Chapter 1
"Don't you EVER wear different clothes?" Usagi looked up from the Sailor V video game where she was helping a little girl play.
"Oh? Odango Atama... I didn't know you cared!" Mamoru grinned as he walked into the arcade. "I think the only question now is 'Why did you notice?' Hm?"
"Baka!" She scoffed, tossing a rag used to clean the screens at him. "I noticed because not only is your fashion sense offensive to MY eyes, but to all of Tokyo!"
"And I value the opinion of a 15 yr old SO much!" Mamoru sneered sarcastically. "... Especially one that looks like you."
"What do you mean by that?"
"I should've figured that you couldn't wrap your small brain around a comment like that... What I meant was that someone with such a bizarre & stupid hairstyle as yours shouldn't be lecturing anyone on appearances."
"Yeah, yeah, whatever." Usagi shrugged him off.
"So, tell me, Odango Atama. How do you like working here at Crown? This is your first job, ne?"
"Hai. It's fun working here."
"Why now?"
"What's it to you?" Usagi asked suspiciously.
"I was just wondering..." Mamoru said innocently. Usagi smiled & was about to explain when Mamoru continued. "... How a such a lazy teenager decided she wanted a job."
Usagi groaned. "You're still a teenager yourself!"
"Ahh. That may be so, but only for another month. Then I'll turn 20 & become an adult."
"You'll be one but I doubt you'll act like one." Usagi shot. "And by the way, I'm not 15 anymore, I turned 16 the day before yesterday."
"Oh, congratulations."
"Wow. That ALMOST sounded sincere!"
"Come now, honestly, why did you choose now to get a job?" Mamoru asked.
"Do you REALLY want to know?" She asked curiously & he nodded in reply. She giggled a little & pulled up a stool next to him, glancing around to make sure no kids were within earshot. "My family... left yesterday... for a summer-break-long vacation!"
"And..."
"And I, of course, can't go with them because I have my new job & I need to be responsible." Usagi winked.
"It seems to have worked out pretty well for you then, ne? But you know, being alone, for any amount of time isn't always what it's cracked up to be." Mamoru warned.
"Aw... well don't you worry your pretty little head about it! I won't be alone for this evening & many more this summer, I assume."
"Is that so?"
"It is! /I/ have a date tonight."
"You surprise me, Odango Atama. Perhaps your parents should have named you 'Kitsune' instead of 'Usagi'!" He laughed. Usagi rolled her eyes & undid her apron. [A.N. 'Kitsune' means 'Fox' | 'Usagi' means 'Rabbit']
"Well isn't this a surprise, to finally see you two getting along!" Motoki grinned as he walked over.
"Don't be fooled. We still hate each other." Mamoru said & Usagi agreed.
"I know, I know, you were rehearsing for a play, right?" Motoki grinned.
"Not exactly..." Usagi laughed. "But I have a date tonight, can I book off early?"
"Only if you tell me who's your date." Motoki said.
"Just a boy..." Usagi smiled sweetly. "He's in the grade ahead of me."
"What's his name?" Mamoru asked.
"I'm not about to tell a couple of 19 year olds about everything that's going on in my life. Juts wait & see, maybe we'll stop by here someday this summer."
"You seem pretty serious about this guy." Motoki said.
"He's really great. He's a sweet guy." Usagi smiled.
"You know, Odango Atama, often times when we really like someone we refuse to acknowledge any of their bad points." Mamoru said. Gosh he was annoying. "You just want to imagine that he's perfect."
"Interesting words coming from a man whose thoughts have never gotten that far with any of the women he's slept with." Usagi pointed out. "Besides, I don't think he perfect. I know perfectly well that he's going to have a few quirks that I won't like. He's only human." She said. "I've got to go... I'm meeting him in an hour."
"Well, have fun! I'll be expecting to here all about it tomorrow morning." Mamoru grinned. Usagi turned & began to leave.
"Usagi-chan, WAIT!" Motoki called out. "Be careful, okay? Even nice guys can turn into wolves when you're alone with them."
"Don't worry. I'm a big girl. I can take care of myself & anyone else who comes my way." She turned back around & walked out the door, excited about her date.
*~*~*~*1 Week Later*~*~*~*
"Where's Odango Atama? Is she not here again?" Mamoru asked Motoki as he walked into the arcade. Usagi had missed the entire week of work since her date.
"Nope. She must still be sick." Motoki replied. "I'm a little worried actually, she's all alone. Can you come with me to her house? I'm going to see how she's doing."
"What about Crown?"
"It's still too early for customers. They won't even start coming for another 2 hours, so I'll just close it for now." Motoki answered. "So how about it?"
"Fine. I'll come with you, but only because I want to know how her date went."
Motoki put out the 'CLOSED' sign & locked the arcade's doors & they were on their way. The two men arrived at Usagi's house about 10 minutes later. They had to knock on the door 3 different times before she finally answered.
"Good morning Usa-" Motoki stopped mid-sentence as he & Mamoru's jaws dropped. "You look awful!"
"You really aren't feeling well, are you? I thought you were just faking it because you're too lazy to come to work." Mamoru teased. His expression changed as he studied her more closely, however.
Motoki couldn't stop staring at Usagi. She was dressed in baggy clothes, a pair of jogging pants and a sweater that went down almost to her knees. But even so, he could tell she had lost some weight, he had always worried about how thin she was before. Her face was gaunt & she had dark circles under her eyes. There also seemed to be the faint remnants of a bruise on her right eye, & a crack in her lip.
"What are you staring at?!" The usually cheerful Usagi was strangely cruel to her blonde-haired friend. She took a self-conscious step back.
"What happened to your face?" Mamoru asked suspiciously.
"I passed out the other day & hit my head on the corner of the couch." Usually Usagi would smile & blush in embarrassment but she didn't this time... she remained tense & glared at the two men.
It seemed like a true enough story so Motoki let it go, but it still seemed strange to Mamoru & he made a note of it.
"Usagi-chan..." Motoki began uneasily. "What's the matter, do you have a fever?"
He reached out to feel her forehead but just as he was about to Usagi cried out. She slapped his hand away & shrank back. "DON'T TOUCH ME!"
"Usagi-chan, I- I'm sorry!" Motoki wasn't even sure what he was apologizing for. He & Mamoru stared in disbelief at her.
Usagi flushed lightly when she realized how she was acting. She brushed away the tears that had quickly come to her eyes. "I'm sorry. I'm cranky when I'm sick."
"It's alright. I was just worried because you've missed so much time."
"I'll be back to work soon. Don't worry." She forced herself to smile convincingly & they left.
*~*~*3 Days Later*~*~*
Over the next few days Mamoru thought of Usagi's strange behaviour & appearance almost constantly. It seemed as though the more he tired not to think about it... the more he did. On the 3rd day of his wondering about her, Usagi came back to work. Her bruise was no longer visible & her lip had healed, but other than that she looked the same as when they had seen her 3 days earlier.
"Usagi-chan, are you SURE you're feeling better?" Motoki asked worriedly.
"Hai."["Yes."] She closed her eyes as she nodded & swallowed hard. "Daijoubu." ["I'm fine."]
"You still look like hell." Mamoru walked over to her.
"Well, thank you." Usagi frowned. Motoki left to greet some customers, glancing like a nervous older brother in Usagi's direction every 30 seconds.
"You still haven't told me about your hot date." Mamoru grinned as usual.
"It's not important. We went to a movie & took a walk in the park. That's it. Nothing special. Just a regular, everyday, run-of-the-mill, date." Usagi laughed & looked around the room.
"Hm..." Mamoru watched her eyes dart around. "Such a pity that it was such an ordinary date."
"Yeah. Oh well. I better get to work." She started to walk off but Mamoru grabbed her wrist. She turned around sharply & shook her arm loose. She held her breath uneasily as she stared up at him. "Nani?" ["What?"]
"Can I talk to you later?.. Just the two of us?" Mamoru chanced it, he didn't even need to ask. Judging by her actions, he already knew her answer.
"Not on you life!" Usagi frowned at him angrily. "The LAST thing I want to do is go somewhere alone with a guy like you! Now, excuse me. I need to get to work."
"Alright then. I'm sorry to keep you from getting your work done." Mamoru backed off. Usagi's words bothered him though. He wasn't sure why he cared so much about how she was acting anyway. But he was beginning to suspect what was wrong... & if he was right he'd have to help her out... she would need it.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
He-yo, minna! How is it so far? I hope you are enjoying it. This is my first fic like this... so be kind & review, I need to know how to make it better! ^_^
"Don't you EVER wear different clothes?" Usagi looked up from the Sailor V video game where she was helping a little girl play.
"Oh? Odango Atama... I didn't know you cared!" Mamoru grinned as he walked into the arcade. "I think the only question now is 'Why did you notice?' Hm?"
"Baka!" She scoffed, tossing a rag used to clean the screens at him. "I noticed because not only is your fashion sense offensive to MY eyes, but to all of Tokyo!"
"And I value the opinion of a 15 yr old SO much!" Mamoru sneered sarcastically. "... Especially one that looks like you."
"What do you mean by that?"
"I should've figured that you couldn't wrap your small brain around a comment like that... What I meant was that someone with such a bizarre & stupid hairstyle as yours shouldn't be lecturing anyone on appearances."
"Yeah, yeah, whatever." Usagi shrugged him off.
"So, tell me, Odango Atama. How do you like working here at Crown? This is your first job, ne?"
"Hai. It's fun working here."
"Why now?"
"What's it to you?" Usagi asked suspiciously.
"I was just wondering..." Mamoru said innocently. Usagi smiled & was about to explain when Mamoru continued. "... How a such a lazy teenager decided she wanted a job."
Usagi groaned. "You're still a teenager yourself!"
"Ahh. That may be so, but only for another month. Then I'll turn 20 & become an adult."
"You'll be one but I doubt you'll act like one." Usagi shot. "And by the way, I'm not 15 anymore, I turned 16 the day before yesterday."
"Oh, congratulations."
"Wow. That ALMOST sounded sincere!"
"Come now, honestly, why did you choose now to get a job?" Mamoru asked.
"Do you REALLY want to know?" She asked curiously & he nodded in reply. She giggled a little & pulled up a stool next to him, glancing around to make sure no kids were within earshot. "My family... left yesterday... for a summer-break-long vacation!"
"And..."
"And I, of course, can't go with them because I have my new job & I need to be responsible." Usagi winked.
"It seems to have worked out pretty well for you then, ne? But you know, being alone, for any amount of time isn't always what it's cracked up to be." Mamoru warned.
"Aw... well don't you worry your pretty little head about it! I won't be alone for this evening & many more this summer, I assume."
"Is that so?"
"It is! /I/ have a date tonight."
"You surprise me, Odango Atama. Perhaps your parents should have named you 'Kitsune' instead of 'Usagi'!" He laughed. Usagi rolled her eyes & undid her apron. [A.N. 'Kitsune' means 'Fox' | 'Usagi' means 'Rabbit']
"Well isn't this a surprise, to finally see you two getting along!" Motoki grinned as he walked over.
"Don't be fooled. We still hate each other." Mamoru said & Usagi agreed.
"I know, I know, you were rehearsing for a play, right?" Motoki grinned.
"Not exactly..." Usagi laughed. "But I have a date tonight, can I book off early?"
"Only if you tell me who's your date." Motoki said.
"Just a boy..." Usagi smiled sweetly. "He's in the grade ahead of me."
"What's his name?" Mamoru asked.
"I'm not about to tell a couple of 19 year olds about everything that's going on in my life. Juts wait & see, maybe we'll stop by here someday this summer."
"You seem pretty serious about this guy." Motoki said.
"He's really great. He's a sweet guy." Usagi smiled.
"You know, Odango Atama, often times when we really like someone we refuse to acknowledge any of their bad points." Mamoru said. Gosh he was annoying. "You just want to imagine that he's perfect."
"Interesting words coming from a man whose thoughts have never gotten that far with any of the women he's slept with." Usagi pointed out. "Besides, I don't think he perfect. I know perfectly well that he's going to have a few quirks that I won't like. He's only human." She said. "I've got to go... I'm meeting him in an hour."
"Well, have fun! I'll be expecting to here all about it tomorrow morning." Mamoru grinned. Usagi turned & began to leave.
"Usagi-chan, WAIT!" Motoki called out. "Be careful, okay? Even nice guys can turn into wolves when you're alone with them."
"Don't worry. I'm a big girl. I can take care of myself & anyone else who comes my way." She turned back around & walked out the door, excited about her date.
*~*~*~*1 Week Later*~*~*~*
"Where's Odango Atama? Is she not here again?" Mamoru asked Motoki as he walked into the arcade. Usagi had missed the entire week of work since her date.
"Nope. She must still be sick." Motoki replied. "I'm a little worried actually, she's all alone. Can you come with me to her house? I'm going to see how she's doing."
"What about Crown?"
"It's still too early for customers. They won't even start coming for another 2 hours, so I'll just close it for now." Motoki answered. "So how about it?"
"Fine. I'll come with you, but only because I want to know how her date went."
Motoki put out the 'CLOSED' sign & locked the arcade's doors & they were on their way. The two men arrived at Usagi's house about 10 minutes later. They had to knock on the door 3 different times before she finally answered.
"Good morning Usa-" Motoki stopped mid-sentence as he & Mamoru's jaws dropped. "You look awful!"
"You really aren't feeling well, are you? I thought you were just faking it because you're too lazy to come to work." Mamoru teased. His expression changed as he studied her more closely, however.
Motoki couldn't stop staring at Usagi. She was dressed in baggy clothes, a pair of jogging pants and a sweater that went down almost to her knees. But even so, he could tell she had lost some weight, he had always worried about how thin she was before. Her face was gaunt & she had dark circles under her eyes. There also seemed to be the faint remnants of a bruise on her right eye, & a crack in her lip.
"What are you staring at?!" The usually cheerful Usagi was strangely cruel to her blonde-haired friend. She took a self-conscious step back.
"What happened to your face?" Mamoru asked suspiciously.
"I passed out the other day & hit my head on the corner of the couch." Usually Usagi would smile & blush in embarrassment but she didn't this time... she remained tense & glared at the two men.
It seemed like a true enough story so Motoki let it go, but it still seemed strange to Mamoru & he made a note of it.
"Usagi-chan..." Motoki began uneasily. "What's the matter, do you have a fever?"
He reached out to feel her forehead but just as he was about to Usagi cried out. She slapped his hand away & shrank back. "DON'T TOUCH ME!"
"Usagi-chan, I- I'm sorry!" Motoki wasn't even sure what he was apologizing for. He & Mamoru stared in disbelief at her.
Usagi flushed lightly when she realized how she was acting. She brushed away the tears that had quickly come to her eyes. "I'm sorry. I'm cranky when I'm sick."
"It's alright. I was just worried because you've missed so much time."
"I'll be back to work soon. Don't worry." She forced herself to smile convincingly & they left.
*~*~*3 Days Later*~*~*
Over the next few days Mamoru thought of Usagi's strange behaviour & appearance almost constantly. It seemed as though the more he tired not to think about it... the more he did. On the 3rd day of his wondering about her, Usagi came back to work. Her bruise was no longer visible & her lip had healed, but other than that she looked the same as when they had seen her 3 days earlier.
"Usagi-chan, are you SURE you're feeling better?" Motoki asked worriedly.
"Hai."["Yes."] She closed her eyes as she nodded & swallowed hard. "Daijoubu." ["I'm fine."]
"You still look like hell." Mamoru walked over to her.
"Well, thank you." Usagi frowned. Motoki left to greet some customers, glancing like a nervous older brother in Usagi's direction every 30 seconds.
"You still haven't told me about your hot date." Mamoru grinned as usual.
"It's not important. We went to a movie & took a walk in the park. That's it. Nothing special. Just a regular, everyday, run-of-the-mill, date." Usagi laughed & looked around the room.
"Hm..." Mamoru watched her eyes dart around. "Such a pity that it was such an ordinary date."
"Yeah. Oh well. I better get to work." She started to walk off but Mamoru grabbed her wrist. She turned around sharply & shook her arm loose. She held her breath uneasily as she stared up at him. "Nani?" ["What?"]
"Can I talk to you later?.. Just the two of us?" Mamoru chanced it, he didn't even need to ask. Judging by her actions, he already knew her answer.
"Not on you life!" Usagi frowned at him angrily. "The LAST thing I want to do is go somewhere alone with a guy like you! Now, excuse me. I need to get to work."
"Alright then. I'm sorry to keep you from getting your work done." Mamoru backed off. Usagi's words bothered him though. He wasn't sure why he cared so much about how she was acting anyway. But he was beginning to suspect what was wrong... & if he was right he'd have to help her out... she would need it.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
He-yo, minna! How is it so far? I hope you are enjoying it. This is my first fic like this... so be kind & review, I need to know how to make it better! ^_^