Hey there people! Well thanks to everyone who's read and
supported the story. I love you all! Thank you to every
person who has tried to help me in the process of this
story in anyway!
R - I guess.
I make no claims to owning Sailormoon.
WARNING:
This story is way into the alternate reality point.
Be prepared for something very different. It starts
out with Rei but Usagi and Mamoru are in this story.
This fic is completely different and some of the
things you may read are for more mature readers so
I am warning you to stop reading this story if you
are not the appropriate age or maturity for it. This
will contain some sexual content but it is NOT a lemon.
Ages may be different among other things.
Another turning point;
a fork stuck in the road.
Time grabs you by the wrist;
directs you where to go.
So make the best of this test
and don't ask why.
It's not a question
but a lesson learned in time
It's something unpredictable
but in the end it's right.
I hope you had the time of your life.
So take the photographs
and still frames in your mind.
Hang it on a shelf
of good health and good time.
Tattoos of memories
and dead skin on trial.
For what it's worth,
it was worth all the while.
It's something unpredictable
but in the end it's right.
I hope you had the time of your life.
-Green Day (Listen to this song)
Time of Your Life (Chapter Six)
By: JLaLa (jlynpinay@aol.com)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~@~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~@~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~@~~~~~~~
Mamoru Chiba realized that his family was different from the moment
he was born. His mother, Tamlyn was a beautiful young women no older
than in her late twenties. Why she had tied herself to someone like
his father he never knew.
His father, Toru was the complete opposite. He was tall with such a
strongly built body that when the man did approach him Mamoru hid
quickly near his mother whose kindly presence comforted him. Toru
was built like a bull and next to his petite mother she resembled
a child bride.
However at nights even when he was as young he heard the fighting.
The yelling and his mother's loud, desperate sobs. He knew never
to interrupt even if he heard the sharp crack of someone being
hit.
It's hard to believe that a child of two can remember but Mamoru's
memory was long and sharp. His mother knew that he would be a smart
boy and make his parents proud. Toru never noticed him, he was
always gone which was fine with him because than it was only
mother and son.
"Honey, I have something to tell you", Tamlyn told her son one day.
"I'm going to have another baby" She patted her swollen stomach and
the boy looked at her with curious dark eyes.
"Baby?", He asked and his mother took his hand so that he could quietly
touch his soon to be born little sister. "Ohh" Walking away he came
back with a small music box and pressed a small button. A comforting
melody played and he placed it near Tamlyn.
"You want the baby to listen?", She said and smiled. "My sweet boy"
The door slammed and she turned off the music.
"You're spoiling him Tamlyn", Toru sneered. "I don't know how we can
afford another one. The one we have already is useless" Mamoru sat
quietly but he knew what was being said.
"These children are your heirs", Tamlyn said. "They will make the
family grow and be prosperous like it once was" The Chibas were once a
wealthy family, Toru had bought Tamlyn as his bride but stupid decisions
and hard setbacks made them lose much of what they had. Toru was bitter,
not use to the contentment of a simple life.
He however was also not listening to his wife.
He was already on his third drink.
***********************************************************************
Rei Chiba was born on the first dawning after her parents wedding
anniversary. Toru seeing that the baby was a girl quickly drew
himself away from the hospital room and into a nearby bar. Tamlyn
on the other hand could not suppress her joy and as her best friend
Hana visited with Mamoru she sobbed happily.
"Wei?", Mamoru said and kissed his sister's small head. The tuft of
black hair was soft and her skin smelt of powder. He looked at his
mother and felt something different.
It was happiness.
It was HOPE.
***********************************************************************
Mamoru was three when the realization of his parents' fights hit him.
Rei had just turned one and the year had be a hardship for all of them.
His darling little sister had gotten sick, she had gotten some sort of
infection and then was hit by a chronic cold. It had drained their
savings and Toru was not happy of course.
"Goddamnit! I can't keep shoving money into the hospital for this
child", Toru said angrily to his wife who was sobbing. Mamoru stood
in the shadow watching in fear of what he would do in desperation.
"It's her or me"
"How can you be so cold? It is not her fault that she's sick", Tamlyn
argued. "She's only a baby, other than this we've had no problems with
her"
"I'M TIRED OF YOUR EXCUSES!", He yelled and threw a glass at the wall
in anger. Both mother and son flinched. "Do something about her or
else"
Mamoru ran into his sister's room and quickly put a small blanket
over her. Than as quietly and carefully as he could Mamoru also donned
a tiny hat on her head and little socks on her feet. Than silently
closed her window. He couldn't let them do this to her. Listening to
his sister breath he kissed her hand.
"I'll take care of you", He pronouced and sat in the rocking chair
near her. That's where Tamlyn found him in the morning. Sleeping
protectively near her.
************************************************************************
"HOW COULD YOU?!" The yelling awoke Mamoru and he quickly edged near
his door to listen. They were at it again and a trickle of fear fell
over him like all their fights did. "SHE'S OUR DAUGHTER!"
He froze and rushing to the nursery Mamoru almost burst into tears.
She was gone.
His precious little sister was gone. His eyes burned and he took the
blanket that was in the crib and held it. How lonely and sad he felt
just smelling the scent and remembering that Rei use to sleep in there.
"These people were offering good money to take her, she'll be put in
an orphanage they could feed her and cloth her and we can't", Toru argued.
Mamoru rushed over to his mother's side and hiding his face in her leg
let small tears fall. "Look at the one we have now. A baby."
"Mamoru will be just fine", She said with tears in her eyes. "But even
if we couldn't give Rei the finest things we could've given her love,
that's all anyone needs to survive" Tamlyn looked at him angrily. "Maybe
everyone but YOU and you know what you can get the hell out of my
house"
"Your house?", Toru countered.
"Yes, I'm the one who sold everything of value I had including my
mother's antique ring for this house so it is MY house", She said
and Mamoru saw that his mother's face glowed, the look in her eyes
strong, ethereal. "Now I said GET OUT"
"If that's the way you want it than I'll give it to you", Toru said and
came closer to Tamlyn who crossed her arms glaring. "I should've never
knocked you up" Taking his jacket he quickly walked down the stairs
and slammed the door as he walked out.
That was the last time Mamoru ever saw his father.
She took Mamoru's hand and quickly led him to her room. Grabbing a
suitcase she quickly threw anything that had been Toru's. Mamoru
quickly started to help.
"As soon as I can I'll find Rei and we'll get her back somehow", Tamlyn
said rushingly as she threw clothes in the suitcase. "I won't let my
child think that no one wanted her, I won't" As soon as it was full
she put one last thing in the case, her wedding ring. Kneeling to
her son's height she grasped his shoulders in desperation with tears
in her eyes. "Promise me, don't close your heart out to anyone, don't
act like the world around you isn't there, most of all don't be like
him, love can only give you a certain amount of chances before giving
up, I gave myself away easily not waiting for the right person and look
where I am, my fate won't be yours" She kissed him on the forehead
crying. "Just promise me baby"
"I promise mommy", He answered and Tamlyn held him till he was asleep
in her arms.
***********************************************************************
In time Tamlyn was able to erase the memory of Toru from Mamoru's mind,
however she knew that inside there would always be that small inkling
of him. It would hard to explain to others why his mother was raising
him alone. Getting a job as a cashier at a department store kept them
comfortable and not homeless, the money they earned went into searches
for Rei. Officials said there were almost a million orphanages she
could be in, possibly not even in this country. Mamoru watched his
mother struggle through a depression over the bills and the loneliness
of each day.
Then one day they got a letter.
His father was dead.
He was thirteen and his mother was nearing her thirtieth birthday. The
bastard didn't call them once in ten years and now he was dead. Tamlyn
coming from her new office job recieved the letter via delivery, Toru
had died in a car accident, he had fallen asleep on the wheel. Mamoru
walking in moments later saw his mother sitting in the kitchen so
completely still he thought that she had frozen somehow. Her face was
pale and her newly bobbed hair was dishelved.
"Mom, what's wrong?", He asked her concerned and took her hand.
"Mamoru honey, your father...he's dead", Tamlyn said and looked at him
sadly. It must have hurt him to know that his own father never gave a
damn about him to his death. "I'm sorry sweetie" She hugged and he
pulled quickly from the embrace.
"No..no..I'm okay", Mamoru said quickly. "He was always dead to me"
She looked at him with his round dark eyes and the hair that always
fell in his eyes. He was skinny and Toru would've never liked that.
However Mamoru was hard and hardly allowed himself if ever to show
emotion, only to his mother did he show happiness, sadness, or
anything else to.
Except now.
"Don't lie to me, it's okay", She said and took him in her arms. He
was still her little boy. "You can cry"
"Why would I cry over that bastard?!", He said loudly. "He never gave
a damn about me, SO WHY SHOULD I GIVE A DAMN ABOUT HIM?!" Mamoru suddenly
burst into tears in her arms. "Why didn't he love me? What did I do wrong?"
He felt that he was betraying himself, he had become what he thought
his father would be proud of and somewhere in his heart Mamoru hoped
that his father would come back. If he saw how Mamoru wasn't a
whimpering baby he might've stayed. And now he was gone.
"Nothing", Tamlyn replied. "Your father was a cruel man to not see how
strong and brave you are, look what he did to us, we lost Rei because of
him, don't you EVER change Mamoru. Don't let what he thought of you
make you change. You understand?"
"Yeah" He nodded and gave her a small smile though it pained him.
"Let's go out for some sushi?"
She smiled at him and ruffled the gawky teenage boy's hair. "Okay"
***********************************************************************
"I think that maybe we should go for the granite design", Tamlyn
explained to a co-worker as they walked up the stairs. Three years
had passed and she was almost in halfway through her thirties. How
time passed. Moving to a designing company she rose to become a CEO
of the company and was able to pay the mortgage to the house saving
enough to let Mamoru go to college if he chose. Her son was halfway
through high school, he had grown so quickly and she could no longer
cradle him for he was inches above her. Mamoru was such a handsome boy
now, he looked very much like her father. Tamlyn smiled to herself and
let the contentment seep in her.
"Are you sure?", The man asked. "I mean don't you think it's kind of
dull?"
"We're designing a law firm not Chuck-E-Cheese", She responded and
suddenly a dizziness fell over her. The room was spinning and she
sat on the stairs breathing heavily. Her co-worker held her up as
she gulped her breaths.
"What's wrong Tami?", He asked and looked around. "SOMEBODY CALL AN
AMBULANCE!" Another person came rushing over to help her up. What
was wrong?
"I can't breathe", She cried and the last thought she had before
passing out was of her son.
************************************************************************
"Mom?", Mamoru said walking to the bed she laid in. It broke his
heart to see her connected to so many tubes and that her face had
gone completely white. "Are you okay?"
"I'm alright", She whispered and inhaled heavily. "My boy..."
She smoothed his hair and smiled. Her eyelids felt so heavy.
"What's wrong?", Mamoru asked.
"It started about a year ago, I'd sometimes get very tired all of a
sudden and I'd have horrible migranes. It was no big deal but I went
to the doctor to get it checked and he said that maybe I should have
some tests taken. We had no money and I knew I'd be okay so I refused.
Then my fingers felt numb sometimes and my nose bled. My hair started
thinning...I thought it was just me getting old" She took another breath
and sighed shakily with tears in her eyes. "But I'm sick, very sick
Mamoru"
"What did the doctor say?", He asked with his lips pressed together.
"It's cancer, full blown cancer", Tamlyn said. "They can't do nothing
now, it's too late"
"What didn't you tell me?", Mamoru said through tears. "I could've
helped!" He laid on her chest. "You can't leave too"
"They said that I'm lucky I had so much this strength for this long,
it must have thinned out my time, baby it won't be long, maybe a month",
Tamlyn told him. "I'm not going anywhere even if I'm not with you, I'm
still watching you, still loving you...you and Rei" Tamlyn began to cry.
"When you find her tell her I was a good woman baby, tell her I did my
best to find her and I love her so much, my little girl, sweet Rei..."
She held his hand. "Promise me you'll find her, please"
"Of course, anything for you"
************************************************************************
A month passed and approaching her thirty-fourth birthday Tamlyn
weakened each day. Hana visited her and Mamoru practically lived
at the hospital. He had left school for awhile but it didn't matter.
Before long Tamlyn couldn't walk and together they would sometimes
watch the sunset through the hospital window. To him she was still
lovely and he hoped that his young sister had her features, Rei was
fourteen now. Almost a grown woman.
"Honey, I'm getting tired", Tamlyn told him weakly from her bed one
afternoon. "Time is passing so slowly for me" He sat next to her. "I'm
dying"
"No, not yet", He said and the tears filled his eyes.
"It is part of life, I accept it, I'm not running away, not anymore",
Tamlyn whispered and her eyes were so faraway. "I miss my parents, I
can almost see them waiting for me, you know my mother always smelt
like roses and when I was young I'd hug her every chance I got just
feel that warmth, that scent" She gathered him in a hug. "I wanna go"
"Why do you wanna leave?", Mamoru asked.
"The pain is fading and I can feel the light, they're calling" Tamlyn
closed her eyes and memories flashed before her. Her parents telling
her a story...playing with her friends...falling in love for the first
time...her marriage to Toru...the first time he had ever said he loved
her...her children... "I love you baby"
"I love you mom", He said as his lips trembled.
"Life is so beautiful, my life was so beautiful because of you and Rei,
I'll tell God that I got two great kids down here, oh how I hate to not
hold you anymore", She said and a tear fell. "But I did my best, I did"
"You did a great job", Mamoru said. She smiled and her face was
enchanting, glowing.
"I'm beautiful again", She whispered and her breath faded. "I'm
beautiful..." Her eyes closed and the sun set slowly.
"You were always beautiful", He said before kissing her forehead.
Quietly he left the room.
************************************************************************
He had graduated with honors just like his mother wished. Mamoru
however now at nineteen felt that college was not what he wanted
and chose to instead to take a job in a local warehouse near his
house. Going into nearby store he felt his head begin to ache, after
the death of his mother he began to have them. Hana who Mamoru lived
with till his eighteenth year with told him that were caused by his
refusal to let his feelings out. Shaking his head as he bought a
bottle of asprin Mamoru waved to Mr.Hoshi who owned the store.
"Mamoru, you not feeling well?", The man said concerned and looked at
the bottle. "Ackk! Cheap brand, since I like you I'll get you the best
brand and sell it to you half-price"
"Thanks, that would be nice", Mamoru replied and the man went to fetch
it from the back storage.
That was when he saw her.
She was laughing and he looked as if her whole face had lit up in joy.
Her long blonde hair fell in a lovely wave and her eyes...how sweet
they were. Mamoru had never seen anyone like her. The girl was leaning
against the counter and talking to a customer who was obviously
charmed.
He knew that she would change his life.
The girl left the counter and removed her apron. Taking her bag from
behind the register she waved to Mr.Hoshi who coming from the storage
and passed him as she left. Her hair smell of...roses. It reminded her
of his mother. Buying it quickly he walked out of the store to see her
crossing the street, a smile on her face as she turned the corner and
disappeared.
Mamoru felt a longing, something he couldn't understand.
Somehow he had to get to know her.
************************************************************************
The next week he had decided to slowly talk to her. Walking over to
the counter he placed a can of his favorite dried apricots. Hoping to
take a glance at her sweet face Mamoru found that she avoided gazing at
anyone and that her face seemed swollen, a little bruised up.
"Good choice", She remarked in a kind voice. "That'll be-" He quickly
and nervously put the correct change on the counter. Handing the can
to him their eyes met. Her head tilted quizzically and he saw how
beautifully her hair fell. "Do I know you?" He panicked thinking that
she knew that he watched her. "It's like...I met you somewhere..."
"I've been here before", He said shyly. "You just never noticed"
"Oh" That was all she could say. Mamoru feeling foolish quickly left
the store and tried to open his door when she came running towards
him. The tumble of gold he loved so flew around her and covered parts
of her face.
"...You forgot something", She said and he couldn't help it.
He pushed the soft hair from that cream and peaches face. Mamoru felt
as he was falling.
"Thanks", The beauty told him and he nodded. Quickly he jumped in his
car hoping to see her one more time.
************************************************************************
The cold night air never fazed him and Mamoru walked through the
streets alone when he heard the sad cries from an alley. The girl
in her jean jacket sobbed and his heart broke, it sounded oddly
familiar. Looking up at him he gasped at the face.
It was her.
"Mamoru-" He cut her off as his lips met hers. Mamoru felt himself
out of control and something else in him took over. The rain fell
and their eyes met and that one moment changed it all. As he took
her innocence away she cried silently and his heart broke. Time
stopped for him.
And suddenly it came crashing back.
"I'm so sorry", He cried and scrambled to fix himself. She however
seemed greatly calm. "I don't know what happened, I didn't know what
I was doing-I'm SO sorry" The girl only looked at him worriedly. "I'm
such an idiot"
"It's okay", She replied unfazed. "We just pretend nothing happened"
Was she insane? They sat on the ground together.
"Did you know what I did?", Mamoru questioned her and she hugged her
knees innocently and her wet hair made her looked like a small faerie.
"This was your first time, wasn't it?" Her family would have her
arrested.
Surprisingly she took his hand and smiled enchantingly at him.
Then she said something he could never forget.
"I knew from the moment I saw you that you would change my life. It
doesn't matter if I never see you again or if I'm not in love with
you, I will always remember this moment. The romance of it and your
face", She told him softly and got up. "I've got to go"
"Will I ever see you again?", Mamoru asked and the girl looked at him
slyly. He couldn't help but smile.
"Maybe, maybe not", She responded. "I like to have a little mystery
to myself" He laughed. Beautiful and funny. "It might just complicate
things--and I don't want to fall in love with anyone" It was true,
in honest truth he didn't want to fall in love, not now.
"Neither do I", He replied quietly, Mamoru felt let down however for it
was one in a million where you met a girl like her. An innocent but at
the same time so cunningly enchantress-like that it was hard to forget
her and even harder to not fall in her. Mamoru didn't want anyone, he'd
just mess up like his father and when it'd get to hard he like his father
would probably run away.
"I'll see you around", Usagi said suddenly and turned to go.
"Wait-" He found himself calling out to her and she turned around
her hair swinging with her. Her eyes burned into him curious and
perplexed at why he wasn't leaving her alone. "What's your name?"
"Usagi Tsukino" Interesting, beautiful like her.
"Cute", Mamoru responded nodding. "Goodbye Usagi" Maybe this was JUST
a chance encounter.
"Goodbye Mamoru"
************************************************************************
So maybe he was kind of a stalker, just because he went to the market
four times a day and bugged Mr.Hoshi insane didn't make him completely
crazy. Mamoru had to admit, he was worried. She had been gone for one
month. One mind-wrecking month, so as usual that day he walked in, waved
at Mr.Hoshi, got his dried apricots and went to buy it from some OTHER
cashier.
But this time she was there.
"The usual, eh?"
She had gotten thinner but even more radiant for she had a glow in her,
but she also looked tired. How pale her skin turned from two weeks
earlier. Walking slowly to her he watched her ring him up but before
his heart could squeeze a bit of pain from him she smiled, scrawled
something on his receipt and smiled. "Have a nice day"
How beautiful she was! He felt himself breathed in relief and at the
same time pace himself. But she didn't hate him-
'I'm pregnant'
Or maybe she did hate him.
Dropping the can he rushed over and she smiled at him. SMILED?!
"Customer complaint?" Oh yeah a BIG one.
Leading her outside he tried to control himself from screaming into
the sunset as he yanked his hair out. A baby? He knew nothing of any
sort of how to have a baby, on the other hand he wouldn't be having
a baby, she was actually having the baby, but he helped! Too many
thoughts in his head...he wouldn't cry...
"You're pregnant?!", He exclaimed, or at least that's how it sounded
to him.
"Listen Mamoru, I don't want your pity, I just wanted you to know and
not to find out by anyone months later" She faltered and her coyness
seemed to fall like the tears descending down her face. Usagi quickly
explained her situation and as she told him her story he felt something
in his heart crumbled. The voice of his mother urging him to do what
was right.
"Usagi, believe or not I've been trying to find you all this time, I
knew something was wrong. This is why you haven't come to work in
weeks, isn't it? I came everyday" He shook his head in amazement.
"We're having a baby" Her eyebrow cocked upward.
"We're?"
Something inside seemed to be doing all the talking today for he felt
himself telling her that he wanted to have the baby, to watch it run,
and play. How would she look? How did he know it would be a she? He
felt however that the baby indeed would be a girl.
But lately he had been wrong about a lot of things.
*********************************************************************
"Okay Yuuichirou, move the box here", Usagi instructed as she sucked
on a popsicle, the day was humid and her brother had helped her settle
in her new place. Five months ago she had moved in and he felt real pain
that day as Usagi revealed a dark side to her. When she arrived Mamoru
saw that she had been beaten severely and that when he tried to help
she didn't need it, she was use to cleaning her own mess up. It pained to
know that Usagi seemed use to it, accustomed and very accepting. Like
his mother.
"Maybe you should try helping", He grumbled and grinned at the same
time. Usagi and Yuuchirou were oddest pair of brother and sister he
had met, they had an honesty to each other but they were also very
cruel to each other in words. "You starting to look like some kind
of blond cow"
"At least I don't have a mop for hair, my dear", Usagi answered back.
"Or a package the size of marbles if you know what I mean" Truly mean,
to really insult the "family jewels". He watched this in amazement and
wonder if Rei had a brother who insulted her size like Yuuichirou did
to Usa. "Now get to work"
He had taken a blood test a month ago without the knowledge of Usagi
for Social Services for a DNA test. They would test Rei also for the
match and give results in two months.
"Why do you need all these clothes? It's not like you fit them
anyways", Yuuichirou said and threw a box of stuffed animals on
the ground.
"Hey! Watch it!", She said and took out a cheery lollipop, plopping
it in her mouth she flopped on the small couch in his room. "Besides
I'm in a delicate condition you know" Mamoru laughed watching her try
to balance the lollipop and popsicle.
"Well she's yours for now", Yuuichirou pronounced smiling and wiped
his hands off. "Take care of her, Mamoru" He hugged his sister. "Don't
eat too much"
"Of course not", Usagi said sincerely. "Please, take care of mom and
the others, call me if there are any problems" Walking her brother to
the door Mamoru had a few minutes to be apprehensive about his sister
and the baby they were having soon. Usagi walked in and sat next to him
laying her head on his shoulder.
"Well we have four months of relaxation to go", She told him and took
his hand.
With a new baby and possibly a new sister he wasn't so sure about that.
***********************************************************************
The letter came during Usagi's seventh month.
Gingerly Mamoru opened the crisp envelope and his heart began to pound.
Reading the letter he saw that the results were positive.
He had a sister.
Rei Hino also known now as Rei Chiba was her name. Enclosed also were
several other certificates, including her passport into the country
and social security card. And a picture. A serious looking girl of
seventeen with dark eyes and chocolate brown hair peered at him from
the picture, he swallowed the happy sob in his throat.
She looked like his mother, exactly like her almost.
Mamoru felt fear and at the same time a kind of joy about it. Taking
the letter he placed it in his drawer. Usagi appeared at the doorway
and smiled at him as she caressed her stomach.
"Dinner's ready", She said and he nodded. Before he left however he
glanced at the picture once more.
************************************************************************
"Morning sleepyhead", Usagi cooed to him as he awoke. "Today's the day"
Soon Mamoru would go to the airport and Usagi would go to a doctor's
appointment, there he would see Rei for the first time in years. A
nervous feeling in his gut came over him.
"Oh I feel sick to the stomach and everything seems to be spinning",
He said to her as he got up. Usagi massaged his back gently seeing
that he was tense. "I wonder what it is"
"You're pregnant", She said tactly and then laughed. "You're just
nervous" Usagi opened the closet and got out something he could
wear knowing that he was too nervous to pick. If he met his sister
in orange socks she'd kill herself. "Good luck kid, make her love
you"
"Some people aren't lovable like you Usa", He said. "Some people are
just like me"
************************************************************************
He parked his car slowly and Mamoru took a small breather, calling
Usagi he told her to sit tight and she told him of how she had been
feeling kind of tired from the check-up. When they got home she'd be
passed out.
Checking his watch he saw that her plane should have landed five
minutes ago. Getting out of the car he felt a small revelation come
to him. It would be okay, he had a family now. He felt Tamlyn's happiness
from somewhere inside and walking into the airport Mamoru felt ready to
face anything.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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