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Sleeping Beauty

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Those who wrote fairytales must have someone like the vision before him as inspiration for such fantastic stories. She herself was clueless of the picture she made, asleep under the shade of her willow tree. A child too caught up with the beauty of the world to realize she herself was beautiful. A rare thing, that. To never know that with a glance, she could make a man bleed.

Mamoru smiled as he bent down over the sleeping girl. He had waited patiently inside the arcade for her so that they could continue with the temporary truce they had made this same morning, right here at the very same park.

By the time the cherry on her sundae had sunk down the gooey ice cream that he had brought for her, Mamoru was visibly glaring at the people coming into the arcade. Every time it opened he expected Usagi to walk in, her face cautious, ready to shoot down his insult regarding her hugging a sad tree. Every time the doors open, it was never her.

Motoki was practically glaring by the time he had decided to leave. Mamoru had scared a kid who had entered the arcade high on sugar, only to be the recipient of a dark scowl of a very disappointed blue-eyed upper classman.

He walked restlessly, almost deciding to call via phone the twit that was causing this entire unnecessary problem, and shout at her for forfeiting the afternoon. There should be some rules between them. The only time it was allowed to be absent from their daily encounter was when one of them was too sick to get up from bed. Not even a natural catastrophe should stop the verbal clashes.

He had sighed, berating himself for getting irritated because she had not come. He was feeling lucky today, because of the hug and was actually getting courageous. Even bought her favorite food. "Then she had to go and ruin it by not coming," muttered Mamoru. "Not fair, Odango."

His feet took him to the park, and his despondent heart led him to the lucky tree who was the recipient of her weekly hug. Another unfair. Stupid tree did not need that much hugging. The tree has had Usagi since she was six. The least that the willow can do now was wither and die so that Mamoru could step in and staked dibs.

So he was surprised, when from a distance, he caught a glint of gold among the gnarled roots. As he stepped closer he felt his heart sang as he realized where the gold came from. He moved quietly, his feet barely made a sound on the soft grass. As he came almost on top of her, he had knelt down, his eyes hungrily taking all of her in, searing the afternoon to his memory.

"You know," he said in a soft voice, barely heard by his own ear, "I have to take it back." Mamoru's fingers picked up an errant lock of hair and inspected it with the afternoon sun. It glistened like liquid gold.

"You are no angel, Odango. No angel can be as mischievous as you are." He laughed at the memories that rushed to him; times when she had been ready to scratched his eyes out and times when she had been so incensed she had manoeuvred all sort of problems to get in his way. His voice took a tender tone.

"If I must give a description, I'd have to say you are more of a princess. Especially now…" his thumb went to Usagi's lower lip, and traced the pout visible even in her sleep. "Do you realize, that when you are sleeping, you give the most soothing and serene glow?"

Mamoru leaned down so that they were almost nose to nose. He faltered from his next words, but Usagi slept on, and he smiled in quiet. "When you're like this, I don't think you are sunshine and spring." He closed his eyes, and gave her lips the chastest of kisses. It was nothing more than a delicate brush. "I think of moonlight and winter now, as I look at you. Just as beautiful…just as intoxicating. But, it's too quiet for me. When you are like this, you are just like the moon; riddled with mysteries and quiet in her pain."

He leaned back and he cupped her chin while his other hand grazed her cheeks. Usagi expelled a sigh in her sleep, and a soft smile flitted on her pink lips. He smiled, too, and hoped she dreamed of him. But then he frowned. 'Keep hoping, dude.' He called out to himself.

"I like the sunshine more. I already have enough shadows to not want moonlight in my life." His hands roamed over her hair, the silky feel of each strand lovely to him. "And princess or not, it was very dangerous falling asleep in the park, all alone."

He stood up, his eyes troubled. "You trust too easily, darling. There are no dragons and no warlocks, but there are dangers for a young girl, too naïve for her own good…Too beautiful for her own good." He hated what he had to do next, but it was for Usagi's own good. If it wasn't him who had found her, if it was someone else…his hand clenched and he refused to see the visions of Usagi being abused. Now his thoughts were just plain anger and all was directed toward the girl.

"Truce is over, sleeping beauty. Your prince has come, to wake you up from your heavy slumber." So saying, Mamoru picked up the still sleeping Usagi and threw her over the lake. As a spluttering princess emerged, wet and ready to kill, Mamoru offered an uncaring wave.

"Baka!!!" Usagi screamed. "What was that for, you moronic excuse for an id-"

Mamoru gave her a grim smile, his imagination still working overtime of Usagi bruised and battered while he wasn't there to protect her. "That is so you don't be so stupid as to fall asleep without anyone to warn you I could be near." He turned his back to her, and his voice was loud enough to be heard over her wailing. "Next time, I'll throw you toward the deeper part. So unless you know how to swim, don't try to do this again. Okay, Odango?"

He walked away, sad that even when he gave the awaited kiss, he did not get his happily ever after.