Chapter 9
The next day, the senshi met at the Hikawa Shrine. They were all eager to hear
what Luna had to say. Especially Minako, because it mostly concerned her.
The group became pretty mad when Usagi came late. She had received detention
for eating in class again.
"Can't you learn, Odango!" Rei snapped at her.
Usagi crossed her arms. "But I was hungry."
"You're always hungry."
"I was starving, since I had no time for breakfast. I slept in late," Usagi explained.
"So, what's new?" muttered Rei.
Luna had had enough of the bickering girls. She walked in front of them. "All right,
let's get down to business now."
Silence fell over the room. All eyes were directed at the black feline.
"I have much to say to minna. I need your complete attention," Luna informed. They
all nodded.
"You know that we have to find the princess. And, you know that Beryl wants to get
the ginzuishou."
"Yes, but you never told us why. Except for it will be dangerous in the enemy's hand,"
Rei commented.
"Well," Luna went on," The two are connected. The princess will lead us to the crystal."
A gasp came from Minako. "Beryl thinks I am the princess?"
"Yes," replied Luna. "We need to discover if she is correct. We have to keep you safe for
awhile. You will not fight until we figure this out."
Minako frowned. "Well, that's no fun."
Usagi grinned at the blond. "Wow, you could be royalty. That is so coo!"
Minako remained silent. She didn't think the whole thing was so great. She didn't want the
responsibility of being the princess.
*****************************************************
Minako flopped down on her bed with a sigh. She stared up at the ceiling. A white cat
entered the room. He came over to the bed and lifted his head to look at her.
"Hi, Artemis," Minako said. Her voice had no emotion.
"What is the matter?" Artemis asked.
"Oh Artemis, it is awful!" Minako closed her eyes. "Beryl thinks I am the princess, and
that I possess the crystal. I don't want it to be true. Being a senshi is hard enough. What
would I do with the ginzuishou? It has so much power. I would never know what to do
with it all."
Artemis pounced on the blanket next to Minako. He rubbed up against her arm. "No
matter what happens, it will turn out okay."
********************************************************
Usagi joyfully moved down the street. She held her ice-cream cone tightly in her right hand.
It was a beautiful day. All the senshi business had cleared from her mind. To make things even
better, there would be no school for two days. Things couldn't get better. But they could get
worse, and they did. Chiba Mamoru came around the corner. She crashed into him, knocking
her chocolate ice-cream onto the sidewalk.
She glared up at him. "You made me drop my ice-cream!" she wailed.
Normally, Mamoru would tease her about the situation. Call her a baka Odango Atama and
say she was a klutz. But, he was still upset about their last encounter.
"Look, uh. . . Usagi," he began.
Her eyes go huge. Had he said her name?
"I want to make up for the other day. Why don't I buy you another ice-cream?"
Usagi couldn't believe her ears, or her eyes. He sounded and looked sincere. Maybe he
actually was appologizing.
"Are you sure you want to be around an airhead?" she said coldly.
"Hey, that's not fair," he protested. "I already said I was sorry. Besides, I didn't mean what
I said before."
That comment almost made Usagi fall over. He was being nice. She wouldn't be surprised
if she saw a pig fly overhead.
Usagi was suspicious about the whole thing. Yet, she decided to take a chance. "All right,
you can get me another ice-cream cone." She paused for a moment. Then she added," Two
scoops."
A chuckle came from Mamoru. "Okay, Odango."
With that, they started to head toward the ice-cream vender.
****************************************************
~Mamoru~
I glance over at the beautiful girl beside me. She is licking her chocolate
and vanilla swirl cone with so much enthusiasm. She's so kawaii (cute).
The sight of her puts a smile on my face.
I feel so relieved. Maybe I can prove to her that I'm not so horrible. Being
myself isn't so hard. I never tried it before. Usually I am distant, cold, or around
Usagi, a jerk. Yes, I can admit that.
~Usagi~
I take quick peeks at the man next to me. What is possibly wrong with him? Or,
perhaps, what is right with him? He is so different now. He has been kind, something
he never displayed before.
Is this the real him? Or, is it a show? Could be be fooling me to turn around and
make jokes at me again? I'm so confused. I don't know what to think of Mamoru
anymore.
*****************************************************
Usagi turned toward Mamoru. She looked him straight in the eye. That may have
been a mistake, since it took her a moment to compose herself. She put a finger
in his face. "What is this about Chiba Mamoru?" she inquired.
He seemed confused. "Huh?"
"You know, buying me ice-cream."
"I already told you. To make up for the other day," he explained.
She shook her head. "Until today, you have been down right cruel. Why the change?"
He thought for a long time on that one. "This may sound strange, but. . .after I hurt you
last time, I didn't want to ever do it again."
"So, you aren't going to call me Odango Atama anymore?"
"Well, not unless you annoy me, which might happen often," he said.
"Oooo."
Mamoru raised his hands, palms in front. "Hey, I was only kidding."
Usagi smiled. "So, are we friends now?"
"Yeah," Mamoru told her. A warmth burned inside him. He never had
someone say they wanted to be friends with him. Motoki was there to
keep him company, but never actually said they were friends.
Her eyes sparkled at him. "Good then." She looked up at the sky. The
sun was setting. "I have to get home," she said.
"Okay. How about I walk you home?" Mamoru suggested.
"That would be great!" Usagi said with happiness.
The next day, the senshi met at the Hikawa Shrine. They were all eager to hear
what Luna had to say. Especially Minako, because it mostly concerned her.
The group became pretty mad when Usagi came late. She had received detention
for eating in class again.
"Can't you learn, Odango!" Rei snapped at her.
Usagi crossed her arms. "But I was hungry."
"You're always hungry."
"I was starving, since I had no time for breakfast. I slept in late," Usagi explained.
"So, what's new?" muttered Rei.
Luna had had enough of the bickering girls. She walked in front of them. "All right,
let's get down to business now."
Silence fell over the room. All eyes were directed at the black feline.
"I have much to say to minna. I need your complete attention," Luna informed. They
all nodded.
"You know that we have to find the princess. And, you know that Beryl wants to get
the ginzuishou."
"Yes, but you never told us why. Except for it will be dangerous in the enemy's hand,"
Rei commented.
"Well," Luna went on," The two are connected. The princess will lead us to the crystal."
A gasp came from Minako. "Beryl thinks I am the princess?"
"Yes," replied Luna. "We need to discover if she is correct. We have to keep you safe for
awhile. You will not fight until we figure this out."
Minako frowned. "Well, that's no fun."
Usagi grinned at the blond. "Wow, you could be royalty. That is so coo!"
Minako remained silent. She didn't think the whole thing was so great. She didn't want the
responsibility of being the princess.
*****************************************************
Minako flopped down on her bed with a sigh. She stared up at the ceiling. A white cat
entered the room. He came over to the bed and lifted his head to look at her.
"Hi, Artemis," Minako said. Her voice had no emotion.
"What is the matter?" Artemis asked.
"Oh Artemis, it is awful!" Minako closed her eyes. "Beryl thinks I am the princess, and
that I possess the crystal. I don't want it to be true. Being a senshi is hard enough. What
would I do with the ginzuishou? It has so much power. I would never know what to do
with it all."
Artemis pounced on the blanket next to Minako. He rubbed up against her arm. "No
matter what happens, it will turn out okay."
********************************************************
Usagi joyfully moved down the street. She held her ice-cream cone tightly in her right hand.
It was a beautiful day. All the senshi business had cleared from her mind. To make things even
better, there would be no school for two days. Things couldn't get better. But they could get
worse, and they did. Chiba Mamoru came around the corner. She crashed into him, knocking
her chocolate ice-cream onto the sidewalk.
She glared up at him. "You made me drop my ice-cream!" she wailed.
Normally, Mamoru would tease her about the situation. Call her a baka Odango Atama and
say she was a klutz. But, he was still upset about their last encounter.
"Look, uh. . . Usagi," he began.
Her eyes go huge. Had he said her name?
"I want to make up for the other day. Why don't I buy you another ice-cream?"
Usagi couldn't believe her ears, or her eyes. He sounded and looked sincere. Maybe he
actually was appologizing.
"Are you sure you want to be around an airhead?" she said coldly.
"Hey, that's not fair," he protested. "I already said I was sorry. Besides, I didn't mean what
I said before."
That comment almost made Usagi fall over. He was being nice. She wouldn't be surprised
if she saw a pig fly overhead.
Usagi was suspicious about the whole thing. Yet, she decided to take a chance. "All right,
you can get me another ice-cream cone." She paused for a moment. Then she added," Two
scoops."
A chuckle came from Mamoru. "Okay, Odango."
With that, they started to head toward the ice-cream vender.
****************************************************
~Mamoru~
I glance over at the beautiful girl beside me. She is licking her chocolate
and vanilla swirl cone with so much enthusiasm. She's so kawaii (cute).
The sight of her puts a smile on my face.
I feel so relieved. Maybe I can prove to her that I'm not so horrible. Being
myself isn't so hard. I never tried it before. Usually I am distant, cold, or around
Usagi, a jerk. Yes, I can admit that.
~Usagi~
I take quick peeks at the man next to me. What is possibly wrong with him? Or,
perhaps, what is right with him? He is so different now. He has been kind, something
he never displayed before.
Is this the real him? Or, is it a show? Could be be fooling me to turn around and
make jokes at me again? I'm so confused. I don't know what to think of Mamoru
anymore.
*****************************************************
Usagi turned toward Mamoru. She looked him straight in the eye. That may have
been a mistake, since it took her a moment to compose herself. She put a finger
in his face. "What is this about Chiba Mamoru?" she inquired.
He seemed confused. "Huh?"
"You know, buying me ice-cream."
"I already told you. To make up for the other day," he explained.
She shook her head. "Until today, you have been down right cruel. Why the change?"
He thought for a long time on that one. "This may sound strange, but. . .after I hurt you
last time, I didn't want to ever do it again."
"So, you aren't going to call me Odango Atama anymore?"
"Well, not unless you annoy me, which might happen often," he said.
"Oooo."
Mamoru raised his hands, palms in front. "Hey, I was only kidding."
Usagi smiled. "So, are we friends now?"
"Yeah," Mamoru told her. A warmth burned inside him. He never had
someone say they wanted to be friends with him. Motoki was there to
keep him company, but never actually said they were friends.
Her eyes sparkled at him. "Good then." She looked up at the sky. The
sun was setting. "I have to get home," she said.
"Okay. How about I walk you home?" Mamoru suggested.
"That would be great!" Usagi said with happiness.
