1 The Search for Perfect Engagement Rings
Chiba Mamoru walked down Main Avenue, searching for a jewelry store. He had decided the night before that it was time to pop the big question on Usagi. Right now, his main goal was to find the right engagement ring. He stopped in front of the Osa-P, where Usagi's friend, Naru, lived with her mother. Her mother was the owner of the popular jewelry store. Mamoru opened the door and stepped inside.
Immediately, Naru greeted him. She pulled him over to a case full of beautiful rings. Mamoru thanked her and began to sort through them. The Osa- P was the last store on his list. If he didn't find something soon, he'd.well.actually he had no clue what to do next. Mamoru stood there, looking around the room. He watched as a young man with brown eyes and a small black ponytail entered the room. The man talked with Naru a bit and headed over to the ring case where Mamoru was.
"Hey. Looking for the perfect engagement ring?" the guy, asked Mamoru.
"Yeah. You too?"
"Uh-huh. Exept I'm looking for 5 perfect rings." The man suddenly looked very uneasy. Mamoru sweat dropped.
"5? You're a player!"
"Actually, it wasn't my idea. You see all these girls started to pop up at my place and 5 out of 6 of them fell in love with me! So now I'm stuck with 5 fiances! Not that I don't love them. I feel like they're more like sisters to me. The 6th one is only 10! Her sister's one of my, er, fiances."
"I see. I'm Mamoru."
"I'm Tenchi. Hey, one of my cousins used to date a guy named Mamoru."
"What's her name? Maybe I did date her!" Mamoru joked. But Tenchi's answer wasn't what he expected.
"Her name's Rei Hino."
"REI HINO! KAMI-SAMA! I did date her! You're Rei's cousin?"
"You're THAT Mamoru? Wow! Are you marrying Usagi?"
"Hai! How'd you know?"
"Rei told me how Mamoru, you, fell in love with her best friend Usagi!"
"She did? Did she say that she was mad?"
"No. She said that she was really happy for you 2. She said that it was like destiny or something."
"Rei's like a sister to me. I'm glad that she wasn't hurt about Usagi and me. Hmm. Have any luck with those rings, Tenchi?"
"Nope. What about you, Mamoru?"
"Nothing. Do you want to go and get something to eat? We can talk some stuff over coffee."
"Sure. But I'd better leave soon. I'm visiting Rei. But it seems that I forgot her address. Do you know the way to Hikawa Shrine?"
"Yes. Infact, I was going there after this. I have to pick up Usagi. She and Rei and their girlfriends are having a um, meeting."
"Great." Mamoru took one last look at the rings and turned around. Tenchi did the same and followed the older boy out the store.
"Are you leaving already, Mamoru? Did you find the right one for Usagi?" Naru asked politely. Mamoru shook his head.
"What about you, sir? Have you any luck?"
"No. Thank you, ma'am."
"Come again!" As Tenchi and Mamoru walked out into the bright sunshine, Tenchi said, "She's a nice girl."
"Naru? Her mother runs the Osa-P. I bet you anything that Naru is going to be Maid of Honor at Usagi's wedding. They're best friends."
"Are you sure that Usagi will say yes?'
"I hope she does. I really hope so. Sometimes, she says that we were in love in our last lives."
"Ryoko says that sometimes."
"Ryoko?"
"One of the girls. She's a real kook. But I know she means well."
"It's weird. Almost all of Usagi's friends have a crush on me! I mean, you know Rei-chan and Usa-ko, but they have 3 more friends that even though they know that I'm with Usagi, they hang all over me sometimes. It drives Usa-ko nuts!"
"I can imagine. It happens everyday at my house. In the mornings, you can hear Ryoko and Aeka squabbling over who's making my breakfast. Sasami always makes it anyway. Oh. Sasami's the 10-year-old. She's a very good cook and she loves housework for some reason! She's Aeka's sister. Next, Mihoshi and Kiyone are arguing over the television remote. Kiyone and Mihoshi are galaxy police. Then, Washu, this mad scientist, she creates something new and Ryoko gets into a fight with her over how unpractical it is."
"Geez! I feel real sorry for you, Tenchi! In my case the girls don't always fight about me, Usagi and Rei constanly fight. Ami tries to stop them, but gets in the fight instead. Makoto and Minako are totally oblivious about the fight because they are having a fierce but friendly discussion about which singing group is better, the 3 Lights, or the Spice Girls. Haruka and her friend, Michiru are kinda just sitting back and watching the younger girls fighting. Setsuna is just looking wistfully at the fighting girls cause she's the oldest and wishes she were younger. Hotaru and Chibi-Usa are playing nicely because they are so young and innocent."
"Chibi-Usa? Small Usagi?" Tenchi asked.
"Well, yes. Um.she's Usagi's.um.cousin. They look so alike, but Chibi- Usa has pink hair and garnet eyes."
"Oh. Oh! We should cancel the coffee for later. We better get to Rei's."
"Is she expecting you?"
"No. It's a surprise. I haven't seen her since.her mother's funeral.
"Oh. That was a long time ago. Which way are you related to her?"
"Her father is my father's brother." Tenchi answered.
"So you're practically blood. Mr. Hino doesn't live with Rei anymore though. He dropped her at her grandfather's and went off."
"I heard. I'm ashamed to be his nephew. How could he abandon his own daughter?"
"I don't know, Tenchi. I just don't know. Well, here we are! Sakura Hikawa Shrine!"
"Hmm. Her temple steps are only half as long as ones at my grandpa's shrine."
"You live at a shrine too? Is your grandpa a Shinto preist too?"
"Yes to all." Mamoru knocked on the door and Rei opened it.
"Hi, Mamoru-san. What are you doing here?" the raven hair girl said.
Chiba Mamoru walked down Main Avenue, searching for a jewelry store. He had decided the night before that it was time to pop the big question on Usagi. Right now, his main goal was to find the right engagement ring. He stopped in front of the Osa-P, where Usagi's friend, Naru, lived with her mother. Her mother was the owner of the popular jewelry store. Mamoru opened the door and stepped inside.
Immediately, Naru greeted him. She pulled him over to a case full of beautiful rings. Mamoru thanked her and began to sort through them. The Osa- P was the last store on his list. If he didn't find something soon, he'd.well.actually he had no clue what to do next. Mamoru stood there, looking around the room. He watched as a young man with brown eyes and a small black ponytail entered the room. The man talked with Naru a bit and headed over to the ring case where Mamoru was.
"Hey. Looking for the perfect engagement ring?" the guy, asked Mamoru.
"Yeah. You too?"
"Uh-huh. Exept I'm looking for 5 perfect rings." The man suddenly looked very uneasy. Mamoru sweat dropped.
"5? You're a player!"
"Actually, it wasn't my idea. You see all these girls started to pop up at my place and 5 out of 6 of them fell in love with me! So now I'm stuck with 5 fiances! Not that I don't love them. I feel like they're more like sisters to me. The 6th one is only 10! Her sister's one of my, er, fiances."
"I see. I'm Mamoru."
"I'm Tenchi. Hey, one of my cousins used to date a guy named Mamoru."
"What's her name? Maybe I did date her!" Mamoru joked. But Tenchi's answer wasn't what he expected.
"Her name's Rei Hino."
"REI HINO! KAMI-SAMA! I did date her! You're Rei's cousin?"
"You're THAT Mamoru? Wow! Are you marrying Usagi?"
"Hai! How'd you know?"
"Rei told me how Mamoru, you, fell in love with her best friend Usagi!"
"She did? Did she say that she was mad?"
"No. She said that she was really happy for you 2. She said that it was like destiny or something."
"Rei's like a sister to me. I'm glad that she wasn't hurt about Usagi and me. Hmm. Have any luck with those rings, Tenchi?"
"Nope. What about you, Mamoru?"
"Nothing. Do you want to go and get something to eat? We can talk some stuff over coffee."
"Sure. But I'd better leave soon. I'm visiting Rei. But it seems that I forgot her address. Do you know the way to Hikawa Shrine?"
"Yes. Infact, I was going there after this. I have to pick up Usagi. She and Rei and their girlfriends are having a um, meeting."
"Great." Mamoru took one last look at the rings and turned around. Tenchi did the same and followed the older boy out the store.
"Are you leaving already, Mamoru? Did you find the right one for Usagi?" Naru asked politely. Mamoru shook his head.
"What about you, sir? Have you any luck?"
"No. Thank you, ma'am."
"Come again!" As Tenchi and Mamoru walked out into the bright sunshine, Tenchi said, "She's a nice girl."
"Naru? Her mother runs the Osa-P. I bet you anything that Naru is going to be Maid of Honor at Usagi's wedding. They're best friends."
"Are you sure that Usagi will say yes?'
"I hope she does. I really hope so. Sometimes, she says that we were in love in our last lives."
"Ryoko says that sometimes."
"Ryoko?"
"One of the girls. She's a real kook. But I know she means well."
"It's weird. Almost all of Usagi's friends have a crush on me! I mean, you know Rei-chan and Usa-ko, but they have 3 more friends that even though they know that I'm with Usagi, they hang all over me sometimes. It drives Usa-ko nuts!"
"I can imagine. It happens everyday at my house. In the mornings, you can hear Ryoko and Aeka squabbling over who's making my breakfast. Sasami always makes it anyway. Oh. Sasami's the 10-year-old. She's a very good cook and she loves housework for some reason! She's Aeka's sister. Next, Mihoshi and Kiyone are arguing over the television remote. Kiyone and Mihoshi are galaxy police. Then, Washu, this mad scientist, she creates something new and Ryoko gets into a fight with her over how unpractical it is."
"Geez! I feel real sorry for you, Tenchi! In my case the girls don't always fight about me, Usagi and Rei constanly fight. Ami tries to stop them, but gets in the fight instead. Makoto and Minako are totally oblivious about the fight because they are having a fierce but friendly discussion about which singing group is better, the 3 Lights, or the Spice Girls. Haruka and her friend, Michiru are kinda just sitting back and watching the younger girls fighting. Setsuna is just looking wistfully at the fighting girls cause she's the oldest and wishes she were younger. Hotaru and Chibi-Usa are playing nicely because they are so young and innocent."
"Chibi-Usa? Small Usagi?" Tenchi asked.
"Well, yes. Um.she's Usagi's.um.cousin. They look so alike, but Chibi- Usa has pink hair and garnet eyes."
"Oh. Oh! We should cancel the coffee for later. We better get to Rei's."
"Is she expecting you?"
"No. It's a surprise. I haven't seen her since.her mother's funeral.
"Oh. That was a long time ago. Which way are you related to her?"
"Her father is my father's brother." Tenchi answered.
"So you're practically blood. Mr. Hino doesn't live with Rei anymore though. He dropped her at her grandfather's and went off."
"I heard. I'm ashamed to be his nephew. How could he abandon his own daughter?"
"I don't know, Tenchi. I just don't know. Well, here we are! Sakura Hikawa Shrine!"
"Hmm. Her temple steps are only half as long as ones at my grandpa's shrine."
"You live at a shrine too? Is your grandpa a Shinto preist too?"
"Yes to all." Mamoru knocked on the door and Rei opened it.
"Hi, Mamoru-san. What are you doing here?" the raven hair girl said.