Chapter Twelve
"Just a… bit more…" Usagi huffed. After Mamoru left, she decided that she didn't want to spend the day in the man's room, so she thought that, maybe, pushing one of his gigantic pillows off of the bed would aid in her escape. Needless to say, it was a task that had taken a while. When the pillow finally plopped on the floor, she grinned triumphantly. "Well, if I'm supposed to fall… here goes!" She shut her eyes as tight as she could and fell off of the bed.
"Ow," she muttered, opening her eyes slowly. "I'll never do that again. Now I know that the message meant that I'm not supposed to literally fall…" With a sigh, she stood up and dusted herself off, then stepped off of the pillow and onto the floor. "I should try to get in touch with one of the girls and let them know that I decoded part of the message… Why am I talking to myself?"
The pixie-sized girl slipped out of the room and made her way to the kitchen table. 'How am I supposed to get my communicator?' She thought for a moment before wrapping her arms around the leg and attempted to climb up. 'This is about as frustrating as Mamoru…' She let out a defeated sigh, unwrapped her arms from the table and took a step back as she glanced around the room. 'Of course this place is spotless. I was hoping to find something that could help me…' She turned around, walked over to the closet, and noticed the door was slightly ajar. She slipped inside with ease, but then frowned. 'I can't see a thing!'
With her arms extended, she felt around and found something that was slender, hard, and smooth. 'What could this be—Ack!' With quick reflexes, she moved out-of-the-way as the object fell over, hitting the door open a bit more before thumping down on the floor. 'A broom. I wonder if that would work.' The girl walked out of the closet, grabbed hold of the broom and dragged it, albeit slowly, over to the table. She gripped it tightly and tried to pick it up.
'I can… I can…' she grunted. 'It's… just… a broom!' Her eyes glared at the object. 'Usually they're so light! Ugh!'
Suddenly, the communicator fell off of the table. No, pixie-sized Usagi did not get help from a strange and mysterious outside source. No way—
"Thanks, author," she whispered as she climbed onto it, then pressed a button that resembled the symbol of Venus.
"Usagi-chan, is everything alright?" Minako's voice came through the speaker sounding slightly panicked. "Where's the Youma?"
"Hai, I'm fine. This is a personal call. …I think I figured part of the message out."
"What is it? Should I get in touch with the others now—"
"Not yet. But I think the way I prove my loyalty to the Princess is by bringing Mamoru to her."
"What does Mamoru-san have to do with the Princess?"
"I can't really go into details, but it's the reason he's after the ginzuishou."
"Why don't you let me talk to him about it—"
"He's not here."
"Nani? He left you there alone?"
"Hai. We were talking, and then he said he liked me, and then he just… left."
"He said he liked you, and then he left? You silly girl! It means he likes you!"
"I know, and I told him that we'd make great friends—"
"Iie, Usagi-chan! He meant he likes— Ano — cares about you."
"N-Nani? There's no way that baka cares about me. Most guys don't act the way he does when they care about someone!"
"Ooh, Usagi-chan! You've got to hear this song! It's amazing…"
…Speak, c'mon and let it out
Give it to me, you know that I can take it
Speak, because the more you say, the more I'm at ease
C'mon don't keep me waiting now…
"Ano… Not that…"
…That time when we met
That dear look I'll never forget
Among millions of stars I'll find you
Coincidences becoming chances…
"Iie, iie. Not that either. Ah, here we go! Listen to this."
This appears to be the end of the road
And there are no sights to behold
Yet I can't go back the way I came
I only have myself to blame
For sometimes feeling so alone
With feelings that are not unknown
to me, But if I try to speak it my throat seizes
My heart palpitates; my brain freezes
Like an echo of a memory tugging at my mind
Something I can't grasp is what I need to find
And I know that you'll be there if I need a hand
It seems as though fate has something planned
You just have to realize
You have to realize
That I've gotten the message but I'm searching the wrong places
Being guided by voices and different faces
Could it be that everything I do
Will eventually lead me to you
I've found myself at the end of the road
And there's so much beauty to behold
Yet I can't go back the way I came
I only have myself to blame
For sometimes feeling so alone
With feelings that are so unknown
to me, But I can't help getting lost in your eyes
And when you hold me, my stomach fills with butterflies
Like an echo of a memory at the edge of my mind
Something I don't understand is what I need to find
And I know that you'll be there if I need a hand
It seems as though fate has something planned
You just have to realize
You have to realize
That I've gotten the message but I'm searching the wrong places
Being guided by voices and different faces
Could it be that everything I do
Will eventually lead me to you
"And that was the lovely Essandeee with the chart-topping single Realize—" Mamoru turned the ignition off and leaned his head against the steering wheel.
'How am I supposed to tell Usako that there is another way to fall? She won't believe me.'
"What does that song have to do with me, Minako-chan?"
"I didn't say it had anything to do with you. I just thought it was kawaii and wanted someone else to hear it."
"Oh."
"Anyway, just remember that there isn't enough sea for the fish!"
"Nani?"
"Before you go to sleep tonight, you should think about the pros and cons when it comes to Mamoru-san. Like, his looks are definitely a pro—"
"Minako-chan, that's just—"
"Just do it. Onegai? Maybe you'll be surprised at the results!"
"But—"
"Oops, gotta go! Ja ne, Usagi-chan!"
Usagi sighed as she stood up and stretched a bit. 'Well, that was unexpected. Ano, maybe not. She is Minako-chan after all. But for me to do a pro and con list for Mamoru-baka? Ridiculous—'
The sound of the front door shook the girl from her thoughts and she turned just in time to hear the door once again and see Mamoru walk into the kitchen with bags in his hands. 'I wonder what he bought.'
He placed the bags onto the counter and slumped against it. 'Just act normal, you baka,' he reached into one of the bags and pulled out a chocolate chip muffin. 'It's not like she knows what you meant, anyway.' He opened a cabinet door and pulled out a plate, then put the muffin on it. 'Friends. Friends. Friends,' his mind chanted as he placed the dish off to the side and began to take the other items out of the bags.
Once he was done, he grabbed the plate with the muffin on it and walked out of the kitchen. 'She should still be in the bedroom…' He thought as he made his way there, but as he passed by the closet, he stopped abruptly. 'I didn't leave this open…' He swiftly jogged into his room and dropped the plate, faintly hearing it smash to pieces. "Usagi?!" He called out, eying the room carefully; his heart racing when he saw the pillow on the floor. "Usako!?" He yelled again as he rushed out of the room and toward the dining area. He slowed his movements and sank to his knees when he saw the pixie-sized girl standing by the table. "Usa—ngo. Oh Gods, you're alright," he breathed.
"Of course I'm alright. I've been here, waiting for you to get back."
"Don't ever scare me like that again," he whispered as he looked down at his lap. "I thought something happened to you."
"Hai, what happened was that I got bored…" She knelt, and tried to get his attention. "Mamoru…?"
"How did you manage to open the closet door? And why?" He asked, lifting his head so he could see her reply.
"You left it open a bit. I didn't open it that far. The broom did that." She pointed at the object on the floor. "I wanted to get this," she then pointed down at her communicator. "Which, by the way, isn't a calculator. It's a communicator. The other object, that is still on the table, is my brooch."
He nodded his head slowly. "Was there any trouble—"
"Iie. I just wanted to talk to Minako-chan."
"Have the girls… figured anything out?"
"Iie. But, I figured out that I have to bring you to the Princess in order to prove my loyalty to her. …I just don't understand the falling aspect of it."
"I… don't think you're meant too."
"Nani? Why?"
"It's not that easy to explain," he sighed. "But, I thought if I fell—"
"Oh Goddess, you fell? Are you alright? Did it hurt?"
He closed his eyes. "I'm fine. I guess I just couldn't help it—"
"Maybe my clumsiness is rubbing off on you," Usagi replied with a halfhearted giggle.
He opened his eyes and gave her a weak smile. "While doing my errands, I stopped at the bakery and got you a muffin," he pushed himself up off of the floor and brushed his pants off. "Unfortunately, it's now on my bedroom floor." He walked over to the broom and picked it up. "Gomen," he whispered before heading off to clean up the mess.
"He meant he likes— Ano — cares about you… Before you go to sleep tonight, you should think about the pros and cons when it comes to Mamoru-san…" Echoed through the girl's mind as she slowly sat down on her communicator.
'Ano… he does seem to care for my well-being.' Usagi thought as she stared at the ceiling. She had spent most of the day sitting in the living room while the man spent time in his study. Now that night had fallen, she found herself lying on a pillow and surrounded by darkness. 'I mean, he was there multiple times to catch me before I got hurt. Not Sailor Moon, but me… So, since he does that as Tuxedo Kamen as well…Would that count as one pro or two? And he was nice enough to buy me clothes to wear when he didn't have too… and let me stay here, even though he said he did it to prove a point to the girls. Is that one pro and a con? He fed me, which is definitely a pro… but he teased me a lot, which is a major con… Oh, this is so confusing!…' She huffed as she turned on her side, crossing her arms as she closed her eyes. 'Why am I spending so much time on this? He's just Mamoru-baka, right?'
"Maybe you'll be surprised at the results!" Minako's voice chirped in her mind.
'I'll admit that he isn't as much of a baka as I thought he was… and that, over the last few days, I don't know what I feel when it comes to him. And, maybe, I'll miss seeing him every morning and feeling… whatever this is, when things get back to normal…' She sighed a bit as she felt a breeze ghost over her skin.
"Maybe… I'm falling for Mamo-chan…"
