Disclaimer: I don't own anything, that includes the "Happy Birthday" song and Sailor Moon. Rights to respective owners.

A/N: Here we go, sorry I didn't update this like I always do. I was busy working on my new story called "Model for Me?" which you guys should totally check out, btw! This drabble is definitely more serious than my other drabbles so be warned. Like I have said before, I find Mamoru's past interesting so I added it into this story. I like angst when it's written right so I hope I wrote right and you guys like it. So here ya go! Review, fav, whatever, and ENJOY!

Sweet 16

"Happy Birthday to you, Happy Birthday to you, Happy Birthday dear Amai-chan, Happy Birthday to you." The young brunette girl quickly blew out her sixteen candles on her chocolate cake. All the people around her soon clapped as they started cutting the cake.

A blonde waitress and dark-haired man at the counter both stared almost lustfully at the chocolate cake that was practically oozing chocolate fudge. At the same time, both thought 'What I wouldn't do for that cake.' As both imagined how they would kill someone for just a taste of the said cake, a dirty blonde arcade worker came from the back and saw how the two teens were staring at the cake.

"Jeez guys get a room or a cake for yourself, just stop staring at the party," Motoki said with humor lacing his words. The pair of enemies both realized their stares and diverted their gaze from the cake in embarrassment as they could basically smell it from across the arcade. Motoki just shook his head at the two and at how similar they are in a way, but neither ever realize it.

"Usagi-chan, did you give the 16th birthday party their utensils for the cake?" The said blonde nodded her head with enthusiasm at the older blonde.

"Yup, everything is in check Cap-t-oin," she said while saluting her "boss". While Motoki laughed, Mamoru flinched at her on-purpose mispronunciation.

"I'm just going to the basement to grab some more to-go boxes, they look like they have a lot of leftover cake," Motoki said. His two chocolate-crazed friends whipped their heads in the direction of the god-given cake. Both turned their heads once more at their mutual friend with grimaces on both of their faces.

"Not funny Motoki-san," they said in unison. Motoki just laughed and looked over at the barely left-over cake he had lied about.

"Come-on I thought you two had sense of humors, well I thought Usagi-chan had a sense of humor at least." This earned him a death glare from Mamoru. Deciding it was best to leave then, Motoki turned and headed towards the basement.

When he was gone, both enemies returned their gaze to the chocolate cake that was left. It was a huge party of at least 25 people and the rest of the Arcade was closed off to other customers for that day. Mamoru had gotten in since he obviously had connections with the owners while Usagi was helping Motoki with the big 16th birthday party bash. The arcade was decorated with lots and lots of hot pink. Hot pink cups, hot pink streamers, hot pink balloons, hot pink cupcakes, hot pink plates, hot pink tablecloths, hot pink confetti... there was just a lot of pink. Even Usagi, devoted pink lover, started seeing pink spots in her eyes.

The teenagers in the party started dispersing to the game machines. They were all dressed semi-casual semi-fancy for the party. The birthday girl, Amai, was wearing a big crown that said "Birthday Girl" and was also wearing shirt pins that said the same thing.

Usagi envied her. The girl was sixteen. The blonde's dream age was sixteen and she couldn't wait for the event that was in two years. Sixteen was such a good age in the fourteen-year-old's eyes, it was an age that was mature but still a kid which is what she liked. She started daydreaming about her big day and started mindlessly talking to the only person who could listen: Mamoru.

"I can't wait for my 16th birthday," she told Mamoru. "You know it's called a sweet sixteen officially?"

"Wow look at you Odango, knowing your culture facts." Mamoru sent a smug smile to the dazed blonde looking at him. "I'm so proud."

She sensed the sarcasm from a mile away, which isn't really unusual since she has gotten used to it over the months, and her face dimmed as a frown formed. After the incident with the dishwasher, both had returned to their arguing as normal. Neither knew it, but both convinced themselves that the almost-kiss was just a hallucination and that they imagined seeing the other leaning in into the kiss as well. Mamoru had went to his doctor to check he didn't have the flu or something, blaming the incident on stress and too much caffeine that day. Usagi had blamed it on her job and tiredness as well as hunger. It wasn't talked about and so it was dropped from their minds. The arch-nemesis pair were the same, as if nothing had affected them that day.

"Why are you so excited for your 16th birthday anyway?," Mamoru asked suddenly, actually curious as to why the blonde was excited for her 16th birthday of all birthdays. He never understood why people got excited for another year closer to death.

It was actually kind of morbid to celebrate such an event as a birthday, now that he thought about it. 'Happy Birthday, you're still alive to live another year as you get closer and closer to your death.' Maybe it was just because Mamoru didn't celebrate his birthday so he wondered why others around him celebrate theirs. 'What's the big picture with it? You spend money on decorations, parties, gifts, all because a person was born on a certain day?' It baffled him beyond words basically.

Usagi considered his question and thought why she was excited, but the answer soon came easy. "I'm excited about it because I believe sixteen is the perfect age. It shows you're mature but you're still young enough to experience new things in life. That's why I'm excited." She ended her answer with bright beaming smile, happy that she sounded smart with her response.

"I'm truly sorry to break this to you ('even though you don't sound sorry baka') but sixteen is not what you are imagining it to be Odango." Again, his smug smile could be seen from space.

"What are you talking about baka?"

"Sixteen is a confusing time for many people. You start to truly grow and change, mentally and physically. It's confusing and scary growing up and you're happy about it?"

"Well yes-s and no, I mean it's not that scary if you have friends and family there with you helping you through the changes. I'm not scared because I have people who would support me and stuff," she finished lamely, not being able to think of a smart word to replace "stuff".

"Well some of us aren't as lucky as you, Odango," Mamoru muttered with a frown now present.

"Jeez, it's like you have a grudge against birthdays are something." He said nothing as he avoided her eye contact. Usagi tried a different route of discussion. "What did you do on your 16th birthday anyway?"

"I don't celebrate my birthday, so nothing." His tone gave away nothing. Nothing. No emotion.

'Wow, I didn't think he was this boring.' Usagi thought. 'The baka doesn't even celebrate his own birthday for god-sakes. That's just depressing, even for him.'

"Why don't you celebrate? Don't you spend it with your family and your friends like Motoki?" The words came out and she wished that they hadn't.

Something flickered in Mamoru's dark blue eyes but Usagi wasn't able to grab onto the emotion quick enough before he sent his walls back up and disguised his emotions.

"No I don't. Motoki always tries to do surprise parties for me but I always tell him no." His voice was once more hard and emotionless. "The only birthday parties I ever go to are Motoki's and his family members. That's it. I don't see the point of stupid little parties for something so stupid to celebrate." With that, he threw a few dollar bills onto the counter in front of a sad looking Usagi, whose eyes were about to release tears. He muttered a quick "see ya Odango" before turning and walking out of the brightly decorated Arcade.

Usagi just stared at the straight and fresh dollar bills left on the countertop and realized how little she knew about the high school student even though they saw each other almost everyday. 'Maybe he has bad memories associated with his birthday and that's why the baka doesn't like his birthday.' Usagi proudly thought, figuring out the mystery. 'Well, we'll just change that. No one should hate the day they were born and the one day where it's all about them, even Mamoru-baka.' Her brain squirrels started running on their wheels in her mind as she conjured up a plan to make her arch-nemesis absolutely love his birthday. 'Mamoru Chiba, I will see the day when you love your birthday, even if it kills me…'

Mamoru was walking back to his apartment from the arcade. 'My empty apartment,' he thought sadly. He couldn't believe that the Odango actually had the audacity to ask him why he hated the day he was born. What was he supposed to say? That he wished he never was born on that day because it would have saved him so much pain. He knew it was very morbid and concerning to other people that he actually wished to never have been born. But to him it was rational. What was his affect on people? He was just a person that was meant to make no huge impact on someone. He knows that.

Mamoru knew that he would be alone later in his life no matter what Usagi says, so it's not like someone's life will be changed because of him. He had friends but they all had bright futures with family and loved ones. He didn't. All he was planning to do was go through life as a doctor, hoping to make some kind of impact on strangers, people he barely knew but needed help. To have a point in his empty life.

Was he supposed to tell her all this, all the ugly thoughts he keeps in his mind about his life? That he did in fact do something for his 16th birthday and every other birthday, every year since the age of ten. That when the day he was born rolled around every year, he would visit his parent's graves on the anniversary of their deaths. That they died on his eighth birthday because of him. That he could never enjoy his birthday because all he remembers is sadness and death on that day. That he hates August 3rd with all his might because of what was taken from him on that day.

No, he couldn't.

'She doesn't deserve to know me like that. To know my past and what goes through my mind. Only Motoki had gotten the right to know me like that. She doesn't. She's just an idiotic fourteen-year-old who will probably fail the eighth grade. She means nothing to you.'

Soon his own thoughts turned on him. 'If she means nothing, then why do you think about her so much? Why did you want to tell her your past and hope she understands? Why do you feel your heart jump in your chest whenever you see her little golden odangos sitting at the counter? Or her long bushy ponytail swinging back and forth when she's working? It's obvious you care for her in some way.' He couldn't care for the Odango in that way, could he? Yes he had many fantasies about, well,...doing things with her, but he chalked it up to his teenage boy hormones that he was still experiencing at the age of seventeen. Maybe, he just cared for her as a little annoying sister, like Motoki-san. 'Yea, "little sister". Because that convinces us.'

I didn't matter. His life was dark, grim, dull, and empty. He had no family or love and he never will. Mamoru had longed accepted that concept a long time ago...

The tall high school grimaced as he remembered just when he accepted his fate. He hated when those kind of memories would spring up in his mind. The dark haired man could feel the water pooling behind his eyes. But Mamoru had learned a long time ago how to hold back his feelings. To stop feeling in his heart.

By the time he was in the elevator of his apartment building, signs of watering eyes were nowhere to be seen. All that was seen was a tall handsome black-haired man with a glare that showed he was dead to the world.

I know I kinda went dark at the end but don't worry, I'm continuing this little plot into the next drabbles and there is a happy ending. I'm a sucker for happy endings, what can you do? :) PLEASE REVIEW! BTW and let us move on to the next drabble. :)