Mamoru swore in frustration and repeatedly tapped the “Backspace” key on his laptop, deleting the paragraph he had just spent the last half hour writing. A middle school student could write a better opening than that. No, scratch that -- even an elementary school kid!

He couldn’t understand why he was so blocked when it came to his history term paper. Normally, he had no problem completing his schoolwork, but the fifteen hundred word paper was due on Monday, and his current word count stood at exactly zero.

Well, seven, if the title counted. Which it didn’t.

He cursed again, fighting against the urge to pick up his laptop and hurl it against the wall. Instead, he settled for banging his fist against the surface of his desk, almost knocking over a nearby glass of tea in the process.

“Real smart, Mamoru,” he muttered, catching the glass before the liquid spilled over his keyboard. “Fry your computer, and you really won’t get this paper done by the deadline.”

He needed a break. Staring at a blank computer screen was getting him nowhere. Mamoru closed his laptop and headed to the living room, where he plopped down on the couch and reached for the remote.

It was then that he noticed the plate of slightly burnt, heart-shaped cookies sitting on the coffee table. Underneath the plate was a piece of paper.

It read: Mamo-chan, I came by earlier, but you were busy working on your paper, so I didn’t want to disturb you. I hope you enjoy the cookies -- they taste better than they look, honest! -- and good luck with your studies. Love, Usagi.

Mamoru grinned and took a bite of one of the cookies, which were indeed better than they looked.

He would have to thank her later.

DISCLAIMER: Sailor Moon is the property of Naoko Takeuchi.

AUTHOR’S NOTE: Any comments or criticisms can be sent to me at ElysionDream@aol.com. Written for the “Thank You” challenge at the “sailormoonland” community at Livejournal.