Just in case anyone wasn't sure, I don't own either the Sailor Moon Manga or Anime. If I did I wouldn't be busting my ass to work 20 hours overtime at the hospital every week, trust me.
"Ahhhhhhhhhh!" Usagi screamed, clasping her hands over her mouth as she leapt out of bed and raced around the bedroom.
"Luna!" She shrieked, rubbing her elbow as she smacked it into the corner of the dresser. "I can't believe you didn't wake me up!"
"I did," the violet cat yawned, stretching languidly on Usagi's pink comforter. "Several times."
"Well try harder next time!"
She pulled her long-sleeved uniform top over her head, hastily tying the bow at her chest. She hopped into her deep navy pleated skirt, tying the dark blue bow in the back while she searched around the cluttered room for her black shoes. Her navy cuffs and sailor collar were lined with red.
"You know, considering Sailor Moon can blast a youma to dust, you'd think Usagi Tsukino would be able to do something as simple as wake up in the morn – are you even listening to a word I'm saying?" Luna huffed as Usagi secured a bright pink heart shaped compact to the front of her bow, running her finger across the sideways crescent moon on the front.
"Not even a little!" She shot back, running out of the room before Luna could scold her anymore.
"Usagi, you're going to be late again! Honestly, it can't be healthy for a girl your age to sleep so much! If you'd put as much time into your study schedule as you did into your sleep schedule –"
"Fascinating, mom, but I'm going to be late if I stand here and talk any longer!" She grabbed the piece of toast from her mom's hand and tossed her lunch unceremoniously into her bag.
"See you later!"
"Usagi if you don't bring home at least a 75% on your math test –"
Math test?!
Oops, she sighed, closing the door behind her and gearing up for her morning sprint to school. Honestly, between her mother and Luna nobody would cut her a break. You'd think Luna at least, knowing Usagi spent most her nights moonlighting as a masked superhero, would cut her some slack.
Moonlighting? Sometimes she cracked herself up.
The morning air was crisp, summer already a distant memory as the colder tones of fall started to settle in. The Japanese maple trees that lined her street were beginning to change color, brilliant oranges, reds, and yellows setting fire to otherwise dull suburban scenery.
"Hi Usagi!" The breathless voice of her best friend and fellow masked superhero caught her attention as Minako sprinted up beside her.
Her uniform was identical to Usagi's except for the crescent compact at her chest and the large red bow in her hair. She had worn a red bow for as long as Usagi could remember, the cherry color vibrant against her lemon yellow hair.
"Does Artemis give you as much crap in the morning as Luna gives me?" She grumbled in response, taking a hasty bite of the toast in her hand.
"Are you kidding?" Mina pointed to her upper arm, where one clean scratch stuck out against her pale skin. "He can be such a jerk sometimes!"
"You know, considering we're the ones that feed them on a regular basis –"
"Hey, Usagi watch ou –"
Ooph! Usagi collided into something hard, her breakfast flying out of her hand as she fell backwards, landing hard on the ground.
"Ow! What the hell, odango?"
"I'm so sor – oh, it's just you," she pouted, trying to brush the dirt and leaves from her skirt. "Thanks to you I just lost my breakfast!"
He snorted, checking his carefully rolled sleeves as he stood, not even bothering to help her up. Mamoru Chiba ran a hand through his dark hair, casting a look of annoyance at her as she stood, hands on her hips. Why their paths always seemed to intersect, he didn't know, but every time they did it was in an
"I'm sure you'll survive without it for one day. In fact, it might even do you some good!"
She glared at him, poking her finger in the middle of his muscular chest.
Muscular? What was she talking about? Mamoru wasn't… oh whatever.
"And what, exactly, is that supposed to mean? God, you are such a baka –"
She was cut off by the sound of bells and Minako gasping and grabbing her hand.
"Usagi! We're going to be so late, come on!"
She paused to stick her tongue out at Mamoru before letting Minako drag her towards the school building.
"Bye, odango atama! Study hard!"
"He is such a jerk!" She fumed, the pair barely making it into math before the final bell rang and narrowly avoiding another tardy slip. "I swear, sometimes I wish I could turn him into moon dust!"
Minako giggled, pulling her stuff out of her bag and placing it on the tabletop her and Usagi shared. She flipped her book to the page number Haruna had scribbled across the blackboard, reaching over to do the same to Usagi's book.
"You say that, but then you wouldn't have anyone to flirt with every morning!" She shot back, giggling again as Usagi pushed her shoulder.
"Flirt!? As if. You're clearly sleep deprived and spouting nonsense again."
"And you're clearly sleep deprived if you think I don't notice the way your heart speeds up every time you run – literally – into him! I am the solider of Venus, the planet of loo-oove after all!"
"It speeds up because I'm running obviously! Cardio does that!"
"Mmmhm, so does loo-ooveeee…"
"I only have eyes for Tuxedo Kamen," Usagi sniffed, glancing to her book and pretending to be seriously fascinated in… whatever the page was explaining. Something about geometry. Or algebra. Or something.
"Yeah, but even you have to admit Mamoru's good looking," Mina smirked, adjusting the large red bow perched at the crown of her head. "With that jet-black hair, and those deep blue eyes. And he obviously works out you know, I mean you don't have a figure like that from just sitting around all day. And he's smart, too! You know he goes to Azubu Prep –"
"Miss Tsukino, Miss Aino, is there something so fascinating about the quadratic equation that you two would like to share with the class? Because I can't imagine what else would be taking up so much of your attention during a math lesson."
"Err, no, Ms. Haruna," Minako replied, cheeks flushing pink. "Usagi was just asking for help… I was just trying to explain it to her but, you know how it goes!"
Usagi glared at her friend, kicking her swiftly under the table. Minako yelped, glaring back.
"God help us all if Miss Aino is explaining math problems," she replied sarcastically, Minako placing her hand on her chest and feigning a look of shock. "Pay attention – I don't want to hear another word out of the two of you for the rest of the day!"
The school day passed painfully slow, Usagi giving up on her decision to never speak to Minako again after an hour out of sheer boredom. She had felt okay about the math test, however 3 questions she had completely guessed on. Getting above a 75% would be a miracle.
When the last bell of the day rang, Usagi and Minako ran out of there as quickly as possible, snatching their tests from the back table on the way out.
Usagi's heart sank, her shoulders slumping as she read the bright red score written across the top.
"Ugh, I swear to god I'll never survive high school," Usagi sighed, clutching her test in her hand. 70%... her mom was going to kill her. At this rate she shouldn't even bother coming home ever again. She'd have to live on the street, begging for food, struggling to find a warm place to sleep each night…
Obviously this test needed to disappear.
"Mina, trade tests with me!" She begged, reaching for hers. Minako snatched the paper away, Usagi trying to reach across her for it. "C'mon! My mom will kick me out and I'll have to live on the streets!"
"Well maybe next time you should stud – hey!"
"68%!? You did worse then I did!" Usagi gasped, sounding more hopeful than before.
"Rub it in, why don't you. Maybe if I hadn't been stuck trying to save your butt last night when you got pinned by that dumb youma –"
"Well maybe if you'd been paying attention in the first place instead of staring at Motoki when the stupid youma attacked I wouldn't have been pinned in the first place."
"Well maybe – whatever. You think he knew I was looking at him?" Mina blushed, suddenly fascinated with the clasp of her shoulder bag.
"I don't know… is he blind?" She teased, laughing as her best friend pushed her shoulder lightly.
Sighing, she turned her attention back to the test in her hand, promptly crumpling it into a ball and tossing it over her shoulder. No need in hanging onto that thing. She'd just say she lost it…
"Hey!" An all too familiar voice yelled, causing her to stop in place and smack her hand to her forehead. Honestly, did he always have to show up at the very worst of times?!
"Er… just give me that back!" she yelled, jumping up on tiptoe to try to grab the test out of his hand as he uncrumpled it.
"70%?!"
"Hey! Mina got a 68!" She shot back.
"Hey!"
"Man, aren't you two just the overachievers of the high school," he replied sarcastically, pocketing her test.
"And just what do you think you're doing with that!?" Usagi glared, crossing her arms over her chest.
"Well it'll serve as good motivation to remind me how not to score on tests, odango. Feel free to throw yours in there too, Minako!"
The two blondes converged on him, hands on their hips and eyes shining with anger.
"You. Are. Such. A. JERK!" Usagi yelled, stomping on his foot.
They both stuck out their tongues at him as he rolled his eyes at their childish display. He was a nice guy, but something about Usagi always brought out the worst in him. Mina tossed her hair over her shoulder as she turned, linking her arm through Usagi's as they stormed off.
"And just think, you called him attractive!" He heard Usagi retort, smirking to himself.
"Even you have to admit he is, even if he is a jerk!"
"Hmph. Never in a hundred million thousand hundred –"
"You already said hundred," he drawled, the two girls stopping in their tracks, unaware that he had still been behind them.
"Can't you just go bother someone else!?" Usagi cried exasperatedly.
Mamoru paused, as if seriously contemplating what she was saying. "Nah, odango, it's too fun bothering you."
"Oooh! Honestly, Mamoru, sometimes I wish –"
She was cut off by the sound of beeping from both hers and Mina's wrist watches, their faces paling. Three short beeps was Luna's sign that she'd picked up on weird energy, which usually meant an attack. As much as she wanted to tell Mamoru exactly what she thought about him, they had more important business to attend to.
Energy sucking, people killing, creepy looking youma business.
"Er, well as fun as this is, we have to go. Right now. Bye!" She said quickly, grabbing Minako's hand as the two of them dashed away from him. They had to find a deserted place to transform and determine the location of the attack.
Strange, Mamoru thought, shrugging his shoulders before continuing towards his apartment building. He'd never admit it in a million years but running into her was often the highlight of his typically monotonous days.
It definitely beat – he stumbled, clutching the wall beside him as a splitting migraine took over his head.