Hello everyone! Patch here, with her latest fic. It feels
like ages since I've written one and ne, Simplicity
can't count 'cause well... that just wasn't a fic. That
was a blurb ^_^ Anyhoo, I hope I don't confuse any
of you with the story line of this fic. I think I may
have complicated an otherwise simple plot.
*sweatdrops*
Oh and this is my *first* How Usa & Mamo Met In
The First Season Fic ^_^ A totally new world for me.
Thank you to Mehg, Meredith and Laz for pre-reading
this. *Whaps all three with claymore off a cliff* Adios
chicas! I show my affection in the oddest ways ^_~
Enjoy reading!
Patch.
Unfeeling Kisses
Author: Patch
E-mail: patchkhan1@hotmail.com
kittiekat90@yahoo.com
Rating: PG
Insert Standard Disclaimer Here.
"Tenchi, you don't like me! I can tell!"
"Iie, that isn't true Reika. I love you, I
really love you!"
*Sluurp*
"Usagi-chan! Shh!"
"Reika, can't you see that I'm head over
heels for you? My heart aches when you're not near.
I feel a tightening in my chest and I know that I won't
be happy unless you are with me, in my arms."
"Oh, Tenchi. Demo..."
*Sluuuuurp*
"Hush up Usagi!"
"Demo, Tenchi, it's your kisses that give
you away. There's something missing when your lips
press against mine. When we kiss there's no passion,
warmth or love! They're... they're unfeeling kisses!"
*Clunk!*
"Baka Usagi! You dropped the soda all
over my feet!"
"Shhhh!"
Usagi knew Rei was glaring at her in the
darkness of the movie theater after being
embarrassingly hushed by others around them and
she crouched low in her seat, her face turning slightly
red. She hadn't meant to drop the soda container but
that last line spoken by the woman had hit her like a
lightening bolt.
She looked at the large screen where the
man was currently admitting that he was seeing
someone else and the woman before him was sobbing,
fat tears rolling down her cheeks. But Usagi wasn't
hearing the words being said. She had tuned the movie
out and was now focused on her inner thoughts.
Unfeeling kisses. What were they? How did
they feel? Wait, they *didn't* feel like anything... but
how was that possible? How could that woman know
what an unfeeling kiss was if they didn't feel like
anything? A little chibi-Usagi suddenly appeared in
Usagi's mind. It banged on a gong and screamed "Too
deep! Too deep!" And maybe she was going to deep
thinking like this but now the idea wouldn't leave her
and continuously nagged her.
The rest of the movie went on in the same
manner with Usagi's thoughts completely occupied
elsewhere. She vaguely remembered a happy ending
for someone. Had the woman found someone with
better kisses? She certainly hadn't been paying
attention.
A slight frown appeared on her face as a
new question formed in her mind. How did you know
which kiss had feeling and which didn't? She was sure
people who had been kissed several times could
easily answer that question... but she had never even
been kissed and she didn't think paternal kisses
counted. Most definitely not, she thought, her face
scrunching up.
"Usagi, if I ever go to a movie with you
again, you are *not* going to be eating or drinking
anything!"
"Nani?"
Rei's angry face appeared in her line of
vision and Usagi blinked a couple of times when she
realized the movie had ended, the credits rolling and
the lights slowly coming on.
"You heard me! You've practically ruined
my shoes and if I were in a bad mood I would've
made you get me new ones!"
Makoto and Minako shared a look with
each other and then looked at Ami who could only
shrug. The five began to make their way out of the
aisle and up the carpeted incline that would lead
them to the exits of the theater.
"You're always in a bad mood Rei-chan,"
Usagi mumbled and then spoke louder. "Plus, I had a
good reason for dropping my soda. I came to a
realization."
Usagi didn't even realize the group had
stopped still until she bumped into Rei who had been
walking in front of her. The four girls turned to look at
their best friend and leader with incredulous faces.
"Y-You came to a what?" Makoto asked,
stuttering.
"Well Minako-chan, looks like she beat
you in that race," Rei smirked, dodging Minako's playful
punch to her shoulder.
"What did you realize Usagi-chan?" Ami
asked as they began walking again.
"It's really nothing, minna. Something minor
and probably not that important to you all anyway."
Usagi crossed her arms behind her head and once they
left the movie theater, she blinked her eyes to let them
adjust to the bright sun. She found herself squinting and
sighed, rubbing her eyes. She heard Rei's voice but
didn't acknowledge it until a hand fell upon her
shoulder. She whipped her head around to now see her
friends' faces looking at her with concern.
"What? Is something out of place?" she asked
lightly.
Rei grinned in response. "I'll refrain from
saying anything on that subject." Her tone then became
serious. "Usagi-chan, you can tell us whatever's on your
mind. Whatever's important to you is important to us,
plus it better be something good for you to drop soda on
my shoes," the priestess finished, slinging an arm around
Usagi's shoulders.
"So tell all Usagi-chan, did you realize
something about a guy perhaps?" This from Minako who
bounced over to Usagi's right side, leaning in close.
"Well..." Usagi hesitated. She supposed she
could tell them what was bothering her. She was curious
now, about a topic she was completely an amateur in.
Sadly.
"It's about a kiss," she finally said, breaking
the silence. She watched with slight amusement as her
friends' eyes widened, their mouths falling slightly open.
Minako was the first to speak, as expected.
"A kiss? You mean a lip smacker? Sugoi!
Usagi-chan, who kissed you? Where, when, how, why?"
Everyone sweatdropped at Minako's
exuberance. The girl was currently circling Usagi and
grilling her with questions. Makoto finally stuck an arm
out, yanked Minako to her side and slapped a hand over
her mouth. She looked apologetically at Usagi, silently
asking for her to continue. The others nodded and waited
Usagi to explain further.
She looked at all of them and unconsciously
she slid her foot across the rough pavement. She
lowered her eyes she nervously wrung her hands in front
of her. Would they laugh at her stupid curiosity? She
really wanted to know...
"It's actually about several kisses," she
mumbled and looked up to see Minako's eyes grow
unbelievably big.
"Mmph?!?" came the muffled voice. A second
later, Minako yanked off the hand that covered her mouth.
"Are you serious? Way to go Usagi-chan! So who's the
lucky studmeister?"
"Nani?" Usagi waved her head back and forth,
her expression becoming panicked.
"Usagi-chan, you have a sempai? How come
you hid it from us?" Makoto questioned.
"How she hid it from us in the first place is the
question. And how far did you go, Usagi-chan? How
*many* kisses did you share with this guy anyway?" This
from Rei, her hands planted on her hips, her stance
demanding answers.
"Did you get to second base, Usagi-chan?"
"Nani?!" Everyone turned to Ami who had
asked that last question. She blushed profusely and
laughed nervously.
"I was just curious, that's all. Inquiring minds
wanted to know..."
"Kami, our Ami... our sweet, innocent friend
knows about second base," Makoto said, her hand
brushing back her bangs. "What is the world coming to?"
"You know it's a corrupt society when Ami
asks questions like that," Rei mumbled. Everyone
nodded in agreement, still a tad shocked. Ami could only
look flustered until Minako remembered the topic at
hand.
"Did Usagi-chan really go to second base?
Or did she make a home run? That's what I want to
know!" she squealed excitedly, everyone's attention
reverting back to the now terrorized blonde odango-
haired girl who had begun to pull at her skirt.
"Oh my gosh, you don't think....?"
Silence fell as the implications sunk in
everyone's minds and Usagi finally could take it no
more. "Minna, you're all mistaken! You have it all
*wrong*! I never went to home run with *anyone*!"
she shouted.
Passerby's suddenly stopped and stared. A
woman walking past them dropped her grocery bags at
the declaration. A mother with her child glared at Usagi.
It seemed as though the whole city had stopped at her
words. Even the birds seemed to have stop singing as
silence fell. Could it get any worse?
"I don't think I heard that loud outburst of
yours Odango. Mind repeating it again for me?"
Usagi stiffened suddenly and then quietly
whimpered, her knees suddenly turning weak at the
thought of who she knew would be standing behind her.
Oh, of all the people, she silently groaned. She would
have gladly sold her soul at that moment just to have
the Earth open up and eat her alive.
Slowly turning around, her hands clenched
into fists, her shoulders tense, she met the eyes of her
oh so bestest friend, Chiba Mamoru.
He had an amused smile on his face and
when she glared at him, he raised his eyebrow
questioningly.
"Did I say something wrong? I really didn't
get to hear that last bit about home runs. You weren't
loud enough."
His smile grew even wider when he swore
he could hear the girl's teeth grinding. Her face was
scrunched up in a scowl, her hands were opening and
closing into fists and he knew if he pushed her further
he would have the honor of seeing steam coming from
her ears.
One day, he thought, one day he would push
her far enough so that he would have the honor of
seeing her laugh instead of steam. She would be
smiling at first and then he would say something that
would push the right button and have her giggling,
happiness shining in her eyes...
But that day was far from coming and he
knew it very well. So what to do in the meantime? He
opened his mouth to let loose another sarcastic
comment but Usagi beat him to it.
"Leave me alone Mamoru-baka, I don't
know why you should even care if I've gone all the
way to home run with a guy." She whirled around and
crossed her arms and stuck her nose upwards. "It's
none of your business." She began walking away, her
astonished friends left completely bewildered. "And
close your mouth baka, or you'll be eating flies for
lunch," her voice called out.
Mamoru quickly snapped his jaw shut and
stared after her. For once she had gotten in the final
word and he was the one who had been left behind to
eat dust. She was certainly on a roll today, he thought.
And what was this about her going all the way with a
guy? It didn't sit well with him at all, in fact it was
quite upsetting to think that...
He quickly put his feet to action and called
out Usagi's name. The other girls, finally recovering,
realized that Usagi had gotten a few feet ahead of them,
quickly ran after her.
Usagi was still fuming when everyone
caught up with her and she pointedly ignored them,
keeping silent as she walked. The Earth had not
complied with her wishes to swallow her up and she
was furiously embarrassed at having made such a
scene in public.
"Gomen Usagi-chan, I didn't mean to make
you angry like that," Minako apologized.
"And I didn't mean to accuse you of anything
Usagi-chan, I guess I got carried away," Rei said,
looking quite embarrassed herself.
"And I didn't mean to ask such a stupid
question about bases and all, that was very out of line
for me, gomen."
"And I didn't mean to think you were
hiding a boyfriend from us, Usagi-chan, I just wasn't
thinking when I asked that."
"I'm sorry too, Odango, for my comments."
"Nani?!"
Usagi halted to a stop so suddenly that, no
one expecting her move, bumped into each other,
causing her to nearly stumble and fall forward. But
Usagi quickly regained her balance and turned around
to once again face her arch enemy.
"Mamoru-baka! Why are you still with us? I
thought I told you to leave me alone!"
"Well you all are heading for the Crown,
ne? I'm going there myself so I thought I'd tag along.
Besides, I didn't purposely join the group for your
sake only. I am friends with the other girls too," he
shot back.
"Enough you two," Rei broke in. She
sighed exasperatedly and shook her head. "Anyway,
Usagi-chan, you were going to tell us what was on
your mind, ne? So tell us and we promise to keep
quiet and not jump to any conclusions, okay?"
Usagi looked at Rei and then at everyone
else, staring at Mamoru the longest and nodded
reluctantly. She really didn't want Mamoru to be there
as she spoke about what she thought was probably an
inane topic, but she had already been humiliated
today in front of him. Lightening certainly couldn't
strike a person twice.
"Well, you guys can't make fun of me on
this one cause I think it's serious," she began,
averting her eyes. At the urging of Minako she
continued. "You know how that woman spoke about
unfeeling kisses in the movie? She told the guy that
she just didn't feel anything behind them and well... I
want to know..." she blushed slightly and looked
down as they walked. Quietly she mumbled, "I want
to know what an unfeeling kiss feels like."
Everyone fell silent and Usagi who was
still walking, realized that no one was walking with
her. She stopped and slowly turned around to see
her friends *and* Mamoru staring at her, each with
an odd expression on his or her face. At that moment
she began wondering if she had done the right thing
by telling them. Right now her mind screamed a loud
NO.
She sighed loudly and walked back to them.
"C'mon minna, it isn't my question that's made you
speechless, is it?" she asked teasingly.
"Demo, Usagi-chan, don't you think
unfeeling kisses don't even feel like anything in the first
place?" Minako finally said, not noticing Usagi's
attempts to be light. Everyone else nodded their
agreement and then Rei added her own thoughts.
"I think that woman was just trying to tell
the guy that he didn't show any sort of feeling when he
kissed her. She knew that there was something going
on with him, Usagi-chan, I guess you can just tell
things like that."
Again everyone nodded but Usagi was still
left unsatisfied. "Demo, *how*? How could she tell
that there was something else? How can a kiss tell so
much? Aren't kisses... just kisses?"
"Why are you so interested anyway,
Odango?" Mamoru asked, still feeling slightly stunned.
He remembered the temptation to let his jaw drop
when Usagi had asked that first question about
unfeeling kisses. She had actually asked an interesting
question, surprisingly, once he realized it. He wanted
to grin wickedly when a sudden thought came to him.
He wouldn't actually mind showing her-
"It really isn't any of your business, Mamoru-
baka. Why do *you* care to know about my curiosity?"
Truthfully, she wanted Mamoru to know why she held
such an interest. Then maybe as an answer he could
show her-
"Because only a girl like yourself would ask
such strange questions about kisses."
Usagi gasped as did the other girls. "And
what's that supposed to mean?" she asked angrily, taking
a few steps to stand right in front of him. She jabbed a
finger at his chest as she continued to speak. "You better
not have implied what I think you did. You'll be sorry!"
"Why? And you know what I implied. You've
never been kissed, isn't that why you're asking these
questions? It's painfully obvious with you being so
direct about it all," Mamoru replied smugly. He crossed
his arms and raised his eyebrow, waiting for Usagi's
rejoinder.
But none came. Instead the girl stepped back,
opened her mouth, closed it, opened it again and then
shook her head. A look came across her face, one that
made Mamoru narrow his eyes but the expression was
gone as quickly as it had come. It was replaced by a
look that was a combination of hurt and hostility.
"Thank you for reminding why I hate you so
much Mamoru-san," she hissed and turned around to
walk into the Crown parlor, which the group had finally
reached. The girls looked between Mamoru and the
doors which Usagi had strode through and then looked
back at him again. All of them ran into the parlor
except Makoto who still stood with Mamoru.
"That was cruel Mamoru-san," Makoto said,
scratching the back of her head. "To tease a girl about
kisses she's never gotten is a low blow. Usagi-chan was
just curious about something she's never really had
experience in and you just blew it all out of proportion.
I hope you'll think about apologizing." And with that
she too went in, leaving Mamoru to stand alone.
He stared in, seeing Usagi sitting at the
booth with her friends who were currently talking to
her. Probably reassuring her that he hadn't meant what
he had said. And he really hadn't. It was just that he
was afraid and he wanted... Wanted what?
He focused on the blonde teenager who
had captured him and entranced him so long ago with
one toss of a crumpled test. She sat at the booths near
the windows and the afternoon sun's rays fell directly
on her, giving her a hazy almost dreamy-like look.
Her shoulders were slightly hunched and she rested
her arms on the table, her eyes looking downwards at
the Formica tabletop as her index finger traced
imaginary patterns. She didn't appear to be listening
to her friends, what was she thinking about then? His
asinine comments?
Mamoru groaned and turned around,
leaning his body against the front display windows
of the Crown. He knew what he was afraid of and he
knew what he wanted. He was afraid that Usagi
would find *feeling* kisses with another guy and he
so very much wanted to be the one she first kissed.
But it would never happen. Not in this
lifetime.
*~*
Usagi heard the voices of her friends
talking, she really did, but everything was just going
in one ear and out the other. She knew that they were
saying something about Mamoru and how thick of a
head he had and she knew they were also saying
something along the lines of how she would one day
find the perfect guy. And then they got onto their
ideals of a perfect guy and the topic took off from
there. But Usagi didn't want to find a perfect guy one
day and she didn't want Mamoru to be so thickheaded,
even though he had just made himself out to be so.
If it wasn't apparent before it definitely
was now. She wanted her perfect guy and Mamoru to
be one of the same. Shocking? Not quite, at least, not
to her. Her eyes strayed up to gaze at the front of the
parlor where Mamoru stood with his back to her.
How could any girl resist him? She certainly wasn't
immune to that body of his, or his face, or his hair,
that silky, raven-black hair... Usagi sighed in quiet
frustration. She liked him, very much so. When she
next looked at him, Usagi saw that he was coming in
and she felt her heart turn over as her stomach turned
a cartwheel. She wouldn't mind at all if she shared
her first kiss with him, but that idea was a lost cause
and it would probably remain so.
"Excuse me."
The girls stopped talking and Usagi
snapped to attention, looking up towards the end of
the table where a girl probably slightly older than
her stood, holding a bunch of flyers. She smiled
politely when she held the table's attention.
"Konnichiwa, my name is Nina and I'm
part of the Juuban Park Committee. We're holding a
carnival in two weeks and we need all the volunteers
we can get and I'm hoping you five can help us." She
lay down a few of the flyers she was holding and the
girls, including Usagi, all leaned to get a closer look
at them. "We have all kinds of booths that will need
supervising, like the dunking booth, the kissing booth,
the basketball boo-"
"Did you say kissing booth?"
Nina looked at the girl with the strange
hairstyle and smiled, nodding. "Hai, we do. This is
our third year running it and I have to admit, it's
certainly draws the crowds... the male crowds at
least," she giggled. "Demo, it's hard to find
volunteers for that one. Not too many people like
kissing 50 strangers all in one day so-"
"I'll do it! Sign me up."
"Usagi-chan, you can't be serious!" Ami
exclaimed, looking at her friend as though she had
grown two heads. "It's not like you at all!"
"Usagi-chan," Rei muttered, "we understand
your... interest in kisses, but don't you think this is
taking it a bit far?"
"I think it's perfect, there's nothing wrong
with me doing this," Usagi stated. "I'll have my answers
and maybe I'll meet the perfect guy who will give me
the right kind of kisses. It's only fair to me, minna. All
of you have had at least one kiss in your life, demo, me?
I'm still left dreaming."
And it was true, Usagi thought, looking at
her friends' faces. There was Makoto who'd already had
a couple of boyfriends, surely she had gotten her share
of kisses. Then there was Minako. Why, she was the
Senshi of Love and Beauty and she hadn't gotten that title
for nothing. She looked at Rei and remembered the time
she had seen the priestess peck Yuuichirou on the lips
when she thought no one was looking. And looking at
Ami she recalled the time the quiet girl had called her
house, almost gushing with the news that Ryoko had
kissed her, in a library no less!
But she, Usagi, had never been kissed. She
was the one who stood apart from them. It was a
depressing thought and with renewed determination she
looked at Nina, ready to ask her for the sign up sheet.
"Demo, Usagi-chan," Minako said, "a kissing
booth just isn't the way to go!"
This declaration was said in Minako's usual
dramatic and quite far reaching voice, one that made
Usagi cringe when, for the second time that day, the area
around her grew quiet as people stared.
"Minako-chan, I am going to have to kill
myself one of these days because of you," Usagi groaned.
She let her head fall onto the table, her forehead coming
into contact with the smooth, cool surface. The others
nodded sympathetically and then glared at Minako.
"What? What did I do?"
"Ahem, about the carnival..."
Usagi suddenly remembered that Nina was
still standing at their table and quickly sat up straight,
her face turning red. "Hai, like I said before, I'd like to
sign up for the kissing booth."
"That's not a problem... Usagi?" At the girl's
affirming nod, Nina continued. "If you would just walk
with me to our office, I can give you all the necessary
papers and have you signed up. It's not a long walk and-"
"Hai, let's go!" Usagi nudged Rei, who was
sitting next to her, and the other girl got up to let her out.
She smiled at Nina and before they could even take a
step forward towards the doors, Makoto's voice
stopped her.
"Usagi-chan, are you really sure about this?
Are you absolutely positive that doing this is going to
help you understand?"
Usagi turned around to face the table and
shrugged. "I don't know, but it won't hurt to find out,
ne?" She turned around again, ready to follow after
Nina who was already leaving and taking a step
forward, bumped into a human wall.
"Nani?" She raised her eyes, startled and
then nearly jumped back when she realized it was
Mamoru who stood before her. Quickly, anger
washed over her when he refused to move,
practically trapping her against the table. "Mamoru-
baka, why won't you move?"
Mamoru ignored her question and instead,
asked a question of his own. "What do you think
you'll get out of a kissing booth?" he asked furiously.
Usagi gasped in outrage. "I'll get whatever
I want out of it. You of all people are not going to
stop me! Now will you please move?"
Again, Mamoru ignored her question.
"You are not going to volunteer for some silly booth
where hundreds of guys will be pawing each other
just to get a peck from you. Heck, they won't even
get that much out of you. The whole idea is absurd!"
he said, throwing his hands up.
"It isn't absurd to me!" Usagi shouted.
Tears of frustration began to form at the corners of
her eyes and sniffing, she brought up a hand to
wipe them away. "I want to..." she broke off and
then began again, in a quieter voice. "You all know
what I want and maybe you all think it's the wrong
thing for me to do but this is my decision," she said,
pointing at herself, "Why are you all against me on
this?"
"We aren't Usagi-chan," Minako's voice
came to her. "We just want to look out for you and
we don't want you getting hurt in *any* way."
Usagi sniffed again when Minako
finished and then looked up into Mamoru's face.
"And why won't you let me pass?" she asked.
"Because I just can't."
"Wha-?" But before she could ask and
before she even knew it, one of his arms had
curled around her waist, his hand supporting her
back and the other hand had come up to cup her
cheek, his fingers barely touching her hair.
"I can't let you go."
And before anyone else could wink an
eye, Mamoru had captured Usagi's lips with his
own. Everyone from Ami to Motoki to Nina gasped
loudly at the unexpected move, their eyes widening
in amazement. But all the exclamations of surprise
went unheeded by the kissing couple. Theirs was a
world where they focused only on themselves... and
their first kiss.
And what a first kiss it was. Usagi's mind
had left her the moment she had felt Mamoru's lips
on her own. Shock was an understatement to what
she had felt at first and gradually that emotion was
replaced by something else. His lips moved across
hers in kisses that could only be called bone-melting.
There was no other way she would have described it.
His fingers had somehow moved into her hair as his
thumb stroked the sensitive rim of her outer ear. The
effect had tiny jolts of pleasure tingling her senses
with awareness and she unconsciously moved closer
to Mamoru, opening her mouth slightly as his lips
became more insistent. Apparently that was fine with
him because she heard him make a low sound from
the back of his throat and she felt his arm tightening
around her as he took a small step forward to move
closer. She found her lower back up against the edge
of the table but ignored the slight discomfort when he
tilted his head over hers for a deeper kiss. She never
wanted the moment to end...
He had to end this moment right now. He
had to end the kiss because the whole situation was
insane. He had to move away from her, take a step
back and apologize, but he couldn't. He couldn't will
himself to do anything except take all that her sweet
mouth was offering. He had wanted the kiss to be sweet
and short, maybe enough to convince her not to
volunteer for that booth. But then he had gotten caught
in the moment and could not, really would not, escape.
It was the only reason he could give for not ending the
kiss a long time ago. It was the only reason he could
give for continuing a kiss that had heated his blood and
flared to life an emotion he had thought dead.
That last bit had him dropping down into
reality in a flash. Tearing his mouth from hers, he
sucked in a deep breath and let it out shakily. Trembling
slightly, he ran a hand, the hand that had been tangled
in her hair, through his own unruly strands and looked
up at the ceiling to regain his composure. When he
brought his gaze back down to her face, he was startled
to see that she looked just as shaken up as he.
Seeing the moment was over, Nina coughed
discreetly before speaking. "Usagi-san? Are you coming?"
Usagi barely heard her as she stared at the
person in front of her with wide eyes, her hand slightly
covering her mouth. "Iie, I... I don't think so Nina-san..."
The other woman, understanding what had happened,
smiled slightly at the other girls before turning around
and walking out of the arcade.
Usagi didn't even realize she had left. Neither
had Mamoru. Still speechless they looked at each other
in tense silence until Minako coughed and drummed her
nails on the tabletop impatiently.
The noise snapped Mamoru back into the real
world and he looked behind Usagi to see her friends
staring at them, all grins and eyes full of questions. He
turned around to see Motoki slowly wiping the counter,
not paying attention to his work as he stared at the couple.
Apparently he hadn't recovered from his shock, Mamoru
thought, turning back to the slight girl standing in front of
him.
"We have to talk," he said quietly. She jerked
her head in affirmation and he took her hand and together
they walked out of the Crown parlor. The girls
exchanged looks and then quickly clambered out of the
booth rushing to the front windows. Motoki had already
beaten them to it and the five of them peered outside.
"What do you think will happen now?" Motoki
asked.
"Some good stuff," Minako said gleefully. "I'm
out of here!" she exclaimed, but before she could take
another step, Makoto had caught hold the back of her
shirt and pulled her to a stop.
"I think we should just leave them alone,
Minako-chan. They've just gone through some heavy stuff
that they have to figure out between themselves. Alone."
*~*
The afternoon was warm and filled with
sunshine. The sky was clear and blue but down below
the tension between Mamoru and Usagi was thick as
they walked around downtown Tokyo. The silence was
heavy and neither of them knew how or when to make
the first move. Finally, Usagi could take it no more and
looking at their linked hands, spoke first.
"Where are we going?"
Mamoru did not turn his head to look at her.
He didn't even answer her at first. It was until Usagi
tugged at his hand that he remembered that she had asked
a question. Looking down at her, he shook his head
slowly. "I don't know," he replied, "Just anywhere, I
guess. We both need some air to clear our heads a bit,
ne?"
Usagi nodded mutely as they continued to
walk past buildings and stores. They finally came to a
big, empty lot next the park, surrounded with a chain
linked fence with a sign that read, "Carnival Coming
Soon!" in wavy, red letters, at the front. Looking into it
Usagi could see that the crews had already begun to
assemble a few of the rides and set up a few booths.
She gasped when a particular booth caught
her eye. Ordinary looking, made with wood, it was
painted yellow and in black letters on it's top, it read
"Have a Kiss," with the ticket amount underneath it.
It was ironic that she would see this booth so soon
and at such a time no less.
Mamoru followed the direction of her gaze,
saw the object she was staring at and then looked at
her. At the same moment, she turned her head to look
up at him and their gazes clashed, each of them
expressing a small amount of vulnerability in their
expressions.
"So you're not going to do the booth
anymore?" he asked and then mentally smacked himself
for asking such a stupid question.
"Iie," Usagi answered quietly, shaking her
head. "I can't, not anymore. Not after..."
"Not after our kiss?" he asked, finishing up
her sentence. She remained silent and continued to
look ahead. After a bit, he felt her hand slip from his
and watched as she placed it on the fence, the pressure
of her hand causing it to rattle slightly. He had to make
amends, he thought. His actions had probably caused
her humiliation and he didn't want her to seriously hate
him.
"I'm... I'm sorry Usagi," he began hesitantly.
"I didn't mean the kiss to go so far. I didn't mean to
embarrass you like that in front of everyone. It's just
that I didn't like the idea of a hundred guys kissing you,
it didn't seem right to me, so I let my emotions get the
better of me and-"
"It was all I could have imagined in a kiss
and much, much more."
"I kissed you and I swear it's not something
I do on a regular- what?!" Her softly spoken words
had finally sunk in and he looked at her unbelievingly.
"What did you say?"
She turned around and leaned against
fence, her lips curved upwards in a winsome smile.
"Mamoru-san, I don't think I ever want to find out
what unfeeling kisses are. I already know what a kiss
with feeling is and a kiss from anyone else other than
you would be unfeeling to me."
He felt a blush creeping up and he hung
his head, rubbing the back of his neck. When he
raised his head, he was smiling boyishly and her smile
became wider at seeing him this way. They continued
to stare at each other as he moved closer to her, until
his shoulder rested against the fence. He reached out
a hand and lifted her chin so that she had to look up
at him.
"And what is a kiss with feeling?" he
asked, his voice a husky whisper.
"Yours is a kiss with feeling," she replied
honestly. "I felt more than warmth and desire behind
your lips. I felt kindness, life, contentment and
everything else that's nice. It was wonderful...
Mamo-chan," she finished shyly, her eyes meeting his
quickly, before averting their gaze. "What... what
did you feel?"
He closed his eyes and again wrapped his
free arm around her waist. Bringing his face down
towards hers he stopped when their lips were an inch
apart. "I felt your light, Usako," he whispered and then
closed the distance between them.
Her eyes went wide for a second at his
name for her and then his kiss erased all further
thoughts and she closed her eyes. She went up on the
front of her toes and reached up a hand to stroke his
hair, her other hand lying on his chest, right over his
racing heartbeat. I want this, she thought. I can't let
go of him now.
Mamoru thought the same thing. He had
fallen for her, it was so easy to see. For the first time
in a long while he felt a certain joy, the kind you can
only find with your significant other. His other hand
still held her chin and he dropped it so that he could
fully wrap his arms around her and bring her up
against him.
After many long, sweet moments they
broke apart and, Mamoru, closing his eyes, rested
his forehead against her own. "Do... do you think we
can make this work?" he heard her softly ask.
Opening his eyes, he gazed deep into her blue depths.
He smiled and gave her a small, lingering kiss
before answering, "I most definitely think we can,
kisses and all."
*~*
"They've been gone for so long."
"I hope they're alright."
"Do you think they're coming back here?"
"Do you think they worked things out?"
"Do you think they're still fighting?"
"Do you think they went to second base?"
"Ami!!!"
~*~*The End*~*~
*Breathes huge sigh of relief* Wow, you don't know
how long I've been working on this. Just a one
parter yet I feel like I've finished 10 chapters ^_^ Was
it dragged out? Were you guys happy with the ending?
I feel all rusty, thus my silly questions. ^_^ Well tell
me, I'd be happy to know what you guys thought. *Goes
off to indulge in fudge brownies* I badly need these.
Want some? ^_~
Patch:-)(-:
like ages since I've written one and ne, Simplicity
can't count 'cause well... that just wasn't a fic. That
was a blurb ^_^ Anyhoo, I hope I don't confuse any
of you with the story line of this fic. I think I may
have complicated an otherwise simple plot.
*sweatdrops*
Oh and this is my *first* How Usa & Mamo Met In
The First Season Fic ^_^ A totally new world for me.
Thank you to Mehg, Meredith and Laz for pre-reading
this. *Whaps all three with claymore off a cliff* Adios
chicas! I show my affection in the oddest ways ^_~
Enjoy reading!
Patch.
Unfeeling Kisses
Author: Patch
E-mail: patchkhan1@hotmail.com
kittiekat90@yahoo.com
Rating: PG
Insert Standard Disclaimer Here.
"Tenchi, you don't like me! I can tell!"
"Iie, that isn't true Reika. I love you, I
really love you!"
*Sluurp*
"Usagi-chan! Shh!"
"Reika, can't you see that I'm head over
heels for you? My heart aches when you're not near.
I feel a tightening in my chest and I know that I won't
be happy unless you are with me, in my arms."
"Oh, Tenchi. Demo..."
*Sluuuuurp*
"Hush up Usagi!"
"Demo, Tenchi, it's your kisses that give
you away. There's something missing when your lips
press against mine. When we kiss there's no passion,
warmth or love! They're... they're unfeeling kisses!"
*Clunk!*
"Baka Usagi! You dropped the soda all
over my feet!"
"Shhhh!"
Usagi knew Rei was glaring at her in the
darkness of the movie theater after being
embarrassingly hushed by others around them and
she crouched low in her seat, her face turning slightly
red. She hadn't meant to drop the soda container but
that last line spoken by the woman had hit her like a
lightening bolt.
She looked at the large screen where the
man was currently admitting that he was seeing
someone else and the woman before him was sobbing,
fat tears rolling down her cheeks. But Usagi wasn't
hearing the words being said. She had tuned the movie
out and was now focused on her inner thoughts.
Unfeeling kisses. What were they? How did
they feel? Wait, they *didn't* feel like anything... but
how was that possible? How could that woman know
what an unfeeling kiss was if they didn't feel like
anything? A little chibi-Usagi suddenly appeared in
Usagi's mind. It banged on a gong and screamed "Too
deep! Too deep!" And maybe she was going to deep
thinking like this but now the idea wouldn't leave her
and continuously nagged her.
The rest of the movie went on in the same
manner with Usagi's thoughts completely occupied
elsewhere. She vaguely remembered a happy ending
for someone. Had the woman found someone with
better kisses? She certainly hadn't been paying
attention.
A slight frown appeared on her face as a
new question formed in her mind. How did you know
which kiss had feeling and which didn't? She was sure
people who had been kissed several times could
easily answer that question... but she had never even
been kissed and she didn't think paternal kisses
counted. Most definitely not, she thought, her face
scrunching up.
"Usagi, if I ever go to a movie with you
again, you are *not* going to be eating or drinking
anything!"
"Nani?"
Rei's angry face appeared in her line of
vision and Usagi blinked a couple of times when she
realized the movie had ended, the credits rolling and
the lights slowly coming on.
"You heard me! You've practically ruined
my shoes and if I were in a bad mood I would've
made you get me new ones!"
Makoto and Minako shared a look with
each other and then looked at Ami who could only
shrug. The five began to make their way out of the
aisle and up the carpeted incline that would lead
them to the exits of the theater.
"You're always in a bad mood Rei-chan,"
Usagi mumbled and then spoke louder. "Plus, I had a
good reason for dropping my soda. I came to a
realization."
Usagi didn't even realize the group had
stopped still until she bumped into Rei who had been
walking in front of her. The four girls turned to look at
their best friend and leader with incredulous faces.
"Y-You came to a what?" Makoto asked,
stuttering.
"Well Minako-chan, looks like she beat
you in that race," Rei smirked, dodging Minako's playful
punch to her shoulder.
"What did you realize Usagi-chan?" Ami
asked as they began walking again.
"It's really nothing, minna. Something minor
and probably not that important to you all anyway."
Usagi crossed her arms behind her head and once they
left the movie theater, she blinked her eyes to let them
adjust to the bright sun. She found herself squinting and
sighed, rubbing her eyes. She heard Rei's voice but
didn't acknowledge it until a hand fell upon her
shoulder. She whipped her head around to now see her
friends' faces looking at her with concern.
"What? Is something out of place?" she asked
lightly.
Rei grinned in response. "I'll refrain from
saying anything on that subject." Her tone then became
serious. "Usagi-chan, you can tell us whatever's on your
mind. Whatever's important to you is important to us,
plus it better be something good for you to drop soda on
my shoes," the priestess finished, slinging an arm around
Usagi's shoulders.
"So tell all Usagi-chan, did you realize
something about a guy perhaps?" This from Minako who
bounced over to Usagi's right side, leaning in close.
"Well..." Usagi hesitated. She supposed she
could tell them what was bothering her. She was curious
now, about a topic she was completely an amateur in.
Sadly.
"It's about a kiss," she finally said, breaking
the silence. She watched with slight amusement as her
friends' eyes widened, their mouths falling slightly open.
Minako was the first to speak, as expected.
"A kiss? You mean a lip smacker? Sugoi!
Usagi-chan, who kissed you? Where, when, how, why?"
Everyone sweatdropped at Minako's
exuberance. The girl was currently circling Usagi and
grilling her with questions. Makoto finally stuck an arm
out, yanked Minako to her side and slapped a hand over
her mouth. She looked apologetically at Usagi, silently
asking for her to continue. The others nodded and waited
Usagi to explain further.
She looked at all of them and unconsciously
she slid her foot across the rough pavement. She
lowered her eyes she nervously wrung her hands in front
of her. Would they laugh at her stupid curiosity? She
really wanted to know...
"It's actually about several kisses," she
mumbled and looked up to see Minako's eyes grow
unbelievably big.
"Mmph?!?" came the muffled voice. A second
later, Minako yanked off the hand that covered her mouth.
"Are you serious? Way to go Usagi-chan! So who's the
lucky studmeister?"
"Nani?" Usagi waved her head back and forth,
her expression becoming panicked.
"Usagi-chan, you have a sempai? How come
you hid it from us?" Makoto questioned.
"How she hid it from us in the first place is the
question. And how far did you go, Usagi-chan? How
*many* kisses did you share with this guy anyway?" This
from Rei, her hands planted on her hips, her stance
demanding answers.
"Did you get to second base, Usagi-chan?"
"Nani?!" Everyone turned to Ami who had
asked that last question. She blushed profusely and
laughed nervously.
"I was just curious, that's all. Inquiring minds
wanted to know..."
"Kami, our Ami... our sweet, innocent friend
knows about second base," Makoto said, her hand
brushing back her bangs. "What is the world coming to?"
"You know it's a corrupt society when Ami
asks questions like that," Rei mumbled. Everyone
nodded in agreement, still a tad shocked. Ami could only
look flustered until Minako remembered the topic at
hand.
"Did Usagi-chan really go to second base?
Or did she make a home run? That's what I want to
know!" she squealed excitedly, everyone's attention
reverting back to the now terrorized blonde odango-
haired girl who had begun to pull at her skirt.
"Oh my gosh, you don't think....?"
Silence fell as the implications sunk in
everyone's minds and Usagi finally could take it no
more. "Minna, you're all mistaken! You have it all
*wrong*! I never went to home run with *anyone*!"
she shouted.
Passerby's suddenly stopped and stared. A
woman walking past them dropped her grocery bags at
the declaration. A mother with her child glared at Usagi.
It seemed as though the whole city had stopped at her
words. Even the birds seemed to have stop singing as
silence fell. Could it get any worse?
"I don't think I heard that loud outburst of
yours Odango. Mind repeating it again for me?"
Usagi stiffened suddenly and then quietly
whimpered, her knees suddenly turning weak at the
thought of who she knew would be standing behind her.
Oh, of all the people, she silently groaned. She would
have gladly sold her soul at that moment just to have
the Earth open up and eat her alive.
Slowly turning around, her hands clenched
into fists, her shoulders tense, she met the eyes of her
oh so bestest friend, Chiba Mamoru.
He had an amused smile on his face and
when she glared at him, he raised his eyebrow
questioningly.
"Did I say something wrong? I really didn't
get to hear that last bit about home runs. You weren't
loud enough."
His smile grew even wider when he swore
he could hear the girl's teeth grinding. Her face was
scrunched up in a scowl, her hands were opening and
closing into fists and he knew if he pushed her further
he would have the honor of seeing steam coming from
her ears.
One day, he thought, one day he would push
her far enough so that he would have the honor of
seeing her laugh instead of steam. She would be
smiling at first and then he would say something that
would push the right button and have her giggling,
happiness shining in her eyes...
But that day was far from coming and he
knew it very well. So what to do in the meantime? He
opened his mouth to let loose another sarcastic
comment but Usagi beat him to it.
"Leave me alone Mamoru-baka, I don't
know why you should even care if I've gone all the
way to home run with a guy." She whirled around and
crossed her arms and stuck her nose upwards. "It's
none of your business." She began walking away, her
astonished friends left completely bewildered. "And
close your mouth baka, or you'll be eating flies for
lunch," her voice called out.
Mamoru quickly snapped his jaw shut and
stared after her. For once she had gotten in the final
word and he was the one who had been left behind to
eat dust. She was certainly on a roll today, he thought.
And what was this about her going all the way with a
guy? It didn't sit well with him at all, in fact it was
quite upsetting to think that...
He quickly put his feet to action and called
out Usagi's name. The other girls, finally recovering,
realized that Usagi had gotten a few feet ahead of them,
quickly ran after her.
Usagi was still fuming when everyone
caught up with her and she pointedly ignored them,
keeping silent as she walked. The Earth had not
complied with her wishes to swallow her up and she
was furiously embarrassed at having made such a
scene in public.
"Gomen Usagi-chan, I didn't mean to make
you angry like that," Minako apologized.
"And I didn't mean to accuse you of anything
Usagi-chan, I guess I got carried away," Rei said,
looking quite embarrassed herself.
"And I didn't mean to ask such a stupid
question about bases and all, that was very out of line
for me, gomen."
"And I didn't mean to think you were
hiding a boyfriend from us, Usagi-chan, I just wasn't
thinking when I asked that."
"I'm sorry too, Odango, for my comments."
"Nani?!"
Usagi halted to a stop so suddenly that, no
one expecting her move, bumped into each other,
causing her to nearly stumble and fall forward. But
Usagi quickly regained her balance and turned around
to once again face her arch enemy.
"Mamoru-baka! Why are you still with us? I
thought I told you to leave me alone!"
"Well you all are heading for the Crown,
ne? I'm going there myself so I thought I'd tag along.
Besides, I didn't purposely join the group for your
sake only. I am friends with the other girls too," he
shot back.
"Enough you two," Rei broke in. She
sighed exasperatedly and shook her head. "Anyway,
Usagi-chan, you were going to tell us what was on
your mind, ne? So tell us and we promise to keep
quiet and not jump to any conclusions, okay?"
Usagi looked at Rei and then at everyone
else, staring at Mamoru the longest and nodded
reluctantly. She really didn't want Mamoru to be there
as she spoke about what she thought was probably an
inane topic, but she had already been humiliated
today in front of him. Lightening certainly couldn't
strike a person twice.
"Well, you guys can't make fun of me on
this one cause I think it's serious," she began,
averting her eyes. At the urging of Minako she
continued. "You know how that woman spoke about
unfeeling kisses in the movie? She told the guy that
she just didn't feel anything behind them and well... I
want to know..." she blushed slightly and looked
down as they walked. Quietly she mumbled, "I want
to know what an unfeeling kiss feels like."
Everyone fell silent and Usagi who was
still walking, realized that no one was walking with
her. She stopped and slowly turned around to see
her friends *and* Mamoru staring at her, each with
an odd expression on his or her face. At that moment
she began wondering if she had done the right thing
by telling them. Right now her mind screamed a loud
NO.
She sighed loudly and walked back to them.
"C'mon minna, it isn't my question that's made you
speechless, is it?" she asked teasingly.
"Demo, Usagi-chan, don't you think
unfeeling kisses don't even feel like anything in the first
place?" Minako finally said, not noticing Usagi's
attempts to be light. Everyone else nodded their
agreement and then Rei added her own thoughts.
"I think that woman was just trying to tell
the guy that he didn't show any sort of feeling when he
kissed her. She knew that there was something going
on with him, Usagi-chan, I guess you can just tell
things like that."
Again everyone nodded but Usagi was still
left unsatisfied. "Demo, *how*? How could she tell
that there was something else? How can a kiss tell so
much? Aren't kisses... just kisses?"
"Why are you so interested anyway,
Odango?" Mamoru asked, still feeling slightly stunned.
He remembered the temptation to let his jaw drop
when Usagi had asked that first question about
unfeeling kisses. She had actually asked an interesting
question, surprisingly, once he realized it. He wanted
to grin wickedly when a sudden thought came to him.
He wouldn't actually mind showing her-
"It really isn't any of your business, Mamoru-
baka. Why do *you* care to know about my curiosity?"
Truthfully, she wanted Mamoru to know why she held
such an interest. Then maybe as an answer he could
show her-
"Because only a girl like yourself would ask
such strange questions about kisses."
Usagi gasped as did the other girls. "And
what's that supposed to mean?" she asked angrily, taking
a few steps to stand right in front of him. She jabbed a
finger at his chest as she continued to speak. "You better
not have implied what I think you did. You'll be sorry!"
"Why? And you know what I implied. You've
never been kissed, isn't that why you're asking these
questions? It's painfully obvious with you being so
direct about it all," Mamoru replied smugly. He crossed
his arms and raised his eyebrow, waiting for Usagi's
rejoinder.
But none came. Instead the girl stepped back,
opened her mouth, closed it, opened it again and then
shook her head. A look came across her face, one that
made Mamoru narrow his eyes but the expression was
gone as quickly as it had come. It was replaced by a
look that was a combination of hurt and hostility.
"Thank you for reminding why I hate you so
much Mamoru-san," she hissed and turned around to
walk into the Crown parlor, which the group had finally
reached. The girls looked between Mamoru and the
doors which Usagi had strode through and then looked
back at him again. All of them ran into the parlor
except Makoto who still stood with Mamoru.
"That was cruel Mamoru-san," Makoto said,
scratching the back of her head. "To tease a girl about
kisses she's never gotten is a low blow. Usagi-chan was
just curious about something she's never really had
experience in and you just blew it all out of proportion.
I hope you'll think about apologizing." And with that
she too went in, leaving Mamoru to stand alone.
He stared in, seeing Usagi sitting at the
booth with her friends who were currently talking to
her. Probably reassuring her that he hadn't meant what
he had said. And he really hadn't. It was just that he
was afraid and he wanted... Wanted what?
He focused on the blonde teenager who
had captured him and entranced him so long ago with
one toss of a crumpled test. She sat at the booths near
the windows and the afternoon sun's rays fell directly
on her, giving her a hazy almost dreamy-like look.
Her shoulders were slightly hunched and she rested
her arms on the table, her eyes looking downwards at
the Formica tabletop as her index finger traced
imaginary patterns. She didn't appear to be listening
to her friends, what was she thinking about then? His
asinine comments?
Mamoru groaned and turned around,
leaning his body against the front display windows
of the Crown. He knew what he was afraid of and he
knew what he wanted. He was afraid that Usagi
would find *feeling* kisses with another guy and he
so very much wanted to be the one she first kissed.
But it would never happen. Not in this
lifetime.
*~*
Usagi heard the voices of her friends
talking, she really did, but everything was just going
in one ear and out the other. She knew that they were
saying something about Mamoru and how thick of a
head he had and she knew they were also saying
something along the lines of how she would one day
find the perfect guy. And then they got onto their
ideals of a perfect guy and the topic took off from
there. But Usagi didn't want to find a perfect guy one
day and she didn't want Mamoru to be so thickheaded,
even though he had just made himself out to be so.
If it wasn't apparent before it definitely
was now. She wanted her perfect guy and Mamoru to
be one of the same. Shocking? Not quite, at least, not
to her. Her eyes strayed up to gaze at the front of the
parlor where Mamoru stood with his back to her.
How could any girl resist him? She certainly wasn't
immune to that body of his, or his face, or his hair,
that silky, raven-black hair... Usagi sighed in quiet
frustration. She liked him, very much so. When she
next looked at him, Usagi saw that he was coming in
and she felt her heart turn over as her stomach turned
a cartwheel. She wouldn't mind at all if she shared
her first kiss with him, but that idea was a lost cause
and it would probably remain so.
"Excuse me."
The girls stopped talking and Usagi
snapped to attention, looking up towards the end of
the table where a girl probably slightly older than
her stood, holding a bunch of flyers. She smiled
politely when she held the table's attention.
"Konnichiwa, my name is Nina and I'm
part of the Juuban Park Committee. We're holding a
carnival in two weeks and we need all the volunteers
we can get and I'm hoping you five can help us." She
lay down a few of the flyers she was holding and the
girls, including Usagi, all leaned to get a closer look
at them. "We have all kinds of booths that will need
supervising, like the dunking booth, the kissing booth,
the basketball boo-"
"Did you say kissing booth?"
Nina looked at the girl with the strange
hairstyle and smiled, nodding. "Hai, we do. This is
our third year running it and I have to admit, it's
certainly draws the crowds... the male crowds at
least," she giggled. "Demo, it's hard to find
volunteers for that one. Not too many people like
kissing 50 strangers all in one day so-"
"I'll do it! Sign me up."
"Usagi-chan, you can't be serious!" Ami
exclaimed, looking at her friend as though she had
grown two heads. "It's not like you at all!"
"Usagi-chan," Rei muttered, "we understand
your... interest in kisses, but don't you think this is
taking it a bit far?"
"I think it's perfect, there's nothing wrong
with me doing this," Usagi stated. "I'll have my answers
and maybe I'll meet the perfect guy who will give me
the right kind of kisses. It's only fair to me, minna. All
of you have had at least one kiss in your life, demo, me?
I'm still left dreaming."
And it was true, Usagi thought, looking at
her friends' faces. There was Makoto who'd already had
a couple of boyfriends, surely she had gotten her share
of kisses. Then there was Minako. Why, she was the
Senshi of Love and Beauty and she hadn't gotten that title
for nothing. She looked at Rei and remembered the time
she had seen the priestess peck Yuuichirou on the lips
when she thought no one was looking. And looking at
Ami she recalled the time the quiet girl had called her
house, almost gushing with the news that Ryoko had
kissed her, in a library no less!
But she, Usagi, had never been kissed. She
was the one who stood apart from them. It was a
depressing thought and with renewed determination she
looked at Nina, ready to ask her for the sign up sheet.
"Demo, Usagi-chan," Minako said, "a kissing
booth just isn't the way to go!"
This declaration was said in Minako's usual
dramatic and quite far reaching voice, one that made
Usagi cringe when, for the second time that day, the area
around her grew quiet as people stared.
"Minako-chan, I am going to have to kill
myself one of these days because of you," Usagi groaned.
She let her head fall onto the table, her forehead coming
into contact with the smooth, cool surface. The others
nodded sympathetically and then glared at Minako.
"What? What did I do?"
"Ahem, about the carnival..."
Usagi suddenly remembered that Nina was
still standing at their table and quickly sat up straight,
her face turning red. "Hai, like I said before, I'd like to
sign up for the kissing booth."
"That's not a problem... Usagi?" At the girl's
affirming nod, Nina continued. "If you would just walk
with me to our office, I can give you all the necessary
papers and have you signed up. It's not a long walk and-"
"Hai, let's go!" Usagi nudged Rei, who was
sitting next to her, and the other girl got up to let her out.
She smiled at Nina and before they could even take a
step forward towards the doors, Makoto's voice
stopped her.
"Usagi-chan, are you really sure about this?
Are you absolutely positive that doing this is going to
help you understand?"
Usagi turned around to face the table and
shrugged. "I don't know, but it won't hurt to find out,
ne?" She turned around again, ready to follow after
Nina who was already leaving and taking a step
forward, bumped into a human wall.
"Nani?" She raised her eyes, startled and
then nearly jumped back when she realized it was
Mamoru who stood before her. Quickly, anger
washed over her when he refused to move,
practically trapping her against the table. "Mamoru-
baka, why won't you move?"
Mamoru ignored her question and instead,
asked a question of his own. "What do you think
you'll get out of a kissing booth?" he asked furiously.
Usagi gasped in outrage. "I'll get whatever
I want out of it. You of all people are not going to
stop me! Now will you please move?"
Again, Mamoru ignored her question.
"You are not going to volunteer for some silly booth
where hundreds of guys will be pawing each other
just to get a peck from you. Heck, they won't even
get that much out of you. The whole idea is absurd!"
he said, throwing his hands up.
"It isn't absurd to me!" Usagi shouted.
Tears of frustration began to form at the corners of
her eyes and sniffing, she brought up a hand to
wipe them away. "I want to..." she broke off and
then began again, in a quieter voice. "You all know
what I want and maybe you all think it's the wrong
thing for me to do but this is my decision," she said,
pointing at herself, "Why are you all against me on
this?"
"We aren't Usagi-chan," Minako's voice
came to her. "We just want to look out for you and
we don't want you getting hurt in *any* way."
Usagi sniffed again when Minako
finished and then looked up into Mamoru's face.
"And why won't you let me pass?" she asked.
"Because I just can't."
"Wha-?" But before she could ask and
before she even knew it, one of his arms had
curled around her waist, his hand supporting her
back and the other hand had come up to cup her
cheek, his fingers barely touching her hair.
"I can't let you go."
And before anyone else could wink an
eye, Mamoru had captured Usagi's lips with his
own. Everyone from Ami to Motoki to Nina gasped
loudly at the unexpected move, their eyes widening
in amazement. But all the exclamations of surprise
went unheeded by the kissing couple. Theirs was a
world where they focused only on themselves... and
their first kiss.
And what a first kiss it was. Usagi's mind
had left her the moment she had felt Mamoru's lips
on her own. Shock was an understatement to what
she had felt at first and gradually that emotion was
replaced by something else. His lips moved across
hers in kisses that could only be called bone-melting.
There was no other way she would have described it.
His fingers had somehow moved into her hair as his
thumb stroked the sensitive rim of her outer ear. The
effect had tiny jolts of pleasure tingling her senses
with awareness and she unconsciously moved closer
to Mamoru, opening her mouth slightly as his lips
became more insistent. Apparently that was fine with
him because she heard him make a low sound from
the back of his throat and she felt his arm tightening
around her as he took a small step forward to move
closer. She found her lower back up against the edge
of the table but ignored the slight discomfort when he
tilted his head over hers for a deeper kiss. She never
wanted the moment to end...
He had to end this moment right now. He
had to end the kiss because the whole situation was
insane. He had to move away from her, take a step
back and apologize, but he couldn't. He couldn't will
himself to do anything except take all that her sweet
mouth was offering. He had wanted the kiss to be sweet
and short, maybe enough to convince her not to
volunteer for that booth. But then he had gotten caught
in the moment and could not, really would not, escape.
It was the only reason he could give for not ending the
kiss a long time ago. It was the only reason he could
give for continuing a kiss that had heated his blood and
flared to life an emotion he had thought dead.
That last bit had him dropping down into
reality in a flash. Tearing his mouth from hers, he
sucked in a deep breath and let it out shakily. Trembling
slightly, he ran a hand, the hand that had been tangled
in her hair, through his own unruly strands and looked
up at the ceiling to regain his composure. When he
brought his gaze back down to her face, he was startled
to see that she looked just as shaken up as he.
Seeing the moment was over, Nina coughed
discreetly before speaking. "Usagi-san? Are you coming?"
Usagi barely heard her as she stared at the
person in front of her with wide eyes, her hand slightly
covering her mouth. "Iie, I... I don't think so Nina-san..."
The other woman, understanding what had happened,
smiled slightly at the other girls before turning around
and walking out of the arcade.
Usagi didn't even realize she had left. Neither
had Mamoru. Still speechless they looked at each other
in tense silence until Minako coughed and drummed her
nails on the tabletop impatiently.
The noise snapped Mamoru back into the real
world and he looked behind Usagi to see her friends
staring at them, all grins and eyes full of questions. He
turned around to see Motoki slowly wiping the counter,
not paying attention to his work as he stared at the couple.
Apparently he hadn't recovered from his shock, Mamoru
thought, turning back to the slight girl standing in front of
him.
"We have to talk," he said quietly. She jerked
her head in affirmation and he took her hand and together
they walked out of the Crown parlor. The girls
exchanged looks and then quickly clambered out of the
booth rushing to the front windows. Motoki had already
beaten them to it and the five of them peered outside.
"What do you think will happen now?" Motoki
asked.
"Some good stuff," Minako said gleefully. "I'm
out of here!" she exclaimed, but before she could take
another step, Makoto had caught hold the back of her
shirt and pulled her to a stop.
"I think we should just leave them alone,
Minako-chan. They've just gone through some heavy stuff
that they have to figure out between themselves. Alone."
*~*
The afternoon was warm and filled with
sunshine. The sky was clear and blue but down below
the tension between Mamoru and Usagi was thick as
they walked around downtown Tokyo. The silence was
heavy and neither of them knew how or when to make
the first move. Finally, Usagi could take it no more and
looking at their linked hands, spoke first.
"Where are we going?"
Mamoru did not turn his head to look at her.
He didn't even answer her at first. It was until Usagi
tugged at his hand that he remembered that she had asked
a question. Looking down at her, he shook his head
slowly. "I don't know," he replied, "Just anywhere, I
guess. We both need some air to clear our heads a bit,
ne?"
Usagi nodded mutely as they continued to
walk past buildings and stores. They finally came to a
big, empty lot next the park, surrounded with a chain
linked fence with a sign that read, "Carnival Coming
Soon!" in wavy, red letters, at the front. Looking into it
Usagi could see that the crews had already begun to
assemble a few of the rides and set up a few booths.
She gasped when a particular booth caught
her eye. Ordinary looking, made with wood, it was
painted yellow and in black letters on it's top, it read
"Have a Kiss," with the ticket amount underneath it.
It was ironic that she would see this booth so soon
and at such a time no less.
Mamoru followed the direction of her gaze,
saw the object she was staring at and then looked at
her. At the same moment, she turned her head to look
up at him and their gazes clashed, each of them
expressing a small amount of vulnerability in their
expressions.
"So you're not going to do the booth
anymore?" he asked and then mentally smacked himself
for asking such a stupid question.
"Iie," Usagi answered quietly, shaking her
head. "I can't, not anymore. Not after..."
"Not after our kiss?" he asked, finishing up
her sentence. She remained silent and continued to
look ahead. After a bit, he felt her hand slip from his
and watched as she placed it on the fence, the pressure
of her hand causing it to rattle slightly. He had to make
amends, he thought. His actions had probably caused
her humiliation and he didn't want her to seriously hate
him.
"I'm... I'm sorry Usagi," he began hesitantly.
"I didn't mean the kiss to go so far. I didn't mean to
embarrass you like that in front of everyone. It's just
that I didn't like the idea of a hundred guys kissing you,
it didn't seem right to me, so I let my emotions get the
better of me and-"
"It was all I could have imagined in a kiss
and much, much more."
"I kissed you and I swear it's not something
I do on a regular- what?!" Her softly spoken words
had finally sunk in and he looked at her unbelievingly.
"What did you say?"
She turned around and leaned against
fence, her lips curved upwards in a winsome smile.
"Mamoru-san, I don't think I ever want to find out
what unfeeling kisses are. I already know what a kiss
with feeling is and a kiss from anyone else other than
you would be unfeeling to me."
He felt a blush creeping up and he hung
his head, rubbing the back of his neck. When he
raised his head, he was smiling boyishly and her smile
became wider at seeing him this way. They continued
to stare at each other as he moved closer to her, until
his shoulder rested against the fence. He reached out
a hand and lifted her chin so that she had to look up
at him.
"And what is a kiss with feeling?" he
asked, his voice a husky whisper.
"Yours is a kiss with feeling," she replied
honestly. "I felt more than warmth and desire behind
your lips. I felt kindness, life, contentment and
everything else that's nice. It was wonderful...
Mamo-chan," she finished shyly, her eyes meeting his
quickly, before averting their gaze. "What... what
did you feel?"
He closed his eyes and again wrapped his
free arm around her waist. Bringing his face down
towards hers he stopped when their lips were an inch
apart. "I felt your light, Usako," he whispered and then
closed the distance between them.
Her eyes went wide for a second at his
name for her and then his kiss erased all further
thoughts and she closed her eyes. She went up on the
front of her toes and reached up a hand to stroke his
hair, her other hand lying on his chest, right over his
racing heartbeat. I want this, she thought. I can't let
go of him now.
Mamoru thought the same thing. He had
fallen for her, it was so easy to see. For the first time
in a long while he felt a certain joy, the kind you can
only find with your significant other. His other hand
still held her chin and he dropped it so that he could
fully wrap his arms around her and bring her up
against him.
After many long, sweet moments they
broke apart and, Mamoru, closing his eyes, rested
his forehead against her own. "Do... do you think we
can make this work?" he heard her softly ask.
Opening his eyes, he gazed deep into her blue depths.
He smiled and gave her a small, lingering kiss
before answering, "I most definitely think we can,
kisses and all."
*~*
"They've been gone for so long."
"I hope they're alright."
"Do you think they're coming back here?"
"Do you think they worked things out?"
"Do you think they're still fighting?"
"Do you think they went to second base?"
"Ami!!!"
~*~*The End*~*~
*Breathes huge sigh of relief* Wow, you don't know
how long I've been working on this. Just a one
parter yet I feel like I've finished 10 chapters ^_^ Was
it dragged out? Were you guys happy with the ending?
I feel all rusty, thus my silly questions. ^_^ Well tell
me, I'd be happy to know what you guys thought. *Goes
off to indulge in fudge brownies* I badly need these.
Want some? ^_~
Patch:-)(-: