Overcoming the Past: Chapter 3
Charlyne
charlyne_o@hotmail.com
07/06/03

Usagi scowled and slammed down the phone. She couldn't believe it! She'd been waiting eagerly for this night all week and now her babysitter had cancelled at the last minute. Usagi had thought that she could count on the fourteen year old. The girl lived in an apartment one floor down with her mother and father. The mother had said that the girl babysat for other tenants in the building and had given Usagi some references. All the people the girl had babysat for had given her glowing reviews.

"Mommy ang'y?" Nariko asked.

Usagi took a deep breath and forced a smile. "No, honey, mommy's not angry, she's just disappointed."

Nariko blinked up at her, then shrugged her small shoulders and toddled off to play with her toys. Usagi sighed and shook her head. It looked like it would be just her and Nariko tonight--again. She'd better call the girls and let them know she couldn't go. Usagi felt tears fill her eyes and tried to hold them back. She'd known that she would never be like other teens, but she had hoped that this one time she could go out and forget she was someone's mommy. Usagi picked up the phone and stared at it morosely. She dreaded making this call. What if they decided being friends with her was too much work and it wasn't worth it? Always having a two year old around did tend to put a damper on the fun.

Just make the call, Usagi, she told herself.

A sharp knock on the door made Usagi jump and clutch her chest. She could feel her heart pounding a mile a minute under her hands. Good Lord, they weren't here already, were they? It was much too early. Usagi grimaced. It would be twice as difficult to tell them in person that she couldn't go. Well, whoever it was she was going to give them a piece of her mind for scaring her half to death.

"Knott-knott!" Nariko called from her bedroom, imitating the knock on the door. Usagi chuckled softly. Sometimes it was like having a parrot in the house.

Standing on her tip-toes, Usagi peered through the peek-hole in her door. The only thing she could see, though, was a pair of broad shoulders covered by a black shirt. He must be tall, she thought. I wonder what he wants.

Slowly opening the door, Usagi assessed the man standing before her. He didn't look dangerous, but just because he didn't look it didn't mean he wasn't. He was tall, just as she'd thought, with pitch black hair and beautiful dark blue eyes. He looked vaguely familiar and it took her a moment to remember that he'd been the man she'd bumped into a few days ago outside the arcade. What was he doing at her house?

"Is this yours? I found it outside your door," he said.

Usagi looked down at his hand and for the first time noticed he was holding a small stuffed bunny. She immediately recognized it as Nariko's. Thank heaven it had been returned, Nariko would have refused to sleep without it. Smiling shyly, Usagi took the toy from him. "Thank you very much." Usagi paused for a moment, then continued, "I'm Usagi Tsukino."

"Mamoru Chiba," the man responded. "I live across the hall."

"Mamo," Nariko mimicked, coming to stand beside Usagi. She reached up and grabbed the bunny from her mother's hand, then cuddled it.

Usagi smiled and tousled Nariko's blond curls. "This munchkin is Nariko."

"Such a beautiful little girl," Mamoru complemented.

Nariko grinned, her blue eyes twinkling. "Mamo wat Nari. Mommy bye-bye."

"Er..."

Usagi laughed at the expression on Mamoru's face, which clearly said that he dreaded having to look after a child. A true bachelor. "No, Nari-chan, Mamoru isn't staying to baby sit. Mommy is going to stay home."

"No," Nariko denied. "Mommy bye-bye."

Usagi frowned down at the little girl. Sometimes the two year old could be extremely stubborn when she got an idea into her head. It was embarrassing to argue with a child in front of a stranger. Especially a cute stranger, her mind added.

"You're, um, looking for a babysitter?" Mamoru asked.

"No, I was supposed go out tonight but the sitter decided she'd rather go out with friends," Usagi explained. She knew her voice held a tinge of bitterness but she tried to sound as blasé as possible. She didn't want him to know how much it mattered to her.

"There's a girl down in 422--" Mamoru began.

"She's the one who cancelled," Usagi interrupted.

"Oh."

They stood in silence for a a moment before a commotion down the hall heralded the arrival of four girls. The loud chattering ceased as the girls stopped in front of Usagi's apartment.

"Are you ready to go?" Minako asked.

"Well, uh..." Usagi started.

"Mamoru, are you going to watch Nariko? I didn't know you and Usagi knew each other," Rei commented. "I didn't know you babysat, either."

"Er...well...actually..." Mamoru stuttered.

"We don't know each other," Usagi finished. "He was only returning a toy Nariko dropped outside. How do you know him, Rei?"

Rei grinned. "He and I went out for a little while when I was in junior high school."

"And he's always at the arcade so we all know him," Makoto added.

"Anyway, let's go," Minako urged.

Usagi sighed. "I'm sorry, guys, I can't go. My sitter cancelled."

"What?" all four girls yelled.

Usagi grimaced. "I can't go."

"Mamo wat!" Nariko demanded, startling all of them. They'd forgotten she was there.

"Yeah!" Minako agreed. "Mamoru can watch Nariko." No one commented that she was siding with a two year old.

"I don't think..." Mamoru began to object.

"Come on, Mamoru, please?" Rei begged. "Only for a few hours. We just want to go see a movie."

"Actually..." Mamoru tried again.

"How much do you want?" Makoto propositioned.

"I know! A date with Usagi!" Minako called. "We'll watch Nari and you two can go out."

"A what?" Usagi squeaked. "Now, wait a minute you guys..."

Mamoru had been reduced to sputtering, apparently at a complete loss for words. Usagi had a feeling that the four girls had been maneuvering the poor man like this for years. It was sad, really, to see a grown man outwitted by high school girls. He seemed like a nice enough guy, though, and Nariko had certainly taken to him. The girls obviously trusted him. Usagi had made sure she left all the emergency numbers on the counter. What was stopping her from going?

Nothing, she decided. Nothing's stopping me so I might as well go have some fun for once.

Allowing Minako to grab her by the hand and drag her from the apartment, Usagi watched as Mamoru was forced inside. Nariko immediately latched onto his leg, her stuffed bunny tucked under her arm. For such a large man, he looked decidedly uneasy.

"My cell phone number is on the kitchen counter by the telephone, on the top of the list. Call if anything is wrong. There's also her doctor's number, the fire department, the police, 9-1-1..." Usagi told him as the group of girls ushered her away. Usagi watched over her shoulder until she was pulled around the corner, then she turned to face Rei. "Do you think he'll be okay? He looked a little queasy."

"He'll be fine," Rei replied. "He's studying to be a pediatrician so he'll have to learn how to deal with kids one way or another."

Usagi laughed. She could just imagine the kind of introduction he would get with a few hours in the company of a two year old. Usagi hoped he would live through it.


Author's Note:
In case there is any confusion (or curiosity) I thought I'd clarify how old everyone is. Usagi, Minako, Makoto, Rei, and Ami are all 16 and juniors in high school; Mamoru is 20 and in college; Nariko is 2. You will learn more about Usagi's parents and sister further on in the story. I probably should have covered why Usagi is alone earlier, but oh well. :-) I will most likely go back and revise at a later date.

Oh, and I know nothing about 2 year olds. So if I'm doing something wrong with Nariko, please let me know. Just email me and I'll change it. And should I put translations? For example "wat" means "watch"

Chapter 4: Adventures in babysitting. How do I get myself into these things?

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Sailor Moon is copyright © 1992 Naoko Takeuchi/Kodansha, TOEI Animation. English Language Adaptation copyright © 1995 DiC Entertainment.