"Usagi, you can't be serious!" Naru cried at the other end of the phone. Usagi pulled the receiver away from her ear and winced.
"A little louder, Naru," she said sarcastically. "I can still hear." Naru sighed impatiently and Usagi could picture her pinching the bridge of her nose the way she did when she got irritated.
"Look, Usagi," Naru began. "I know that Harue is an adorable little boy and I think anyone who spent anytime with him would fall in love with the kid. But Usagi, think about this! You can't raise a baby alone." Usagi rolled her eyes and checked in Harue's cradle. He slept quietly for the moment.
"Naru, I'm not…."
"No, listen to me, Usagi! I know that you're getting a lot of help from your landlords and from Mamoru Chiba- I want details on that by the way." Usagi blushed but didn't say anything. "But it isn't always going to be that simple. You are not their responsibility and Harue is not your child."
"Naru, I'm not stupid ok?" Naru snorted in disagreement, but Usagi ignored her. "I know I can't rely on Luna and Artemis, or…Mamoru forever. I have plans. I know an art collector who said he liked my work. I can get in contact with him and see if he can sell any more for me. I sold a piece to him once. I got 50 thousand yen for it."
"Didn't you tell me that you haven't done any new work in a year?" Naru asked pointedly. "And what happens if your art doesn't sell like you hope? You can't rely on that income. It's fine if you're alone, but you want to raise a baby along with that." Naru had a point, but Usagi wouldn't admit that to herself. She would find a way to take care of Harue, even if it meant selling her organs. Usagi checked the clock.
"Well, I'd hate to cut this chat short, but I need to get Harue and me ready to go," she told Naru. Her friend sputtered a protest, but Usagi hung up before Naru could say anything else. It was just after noon, but she had been up since eight, despite her late night. Her nerves had been on edge ever since, giving her a strange burst of energy.
"Better than coffee," she muttered, looking around her apartment which she had spent all morning cleaning. After checking on Harue, Usagi showered and changed out of her pajamas and into a pair of jeans and a soft blue turtleneck sweater. Feeling lazy, she left her hair down and pulled it back with a ribbon. Then she went to wake Harue.
"Come on sweetie," Usagi said, lifting the baby from his bassinette. "Nap time's over. We're going to the park!" Usagi fed Harue and then got him ready to leave, too. She bundled him up against the chilled winter air, though the weather had been pretty mild as of late. The carriage was kept downstairs in a storage closet by the front door. Luna and Artemis came out of their office chatting excitedly and saw Usagi trying to get the closet open while trying to hold onto Harue at the same time.
"Here, sweetie, let us help you with that," Luna said, chuckling. She went to relieve Usagi of her squirmy burden and Artemis retrieved the carriage from the closet and opened it up. Usagi looked at them gratefully.
"Thank you!" Usagi moved back from closet and took the time to close up her coat.
"Are you sure he'll be warm enough in that?" Artemis asked jokingly, looking at Harue's full body down jumper. Usagi blushed and chuckled nervously.
"Do you think it's too much?" she asked her landlords. "I just wanted to make sure he wouldn't get cold…But it is a little warmer than usual today." Usagi looked out the front door and tapped her bottom lip thoughtfully.
"No, you did fine," Luna assured her. She put Harue into the carriage and strapped him in. "Babies need to be protected in the cold. Don't mind Artemis. He's just excited because Zoicite came in early this morning."
"Hey, don't look at me," Artemis said, putting his hands up defensively. "This one's been cooking all day." Luna laughed and shrugged. She had made a veritable feast because her son's girlfriend was supposed to visit that night, but she went a bit overboard and now the kitchen was stocked to feed a professional baseball team.
"Usagi, come over later," Luna suggested. "We have plenty to eat."
"Ha! I'll say," Artemis muttered. Luna kept smiling as she elbowed her husband in the gut.
"And we'd love for you to meet Zoicite and Ami."
"Thanks for the invite," Usagi said. "I'll try to stop by later on. We should get going now."
"Meeting someone?" Luna asked, smiling knowingly. Usagi blushed for what felt like the gazillionth time in the past few days, and shook her head.
"No," she said. Then she hesitated. "Well, probably not. I don't know…" Luna's smile grew and she raised an eyebrow.
"Would this someone you might be meeting be about 6'5" with black hair and dark blue eyes?" Usagi giggled nervously and scratched her neck. Artemis cut in before she had to answer, though.
"Luna, come on, you're embarrassing the poor girl," he said. "And if you're not, you're embarrassing me." Luna looked at Artemis dryly.
"Well, then I guess we're even for all the times you've embarrassed me." Usagi laughed at the pair and pushed the carriage through the door.
"I'll see you two later," she said. Luna looked up from her spat with Artemis and waved goodbye.
"Dinner's at 7!" Luna told her. "And feel free to bring a guest." Luna winked at Usagi, making her blush once more. "I'm serious about how much food I made." Usagi promised she'd try to make it to dinner, then left the building. Luna watched Usagi wheel Harue down the block towards the park, then she and Artemis went into their apartment.
"Come on, husband," she said, grabbing Artemis' hand. "We still have work to do."
-:- -:- -:- -:- -:- -:-
It was a beautiful day for a walk in the park. It was warm for January, but not warm enough to make Usagi dressing Harue in his winter clothes. The baby gurgled happily in his carriage waving his down padded arms at Usagi. There weren't many other people in the park, and for once most of the benches over looking the lake were free. Usagi pulled Harue out of the carriage and sat him on her lap so he could see the ducks swimming on the lake.
"Look, see the real duckies?" she said pointing them out. Harue laughed cheerfully and clapped his hands. Then a gloved hand dangled a bag of peanuts in front of Usagi's face. She jumped and spun around, startled.
"Wanna feed them?"
(-: :-( :-D :-0 :-o :-)
Mamoru woke up on New Year's day to the sound of his father knocking at his door. Blearily, he checked the time on his cell phone. It was nearly 11.40 am. He sighed and told his father to come in.
"Happy New Years," Haru said, sardonically. "I see one of your resolutions wasn't to start your days earlier."
"No, no, that's not true," Mamoru answered, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. "But I decided in the true spirit of New Year's resolutions, I'd beat the crowd and break mine early." Haru rolled his eyes and glanced around his son's normally immaculate room and saw the pile of evening wear on the floor next to his bed.
"Ah, yes, that's right, you were at a party last night," Haru said. "So let me guess you got…oh what's the word you kids use?...trashed?" Mamoru snorted and got up out of bed.
"No one uses that word after freshman year of college, Dad. And no, I wasn't drunk. I barely had any alcohol last night. I just didn't go to sleep until late." Haru raised his eyebrows, pleasantly surprised. Though, he had to admit, Mamoru had been making a lot of positive changes in his life the past couple of years, and especially the past couple of weeks.
"Well, good," Haru said. "Too much of that poison will kill your liver. So how was your night?" Mamoru paused in the middle of putting on his bathrobe. He flushed lightly thinking of the night before, and turned his head so his father wouldn't see.
"It was…fun," he told Haru. "I was…um…with a friend of mine and we were in Shibuya when midnight came." Haru frowned in confusion.
"Wait, I thought the party was in Takadanobaba," he said. Mamoru shrugged and grabbed some clothes to wear for the day.
"Well, she got hungry, so we left the party early."
"She?" Haru leaned forward and raised his eyebrow. "Is she someone special, I wonder?" Mamoru turned to his father, exasperated.
"Dad…" Haru held his hands up defensively.
"I was only asking," he said. "Far be it from me to take an interest in my only son's love life."
"That's all I want," Mamoru said. He opened the door that lead to his bathroom. "Now if you'll excuse me, I have to wash last night off of me."
"Alright, alright, I can take a hint." Haru started for the door, then paused. "Do you have any plans for today?" Mamoru looked back.
"I was thinking of meeting up with a friend. Why, do you need me for something?" Haru sighed sadly.
"No, I was just hoping I could spend New Year's day with my son." Mamoru rolled his eyes at his father and smiled.
"I'll only be gone a couple of hours at most. We can have dinner together, at that place you like. My treat."
Haru agreed and left Mamoru to his preparations. He sat in the living room reading a detective novel from England with a cup of coffee beside him. It was going to be a relaxing day, and for all the hard time he gave to Mamoru about wanting to spend it together, Haru was glad to have the afternoon to himself with nothing to do but catch up on his reading. About an hour later he heard Mamoru in the kitchen fixing himself something to eat, but there was not much activity in the house other than that. Then about an hour after that, the doorbell rang. The butler had the morning off, so Haru answered it himself. A little boy was on the front porch, holding a white envelop.
"Are you Chiba Haru-san?" he asked, scratching his hair under his woolen cap. Haru smiled kindly and nodded.
"Yes I am," he said. "How can I help you?" The boy held up the envelope.
"Some guy told me to give you this. He said it was important." Haru took the envelop and the little boy ran off. Haru frowned and opened the letter. It was sloppily written, but Haru could just make out the hastily scrawled message.
Chiba-san,
This is just to let you know that your son is a lying jerk. You are a grandfather! I am not kidding!
If you don't believe me ask him yourself. Don't be surprised if you don't get a straight
answer, though.
Sincerely,
A Friend
Haru read the note. Then read it again, going red, then pale by turns. It couldn't possibly be true, he thought. But, it would explain a lot. Mamoru came back downstairs, and grabbed his coat and keys. He passed the study where his father was sitting and waved a quick goodbye. Haru just stared after him, owlishly. He heard Mamoru's car start up, and made up his mind. He would get to the bottom of this once and for all!
Haru followed his son's car at a safe distance, being careful to keep at least one car between them. Mamoru parked the car and started walking towards the park a couple of blocks away. Haru had to hunt for a few minutes for a spot, and he cursed the precious time he lost. He knew the general direction Mamoru headed off in, and thankfully, the park wasn't huge. The hunt was on.
D: 0-: o-: :-|:-) :-D
Usagi turned to see Mamoru grinning down at her as he waved the peanuts at her.
"Wow, really?" she said, laughing. Mamoru came around the bench and sat next to Usagi and Harue. Usagi felt a rush of relief and happiness when she saw Mamoru.
"I wasn't sure if we'd see you today," she admitted to him. Mamoru smiled at her and bushed her hair back.
"I wouldn't miss this," he told her. "I love the park. And I haven't seen my buddy in a while. C'mere, Harue! Let's give Mommy's arms a break." Mamoru took Harue from Usagi and sat him on his lap. Harue laughed and grabbed Mamoru's nose.
"Be careful! Dat doesn cumb'off." Harue laughed even harder at the face and noises Mamoru was making. Usagi smiled as she watched them.
"You're pretty good with him," she commented. Mamoru grinned and shrugged.
"What can I say, children and small animals love me."
"Oh, what a beautiful baby boy!" A man and woman came over with their own baby carriage and sat down next to them. They looked to be in their early or mid thirties, and their baby looked to be around Harue's age. The woman smiled at Harue.
"How old is he?" she asked Usagi and Mamoru.
"Oh, about eight months," Usagi said quickly. That was her best guess, as Harue already had a couple of well developed teeth, and she read that babies teeth started growing at around five months. The woman raised an eyebrow.
"Really?" she asked. "Our son is six months and they look like they're about the same size. But, then, our Daisuke is an exceptional little boy. The doctor says he's a perfect physical specimen." The woman sat up proudly and smiled over at Harue gloatingly. Usagi glared at the woman and looked like she was about to say something snarky in reply, but Mamoru leaned forward and spoke to the other man.
"What do you do about gas?" he asked hurriedly. The other man blinked a few times in astonishment.
"E-excuse me?" he sputtered. Suddenly Mamoru had three sets of confused eyes on him. He cleared his throat and tried again.
"The baby, I mean. What do you do when the baby has gas? I think the best solution it to take a piece of gauze with some warm oil and rub it into the baby's stomach." Usagi snorted at that and folded her arms.
"Just make sure you don't get the pages stuck together," she muttered. Mamoru frowned at her, but Usagi just stuck her tongue at him. The woman ignored the odd exchange and changed the subject to something that interested her more. Her baby.
"Daisuke's a bit advanced for his age," she said. Usagi had to fight an eye roll. "He's already started walking. Right, honey?" Her husband nodded and stared out over the lake, content to let his wife do all the bragging. The woman looked at Usagi sympathetically. "But you shouldn't feel like your baby is behind the curve. After all, lot's of- ahem- younger mothers have trouble with their children developing more slowly." Usagi flushed red with anger , and once again, her mouth ran away with her.
"Harue's not behind any curve," she said. "He-he can talk already." The woman gaped in astonishment.
"So young? I don't believe it." Usagi thrust her chin out proudly.
"Believe it. Harue talks all the time. Isn't that right, sweetie?" Usagi looked back at Mamoru and motioned for him to agree with her.
"Oh- uh, right!" he said. "Just the other day he recited a passage from Genji Monogatari." Usagi's face fell. The woman scoffed outright at that and stood up.
"Come on, Takashi," she said to her husband. "Suddenly the lake isn't as much fun as I thought it would be." The family walked away, without as much as a backwards glance. Usagi favored Mamoru with a deadpan gaze.
"Well you didn't have to make it sound ridiculous," she said. "I just said to tell them he could talk."
"You put me on the spot!" Mamoru said defensively "Why lie to her anyway?" Usagi threw her hands up helplessly.
"It just came out! I know, I know I need a filter on my mouth." Usagi moaned and buried her face in her hands.
"You know ," Mamoru said after a moment, "you got awfully defensive about a baby that just like, what , four weeks ago you were claiming wasn't yours." Usagi blanched and stuttered a bit.
"Well, I- I'm just getting used to him," she said. "You can get used to anything. Besides, I love the little guy, and he is the smartest little guy on the planet. I don't care what that other momster says." Usagi reached over and scratched Harue's head. Mamoru had to smile at the look on her face. She practically glowed when she looked at Harue, and he thought at that moment, he would give anything to keep that glow there.
"Ahem!" Mamoru turned and looked in shock as his father came up to them.
"Dad! What are you doing here?" Mamoru asked. Usagi hadn't recognized the elder Chiba at first, now her eyebrows went up in mild surprise.
"I was driving around and happened to see your car nearby, so I thought I'd see if I could catch you. So this is the friend you were meeting today?" Haru asked. "Aren't you going to introduce me?" Mamoru snapped to.
"Oh, yeah. Yeah," he said. "This is Usagi Tsukino and this is her little boy. Usagi this is my father, Haru Chiba."
"A boy!" Haru stared in wonder at Harue and he took a deep breath.
"It's a true pleasure to meet you, Tsukino-san." Haru turned to Harue, still in Mamoru's arms. "What a beautiful baby. Would you mind- if I was very careful- could I hold him?"
"Um…sure." Usagi glanced at Mamoru questioningly as Haru took Harue from him. Mamoru shrugged his shoulders, as mystified as Usagi.
"What's his name?" Haru asked. He seemed to be on the verge of tears.
"It's…uh…Harue," Usagi told him. Haru looked almost overcome by emotion.
"Harue!" he said. He turned to his son, his mouth set in a tight line as he tried to hold his tears back. "Thanks for that, anyway." Usagi and Mamoru stared at him in confusion.
"Chiba-san?" Usagi asked hesitantly. "Can I do anything for you?" Harue smiled kindly at Usagi.
"You've already done it my dear," he said. He handed Harue to her. "I guess I'd better get home. Mamoru, I'll see you later." Haru fixed his son with a piercing gaze, and headed back for his car. Usagi and Mamoru watched him leave with confusion etched deeply in their faces.
"What on earth was he getting at?" Mamoru wondered. Usagi shrugged.
"I don't know, he's your father," she said, putting Harue back in his carriage. Then almost simultaneously, realization dawned on their faces. Usagi snapped her head around to Mamoru.
"You don't think he thinks…" Mamoru's eyes got as wide as saucers.
"He couldn't!" he said. Usagi started laughing.
"I think he does!" she said, doubling over. "That's hysterical!"
"No it's not!" Mamoru cried, jumping out of his seat. "I've got to catch him! Dad!" Usagi kept laughing as Mamoru took off after his father, waving his arms in a strange, jerking motions trying to catch up with his father. She chuckled to herself the whole way home.
"Well I guess he won't be coming to dinner," she said to Harue, with a wink.
The plot thickens! Tell me what you think! If you love it, send cash. Please? Btw, Takadanobaba is legitimately my home away from home here in Tokyo. It's awesome! If you're ever here in the land of Japan, you absolutely must check it out!
Lady Hawk