"Mamaaa! Hurry up! He'll be here any time now!"
"Then he'll just have to wait. You can't rush these things, Usagi. Unless you want lopsided wings?" Ikuko tsked, in the middle of applying the final stages of eyeliner. Usagi grunted non-committally, mostly because she didn't want to seem ungrateful that her mother was taking the time to do her make-up. But she also really, really didn't want to be late. "Relax your face, dear. No slouching. Just a few more touches... and... done!"
Usagi let out the breath she hadn't even realized she'd been holding. Then tried to stand very still as her mother looked her over.
"Oh Usagi... oh honey. You look beautiful. Just a vision!" Ikuko sniffed, grasping her chin and tilting the blonde's head this way and that as she inspected her handiwork. Usagi dearly wished she could examine herself in the mirror, but would just have to take her mother's word for it. She blushed, wondering what Mamoru would think of her transformation. She hardly ever wore make-up or elegant dresses, and she definitely didn't ply her signature odango into a single bun ringed with white flowers. As if Ikuko knew the track her mind was taking, she added slyly, "Your date will be most impressed."
"What - he's not - I told you, Mama! It's not a date!" Usagi spluttered affrontedly.
"A fancy event. Getting picked up at night. The only one he invited? Sure sounds like a date to me," Ikuko countered, and the grin sounded like it was attempting to split open her face. If Usagi didn't know any better, she'd say her mother was positively gleeful.
But of course she was. This was probably everything she'd ever wanted since Mamoru stepped into that hospital room.
"Not a date," Usagi grumbled through gritted teeth.
"Definitely a date," Ikuko said cheerfully, ushering her daughter by the elbow out the bedroom door. "C'mon, come show your father."
Kenji seemed just as moved by the sight of such a grown looking Usagi in white. She self-consciously tugged at an escaping curl by her ear as he gruffly cleared his throat for a few moments. "Usagi! Oh my... Your hair..."
"You like it, Papa?"
"You look lovely. Don't think I've seen you without odango since you were a toddler!"
"Mama did a good job, didn't she?" Ikuko fished, and Kenji responded,
"Oh yes. Yes, a perfect job. But er... you don't think the make-up is too old, do you? I mean, this isn't a date, right? You said it's not a date."
"It's not a date!" Usagi exclaimed, red. How many times would she have to deny that?
"Definitely not a date," Ikuko agreed sagely, and Usagi wanted to roll her eyes. She could just imagine the conspiratorial wink her mother must be throwing her now. But Kenji seemed sated, and that was all that mattered, no need to incite Hurricane Overprotective Papa this early in the night.
As if on cue, the doorbell rang.
"I'll get it!" Usagi volunteered loudly, bouncing into action. Hoping to make a quick getaway in case her parents got the bright idea to be even more embarrassing. She flung open the door with a breathless,
"Hi."
Mamoru had to fight the urge to drop his jaw. Politeness dictated that when his crush's parents were in the room, he not devolve into a salivating mess with all the manners of a caveman. But.. wow.
Wow.
Usagi was definitely giving his gentilities a run for their money. She was breathtaking all in white, the ballgown evoking some strange sort of nostalgia deep within his mind but in the intensity of the moment, he couldn't get it to function past "Wow". It hugged her curves in all the right places without being too revealing, which to Mamoru was perhaps more of a tease than if she had gone form-fitting. Around her neck rested a double-layered string of pearls, but what caught his attention the most was not the jewelry, nor even the vaguely familiar dress... it was the change in hairstyle. He couldn't seem to stop staring at the lack of odango. He would have thought he wouldn't have liked seeing her in anything but the coiffure he spent so much time teasing her about. The odango was her. But this new updo... it was charming. Elegant. He'd never want her to formerly trade the odango in. But just for one night...
He struggled to make words make sense past his frozen mouth.
"You look... stunning," he finally managed to say, watching as Usagi's cheeks adopted a pink hue. She ducked her head shyly, giving him an even better view of the adorably placed flowers surrounding her bun.
"A white tux even! You two will match perfectly," Ikuko gushed, coming forward to compliment Mamoru on his own choice of evening attire. To be honest, he hadn't even thought of asking Usagi what color dress she chose; yesterday had kept them rather occupied in other ways. But now he did have to marvel that without even planning it, they'd mirrored the other in their selection. He grinned knowing they had been on the same wavelength the whole time, and a chance peek at Usagi told him she was doing the same. Feeling a little braver, she reached up to string her arm through his own.
"Shall we head out?"
"You just make sure not to keep her out too late, Mamoru-san," Kenji inserted sternly.
"He can keep you a little late, though, Usagi," Ikuko whispered, in the midst of passing her daughter a small clutch purse.
"Ooo-kay, definitely time to go," Usagi said, practically shoving Mamoru out the door now. He chuckled.
"Thank you, I will take good care of her. We won't be out too late, I promise. Have a nice rest of your evening," the man called back to Usagi's parents with a little wave. Which was difficult, given how surprisingly strong the petite blonde was. She didn't relax her grip until they reached the car.
"Unbelievable. Papa's still spying on us out the window, isn't he?"
Mamoru snorted. "Oh yes."
"Unbelievable," Usagi scoffed again. "You'd think this is the first time you've ever picked me up."
"It's the first time I've ever picked you up looking like that," Mamoru pointed out, the admiration once again seeping through into his voice. Usagi blushed, probably setting a new record for the night. She welcomed his assist into the Ferrari, trying to make sure all her trails and folds made it into the car with her. Mamoru waited until she was settled and after one last surreptitious tuck of fabric, shut the door on her. He chuckled as he made his way around to the driver's side...
Kenji's face was suddenly lurched away as if by force and he could only imagine the tongue-wagging Ikuko was currently giving her husband.
Usagi was a very lucky girl, he thought, with only a little sadness.
The art gala was located in the affluent part of downtown, and nothing illustrated that more than when a valet came to park Mamoru's car. Usagi squealed at what she called the 'red carpet' treatment.
"I feel like a celebrity!" she giggled, of course still managing to trip over the hem of her dress as the valet helped her from the Ferrari. She glared at Mamoru's golden glow rumbling with mirth as he came around to link arms with her once more.
"Careful, Cinderella. You're about to lose a shoe and it's not even midnight."
Usagi held tight to his forearm and her purse as they made their way inside into what sounded like a massive vaulted-ceiling lobby. Voices echoed and swelled around her and she had to swallow down a sudden burst of nerves. Being in crowded spaces blind was always an overwhelming feeling; it gave her an unpleasant sense of vulnerability. But Mamoru was right here, and just like her first few times on the bustling city streets of Juban, he acted as both comforter and guide. His squeeze was firm as he led them over to a group of his coworkers. Usagi smiled nervously. She wished she knew where to look as Mamoru introduced her.
"Well, well. Mamoru-kun never brings a date!"
"Oh I'm actually his-"
"And so pretty! You look like a princess! I just have to know, where did you get your dress?" another voice, this time female, gushed loudly over Usagi's feeble protestations.
"It was at the-"
"Do you work at the hospital too? Which wing? I've never seen you around." Another voice, new to the conversation but just as irritatingly demanding. Usagi was frustrated not being granted an opportunity to answer before the next rapid-fire question.
"Actually no I'm-"
"Oh - you're blind aren't you? Are you the girl who-"
"Kyoko-chan, you can't just thoughtlessly blurt that out," a male voice was hissing reproachfully.
Usagi was definitely starting to fight that same overwhelming feeling from before, and Mamoru must have noticed, because he suddenly was escorting the two of them away. "Looks like the appetizer table's just opened up and we're starving - catch you guys in a few!"
Usagi let out a long, relieved breath. "They're a little... much, aren't they?"
"Now do you see why I usually hate these things?" Mamoru chuckled darkly. Usagi nodded, not blaming him one bit.
"Hey, did you mean it when you said the food table opened up?" Usagi queried, complete with a stomach growl. Mamoru laughed.
"C'mon, we'll go find it."
They snacked on hors d'oeuvres in the corner, trying their best to blend in and avoid interaction, which was generally Mamoru's go-to when it came to parties. He spent much of this time ogling Usagi, and being very glad she could not observe him being so overt. She was too entranced with her fistfuls of steaming rumaki and tofu bites anyway to pay much attention to anything else. It was just, he had finally realized why her white ballgown looked so familiar... and it was all thanks to her recent comparison to a princess. She did look like a princess... the one from his dreams. It was probably just the similarity in color and length, and the fact that they both shared fair hair, but now that he saw it he couldn't seem to unsee it.
Usagi was prettier, though. And a part of that was absolutely to do with the juicy brown smudges staining her lips.
"You're wearing white, remember," he teased, as he dabbed at her mouth with a napkin.
"So?" Usagi crinkled up her nose, taking another sloppy chomp of bacon-wrapped chestnut and chicken. Mamoru beamed, highly doubting his dream Princess would be so cavalier about her own gown, and loving Usagi all the more for it.
"Do you want to go into the exhibit now?"
"Am I allowed to take any food with me?"
"Probably not."
Usagi pouted, but popped a few additional morsels of shrimp and pork dumpling into her mouth for good measure. Puffed up like a squirrel on nuts, she warbled, "Okay. I'm ready."
Mamoru snorted. He truly was so glad he asked her along tonight. No way he would have been this entertained alone. The girl latched onto his arm like she belonged there, and he held himself a little straighter with pride as they wandered into the heart of the art gala, knowing he had by far the most beautiful woman of the evening inside and out by his side.
Even as she chewed heartily for much the time he spent explaining the first painting - a storm at sea by the relatively unknown artist Kaioh Michiru - to her.
oOo
"Ooh, and this one looks like a collection of works by the artist Yumeno Yumemi. She lives right here in Tokyo!" Mamoru said, interestedly leaning forward to more closely inspect the placard set beside the paintings. Usagi hummed in agreement, neither paying much attention to the shadow lurking not far from them.
"I've heard of her! She's really popular! But she hasn't put out anything new in a while. People are saying she's in a slump."
"A slump? And just what people have you been talking to?" Mamoru turned to her, affecting a lopsided smile that spoke to his needling tone.
"Don't doubt my network, Chiba Mamoru!" Usagi sniffed.
Mamoru chortled as he faced the wall once more. "Well if she's in a slump I really don't understand why. She's so gifted. This one here says it's a self-portrait. Long wavy blonde hair flowing out around her, purple dress with pink bows..."
"She sounds gorgeous," Usagi beamed.
"A self portrait doesn't necessarily mean it's a true reflection," Mamoru pointed out, not noticing the uncomfortable shift in the air beyond them.
Mamoru's cynicism did little to pop Usagi's bubble, however. She had clasped her fingers beneath her chin and was looking altogether very starstruck. "They say Yumeno Yumemi's paintings make you lucky in love! Describe some more, Mamo-chan!"
Mamoru's eyes flicked up and he gasped.
"What!?"
"N-nothing. It's just... these two look a lot like..."
The painting was of a man and a woman, backlit by a large crescent moon. The man was masked, caped, and gazing down affectionately at a woman with two long trails of blonde hair that suspiciously resembled odango. She had a yellow bow perched upon her chest, and was wearing a pink jumpsuit. The look was very artistic, dream-like, not something you'd see the average couple ever donning. But Mamoru saw so very clearly the resemblance to himself as Tuxedo Kamen and Usagi. He shook himself from his shock and turned back to the aforementioned blonde to tell her such...
Only to find his companion nowhere in sight.
Mamoru's heart dropped right into the pit of his stomach.
"Usako?" he called, catching a few odd glances, but he paid the other gala attendees no mind, his concern only for the missing Usagi. Had she gotten bored and wandered off? But no, she had seemed so enamored with these paintings and their artist, it didn't make sense that she would abandon him at that moment. Terrified and suspecting the worst - he did wonder if this event wouldn't attract foul play from the Dark Kingdom! - Mamoru quickly side-stepped other guests and excused himself around various gatherings as he searched for the girl. His heart pounded viciously.
"Usako?" he tried again, ignoring further glares. To hell with keeping a calm and classy ambience. They could take their wafting violin music and shove it - Usagi was gone!
He was just about to bolt from the exhibit and back into the lobby when a hand grabbed onto his sleeve and practically dragged him out a door he hadn't even realized was there.
TO BE CONTINUED...
Author's Note: Sorry for the longer than normal wait. I'm afraid I haven't had as much energy these days. Baby Angel is doing just great and we've reached the nine week mark :) It's a wonderfully exciting time but as a first time parent a mildly terrifying one too. I feel like I have so much to learn! Like I'm studying for some big test :D One day I'm sure I'll look back and laugh but for now I'm reading What To Expect books like there's no tomorrow ;) But fear not! I do fully intend on finishing this story no matter what life throws at me!
You guuuuys. I had so much feedback and well-wishes last chapter, I was an emotional wreck! And that's not just the pregnancy talking! The biggest of thanks to SereStarOfGaea, Moon Bunny, lolopptt, GraphicsChyk, RogueAlly, masterray5, NikkiBC, silverhawk88, Zanahana, chastityjk, Ruk, Jwalla1986, Asj Johnson, Princesakarlita411, TheMunnin, Oreo596, Sonata IX, moon romance, karseneau1, smoon4409, klrowe4, Daire123, altrealitylover, chimichurri, lisasailor, Astraearose-silvermoon, MamaLadyKT, liveforDBZ, Serenity Red Eclipse, SaphireShimmer, TinkStar87 and MyIndy13. Your reviews are my CRACK!
Until next time,
AngelMoon Girl