The next few days, it rained and rained and rained some more. It would've been highly unpleasant continuing to train in the garden, or anywhere outside really. Mamoru offered to cancel their lessons until the monsoon let up, but Usagi had been struck with some unnameable fear at the thought of not getting that time with him. She couldn't quite explain what prompted it, but she must be going insane, because she actually suggested studying of all things... Mamoru's voice through the phone was so flabbergasted she may as well have just declared herself the princess they were looking for, but hey... at least it worked. He told her they could jump back into Braille at his apartment, and she was so thrilled she could hardly keep the pained grimace off her face.
"Can't wait," she replied through a forced smile, thinking of the umpteen hours of feeling raised dots in her future.
He just laughed on the other end, all too knowingly.
He still couldn't believe she agreed to study.
Tsukino Usagi, of all people.
She looked miserable, glaring unseeingly at the Braille in her book as if it had committed some terrible umbrage against her. She frowned and stewed and struggled through each new sentence. He felt bad; this was doubly as hard for her because she didn't exactly have the best grasp on Japanese grammar to begin with. Mamoru offered assistance where he could, but for the most part this was something Usagi had to conquer on her own. Rather like the training sessions. Of course... he never felt less like Tuxedo Kamen and Sailor Moon and more like Mamoru and Usagi than in this moment.
"This is just so awwwwful," Usagi whined, sans any form of heroics she'd been displaying lately. In fact, quite the opposite, she began banging her forehead on the coffee table that was finally cleared of newspapers. They now lived in a tidy storage bin pushed beneath his bed. "Why can't they make Braille for manga? That would be so much more interesting than this dry old textbook!"
"I'm not sure that's a thing," Mamoru said dubiously, sticking out a hand between her head and the glass tabletop. "Stop it, Usako. You'll hurt yourself."
It was amazing how easily the nickname flowed off his tongue now.
And how easily she could ignite his overprotective inclinations.
"It should definitely be a thing," Usagi pouted, "And studying hurts my brain more than doing this!"
"Usako, what if you're the queen of some great nation one day and you can't even read a decree to your subjects off the scroll in front of you?"
"I'd make it up," Usagi grumbled, still head-butting his hand. Mamoru rolled his eyes, but he didn't doubt her response in the slightest. That would be just like her, to make gobbledegook out of an official royal document. He could picture it now, and the way the masses would flock to do her bidding. The all-too-real image made him laugh, and he saw that a smile was creeping across her face too. With a sigh, she sat back up and reached out to run her hands across the page once more. He had to give her credit - despite the occasional tantrum, she was giving a concerted effort. But her wistful words had got him thinking...
The second day Usagi came over, Mamoru plunked the learner's manual down in front of her, but it smacked the surface of the table different than before. It sounded... lighter?
"Mamo-chan..." Usagi grabbed up the book - definitely not the same. This was small and thin. "What's this?"
"What does the title say?" Mamoru pressed, like he was trying to contain a smile. Usagi was so confused, but she dashed her fingers across the cover regardless.
"Chi...bi... Mar... Maruko-chan. Wait... this is a manga!?"
Mamoru chuckled at her excitement, so much more visible today. "I found the holy grail! A Braille translation of manga made by an illustrator's club in Kitajima. You were right - there aren't many, but, it does exist!"
Usagi shrieked, unable to keep herself from dancing joyously on the balls of her feet. Oh, this would be so much more fun to practice with than that awful behemoth of a study guide! She flung herself around the table and at the glowing golden figure that Mamoru struck. "Mamo-chan, Mamo-chan, you're the best!"
Mamoru flushed; Usagi could tell because he suddenly grew hot in her arms; the fingers clenching reflexively at the fabric of her t-shirt's back. Just as suddenly, she realized that although he'd carried her from harm many times... this was the first time they'd actually hugged. She blushed too, but it was because the foreign sensation was so strangely pleasant that she quickly stepped back - tempering herself into a hopefully calmer and more manageable state. Sometimes her body just had a will of its own when she got so excited.
"You ready to study?"
"Tsukino Usagi, I never thought I'd hear you say those words in that tone!"
oOo
Zoisite must have been nursing an injured ego, or maybe Dark Kingdom henchmen just didn't like rainy weather either, because the third day arrived and it was equally as free from youma.
It was also the day Usagi learned Mamoru's sweetness knew no bounds.
Yesterday when Usagi tired of deciphering the Braille in her manga, Mamoru spent the last half of their lesson curled into the couch with her, so close their knees were practically touching. He read the dialogue aloud, and tried his best to describe what was happening in each panel, but Mamoru was clearly not a manga fanatic like Usagi. He bumbled over some of the terminology such as what to call sweatdrops and other stylized character reactions, but Usagi helpfully educated him, just as patiently as he'd done with her. She was quite pleased that this role reversal allowed for that. But later she'd lamented that she wished there was a way for them to also practice their fighting skills before she got too rusty, and Mamoru, well... he delivered.
Today, when she entered the tiny apartment, he immediately told her to transform. That was when she saw, hilariously out of place in the center of the room, a punching bag.
"No way!"
Mamoru grinned, rather liking the frequency with which he'd been able to get a surprised exclamation from her lately. Although it didn't include a hug this time, Usagi still showed enough eagerness to make all that shifting of heavy furniture worth it.
He'd also found the star locket while he was cleaning and making his apartment combat-ready. It had been a little dismaying, but he supposed he couldn't fault her intentions - she knew it was a relic of his forgotten past, and she couldn't bear to take that from him, regardless of how much he wanted her to have it. He'd sighed, and placed it lovingly upon his nightstand. It was nice to have it back, he admitted to himself.
But it would've been even nicer to keep seeing it around her neck.
Like an inadvertent declaration of his claim on her, and her to him.
He shook himself from reverie, having to soberly remind himself that he didn't truly know whether she felt that way about him, and that for now he would just have to respect her wishes. The man donned his own transformation, then cast the costumed blonde a cheshire smirk.
"I heard you wanted to fight. Prepare to meet your match, Sailor Moon!" Mamoru gestured at the bright red punching bag and she sniggered. "You laugh now - this opponent is a fearsome adversary!"
He beckoned her over and demonstrated how to throw a punch at the bag. She didn't even wait to hear the rest of his instructions and threw one of her own - only to get a rebound directly in the face.
"Oh my nose!" she yelped, clutching it through the burn.
"That's what I was about to show you next - how to dodge," Mamoru grimaced in sympathy. "You okay?"
Usagi sniffed loudly and dabbed at her appendage, nodding.
"Alright let's try that again - slower this time, 'kay?"
oOo
She actually got pretty good at wailing on the bag. There were a couple more bonks to the face before she truly got the hang of it, but pretty soon Mamoru didn't even need to warn her which side the bag was coming for. She just started nimbly dodging its advances all on her own. He was proud of her progress... which meant it was time for hand-to-hand combat again.
"Alright Usako... now I want you to treat me like the punching bag, right? Use what you just learned there on me."
"You mean you want to be my personal punching bag now?" Usagi teased, arching a perfect brow.
"No holding back!" Mamoru replied pleasantly.
Ultimately... that ended up being the problem.
"Usako," Mamoru breathed heavily, as he literally caught her fists within his own after their second all-too-brief altercation. "You're holding back."
"Am not!"
"You are. I saw you going way harder at the bag. I won't break. If anything it's me who has to go a little easier on you."
"Don't go easy on me!" The affront in her voice was obvious.
"Then don't go easy on me. That last attempt was pathetic. Were you trying to fluff a pillow? Or fling another thirty percent at my head?" Usagi's expression darkened at his needling, but that's exactly what he wanted - her to get riled up. Anger yielded results where all else failed, that much had been proven before, and he needed her not to tiptoe around him. "Act like I'm Guro-san and I just asked you out on a date!"
"Ewww! Umino did once, you know! Before Naru-chan. He used to stalk me all the time!"
"He... what? Seriously?" Mamoru found himself distracted by the revelation - a fact which Usagi had been counting on. She swept cat-like at his completely unprepared legs and he went down in a startled heap... Too startled to defend himself when the blonde leapt onto his torso and pinned his arms down with either knee. The little Senshi was surprisingly strong. He bucked and she didn't even budge. "Very nice job," he gasped, past the weight upon his front. He tried not to think too much about the long legs and miniskirt invading his vision, but god, it was a losing battle. He was about ready to raise a flag and call defeat when she leaned closer.
"Who's holding back now?" she demanded smugly, and Mamoru bit back what would have been a most embarrassing moan, wondering if she had any inkling the effect she had on him. His eyes were locked on her lips, and he shakily licked his own.
"What did you tell him?"
"Huh?"
"Your friend Guro-san."
Usagi wrinkled her nose, pushing off of Mamoru and back onto her feet. She lent him a hand and oh, how he wished he could drag her back down there with him, maybe reenact that total takeover again but this time with him on top. He graciously accepted the assist though. "I bummed a milkshake off him then told him to bugger off."
Mamoru laughed with some measure of shock, and maybe a touch more pride mixed in. "You are... something else," he marveled.
"He's so not my type," Usagi shrugged, and they were treading dangerous territory again. He gazed piercingly at her, but frustratingly, she didn't elaborate further. It did however open the door to another related topic he'd wanted to address with her...
"Er. Speaking of dates. I mean... not like I'm asking you on a date date, it's just... There's this hospital function I'm expected to go to this Saturday night. It's an art gala to raise money for the children's wing. Usually they're awful, dull, stuffy affairs but I just figured... well, everyone brings someone, so maybe if you were there it wouldn't be so... awful and dull? I mean... uh, I know I'm not exactly selling this here but... You get to dress up a bit fancy, eat delicacies, and I know you won't exactly be able to see the art, but I could describe it to you like I did the manga," Mamoru knew he was starting to ramble, but now that it was out there he was terrified to see her reaction... or worse, face her rejection. What if he wasn't her type, either? So he quickly tacked on, all the while thoroughly examining his own feet, "And honestly this whole thing kinda screams energy heaven to me anyway, so it'd be good to have two superheroes there on the lookout, you know, just in case..."
That sounded way more legit, right? He was just concerned about the safety of the hospital's patrons.
The caped crusader chanced a peek up, trying to fathom the look in her eyes behind the winged white mask. The cerulean blues were uncharacteristically unreadable.
She awkwardly cleared her throat. "You... don't have anyone else you'd rather ask? No one from your college or...?"
"No," Mamoru answered, a little surprised, but he said it firmly enough that she started to look slightly... relieved?
"Oh. So... Saturday night then?"
"Yeah. I can pick you up at six. White tie event. Er... I think I said that." Mamoru tried vainly to remember all the information he'd blurted out to her in his pure panic to get the invitation out there.
"Not a date date?"
"Definitely not a date date." Mamoru nodded desperately, not quite sure whether he was clarifying a question or confirming a concern. The girl was still holding herself very still, and it was killing him to not have a yes or a no yet. "So... would you want to...? No pressure if you have plans already, I just figured-"
"I'll go," Usagi said, and she dropped the most sparkling smile that Mamoru could've lost himself to the carpet once more.
TO BE CONTINUED...
Author's Note: Hmm, bet you guys can guess where this is going... ;) I have a weakness for sweet and/or protective Mamoru, can you tell!? A side note, that illustrating club translating manga to Braille in Kitajima is a real thing. So shout out to them for their awesome service and here's hoping it gains greater ground elsewhere throughout the world!
I have a bunch of people to thank for last chapter's reviews! Cookies for everyone! Peanut butter chocolate chip of course, my favorite, mm. Love to RogueAlly, Ruk, Astraearose-silvermoon, lolopptt, karseneau1, TropicalRemix, Moon Bunny, NikkiBC, UltraSenshi, Princesakarlita411, Oreo596, Jwalla1986, chimichurri, phillynz, Zanahana, Daire123, smoon4409, Jenbunny, TinkStar87, Rufael, liveforDBZ, and Yece Aguirre!
I'll try to have the next chapter out within a couple weeks. Sometimes I fall behind in the summer because I'm too busy just being out enjoying it. I live in a state that's winter like six months out of a year, so gotta enjoy the warm weather while it's here!
Kisses,
AngelMoon Girl