Left Without You
Author: Patch
E-mail: patchkhan1@hotmail.com
Rating: PG
Hello everyone! Before I forget (we all know what a
bad memory I have -_-0) I have to give a *huge*
THANK YOU to Megs and Sailor Eclipse. They
both offered to help me out with my author index
for No One's Fault and I said I'd give 'em credit. So
now you all know and I truly, truly appreciated their
help. Huggles! Also, mucho thanx to Redrose, a true
friend, for her very cool rose idea ^_~
Oh and BIG NOTE: The fic does have a happy
ending ^_^ Just thought I'd let you all know right now.
I'll take any fruits and vegetable you might need to
throw at me right now. *Holds up salad bowl* I'm
ready! ^_^
This fic is dedicated to Usa Day, June 30th and I
hope you all enjoy reading it.
June 23, 2000 5:30 p.m.
The late afternoon sun was setting finally
after what seemed to be a hugely long day for Usagi.
She sat on a bench in front of the lake watching this
show of nature's beauty.
The, sun, a big orange ball in the sky,
seemed to sink into the ground casting the sky in all
kinds of hues. Watching sunsets was always a
favorite pastime for Usagi but today she was
distracted.
This is all so beautiful, she thought, but
where is Mamo-chan? The note she had read on
the dressing table this morning had said that she
come to "their bench" at sunset. Well, here she
was and the sun would soon be out of sight.
She tugged at her knee-length skirt,
becoming a little anxious. She knew her husband
had something planned for a week from now for
it would be her birthday and she could only
wonder at what he had in mind.
Every year since they had been
married he did something different, something
more romantic, something completely
unexpected. She would always have fun trying
to guess at what he would come up with, but
always, she was never close.
However, these days, Mamoru
seemed to be so busy with work, she wondered
if he had even had the time to think of something
for her this year. The hospital he worked at had
recently merged with another and that meant
more hours to put in and less time spent at
home.
Usagi sighed heavily and got up, her
anxiety and excitement getting the better of her.
She tried to figure out why he would call her
here today. Maybe he wanted to celebrate
early? The thought brought a smile to her face.
She paced a little and then stood beside the
bench, the grass of the park behind her.
"Miss!"
She looked around to see a boy of
about nine years come up to her leading a dog
on a long leash.
"Miss, onegai, can you just hold
my dog while I get my sister from the
playground? His name is Jun and they won't
let him into the playground, so could you
please hold him?"
"Sure," Usagi replied, smiling.
"Just hurry back, okay?"
"Hai!" The little boy ran off,
waving.
Usagi looked at the dog, a young
golden retriever and then got down to look at
it at eye-level. "Just you and me then, while
we wait for my baka of a husband." She
looked at her watch and sighed. Mamoru
was definitely late and she hoped his work
wasn't keeping him.
The dog whined a little and she
turned her attention back to it.
"You want to be petted, ne?" She
stroked his fur and scratched his ears, all
attention the animal liked very much.
"Usa!"
Her heartbeat did a little flop at
the voice and she lifted her head to see
Mamoru walking towards her, wearing a
long coat that covered the dark business suit
underneath. She stood up and smiled brightly
as he came up to stand next to her.
"Mamo-chan, where have you
been? I began to worry when you yourself
didn't show up at the 'designated time.' "
"Gomen ne," he said, giving her
a quick, yet sweet kiss, "the meeting that was
scheduled today ran a little late and then I
tried to get here as fast as I could." He
noticed the retriever and gave her a grin as he
crouched down, giving it a friendly nuzzle. "I
never knew you wanted to get a dog."
"I don't. A little boy asked me to
look after him while he went to go get his
sister. His name is Jun and his master should
be back any minute now," Usagi answered.
Mamoru got back up and looked at
her, then shifted his gaze away. "Usa, I have
to tell you something," he said quietly. "I've
been wanting to tell you for a long time but
today it's become final and I can't delay it."
"What is it, Mamo-chan?" His
tone did nothing to help ease her sudden
nervousness. "Tell me."
He took a deep breath and spoke.
"I quit my job today."
"Nani? Why?"
"C'mon Usa, you know it was a
long time coming. The job was taking too
much of my time and even you were becoming
upset that I wasn't as home that much. So I
did what had to be done."
"Demo-"
"That meeting today, I scheduled
it with the board to discuss my hours and
they, unfortunately, remained stubborn in
wanted me to continue as I had been doing
and I told them then the only thing for me to
do would be to resign and I did."
"Iie..." Usagi was stunned to say
the least. She hadn't expected this and she
didn't know what to say. His words flashed
through her mind, 'even you were becoming
upset...' Oh Kami, she hadn't helped in
bringing him to do this, had she? She felt so
selfish at that moment and turned distressed
eyes to Mamoru.
"You can't just resign like that. You
have to go back, you love that job, go back! I
don't mind at all, I don't want to stop you from
doing what you-"
Mamoru grabbed her forearms
gently, to stop her. "Usako, listen, it's okay. I
wanted to resign and I can always work
somewhere else. Besides," he flashed her a
quirky grin, "now we can spend more time
together." He leaned in to kiss her but she
stopped him.
"Mamo-chan, you can't. I don't
want you to-"
"Usa, it's too late now, I gave in
the necessary papers and they won't be
expecting me to come in anymore. Aren't you
happy that you'll at least be seeing me come
home instead of falling asleep, waiting up for
me?"
"I am, but..."
Throughout this time, neither of
them noticed how Jun, becoming bored, had
decided to take a little walk... around their
legs. So he walked around... and around... and
around one more time... and then he sat, on his
hind legs, waiting for his master to come back.
He was not disappointed.
"Jun!" The little boy yelled, pulling
his sister behind him.
Mamoru and Usagi stopped talking
and looked towards the direction of the voice at
the same time Jun decided to run to his master...
at least he tried to.
Usagi felt the leash tighten around her
bare legs and let out a scream as she and Mamoru
fell, Mamoru taking the impact as his wife fell on
him. The dog finding he really *couldn't* run to
his master, padded his way back to the couple and
began sniffing and nudging them.
Mamoru peeked an eye open and
hugged Usagi close to him. "Usako, you okay?"
She raised her head, her hands on his
chest and then slowly rested it back, hearing his
racing heartbeat. "Hai, just a little surprised. Are
you okay? You must have had the wind knocked
out of you. I'm so sorry."
"I'm doing just fine, except for this
dumb dog sniffing my face." He heard her giggle
and tried sitting up. It was quite awkward when
both of their legs were wrapped in Jun's leash.
"Hey Miss, are you alright? I'm sorry
about that, but Jun was just excited to see me," the
boy said.
"It's alright," Usagi said, now laughing,
as she and Mamoru tried to untangle the leash.
"We're fine, no need to be worried."
The boy looked relieved and then
began laughing. "You two looked so funny falling
like that. It was like watching a movie."
"Well, here's the leash, you two
should be on your way. Your parents will be
looking for you," Mamoru said, getting up with
Usagi and handing the leash over.
"Hai, arigato Miss, for taking care of
Jun." The two kids ran off the dog following
behind.
Usagi watched them go, the corners
of her mouth turned up in a small wistful smile.
They were so adorable looking, running off like
that...
"Mamo-chan...." she whispered
softly, her voice full of an emotion that Mamoru
didn't pick up on.
"Hai Usako?"
"Weren't those two children absolutely
adorable?"
"Uh..." Mamoru had no trouble figuring
out what was running through his wife's mind.
"Usako, do you want to-?" At that moment his cell
rang and he reached into his coat pocket to
retrieve it.
"Chiba Mamoru here."
Usagi watched as he talked to the
person on the other line. He made a few faces
making her giggle and then his face became
serious again as he ended the conversation.
"I have to go back to the hospital."
"Doushite? Do they want you back?"
Usagi asked hopefully.
"No, the chair of the board wrote me
an 'exemplary' reference letter, saying I could
use it in my search to find a new job."
"Oh... well that was nice of him."
"Right, whatever. This won't take
long, fifteen minutes at the most. Do you want to
come with me?" he asked.
"Hai, I'll come-"
"Hey Miss!"
The couple turned to see the little
boy and his sister coming towards them with his
parents.
"I wanted my parents to meet you so
here they are!"
Usagi turned to Mamoru with a look
on her face but he leaned over to give her a
lingering kiss. "I'll be back by the time you're
done with them. We'll talk later. Ja ne."
"Ja ne," she replied and watched him
walk away. She turned back to the family, giving
them a polite smile and began talking to them.
A little while later the family had left,
the little boy waving excitedly at her. Usagi
sighed and looked at her watch. 10 minutes had
past and Mamoru had not returned. I guess I'm
giving him ten more until I call him, she thought
and sat back on the bench.
"Usagi-chan, I didn't know you'd be
here," it was Minako walking towards her.
"Hey Minako-chan, what are you doing
here?"
"I needed to get away from my stuffy
office. There was way too much piling up and
just when I was about to scream, one of my
co-workers told me to go for a walk. So here I
am. Now tell me your story."
"I met Mamo-chan here and then he
had to leave and now I'm waiting for him and
getting worried," Usagi said, a frown appearing
on her face.
"Oh, that was... short. What's wrong?"
Minako asked, coming down to sit next to her.
"A lot." Something was beginning to
twist her stomach in knots and she began to feel
nauseous. "It's all very complicated,
Minako-chan and I'm not feeling very good right
now."
"You want me to take you back to your
apartment?"
"H-Hai, I think that would be a good
idea. Let me call Mamo-chan and tell him I'm
going home." They found a pay phone and she
dialed his number. She hung up seconds later.
"They say the number is disconnected."
"Well, he probably turned it off,
c'mon you are not going to drive, your face looks
green."
"Arigato Minako-chan."
Minako drove her back to the
apartment and all along the way, the uneasiness in
Usagi grew. By the time they reached the
apartment, Usagi was sweating and Minako had
noticed.
"Usagi-chan, you're pale and your
hands are all clammy. Are you sure you don't
have a fever or something?"
"I-I don't know, I don't know what's
wrong with me. I just know that something's not
right, something's going to happen and I don't
have any clue as to what it is."
"It'll be alright Usagi-chan. Why
don't you go lie down and I'll stay here a while
until Mamoru-san comes home."
"Hai, do that please," Usagi said as
she lay down on the couch pulling an afghan
over herself. As soon as she had fallen asleep,
Minako picked up the phone and dialed Ami's
home.
"Ami-chan, can you come over to
Mamoru-san and Usagi-chan's place?
Usagi-chan isn't feeling too well and I'm a bit
worried for her. Okay, okay I'll see you in a
few. Ja ne."
Minako paced the apartment for a
bit and then sat down on the love seat picking
up a magazine to read. A while later
someone rang the doorbell and she rushed up
to get the door.
"Hey Ami-chan glad you could...."
she trailed off realizing the person on the other
side was not her friend. He was in uniform... a
policeman. "W-What's going on?"
"Are you Chiba Usagi?"
"Iie, that's my friend, she's sleeping,"
worry laced her voice as she continued, "What's
going on? What's happened? Why are you here?"
"Miss, I have to speak to
Mamoru-kun's wife."
"What's going on Minako-chan?"
Usagi asked, rising from her position.
"Mrs. Chiba? Can I speak to you?"
One of the officers asked, stepping inside.
"H-Hai, what's wrong?"
"This matter concerns your husband...
I think it'd be better for you to sit down."
Usagi's hand clenched at her throat
as all the color left her face. Oh Kami no, she
thought, please, please don't let them say....
"Your husband was killed in a car
accident en route to Tokyo General Hospital.
A truck carrying flammable gas slammed into
the driver side of his car and the car exploded
on impact... We weren't able to contact you
immediately because the body-"
"Stop!" Mina suddenly yelled.
"Leave, leave right now!"
"I'm sorry Miss, but we can't do that.
Mrs. Chiba has to come to the station and-"
"Can't you see she's not able to do
that right now? I'll bring her down later, but
please, leave!"
"Iie, Minako-chan," Usagi
suddenly said in a sing-song voice, "we'll go
with them to the station. Mamo-chan will be
there and we'll just sign some papers and-"
Minako let out a hoarse cry and
shook Usagi lightly. "Iie, don't Usagi-chan,
don't do this. Oh God," she stared into her
friends glazed and unseeing eyes.
"Usagi-chan! Oh God... Usagi-chan."
She whirled around to face the
officer who looked highly uncomfortable. She
stood up and walked to the door motioning
for him to follow. "Tell me all the details,
now!"
"Well, as I said before, the accident-"
"Yes I know about that, but how did
he die?"
"We..." the officer began and then
stopped, taking a different route. "The
explosion was so fierce that when we did
manage to control the flames... we weren't
able to find a body... we believe that his body
had been incinerated completely."
"Oh God," Minako groaned, tears
slipping down her cheeks. She closed her eyes
and then opened them again just as quickly.
"How did you know it was him? It might not
have been, it could have been someone else."
"I'm sorry Miss, but we took the
rear license plate number and tracked its
owner who turned out to be Chiba Mamoru.
We have to get going, please remember to
bring Mrs. Chiba down to the station."
"I will," Minako whispered and
then closed the door. She wiped the tears
from her face and walked back towards
Usagi was gazing at her with a curious
look.
"Did they tell you what time we
would meet Mamo-chan at the station?" she
asked.
Minako had thought she could
control her tears but at Usagi's question she
broke down, falling to sit next to her friend.
"Usagi-chan, stop, onegai, stop! Mamoru-san
won't be meeting us, don't you understand?"
"No, I don't. That man was cruel
to say that Mamo-chan was dead. He isn't, he
can't die Minako-chan, don't you see? We
still have our whole lives to live out; we
have Crystal Tokyo to rule, we have to have
Chibi-Usa, we have to do so much. Of
course he isn't dead, Minako-chan, how
can you believe such a thing?" Usagi
cocked her head at her questioningly.
"Stop it Usagi-chan! Stop it!"
Minako screamed suddenly, her cheeks
completely wet. "Stop acting this way
Usagi-chan. Cry, scream, hit me... but don't
fool yourself with such fantasy, please
Usagi-chan. I'm sorry, but... Mamoru-san
is... dead. Kami... what are we going to
do?"
Usagi awoke late into the morning
the next day. Her eyes felt scratchy and dry
and Lord knew how red they were. She
stared up at the ceiling, still unbelieving at
what all had happened. After Minako had
made that declaration she felt as though she
had taken one step off a cliff. That feeling
of breathlessness had engulfed her and she
began to gasp for air, clutching her throat.
And then the impact had hit and the feeling
was the same as having one side of your
heart paralyzed.
An emptiness had pervaded her
body and it was then that the tears had
begun to fall and they hadn't stopped. She
had gotten up from the sofa, ignoring her
friend, gone to the bedroom and fallen to
the bed, holding a pillow underneath her.
Minako had called everyone, the Senshi, her
friends and parents and they had all come
over, trying to comfort her. But it was
useless and they had become worried
because when she had cried, she had made
no sound. The tears had just coursed down
her cheeks, never stopping.
The Inner Senshi had taken her to
the station where she listlessly signed papers,
not even bothering to read any of the
documents. The tears had stopped during that
time but as soon as they had entered the
apartment and the scent of roses had engulfed
her, as they always did, she had begun to cry
again. Her parents had tried to convince her
to stay in her old house but she refused to
leave and had closed herself in the bedroom.
And now here she was. She had no
idea when she had fallen asleep nor did she
care. All she wanted to do was close her eyes
and open them to see Mamoru sleeping next to
her. She followed through with her thoughts
but when she turned her head upon opening
them, there was no one beside her... no one.
He wasn't lying there, snoring quietly, his
dark bangs falling over his head. Bangs she
would always brush away whenever she
could with a kiss... He would never lie next
to her again. She was alone.
A quiet knock on the door caused
her to turn her head but she didn't answer it.
She didn't want to see anyone nor did she
want to do anything. She just wanted to...
lie here... alone.
"Usagi-chan..."
Her gaze shifted to the right to
see Rei standing in the doorway.
"Do you want to talk?"
Usagi didn't answer, only turned
her eyes back to stare at the ceiling once
again.
"Usagi-chan, please don't block
me out. Don't do this to yourself."
"And what am I supposed to
say?" Usagi suddenly asked. "That I don't
feel like living because I'm missing a part
of my soul? That I feel like I've been
cheated out of living a happy life? That *I*
should have been in that car with
Mamo-chan so that we could have died
together instead of me being left behind to
live miserably?"
"And then what about us
Usagi-chan?" Rei asked angrily coming to
stand beside the bed. "What would we have
done if you had gone into that car? We
would have found ourselves suddenly
bereft of our leaders, our future King and
Queen. How would *we* have survived
without you?"
"You guys know you'd be fine
without me," Usagi replied flatly.
"Minako-chan is, after all, second-in-
command after me. You all would have
survived."
"No we wouldn't. We wouldn't
because we need you. You are what holds
us together, you are our support, our
leader... our best friend. I'm... I'm sorry
about Mamoru-san, I know I can't say that
I know how it feels because I don't, demo...
Usagi-chan, I don't think he would want
you to be like this, he wouldn't want you
to die just for him, he-"
"Shut up!" Usagi suddenly
screamed, sitting up so suddenly, Rei had
to take a step back. "Shut up! How dare
you even think what Mamo-chan would
say or feel in a situation like this. You
don't know him! You never knew him, not
like I did! You don't know how I feel!
How could you? You've never
experienced love like-" She broke off
suddenly when Rei's face turned pale. The
priestess ran from the room, slamming the
door shut behind her.
"Oh God," Usagi moaned, falling
back against the pillows. The tears began to
fall again and she curled sideways into a
ball. Just as quickly she got up off the bed.
She stood looking down at the pillows for a
few minutes before grabbing one and then
throwing it with all her strength towards
the dresser table.
Bottles of perfume, make-up, and
accessories of the like flew everywhere,
some crashing to the floor. She heard feet
running to her door but didn't care. She
grabbed another pillow and turned to her
left to swipe it at the night table next to the
bed. The bedside lamp sitting there fell to
the floor with a resounding thud just as the
door opened.
"Usagi-chan! What are you
doing?" Someone yelled out but she didn't
care who it was. She swiped the pillow at
the walls where various frames hung and
they fell to the floor, some breaking.
"Stop it Usagi-chan!"
A hand reached out to restrain
her but she moved away and finally
acknowledged the people in the room, the
Senshi.
"Why did he have to leave me?"
she yelled. "I hate him! I hate him! He
betrayed me by leaving me here like this! I
love him, but he left me!" she screamed,
tears blurring her vision. They were angry
tears; anger at having lost the one she
loved the most.
"He should have never left me
in the park!" she gasped, her chest heaving.
"He should have never gone to the hospital!
I hate him! God, why did he have to leave
me?" she yelled, finally falling to her
knees on the carpeted floor.
Two pairs of arms wrapped
around her but she kept her eyes closed, her
hoarse sobs the only sound in the bedroom
as the others looked on.
"I love him so much," she finally
whispered.
June 29th, 2000 11:00 p.m.
Usagi entered the dark apartment
quietly. She closed the door and slipping off
her shoes, she went to the sofa and lay down
not bothering to turn on any lights.
It had almost been a week. It
would be a week tomorrow, actually. A week
since she'd received the biggest blow ever
dealt. She closed her eyes tightly and willed
herself not to cry as the pain washed over her
again. Would it ever stop? A part of her said
yes, everyone moves on, but a bigger part said
no, the pain would always be there, reminding
her of who was no longer a part of her life.
She turned over to her side so that
she was facing the living room. Everything
was so quiet; she was quiet, the furniture was
quiet, the air was quiet... she smiled slightly
at the direction of her thoughts. Any stranger
listening in would have though her a nutcase
thinking the *air* was quiet.
But it was... to her.
It was much different when she had
been with her friends just a few hours earlier.
They had taken her out to dinner, starting her
birthday celebration early even though she
knew what their intentions were. They had
wanted to distract her, to have fun with them
all night so that she wouldn't have to wake
up to her first birthday without Mamoru.
After the dinner they had wanted to
go to the local carnival but she had pleaded a
headache and despite their protests and
worried looks, she had gone home.
How could she celebrate? It was
just too soon in her mind to have any 'fun'.
She still needed time. What had she
overheard Mako-chan say? Ah yes, she was
wounded where it hurt the most. And it did
hurt... painfully.
Her eyelids began to feel heavy and
she tried her best to keep them open. So
tired she thought. And so very weary.
Usagi awoke with a start, feeling
disoriented but alert at the same time. Her
body was tingling all over as if in
anticipation of something. But what? she
wondered, getting up on one elbow.
A slight breeze caught her attention
and she saw that the balcony door was
slightly open. Strange, she thought, I don't
remember opening the door. The curtain
nearest the door flapped a little, confirming
that *someone* had opened that door.
She got up with a small sense of
alarm and cautiously headed toward the
balcony, her hand inside her pocket
clutching the brooch she always carried.
Out of the corner of her eye she noticed the
time on the digital clock of the microwave.
It was 11:54 p.m.
She slid the door open a little wider
and slipped through looking around. Seeing
nothing or no one she moved out further out
onto the balcony, her palms becoming
sweaty.
There was no one out there, that
much was obvious. Luna was staying with
Artemis at Minako's place so Usagi knew it
wasn't her.
But she could feel a certain presence,
a presence so heartbreakingly familiar, that
tears sprung up at the corners of her eyes. It
was the rising of goose bumps on her arm, the
speeding up of her heartbeat, and the
breathlessness... oh yes, she knew this
sensation all too well.
"Mamo-chan?"
The night wind was her only answer
and she brushed the tears away, sniffing
slightly. Of course, she thought, who was
going to answer her? An owl? She called
herself a baka silently for looking like
such a fool.
But oh, how she wished...
From one of the apartments next to
her, music from a radio drifted to her ears.
It was an American song, she realized, and
when the part of the chorus came, a sudden
shiver traveled down her spine.
Oh Kami...
The words....
I wanna be with you
If only for one night... to be the one who's
in your arms who holds you tight
I wanna be with you
There's nothing more to say,
There's nothing else I want more than to
feel this way.
I wanna be with you...
Oh God, she thought, gripping the
railing tightly. The lyrics... they fit so well...
it was almost too coincidental to be true...
Her body stilled as the grandfather clock
in the living room struck twelve, it's chimes
heavy and deep.
A sharp, cold wind blew around her
and she stepped back from the railing, afraid.
She heard a tinkling sound and looked down...
and nearly shrieked. Sparkles swirled
around her like fairy dust and starting from
her feet, they swirled around her and traveled
up and before her amazed eyes, her clothes
were transformed into a sheer white dress...
with wings!
Usagi covered her mouth with her
hands and whirled around to look at her
reflection in the balcony doors. Before she
could even get a good look at herself she
was lifted high up into the air at an incredible
speed.
She didn't even have a chance to let
out a scream when she suddenly stopped,
high above the city, bright stars surrounding
her. There were no clouds in sight and the
moon was full, beautiful in all its glory.
"Kami..." she breathed in amazement.
She had to be dreaming, none of this was
possible, it couldn't be real! What was she
doing up in the night sky with wings? It was
all so very unrealistic.
She blinked and in a flash she was
on solid ground again, but not at the
apartment, no, now she was in what looked
to be the center of downtown Tokyo. It was
a big square with a fountain in its middle, a
small playground off to the side and many
trees. It was busy no matter what time of
day, cars bustling around it and people
walking through it everyday.
But now it was as though time had
stopped. No one... and nothing... was moving.
Everything had been stopped in mid-motion.
It was as though someone had pressed the
pause button on the VCR and what she was
seeing before her very eyes was the result
of it.
"Happy Birthday Usako."
Usagi froze at the voice
immediately, her muscles tensing up. Now
she knew that she was imagining all of this.
She was probably lying in her bed, dreaming
all of this; there could be no other logical
explanation.
And personally, she didn't want
this dream.
"I will not turn around, I will not
turn around," she whispered to herself,
closing her eyes. "I am dreaming, I will
wake up and above all I will not turn
around."
She heard a male chuckle and
squeezed her eyes even tighter.
"Believe what you want to
believe, Usako but I'm not going away."
The voice fell silent and then spoke
again. "Turn around, my love."
The command nearly undid her.
She felt so strung at hearing this voice...
*his* voice. After all that she had been
through, what had she done to deserve
this? Hearing his voice was something
she had dreamed of every night without
fail this past week. And now that she
was hearing it, she didn't want to. She
didn't want any disillusionment.
"I-I don't want to... I can't. I just
can't!" she finally replied, her voice
cracking.
"Are you afraid?"
"Yes!" she cried, "I'm afraid... I'm
afraid to see..." she turned around against
her mind's protests, opening her eyes,
"you," she finished helplessly.
And there he stood, alive. So very
much alive from what she could see. And
still so very good looking. Her eyes
hungrily devoured him. She was sure her
heart had missed a few beats. No one else
could cause that kind of reaction...
except Mamoru.
He was wearing his Tuxedo
Kamen outfit, the midnight black tuxedo,
the pristine white shirt underneath, and
the mask through which she could see
his eyes. Those oh so beautiful blue
eyes.
"You are not real," she said
slowly, meeting his eyes finally.
"I am," he took a step closer
towards her. "Why don't you try and see?"
He took her hand but in a movement that
surprised both of them she snatched it
back.
But Usagi could not deny it. In
that one brief moment, she had felt
warmth. There was no denying the fact
that when he had picked up her hand,
what she had felt was flesh and blood.
But it was just... so... difficult.
"Doushite?"
He looked confused at her question.
"Why are you here?" she asked.
His face eased into a smile and he
took another step forward as she willed
herself not to take a step back.
"Like I said before, Usa, happy
birthday," he replied calmly.
"Stop playing with me! I-I don't
understand!"
"You couldn't have forgotten that
today is your birthday?" he asked teasingly.
Her mind was whirling with
confusion and she really, really wanted to
sit down. "Today? But it's only..." and then
she remembered the clock striking twelve,
the 29th had now become the 30th... her
birthday.
"You are 22 now Usako and it is
time for you to step up and become
Queen."
"Nani? How? Why now?"
"Do you not remember, during
the time of the Dark Moon, when my
future self told us at what age you
became Queen? The King had said 22.
Can you remember?"
"Iie... I can't." Usagi pressed a
hand to her forehead turned around, not
wanting to face her husband. She was
going to be a Queen... now! She knew
that she would have to become a ruler
one day but this just seemed to come
up so suddenly. Why had her memory
failed her in remember something so
important and especially at a time like
this?
Why hadn't she remembered
what Mamoru had just told her? She
pressed her hand tighter to her head. The
pulsing headache she was experiencing
was not helping the situation.
When his arms came around her
from behind, she was startled but she
didn't resist. How could she? They were
arms that she had longed to feel around
her so much. They belonged to a person
she loved, a person she could not,
would not, turn away from.
"I cannot say I know how you
feel, Usako," he said, his lips right next
to her ear. "I myself can only imagine
what kind of emotions you are
experiencing right now. I'm sorry this
is so tough for you."
"But why did you have to die?"
she whispered, her hand falling to cover
his own, her eyes looking straight ahead
of her at the still forms of people and
cars. "How did you come back? And
how did *you* remember all of this?"
"I honestly have no answer. I
don't know how I came to attain this
realization that it is time for a new
transformation. All I do remember is
seeing that truck from the corner of
my eye..." she closed her eyes as he
broke off and then began again
hoarsely, "and knowing that I was
going to die... and that I never got to
say I love you one last time. I think it
was the last thought that crossed my
mind.
"I remember..." he took a
deep breath and continued, "I
remember being engulfed in a bright
light and having no feeling
whatsoever of my body or of my
environment. Then the light became
softer and before I knew it I was
materializing with you right in front
of me, just a few minutes ago. And
now, here I am in the form of Tuxedo
Kamen, for what reason, I have no
idea."
"So you had no sense of time
because a week has passed since...
your death. Incredible."
"Hai, there are many things
not of this world that we are very
unaware of. Demo... I'm filled with
this underlying sense of realization
that our time has come. Usako... I
believe it is time for a new era."
They stayed silent for a
moment until Usagi spoke up.
"So what do we do now?"
She let him turn her around and
placed her hands on his chest as she
looked up into his face.
"We start our new life. I'm
sorry I let you down, Usako," he
answered and slowly bent his head to
capture her lips. A soft sigh escaped
her as his lips moved over hers and a
shiver ran through her body. It was
very weird, she thought, to be kissed
by someone who you thought was dead.
But Mamoru wasn't dead, her
mind sang, he was alive and the proof of
it was this feeling of pure energy she
was receiving from his kiss.
She had been sure she would
never feel his lips against hers ever
again. And she never wanted to
experience anything like that again.
"You never let me down,
Mamo-chan. I... I just don't ever want to
let you go," she said in between their
kisses, her arms sliding to his back to
pull him closer.
"Oh God, Usako, I won't let
you go. I love you so much, I can't let
you go." His hands came up to cup her
face and he waited for her to open her
eyes. "There's a part of me that realizes
I had died and that I had lost all contact
with you and I want to make sure I
don't ever have to feel this way again." He
kissed her again, more deeply and then
broke away.
She watched as he brought a
rose between them and after brushing
his lips against hers once more, she
watched with widened eyes as those
same lips brushed against the soft, red
petals. He held her gaze as he flung the
rose away from them sharply.
They both turned their heads to
see that its razor sharp tip had imbedded
itself in the cement ground of the square.
"This is where our new home will
be; in the middle of the city," Mamoru
said, "starting from that rose."
"Home? You mean... the Crystal
Palace?"
"I do. Watch..." His arm curled
around her waist and he pointed to the
rose. "The moon is full tonight," he
whispered. "And they say that miracles
occur on nights like this."
"They do," she breathed and
with a gasp she watched as the same
sparkling dust that had surrounded her
earlier, fell from the sky and onto the
rose.
Then, from that single rose
stem, more roses sprouted quickly until
they covered a big area in the square. A
slight rumbling shook the ground and
Usagi gripped onto Mamoru as he smiled
reassuringly at her.
"It's okay, you'll see."
Then from the center of the roses,
the ground split open and before Usagi's
amazed eyes, a structure rose from the
Earth. The rumbling grew louder and she
watched as the structure towered high in
the air, its walls sparkling in the moonlight.
The rumbling stopped and the
Earth stood still once more as Usagi took
a step forward, her arm outstretched.
"The Crystal Palace... oh my
God..."
She faltered and Mamoru rushed
forward and swung her into his arms. She
craned her neck up to look at the
immense height of their future home.
"Shinje nai... the time is here.
Mamo-chan... it *is* time... our time."
"Are you ready Usako?" he asked
searching her eyes. He was satisfied with
what he saw there. There was a new light,
not just love but a renewed vigor for life.
"Put me down and I'll tell you,"
she replied saucily.
He chuckled and let her down.
"That's the Usako I've been looking for." He
pulled her to him and hugged her close,
savoring just the feel of her.
Usagi was doing the same. She wanted
to shout to the world how happy she was
when she could hear Mamoru’s heartbeat
through his tuxedo. It was the final proof
that he was alive, that he was going to
stay alive.
She closed her eyes in pure bliss
and inhaled deeply. How I missed this,
she thought. You never realized how much
you needed the little things like this
until they were taken from you. The
simple act of him just holding her was
slowly restoring the lost half of her
soul. It was... healing. She shifted
slightly and looked up at Mamoru.
"Seriously Mamo-chan, we have
a huge responsibility ahead of us."
"Hai, you do."
The two turned around quickly
at the new voice. Sailor Pluto stood
there, her staff gleaming brightly.
"My King, my Queen," she said
kneeling.
"Sailor Pluto! There's no need-"
Usagi started to say, flustered.
"But there is," the Senshi
replied, standing once more. "The
world will start again as soon as you
will it and from there the Senshi will
arrive to stand by your side. Changes
will take place but you along with
Endymion will handle them, one by
one. I wish you the best of luck. I cannot
stay here but you only need but to call
me for assistance."
"Sailor Pluto, matte!" Mamoru
said quickly. "Did you know about all of
this? The timing of me quitting... my
dying right after? Was it all just a test
for Usako?"
"I cannot say, King. But know
that I would never let my Queen suffer
along."
Then with wind swirling around
her she started to fade but before she
disappeared completely, she smiled
slightly.
"Happy Birthday... Usagi-chan,"
was the last thing the two heard before
she was gone.
The two turned back to look at
the palace and then Usagi turned to
Mamoru.
"I'm ready," she said with a
determined look. "I'm ready to become
Queen and I'm ready to take hold of
this new life with whatever it might
bring. Are *you* ready, Mamo-chan?"
"What a question to ask,
Usako," Mamoru scolded lightly, "I
will always be ready, now and...
forever."
He brought up her hand and
brushed his lips against her knuckles
as she watched with a lump in her
throat.
"I've missed you, love," she
said quietly.
"No longer, Usako. Never
will you have to be alone again. Now
let's begin."
"Sou."
And they faced the still world
and in an instant it was moving once
more albeit with newer challenges and
trials than before.
"I love you Mamo-chan."
"Aisheteru Usako."
But everything would be all
right. That much was certain.
~*~*The End*~*~
And that was my Usa-Day fic. Was it
understandable? Tell me what you thought,
I'd luv to hear from you all. Next up...
something... I don't even have a title to
give you guys! -_-0 But you'll see my
next work soon enough... I hope. Bye
bye!
Patch:-)(-:
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