Part five, drabble 6: Blue eyes

What color were her eyes? Mamoru wondered, as he walked down the street towards the arcade. Most people would say blue, but Mamoru thought that was a pitiful way to describe the fascinating, fluctuating color of Tsukino Usagi's eyes.

When she was angry, they were deep cobalt, a perfect compliment to her flushed cheeks and wildly gesticulating hands. She would shout and rail at him, exhausting her impressive vocabulary of curses until Motoki offered her a milkshake and successfully diverted her attention. Then they magically shifted to that beguiling shade of aquamarine, indicating her pleasure in something.

Every so often, she would catch him staring at her in one of his less guarded moments, and her eyes would slide into that amused sapphire, as though she knew exactly what he was thinking, exactly what he really felt, exactly why he felt the need to tease her instead of admit his true feelings. And then he would quickly repeat the cycle, teasing her until those eyes flashed cobalt with temper.

If she were playing a video game, or talking with her many friends, her eyes would glow with mirth, a shining turquoise, and Mamoru would be enchanted all over again.

And if she were ever sad, which was rare, but he'd seen it on a few unhappy occasions, those navy orbs would be cast downward, glistening with tears.

Mamoru rounded the corner, and his heart plummeted. Usagi, her eyes a wide, glassy indigo, stood perfectly still in the middle of the street, staring straight ahead. He dropped the books he was carrying to the sidewalk and lunged forward with a burst of speed.

Indigo.

Terror.

As he shoved her aside, toppling her safely to the pavement, he prayed it was the last time he would ever see that particular shade in her eyes again. The car that had been bearing down on her passed, its brakes screeching in protest. Her slender body shook with fine tremors, and she shakily dusted off her now rumpled school uniform. Fury unlike anything he'd ever know gripped Mamoru. Today, because of her carelessness, he'd almost seen those lovely eyes close forever. He grabbed her by the shoulders and shook her until her teeth rattled.

"Have you lost your mind?" he shouted, unmindful of the crowd he was drawing. "You could have been killed! Did you even think about that? Do you ever think before you act? How could you be so careless!"

All at once, her eyes opened, a murky, tear-filled azure. He watched in horror as tears trembled on her long lashes, spilling over her cheeks. She drew in a sobbing breath and flung herself into his arms, shoulders heaving with the force of her tears. His anger melted even as his arms slid around her, cradling her fragile body against the strength of his. He murmured what he hoped were soothing words, as his hands moved comfortingly up and down her shaking back. She held on tighter, burying her face in his neck, and he rocked her even as he felt the collar of his shirt growing damp. This was Usagi, his precious, beautiful Odango. She was frightened, she was upset, and she needed him. He lifted her into his arms, carrying her away from the crowded swarm of onlookers to the safety of the arcade.

She lifted her head from his shoulder, absently noting that he'd slung her schoolbag over his shoulder and was carrying her away from the spot they'd fallen. She pressed her hands to her cheeks, swiping frantically at the tears. Her breath sighed out shakily as she groped desperately for the right words to say to this man, this confusing, annoying, wonderful man who'd saved her life and shouted at her and comforted her.

Finally, she lifted her gaze to his, to those amazing, expressive blue eyes of his, and blushed helplessly.

"Mamoru-baka," she said finally, "you can put me down now."

As he set her gently on her feet, she realized that his eyes weren't blue at all. They were cerulean. And what she had seen lingering in the depths of them all this time was love.