Additional note: Hi there minna sama... I'm sorry for not updating this more frequently. Fact is that it's been done for a VERY long time now, however, when I tried to upload it to FFN, the site was down (as it often is) and I later forgot that I hadn't updated my story ^^; -- baka. At any rate, this is the next chapter and the final chapter and omake will appear next week! A special thanks to Caitlin for reminding me that I needed to finish this on ffn. ^_^
Domo,
Bejiin
Bejiin: *sings* Happy Birthday to me...
I live in a tree...
I look like a monkey!
And I act like I'm three!!!
Ekaterinn: *musing* To fic or not to fic, that is the question...Oh hi, Bej. Too much sugar again?
Bejiin: sUgAr?!?! Noooo I just wrote WAFF. The world is ending Ekkers! Run for your life!
Ekaterinn: Hmmm...well its your birthday right?
Bejiin: *nods* yeah something about turning 20 on the 20th... at least that's what the zookeeper said. *whispers* he's kinda cute, ne? I think he looks like Mamo-Chan. (^^;; )
Ekaterinn: *laughs* Maybe! In any case, since it's your birthday, you're excused. happy birthday, by the way. *pauses and smiles slowly* On the other hand, if the world is *really* ending, could I interest you in some Highlander slash? *winks*
Bejiin: *coughs* Umm.... I'll think about it?
...
...
...
nope!
Anyway, on with the show!
The Angel's Wings Are Broken
By Ekaterinn Ciel Duval and Bejiin Melanie Ripley
Genre: AU, TAFF
Disclaimer: Neither of us owns Sailor Moon, through Bej owns a very nice
Sailor Moon wand. ^_~
Part Two:
The sun shone into his room, warm and bright and Mamoru hesitantly opened his eyes.
Accustomed to waking during the dark hours of early morning, he could not place why he
had slept in this morning. He glanced at his alarm clock wondering if the emergency
alarm he had set for 7 AM was about to go off only to discover that there was no clock.
Had he removed it last night and why would he have done so? And why was he still in
his school clothes? He glanced around his room slowly. What had he been doing last
night... and then he remembered... Usagi!!!
Leaping from the bed Mamoru glanced around in alarm. She was nowhere... Surely it
hadn't been just a dream? The chocolate and the laughter and the magic in the park at
sunset? How could all of that been a dream?
"Usagi?" he shouted, his deep tenor voice risen in alarm. As he made his way into the
living room he tried again, "Usagi??" but silence was his only answer. Perhaps it had
been only a dream then, he thought, his hopes slowly, awfully sinking. Disparately, he
call her name one last time as he headed towards the kitchen. "Usagi?"
Soft and enchanting giggles answered him and Mamoru felt an instant surge of relief.
"Mamo-Chan! You spoiled the surprise!"
Stepping into the kitchen, he had Usagi in his arms within two strides. "You're real."
He whispered into her hair.
"Of course I am Mamo-Chan." One of her hands played with his hair and the other
cupped his cheek. "What made you think I wouldn't be?"
He smiled and shrugged, content to let her work her calming magic... school could wait.
"So did you say something about a surprise, Usagi Chan?" Finally taking a good look at
her, he noticed that she was covered from head to toe in flour. In fact, most of his
kitchen was covered in flour and he imagined that his hair was also probably pretty well
saturated with the stuff because it hung in the air in dusty clouds. Funny how he hadn't
noticed that before...
She smiled sweetly and crinkled her nose. "Well... you just seemed like a muffin kind of
person so I was trying to... but the flour sort of..."
He laughed. "How would you like to go out for breakfast Usagi Chan? My treat."
Her eyes grew wide and the clear blue depths of them sparkled in the light. "Really?"
He smiled. "Of course, just let me change first." He turned back towards his room with
the same idiotic smile plastered to his face. The mess in the kitchen could wait... as
could school... and he hadn't really wanted to go to work today. No, today he would
show Usagi everything about Tokyo that made it wonderful.
Walking back into the kitchen, Mamoru paused briefly to tuck his navy blue polo shirt
into his faded jeans. Usagi, however, was no longer in the kitchen. She sat peacefully on
the sofa, without a speck of flour, nervously playing with the ends of one of her long
golden streams of hair. He wondered how she kept hair like that neat? Mamoru knew
that many girls wished to have long hair, but it took a lot of maintenance. It should have
looked more frayed and thin at the ends. Shrugging off his questions about Usagi's hair,
he climbed over the back of the sofa and slid into a sitting position next to her. "Found
you."
"Only I wasn't hiding." Her clear blue eyes looked slightly confused.
"Mmm, I know that, but I found you anyway and now that I have..." he pulled her into
his arms and hugged her tightly, "I don't think I feel like letting you go."
"But Mamo-Chan!" she pouted cutely. "I want pancakes!"
He blinked. Pancakes? Funny, it was exactly what he had been feeling like as well...
"Of course Usagi Chan, we'll have pancakes then. I know of a wonderful place on the
way out of Azabu."
She jumped up from the couch and squealed with delight. "Pancakes!" she shouted as
she threw a triumphant fist in the air. Then reaching back down she pulled him up to
stand next to her and bounced towards the door.
Two hours later found them walking through the cherry blossom trees. He had never
really appreciated the pink flowered tress before, but now they would be another of his
memories. The warm spring breeze gently blew the petals sideways as they fluttered
down towards the earth. All in all it was a lovely sight and the way Usagi would every so
often reach out to catch a petal made it even more so.
He smiled. "You know Usagi Chan... I think I love you." He said softly but immediately
wished he had not. What if it was too sudden? He didn't even know her that well...
"Did you say something Mamo-Chan?" her clear blue eyes reflected the fluffy white
clouds that drifted across the Tokyo sky.
"Odaiba..." it sounded sort of like 'I love you' and if she hadn't heard all the better.
"How would you like to go to the amusement park at Odaiba? They have the most
amazing Ferris wheel. I've heard you can see half of the city from the top."
She laughed, a pleasant sound that made everything seem even brighter and the world
hummed to life with golden rays of sunshine. "Yes please Mamo-Chan."
Twining her arm with his own he guided her towards the monorail station that would take
them to the island of Odaiba.
The monorail was a rather new feature to the city of Tokyo. Of course the subway and
the trains had been around for decades, however both of those used underground tunnels
and crowded roadways to slink through the city like stealth creatures of a dark and
haunting world. That was probably where the appeal of the monorail came from.
Starting at Tokyo Tower, the brightly rainbow colored cars glided along a silver rail in
the sky on their way across Tokyo Bay, directly beneath the famous Rainbow Bridge, on
their way to Odaiba. Never once did the monorail leave the light of day, and with huge
glass windows one could see many of the beautiful buildings that graced the skyline of
Tokyo. Mamoru was slightly saddened that they would have to go inside at all. It was
truly a lovely day out. Luckily, the windows of the car that they rode in were open; a
first for him as usually the windows of the monorail were sealed tightly shut... In fact
he had never been aware that they were the kind that did come off, however, the fact
didn't bother him all that much.
Usagi kept her eyes wide with wonder for the whole ride, one hand balanced on the
window and held taught against the breeze. Every so often she would find something
amusing in the city below or the sky above and she would point it out with a gale of
laughter. Although part of Mamoru worried that the other passengers would be bothered
by this uncharacteristic behavior or at least startled by the sound of her laughter, no one
seemed annoyed and so the sensible part of Mamoru ignored the basic rules of train-
riding.
"Have you ever wished you were a bird, Mamo-Chan?"
He turned his eyes away from her and glanced up at a seagull in the sky. "A bird?"
"Oh yes." She smiled. "Just think of all of the adventures you would have flying free
with no one to tell you no or to get back to work... after all your only job would be to
fly..."
He looked back at her. She was in every way a creature of whim. To simply fly away?
But what about college, work, the future, the world? Surely those things came before
ones own ability to be careless and free. "No. I've never wished to be a bird. I simply
have too much to do as a man." He glanced around the train wondering if the other
passengers wished to be birds. None of them really seemed affected by himself or Usagi.
The monorail came to a half and Mamoru stood turning to give Usagi his hand... only
she wasn't there. He glanced around the train in a slight panic, however, he did not see
her. Maybe she had already gotten off of the train? Stepping onto the platform he
searched the full 360 degrees of his vision however Usagi was gone.
He walked dejectedly through a concrete park with a huge fountain in its center. The sky
was very gray and it had gotten much colder. It made him wish he had his coat. To make
matters worse light droplets of rain began to splatter the sidewalks. Why had Usagi left
him? Where had she gone so quickly? He sat down on the base of the fountain with a
sigh and held his head in his hands, elbows propped up on his knees. How would he ever
find Usagi again? That question was answered, however, when two warm hands covered
his eyes.
"Guess who..." a falsely deep voice said while trying to suppress its laughter.
The same goofy smile that he couldn't keep from his face all day finally crossed his lips
again. "Is it the emperor?"
"No" the voice answered trying to control the higher-toned giggles.
"Bruce Willis?"
"Ba... ka...." The voice laughed.
"U-sa-gi-chan?" he asked in a sing song voice.
"Hai!" she replied happily removing her hands from his eyes.
The sky was once again a brilliant blue and the rain had stopped and even dried from the
concrete. The world once again dazzled in the brilliance of the sun.
"So do you want to ride on that?" Mamoru asked as he pointed to a large brightly colored
wheel with dangling cars swinging from it. "I bet it will be pretty close to flying. We
can even pretend we're birds if you want, Usagi Chan."
She smiled the same smile that seemed to make the world brighter and gave an
enthusiastic nod. "I'd love to ride on that, Mamo-Chan."
Taking her by the hand Mamoru happily led her towards the giant ride.
"Two please."
The Ferris wheel operator looked at Mamoru in confusion. "You want to ride it twice,
son? Why don't you ride once and then if you still want to ride you can buy another
ticket?"
"Oh they're not both for me. I wanted one for my..." he smiled at Usagi briefly. "my
girlfriend."
The man frowned giving Usagi a critical glance. "I'm sorry son but whatever sick game
you're trying to play. I'm not selling a ticket to that doll of yours."
Mamoru saw red. "You will not call my girlfriend a doll. She deserves more respect
than that." As if to emphasize what he had been saying thunder rumbled off in the
distance.
The worker, who still looked rather perplexed, shook his head. "Sorry son. That was
lightening and the policy is that I have to shut the Ferris Wheel down now. Please
leave."
Mamoru sighed. Perhaps riding on the Ferris Wheel was a bad idea after all. "I'm sorry
Usagi. It doesn't look like we're going to get to ride this, but how about we go to the
arcade instead? I have this great friend who runs an arcade over in the Juuban district."
"Do you like video games, Usagi Chan?"
She paused and studied his face, as if her answer would be important. She bit her lip and
pouted. "I ... think so." She replied finally.
Mamoru resisted the urge to laugh. It wasn't a hard question... was it? He smiled.
"Well, I know you like chocolate Usagi Chan so how about a milkshake?" He wanted to
stop by and thank Motoki.
She smiled once again dazzling him. "That would be wonderful Mamo-Chan."
"Hey buddy! Haven't seen you in a while." Motoki smiled as his best friend walked
toward the counter.
Mamoru nodded. "I've had a lot of work to do lately."
Motoki pulled out a large mug and reached for the coffee pot. "About your birthday
present, Mamoru. I'm very sorry but Reika did that without my knowledge. I have your
real present at my house but I was going to wait until the surprise party on Saturday to...
Oops-" Motoki poured the coffee nervously and slid the cup towards Mamoru. "I just
ruined the surprise didn't I?"
Mamoru smiled. "It's fine Motoki. I really liked my present. Where did Reika find
her?"
Motoki looked relieved. "I'm so glad that you're not mad Mamoru. When Reika told me
what she had done I was horrified, and I think she found her in Unazuki's toy chest. It
was a blond doll with long funny hair, right?"
Mamoru blinked in confusion. "No, I don't mean the doll, I meant where did Reika meet
Usagi?"
Motoki frowned in confusino. "Usagi? Hmm... no I don't know an Usagi."
Mamoru shrugged "You can meet her when you bring us our drinks. Two chocolate
shakes please."
Motoki grinned. "Chocolate shakes? Wow, Mamoru this must be serious!"
"I think you're right, Motoki." Mamoru replied as he walked back toward the booth
where he had left Usagi sitting.
When he returned, Usagi had her gaze fixed on a video game console. A short blond
haired boy punched furiously at two brightly colored buttons and moved a joystick back
and forth with rapid motion. ON the screen a pixilated man in silver armor and black
clothing jumped back and forth swinging his sword around recklessly. Mamoru shook
his head. Protector Earth had to be one of the dumbest and most time consuming games
to come out yet, but all of the kids seemed to love it. He slid into the booth across from
Usagi and contented himself with watching her.
She looked away from the game and into his eyes. Her eyes had a mischievous sparkle.
"You know Mamo-Chan.... You sort of look like the guy on the screen. Are you trying to
save the world and find your beloved princess?" she laughed.
He could feel the heat rising to his cheeks.
She leaned over the table and kissed his nose. "It's ok Mamoru, you can tell me." She
whispered then leaning back in the booth she smiled. "So how does curry sound for
dinner?"
He blinked slightly confused. What had Usagi just done?
She grinned. "Good, I'm glad. Curry it is then!"
He reached for her small hand that rested on the table. "Usagi Chan? What did you just
say?" he asked softly.
"Curry" she replied with a smile, her hand slipping away from his.
"No, before that." He searched her guileless blue eyes.
"OK buddy, well here are your shakes."
Mamoru turned around to see Motoki approaching with two decadent chocolate shakes
piled high with whipped cream and a cherry.
"So where's this girl of yours Mamoru?" Motoki demanded as he set down the shakes.
Mamoru looked away from Motoki and towards Usagi's side of the booth only to find it
empty.
"Usagi?" he asked frantically as he whipped his torso around and knocked over the
shakes with a flailing arm. The thick chocolatey liquid spilled all over dripping off the
sides of the table. Jumping up from the table he glanced all over the arcade. "USAGI?"
but she was gone.
Motoki glanced at his friend in alarm but then with a shake of his head he went to grab a
wet rag from the counter of the bar. As he wiped the sticky concoction onto the floor for
moping he noticed a small blond doll sitting on the booth covered in chocolate. Racing
over to rinse the doll off in the sink he wrapped her in a dry towel and took off running
after Mamoru. Somehow it seemed important that his friend get the doll back.
It was cold outside, Mamoru noted. Although the sun beat down on the barren branches
of the tree's it did not reach the ground and Mamoru shivered. He could not understand
why Usagi had left him. Had he neglected her somehow? Was there something more
that he should have said?
"Mamoru!"
He turned around at the sound of Motoki's voice. His friend was still wearing his apron
and ran towards him with a white bundle in his hand.
"You forgot this!" his friend panted placing the bundle in his hand.
Opening the towel slightly he saw the shiny gold hair of a doll he had sworn he'd left at
home.
The apartment was live with noise when he entered it. He could hear water running, the
radio cheerfully played some sort of J-pop and he thought he could hear the metallic
sound of rice grains hitting the kitchen sink. His heart rose because it could only mean
one thing and yet he was uncertain of how. But it mattered not, sliding out of his loafers
and placing the bundle on the dresser across from the door he took the step up and onto
he thick carpeting of his apartment, Usagi was home!
She was indeed in the kitchen humming to te tune on the radio as she rewashed the rice.
"Three times, right Mamo-Chan?"
"Huh?" three what?
"The rice silly. You wash it three times right? For luck?"
He gave a clueless smile. "Uh sure."
Usagi laughed and finished draining the milky water from the bowl. Then adding water
to the line she set it in the cooker. He watched in amazement as she walked over to a
boiling pot and skimmed a ladle across the top of it. Carefully she took away all the oily
froth. She turned to look at him. "There's an art to it." She said seriously. "You have
to watch it. Always watch it or the whole thing will run from you and turn to disorder.
So it's good that we're here to keep things in order, ne?" Then she looked at him more
thoughtfully. "Well actually that's your job but.." she started to say softly but then
quickly turned back to the pot.
Mamoru blinked. He didn't know what she had been talking about, but he suspected it
was not the curry.
She reached for an orange box and pulled out the curry bon. Breaking it into five equal
pieces she placed them in the pot and stirred. Then placing a lid on the pot she wiped her
hands off on the Miffy apron she was wearing and turned towards him fully. "I hope
chicken is alright." She said softly.
He nodded, not one to argue when her presence was the only necessity. He led her away
from the kitchen and towards the relative quiet of his living room. "Usagi?" he asked as
they sat on the green cloth sofa. "What happened this afternoon? Did I do something to
offend you?"
She looked at him slightly puzzled. "Nothing happened Mamo-Chan. We came home
and I made dinner."
He leapt up from the sofa quickly. Her mary janes were indeed next to his loafers. The
bundle on the dresser was gone also, though he did not notice that.
"Is everything all right Mamo-Chan?" she asked innocently as he hurried back into the
living room.
He looked at her thought fully before clearing his throat but as he could not speak he
shook his head instead.
She rose from the sofa and smiled and somehow the indiscrepancies no longer mattered.
"I think the curry is done." She noted as she turned back towards the kitchen. "You just
sit on the sofa and I'll bring it to you alright?"
He nodded dumbly and sat on the sofa ignoring the sounds of destruction in his kitchen.
Not even a broken dish would ruin the fact that she was back.
When she returned sometime later it was with two plates of steaming and messy looking
curry. As she set the plates on the narrow coffee table in front of him, she rushed back
into the kitchen to return with two cans of cola and two sets of chopsticks. Sitting down
with a sigh, she handed him one of each and then pulled a plate of curry into her lap.
"Itadakimasu!" she said brightly and smiled at him breaking whatever spell he had been
under.
"H-hai. Itadakimasu." He smiled back watching her put the first messy bite in her moth.
Her smile grew as it did when she was enjoying something. Assured by her reaction he
picked up a steaming carrot and a clump of rice with his chopsticks. While the curry
flavor was wonderful he couldn't help but notice that his rice was crunchy in the center.
When her plate was nearly empty she leapt up, shouted "Gochisosamadeshita" and after
grabbing his plate she rushed back towards the kitchen.
He winced at their clatter when she undoubtedly dropped the plates in the sink.
"Let's go to the park!" she suggested a s she bounced back into the living room.
"The park?" he mimicked.
"Of course!" she bubbled "to watch the sun set!"
And somehow he knew it was better not to argue.
The sunset, like yesterday's, was magical. He found her staring deeply into his eyes as
the last orange rays fell from the sky. Knowing that temptation was too great to be
resisted, he let his face lean towards hers. He could feel the electricity on his lips
slightly grazed hers. Craving more, he pulled her towards him and reveled in the feeling.
He was immersed in Usagi as his hands ran through her silky hair and his lips caressed her
soft lips. He felt warm and happy kissing her. Complete in a way he had not known was
possible for him.
Walking back with her through the now dark and quiet streets of Juban, he kept an arm
around her waist and a blissful smile on his face.
"What do you want, Mamo-chan?"
He stopped walking deep in contemplation. "More than anything?"
She nodded.
"I think I'd like to save the world" he said softly. "You know, like Protector Earth?"
She turned to kiss him lightly on the cheek and he could see in her eyes that he had given
the right answer.
That night he did not argue. Changing into a pair of cotton pajamas he climbed under the
covers to find her already asleep. He pulled her into his arms and kissed her forehead,
wishing to go to sleep like this always.
~~~~~
Wow... well. Glad to say that I'm done and it's the waffiest I've ever been ^^:;
Goodness... A few notes.
Itadakimasu- it's something that I don't think translates very well so I left it in even
though I'm not so fond of putting Japanese in a fic. We've always translated it to
'blessing before the meal'.
Gochisosamadeshita- like Itadakimasu it's literally translated to 'blessing after the meal'
but it's sort of like 'I'm finished' I think
Bruce Willis... ^^;; He's very popular in Japan. EVERYONE loves the guy. No one knows why.
Well, look for the final chapter on May 7th, darling Ekaterinn's birthday. ^_^
Thanks for reading minna!
Bejiin & Ekaterinn
Domo,
Bejiin
Bejiin: *sings* Happy Birthday to me...
I live in a tree...
I look like a monkey!
And I act like I'm three!!!
Ekaterinn: *musing* To fic or not to fic, that is the question...Oh hi, Bej. Too much sugar again?
Bejiin: sUgAr?!?! Noooo I just wrote WAFF. The world is ending Ekkers! Run for your life!
Ekaterinn: Hmmm...well its your birthday right?
Bejiin: *nods* yeah something about turning 20 on the 20th... at least that's what the zookeeper said. *whispers* he's kinda cute, ne? I think he looks like Mamo-Chan. (^^;; )
Ekaterinn: *laughs* Maybe! In any case, since it's your birthday, you're excused. happy birthday, by the way. *pauses and smiles slowly* On the other hand, if the world is *really* ending, could I interest you in some Highlander slash? *winks*
Bejiin: *coughs* Umm.... I'll think about it?
...
...
...
nope!
Anyway, on with the show!
The Angel's Wings Are Broken
By Ekaterinn Ciel Duval and Bejiin Melanie Ripley
Genre: AU, TAFF
Disclaimer: Neither of us owns Sailor Moon, through Bej owns a very nice
Sailor Moon wand. ^_~
Part Two:
The sun shone into his room, warm and bright and Mamoru hesitantly opened his eyes.
Accustomed to waking during the dark hours of early morning, he could not place why he
had slept in this morning. He glanced at his alarm clock wondering if the emergency
alarm he had set for 7 AM was about to go off only to discover that there was no clock.
Had he removed it last night and why would he have done so? And why was he still in
his school clothes? He glanced around his room slowly. What had he been doing last
night... and then he remembered... Usagi!!!
Leaping from the bed Mamoru glanced around in alarm. She was nowhere... Surely it
hadn't been just a dream? The chocolate and the laughter and the magic in the park at
sunset? How could all of that been a dream?
"Usagi?" he shouted, his deep tenor voice risen in alarm. As he made his way into the
living room he tried again, "Usagi??" but silence was his only answer. Perhaps it had
been only a dream then, he thought, his hopes slowly, awfully sinking. Disparately, he
call her name one last time as he headed towards the kitchen. "Usagi?"
Soft and enchanting giggles answered him and Mamoru felt an instant surge of relief.
"Mamo-Chan! You spoiled the surprise!"
Stepping into the kitchen, he had Usagi in his arms within two strides. "You're real."
He whispered into her hair.
"Of course I am Mamo-Chan." One of her hands played with his hair and the other
cupped his cheek. "What made you think I wouldn't be?"
He smiled and shrugged, content to let her work her calming magic... school could wait.
"So did you say something about a surprise, Usagi Chan?" Finally taking a good look at
her, he noticed that she was covered from head to toe in flour. In fact, most of his
kitchen was covered in flour and he imagined that his hair was also probably pretty well
saturated with the stuff because it hung in the air in dusty clouds. Funny how he hadn't
noticed that before...
She smiled sweetly and crinkled her nose. "Well... you just seemed like a muffin kind of
person so I was trying to... but the flour sort of..."
He laughed. "How would you like to go out for breakfast Usagi Chan? My treat."
Her eyes grew wide and the clear blue depths of them sparkled in the light. "Really?"
He smiled. "Of course, just let me change first." He turned back towards his room with
the same idiotic smile plastered to his face. The mess in the kitchen could wait... as
could school... and he hadn't really wanted to go to work today. No, today he would
show Usagi everything about Tokyo that made it wonderful.
Walking back into the kitchen, Mamoru paused briefly to tuck his navy blue polo shirt
into his faded jeans. Usagi, however, was no longer in the kitchen. She sat peacefully on
the sofa, without a speck of flour, nervously playing with the ends of one of her long
golden streams of hair. He wondered how she kept hair like that neat? Mamoru knew
that many girls wished to have long hair, but it took a lot of maintenance. It should have
looked more frayed and thin at the ends. Shrugging off his questions about Usagi's hair,
he climbed over the back of the sofa and slid into a sitting position next to her. "Found
you."
"Only I wasn't hiding." Her clear blue eyes looked slightly confused.
"Mmm, I know that, but I found you anyway and now that I have..." he pulled her into
his arms and hugged her tightly, "I don't think I feel like letting you go."
"But Mamo-Chan!" she pouted cutely. "I want pancakes!"
He blinked. Pancakes? Funny, it was exactly what he had been feeling like as well...
"Of course Usagi Chan, we'll have pancakes then. I know of a wonderful place on the
way out of Azabu."
She jumped up from the couch and squealed with delight. "Pancakes!" she shouted as
she threw a triumphant fist in the air. Then reaching back down she pulled him up to
stand next to her and bounced towards the door.
Two hours later found them walking through the cherry blossom trees. He had never
really appreciated the pink flowered tress before, but now they would be another of his
memories. The warm spring breeze gently blew the petals sideways as they fluttered
down towards the earth. All in all it was a lovely sight and the way Usagi would every so
often reach out to catch a petal made it even more so.
He smiled. "You know Usagi Chan... I think I love you." He said softly but immediately
wished he had not. What if it was too sudden? He didn't even know her that well...
"Did you say something Mamo-Chan?" her clear blue eyes reflected the fluffy white
clouds that drifted across the Tokyo sky.
"Odaiba..." it sounded sort of like 'I love you' and if she hadn't heard all the better.
"How would you like to go to the amusement park at Odaiba? They have the most
amazing Ferris wheel. I've heard you can see half of the city from the top."
She laughed, a pleasant sound that made everything seem even brighter and the world
hummed to life with golden rays of sunshine. "Yes please Mamo-Chan."
Twining her arm with his own he guided her towards the monorail station that would take
them to the island of Odaiba.
The monorail was a rather new feature to the city of Tokyo. Of course the subway and
the trains had been around for decades, however both of those used underground tunnels
and crowded roadways to slink through the city like stealth creatures of a dark and
haunting world. That was probably where the appeal of the monorail came from.
Starting at Tokyo Tower, the brightly rainbow colored cars glided along a silver rail in
the sky on their way across Tokyo Bay, directly beneath the famous Rainbow Bridge, on
their way to Odaiba. Never once did the monorail leave the light of day, and with huge
glass windows one could see many of the beautiful buildings that graced the skyline of
Tokyo. Mamoru was slightly saddened that they would have to go inside at all. It was
truly a lovely day out. Luckily, the windows of the car that they rode in were open; a
first for him as usually the windows of the monorail were sealed tightly shut... In fact
he had never been aware that they were the kind that did come off, however, the fact
didn't bother him all that much.
Usagi kept her eyes wide with wonder for the whole ride, one hand balanced on the
window and held taught against the breeze. Every so often she would find something
amusing in the city below or the sky above and she would point it out with a gale of
laughter. Although part of Mamoru worried that the other passengers would be bothered
by this uncharacteristic behavior or at least startled by the sound of her laughter, no one
seemed annoyed and so the sensible part of Mamoru ignored the basic rules of train-
riding.
"Have you ever wished you were a bird, Mamo-Chan?"
He turned his eyes away from her and glanced up at a seagull in the sky. "A bird?"
"Oh yes." She smiled. "Just think of all of the adventures you would have flying free
with no one to tell you no or to get back to work... after all your only job would be to
fly..."
He looked back at her. She was in every way a creature of whim. To simply fly away?
But what about college, work, the future, the world? Surely those things came before
ones own ability to be careless and free. "No. I've never wished to be a bird. I simply
have too much to do as a man." He glanced around the train wondering if the other
passengers wished to be birds. None of them really seemed affected by himself or Usagi.
The monorail came to a half and Mamoru stood turning to give Usagi his hand... only
she wasn't there. He glanced around the train in a slight panic, however, he did not see
her. Maybe she had already gotten off of the train? Stepping onto the platform he
searched the full 360 degrees of his vision however Usagi was gone.
He walked dejectedly through a concrete park with a huge fountain in its center. The sky
was very gray and it had gotten much colder. It made him wish he had his coat. To make
matters worse light droplets of rain began to splatter the sidewalks. Why had Usagi left
him? Where had she gone so quickly? He sat down on the base of the fountain with a
sigh and held his head in his hands, elbows propped up on his knees. How would he ever
find Usagi again? That question was answered, however, when two warm hands covered
his eyes.
"Guess who..." a falsely deep voice said while trying to suppress its laughter.
The same goofy smile that he couldn't keep from his face all day finally crossed his lips
again. "Is it the emperor?"
"No" the voice answered trying to control the higher-toned giggles.
"Bruce Willis?"
"Ba... ka...." The voice laughed.
"U-sa-gi-chan?" he asked in a sing song voice.
"Hai!" she replied happily removing her hands from his eyes.
The sky was once again a brilliant blue and the rain had stopped and even dried from the
concrete. The world once again dazzled in the brilliance of the sun.
"So do you want to ride on that?" Mamoru asked as he pointed to a large brightly colored
wheel with dangling cars swinging from it. "I bet it will be pretty close to flying. We
can even pretend we're birds if you want, Usagi Chan."
She smiled the same smile that seemed to make the world brighter and gave an
enthusiastic nod. "I'd love to ride on that, Mamo-Chan."
Taking her by the hand Mamoru happily led her towards the giant ride.
"Two please."
The Ferris wheel operator looked at Mamoru in confusion. "You want to ride it twice,
son? Why don't you ride once and then if you still want to ride you can buy another
ticket?"
"Oh they're not both for me. I wanted one for my..." he smiled at Usagi briefly. "my
girlfriend."
The man frowned giving Usagi a critical glance. "I'm sorry son but whatever sick game
you're trying to play. I'm not selling a ticket to that doll of yours."
Mamoru saw red. "You will not call my girlfriend a doll. She deserves more respect
than that." As if to emphasize what he had been saying thunder rumbled off in the
distance.
The worker, who still looked rather perplexed, shook his head. "Sorry son. That was
lightening and the policy is that I have to shut the Ferris Wheel down now. Please
leave."
Mamoru sighed. Perhaps riding on the Ferris Wheel was a bad idea after all. "I'm sorry
Usagi. It doesn't look like we're going to get to ride this, but how about we go to the
arcade instead? I have this great friend who runs an arcade over in the Juuban district."
"Do you like video games, Usagi Chan?"
She paused and studied his face, as if her answer would be important. She bit her lip and
pouted. "I ... think so." She replied finally.
Mamoru resisted the urge to laugh. It wasn't a hard question... was it? He smiled.
"Well, I know you like chocolate Usagi Chan so how about a milkshake?" He wanted to
stop by and thank Motoki.
She smiled once again dazzling him. "That would be wonderful Mamo-Chan."
"Hey buddy! Haven't seen you in a while." Motoki smiled as his best friend walked
toward the counter.
Mamoru nodded. "I've had a lot of work to do lately."
Motoki pulled out a large mug and reached for the coffee pot. "About your birthday
present, Mamoru. I'm very sorry but Reika did that without my knowledge. I have your
real present at my house but I was going to wait until the surprise party on Saturday to...
Oops-" Motoki poured the coffee nervously and slid the cup towards Mamoru. "I just
ruined the surprise didn't I?"
Mamoru smiled. "It's fine Motoki. I really liked my present. Where did Reika find
her?"
Motoki looked relieved. "I'm so glad that you're not mad Mamoru. When Reika told me
what she had done I was horrified, and I think she found her in Unazuki's toy chest. It
was a blond doll with long funny hair, right?"
Mamoru blinked in confusion. "No, I don't mean the doll, I meant where did Reika meet
Usagi?"
Motoki frowned in confusino. "Usagi? Hmm... no I don't know an Usagi."
Mamoru shrugged "You can meet her when you bring us our drinks. Two chocolate
shakes please."
Motoki grinned. "Chocolate shakes? Wow, Mamoru this must be serious!"
"I think you're right, Motoki." Mamoru replied as he walked back toward the booth
where he had left Usagi sitting.
When he returned, Usagi had her gaze fixed on a video game console. A short blond
haired boy punched furiously at two brightly colored buttons and moved a joystick back
and forth with rapid motion. ON the screen a pixilated man in silver armor and black
clothing jumped back and forth swinging his sword around recklessly. Mamoru shook
his head. Protector Earth had to be one of the dumbest and most time consuming games
to come out yet, but all of the kids seemed to love it. He slid into the booth across from
Usagi and contented himself with watching her.
She looked away from the game and into his eyes. Her eyes had a mischievous sparkle.
"You know Mamo-Chan.... You sort of look like the guy on the screen. Are you trying to
save the world and find your beloved princess?" she laughed.
He could feel the heat rising to his cheeks.
She leaned over the table and kissed his nose. "It's ok Mamoru, you can tell me." She
whispered then leaning back in the booth she smiled. "So how does curry sound for
dinner?"
He blinked slightly confused. What had Usagi just done?
She grinned. "Good, I'm glad. Curry it is then!"
He reached for her small hand that rested on the table. "Usagi Chan? What did you just
say?" he asked softly.
"Curry" she replied with a smile, her hand slipping away from his.
"No, before that." He searched her guileless blue eyes.
"OK buddy, well here are your shakes."
Mamoru turned around to see Motoki approaching with two decadent chocolate shakes
piled high with whipped cream and a cherry.
"So where's this girl of yours Mamoru?" Motoki demanded as he set down the shakes.
Mamoru looked away from Motoki and towards Usagi's side of the booth only to find it
empty.
"Usagi?" he asked frantically as he whipped his torso around and knocked over the
shakes with a flailing arm. The thick chocolatey liquid spilled all over dripping off the
sides of the table. Jumping up from the table he glanced all over the arcade. "USAGI?"
but she was gone.
Motoki glanced at his friend in alarm but then with a shake of his head he went to grab a
wet rag from the counter of the bar. As he wiped the sticky concoction onto the floor for
moping he noticed a small blond doll sitting on the booth covered in chocolate. Racing
over to rinse the doll off in the sink he wrapped her in a dry towel and took off running
after Mamoru. Somehow it seemed important that his friend get the doll back.
It was cold outside, Mamoru noted. Although the sun beat down on the barren branches
of the tree's it did not reach the ground and Mamoru shivered. He could not understand
why Usagi had left him. Had he neglected her somehow? Was there something more
that he should have said?
"Mamoru!"
He turned around at the sound of Motoki's voice. His friend was still wearing his apron
and ran towards him with a white bundle in his hand.
"You forgot this!" his friend panted placing the bundle in his hand.
Opening the towel slightly he saw the shiny gold hair of a doll he had sworn he'd left at
home.
The apartment was live with noise when he entered it. He could hear water running, the
radio cheerfully played some sort of J-pop and he thought he could hear the metallic
sound of rice grains hitting the kitchen sink. His heart rose because it could only mean
one thing and yet he was uncertain of how. But it mattered not, sliding out of his loafers
and placing the bundle on the dresser across from the door he took the step up and onto
he thick carpeting of his apartment, Usagi was home!
She was indeed in the kitchen humming to te tune on the radio as she rewashed the rice.
"Three times, right Mamo-Chan?"
"Huh?" three what?
"The rice silly. You wash it three times right? For luck?"
He gave a clueless smile. "Uh sure."
Usagi laughed and finished draining the milky water from the bowl. Then adding water
to the line she set it in the cooker. He watched in amazement as she walked over to a
boiling pot and skimmed a ladle across the top of it. Carefully she took away all the oily
froth. She turned to look at him. "There's an art to it." She said seriously. "You have
to watch it. Always watch it or the whole thing will run from you and turn to disorder.
So it's good that we're here to keep things in order, ne?" Then she looked at him more
thoughtfully. "Well actually that's your job but.." she started to say softly but then
quickly turned back to the pot.
Mamoru blinked. He didn't know what she had been talking about, but he suspected it
was not the curry.
She reached for an orange box and pulled out the curry bon. Breaking it into five equal
pieces she placed them in the pot and stirred. Then placing a lid on the pot she wiped her
hands off on the Miffy apron she was wearing and turned towards him fully. "I hope
chicken is alright." She said softly.
He nodded, not one to argue when her presence was the only necessity. He led her away
from the kitchen and towards the relative quiet of his living room. "Usagi?" he asked as
they sat on the green cloth sofa. "What happened this afternoon? Did I do something to
offend you?"
She looked at him slightly puzzled. "Nothing happened Mamo-Chan. We came home
and I made dinner."
He leapt up from the sofa quickly. Her mary janes were indeed next to his loafers. The
bundle on the dresser was gone also, though he did not notice that.
"Is everything all right Mamo-Chan?" she asked innocently as he hurried back into the
living room.
He looked at her thought fully before clearing his throat but as he could not speak he
shook his head instead.
She rose from the sofa and smiled and somehow the indiscrepancies no longer mattered.
"I think the curry is done." She noted as she turned back towards the kitchen. "You just
sit on the sofa and I'll bring it to you alright?"
He nodded dumbly and sat on the sofa ignoring the sounds of destruction in his kitchen.
Not even a broken dish would ruin the fact that she was back.
When she returned sometime later it was with two plates of steaming and messy looking
curry. As she set the plates on the narrow coffee table in front of him, she rushed back
into the kitchen to return with two cans of cola and two sets of chopsticks. Sitting down
with a sigh, she handed him one of each and then pulled a plate of curry into her lap.
"Itadakimasu!" she said brightly and smiled at him breaking whatever spell he had been
under.
"H-hai. Itadakimasu." He smiled back watching her put the first messy bite in her moth.
Her smile grew as it did when she was enjoying something. Assured by her reaction he
picked up a steaming carrot and a clump of rice with his chopsticks. While the curry
flavor was wonderful he couldn't help but notice that his rice was crunchy in the center.
When her plate was nearly empty she leapt up, shouted "Gochisosamadeshita" and after
grabbing his plate she rushed back towards the kitchen.
He winced at their clatter when she undoubtedly dropped the plates in the sink.
"Let's go to the park!" she suggested a s she bounced back into the living room.
"The park?" he mimicked.
"Of course!" she bubbled "to watch the sun set!"
And somehow he knew it was better not to argue.
The sunset, like yesterday's, was magical. He found her staring deeply into his eyes as
the last orange rays fell from the sky. Knowing that temptation was too great to be
resisted, he let his face lean towards hers. He could feel the electricity on his lips
slightly grazed hers. Craving more, he pulled her towards him and reveled in the feeling.
He was immersed in Usagi as his hands ran through her silky hair and his lips caressed her
soft lips. He felt warm and happy kissing her. Complete in a way he had not known was
possible for him.
Walking back with her through the now dark and quiet streets of Juban, he kept an arm
around her waist and a blissful smile on his face.
"What do you want, Mamo-chan?"
He stopped walking deep in contemplation. "More than anything?"
She nodded.
"I think I'd like to save the world" he said softly. "You know, like Protector Earth?"
She turned to kiss him lightly on the cheek and he could see in her eyes that he had given
the right answer.
That night he did not argue. Changing into a pair of cotton pajamas he climbed under the
covers to find her already asleep. He pulled her into his arms and kissed her forehead,
wishing to go to sleep like this always.
~~~~~
Wow... well. Glad to say that I'm done and it's the waffiest I've ever been ^^:;
Goodness... A few notes.
Itadakimasu- it's something that I don't think translates very well so I left it in even
though I'm not so fond of putting Japanese in a fic. We've always translated it to
'blessing before the meal'.
Gochisosamadeshita- like Itadakimasu it's literally translated to 'blessing after the meal'
but it's sort of like 'I'm finished' I think
Bruce Willis... ^^;; He's very popular in Japan. EVERYONE loves the guy. No one knows why.
Well, look for the final chapter on May 7th, darling Ekaterinn's birthday. ^_^
Thanks for reading minna!
Bejiin & Ekaterinn