Insane
Part 2/2
By Appearances
Usagi's walk back to her apartment had taken a long
time. She took a few detours and walked slowly through the
crowded streets of Tokyo. Her attention was focused on her
hand throughout most of the walk. Upon arriving at her
apartment, she quickly rewrote the number on a sticky note
and stuck in on her fridge. She then sat on the counter across
from the fridge and stared at the paper.
"Mamoru," she whispered, testing the name that he
had written on her hand.
Her thoughts were a mess in trying to figure out if
Mamoru had been sincere or not. She kept on repeating one
question over and over: "Is he for real?"
She recalled that when she had asked him that very
same question, he had laughed and replied, "Yes."
She wasn't convinced, though.
Her phone rang and, in her dazed and preoccupied state
of mind, she slowly picked it up. "Hello?"
Seiya's voice came over the phone, but she found herself
still focusing on Mamoru and the phone number he had given her.
She barely registered Seiya saying the word, "Sorry," before she
stopped paying attention to him. She was so distracted that she
hung up on him, but didn't even realize it.
She turned the phone on again immediately after and
dialed the number of the one person who would give her some
practical advice: Hino Rei, a Shinto priestess. Rei and Usagi
had been best friends since childhood. Rei was the only person
Usagi knew that wouldn't hold anything back when it came to
her opinion. If Rei didn't like something that you did, you knew
it for a long time afterwards.
Usagi listened as the phone rang, praying that Rei was
home and would answer the phone. No such luck. There was a
long pause after the fifth ring, followed by Rei's answering
machine message. "Hey, this is Rei. Leave me a nice message
or I'll kill you."
Usagi smirked at the message, then prepared to leave
one of her own as the beep signaled her to start. "Hey, it's me.
You are never going to believe what happened to me today."
She took a deep breath. "I was sitting in the bank, writing out
a deposit slip, when this total stranger walks up to me and sits
down, then leaves over and says, 'This is going to sound a little
obsessive.' You will never guess what he said next!" Usagi launched
into the entire story, making sure she included all the details that
Rei would ask for later anyways. She ended the message by saying,
"Can you believe this? Can this be for real? I need some advice.
Call me back!"
The rest of the day was spent sitting next to the phone,
waiting for Rei to call.
An hour after she had called Rei, Usagi's musings were
brought to a halt by a loud knocking. She got up and opened
the door to find Rei on the other side.
Rei walked in and sat down before Usagi could even
say anything. She then looked eagerly at Usagi. "So, tell me
all the details."
"I did already," Usagi replied. "In my message."
Rei rolled her eyes. "I mean, what does he look like?
Is he cute?"
Usagi smiled. "He is hot! He's got great dark blue
eyes and black hair that kind of falls into his eyes," she told
Rei, sitting across from her. "He looks like he's in great shape."
"Any other things you can tell me about him?"
"Like what?" Usagi asked, confused as to what else
there could be.
"Well, you dolt, how did he make you feel?"
"Oh." She thought for a moment. "It felt nice when
he held my hand. His hands were so much bigger and they
were warm. It felt really good. Then, when he laughed, I wanted
to smile. Because I had made him laugh. And I liked thinking
that I had made him laugh." She paused. It was weird to think
that she had experienced so much emotion with him when it
hadn't seemed like she had at the time. She turned to Rei and
asked, "So, what do you think?"
Rei looked smug. "Well, I think that you should call
him and go out with him."
Usagi looked at her suspiciously. "Why are you so
excited about this? Do you know something I don't know?"
Rei shrugged. "I might've taken a look in the fire
and seen something."
"Hino Rei! You tell me this instant what you saw!"
Usagi exclaimed, standing up and putting her hands on her
hips in an attempt to look menacing.
Rolling her eyes again, Rei got up and retrieved both
the phone and the sticky note from the kitchen. She handed
the items to Usagi and stood looking at her expectantly. After
Usagi didn't make a move to dial the number, Rei said, "Well?"
"What about Seiya?" Usagi asked.
"Usagi, it seems to me that this Mamoru person made
you feel more happiness in ten minutes than you have felt in
the past month with Seiya," Rei replied. "Now, do you want to
live with happiness and Mamoru or unhappiness and Seiya?"
Usagi pondered the question as she turned on the phone
and punched in the numbers. She put the phone to her ear just as
another phone started ringing on the other side of Tokyo.
It rang only twice before a man picked up saying, "Kon
wa, Chiba Mamoru speaking."
Usagi took a deep breath, then said, "Kon wa, Chiba-san.
It's Usagi." Realizing she hadn't given him her name earlier, she
added, "From the bank." Rei smiled and gave Usagi a thumbs up
as she left the apartment and Usagi. Usagi waved back just before
the door closed and then sat herself down on the couch.
"Usagi-san!" he exclaimed. "I'm glad you called!"
She smiled as she realized that she was glad too.
~
Usagi couldn't help but fidget as she sat at a coffee
shop waiting for Chiba Mamoru to arrive. He had asked if
she would like to get some coffee with him and she had eagerly
agreed, shocking herself. She was surprised that she trusted a
complete stranger so easily. It was quite a feat considering she
was rude and untrusting to most people, including her boyfriend
and a few friends she hung out with regularly. There were only
four people she really trusted: Rei, Mizuno Ami, Kino Makoto,
and Minako. Remembering her blonde-streaked, black hair, she
smirked, thinking, 'Maybe not Minako.'
The bells on the entrance door to the coffee shop rang
and Usagi looked up, meeting Mamoru's gaze that was completely
fixed on her, a smile on his face. Usagi smiled back as he walked
over and sat across from her in the booth she occupied.
"Hey," she said, trying to sound somewhat normal. Her
heart was racing as she thought over some possibilities she had
ignored till this point: what if he turned out to be a psychotic
killer? What if he was a drug dealer and would use her as a
scapegoat if the cops caught up with him? What if he raped her?
Her fears melted away when his smile widened. "Hey."
A waiter came up and took their orders. After he had
left, Usagi and Mamoru sat there in silence. 'How do you start
a conversation with a stranger?' she thought, praying that he
would take the initiative.
He cleared his throat, then said, "So, tell me about
yourself."
Usagi thought for a minute before replying. "Well,
I'm twenty-two and attend Tokyo University." She stopped
there, not sure what else to say.
He saw her hesitate and asked, "What are you
majoring in?"
"Photojournalism," she replied.
"What made you want to do that?"
She shrugged. "I've always been interested in art.
But art really isn't the best field if you want to actually eat
and survive. Newspapers and magazines always need
photographers, though, so I figured that'd be the best place
to work while still expressing my creative genius." She grinned
as he chuckled.
"That's a brilliant plan," he told her.
"So what about you?" she asked. "Do you go to school?
Or do you work?"
"I just graduated from Tokyo U, actually. I work as an
accountant at an advertising firm," he replied.
"Is it fun?"
"If you like numbers, I suppose. For those trying to
express creative genius, I would not recommend it." They
laughed as the waiter set their drinks in front of them.
~
Usagi and Mamoru had spent four hours at the coffee
shop talking about work, favorite colors, hobbies, music, and
movies. He had offered to walk her home after they both noticed
how late it was getting. She had accepted his offer and they were
walking down the sidewalk towards her apartment complex. The
current topic of conversation was best band of all time. Mamoru
had, without hesitation, replied, "The Beatles, hands down, no
contest."
"I beg to differ," Usagi replied. "The best band ever
has to be The Dave Matthews Band."
Mamoru shook his head. "No way. The Beatles."
Usagi rolled her eyes. "I'll admit that The Beatles were
awesome, but there have been some pretty awesome bands more
recently too. And The Dave Matthews Band is one of them."
"They have some alright songs, but you can't tell me
that all of their songs are totally memorable and meaningful."
Usagi sighed as she realized he was right. "Okay, not
Dave Matthews. But what about Tori Amos?"
"Now she is a singer that can definitely be on the same
level as The Beatles," Mamoru replied.
"I think a higher level."
"What's your favorite Tori song?"
They had reached Usagi's apartment building, so Usagi
turned in and they walked to the elevator as she thought about
the question. "Silent All These Years. You?" The elevator had
arrived and they were stepping inside.
"Hey Jupiter," he replied.
They now stood in front of her door and Usagi sighed
as she realized that the night had come to an end. Wanting to
invite him in but realizing she had to wake up in six hours, she
unlocked the door and then turned to him.
"I had fun talking with you," she told him.
Mamoru smiled. "I had a great time too. I'll talk to you
later?"
Usagi nodded. Mamoru turned to leave, but Usagi pulled
gently on his arm. He turned back to her as she gave him a short
kiss.
"Goodnight," she said, slipping into her apartment.
"Goodnight," he replied.
Usagi closed the door and leaned against it. She couldn't
help but smile as she thought about the man she had just spent the
best hours of her life with. He was a great guy and she couldn't
wait to get to know him even better.
"We're going to be together someday!" she whispered.
~
The End.
Part 2/2
By Appearances
Usagi's walk back to her apartment had taken a long
time. She took a few detours and walked slowly through the
crowded streets of Tokyo. Her attention was focused on her
hand throughout most of the walk. Upon arriving at her
apartment, she quickly rewrote the number on a sticky note
and stuck in on her fridge. She then sat on the counter across
from the fridge and stared at the paper.
"Mamoru," she whispered, testing the name that he
had written on her hand.
Her thoughts were a mess in trying to figure out if
Mamoru had been sincere or not. She kept on repeating one
question over and over: "Is he for real?"
She recalled that when she had asked him that very
same question, he had laughed and replied, "Yes."
She wasn't convinced, though.
Her phone rang and, in her dazed and preoccupied state
of mind, she slowly picked it up. "Hello?"
Seiya's voice came over the phone, but she found herself
still focusing on Mamoru and the phone number he had given her.
She barely registered Seiya saying the word, "Sorry," before she
stopped paying attention to him. She was so distracted that she
hung up on him, but didn't even realize it.
She turned the phone on again immediately after and
dialed the number of the one person who would give her some
practical advice: Hino Rei, a Shinto priestess. Rei and Usagi
had been best friends since childhood. Rei was the only person
Usagi knew that wouldn't hold anything back when it came to
her opinion. If Rei didn't like something that you did, you knew
it for a long time afterwards.
Usagi listened as the phone rang, praying that Rei was
home and would answer the phone. No such luck. There was a
long pause after the fifth ring, followed by Rei's answering
machine message. "Hey, this is Rei. Leave me a nice message
or I'll kill you."
Usagi smirked at the message, then prepared to leave
one of her own as the beep signaled her to start. "Hey, it's me.
You are never going to believe what happened to me today."
She took a deep breath. "I was sitting in the bank, writing out
a deposit slip, when this total stranger walks up to me and sits
down, then leaves over and says, 'This is going to sound a little
obsessive.' You will never guess what he said next!" Usagi launched
into the entire story, making sure she included all the details that
Rei would ask for later anyways. She ended the message by saying,
"Can you believe this? Can this be for real? I need some advice.
Call me back!"
The rest of the day was spent sitting next to the phone,
waiting for Rei to call.
An hour after she had called Rei, Usagi's musings were
brought to a halt by a loud knocking. She got up and opened
the door to find Rei on the other side.
Rei walked in and sat down before Usagi could even
say anything. She then looked eagerly at Usagi. "So, tell me
all the details."
"I did already," Usagi replied. "In my message."
Rei rolled her eyes. "I mean, what does he look like?
Is he cute?"
Usagi smiled. "He is hot! He's got great dark blue
eyes and black hair that kind of falls into his eyes," she told
Rei, sitting across from her. "He looks like he's in great shape."
"Any other things you can tell me about him?"
"Like what?" Usagi asked, confused as to what else
there could be.
"Well, you dolt, how did he make you feel?"
"Oh." She thought for a moment. "It felt nice when
he held my hand. His hands were so much bigger and they
were warm. It felt really good. Then, when he laughed, I wanted
to smile. Because I had made him laugh. And I liked thinking
that I had made him laugh." She paused. It was weird to think
that she had experienced so much emotion with him when it
hadn't seemed like she had at the time. She turned to Rei and
asked, "So, what do you think?"
Rei looked smug. "Well, I think that you should call
him and go out with him."
Usagi looked at her suspiciously. "Why are you so
excited about this? Do you know something I don't know?"
Rei shrugged. "I might've taken a look in the fire
and seen something."
"Hino Rei! You tell me this instant what you saw!"
Usagi exclaimed, standing up and putting her hands on her
hips in an attempt to look menacing.
Rolling her eyes again, Rei got up and retrieved both
the phone and the sticky note from the kitchen. She handed
the items to Usagi and stood looking at her expectantly. After
Usagi didn't make a move to dial the number, Rei said, "Well?"
"What about Seiya?" Usagi asked.
"Usagi, it seems to me that this Mamoru person made
you feel more happiness in ten minutes than you have felt in
the past month with Seiya," Rei replied. "Now, do you want to
live with happiness and Mamoru or unhappiness and Seiya?"
Usagi pondered the question as she turned on the phone
and punched in the numbers. She put the phone to her ear just as
another phone started ringing on the other side of Tokyo.
It rang only twice before a man picked up saying, "Kon
wa, Chiba Mamoru speaking."
Usagi took a deep breath, then said, "Kon wa, Chiba-san.
It's Usagi." Realizing she hadn't given him her name earlier, she
added, "From the bank." Rei smiled and gave Usagi a thumbs up
as she left the apartment and Usagi. Usagi waved back just before
the door closed and then sat herself down on the couch.
"Usagi-san!" he exclaimed. "I'm glad you called!"
She smiled as she realized that she was glad too.
~
Usagi couldn't help but fidget as she sat at a coffee
shop waiting for Chiba Mamoru to arrive. He had asked if
she would like to get some coffee with him and she had eagerly
agreed, shocking herself. She was surprised that she trusted a
complete stranger so easily. It was quite a feat considering she
was rude and untrusting to most people, including her boyfriend
and a few friends she hung out with regularly. There were only
four people she really trusted: Rei, Mizuno Ami, Kino Makoto,
and Minako. Remembering her blonde-streaked, black hair, she
smirked, thinking, 'Maybe not Minako.'
The bells on the entrance door to the coffee shop rang
and Usagi looked up, meeting Mamoru's gaze that was completely
fixed on her, a smile on his face. Usagi smiled back as he walked
over and sat across from her in the booth she occupied.
"Hey," she said, trying to sound somewhat normal. Her
heart was racing as she thought over some possibilities she had
ignored till this point: what if he turned out to be a psychotic
killer? What if he was a drug dealer and would use her as a
scapegoat if the cops caught up with him? What if he raped her?
Her fears melted away when his smile widened. "Hey."
A waiter came up and took their orders. After he had
left, Usagi and Mamoru sat there in silence. 'How do you start
a conversation with a stranger?' she thought, praying that he
would take the initiative.
He cleared his throat, then said, "So, tell me about
yourself."
Usagi thought for a minute before replying. "Well,
I'm twenty-two and attend Tokyo University." She stopped
there, not sure what else to say.
He saw her hesitate and asked, "What are you
majoring in?"
"Photojournalism," she replied.
"What made you want to do that?"
She shrugged. "I've always been interested in art.
But art really isn't the best field if you want to actually eat
and survive. Newspapers and magazines always need
photographers, though, so I figured that'd be the best place
to work while still expressing my creative genius." She grinned
as he chuckled.
"That's a brilliant plan," he told her.
"So what about you?" she asked. "Do you go to school?
Or do you work?"
"I just graduated from Tokyo U, actually. I work as an
accountant at an advertising firm," he replied.
"Is it fun?"
"If you like numbers, I suppose. For those trying to
express creative genius, I would not recommend it." They
laughed as the waiter set their drinks in front of them.
~
Usagi and Mamoru had spent four hours at the coffee
shop talking about work, favorite colors, hobbies, music, and
movies. He had offered to walk her home after they both noticed
how late it was getting. She had accepted his offer and they were
walking down the sidewalk towards her apartment complex. The
current topic of conversation was best band of all time. Mamoru
had, without hesitation, replied, "The Beatles, hands down, no
contest."
"I beg to differ," Usagi replied. "The best band ever
has to be The Dave Matthews Band."
Mamoru shook his head. "No way. The Beatles."
Usagi rolled her eyes. "I'll admit that The Beatles were
awesome, but there have been some pretty awesome bands more
recently too. And The Dave Matthews Band is one of them."
"They have some alright songs, but you can't tell me
that all of their songs are totally memorable and meaningful."
Usagi sighed as she realized he was right. "Okay, not
Dave Matthews. But what about Tori Amos?"
"Now she is a singer that can definitely be on the same
level as The Beatles," Mamoru replied.
"I think a higher level."
"What's your favorite Tori song?"
They had reached Usagi's apartment building, so Usagi
turned in and they walked to the elevator as she thought about
the question. "Silent All These Years. You?" The elevator had
arrived and they were stepping inside.
"Hey Jupiter," he replied.
They now stood in front of her door and Usagi sighed
as she realized that the night had come to an end. Wanting to
invite him in but realizing she had to wake up in six hours, she
unlocked the door and then turned to him.
"I had fun talking with you," she told him.
Mamoru smiled. "I had a great time too. I'll talk to you
later?"
Usagi nodded. Mamoru turned to leave, but Usagi pulled
gently on his arm. He turned back to her as she gave him a short
kiss.
"Goodnight," she said, slipping into her apartment.
"Goodnight," he replied.
Usagi closed the door and leaned against it. She couldn't
help but smile as she thought about the man she had just spent the
best hours of her life with. He was a great guy and she couldn't
wait to get to know him even better.
"We're going to be together someday!" she whispered.
~
The End.