MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; name="longago.txt" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Content-Disposition: inline; filename="longago.txt" Author: Kurisutaru Email: kurisutaru_faithful@lunap.com Title: Too Long Ago Chapter: 1 Disclaimer: not standard....ahhhha....just j/k standard... ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ An angel-like woman held her papers close as she runs to work. She wore your basic lab coat, her hair set in a high ponytail. She bolted into work panting and already making apologies. "Gomen, gomen gomen! My ride came late." She smoothly lied, when in truth she was checking her child's fever. Two men stood next to her desk. One was Mr. Fujiwara, the CEO in charge, the other was strangely familiar. He had his back to the woman with black night hair, and stood approximately 6 feet. It was too familiar to her. "Ahh, Tsukino-san. I have a new partner for you, he came all the way from the states." The familiar man turned around, and the Tsukino's heart stopped. She would have fainted too, but after many years of torture, strangely she knew it was inevitable. Keeping her calm composition she walked over to shake his hand accordingly. "Usagi Tsukino, nice to meet you." Flashing a spark of remembrance in the young man's eyes, Usagi quickly looked away. "Likewise, Mamoru Chiba." Quickly smiling in return. Usagi cursed silently, he had the same name. And the smile she would never forget. She took a breath, and turned back to Mr. Fujiwara. "Now that you two have met, I assume you will get along well, now if you'll excuse me I have to get back to work." The partners bowed alike and muttered, "Good Day Fujiwara-sama." Usagi took another breath and placed her things at her desk. "Chiba-san, we better get to work. I'll show you around first." And she briskly walked past him, as he followed like a dog. He curiously watched her the whole way. There was something about this woman, and he was going to find out. Usagi turned around to the feeling of someone watching her. As coldly as possible she stuttered, "Chiba-san, now isn't the time to daydream. I'll show you the project now." Usagi led him down a floor, the big elevator doors opened to a huge lounge where an aerodynamic craft was being put together. She began to speak confidently and loudly to overlap the sounds of the craft being assembled. "This is model T90 this is the project I have been working on for the past 2 years. Its purpose is for the Japanese military, as I'm sure you know." She eyed him carefully when she said the last sentence, looking for the reaction on his face. it was hard as stone, there was no reaction. But Usagi didn't give up. "Now if you follow me back to the office we can begin some real work." Mamoru looked one last time at the craft and followed silently. Usagi arrived at her desk and started to work on the pile of papers loaded on her desk. "Chiba-san, if you please look over the plans and tell me if there is anything you would like to add, after all you are my partner." She never looked up once saying that. For the next 7 hours, they worked without talking. At lunch, Mamoru attempted conversation. "Tsukino-san, you seem very familiar, do I know you from somewhere?" Usagi stiffened at his accusation. She DID know him from somewhere. Tear threatened to fall, if only she could tell him, but she couldn't. "No Chiba-san, I don't believe we have met before. Now if you would excuse me, I have to get back to work." She coldly shunned him, and tapped her heals back to her office, leaving a sandwich hanging from Mamoru's mouth, with his obviously confused eyes. It was near the end of the day, when Mamoru even had a chance to speak to Usagi again. Usagi felt bad, for neglecting him like that, and knew she couldn't keep acting so cold towards him, if he continued to work here. While packing her papers, she asked Mamoru, who was sitting on the couch, about his ideas. "Chiba-san, did you have any suggestions to the plans of the prototype?" Usagi winced a little at how icy her voice sounded. He smiled politely, causing Usagi to look away, and back to her papers and briefcase. "In fact I do. Perhaps we should meet outside of the office to further discuss the prototype." Usagi, would have dead-on exclaimed 'no'. But she knew she couldn't run forever, for she knew, that this day would come. Weakly smiling, she answered, "Certainly Chiba-san, how about dinner at my house?" Tension caught up with the two, they merely smiled at each other as Mamoru agreed with the plan. "How does tomorrow sound Chiba-san?" Smiling again, he nodded, and quickly perked her to call him 'Mamoru' from now on, for 'Chiba-san' was too formal. They said their polite good byes and parted their ways. When Mamoru was out of sight, Usagi cursed silently as she speed walked home. This was tougher than she thought. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ "Mommy!" Exclaimed the bright haired pixy, as Usagi opened the door to her well off apartment. Usagi smiled, "Bani-ga-ru(Bunny Girl)! What are you doing out of bed? Did Auntie Minako give you your medicine?" The enthusiastic pink haired girl nodded quickly as she grabbed her mommy's things into the kitchen. Usagi followed quickly, starting to work around the kitchen. The little one around the age of 4 started to tell her mommy about her day with the blue dragon. "---So mommy, I couldn't sleep, the dragon needed my help!" Usagi smiled at her daughter, she was going through an imaginative stage. Too many things about her remained her of Mamoru. Usagi wiped her hands with the green towel and set out two plates for dinner while calling for her daughter to set the table. They sat down and began eating. After a few clangs and bangs of the utensils and dishes Usagi decided to ask her daughter if she did her homework. "Bani-ga-ru did you finish your homework?" "Hai okaa-san!" the little one spurred as she wolfed down her dinner. Usagi learned over the year that wolfing down food didn't help her social life very much. But as a child she was just the same. Usagi smiled at her kawaii daughter, "Good, then we can play some games after dinner." She beamed the smile that would melt anyone into goo, "ARIGATOU MOMMY!!!" The kawaii sprite, Chibi-usa was told to get changed and ready for bed before they played games. A few board games later Chibi-usa was yawning and nodding off to sleep. Usagi grabbed the sleepy one to her room to bed. Chibi-usa's room was a pale pink, the sky was written across her walls, and bunnies were showered across her blankets. Usagi remember when they decorated this room. He picked all the colors, perfect for his little girl. Usagi smiled sadly, and placed her worn out daughter to bed. She pulled her blankets over Chibi-usa and handed her favorite doll over, a ball-like black-purple kitty. Usagi left her daughter's room to clean a little. Afterall a guest was arriving tomorrow. Usagi knew perfectly well, the apartment didn't need to be cleaned, however it was a plain excuse to take her mind off him. It seemed to work well all these years, and she wasn't about to let these walls crumble again. Moving to her room, she looked over a few papers and soon fell asleep... ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Usagi awoke to a sore back, and cranky eyes, she couldn't even put her contacts in this morning. She passed by Chibi-usa's room, to double check on her, she was sound asleep like an angel. Usagi moved closer and knelt down brushing gentle aside the hair on Chibi-usa's forehead to check for a fever. She was fine. Usagi sighed and moved quietly back out of the room. Rubbing her eyes, she placed her black ugly framed glasses and grabbed a bun and her papers. On her way out the door, she checked her messages. Minako-chan phoned. Usagi dialed her number. A few rings passed before a deep man's voice picked up. "Moshi moshi?" the man said in his British accent. It was Minako-chan's Husband, Kelvin. "Ano, can I speak to Minako-chan onegai?" Kelvin brightened over the line and switched to English, "Usagi is that you? She's in the Kitchen it will just be a moment." Footsteps and children's voice were heard as Kelvin brought the phone to Minako-chan. "Usagi-chan!" She squealed "I'm very sorry, but I can't bring Chibi-usa to school today. I phoned the other girls but they are all occupied as well. I would have asked Mr. Matthews down the hall, but I didn't think you want someone you didn't know driving your daughter." Usagi sighed, "It's okay Minako-chan, Thank you. I'll bring her myself. Thank you for everything ja ne(See ya)!" Usagi gently placed the phone on the receiver, took a bit out of her bun, and picked up the phone again, this time, dialing her office. "Moshi moshi Tokyo Aerospace Tech. How may I help you?" A Friendly voice answered "Hello, Rei-chan? It's Usagi." "Usagi-chan! Let me guess? Chibi-usa?" Rei already knew about the little girl, she always covered for Usagi. "Hai Rei-chan. Arigatou for covering for me." "No problem, ja!" "Ja..." This time, Usagi didn't hang up right away. She stood there to think, how did she get into this situation? All in the name of love. But she couldn't just excuse the past, it's what holds her together. But now, it may be the one thing that breaks her. Sighing again, Usagi went over to Chibi-usa's room to wake her up. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ End of chapter 1 IIIIIEEEEEEEEEEEEEEeee.....stupid flesh and blood imouto-chan...stole my blankie!!!.....WAHH~~........hit me and bashed me, poked my eye, gave me head damage....~_~......SIGH............stupid sister.....thus, chapter 2 will be out sooner than planned, if I'm not dead yet.... ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~