I didn't think I would get this done anytime soon, but thanks to the cheering squad of Stef, Megs,
Ropa, Kel and Hea-chan, I was able to do it after all. Oh, and for those of you who insisted I
needed more WAFF in this story, this is the chapter to find it. Enjoy!
Love is Never Silent 4/7
by Elysia
PG
"Where's Usagi-chan?" Mamoru asked. Again, she was no where to be seen. In fact, Mamoru
hadn't seen her since their lesson at the beginning of last week.
"I think she said something about her little brother playing another baseball game this afternoon.
They're over at the field in Jyuban Park," Minako spouted off, looking strangely at him. "Why so
curious about Usagi-chan all of a sudden?"
Mamoru didn't answer. He was off in his own little world, thinking that today was his chance to
finally help Usagi see that he wasn't as bad as she thought. "Jyuban Park, you said? Thanks,
Minako-chan." And to the surprise of all who knew Mamoru, he dashed out of the arcade and
down the street towards the park.
Walking among the scattered crowd sitting in the wooden bleachers, Mamoru finally spied Usagi
standing next to the fence, talking to the coach of one of the baseball teams. As the coach
returned to the dugout, he came up behind Usagi and tapped her on the shoulder. She jumped
and whirled around, obviously surprised to see Mamoru standing there. "What are you doing
here?"
"The girls told me you were here, so I thought I'd come over and help you out."
Usagi sighed in exasperation. "I don't understand why you want to be so involved in my life. Just
a week ago you would rather tease and torment me. Why the sudden change, Mamoru-san?"
He shrugged, not sure how to answer her. "I guess teasing isn't all it's cracked up to be."
"You just figured this out?" Usagi replied dryly. That won a slight smile from her companion.
"Anyway, thanks for showing up at my brother's baseball game. He needs more than just me for
a cheering section," she said happily.
"Your parents don't come to the games?"
Usagi shook her head. "Both of them work full time, and since the games are usually in the day,
it's too hard for them to get away from work. So he's got me," she grinned.
Mamoru couldn't help but smile at her. It had been a while since he had seen Usagi this cheerful.
"So you finally gave in, ne? I thought you were never going to introduce me to your brother."
She gave him a sideways look. "I didn't give in. I guess I thought it was the right time for you to
meet him. Believe me, it isn't an easy task."
"So this means you trust me, right?"
"Not by a long shot."
When the bleachers were nearly empty, Mamoru watched as Usagi came back to sit by him. She
had been up against the fence for almost the entire game, coaching Shingo through the batting
order when his coach wasn't around to do it. Even though his team lost the game, she was still
extremely proud of her little brother.
"C'mon, let's go." Usagi tugged on his arm. Mamoru's eyes widened. "You're actually going to let
me meet him this time?"
An amused smirk appeared on Usagi's lips. "If I don't you'll only get annoying again."
He quickly grabbed onto Usagi's arm. "I don't know what to say to him."
She smiled reassuringly. "I'll do all the talking for now, until you get in the habit of doing it
yourself. Besides, Shingo can lip-read. You won't be totally left out."
Mamoru followed her out of the bleachers and over to the dugout where Shingo was putting
away the last of the batting equipment. Usagi waved to the coach nearby and then tapped her
brother on the shoulder.
Shingo spun around and grinned when he saw his sister. His hands began to fly as he described
the details of the game to her.
"It's okay that you didn't win this time, Shingo," she replied, signing and speaking at the same
time. "I've never seen you hit the ball so far. I bet you'll win the next game." Usagi grinned at him.
Shingo finally noticed Mamoru standing behind his sister. "Who's that?" he asked her, pointing to
him. Usagi turned and pulled a stiff Mamoru next to her, whispering, "Time to introduce yourself."
"But I don't know how."
Usagi slugged Mamoru in the arm. "Did I teach you all the basics for nothing? Don't forget, he
lip-reads just as well as he signs. So either way, he'll understand you."
Mamoru nodded weakly, and turned to Shingo, trying his best to remember what he had learned
in the past few weeks. "My name is Mamoru," he signed awkwardly. "I'm a friend of Usagi's."
The young boy's gaze went from Usagi, then to Mamoru, and back to Usagi again. "Why is he
here, Usagi?"
"Don't be rude," she signed back. "He's my friend, and he's been wanting to meet you for a while.
Will you at least say hello to him?"
Shingo looked over at Mamoru again, and finally managed a small smile. "Hello, Mamoru-san,"
he signed slowly, not sure how he should accept this person. Just because he was a friend to his
older sister didn't mean he had to like him right away.
"Shingo," Usagi started signing again, "Mamoru-san is going to walk us home, so let him help
carry some of your equipment."
"But I can do it by myself!" he protested.
Usagi sighed. "I know that, but I don't want him to feel left out. Will you please be nice to him?
He's not like Papa."
The younger boy sighed. "I guess he can, 'nee-chan. I just don't want him to think I'm weird," he
finished signing and picked up his bag, thought for a second, then handed it to his sister's friend.
Mamoru stared blankly at it, took it from Shingo, then looked up at Usagi. "What's going on? I
didn't catch a lot of that."
Usagi smiled brightly. "You're walking us home, so I thought you'd be willing to help out."
"When did I agree to that?"
She raised an eyebrow. "Are you going to object?"
Mamoru flashed her a quirky grin. "Of course not."
From the corner of his eye, Shingo watched as his sister and her friend talked as they walked
home. He glanced at both of their mouths and guessed they were talking about her other friends.
For one small infinite moment, he wished he could join in on the conversation. But his wish went
unheard, just as it had countless times before.
Looking up from the sidewalk, Shingo tugged on Usagi's sleeve to let her know they were home.
Usagi smiled then signed, "Papa's not home yet, so why don't you go in and tell Mama about your
day?" The younger boy nodded, took his bag from Mamoru's grasp and went inside the house,
leaving Usagi and Mamoru alone on the front lawn.
"I don't think he likes me very much," Mamoru confirmed.
Usagi shook her head. "He just doesn't know you yet, so he doesn't know how he should act.
Don't worry, this happens with most new people." She sat down on the grass, letting the cool
breeze play with her long blonde hair. "I love this time of year. There won't be many more days
like this," Usagi sighed, laying on the ground. Mamoru also laid back on the grass and started
picking at the long green blades. He liked these kinds of times where he could just enjoy Usagi's
company. Sometimes the silence spoke more than words ever could.
He rolled over on his side and noticed Usagi's eyes were closed. With a sly grin, Mamoru picked
a handful of grass and started sprinkling it on Usagi's face, waking her up instantly. "What was
that for?" she protested, blowing the tickling blades out of her face.
He smiled. "You looked so peaceful there, I didn't know any other way to wake you up."
"A simple 'wake up' would have been just fine," she retorted, throwing the grass back at him. He
chuckled at her feigned anger and threw more grass at her.
Usagi yelped from suddenly being attacked. "All right, you asked for it!" She grabbed her own
handfuls of grass and flung them at Mamoru. He threw his and her handfuls combined until they
were both coated with hundreds of grass blades and laughing hysterically.
In the midst of their grass war, Shingo suddenly came back outside, carrying two mitts and a
baseball. Covered in grass, Usagi sat up and grinned at her little brother, though she couldn't stop
laughing. "Want to join in the fun?" she signed to Shingo. He smiled and shook his head.
Dropping the mitts on the ground, he signed back, "I thought you'd like to help me with my pitching."
"Of course!" Usagi jumped up and brushed all the loose grass off of her, most of it falling onto
Mamoru. She grabbed one of the mitts and waited for Shingo to throw the ball to her. The
younger boy pulled back, and threw the baseball in a high curve, which Usagi had to jump to
catch it. "Good throw!" she yelled and signed to her brother.
Just as she was about to throw the ball back, a hand from behind stopped her. Usagi turned
around to find Mamoru's hand around her wrist and a small smile on his face. "Mind if I take
over?"
"Sure, if you think you can handle Shingo's pitches. He's got a wild arm," she grinned.
He took the mitt from her. "I think I can handle it." Looking over to Shingo on the other side of
the yard, he signed, "Is it okay if I play too?" The younger boy stood there for a moment,
nodded, then bent down waiting for Mamoru to throw the ball back.
With a grin, Mamoru wound up, threw the ball back with a side curve, and Shingo caught it
smoothly. Usagi stood off to the sides, impressed that they were getting along so well. She
laughed when Mamoru missed the ball not just once, but three times in a row.
As they were enjoying their little game, a car pulled into the driveway, and after a few moments, a
man in his mid 40s stepped out. He looked over at Usagi and then to Shingo. Usagi spoke first.
"Hello, Papa. How was your day?"
"Long as usual," he replied. Then Kenji caught sight of the young man standing next to his
daughter. "And who is that?"
Usagi motioned to Mamoru. "This is Chiba Mamoru, Papa. He walked Shingo and I home today
after the baseball game."
Kenji grunted slightly, then turned to his son. "Time to come inside, Shingo. It's getting cold."
Usagi started to sign to her brother what her father said to him, but before she could, Kenji
stopped her. "He's twelve years old, Usagi. He can answer for himself." By this time Shingo had
turned around to face his father, and Kenji repeated himself. "Okay, Papa," Shingo replied, his
voice scratchy and hollow sounding. It was the first time Mamoru heard the boy use his voice,
and he could tell Shingo wasn't very happy about it.
As Shingo started to follow his father inside, Mamoru quickly tapped him on the shoulder and
signed, "You make a great baseball player." The younger boy beamed before disappearing into
the house.
Turning back to Usagi, he commented, "So that's your father?"
Usagi nodded glumly. "I hoped he wouldn't act like that in front of you, but that's how he usually
is. And Shingo isn't really in a position to stand up to him either."
"But at least he looked happy when I told him he makes an awesome baseball player. He was
grinning from ear to ear."
Usagi stared at Mamoru, a warm smile gracing her features. "I've never seen anyone make
Shingo smile like that. How do you do it?"
He noted that this was one of the few times Usagi smiled at him. Somehow, he had to make her
do that more often. "I just want to be Shingo's friend, Usagi. This world isn't as bad as you think.
We all have our dark days but that's when the good days mean so much more." Mamoru ran a
hand through his hair, embarrassed for talking so much. "I want to be your friend too,
Usagi-chan."
She smiled again and shook her head lightly. "And I used to think you were such a jerk. This is
another side of you that I've never seen, Mamoru-san. Why is that?"
He shrugged. "Most people don't ask. I once had my own problems that never seemed to end.
But I knew I couldn't give up, because that would mean they won." Mamoru slid an arm around
Usagi's shoulders and gave her a friendly squeeze. "Even though it's not your problem, I can see
that you're affected by whatever happens to your little brother," he continued. "So I guess what
I'm trying to say is that I want to be there for you like you're there for Shingo."
Usagi's eyes widened and a small gasp escaped from her lips. Tears shone in her eyes as she
threw her arms around Mamoru, hugging him tightly. "Thank you, Mamoru-san," she said softly.
His arms came up and slipped slowly around her waist. Deep in his heart he wished he could hold
her like this forever.
"I don't like the way he's holding her," Kenji growled as he peeked through the curtains.
Ikuko came into the room and pulled her husband away from the window. "You have nothing to
worry about, Kenji. I've never seen her as happy as she is now. Haven't you noticed a
difference?"
A deep scowl appeared on his face and he sighed. "I suppose you're right, Usagi does seem
happier. But I still don't like it."
Ikuko chuckled. "You don't like it because she's growing up and there's nothing you can do about
it." Laying a hand on Kenji's arm, she turned him around and snuggled into her husband's
embrace. "I couldn't be more pleased if something happened between Usagi and Mamoru-san.
He's just what she needs."
"How can you tell?"
"Because I'm her mother."
Ropa, Kel and Hea-chan, I was able to do it after all. Oh, and for those of you who insisted I
needed more WAFF in this story, this is the chapter to find it. Enjoy!
Love is Never Silent 4/7
by Elysia
PG
"Where's Usagi-chan?" Mamoru asked. Again, she was no where to be seen. In fact, Mamoru
hadn't seen her since their lesson at the beginning of last week.
"I think she said something about her little brother playing another baseball game this afternoon.
They're over at the field in Jyuban Park," Minako spouted off, looking strangely at him. "Why so
curious about Usagi-chan all of a sudden?"
Mamoru didn't answer. He was off in his own little world, thinking that today was his chance to
finally help Usagi see that he wasn't as bad as she thought. "Jyuban Park, you said? Thanks,
Minako-chan." And to the surprise of all who knew Mamoru, he dashed out of the arcade and
down the street towards the park.
Walking among the scattered crowd sitting in the wooden bleachers, Mamoru finally spied Usagi
standing next to the fence, talking to the coach of one of the baseball teams. As the coach
returned to the dugout, he came up behind Usagi and tapped her on the shoulder. She jumped
and whirled around, obviously surprised to see Mamoru standing there. "What are you doing
here?"
"The girls told me you were here, so I thought I'd come over and help you out."
Usagi sighed in exasperation. "I don't understand why you want to be so involved in my life. Just
a week ago you would rather tease and torment me. Why the sudden change, Mamoru-san?"
He shrugged, not sure how to answer her. "I guess teasing isn't all it's cracked up to be."
"You just figured this out?" Usagi replied dryly. That won a slight smile from her companion.
"Anyway, thanks for showing up at my brother's baseball game. He needs more than just me for
a cheering section," she said happily.
"Your parents don't come to the games?"
Usagi shook her head. "Both of them work full time, and since the games are usually in the day,
it's too hard for them to get away from work. So he's got me," she grinned.
Mamoru couldn't help but smile at her. It had been a while since he had seen Usagi this cheerful.
"So you finally gave in, ne? I thought you were never going to introduce me to your brother."
She gave him a sideways look. "I didn't give in. I guess I thought it was the right time for you to
meet him. Believe me, it isn't an easy task."
"So this means you trust me, right?"
"Not by a long shot."
When the bleachers were nearly empty, Mamoru watched as Usagi came back to sit by him. She
had been up against the fence for almost the entire game, coaching Shingo through the batting
order when his coach wasn't around to do it. Even though his team lost the game, she was still
extremely proud of her little brother.
"C'mon, let's go." Usagi tugged on his arm. Mamoru's eyes widened. "You're actually going to let
me meet him this time?"
An amused smirk appeared on Usagi's lips. "If I don't you'll only get annoying again."
He quickly grabbed onto Usagi's arm. "I don't know what to say to him."
She smiled reassuringly. "I'll do all the talking for now, until you get in the habit of doing it
yourself. Besides, Shingo can lip-read. You won't be totally left out."
Mamoru followed her out of the bleachers and over to the dugout where Shingo was putting
away the last of the batting equipment. Usagi waved to the coach nearby and then tapped her
brother on the shoulder.
Shingo spun around and grinned when he saw his sister. His hands began to fly as he described
the details of the game to her.
"It's okay that you didn't win this time, Shingo," she replied, signing and speaking at the same
time. "I've never seen you hit the ball so far. I bet you'll win the next game." Usagi grinned at him.
Shingo finally noticed Mamoru standing behind his sister. "Who's that?" he asked her, pointing to
him. Usagi turned and pulled a stiff Mamoru next to her, whispering, "Time to introduce yourself."
"But I don't know how."
Usagi slugged Mamoru in the arm. "Did I teach you all the basics for nothing? Don't forget, he
lip-reads just as well as he signs. So either way, he'll understand you."
Mamoru nodded weakly, and turned to Shingo, trying his best to remember what he had learned
in the past few weeks. "My name is Mamoru," he signed awkwardly. "I'm a friend of Usagi's."
The young boy's gaze went from Usagi, then to Mamoru, and back to Usagi again. "Why is he
here, Usagi?"
"Don't be rude," she signed back. "He's my friend, and he's been wanting to meet you for a while.
Will you at least say hello to him?"
Shingo looked over at Mamoru again, and finally managed a small smile. "Hello, Mamoru-san,"
he signed slowly, not sure how he should accept this person. Just because he was a friend to his
older sister didn't mean he had to like him right away.
"Shingo," Usagi started signing again, "Mamoru-san is going to walk us home, so let him help
carry some of your equipment."
"But I can do it by myself!" he protested.
Usagi sighed. "I know that, but I don't want him to feel left out. Will you please be nice to him?
He's not like Papa."
The younger boy sighed. "I guess he can, 'nee-chan. I just don't want him to think I'm weird," he
finished signing and picked up his bag, thought for a second, then handed it to his sister's friend.
Mamoru stared blankly at it, took it from Shingo, then looked up at Usagi. "What's going on? I
didn't catch a lot of that."
Usagi smiled brightly. "You're walking us home, so I thought you'd be willing to help out."
"When did I agree to that?"
She raised an eyebrow. "Are you going to object?"
Mamoru flashed her a quirky grin. "Of course not."
From the corner of his eye, Shingo watched as his sister and her friend talked as they walked
home. He glanced at both of their mouths and guessed they were talking about her other friends.
For one small infinite moment, he wished he could join in on the conversation. But his wish went
unheard, just as it had countless times before.
Looking up from the sidewalk, Shingo tugged on Usagi's sleeve to let her know they were home.
Usagi smiled then signed, "Papa's not home yet, so why don't you go in and tell Mama about your
day?" The younger boy nodded, took his bag from Mamoru's grasp and went inside the house,
leaving Usagi and Mamoru alone on the front lawn.
"I don't think he likes me very much," Mamoru confirmed.
Usagi shook her head. "He just doesn't know you yet, so he doesn't know how he should act.
Don't worry, this happens with most new people." She sat down on the grass, letting the cool
breeze play with her long blonde hair. "I love this time of year. There won't be many more days
like this," Usagi sighed, laying on the ground. Mamoru also laid back on the grass and started
picking at the long green blades. He liked these kinds of times where he could just enjoy Usagi's
company. Sometimes the silence spoke more than words ever could.
He rolled over on his side and noticed Usagi's eyes were closed. With a sly grin, Mamoru picked
a handful of grass and started sprinkling it on Usagi's face, waking her up instantly. "What was
that for?" she protested, blowing the tickling blades out of her face.
He smiled. "You looked so peaceful there, I didn't know any other way to wake you up."
"A simple 'wake up' would have been just fine," she retorted, throwing the grass back at him. He
chuckled at her feigned anger and threw more grass at her.
Usagi yelped from suddenly being attacked. "All right, you asked for it!" She grabbed her own
handfuls of grass and flung them at Mamoru. He threw his and her handfuls combined until they
were both coated with hundreds of grass blades and laughing hysterically.
In the midst of their grass war, Shingo suddenly came back outside, carrying two mitts and a
baseball. Covered in grass, Usagi sat up and grinned at her little brother, though she couldn't stop
laughing. "Want to join in the fun?" she signed to Shingo. He smiled and shook his head.
Dropping the mitts on the ground, he signed back, "I thought you'd like to help me with my pitching."
"Of course!" Usagi jumped up and brushed all the loose grass off of her, most of it falling onto
Mamoru. She grabbed one of the mitts and waited for Shingo to throw the ball to her. The
younger boy pulled back, and threw the baseball in a high curve, which Usagi had to jump to
catch it. "Good throw!" she yelled and signed to her brother.
Just as she was about to throw the ball back, a hand from behind stopped her. Usagi turned
around to find Mamoru's hand around her wrist and a small smile on his face. "Mind if I take
over?"
"Sure, if you think you can handle Shingo's pitches. He's got a wild arm," she grinned.
He took the mitt from her. "I think I can handle it." Looking over to Shingo on the other side of
the yard, he signed, "Is it okay if I play too?" The younger boy stood there for a moment,
nodded, then bent down waiting for Mamoru to throw the ball back.
With a grin, Mamoru wound up, threw the ball back with a side curve, and Shingo caught it
smoothly. Usagi stood off to the sides, impressed that they were getting along so well. She
laughed when Mamoru missed the ball not just once, but three times in a row.
As they were enjoying their little game, a car pulled into the driveway, and after a few moments, a
man in his mid 40s stepped out. He looked over at Usagi and then to Shingo. Usagi spoke first.
"Hello, Papa. How was your day?"
"Long as usual," he replied. Then Kenji caught sight of the young man standing next to his
daughter. "And who is that?"
Usagi motioned to Mamoru. "This is Chiba Mamoru, Papa. He walked Shingo and I home today
after the baseball game."
Kenji grunted slightly, then turned to his son. "Time to come inside, Shingo. It's getting cold."
Usagi started to sign to her brother what her father said to him, but before she could, Kenji
stopped her. "He's twelve years old, Usagi. He can answer for himself." By this time Shingo had
turned around to face his father, and Kenji repeated himself. "Okay, Papa," Shingo replied, his
voice scratchy and hollow sounding. It was the first time Mamoru heard the boy use his voice,
and he could tell Shingo wasn't very happy about it.
As Shingo started to follow his father inside, Mamoru quickly tapped him on the shoulder and
signed, "You make a great baseball player." The younger boy beamed before disappearing into
the house.
Turning back to Usagi, he commented, "So that's your father?"
Usagi nodded glumly. "I hoped he wouldn't act like that in front of you, but that's how he usually
is. And Shingo isn't really in a position to stand up to him either."
"But at least he looked happy when I told him he makes an awesome baseball player. He was
grinning from ear to ear."
Usagi stared at Mamoru, a warm smile gracing her features. "I've never seen anyone make
Shingo smile like that. How do you do it?"
He noted that this was one of the few times Usagi smiled at him. Somehow, he had to make her
do that more often. "I just want to be Shingo's friend, Usagi. This world isn't as bad as you think.
We all have our dark days but that's when the good days mean so much more." Mamoru ran a
hand through his hair, embarrassed for talking so much. "I want to be your friend too,
Usagi-chan."
She smiled again and shook her head lightly. "And I used to think you were such a jerk. This is
another side of you that I've never seen, Mamoru-san. Why is that?"
He shrugged. "Most people don't ask. I once had my own problems that never seemed to end.
But I knew I couldn't give up, because that would mean they won." Mamoru slid an arm around
Usagi's shoulders and gave her a friendly squeeze. "Even though it's not your problem, I can see
that you're affected by whatever happens to your little brother," he continued. "So I guess what
I'm trying to say is that I want to be there for you like you're there for Shingo."
Usagi's eyes widened and a small gasp escaped from her lips. Tears shone in her eyes as she
threw her arms around Mamoru, hugging him tightly. "Thank you, Mamoru-san," she said softly.
His arms came up and slipped slowly around her waist. Deep in his heart he wished he could hold
her like this forever.
"I don't like the way he's holding her," Kenji growled as he peeked through the curtains.
Ikuko came into the room and pulled her husband away from the window. "You have nothing to
worry about, Kenji. I've never seen her as happy as she is now. Haven't you noticed a
difference?"
A deep scowl appeared on his face and he sighed. "I suppose you're right, Usagi does seem
happier. But I still don't like it."
Ikuko chuckled. "You don't like it because she's growing up and there's nothing you can do about
it." Laying a hand on Kenji's arm, she turned him around and snuggled into her husband's
embrace. "I couldn't be more pleased if something happened between Usagi and Mamoru-san.
He's just what she needs."
"How can you tell?"
"Because I'm her mother."