Tsukino Usagi was walking merrily towards the crown arcade, her sixteen year old body slouching slightly before straightening as she tried to convince herself that Baka wouldn't get to her. Her baby blue eyes watched the path before her as she tried not to slip and her blond odangos bounced. The two long streamers that fell from her head waving gently beside her. Her denim skirt flowed around her knees and her pink denim jacket hugged her upped body slightly, however it was undone to reveal her sunny yellow blouse. She was however oblivious to the sun creeping behind the clouds, the birds silencing their songs and the man pointing the gun, behind her.
"Stop where you are or I'll shoot..." He trailed off looking around for a victim, his eyes falling gently upon Usagi. "Her! I'll shoot her" As the male Voice rang out Usagi turned around, her eyes visibly widening as he moved closer towards her. A nervous smile spread over his lips, his stubble covered chin moved slightly as he did so. His brown eyes scanned over her and she caught sight of uncombed greying hair poking out from under his cap. "Take another step near me and I'll kill that girl" He shook the gun in her direction and there was a small gasp from the store manager.
"Now come on don't rush to anything silly now.." The woman stepped closer, ever so slowly but it was still detected. "You moved" The thief stated calmly "She dies". His eyes raised as he pointed the gun towards a shaking Usagi "Oh Kami, I'm sorry" She mumbled softly as the sound of the gun being fired entered her ears. Her eyes flew shut and she braced herself, a slight ringing in her head as time slowed. She waited... And waited.. And waited but it never came. No cold metal penetrated her skin and no blood left her body.
Instead she felt something slam into her body, two hands grasping her arms. The weight sagged against her slightly for a moment and she heard a muffled yelp coming from her hair and a groan. The scent of roses flowed into her lungs as she felt something soft brush against her face before falling away and brushing back again. "Odango.. Atama.." Her eyes fluttered open as the hated nickname was spoken and she saw what exactly had happened.
"Mamo-Chan.." She let out a squeak and wrapped her arms under his, lowering him gently to the ground. Her worst enemy, the dashing Chiba Mamoru had saved her. She gently laid the twenty year old med student on his stomach and looked at the entry wound in his back, blood slowly seeping out. "Why?" She let out a sob that wracked her small form as she took in his state. His face was laid so that his cheek was on the pavement, his dark ebony hair spilling gently over the crown of his head and onto the sidewalk. His midnight blue eyes flickered open and closed as he watched his little Odango Atama, pain lurking throughout as he felt it no use to hide his feelings in his last dieing hours. There was a small smile on his lip as the two were oblivious to the police men wrestling down the gunman.
"Odango... Usagi... I couldn't let anything happen to my Usako now could I? Motoki would have kicked my butt.. I would have kicked my butt" He gave a week chuckle as she let out another sob, while tearing a scrap of material from her blouse and gently pushing it against the wound where blood was pooling from. She moved to straddle his back then pressed harder, applying pressure to the wound as he tried to glance at her sideways, unable to stop the thoughts of 'I wish I was facing the other way' from entering his mind. He coughed, grimacing a little before letting out a raspy "I'm sorry Usako. For everything". He flinched more as she let out another sob and clenched her eye shut.
"You can't leave me, Baka. You can't" Her voice came out sternly as her head dropped against her chest, tears escaping quickly. He sighed gently and moved his head to see feet rushing, catching the sound of a siren far off. "Usako, I'm sorry but I can't promise you anything" His voice was hurried and she was aware of it, the new nicknames were already accustomed to even through the short usage, neither questioned "I need to get something off my chest, While I still can" He let out slight groan and she gave another sob. Her lip quivered and she felt his body slowly relaxing beneath her "Go on". "Usako.." He trailed off, pausing a while during his short battle to keep away the darkness that was falling over him, luckily for them he was currently winning.
"Usako.. I.. Well, I.. Its no use I'll just have to say it. I love you, more then life itself and right now I'd willingly kick my own backside for making you cry if I could" A small smile appeared as he felt her leaning forwards, her body pressed against his as she laid her head on his shoulder for a moment. " I don't want you to die" She let out a wail and sobs racked her body again. "I never thought you felt that way about me, I thought you hated me" She moved off his back and laid herself down beside him, ignoring the blood pooling around him that she was laying herself in, a hand resuming it's act of applying pressure. By now his face had turned back to look at her and she noticed the pain that resided in his eyes.
"Usako, Can I ask a favour of you?" His voice was nothing more then a whisper now and his attempts to push himself up from the ground had well since ended, the sirens grew closer and he let out a cough. She nodded in fear that her voice would betray her but then how could it when it had already deserted her. She noticed his small widen slightly as his eyelids drooped a little. In an almost inaudible whisper he requested "May I have one kiss?". She nodded, a few tears of joy merged with those of sorrow as she moved herself closer to him and gently placed her lips against his. Her eyes had quickly closed and she could have sworn that even in that one sorrow filled kiss she felt the earth move and her heart leap. No man would ever make her feel like this again. His tongue slowly came out and rubbed over her bottom lip before his lips pressed firmly against them once more and she heard a soft groan.
The pressure slowly eased between their lips and she pulled away, her eyes opening to see Mamoru's eyes had closed and there was a soft smile plastered over the lips she had only minutes previously kissed. An ambulance screeched to a halt a few metres away and she let her forehead fall gently against the cement. A silent sob escaping her lips as the tears flowed, unstoppable from her eyes. She was more then aware of the cool liquid that seeped through her attire and covered her skin that had once been in his body. "I love you too, Mamo-Chan" She let out a quiet whisper before she felt two hands slide underneath her shoulders and gently pull her up before she was engulfed in a hug.
"Did he tell you his feelings?" Her former crush, the man she now saw as an older brother pulled her gently against him and held her tightly, the blood that stained her clothes forgotten as it transferred to his own clothes. She nodded, unable to speak or do anything but cry as Mamoru was shifted onto a stretcher, oblivious to the talk going on between the paramedics and the older couple running up calling her name frantically. "Why now Motoki? Why? Why couldn't he have told me some other time when we had time to make something of it?" Her voice was hoarse, as Mamoru's had been previously, her throat was dry and her tongue felt as though it hadn't tasted a fluid within years even though salty water flooded her cheeks.
"He was scared, Usagi. He thought you hated him but he was forced to let you know.. He'd want to go to hell if he died without letting you know" She was racked with more sobs, her body shaking gently against his as Tsukino Kenji and Ikuko ran up. "Usagi! Usagi! Are you ok?" Motoki released her and gave her a gentle push towards her mother who frantically pulled her baby into her arms, the two sobbing. "Mom, He saved me, Baka saved me" Ikuko, who had been frequently updated by her daughter on the current events with 'Baka A.K.A. Mamoru A.K.A. Mamo-Chan' nodded, having thought for a while her daughter had feelings for the man. Kenji however looked away from the two women with a confused stare to the blond haired arcade worker, Motoki who shrugged and casually put his arms over Kenji's shoulders, leading him off to explain.
"Excuse me, Miss?" A tall man with red hair, green eyes and plenty of freckles stood a little distance away from the embracing women, holding a small plastic bag in his hands before him. "Could you come over here so we can get the other Paramedics to take a look at you.. you might be bleeding as your covered in blood" Usagi looked down at her clothes and shook her head, trying to wipe a few tears away. "No.. I'll come but it isn't my blood. It's Mamo-Chan's blood" She gulped and bowed her head as the man pulled a small card from the bag. "Hey you know him?" She nodded not meeting his gaze "You wouldn't happen to know who Usako is would you?" Her head snapped up at the word and another dam of tears broke. "That's what he called me" She gulped, and her voice quivered as the man handed her the bag. "These must be for you then" She took the bag and peered inside to see several brightly wrapped presents decorated in pink paper with blond rabbits and small matching gift tags. She looked at each as she was lead over to the other ambulance that had come and lifted in. On the tags there was a different variation of her name, varying from Usagi, to Usako and Usa. She smiled for a moment, he'd bought her birthday presents for her birthday in two weeks.
Author's Notes
Well that's finished.. there IS a second part with a few surprises in store, but you'll probably guess Mamoru's condition.. it's not like it isn't obvious. Well I finished my English and Media coursework so my teacher won't come and kick my butt over it and I saw Baka sighs. He's been friendly today even though i was a grouch because I had two tests and missed half my break and twenty minutes of my dinner hour.. thing( it's only actually 50 minutes). But Baka wished my good luck, as did my friends and the cute-ish Maths teacher who returned from teaching at another school after two of the main Maths teachers quit I hate Maths but the test was relatively easy. Poor Usagi
