In Her Burning Eyes
Chapter Five: Bittersweet Fairytale Part One
Much like dreams come true, a fairytale dance is something that just doesn't work out like it does in the storybooks. Even without the problems that are no doubt going to creep up on you it takes a ton of effort to pull it off. Keeping it a surprise, making sure your timing is just right on everything, and even simply getting her to agree with what you have planned can be more of a hassle than you can imagine. You just have to ask yourself if it's worth it to see just how beautiful she looks on that dance floor.
For me that was a very easy question to answer...
--
One step forward...
--
If you've never shopped for a prom-style dress for your seven months pregnant girlfriend then you have no idea just how difficult it is. While already having a suitable dress of my own at home helped me narrow it down to one color, that still left everything else to consider. It had taken two hours, seven different stores, numerous embarrassing explanations, and even a few arguments but it was worth every last second of it... I had found the perfect dress.
My adventure in fashion left me with just enough time to pick up Usagi's special request from the grocery store and the takeout I had ordered in advance. I even managed to make it back to the Shrine with fifteen minutes to spare which allowed me to set down down my bundles and take a much needed rest.
--
“She's going to look so beautiful in this!” I mused to myself, slipping off into a daydream of the two of us swaying back and forth across the dance floor, her head resting comfortably on my shoulder. The spotlight suddenly shining onto us from the side, almost blindingly bright... I opened my eyes to see a pair of headlights blasting me from a few feet away. “What the hell?!” I sputtered, jumping to my feet to escape the blinding beams.
“Rei, I can't believe you'd keep something like this from us!” Haruka called out after cutting the engine and exiting the car. Even with how angry she sounded I noticed she still took the time to go around and open Michiru's door for her.
“What are you talking about? Why do you think we called you all over?” I asked, thoroughly confused by her tone. She stomped over to me and all but shoved an envelope into my hands.
“What's this?” I asked.
“Look, I know it might be a little embarrassing but just take it, okay?” I was at such a loss for words that I decided to just open the envelope, finding several ten-thousand yen notes inside.
“Haruka I really don't understand what's happening here,” I said, completely at a loss. She looked like she was struggling for the words so Michiru stepped in for her and motioned for Haruka to get the bags I'd been carrying.
“Why didn't you tell us you were a little short, sweetheart?” she asked with motherly concern.
“What the heck are you talking about? Where did you get that idea?” She looked at me confusedly for a moment before pulling her phone from her purse and hitting a few buttons before handing it to me. It was a group message from Usagi.
“Hey everyone, Rei and me wanted all of you to come by so we could talk about a money situation we're having. We'll have some stuff to eat too so be here around seven please!”
I couldn't even look the woman in the eyes as I handed her back her phone. I was just starting to imagine how Usagi could have left such a desperate sounding message without realizing it when I noticed Haruka had finished peeking through one of the bags I'd brought only to whisper to Michiru.
“Nothing but prepackaged fish dumplings and peanut butter... they're worse off than I thought!” I fell to my knees and groaned.
--
“Okay, I admit I worded it pretty badly,” Usagi murmured.
“You made us sound poor and desperate! Look at them!” I shouted, pointing to the other Senshi who were all holding similar envelopes to Haruka's. “They probably spent the last three hours worrying about us and scraping together everything they could spare!” Seeing them all nod in affirmative, Usagi sank down a little deeper into the sofa and lowered her head. “Thank you so much, Usa...”
“Look I know I screwed up but... say what now?” She looked up to see me grinning from ear to ear.
“I'd been thinking that all of us were starting to grow apart but this shows me we were only growing closer together in a different kind of way. You brought me exactly what I needed to make me happy,” I finished, leaning down to kiss her still stunned lips before turning to face the others. “And thanks to all of you too, seeing you all here like this so willing to give... it just makes my heart melt!”
“You can keep your thanks, give us kisses like you just gave Usagi!” Minako called out, playfully shoving Hotaru forward, “You can start with this one, that'd be some sweet action!” Hotaru for her part managed not to faint despite the majority of the blood in her body suddenly gathering into her cheeks. Eventually Minako dragged the girl back to save her from further humiliation. I was slightly surprised to see the intimate way she was whispering into the girl's ear while she teased her still red cheek with a fingertip and was simply amazed when Hotaru nipped at the finger playfully. Those two had apparently come a long way in these peaceful times.
“So you forgive me, Rei-chan?” Usagi's voice pulled my attention from the budding lovebirds.
“Of course I forgive my bunny-chan!” I cooed sweetly as an evil grin spread across my face. “But now I really am going to make you wait until Friday to find out about your surprise!”
“That's not fair!” she whined.
“Oh? Would you rather I stay mad and not give you any foot rubs for the rest of the week?” Her eyes shot open and I could almost see her impatience warring with her selfishness in them. In the end they softened and she smiled up at me.
“I'll be okay with waiting for my surprise so long as I have my fire-hime to keep me company,” she said softly, reaching up to caress my cheek. Smiling, I nuzzled against her hand for a moment before taking it with mine to kiss the back of her fingers, relishing in the blush that graced her cheeks. “Rei-chan...” she whispered embarrassedly, eyes motioning to the others. I turned to see a room full of smiles and adoring looks.
“See something interesting?” I asked, fully expecting a wolfish reply from Haruka or Minako but was pleasantly surprised when Ami took a step forward.
“It's just such a relief!” she exclaimed, then upon noticing everyone staring at her she lowered her voice and continued, cheeks slightly red. “I don't know about the others, but I've always been very worried about who Usagi-chan would end up with. I don't think any of us would have trusted some guy that just showed up out of the blue. Seeing her with you, Rei-chan, seeing how much you love each other... I know I don't have to worry anymore!” she finished, a lone tear rolling down her cheek. The others all murmured their agreement as Makoto stepped forward to put a comforting arm around Ami's shoulders.
“Thank you, all of you... I can't even imagine how much more difficult this would have been without your support,” Usagi said, teary eyed and hitching slightly.
“Yes yes, we're all happy and love each other,” Haruka chimed in. “Some clearly more than others,” she added, eying each of the pairings. “But this is supposed to be a celebration, isn't it?! Let's save the mushy stuff for another time and have some fun! I, for one, am pretty interested in seeing this note that nearly made Usako piss her pants!”
--
Even the grogginess of sleep couldn't keep the realization that I wasn't curled up against Usagi's back like I should be from upsetting me. My hand moved to check behind me on the off chance I'd rolled over and managed to land on a breast that was too small to belong to Usagi. Groaning inwardly I turned to see that I was groping Minako who had been laying back to back with me.
“Little harder, Taru-chan,” she mumbled in her sleep. I pulled my hand back quickly and used it to stifle a giggle, noting that even in her sleep she was still as perverted as ever. I looked around to see most everybody asleep on the futons spread around the room. Memories of the night before slowly began to return to me, mainly my head in Usagi's lap as she played with my hair as we listened to the banter around us. Most of which consisted of Minako flirting shamelessly with everybody and Makoto pestering Ami about what 'the black ones' were. Yawning, I stood and began my search for the pregnant blonde.
My original sense of worry was quickly growing into full scale panic when I didn't find her in our room, the bathroom, or the kitchen. Quickly slipping into a robe, I made my way outside and, finding nobody near the front steps, made my way around to the back. Relief washed over me when she came into sight, standing just outside of the back entrance. Removing my robe, I walked up behind her and slipped it over her shoulders.
“What's a pretty girl like you doing out here all by herself?” I teased, placing a kiss on her cheek as I slipped my arms around her waist. I was pleasantly surprised to see that she hadn't been crying and felt very relieved to be performing our nightly ritual.
“I couldn't get comfortable enough to sleep on that futon and it wouldn't feel right in our bed without you there.”
“Baka, you should have woken me up.” She leaned back into me a bit more and shook her head.
“I notice you doing this all the time when you can't sleep, figured it was my turn.” I had to grin at that.
“If I'd known you were awake, outside of the bed is the last place I'd want to be.” We shared a light laugh before settling into our usual relaxing silence. That is, until I felt something bump against my palm. “Hey, is she kicking?!” Usagi nodded a little.
“I've felt it a few times, didn't want to tell you until it was happening so you wouldn't be asking me about it every five minutes.”
“I would not!” I lied. She giggled and pinched my arm. “Okay I would, but only like every ten minutes!” I felt another kick and couldn't fight the squeal that rose in my throat. “She's not even born yet and she's so darn cute I can't stand it!”
“You know, for being the papa you sure are pretty girlie.”
“Well you'll have to forgive me for not being as chic in a suit as Haruka. Besides, even though it'll be so cute to hear it from her I don't see why I'm automatically the papa.” I could feel her tremble against me as she laughed.
“Because you're the one that did the knocking up!”
“You're the one who sucked the life out of me!”
“Don't remind me!” She pinched my arm again. “I was worried to death about you!” I chuckled as something came to mind.
“Well, I'm just glad we know the answer to one of the big questions from that day.”
“What question?” I kissed the nape of her neck before leaning in close to whisper in her ear.
“You're absolutely incredible in bed...”
--
“I'm just asking you to slow things down a little Mina, she's still a little young for all this,” I heard Haruka saying as I came down the hall. Having woken up a little early, I was going to see if the others had left to get ready for school yet.
“Hey now, I've let her set the pace from day one!” Minako responded huffily as I came into the room. “And just so you know, she might not be as innocent as you think, she totally felt me up in the middle of the night!” I quickly turned on my heel and made my way to the bathroom to freshen up and change, coming back just in time to see Minako giving Hotaru a goodbye kiss. She noticed me after pulling away and waved before turning and heading out the door, leaving a blushing Hotaru in her wake.
“They really are cute together, I'll give them that much,” Haruka said suddenly from right behind me, causing me to jump. “I really wasn't too sure about it in the beginning but what can I do? I've never seen either of them so happy.”
“You're a good papa, Haruka, my role model actually,” I said with a laugh, nudging her with my shoulder. “Just don't expect me to start dressing like you anytime soon.”
“I don't blame you, your butt is definitely too cute to not show off in a skirt!” she said with a sly grin, only to yelp girlishly as Michiru's purse hit her in the back of the head.
“Sorry hon, didn't see you there. Rei sweetie, we're about to leave, would you like a ride to school?” she asked, smiling sweetly.
“Hey, that'd be great! Just let me say goodbye to my Usa.”
“Oh and, Rei?” she called out to me as I made my way to the bedroom.
“Yeah?”
“Haruka's right, your butt is very cute,” she said with a wink, setting off Haruka to mutter darkly about everything being so unfair.
--
Never in the storybooks...
--
I'd be pretty hard pressed to remember a happier week of my life. In spite of Usagi's rather embarrassing mistake the celebration-turned-sleepover with all the others had ended up way better than I ever could have hoped. It seemed that without the worry of money looming over me everything seemed to be a little bit brighter. The change in Usagi however was much more noticeable, it was like a switch had been flipped on inside of her. Not only was she less moody around me and the others but she had taken to donning her Miko robes and moving around the shrine to interact with visitors, completely surprising grandpa and me with how much she remembered about the Shinto heritage.
All the improvements in my home life even managed to make my school life that much more bearable. I was in such a good mood that even the verbal jabs from that horrible Fukino-sensei couldn't get me worked up. It would seem even my fellow students had taken notice of my airy mood and weren't so quick to avoid me, a few of them even going so far as to ask me questions about Usagi. Now I was not only excited about taking her to a dance, something I knew she'd always dreamed of, but I was going to be able to show off just how beautiful she was to everybody. I was so giddy and lost in daydreams that Friday had arrived before I knew it...
--
“Come on Rei-chan, tell me already!” she whined pitifully. “I was a good girl all week and didn't pester you about it or anything!” Technically this was true but I knew for a fact she had turned the house upside down trying to find it while I was at school.
“Hm, I don't really know about calling you a good girl after that little stunt you pulled in the garden yesterday,” I said, a blush creeping across my cheeks at the memory of it. “Come on Rei-chan, nobody will see if we do it really fast!” I imitated her, setting her cheeks ablaze as well. “Now I see why Chibi-chan is such a hentai!” I claimed, pointing an accusatory finger at her.
“Oh like you're one to talk with your, 'I've always wanted to take naughty pictures of you on the shrine altar!'” she fired back, also pointing an accusatory finger at me. We stood there pointing for a moment until what we were saying caught up to us and broke into a fit of giggles.
“Wow, the poor thing didn't stand a chance, did she?” I asked as the giggles finally ebbed off.
“She's still perfect, though,” Usagi said with finality, patting her belly as she did.
“How could she not be with when the two of us made her? Although I do wonder sometimes if she's actually got any of me in her...” I said, somewhat sullenly.
“You must need glasses or something, Rei-chan!” Usagi said as she waddled over to the closet and pulled out a photo album. “Let's see, there was a really good one in here,” she muttered to herself as she flipped through the pages for a moment before settling on one. “Ah, here it is!” she chimed happily as she eased down beside me on the bed and handed over the book. “Isn't it just adorable! It's one of my favorites.”
“Mine too...” I said quietly, my heart instantly warming over at the sight of it. Chibi-Usa, grinning from ear to ear, had her cheek pressed against my obviously sleeping face. From the slightly crooked angle and only the fingertips of the victory symbol she was flashing being caught in the picture it was obvious the pink haired girl had snapped the shot herself.
“Look at that, she totally has your nose and the shape of your lips even though they're a bit more pink like mine. Plus you can just kind of see it in the cheekbones and then there's the eyes of course. Those fiery, passionate eyes where when you look in them you just can't help but be swept up by whatever they're feeling.” Blushing from the comments I studied the features she had pointed out and found that the similarity was pretty striking, and almost obvious when I thought about it. “She's also stubborn as a mule, just like you are.”
“I am not stubborn!” I shouted stubbornly.
“Are too!” She smiled.
“Am not!”
“Are too!” Her smile widened.
“I am not!”
“Oh really?” she said with a giggle. Realizing I'd been caught in a trap I stood up and walked away huffily.
“Maybe she got her stubbornness from me but she definitely got your klutziness!”
“Oh! I am not klutzy!”
“Who are you trying to fool? Are you forgetting that you managed to undress yourself while tripping?” I accused, noting the sly grin spreading across her face.
“All I remember about that was somebody feeling me up in front of our friends. I'll never forget the look on poor delicate Ami-chan's face when she was exposed to your lecherous ways. Honestly, Rei-chan, you're like a dirty old man!”
“Oh I'll show you a dirty old man,” I said, raising my hands and making groping motions while I advanced on her only to be stopped by my phone going off from inside my bag. Cursing at the interruption I picked up the bag and fished it out, brightening considerably when I saw it was Haruka.
“Hey Ruka-chan!” I teased, earning a giggle from Usagi.
“Ruka-chan, eh? If it's coming you Rei, you can call me anything you want! Especially if we're in...” I could hear the telltale sound of something smacking her in the back of the head which was followed my the most unmanly, “Owie!” I had ever heard.
“So what's up?”
“Well, I figured you'd probably end up playing some naughty games with Usako and lose track of the time so I decided to call and remind you that you need to start getting ready if you're going to make it on time.” Blushing at the fact that she was right, I checked the clock and noticed that it was indeed time to start getting ready. “Not that either of you need any help to look sexy or anything, I just want to make sure you're ready when we get there which is in about two hours so peel yourself off of her and get that cute little butt of yours into a dress!” There was another, much louder, smacking sound this time.
“Thanks for the heads up Haruka, I'll see you then,” I said, laughing at her flirting antics.
“Gods, what do you keep in that thing, rocks?!” I could hear Haruka shouting, which was followed immediately by Michiru giggling. Deciding to leave them to it, I snapped the phone shut and tossed my bag onto the foot of the bed, cringing as the contents spilled out across it.
“Rei-chan, you're such a slob!” Usagi said happily, still infected with the day's good mood.
“Sorry,” I murmured sheepishly. She shook her head and waved it off.
“You can clean it up later, just tell me what that was all about.”
“Oh nothing, just Haruka reminding me about something for the big surprise,” I said, trying to sound mysterious as I pulled my winter coat from the closet and laid it out on the bed next to her.
“A little warm for your coat isn't it?” she asked, eying me suspiciously. Grinning at my own cleverness, I unzipped the coat so she could see the box I'd taped to the inside of it. “Oh you sneaky little... I looked all over the place and it was hanging right in front of me the whole...” She froze upon realizing what she'd just confessed.
“Oh, I thought you were being a good girl this whole time? You naughty little minx! Just for that, you can wait a bit longer!” I said, scooping up the box and making my way out the door.
“Rei-chan, that's not...” she started to complain but stopped suddenly. “What's this?”
“You okay Usa?” I asked, poking my head back through the door, noticing her quickly hide something behind her back.
“Yeah, I'm fine,” she said, sounding a little odd. I decided to count it as a blessing and turned to head for the bathroom where I'd stashed my dress.
--
Finally finished with my hair I took a step back and gave my reflection an admiring look. The little red dress clung to me like a second skin and was just barely long enough to be considered decent. The matching lace bra and thong set that lay underneath it, however, didn't even come close to qualifying. While I had never been a big fan of makeup I had to admit that a little touch up here and there did wonders to accentuate my eyes and especially my lips. I had even managed to tease a lock of my stubbornly straight hair into a bouncy curl on either side, framing my face rather nicely. Slipping on a pair of matching pumps to complete the outfit I did a little turn and blew myself a kiss.
“This is going to be so perfect!” I squealed, checking the clock to see I was ahead of schedule. I couldn't help myself from humming a happy tune as I picked up the box that held her dress and made my way to the bedroom. I had more than enough time to get Usagi ready and be off for the dance, I was practically giggling with excitement as I thought of the night to come. Smiling brightly, I walked into the room to see Usagi still on the bed, head hung low as her shoulders trembled.
“What's... wrong...” my voice drifted off as I saw what she was holding. A folded slip of paper lay in one hand, a torn and crumpled envelope in the other, a heart still visible on the front. She raised her head up to face me, an expression of such anger and hurt that I had never seen the likes of sending a wave of heartache through my chest.
“It all makes sense now... how you could act like you were still so happy with me...” she murmured, the sadness in her voice threatening to tear my heart in two.
“Usa... it's not what you think...”
--
To be continued...