TRAPPED!
By: Krysia
Setting: First Season, PG-13ish
Chapter 13
e-mail: Krysia2882@hotmail.com
Usagi sat on the kitchen floor watching as Mamoru patiently worked at ripping the seam of the sleeping bag. The linoleum was uncomfortable, but after their last disaster, Mamoru had decreed that it would be safer for both of them if they had stayed there until they could move separate from one another. Usagi had dared not to protest so now she sat huddled next to him as he worked.
'Safer indeed,' Usagi thought. It didn't take much effort to recall how embarrassed she was when Mamoru asked her to close her eyes. That could have only meant one thing. But she didn't see anything! She didn't WANT to see anything! Talk about making what was a funny situation.very uncomfortable. It's so unfair. It was the first time that she ever-got one up on Mamoru and he had to ruin it. Then, when he brushed her hair out of her face and said she could open her eyes.what was that all about? She tipped her head down, her hair sweeping down to hide her face, so that Mamoru wouldn't chance to see her pink cheeks and realize what she was thinking about. She would get the girls back no matter what. Nothing could compare to the misery of being perpetually embarrassed, but she would find something close.
She peeked through the blonde strands and stared morosely at Mamoru's hands. Currently, he was using the paring knife to cut the center seam, which would hopefully render the sleeping bag in two parts. His head was bent forward to see the small stitching better. He had been working on this for more than two hours and was only about half done. Usagi squirmed restlessly. She had been quiet up until now. She had been analyzing their situation and was still at a loss at why the girls and Motoki were putting them through this. 'Was their arguing so terrible? Was it so bad that they felt the need to go to such lengths? It's been almost two whole days and she and Mamoru haven't tried to kill each other yet. The fact that they survived the weekend should be good enough for the girls,' she rationalized. 'After all, what do they hope to accomplish having us together a whole month? It's not like we could be friends when this is over; maybe co-conspirators of a revenge plot, but never friends.'
Meanwhile, Mamoru's thoughts weren't solely centered on his task. Feigning total concentration, he reflected on what happened earlier. His annoyance and embarrassment had melted away when he knelt next to Usagi and brushed her hair out of her face. He had no idea what caused him to act with such tenderness towards his mortal enemy, but now he was regretting it. 'Damn Motoki,' he thought. The guy had countless times told him to look past the insults and klutz attacks and see the girl underneath. When he saw her scrunched up face and pink cheeks, he finally saw what Motoki had encouraged him to look for all along. A sweet girl with a heart of gold, one who would always try to make the right choice for fear of hurting someone else. 'Except when arguing with him,' he amended. Grudgingly he admitted to himself that he had been going out of his way to keep people at a distance to focus on his true purpose.finding the princess. And it was more of a challenge for some.
Movement of the sleeping bag pulled him from his thoughts and he looked up at Usagi. He had been so intent on thoughts of her, that he had forgotten that she was sitting next to him. He frowned slightly as he realized that it was totally out of character for her to be silent for so long. He set the knife carefully on the floor next to him and extended his hand to place a cool palm on her forehead.
Usagi jerked her head up at Mamoru's touch causing his hand to slide down and smack her in the nose.
"Ow!" she whined. She glared at the dark-haired youth staring at her. One hand slid out from the sleeping bag to check the offended appendage. "What's that for and why did you stop working? Are you finished?"
He quirked a grin though concern still showed in his eyes. "It goes against your nature to be so quiet for so long. I figured you must be ill."
"Yea. I'm sick of being here," she muttered quietly.
Mamoru dropped his arm to his lap and winced internally. "Sorry Odango that I'm not your choice of companions." His voice was cool and his face was impassive; he looked down to see where he set his knife to resume his task. He missed the flash of remorse that passed across Usagi's face.
"I'm sorry Mamoru-san. I didn't mean I was sick of you. I'm just tired of this whole ordeal. There is nothing to do except focus on getting through this situation with the minimum of embarrassment. And even if I were to talk your ear off, I'm sure that there is nothing I have to say that would interest you."
Mamoru glanced up at Usagi's apology and watched her as she scooted back slightly to lean against the kitchen cupboards. She was wrapped up to her chin in her end of the sleeping bag and as she relaxed her weight to rest against the wood surface, she began to slide downwards. Because she was completely encased in the thick fabric, she had nothing to stop her from her ending up in a very awkward and uncomfortable position on the floor. Mamoru chuckled and shook his head.
"I'm sure you'd find some way to amuse me."
In response, Usagi stuck her tongue out at the irritating man laughing at her. But there was no graceful way to resume a sitting position and instead, she flopped around like a fish out of water. Mamoru realized her predicament immediately and reached over to help her upright.
"Let's take a break. This is taking longer than I had though it would. I've never seen anything so well made as this." Mamoru prepared himself to stand. " It must be getting close to lunchtime anyway, so let's make something to eat."
Usagi immediately brightened. "Yea! Now you're talking my language!"
Mamoru halted her movements as she tried to rise. "Just a minute. Let's do this together. We seem to have more success when we synchronize ourselves." He reached for her hand, which she snaked out from under the sleeping bag. As he stood, he pulled Usagi up with him and led her to the refrigerator.
After convincing Usagi that rationing the pre-made meals would be less work for them in the long run, they enjoyed only one of Makoto's homemade dishes. This really was the ideal since each only had one hand to work with for preparing the meal, though strategic leaning would allow Mamoru two hands. It wasn't long and the couple was sitting at the table enjoying a hot meal and chatting like old friends.
Once the meal was complete and kitchen cleaned, Mamoru grabbed the paring knife from earlier, dropped it to the floor and kicked it across the room towards the futon. Before Usagi could ask, he explained, "This way I don't have to worry about impaling myself when we cross the room. I thought it would be more comfortable on the futon trying to finish this up than sitting here in the kitchen. This way you can lay down and take a nap or look through those magazines while I'm working."
Usagi was touched by his thoughtfulness. She gave him a tremulous smile. "Thank you Mamoru-san. That is very considerate of you."
He smiled at her. "It's not without totally selfish reasons, mind you. That linoleum is very hard on the hind end."
Usagi began to laugh. "That's a relief. I think I would be checking your forehead if you were putting my comfort before everything else."
"Yea, well." he shrugged uncomfortably. Mamoru led the way back to the futon and once Usagi had made herself comfortable, he settled down to work.
It wasn't long before Usagi had finished the magazines and was napping on the futon. Occasionally Mamoru glanced her way, telling himself that he was making sure she was ok. Especially since yesterday she was still experiencing after-effects of that drug Motoki had used to knock them out. He couldn't help but think that other than the embarrassing situations they've had to deal with, they were both coping quite well. There was a sense of familiarity about her, which Mamoru dismissed as that somehow during all their heated exchanges, they had gotten to know each other. 'Which makes sense, since we know exactly how to insult one another,' he thought. 'But I guess it's true how they say that any task is much easier when two people work together.'
His thoughts wandered as he continued his tedious task. Lunch had been relatively pleasant and Mamoru had found himself sharing stories about Motoki and school with the blonde-haired girl. Reflecting back, he realized that he probably talked more than she did, which was a shock in itself. But he also admitted to himself that he enjoyed watching her eyes light up with laughter and mischief. They had tossed around a few ideas for revenge, but none had really sounded equal to the situation that they found themselves in.
As he finished cutting the last stitch, he set the knife down with a sigh. That had been a major ordeal. What should have been a quick snip and rip, turned into an all-day project. But now finally, they each had their own section of covering and would be allowed some freedom of movement. And now, maybe they could find a way to escape.
Usagi sat on the kitchen floor watching as Mamoru patiently worked at ripping the seam of the sleeping bag. The linoleum was uncomfortable, but after their last disaster, Mamoru had decreed that it would be safer for both of them if they had stayed there until they could move separate from one another. Usagi had dared not to protest so now she sat huddled next to him as he worked.
'Safer indeed,' Usagi thought. It didn't take much effort to recall how embarrassed she was when Mamoru asked her to close her eyes. That could have only meant one thing. But she didn't see anything! She didn't WANT to see anything! Talk about making what was a funny situation.very uncomfortable. It's so unfair. It was the first time that she ever-got one up on Mamoru and he had to ruin it. Then, when he brushed her hair out of her face and said she could open her eyes.what was that all about? She tipped her head down, her hair sweeping down to hide her face, so that Mamoru wouldn't chance to see her pink cheeks and realize what she was thinking about. She would get the girls back no matter what. Nothing could compare to the misery of being perpetually embarrassed, but she would find something close.
She peeked through the blonde strands and stared morosely at Mamoru's hands. Currently, he was using the paring knife to cut the center seam, which would hopefully render the sleeping bag in two parts. His head was bent forward to see the small stitching better. He had been working on this for more than two hours and was only about half done. Usagi squirmed restlessly. She had been quiet up until now. She had been analyzing their situation and was still at a loss at why the girls and Motoki were putting them through this. 'Was their arguing so terrible? Was it so bad that they felt the need to go to such lengths? It's been almost two whole days and she and Mamoru haven't tried to kill each other yet. The fact that they survived the weekend should be good enough for the girls,' she rationalized. 'After all, what do they hope to accomplish having us together a whole month? It's not like we could be friends when this is over; maybe co-conspirators of a revenge plot, but never friends.'
Meanwhile, Mamoru's thoughts weren't solely centered on his task. Feigning total concentration, he reflected on what happened earlier. His annoyance and embarrassment had melted away when he knelt next to Usagi and brushed her hair out of her face. He had no idea what caused him to act with such tenderness towards his mortal enemy, but now he was regretting it. 'Damn Motoki,' he thought. The guy had countless times told him to look past the insults and klutz attacks and see the girl underneath. When he saw her scrunched up face and pink cheeks, he finally saw what Motoki had encouraged him to look for all along. A sweet girl with a heart of gold, one who would always try to make the right choice for fear of hurting someone else. 'Except when arguing with him,' he amended. Grudgingly he admitted to himself that he had been going out of his way to keep people at a distance to focus on his true purpose.finding the princess. And it was more of a challenge for some.
Movement of the sleeping bag pulled him from his thoughts and he looked up at Usagi. He had been so intent on thoughts of her, that he had forgotten that she was sitting next to him. He frowned slightly as he realized that it was totally out of character for her to be silent for so long. He set the knife carefully on the floor next to him and extended his hand to place a cool palm on her forehead.
Usagi jerked her head up at Mamoru's touch causing his hand to slide down and smack her in the nose.
"Ow!" she whined. She glared at the dark-haired youth staring at her. One hand slid out from the sleeping bag to check the offended appendage. "What's that for and why did you stop working? Are you finished?"
He quirked a grin though concern still showed in his eyes. "It goes against your nature to be so quiet for so long. I figured you must be ill."
"Yea. I'm sick of being here," she muttered quietly.
Mamoru dropped his arm to his lap and winced internally. "Sorry Odango that I'm not your choice of companions." His voice was cool and his face was impassive; he looked down to see where he set his knife to resume his task. He missed the flash of remorse that passed across Usagi's face.
"I'm sorry Mamoru-san. I didn't mean I was sick of you. I'm just tired of this whole ordeal. There is nothing to do except focus on getting through this situation with the minimum of embarrassment. And even if I were to talk your ear off, I'm sure that there is nothing I have to say that would interest you."
Mamoru glanced up at Usagi's apology and watched her as she scooted back slightly to lean against the kitchen cupboards. She was wrapped up to her chin in her end of the sleeping bag and as she relaxed her weight to rest against the wood surface, she began to slide downwards. Because she was completely encased in the thick fabric, she had nothing to stop her from her ending up in a very awkward and uncomfortable position on the floor. Mamoru chuckled and shook his head.
"I'm sure you'd find some way to amuse me."
In response, Usagi stuck her tongue out at the irritating man laughing at her. But there was no graceful way to resume a sitting position and instead, she flopped around like a fish out of water. Mamoru realized her predicament immediately and reached over to help her upright.
"Let's take a break. This is taking longer than I had though it would. I've never seen anything so well made as this." Mamoru prepared himself to stand. " It must be getting close to lunchtime anyway, so let's make something to eat."
Usagi immediately brightened. "Yea! Now you're talking my language!"
Mamoru halted her movements as she tried to rise. "Just a minute. Let's do this together. We seem to have more success when we synchronize ourselves." He reached for her hand, which she snaked out from under the sleeping bag. As he stood, he pulled Usagi up with him and led her to the refrigerator.
After convincing Usagi that rationing the pre-made meals would be less work for them in the long run, they enjoyed only one of Makoto's homemade dishes. This really was the ideal since each only had one hand to work with for preparing the meal, though strategic leaning would allow Mamoru two hands. It wasn't long and the couple was sitting at the table enjoying a hot meal and chatting like old friends.
Once the meal was complete and kitchen cleaned, Mamoru grabbed the paring knife from earlier, dropped it to the floor and kicked it across the room towards the futon. Before Usagi could ask, he explained, "This way I don't have to worry about impaling myself when we cross the room. I thought it would be more comfortable on the futon trying to finish this up than sitting here in the kitchen. This way you can lay down and take a nap or look through those magazines while I'm working."
Usagi was touched by his thoughtfulness. She gave him a tremulous smile. "Thank you Mamoru-san. That is very considerate of you."
He smiled at her. "It's not without totally selfish reasons, mind you. That linoleum is very hard on the hind end."
Usagi began to laugh. "That's a relief. I think I would be checking your forehead if you were putting my comfort before everything else."
"Yea, well." he shrugged uncomfortably. Mamoru led the way back to the futon and once Usagi had made herself comfortable, he settled down to work.
It wasn't long before Usagi had finished the magazines and was napping on the futon. Occasionally Mamoru glanced her way, telling himself that he was making sure she was ok. Especially since yesterday she was still experiencing after-effects of that drug Motoki had used to knock them out. He couldn't help but think that other than the embarrassing situations they've had to deal with, they were both coping quite well. There was a sense of familiarity about her, which Mamoru dismissed as that somehow during all their heated exchanges, they had gotten to know each other. 'Which makes sense, since we know exactly how to insult one another,' he thought. 'But I guess it's true how they say that any task is much easier when two people work together.'
His thoughts wandered as he continued his tedious task. Lunch had been relatively pleasant and Mamoru had found himself sharing stories about Motoki and school with the blonde-haired girl. Reflecting back, he realized that he probably talked more than she did, which was a shock in itself. But he also admitted to himself that he enjoyed watching her eyes light up with laughter and mischief. They had tossed around a few ideas for revenge, but none had really sounded equal to the situation that they found themselves in.
As he finished cutting the last stitch, he set the knife down with a sigh. That had been a major ordeal. What should have been a quick snip and rip, turned into an all-day project. But now finally, they each had their own section of covering and would be allowed some freedom of movement. And now, maybe they could find a way to escape.