Rating: K +
Description: Usagi & Mamoru have been
fighting daily; Mamoru is SICK of it and has decided to shut Usagi up
with a kiss everytime she shouts, yells or screams something in anger.
Disclaimer: Don't own a damn thing.
Chapters: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 |
“JUST LEAVE ME ALONE! CAN YOU BE ANY MORE ANNOYING?! AaAaARGH!” Usagi’s voice steadily rose in pitch, her face turning redder with each sentence. Mamoru just smiled, “Really Odango, can you be any less mature?”
Usagi just stared at the older man, “I cannot BELIEVE you! For the last WEEK all you have done is ANTAGONISE me, and I’m getting pretty damn sick of it!”
“Excuse me, antagonise? Where did you learn such a large word? Little Odango Atama must be growing up! Oh I’m so proud of my little girl,” Mamoru’s tone was provocative and incredibly antagonising.
“You are such a JERK!” Usagi stepped closer to Mamoru, screaming at the top of her lungs, the sound of feet on the pavement was barely audible in comparison. “Yeah? A jerk? Well, you’re a BABY!” he finally let himself sink to her level, something Mamoru had been fighting for the last half hour they had been arguing. Unsurprisingly, the crowd which usually gathered around these fights had disappeared back into the Crown Arcade.
Mamoru sighed internally, this was getting old, and his patience was failing more each time they fought, he was even ending up yelling childish insults long before he usually would; ‘but what can I do to stop it?’ he asked himself, ‘..hmmmm…’.
*SLAP*, there was a cracking noise, as Usagi’s small palm made contact with Mamoru’s face, “That’s for ignoring me while we’re fighting!” Her voice was indignant, highly annoyed, and still at the pitch which could be considered a yell. Mamoru did the only thing he could think of to shut her up: he kissed her. Not very hard, nor soft, or passionate, or any other thing which would usually be associated with a kiss, it was just his lips against hers.
Usagi blinked at him, dumbfounded, then she recovered, “WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU’RE DOING, BAK-”, the end of the sentence was cut off, once more by Mamoru’s lips. Unable to move, Usagi just glared at her tormentor as he moved away.
“That, my dear, is going to happen every single time you yell, scream, yelp, shout, squeal, shriek, screech, or howl at me. And each time I’m going to make the kiss a little longer, until you realise that this is juvenile, ridiculous, and completely pointless.” Mamoru held her eyes for a moment longer, until she realised he was completely serious, and then began walking away.
“You can’t get away with this!!!” Usagi shrieked, Mamoru turned, “Just watch me,” he said quite calmly, and his lips descended upon hers for the third time in less than a minute. Astonishingly, Usagi’s rage at the annoying man was decreasing each time he kissed her.
“I’ll see you later Usagi,” He called to her, walking away with a spring in his step. *That went much better than I imagined* he thought, satisfied.
----
Their next encounter wasn’t until 3 days, a large period of time, considering that they were usually in the Crown Arcade at the same time every day. Mamoru had altered his schedule to try and get a few days of peace before their next fight. However, today was a Saturday and, as usual, Mamoru had decided to go and spend some time with Motoki in the Arcade, figuring that his arguments with Usagi shouldn’t stop that, and that she probably wouldn’t be there today anyway.
Unfortunately, for Mamoru, Usagi was there, happily enjoying a double chocolate milkshake, with extra whipped cream. Without thinking, Mamoru commented upon her choice of drink, “Don’t you think that’s a bit too much sugar, Odango?”, and was rewarded with a glare. Usagi was smart enough to not comment, knowing that she would end up yelling at the annoyance, and of course, being kissed; neither of these things was on her agenda for the day.
“No, actually I don’t; to be honest, I don’t think I have enough sugar, but I’ll make do with what I have.” Usagi was perfectly polite, adding a smug smile to the end of her extra sweet reply.
Mamoru’s eyes narrowed, wanting to do something about her, but not finding anything that was against their verbal contract. This only made Usagi’s smirk larger, she was learning, and she knew that she had done nothing wrong – yet.
“Oh, well that’s no good,” Mamoru stood up, bringing the sugar holder with him as he walked towards Usagi’s milkshake, “Let me help you,” he said as he very calmly tipped the sugar into her drink. Usagi was shocked; her only reaction for a few seconds was to stare at the ‘improved’ drink.
“I CANNOT believe you just did that!” Usagi yelped.
“Tut, tut, Odango, now you have encroached on our contract, and I’m afraid you’ll have to suffer the consequences,” he kissed her, this one lasting a few seconds, until Usagi pushed Mamoru away. “Uh-uh! Bad Usagi, you can’t do that, it goes completely against our terms.” To prove his point, he kissed her again, “And that, my dear, is the punishment if you do not keep to our contract.”
“Can it be a contract if I never agreed?” The blonde wondered out loud, Mamoru had to bite back a laugh, “Think of it as my agreement with myself, and you’re just the subject.”
“The subje-” Usagi cut herself off, this was never going to work. She stood up and pushed the drink towards Mamoru, “Thank you for this talk, I am going to go and see if I can improve my day, away from here, and away from you.”
---
Usagi had, in fact, made her way to Juuban Park, and was sitting on a bench overlooking the large lake which was at the centre of the park. She was beginning to realise that she didn’t hate this change in her and Mamoru’s fighting as much as she had thought she would when he’d first announced his terms. In all honesty, he wasn’t too shabby a kisser either. *Stop that!* she berated herself *You can’t begin thinking that way, otherwise he’ll become something to you, and that would just be embarrassing. Time to go and meet the girls for that shopping session we’re supposed to be having.* Usagi sighed and pushed herself off the wooden bench, making her way towards the local shopping centre.
Rei, Mako, Mina and Ami were all waiting for Usagi in the food market, knowing she would want something to eat before even thinking about shopping.
“Hey girl,” Mina greeted her, “Why so late?” Usagi groaned in response, “Do I have to say?”
Mina nodded eagerly, “You really, really do now. It sounds like some interesting gossip!”
“Hmm, alright, but you girls have to promise not to tell,” at their assent, Usagi told them about Mamoru and his ridiculous idea about shutting her up with kisses, and how she’d been late because she’d been fighting, and kissing, him and then had gone to go and think for a minute. When Usagi finished Mina was giggling uncontrollably, “He’s trying to stop you yelling by KISSING you? That’s ridiculous! But you have to tell us, does he kiss well?”
Usagi went bright red, “He’s... Umm, he’s alright, I guess…” She was beginning to think that she should have kept all this to herself; *you silly girl, you knew Mina would react this way, Ami and Mako too probably, and I bet Rei starts screeching at me any minute now.* Right on cue Rei began, going on about how Mamoru was hers, and had Usagi known that!
Ami interrupted Rei, “Actually Rei, if this is the way Mamoru,” she stressed the male’s name, “Is choosing to quieten Usagi, it probably means he has underlying feelings for her!” Impossibly, Usagi’s face went even redder; this was definitely a bad idea. Mako and Mina started avidly agreeing, finding no problem with Ami’s logic.
*I wish a hole would open right now and swallow me… this is sooo embarrassing.*
For the past hour, all the girls had been talking about was this new development in Usagi and Mamoru’s fight-filled relationship; Rei spent the whole time protesting about how Mamoru was obviously interested in her, not Usagi, and Ami just kept refuting the Miko’s claims. Unfortunately for Rei and Usagi, Mina and Mako also agreed with Ami; apparently there was a lot more evidence than either the blonde or Rei wanted to admit.
Usagi sighed, this topic has become very old, very fast, and now all she wanted to do was think up a proper revenge plan, not the little ideas she had been coming up with over the past 10 minutes. So far the only plan she could really implement was ignoring him; but ignoring him meant not going to the Arcade, or even the street it was in, until this ridiculous feud was over (which, as far as anyone knew, was going to be a long time coming).
This day didn’t seem to be improving any, now the girls were discussing ways of getting Usagi and Mamoru TOGETHER of all things! Usagi was dumbfounded, this was not happening.
“Uh, girls, need I remind you, I hate Mamoru,” her calm tone was deceptive, and her friends were instantly chastised, remembering exactly who they were talking about.
There was a chorus of “Sorry Usagi, we forgot,” and a instant of silence, then: “Of course they’d never get together, Mamoru likes me!”
Ami, Mako, and Mina just stared, after all that work they had put into their discussion, Rei still had no idea. Oblivious of Ami, Mako and Mina, Usagi had taken a moment to think, wondering what that strange pang was inside her…*Well it can’t be anything important, I mean, I feel nothing for or about Mamoru, right?* Usagi was unsure, her thoughts became confusing, unbelievable, *It couldn’t be… could it? Well it could, but logically there is no way in Hades that I was just jealous about Rei and Mamoru.. No way!*
“Um, girl, I need to go think up some revenge plans, do you mind if we do the shopping thing later? Tomorrow maybe?” Usagi glanced around her friends, they were all nodding in assent.
“Alright, Usagi, I’ll call you tonight,” Mina said cheerfully, “Think up something really evil for me, girl! Really evil!”
“Oh, don’t worry Mina, it will be. I’ll talk to you later, bye!” Usagi turned, *I think I’ll go back to the park, there’s no better place to think after all…* So, Usagi slowly made her way back to what was quickly becoming her bench, only to find a certain dark haired man sitting on it.
*No WAY! That jerk cannot, I repeat, cannot be sitting on MY bench! No!* Usagi’s thoughts were crazed, and, unfortunately for her, Mamoru had begun turning around, *I’m not up for another confrontation with him! I’m not!* But Usagi couldn’t get away in time, and soon there was a familiar drawled greeting: “Hello Odango.”
Usagi stood, staring, there was only one possible outcome to this, and that was her getting kissed, probably numerous times, until she was quite or civil. *I don’t like this… Maybe I could.. Yes, I could do that!*
“Hi Mamoru; how are you today? You’re looking well. What’s this, our second encounter of the day? I feel so privileged.” Each word was dripping with sweet sarcasm, the blondes face betraying none of the hidden connotations in her words.
“Well, well, isn’t this a pleasant change, some civil conversation, I’m shocked, Usagi, shocked. Yes, it is our second encounter, how good of you to notice; I’m so glad you feel so happy to see me, I’m happy to see you too.” Mamoru’s eyes were twinkling, his nature easy going, not even appearing to have noticed Usagi’s sarcasm.
There was an uneasy silence; neither seemed willing to open up what could, potentially, be a large argument. “So… umm, I guess I’m interrupting your private time, so I’ll just get going…” Usagi stared into Mamoru’s eyes, “You don’t have to go, if you don’t want, that is..” Mamoru was unsure as to why he was saying that, something told him to keep her there.
“Well that’s kind of you, but I don’t want to intrude.” Usagi smiled slightly, weirdly enough, this was nice.
“Alright Odango Atama, you can go if you want.” Mamoru smirked, that nickname of his was sure to get her fired up. Sure enough, Usagi’s face started turning red, her fists clenched at her sides. She took a deep breath in, and let it out slowly, counting to 10 under her breath.
“I have a little contract of my own, I think. Every single time you call me something that isn’t my name, that’s Usagi if you didn’t know, I’m going to do the same thing you’re doing to me: kiss you.” Although she didn’t let it show, she felt victorious already, the colour was draining out of Mamoru’s face, the twinkle in his eyes disappearing.
“You wouldn’t.” He hazarded, looking slightly less sure of himself.
“Try me.” The blonde retorted, standing her ground.
“Odango. Atama.” When Usagi hesitated, Mamoru smirked, “I knew you couldn’t do i-”, he was cut off abruptly, predictably by Usagi’s lips hesitantly pressed against his own. Unconsciously, Mamoru returned the kiss, forgetting himself, and the identity of the kisser, in the process.
Usagi pulled away, shocked at the taller man’s response, “I cannot believe you just did that!” she shrieked, frustrated even more by Mamoru’s reply to her shriek: another kiss. The shorter girl pulled away quickly, and glared for a moment, before walking quickly away, this was getting way too out of hand!
Usagi had been stomping around Juuban for the past half hour, thinking angrily, *What gave him the right to begin this?! And what the heck was I thinking?! What sort a stupid idea was kissing him whenever he doesn’t call me Usagi?! Kami-sama, I must be insane. More insane to think that he’s actually a good – /don’t think that Usagi, you can only get hurt./ What, by thinking he’s a good kisser? No way! Besides, he started it.* And with that, an Usagi-pout™ was given to the whole world, even though its intended target was about a kilometre away.
“Aaaaaargh!!!!” Usagi raged, stalking towards the Arcade, muttering, “I need chocolate, chocolate can fix this.. yes, chocolate is the answer to all…”
A few minutes later, the blonde walked into the Crown Arcade, slightly more relaxed now that she had let off steam; however, she did still look slightly insane. Motoki was wise enough to wait until Usagi came to the counter to greet her, changing his usual “Good Morning” to a simple, “Morning, Usagi.”
“Morning, Motoki. Might I be able to get a triple chocolate sundae?” Usagi asked politely, looking around as she waited for the usual reply, but she got none.
“Triple chocolate? Wow, Usagi, what did Mamoru do this time?” Usagi’s head snapped around, staring at Motoki.
“What makes you think it was Mamoru-baka?”
“Oh, no reason, only that the only time you ever ask for a triple chocolate sundae is when he’s annoyed you something terrible.” Motoki’s look was smug, he knew exactly what was going on, having heard their original fight 4 days ago, and the terms which had been set; however, Motoki wanted to know how Usagi was taking this.
Usagi sighed, she knew that it would get to this point with Motoki, “I’m sure you already know the basics,” she said wearily, “But then I ran into him today, and I had the stupid idea to do the same to him but only whenever he doesn’t call me Usagi.”
Motoki smirked, “Interesting alternative, Usa; but that doesn’t seem so bad, not in comparison with what he’s putting you through.”
Tired blue eyes looked up at the male blonde, “Yeah, but I didn’t expect to like it.. Can I get that sundae now? I need some time to think…” He smiled, motioning for her to go and take her usual seat, “I’ll bring it to you in a sec.”
Motoki didn’t interrupt when he brought her the sundae, simply placing it on the table in front of her, and watching for a moment as she unconsciously picked up the spoon, drew the ice cream closer, and began eating uncharacteristically slowly.
He decided it was time for his break, asking his little sister Unazuki to take over for a few minutes; the tall blonde made his way to the back room, and sat there, smiling and smirking at various thoughts. So, he had been right, they did like each other. *Excellent, and I don’t even think I have to do anything to get them together… Well, except try and force them together as much as possible until they come to their senses.*
---------
Mamoru was amazed at this turn of events; he had never dreamed things would get so out of hand. This had all started off as a way to shut her and her incessant screaming up, but the balance of power was shifting too fast for his liking.
His feelings were also changing: he had begun with affection for the short blonde, which had swiftly changed to frustration and annoyance; but now, who knew? Was that a twinge of a real feeling for her? *no, not possible. Not possible. /But why, my dear boy, isn’t it? Give me one perfectly sound reason. And don’t give me any of that ridiculous ‘she’s too young’ stuff, because we both know that neither of us believes it/.* But Mamoru couldn’t, he just couldn’t.
-------
Usagi had been picking at her sundae for the past five minutes when she finally realised what she was doing; yet, this made no difference, she just had no appetite anymore. She had come to one, completely unbelievable conclusion over the past few minutes; one that she was not even willing to admit properly to herself. *I don’t, I know I don’t. But what if I do? There’s no but, I don’t. /Really?/* There had been that voice, so similar to her own, but somehow older sounding, which had intruded into her thoughts for the first time in many months. */Because I think you do, and worse, I know you think you do too. So why do you keep denying? Give me one perfectly good reason why you can’t. And I don’t want any of this ‘he’s not my type’ nonsense/. I-i-i- I can’t.*
She needed to get out of here, she needed to get away from everything reminding her of him, because it would only bring up these almost forbidden thoughts. Usagi sighed, and stood up, leaving the money she owed for the sundae with Unazuki. The blonde walked out of the Arcade and made her way along the main street, letting her feet take her wherever they wanted.
-----
Mamoru wandered around Juuban aimlessly, also letting his feel lead the way; the voice in his head, well it made sense. It was odd, that voice; it sounded like a much older version of him, but it only appeared periodically and usually only when he was having a particularly bad fight with Usagi. It was his voice of reason, the one that reminded him not to go too far; but he had, or so he believed.
Mamoru’s eyes gazed around, looking, but not really seeing, so it was no surprise when he ran into someone. He looked down, and almost groaned, he knew that head of blonde hair and odangos anywhere; Usagi.
She looked up, smiling softly, not really seeing him, “Sorry, sir. I didn’t mean to, I just wasn’t watching where I was going.”
“That’s alright, Usagi,” the voice that came out of his mouth was calm, nice, “I wasn’t looking either.” It was as if that other voice in his head had taken over his mouth.
“Oh, alright, I’ll keep going then Mamoru, sorry again,” This was odd, why was she so quiet, so calm? This was not like her at all, no, this was how he saw Usagi when they weren’t arguing, a facet of the blonde shown to others around her, but never him. Not until today.
“Alright, Odango, have fun.” Mamoru swore internally at that slip of the tongue, it was sure to set her off.
But it didn’t, she simply reached out, grabbed his arm, and leaned up, kissing him softly, “What did I tell you? It’s Usagi.” With that, she walked away, apparently not at all distressed by the proceedings.
Mamoru stood, resisting the urge to press a finger against his lips; it had been a very sweet kiss. *Stolen Kisses,* He couldn’t help but think.
----
Rei was simmering, annoyed; this wasn’t fair, she’d been interested in Mamoru first! Usagi always caught the attention of the cutest guys, and usually she had no idea. It would serve her right, if, one of these days, one of them actually did something about it.
She sighed, *Well, he’s obviously not for me then, I can tell he’s fallen for her.* It was unlike Rei to be so thoughtful of other people, but the signs to this had been building up for a while, *Now, to get them together. Usagi has to be interested in him, otherwise it wouldn’t matter to her so much that he was kissing her; I know it wouldn’t bother most girls who weren’t properly interested.
So, she must be protesting because she’s afraid she’ll have to admit it to herself and us. I need a plan.. Well I could throw myself at him, and get her so annoyed that she finally admits it and they get together. Ahh.. sounds like Hollywood, but its all I have right now…
I’ll go talk to the girls, Ami, Mina and Mako are sure to be able to help…*
Usagi wasn’t herself; it was as though some alien being had taken over her body. It was so unlike her to just kiss Mamoru and walk away; there had been no fight, no harsh words. Just a simple slip of the tongue, and a kiss in retaliation.
*What am I doing?* She questioned herself; *This is like some ridiculously twisted romance, or flirtation. I can’t believe he’s choosing to shut me up by kissing me! Its cute, and adorable and../ Stop stop stop! Now rewind that last thought. Yes, you did just call him cute and adorable; what was next, romantic? Boyfriend material? Don’t try to deny it girl, you’re interested. And gosh, who wouldn’t be!/* The voice inside her head whistled, impressed.
Usagi had to laugh, even though this was a completely impossible situation; she had a voice insider her head, a semi-boyfriend (who was really just the jerk she was kissing), and no idea what was really going on.
*I must be going insane! /Oh, no, not insane, sweetie, you’re coming to your senses! It’s about time you started really noticing that man!/* So, not only was she insane, but so was the voice in her head, *But doesn’t having a voice in my head mean I’m insane? Can the voice inside my head be insane?? Does that even work?!* Usagi shrugged, she was late for a meeting at Rei’s temple anyway.
---
“Alright, girls. I called you here extra early for a special operation – Operation: Get-Usagi-and-Mamoru-Together,” Rei had called Mina, Mako and Ami to the temple an hour before she had told Usagi to be there simply to discuss this plan. “We all know that they are perfect for each other, even if they’re too obstinate to admit it. Also, we know that Mamoru is kissing Usagi practically every time they come into contact, so I propos-” Rei was cut off by a hurried entrance.
“Sorry I’m late,” the blonde panted, seating themselves next to Ami.
“That’s alright, as I was saying, we basically need to force them together as much as possible. It’s the only way to make it so that they get to the point where they realise what they really want. Do agree?” Rei looked around the room, all were nodding. “Good, we start ASAP. Meaning that, tonight, when we go out, Motoki,” she nodded toward the blonde seated next to Ami, “brings Mamoru to the same movie.” There was more general assent, “Alright, Motoki you’d better get out of here, Usagi’ll be here soon. We’ll see you at the movies at 7pm tonight, deal?”
Motoki smirked and nodded, “We’ll see you there, even if I have to drag Mamoru.” With that, he stood and left, leaving the girls in silence.
“Do you really think this’ll work?” Ami ventured, quietly.
“Of course it’ll work!” Mina exploded, “Can’t you see the evidence?! I mean, first off, she never stops speaking about him; secondly, he’s been kissing her to shut her up! What more do you need? Haven’t you seen the electricity that sparks between them, the pent up frustration at each other, which even they don’t understand?”
Mako agreed, “Besides the fact that I saw her kissing him today.” The brunette was smug, grinning cheekily at the other girls.
“You saw WHAT?!” Came the loud chorus, “WHY DIDN’T YOU TELL US SOONER?!?!?!?!”
By this time Mako was laughing uncontrollably, she managed to barely spit out a sentence. “Because this is so much more amusing!”
---------
Usagi finally arrived at Rei’s, about 15 minutes after Motoki left; she ran in, panting, her face red from the exercise of running to the Temple. She apologised and sat down next to Ami, where Motoki had been less than half an hour before.
“Alright, so I was thinking we could go to a movie tonight,” Mina suggested, after they had all chimed in with greetings for Usagi.
“Ohhh!!” Squealed Usagi, “What a great idea! It feels like its been so long since we’ve been anywhere properly.”
“Actually, Usa, it’s only been a few days, but I can understand that you were distracted by other things,” There was a hard tone to Rei’s voice, Usagi was hurt, but she shrugged it off.
“I was thinking the local picture theatre at about, um, 7 maybe?” Makoto hazarded, trying desperately not to look to Rei for encouragement; instead she turned her gaze to Usagi, grinning as the blonde nodded eagerly.
“Sounds great! Any particular movie, or are we just going to see what’s on?” Usagi glanced at each of the girls in turn, her eyes resting for longer upon Rei and Mako.
Rei shrugged, “Whatever’s on, I guess…”
Usagi grinned, “Alright,” then yelped, “I’m late! Ahh! Mama’s going to kill me! I was supposed to do the shopping with her!”
Ami, Mako and Mina had to giggle, Rei just glared, as per usual, of course.
“So I’ll see you tonight at 7 then? Bye!” Usagi jumped up, running out of the room, curiously similar to the way she’d entered only a few minutes earlier.
“What a strange girl…” Rei had to laugh, “I think this plan is going to work. This is what we have to do….”
----
Unknowingly, Usagi ran into Mamoru for the second time that day; but this time, the impact was harder, and sent the two of them to the pavement. Both could do nothing but lie there and stare, dazedly, at the cause of their discomfort.
“Mamoru-baka! You know better than to get into my way!” Usagi tried desperately to control her volume, but it was to no avail. She pushed herself off the black haired man, rolling into a sitting position.
“Odango! Don’t you ever look where you’re going?!” Mamoru had completely forgotten about Usagi’s bargain, and almost about his own; he was still lying where he had fallen, motionless but for his talking.
“Oi! What have I told you about using that nick name?!” Usagi shrieked, dreading that she would have to keep her end of the bargain. Reluctantly, she lent forward and kissed him, intending for it to be a short, quick, unfeeling kiss. Usagi hadn’t reckoned with Mamoru’s remembrance of his deal. The kiss was deepened, and Usagi let herself go, making no move to pull away. It was agony when one of them finally pulled away, needing to breathe.
“Why?” Usagi whispered, half to herself, “Why?”
Mamoru took a moment before answering, using it to stand and brush himself off, “Because of the deal.” With that, he walked away, continuing on the way he had been going.
Usagi felt her heart break at that moment, as a wave of disconsolation swept through her body, any hope she had felt in that kiss had just been shattered into minute pieces, *So its not about me then, he doesn’t like me.. and here you were thinking he might. Stupid stupid stupid idea. He just does what he says, can’t blame a man for that.* But these petty words, her impossible way of convincing herself that it had nothing to do with her; but it did, and she cared, no matter how much she hated the idea.
The voice inside her head was quiet, so unlike her; of all the times for a bit of peace, this was not a good one.
----
*Idiot!* Mamoru berated himself, */What the hell were you thinking? Do you have ANY idea of what she’s thinking now? Probably that you don’t care, that this is a stupid game to you, even though it isn’t. You’re an idiot, Mamoru. Now go fix it./*
The voice in Mamoru’s head was never silent, it was always there, telling him what to do, and what not to do; almost all of the time it was right. He had gone wrong numerous times, not from listening to the voice, but from not listening to it; by doing the opposite.
Usagi was stuck, unable to move from where they had fallen only minutes before; her motor functions were not working.
*It isn’t fair… I thought he… might actually…* Usagi sniffed, wiping her face with her arm. With her other arm, she pushed herself off the ground and stood resolutely, trying desperately not to cry. *So much for a fairytale..*
She stood there for a moment, taking in her surroundings, trying to sort out her thoughts; Usagi pushed a blonde strand out of her face, trying to tuck it back into the bun it had fallen out of. Frustrated with her inability to put the strand back, she yanked out the elastics and bobby pins holding it in, letting her long hair free.
In all honesty, she looked like a goddess, or a queen, standing so fiercely against the opposing forces of the world. If only Mamoru had been there to see this image, one that would not exist much longer. Yet, instead of putting her hair back into the buns, Usagi opted for something different, and tied it up in a simple ponytail.
Finally satisfied with her hair, Usagi started walking home, only increasing her pace when she realised that she needed to get ready for the movies. *Damnit, I’m always so late!! Ahhh!*
---
Mamoru was idling home, bleakly taking in his surroundings, not wanting to stop wallowing in his misery just yet. However, he knew that he had to, considering how he had to be at the movies in… *Half an Hour?!?! UHOH! Motoki’ll kill me if I’m late. I’m never this late, what’s gotten into me?!*
---
Both Usagi and Mamoru made it home at the same time, both freaking out about how late they were, and how they were going to be killed by their friend(s). The two of them simultaneous ran to their rooms, ruffled through their wardrobes, desperately looking for something either clean or nice to wear. Once they had found clothes suitable, it was straight into their respective bathrooms for a quick shower and change; hair was altered, bags and keys were grabbed. Then, in almost record time, two blurs ran out of their front doors and began making their way to the local cinema.
---
Rei and Motoki were worrying, Usagi and Mamoru were supposed to have been here ten whole minutes ago.
“What if…” Rei began, pacing.
“No, that doesn’t work. They’ll be here soon.” Motoki finished, also pacing.
Ami, Mina and Mako stood dumbfounded at this strange display; this was very unlike their friends.
“Do you think they hit their heads? Maybe on each other?” Mina asked, looking at her other two friends.
“It’s a possibility, but unlikely,” Ami replied, glancing at the pacing pair.
Makoto moved, thinking quickly before she said anything, “I had no idea they were this involved in getting Usagi and Mamoru together. I mean, I thought Rei liked Mamoru!”
Any reply was halted when two fast moving blurs came into eyesight; a dark haired person and a blonde haired person shouted out greetings to respective recipients.
“What took you soon long?” They said as one, “We’ve been waiting for ages.”
“I’m sorry!” gushed another set of blonde and dark haired people, “It’s just that..” the two of them petered off at the same time, catching sight of each other.
“What are they doing here?!” Each demanded of their opposite, glaring at each other.
Mina decided it was time to intervene, knowing this could elevate to a much more serious argument; “What a coincidence, eh, Usa? Apparently Motoki and Mamoru are coming to the same movie we are! We couldn’t believe it when we found out.”
Usagi and Mamoru were shocked, was this fate, or tampering? They both knew that when their friends were determined, nothing could or would stop them. Both sighed, looking forlornly up at the cinema; “What are we seeing?” Usagi asked quietly.
“Well, we have tickets too…” Rei began chattering, as Usagi tuned out, following her crowd of friends into the cinema, grabbing some snacks and a drink on their way in.
Before they had any idea that this was all a plan, Mamoru and Usagi ended up conveniently sitting next to each other. It also took them a minute to even notice this seating arrangement. They looked at each other, working it out simultaneously; “It’s a set up,” Usagi whispered, Mamoru nodding, “Do we play along?”
Usagi was surprised at the statement which had issued from her mouth, but covered it up quickly, there was no way she was ready to forgive him yet, but she was not about to let Rei have the last word.
“Of course, there’s no way I’m letting Motoki have the last word,” He whispered; Usagi was shocked at how much his thoughts mirrored her own.
“Let the games begin,” Usagi said wickedly, beginning by placing her hand over Mamoru’s on the arm rest. He looked down, shocked at her boldness, then grinned, a sort of smirk; “Indeed.”
----
By now, it was halfway through the movie; Rei and Motoki were evidently pleased at the ‘progress’ their friends had made.
“Did you see that?” Rei hissed to Motoki, when Mamoru’s arm crept around Usagi, lingering on her shoulder, before grabbing the drink.
“I’m not blind, Rei. Honestly.” Motoki was secretly very happy though, “Did you see that?!” he whispered, excitedly; Usagi had leaned against Mamoru, the armrest between them appeared to have been pushed up and into the space between the seats. His arm had come back over her shoulder and was now resting around her waist.
“This is like some twisted romance movie,” Mako muttered, “Boy meets girl, girl hates boy, girls friends set them up, boy and girl end up looking like they’re from some sick Hollywood love story.”
Mina had to bite back a laugh at that comment, she agreed, this was all a little suspicious. Then she shrugged, only just visible in the dark cinema, “Who’s to complain?”
-----
Mamoru smirked into the darkness, it was working; now for his own, slightly more evil plan. “Hey, Odango,” he whispered, knowing what she would have to do when he used that name.
She glared at him in the dark, knowing his idea; then gave in, aware that it would give more credence to their movie-plan. Usagi lent up and rested her lips right in front of his, making sure he would have to move, at least slightly, for this to work.
He took that initiative, moving the necessary half a centimetre; and for the second time that day, their lips met. Once more, everything else seemed non-existent; and they both forgot that this kiss was merely one of convenience.
---
Rei, Motoki, Ami, Mina and Mako had all glanced over at the ‘couple’ when they heard a strange noise; and all five of them were shocked to find the two kissing.
“Oh, my eyes, my poor eyes!” Motoki whispered, traumatised, apparently not having realised the implications of his and Rei’s idea. Rei hit him, “This is what we wanted, silly!”
“Oh, right,” he stopped moaning, realising they were still going, “Isn’t that a bit odd? I mean, don’t they need to breathe?”
---
*Don’t need to breathe,* thought Usagi, *Don’t want to breathe, because if I do, this wonderful dream will be over, and thing’s will go back to how they were…* She coped with this idea by drawing herself closer to him, getting the most out of this as she could.
Unfortunately for the both of them, there was a point at which they had to stop; so one of them pulled away, once more reluctantly. But this time, there was no conversation, no lies, no questions. It took a moment for them to get their bearings, and they realised that the movie was over, and their friends had gone, to where, neither of them knew. “We should go outside; I think we need to talk.” One of them hazarded while the other nodded eagerly.
----
*Its D-Day,* mused Mamoru as he followed Usagi outside, as she looked for somewhere for them to sit, finally deciding upon a bench nearby, *Here we go…* He took a deep breath, and sat down next to her, unable to speak.
“So,” she tried, “What is this?” There seemed to be a temporary cease of any hostile comments between the two of them, caused by their contracts and by their awkwardness.
“I… I’m not too sure,” Mamoru managed to get out, staring off into the dark, “What does it feel like?” He noticed the beginnings of a rain shower, which was odd, considering the sky had been clear hours before.
“I don’t know,” Usagi murmured, spreading her arms out into the falling rain, “Does it need definitions, whatever it is?”
“I think, that maybe it does, Odango,” Mamoru smiled, knowing fully well what she would have to do, if she planned to stick to their contracts.
Usagi stared at him, “You did that on purpose,” she accused, glaring at the half invisible man.
“I did no such thing,” Mamoru countered, “But you know that you have to keep that promise?”
“I know, I know. What count will this make it for the night? Three?” Usagi had to smile, in a weird way, this was kind of sweet.
“I think so,” Mamoru murmured, waiting for the touch of her lips against his; but none came, and waiting was agony. He reached out and grabbed her arm, pulling her to him; “You know I didn’t mean what I said earlier, about this just being because of our contracts, you know it isn’t.”
“I know,” she whispered, “I know.” She lent forward, and briefly pressed her lips against his, “But something still isn’t right, and whoever it is in my brain knows that. I’m sorry Mamoru, can we talk tomorrow?”
“Sure,” He agreed easily, unsure as to what had led to this change, “Just let me do one thing first?” Usagi nodded, and Mamoru lent forward, kissing her.
Unexpectedly, the voices in both their heads began chattering, making a cacophony of noise; Usagi and Mamoru could hear both people. A moment later, when they broke apart, the voices disappeared.
“Did you hear that?” Usagi hazarded nervously.
“Er yeah, I did, but both of them?” Mamoru replied, mystified.
“Yeah, both of them… That’s never happened before… You know, that guy, he sounds like an older version of yourself,” Usagi said thoughtfully.
“And that woman, she is definitely an older version of you,” Mamoru looked at Usagi, “I know it’s a bit weird to have a voice in your head, but two, in both our heads, which only show up when we kiss because we want to?”
“I think we need to test that last theory,” Usagi said, grinning wickedly.
“I totally agree,” Mamoru smirked and kissed her again; sure enough the voices were back, talking to each other.
“Interesting,” Usagi muttered when she pulled away, “And very, very odd.”
“I’m not sure that we’ve quite exhausted the possibilities, Usagi, they do say that a good experiment must be able to be duplicated many times with the same result,” Usagi smiled in response to this, and kissed him again.
Usagi pulled away from Mamoru, giggling slightly, “You know, this whole situation is just a joke, all of it. I mean, where did you even get the idea of shutting me up by kissing me??”
Mamoru grinned, “I really don’t know, can I pin it on the voice in my head?”
“That’s too bad Mamoru, because I was probably going to give you a reward for the idea, but since it wasn’t you..” Usagi trailed off, smiling slyly.
“No, no! It was all my idea! All mine! No help from anyone!” Mamoru clamoured, desperately wishing he’d waited before answering her question.
Usagi shook her head, “Sorry Mamoru, too late now, and besides, that voice in my head would have told me if you lied.” Actually, Usagi had no idea if that was true, but thought it safe to try and bluff Mamoru.
“Oh, is that so Usagi?” Came a curious response, no hint of sarcasm in his voice whatsoever.
Usagi tilted her head up, attempting to look into Mamoru’s eyes in the dark, and failing miserably, “Yeah. Why, don’t yours ever do the same?”
Mamoru just shrugged, “He does, sometimes, when he feels like it.”
Usagi tried to keep the look of surprise off her face, attempting to hide it with more conversation, “Same here, if it didn’t sound so crazy, I’d say they have minds of their own.”
There was a long, drawn out, silence, neither of them quite yet willing to break it, neither knowing what to say.
“So… Um, what are we going to do about the ‘matchmakers’? Do we continue to pretend..?” Mamoru ventured.
Usagi’s heart contracted fiercely, a cold feeling spreading throughout her abdomen, “What do you mean?” She asked coldly, desperate to sound uncaring.
“Well, this whole thing tonight did start off because of the matchmakers, and, well.. I just assumed that..” Mamoru stopped, realising he might be digging himself into a huge hole here. You think?! The voice came, Idiot, what do you think you’re doing?? We know you’re developing feelings for this girl, are you trying to push her away? Because, frankly, that’s the most idiotic thing I’ve ever heard. So, apologise, kiss the girl, apologise some more, and ASK HER OUT!
Mamoru grimaced internally, understanding exactly how stupid he had been, “Please ignore that Usagi, it was a silly thing to say, and something I didn’t mean. I’m sorry.”
“Sorry? For speaking your mind? Don’t be ridiculous. Since that’s obviously how you feel, I’ll be seeing you. Goodbye, Mamoru.” Usagi stood, walking away silently, leaving a mystified Mamoru.
That’s not what I expected when I signed up for following your advice, He accused the voice, Well, you shouldn’t’ve said it. It’s your own fault, really. Don’t come crying to me, I was just trying to fix it! Mamoru harrumphed, crossing his arms over his body, acting like a 5 year old who wasn’t getting what he wanted.
If only Usagi could see him now..
---
Usagi was annoyed, very annoyed, So, he was just usssssing me, is that it? Honestly, men suck. Or men like Mamoru anyway. Why, oh why, couldn’t I have fallen for a guy closer to my own age?? Usagi was gradually getting over her anger at Mamoru and was now directing that anger at herself, It was stupid to hope, you know that! But you let them rise anyway. Stupid stupid stupid! Do you never learn?
She just felt like crying now, this wasn’t working out at all! And she assumed that Mamoru would still hold her to their contracts. Great, let hell begin.
----
Mamoru groaned, he knew that he would have to either keep up their ‘contracts’ or give it up completely, and goodness knew he wasn’t ready to do the second. When this all began he had really disliked her, well not disliked that much, but didn’t feel anything; but now? Now, if you asked him, he would tell you that he needed her in his days, in his dreams. It sounded hopelessly romantic, so very Hollywood, but these were his thoughts, thoughts which had invaded his mind and body, changed his entire being. He was no longer the Mamoru he had once been, the cold, handsomely distant man; no, he was the ‘new and improved’ version, the one capable of feelings, feelings soft and squishy, such that no man would ever admit. He had become human, by letting his heart take over.
It was odd, for such a simple, stupid action to change such a huge amount of things; or maybe it wasn’t, Mamoru really wasn’t sure. The only thing he was sure about was that something in him had changed, and that he had to do something to make it better, not worse. By this, he meant that he was going to try and improve further, not fall back into previous patterns.
----
Usagi sniffed, wondering disconsolately what she was going to do in this situation; it was so messed up. And all she could think was that in a movie, this would have all turned out perfectly outside the movies, with a kiss and a vow of love. But life was not like a movie, or a romantic book, it was frustrating, unfair, and thoroughly depressing when things came to love. She’d had one chance so far, and it was so very wrong in every way; this was not the way things were supposed to be. He was the only thing that had ever come close to being a boyfriend, or anything regarding love, which was insane, considering how much he hated her.
If he hated you, he wouldn’t have starting this whole ordeal, came the whispered voice inside her mind, Usagi was unsure as to whether it was her inner mind, or the intruder, He obviously feels something, otherwise none of this would have happened, and you wouldn’t feel this way. You have to do something, girl. Thinking these things will only lead to unhappiness, no matter how hopeless it all feels. But it all feels so wrong, Usagi protested, How do I make it right? Can I make it right?
There’s always a chance…
How was he the only one who awoke such feelings in her? No other boy she had ever known had caused quite so much trauma in such a little time. Sure, there had been boy issues, but nothing so fully blown and so effectual upon her psyche. So, of course, this whole ordeal was a huge shock to her.
She was quite sure that, no matter how nice certain parts of this had been, she never wanted to go through it again. Mamoru was, quite obviously, the thickest and most annoying of all men. Why was it so hard for him to understand?!
Then, there was the problem of this voice in her head, the one which sounded like an older version of herself. Usagi resolved to have a proper talk with it, the instant she reached home. Unfortunately for the voice, home was only a few moments away.
Usagi made her way quickly through the dark but not so quiet house, her parents were in their room watching television; she stopped by quickly to tell them that she’d arrived home safely, and that she was going to bed, considering the time of night it was.
Once her parents were satisfied, Usagi walked down the hallway to her room, and sat down on her bed. She took a deep breath, and concentrated upon making contact with the voice.
*Alright, so what the heck is going on?* Usagi questioned angrily when she finally encountered the voice.
She heard the voice sigh, as if resigning itself to something, *You really want to know, everything, the whole truth? Nothing but the truth?*
Usagi couldn’t help but giggle, but when she did, and opened her eyes, she found herself, not in her room, but in a large, beautiful crystal room, complete with matching crystal thrones. She also found a figure standing a few metres in front of her, looking like an older, more majestic version of herself, complete with odangos.
“Where am I?” She queried what looked like her older self, “And who are you?”
“You already know that, Usagi, or Princess Serenity. Well, at least, you know who I am. This, for you, is the future.” The woman stepped towards Usagi, reaching a hand out, “Would you like to see the gardens? It is probably better for us to talk there.”
Usagi nodded, dumbfounded with shock at the identity and position of the woman. She followed numbly, until she was brought out of it by the beauty of the rose gardens.
“Whose gardens are these?” Usagi asked, kneeling to admire a particularly beautiful red rose which caught her attention.
Neo-Queen Serenity smiled as she saw which rose Usagi had been attracted to, it was her own favourite, and had been grown from the first rose her husband had given her. “These are my husband’s gardens, though in reality we share them and our love of the rose.”
“Who is he?” Usagi asked, captivated by the flower.
“I don’t know that you’ll appreciate that knowledge at this moment in time, however, you are about to find out. I need to tell you some things before they appear however.” Serenity avoided the question, though she had promised to tell the truth, knowing that at this point in time, Usagi would not be able to deal with the truth.
Usagi looked up from the flower, taking in her surroundings properly; she found that it was night, and she was definitely on Earth, considering the presence of the large white moon, she also found herself completely surrounded by every imaginable type of rose and bush.
She looked towards the woman, her older self, still slightly confused, “What is going on?” She asked, timidly, her bright blue eyes confused.
Serenity sighed, not knowing where to begin, “Well, it seems that my husband and I were important and necessary in something to do with you and Mamoru. In short, we had to make you see each other at least as friends. The only way we could do this, was to enter your minds and give advice. We knew that you two would begin to fall for each other, and so our plan was perfect.”
The Queen took a deep breath, “But something went differently to last time, and neither of us, my husband and I, could work out what had caused this. So, we decided to become even more involved, and bring you both here. It is of the utmost importance that things get worked out. Tonight.”
Usagi gaped, finding it hard to breathe, “You’re saying that this whole ordeal was just a plan to get Mamoru and I together? Is that right?”
Serenity nodded, “In Endymion’s and my past, things were different, I was Sailor Moon, and he was Tuxedo Kamen, it was inevitable that we came together; however, for you and Mamoru, for some reason, there was no necessity for the Senshi, and thus neither of you came into your birthrights. This made it necessary for us to intervene, and bring the future, this future into being.”
Usagi was shocked, “I really am you then, but you’re my… future?”
Serenity nodded once more, and called upon her powers, which in turn caused Usagi to change into Princess Serenity.
Usagi felt the change, and found many things falling into place; she admired her clothing, amazed that she had ever worn such a delicate and expensive dress.
“Wow,” Princess Serenity breathed, looking to the Queen for support, “This is me?”
The Queen laughed, “That is most definitely you, and I think that I had better tell you a little of your past before the Endymions appear.”
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