Thorn
By: prettyichigo (formerly moonbunny83)
Sailor Moon created by: Naoko Takeuchi
Did you know that Mamoru doesn't like ice cream? No? Well, neither did I, at least until I wrote this chapter! Or maybe he DOES like ice cream and just doesn't know it…
Shame, Motoki-kun! Shame!
While writing this chapter, I realized how difficult it is to type "Ami" without thinking. My neurons have wired my fingertips to type "Amy" instead, which as you know, is the English version of "Ami."
By the way, there are subtle references to "Rain" in this chapter – nothing that would cause confusion if you haven't read it yet. The friendship between Mamoru and Usagi started in "Rain."
Enough of my ramblings – I present to you the second chapter. Please let me know your thoughts.
CHAPTER 2
Mamoru stares at the ceiling, deep in thought. It has been exactly one month since that afternoon – since he and Usagi both agreed to be friends. 'Friends.' He thought to himself. 'What a funny word. What does it exactly mean anyway? When does someone become a friend? *How* does someone become your friend? Is it something that happens naturally, or do you need the other person's permission first? Usagi seems to regard me as a friend. Even after all the times I've teased her, she still wanted to be friends.'
Mamoru finally gave up trying to sleep and slipped out of bed. Barefoot, he traipsed over to the window and peered outside through the curtains. He wished there weren't so many lights outside; they obstructed his view of the night sky. The moon looked particularly large that night and seemed to beckon him. "We're friends," he mused aloud. "That's what I told her, but I don't know what that means. She did say that friends are always there for each other. I guess I should start there." Upon reaching that decision, Mamoru turned his attention away from the moon and returned to bed. As he drifted off to sleep, he murmured to the empty room, "Friends… why does that word leave me so empty?"
The next day finds Tsukino Usagi at the Crown Arcade, trying to drown her sorrows in her third bowl of double chocolate chip sundae. She had a Biology exam yesterday and she failed miserably. She was seriously considering burning that test paper so that she could pretend it never existed. How was she going to explain this to her mother? With that dreaded thought, she took another spoonful of her sundae and groaned. Furuhata Motoki heard the groan and tentatively approached her.
"Hey, Usagi-chan." Usagi stared at him with the most pathetic look in her face. "Ummm…," he hesitated. He wasn't exactly sure how to cheer up his friend, so he blurted out, "Would you like a strawberry fudge milkshake with your sundae?"
"I don't think she needs more sugar." Mamoru suddenly appeared behind Usagi and scrutinized the girl. "What's wrong?" he asked. The only response he received was another groan.
Motoki answered for her. "She got her T-E-S-T back today," he whispered. "I thought some ice cream and a shake would cheer her up."
Mamoru raised an eyebrow and retorted, "Did you really think that fattening her up would make her feel better? All of this will make her sick." He motioned to the three bowls in front of Usagi.
"Usagi-chan's got a sweet tooth. Besides, it's not like you can see where it's all going anyway."
Usagi gasped and glared at him. "Are you calling me fat, Motoki-kun?"
"Hey, wait a second," Motoki quickly replied. "I did not say that." He glanced at Mamoru for a few seconds and addressed Usagi again. "Why are you angry with me? I'm the one giving you all the sweets."
Usagi narrowed her eyes. "Yeah, you're trying to make me fat. As if I don't have enough problems already!" With that, she stood up and abruptly left the arcade before even finishing her third bowl of ice cream.
Confused, Motoki asked Mamoru, "Did I say something wrong? Why did she get mad at me and not at you?" Without waiting for an answer, he turned around and left Mamoru with a half-eaten bowl of double chocolate chip sundae.
Mamoru didn't even notice him leave as he stared at the spoon that was once held by Usagi. Without even realizing it, his hand reached for the spoon and marveled at the warmth that still lingered. He stared at it for a few seconds and gently shoveled it into the sundae in front of him. The spoonful of ice cream soon made its way into his mouth and he savored the taste of vanilla and chocolate. The ice cream melted underneath his tongue and he quickly swallowed. It was only then that he realized what he had just done. He abruptly released the spoon and stared at his now empty hand. Slowly, as if in a trance, he walked towards the door and stepped out of the arcade.
Upon hearing the bell that announced a customer's comings and goings, Motoki glanced up from the table he was cleaning. 'Those two are getting weirder by the day,' he thought. 'I never thought I'd miss seeing them throw insults at each other.' He paused and continued, 'Maybe I'm the one who's weird.' With a shake of his head, Motoki walked back to the booth where Usagi was seated and cleared away all three ice cream bowls.
Outside of the arcade, Mamoru stood still and replayed the previous events in his head. 'Why on earth did I do that?' he asked himself. 'I don't even like ice cream.' He felt appalled at what happened and yet he knew he would do it all over again if given the chance. While lost in his thoughts, several children bumped into him, trying to get inside the arcade. The surprise broke his reverie and he suddenly remembered Usagi's abrupt departure and grew concerned. He had stalled for too long and realized that it might be best to not search for her at this time. As much as he'd like to go after her, Mamoru felt that she probably would like to be left alone. He already knew what was troubling her. Maybe this was his chance to learn how to be a friend.
Two days later, Mamoru waits patiently for a certain girl to come out of cram school. Unbeknownst to this girl, she is about to play a major role in building the friendship between him and Usagi. Assuming she agrees to the idea, that is.
Mamoru had this brilliant idea. What better way to be there for your friend than to help her with the one thing that's been causing her trouble? He was going to offer Usagi his tutoring services. He heard from Motoki that Usagi's teacher will be handing out make-up exams in two weeks. Considering he was studying to become a doctor, Biology was one of his forte. This was going to be easy.
The doors of the cram school suddenly swung open, followed by a horde of students whose sole purpose was to become top of the nation. He craned his neck to get a better look at the students when he caught a glimpse of some short, blue hair. "Mizuno-san!" he called out.
Mizuno Ami, generally known as a genius girl, looked up from her textbook and waved in greeting. She quickened her steps and stopped a few feet from Mamoru. "Good evening, Chiba-san."
"Good evening. How was cram school?"
"Too easy," she replied. "I have requested to be transferred to the university-level."
"University-level? You're skipping the high school-level?"
"I am currently in the high school-level," Ami answered matter-of-factly.
'Wow,' Mamoru thought. 'I knew she was smart, but I didn't realize she was a prodigy. She is more than capable of tutoring Usagi herself. I don't know if she'll go along with my idea…'
"Chiba-san?" Ami interrupted his thoughts. "Did you need something?"
"What?" Mamoru asked, mid-thought. "Ummm… right." He stalled then continued, "Did you hear about the make-up exam Usagi will be taking in two weeks?"
Ami gave him a curious look and said, "I am in the same Biology class as Usagi-chan, so yes. I do know about the make-up exam." She walked up to him and said, "How did you know about it? I highly doubt Usagi-chan would have mentioned it to you."
Mamoru released a dry laugh. "Yeah, you're right about that. I'm probably the last person she'd confide in."
"I did not say that," Ami contradicted. "What I meant is that she would be too embarrassed to say anything to you concerning a failed exam. Contrary to your beliefs, Usagi-chan considers you to be one of her closest friends."
"Well, we did agree to be friends just recently. I'm not so sure we're that close though. After all, I have a habit of getting under her skin. She usually ends up screaming at me, though I guess, that hasn't happened in a while."
"I would say she also has a habit of getting under your skin, as you put it."
Mamoru looked at her, confused. "What do you mean? How does she get under my skin? Yeah, sure. Her screaming is shrill enough to wake up the dead, but I know I annoy her more than she annoys me." 'Even though I pretend otherwise,' he added silently.
"Getting under someone's skin does not always mean the person of interest is found annoying." Ami gave him a small smile.
Mamoru only stared at her and shook his head slowly. 'What in the world is she talking about?' He thought. 'What else could it possibly mean?'
"So, how does Usagi-chan's make-up exam concern you, Chiba-san?" Ami asked.
Mamoru found his thoughts interrupted again and answered, "I was wondering if you could help me with something." Ami urged him to continue when he stopped. "You see, I don't have many friends and well, since Usagi wanted to be friends, I thought I should do something a friend would do for a friend." Mamoru trailed off when he realized he was rambling. 'Did that even make any sense?' he thought to himself.
Ami's smile widened. "A friend would help a friend study for her make-up exam."
'Yeah, she's a prodigy all right.' Mamoru voiced his thoughts, "I know you're very smart and are more than capable of helping her yourself, but I was wondering if you could let me have this one?" With a smile still on her face, Ami started rummaging through her bag. She pulled out a folder and handed it over to Mamoru. "What's this?" he asked as he reached for the folder.
"It contains a copy of my notes and my exam – the same exam that Usagi-chan failed. The make-up exam will have different questions and problems, but will cover the same material as the original exam."
Mamoru opened the folder and started shuffling through the sheets of paper. "Wow, you take really good notes. I know Biology very well, but wasn't sure what topic to cover. This will prove useful. Thank you." He looked up from the folder and finally returned Ami's smile.
"You are very welcome, Chiba-san."
"Were you already planning on tutoring Usagi? I mean, you had all of this prepared and everything."
Ami stared at him and answered his question inside her head. 'Hmmm… I suppose I should not tell him that Motoki told me to expect him.' She decided to keep on smiling and let him draw his own conclusion. "Was that all you needed from me?" she asked out loud.
"Yes, I believe so. Thanks again, Mizuno-san."
"Let me know if you need anything else. Good night, Chiba-san." Ami said her good-bye.
"Good night!"
Mamoru stood outside the Crown Arcade the following afternoon. 'I'm starting to feel like a stalker,' he muttered to himself. 'How many times have I come here, knowing I would run into her?' He stared at the ground beneath his feet and was lost in thought. He wanted to ask Usagi if he could help her study, but did not feel comfortable mentioning it in front of Motoki. Suddenly, without any warning at all, a small lithe body slammed against his.
"Oh!" a feminine voice exclaimed. "I'm sorry!"
Mamoru looked up, frowning, as he found himself abruptly jarred from his thoughts. A flash of long blonde pigtails caught the corner of his eye seconds before he lost his temper. His frown quickly dissolved and he good-naturedly scolded the girl who bumped into him. "Watch where you're going, Odango."
Usagi scowled and said, "Oh, it's you. I'm not sorry then." With that, she turned and headed towards the door to the arcade.
"Wait!" Mamoru called out to her.
Usagi stopped midstride and looked at him with a raised eyebrow. "All right! I'm sorry, okay? I'm really not in the mood to start another argument with you."
"I'm not here to fight with you."
"What do you want then?"
"To speak with you."
Usagi pressed her lips together. "We're speaking right now."
Mamoru sighed. 'This is going nowhere fast. I should just come right out say it.' With some resolve, Mamoru walked up to Usagi and asked, "We're friends, right?"
"Most days." Usagi smirked.
"Well, I hope today is one of those days." Usagi didn't say anything, so Mamoru continued. "Friends are always there for each other, right? Friends help friends with their problems."
"What are you getting at?"
"Do you agree?" Mamoru pressed.
"Of course, I agree." Usagi's eyes narrowed. "Why did all that sound so familiar just now?" she asked under her breath.
"Remember, you said you agree."
"It sure does take you a long time to get to the point!"
Mamoru ignored her outburst. "As your friend, allow me to help you study for your make-up exam," he rushed out in one breath.
Usagi's jaw dropped. "What?"
"I would like to help you study for your exam," he repeated.
"I heard you the first time!"
"Then why did you…"
Usagi cut him off, "Never mind!" She took a deep breath and looked at him curiously. "Why do you want to help me?"
"Because we're friends."
Usagi stared at him, not saying anything. However, her thoughts were running wild. 'I don't believe it. Mako-chan was right. He actually wants to help me study. I wonder what's in it for him. Sure, he's been really nice to me lately, but I never expected him to freely offer his time. I suppose I should tell him yes. I'm really bad at studying and I really need to pass this test or Mama will disown me. And Mako-chan promised me a cake…' Usagi blinked and continued her musings. 'He's not saying anything. He's waiting for me to say something first. Fine, then.' She closed the distance between them and demanded, "On one condition."
"Anything," Mamoru quickly replied.
"No name-calling. You must promise to use my real name from now on."
"I promise not to call you Odango Atama anymore."
"I mean it! It starts now!"
"All right, Usagi." Mamoru smiled and repeated her name. "Usagi." 'Usako,' he thought. 'Wait, what? Where did that come from? Why does calling her by her name feel different all of a sudden? What is this I'm feeling? Is this what it means to be friends?' Not caring how strange he must look, Mamoru's smile turned into a wide grin. 'Whatever it is, I like it.'
TO BE CONTINUED
Thank you for reading! Hope to see you in chapter 3!
- prettyichigo