Chapter 17
In the remaining three days until her big day, the wedding, a noticeable restlessness weighed on Usagi. The search for her siblings remained unsuccessful, and in this crucial phase of her wedding preparations, the absence of Seiya cast a painful shadow on her anticipation. Despite daily messages, digital communication couldn't fill the void left by his absence. But Haruka was right; they needed to learn to keep some distance.
Mimete, accustomed to structuring even the smallest details, tried to bring some order to the chaos of decisions. Makoto had been like a shadow to Usagi in the past days, and Tellu was buried in work. She had already made a selection for the civil ceremony dress and now proudly presented her preselection for the church wedding dress.
Twenty racks filled with potential wedding dresses surrounded Usagi as she once again stepped into the role of the bride. Tellu, seized by indignation, exclaimed, "The groom shouldn't see the dress before the wedding! Who let you in here?" In her outrage, she glanced at the current dress. "This can't be true! This one won't do."
Taiki entered the room, and the mood seemed to change instantly. Tellu, outraged, exclaimed, "The groom shouldn't see the dress before the wedding! Who let you in here?" In her outrage, she glanced at the current dress. "This can't be true! This one won't do."
Taiki apologized politely, but his smile betrayed a certain anticipation. "Forgive the interruption. I am confident that you will find the perfect dress yet." His gaze wandered to the remaining pile of dresses. "But not today. I must now abduct Serena. The furniture for our apartment is being delivered, and someone needs to decide where everything should go."
Usagi felt a sudden relief at being able to escape this wedding madness for a moment. She nodded gratefully and said, "Please wait downstairs; I just need to change quickly." Tellu was beside herself that the fitting was interrupted. "There are only 3 days left until the wedding! We still need to make adjustments, and that can't happen until we've made a decision!" she exclaimed, while Usagi hurried to put on normal clothes to follow Taiki downstairs. Makoto joined her, as always keeping some distance.
Taiki smiled kindly at Usagi as she rushed down the stairs, then his gaze met Makoto's. "Makoto, I don't think we'll need you today. I'll bring Serena back later," he explained decisively and led Usagi to the car.
The drive to the Kou Tower through the bustling city proved to be a welcome break from the wedding stress. However, as Taiki reached the underground parking lot, a strange feeling came over Usagi again. In the elevator, her gaze involuntarily fixed on the 30th floor, and thoughts of Seiya, who could be just a few floors below her, crossed her mind. The anticipation of a possible reunion after almost eleven days of separation made her heart beat faster.
The elevator doors opened, and she entered the apartment with Taiki. Compared to the last visit, much had already changed. Freshly painted walls and an impressive sofa marked the beginning of the furnishing. Movers were busy assembling cabinets, tables, chairs, and other furniture. Usagi looked around curiously, waiting for Taiki to guide her through the apartment.
Taiki noticed her interest and smiled. "Not all the furniture is here yet, but we're making progress. It won't be much longer until we can move in here." Impressed, Usagi nodded. "It already looks wonderful."
Taiki led her through the rooms as she marveled at the progress in her future home. "I just need to go to the office downstairs for a moment to take care of a few things. Can you manage on your own? You just need to tell the movers where you want things."
Usagi nodded and smiled. "Don't worry, I'll be fine. You'll be back soon if anything comes up."
She immediately began to furnish the apartment, with the movers assisting her in placing the furniture in the desired locations. Time flew by, and eventually, Taiki returned, looking somewhat upset. "I'm sorry for leaving you alone for so long. There's an urgent external appointment that I can't postpone. Can you manage on your own for a while longer?"
Usagi nodded understandingly. "Of course, no problem, Taiki. I'll manage." She glanced around one last time. "But I'm almost done anyway."
Taiki smiled in relief. "It's nice to see how homely it's becoming here. Here's the master key to the tower. You can keep it; you'll need it anyway. When you're finished, just take the elevator down to the 30th floor. Seiya is at home and can bring you back. My appointment will take a while. We'll see each other tomorrow at the reception."
The revelation that Seiya would bring her back made Usagi's heart skip a beat. Her hands hesitated as she accepted the master key from Taiki's hand. "Serena? Is everything okay with you?"
"Yes, I... I was just lost in thought. Go to your appointment; I'll manage. The 30th floor, right?"
"Yes, and tell Seiya to drive carefully. Sometimes he thinks public roads are racetracks where he has to compete with Haruka."
"I'll convey the message," she said shortly. Internally, she was becoming increasingly impatient. She could hardly wait for Taiki to finally leave, clearing the way to Seiya.
Taiki said goodbye with a kiss on Usagi's cheek. "Until tomorrow, Serena."
Usagi forced a smile and nodded. "Yes, until tomorrow, and good luck with your appointment."
Once Taiki had left the apartment, Usagi gave the movers final instructions and then let them go for the evening. She could barely wait to see Seiya again. Complete excitement had taken hold of her now that she was finally alone.
With a broad smile, she entered the elevator and pressed the button for the 30th floor. Her thoughts whirled wildly as she imagined what it would be like to embrace Seiya again after such a long time. The elevator doors opened, and with a pounding heart, Usagi entered Seiya's apartment.
Seiya had just come out of the shower, a towel wrapped around his hips, exhausted from his training with Haruka. His best friend always demanded everything from him, and their joint training pushed them to new heights. For Seiya, this was particularly advantageous because during training, he could only think about what he was doing at the moment. After training, he was often too exhausted to do more than send a message to Usagi before falling asleep.
Seiya planned to take a bottle of water into the bedroom when he heard the door burst open.
"Did you forget something, Ruka?" he called into the living room. When he received no answer, he became suspicious. "Do you want another beer?"
"Uh... I... I don't like beer," a familiar voice squeaked back at him. Seiya stopped in his tracks. For a moment, he thought he had misheard. Slowly, he peeked around the corner into the living room. No, he hadn't been mistaken. It was clearly Usagi, standing in the middle of his apartment, looking at him with wide eyes.
Usagi's heart seemed to stop for a moment as their eyes met. A broad smile spread across her face, and a mixture of joy, love, and relief reflected in her eyes.
A shy blush crept onto Usagi's cheeks as she spotted Seiya, wearing nothing but his towel. Seiya took a few steps toward her, and in a panicked reaction, Usagi closed her eyes and turned around. Only when she felt Seiya's hands on her shoulders did she dare to breathe again.
"What a beautiful surprise. What are you doing here, my darling?" he whispered into her ear from behind, and her skin responded with a pleasant shiver. "I... uh... Taiki said you could drive me back... but... but I can also come back later if it's not convenient for you," she stammered slowly. It still embarrassed her to surprise Seiya so lightly dressed, but he seemed unfazed by it all.
!
Seiya applied a gentle pressure on her shoulder and turned her towards him. Then his fingers cupped her chin, lifting it slightly. "You're always welcome here. Did you hear?" he whispered to her, and in the next moment, his lips met hers. Usagi let her emotions guide her. There was no one here watching them. They were truly alone again. Just Seiya and her.
Seiya's hands lowered, encircling her waist and pulling her closer, and Usagi placed her hands on him. Both let themselves be carried away by this moment. Then, effortlessly, he lifted her onto his hip without breaking the kiss. With purpose, he walked with her to the back area of his apartment. Gently, he laid her on his bed, and Usagi blinked briefly. Seiya leaned lightly over her, his radiant blue eyes fixed on her.
Time seemed to stand still for a moment as Seiya leaned even more gently over her. His lips glided softly over hers, and each touch sparked a delightful tingling inside her. Usagi forgot everything around her because, in that moment, there was only Seiya and his touches, almost driving her out of her mind. Their hearts beat in unison, and the intensity of their feelings filled the room with a magical aura, making them forget the outside world.
Seiya's hands lovingly explored the contours of Usagi's body as he deepened the kiss or playfully nibbled at her neck. It was as if, after all these days of separation, they were rediscovering each other in this unique moment. With a touch of melancholy, Seiya broke the kiss and looked at Usagi with a loving gaze. "I missed you so much, my darling," he whispered softly as he gently brushed a strand of her hair from her face. Usagi could hardly say anything. She beamed up at him, placed her hand on the back of his neck, and pulled him back down.
Slowly, Seiya's hand slid along her, and gently, he slipped his hand under her sweater. When his hand touched her skin, a burst of emotions surged within Usagi. Such a thing was completely new to her, and yet it felt so indescribably good that she didn't want to stop; she wanted more of all this.
Then she suddenly felt a pressing sensation on her thigh. She let her hand slide down to remove the annoying spot but abruptly opened her eyes when she realized what she had just touched. "I... It... I'm sorry," she stammered, her face turning dark red with embarrassment. The atmosphere, which was just filled with passion, was pierced by a moment of uncertainty.
Seiya wore a mischievous grin. "Not to me. But I'm afraid you're right; we should probably stop." Then he pressed a firm kiss to her forehead and jumped up. At that moment, Usagi realized that Seiya was naked. He had apparently lost the towel on the way to the bedroom. Confidently, he headed for the small dresser to grab a pair of boxer shorts. When he turned around again, he noticed Usagi shyly covering her eyes, making him chuckle.
He took her hands and led her downstairs. "Do I look so bad that you have to cover your eyes?" he teased. Usagi's eyes wandered up his flawlessly trained body, and she shook her head.
Seiya embraced her and pulled her back to him. He found her inexperience somehow cute. She leaned against his shoulder, and slowly, she traced her finger over his defined abdominal muscles. She had always suspected he was well-trained, but seeing and feeling it now were entirely different. A feeling of admiration and tenderness flowed through her as she explored the contours of his body.
The intimacy between Usagi and Seiya deepened again as they lovingly touched and kissed. However, this time, Seiya let her take the lead, which she hesitantly assumed.
In this intimate moment, the ringing of Seiya's phone broke the romantic silence. Seiya sighed and glanced at his phone on the nightstand next to him. "Sorry, it's Yaten... I have to take this," he said shortly, and Usagi shifted away from him as he sat up.
Seiya answered the call, "Yes?... At home... I still have something to do for Taiki... Take Serena home... Yes... I'll be right there... Is it important?... Alright then, see you in a bit..."
Annoyed, Seiya rubbed his temples. "I think it's better if I take you back now... I have to go back to Yaten's... office. Besides, I can't guarantee anything if we continue here."
Usagi slowly slid next to him at the edge of the bed, running her fingertips over his hand. "Then you should put something on first."
Seiya cheekily grinned at her. "And you should urgently go to the bathroom and fix your hair, just in case anyone gets the wrong idea." Usagi leaned in, gave him a kiss on the cheek, and then jumped up.
Just a few minutes later, the two of them were in his car, and Seiya drove Usagi back to her golden cage. Throughout the entire drive, his hand rested on hers, and several times he caught himself thinking about just turning the vehicle around and running away with her. But even though he wanted to do it so badly, he continued driving. Just before reaching the Tsukino estate, he pulled over to the side.
"Darling... I... That was..." Seiya began, but Usagi placed her index finger on his lips, looked deep into his radiant blue eyes, and sealed his mouth with hers. "Please, don't ruin this moment... Let's just keep everything as a beautiful memory, I found it wonderful."
Seiya smiled gratefully, stole one last kiss, and then turned onto the long driveway to take her back.