Beautiful Stranger
A Seiya/Usagi alternate reality fanfiction
drive_me_mercury@hotmail.com
Naoko owns SM, I don’t! ^_~
--------------------------------------------------
It seemed like thinking was all I ever did these days. I sat on the sofa in a quiet apartment. Across from me on the coffee table a fluffy, furry, orange teddy bear stared back with glassy azure eyes. The same teddy bear I had won out of the UFO machine at the carnival and given to her two weeks earlier. It was my first full day back home, and I was under doctor’s orders to be resting and recuperating. Rest, however was not on my mind.
I’d come to terms by now with the fact that I had feelings for her. Whether it was a passing phase, an obsession, or something real, Kakyuu was right – it was eating me up, and I needed to get it off my conscience. I needed to tell her. What it came down to now was: I was afraid. Yes, Kou Seiya, who would take any dare, attempt any idiotic stunt, was scared to face up to one mere girl. Between now and yesterday my head had conjured up a hundred different situations of rejection – where she laughed out loud, called me sick or crazy, threw me out of the house saying she’d never forgive me. But, I knew… none of that was like the Usagi I had come to know.
“Still… that doesn’t mean she’ll say yes, does it?”
The teddy bear didn’t answer, only smiled dumbly at me.
But, I’d also come to terms with the fact that I most likely wasn’t going to get a ‘yes’ back from her. A friendship, maybe, if I was lucky. And I could live with that. I was sure I’d feel a lot better once things were out in the open. Of course, those images of rejection weren’t helping right now.
A body bent itself over the back of the sofa behind me. Yaten’s face hovered next to mine. “How fareth Romeo today?”
I rolled my eyes. “I’m really not in the mood.”
“Hey, don’t get all pissy and grumpy on me. That’s my job, remember? I just wanna know if you’re going to stare at that thing all day.”
“I just might,” I replied with a smile in my eyes, “And what are you gonna do about it?” It felt good to be on friendly terms with Yaten again.
“I’ll call Kakyuu over here to give you another lecture, that’s what,” she grinned.
“Hey now, give me a break.”
“But seriously, are you okay?” Even if she pretended the opposite most of the time, Yaten did care.
“Yeah,” I said. “Yeah, I’ll be fine.”
She straightened, and with a genial shove to my shoulder said, “Good luck.” Several moments later I heard the bedroom door shut behind her. I faced a pair of glass eyes again. After being witness to our brief exchange, the teddy bear was still smiling stupidly as before. I pushed myself off the sofa and scooped the blob of fur and stuffing under my arm.
I needed to return him to his rightful owner.
******************
The sky was obscured with clouds, but that didn’t phase any of the people who were out on the just-a-little chilly Saturday afternoon. I sank onto a bench to catch my breath, surprised at how winded I was after only a few blocks. I was used to being in shape and good health. Although the wound was making good progress in healing, already it was protesting at this sudden exertion with sharp pangs. I just might have overestimated my strength at this point – and it wouldn’t be a good thing if I ended up tearing my stitches. But Odango’s house wasn’t that far…
By the time I reached the house, my wound was all but screaming. I sank, doubled over, onto the porch step to get my breath back and let the momentary pain subsist before I rang the doorbell. It occurred to me now that taking a taxi might have been easier – but I’d always had that stubborn streak. I’d made it, nonetheless.
But even as the pain eased, I felt my nerves flaring up again. I had been sitting on the step for several minutes when I was suddenly startled by the opening door. I jumped up and found myself face to face with a purple-haired lady, carrying a purse, and obviously surprised at finding a stranger on her front doorstep. “Can… I help you?” she said hesitantly.
“I’m sorry. You must be Mrs. Tsukino. Is… is Usagi at home?”
She looked me up and down as a light of recognition came into her face. I averted my eyes the second time our gaze met. No doubt she knows the entire story by now.
“I’ll see if she’s busy,” her mother said, turning back into the house. I interpreted that as: “I’ll see if she even wants to talk you at all.”
I heard sounds from inside the house of mother calling her teenage daughter, the gallop of feet down the stairs, and low spoken voices. Through the doorway I could see part of her profile and unmistakable golden hair. Then her head turned. Our eyes met across the short distance, as my stomach wound into tighter knots. I could see her slight surprise – but beyond that, I failed to read anything.
They were coming this way. “Bye, Usagi-chan. I’m just going to the grocery store so I’ll be back in a few hours,” her mother smiled.
“Sure. Bye, Mom.” Mrs. Tsukino walked away toward the street, eventually disappearing behind the gate, leaving Usagi and I standing in the doorway in awkward silence.
“Hey,” I finally said, for lack of a better word.
“Um…hey,” was her reply. I felt my cheeks slowly begin to burn when I saw her eyes drop – for hardly a second – below my chin. At that moment I was cursing myself for not throwing on a loose T-shirt over the red tank top I was wearing under an open jacket. Even if I now had nothing to hide, a T-shirt might have made me a little less uncomfortable. Or not.
“I brought this back.” I held out the teddy bear. “I want you to keep it. And this.” Her yellow purse, the same one the street thug had left behind when he fled.
She reached out, and for several long uncertain moments her hand hovered over the items. The she threw herself at me in an impulsive embrace. I wasn’t expecting this. I froze.
“I’m sorry!” she pulled away quickly, rubbing the heel of her hand into an eye. “It’s just… I was worried… that you wouldn’t be okay.” She stepped back, embarrassed. I couldn’t help noticing the way her nails dug into the soft bear as she held it against her. It almost seemed she was holding something back.
“S’okay. I’m perfectly fine.” I tried a trademark grin but it faded quickly. I licked my lips. More silence. I stuck a nervous hand behind my neck. “Uh… you’re probably thinking what the hell am I doing here. The truth is, I wanted to talk to you… that is, if you’ll listen.”
She met my eyes uncertainly. Please? I pleaded silently.
“Come in.” I followed her inside, where she set the purse and bear on a table. “Tea?” She was already moving to the kitchen before I could answer. At the kitchen door, she spun around as though just realizing something. “H- how did you get here?”
“Walked.”
Her eyes widened. “You can’t be fully recovered yet! That’s a long distance. Why would you…”
“I said, I needed to talk to you.” She gave me the kind of confused look a crazy person might receive, then retreated into the kitchen.
Before long we were seated in the living room with the tea – me on the sofa, she on the chair perpendicular to me. Silence surrounded us again and I realized she expected me to talk. After I’d rehearsed so many times, here I was beside her, and what do I say?
“I – I wanted to say that I’m sorry I ever deceived you. I was stupid – I didn’t realize you’d get hurt. I never meant to hurt anyone. I should have stopped before it went too far… but I couldn’t tell you because… well… I couldn’t make myself tell you...”
“I suppose I still don’t understand.” Her soft voice made me pull my head upwards, so I could see her forehead creased in a frown. “Or maybe I do. Mako-chan said… she told me, idols are like that. ‘They’re dangerous. And Seiya is the same way.’ I thought I’d proven her wrong, because even if you started out ‘rude’, I thought I could see a – a sweetness in your eyes. You never pressured me, never rushed things, so I thought – you were different. But it seems Mako-chan was right all along, in a way. But that night, I didn’t understand… why you went after that man, why you fought to get the purse back. I guess it just means you’re a good person deep down. Laugh at me if you want, but I really did like you. No… I liked Seiya. I don’t know who you are, or even if that’s your real name. Maybe you never did intend to hurt anyone, but… that doesn’t change the fact…” Breaking off, she shook her head, and moved to stand up.
“Wait!” She couldn’t leave, not yet. “Please… let me explain. If I can.” She sat down again, willing enough to give me a chance. I rubbed clammy hands together. The best place to start was the beginning, my mind figured. “Um… that is my name – Seiya. It was… all kind of a joke, a crazy experiment – the ‘boy band’ disguise. We never dreamed that we’d really become popular. After that, there wasn’t really a way to turn back. The first day at school, we were joking around – the three of us – about being ‘boys’ and such and… well, it became a bet. Three dates with a girl from the school.”
“How much?”
“Wha?”
How much did you bet?”
“…Five thousand yen.” I disclosed the amount guiltily. “…B – but you see, after I went out with you, once I got to know you, I realized what a sweet, wonderful… beautiful… person you were – I… I fell in love.”
There. It was out. I’d said it. Her only reaction showed in the confused look of shock on her face.
“I know… you’ll probably think I’m crazy, but I did. I never expected to, it just… happened. I denied it to myself for as long as I could but… the truth… the real truth is… I liked having you as a girlfriend,” adding in a low tone as I stared at my feet, “That’s why I didn’t tell you.”
“Seiya…”
“And that’s it!” I threw up my hands carelessly. Then more seriously, “I know it’s not an excuse for the fact that I lied. But… if you said now that you still liked Seiya, I would be… ecstatic.” I looked up and met her eyes – beautiful, incredible, depthless eyes. God, I was crazy, wasn’t I? But I didn’t care anymore.
She was blushing furiously, and not entirely sure how to react to my confession. She jumped from her seat and paced away from the chair. “I – I didn’t know… I mean… when I thought you were a guy, I figured you liked me, at least a little, but… I had no idea. I…um…” She was struggling to find words – after all, what was the polite thing to say at such a time?
“I needed to tell you the whole the truth,” I said, rising off the sofa. “I don’t want anything to be between us.”
She nodded, crossing her arms.
…more awkward moments…
“I… I said I liked Seiya… then… but it’s – it’s different – ”
“It’s okay!” I interjected. “It’s okay… I don’t expect anything. I know… it’s not ordinary, and most people would think it strange – ”
“I don’t care!” the semi-outburst surprised me. “I don’t care what people think. But… myself… I’m not sure of. I mean… I’m not – ”
“It’s okay. I only came here to tell you how I felt. I understand.” I let a smile pull at the corners of my mouth. She averted my gaze again, still a little uncomfortable… or unsure. “I wouldn’t ask anything of you. Well… maybe forgiveness…” I could settle for forgiveness.
“…I was angry with you. And hurt.”
My eyes quickly sought the floor.
“But… I can forgive.”
A breathless wave of relief – joy – washed over me. The smile crept over the rest of my face. “Arigato.”
“You’re not lying anymore are you?” She leveled slight suspicion at me.
“I promise.”
She sighed, and another silence enveloped the two of us. But this time nearly all the nervousness and awkward feelings were gone.
“Shouldn’t you be resting?” she suddenly asked. After all this, she still cared about my health.
I shrugged the question off. “Naw. I’ll get a lecture from Taiki, I’m sure, about not taking the taxi here, but I’m just fine. See?” I answered, casually omitting the fact that I’d nearly passed out on the walk to her house.
“Ne, Odango… after all I just said, and knowing how I feel… can we be friends, at least?”
“I – I think I would like that.”
She was standing close now. My hand of itself moved upwards, but hovered, holding back. She answered the question, stepping forward, until we met in embrace, hesitant at first, then relaxing. She let her head fall to my shoulder, and my arms circled her petite body – not demanding, only reassuring, as the warmth of reconciliation swept around us both.
…somehow I had a feeling it would all be good.