Disclaimers: Sailormoon doesn't belong to me. They belong to big companies such as Toie Animation, Kodansha, Dic and Naoko Takeuchi. Pls. don't sue me. I'm not making money out of these. Suggestions, comments even flames are welcomed. They are not just welcomed but highly appreciated. Pls. people I need to know your feelings towards my fanfic. This is my first time in writing a fanfic so please go easy on me. It's been such a lllllllooooooonnnnnnngggggggg time since I submitted the 7th part of the fic. I am so sorry if I said I would submit this sooner. I still hope you enjoy this 8th chapter. I'll try my best to finish his fic. I want to take this opportunity to apologize to those who e-mailed me and didn't receive a reply even though they asked for one. You see, free time to answer every e-mail is slimming down day after day after day. I made this frequently asked questions text file to make replying easier. I'm only going to give this file to those who would like it, meaning an e-mail with the request. Why can't I just submit it to the archive, you ask? Well...I just want to receive a big bunch of e-mails just to know that I'm cared for (although I can't reply them personally). Oh before I could forget, please e-mail me at my new address : angelmyst@bishoujosenshi.com because the old one is filled up. Happy Reading!!! ^_^ ********************************************************************************* Love Beyond Anger Chapter 8 "You live here?" Usagi asked with all wonder as her eyes gazed around the magnificence of the Yoshida household. She never thought that there is such an abode which would be easily mistaken for a Shangri-La in the middle of forest. Each room is fully decorated with priceless paintings, sculptures, furnitures and figurines that collectors would die for. Every rug and curtain glistens like the sun as if they are made form pure gold. "I never thought that you are so rich. Look here she even has expensive vases and artifacts." "Wow!" Chibiusa ran around the living room. "This place is really great! I never thought that this house is so well hidden among the trees." "It is made this way so as not to attract so much theives," Tomoko explained, her eyes still locked on her 'knight' who had previously and effortlessly saved her. "Ms. Tomoko, Mr. Sasuke will be with you shortly," the maid who had welcomed them said. "Thank you," Tomoko answered still not averted her eyes from Nasaki. "Could you also prepare drinks for all of us? After all, this man here helped me even though I am a stranger." "As you wish, Ms. Tomoko" with those words uttered, the maid left. "You really didn't have to arrange drinks for us. We should really get going. It is almost nightfall it is dangerous to walk around outside," Nasaki laid Tomoko on a comfortable couch in front of him. "I hope you get better Tomoko-san. I guess we'll see each other again soon." "What's the rush?" a man emerged from the second floor room close to the stairs. "I'm Yoshida Sasuke, Tomoko's cousin. I heard you helped my cousin to come home because she sprained her ankle. You should all stay here. It is the least we could do to travelers such as yourselves. Nightfall will come any minute now and the next gasoline station nearest to this vicinity is almost 10 miles away." "What about the hotel?" Kinichi inquired. "We are supposed to spend our vacation in the onsen and the map said that the exact location is 500 meters due north." "Hotel?" Tomoko repeated. "I never heard of such establishment. No hotels are structured here since the whole land is owned by our family. Father would never allow this place to be for tourists. He could never find another quiet sanctuary such as this." "That's why we are inviting you to stay," Sasuke came down the stairs. "We have two hot springs, for both male and female so you still have your vacation plus you could all stay for as long as you would like and it is all for free. Take it as a thank you gift from me and Tomoko." "What do you say guys?" Minako turned to face the others. "The place is as big as the hotel and it is for free." "I don't know," Rei uttered. "We are a big company and too much of a hassle to them" "I insist," Sasuke persisted. "I guess we all accept since you insist," Mamoru answered knowing the others' nonverbal answers. "Thank you very much for you very generous offer." "Your very much welcomed," Sasuke replied. "All right!" Jotaro clenched his right fist and punched the air upward. "Days of relaxation are here for real. At last I could get away from the museum and the university." "No concerts, no media and no stupid critics. This is great!" Seiya cheered. "You said it Seiya," Usagi affirmed. "All of us are going to have a wonderful time, ne minna-san?" "Right!" Everyone answered with joy. Nobody noticed that Sasuke's eyes changed its appearance 'Have the time of your life, you fools. After your laughter, all of you will cry in enormous pain. Then the whole world will be mine and Makoto will be my queen.' "This room is huge!" Minako exlaimed as she entered the guest room. "This is like 5 times the size of my bedroom." Tomoko had taken them to their respective guestrooms. Eventhough she is kind enough to escort them, her uncontrollable face gestures are making Makoto so uncomfortable. Whenever she faces Nasaki, she becomes the angel of all angels as if she is trying to seduce him one way or the other. But whenever they meet each others' eyes. Her most angelic face would turn to the most malevolent expression she ever saw. She tried to tell the others about it but... 'Maybe it is just me. We both have nothing against each other. We can't possibly be enemies just because of a stare.' She just managed a faint smile in return for the malicious stare. Nasaki, on the other hand, had experienced the same thing with Tomoko's cousin, Sasuke. 'I guess he doesn't like me for his cousin. Good thing, Tomoko is really a nice girl but I still would like to be with Jupiter-hime even if she had a life of her own here.' He tried to say something nice to assure Sasuke but is was interrupted by his advance of charm to Makoto. 'Will you look at that. It seems like otenba-chan has a catch of her own.' "I'm glad you liked it," Tomoko replied. "There are 4 rooms in this hall. Pls. decide among yourselves who are going to take the room and how many in one. I'll just go to the kitchen and help prepare our dinner." "Make yourselves at home," Sasuke said after his cousin left. "I'll leave to for a while. I'm supposed to arrange some papers before dinner. I hope you don't mind." "We don't mind," Ami responded. "We'll take care of our stuff ourselves." And hearing that response, Sasuke left. "Seiya, are you sure we should stay?" Yaten whispered, eyes scanning the whole room suspiciously. "I don't like what I'm feeling about this place. I don't like it at all." "I know I know," Seiya agreed, unpacking his stuff without a trace of fear or panic. "I have my own doubts about this place too." "Well, you don't seem anything near doubting," Taiki observed. "Nothing has happened yet since we came," Seiya reasoned. "It's no use looking around for unbelievable stories lurking around this household. All we have to do is just stay alert and..." "Watch out for that Tomoko and Sasuke guy," Yaten finished. "Affirmative," Taiki replied. "Right on," Seiya concured. "Hey! I thought Mamoru-san will be joining us in a room?" "I thought so too," Taiki said. "But he realized at the last minute that we are still women in men's body so he decided to join the Ikuhara people instead." After dinner, Makoto joined the others in the family entertainment room. The Yoshida cousins left for a business engagement. The servants were doubtful at first because they thought they were robbers or something and that their masters made a terrible mistake leaving 8 highschoolers, 5 college men and 2 kids in a big mansion. Luckily, a young maid recognized her greatest idol, the Three Lights so the whole doubt thing came to an end. "What should we do now?" Rei asked breaking the inevitable silence that lingered the whole room. "I say we should all scare ourselves and tell ghost stories," Usagi suggested making a scary face of her own. "Great idea," Taiki agreed. "I'll just get some more food from my bag" "Ghost stories?" Chibiusa repeated in disgust. "I don't want any. It is ok if we are at home. I don't know about you but this place is giving me the creeps." "Come on Chibiusa, it wouldn't be that bad," Ami said in a soothing voice. "We could do it here and not outside if you want to." "Besides, we'll be together," Minako added. "Look, Chibichibi isn't that scared as you are." "Story, story," Chibichibi clapped her hands in delight. "You girls are easily scared all the time," Yaten remarked as he ate the chips that he brought. "It isn't that scary if you ask me. It all depends on the storyteller if it is scary or not." "So who's going to start?" Zaide stood up, switched of the lights and turned on the flashlight. "I haven't done this since highschool." Makoto stood up. "I think I should pass. The scenery is beautiful outside and I'd like to take a walk. I'll come back if it is really really late." "If ever you meet Nasaki outside, tell him I ate his chips already," Jotaro said still munching a mouthful of potato chips. "It took him so long to come back. Tell him that my conscience is not that strong when it comes to food." Makoto laughed at the comment. "I will tell him. Ja mata ne, minna!" 'I wonder where Jupiter-hime is right now. Is she looking at the sky as I am doing? Is she studying? Does she have a date?' Nasaki felt a pang of jealousy as he thought about it. He was lying down in a clearing, staring at the stars for about half an hour already and still thinking about the very same woman all throughout. He have been trying hard to forget about her just to have a few moments of sheer fun and excitement but to no avail all that he could think of is her. The stars gave no comforting gestures at all to his anxiety. They're just there listening to him pour his heart out. 'If ever Jupiter-hime is looking at you just like I am, please tell her that I am here still in love with her. I am ready to take all the hatred she'll give me because I... I...' Nasaki sighed. 'I can't even say it in thought. I'm so pathetic.' "The stars look pretty tonight," Nasaki jolted at that note. He never realized that Makoto was there sitting at the same clearing looking at him. She laughed at his actions. He laughed with her. "I'm sorry," Nasaki said, shifting to a place facing her. "I didn't recognize that you were there and you're right, the stars look pretty tonight." "It's no problem. I came here just now," Makoto replied. "No wonder you like Astronomy. It is like you are in a whole new world by just looking at them." "I'm starting to believe that they can work miracles," Nasaki observed as his face was directed to the stars again. "Look at us, this is the very first time that we are talking to one another without retorting at each others' words." Nasaki faced Makoto to hear her response. "We retort each others' words? As far as I am concerned the one who always retorts at person's words and actions is you baka-kun." Nasaki narrowed his eyes, thinking about the best get back remark he could muster. He was about to say something to have revenge but it was interrupted with Makoto's sudden burst of laughter. "I can't believe you are so gullible, baka-kun," Makoto was having a hard time to stop laughing. "You were so serious. I thought it was the end of the world or something." Her eyes were now filled with tears. "You were like starting to be somebody else. I was just giving you a reality check." "Well, I'm sorry for being that way," Nasaki turned around and whispered some words that Makoto couldn't decipher. "Hey, I'm sorry," Makoto said in a guilty tone. "I didn't mean it. See? The stars are working a miracle on me too. I'm actually apologizing for what I did to you. Come on now baka-kun. Oh, I almost forgot. Jotaro asked me to tell you that he was getting impatient that he ate your chips. You were taking so long to come back there." "It's alright," Nasaki ressumed his star gazing activity. "He could eat them all. I lost my appetite anyway so it is no big deal." "Hey, you seem too absorbed," Makoto lay beside him. "You have a problem or something?" "Well, it seems that way." "Is it about work?" "Astronomy is a big part of my life and I had a chance to impart my knowledge to children. What's not to like about it?" "College?" "It's still bearable" "Siblings?" "They are always a problem but it is not that life threatening. You just have to learn to live with their weird ways." "Ummmmmmm, lovelife?" Nasaki paused. "Is that it?" Makoto asked once more. "If that's the case, I guess I can't help you. I suck at love." "You suck at love?" Nasaki repeated not believing what he had just heard. "How can you, a girl so young, exposed to so many men, has a body and face other girls would die for, endowed with such wisdom at retorts and the like, suck at love?" "Wow! It is the first time you complemented me...except for the retort part," Makoto smiled. "You are not answering the question," Nasaki said, fishing for words he wants to hear. "I guess we should head back," Makoto suggested. "They were planning to have a ghost story telling session before I left. We should join them now. It might help loosen you up." "Otenba-chan! You are not answering the question," Nasaki uttered for the second time. "It's your fault anyway. You should've said something that would keep the listener hanging." "Hey, I asked you too but you just kept silent," Makoto implied, her eyebrows curled meeting one another. "It is something I want to hear too." "You go first," Nasaki smiled knowing he won this time. "I noticed the suggestive words first so it gives me the right to be the last to tell my story." "Ok ok," Makoto looked up recollecting her thoughts. "You may not like what I have to say. Even before I met Usagi and the rest, I was in love with a upper classman in our school. He was the most popular guy back then since he is a good athlete and still manages to get desirable grades. He met me one time in his soccer practices and I became is girlfriend. But one rainy night he asked me to meet at the park and right then and there, he left me with no acceptable reason." "Ouch," Nasaki reacted as if he was in her place. "What did he say?" "That he grew out of love for me and that he needed to see other people." "Double ouch," Nasaki said. "Was there any other who took his place?" "There were also a few others, one of them was the arcade guy," Makoto counted. "Motoki, the Crown Arcade guy?" Nasaki guessed. "Yup," Makoto noded. "I thought he would make things better but it seems that he already has a girlfriend who works overseas." "That was harsh," Nasaki remarked. "I know," Makoto agreed, one tear unconciously sliding down her cheek. "I don't think I could enumerate the others now. I might break down and cry till morning. It might spoil your vacation." "I'm sorry to bring the subject," Nasaki apologized, brushing the tear away. "Even if men come and go, there will still be somebody waiting for your love along the way. You just have to look for him." "Your just saying that to comfort me," Makoto said with a hint of crying in between her words. "There will never be somebody with that description. It'll always be in thought or in text just like in fairy tales." "No no no no!" Nasaki opposed. He framed her face with his hand to meet each others' gaze. "That'll never be the case you hear me? I promise you there will be a guy with the best qualifications standing in front of you to say 'Makoto, you are the girl for me. I love you and I never plan to ever let you go'" Makoto's face changed to a light shade of red. She was about to say something but words can't seem to come out of her mouth. "I...I...I think I should go back." She stood up and walked away. "Wait!" Nasaki caught her right wrist. "What's wrong? Is there something I said? Did I say something offending?" "Iie," Makoto answered trying hard not to meet his face. "I just want to go back that's all. I'm ok." "No you're not," Nasaki stood up. "You can't just turn your back on me so suddenly, saying you want to go back at the house and then lying to me that you are ok right after said your story. The least you could do is tell me straight to the face just like you would to your friends." "I don't want to make the same mistake again," Makoto shut her eyes striving very hard not to cry. "What mistake?" "Loving somebody..." "Why?" "It's all an illusion. First, I might believe for some stupid reason that he loves me and then when I start to show my affection It will always come out unrequited." "Why won't you just tell it to him? I'm sure he feels the same way." "He doesn't feel the same way, ok?" She can't hold it back now. Tears welled in her eyes, others are running down her cheek, one after another after another. "He has somebody else. I thought he was feeling the same way. I thought he isn't one of those men out there who would break what was left of me. But then, one of my friends told me he came here to be with her. I have no other reason to intrude." "So he made you believe that he loves you but actually he didn't?" His question was answered by silence and more tears. "I can't believe it," Nasaki stated in incredulity. "Tell me who he is and I'm going to to give him a piece of my mind. He shouldn't have told you that he had a girlfriend in the first place." She turned around to face him. "You just did, Nasaki-no-baka" Nasaki didn't know what she meant by those words but just as he was to ask about it, Makoto was far away to avoid his voice. ********************************************************************************* Author's last remarks: That's all. Hope you like it.