A Woman Scorned
After a sleepless night, Usagi woke to the sounds of rolling thunder. Its relentless refrain crashing down upon her senses as she watched the spectacular fork lightning dancing wildly across the horizon.
She gazed through her bedroom window into the tempest that delivered sheets of rain upon the parched earth outside. It was then she saw him. Mamoru stood alone in his leather jacket and jeans gazing into the stormy skies before looking back at the house. Usagi stood frozen to the spot -- their eyes meeting for the briefest of moments. Usagi could hear her heart pounding in her ears as a lone tear slipped down her cheek. She pulled her eyes away and the spell was broken. He turned away and got into his hover-car and before long; it had disappeared into the curtains of silvery rain, his departure punctuated by a series of ear-splitting thunderclaps. The skies, gunmetal grey, swirling as the storm continued to rage outside her bedroom window.
Usagi felt its turbulence raging within. Pushing herself upright in bed, she thought the weather suited her melancholia.
Usagi's clothing stuck to her sweaty skin as the result of the high humidity. She rolled over, realizing she'd slept in her clothes and groaned. She stood up and stripped naked, throwing each item in its turn into the wash basket and stomped into her bathroom, growling as she went. She felt betrayed, a sense of her equilibrium pulled from under her. But what to do – this haunted her thoughts as she stood before the vanity unit in front of the mirror.
Usagi stood there almost in a trance, examining her disheveled countenance in the mirror with all the scrutiny of a mortician about to dissect a corpse. She huffed in defiance at her reflection. Her hair a mess, eyes bloodshot from too much crying -- her youthful features bearing the pallor of a vampire-like vixen after a night in the cemetery with the leading man in a B-grade horror flick.
But, she had to admit, that from the neck down she looked great and more human than the waxen expression upon her face indicated. She was pleased with the sculpted contours of her body. But she felt like Medusa, all snakes for hair and a glare that would turn any man to stone, and right now, she had one man in mind -- Chiba Mamoru.
She untied her unkempt Odangos, and leaned over the sink to wash her face. Usagi couldn't figure out why these feelings of rage and jealousy were bubbling to the surface. Why then, after six months of marriage, were she and Mamoru acting like somnambulists within a dream sequence? She was puzzled. Intrigued was what she felt. She cared about Mamoru, of course, she did, but Usagi didn't believe it was anything more than the bond that would form between two people who had come to like each other and bonded over a significant period. But that was all, wasn't it? She wondered.
But this little tart had appeared from-- the Kamis knew where-- stepping onto the stage to complicate matters. As if, she needed this right now. She was angry and confused. Well, she was damned if she would allow this dark exotic beauty to usurp her role and place the entire federation in jeopardy, not to mention her pride.
She paused, daring not to say it aloud, but couldn't resist the seductive sound of the words that slipped from the hot-pink petals of her full lips -- the words, burning like fire that both excited and terrified her. "I am falling in love with him!" she hissed.
She stepped into the shower. The steaming water poured over her grateful body. It was then her thoughts drifted back to her home in Japan. So long ago it seemed since she was a free spirit, to ski and hike, swim and indulge in her love of music and hover disk tournaments and concerts. Her heart grew heavy with the feelings of lamentation that threatened to overwhelm her. Was her life all that different? Could she not make the life-style changes to add some excitement and do the things she loved? No, she thought roily. She felt as if her life was sucked into a vortex, a portal of politics and international mind games, to solidify alliances at the expense of her life and whatever happiness she might have known if she were allowed to follow her heart -- or so it seemed. It was those arbiters of fate, the ones controlling not only Usagi's life, but also that of Mamoru. Maybe he decided to break out the only way he could, but it had always been easy for men. She and her mother were -- aside from her younger brother -- the only survivors of the pandemic as her uncles had died and Aiko was the sole heir to the Chrysanthemum throne after the Japanese government changed the laws of succession in 2011.
Usagi shook herself as her conflicting emotions regarding her developing feelings for Mamoru re-surfaced. Could it be true, am I in love with him? She questioned herself while rinsing the last traces of Jasmine scented shampoo from her hair and applied the conditioner. Her body was not her own it seemed, she felt her pulse racing and wanted to be the one walking beside him on the beach, to be the one coming home after a dinner date, to be returning to his room to-- she gasped. Shaking herself, like a cat doused with the ice-cold water of reason, pushing aside those unwanted amorous thoughts that threatened to consume her. But despite her best efforts, these feelings persisted. She turned off the faucet and stepped from the shower. She could feel the flames of desire ascend from within her abdomen, seeking to weaken her resolve -- heating her blood and making her dizzy. She almost gave into these warm sensuous feelings, but like a changeling, the sudden surge of outrage swept all other considerations aside. She wrapped a hot pink towel about her slender form. Usagi felt in that moment as if she could rip both Mamoru and this dark haired woman to shreds. Time held her suspended within the grasp of her fury that gave no indication it would ever recede as she walked back into her bedroom.
~*~
Usagi didn't stop for breakfast, nor could she have confronted Mamoru right then; grateful he was gone for the day. She snuck down the stairs, chancing a look out the window, noticing the storm was contracting to the southeast. She paused for a second before grabbing her umbrella and stuffing it into her pack. She then grabbed an apple and some juice for breakfast, munching happily away as she read the headlines of the morning newspaper and made herself lunch, consisting sandwiches, soft drink and an assortment of snacks, packing these into her bulging backpack.
Satisfied, she smiled to herself, and then frowned, her eyes lit up and she rushed back to her room and grabbed her holo-sphere entertainment module from her bedside table. Finding room inside, Usagi zipped up her pack -- hoisting it over one shoulder and moved downstairs, and slipped out the door.
~*~
Usagi found the crunching sensation of gravel under foot comforting as she walked along the winding path, the crouching house reminding her of a cat sitting with its paws beneath its chest looking out over all it surveyed.
Her footfalls punctuating her determination as she approached the familiar old Elm. Of course, she was more than aware that security forces assigned to protect both herself and Mamoru would have her in sight at that moment, but she was grateful for their discretion, as she wanted to enjoy the solitude of the moment, even if it were an elusion.
She soon reached the main street in the peaceful village. On either side of the street, grand old houses greeted her as she strode down the sleepy causeway in a casual gate -- the charm of a by-gone era assailing the senses. She loved the aromatic perfume of the Bay Wood trees lining the street arresting her nostrils. At that moment, Usagi was in a state of utter contentment. The flowers and sweet scent of drenched earth also overwhelmed her, coupled with the crystalline lattices of water caught in the virgin sunlight caressing her soul -- this magical landscape chasing off any lingering thoughts of Mamoru, as she gazed into the semi-private world of the street's inhabitants.
She could see people eating breakfast on one of the typical spacious verandas through ornate Spanish arches. These houses ran the length of the street, complementing the stunning gardens festooned with all manner of flowering plants. The welcome sight giving the landscape a botanical look. The golden sunlight, lifting the sultry fragrance of rain-drenched summer blooms into the air.
Slipping her pack off her shoulder, she fished inside for her cell phone and called Umino. "Hey Umino, I need a big fave. Can you get Nephrite and his goon squad off my ass and meet me by the tree on the old road five minutes from now?" She grinned into the vid cell screen before continuing, "I need to disappear for a while. Will you help me?"
~*~
After climbing into the four-wheel drive, she brought Umino up to speed. Molly Logan was with him, a cheerful redhead who had met Umino while on holiday from her home in Dublin, Ireland. She was sweet natured and it was obvious she had an interest in Umino, as did he for her.
"So, where do you wish to go?"
"Anywhere…away from here for a few hours is all." Molly and Umino exchanged looks, this not lost on Usagi who went on the defensive, "Look, after you guys left last night, I chilled out, put on some music and waited up for Mamoru so I could ask about – that woman… Low and behold, they waltz into the house, as easy as you like. Earlier, I found a valise of hers on the leather chair in front of the workstation in the study, the glasses by the swimming pool and the lipstick upon the brim and put two-and-two together -- lovers."
"It's a bit of a long bow, don't you think, Usagi?" Molly ventured.
"No…not really, Molly, if you had been there and seen for yourselves, she was all over him, making goo-goo eyes at him. I don't think so. He must have thought I had gone to bed. How naïve I have been. I thought he was kind of all right," she said, tears building up in the corners of her cerulean orbs, "I was growing closer to him, and I thought… Then he pulls this rabbit out of the hat and casts me aside for her. Well I won't have it!"
"Usagi, are you sure this is what was really happening," Umino chipped in, "I mean, he might simply have been trying to be a gentleman and was perhaps planning to meet you and then call her a cab or something...," he trailed off after seeing Usagi's scowling expression.
"I don't believe that for a second, though I wish it were so. They looked as guilty as two people can get when I confronted them. They were about to sneak upstairs into his bedroom, I know it."
"Okay, maybe you're right, maybe they had, but you cannot be absolutely sure until you ask him. I think it best to be sure about these things; I have had to humble myself in the face of my tendency to jump to conclusions on more than one occasion. It's only human, and he might be innocent… At least think it over," Molly suggested, squeezing Usagi's hand.
"All right, I will keep an open mind, but don't expect me to be gullible and all…"
"Change of subject, girls… I think we can safely say we are all keen to spend the rest of the day having fun. So, I want an itinerary of things to do from you both. I know the perfect little French pastry shop in the village where we can do just that… so no moping, or cute pouting either, okay," Umino proclaimed, this bringing a giggle from Usagi despite her determination to scowl, she found it impossible when Umino started joking about.
~*~
After dinner that night at the Samurai Club in Lisbon, they went to a karaoke lounge and watched a woman make sushi out of a song Usagi loved: Private Investigation by Dire Straits. Usagi laughed till she cried. The poor woman was a walking fashion disaster area, her neo-Gothic make-up, knee high boots, and a black silk backless evening dress that showed off her curvaceous body clashed with the avant-garde make-up, her bare legs covered in sinuous metallic-violet webs. The pirate-like boots Usagi found all too hilarious, given the mix of Gothic and the short black silk evening dress, leaving little to the imagination.
The woman's distinctive obsidian skull earrings, make-up adorning her semi-translucent silvery-white face were definitely a sight to behold. When coupled with the woman's off-key voice, Usagi found this amalgam of cultural styles so incredibly hilarious. She cackled like a hyena. The woman rushed off stage as fast as she could, as the audience hooted and laughed along with the hysterical princess.
"I haven't laughed so much in a long time," Usagi managed, trying to catch her breath, "The poor thing had taken cultural fusion a little too far but it was fun…"
~*~
A short distance away, at a neighboring table, Seiya chuckled at the blonde flanked by her friends, producing his cell phone, he punched in a combination of keys and a small blue light began to blink and the text message racing across the screen read, go.
~*~
As Umino and Molly drove a chirpy Usagi back to the house, a black Alpha Epitome hovered off in the distance behind them. But two kilometers away from the house, it pulled off onto a dirt track, disappearing into a clump of trees that shrouded a small abandoned farmhouse where a lone oil lantern illuminated the veranda where a group of men was playing cards and drinking wine.
"He is here, gringo," spat a woman with fiery eyes -- glass in hand. Moments later, she slid slowly off the man's lap, pulling down the already short hem of her skirt before making her way down the steps toward the hover-car as it glided to a stop.
Seiya climbed out, pulling off his shades, looking towards the bronzed redhead, who was throwing him a lustful smile in his direction. She moved like a vixen, swinging her rounded hips as she moved towards him. Beryl slipped into his arms before bestowing a chased kiss upon his lips.
She whispered something in his ear, clinging to his shoulders like a little cat and nibbled his ear. Seiya slapped her playfully on her behind and waved his finger before her in a metronomic fashion. "Now, lets save the naughty-girl routine until later …shall we… I can deal with your ravenous appetites then – in private, my dear…"
She pouted. "I thought I was being a good girl," she told him, feigning hurt and winked, "Oh, Seiya darling… What can I say...? I prefer you as a man. After all, you were too hot as a girl and kept cramping my style. Now you are a guy… I get to have all the fun, instead of competing with you for all the hot guys, so…hot!"
"Body modeling has its advantages," he chuckled as they kissed once more.
She spun around and wolf-whistled to her companions, who had raised their hands in greeting, not bothering to get up as Beryl and Seiya climbed the short flight of steps onto the veranda.
"Everything set, Seiya," a bull of a man demanded, lifting suspicious eyes to his comrade, wiping his mouth with the back of one hairy hand.
"Don't sweat it, Hernandez, you will get your chance for glory… but you got to earn that fat paycheck and trip to the Caribbean... But you got to do your job and not screw up."
"Listen, you shit-faced chameleon, I don't need to be told how to do my job, especially by the likes of you… I am a professional, I have a track record and my credentials speak for themselves. You on the other hand, had spent all your time on your back as a woman, pleasing the Dark Crystal Syndicate who doubtless fund your copious sex changes to indulge their warped sense of humor and voyeuristic tastes. Now you are planning to…" he trailed off watching Beryl as she strategically planted a long amber leg atop a chair, this drawing an admiring gaze in Beryl's direction. She offered a wicked grin distracting the drooling man, one of Mexico's most notorious assassins.
"Just make sure you don't hurt the Princess. But as for that husband of hers, you can waste him. I don't give a shit. He and his father will be out of the picture soon enough…" Seiya said before grabbing the man by the collar and dragging him to his feet. Beryl withdrew her sculpted bronzed limb from the chair. Spinning around, tossing her mane of fiery red and chuckled as she walked away. Seiya pounced, delivering several lightning-fast blows, sending the man flying off the veranda onto his back -- out cold.
Seiya joined the men as they laughed at Hernandez's expense. The men returned to their game of cards.
"Seiya hon. now you must learn to control those violent impulses..." Beryl purred, dragging him to the chair on the veranda as he squeezed her behind and breathed in the lavender scent of her shampoo and kissed her neck, sliding his hands over her hips -- winding them around her slender waist.
He kissed Beryl's forehead and turned to the groaning man lying on the ground in front of the stairs. "Get up Hernandez and get cleaned up. We move tomorrow. Seems you need a little more practice. You should have seen that coming."
"Bastard…" Hernandez muttered as he strode past Seiya who didn't take his eyes off the other man for a single second as he entered the house.
"Keeping him on his toes, that's all. Now let's go over the plan once more, shall we?"
~*~
After a few drinks and fantastic Japanese faire, Usagi, Molly and Umino danced to the rhythm of a quantum rock band and spent the night at Umino's apartment. Usagi slept on the luxuriously soft, comfortable sofa, sleeping better than she had in days. Umino had contacted security to let Mamoru know his wife was all right and that the Palace Guard was looking out for Usagi.
Back at the house
It was well after midnight. They knocked out the perimeter guard with a fast acting sleeping gas that would keep him out for three hours. Since he had been drinking when they came upon him, he would be none-the-wiser when he regained consciousness. Half a dozen black clad figures moved like cats across the patio and around the house -- the only sound to be heard, was the gentle lapping motion of the swimming pool as they set to work, placing the explosive devices at strategic points around the house and the hover-car parked in the driveway.
"Now remember, tomorrow night we swing into action… Princess Usagi is to be taken alive. Kill the husband, and that security guard… Nephrite -- I believe they call him…"
"We will take care of it; now allow me to finish setting the charges." Hernandez growled.
Seiya nodded, and retreated into the shadows. Ten minutes later, their work done and the trap set, they vanished into the inky night.
~*~
When Usagi entered the tranquil household, she crept into the kitchen and looked up at the electric-blue display of the digital clock that read 11:05. She found the kitchen had been cleaned, not a spec of dust to be found anywhere.
She wondered if Mamoru was upstairs with the girl. She shook off the feeling, wishing him to be alone, but not quite able to bring herself yet to imagine him being faithful. The idea of marriage no longer seemed to be as objectionable to her as in the past, or since the new – employee -- had arrived on the scene. Was it this woman, dark and mysterious, beautiful and so bold and brazen, seeking to take what she wanted despite the fact Mamoru was married, sexy and good-looking and kind. She paused, acknowledging with a sigh, that yes, she couldn't stop thinking about him and was missing him, as she had only seen him for that short period of time before he drove off that morning.
Usagi slowly made her way upstairs. She looked at his closed bedroom door, thought about knocking, decided against it, returned to her room and dressed for bed.
~*~
The following morning, she showered, dressed and made her way downstairs. She stepped into the kitchen, dressed in a short denim skirt, yellow short-sleeved top and white leather sandals. She was about to put on the coffee maker when out of the corner of her eye, she noticed the unmistakable form of a dark-haired woman seated at the kitchen table reading a paperback novel while sipping on a glass of orange juice; her back to Usagi.
"What the hell are you doing here?"
The woman looked up, her eyes darting left and right, as if she were seeking a rout of escape from Usagi's unbridled fury as she sought the right words to placate the blonde standing before her -- about to tear her to shreds. "I work for your husband. It's all here in black and white. And before you accuse me of – having my way – with your husband, I was only meeting with him to discuss matters concerning his father."
"So, that is why you met him on the beach, and were all-over him like a rash! Cut the crap. I want to know why you are here…to steel my husband away. I would also like to know why Juanita has been dismissed and why they chose you! If it were up to me, I would have you out of here in a heartbeat. I know Mamoru hired you, so I cannot throw you out. But I would prefer it if you packed your belongings and moved your pretty scheming ass out of here and return to wherever it is you come from and leave us alone!" Rei shook her head and sighed. Usagi remained standing, incredulous at the woman's nerve. Not knowing what else to do, she sat on the chair opposite, folded her arms across her chest and waited. Usagi knew she was losing control, but at this point of proceedings, with the rain pounding upon the roof, almost drowning out her attempts to lord it over this cool calculating wench, she felt she had little choice. "Did you sleep with him? Did you have the audacity to do that? Damn it, woman -- answer me!"
Rei was feeling very uncomfortable as the princess was bawling her out. She couldn't blame her, but this was what she was asked to do. Make Usagi jealous.
Well, she certainly had achieved that. Maybe, if she got out of here alive, she could return to Japan, report to Empress Aiko and later fly to Beijing to speak with the Chinese president as agreed. But she never thought for a moment things would happen so fast. Rei looked at the young woman sitting opposite, red-faced, tears threatening to spill any minute and nowhere for either of them to run.
So she did the only thing she could under the circumstances, and put her cards on the table as best she could without compromising herself too much. "I am here to work, not flirt and not steal Mamoru away from you. I am a very pragmatic person. I believe in meeting and talking with my employer off the mark. Mamoru suggested the beach, and as I had a bikini with me and needed a break, I didn't object when he asked me to come to the beach and discuss my contract and take in a little sun. You obviously read too much, into whatever it was you thought you saw. I was holding his arm to keep steady on my feet in the wet sand -- Not to score a night in his bed. I am not a prostitute," Rei shot back, shoving a thick manila folder into Usagi's hands. Usagi examined it as if it were a deadly reptile about to strike. Rei chose that moment to press her advantage, "And I won't have you, or anyone else suggesting otherwise. We went out to give you space. Mamoru knew you wanted some time with your two male companions. I could just as easily say to you, based on the self same standards you so readily applied to me that you were flirting with them. But I know differently, as do you that it was purely a social excursion with friends. I wish you would at least give me a little more credit than what you've displayed in this instance and think, Princess Usagi, before casting aspersions on my character without hearing me out."
"Okay, I'm listening… It better be good," she relented, not taking her eyes off the other woman's face.
Rei sighed and begun, "I was sent by the president of China to work as liaison between Tokyo and Beijing. I read the documents you will find in that folio and while I admit that Chiba is an attractive man, I have no interest in coming between you. I hope I have allayed your fears," Rei told her without flinching.
"Huh…my fears…?" Usagi said in a dull monotone, skimming the documents, "Have you read this."
"Yes, but for the envelope sealed and marked – your eyes only," she replied, her interest piqued.
"I think you should," she said, her face white with both shock and surprise.
She handed the letter to Rei, who took it from the princess's trembling hand and read. Her eyes fell upon the page as if she were devouring it. Usagi watched as the calm exterior of the woman opposite frowned, blinked and dropped the letter and stared at Usagi. Rei was as white as a sheet. "It can't be. I was never told…my father. He is alive; he is the president of China… Mamoru is my half-brother!"
