Stay 
	Part 4/?
	By Elisabeth James
	ejames000@ameritech.net

	*~*~*~*
	You say I only hear what I want to.
	You say I talk so all the time so.
	*~*~*~*

	*~*~*~*
	And I thought what I felt was simple,
	and I thought that I don’t belong,
	and now that I am leaving,
	now I know that I did something wrong ‘cause I missed you.
	Yeah, I missed you.
	*~*~*~*

	“Hey Motoki, can you come and give me some help with
these groceries?” Mamoru yelled into the apartment as loud as he
could, sometimes Motoki had his door closed with music blasting. 
Mamoru nudged the door open a few more inches and stuck his
head in.  He had two large brown paper bags balanced on top of one
another in his left arm and another perched in his right.  
        After taking a long sweeping glance around the apartment,
it became apparent that Motoki was not home.  With a frustrated
sigh Mamoru stumbled into the apartment, and almost tripped over
a pile of clothes lying in the middle of the entryway.  He let out an
aggravated howl when he saw the state the rest of the apartment was
in.  Dirty clothes were strewn around, open packages of cookies
and candy lay uneaten on the couch.
        He made his way slowly to the kitchen, avoid certain other
landmines in his path.  He set the bags with great care on the
counter and took a deep breath.  Motoki had a lot of explaining to
do, the apartment hadn’t looked like this before he had left for his
classes.  Living with Motoki was like was like living with Oscar
from the Odd Couple.
        He slowly started to pull away the food he had just bought,
now knowing why Motoki had called him on his cell phone asking
him to bring home more milk ( The gallon they already had lay
overflowing on the kitchen table.)
        He passed by the answering machine, taking notice of the
blinking red light.  He slid the container of orange juice into the
refrigerator and then pushed the button.
        “Umm... hi Mamoru-chan, this is Usagi.  I was just calling
to let you know that there was a slight change in plans, I’m leaving
today for the U.S. on flight 128.  I just wanted to say goodbye, but
you aren’t home.  I’ll call you as soon as the plane touches down,
we need to talk.  Bye.” he heard the soft click as she hung up the
phone.
        He cursed under his breath, he was supposed to have more
time.  She wasn’t supposed to leave until late next week, plenty of
time to confess his feelings for her.  Or so he thought.  He shot a
glance at the bags of food still left to unpack and reached blindly
for his keys.  It was a long shot but he had to try and catch her
before her plane took off.

	*~*~*~*
	And you say I only hear what I want to:
	I don’t listen hard,
	I don’t pay attention to the distance that you’re running
	or to anyone, anywhere,
	I don’t understand if you really care,
	I’m only hearing negatives: no, no, no
	*~*~*~*
	
	Mamoru had his foot to the floor, pushing the car as fast as
it could go.  Thoughts swam through his mind like a river.  All of
them focused on Usagi.  Her long golden hair, her expressive and
beautiful, blue eyes and her curvy figure.  But the single thing he
loved the most about his angel was her smile and her kindness
toward others.  
	To most people she was like sunshine on a cloudy day. 
Whenever the day seemed hopeless and never-ending, just one
smile or kind word could make everything better.  He loved that
about her, in addition to everything else.
	He felt the tears building up in his eyes.  Just the thought of
losing her, even for a moment, brought this intense pain to his
chest.  In hopes of escaping his thoughts of her, he flipped on the
radio.

	*~*~*~*
	So I turned the radio on, I turned the radio up,
	and this woman was playing my song:
	the lover’s in love and the other’s run away,
	the lover is crying ‘cause the other won’t stay.
	*~*~*~*

	Tears hit the glossy black and white photo she grasped so
tightly in her hands.  They hit with a soft plop and trailed down the
length if the picture, much like they did down her pale face.
        They looked so happy in the picture, it had been taken
about year before.  His arm was wrapped around her shoulder, a
bright smile beamed on his handsome features.  Her eyes sparkled
with the hope of new beginnings in that picture.  They only
showed sorrow and remorse right now.
        “Can I help you with something Miss?” a flight attendant
placed a hand lightly on her shoulder startling her from her sad
reverie.
        “No, I’m fine.  Just not sure if I’m ready to leave just yet.”
she gave the kind woman a watery smile.  Satisfied with the
answer, the woman left the quietly sobbing girl to herself.

	*~*~*~*
	Some of us hover when we weep for the other who was
	dying since the day they were born.
	Well, this is not that:
	I think that I’m throwing, but I’m thrown.
	*~*~*~*

	Mamoru ran as fast as his long legs could carry him down
the terminal.  Sweat dripped down his forehead and he was
wheezing air in and out of his lungs.  But he had to keep going, he
had to get to her before that plane took off.  He had to tell her how
much he loved her.  
        Finally he reached the counter.  The woman on the other
side stared at him warily.
        “Can I help you sir?” she narrowed her green eyes at him,
she hoped he wasn’t about to cause a scene.
        “I- I was just wondering if flight 128 had taken off yet?” he
pulled another long breath into his gasping lungs.  The woman
nodded and typed a few numbers into her computer.  
        “I’m sorry sir, the plane just took off.  You can see it from
that window over there if you wish to.” a very dejected Mamoru
walked over to the large glass window and watched the 747 soar
across the sun streaked sky.
        He rested his hot forehead on the cool pane.  He couldn’t
bear to watch his one true love just walk, or fly, right out of his
life.

	*~*~*~*
	You said that I was naive,
	and I thought that I was strong.
	I thought, “hey I can leave, I can leave.”
	But now I know that I was wrong ‘cause I missed you.	
	*~*~*~*

	Usagi walked slowly toward the airport doors.  Her one
carry on bag was slung over her shoulder.  She was thankful that
was all she had, if allowed her to get off the plane much fast and
easier that way.  How could she have been so stupid, to think that
she could have left without so much as a word with Mamoru. 
Princeton could wait, she needed him now.  
        She snapped open her cell phone and dialed his number.  
        “Come on, pick up Mamo-chan.” she whispered under her
breath.  The ringing in her ears caused another piece of her heart to
break in her chest.  Couldn’t something good just work out for her
once in her life?
        “I don’t think he’s going to pick up.” a male voice
interrupted her angry thoughts.  She hung up the phone with a loud
clap and spun around to face the smartass who was bothering her.
        “Well what would you kno- Mamo-chan!” she jumped into
his arms.  Her bag slipped off her arm and landed with a thud on
the titled floor.
        “Why are you still here Usagi-chan, you were supposed to
be on that plane that I just watched take off.”
        “I couldn’t go, I couldn’t leave.” she brushed a few stray
tears from her cheeks.  Happiness streamed through her, she
couldn’t believe that he was here.

	*~*~*~*
	You said, “I caught you ‘cause I want you and one day I’ll
	let you go.”
	You try to give away a keeper, or keep me ‘cause you know
	you’re just so scared to lose.
	And you say, “Stay.”
	*~*~*~*

	“What are you doing here Mamo-chan?” she asked him
softly, just now realizing what an intimate position they were in. 
Her arms were draped tightly around his neck, his around the
lower swell of her back.  Their lips were only inches apart, their
eyes danced with anticipation and desire.
        “I got your message and I rushed down here to try and
catch you before you left me.” her breath caught in her throat, a
wide smile spread across her lips.
        “You came here to stop me? You didn’t want me to leave?”
he only shook his head, words couldn’t express the feelings that
were tumbling through his head right now.  He was in a freefall of
love.
        “I love you Mamoru Chiba, I always have and I always
will.  I didn’t go to the States because I couldn’t bear the thought
of you not being there with me.”
        “And I came to stop because I never want to leave your
side ever again.  I love you too Usagi Tsukino.”
        Their lips finally closed that small gap and joined to
together in pure bliss.  The entire airport terminal faded away
around them, all the noise disappeared.  It was only the two of
them, the way it always was and the way it was always to be.
        “I still have to go to Princeton Mamo-chan, you know that
right?” she rested her head on his broad shoulder.  Her eyes closed
as she breathed in the wonderful smell of his cologne and roses.
        “I know, but at least we know where we stand with one
another.  And when you get back, we can be together forever.”
        “You would wait for me?” she questioned him softly.  She
craned her neck up to look him in the eye.
        “I’ve waited for the last few years for you Usagi, what’s a
few more.  At least now I know you love me like I love you.”
        “Always Mamo-chan.  You know I really don’t have to
leave until next week.  Maybe we could do something tonight? 
Like try to have that nice romantic dinner again?”
        “Sounds like a plan, let’s get you out of this airport.” he picked up
her forgotten bag and escorted her out into the parking lot.

	*~*~*~*
	You say I only hear what I want to.
	*~*~*~*

	~ Fin. ~

	A short epilogue will be following this soon.  I hope you
enjoyed this fic :)  I tried to make it happy while I was writing
Fading Hope.  Now I’m going to try and conquer, “Troubled in
Tokyo” OMG!  And I just got this great idea for a new fic which 
I hope to be starting soon.  My first silver milennium fic, can 
you believe it?

Liz-chan