"He's here!" Sailor Moon squealed in a wild panic. Her face, which had just been pale with shock, was now bright red. "Luna, how do I change back?!"
The cat stayed silent, letting the quiet moment between them linger to make sure the girl's panic really set in. This was just the opportunity she needed to set up a bribe; otherwise, the chances of Usagi embracing this transformation again was slim. "If I tell you how to revert back to your regular form, will you promise to let me train you as Sailor Moon later on tonight?"
"Yes, yes! Please, just tell me!"
"And you'll allow me to train you every day from now on?"
"...Fine!"
"Promise me. In the name of the moon."
Sailor Moon looked baffled. "In the name of the moon, I promise. Now come on, Luna!"
Again, the cat let the moment hang between them for a beat before speaking. "Grip the broach, hard, and imagine those same ribbons you saw changing your clothes changing you back into Usagi."
There wasn't a moment's hesitation before Sailor Moon wrapped her hand around her broach so tightly Luna thought it might shatter. Maybe, when her mind was set on something, this girl really did have potential…
In another flash and with the broach fashioned securly to her bow, Usagi appeared before the cat in her school uniform.
"Usagi!" Ikuko called from downstairs again.
She had no time to change. "Coming! I'm coming!" she replied, sounding a bit more flustered than Luna was sure she'd intended.
"Breathe, Usagi," the cat offered. "It will be fine. I'm sorry… I didn't know you were having company, or I wouldn't have pushed this on you right now."
"Yeah, well… thanks," Usagi replied flatly, and Luna winced. The manic tone the girl had just had now sounded shaky and anxious, like she was trying not to cry. Luna couldn't blame her for feeling overwhelmed, and was surprised at how guilty she felt for it.
Usagi flew down the stairs in her socked feet so quickly she thought she'd fall, but with a small squeak managed to catch herself three steps before the bottom. Too bad, she realized, since Mamoru had his arms outstretched and looked ready to catch her. Instead, the pair smiled warmly at each other. "Hi, Mamo-chan!" she greeted. Even though she was feeling confused, a little scared, and more nervous than any other time in her life, her boyfriend seemed to magically wash her fears away for a time.
"Hi, Usako. Nice house."
"And nice jacket!" she said with a smile, fisting the dark green fabric in her hands.
He let out a soft laugh and bowed his head. "Thanks." With his head lowered he leaned forward and pulled her into a hug, pressing his hands against her back and moving in to kiss her, but sprang away and practically threw her back up the stairs when Ikuko reemerged.
Mrs. Tsukino looked just as embarrassed as he did. "Er," she stammered, fiddling with her wavy hair as she tried to collect her thoughts. "Usagi! You said you wanted to help with dinner, right? Why don't you cut up a few vegetables and put them on a platter with some dip for your guest?"
Helping with meal prep suddenly didn't seem as appealing now that Mamoru was actually here, but she tried not to let her disappointment show. "Sure!" she forced, then blushed as Mamoru brushed his finger over the back of her hand in front of her mother.
"I'll help," he said, only to be met by a violent shake of Ikuko's head in protest.
"Absolutely not!" she said, obviously as a warning to Usagi not to accept the offer. "Mamoru, you are our guest, and guests of the Tsukino family do not lift a finger."
Usagi gave her mother a threatening glare, clearly embarrassed by the woman's outburst. "Mooom…" she murmured, and Mamoru let out a soft, somewhat uncomfortable chuckle as Ikuko recoiled.
"What if I just sit at the table and keep her company?" he asked the woman innocently, and both Tsukinos seemed to soften as if he'd said the most adorable thing possible. Usagi found the sudden blush in his cheeks adorable, anyway.
"I suppose that's allowed," Ikuko replied in a teasing manner, and Usagi bravely took Mamoru's hand in front of her and led him into the kitchen.
"Sorry about that," she said, and Mamoru shrugged.
"Why? Your mom's sweet. You two are really funny together; it's obvious she loves you."
The warmth in his eyes shot straight to her heart before realization set in. Mamoru didn't have a family to argue with, or help with dinner. He lived alone, and whenever they were together she could always see the appreciation in his eyes at having a companion. Usagi was lucky; not only did she have the cutest boyfriend around that made her swell with pride when other girls swooned, she also had a loving family, as annoying and overprotective as they could be sometimes.
As Mamoru eased into a bar stool at the small, high table in the kitchen, Usagi prepared to work. She had a lot of love to show him and her family, and perfectly-cut raw vegetables was how she was going to express it.
"I like that new… thing on your bow," Mamoru offered as she washed and dried her hands at the sink. The temporary forgetfulness she had about her experience that afternoon instantly faded and she blanched.
"O-oh, this?" she stammered, taking the accessory in her hands and tilting it up to look at it. The crescent moon decorating the bottom nearly made her pass out from the memory of her transformation.
Mamoru's left eyebrow raised. "Yes, Odango, that."
His nickname only caused her more internal panic, as he only called her 'dumpling' or 'dumpling head' when he was being defensive these days. She suppressed the urge to fidget and was now incredibly thankful for the vegetable cutting task to keep her from looking at him. "Thanks," she said in a small voice, and between her stammer, lack of eye contact, and weak response, knew she was spiraling in a vortex of incredibly suspicious behavior. The more she tried to hide that something was bothering her, the worse a job she was doing at it.
"Diiiid your other boyfriend give it to you, or something?" he teased. She knew he was kidding, but that was the absolute last thing she wanted him to think; that she might have another guy talking to her or that she was interested in. Well… maybe that was the second-to-last thing she wanted him to think. The absolute last thing was that she thought a talking black cat came to her and told her she had to protect some wacky princess from the moon. But she figured he'd never think of that explanation, and never, ever wanted Mamoru to question her unconditional love for him.
"Of course not," she replied with more conviction, and because all of her intended meanings seemed to be suddenly over exaggerated, knew it came out more upset than she'd intended it to be.
As she sawed through carrot sticks of varying lengths and thicknesses- so much for the perfect veggie platter- she felt Mamoru come up behind her and still the knife by placing his hand over her's.
Usagi felt goosebumps on her skin as she felt Mamo's breath on her ear. "What's wrong, Usako?" he asked, and the genuine concern in his voice staggered her. "Are you mad that I had to go home for my jacket?"
"What? Of course not," she said, and finally her voice sounded exactly like how she was feeling: surprised and taken aback. Dropping the knife onto the cutting board, she spun to face Mamoru and couldn't suppress her blush when they were face-to-face and he was pinning her against the counter. Jeez, he was warm… and he always smelled so good. This close, she needed to tilt her head all the way up to meet his eyes, but they were sparkling and the most beautiful blue…
"Something's bothering you though, Usako."
"It's nothing…" she lied.
"It's something, and it has to do with this," he said, and her breath hitched when she felt his fingers pressing against the crescent moon at her chest.
Petrified that he would somehow trigger something to make her transform again, she slid her back along the counter and away from him, putting several feet of distance between the couple. The concern in his eyes turned into annoyance.
"Seriously, did someone give that to you?"
"What? No." That was a lie. "Well, yes, but it isn't a…"
"Who, then?!"
Her mother couldn't have chosen a better time to return to the kitchen, and both of them immediately straightened. Mamo took his seat again as Usagi returned to her post at the vegetables.
Ikuko paused for a moment, seemingly assessing the situation, before choosing not to address the tension she'd just walked into. "So, how are the vegetables coming?" she asked, and Usagi practically felt her mother's disappointment at the carelessly-chopped carrots, peppers, and broccoli. "Coming along. Good," she said, then took a few steps to the stove. Usagi was relieved she didn't make any comments on the poor presentation, but knew then that her mother was trying to absolve the negative atmosphere in the room.
No, no, no! This was not how she wanted her mother to meet Mamoru. What was running through the woman's mind? Did she think they argued all the time? If they did, it was always while teasing one another; it was very rarely anything real or serious. She needed to fix her mother's impression of her boyfriend, and fast, before her father got home. Though Mamoru's name meant 'to protect,' there was nothing that would protect him from the wrath of Kenji Tsukino.
"Mamo-chan," Usagi said cheerfully, turning to give her boyfriend a warm, hopeful smile. Please, please don't be mad… "I told my mom you like gyuudon, and she makes the best in the whole world."
She was grateful that he took the bait and also played cheerful now. "Oh yeah? I consider myself something of a beef bowl connoisseur…"
Ikuko floated over to the refrigerator to pull out and show the beef she'd selected for the meal. Even Usagi knew it was too good and expensive a cut for a meal considered to be something of a poor man's dish. It was almost like making spaghetti and meatballs with filet mignon.
Still, Mamoru must have deeply appreciated the special ingredient as his expression softened and made Usagi feel a million times lighter. "Something tells me it'll be the best gyuudon I've ever had. Thank you, Mrs. Tsukino. And thank you for having me over."
"Of course, Mamoru! Usagi is always talking about you… we feel like we know you so well already! You're welcome any time."
Usagi beamed at Mamoru and felt relieved when he smiled widely right back. "Thank you," he said to Ikuko while looking at her daughter, and the blonde wanted to kiss him then and there for being so amazingly perfect and forgiving.
Maybe she should tell him about what had happened with Luna and the broach… but even she didn't quite understand what being Sailor Moon meant yet. He would likely have a thousand questions she wouldn't be able to answer, and she'd sound even more suspicious- and nuts- if she answered "I don't know" or "I'm not sure yet" to every question she asked. The broach could turn her into Sailor Moon. She'd felt powerful in that uniform, like she really could protect people from evil as Luna had explained. It scared the hell out of her. Other than that, she knew nothing.
I'll hold off telling him for now, she thought. But once I know what all of this means, I'll tell him. Hopefully it would all go well.