Beauty in the Breakdown
Chapter 5: Protector of the Small
By Baine
Email: lady_baine (at) yahoo (dot) com
Finished: May 18th, 2007
Posted: October 6th, 2007
AN: For those asking, by the end, this will be a Usagi/Mamoru fic. Mamoru won’t be making an appearance into the story for a few chapters yet because there are a couple of other story arcs going on, so bear with me for a while. ^.^
*—(number) Implies that there is a Japanese cultural note regarding the topic at the end of the story.
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Beauty in the Breakdown
Chapter Five: Protector of the Small
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Stepping into the dusty room, Usagi straightened slowly. Everything was covered beneath layers of grime and dust. She flicked the light switch near her hand, but nothing happened.
“Wow,” breathed Shingo in awe. “This place looks like it hasn’t been touched in years.”
“Obviously not, since it was boarded up and all.”
“Well, yeah, but look at all this stuff. Trophies on shelves, laundry in the hamper, papers scattered across the desk, a partially unmade bed...” His eyes shone with excitement. “It’s almost as though someone wanted to leave the room untouched.”
Usagi ran her finger along the top of a nearby dresser, leaving behind a mahogany line on its otherwise-gray surface. “I don’t see why, I mean, it’s a perfectly good room.”
Shingo shifted uncomfortably, the euphoria of adventure beginning to die off. “Hey, Usa?”
“Yeah?” She stood in the middle of the room, hands on her hips, analyzing the space around her.
“I think this room does belong to the ghost. It looks like his family boarded it up so that his room could serve as a memorial or something.”
Usagi shot him an apathetic glance. “Your ghost has a gender now?”
“Well, the clothes in the hamper weren’t made for a girl. Besides, look at the decorations and stuff. It’s clearly a guy’s room.”
“Was.”
“What?”
“It was a guy’s room. It isn’t anymore.” Ignoring her brother’s whining, she pivoted full-circle, debating where to start.
“But the ghost—”
“—is a figment of your imagination.” Usagi pulled the half-empty hamper into the middle of the room and began chucking stuff into it.
“What are you doing?” Shingo asked, eyes wide as he watched his sister take a bulletin board off the wall.
She turned to frown at him. “Cleaning this place up. Are you going to help or stand there and gawk at me?”
“You can’t just throw this stuff out. It belongs to the ghost!”
Usagi sighed impatiently. “Well, if it does, then he no longer needs it in the afterlife, right?” She walked to the window and pried it open, allowing sunshine to spill into the room as she added the curtains to her pile of trash.
“We don’t really need an extra room, do we? Why can’t we just leave this one alone?”
Usagi frowned. “Do you think Mom wants this furniture? If not, maybe we can sell it.” She headed out of the room and climbed down the ladder, jumping off the last run and brushing her hands against her pants.
Poking her head into the stairwell, she called, “Hey, Mom? You home?”
A moment later, her mother came to the foot of the steps. “Do you have to bellow like a banshee, Usagi? You could come find me, you know.”
“Yeah, but this way’s faster.”
Ikuko refrained from rolling her eyes. “Did you need something?”
“Yeah, can you come up to the attic for a minute?”
“The attic? Did you finally finish cleaning it?” She eyed her daughter’s haphazard appearance. Her face was smeared with dirt and her hair was adorned with dust and flakes of...woodchips?
Usagi chuckled nervously. “Er, not exactly. It’s something even better!”
Ikuko raised an eyebrow. She had told Usagi she could do whatever she wanted with the space once it was habitable. What was better than a clean attic? “Okay, okay. Let me finish putting the clothes in the dryer and I’ll be right up.”
“Thanks, Momma.” Usagi bounded back to the ladder and climbed up, impatiently pacing the length of the attic until her mom re-appeared.
“What did you want to show me, Usa?”
Usagi grinned and led her mother to the other end of the attic. “Shingo and I found a hidden room up here.”
Ikuko blinked, startled. “How did you manage that?” She analyzed the jagged entranceway looming before her. “Did you break down the wall? Usagi...”
“Don’t worry. I analyzed the area and only removed a plank that had been blocking the doorway. I didn’t go out of my way to destroy the house.”
Usagi skipped ahead into the room, looking happier than she had since the move. Ikuko coughed as she stepped through the doorway and into the dusty room.
“Anyway, there’s lots of furniture and stuff. We could have a yard sale or take it to an auction house or Salvation Army or something.”
Looking around in wonder, Ikuko reveled in her children’s discovery. “I gather that you know what you want to do with the room, then?”
“I want to move my bedroom up here. Is that okay? You’ll be able to get a good night’s sleep more often if Shingo and I aren’t right next to one another.”
“It will be really hot during the summer and really cold in the winter. There’s no insulation up here.”
“Yeah, but we still have a few months until it’ll get cold. I could buy one of those air conditioners that doubles as a heater. The traditional space heaters and fans will work, too.”
“I don’t know how the last inhabitants got all this furniture up here, but it’ll be harder to get such big things down that rickety pull ladder.”
Usagi blinked, surprised. “Do you think there’s a real stairwell hidden up here, too?”
“If there is, you’re not going to go looking for it, Usagi. You got lucky with the room. I won’t have you putting holes all over the place.”
Usagi pouted. “Well, I guess I can use this furniture. Would we at least be able to get my mattress and headboard up here?” She crinkled her nose at the idea of sleeping on an old, used mattress.
Ikuko gave the room another once-over. “This is really what you want, Usa?” She watched her daughter nod fervently. “Well, I guess it’ll be okay.”
“Thanks, Momma!” Usagi enthusiastically threw her arms around her mother.
“You didn’t let me finish,” Ikuko wheezed as she tried to loosen Usagi’s death-grip. “When the electrician comes to fix the wiring in the basement on Friday, I’ll have him check up here as well. If everything looks good and the line can handle an AC, I’ll let you have the room.”
Usagi squealed happily. “Thank you, thank you, thank you!”
“Where’s Shingo, anyway? I thought you said he was up here with you?”
Usagi shrugged. “I don’t know, I think he went to the bathroom. He’s probably setting another ghost trap. He’s paranoid because he thinks the ghost lives here.”
Ikuko wearily rubbed her forehead. “That boy...”
“Do you want me to save any of this stuff to sell? There are some clothes in the dresser and stuff, but...” She held up a shirt for inspection. “...they’re all pretty old-fashioned. People wouldn’t even wear this stuff for cosplay.” Her frown deepened. “Looks like the moths have gotten to some of it, too.”
“Go ahead and chuck it. Only keep the stuff that might be useful. I trust your judgment.”
Usagi grinned at her mom, then lightly began to hum as she turned back to the open wardrobe.
Ikuko was in awe at her daughter’s sudden transformation. Gone was the sullen girl who had been moping around the house disguised as her daughter. It was as though Usagi had been born anew. If this was what it took to get her daughter back, Ikuko was willing to go the distance in order to make things work out.
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He was furious. Never had anyone touched his belongings so carelessly before. On top of that, the spoiled princess had deemed his stuff to be trash. He pulled a tarnished trophy from a black Hefty bag. He had won this at a huge track meet. It represented a multitude of high school memories.
Knotting the bag, he dragged it back to his room, removing each item and returning it where it belonged. Leaning warily against his desk, he stared at the open doorway. He’d almost forgotten what it looked like.
He could remember standing in this same spot as he watched his father remove the door before boarding the entranceway with a plank and covering the entire attic wall with wallpaper. The paper was full of huge flowers in garish shades of orange. By hiding the room, his father had been able to cover up the fact he’d ever had a son. Doing this, he no longer had to feel like a failure; the ‘imperfection’ that blighted his life had been permanently removed from sight.
The memory still hurt. Pushing it out of his mind, he continued to empty the trash bags. He couldn’t wait to see the pampered blonde’s reaction the following day.
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“Shingo~o!” Usagi screeched. The house shook as she stormed downstairs and grabbed her brother by his shirt collar. “What have you done?”
Clawing at his sister’s hands, Shingo fervently shook his head. “Nothing,” he wheezed, gasping for air.
“Don’t. Lie. To. Me.”
“I’m not!”
“No?” She pushed him out of his room and to the pull ladder leading to the attic. Following close on his heels, she glowered at him as she stepped into the attic and shoved him toward her new room. “If you didn’t do anything, why is all the crap I threw out yesterday back again?”
“The ghost probably did it. I told you not to chuck his stuff, but you didn’t listen.”
Usagi clenched her fists. “Enough about your imaginary ghost, Shingo. I’m so sick of hearing such a flimsy excuse. Stop pretending to be a little kid. Take responsibility for your actions for once.” She strode over to large black garbage bags littering the floor and began to fill them anew, muttering to herself as she began to work.
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This same procedure was repeated every day for the next week. Usagi was tempted to sit outside overnight until the trashmen stopped by just to make sure that Shingo couldn’t sneak anything back into the house. Knotting the last garbage bag, she started to head downstairs, but stopped when she heard someone climbing the ladder.
Seeing Shingo’s head emerge as he entered the attic, she scowled angrily. “Are you going to start pulling the bags apart right in front of me today?”
Shingo frowned at his sister. “I keep telling you I’m not doing this, baka.” He scuffed his toe against the floor. “Usagi, listen. Obviously the ghost doesn’t want his stuff to be thrown away.” Ignoring his sister’s impatient sigh, he added, “For now, why don’t we move his stuff into the room you’re moving out of?”
“Mom hasn’t said I can move for sure yet. I don’t want this junk cluttering up my room.”
“It isn’t junk.”
“Then keep it in your own room, Shingo.”
“But—”
Usagi lifted her head, giving her brother a hard stare. “If it isn’t junk, you won’t mind keeping it, right? Either keep it in your own room or I’ll personally see that the trashman takes it tomorrow.”
“Okay, fine.” Sulking, Shingo grabbed two bags and headed to the ladder.
Usagi smiled triumphantly. Finally. She had won the war. The electrician was coming tomorrow, and if all went according to plan, Usagi could move into her new room by the end of the weekend. Gloating, she pulled a pile of cleaning supplies into the room and rid it of the last dredges of dust still lingering in the vicinity.
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Walking home from school on Friday, Usagi made a small detour to pick up some ingredients her mother needed for dinner. By the time she left the store, the sun had begun to set. Autumn had finally arrived. The worst thing about the season was the fact that it got dark so much earlier than usual. It felt as though her free time was slipping away like sand through an hourglass.
Crossing a small bridge, she heard a scuffle at the edge of the riverbank, followed by a loud splash. Suspiciously, she made her way toward the sound. Her curiosity piqued as she saw a young boy about her brother’s age kneeling in the mud. A small brown box floated in front of him.
“What are you doing?” she asked, coming up behind him and attempting to see what was in the sinking box.
“N-Nothing.” The boy’s eyes widened and he quickly stood, running away before Usagi could get a good look at him.
Moving forward, she gasped as she was finally able to see inside the box. Wading into the water, she caught it by the edge and pulled it toward her, the soggy cardboard buckling beneath her touch. Once it was out of the water, she reached inside to pull out the two kittens cowering in fear. She winced in pain as one of them bit her thumb as she pulled it out.
“None of that,” she scolded. “I did save you, after all.” Balancing the black kitten on her knees, she bent to grab the white one still clawing at the box.
“There now, you’re safe.” Shrugging out of her school coat, she wrapped the two cats carefully, hoping to dry them off and keep them warm. She brought the bundle to her chest and hurried to get home. By the time she arrived, she was panting and out of breath. *--1
Scowling as Usagi entered the kitchen, Ikuko placed her hands on her hips and drew herself up to her full height. “Where have you been, young lady? I told you not to dawdle, didn’t I? Now dinner’s going to be late, and—”
“Momma, I’m sorry.” Usagi held out her writing bundle. “I stopped to save two kittens that a boy was trying to drown.” She placed her jacket on the floor and unraveled it, revealing two shivering balls of fur.
Her anger instantly forgotten, Ikuko rushed forward and bent down. “Oh, the poor dears. It’s lucky you got there when you did.”
‘Can we keep them?”
“Oh, I don’t know, Usagi.”
“Please? They’re too young to fend for themselves in the wild.”
Ikuko sighed, her heart melting at the sight of her daughter clutching the calmer kitten to her chest while the black one kept trying to slink away. Perhaps a kitten would help Usagi overcome her loneliness? Caving in, she wearily nodded in agreement. “I suppose it’s all right. You’re in charge of feeding them and cleaning up after them, though.”
Usagi rewarded her mother with a dazzling smile. “Thanks, Momma, you’re the best!”
Getting out two small bowls from the cupboard, Ikuko filled them with water and set them on the floor. “Have you decided on any names yet?”
Usagi frowned thoughtfully as she placed the cats in front of the water. “Not really. They both have these weird bald spots on their foreheads, though. The marks look a little like the crescent moon. I might call them Luna and Artemis. We learned about the two deities recently in a mythology unit at school.”
Ikuko smiled indulgently. If these kittens had Usagi remembering her school lessons, she could definitely condone the extra mouths in the kitchen. Humming happily, she warmed a pan of milk and poured the frothy liquid into two more bowls, setting them next to the water dishes. Grinning at her daughter’s incredulous expression, she demurely stated, “Well, it’s their first night and they’ve been through a lot, right? They deserve a special treat.”
Usagi stroked the white kitten’s back as his pert pink tongue lapped at the milk.
“Tomorrow morning, we’ll go to Jusco and buy some supplies for them, okay?” *--2
“Sounds good.” Usagi couldn’t take her eyes off the kittens. How could someone do something so vile?
Bringing the small balls of fluff to her room and depositing them on her mattress, she looked around at her threadbare surroundings. “Sorry it’s so empty, guys. I’m getting ready to move. You can come with me, okay?”
The small violet-black kitten stared up at her and yawned, curling against Usagi’s pillow and drifting off to sleep. Usagi smiled fondly as she watched the white kitten do the same.
“I’ll be really good at keeping you company. I’m...I’m home a lot. I guess that works out in your favor, doesn’t it?” Her smile faltered. “I hope you’ll be happy here.”
The wall separating Usagi’s room from Shingo’s shook as a loud bang was heard. Usagi looked up, startled. Shingo must be home from practice. *--3 “Hey, Shingo?” She rapped her hand against the wall and heard a muffled response. “Can you come in here for a minute?”
Her brother warily poked his head into the room. “What did I do now?”
She almost laughed at his expression. She had trained him well, hadn’t she? “Nothing—yet. I just had a question for you.”
“Oh?” He leaned against the doorway and folded his arms. For a moment, Usagi was struck by the fact that he had begun to transform into a young man.
Blinking, she dragged her mind back on track. “Is there a boy at your school who wears a blue cap with a white ‘Y’ on the front?”
“A ‘Y’?” he furrowed his brow. “Wait, do you mean the Yankees symbol?”
“The what?”
Shingo rolled his eyes. “You know, that American baseball team that Matsui Hideki plays on?” *--4
Usagi shrugged. “All I know about baseball is that you’re always staying after school to play it.”
“Well, it was probably a Yankees cap.”
“If you say so. Anyway, do you know if you have a classmate who owns a cap like that?”
“I don’t know, maybe. Why?”
Usagi shifted, revealing the two kittens cuddled together against her pillow. “A boy wearing your school’s uniform was trying to drown these little guys in the river. I didn’t get a good look at him before he ran away, but I did notice the hat.”
Shingo stepped further into the room, eyes on the sleeping kittens. “Mom said you could keep them?”
“Yeah.”
“I can’t think of anyone, but I’ll keep an eye out, okay?”
“Thanks.”
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The weekend flew by and Usagi became more enamored than ever with her newfound playmates. She could watch them for hours. After making sure Shingo wouldn’t torture the kittens, she left them in his care while she brought the last of her belongings up to her new room. Flicking on the light, she reveled at the shiny wooden floor begging to feel feet against it once more and allowed the pungent aroma of lemon-scented cleaner to fill her nostrils. Her room. This was hers. There was even a small window seat. If Usagi was courageous enough, she could use it as leverage to climb out the window in order to shimmy down the tree that partially obstructed her view of the yard. With such a golden opportunity presenting itself to her, it was a pity she was afraid of heights.
She unpacked the last of her boxes and glanced around the room, satisfied. She hadn’t been able to get her furniture up here, but her mom had been able to get the delivery men to bring up her new mattress and get rid of the old one. Usagi had to buy a twin mattress because her king was too big to get upstairs. *--5
Her only condolence was the fact she’d be able to use her own furniture again when she was ready to move out of the house. In the meantime, it would be kept in her old bedroom, which had officially become a guestroom.
Usagi brought the empty boxes into the attic and broke them down, then went downstairs to find Shingo and retrieve her kittens. Her mom had bought a huge cat bed for the two of them. At the moment, they were small enough to share. Taking the bed from Shingo, she brought it upstairs and placed it at the foot of her own bed. The violet-black kitten, Luna, immediately tumbled off the soft cushion and began to explore her new environment, tail swishing suspiciously as she reared back and pounced on her owner’s schoolbag.
She smiled and picked up the little white kitten, Artemis, curling him against her chest as she sank onto her bed. After finding out he was a boy, Shingo had started teasing her about the fact that she’d given the kitten a girl’s name. Usagi didn’t care, though. The name was perfect and Artemis had already begun responding to it. Usagi did, however, give him the more masculine-sounding nickname ‘Arty.’
As she leaned her head against a pillow, she felt a prickling sensation at the nape of her neck. Feeling as though someone was watching her every move, she glanced around, laughing nervously as she felt a warm body press closer to her own. She wasn’t used to having animals so close to her all the time. Blinking drowsily, she smothered a yawn. Perhaps she should call it an early night. Moving had really worn her out.
As her limbs began to relax, she felt the kitten in her arms start to squirm around. He frantically batted his paws against her, causing her to open her eyes and peer down at him. “What’s the matter, Arty?” She frowned in concern as she felt his small body begin to tremble.
His hair stood on end and a yowl came from deep within his throat. His pupils dilated and he bared his teeth. Tilting his head as his eyes wildly scanned the room and flexed his nonexistent claws, Artemis frothed at the mouth and snarled, “Get out and leave me alone!”
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CULTURAL NOTE #1: “Wait, why is Usagi wearing a school coat?” Students in Japan wear two uniforms. There is an official day when the uniform changes over in the fall and in the spring so that students will be better-prepared for warm/cold weather. Usagi’s uniform is no longer the same one I described in an earlier chapter. ^_^
CULTURAL NOTE #2: JUSCO is a huge department store chain throughout Japan. It usually has many stories—my local one has eight stories! It’s kind of like a mall of its own. Many JUSCO stores have a food department on the first floor, then floors of clothing, books, entertainment, drug store, perfume, kitchen stuff, tatami stuff, school supplies, a yen (dollar/pound/etc) store, etc, and on the top floor, there is a food court and, sometimes, an arcade. Other department stores in Japan are like this, too. JUSCO is one of the cheaper stores.
CULTURAL NOTE #3: There are many clubs and after-school activities in Japan. Students usually get to go home between 6-7 p.m.
CULTURAL NOTE #4: Matsui Hideki (Or Hideki Matsui, if you put his family name second a la the Western way) is very famous in Japan! Everyone knows his name. They also know Matsuzaka Daisuke (Daisuke Matsuzaka) from the Red Sox very well. Both men played baseball in Japan before getting new contracts in the States and many people will list one or both as favorite players! Part of this is also because baseball is very popular in Japan. Even high school baseball games air on TV!
CULTURAL NOTE #5: A lot of Japanese people still use futons and tatami rooms when sleeping, but there are also many who use Western-style beds. In the anime, Usagi uses a Western bed, and since she was wealthier in her “old life,” I gave her a real bed and mattress here as well.
AUTHOR’S NOTE: Hm, originally, this chapter was combined with Chapter Four, but I split it. This chapter is thirteen pages, and the last was ten, so that would have been such a long chapter! Because I split it, I needed a new title. It took a long time, but then I decided I wanted to focus on the kitties. I came up with the word ‘protector,’ then thought and thought and finally chose “Protector of the Small” after recalling a book quartet by the fantastic author Tamora Pierce because it seemed to fit. What do you think?
Ahh, the ending wasn’t quite as dramatic as I wanted it to be. Ah well, hopefully it still leaves you hanging until next time! ^.~
Thank yous go out to Nephthys and Kelkatan for all of their help!
Like it? Hate it? I’m the one to talk to! Hit the little review button or e-mail lady_baine (at) yahoo (dot) com today!
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