"Stuck in a tree"
Usagi was walking through the park after a large milkshake at the Crown Arcade. She had been celebrating the end of the school week with her friends, promising to meet at the shrine later for a sleepover. There was a gentle breeze blowing that day, and the sun was providing the perfect amount of warmth. Usagi swung her arms behind her head and released a sigh of contentment.
Right at that moment, she heard a faint noise. She stopped in her tracks and looked around to see if she could find the source. When she decided that maybe she was just hearing things, the noise happened again; and this time it sounded like it was coming from above her.
"Huh…" she stared inquisitively at the swaying branches of the nearest tree.
"There's no way that a tree is making those noises."
Just as she was about to continue walking, she heard the noise grow louder, and realized that it wasn't the tree, but a kitten's meow.
"Oh no! You poor little thing…you must be stuck up there!"
Immediately, Usagi put down her bag and hoisted her leg onto the first branch. She slowly began climbing the tree, being careful not to pull one of her clumsy stunts and fall. With every branch she grabbed, she felt as if the tree was never ending. The tiny meows were getting louder and she knew that she couldn't give up yet. After all, she was the soldier of love and justice who fought evil for a living. What could be so hard about rescuing a cat from a tree?
After what seemed like an eternity, Usagi finally reached the small kitten. It was adorable, really. A tiny fluff ball of grey fur with big green eyes that seemed to plead for her help. She managed to sit on the branch holding the kitten and as soon as she got situated, the small creature climbed onto her lap, and began to purr.
"You must have been scared, little one! Don't worry…I have you now. We'll get down from this tree and you can go back to your momma!"
As Usagi examined her surroundings, she realized in a panic that she had absolutely no idea how to get down from where she was.
"Great…I try to save an animal's life and I manage to put us both in a predicament…"
As if she needed to add to her stress, she heard a voice call to her, "Is that you, Odango?"
Great. Mamoru Chiba. Of course he'd be walking by while she was hyperventilating at the top of a tree.
"Yeah, it's me. Why do you care?" she spat at him.
"Well, I find it odd that as I'm walking through the park on my way home I hear your voice coming from an inanimate object."
He was as snarky as ever, and she was still in a freaking tree with a kitten clinging on to her for dear life.
"Are you coming down any time soon, or have you decided to live up there from now on?"
She really hated when he picked on her. She could feel the blood rushing to her face and she knew she'd snap back at him sooner or later. But it's kind of hard to focus your anger on someone when you are legitimately afraid of falling to your doom.
With a heavy sigh, she yelled down to him, "Unlike you, I'm trying to be a decent person and save this kitten who got stuck. I don't enjoy being up here, so why don't you scurry along and find someone else to pester!"
After waiting for his response, Usagi was surprised when only the sound of the breeze filled the air. She thought that he had given up and she finally won one of their battles. All of a sudden, the tree began to move and the weight felt distributed in odd places. Before she could even process what was going on, Mamoru had gracefully made his way up the tree beside her. Only he could make climbing a tree look so easy.
"So this is your new hiding spot, eh Odango?"
Usagi was not amused and the movement of the tree had caused her to pale. She could fight the forces of evil, but she was scared of being 20 feet off the ground; the girls would find her completely ridiculous if they were to see her at this moment.
"This isn't funny, Mamoru. This poor kitten was stuck and all I wanted to do was help. Now we're both trapped in this stupid tree, and somehow I managed to attract you up here with us to be a royal pain in my side."
"Well, if you don't want my help then I'll gladly jump down from here."
"NO!" She screamed as she clung to his arm without dropping the tiny cat. "I mean, you came all the way up here, you might as well be a gentleman and help us down."
He gave a small chuckle and patted her hand. "Okay, okay. Geez, Odango. I would never do something like that. After all, how could I leave a poor innocent kitten with you in a tree?"
Usagi gritted her teeth and she swore that once her feet reunited with solid ground she was going to smack him so hard upside his head…
"Mamoru…why don't you stop being an ass for one second and get me down from this tree!"
He laughed at her again for being so flustered.
"All right. How about I climb down first, and you mimic my steps so you don't fall?"
Carefully, Usagi watched as Mamoru maneuvered with ease down every branch. She copied his every move to ensure her safety and the comfort of the tiny creature on her shoulder. Seriously…How was it so easy to climb up but not back down?
Mamoru jumped off of the last branch and instructed her to do the same. She gulped and went to jump, but because of her outstanding luck, her shoelace caught on the branch and she tumbled down. She landed with a thud and quickly opened her eyes to see if the kitten was safe. She saw the kitten sitting beside her and gave a sigh of relief. However, because of her little clumsy stunt, she landed straight on top of Mamoru.
She swore her face turned as red as Mars' flames from embarrassment.
"Oh my god! I'm so sorry! Are you okay?" She quickly looked him over for any major signs of pain.
"I-I'm fine…" said Mamoru as he too, turned a similar shade of red.
There was a moment of silence as the two gazed at one other. Usagi thought in that moment she could see into the depths of his beautiful blue eyes, and appreciate just how handsome he truly was. His hair blew onto his face, and she repressed the urge to move it out of the way for him. Why was she feeling like this? Like there was something deep within her that made her want to get closer than they already were?
Finally, the silence broke and her train of thought was shattered when he asked, "Are you sure you're okay?"
"Oh, me? I…I'm totally fine!" And with that, she forced herself to stand and brush off the dirt from her uniform.
The kitten gave a small meow as it headed over towards what Usagi presumed was its mother. It really was the cutest thing she had ever seen.
Usagi turned back around to face Mamoru, and as she did, her heart gave a slight squeeze in her chest. Why hadn't she noticed how attractive he was until this moment?
"Thanks for saving me and helping me rescue the kitten. You really didn't have to do that."
He blushed and replied, "It's no trouble, Odango. Like I said…I wouldn't want to leave that poor kitten with you for too long."
And there it was. Just as quickly as it had left, her hatred for him came rushing back. She groaned and turned away yelling at him that this wasn't over, and just because he did something nice doesn't mean they're friends.
As she walked back to her house, she replayed the events of the day. Never in a million years would she have guessed she'd be stuck in a tree with that brat Chiba. But Usagi would be lying if she said she didn't enjoy his company. With each passing encounter, she felt herself get closer to him in a way only he understood. Maybe she was letting her thoughts get the best of her. He probably only thought of her as a clumsy baby. Usagi shook her head and proceeded home. She was most definitely going to be late to the shrine and she had to think of a good excuse to tell the girls.
Throughout the weekend, her mind kept wandering back to their previous encounter and what it meant to her. When she closed her eyes on Sunday night, she secretly wished that she would run into him tomorrow, and that they could share another special moment together.