in the front door, noticing his hand shaking fiercely, making the simple task much more difficult. Finally, with a deep breath, he opened the door and turned to the frail beauty behind him. Her face was hidden, as it was turned towards the carpeted floor of the hallway, but she moved through the entrance without a single word. He followed behind only when he saw her stop in the living area.
Mamoru cleared his throat nervously, unsure of what he should do now. How had this happened? What was Ikuko thinking? This could either be a blessing, or the most miserable weekend of his life. Finally, after some time, he spoke. "Are you tired? Do you want to take a nap?"
There was no response, only a slight shaking of the head indicating a negative answer. In return, he looked around the apartment. While he had planned to stay in the hotel during his stay, it seemed he would be a bit side-tracked.
"I see you got your apartment back."
The statement surprised him and he snapped his head back to her figure, still turned away from him. "Um, yeah. Well, actually, I never sold it..." His voice dropped out as he let the realization of the statement sink in.
Usagi was, indeed, very surprised by this. She had, of course, assumed that once he left, he had erased all evidence of his existence. Especially here. Where they had shared so many moments. With this thought, the reminder of those times which she had attempted to forget were slowly surfacing. She felt herself getting dizzy again, recognizing the strange chill that alerted her of her low blood pressure - a feeling she was becoming very accustomed to. In response, she sat on the nearby black leather couch, pulling her legs up underneath her.
As she sat, she finally allowed herself to look around the apartment, noticing that nothing had changed since the last time she had been here. Of course, it was obvious that the apartment had been lacking the attention it once received. But the light still shone brightly through the many windows, beams hitting the plush carpet all around. His numerous CD's and DVD's were still placed neatly in the tower, almost certainly still in alphabetical order. And, finally, she noticed the many pictures. Pictures of Mamoru, herself, and the two of them together, which she had placed throughout the apartment to personalize the area.
The apartment now acted as a graveyard. A time capsule of his life - of their life together - from before.
With this thought, she threw her head against the back of the soft couch and sighed. How in the world was she supposed to survive this?
Looking up at the ceiling, she noticed a shadow approaching and turned to face the solemn-looking Mamoru.
"You can either tell me what's going on, or you can tell me what you want for dinner. Your choice."
Usagi closed her eyes to avoid his presence, noticing that it was a miserable failure as she could still sense his movement. "Neither."
"That's not an option."
Her eyes shot open in response, finding him standing uncomfortably close in front of her. "Excuse me?"
"Either we talk, or we eat. Those are your options."
Usagi felt the anger rising in her quickly and attempted to stand up, only to find herself blocked by his intimidating presence. "Then I'll go stay with Rei."
"Like you really want to answer they questions she will have to ask," he stated with a smirk, knowing that she would not want to face the probably-fuming pyromaniac.
Usagi kept her face defiant, refusing to admit defeat, but knowing that he was right. There was no way she wanted to see Rei right now.
His smirk grew, knowing he had won this battle, and he moved toward the kitchen. "Come on, I'll make your favorite. I should have everything I need."
Still angry at having lost so easily, Usagi searched for something to release her anger. "How do you even know what my favorite is anymore? For as long as you've been gone, it could have changed."
This caused Mamoru to pause in his trek, stopping slightly as the insinuation dawned on him. However, he started up again, resuming his mission. "Well even if it's not your favorite anymore, you certainly couldn't hate it." This seemed to stop Usagi's attempt to rile him, and as he opened the cupboards, he was thankful for having hired a maid service to take care of the apartment while he had been away. As he searched his pantry, he took note of the ingredients he would need to pick up from the store. As he looked around the kitchen for usable materials, he heard the sounds of the television from the living room.
What was he supposed to do?
Mamoru walked into the living room, two bowls in his grasp. He noticed the TV was turned to a new movie, one he knew to be a "chick flick." He smiled and shook his head as he approached the couch. As he approached, Usagi turned toward his appearance. He tried to smile reassuringly. "I do hope you still like this." As he had been cooking, the idea that this may not be the right thing to do had plagued his thoughts.
Noticing the internal debate, Usagi nodded slowly and took the proffered bowl and chopsticks. "Thank you." She removed her legs from underneath her and crossed them in front of her, creating a more comfortable position to allow her to eat. The smell of the noodles, sauce, and chicken wafted and she found herself excited to eat. Mamoru sat on the couch next to her, not too close, she noticed, but not too far away. In spite of herself, she felt comforted by his nearness.
She tried to focus on the movie as she ate her still-favorite meal to avoid both the annoyance she associated with eating, as well as the gorgeous man beside her. They both sat in silence, only the dialogue of the characters in the movie filling the room. She felt his eyes on her several times throughout the movie, but avoided making any kind of eye contact or even acknowledging his presence.
Mamoru knew she was avoiding him. And why wouldn't she? Usagi knew that she would have to talk sooner or later. As he continued to think about her illness, he only found himself being more and more angry. Not at her necessarily, but at himself. He had left her and she was suffering. He should have been here to help her! He was her protector!
As the movie ended, he noticed her place her bowl on the coffee table, a little more than half of the food having been eaten. As much as he would like to see the bowl empty, he knew not to expect too much too soon. However, he still couldn't get over his frustration.
"Why are you here, Mamoru?" The sudden question surprised him and he answered only with the most obvious response.
"I'm here on business."
"I know that. But why are you here? In this apartment?" she paused, wondering if she should elaborate, "With me?"
"Well, I rented a hotel room. But plans change..." A silence set over the pair of them again, and Mamoru shifted in response to the tension. They were both looking at the TV, but neither was truly focused on the movie anymore.
"When are you leaving?" Usagi asked after some time.
Mamoru turned to her, reevaluating his plans for the first time. "Well, I was supposed to leave on Tuesday..." He searched her reaction, seeing her face drop slightly, almost too subtle to notice. "But I'll have to make some calls."
Finally, for the first time, Usagi turned to face him, though still avoiding meeting his eyes. "But why did you go to the arcade?"
He didn't have to search very hard for an answer. "I couldn't come back here and not see you."
With that confession, Usagi finally lifted her eyes to meet his deep blues. The connection caused them both to inhale sharply, shocked by the intense feelings coursing through both of them in response. They continued this way for some time, everything else forgotten. The movie ended and the credits began to roll to soft theme music, though neither paid any attention. Usagi felt a warmth flow through her, eliminating the cold which had taken over her body for so long. She saw so many emotions flow through his eyes, realizing that he wasn't hiding any of them from her gaze, leaving him completely vulnerable to her. It was a humbling experience, to know that he was leaving himself open to her, even after so long.
How was she supposed to stay angry with him? How was she supposed to forget about him when he was here, taking care of her, in this apartment which meant so much to the both of them? Usagi would have to be blind, deaf, and dumb to not realize that he was still very much in love with her. That had no changed in his absence, something which was as obvious in his eyes as if he would have confessed his feelings verbally.
Mamoru, on the other hand, was completely entranced by her. How could he have thought that he could live without her? Even being in her presence was like being in the presence of an angel. He noticed that the light in her eyes had dimmed, evidence of both her sickness and sadness. She was no less beautiful to him, however. Instead, the need to protect her, to shield her from whatever was hurting her, only intensified.
He had to do everything in his power to save her, to bring back the Usagi that was hiding.
Finally, they were interrupted by a knock on the door, causing Usagi to jump, and Mamoru to stand in defense of the angel on the couch. Realizing that they should have been expected Usagi's mother, however, allowed him to calm down and move toward the front door.
As he opened the door, Ikuko Tsukino was revealed, smiling brightly, as was to be expected, which brought Mamoru's own smile back. "Mamoru-san, great to see you again!" She began to move through the door, causing Mamoru to move out of the way and smirk at her cheerfulness. He had certainly missed the older Tsukino's motherly nature.
As she moved toward the living room and her daughter, Mamoru noticed that Usagi had stood as she neared. "Usagi, I certainly hope that you're appreciative of Mamoru-san helping you while we're away." Only then did Mamoru notice her carrying a bag and rolling a small suitcase behind her. He stopped a short distance from the pair, allowing them the space they might need and ready to leave them alone if necessary.
Usagi responded without facing Mamoru, afraid of meeting his eyes once again, "Of course, Mom. Especially since you volunteered him without asking him first."
Ikuko placed the bags down and Mamoru moved to pick them up, ready to move them to the guest bedroom. "Oh, Usagi, don't be silly! Of course Mamoru wouldn't mind taking care of you! Whether or not you're together - even though I know you both should just work this silly thing out."
"Mom!" Usagi responded, shocked by her mother's openness. Mamoru decided to use that as a cue to move her bags to the guest room, leaving the two women alone.
Ikuko walked over to her daughter, running her fingers through her blue hair, only slightly grayed with the passing of time. She then waved her daughter's comment off, unvexed by her obvious embarrassment. "We both know how much he loves you. And I dare say the feeling is still mutual." Usagi attempted to cut her off, but was unable to get in a response. "Besides, Mamoru-san is such a wonderful young man. Any woman should be so lucky, but of course he chose you, like the smart man he is." She then moved to hug her daughter, lowering her voice and whispering in her ear, "Don't waste this, Usagi."
Stunned by her mother's boldness, Usagi was unable to form a response. Soon, however, they both heard Mamoru reenter the living room. With that, her mother pulled out of the embrace. "Well I should let you two get back to whatever it is you were doing." Mamoru coughed uncomfortable, as Usagi found herself blushing, noting to have a long discussion with her mother at a later date. "Your father is very sorry he couldn't come say goodbye to you, Usagi, but we do have to get ready to leave in the morning. He also told me to send his thanks to you, Mamoru-san."
Mamoru nodded his acknowledgement, bowing his head slightly in respect, "It is my pleasure, Tsukino-san. Please tell him I said 'hello.'"
Ikuko began walking back to the front door, Mamoru and Usagi in tow. "Of course I will, Mamoru-san. And how many times am I going to have to tell you to call me Ikuko?" she berated him slightly, "We're practically family." With that, she gave Usagi a final hug and kiss and surprised Mamoru by doing the same to him and leaving as swiftly as she arrived.
END CHAPTER 5
AN: OK, OK! Don't hate me, please! The end of the semester was a killer! But I am now officially a college graduate! Yay me! And congrats to anyone else who may have graduated this month or in the coming month! But enough about me. In order to make up for my absence, I already have 4 (yes, 4!) chapters complete and ready to upload! So, I promise (cross my heart!) that you will be receiving regular updates through the end! I'm expecting this to be about 11 chapters, so we're almost there!
Anyway, thanks for sticking with me and be prepared for regular updates!
And, as always, please review!
Love!