Author: Cher
Email: Usachi_10@hotmail.com
Homepage: http://www.geocities.com/mavercadaver/
Rated: R
Stark White Christmas
One long, slender leg peaked out of the marble bath tub. Bubbles filled the cream decorated bathroom, along with steam and the scent of apricots.
"…I’m not kidding you, he was all over me. It was crazy. Ask Naru, she was there. She freaking saw it, along with half of the staff."
A razor drew across the length of the creamy leg, flawlessly leaving behind silken heaven.
"Exactly. I mean it makes you fucking wonder doesn’t it?"
Blond hair, carelessly cascading around a slender face. Held in a mess of tendrils by several clips and pins, the curls toppled around strong shoulders.
"Yeah, so now I’m stuck going to the gala with king jerk himself."
A hand emerged from the bubbles, reaching for a glass of champagne.
"Oh just relaxing, enjoying the single life, boozing up."
Laughter, like honey. It was too much for him. His erection was already straining his pants. He thanked lord for the large coat he wore.
Mamoru cleared his throat causing Usagi to drop her Champagne glass into the water, spilling the alcohol into her bath.
"Shit! Jesus Christ. Shit. Mako I’ll call you back. Holy fuck."
Two furious eyes turned to face Mamoru.
"What the hell are you doing in my bathroom?"
He smirked, leaning one shoulder casually against her door frame, raising an eyebrow. He knew how much she hated that smug gesture.
"You’re apartment door was wide open."
"Well fucking hell Mamoru, that is by all means a clear indicator for you to come waltzing in while I’m in the fucking bath. Get out!"
He grinned.
"Make me."
She simply glared, suddenly aware of her nakedness. Luckily the bubbles covered up most of her body.
"Mamoru, you have no right to just barge in here. I’m naked for fucks sake."
She swallowed loudly as his tongue caressed his lips.
"I noticed, like I said, your door was open, a burglar could have just wandered in."
"Well shit, anything is better than you."
She rolled her eyes as he pouted. Never in her life had Usagi been more embarassed than right now. Here she was, naked in her bathtub, with Mamoru fucking Chiba standing, staring at her like a predator.
"Are you going to just stand around and watch me bathe?"
"I though you’d never ask."
Her temper flared, without a second thought, Usagi had gripped her bottle of body wash and launched it directly at his head.
"Jesus…" He caught it just in time, glaring at the angry blond before him.
"Christ, watch your fucking temper."
With that he turned and strode into her apartment, slamming the bathroom door close behind him.
Her mood was completely killed by his unexpected arrival. Thoughts of fury stormed her mind as she quickly finished shaving her legs. After a quick application of scented bath milk, she stood from the tub and reached for a towel. Her thoughts had somewhat calmed when she slipped into her bedroom. Had he left? He sounded quite angry when he slammed the door. Please, please let him have just left.
Usagi voiced her silent prayer as she slipped into her boy leg undershorts and small pink singlet. With a shrug, she wrapped herself in a terry cloth robe and grabbed her pink slippers. She was, by this stage convinced he had left. Besides, there was not a hint of sound coming from outside her bedroom. This pleased her.
Usagi grabbed her tube of moisturiser, opening her bedroom door wide, scanning her lounge room for any sign of him. There was none. She smiled, success. Her nerves had calmed, she was alone again. A phone call to Makoto would be necessary though. But first, more important deeds needed to be done.
Usagi strode over to the coffee table, lifting one leg to rest on it’s glass edge. She then proceeded to pour the pink tinted moisturising cream onto her slender leg. She didn’t even notice him standing in the kitchen doorway. Standing and staring.
She started to sing, just softly, husky, her voice filled him. Touched him. Seduced him. He wanted so much to take her hand away, caress her skin, it was sparkling now from the cream. He wanted to taste her. Taste the champagne that had seeped into her skin from the bath water. Taste her beauty. Mamoru was fighting an emotional battle, losing control quickly as he watched the gorgeous woman before him caress her shapely figure.
"Coffee?"
She jumped again, losing her balance and falling to the ground with a thud.
His previous arousal completely dissipated as he strode across the room, wrapping his arms around her waist and lifting her from the ground. Mamoru placed Usagi softly on the couch, not bothering to let her go, looking into her shocked eyes.
Neither of them spoke, they just simply stared. Usagi’s shock filled eyes allowing him to see into her, to see past the mask, he saw longing.
He wasn’t as careless.
"I thought you’d…"
She looked down at his arms, wrapped tightly around her, she couldn’t think straight. His smell was so close, they were so close, so alone, it would be so easy to just…
He licked his lips, she saw the desire in his gaze. It snapped her right out of her reverie.
"Mamoru, please, you can let go of me."
Her tone pulled him out of the daze. She sounded angry. He shouldn’t have scared her like that.
"You shouldn’t have scared me like that."
He only rolled his eyes.
"How do you take your coffee?"
She sighed, reaching for her lotion, continuing to rub it in to her legs.
"Christ Usagi, if you keep that up I’m going to do something we both regret."
He turned to walk away, not before he caught sight of her secret smile of satisfaction.
"I’ll ask again? How do you…"
"I don’t want coffee, I have vodka somewhere. I feel like getting drunk. Shall we get drunk Mamoru?"
She needed to get rid of the tension he was causing in her. All she wanted to do was relax.
He turned to look at her, raising an eyebrow. Could he trust himself.
"I don’t know if that would be such a good idea. I’m not that controllable even with my inhibitions. I can’t imagine what I’d try to do…"
"I can take care of myself, do you really think I’d let you take advantage of me?"
She brushed past him, she smelt like fruits. So many fruits.
"You have a point. Although I don’t care for vodka. Classless alcohol doesn’t really pique my interests."
She scoffed.
"Scared of the outcome?"
The wager had been placed. He was never one to resist a bet.
"Give me a shot, straight up."
12 shots, three whiskeys and one and a half glasses of scotch later, Usagi found herself curled up in one corner of her couch, Mamoru sprawled in the other corner, his necktie was hanging from her neck while he wore her slippers. His shoes had been discarded somewhere around the fifth shot and his shirt was long gone.
"Did you have an unhappy childhood Usagi?"
She smiled, slowly stirring the scotch in her hand.
"It wasn’t unhappy. Bland perhaps? Dull maybe. Lonely definitely."
He lifted his feet, stretching them across the couch, resting them in her lap. She played idly with the fur of the slippers.
"Tell me about it."
She looked past his face, focusing on the small painting hanging on her wall. Dali.
"We lived in a small house, my mother, father and myself. It was small and quaint. It was a happy house to begin with. My first memory was of mother. I prefer to associate my earlier years with her only, but of course my father was a major player in my life. We lived in the country. On a farm. It was our lives. Father would spend his days tending to the animals, the gardens and at night he’d come inside and we’d be the family. It was nice at first. Mother was beautiful. She still is. Isn’t she beautiful?"
Mamoru nodded hazily. His mind was floating in clouds of drunkenness, he was enjoying her voice. Enjoying her ease. Usagi’s mind was screaming at her to stop, not to let him in. Her mouth was slack, it wasn’t listening. Her soul was aching to get it all off her chest.
"Father would say it was only a matter of time before I would be as beautiful as mother. He was right of course. I think that is why he would never let me socialise. I think he wanted to keep me for himself."
Mamoru chuckled.
"Who wouldn’t?"
Usagi swatted his foot softly.
"So my childhood was lonely. It was dark. When I began to resemble my mother just slightly, that was when…"
She trailed off. It hurt so much. Mamoru could see this. He saw the tears welling in her eyes. Damnit, even in his drunken state he hated to see a woman cry.
"Tell me about Rei."
"Rei. Tell you about Rei."
A soft smile formed on her face. Usagi lifted Mamoru’s feet while she stretched her own legs out, resting his feet gently in her lap once again. His legs were heavy. She was loosening up a fair deal, her second scotch was finished, he was pouring her a third.
"Thank you, Rei brought light into my dark childhood. She taught me how to be a woman. She taught me about men, though she didn’t know about my fear. My hatred. Rei taught me how to love. We shared a room when mother and Rupert first moved in, it was a small house. Rupert was studying at the time. Mother kept us alive, working long hours as a receptionist. Rei and I would stay up late, she’d tell me stories of the boys, she went to school see, I didn’t, I did it all by correspondence. Mother thinks that my brains come from my lack of distraction. She didn’t realise that I was lonely. Mmmm that’s nice."
He was massaging her feet, gently, kneading the muscles with his strong hands. He was looking into her eyes with questioning.
"Why did you hate men?"
Her mind was screaming at her. Pleading with her to stop. Don’t tell him. Don’t open the wounds. Fuck it.
"Men have been attracted to me all my life Mamoru. All my life."
He saw the tears in her eyes. He heard the thickness of her voice. He felt the rage consume him.
"I was the blonde little pet. It started with my father. Like I said, the moment I started resembling her was when it began. He’d take me down to the basement. ‘Shhh It’s alright Usa, it’s alright. Don’t tell mummy or I’ll smack you.’ Mother knew. She wasn’t stupid. He beat her to the point where she was too afraid to tell. It wasn’t until my aunt was staying, she realised. That was when he was sent to jail. We lost our house. We lost everything but my uncle and aunt. They took us in. They let me sleep in my cousin Raymond’s room. Every night for two years. Every night. Every night he’d crawl into my bed and he’d…"
She was sobbing so heavily. She couldn’t continue.
"Usagi…"
He pulled her into his arms, pulled the fragile girl into his arms and encircled her. Rocking her backwards and forth. She was so light. So hurt. So fragile. He was so angry.
She didn’t even care that he was holding her. Comforting her. Whispering into her ears. She didn’t care. She was in so much pain.
"I’m sorry."
He kept saying it. Repeating himself. Why did he do that? It wasn’t his fault. It was her own fault. For being a slut. Just like they always told her. If she wasn’t such a slut it would never have happened.
Half an hour of tears was enough. Her emotions were raw. It was the first time she’d ever revealed her horrible secret. The alcohol was leaving an ugly taste in her mouth. Her tears had left a wet stain on Mamoru’s bare chest. He was holding her so close, they were both laying back on the lounge, her head resting in the crook of his neck, she was so warm. Mamoru’s hands were warm as they brushed across her forehead, stroking her blonde hair. She could feel his heart beating against her breasts.
She sniffed loudly, wiping the tears furiously from her eyes. The alcohol combined with her relief made her careless attitude easier to fathom.
"Sorry. I don’t usually speak about…"
He heard the rawness in her voice, the pain. Mamoru pushed his fingers against her mouth. She smiled bitterly.
"What about you? Tell me about your dark secrets."
He smiled, curling her hair around his fingers.
"I don’t have many. I have in common with you, the loneliness, although I was never abused in the way you were. Emotionally perhaps. I had a blissful childhood up until the age of four. My parents doted on me. We lived a Brady bunch life in all honesty. It was a Wednesday when my dad decided we should all drive up to the mountains for a picnic. I remember we were singing along to the radio, a cheesy song it was incredibly cheesy, quite pitiful that my last memories of them were signing a crappy song blasting from a crappy car radio…"
Usagi lifted her head, staring into his eyes with awareness.
"You mean…"
He nodded, easing her back onto his chest.
"We were driving up the mountain, it was slippery, the rain had just started to fall when dad took the corner too sharp. We lost control and the car went over the cliff. They died on impact. I barely survived. Sometimes I wish I hadn’t of. They took me to an orphanage. They told me that I would be adopted within the first month or so. I was never adopted. I lived at that orphanage until the age of 18 when I was old enough to fend for myself. No one wanted to adopt me. I…"
She was looking down at him again, her hands resting on the side of his face, stroking him softly. So much pain in his eyes.
"I guess it worked out for the best. I am quite pleased with where I am today. Success comes at a bitter price I guess. We’ve both learned that. It’s a rocky road but…"
She didn’t think. She didn’t even comprehend the results of her actions but she didn’t care. The alcoholic in her laughed with glee as her lips sought his in a hungry exchange of pain, desire and passion, they kissed, sloppily, hungrily, wantonly. All their pent up, horrible emotions surfaced in the kiss. For that one moment, they rose above it, they escaped, reveling in the freedom.
As quickly as it had begun, it ended, Usagi simply laying her head down onto his chest where it seemed, her place now, as her eyes drifted shut and she dozed off into a dreamless sleep.
Mamoru could only wind his fingers through her hair, before he too was softly snoring, his arms never releasing the fragile woman in his embrace.
~*MUAH*~
When everything is gone there should be nothing to fear this world cannot bring me down because I’m already here.