~Friday the Thirteenth~
Chapter 7: "Once Upon a Time"
"You must have some pretty loyal friends, Odango," Mamoru commented lightly as he scooped a copious amount of mint ice cream into a bowl. He wondered if the taste would be rather akin to eating toothpaste. Ew.
The things he did for that girl...
The blonde beside him stiffened, throwing a scathing glare Mamoru's way as she paused in her own dessert ministrations. "Are you going to start complaining about their presence again? I already told them they could stay. Don't make me go out there and take it back! It would be rather rude, you know."
Mamoru frowned irritably at Usagi. "Actually, I was giving you a compliment." Usagi turned away and snorted, but Mamoru ignored her to continue, "Seeing as such civility means little, I'll refrain."
"Go right ahead," the fourteen-year-old mumbled, ignoring the guilt that caught in her gut, and a tense silence descended on the pair. Mamoru finished dishing out ice cream while Usagi stood uselessly by, licking her fingers that she constantly dipped into the frozen treat. Mamoru held back a gag.
"That's hardly sanitary."
"It's not like I have rabies," Usagi scoffed. 'Like you', her mind supplied fiendishly.
"Sometimes I wonder," Mamoru muttered, shaking his head in exasperation. "I take it this abnormally large helping is yours?"
"Why thank you! How thoughtful of you!" Usagi exclaimed, fingers snatching at the aforementioned bowl as the blonde grinned devilishly. Mamoru pursed his lips but didn't reply to her idiosyncratic display of gluttony, instead intoning,
"Let's get these portions to their rightful owners before all the ice cream melts." 'Or you scarf it down.'
The living room was alive with laughter and loud female chatter, Kotono kept occupied by an exuberant game of what looked like hide-and-seek on a small scale. Usagi plucked up the two-year-old before she could knock over a lamp in all her hyperactive antics. Yep, that nap had *definitely* been a bad idea!
"Aw, don't spoil our fun!" Minako pouted, appearing from behind the couch. Rei and Ami followed suit, albeit they from either end of a bookshelf. "This house is wicked- there are so many places to hide! It's HUGE!"
"Las' time Mina-chan 'n' I ranned into the dinin' room and hided under the table when Ami-chan counted!" Kotono squealed, clearly excited by all the fun and games these new babysitters had brought with them. Mamoru and Usagi's activities of choice were so dull when compared to the animated mischief the four new arrivals brewed up! It didn't help that her original guardians spent half their time arguing, either. Makoto chuckled at the horrified, gaping look Mamoru wore as he balanced multiple bowls of ice cream.
"You're supposed to be winding down and getting ready for bed, not racing around the house like a banshee," Usagi scolded Kotono in a slightly maternal tone. Rei gasped theatrically.
"Usagi? Being *responsible*? I never thought I'd see the day! Someone get me a video camera so I can record this miracle incarnate!"
"Very funny," Usagi drawled sarcastically, putting Kotono in front of the coffee table. "Here, Koto-chan- mint chocolate chip! Enjoy it while it lasts, because after you have to brush your teeth and settle into your nice, cozy bed."
"Aww," Kotono whined, pouting with such a cute, puppy dog-like expression in place that Mamoru wondered if the child was mimicking Usagi's favorite begging tactic. It was almost frightening how perfect the imitation was, exacerbated by the fact that Usagi and Kotono shared a similar eye color. "I'm not sleepy, even a lil' bit!"
"But remember what your Mama said? When you wake up, she'll be home! And you want to see your Mama, right?"
"Yeah," Kotono answered slowly, still not completely swayed. Why would she want to go to bed when these funny, energetic teenagers could play with her all night? This conundrum continued to plague the little girl's mind as she shoveled a cold spoonful of mint ice cream into her mouth.
oOo
Mamoru shifted awkwardly, musing over the discomfort of his kneeling position at the side of Kotono's bed. That, and the fact that he and Usagi now had to make up a bedtime story for Kotono, per the child's request. Together. Oh, and that little matter of Usagi being so close to him, he could smell her flowery perfume and feel the heat emanating off her skin. He wanted to protest; to pointedly move to the other end of the mattress. But... something... held him back.
"A bedtime story? But Koto-chan, I'm... well, rubbish at that," Usagi admitted, grinning ruefully down at the child from her spot on the coverlet. She seemed oblivious to Mamoru's proximity with her long, slender legs, but one glance at the telltale blush marring his features would have clued the blonde in instantly. As it was, her mind was rather preoccupied with the strange exchange that had occurred downstairs proceeding dessert. At the very mention of dish-duty, the girls had jumped at the bait, all too persuasive in making sure Usagi helped Mamoru prepare Kotono for bed. Why, if she wasn't positive they had her best interests at heart, she'd have thought that her Senshi were trying to *matchmake* Mamoru and her! But, obviously, that could not be the case. They all knew perfectly well how infuriating Chiba Mamoru, bane of her life, was. Total impossibility! Completely risible!
"Luckily for Koto-chan, I have some aptitude in that area," Mamoru boasted, puffing out his chest in gloating. Usagi scoffed, crossing her arms just for the sake of being contradictory.
"Who do you tell bedtime stories? Your *stuffed animals*?"
"One, I do not own stuffed animals; two, the person you are referring to is yourself; and three, I happen to be gifted in the art of fairytales because I tell them to the children at the hospital," Mamoru returned, with the air of insufferable condescension. "Do think before you speak, Odango."
"Hmph!"
"Is not hard, Usa-chan. Mama always does 'Once upon a time', then makes up stuff!" Kotono explained earnestly. "She says you just needs to gots ima... imager... imagernation!"
"You mean 'imagination'?" Mamoru chuckled. He gazed in askance at Usagi. "Well, I know Odango Atama here *must* have an imagination, the way she floats off into daydreams in two seconds flat!"
Usagi pursed her lips, but didn't respond to the gibe. Instead, she sniffed, "If you're so good, Mamo-baka, you start the story."
"Alright," the man smirked, then he turned to Kotono. "You like princesses, right, Koto-chan?" Usagi started, surprised that Mamoru was willing to tread such a... well, girly... subject. Oddly enough, images of Luna proclaiming their mission- to find the Moon Princess- sprung quickly to the teen's mind.
Kotono nodded emphatically. "I *love* princesses!"
"Good, because that's who the star of this story is. You all tucked in nice and snuggly? Okay. Once upon a time, in a land far, far away, there lived a beautiful princess with flowing hair and a long white dress. She lived in a grand palace with her mother, who was the Queen of a large, prosperous, and peaceful kingdom."
"But, this princess was tired of her royal duties. She grew weary of the all the responsibilities being a princess entailed, and one day, the girl decided to sneak off when she *should* have been at a ball held in her honor," Usagi interjected, continuing on with the story when Mamoru paused, thinking. Now listening intently, he was astonished at the sudden turn in exposition, but there was something so... *nostalgic* about this fairytale. Where had he heard it before? At first, the ebony-head had been about to base the princess off the one constantly plaguing his dreams, but for some reason Mamoru enjoyed the new perspective Usagi brought. The way she described this princess, it was almost as if the fourteen year old had met her; understood her. Then again, it wasn't surprising that the scatterbrained blonde empathized with a desire to shirk one's obligations!
It seemed he wasn't the only one enraptured- Kotono watched, wide-eyed, as her babysitters wove an enchanting tale.
"It was very difficult for the princess to get away! She had many guards, and they were close to each other so the princess had to make up a lot of excuses before she could sneak out," Usagi continued. "All her life, the young girl had dreamed of visiting mysterious new places outside of her constricted palace life. Following her heart, the princess decided to run away to a foreign land. But when she got there, she was attacked by thieves!"
"The princess was very frightened, but the thieves were driven away when the land's handsome prince drove them back to protect this beautiful girl," Mamoru suddenly cut in, and Usagi blinked at him. How the hell had Baka known exactly what she was going to add? She shook her head, ignoring the coincidence. "The princess thanked the man for his bravery, but the prince was intrigued. He had never seen a girl like her before, with milky, glowing skin and hair that shined like moonlight. He asked her who she was, but the princess seemed afraid to share her name. Just then, the princess' guards appeared! They found her and scolded the princess, telling her how frightened everyone from her kingdom was at her unexpected absence. They took their princess back home, with the promise that she would never run away like that again. The prince was sad to know that he would never again encounter such a lovely creature, and as a parting gift he gave the princess a rose." He had been so drawn into the story that all else had faded; Mamoru's last impression was of a deep-seated sorrow in his chest and the scent of a wild rose before Usagi's warm hand touched his. The college student jumped.
"Koto-chan's asleep now," Usagi said, very softly. The gentle tenor Mamoru heard so rarely sent shivers racing down his spine. He looked down, gaping at the sight of their charge snoozing, lips puckering as she suckled a thumb. In all her captivation, Kotono had forgotten one important thing- the equally bewitching spell of fatigue; that crafty little devil who snuck up on individuals at all the most inconvenient times. Mamoru smiled.
"Little cutie, isn't she?"
"A handful, but yes, very cute," Usagi concurred, chuckling. She stood and stretched, Mamoru following suit. "What time is it?"
"Er... nine-thirty? We've been up here a while."
"Yeah, the girls are going to think we murdered each other or something," Usagi laughed, walking toward the bedroom door. She looked back when Mamoru did not exit in her wake. He was still beside Kotono, staring down at her thoughtfully.
"Mamoru-san?"
Mamoru jerked to awareness, glancing at Usagi sharply with a countenance full of shock. "What did you just call me?"
"Mamor... uh... Mamo-baka!" Usagi hastened to reply, blushing profusely. 'Dammit, what the heck? Why am I being *nice*!?'
"No, you didn't. You said 'Mamoru-san'," Mamoru gleered. "You know, I just realized that for the first time in... well, ever... we managed to hold a civil conversation."
"Yeah? Well... well... your jacket is ugly and it looks like something a cat threw up after ingesting peas."
"Real mature, Odango," Mamoru rolled his eyes, now coming to stand beside his companion to begin tugging her down the stairs. "Now shut up before you ruin all our efforts and Koto-chan wakes up."
"Too bad... I'm really quite intrigued as to how the princess' story ends," Usagi muttered, trying to suppress a shudder as Mamoru's touch to her upper arms sent electricity pulsing through her veins.
'Me too...' Mamoru thought, but his exasperated answer was vastly different. "The prince found his princess once more, and they lived happily ever after. What else do you want me to tell a two and a half year old?"
'But not everyone has a happily ever after,' Usagi's mind supplied sadly, and the teen inwardly winced. Where had *that* morbid quip come from?
TBC
A/N: Hee hee gotta love AUTHOR'S OMNISCIENCE! ^^ Hope you all enjoyed this chapter- Usagi and Mamoru are beginning to reconcile their animosity, huh? Huh?? But obviously, like all things, the progression is slow and unwieldy. Truces can't spring from nothing, ya know? We've got lots more unresolved tension ahead, so stick around!
P.S. Oddly enough, I had a bowl of mint ice cream next to me while I wrote. Yum! Though I have to agree with Mamoru... chocolate is SO much better!
Review!
AngelMoon Girl
