Warning: You will be shocked by this chapter. And if you're not shocked… then I suck as a writer. Lol.
You've Always Deserved My Love
Chapter Nine
Makato, shoe bag in hand, climbed up the wide steps of the Hikawa Shrine. Her heart was still heavy from the brunt confrontation with Usagi. She sighed deeply, lazily swinging the shoe bag back and forth as she trudged up the stairs.
When she reached the top, she was surprised to see everyone sitting in the garden; Rei, Minako, Ami, Chibiusa, Haruka, and Michiru were all there. Confused, she walked up to the group.
"Hey, Mako-chan! About time you got here!" Minako waved.
Makato smiled. "Were we… planning something today?"
"Yeah, didn't you get my message?" Rei asked. "I left you a message on your phone when you didn't pick up."
Makato shook her head and rifled through her bag until she pulled out her cell phone. Looking at the cover, she noticed she had a missed call and a voicemail. She laughed lightly. "I've had such a hectic day that I totally missed that." She sat down on the grass beside Minako. Minako spied her bag and grabbed it.
"Ooh, what did you buy?" She asked, pulling out the shoe box. "Shoes! And gorgeous ones at that!" She held up one of the green slippers. Everyone "ooohed".
"Those are beautiful!" Ami said. She blushed. Usually she wasn't one to put in her opinion on anything besides books.
Rei nodded. "They are very pretty. You can wear them to the party!"
"Party?" Makato raised an eyebrow. "What party?"
"Mamoru-kun's birthday party, silly. That's why we're all here. We're planning!" Minako flicked Makato's head.
"Oh." She said. Biting her lip, she refrained from telling them about her confrontation. She didn't want to upset anyone with the knowledge that the girl was in the city.
"Okay, now that everyone's here, let's get started. Where should we have it?" Chibiusa was sitting with a pen and writing pad in her lap. Luna was also in her lap, but was of little help in the planning. She was simply there for the occasional scratches Chibiusa would give to the back of her ear.
"What about at his apartment?" Haruka put in. "Or here?"
Makato shook her head. "I'm sorry, guys, but I am so sick of everyone crowding here and never going anywhere else. How about we have it at the arcade? Come on, that's where we all met him. It'd be kind of… reminiscent."
Rei scrunched her brow. "Well, alright. I'll talk to Motoki and make the arrangements for that. Chibiusa, write that down."
Chibiusa wrote it down. "What about the cake?"
"I'll make it." Makato volunteered, sticking her hand in the air.
Everyone was speechless for a moment.
"Are you sure about that, Mako-chan?" Ami asked timidly.
Makato gave her a confused look. "Of course I am. Why wouldn't I be?"
Michiru cleared her throat. "Everyone knows, even Mamoru, that you and he aren't exactly… well, friends. You volunteering for his party is odd."
Makato looked up at the aqua haired girl that sat elegantly perched on one of the stone garden benches. "I know I haven't exactly been… kind to him, as… well..." She took a deep breath and sighed. "I always thought that he was bad for Usagi." Her eyes became misty. "I misjudged him. I never would have thought it would have been the other way around, but, look at how things have turned out! Usagi was bad for him, not he for her." She sighed and decided to go for the plunge. "I saw her today."
There was a sharp intake of breath, more from the inner senshi and Chibiusa than the other two. Haruka and Michiru were more stunned than anything.
"She's… she's here?!" Haruka stuttered.
Makato nodded. "I was walking here, actually, when I stopped at a store window, where I got these shoes. I saw her with… Seiya…and I went in, hoping that I was wrong and that it was just someone who looked like her." She bit her lip, tears forming again in her eyes. "We talked. She was… changed. She hates us all. She's… she's married Seiya." She looked around at her friends. Haruka and Michiru looked shocked, like the wind had been knocked out of them, but the others were simply silent, staring down or away from her. Her eyes darkened as she looked at them. "You knew she was here, didn't you all? Even you, Chibiusa? You all knew and yet you didn't tell me?" Standing up, tears began to stream down her face. "You let me walk around this city unguarded, while you all knew that… that… bitch was around?"
Rei stood and tried to reach her arms out to the girl. "It wasn't like that. We were trying to keep it as secret as possible. We didn't want it to explode…"
Makato backed away from her as Chibiusa jumped up. "Mako-chan, Usagi hasn't seen us, I just saw her. I was walking in the park and I saw her there with Seiya. I told Rei, Ami, and Minako before you came back, because I freaked out. We all decided it was best not to tell anyone else that she was around. We didn't want anyone else to have to worry like we have been."
Makato scoffed. "Oh, so none of you thought that perhaps we needed to know, so that we would be on our guard to know what to do when we spotted her? I was terrified this afternoon; mortified, ashamed, even! You try walking into a store where your once best friend turns into your enemy in a matter of seconds! Once you've experienced that, THEN you can tell me what's best for me!" Turning away from the group, she ran away, tears streaming down her face.
"Mako-chan!" Rei, Ami, Minako, and Chibiusa yelled, starting to go after her.
Michiru, jumping up, stopped them by a simple swipe of her arm, blocking their path. They looked at her in surprise, but she looked back at them with a hardened face. "Let her alone. She's right. You should have told us all, so we would have been prepared. You should be ashamed of yourselves." She and Haruka turned and left them alone.
They all stood silently for quite some time. Luna cleared her throat, gaining their attention. They turned, seeing the guardian sitting atop the stone bench that Haruka and Michiru had occupied. "Well, I agree that you should have told them as well, but, I suppose you thought you were doing what's best, so I won't be angry with you for it. But I will tell you this: you needed to have told ALL of the senshi. You are the guardians of the future of this planet. And what is the future of this planet?"
Rei and Minako looked at Ami and Chibiusa, who both shrugged helplessly.
Luna sighed. "Mamoru, girls. Mamoru. He's the future king. I doubt seeing her would have been a good step toward getting over her, do you? No, you should have told all the senshi, myself, and Artemis, so that we all may have been sure to keep Mamoru away from her."
Chibiusa uttered a deep, long sigh. "Well, we all know now."
"Yeah, but we hurt Mako-chan, Michi-chan, and Haru-chan in the process." Minako piped up. "I knew we should have said something."
Rei looked sideways at her. "You just wanted to gossip, you baka."
Ami glared at Rei. "Rei, don't start arguing now. This is not the time for that. We have to talk to Mako-chan and apologize to her… and hope that she forgives us. We hurt her most of all."
They all nodded, agreeing.
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Makato ran for quite some time, until she reached downtown Tokyo. Stopping for a moment to catch her breath, she looked up and saw she was in front of the CROWN. She laughed to herself. Every time that anything happened, it was always the CROWN where everyone ran. She walked in and saw Motoki at the front counter, wiping down the snack counter, as usual. Most of the time, she opted for the café above the arcade (She preferred coffee to milkshakes), but today she just wanted to talk to Motoki, instead of the gossip and nosiness of his sister, Unazaki.
Motoki saw her and waved. "Makato-chan, long time no see!"
She smiled and went to the front counter, plopping down on one of the swiveling stools. "Do you realize how glad I am to see you?"
He laughed. "Aw, how sweet. What could I have done to have gained such affections from such a lovely girl?"
She rolled her eyes. "Now, now, what would Reika say?"
"She'd say 'I love Mako-chan, so I won't kill her, but I will kill you, Motoki!'". He grinned. "What can I get for you, dear?"
She shook her head. "I don't know. I'm not really hungry or anything. I just came here to escape things."
"Couldn't be the weather. It's lovely out."
She laughed. "No, not the weather. Wait a couple months and I'll be in here to do that. Just the girls."
"Uh oh. What's going on?"
She sighed. Looking up at his caring blue eyes, she broke. "I saw Usagi today, and I found out that they knew she was in town and didn't warn me."
Motoki saw the pain in the girl's eyes. "They probably thought they were protecting you."
She shook her head. "It doesn't feel like that. Ever since I came back, I've felt out of place. It's like they've all forgotten me. It's like… it's like… it's like I'm the second Usagi." She choked on a sob. "I hate her, Motoki-kun. I hate her."
Motoki sighed, putting a hand on her shoulder in comfort. "It's alright. I know you do. I think you all do." He smiled sadly. "It's the oddest sight ever. That so many people have been this hurt and this broken over that one girl. You were all in love with her, I think. Not just Mamoru-kun. All you girls, too. She brought you all together. And now that's she's gone you feel deserted. Right?"
Makato nodded.
"I thought so. Listen…" He gave her a warm smile. "I know it's hard. But those girls can't lose you now. So don't go getting any funny idea in your head of leaving just because you feel a little left out at the moment. They were trying to protect you. I know those girls well, just as I know you well. And I know that you all love each other very much, and you need each other."
Makato looked up at him. "Do you miss her, too?"
He frowned, shaking his head. "No, because she's not the little Usagi I knew. She hurt my best friend, broke his heart. That's not the loving girl I knew, the girl I used to talk to and give milkshakes. No, I don't miss this Usagi."
Makato nodded. "I shouldn't either, should I? I should be strong and get over it. I've always been strong; I've always been able to deal with things."
Motoki kissed her forehead. "You'll be alright."
She smiled. "Yeah. I guess I better go, too. It's getting late." She got up off the stool and tuned to him. "You're always a great help, Motoki-kun."
He laughed. "Yeah, well, that's my job. I'm just your average, everyday snack bar boy and advice giver extraordinaire."
She giggled and waved to him as she walked out the door. For a while, she simply walked, going in no particular direction. Then she found herself looking at Mamoru's apartment building. She thought about it for a long time, whether or not to tell him that Usagi was around again. It was true that the girls should have told her, but… telling Mamoru was a whole different story. Would it kill him, or would it be protecting him? She bit her lip, chewing on it as she thought it over. She didn't expect an answer so quickly.
"Makato-san, why on earth are you standing in the middle of the sidewalk?"
She whipped around. Mamoru, carrying a few grocery sacks, stood behind her with a quizzical expression on his face.
Laughing nervously, she scratched her head, trying to rack her brain for an answer. "I was just… well, you see… I was actually…well, it was really just that…" She gave up at this point and shrugged helplessly. "I've had a rough day and was just walking around. I saw your apartment building and was trying to decide whether I should visit you or not."
He gazed at her for a long moment, very confused. Makato… wanted to visit him? She rarely even came around when the other girls were with her. Finally, after watching her bite her lip for a minute, he shrugged. "Okay, then. Come on up." He strode past her into the building. After she blinked a few times, she walked in after him. It was an awkward elevator ride, and an even more awkward walk down the long hallway toward his apartment. Finally, after he had opened the door and led her inside, it seemed to be okay. She grabbed the one of the sacks of groceries he was carrying and went into the kitchen. He followed, again confused, and watched as she started to grab things out of the bag and put them away.
"What are you doing?" he asked.
She shrugged; it was now their 'thing', shrugging. "Just thought I'd help out." She grabbed a can of tomato sauce and found the appropriate cabinet to put it in. "You know, your cabinets are a lot like mine. Very organized."
"I like things organized." He said, coming into the kitchen and putting his own bags down, grabbing out a box of cereal and going to a cabinet to put it away. They worked in silence for several long minutes, putting everything away. Makato was just putting away the last item, a bag of spaghetti noodles, when she turned around swiftly and accidentally knocked into him, dropping the bag of noodles flat on the floor. They stood silently for a moment, the only thought in Makato's head about how terrible it would be if the bag had busted. Then she noticed that she was pressing against him, her body to his. Gulping, she started to back away when she looked at his face, which was staring down at hers.
"Sorry." She whispered, noticing for the first time how very deep and blue his eyes were.
"It's alright." He tried to smile, but couldn't. It was very discerning, having a jolt of electricity run through his body for another girl, a girl other than Usagi… much less a girl that didn't even like him in the least.
She bit her lip again.
Sighing, Mamoru ran a hand through his hair and backed away from her, walking out of the kitchen and into the living room. Gathering her wits about her, Makato bent down and retrieved the bag of noodles, which had thankfully not broken or busted open. She put them away and tried to figure out what she should do. Go into the living room where Mamoru was, or hide her shame by hiding in the kitchen?
She thought for a long moment. Here she was, standing in Chiba Mamoru's kitchen, wondering what this tingling feeling was. Over him? It couldn't be. She hated him. Well, no… she didn't hate him. She had stopped hating him the second Usagi had left him. She had then taken up pity for him. She had felt annoyed at him when he had yelled at her about the girls staying over with him, but at the same time, she could see that he was thankful, which had made her feel extremely sorry for him. He was a mixed up puzzle, that man. He didn't show his emotions anywhere except in his eyes, which always revealed what he was thinking.
Then she stopped herself. How the hell did she know that? Sighing, she sunk her fingers into her hair and brushed through her curls with her thin fingers. Had she been subconsciously watching him? How long had that been going on? Sure, it was easy to see that Mamoru was an extremely attractive man… but then again, he was pretty damn arrogant too. Not to mention that he was stubborn. But… was that really a bad thing? She was stubborn too, that she knew… they had that in common. He didn't look like any other guy she had ever been interested in before… she stopped herself again. 'Oh god. Oh god, oh god, oh god.' She thought, squeezing her eyes shut. 'I'm comparing him to my old boyfriends. I never do that unless… unless…'
She gulped. She was attracted to Chiba Mamoru.
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Mamoru noticed that Makato didn't come out of the kitchen, even though they had finished putting up the groceries. After ten minutes of waiting on her to exit the kitchen, he became worried. Standing from his comfortable place on the couch, he went into the kitchen only to see the pretty brunette whisking something in a bowl furiously.
"Makato?!" He blinked, standing in the kitchen doorway.
"I cook when I'm angry. Sorry." She continued to whisk away. "Would you mind eating pancakes for dinner? I'm in the mood for pancakes. You want pancakes? I hope to hell that you do, because I stole your ingredients to make them, and I'm standing in your kitchen making them, and I'm having a hell of a time, so you'd better damn well like pancakes!"
"Whoa, whoa, calm down, Makato… it's alright. Yeah, sure, pancakes are fine. That's really awesome. But you didn't have to make me dinner."
"I'm not making it for you; I'm making it… I'm making it…" She stopped whisking to stare down at the granite counter. "I actually don't know why I'm making them."
Mamoru walked fully into the room. "Do you want to talk about whatever's bothering you?"
Makato jumped, startled. "Oh! No, nothing's bothering me! I'm fine!" She picked up the whisk again, but he grabbed her hand to stop her.
"No, you're not fine. Something's bothering you, or you wouldn't be angry." He stared down at her, his eyes watching her.
She noticed the spark that had ignited in her when he touched her hand. He was still touching her hand, and it was driving her wild. She gulped and pulled away, setting the whisk down. Her hands were shaking, she could see, but she really didn't care. "It's been a bad day."
"Wanna tell me why?"
The girl took a deep breath. She wiped her hands on her jeans. "The girls… the shoe store… the… weird… stuff… going on…"
He blinked. "Uh… I'm afraid you're going to have to emphasize on that. Look, put the bowl into the refrigerator and come with me into the living room. We can talk, and then you can make pancakes… okay?" He put a hand on her shoulder, rubbing it up and down the length of her arm without thinking. She nodded, grabbed the bowl, and rushed to the refrigerator, if only to get away from his touch.
He had gone into the living room, and she went in after him, opting for the chair. He was sitting on the end of the couch nearest her. They sat quietly for a while, Makato staring down at her hands and Mamoru watching her.
"Well?" His voice broke through the silence. She looked up at him, noticing his intense look. Her skin broke out in shivers because of his penetrating eyes. She gulped, sighing deeply.
"Well, um…" She bit her lip again. "You see… this morning everything was fine. My day was great. I went to the… the college… and I signed up for spring classes." She looked at him.
He nodded in approval. "That's really great. Even with your cooking skills and experience, you still need your degree."
She nodded. "Yeah, I thought so too… but um… then my day just went downhill from there. I went to the café, where Unazaki quizzed me about Chibiusa…" She saw Mamoru's eyes turn into a fearful look, so she hurried on. "Oh, but don't worry, I avoided her questions. Anyways, I left there and… I was walking toward the… the shrine, because… because… well…" She stifled a sob. "The girls are ALWAYS there. They never want to leave. They don't want to go out and go shopping or see a movie or… anything! They just sit around and read manga (or actual books in Ami's case), and they do nothing. Even Chibiusa goes over there everyday."
"And that upsets you?"
"Yeah… it confused me for a while, why they did that. I thought that they didn't want to hang out with me, like I was an outsider… But…" She paused. Should she tell him? Rei and the others obviously didn't want him to know, but… was that their horrible way of protecting him too… like how they thought they were protecting her?
"But?"
She bit her lip again, chewing on it while she thought. She decided it was better to tell him. He needed to be able to be on his guard too. It just wasn't fair, to let him walk around town without any idea of the girl being in his city. "But I thought about it… and I realized that that wasn't it… and I found out really why they never leave the shrine. As I was on the way to the shrine, I stopped at a shoe store because I spotted some really pretty shoes." She stopped. Hitting her head, she sunk into the chair. "Oh, damn it all to hell! I forgot them at Rei's! She had better not wear them or I'll kill her."
Mamoru chuckled.
She blushed, clearing her throat. "Um, anyways… I went to the window and... I saw a woman and a man in the store. The woman… was…" She looked at him. He didn't seem to have a clue as to what she was going to say. She took a deep breath. "The woman was blonde. She had short blonde, straight hair. She looked familiar… so I went in to try on the shoes and to spy on her." She watched his eyes, but she saw that he looked fine. So she went on. "I sat in front of her, and she was trying on boots. She spotted mine and asked me about them. When she looked up, I knew who she was and why she had looked so familiar." Tears filled her eyes. She nearly choked up, but went on. "It was Usagi." She looked at him.
His eyes were pained, but he nodded. "It's alright."
"You're okay?" She asked softly.
He smiled sadly. "The girls have tried keeping it from me, I know. But I saw her the other day walking with that bastard of hers. I had on my sunglasses and was on the other side of the street. She didn't see me. But I saw her. And plus Chibiusa hasn't been coming home lately. She's been at Rei's too… you're not the only one affected."
She blinked. "You knew?!"
He laughed slightly. "Yeah. It's alright, though! Don't worry. I'm over her; I really am. All of you girls have helped with that."
She sighed, looking down at her lap. "I haven't."
He gave her a caring look. "Yes, you have."
She looked up at him, noting an odd flare in his eye. She gulped. "But I was away."
"You still helped. Now go on with your story. Don't worry about telling me anything. I know."
'You don't know everything…about me, at least…' She thought queasily. She went on, however. "Well… we argued, she showed me her wedding band…" She looked at him again, but again she could see that he knew that. "And then she left, basically telling me that she hated us all and never wanted to see us again. The girl in the store was nice though and she gave me a discount on the shoes."
Mamoru laughed.
She laughed as well, going on. "Then I went to the temple, where the girls all were, as usual. I told them about seeing her, and... Haruka and Michiru obviously didn't know, but the others did. They had… hidden it from me. I blew up, I think." She coughed uncomfortably. "I have a bad temper, I suppose, but they let me run around this stupid town with that tramp around, and I had no clue, while all of them did? I knew then that that was why they never left the temple. It was in case they should spot her. Anyway… so I blew up, left… forgot my shoes…" she grumbled. "And then I went to the arcade where Motoki tried to cheer me up. And from there I came here."
"Where you looked rather odd staring up at my building."
"I was actually trying to contemplate whether to tell you or not. I didn't know if it would kill you or not."
He nodded. "I understand."
"Yeah." She said uncomfortably.
He stood up and offered her his hand. "Come on. I'll help you with those pancakes."
She looked at him for a long moment. "You aren't mad at me for barging in and cooking in your kitchen?"
He laughed. "Why would I be mad? You're one of my friends."
Her eyes grew wide. "I am?"
He nodded. "Of course."
She took his hand and stood up. "So… then… why do you call me Makato-san?"
He stood at 6'1", and she at 5'7". It was nice, getting to look up at a man, she decided. He looked down at her, smiling a little sadly. "I wasn't sure if you accepted me as more than an acquaintance. I may think of you as a friend, but I didn't know if you thought the same. I know that in the past, we've been sort of at odds. I think you held a grudge toward me over Motoki."
She giggled and walked into the kitchen, calling back. "There's no think about it! I was furious over that!"
He followed her, grinning. "Really? Ah, now you see why I was afraid! I may be able to defeat Rei in karate, but I doubt I could overtake you."
"But Rei says she always wins!"
He gave Makato a funny look. "You seriously think Rei could beat me? I let her win, because she's a girl and because I fear her temper."
"Oh, my!" Makato went to the fridge and grabbed out the bowl of batter. "The great and mighty Tuxedo Kamen fears the temper of a girl?"
"A girl with the power to yield fire, yes." He shot a wary glance around the room, pretending to think she could hear them.
Makato laughed, grabbing the whisk again, this time whisking it more gently. "Alright, then. I'll just have to see if I can beat you. But no letting me win. I'm not that kind of girl!" She brought the whisk up and pointed it at him. She had brought it out of the bowl dripping, she saw, a little too late. A little of the batter spattered in his face. She stifled a laugh. "Sorry!"
Mamoru rolled his eyes, went over to her, and reached over her to the napkin holder. He grabbed a napkin and wiped his face off. "I'll remember that." He said daringly, looking down at her as he leaned back against the counter. Makato felt his leg brushing against her, his eyes watching her, and his aroma filling her nose. Whatever cologne he wore, it was intoxicating.
"I said I was sorry." She pouted, leaving his side (thankfully, she had almost ran out of air) to grab a pan from a cabinet.
"Alright, alright, you're forgiven." He dipped his finger in the batter and ate it. "I've never had pancakes for dinner before."
She swatted his hand as she came back. "Well, I haven't either, but, I was in the mood for some… so, ya know."
"Hmm, well, okay. I'll go set the table so I won't bother you while you're cooking."
"You're not bothering me." She said, blushing.
He had already gone to door, and he turned back to glance at her. Her head was bowed over the stove. She turned on the front eye, watching the flames come up as she put a pan over the top. He couldn't tell if it was a blush covering her face or just the glow from the stove. He went into the dining room, anyway, leaving her to herself for a few minutes. As he set the table, he couldn't help but stop and let his thoughts drift to the girl standing in his kitchen. Makato was… different. Well, especially different, considering the subject that he couldn't help but compare her to. Makato was loving, but was more of a quiet persona than Usagi had been. She kept things in, and he could see that she was like him in that she only let a few people close to her heart. He knew that she was an orphan as well, that her parents had died in an airplane crash. But she handled herself well… she was graceful and strong. Usually the two didn't go together, but in Makato's case, it was true. Frailty didn't become the girl, and even when she cried, she still had the air of a strong girl who was only suffering. He felt a smile cover his face. A few months ago, he would have never thought he would be having these thoughts about this particular girl, but ever since she had stepped off that train, her face bright and her hair soft around her face, he had found himself thinking back to the moment often. Now, as he stepped back into the kitchen to watch her flip the pancakes, he watched her eyes. They had looked at him differently tonight. Before, she had looked at him uninterestedly. But now… there was something different. What it was, he couldn't place. Perhaps care? Affection? He didn't dare think of any other word, for that word was still pain in his heart. Besides, he knew there was no way Makato would ever feel that way about him.
She put the last on top of the stack and turned, plate in hand. "Here we are!" She walked into the dining room, setting the plate down. "Hey, grab the syrup!"
He did so, grinning.
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They sat across form each other, laughing and eating so many pancakes that they both thought they were going to burst. Makato had eaten nearly five, the most she had ever eaten! But Mamoru had challenged her. Always being up a challenge, she ate. And ate. And ate.
But still, he beat her. He ate six.
Makato sipped at her hot tea, hoping to god that the pancakes wouldn't make her sick. She had eaten so many.
"I feel fat." She complained.
Mamoru laughed. "If you're fat, then pigs really do fly."
"Oh, so now you're calling me a pig? Thanks a lot!"
He blinked. "Hey, you know I didn't mean it that way."
She laughed. "Yeah, I know." She winked at him. "It's just fun to make you squirm. I've found out I'm good at that."
"Oh, really?"
"Yeah, really."
He rolled his eyes and she drank her tea again, ignoring him. He stood up and collected their plates, taking them into the kitchen. She stood up as well, walking after him. He was starting to wash the dishes. "Hey, let me help you with that."
He looked over at her with a smile. "No, not this time. You've already done everything else tonight. Drink you tea and relax."
She pursed her lips together into a pout as she turned and left, which Mamoru couldn't help but find adorable. He scolded himself, trying to keep his mind (and body) in check. But something was different between them, and he knew that she knew it too. He just didn't know what it was.
After he finished with the dishes, he walked into the living room, where he saw Makato sitting on the couch, flipping through channels on the television. He walked up behind her and leaned over the couch. "Are you ever going to stop flipping?"
"No way! I've never seen so many TV channels in my life! How many do you HAVE?"
"About a thousand."
"Jeez!"
He laughed, watching her animated, amazed eyes.
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They ended up watching an old black and white American movie that Mamoru swore was never going to end. It was terrible, to say the least. But Makato was obviously enjoying it, as she laughed and 'awwed' at nearly everything. Mamoru couldn't concentrate on the movie. He had ended up watching her through the entire thing. Funnily, she was very interesting to watch. Her green eyes especially caught his interest. He had always been intrigued by blue eyes, but her green ones intrigued him even more. They were deep and green… it seemed to him that she was like a faerie that belonged in the forest. Yes, that was it. Forest green. Everything about her screamed forest, from her brown hair to her green eyes to her thin, willow-like figure.
After the movie was over, she stretched and looked over at him, noticing that he was staring at her. Her face grew bright red. "What?"
He blinked. He had been caught. 'Damn', he thought. 'Think fast.'
"Nothing. You really get into your old movies."
"Oh, it's because I love James Stewart. I spent some time in America as a child, you know… I traveled with my parents a lot back then. I hated their cartoons. They were stupid. I always wondered how American children could love their stupid rabbit beating a duck over the head with a mallet… the duck never died! How is that possible? So I watched old movies like this one. The one I just watched was The Philadelphia Story… it had Cary Grant and Katherine Hepburn in it with Jimmy Stewart. Weren't they awesome?"
He smiled and nodded. "Yeah."
Her eyes lit up. "I know, really? So much better than movies today." Her eyes landed on the clock. It was ten o'clock. Sure, she had no one telling her what time to be home, but she knew it was time for her to go. "It's late. I had better go."
His eyes dimmed, but he nodded. He knew she couldn't stay. "Yeah, I guess it is late." He stood up to walk her to the door.
They stood together in the foyer for quite a while. Makato shifted from one foot to the other. "So… thank you. I'm sorry I went pancake crazy on you."
He laughed. "Anytime. We should make it a tradition."
Her eyes lit up. "Really?"
He nodded. "Yeah, why not?"
She nodded happily. "Okay! Next week, same time?"
"Sure."
It grew quiet for a few minutes as they stood awkwardly in the small space. There were mere inches between them. Makato broke the silence, knowing she had to go. "Well, I'll… see you later, then. 'Bye." She leaned up to kiss his cheek, but he turned his head.
She caught his lips.
Surprised, she nearly pulled away until she realized that it was HIM that was kissing HER. Startled, she clamped her eyes shut. 'Oh my God. Am I seriously kissing MAMORU?'
She felt him wrap his arms around her waist and pull her close to him. She couldn't help herself; she wrapped her arms around his shoulders. She could feel his tongue enter her mouth, and for a moment, her mind went blank as he explored her mouth. Suddenly he laughed, pulling away. He looked down at her. "You can tell you've been biting your lip like crazy."
She blushed, her eyes glossed over. Closing her eyes for a moment, she tilted her head down and opened them to look down at his chest. She wet her lips. "So… what does this mean? I mean, I… I mean, I knew there was something…"
"I know."
She looked up at him, knowing that when she did, he would be looking straight in her eyes.
He smiled at her. "We'll take things slow. Perhaps I shouldn't have done that…" He looked doubtful for the first time since he had kissed her. "But you drove me crazy through that entire movie… and through making pancakes… and eating the pancakes…and… let's just say ever since you got off that damn train."
She blinked. "Seriously?"
He nodded bashfully. "Seriously."
She smiled softly. "And I thought I was weird because I was feeling attracted to Chiba Mamoru…"
"Yes, odd, isn't it?"
"We're not exactly compatible."
"No; I think we are. I just don't think we would have ever realized it since… well, you know."
She nodded. "Yes..."
"We'll take things slow."
"Should we tell the others?"
He thought for a moment, frowning. "I don't know if I'm ready for Chibiusa butting in my private life like that. She does have that tendency." He admitted with a laugh.
"Yes… and I don't want the other girls to pick me to death. Let's keep it quiet for now."
"I agree." He kissed her forehead. "Go home and sleep."
She nodded, opening the door and stepping outside. Turning back to him for a moment, she grinned. "You know, the way you were brash enough to make out with me suddenly, I would have thought I wouldn't even gotten to sleep at home tonight." She winked at him and shut the door, rushing down the hall and into the elevator before he could say anything else.
He only smiled, wishing she could know how close he had been to asking her to stay the night… but he had known better.
Suddenly he stopped himself. As he walked back into the living room, he frowned deeply. Sitting on the couch, he thought long and hard. Yes, there had been times when he had wanted Usagi, but had restrained… but… never like that. He shook his head. Then again, Usagi had been innocent. Very innocent… very naïve. But Makato was innocent, too. She was the same age as Usagi… except… she acted so much older… so much wiser... so much more mature.
He leaned his head back, closing his eyes. It wasn't too soon, was it? To be wanting another woman… to be thinking of someone like this? He had been thinking of Makato for a few days now. It wasn't… bad of him, was it? Yes, Usagi had left him, but… it wasn't too fast getting over her, was it? It had only been three and a half months…no, he decided. It was his life, and he felt something for Makato. If it ran as deep as he thought, he didn't know. But he knew it was there, and he wasn't going to stop himself from fining out about it because of his damned past.
Damn Usagi and her bastard of a husband, anyway.
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Makato walked home slowly, thinking over the last few hours in great detail. How could she have gone from… hatred to being indifferent to pitying him to feeling this strongly for him so quickly? She shook her head as if to clear it. It was crazy, that much she knew. She wanted to talk about it, to confide in someone, but she and Mamoru had agreed that the girls were the last people to tell. And Motoki probably wasn't a good option either.
Suddenly, Makato spotted something jump out of the shadows and come toward her.
And there stood her new confidant… it was Luna.
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End Chapter Nine
I swear, if you weren't all shocked, then I have to be a terrible writer, as I've been working up to this the whole time. I wanted you all to think that there was NO way it would be someone like MAKATO….. when the whole time, I was thinking about how great a Makato and Mamoru story would be! Lol, yep, this whole thing was to be a Makato and Mamoru fic. That's why I've kept his thoughts hidden, his thoughts very out of the story until now…. I didn't want to go into detail about what he might have been thinking THEN… not until now!
Oh boy, the next chapters are gonna be so much fun. Heh!