Hi everybody! A couple of things I have to get straight.
I don't own Sailormoon blah blah blah, I always wondered why people wrote these, and then I realized someone out there might actually think I own these characters. Those people need to get out more HAHAHHAHAHA
I love candy, and chocolate cake- please send them
Okay so I'm done, have fun reading this chapter. It will take you through a lot of emotional stages. The first one happy, then denial and than extreme anger.
Enjoy!
Chapter Seven: A Nicer Time
"What did you say?" Mamoru asked sitting up. He had never heard that word come from her lips, well except for when she rambled on after slamming into him, thinking it was someone else. Usagi blushed, getting a little upset. She felt like he was almost making fun of her apology. It took a lot of her soul to say it to him.
"I said!...Gomen." She shouted and quickly calmed herself. She didn't make eye contact with him, but knew very well that he was staring down at her, in shock. A smile came to his face. He could tell it was taking a lot out of her to say it the first time, and then having to say it again.
"It's alright. Forget about it." He said resting his head back. He wondered about Usagi, and why she was still there. Didn't she feel weird being with him, alone in his apartment; after what happened in his bedroom.
The thought of her hips in his hands, her sweet lips on his, he had to admit, felt very nice. There was a familiar sensation he got from kissing her, as if he had done it before. But there was no way that could've happened, he would've remembered kissing her. And yet, he felt strangely regular to the kiss, like they had once before met lips. But he couldn't think of those things, especially not with her. She was still young. And he was tired and stressed out. He didn't even realize he was doing that with her until his eyes shot open. She was tapping her foot, not sure what she should be doing next. Should she get up and leave, or stay.
"Mamoru." She asked suddenly, looking a little nervous and silly.
"Hmm?" He replied not wanting to look down at her pretty big eyes.
"Does it get lonely at night?" She asked innocently. She didn't want to sound nosey, but she had to know if he was. Without any parents and for so long, she wondered if he was afraid of the dark since nobody was there to tell him bedtime stories.
"Lonely? At night?" He asked sitting up and staring at her. He was confused. He hoped to God that she wasn't asking what his perverted mind automatically drifted to. He had just kissed her, and liked it a lot, he didn't want to be tempted into doing anything more.
"Yeah, I get scared in my bedroom at night, all these weird shadows and stuff; it's really scary. But I know my parents are just down the hall from me…" She was smiling, thinking back to her father, who would often have to make 3 am search parties out of her closet. She looked up at him, waiting for his answer, he was confused at first, not sure what this had to do with anything. But than he started to laugh. Her blank and annoyed expressions were rather cute.
"That's because you're still a kid." He laughed, feeling suddenly really good about his life. She asked the most ridiculous questions at the strangest times, but it got his mind off of things.
"Hey, I'm not a kid. I'm 15 pal." She retorted scrounging her button nose and folding her arms angrily across her chest.
"That's still a kid." He said poking her shoulder just to make her more mad. Usagi cringed, steams of anger rising from her head. She really was still just a young girl, not yet grown enough to know about what it was like to be a woman.
"Well how old are you?" She shouted.
"I'm 20." Usagi never knew he was that much older than her. But of course he had to be if he was only two years away from graduating college. And he was after all, in the same classes as Motoki. Her mind drifted to that. He really was alone and for too long. Mamoru looked down to her eyes, she seemed worried for him, as she stared out thinking. It made him feel good to have someone worry about him.
"Hey, what's your problem." He asked sounding a little angry. There was never anyone to worry for him like that before, and it felt very awkward for her to be the one.
"Nothing" She smiled. Mamoru never realized how sweet she looked when she smiled. Her eyes became small crescent moons, her cheeks blushed; there was this glow to her when she wasn't falling. A strange cloud of silence fell over them. Usagi started to feel like she was on a date with someone, and couldn't imagine why she would feel like that. She wanted that silence to go away, and Mamoru wasn't doing anything about it.
"Hey, um I almost forgot. I made you an Apple Crisp dessert." She beamed him a wondrous smile, as if she had flown to the moon, or solved world hunger issues. He looked from her smile to the kitchen, utterly destroyed.
"Yeh I saw." He smiled awkwardly. He had never really shared a moment like this with her, and it was nice not fighting for once. She was almost tolerable when she was cute.
"Gomen, it's not that good looking I know but I tried." She said quickly feeling really dumb founded. She really did make a large effort to make something good. He was just lucky that she didn't burn down his apartment, although there was nothing really to burn.
"Lets have a try" He said not in the mood to destroy her tolerable manner. He got up and walked over to the kitchen and looked down to the sloppy apple dessert. It was golden brown and flaky. He gulped looking down at it, wondering if she may be trying to poison him. But when he looked down to her, she was hopeful, almost praying that she did a good job. She really did put a lot of effort in making it. He sighed, hoping that his mouth didn't explode, or any other part of him.
"Well, here goes." He said taking some in a spoon. He dug into the dessert, a rush of air spewed from it, making him even more nervous.
'Why was there air in there?' he thought nervously. The spoon with the clob of dessert was coming closer to his lips. He licked them embracing his taste buds. Usagi's hands were clenched under her chin, as if she was waiting for the timer on the bomb to go off.
Mamoru took the bite. A rush of intense apple and brown sugar flavour powered his mouth. It was a bit too sweet, but other then that, it was actually pretty good. He swallowed making a satisfied moan.
"Hey, this isn't half bad." He said content that he didn't blow up. Usagi jumped up, happy that she made something that wasn't burnt, and actually tasted good. He was happy to see her that overjoyed. He was always too busy poking fun at her, to see how pretty she was; and how sweet she was deep inside. He caught himself smiling at her a little bit too softly.
"Hey." He suddenly said interrupting her happy jumps into the air and frequent 'wooo hooo's'.
"Um?" She asked smiling at him. Those same darling eyes, that same wonderful smile, why didn't he ever notice them before. He almost forgot what he was going to say she was just so beautiful.
"Was that your first?" He asked.
"Oh well I've made other things, but they never really turn out anything like they're supposed to. Usually they are burnt or smoking, and there was that one time, my pies turned green, still not sure why that was, I never put anything green in it." Usagi rambled explaining all the different cooking mishaps she's had. Mamoru's eyes swirled in dismay, she was completely oblivious to what he was really asking.
"No no, that's not what I meant." He said placing a hand on her shoulder to stop her from bouncing around.
"Uh?" She looked puzzled, wondering what he could be talking about. She felt his hand on her shoulder, and couldn't help feeling a little blushed by it. He really did have a really good body, but that bruise on his shoulder made her feel upset.
"The kiss. Was it your first?" he asked again, this time looking softly and deeply into her eyes. His mind was telling him something he didn't want to know. Her lips were starting to look really kissable suddenly, and he hoped that he would have control over himself. After all this was Usagi, crazy unmannered hostile Usagi. He hadn't had anyone to kiss, but he wasn't sure if she was his first kiss. Surely, he must've kissed someone before, but he just couldn't remember who and when. But he knew, he had kissed, many times before.
Usagi blushed madly, embarrassed that he would ask something like that.
"AAHH, why would you ask that?" She blurted out panicked. She didn't want to tell him that he was her first, it was embarrassing enough to have kissed him in his bed; but then for him to make fun of her.
"Don't make fun of me either!" She shouted.
"I wasn't going to make fun of you. I only was wondering." He said feeling that annoyance creeping up.
"Well then." She blushed embarrassed and angry. Turning away from his gaze hot headily.
"Hey Odango."
"Don't call me that!" She shouted back, she almost thought about hitting him, but stopped mid way when she saw that midnight smile. He seemed so amazing, practically naked standing before her like the man of her dreams. But he couldn't be the guy to be crushing on, it was Mamoru.
"I'm gonna change." He said walking towards his bedroom. Suddenly Usagi realized that she was still in his apartment, alone with him; and after so much had happened. It felt weird and right at the same time. She wasn't sure which emotion to believe. Was she nervous or happy? She went and stared out of the balcony to the street below, the world outside seemed depressing and dark. The rain hadn't let up, and neither did the lightning. She wondered why she couldn't hear any thunder. She was deathly afraid of thunder.
"Don't tell me you're afraid a little rain?" He smirked coming up from behind her. She jumped out of her skin.
"Don't do that!" She shouted angrily holding on to her heart to prevent it from jumping out of her chest. Mamoru laughed.
"It's not my fault if you spaced out." He smirked again coming beside her to look outside. The weather was really strange. The power went yesterday and now the storm. It was very unusual. Usagi ignored her rage and looked outside too. She didn't want to walk home in that.
"How come we can't hear any thunder?" Usagi asked curiously.
"It's a sound proof building." He said tapping the glass of the balcony. Usagi was happy she couldn't hear the thunder, and though she was still afraid of lightning, she knew there was no chance of it getting to her right then.
"Why? Wait a second, you're afraid of thunder? Aren't you?" He grinned feeling very successful for taunting her. He liked it when she made that face, that look of distress and boiling madness. He could see she was thinking about throwing him over the balcony.
"I am not!" She shouted looking away so that he couldn't tell she was lying. But he knew she was. He could tell by the way she looked at it, and wondered why there was no thunder. He laughed a little.
"You can stay here until it lets up." He said shocking himself and Usagi. She never saw that coming from him. Then again, she never pictured in her wildest dreams to have kissed him either. What was going through her mind when that happened. Why hadn't they realized they were kissing a lot sooner?
"Want some hot chocolate?" He wasn't sure why he was suddenly being nice to her, but it felt like the right thing to do. She did after all go through all this trouble for him. She nodded following him to the kitchen. She wondered if she should really be there, or if she should book it home. Things were getting weird with him. First they kissed, and now they were actually being nice to each other.
"Hey by the way, how did you get in here?" He asked grinning. He had thought for sure she must've broken, and of course her guilty face made it seem that way too.
"Well, Reika-san sort of helped me." She started, playing with her fingers, trying not to look like a little criminal. She never meant for things to get this far. She was just so tired after baking that she just wanted a quick nap. But the couch made her back feel weird so she went into his room. She remembered back to how it felt like reflex for her to just walk into his room, and find a comfortable spot on his bed. He really was a lonely bachelor, judging by the lack of knick knacks in his bedroom, or anywhere She tapped her chin, wondering why she decided to do such a thing in the first place. She should've gone home. But if she had, she would've missed Mamoru's kiss.
"Yeep!." Usagi panicked realizing what she was thinking. Mamoru looked at her strangley. She had a habit of yelping for no reason at odd times.
"What is it Odango?" He teased, making Usagi feel stupid.
"So Reika did this uh?" He sighed going back to the subject..
"Hmm." Suddenly, he remembered his conversation with Reika in the car on the way to Usagis' home. She must've given Usagi the idea, otherwise she would never have thought about it on her own.
"Here's your key back." Usagi's smile stretched from ear to ear, trying to appear less like a little thief. He took it a little wierded out. It felt like he should tell her to keep it, just in case she ever wanted to come over. But why would he want that constant irritant in his home. Why was he being so nice and welcoming to her now. Did the kiss change the way he felt for her? He felt strange, the sensation making him worry for himself. It was upsetting to know that he was being tolerant of her, of her crazy behavior. He should've yelled at her for making such a huge mess in his kitchen, and for sleeping in his room. But he just didn't feel like it right now. It all felt normal, like it all happened once upon a time.
"Are you mad?" She asked staring at him for a while, and still no response. Was he planning to throw her out in the cold rain and thunder.
"Nah, but you're gonna have to clean up this place." He mocked and gestured to the burnt wall. How did she manage to burn the side of the wall that had no stove or oven close by it. Usagi smiled nervously thinking of how to explain that little that situation.
She agreed sadly and took her hot chocolate as he led her to the living room again. He turned on the TV, to the news channel. The weather seemed to be on the top subject list for every news station. He wondered when the rain would die down.
"Hey can we watch the cartoon channel. My favorite show is gonna be on." Usagi urged. He never realized she was sitting next to him. She should've felt uncomfortable and so should he, but they felt perfectly normal. Perhaps it was because they had sat beside each other before, reluctantly and annoyed normally. But this was in his apartment, alone with perfect romantic weather outside.
"Cartoons?" He sighed ignoring her request. But before they could get violent, there was a knock. Mamoru left the remote in Usagi's plump little hands. Her eyes lit up as she changed the channel to her favorite show. Mamoru opened the door, hoping against hope that it wasn't Ai.
"Hey Chiba!" Motoki's ever sweet smile greeted him. Mamoru was so relieved. But at the risk of Ai seeing him, he quickly grabbed his friend and shut the door in a hurry. Motoki's mouth dropped, when he saw Usagi happily kicking away laughing outloud like a dying hyena.
"Is that Usagi-chan?" He asked pointing a disbelieving finger to her. Mamoru sighed.
"Yep." He said disheartened as he came up beside him, Usagi's laughter hitting strange new decimals.
"What happened to your kitchen?" Motoki said spotting the messy kitchen.
"Don't ask." Mamoru insisted rubbing his forehead still in disbelief himself. Usagi's laughter belted away at their ears.
It was a strange long story that Mamoru told Motoki, and all of it was true.
"You kissed her?" Motoki was shocked. He never thought those set of lips would ever touch. And nevertheless on his bed, and him being naked. Mamoru shook his head, the reality of it all finally soaking in.
"Ah, I know. But it was completely strange. I was having this dream of kissing her, and when my eyes opened, I was actually doing it." He rubbed his forehead again feeling utterly stressed out, wondering if he could even believe himself. The kiss was wrong, but it felt so good and right. In fact, he would do it again if it came up. But he couldn't, it was Usagi and she was still a young kid in his books. Motoki was still too shocked to respond with any clear advice. This was defiantly a very tricky situation.
"What if Usagi-chan gets the wrong idea?" Motoki whispered. Usagi hadn't realized just yet that both Mamoru and Motoki had vanished into the bedroom. Anything to get away from her unbearable laughter.
"What do you mean?" Mamoru asked wondering what she could possibly get wrong.
"Think about it, Usagi-chan is a very happy type of person. And if you're her first kiss, she might start getting feelings for you." Motoki said eyeing the room as if Usagi was there. Mamoru slapped the side of his head. He knew it, he was being stupid. He made things even worse, with all his nice guy stuff and being considerate to her.
"Ahh dammit." He cursed sighing loudly.
"Unless…you like her?" Motoki hadn't heard anything from Mamoru, and Reika and him had both concluded that he really did have feelings for the bouncing blonde; but wouldn't admit it.
"Are you crazy. Why would I?" He voiced angrily in a semi low tone. Motoki's eyes narrowed.
"I don't know Chiba. I mean you don't normally beat up people like that and make them bleed so much if they didn't hurt someone you lov-"
"Guys like that deserve it. They were all over her!" He shouted madly. Just the thought of it all boiled his blood, and made him wish he had killed them and not just beaten them. He found Motoki's expression, a 'I told you so' look on his face.
"No. No way." Mamoru insisted.
"And that's final. I don't like her like that. This is happening because she's such a ditz." He retorted walking out of the room angrily. He wanted her out of his apartment, she was making things very difficult and weird for him. Things would only go back to normal once this kiss thing died down, and his jump to save her finally disappeared from his memory.
"Hey Odango. Motoki's gonna take you home." He said looking and sounding very upset. Motoki followed him out, knowing very well he was keeping the truth from himself. But Mamoru was like that. And he wasn't going to push the truth on him. Usagi seemed confused at first and very excited to be taken home by Motoki. It was like a rainy day dream come true.
"Great!" She smiled. She quickly jumped to her feet and followed Motoki out.
"See you tomorrow Chiba." He said waving a happy goodbye. Mamoru looked content, yet strangely stern as they left. He shut the door, leaning against it. Finally things were back to normal. He scanned the apartment, it seemed quiet and alone. Usagi had kept it so full of noise, he never felt lonely. But now that she was gone, it was back, to being silent and grey. He couldn't love her, he just couldn't. She was Usagi, annoying little Usagi. She was his foe, not his friend. So what if he saved her, he would've saved anyone if they were being attacked; and what did it matter how badly he beat up the attackers. And so what if he kissed her, her first kiss. She was the one who asked for it by sleeping in his bed.
He didn't love her, it was just all strange turns in fate. But things would go back to normal now. He would make sure of it.
OOOOHHHH, stay tuned for some more!
On the next chapter: Ai makes plans with her brother Mizu after the project is over. Usagi becomes Mizu's eye candy and sets to win her. How will Mamoru react? Will he even care? All on the next "Of Foe's and Friends."