Pairing: Tsukino Usagi (Sailor Moon) x Seiya Kou (Sailor Star Fighter)
Fandom: Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon
Theme: #8. our own world
Rating: G
Disclaimer: Tsukino Usagi, Seiya Kou, and any of the other characters that pop up in this drabble do not belong to me, but to the phenomenal Naoko Takeuchi. The only related rights I'm exerting right now is my freedom of expression, my artistic license, and my right to breathing space. I feel so alive! O:
How to Share a Rooftop
He came up here to escape his fangirls as they stampeded down each school corridor in search of their beloved Seiya-sama. He liked being an idol and all, but he was growing tired of the cacophony of high-pitched giggles and the endless bento boxes, so he simply avoided them.
She came up here to escape her friends and their attempts to drag her off to do something fun. She knew they just wanted to distract her from the loneliness that her boyfriend's absence brought and she loved them for it, but as well-meaning as they were, even she needed a break sometimes, and so she tried to avoid them.
(The first time they both sought the refuge of the rooftop, they ran into each other at the bottom of the stairwell. Usagi opened her mouth to demand an explanation from him, disgruntled that she was not the first to come up with this brilliant plan. Seiya's brow rose, first in confusion, and then in a sneaky smugness that only he could pull off like nobody's business.
Usagi abruptly shut her mouth, deciding it wasn't worth the effort to argue with him, and stomped her way up the stairs, followed by an extremely amused idol.)
He liked sitting over the entrance, cross-legged like those funny reddish-brown-skinned people he had seen in some foreign film and leaning back on his hands to tilt his face up to the sky. If he closed his eyes, he could pretend that it wasn't concrete beneath his hands, but ticklish lush grass; that the light warming his face came from the combined light of Kinmoku's three moons and not the solar system's sun; that the girl with him wasn't (someone else's) a bubbly Earth girl but (his, only his) an elegant Princess of the Tankei lineage.
She liked standing against the railing, tiny hands closed over the warm metal as she looked over the city that sprawled itself at her feet. If she closed her eyes, she could pretend that she wasn't standing there alone like a desperate lovelorn fool; that the warmth cupped between her hands came not from the sun heating the metal, but from blood coursing through large, gentle hands enclosed over her own; that the boy with her wasn't (Seiya, the super idol who sang for the world) a friend she had known for only a few weeks, but (Seiya, her cocky classmate who always made her smile) the man who had taken her heart with him to a foreign land and still hadn't called.
("You're not planning to eat up there, are you?" Usagi called. Seiya looked up from the three bento boxes he was trying to choose from, and peered over the edge of the entranceway. "Why, Odango, you're more than welcome to join me up here," he grinned, shaking one of the lunches at her.
She shook her head exasperatedly from her seated position against the railing and closed her eyes, clapping her hands in front of her. "Itadakimasu!" she called out and opened her eyes, ready to dig in, but the pop idol that suddenly appeared next to her had already opened the pink bento. He grinned up at her, munching on a piece of tako. "Delicious!")
He talked about what it was like to be a big idol, everything from the way girls would fall at his feet (literally, in some cases - fans could get really crazy at their concerts) to their eternally grumpy manager who always griped at him for being too carefree (the man was good at his job, but he really needed to loosen up). Sometimes he would slip and accidentally mention the odd incident from way back when they were still living on Kinmoku. He couldn't help it - it seemed so natural (so refreshing, so right) to talk with her.
She talked about all the bizarre adventures she and her friends got into, things like that time they tried to exorcise a spirit at Rei's shrine and it turned out to be the miko's grandfather, or when Makoto attempted to teach them (particularly Usagi and Minako) how to bake a chiffon cake and she still wasn't quite sure what had happened, but it definitely involved firefighters. Sometimes she would slip and accidentally talk about one of their battles as Sailor Senshi. She couldn't help it - it seemed like he could have (would have) understood everything if she had told him.
("What the heck isthis supposed to be?!" Seiya cried out, and Usagi leaned over to pluck the discarded wrapping of the store-bought bento box. "Deluxe Sushi - the finest in all of Japan," she read out. The dark-haired boy raised a brow at the ridiculously expensive arrangement of tiny little multi-colored food portions - even the simplest Kinmoku vegetation would have tasted heavenly compared to this mockery!
He growled, dropping the box and reaching over for a bit of Usagi's own bento. Conveniently ignoring Usagi's cry of dismay, he swallowed the piece. The triumphant grin on his face gave way to a shocked expression, and Usagi watched with fascination as his face rapidly turned red. Seiya started panting, fanning his tongue like a madman and trying to talk through a swollen tongue.
The girl smirked, glad that she had asked for an extra serving of wasabi that day. Eventually, she took pity on him and offered him some of her water, but she savored that moment all the same.)
She usually left first, thudding down the stairs with a loud wail as she suddenly remembered the untouched homework due for the next subject.
He sometimes left early, his erratic schedule as a studying idol calling him off to the studio for what seemed like the millionth recording of their new single.
But on the rare occasions that they could both stay, they spent it sitting at the edge of the rooftop, their legs threaded through the gaps of the railing as they talked about random, carefree things - usually with him baiting her and Usagi falling for it every single time ...
Or, sometimes, they wouldn't even talk about anything at all. Sometimes they just sat there in companionable silence, and for those precious few moments, everything else seemed to fall away. The rooftop and their beautiful view of the city became their world
(Seiya's and Usagi's world)
And nobody else's.
("Same time tomorrow?"
She goes up on tiptoe to press a kiss on his cheek - soft, warm, fleeting. Just like her.
"Same time tomorrow.")
Review Replies:
Ala Verity - I've never teared up over a review before. XD Thank you so so very much. I often worry whether I should try out something new with my drabbles, since personally, I feel like I'm following a basic pattern over and over - different words, but essentially the same as the others - but I was truly happy to read your review. Thank you so much for taking the time to type all that out - it was a really really big boost to the self-esteem, and I'm delighted to have such readers keeping an eye out for my updates.
Lovesunshinex - Haha, I was wondering whether I made Seiya too much of a sap with that line. XD I hope Odango truly understands it someday.
Sailor Sar - I'm sure Seiya would appreciate your kind thoughts (no matter how much he'd prefer the real thing, ;3). Stickers, yay!
Cheshiresara - True, true. Too much of either isn't a good thing, and I'm glad you like my work so far. I think Seiya's a wonderful character to delve in - he's so passionate and lively, it's a shame he was only around for one season. I try to base his actions on what Naoko Takeuchi showed, and it's a delight to write a character with so much potential.
Anime Girl 'till death - Hello again! I'm sorry I made some things too confusing - if you'd like me to expound on anything, just give me a poke, all right? X3
Suki - LOL imagery. XD Perhaps it seems that way because they weren't around at the same time, so we couldn't really compare how they love Usagi. Unrequited love is truly a painful thing, and I admire him greatly for continuing to love her despite that. I am astounded by how you worded that so concisely and yet so accurately.
AbsintheJade21 - Oh, thank you very much! I'm also delighted with the influx of Seiya/Usagi fans - this pairing needs more love! And yes, Mamoru really shouldn't be bashed just for being Usagi's destined one - it's a shame Usagi can't return Seiya's love, though. :(