Author's notes
Once again my co writer Squeaky-chan and I are behind our computers working hard to ensure that this story comes out well. I feel just so inspired!
Oh, and because it's to painful to write: issue your standard disclaimer here.
The show must go on
'How did I let myself get into a situation like this?'
I was sitting alone on my favorite park bench not even an hour after Ray's 'declaration'. I dully remembered excusing myself to go home…or something like that.
My mind was a whirl. How is it that exactly one day ago, I thought my love for Mamoru was safe and protected, only to have my world torn apart by hearing my best friend say that he was hers? Man I was having one heck of a summer vacation and this was only the first day!
Sighing from deep within, I glanced outward. I was sitting in my favorite place in the park. The gazebo I was sitting in was completely surrounded by roses. This old wood had seen countless tears over the break-ups with men I trusted, the horrible day I ruined my singing career, and my first realization that I was Sailor Moon and had a new load of responsibility. In short, this was the place were I did my most serious thinking.
Now I was here because of Mamoru.
Don't get me wrong, I mean it's not like I've never been here because of him. Quite the contrary, I came here because of him more often than any other reason, but that was because I was hurt by his words. Never because I actually felt jealousy and competition for him.
'That's because you never stopped to examine your feelings for Mamoru before. You've always been so fixed on the future that you want and how you would eventually get him. Now that you've achieved your goal for your future, you are ready to start on Mamoru. The problem is, you were too late.' said the voice in the back of my head.
"Kami! You sound like Amy!" I said aloud. (I have a real problem with this, no?) A sudden jerk in the brushes brought me back to my senses.
"Who's there?" came a voice. A very familiar voce. It almost sounded like…
"Mamo…Mamoru?" I called out timidly and unbelieving.
"Usak…err, Bunny?" came the reply that confirmed my suspicion. Mamoru was there, in MY secret spot!
"What are you doing here?"
"I was… um, I was thinking is that a crime?" I questioned, sounding a little harsher than I wanted to. 'Damn-it Bunny, that was not good. Not good at all!'
"No, not at all. In fact, that was what I was doing earlier as well." Mamoru responded in such a sweet yet sad voice. He looked almost as sad as Ray had; only he looked as if he knew what he was missing.
"Are you OK?" Mamoru really looked like heck. That and he had missed a perfect opportunity to insult my intelligence. Something must seriously be wrong.
"Not really."
"Why? I thought you would be happy…you know…about the hole Ray thing." An uncomfortable silence followed.
"Yeah." Mamoru spoke up. "You're right...I should be. Shouldn't I?"
"Why aren't you?" I said trying to sound nonchalant, but inside my heart was pounding.
"I dun no. I'm just not ready to marry a person yet."
"But you asked her!" Wow! I can't believe that I'm actually defending the union of which I disliked in the first place.
"She just kinda squeezed it out of me. I really said nothing. I was just holding a ring I found and she started crying and talking about a house with 2 kids and. I am so lost in this whole thing!"
"Weird. I saw that whole ring-thing on Friends last night."
"Yah. It is weird..." He said laughing.
Inside my head I was reeling from the news. He hadn't wanted to marry Ray? He "found" a ring? I had made him laugh? Before I had the chance to say (or think) any more, I found that Mamoru was leaving.
"HEY! Wait up a sec will ya?" I said trying to catch up. "I want to ask you something! I said-" but before I could say another word I found myself slamming into something warm and solid. I reached up and found that this warm solid creature was also VERY muscle-ly. A pair of (almost familiar) strong arms wrapped around my middle to keep me steady. I timidly looked up to see who my rescuer was.
'I must be in heaven.' was my first thought as I realized that my face was mere millimeters from Mamoru's face.
And he wasn't pulling back. His eyes that were once cold and free of all emotion, almost as though he tried to keep it so, were now anything but. His eyes were warm and welcoming now, a feature new to Mamoru's face. As I studied his eyes, I felt his warm, piercing eyes reading my face, my every thought, the memory of him dropping a cupcake on my favorite skirt in the 1st grade, and my hidden feelings for him. Suddenly, I don't know what happened, but instinct (or what felt more like fate) took over.
I was kissing my only foe, and he was kissing me back… A wind rustled the roses behind us and a rosy fragrance swam around us.
Author's notes!!!!!
Don't ya hate these cliffhangers? Bwaha! I am so EVIL!!!! See ya all next Friday!
