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      Home >> Anime >> Sailor Moon >> TGS1_The Games We Play storyid: 49637



      Author: Princess Destiny - R - English - Reviews: 851. Default Chapter 
        Title2. Default Chapter Title3. Default Chapter Title4. Default Chapter 
        Title5. Default Chapter Title6. Default Chapter Title7. Default Chapter 
        Title8. Default Chapter Title9. Default Chapter Title10. Default Chapter 
        Title11. Default Chapter Title






Chapter Five



Mamoru dashed out of the arcade, arms full of books. He looked left, then right 
for long blonde hair-but Usagi was nowhere to be seen. "Oh no," he groaned, 
clutching his books closer to his chest, eyes disbelieving. "I lost her AGAIN? 
How many times can this happen to two people that ALWAYS crash into each other 
unexpectedly?!" he demanded, turning to the right. He headed in the general 
direction that the Odango always fled and began walking swiftly. After a minute, 
he realized that the fuming blonde had too much of a head-start on him and 
halted dead on the sidewalk.
Mamoru rolled his eyes. "HOW exactly am I supposed to have her crash into me, if 
I'm BEHIND her?" he shouted.
A few people stopped to stare.
"Get a life people!" Mamoru snapped at them, beginning to walk again, eyes 
looking for an alley. Once more, he had to rely on his alter-ego, the heroically 
dashing Tuxedo Kamen. "I hope I don’t wear him out," Mamoru muttered under his 
breath, finally spotting a likely-looking alley. He slipped into it, checking 
all the while for anyone who might have followed him. Nothing. He breathed a 
sigh of relief, juggling his books into one arm and reaching into his jacket for 
a rose.
"That’s it buddy, nice and slow," a voice said from out of the shadows. "Hand 
over your wallet! Or I’ll-do something really nasty! Yeah."
Mamoru gaped as a man emerged, wearing a black mask with off-center holes and a 
red and white track suit. It would have been hilarious, but for the large, 
wicked-looking knife aimed at his heart. ["I DON’T believe this!"] Mamoru 
bellowed mentally, eyes wide with disbelief. He was frantically trying to catch 
the love of his life and someone was trying to ROB him?! "Are you joking?" he 
asked weakly, eyes flickering from side to side for a weapon. He highly DOUBTED 
that his medical books would offer much protection.
The man stared at him for a long moment, seeming dumbfounded. His eyes, behind 
the mask, looked bewildered. He suddenly waved his knife around wildly, 
gesturing at it with his free hand. "Does this LOOK like a joke? Jeez!" he 
muttered at Mamoru, seeming surprised. Obviously, he’d never had himself 
questioned while committing a mugging.
"I NEED my wallet, thank you." Mamoru scowled at the inept robber. ["Usagi’s 
already cost me an arm and a leg and I’m SURE there’s going to be a lot of 
future sucking-up for today’s insults."] He mentally winced, wondering if his 
bank account would hold. In any case, his love was getting away-while Mamoru was 
being menaced by an inept mugger. He stared at the man for a long moment, 
feeling a little light-headed. "Have you done this before?" he inquired lightly, 
trying to annoy the mugger into doing something stupid.
"What?" The mugger almost screamed, gaping at Mamoru, eyes stunned. "I said, 
give me your wallet! What’s that got to do with, if I’ve mugged someone 
before?!"
"And I said no!" Mamoru roared at the man, annoyed as hell. "You can’t have my 
wallet and that’s final. So-hand over the knife"
"EXCUSE ME?! Look here, buddy-" the mugger began heatedly, stepping closer 
waving his knife around again in a menacing manner. He seemed extremely 
perplexed that he was trying to rob Mamoru-and had a KNIFE-and was getting 
absolutely NOWHERE!
"NO, YOU look!" Mamoru snarled, stepping closer to the man. "I’ve been through 
HELL to kiss this girl and she’s getting away at this very moment! And I love 
her, even though she’s sending me bankrupt! So get the hell outta my way or I’ll 
knock you into next Sunday!" he threatened, eyes glinting menace and outrage. 
His dark eyes flickered from the knife, to the mugger’s eyes behind the mask, 
trying to assess whether the man would really attack him.
"What?" The mugger gaped at him again, mind unable to process why the guy in the 
green jacket was being so uncooperative in the divestment of his hard-earned 
cash. "I just want your wallet!" he wailed desperately, knife wavering 
uncertainly. He was suddenly totally convinced that his would-be victim was some 
sort of raving lunatic! What sort of a guy goes on about kissing girls and going 
bankrupt when he was being respectfully mugged?! "I just want your wallet! 
Look-I have a knife!" he finished threateningly, pointing at his knife with his 
free hand. He looked up at Mamoru just in time, to see something flash out at 
his face.
Mamoru rolled his eyes in exasperation. He had no TIME for this! Usagi was 
getting away. And this man would be free to try and mug another person, if left 
alone. "Nothing personal," he said, swiftly grabbing a thick medical book from 
the pile. As the bungled robber looked up from gesturing at his knife, Mamoru 
let him have it. He bashed the man in the side of the face with a 600 page thick 
medical book.
"Ooof!" the mugger groaned, dropping the knife. His eyes looked up blearily just 
as the book descended again-knocking him backwards. He landed on his butt, but 
scrambled up again, still clutching his knife and rather annoyed. He was about 
to open his mouth and blast the moron who had hit him, when to his stunned 
dismay, the guy in the jacket CONTINUED to berate him for daring to try and rob 
him when the love of his life was running away at that very moment. ["Is he 
CRAZY?!"]
"How inconsiderate ARE you?" Mamoru said calmly, leveling his eyes at the mugger 
with quiet anger. If the man didn’t stop, one of them were going to get hurt. So 
the only thing Mamoru could DO, was convince the robber that he was nuts. Not 
TOO hard a job, since he’d recently been mad and was still absolutely crazy over 
a blonde. "I have the love of my LIFE to catch-who is currently running away at 
high speed from my slander-"
"Wha?" the mugger said weakly, brandishing the knife again. He yelped as the 
book descended with amazing speed, crushing his fingers. He immediately dropped 
the knife, too much in shock and amazement to even keep his grip on the handle. 
"Ouuuuch!" he yelled, snatching his burning fingers from his face and sticking 
them into the mouth-hole of his black mask. "Come on! Give a guy a break!" he 
whined at Mamoru.
Mamoru stared grimly at him, kicking the knife away into the shadows of the 
alley. "If I ever catch you around here again, trying to mug someone, I’ll do 
more than bash you with my book. Mamoru finished ominously, letting the mugger 
see his furious eyes. ["Usagi’s probably HOME by now! I’m CURSED! Was ever a 
love so DOOMED?!"] he demanded, groaning mentally. Shaking his head, he stepped 
forward to tell the mugger to leave-if he knew what was good for him-
But the man misunderstood and thought that his ‘victim’ was going to punch him 
or something. He gave a slight ‘eeep’ and scrambled backwards hastily, not 
seeing the garbage bins piled behind him precariously. His foot slipped on a 
piece of something slimy and he went flying backwards with a startled shout, 
twisted at a strange angle.
Mamoru watched with open mouthed surprise as the mugger created something 
reminiscent of a bungled swan-dive into a heap of smelly garbage and bins. His 
legs went up in the air and then-he bashed his head on the side of a garbage bin 
full of rotting fruit. The mugger’s eyes promptly glazed over, as his head make 
a loud ‘thunking’ noise. He groaned weakly, then blacked out, nose bleeding.
Mamoru gaped, staring down at the battered would-be mugger. He’d barely TOUCHED 
the man! "Unbelievable. You, my weird friend, need another line of work" He 
walked over slowly, then knelt and peeled up an eyelid. The mugger’e eyes were 
dazed, pupils dilated a little. But nothing more serious was wrong with him than 
sore fingers, a large bump on the side of the head and a nose-bleed. ["You’re 
going to wish you were dead when you wake up."] Mamoru winced, knowing the SIZE 
of the migraine the mugger would have upon returning to consciousness. "Oh 
well." He shook his head, getting to his feet swiftly. His blue eyes were still 
filled with disbelief-but over all, he wasn’t TOO stunned. Not after the weeks 
he’d gone through!
Mamoru sighed deeply, then stalked past the man and further into the alley. What 
could he do but leave the man there? He utterly REFUSED to carry the mugger on 
his shoulder while chasing Usagi home and then drop him off at the police 
station afterwards! Life was weird enough! He pulled out a rose and transformed 
quickly, then, books still clutched under one arm, he leapt up onto the nearest 
roof. Tuxedo Kamen’s eyes still glittered with faint outrage and disbelief, as 
he bounded over the buildings swiftly in search of a certain blonde. "Of all the 
days to get mugged! I’ve never been held up in my life!" he muttered under his 
breath. Only association with Usagi had done this to him lately! Mamoru 
hesitated. "Well," he murmured truthfully. "I get strange things happening 
around Sailor Moon, too. That clone was just-weird!" A smile curved his lips, as 
he raced along the roof-tops, wind stirring his cloak dramatically. "At least 
she WAS a clone. I really couldn’t have handled being in love with three girls!"
Then, just as he was about to give up, he happened to look over the edge of his 
building and saw a blonde with odangos storming down the path below him. "Ah ha! 
There you are Usagi," he grinned wickedly, sprinting ahead her and bounding over 
two buildings. Then he leapt down into an alley, de-transformed and-waited. As 
he heard her storming down the path, muttering to herself-he promptly stepped 
out into her path with all the bravery of a warrior stepping into the fray of a 
battle. His last thought was, ["Oh, this is going to hurt…"]



"-And then, I'll boil him in oil! Yeah!" Usagi thought out loud, eyes narrowed 
evilly. She juggled her bags slightly in her hands, shifting the weight evenly 
to both sides of her body. Her eyes darkened as she thought about the 
conversation of 10 minutes ago. "That CREEP!" she yelled, shifting her bags 
again, impatiently. She stormed down the path, practically DARING someone to 
step into her path so that she could bowl them over. She was in a BAD mood! "I 
can’t believe I was actually thinking of a kiss from him! My dreams are forever 
ruined! And how DARE he say I’m an annoying little KID!" she screeched in fury 
and outrage. "And how dare he make me feel so strange whenever we’re near," she 
whispered. "I thought-maybe…for a moment. But then, he had to turn into a creep 
again!"
Another thought occurred to her. "And WHAT was with that battle earlier? How 
dare the Dark Kingdom make a clone of meeeee!" her words ended in a plaintive 
wail. ["Maybe-they’re looking for energy as WELL as the Crystals?"] she thought, 
momentarily forgetting her rage at Chiba Mamoru.
Unfortunately, her only coherent thought for the day-which would have had Ami in 
tears of joy-was interrupted as a large shape loomed up into her path. 
"Arrggggh!" Usagi shrieked, unable to stop her feet in time. She crashed-nose 
first-into the shape, which was equally soft and hard.
"Uh!" the shape grunted in shock, revealing its designation as a human being.
["A human that is going to get a piece of my mind!"] Usagi thought as she fell 
forwards, the person under her. "Oh no!" she yelled as she went sprawling. The 
bags in her hands went flying in every direction, hastily abandoned as Usagi 
tried to grab a hold of the stablest thing in her tilting world-whoever she'd 
crashed into! They both hit the ground, arms and legs tangled, her nose in a 
muscled chest. ["Just GREAT! As if my day needed to get any worse!"] Usagi 
wailed mentally. Immediately, as they landed, her whole body began to tingle 
alarmingly. Her blue eyes widened in disbelief and shock. ["Oh no!"] she 
whispered mentally, horrified. ["It CAN’T be Mamoru! But who else makes me feel 
like this?"] Only Tuxedo Kamen-but that was another matter.
"Is this going to be a habit or what, Odango Atama?" an annoyingly familiar 
voice said from beneath her. Warm breath wafted over her ear, making her shiver 
lightly. The chest under her face moved as Mamoru talked, making her abruptly 
conscious that she was laying full-length and totally plastered against his 
length on a busy sidewalk. Again. Usagi flushed as red as a tomato, her heart 
beginning to speed up alarmingly. She deliberately ignored the eyes that were 
close to her and stared at his chin as if it were the most fascinating thing in 
the entire world. Then she groaned and dropped her head, bashing it lightly 
against his chest. "This is not happening."
"Odango Atama?" Mamoru questioned, eyes wide. She’d just LAID her head back 
against his chest? In the middle of the sidewalk! His blue eyes narrowed 
assessingly. "IS there something fascinating with my chest or what? That’s the 
second time you’ve glommed to me," he teased her, waiting for the explosion.
"Creep. I am SO not talking to you!" Usagi muttered against his jacket 
desperately, recalling their earlier fight with clarity. ["Glommed?"] she 
questioned silently, determined not to scream back at him. It was what he 
WANTED! She squinted at the green before her eyes, wondering vaguely if he had 
any other jackets. Whenever she'd seen him, he's been wearing it. "Don't you 
ever wear anything else?!" she asked him sarcastically, raising her head to 
stare dizzily into his face. Usagi blinked at him, trying to focus her bemused 
thoughts. Landed on him, she had-but BOY Mamoru's chest was hard. ["Is he built 
like Superman or what?"] she thought. ["And do I CARE?"]
She flushed brighter as she lay there, sort of enjoying the feeling of laying so 
close to his warmth. She was tingling all over! And his eyes had such a strange 
expression in them...Abruptly, Usagi felt a rush of attraction for Mamoru, that 
shocked her to the core. And she DID, in that moment, wish fervently that he’d 
kiss her. She hadn’t meant to look into his eyes! How had that happened? And now 
she was being drawn in-sinking fast.
"How long are you gonna stick with me, Odango?" Mamoru drawled, as insultingly 
as possible, staring into blue eyes so similar to his own. Usagi's face was only 
a few centimeters away and she was STILL laying full length over him-on a busy 
street. NOT that he was complaining! At ALL! But they WERE in a compromising 
position in PUBLIC. He quickly looked around, glaring. People were staring at 
them, eyes wide. "Get a life people!" he bellowed at them, almost reaching for 
Usagi to pull her close protectively. THAT would have earned him a bashing akin 
to what he’d given the mugger-so he restrained himself with difficulty and aimed 
his frustration at the nosy crowd who had disturbed him and his beloved.
His words and belligerent tone startled Usagi so much, that she sprang up from 
him like she'd been shot from a canon. Her blue eyes were wide and filled with 
horror and mortification. HOW had he managed to make her forget her resolutions 
not to give into him? "Arrrrggh! You utter creep! Can't you ever watch where 
you're going?!" she shrieked at him, eyes skittering around nervously at the 
growing crowd. ["WHY does he constantly embarrass me-and HOW exactly did he get 
AHEAD of me?! And why did I almost melt into a puddle of goo when he just looked 
at me?"] She stared at Mamoru hard, wondering-not for the first time-how they 
crashed into each other SO often. ["And I am NOT enjoying every moment!"] she 
told herself resolutely, flushing brightly in embarrassment. ["I am not 
attracted to hiiiiim!"] she finished in a mortified wail. Then she groaned. 
["Who am I KIDDING?"] she yelled mentally. ["Of course I’m attracted to him! If 
we weren’t enemies, I’d have grabbed him days ago! You moron, Tsukino!"]
People were gathering around the still prone form of Chiba Mamoru, who looked 
remarkable at ease on the ground. "YOU knocked ME down, Odango. AND you didn’t 
exactly seem to be in any hurry to leave." he said easily, casually getting to 
his feet. He stared down at her from his superior height, eyes knowing. 
["Another score for Chiba,"] he gloated, looking at her burning cheeks. Usagi 
had laid on him ever since he knocked them over and she HADN’T moved! And he 
could have SWORN that she was waiting for a kiss just then. He groaned. ["AND 
WHY did I hesitate exactly? You MORON Chiba! You’ve been trying to kiss her for 
weeks!"]
"Whaaaaaaat?" Usagi yelled at him. Her eyes widened in outrage and disbelief. 
["He KNOWS?! I’ll-strangle him!"] she looked into his eyes, and sure enough, he 
was staring at her with a faintly mocking glance. She blinked, looking again and 
saw an expression akin to that which she had seen in her own eyes that morning 
in the bathroom mirror. ["He’s attracted to me too!"] Usagi didn’t know whether 
that STUNNING piece of information was welcomed or feared. She looked at him 
assessingly, trying to see into his soul. Unbelievable! Chiba Mamoru was 
attracted? To HER? She was SURE of it!
Mamoru frowned, unable to stand the look his love was giving him. Almost as 
if-she KNEW he loved her! He pretended not to notice, looking around Usagi and 
the ground and abruptly remembering the missing bunny. "Where’s the giant silly 
bunny you had this morning?" he demanded casually, trying to sound nonchalant. 
["Did she LOSE it?"] He groaned at the thought. Maybe she hadn’t like it after 
all? Something else occurred to him. His books! They’d had quite a battering 
that day, between the mugger and Usagi. Mamoru winced as he saw his medical 
books spread amongst Usagi’s shopping bags on the ground. ["Thank god, they’re 
not from the library."]
"It’s NOT silly, you creep! I LOVE that bunny! And Makoto took it home for me 
earlier, because I couldn’t carry everything!" she shrieked at him, outraged. 
["Now he’s insulting my BUNNY?! I must have been crazy to think that he liked 
me! All we do is fight!"]
Mamoru smiled mockingly, but inside, he was fiercely triumphant. ["All right! 
She LOVES the bunny! Score again for Chiba!"] He looked at Usagi again, frowning 
as he saw the scowl on her face. Her bottom lip was thrust out in an unhappy 
pout.
"Hey, miss, are these your bags?" a woman asked politely, startling them both.
Usagi quickly looked at the woman, then at the ground-where her bags had spilled 
open and were laying around everywhere. "Noooooooooo! My clothes! My shopping!" 
she wailed. Usagi looked up, leveling a fierce glare at Mamoru. HE was the 
source of ALL her problems! ALL of them! And like him or not-he was a jerk!
"How does she DO that?" a man complained, backing away from the rest of the 
crowd, his hands over his ears. "My ears hurt!"
"Impressive, Odango Atama," Mamoru said mockingly, crossing his arms. Aware of 
the crowd, he slipped easily into his much-hated-by-Usagi ‘jerk mode’.
"Shut UP, you jerk!" Usagi muttered, dropping to her knees and hastily gathering 
what she could into her arms. "I don’t like him. I don’t want a kiss. He’s 
totally ruined my shopping and embarrassed me. I’m gonna kill him!" she muttered 
under her breath fervently.
The crowd dispersed reluctantly, seeing that all entertainment had gone.
"Er-you missed one," the kindly woman pointed out, blushing. Then, she hastily 
left with the others, leaving Mamoru and Usagi relatively alone on the sidewalk.
"Missed one?" Usagi muttered, arms full of new clothes and knickknacks. "Missed 
what?" she added blankly, relieved that the crowd had gone and she could quickly 
escape Mamoru. As she had knelt there, it had become blindingly clear that her 
greatest annoyance had suddenly turned into her crush. Maybe even more than 
Tuxedo Kamen, And Usagi was frankly HORRIFIED.
"I uh-think she meant this, Odango," Mamoru said, tone filled with mirth. He 
pointed down at his shiny shoes with one slender finger. He mentally braced 
himself for the coming explosion.
Usagi followed his finger down to his shoe. There, half on his shoe and half on 
the sidewalk-was a brand new pair of lacy pink underpants! "ARRRRRRRGH!" she 
shrieked loudly. She hastily dropped everything that she'd gathered and crawled 
desperately towards Mamoru's shoes on her hands and knees. She snatched up the 
underpants and hid them behind her back, blue eyes wide with growing horror. 
["Oh, my GOD! He's NEVER going to let me forget this one! NEVER!"] she wailed 
silently. She looked up at Mamoru's silent form and saw the smug expression in 
his eyes. ["I’m so embarrassed! Oh my GOD!"]
"Well, well," Mamoru said finally, a grin beginning on his face. ["Hmm, can I 
use this for blackmail? Maybe I can trick her into a date?"] he mused silently, 
eyes on the hideously embarrassed girl. Every single DAY was a surprise with 
her! He’d NEVER be bored.
"Don't you DARE say a word to a living soul!" Usagi bellowed up at him, face 
going as red as a tomato. She was so embarrassed that she wished she could sink 
into the sidewalk. It would have been BETTER if Mamoru was still her hated 
enemy, instead of a crush. And she’d be DAMNED if he’d EVER find out from her!
"Would I do that?" Mamoru tilted his head to the side as she leapt to her feet, 
practically wading in the clothes that she had dropped. And she was STILL trying 
to hide the underpants behind her back! His grin grew malicious. "Oh, the 
possibilities!" he drawled.
"I'm gonna KILL you, Chiba! I swear!" Usagi growled, taking refuge in anger. 
"This is all YOUR fault!" she shouted into his face, taking a step forward. Her 
feet became tangled in her clothes and she fell forward. Her arms shot out, 
trying to stop her fall. She wind-milled her arms frantically, trying to halt 
her decent. "Not agaiiiiiiin!" she wailed, disbelievingly.
Mamoru sighed, then stepped forward and presented his chest to the blonde, who 
promptly smacked into it, face-first. His arms came up, grasping her about the 
waist to hold her firm. "This IS becoming a habit. You're a real klutz, you know 
that, Usagi?" he told her hair, staring down at the golden buns in bewilderment. 
One thing was sure, having her in his arms was both heaven and pure torture. 
Mamoru’s eyes narrowed on her head, facing lowering slightly. There was no one 
around. Maybe now would be the perfect time to kiss her…
"Mpppmr," Usagi muttered against his shirt, arms skewed out to the side. Her 
fingers still clung desperately to the underpants in a death-hold. Tentatively, 
she rubbed her face against his shirt, closing her eyes for a moment. ["Hmm, he 
smells nice,"] she thought hazily. For a moment, she remembered the dream, but 
then remembered who HE was and jerked back before Mamoru could notice her 
preoccupation.
He HAD. Mamoru's eyes gleamed with amusement and speculation, as the blonde 
tried to straighten, feet still tangled in her clothes. "What was that?" he 
asked, fingers splaying over her dress to span her waist easily. She really was 
a tiny thing. AND he was in love with her....Still. Mamoru's eyes went distant, 
not really seeing her any more. ["How did this happen? This isn't really 
possible. This is ODANGO ATAMA, Chiba! Remember? The girl you love to hate!"] He 
shook his head. "Tell that to my heart" he muttered. It was too late to have 
doubts this far into the game and Usagi was attracted to him TOO. It was 
just-sometimes for a moment, he wondered how it had happened. From enemies to 
something deeper-and it HADN’T been the love arrow’s fault either. It was 
something-inevitable.
"Let me go, you creep," Usagi said through gritted teeth, face still buried in 
his chest. She’d tried to pull away, but Mamoru’s hands were tight around her 
waist, TOTALLY distracting her. She’d gotten about a centimeter, before being 
bounced back into his warm embrace. And she REALLY ought to be complaining, she 
realized belatedly, muttering at him again. Actually, her words came out 
garbled, but he got the general drift.
Mamoru shrugged and released her. "Okay," he said easily.
"Nooooot yeeeet!" Usagi shrieked, immediately falling backwards. ["He let me 
GO!"] she thought disbelievingly. She fell onto her bottom hard. "Oooh, that 
huuuuurt!" she whimpered, wincing at the pain. She lifted her eyes, glaring at 
Mamoru's expensive black slacks. "Creep," she muttered resentfully.
"But-you said-" Mamoru began reasonably.
"Shut up, Hentai!" Usagi shouted, waving a fist at him. She flushed to the roots 
of her hair as she realized that it was the same fist clutching the lacy 
underpants. And she had just practically waved them in Mamoru face-again! "Ugh!" 
she gasped, swiftly diving into the pile of clothes at her feet.
As Mamoru watched in fascination, the blonde began hastily to thrust her clothes 
and other things into the bags, muttering all the while under her breath. "What 
was that, Odango?"
"I wasn't talking to you! You jerk!" Usagi shouted at him, jumping to her feet. 
She held her bags protectively to her chest, glaring defensively. ["If he stays 
away from me, I can resist him!"] she thought with resolution. As long as he 
didn’t TOUCH her…
Mamoru felt a pang in his heart, recognizing the embarrassment and horror in his 
love's eyes. He half-extended a hand to her, but she flinched away.
"Don't touch me! Creep!" she told him, tossing her hair haughtily. Usagi turned 
her eyes on him in annoyance. ["That’s it, make him angry and he’ll yell and 
everything will go back to normal."]
Obviously, she was getting over the situation and her natural dislike was 
kicking back in. Well, that was fine with him! He wanted to-NEEDED to-talk to 
her...NOW! "Usagi-" If she got away, when would he crash into her again? She had 
School in the morning and he might miss her. Besides, he’d go NUTS if he had to 
wait another whole week to kiss her!
"Oh, so you KNOW my name," she said crossly, glaring. She clutched her bags 
closer, a long blonde lock of hair stuck in with them. ["Keep him back! Ugh! 
He’s moving CLOSER!"] Usagi backed off warily, bags clutched between them. Her 
hair fell into her eyes more, but she ignored it, eyes on Mamoru.
She never seemed to notice the hair in her eyes, but it made Mamoru itch to pick 
up the lock and replace it into the rest of her magnificent hair. And so it was. 
He'd just-never noticed or CARED before! "Sure I do, Odango-" he began, but she 
shrieked at him.
"Odango?! Can't you ever just say Usagi?" Her face flushed this time with anger. 
["What was I thinking? He can’t even say my name!"]
"Look-" Mamoru tried again. He was really beginning to get annoyed. ["And why is 
she backing off whenever I try to get closer?"] She looked REALLY nervous. 
Mamoru’s expression lightened slightly. ["Am I getting to her again?"] he 
wondered, looking into her eyes. He saw extreme nervousness there, as well as 
another emotion barely hidden. Desperation.
"No, look you jerk! Stay away from me!" She looked down at the over-filled bags 
of clothes and other shopping, her glare becoming more pronounced. "And stay 
away from my shopping!" She groaned under her breath. ["Brilliant Tsukino! Stay 
away from my shopping?! You ditz!"] she nibbled on her lower lip, eyeing him 
weirdly. ["What was I GOING to say exactly? ‘You’re making me nervous and I want 
a kiss, but we hate each other and you drive me nuts every time I see you?’ 
Sure."]
"YOU crashed into ME, klutz," Mamoru lied blithely, eyes mocking. He couldn't 
HELP it! Love her he might-but teasing her was too good an opportunity to give 
up! ["Ugh! WHAT am I doing?! I wanted to tell her how I feel-not insult and 
embarrass her!"] he mentally groaned in disbelief, then looked at the fuming 
blonde. His eyes fell to her small white teeth, which were AGAIN nibbling on her 
lower lip delectably. His heart sped up as he watched her, eyes darkening with 
longing. ["If she don’t stop that RIGHT NOW-we’re gonna need to be pried apart 
with a crow bar!"]
"KLUTZ?!" she shrieked, recovering. ["See what I mean, he insulted me again! 
Arrggggh! That’s IT! I’m outta here!"]
"If you'd just let me talk!" he roared at her, finally losing his temper. 
["Jeez! Why didn’t I jump right into it when she was laying on me?"] he berated 
himself silently. Yes, it was true, Mamoru was a moron. And now, he’d just 
yelled at his lady-love!
Usagi quailed, then straightened. "Don't shout at me, Chiba!" she bellowed back. 
["How dare he! Who does he think he is, anyway?"]
"Excuse me miss, do you need assistance?" a voice inquired from beside her.
Usagi and Mamoru looked around, shocked to see that again they had drawn a large 
crowd.
"ONLY in this town!" Mamoru muttered, anger fading away. He stared around 
pointedly, eyes cool. "I don't see that this is any of your business."
"Yeah!" Usagi added, flushing brightly. She clutched her bags to her chest, 
embarrassed. Then, her eyes became suspiciously bright. "What am I saying?" She 
freed a hand and pointed it accusingly at Mamoru. "You can hold that creep while 
I make my escape!" she told the strange man. ["I have to get OUT of here! If 
Mamoru discovers that I LIKE him, all hell will break loose!"]
"What?!" Mamoru gasped, eyes wide with surprise. ["That little minx! I don't 
believe she said that!"]
"Right," the man said, advancing on Mamoru.
Usagi flashed Mamoru a triumphant grin, then darted between the many people of 
the crowd and bolted away.
Mamoru glared so fiercely at the approaching man that he faltered. "Thanks a 
lot," Mamoru gritted furiously, eyes bright with rage. He looked around at them 
all. "I MEAN that. Really," he added sarcastically. "Thank you VERY much for 
letting the love of my life get away!"
"What?" The man gulped, eyes uncertain.
"What gives you people the right to interfere with a guy and his girlfriend?!" 
Mamoru bellowed at them all. "Do you know how LONG I've been waiting to get her 
alone and talk to her? Huh?" Well-Usagi was ALMOST his girlfriend, so it wasn’t 
stretching the truth TOO much. And he’d be DAMNED if he’d let another guy near 
her!
"Sorry, sorry!" The man backed away nervously, then melted into the crowd.
"OH! A lovers tiff!" an enlightened woman exclaimed.
"GIRLFRIEND!" her friend emphasized, looking around at the rest of the crowd. 
"Well, aren't you ALL ashamed?!"
"EXCUSE ME! Can I please have a quite moment here?!" Mamoru shouted at them. The 
crowd of people took one look at Mamoru's face, then hastily scattered. What 
exactly WAS it with him and crowds? Was all of Juuban doomed to see his 
spectacular -embarrassing-performances while hunting a certain blonde girl?
Mamoru took a deep breath and looked down the street to where the blonde had 
hastily exited. She was gone-again! "Why me?" he asked the sky, in genuine 
despair. "Is this some sort of cosmic joke?!" He reached up to grab handfuls of 
his luxurious black hair, yanking in frustration. "Ugh! I need to sleep!" he 
groaned, turning towards home. "Tonight" He muttered, eyes on the path. 
"Tonight, she won't get away! Not if I get her at home!" with this resolute 
though firmly in mind, he smiled. A wicked smile that would have had Usagi 
melting on the spot, if she had seen it. "You don’t have a chance, my sweet. Not 
one" he murmured, almost evilly. He was sure he would have felt sorry for his 
intended victim-if he hadn’t known that she would enjoy it thoroughly. Mamoru 
was POSITIVE that if he could get just ONE kiss…she’d never run away from him 
again.
"Get a grip, Romeo. She might bash you to kingdom-come!" Mamoru reminded 
himself, rolling his eyes with exasperation. The war wasn’t won yet. Usagi was a 
resourceful girl. She took no crap from anyone, despite a huge heart. And she 
really had murderous intent when they fought. He shook his head and knelt down 
and collected his books, mind going over and over the scene. Yes, Usagi had 
DEFINITELY been aware of him. He was getting to her and BAD! If she felt the 
need to resort to trickery to get away from him, then she was getting desperate. 
"You AREN’T getting away, Usagi," he said firmly, heading for home. He had many 
plans to make-and one of them was making Usagi admit her attraction for him!



"Oooh! I am SOOOOO embarrassed! That jerk! That creep!" Usagi paused in her 
flight, looking behind her. Mamoru was nowhere in sight. So that kind man must 
have held him back! Usagi looked down at the bags in her arms, catching sight of 
pink and lace, her underpants! "That HENTAI!" she shouted angrily. "I am so 
never going to forgive him for this!" She moaned, head sinking dejectedly. "Oh 
god, I really wanted him to kiss me," she groaned, feeling like beating her head 
against a wall for a while. "Am I crazy? He’s my worst enemy! But gods, his hair 
is dreamy…and that muscled chest I keep crashing into. Wow." She paused, taking 
a deep breath to calm herself. "THIS IS STUPID!" she bellowed at the top of her 
voice.
The blonde slowed to a walk as her house came into sight. "I'll just forget this 
and hope I NEVER bash into him again," she told herself, then groaned. "What are 
the chances of THAT? I crash into that creep every DAY!" She came to a halt at 
the edge of the drive, eyes wide. "What if he touches me again and I try to kiss 
HIM? Oh no!" The situation was getting really serious. "I-I CAN’T want him to 
kiss me that much. It’s not possible. We HATE each other!" The though shocked 
her greatly. [But I’m SURE of what I saw in his eyes. Positive that it was 
attraction. Not that I KNOW what it looks like…well now I do"] her feet lagged 
even more, trying to get in all her confusing thoughts before facing her family 
and facing a possible grilling. Mothers were very good at deciphering 
expressions. Especially love-sick ones on daughters faces. ["I do NOT love 
him!"] she shrieked mentally, glaring like a thundercloud.
The front door opened as Usagi walked up the path in a daze, her mother sticking 
her head out. "Ah, Usagi. You're just in time for dinner. I was worried you were 
going to be late"
"Almost," Usagi muttered weakly. She forced a grin for her mother's benefit, yet 
was secretly still shocked. Pole-axed. ["I like Chiba Mamoru. At HUGE lot. UI 
never knew how gorgeous he was before, when we were fighting. Or how deep a blue 
his eyes were…Or the way his mouth looks so-"] Her expression slowly darkened. 
It was all HIS fault! ["I'll eat, get some sleep and then plan my revenge on 
that jerk! He went WAY too far this time!"] she thought, walking into the house. 
She plunked everything onto the couch, then collapsed next to the bags, 
exhausted. Usagi turned her head slightly to look at her companion-the giant 
bunny from the secret admirer. She LOVED that bunny, no matter who it had come 
from. It showed that someone knew what she loved and care enough to make a 
present of it!
Usagi titled her head slightly to rest her head against the soft toy. ["Why does 
life have to be so complicated now?"] she wondered, staring blankly. And how was 
she supposed to get any sleep, knowing that she was attracted to a jerk like 
Mamoru? Did he even LIKE her as much as she liked HIM? And how was she to find 
out? ["Just stroll up and throw myself into his arms? ‘kiss me you moron!’. Yeah 
right, Usagi"] she berated herself, looking morose. Visions of herself throwing 
her body into his arms and lip-locking produced a silly grin on her mouth. She 
shook herself out of it, mentally slapping herself back to reality. The day she 
kissed Mamoru-was the day she danced the mamba in the nude!
"Did you have fun, dear?" Ikuko asked cheerfully, walking over to stand near the 
couch.
"Uh huh," Usagi muttered, thoughts still on Mamoru. She'd made a lucky escape 
from the jerk. He'd seemed determined to-talk to her. VERY determined. Usagi 
frowned. ["He didn’t-push me away though, did he?!"] she thought slowly back to 
the earlier scene. In fact, Mamoru had WRAPPED his arms about her! ["Oh my 
god!"] Usagi bolted into a sitting position. ["He MUST be really attracted to ME 
too! What do I do if he tries something? I’m blushing like an idiot every time 
he comes near me, as it is!"] The prospect was as exciting as it was 
frightening. Could his fighting have been hiding something else all this time? 
She HAD crashed into him an amazing time over the last two weeks. He seemed to 
be there at every turn. Could it have been on PURPOSE? Was he trying to get her 
attention-and did she feel flattered or furious?
"You did a lot of shopping, Usagi," Ikuko noted, looking the bags over. She 
didn’t notice her daughter’s utterly stunned expression at all. She exclaimed 
and reached for something, plucking it from the bag. "Oh! How pretty!"
"Pretty?" Usagi questioned, eyes closing wearily, thoughts tumbling over each 
other. ["What could she be talking about that she would find pretty?"] she 
groaned mentally. ["What am I SAYING?! This is my mother! ANYTHING I bought will 
be cute to her-"] Another thought hit her. ["What if HE sent the roses-no…"] She 
shook her head, sinking back. ["That jerk hasn’t got a romantic bone in his 
body!"] she hesitated. ["At least-I don’t THINK so."] Usagi mused over this 
piece of information thoughtfully, nibbling on her bottom lip. The question WAS, 
was she willing to let Mamoru be romantic to her-or scream at him whenever he 
dared to insult her? He DID that an awful lot, after all and she had her pride. 
But now that she was aware that Mamoru was as attracted to her as she was to 
him-she could watch him very carefully.
"No, no, dear," Ikuko said, interrupting Usagi’s deep thoughts, her voice 
amused. "I meant this!"
Usagi opened her eyes, peering through her lashes. Her eyes widened in disbelief 
as she saw what Ikuko was exclaiming over. Not a dress, or even the pale pink 
ribbons that Usagi had bought impulsively for her hair. No-it had to be-
"These lacy underpants are so cute!"
"Arrrrgggggh!"



Mamoru sighed as he opened his front door. He was so tired that he could have 
collapsed onto the floor and cheerfully slept there. The coffee had all worn off 
somewhere on the way home and now he was on what he called 'the downward 
spiral'. Utter bone weariness, in other words. "Need....sleep," he moaned, feet 
dragging. ["When did I sleep last?"] He tried to remember. Sometime, before the 
battle-and then on and off during the week. "Lets see, I was studying for that 
test, then the battle, then all-nighter, Mall, arcade, mugger....the Usagi 
crashes…" He groaned loudly, shouldering open the door to his bedroom. Mamoru 
made his way shakily towards his bed, then collapsed face-down. "Two WEEKS with 
hardly a wink," he muttered into his quilt. "I've got to get a new gig."
But, as exhausted as he was, thoughts of the blonde fleeing from him spurred him 
on. Thoughts of her leaning against him and not fighting when he put his hands 
around her waist. Her startled eyes when she realized she’d been rubbing her 
face against his chest…The way she’d almost looked as if she’d been expecting 
him to kiss her. Eventually, after half an hour, his mind started to shut down. 
"Sleep now..." He yawned, turning over. Mamoru reached up to yank his pillow 
down and put his head onto it thankfully. "Get Blondie later."
Yes....Being a superhero was hard. But getting the attention of a certain blonde 
in order to tell her his feelings was even harder! Especially when SHE was 
equally attracted and didn’t even REALIZE it! ["I’m cursed! Hmm-I wonder-if she 
likes roses?"] was Mamoru's last thought.





       [ Click here to report possible abuse to staff ] 1. Default Chapter 
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