12/06/06 Note: For anyone who read this when I first posted it, I was just re-reading this to get a feel for how I want to edit chapter two. And I realized I didn't actually edit it much before posting. The version you all read was years old so I just fixed a few things. Nothing's changed plot-wise but tiny bits and pieces have been tinkered with. I doubt you'll notice.
Yes, I know I left "Memory" hanging. But I lost a month's worth of progess on it (dang computer) and the only person with a copy of the latest chapter was a could-be editor that didn't pan out. So I just got depressed and left it. Then work took over my life. Well, I'll try to get back on it! I swear!
Notes: Wow, I wrote this years ago as a semi-sequel to "Is this happily ever after?".There are probably only two direct references to it so knowledge of it isn't important in reading this. But it's my favorite of all my stories so please give it a try if you're not averse to the idea. And the last chapter to this has a nice suprise for anyone who read it and has a good memory.
There are three chapters to this and the other two are 75-99 complete. After "Tomorrow" and "Memory" I'm determined to at the very least set up the ending of stories before posting them. Hey, while we're on the subject anyone know where "Mistaken Identity" by kimbop is? I loved that story and I can't find it anywhere.
Old Author's Notes: I just combined two rough drafts, after a lot of editing. So tell me what parts to cut out! I combined two different parts for the Mamo monologue. I tend to go off on tangents, like inner ramblings and a few arguments. But I think I avoided that well enough here.
Who Needs a Fairytale?
By moonangel
Chapter 1 of 3
"... no, better yet, I'll tear off the baka's head and feed it to the birds and watch them peck at it. Ooh, or I'll feed his leg to them and make him watch it! And then I could-"
"Usagi! Enough! We get it that you don't like Mamoru-san but I think you're starting to make Ami-chan queasy. Actually, I think I'm reaching that point where my stomach's not going to be too happy with my pizza," Hino Rei reprimanded her overexcited - not to mention slightly sadistic - friend.
Kino Makoto raised her hand, wincing, "Already there."
Tsukino Usagi blinked and glanced over her left shoulder towards Makoto, then to her right where another one of her slightly green companions was holding her stomach, blue eyes glaring at her food on the table where she and their three other friends were enjoying an afternoon snack in the Hikawa Shrine. Well, they had been eating until Usagi had launched into her "Kill the Mamoru-baka" rampage. To the poor young genius, it seemed as if they had spent the last ten minutes gawking at their supposedly cute and innocent friend.
"Oops! Gomen-nasai Ami-chan! And you too minna," Usagi bashfully apologized, throwing apologetic glances around the table.
The blue haired girl nodded and attempted a weak smile. "It's okay. I think I actually started tuning you out after that one fairly colorful reference to cannibalism."
"Hehe, um, I guess I went a little too far with the whole making him eat his eyeballs part, huh?" Usagi giggled sheepishly.
Ami turned a shade greener, pushing her plate away. "Uh, yeah. I think I remember that part quite vividly."
Aino Minako shrugged and giggled, "Well hey, at least it looks like Usagi-chan'd make a great storyteller. Pretty creative use of detail, huh?"
Makoto sweatdropped, "Always a positive side to everything."
Rei rolled her eyes. "So Odango, what was the major torture Mamoru tirade for anyways? I mean, what'd Mr. Tall, Dark and Cocky do now?"
Usagi's face turned a light shade of pink and if the girls didn't know any better they would have thought the hue was a result of embarrassment instead of anger. She struggled to think of what to say.
"Er.. um... The baka was just playing with my head, that's all," she muttered lamely after failing to think up a logical excuse for her overly exuberant behavior.
Makoto raised an eyebrow. "And that was the cause of your ten minute, and disturbingly graphic might I add, ramble about the 101 ways to kill Chiba Mamoru?"
Usagi looked meekly down at her shoes, her cheeks even redder. What was she supposed to tell them? That her arch enemy had cause such a violent reaction by what, making her uncomfortable? By suggestive hints and megawatt smiles that made her feel lightheaded? Yeah, that was a great explanation. But they didn't understand how unnerving it was! Like today, he'd winked at her! The stupid baka had actually winked at her! How could she be anything but furious?
Recently that moron had been making her increasingly pissed off, and not to mention flustered, with these stupid odd little looks and strange, offhanded remarks that made her stomach do somersaults. And when she tried to have a decent argument with him it was like he was almost- almost flirting with her! The nerve of that baka!
She quickly shook that crazy thought out of her mind. Not that he would ever actually be interested in her or anything ridiculous like that. Instead, it just seemed like he had found a new way to win arguments. Because every time he acted like that she would become incredibly agitated and confused. She would have no idea how to respond and his comments would make her feel all weird and then she'd start stuttering and blushing and- ugh! It just was too confusing! She couldn't deal with a Mamoru-baka that wasn't insulting her. Now whenever he called her Odango Atama, the way he said it... it was almost nice to have him call her that... Kami-sama, he was making her go crazy and she wanted to tear her hair out! Or his hair... his soft, shimmering black hair that fell so nicely over his deep blue... AHHH! Baka! What the freak was he doing to her?
After a few minutes of watching Usagi's random changes in expressions with a morbid sort of fascination, Rei coughed, to get her friends' attention.
"Oookay, the Odango's gone space cadet on us. I suggest that we go to the source. Anyone up for a visit to Crown?"
Minako grinned eagerly adding, "Then maybe Motoki-san can tell us what Mamoru-san did to make Usagi-chan go psychotic on us!"
Usagi looked up.
"Nani? What about Mamoru-baka?"
-----
Across town the aforementioned baka was nodding his head absentmindedly as Furuhata Motoki babbled on about who knows what, his face expressionless. The only thing that could clue anyone in on his mood was the half smile he hid when he tipped his coffee mug to take a sip.
He nodded and murmured a few "uh huhs" when he thought he needed to but his mind was on a certain Odango haired youth that he'd had an interesting encounter with earlier in the day.
After figuring out and finally accepting the fact that he was madly in love with a fifteen year old, he had decided to make the most of his slightly unfortunate situation. Sure she hated his guts, but hey, she was cute when she was busy hating his guts. Okay, so maybe he took it a step too far by flirting with her. After all, the poor girl had no idea what he was doing and had looked so adorably confused it was almost comical. But then she had hissed and sputtered like an enraged little kitten when he'd winked at her. It was classic. Another smile tugged at the corner of his lips and he had to take yet another sip of his now cold coffee.
He didn't know what she was doing to him. It was no longer enough to just argue with her for an hour or two and be on his way. A part of him was starting to want more and it was becoming quite disturbing. But something in how she was acting around him was starting to make him hopeful. His mind unwittingly went back to their recent encounter…
- -flashback- -
He had not been out of his apartment long before felt the jolt of a soft body hit his and had automatically reached out to keep the poor soul from falling. Without needing even a glance at the bundle in his arms he knew it was Usagi. He always felt so aware whenever she was near that there was no mistaking that it was her frail form that was making his skin tingle.
Looking down at his victim, he saw her staring wide-eyed up at him. She quickly leaped out of his arms, coughing melodramatically and gazing pointedly at the sky as she hastily rubbed remnants of his touch from her arms. He realized that she was probably more than a little skittish after their last few encounters and smiled slightly.
"You okay, Odango?" he inquired gently.
She wouldn't meet his eyes and that blonde head of hers nodded almost too enthusiastically, ponytails flapping every which way.
"Can't live without our daily run in, can you?"
Her face darkening to an amusing tomato red, she swiftly lifted her head to glare at him, "You baka, just last week you even admitted that you're the reason we keep running into each other!"
He grinned. "You're right. Guess I need my Odango fix every so often."
She blushed even more, a shadow of confusion clouding her adorable little face before she quickly shook it off that telltale sign of weakness.
"Er, right. Well, I certainly can go plenty of days without seeing your arrogant mug."
"Odango you're breaking my heart here. Couldn't you say at least one nice thing about me?"
"Not really."
"Try."
"Um... No."
"What, so you don't find me to be even the slightest bit attractive?"
The blonde outright gawked at him.
"A-Attractive?" she stuttered weakly after letting out what sounded suspiciously like a squeak.
The smirking coed leaned in a little closer, glittering blue eyes challenging her own baby blues to look away. "So what, you think I'm ugly?"
Usagi opened her mouth but nothing came out. Even he knew that no female alive would agree with that statement. He'd had enough starry eyed admires to know that even his Odango had to notice that he wasn't exactly a sore sight to gaze upon. It was ironic that he'd never cared about that until now. If anything, it annoyed him to have tons of giggling college girls throw themselves at him like brainless sheep. So what made this little bunny so special? Wait, on second thought, it wasn't a good idea to think about the answer to that question.
"Ugly?" she repeated weakly. No matter how much she hated him, just the thought of anyone considering him to be ugly was laughable. Her eyes unwillingly swept over his lean frame, clad in casual khakis and a simple white t-shirt, and got a bit caught up in stormy blue eyes that were intently watching her own with far too much amusement for her liking.
"Er, well, you're um, well saying you're ugly would just be mean," she concluded weakly, hoping that was a good enough reply.
He grinned boyishly and couldn't keep himself from tossing her a wink. "Thanks Odango. That means a lot coming from you."
- -end flashback- -
Something about what he had said must have bothered her more than he intended because he'd barely restarted their conversation when Usagi had all but fled from his presence, mumbling something about being late. Nothing new. But she'd become such a jittery lump of nerves that he had wondered almost a little too eagerly if he was actually getting to her. After all, she didn't seem to hate being around him, despite claiming otherwise. She would just disolve into incoherent stutters and he decided to take her constant blushing as a good sign. Before he had doubted that she could ever possibly care for him. Yet now he wondered if maybe he'd been wrong. Maybe if he were nicer to her she'd give him a chance. He'd always argued with her because it seemed natural. But now...
He needed more. He couldn't just stand around and watch her drool over his best friend, though come to think of it she hadn't really done all that much drooling in the recent past. Maybe there was a chance. Maybe now was the time to take charge.
Suddenly he heard the familar tinny sound of jingling bells that alerted him that someone had enter the arcade. His head swung up to catch Usagi and company waltz in. Before she could spot him he whipped out a newspaper and hid behind it.
Well, okay, not the most mature approach. But maybe he should figure out his next plan of action before he could face her. Yep. Great idea.
Silently, he watched her from afar. She was smiling and laughing with her friends, unaware that his eyes greedily followed her every move. There was such an innocent beauty in her that no one could ever match. She seemed to glow…
Mamoru groaned. He seriously needed someone to whack him on the head. Preferably not Usagi. After he'd given himself a full ten minutes of blatantly staring at her he had to go over and talk to her. Really, all he had to do was win her heart which, of course, would be easy as pie.
Yeah right. Easy. As pie.
Okay, who even said that anymore?
The more and more he thought about it the more bleak his chances seemed. How could he possibly undo months of nonstop berating and insulting? What, was he supposed to just walk up to her and say, "Well gee, I'm sorry for being such an #$$ about everything and you know, making your life a living #&$$ but I'm sure you can put that behind you" – pause, ducks flying shoe- "Oh, and by the way, are you free next Friday?"
Hm. Maybe he could try for a more subtle approach. Like trying to make up for everything he had done to her. After all, he'd never intended any of his insults to actually hurt her. To him it had just been, well, his own harmless, slightly distorted version of flirting.
"Where is that baka? I'm going to rip his head off!!"
Clearly he was alone in that idea.
"Please, Usagi-chan I would prefer that you refrain from yet another colorful assortment of, er, disconcerting depictions of the annihilation of Mamoru-san."
Steam. All he saw around Tsukino Usagi's head was a cloud of steam. He could barely even make out one of his beloved odangos in her general direction.
"Ami-chan I don't even know half of the words you just said!"
Minako shrugged. "Well that beats me. Hell, I don't think I knew any of them."
"Sigh, Usagi you baka, it's your own fault for engaging Ami-chan in any type of conversation while she's studying for the entrance exams," Rei growled. Was it just him or was her right eye twitching?
He felt someone nudge his shoulder and turned around to see a concerned Motoki hovering over him from the other side of the counter.
"Mamoru, I think now would be a good time to un ray away ay."
"Eh?"
"Pig Latin!! Dangit, doesn't anyone understand Pig Latin? I swear Reika looked at me as if I was-"
Sweatdrop.
"Um… right Motoki, whatever you say."
"Run away you baka!"
Blink. "Wow Motoki, you've really been working way too hard haven't you?"
"Aha! There that no good, arrogant, annoying, dorky baka is!"
Rei winced. "That was the saddest display of adjectives I have ever heard Odango. You do know that the entrance exams are soon, right?" she groaned out.
Makoto rolled her eyes skyward. "We'll be lucky if she remembers to wake up for school tomorrow."
Usagi cried, "Why is everyone being so mean? It's all his fault! I'm innocent here and he's evil incarnate. Go yell at him!"
Minako frowned. "What's all his fault?" she asked, trying, and failing, to understand her fellow blonde.
A frustrated Usagi managed out, "I don't know! Who even cares?"
Mamoru grinned. Okay, so somehow his efforts to befriend the girl had backfired just a bit. But hey, who was he to argue with an adorably annoyed odango atama? And anyways, it seemed that she couldn't get him out of her head any better than he could her. He decided to ignore the vastly different reasons for their preoccupations with each other. Oh well, maybe now would be as good a time as any to join in on the conversation.
"So, Usagi-chan, what did I do now? It's been nearly a whole two hours since you've graced me with your sparkling presence."
The frozen occupants of the arcade turned to gawk at the grinning man.
"See?" Usagi exclaimed excitedly. "See what I mean? He called me Usagi-chan!"
"A truly momentous occasion," Ami murmured in awed agreement.
"I think I have to agree," Makoto added, nodding solemnly. "He must have really lost it."
"Nuh uh. This is one of his evil tricks. Another scheme to try to undo me!" Usagi declared dramatically, inwardly growing increasingly frustrated. Her head hurt. Was Kami-sama against her or something? The man was plain evil. Not crazy (although if they felt like tossing that label his way she wasn't about to stop them). Why couldn't anyone else see it?
Minako blinked, "Undo you?"
Rei snorted, "Yeah, since when were you ever even put together in the first place?"
Before Usagi could blow up again Mamoru cut in with an inquisitive "Er, what tricks?"
Blink.
"Well! Well… when you… did that thing. That, you know, thing!"
"Usagi-chan if you're trying to pass that off as logic I think you'll falling miserably short," Makoto informed her matter-of-factly, seeming greatly pleased with herself for beating Ami and Rei in correcting her friend. Ami looked a bit miffed at missing a perfect opportunity to flex her daunting vocabulary and Rei just looked ticked, which was nothing new.
"Nuh uh. This is just an evil scheme of his to throw me off! He's only trying to catch me off guard so he can move in for the kill," Usagi declared triumphantly. Though she wasn't feeling as sure as she'd like everyone to believe and no one was looking half as convinced as she'd like. They kept refuting everything she said and she felt like she was fighting a lost cause. She could have screamed. It was all his fault! This was surely some diabolical scheme of his to play with her head.
'It has to be… because if it isn't then I- I don't know what I'll do. What is he doing to me…?'
Behind her she heard Minako whisper to Ami, "Is it just me or is she making even less sense? 'Cause I know it could just be me but..."
She felt her resolve faulter. It seemed so much easier to blame him, to yell at him. If she even stopped hating him for a second a part of her would become… become what?
Hopeful?
And she couldn't afford to have that happen. She couldn't handle it.
Kami-sama, how her head throbbed.
Mamoru rolled his eyes, beyond exasperated. Would she ever give up?
"Yes, because as we all know that I live to make Tsukino Usagi miserable. Kami-sama Usagi! When did I ever say anything truly mean to you? All I ever do is tease you and you just keep blowing it out of proportion! And it's not like you don't fight back, like you don't have plenty of insults to throw at me! I never, ever mean to hurt you and you know that. You know that!"
The arcade was silent as the young man's voice had risen quite steadily during his tirade.
Usagi stared at him and when she looked into those eyes that gazed so earnestly into her own she knew he wasn't lying, knew that he wouldn't lie to her, that he genuinely never meant to hurt her. Inside a part of her started understand him, to feel that maybe there was a chance that he might not hate her. That he might actually care for her. Maybe…
She closed her eyes.
No.
"No! You don't let up do you? You keep throwing these lies at me and all you ever want is to make me miserable, to make me cry! Don't you dare blame this one me! Don't. I can't stand it. I can't stand you! Ever day, running into you over and over. I can't take it!" she gasped out. "You're everywhere and I'm sick of it! You-"
She faltered, eyes falling from the ocean blues that stared blankly at her, but she refused to give in at the faintest flickers of pain in their depths. Trembling, she lifted her head and stared back at him defiantly.
"I hate you."
-----
"You know she's not a cruel person. I mean she's stupid, hotheaded, and clumsy… and ditzy. And kinda irresponsible too, come to think of it, I can't even remember when she promised me to return my manga and-"
Makoto rolled her eyes skyward and leaned into the arcade counter, "Rei, care to finish that point?"
"- anyways she's, er, she's- wait, what was my point?" Rei scratched her head.
"Usagi-chan isn't a mean person." Ami stated dully.
"Wow Ami-chan, I actually understood you this time!" Minako exclaimed excitedly, her legs swinging back and forth as she bounced on her stool.
From her slumped position on the counter, Ami glanced up at her warily. "Well I gave up after your interesting, 'Usagi-chan can't be blunt 'cuz she's not a sword' comment."
"Yeah, sword's aren't even blunt. They're, like, the opposite. And isn't it amazing that Minako-chan actually understood that word?" Makoto chimed in.
Motoki groaned, pausing in the middle of his agitated pacing to say, "Girls focus! Okay? The point is that Usagi-chan is never mean to anyone. She's the nicest person I've ever met! Even if Mamoru does push her buttons she never really takes his comments too personally. So there's got to be a reason why she just went off on him like that. I mean that's so out of character."
He sighed, running his hand through his sandy blond hair, "And I've never seen Mamoru that upset. Or ever upset."
The four girls nodded in sullen agreement.
"Yeah, that was pretty brutal," Makoto agreed, resting her chin on her folded arms. "Maybe you should have gone after him. I wasn't even sure if I wanted to chase after him or Usagi-chan."
Minako nodded understandingly, "Well, she did get a head start and- what, why are you all staring at me like that?"
Her four companions just sighed and went back to discussing their confusion over Usagi's odd behavior. Rei frowned as she tuned them out, staring out the arcade doors. It wasn't Mamoru she was worried about.
"Usagi may be an idiot"- at a harried look from Ami, she hastily continued- "but she's not that dense. I mean you guys mentioned that he's been nicer to her recently, even going so far as to using her real name. But it just seems to keep freaking her out. When she yelled at him she had this desperate air to her. She didn't feel like she had it all together. You know how great that girl is at being in denial. She's so incredibly stubborn. What we really need to figure out is why a nice Mamoru is such a scary thing."
At a glance at the girls she saw that even Ami looked baffled. But something about Motoki's expression told her that he knew more than he let on. What was he keeping from them? And why did it feel like a part of her already knew?
to be continued...
Okay, I told you that I was actually combining two different rough drafts so I know it's choppy. I'm making it a little too angsty, huh? I'll try to reel it back. Also, in my old author's notes I had this whole rant about what a horrible writer I am but you know, I usually can't stand year old artwork but I actually really like this story. So yay. But since it's so old and I'm so fond of it I could easily be missing its faults. So please tell me if I need to edit it!