Disclaimer: Hmmm. Can't think of any creative disclaimers right now, so
I'll just stick you with the good old fashioned 'I do not own Sailor Moon'.
Awww! Thanks for the reviews! Everyone is saying how much they're laughing, which is what I was going for! Yay!
Usakou: Thanks for the compliment! Lol. At first I thought you were describing the inner workings of my mind (which is dead on) but then I read it again. And I was like "oh yeah".
Baka Usagi-Chan: ::Author fans face with her hand:: Don't we all! We all deserve a Mamoru chained to our beds!
TropicalRemix: I'm glad you liked it! And about how Mamoru is going to get out of those handcuffs---I haven't the faintest idea. But that's what makes it so exciting, no?
Chibi J: Sorry if I disappointed you =( I want them to have pleasure too! Don't worry! I'm not going to end this story without some action! Though, I'm sorry to say that Mamoru won't get rid of his virginity yet! That'll happen in the sequel! OOPS! 0_0 I wasn't suppose to say that!
EtrnalRhapsodi: Don't die on me yet! ^^
Miiaevia: I'm glad I made you laugh! ^___^ One of my missions in life is to make people happy!
DarkSun: Your addicted? Wow! ::Grins widely:: I'm so honored!!! Never thought I had the ability to do that.
Ghetto Queen: Thanks for wishing me luck! I really needed it! That test was killer!!!
^_~ Enjoy!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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Chapter 7: Tied Up to a Bed. . . So What Else is New?
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Usagi was currently sitting on the floor glaring at what should be the sharpest tool in the book. It should be able to cut its way through anything!
Her gaze, at that point, landed on the cuffs.
_Almost_ anything.
Her brows pulled downward, her lips pinched tight like a rosebud. She could feel her frustrations coming to the surface. It wasn't good to keep those feelings in, right? Better to release them now before she let herself go stark raving mad.
And she knew just the thing to do it.
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Motoki was making his way toward Usagi's house. He was going to give that girl a piece of his mind on her dilly-dallying with alcohol. Even though she had turned fifteen four months back, it was a known fact that the younger the person who gets their first dose on alcohol have a higher chance of ending up as an alcoholic when they get older.
And Motoki cared too much to let that happen to her.
As he neared the house, he took a deep breath out of nervousness. He was still unsure of how he was going to start off on his rant. Should he yell and literally shake some sense into her, telling her what a stupid thing it was for her to do?
Motoki shook his head. Nope. The only thing he would be succeeding in is scaring her stiff, and if that was the case, then she would be too wrapped up in her fear to hear, which would make it impossible for him to get his message across to her. He was better off just doing what he normally did: be nice, calm Motoki but with a strict air this time around.
He nodded in satisfaction. Then a slight frown touched his lips as a distinct sound reached his ears. He stopped walking to take in his surroundings, yet, nothing in his line of vision indicated what was making that noise.
Fwip-fwip-fwip. . . fwip-fwip-fwip.
It was then that he looked up overhead.
Big huge razor coming through!
Yelping, he jumped back just in time as it landed, striking against the concrete brutally. The ping of the metal made him cringe. If he waited a mere few seconds longer, it would have sliced him in half.
Shaking off the tremors that ran throughout his body as much as possible, he looked up trying to figure out which direction the chainsaw had come from.
Belatedly he realized it had come from Usagi's window.
Oh? What made him think that you ask?
It was the last thing he saw when a bottle knocked him unconscious on the forehead. . .
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"That felt _good_," Usagi said, a smile tugging at the corner of her mouth. She turned to look at Mamoru, now more relaxed to figure out a way to get him out of those handcuffs head on.
Pushing back the sleeves of her shirt, she made her way back to Mamoru, who had a peculiar look on his face. He didn't seem scared of her anymore, it was if her throwing dangerous weapons out the window was an everyday occurrence.
"What?" she asked. 'Why is he looking at me like that?' Feeling self- conscious, she began to touch her face. "Is there something on my face?"
Mamoru lifted a brow. A minute of his scrutinizing passed before he decided to grace her with a remark. "I use to think that you were a lazy, klutzy, shrieking hyena. . ."
Oh, Mamoru was back to his old self alright.
"Hey!" Usagi shrieked. "I resent that!"
". . . but I've discovered that there is more to you than that."
Her anger subsided. She couldn't stop the surprise from showing. Was he actually going to give her a compliment? By the fast beating of her heart and the way she was holding her breath in anticipation, she couldn't help but hope. Though, what it was she was hoping for, she couldn't say.
He paused for a moment and looked her straight in the eye. Stormy blue clashed against crystalline blue eyes. It made Usagi's heart skip a beat, then it resumed pumping in a fast rhythm. But all of her nerves went out the window when he spoke, making her still as a statue.
"Now I see that you're a complete psycho!!! When I get these chains off, I'm personally going to see the doctor who delivered you at birth and if, by any chance, he dropped you when you were a baby cause obviously. . ." Mamoru trailed off when Usagi ran out of the room, a sob caught in her throat. Sighing, he closed his eyes in regret. He had done it again! 'How low can you go?' His mind said in a scornful tone, 'Usagi was right. . . you are a BAKA!!!!!!!!'
Did he not say an hour ago to himself that he would start showing Usagi his good side? But he was so nasty just now. It made him wonder if he had any good in him.
Kami-sama! How he wished he could sink into the ends of the Earth like the worm he is!
It was then he knew he was no good for her. Who wanted a boyfriend who insulted them and made them feel like dirt?
No one. . .
And it certainly wouldn't be Usagi Tsukino of all people.
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She wanted out. She was hurting badly and she couldn't stand to be in the same house as that creep lay dormant on her bed.
Once he was freed she was going to take all of her sheets to dispose of them in a shredding machine, then she would burn her blanket, _then_ she would hack her bed into pieces with an axe!
The images that played inside her mind gave her immense satisfaction yet that feeling didn't wash out the awful feelings Mamoru had evoked in her. His harsh words struck her harder than ever before.
What was that baka's problem anyway? Why oh _why_ was he so mean to her? What did she ever do to him? She pondered on these questions as she ran out of her house sobbing. She shouldn't be leaving her house, any one of her family members could discover Mamoru in her room but she didn't care! And she didn't care about him! He was a cold-hearted man and he could fall off a cliff for all she cared. Though, where that thought would have gotten her to crack a smile two days ago, it made her cry only harder.
Her feet swiftly took her to the park, to the spot she usually went to when she needed to be alone with her thoughts or when she was upset, letting the serenity of the lake soothe her. Stopping at that very spot, she sat down on a bench and allowed her head to fall into her hands.
She didn't understand why she was crying over Mamoru-baka. He had been taunting and cruel to her since day one. Sure she cared about what he said to her, making her angry to the point of exploding and screaming her head off at him. But she never _ever_ felt the need to cry over it.
Lifting her face away from her hands, she trained her eyes on the glistening lake, wanting to be mesmerized by the motions it made as it moved back and forth whenever there was a breeze. It was something that worked each time, it helped her to forget. She wanted her hurt to drift away like the lake itself.
It didn't work. Her heart wouldn't let her forget.
Her hand swiped angrily at the tears that continued to run currents down her cheeks.
"Why?" she whispered, lips quivering. Why was she crying now? She knew that he would never be nice to her yet. . .
This time she thought it would be different. For a moment he had led her to believe he was going to confess. . . what? That she was beautiful? Special? Even someone he could see himself fall for? She would have laughed at the notion if her heart hadn't clenched with longing.
Usagi pulled her legs up and hugged them to her chest, her chin dropping onto her knees, sniffling. She may have been able to run from Mamoru but she couldn't stay away for long. And she couldn't run away from the truth. It's true that she has recently discovered her attraction to the baka, wanting to quench the curiosity of what it was like to kiss and possess him as her own---as confusing as that was.
The confusion has faded somewhat. It was becoming clear to her why she has been feeling this way since last night. Mamoru had never looked at her with passion in his eyes nor betrayed any want in his voice. It had made her angry and pissed as hell that he was pretending because secretly she wanted it.
Wanted him.
Of course, she wouldn't acknowledge those feelings. Her pride wouldn't allow it. It was better to be in denial than to admit your true feelings. There wouldn't be any hurt involved but she has discovered that your heart would always find a way to get you to face them---whether you wanted to or not. Sooner or later the denial would be stripped away and the veil that shielded your eyes would be lifted. . . allowing them to see things in a different light.
Against her will, she murmured quietly, "I'm falling for him. . . Mamoru. . . the Grinch himself."
Slowly, but surely, a soft loving smile broke out.
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Poke poke. . . poke poke. . . poke poke poke!
Motoki frowned, irritated by the sharp poking on his forehead. He tried waving away whoever it was with a fierce growl and was left alone. . . for a good few seconds.
Poke poke poke. . . poke poke _poke_!
'This person is relentless,' he thought, annoyed beyond a doubt. He opened his eyes, wanting to see who it was so he could strangle the brat. Black eyes stared back at him, blinking and cocking his head to one side.
Motoki's vision was blurry at first and had to blink a couple of times to clear it up. When he could finally see who was in front of him, he scowled darkly.
"Get off of me!"
He 'cawed'.
"Baka," Motoki said without humor, "I'm _not_ dead!"
"Caw!" Then he nipped his cheek, drawing some blood.
Yelping, Motoki whacked the black beasty off of him. "Get! Before I cut the circulation off your throat and stuff you with feathers to decorate my father's study!"
The crow puffed its chest, looking offended. Then flew off in its search for another meal. . . preferably dead this time.
Rubbing his bruised forehead, Motoki pushed himself up into a sitting position and looked for the source that hit him. He spotted the black bottle on his right side and gingerly picked it up, lifting it up in front of him. He turned it around and paused when he saw the label.
It was a bottle of brandy.
"This must be Usagi's," he muttered in disapproval, shaking his head. Well, he might as well return the damn thing before her parents found it missing; though, it would serve her right if they did find out but he knew that everyone makes mistakes so he was willing to let it slide and not tell her parents.
That doesn't mean she was completely off the hook. She did a big no no. Not only that! She nearly killed him with a chainsaw and hit him with a bottle to boot!!!
"It hurt like hell by the way," he said as if she was there.
Grunting, he picked himself off the floor. Landing on concrete was not Motoki's idea of fun. His back ached and his head felt sore to the point of falling off and rolling away from his body.
Motoki grimaced at the picture his mind conjured at the thought. 'O-kay. . . that was a bit graphic.'
Sighing he began to make his way to Usagi's house but with more caution, looking out for anymore flying objects. Having made his way to the front door, he halted, surprise written on his face.
The door was open.
Motoki frowned. Why was the door left open? His eyes scanned the area around him, wondering if there was anything that looked remotely suspicious.
Finding nothing out of the ordinary, he cautiously stepped through the doorway, bottle of brandy still clutched in his hand. Next he closed the door behind him softly, not wanting to alarm anyone if there was indeed a trespasser in the Tsukino home.
He perused the kitchen, living room, and finally the dining room. No one was home, Motoki noted. However, he still had to check the rooms upstairs. But first, seeing the wine cabinet, he was going to put this bottle of brandy away. If he was ever invited to the Tsukino home again, he was going to make sure to point out to Mr. and Mrs. Tsukino that they should keep the wine cabinet under lock and key.
That done and over with, he went up the stairs. His progress was slow, so he wouldn't end up making any squeaky noises. When he reached the top, he checked the first room.
Turning the knob, he pulled the door inch by inch, when it was halfway open, he discreetly poked his head inside.
'It's empty,' he sighed in relief.
The room was a little untidy. The theme of the room was dark green, navy, and black. Baseball posters were hung on the walls, Motoki didn't recognize any of the players that were posed in various positions since he wasn't an avid fan of baseball. And he saw one poster of Sailor Moon.
Motoki tilted his head to one side. 'That's funny. . . with those 'odangos' on her head, she sort of reminds me of Usagi-chan.' He chuckled lightly at that. Usagi fighting youmas? Now _that_ was a laugh.
Closing the door to Shingo's room, he headed for the other one that was across from it. Being just a careful as before, he did the same, only this time it wasn't empty.
Motoki's jaw went slack. He must be seeing things. Letting go of the door, he went inside the room. He thought if he moved, the image would fade away.
It didn't.
He rubbed his eyes. And looked again.
Nope. Still there.
Did that bottle knocked him hard on the head or what?
"Mamoru?!"
AN: You know, I'm very tempted to stop here ^^ But. . . seeing as how you guys waited so patiently, I'm going to keep on going.
Hearing a familiar voice, Mamoru's head snapped to the side and almost groaned when he saw his best friend—of all people—witnessing him at his most embarrassing state.
"Motoki?!"
Mamoru's exclamation of horror confirmed all the more to Motoki that what he was seeing was indeed real.
He should be alarmed and concerned for his best friend's well being.
Of course, he can always do that later.
He burst out laughing.
Mamoru's face flushing from unease, narrowed his eyes into slits. "Mo-to- ki," he warned threateningly.
The sandy-haired man, put a hand up as he was bent over, laughing so hard he didn't have the energy to stand up straight. "I'm, I'm sorry," he finally gasped out, "it's just. . . this is just. . ." More chortles. "It came as a shock that's all."
"Cut it out!" Mamoru ordered, sending Motoki a withering look. One that had the ability to send anyone running in terror. "I don't find this at all amusing! So could you _please_ free me from this prison???"
Forcing himself to calm down before his friend decided to get revenge on him later, stood up straight. Though, he wasn't successful in wiping off the silly grin off his face.
Walking over to the poor soul, he tsked. "What were you thinking tying yourself up to Usagi's bed? No wonder she got herself drunk last night!"
Mamoru was about to give a scathing reply when Motoki's last statement caught his attention, the unspoken words dying on his lips. Instead, he asked dumbly, "Usagi got drunk?"
Motoki nodded, as he inspected one of the handcuffs. "Oh yeah. Called me late last night, giggling, hiccuping, and singing like mad." He paused, a perplexed frown marring his facial features and went around the bed to inspect the other handcuff. "It's a good thing she didn't go off into the night. I shudder to think what she could do in that state of mind."
"Yeah," replied Mamoru, distracted by this newfound information. He couldn't believe that innocent, sweet Usagi got herself drunk! Was he really that bad? All the more reason why he should stay as far from her as humanly possible!
"Uhhh Mamoru?" Motoki cut through Mamoru's musings like a slice of bread (AN: Odd way of saying I know! ^-^;; But I couldn't resist!). "We have a problem. . . none of these handcuffs have a lock."
That got Mamoru to stop breathing altogether. 'It's not possible!!!' his mind yelled out in denial. "Cut the crap Motoki!!!"
"I'm being serious!"
Mamoru shook his head, trying to fight off an insane grin from spreading. 'And here I thought things couldn't get any worse. . .' Then the urge to grin vanished when it was replaced by an urge to do something else. His eyes widened in panic. 'Kami-sama! This can't be happening!'
Even though, Motoki felt REAL bad about his friend's predicament, he couldn't help but be relieved the _tiniest_ bit.
He bit his lips, preventing an evil chuckle from bursting forth. Dollar signs began prancing around his head once more and the beautiful sounds of CHI-CHING rang with clarity in his mind.
Here was proof 'in the flesh'! He clapped a hand over his mouth, hoping to cut off the weird noises he was making.
Strange how those noises almost made him sound like Ernie from Sesame Street.
"Mamoru," he started off, almost struggling to get the words out, "I'm going to go but. . . kee kee kee. . . I'll be back with something. . . kee kee kee. . . to get you out of those handcuffs so don't you worry!" Then he fled from the room.
"MOTOKI!" Mamoru bellowed in full-blown panic. "You can't leave me. . . MOTOKI!"
It was no use. He was gone.
Mamoru grimaced and squirmed on the bed, not feeling comfortable in the slightest.
"$hit." He cursed his rotten lock. "Someone shoot me now."
He wondered bitterly how long he'd last before he could no longer prevent the flood from coming.
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Usagi was standing at the entrance of her house. Indecision warred within her, wondering what she should do. Should she go in and face her fears? Or she should she pack up and leave and head for the Bahamas? Maybe in a few months time, her parents would be so happy to see their daughter back that they'll forget all about the half-naked man stashed away in her room.
She snorted, amused by the thought. 'In your dreams!' She sobered at the phrase, an image of her last dream made her blanch.
Considering what sort of dreams have been plaguing her these past two days, it wasn't the best example to use.
She didn't have a choice.
She was going in.
Usagi straightened her shoulders as if she were getting ready to go into battle and shakily lifted her hand to open the door.
Just when she was about to wrap her hand around the knob, the front door flew open. Startled, she jumped back shrieking and stepped out of harms way when a person came running through it.
"Motoki-san?" she mumbled, blinking owlishly as she recognized the sandy- haired man speeding further down the sidewalk. Though, the laughter that reached her ears wasn't anything she heard before and it was that very reason that threw her off, forcing her to rethink her assumption on the man's true identity.
She stared harder at the disappearing figure. No. She shook her head. That couldn't be Motoki! She must've been seeing things. It couldn't be him because the laughter held too much glee and mischief.
The person was obviously up to no good.
Shivers ran down her spine when it occurred to her that someone had discovered her secret.
Or shall she say her and Mamoru's?
Without a second thought she ran inside the house, slamming the door behind her, and kept on going till she was standing before a squirming Mamoru.
When she said his name, his head moved in her direction. His face conveyed what he was feeling: guilt, relief and. . .
Usagi squinted. She wasn't sure if she was seeing correctly but Mamoru was looking pretty flustered right about now. Well, she could understand why. It must be uncomfortable being chained to a bed for so long but did that cause a person to wiggle around so much? Now that she thought about it. . .
WHY was he WIGGLING?!
Usagi gulped and flushed when a thought struck her. No! It couldn't be what she was thinking!!! She inhaled a breath and let out a whoosh in an attempt to calm her nerves.
"Is there something you want to tell me Chiba?" she put as much animosity in the question as possible, especially putting more emphasis in his last name. She didn't know if she had put up a good front since each word that escaped her lips seemed to tremble from the dread she could feel steadily growing in the pit of her stomach.
Eyes troubled, Mamoru replied, "We have a problem. . . two in fact."
Her uncaring countenance gone, she began to hop from one foot to the other. "It can't be _that_ bad?" Noticing his grim frown, her panic came bubbling to the surface. "Is it??? Mamoru tell me!"
Sighing, he said reluctantly, "You should sit down for this."
Wringing her hands, Usagi plunked herself down on the floor.
This was NOT good.
Usagi prayed with all her might that she would see through to this.
One. . . can only hope.
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And that's the end of this chapter! ^_^ I wanted to thank once again to all who reviewed! Trust me when I say they make me feel all nice and warm inside!!! After my Creative Writing instructor totally creamed my short story last week in front of my peers, I went back to re-read your reviews, wanting to reassure myself that my writing isn't so bad. And you know what? It made me feel a _whole_ lot better. So thank you!
Well, I'll be going now! ^_~ Bye!!!
Awww! Thanks for the reviews! Everyone is saying how much they're laughing, which is what I was going for! Yay!
Usakou: Thanks for the compliment! Lol. At first I thought you were describing the inner workings of my mind (which is dead on) but then I read it again. And I was like "oh yeah".
Baka Usagi-Chan: ::Author fans face with her hand:: Don't we all! We all deserve a Mamoru chained to our beds!
TropicalRemix: I'm glad you liked it! And about how Mamoru is going to get out of those handcuffs---I haven't the faintest idea. But that's what makes it so exciting, no?
Chibi J: Sorry if I disappointed you =( I want them to have pleasure too! Don't worry! I'm not going to end this story without some action! Though, I'm sorry to say that Mamoru won't get rid of his virginity yet! That'll happen in the sequel! OOPS! 0_0 I wasn't suppose to say that!
EtrnalRhapsodi: Don't die on me yet! ^^
Miiaevia: I'm glad I made you laugh! ^___^ One of my missions in life is to make people happy!
DarkSun: Your addicted? Wow! ::Grins widely:: I'm so honored!!! Never thought I had the ability to do that.
Ghetto Queen: Thanks for wishing me luck! I really needed it! That test was killer!!!
^_~ Enjoy!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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Chapter 7: Tied Up to a Bed. . . So What Else is New?
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Usagi was currently sitting on the floor glaring at what should be the sharpest tool in the book. It should be able to cut its way through anything!
Her gaze, at that point, landed on the cuffs.
_Almost_ anything.
Her brows pulled downward, her lips pinched tight like a rosebud. She could feel her frustrations coming to the surface. It wasn't good to keep those feelings in, right? Better to release them now before she let herself go stark raving mad.
And she knew just the thing to do it.
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Motoki was making his way toward Usagi's house. He was going to give that girl a piece of his mind on her dilly-dallying with alcohol. Even though she had turned fifteen four months back, it was a known fact that the younger the person who gets their first dose on alcohol have a higher chance of ending up as an alcoholic when they get older.
And Motoki cared too much to let that happen to her.
As he neared the house, he took a deep breath out of nervousness. He was still unsure of how he was going to start off on his rant. Should he yell and literally shake some sense into her, telling her what a stupid thing it was for her to do?
Motoki shook his head. Nope. The only thing he would be succeeding in is scaring her stiff, and if that was the case, then she would be too wrapped up in her fear to hear, which would make it impossible for him to get his message across to her. He was better off just doing what he normally did: be nice, calm Motoki but with a strict air this time around.
He nodded in satisfaction. Then a slight frown touched his lips as a distinct sound reached his ears. He stopped walking to take in his surroundings, yet, nothing in his line of vision indicated what was making that noise.
Fwip-fwip-fwip. . . fwip-fwip-fwip.
It was then that he looked up overhead.
Big huge razor coming through!
Yelping, he jumped back just in time as it landed, striking against the concrete brutally. The ping of the metal made him cringe. If he waited a mere few seconds longer, it would have sliced him in half.
Shaking off the tremors that ran throughout his body as much as possible, he looked up trying to figure out which direction the chainsaw had come from.
Belatedly he realized it had come from Usagi's window.
Oh? What made him think that you ask?
It was the last thing he saw when a bottle knocked him unconscious on the forehead. . .
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"That felt _good_," Usagi said, a smile tugging at the corner of her mouth. She turned to look at Mamoru, now more relaxed to figure out a way to get him out of those handcuffs head on.
Pushing back the sleeves of her shirt, she made her way back to Mamoru, who had a peculiar look on his face. He didn't seem scared of her anymore, it was if her throwing dangerous weapons out the window was an everyday occurrence.
"What?" she asked. 'Why is he looking at me like that?' Feeling self- conscious, she began to touch her face. "Is there something on my face?"
Mamoru lifted a brow. A minute of his scrutinizing passed before he decided to grace her with a remark. "I use to think that you were a lazy, klutzy, shrieking hyena. . ."
Oh, Mamoru was back to his old self alright.
"Hey!" Usagi shrieked. "I resent that!"
". . . but I've discovered that there is more to you than that."
Her anger subsided. She couldn't stop the surprise from showing. Was he actually going to give her a compliment? By the fast beating of her heart and the way she was holding her breath in anticipation, she couldn't help but hope. Though, what it was she was hoping for, she couldn't say.
He paused for a moment and looked her straight in the eye. Stormy blue clashed against crystalline blue eyes. It made Usagi's heart skip a beat, then it resumed pumping in a fast rhythm. But all of her nerves went out the window when he spoke, making her still as a statue.
"Now I see that you're a complete psycho!!! When I get these chains off, I'm personally going to see the doctor who delivered you at birth and if, by any chance, he dropped you when you were a baby cause obviously. . ." Mamoru trailed off when Usagi ran out of the room, a sob caught in her throat. Sighing, he closed his eyes in regret. He had done it again! 'How low can you go?' His mind said in a scornful tone, 'Usagi was right. . . you are a BAKA!!!!!!!!'
Did he not say an hour ago to himself that he would start showing Usagi his good side? But he was so nasty just now. It made him wonder if he had any good in him.
Kami-sama! How he wished he could sink into the ends of the Earth like the worm he is!
It was then he knew he was no good for her. Who wanted a boyfriend who insulted them and made them feel like dirt?
No one. . .
And it certainly wouldn't be Usagi Tsukino of all people.
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She wanted out. She was hurting badly and she couldn't stand to be in the same house as that creep lay dormant on her bed.
Once he was freed she was going to take all of her sheets to dispose of them in a shredding machine, then she would burn her blanket, _then_ she would hack her bed into pieces with an axe!
The images that played inside her mind gave her immense satisfaction yet that feeling didn't wash out the awful feelings Mamoru had evoked in her. His harsh words struck her harder than ever before.
What was that baka's problem anyway? Why oh _why_ was he so mean to her? What did she ever do to him? She pondered on these questions as she ran out of her house sobbing. She shouldn't be leaving her house, any one of her family members could discover Mamoru in her room but she didn't care! And she didn't care about him! He was a cold-hearted man and he could fall off a cliff for all she cared. Though, where that thought would have gotten her to crack a smile two days ago, it made her cry only harder.
Her feet swiftly took her to the park, to the spot she usually went to when she needed to be alone with her thoughts or when she was upset, letting the serenity of the lake soothe her. Stopping at that very spot, she sat down on a bench and allowed her head to fall into her hands.
She didn't understand why she was crying over Mamoru-baka. He had been taunting and cruel to her since day one. Sure she cared about what he said to her, making her angry to the point of exploding and screaming her head off at him. But she never _ever_ felt the need to cry over it.
Lifting her face away from her hands, she trained her eyes on the glistening lake, wanting to be mesmerized by the motions it made as it moved back and forth whenever there was a breeze. It was something that worked each time, it helped her to forget. She wanted her hurt to drift away like the lake itself.
It didn't work. Her heart wouldn't let her forget.
Her hand swiped angrily at the tears that continued to run currents down her cheeks.
"Why?" she whispered, lips quivering. Why was she crying now? She knew that he would never be nice to her yet. . .
This time she thought it would be different. For a moment he had led her to believe he was going to confess. . . what? That she was beautiful? Special? Even someone he could see himself fall for? She would have laughed at the notion if her heart hadn't clenched with longing.
Usagi pulled her legs up and hugged them to her chest, her chin dropping onto her knees, sniffling. She may have been able to run from Mamoru but she couldn't stay away for long. And she couldn't run away from the truth. It's true that she has recently discovered her attraction to the baka, wanting to quench the curiosity of what it was like to kiss and possess him as her own---as confusing as that was.
The confusion has faded somewhat. It was becoming clear to her why she has been feeling this way since last night. Mamoru had never looked at her with passion in his eyes nor betrayed any want in his voice. It had made her angry and pissed as hell that he was pretending because secretly she wanted it.
Wanted him.
Of course, she wouldn't acknowledge those feelings. Her pride wouldn't allow it. It was better to be in denial than to admit your true feelings. There wouldn't be any hurt involved but she has discovered that your heart would always find a way to get you to face them---whether you wanted to or not. Sooner or later the denial would be stripped away and the veil that shielded your eyes would be lifted. . . allowing them to see things in a different light.
Against her will, she murmured quietly, "I'm falling for him. . . Mamoru. . . the Grinch himself."
Slowly, but surely, a soft loving smile broke out.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Poke poke. . . poke poke. . . poke poke poke!
Motoki frowned, irritated by the sharp poking on his forehead. He tried waving away whoever it was with a fierce growl and was left alone. . . for a good few seconds.
Poke poke poke. . . poke poke _poke_!
'This person is relentless,' he thought, annoyed beyond a doubt. He opened his eyes, wanting to see who it was so he could strangle the brat. Black eyes stared back at him, blinking and cocking his head to one side.
Motoki's vision was blurry at first and had to blink a couple of times to clear it up. When he could finally see who was in front of him, he scowled darkly.
"Get off of me!"
He 'cawed'.
"Baka," Motoki said without humor, "I'm _not_ dead!"
"Caw!" Then he nipped his cheek, drawing some blood.
Yelping, Motoki whacked the black beasty off of him. "Get! Before I cut the circulation off your throat and stuff you with feathers to decorate my father's study!"
The crow puffed its chest, looking offended. Then flew off in its search for another meal. . . preferably dead this time.
Rubbing his bruised forehead, Motoki pushed himself up into a sitting position and looked for the source that hit him. He spotted the black bottle on his right side and gingerly picked it up, lifting it up in front of him. He turned it around and paused when he saw the label.
It was a bottle of brandy.
"This must be Usagi's," he muttered in disapproval, shaking his head. Well, he might as well return the damn thing before her parents found it missing; though, it would serve her right if they did find out but he knew that everyone makes mistakes so he was willing to let it slide and not tell her parents.
That doesn't mean she was completely off the hook. She did a big no no. Not only that! She nearly killed him with a chainsaw and hit him with a bottle to boot!!!
"It hurt like hell by the way," he said as if she was there.
Grunting, he picked himself off the floor. Landing on concrete was not Motoki's idea of fun. His back ached and his head felt sore to the point of falling off and rolling away from his body.
Motoki grimaced at the picture his mind conjured at the thought. 'O-kay. . . that was a bit graphic.'
Sighing he began to make his way to Usagi's house but with more caution, looking out for anymore flying objects. Having made his way to the front door, he halted, surprise written on his face.
The door was open.
Motoki frowned. Why was the door left open? His eyes scanned the area around him, wondering if there was anything that looked remotely suspicious.
Finding nothing out of the ordinary, he cautiously stepped through the doorway, bottle of brandy still clutched in his hand. Next he closed the door behind him softly, not wanting to alarm anyone if there was indeed a trespasser in the Tsukino home.
He perused the kitchen, living room, and finally the dining room. No one was home, Motoki noted. However, he still had to check the rooms upstairs. But first, seeing the wine cabinet, he was going to put this bottle of brandy away. If he was ever invited to the Tsukino home again, he was going to make sure to point out to Mr. and Mrs. Tsukino that they should keep the wine cabinet under lock and key.
That done and over with, he went up the stairs. His progress was slow, so he wouldn't end up making any squeaky noises. When he reached the top, he checked the first room.
Turning the knob, he pulled the door inch by inch, when it was halfway open, he discreetly poked his head inside.
'It's empty,' he sighed in relief.
The room was a little untidy. The theme of the room was dark green, navy, and black. Baseball posters were hung on the walls, Motoki didn't recognize any of the players that were posed in various positions since he wasn't an avid fan of baseball. And he saw one poster of Sailor Moon.
Motoki tilted his head to one side. 'That's funny. . . with those 'odangos' on her head, she sort of reminds me of Usagi-chan.' He chuckled lightly at that. Usagi fighting youmas? Now _that_ was a laugh.
Closing the door to Shingo's room, he headed for the other one that was across from it. Being just a careful as before, he did the same, only this time it wasn't empty.
Motoki's jaw went slack. He must be seeing things. Letting go of the door, he went inside the room. He thought if he moved, the image would fade away.
It didn't.
He rubbed his eyes. And looked again.
Nope. Still there.
Did that bottle knocked him hard on the head or what?
"Mamoru?!"
AN: You know, I'm very tempted to stop here ^^ But. . . seeing as how you guys waited so patiently, I'm going to keep on going.
Hearing a familiar voice, Mamoru's head snapped to the side and almost groaned when he saw his best friend—of all people—witnessing him at his most embarrassing state.
"Motoki?!"
Mamoru's exclamation of horror confirmed all the more to Motoki that what he was seeing was indeed real.
He should be alarmed and concerned for his best friend's well being.
Of course, he can always do that later.
He burst out laughing.
Mamoru's face flushing from unease, narrowed his eyes into slits. "Mo-to- ki," he warned threateningly.
The sandy-haired man, put a hand up as he was bent over, laughing so hard he didn't have the energy to stand up straight. "I'm, I'm sorry," he finally gasped out, "it's just. . . this is just. . ." More chortles. "It came as a shock that's all."
"Cut it out!" Mamoru ordered, sending Motoki a withering look. One that had the ability to send anyone running in terror. "I don't find this at all amusing! So could you _please_ free me from this prison???"
Forcing himself to calm down before his friend decided to get revenge on him later, stood up straight. Though, he wasn't successful in wiping off the silly grin off his face.
Walking over to the poor soul, he tsked. "What were you thinking tying yourself up to Usagi's bed? No wonder she got herself drunk last night!"
Mamoru was about to give a scathing reply when Motoki's last statement caught his attention, the unspoken words dying on his lips. Instead, he asked dumbly, "Usagi got drunk?"
Motoki nodded, as he inspected one of the handcuffs. "Oh yeah. Called me late last night, giggling, hiccuping, and singing like mad." He paused, a perplexed frown marring his facial features and went around the bed to inspect the other handcuff. "It's a good thing she didn't go off into the night. I shudder to think what she could do in that state of mind."
"Yeah," replied Mamoru, distracted by this newfound information. He couldn't believe that innocent, sweet Usagi got herself drunk! Was he really that bad? All the more reason why he should stay as far from her as humanly possible!
"Uhhh Mamoru?" Motoki cut through Mamoru's musings like a slice of bread (AN: Odd way of saying I know! ^-^;; But I couldn't resist!). "We have a problem. . . none of these handcuffs have a lock."
That got Mamoru to stop breathing altogether. 'It's not possible!!!' his mind yelled out in denial. "Cut the crap Motoki!!!"
"I'm being serious!"
Mamoru shook his head, trying to fight off an insane grin from spreading. 'And here I thought things couldn't get any worse. . .' Then the urge to grin vanished when it was replaced by an urge to do something else. His eyes widened in panic. 'Kami-sama! This can't be happening!'
Even though, Motoki felt REAL bad about his friend's predicament, he couldn't help but be relieved the _tiniest_ bit.
He bit his lips, preventing an evil chuckle from bursting forth. Dollar signs began prancing around his head once more and the beautiful sounds of CHI-CHING rang with clarity in his mind.
Here was proof 'in the flesh'! He clapped a hand over his mouth, hoping to cut off the weird noises he was making.
Strange how those noises almost made him sound like Ernie from Sesame Street.
"Mamoru," he started off, almost struggling to get the words out, "I'm going to go but. . . kee kee kee. . . I'll be back with something. . . kee kee kee. . . to get you out of those handcuffs so don't you worry!" Then he fled from the room.
"MOTOKI!" Mamoru bellowed in full-blown panic. "You can't leave me. . . MOTOKI!"
It was no use. He was gone.
Mamoru grimaced and squirmed on the bed, not feeling comfortable in the slightest.
"$hit." He cursed his rotten lock. "Someone shoot me now."
He wondered bitterly how long he'd last before he could no longer prevent the flood from coming.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Usagi was standing at the entrance of her house. Indecision warred within her, wondering what she should do. Should she go in and face her fears? Or she should she pack up and leave and head for the Bahamas? Maybe in a few months time, her parents would be so happy to see their daughter back that they'll forget all about the half-naked man stashed away in her room.
She snorted, amused by the thought. 'In your dreams!' She sobered at the phrase, an image of her last dream made her blanch.
Considering what sort of dreams have been plaguing her these past two days, it wasn't the best example to use.
She didn't have a choice.
She was going in.
Usagi straightened her shoulders as if she were getting ready to go into battle and shakily lifted her hand to open the door.
Just when she was about to wrap her hand around the knob, the front door flew open. Startled, she jumped back shrieking and stepped out of harms way when a person came running through it.
"Motoki-san?" she mumbled, blinking owlishly as she recognized the sandy- haired man speeding further down the sidewalk. Though, the laughter that reached her ears wasn't anything she heard before and it was that very reason that threw her off, forcing her to rethink her assumption on the man's true identity.
She stared harder at the disappearing figure. No. She shook her head. That couldn't be Motoki! She must've been seeing things. It couldn't be him because the laughter held too much glee and mischief.
The person was obviously up to no good.
Shivers ran down her spine when it occurred to her that someone had discovered her secret.
Or shall she say her and Mamoru's?
Without a second thought she ran inside the house, slamming the door behind her, and kept on going till she was standing before a squirming Mamoru.
When she said his name, his head moved in her direction. His face conveyed what he was feeling: guilt, relief and. . .
Usagi squinted. She wasn't sure if she was seeing correctly but Mamoru was looking pretty flustered right about now. Well, she could understand why. It must be uncomfortable being chained to a bed for so long but did that cause a person to wiggle around so much? Now that she thought about it. . .
WHY was he WIGGLING?!
Usagi gulped and flushed when a thought struck her. No! It couldn't be what she was thinking!!! She inhaled a breath and let out a whoosh in an attempt to calm her nerves.
"Is there something you want to tell me Chiba?" she put as much animosity in the question as possible, especially putting more emphasis in his last name. She didn't know if she had put up a good front since each word that escaped her lips seemed to tremble from the dread she could feel steadily growing in the pit of her stomach.
Eyes troubled, Mamoru replied, "We have a problem. . . two in fact."
Her uncaring countenance gone, she began to hop from one foot to the other. "It can't be _that_ bad?" Noticing his grim frown, her panic came bubbling to the surface. "Is it??? Mamoru tell me!"
Sighing, he said reluctantly, "You should sit down for this."
Wringing her hands, Usagi plunked herself down on the floor.
This was NOT good.
Usagi prayed with all her might that she would see through to this.
One. . . can only hope.
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And that's the end of this chapter! ^_^ I wanted to thank once again to all who reviewed! Trust me when I say they make me feel all nice and warm inside!!! After my Creative Writing instructor totally creamed my short story last week in front of my peers, I went back to re-read your reviews, wanting to reassure myself that my writing isn't so bad. And you know what? It made me feel a _whole_ lot better. So thank you!
Well, I'll be going now! ^_~ Bye!!!