Author's Notes: Ok I realize it has been a long time since I last updated my lust and love story and I apologize for that. I haven't forgotten it, in fact I've begun working on it again. I've been going through a lot of things for the last two years that have made my writing not worth anything. I'm back now, but still kind of slow ^^ … I'll get the next chapter for that up as soon as possible. For now, I've managed to work on this little something. It started out suppose to be something small, but has grown. I don't know exactly where it is going, but I hope that you enjoy it … I've got two chapters already, I'll add the other shortly. I'm going to work on lust and love first, but I'll be working on chapter 3 for this one soon enough, plus possibly other ones. :
"On a date at the carnival with a girl from his class, Mamoru unexpectedly catches sight of his 'nemesis' and finds he just can't ignore her. For the purposes of this story Usagi and Mamoru go to the same school, though she's a freshman and he is a senior. Mamoru is a popular guy, while Usagi is not very popular at all."
Anyway, I am a slow writer but I promise I will finish my stories as soon as possible. Just be patient with me ...
Now on to the story ...
Mamoru smiled politely at the girl at his side and murmured an answer that would satisfy her, even though internally he was wishing he was anywhere but right there. Manami was a beautiful girl, every guy's dream really. She had long beautiful raven colored hair, expressive dark brown eyes, and curves in all the right places. She was not only a straight 'A' student, but she was also the captain of the school's female baseball team. Manami was most definitely the 'perfect' girl, though Mamoru had never really believed her 'kind and sweet' act was very real.
Manami had been interested in Mamoru for pretty much his entire high school year, though he usually ignored her. Sure she was beautiful and witty, but she had never really caught his attention. She could never hold a candle to the beautiful and mysterious princess that haunted his dreams. Mamoru hadn't yet found anyone that could really.
He would have turned down this date like he had turned down each and every one of them before hand. He had been going to but she had made it almost impossible for him to do so. Right before he had delivered his rejection Manami had suddenly called Motoki over and told him that if he could convince Mamoru to go to the carnival with her then she convince Reika into going with him on a sort of double date.
Considering the fact that Motoki had been crushing on Reika since junior high, he had immediately dragged Mamoru aside. After a few minutes of Motoki begging him to accept the date and telling him that it wouldn't hurt him to just go on one date with the girl, Mamoru finally accepted. Motoki was right about one thing, it wouldn't physically hurt him and maybe if he took her on one date she would lose interest in him. Besides, he would be helping his best friend out in something and that was the most important thing.
This was why he found himself here at this crowded little carnival having less then a good time. Manami did know how to make interesting conversations and on most occasions Mamoru didn't really mind talking to her, but in this atmosphere he was more then a little uncomfortable. He just didn't feel anything for Manami and he didn't like pretending. He glanced over at Motoki and Reika playing a game a little further down the path and smiled just a bit. The two of them seemed to be having a great time so at least his attempt at helping his friend had worked out. Perhaps now Motoki would be brave enough to ask Reika out on his own dates so that Mamoru could at least feel as if the day had been worth it.
Manami glanced at Mamoru out of the corner of her eye and frowned slightly. She really liked the guy, perhaps even loved him just a bit but he wasn't in to her at all. Yes, he was playing the attentive date and saying all the right words. Unfortunately, she knew him well enough to know that that was all it was … an act. She didn't even think he was having all that much fun.
She couldn't understand it really. What was it about her that Mamoru didn't like? They had so much in common. They could discuss any number of things for hours and they even enjoyed a lot of the same activities. Most of the other guys adored her, so why didn't the one guy that she actually wanted? What kind of tastes in a girl did Mamoru have? She knew that he did date, not only her but she had seen him occasionally date other people as well. However it was usually only for one or two dates at most before he got bored with the girls and moved on. So what was it that could hold Mamoru's attention?
Manami tugged on Mamoru's hand slightly and pointed toward a 'Crossbow Shoot' game and asked, "Mamoru-kun, do you want to try and win me a teddy bear or something?"
A very bored expression glimmered in Mamoru's eyes for a fraction of a second as he looked at the booth before it vanished behind that stoic mask he always seemed to wear. He pasted the polite smile back on to his face before opening his mouth to respond to his companion. "I suppose I could …."
The words froze in his throat the moment he caught sight of a familiar blonde leaning against the side of a booth a few feet away. Mamoru gazed at his 'nemesis' for a few seconds contemplating the fact that the two of them just seemed destined to run into each other no matter where they went. Sure, a carnival was the kind of place that Usagi would probably love to be in. However for her to be here at the exact same time that he was had to be some kind of luck, whether bad or good he wasn't exactly sure. Whatever the case he generally enjoyed the arguments they got into, they were usually the high point of his day.
Mamoru was just turning back to his date when he realized that something was different about the little brat he loved to torment. Turning back to study Usagi once more it didn't take him long to notice that she was upset about something. She was staring at her feet with an unhappy expression, not even really paying attention to anything around her eve though she was in a fun atmosphere. Very unlike her and it bothered him greatly.
He was halfway to Usagi before he remembered that he was abandoning his date for another girl. Mamoru hesitated, glancing back toward Manami briefly before deciding that Usagi needed him more. Besides, she wasn't a girl or rather she was but she was more a little annoying brat. Manami would understand, he was only going to check on an upset freshman to make sure she was ok. He lifted a hand in her direction to indicate he would be right back before spinning on his heels and continuing on his path to Usagi.
Manami had caught that brief flicker of boredom on Mamoru's face but she had ignored it, or at least tried to. She was feeling more and more annoyed as this date continued. Mamoru should be having fun, he should at least be pretending to be having fun. Any guy from their school would be thrilled to be on a date with her. Mamoru should be honored that she had chosen him to escort her but here he was obviously wishing he wasn't here.
She relaxed slightly when he smiled at her. It might have been a very bland and neutral smile but at least he was paying attention to her again. He was even agreeing to play the game for her, perhaps the day was looking up. Unfortunately Mamoru didn't even finish his sentence before he seemed to get distracted once again. Manami glanced over to see what Mamoru was looking at so intently.
At first she didn't connect his distraction to the girl across the way, but then she realized that it really was the blonde that was holding his attention. Manami studied the younger girl for a moment before realizing that she had seen her at school. A clumsy little freshman that had terrible study habits, named after some kind of small animal if Manami remembered correctly. She was fairly certain that this was the little girl that annoyed Mamoru constantly on a daily basis. Why did she have to be here today of all days? The carnival was going to be here all week. Oh well, they could just ignore her.
It was then that she noticed that Mamoru was actually heading toward the girl. Manami frowned immediately, somewhat annoyed that she was being abandoned for this little girl. "Mamoru-kun?" An angry flush stained her cheeks, brown eyes going hard with displeasure when the only response she received was a wave in her direction indicating Mamoru would be back. She glared irritably at both Mamoru and the girl. This date was not going well at all.
Mamoru approached Usagi, stopping a short distance away. He studied her quietly for another moment, noticing that her eyes shimmered with unshed tears. Definitely unhappy and he couldn't help wondering what was wrong. The Usagi he knew wasn't this sad, so what had happened to bring her to this state?
For a fraction of a second Mamoru clenched his fists angrily at his side deciding that who ever had brought her to tears would regret it, but then he realized what he was doing and shook off the anger. There wasn't any reason for him to feel protective, Usagi wasn't anything important to him. The only reason he was over here was that it was an upperclassman's job to look out for the younger students. It didn't matter that they weren't currently at school. He was still an upperclassman, besides Usagi was important to Motoki and therefore deserved to be looked after just a bit. That was all.
Mamoru stepped forward so that he was looming over Usagi, his shadow merging with hers on the ground. As he looked down on her small form, Mamoru had a fleeting desire to pull her into his embrace so that he could soothe away whatever the hurt was. Not only was that idea squashed before it even had time to take root, but it also horrified Mamoru. Luckily he didn't have much time to even wonder where it had come from because Usagi was looking up at him with a watery but defiant glare.
Usagi had sensed the moment someone had walked up to her, more then that she knew exactly who it was without once even looking up. For as long as she had known him Mamoru, she had always been able to tell when he was nearby. Usagi continued staring at her feet, tears blurring her vision, hoping that Mamoru would move on. She really didn't have the emotional energy today to deal with him today, not when she was feeling so awful. His taunts would only make her feel worse. Unfortunately Mamoru stopped right in front of her, probably getting ready to make fun of her for crying at a carnival or something.
She took a deep breath, gathering her courage, before swiping a hand across her eyes in an attempt at getting rid of the tears, and glaring defiantly at Mamoru. "Go away Mamoru-baka. I don't want to talk to you today. Can't you just leave me alone for right now?" Usagi cringed slightly when her voice wasn't as steady as she had hoped, hating the fact that she was sounding so shaky in front of Mamoru.
It was merely habit that had Mamoru grinning smugly down at the little blonde and smoothly saying, "I …" but the words stuck in his throat at the hurt look on Usagi's face. He swallowed once before sighing and gently but firmly saying, "Look, I can't leave Odango, not until you tell me what's wrong. Why are so upset? What happened? Who did this to you?" Mamoru glanced around at the other booths nearby before looking back and adding, "Where are your friends? Aren't they usually with you?"
Usagi once again swiped her hand across her eyes, still trying to banish the tears gathering there. When Mamoru gave her his usual smug smile Usagi had expected to receive some sort of cutting remark. Some kind of insult or put down like Mamoru usually gave her whenever they spoke to one another. Her glare instantly dissolved into slight confusion, her mouth opening slightly in surprise when Mamoru merely sighed and refused to leave. It almost seemed as if he were concerned about her, but … but that couldn't be right.
His questions shook her out of her surprise, uncertainty glimmering in her eyes before she looked away. She couldn't explain, she couldn't … he would only laugh at her. She hugged herself miserably, wishing more then anything that she could be anywhere but there. Why did it have to be Mamoru that had found her here? Why couldn't it have been one of her friends, or even Motoki? They would have understood, she could have told them everything and been comforted. They could have helped her feel better, but Mamoru … he would only make her feel worse. She couldn't deal with this, not now. Why was he even at the carnival anyway? This wasn't a place she would have expected him to be.
Out of the corner of her eye Usagi could see a pretty girl, a popular senior from their school she thought, glaring in their direction. She had come from the same direction that Mamoru had come from. Perhaps she was the reason Mamoru was here at the carnival, a date … she was the type of girl Usagi would expect Mamoru to date. Pretty, popular, good in school … all of the things Usagi herself wasn't, just like that other girl. This thought only made her feel even worse then before and she hugged herself tighter, a silent tear sliding down her cheek.
Mamoru sucked in his breath and automatically stepped forward, hand reaching toward Usagi in an instinctive desire to comfort her when he saw the tear tracing its way down her face quickly followed by another. When she flinched Mamoru instantly froze, hand still held out towards her hesitantly for a moment before slowly lowering to his side. He wasn't really sure why he had this new desire to comfort Usagi. To soothe away whatever was bothering her and make it better. All he really knew was that it was oddly hard to ignore. It was like her pain was resonating with him and making it nearly impossible to just walk away.
Still he really didn't have a clue about how to comfort her and get her to talk to him. They didn't have a great relationship. He certainly didn't blame her for flinching away from him when all he usually did was tease and taunt her. Mamoru's gaze darkened in misery as he continued to watch her withdraw further into herself. This wasn't right. This wasn't his normal little odango atama. Usagi didn't deserve to be this sad. No one did, but Usagi especially didn't. She was usually so bright and cheerful that it was a shock to see her so miserable.
Mamoru glanced around helplessly, hoping to see Motoki somewhere near by. Motoki would know how to comfort Usagi. He would be able to draw her into a hug and cheer her up some how. Unfortunately he couldn't see Motoki or Reika anywhere. The couple had apparently wandered off on their own some time between now and the last time he had seen them ahead of him. He caught sight of Manami standing there, but it never really occurred to him to ask her if she could help. True the girl might could get more out of Usagi then he could, but Mamoru could see that she was getting annoyed. He had no intention of allowing her to get Usagi even more upset.
Manami saw Mamoru looking at her and motioned that he should come back over to her. This was getting irritating. This was suppose to be her date with Mamoru and there he was with that other girl. It wasn't fair. He ought to just leave the little first year alone and come back to have fun with her. Manami remembered seeing the younger blonde with a group of friends most of the time. They should be the ones dealing with the girl, not Mamoru. He was hers for the day. If he didn't get back over here soon then she was going to get really irritated.
Mamoru shook his head and signaled that he'd be a little while longer. Couldn't Manami see that Usagi was really upset? He couln't just walk off and leave her, at least not until he found out what was wrong and then delivered her to her friends. She was a friend of sorts, at least to Motoki. It wouldn't be right to leave her standing here when she was so looking so alone and hurt.
Turning back to Usagi, Mamoru frowned when he saw that the girl had been attempting to leave while his back had been turned. Luckily he had turned back just in time to prevent her from doing so. He had no intention of allowing her to escape before telling him what had happened to make her sad. Stepping forward, Mamoru caught Usagi's arm right above her elbow. He gently pulled her to a stop, steering her back against the wall, and boxing her in with his own arms so that he could stop her from trying to escape again.
When she looked up at him defiantly, eyes still wet with tears, Mamoru gave her a concerned look and gently murmured, "Usagi, please tell me what's wrong … please? I know I'm not Motoki or even your friends, but … but I don't like seeing you like this either. Someone has hurt you and I want to know what happened. Where are your friends? Do they know that ..." He was going to ask her if they knew she was here crying, but he was smart enough to figure out she would only take that as some sort of insult so he continued with another question instead. "that you're here all alone? They weren't the ones that had you in tears were they?"
Usagi was a little shocked and annoyed when Mamoru suddenly caught her arm and forced her back against the wall again. She swallowed nervously, her heart starting to race just a little at his nearness. Usagi hadn't ever been this close to him before, except for the occasional times she had run into him. There were also those times when she was yelling at him, but they didn't really count. She was generally more concerned with winning the argument then anything else and he certainly wasn't trapping her against the wall during those times. She opened her mouth prepared to yell at him and make him leave her alone, but the concern she saw darkening his gaze had her shutting her mouth in confusion. This wasn't the way Mamoru usually acted. Why was he acting like this? She knew that it might be unusual to find her crying somewhere all alone, but Mamoru didn't even like her so why would it bother him?
She sighed and looked away, not really wanting to answer him just in case this was all some sort of trick. Still it didn't look like Mamoru was planning on moving unless she answered him and she really should at the very least tell him her friends hadn't done anything to her. Besides, he really did seem concerned about her … maybe Mamoru wasn't a complete jerk after all. Usagi returned her gaze back to Mamoru, hesitated a second longer, before saying, "Alright, I'll tell you but you have to promise not to laugh or anything. I … I don't think I can handle that today."
At first Mamoru thought that Usagi was going to continue refusing to answer him and for some reason he started to feel just a little hurt. He knew that he teased and taunted her constantly, but she had to know that he wasn't the kind of guy that would just ignore a girl when she was crying … especially if she was someone he knew. He knew they weren't friends, not really, but they were companions and he really did want to help if he could. Couldn't she see that he was really concerned about her here?
He relaxed a little when Usagi turned back to look at him, removing one of his hands from the wall and absently catching hold of a few strands of her hair as a breeze blew them near. Mamoru idly played with the strands, moving it through his fingers and watching in fascination as the sun caught on them and turned it to gold. Nodding in response to her question he turned his gaze back to her as he solemnly murmured, "I won't laugh Usagi, now or ever … not about whatever it is you tell me anyway. I promise. Please trust me on that."
Usagi's breath caught in her throat, her eyes widening just a little when Mamoru began playing with her hair. He really hadn't ever done that before, just what was with him today. She forced her eyes back to Mamoru when he responded to her, nodding her head in acceptance of his words. She was very determined to ignore the feel of his hands in her hair. This entire situation was just really odd, very unreal. Mamoru's strange behavior was starting to make it a little hard to concentrate on anything but him.
Hands fiddling uneasily with the hem of her shirt, Usagi hesitated a moment, before taking a deep breath and saying, "It … it was a guy. He … he ..." Usagi's words came to a halt, staring at Mamoru in bewilderment when his hand suddenly tightened in her hair and his gaze darkened to an angry blue-black color. "Ma … Mamoru?"
The moment Usagi had mentioned that it was a guy that had hurt her, Mamoru's temper nearly skyrocketed. Images of Usagi with some guy filtered through his head making him uncomfortably angry for reasons he couldn't begin to understand. They were barely even friends, friendly enemies, daily bantering partners … whatever you wanted to call them, but nothing more. There was no reason at all that he should care whether Usagi went on a date with someone and yet he couldn't deny that hot surge of anger that had flooded his very being the moment she mentioned that it was a guy that had hurt her. Remembering that it had been this guy that had hurt her made Mamoru even more furious. This guy had not only gone out with Usagi, he had dared to hurt her.
Realizing that he was probably pulling Usagi's hair and that she was staring at him in bewilderment, Mamoru relaxed his hold and allowed the golden strands to slide away from him. He took a deep breath and let it out slowly, attempting to steady himself and regain control of his temper before carefully asking, "Usagi … this guy, he didn't … what did he do? How did he hurt you?"
Usagi swallowed nervously, eyes once again sliding away from Mamoru and focusing on everything but him. This was even harder then she thought it would be. The conversation was hardly something she enjoyed discussing with him. More then that though he was acting so odd and making her feel off kilter, it was confusing to say the least.
She gave a startled jump, her eyes flying back to Mamoru's, when he called her name and she felt his hand touch her cheek gently. Usagi gave him a wide eyed stare, mouth gaping slightly in surprise, pulse racing, as she tried hard to resist the urge to lean into Mamoru's touch. She briefly closed her eyes, struggled to pull herself together and steady her emotions, before reopening her eyes and once again focusing on Mamoru.
Gathering her courage and desperately trying to ignore Mamoru's nearness, she once again attempted to tell him why she had been upset. "Tokito, that's the captain of the soccer team, started paying attention to me a few days ago. I was so excited because he hadn't ever done so before and I hadn't really expected to ever do so. He usually talks to all the popular girls. I'm far from being popular, but he actually came over to talk to ..." Usagi's words slowed to a halt once more when she noticed that Mamoru was looking furious again. This was hard enough without him glaring at her. Why was he so upset? He was the one that had asked her what was wrong.
Mamoru gritted his teeth together the moment he heard 'Tokito, captain of the soccer team'. It was a name he knew well, in fact they had a class together. The guy usually had a different girlfriend every day of the week. True he was the star soccer player for the school and the captain of the team, but he also had a reputation for treating girls less then perfect. It infuriated him more then it probably should to think that he had chosen his innocent little odango for his next conquest. Of course that little thought had his temper diving into confusion for a moment … 'his odango?' When the heck did she become his anything? It was then that he realized Usagi wasn't talking anymore. She was just staring at him with an expression of mingled curiosity, wariness, and irritation. He gave her a startled look and asked, "What? What's wrong? How come you stopped talking? You were suppose to be telling me what happened, remember?"
Usagi bit her lip gently, staring at Mamoru curiously, trying to figure out what he had been thinking about a moment before. Finally she just shrugged and said, "You were glaring angrily at me and I was wondering what I had done this time, that's all." She paused for a moment, still watching him curiously before adding, "Were you mad at something?"
Mamoru gave her a searching look, his eyes holding an emotion she couldn't quite define. Suddenly he reached over and tucked a curl behind her ear before saying, "I was angry yes, but not at you. It isn't very important right now, finish your story please? I really want to know what hurt you."
Usagi's eyes widened in surprise, a soft gasp making its way past her lips when Mamoru reached over and tucked a curl behind her ear. Her heart was beating frantically within her chest as he slowly pulled away so that he could look down at her again. Her hands fisting in her skirts, Usagi stared uncertainly up at Mamoru for a few moments remaining quiet even if he had asked her something. Her head was somewhat fuzzy with confusion. She couldn't understand any of this, this was definitely not the way Mamoru should be acting even if she had been crying.
Manami narrowed her gaze slightly as she watched the interplay between Usagi and Mamoru. She was correct in assuming that there was nothing between the two except irritation right? It certainly didn't look like it right now. On most occasions that she had ever seen the two of them together they were yelling at each other. That is why, although she hadn't been happy, she hadn't been terribly concerned that Mamoru had gone to speak to the girl. Watching him interact with Usagi however was starting to make her think that there was more going on between the two. Playing with the girl's hair and the gentle touches Mamoru kept giving Usagi, those were all signs of something weren't they? Yes, of course they are … but maybe the two of them hadn't even realized it yet. She frowned, her eyes narrowing further as she continued to glare at the couple before her. Manami wouldn't let this happen. She wasn't going to lose Mamoru now, not when she had gotten him this far.
Aware that Mamoru was still watching her and waiting for an answer, Usagi swallowed down her nervousness and said, "I … I was crying because .." She nibbled at her lip a moment before shaking her head and murmuring, "I can't just tell you baka, I have to lead up to the story. You have to understand why I was there."