"Mysteries" Series: Part V
To the Moon
#8 Kiss, 1486 words
Usagi clutched her fists to her side. How dare he? How dare that arrogant, egotistical, sarcastic Baka-face do that to her? Who did Mamoru think he is, some walking mound of pheromones just oozing with masculinity and confidence who could make any girl around him swoon when he walked by?
"Because he certainly is NOT!" Usagi bellowed, voicing her opinion to no one in particular. However, the entire crowd inside the arcade turned their heads in bewilderment. A tide of crimson washed over her cheeks, and Usagi went back to her internal burning fury.
That Mamoru-baka, he had no right to tease me the way he does. He never did. Sure, bickering was our daily routine, and it never really bothered me. But this? How cruel could he be? He doesn't know how marginally irritating that nickname is and how discouraging his comments are about my grades. Moreover, he doesn't know he drops the bomb when he laughs with that light-heartedness that could lift the Titanic from the bottom of the sea. He has no idea he could have any woman that crossed his path, and he especially has no idea that today, he got me.
"Odango?"
Usagi stopped dead in her tracks. Squeezing her eyes shut, she had hoped that one certain person wasn't the one who addressed her. When she opened them, the quizzical look in Mamoru's blue eyes could have bowled her over. In her fury of ranting, Usagi subconsciously followed him out of the arcade, and there they stood, facing each other in the middle of an empty sidewalk.
"Is there a reason you're following me?" asked Mamoru, quirking an eyebrow.
"I…I, uh, live this way," Usagi stuttered, her ears turning pink with embarrassment. She dramatically crossed her arms over her chest, and for added effect, threw out a short, "Baka!"
Mamoru smiled. She was a terrible liar. "Really Odango? I've never seen you walk this way. I thought you lived over there," he said, pointing in the opposite direction, past Crown.
"Stalker, how do you figure?"
"Well," he began, putting a thoughtful finger to his lips. Usagi felt the urge to do the same…except with her mouth. "Since you, I mean…since we usually collide around Crown going opposite directions, in addition to the fact that I never see you walking here, I just figured you lived in that general vicinity."
"Damn, he's good!" thought Usagi. She didn't have anything else to say, but when that smug grin crossed his face, Usagi felt herself stuttering again. "W-well, you know…it's just t-that…"
She looked between Mamoru and the correct path home and before she could think, the words came flowing out of her mouth. "Why do you have to be like that?"
Mamoru smiled broader. "Like what? Undeniably correct?"
"No."
"Indubitably genius?"
"No!"
"Incorrigible?"
"Thoroughly infatuating!"
She could see it in slow motion, as if Usagi could watch the synapses of Mamoru's thoughts rush through his nerves. First, there was the second of registering, then a blink of shock, an attempted response, and the inevitable awkward silence. Usagi clenched her teeth together, silently cursing herself for losing her composure. She searched for some kind of compassion in his eyes, but could not hope for it. Spinning on her heels, Usagi sprinted away from her infatuation.
Or at least, tried to.
Used to catching Usagi after all of their collisions, Mamoru's arm bolted out and caught hold of her wrist, twisting the escapee around. There was a dampness clogging her cerulean eyes, and the pink from her ears now burned red all the way to her throat. Either Usagi was lying, or telling one hell of a truth.
"Hey, hey calm down Usako," he murmured, wrapping his arms around Usagi's tiny frame, pressing her body against his in an attempt to pacify her. Usagi's breaths came labored and ragged as she struggled frantically against Mamoru's embrace. He released her, and their gazes met once again.
"You find me infatuating?" Mamoru asked with a crooked smile. His eyes refused to focus on anything else except Usagi, to her dismay.
Usagi could feel the burn on to her. "No…I find you horrible and frustrating and the biggest disappointment of a man!" she screamed before turning away again.
But Mamoru was faster, and she collided into his chest once more. Damn, he's really good.
"I've had the worst day, Mamoru," choked Usagi, her gaze falling to the ground as the tears made a heavy exodus. "Just leave me alone."
"It couldn't have been that bad if you were following me around," he grinned.
Usagi groaned. That was what got her into this in the first place; this was what got her in his arms. Twice. She looked up at Mamoru to find his smile wasn't of amusement, but of understanding and interest. He moved a hand from her shoulder to her cheek to wipe away the last of her tears, and Usagi marveled how perfectly his palm cupped her face. She felt its warmth as it spread throughout her body, and like before, Usagi couldn't stop the words from flowing.
"It was terrible, Mamo-chan! I felt so bad that I didn't see you, the real you! It was like seeing a sunrise for the first time," she confessed. Mamoru opened his mouth but let the girl, who clearly dismissed the need for oxygen, continue.
"I thought of you as Baka-san until the second I stormed into Crown this afternoon. Then you walked out with Hina, and I was curious so I followed you, and I was listening to you two talk and laugh, and your laughter is so nice, and I realized I was jealous. I realized I'm just young, and you see me as immature, and I just felt so hopeless -well I've never felt this way before- but I haven't been the same."
Mamoru opened his mouth to speak, but her words spilled out again. "And you called me pretty, and it made me feel good. I mean, not just good, but like I was worthwhile, like I could actually have a chance-"
Usagi found herself pleasantly interrupted with a swift kiss upon her lips. Her eyes blossomed wide open, taking in the blurred sight of Mamoru's face coolly concentrated on silencing her. The kiss was surprisingly soft, but Mamoru commanded her mouth with firm pressure. His hand still cupped her cheek as he moved back, only a few inches, to gaze lovingly into her eyes. Usagi blinked furiously, her brain trying to register whether that kiss actually happened. She numbly lifted her fingers to her lips, running them along the soft moisture on their surface, and they curled into a smile. As her hand descended to her side, Mamoru's free hand suddenly clutched hers, sending electricity through her limbs.
"I told you not to be jealous of her," he murmured, his breath tickling Usagi's lips. She nodded. "The Usako I fell in love with was never jealous of anything."
"…fell in love with…"
The words echoed in Usagi's ears as she felt Mamoru lift her arm over his shoulder as he leaned forward to claim her lips again. This time, Usagi closed her eyes, ready for the blissful impact of adoration, release, and a feeling that all was right in the world. The kiss steadily deepened as Usagi wrapped her arms around Mamoru's neck, her fingers entangling themselves with the soft, black hairs. She sighed as Mamoru molded her to his towering body, his arm easily encircling the tiny waist and his hand moving from Usagi's cheek, to the base of her head, and to the golden tendrils of hair, all to memorize the magic of her body against him. He had a feeling she'd be there a lot more often in the future. Usagi nibbled at the flesh of Mamoru's bottom lip and could feel them mold into a smile as their lips pressed against each other.
Both felt their heads grow light, whether from the magnitude of the kiss or from a lack of oxygen, and painfully parted from each other. Mamoru couldn't stop beaming as he watched rosy patches emerge from Usagi's cheeks. They could feel their hearts racing against their chests as if they were also trying to embrace in a world miraculously bursting in color.
"Now do you think I'm desirable?" asked Mamoru as he tickled the side of Usagi's neck with his lips. She giggled in his arms.
"Are you feeling weak in the knees?" Mamoru dipped his head to kiss her once more.
Mmph, came the response.
"Am I still the biggest disappointment of a man?" he asked innocently, pulling away from Usagi's attempts to continue further.
Usagi's eyes fluttered open, out of her reverie, before she narrowed them at Mamoru. "Yes." He pouted. "I mean, you just keep asking questions."
A brilliant smile spread over Mamoru's face. "Usako, I'm going to rocket you to the moon."