AN. Sorry this one took so long. The first scene was painfully hard to write. I kept putting it away and coming back to it. And I got a new job so I'm so busy these days. I just come home and collapse.
You guys have been so nice about reassuring me that my work doesn't suck. But don't worry about it if I whine. I'm just hyper critical of everything I do. But I always think I can't finish each chapter and somehow I've gotten this far. So I'm quite proud of this story. Er, though I just noticed that in ch 3a I kept omitting simple words like "a" and "the". Last time I finish a chapter past midnight. I noticed that I call every chapter a rough draft. But I never feel like I'm done tweaking them and if I edit I suddenly think everything sucks. So just assume every chapter is a rough draft
Elianthos - Thanks for the compliments! If you're a big P&P fan just know it's grittier than the other adaptations and they omitted a lot to fit it into 2 hours, which is understandable. But I loved it! Moon-Daisuki - Yeah, I hate it when Rei's villainized. She's one of my favorite anime characters. I love to use her as my "Cordelia", the one who always says what everyone's thinking but doesn't want to voice. GoddessMoonLady - Glad you liked "ditzy" Rei. I had so much fun with that scene. And Mina thanks for the review, it got me feeling guilty enough to finish this.
PS. Cool, among my readers are fans of Serenity, Jane Austen and Wicked:)
Ok, I noticed that it makes absolutely no sense for me to not just change 3b into 4. But I'd planned out chapter 3 so long ago that it just had to end with Mamoru and Usagi. I always wondered why some authors split chapters. So guess I know now.
Memory
by moonangel
Chapter 4
Silence filled a nearly empty hallway on the tenth floor of the prestigious Ichinohashi Apartment complex. Usagi swore that, despite the absence of windows, she could hear birds chirping from the nearby park. The ding from the elevator around the hall corner made her nearly jump out of her skin. It was ironic, in a painful way, that despite the silence surrounding her, she felt like was going to explode. 'Okay, breathe. Breathing is good', she reminded herself, looking everywhere but at the person standing right in front of her. Staring at her. Waiting for her to say something.
Hm, nice carpet. Figures that he'd live in such a fancy building. Everything's so perfect here and oh, look, there's an ant.
Across from her, her companion shifted from one foot to the other and she new that he wasn't going to talk anytime soon. Repeatedly telling herself it was all up to her, she wracked her brains for something to say. Anything. Darnit, she'd talk about the weather if she had to just to break this unbearable silence! Unfortunately, whenever she dared to glance up at him she lost all nerve. Now she barely remembered why she was standing there facing the recent object of her affections. Well, she thought as she continued to admire the carpet's intricate design, she was using the term "facing" fairly loosely. Biting her lip, she peeking up at him through her lashes. Her eyes widened when she saw him silently studying her and she quickly looked back down, swearing that she almost caught a slight blush coloring his cheeks before her eyes left his face. Okay, bad idea. Why did he have to wear jeans today? Seriously, the casual look just made him look so ruffled and sweet and just too gorgeous and Kami-sama, wasn't she just about to say something? Right. Don't get distracted by the pretty face!
"Um, so I need answers," Usagi blurted out much too loudly, her nervous fingers fiddling with the hem of her skirt. Embarrassed, her eyes uncertainly darted up to meet his.
Mamoru looked up at her startled, his ocean blue eyes shining with confusion. It was an adorable look on his face. "What?"
"Oh! Oops. I, er, planned to say that but on the way here I was trying to think of a nice way to put it and I didn't find one so I just, um, maybe I should start over... So, how are you?" Usagi stuttered, inwardly reminding herself for the one millionth time not to admire his appearance.
His confusion didn't exactly dissipate with her explanation. Questioning eyes met hers and she quickly looked away.
"Uh, fine?" he answered. After another awkward silence passed between them he asked, "So then, uh, how are you?"
"Oh, I'm fine," she said quickly.
"Oh. That's good."
"Yeah..."
Silence.
"Um, so why did you need to talk to me?"
"Cuz I need answers," she responded with a hint of exasperation, pointing out the obvious. Didn't she already say that? And didn't Motoki say he was smart?
He frowned and looked like he was going to comment on that statement but he just sighed and gently prodded, "What answers?"
Oh. Right. Forgot to elaborate on that. "Um, like, do I know you? I know that I don't, obviously. But it's like I do and it's all very confusing and nothing's making sense. I was fine the other day and now I'm not and I'm emotional and confused and I just don't know what's going on," she babbled. Pausing for a quick breath she continued, "Okay, that didn't make any sense at all but-"
"No! No, it does," he answered quickly, a hesitant arm suddenly darting out. At first she almost thought he was reaching out to her but he suddenly froze, quickly stuffing his hands into his pockets.
Staring at him wide-eyed, she asked, "Really?"
Suddenly seeming to realize he had said something he shouldn't have, he winced. Looking like a deer caught in headlights, he replied, "No?"
"Huh?"
She watched mesmerized as he darted a nervous hand through his soft, feathery black hair. Wow, lucky hand. Seriously, how could anyone's hair look that soft and shiny? Making a mental note to ask him about his conditioner, she reminded herself to concentrate on their conversation. He sighed, beginning again. "I swear, I'm usually not like this. I'm really much, much more articulate. It's just, you caught me at a bad time," he explained somewhat lamely, looking all cute and sheepish.
Usagi nodded dumbly in understanding, deciding that it didn't matter that she had no idea what "articulate" meant. As she tried to concentrate on his other words, something sparked in her mind, or more like someone, and she winced at the implications it brought forth. "That girl. I interrupted you two. Are you two close?"
Great, not only did her voice sound way too shaky, but she nearly squeaked out that last part. She shut her eyes tightly, fearing what his response would be.
"What, Rei? No! God no. Not at all. We're not even quite friends. I couldn't care less for - I mean, I'd never feel anything for, er - she's not my type. She's - she's kind of scary once you get to know her, actually. We were just talking about things," he said haltingly. "Nothing important, really."
Trying to hide her sigh of relief, she plodded on, "I see. That's- that's good... So, um, your place looks very nice."
He blinked. She hadn't even seen his door yet. "Er, thanks."
Blushing, she quickly corrected herself. "Well, I mean, your apartment building. 'Cuz, it looks so fancy and all... that... stuff... Um, are you busy right now?"
He shook his head. "No, actually I" - pausing to glance at his watch, he bit back a groan- "have to leave for work in eight minutes."
"Oh," she squeaked, immediately moving aside to let him pass, practically plastering herself to the hallway wall. "Um, sorry for taking up your time. Er, I can walk you out if you want."
Secretly cringing at how lame that sounded, she turned her nervously expectant gaze up to him.
Shaking his head, his soft hair falling over his eyes, he said sheepishly, "Actually, I have to go change and grab my keys."
"Oh," she said, embarrassed as she tried to casually peel herself away from the wall. Kami-sama, she sounded like a broken record. A really stupid, stuttery broken record. "Right. Of course! Um, then I'll let you go and I'll just, uh, go."
Smooth. Really.
Cursing her stupidity, she wondered if she could possibly sound any more moronic than she did at that moment. She really had to get out of his sight as soon as possible before she became even more of a bumbling mess. Yet somehow she couldn't seem to unglue her eyes from the ground. Nor could she manage to get her feet to move even though she was sure that he was impatiently waiting for her to leave. Finally noting her immobile state, with a slight nod he awkwardly turned around to head back to his apartment.
As soon as he turned around she whacked herself hard on her head, immediately regretting it when she had to clap her hands over her mouth to stifle her yelp of pain. Suddenly his footsteps stopped and she froze in her spot, her hand slowly falling from her mouth, mid-yelp stifling.
His back to her, he turned his head slightly in her direction before quickly looking away. He spoke in softly hesitant, gentle tones, "Please don't feel bad about any of this. I'm not bothered that you asked for my address. And I did not mind your visit. But... I wouldn't recommend coming here again. It's- probably best if you gave up trying to talk to me. I doubt that I have the answers you need."
Wide shimmering eyes followed Chiba Mamoru as he slowly let himself back into his apartment. But, if only for the sake of his own sanity, he didn't look back as he entered his cold apartment and collapsed against the door.
----------
'Loser.
'Moron.
'Psycho.
'Stalker.
'Crazy person.'
Great. Just great. Ruthlessly wiping her wet eyes, Usagi inwardly whined at how she was so pathetic that she was running out of insults to throw at her pathetic self. Curse her limited vocabulary.
Why was it such a beautiful day? It was just lovely, really. If one paid attention they could find all sorts of enjoyable sights on such a fresh morning. Those stupid birds were still chirping their little brains out and kids were running around crashing into each other with no regards for their own safety. Yep. Lovely day.
Yet Usagi was completely oblivious to her surroundings as she mindlessly wondered around Ichinohashi Park, thinking about him. Yes, Chiba Mamoru. That "him". She sniffled. Who else could she be thinking about? There really wasn't any other guy in her life. Well, except for Motoki, though he shouldn't be counted as a guy. He was more like a sexless friend. Plopping down on a nearby bench, Usagi frowned, rubbing at her eyes. Somehow she got the feeling she shouldn't say that to his face.
It was weird though. Didn't she have a crush on Motoki, like, last week? Didn't she always daydream about him? When all that had stopped, she really didn't know. But she just couldn't see him as a romantic prospect anymore. He was so goofy. He wasn't at all serious or smooth or gentle like- Oh shoot, she was thinking about him again. That "him". 'Baka Usagi. You've lost your mind.'
Her head was spinning from a tear induced headache and her heart hurt. All because of him. But she understood completely why he had just politely kicked her out of his life.
'I'm a stalker. I am so totally a stalker and I must really have freaked him out,' she moaned to herself. 'No, wait. Not even a stalker. Even stalkers aren't dumb enough to actually tella guy they're stalking him. I'm the saddest excuse for a stalker ever and that just makes me sound even more pathetic.'
And how did he know her name? Had Motoki warned him about her? No, he wouldn't do that to her. Chances were that Motoki had tried to be nice and recommend her to Mamoru. Well, if he had it looked like it backfired.
Orange.
Wait. Orange?
Usagi blinked as suddenly all she could see was orange.
"You look troubled."
Usagi looked up, startled. A pretty blonde haired girl in a lovely yellow summer dress was perched on the shoulder of her bench, gazing down at her with a knowing look. She had the lightest bright blue eyes and a sweet, sunny face that seemed so familiar. Maybe she was an actress or something. Lowering her eyes to the girl's proffered hand, Usagi reached out and gratefully accepted the bright orange handkerchief she was offering. Sniffling her thanks, she wiped her eyes messily. She felt a tentative smile tug at the corners of her mouth as she gazed curiously up at the girl, her tears drying.
"Um, hi?" Usagi responded after she finished dabbing her eyes with the handkerchief, wondering why the girl had addressed her so informally. It was like she expected her to recognize her. She was smiling at her like they were old childhood friends, not strangers in a park.
"It's good to see you," the girl chirped, straightening up, her legs merrily swinging back and forth on the side of the bench. When Usagi offered to return the now damp orange cloth she shook her head adamantly, her clear blue eyes staring straight through an uncomfortable Usagi.
Usagi blinked. "Uh, it's good to see you, too."
Why did that not feel entirely untrue?
The girl gave her a big grin. "I know."
Um, right. Usagi smirked inwardly thinking, 'She would be so annoyed right now if she were here. I bet if she had a broom handy she'd-'
Usagi paused. She? Who she? Where did that come from? For some reason an image of the beautiful raven haired girl at Chiba Mamoru's apartment flashed in her head. No, not that. Couldn't she go just two seconds without thinking of him? Of yesterday? Of the reason she'd cried herself to sleep at nine o'clock the night before and worried her poor parents to death. Still, that image beautiful girl's lavender eyes hung in her mind, taunting her with their untold secrets.
Eyeing her carefully, the mysterious blonde advised, "Don't rush them. They'll come eventually."
Shaken out of her stupor, Usagi stared up at her helplessly. Why did her brain suddenly hurt really, really badly? And why was the girl studying her so intently?
"Um, can I help you with something?" Usagi asked.
The girl enthusiastically shook her head. "No. You already did. I just needed to get a good reading on you. That's all. But I'm done now. It's too early to get to know you and I kind of have some errands to run and some people I need to talk to. So see you later, okay?"
Huh? Unable to think up a coherent response, Usagi just stared at her for a moment before reminding herself that it was her turn to speak. Nodding mechanically, Usagi echoed, "Okay."
The girl grinned again.
Clutching the used handkerchief, Usagi mutely watched as the girl tossed her a friendly wave before bouncing off towards the park exit. And all she could think was, 'Either I really am going crazy or the rest of the world is.'
Yet somehow, for some odd reason she felt a little better.
----------
"Oh yeah. She's so gone on him. It's not even funny. She didn't even notice me when I walked up to her," Minako was saying confidently, noisily chewing on a french fry as she settled comfortably into an empty booth at the Crown Arcade. After a fitting in a quick shopping trip, getting a relaxing manicure and enduring a call from a slightly peeved Rei, she had hopped off to their previously scheduled senshi meeting discuss the results of her research.
Rei gingerly sat down next to her, setting down her milkshake to massage her temples, wondering if she should be expecting a migraine soon. "I can't believe you just went up to her and said all that junk. You probably gave her a bigger headache than you normally give me! Kami-sama, when you said you were going to do in depth 'research' on Usagi I was actually dumb enough to take you seriously."
Makoto nodded distractedly, as she sat herself across from them, holding an overflowing basket of fries. "Yeah, whatever happened to subtly? You really didn't hold anything back, did you?" she said, half in awe.
Ami, who hadn't even looked up when she sat down, peeked out from behind her mini computer to steal a fry. When she noticed the other girls turning her way to hear her response she quickly ducked back down, not wanting to get involved in the latest argument. She was currently analyzing the data on the huge explosion of power that Luna and Artemis had witnessed at the end of the final battle with Beryl. So far the energy readings weren't telling her anything and she was unsure what information Minako expected her to glean from it. It seemed that Rei and Minako were the only two who had completed their previously assigned missions. Makoto had been delegated to interrogate Motoki for information on Usagi and Mamoru. But the girls had been miffed to find him absent from the Crown Arcade in the last 24 hours. Ami had logically suggested that he had the day off but Minako and Rei had been mystified at the very prospect of him having a life outside the four walls of the tiny establishment. Makoto, on the other hand, had wondered if he had a date and almost seemed to be slightly depressed by that possibility. It was all quite puzzling.
Minako rolled her eyes in exaggerated annoyance.
"Come on girls. This is Usagi we're talking about. She totally didn't get a word I was saying. I just threw her off at least a little bit to get a good read on her emotional state without actually, you know, talking to her since you guys are being so whiny about giving her space. So if confusing the hell out of her gets the job done then I don't know what your problem is."
"Well viewing your approach strategically, I do believe that, er, ambushing Usagi was a surprisingly constructive, albeit unconventional, way to go about your agenda," Ami absentmindedly chipped in, finally, her fingers continuing their rapid typing.
Rei grinned.
"Ami, you want to dumb down your talk a little? Remember the company we're in," she reminded her friend.
"What? I did do that. It doesn't exactly take a genius to-" Ami cut herself off when Rei nodded her head towards a confused Minako.
Ami smiled sheepishly, "Sorry, I guess I'm still in research mode."
"We forgive you," Makoto said, stuffing a handful of fries in her mouth with enthusiasm. Turning to Minako she asked, "So, what do you figure? You think she's ready to remember for his sake?"
Minako grinned broadly, "Yeah, she was totally angsting over him but I think she cheered up a bit. That girl doesn't stay down long. And like I said, she's so crazy for the guy that she'd jump off a cliff for him."
"Hopefully she won't go that far," Rei said dryly, playing idly with her milkshake straw.
Ami coughed. "Could we please move on to discussing the results of Rei's encounter with Mamoru-san?"
Makoto chimed in, "Yeah, with Minako hogging the spotlight, Rei hasn't had a moment to divulge the juicy details on our favorite brooding flower boy."
"Yeah Rei, report on Mamoru," Minako agreed perkily, after sending Makoto a slightly peeved glance.
Calmly folding her arms in her lap, Rei gave her more mature friends a thankful glance before launching into her report.
"He's not very helpful at all. Totally broody. I didn't have the heart to inform him of our suspicions about her erasing him from our memories. It wouldn't do much to tell him, anyways. He appears to know even less than we do. I didn't get much out of him since it, er, devolved a bit into arguing. But I did get that he's adamant about keeping Usagi uninformed, like I predicted. As I told you all over the phone, Usagi interrupted us and I left them to talk. I had hoped the two had made some progress after I'd left but some idiot I know failed to get any details on that from a certain Odango haired friend of ours. All we can assume from her run in with Minako is that it probably didn't go very well."
Minako mindlessly twirled a lock of blonde hair and huffed defensively, "But I didn't know about it until you called, like, five minutes after I talked to her!"
"Well I did call you this morning explaining everything in great detail but somehow, quite conveniently, you don't seem to remember any of that conversation! I swear, at the time you even reassured me that you were fully conscious!" Rei all but screeched. She raised her hand to stop Minako when she tried to retort. "Don't you start denying it. Ask Luna. She was there. She handed the damn phone to you!"
"Well obviously if I don't remember then I wasn't awake! What moron actually believes anything a sleeping person says?"
"I didn't know you were asleep you baka! How was I supposed to know when you were actually talking to me? You even sounded more as coherent as you usually do!"
"Hey, if I knew what that word meant I would be so pissed right now! Anyways, it was eight the morning! Who wakes up that early in the fricking morning during school break?"
"Normal people, you baka. You could have gotten a lot more out of her if you had actually remembered what I told you. And hey, I was backing you up for being a psychic yesterday and you're saying I have to tell you these things now? I thought you could 'read' it from Usagi since you're such an expert."
"Well I'm not that psychic. I can just tell when people are feeling down or when, like in your case, they're letting off enough sexual frustration to heat a household."
"Sexual what?"
As the conversation nearly devolved into hair pulling, Ami leaned over and whispered to Makoto, "I don't think we'll be able to make further progress on today's developments if this keeps up. It appears that Minako-chan is attempting to use distraction to divert Rei's attention from her previous, er, finger pointing."
Proudly taking note of the blue haired genius's efforts to dumb down her language, Makoto nodded in agreement, adding with a snicker, "Yeah. But looks like this'll lead to another type of finger pointing."
Ami stared blankly at her.
Shifting uncomfortably, the brunette said, "Because when she's mad she's more likely to, um, make more... obscene... gestu- oh never mind. Let's go get some ice cream."
Obliviously, the other two continued bickering while their friends slowly snuck out the exit.
----------
Chiba Mamoru was annoyed.
"Come on Mamoru! You don't look like you're having fun!"
"There's a reason for that Motoki."
"Stop being a baby. Is it that hard to have real, actual fun?" Motoki sniffed, emphasizing the last word. "You do know what fun is, don't you?"
"I think I've read about it in a book."
Motoki pointedly ignored his companion's sarcasm-laced comment and continued to drag him along. Okay, so maybe this wasn't the best idea he had ever come up with. But he had yet to discover a foolproof way to cheer up his best friend when he was down which was, let's face it, ninety percent of the time. So he'd decided to take him to the one place in the world that had always brightened up his own spirits up when he wasn't feeling like his cheerful self.
"Look, I brought you here to relax and enjoy yourself. And if I say you should be having fun then damnit, you will whether you like it or not!"
"A fair, Motoki? You want to give an eighteen year old college student a good time and you bring him to a fair? With kids and ponies and, Kami-sama, what is that?"
"I think it's a... she," Motoki replied, tilting his head sideways in hopes of getting a better view of the object Mamoru was all but gawking at. Shaking his head to clear out disturbing thoughts, he turned back to his friend and put an encouraging hand on his shoulder. "Hey, this is the happiest place on earth. You should be spoiling yourself! Go, buy some cotton candy and you'll feel like a kid again."
After trying to subtly remove his friend's hand from intruding on his personal space, Mamoru raised a skeptical brow and gazed in the direction Motoki was enthusiastically pointing at. As he stared at the dubiously edible giant, pink clouds of floating cavity generators clinging to toilet paper rolls, he wondered why he ever agreed to let his friend drag him out. "'Happiest place on earth?' Don't you mean Disneyland?"
Motoki perked up. "You want to go to Disneyland?"
"No." Feeling his reply to be sufficiently emphatic, Mamoru turned around, hoping to get as far away from the wince-inducing candy stands as he could. Ignoring Motoki's frantic patter of footsteps behind him, his eyes landed on a group of giggling little kids cooing over the animals in a petting zoo. They looked so innocent and carefree that it was almost sickening. Dear lord, why were they touching those filthy creatures? Honestly, hadn't their parents taught them about the importance of cleanliness? As he fretted over this, his eyes fell on a small, pigtailed blonde who was giggling as a baby goat licked her face.
Motoki nearly ran into Mamoru when the big doof froze in his footsteps. Now why was he stopping? Honestly, these days he was so random and unpredictable. Honestly, if Mr. I'm-so-organized-I-kill-myselfwas finally deciding to be unpredictable couldn't he be unpredictably cheerful? He didn't have to be all hissy about everything. Motoki sidled up to him and curiously followed his gaze. Why was the guy staring so intently at all those animals? Was he imagining things or did Mamoru's eyes seem to have softened a bit? Maybe Mamoru had a soft spot for fuzzy things. Motoki rolled his eyes. Yeah right. He knew how Mamoru's brain worked. He was probably inwardly disgusted at how those kids were touching such filthy, germ-infested creatures. It was so obvious when Mamoru's eyes flickered with what surely was disgust when some bald sheep-like thing nuzzled a poor, tiny yellow-haired kid. Great. Only Mamoru would be worrying about hygiene when surrounded by cute animals.
Putting on his him his best guilt inducingpout, Motoki marched around Mamoru to stand face to face and noisily broke him from his trance. "Stop ignoring me! I put in all this effort, I even paid for your ticket and I can't believe you're not even trying here. You know, you're a pretty lousy date."
He squeaked and nearly leaped backwards when his comments earned him one of Mamoru's patented icy glares. For the umpteenth time that day, he found himself scurrying after Mamoru as the taller man began walking away. Damn that those long legs.
Without glancing back at the crazy moron following him, Mamoru replied, "I'm just going to ignore that comment. Look, I've just been having a weird week, okay? It's not a big deal."
"Yes it is! Look, no one broods better than you-"
"Thank you."
"- and I'm your best friend. So I'm used to it. And I swear, this is a new kind of brooding. Something's seriously wrong, isn't it?" Motoki asked, staring at his friend in concern as he finally matched his stride.
Mamoru stopped walking and looked him straight in the eye.
"Motoki..."
Hopeful, Motoki slowed his steps down and looked up at his friend with wide, eager eyes.
"If you want me to take you seriously, take that stupid turtle hat off of your head You look like a damn clown."
----------
Muttering about ungrateful best friends, Motoki sulked as he watched the pretty lights of the ferris wheel fade into the distance. After a bigargument about the supposed pointlessness of homemade stuffed animal headgear, Motoki had lost his case and an almost cheerful Mamoru was now dragging his reluctant friend away from the fairgrounds. Motoki would have been moping about it even more if it weren't for the fact that that was the happiest he had seen Mamoru look all day. It didn't last long, though. Somehow, after he was free from, as he dubbed it, "the most disturbing place on earth", his friend had reverted back to broody Mamoru. Heh, "broody Mamoru." That sounded almost redundant. It was horrible, though. He hadn't gotten anything out of the big jerk, not a heartfelt thank you or a tearful confession, not even a smile. Well, Mamoru had been nice enough to win him a stuffed Totoro, but that wasn't the purpose of this little expedition. Though it was cute, Motoki inwardly admitted, hugging the Totoro closer to him. He knew Mamoru wasn't taking him very seriously, especially after being dragged onto the merry-go-round, but Motoki was genuinely concerned about his friend.
Something was different about Mamoru these days and despite his keen observational skills, Motoki couldn't quite pinpoint what it was. These days it seemed that he was broodier than usual which was quite an impressive feat. He hadn't been showing up at the arcade recently and from what Motoki had heard from his coworkers and classmates, the guy was completely throwing himself into his work and studies. It was unhealthy. Sure this was Mamoru, Mr. Type A, but Motoki was starting to worry. To top things off, a friend of his at Mamoru's workplace had called him the night before telling him that Mamoru had done a complete one-eighty, showing up late for work - as true a sign of the apocalypse as any - and acting so completely out of it that his concerned boss had sent him home early. So Furuhata Motoki, being the true friend that he was, had decided to take action. Unfortunately, he hadn't made a single ounce of progress despite his great efforts. Clutching his Totoro and stuffed turtle hat tightly to his chest, Motoki worriedly glanced at his silent friend. Mamoru needed help and he had no idea how to give that to him.
So he decided to dive right in.
"Why are you avoiding the arcade?"
Mamoru looked up, startled. His eyes softened when he saw the genuine concern shining in his friend's eyes. Yay, the blunt approach worked. Motoki mentally patted himself on the back while he pasted on his most convincing caring friend face.
"Is it me? Did I do something wrong?" Motoki sniffed pitifully.
"Yes, I'm sorry. I've decided that we should see other people from now on," Mamoru deadpanned.
"Hey, that's not funny. I'm showing some serious concern here. There's something wrong with you and I know it. Geez, what is wrong with everyone these days? First Usagi-chan's acting kinda crazy and now you," he moaned in frustration, giving up on playing the sympathy card. He was so pathetic. Was he really so useless that he could only stand aside and watch while his closest friends were falling to pieces?
Mamoru halted in his steps. "U- Usagi-chan?"
Motoki rolled his eyes in frustration, walking past him. "I know what you're thinking and no, I didn't buy a pet bunny. I told you Kamekichi is the only one for me. I meant that cute blonde girl at the arcade with the two buns on her head. The one that you totally ignored the other day, by the way. Really Mamoru, that was so rude of you. I know you're going through stuff but you could at least try to be considerate of the people around you. And hey, I think she's even got a little crush on you! It's not like you don't have your share of admirers but the least you could do is pretend to be nic- Gah!"
He gasped and stopped mid-step as he was suddenly met with Mamoru's cold gaze. How did that guy get in front of him so fast? Mamoru's face was expressionless but there was something about the sharp gleaming in his eyes that told him that he'd better explain. Oddly enough, that glint didn't seem to contain any anger or menace. It was clear that the wheels were turning in Mamoru's head but Motoki had no clue what he was thinking. Somehow that just made him seem even scarier.
Shifting uncomfortably, Motoki squirmed. "Um, maybe I shouldn't have said that. But-" he quickly added when Mamoru's eyes glinted at him menacingly"- I know her pretty well. She's one of my regulars. And the other day she practically freaked out on me after you left, asking for your stats and address and everything. Look, I know how annoyed you get with all these girls fawning over you. But she's such a sweet girl. You really should give her a break."
Mamoru's penetrating gaze slowly relaxed and his eyes seemed to fall on some unknown spot past his head.
"I knew that she was remembering but... I had no idea that she could possibly..." he murmured to himself in disbelief, an uncharacteristic look of uncertainty clouding his eyes. Uncertainty and... what? Motoki gazed at him curiously as he seemed to be working something out in his head. Coming to some kind of decision, Mamoru looked up at Motoki with something that almost appeared to resemble a smile.
"Thanks. This was very... well, your heart's always in the right place. I appreciate that. But I have to go work on something. So I'll see you around."
Motoki blinked as his friend suddenly ditched him. Well, that was abrupt. Although, considering who he was dealing with, Motoki knew that that was as gracious a thank you as he could ever receive.
Standing alone with only the company of his two furry friends in his hands, Motoki's puzzled gaze followed his retreating friend until he had left his line of vision. Was it just him, or had Mamoru actually looked happier? Oh sure he had seemed totally distracted and his expression was fairly blank. But after years of knowing this guy, Motoki was pretty sure there was suddenly something different about him.
He smiled.
Wow, so maybe the fair really did help after all.
To be Continued…
AN. By the way, in case you didn't know this, "Usagi" means "rabbit" in Japanese and her full name, "Tsukino Usagi" translates to "Rabbit of the Moon".
Great, I'm finishing this chapter at 2 am. Tomorrow I'll read it and it'll be incoherent. And wow, it took me forever this chapter's first scene. Did it feel too long? I wanted it to be awkward but readable. If you guys were okay with it then I might feel better about posting the painfully long the last chapter to "Tomorrow". You know, I recently read a Minako scene in an Alicia Blade story that was similar to this chapter's Usagi run-in and it was almost embarrassing how much better hers was. Well, she is the queen of waffy/taffy fanfiction. Um, don't kill me, but this chapter was already halfway done when I was finishing up Chapter 3. Don't expect the next one to come out too soon cuz things are winding down (at least in the chapter I'm working on) and the last bits are pretty crucial. I'm currently working on the next two chapters. The next has one scene that I just can't seem to get right.
I know, I know, the turtle hat was too much. But I just couldn't help throwing it in. You've got to see the PGSM episode where Motoki dresses up as a turtle. The look on Mamoru's face is just priceless. But Motoki makes his own hilarious expression later on in that scene. It's just too great.
This chapter originally had a completely different ending before but I felt like it was too much too soon so I moved a few scenes to future chapters. I'm so unorganized. Motoki wasn't even supposed to be in this chapter but I just added those last two scenes almost on a whim. And I know I got carried away with them but I feel like there's enough plot development there.
I love showing Usagi getting hints of memories. And since I'm totally biased towards Rei and love the anime's focus on their friendship I did notice that I am giving Rei too much of a spotlight in her memories. Oh well...