Rainstorm and Cherries
Usagi-chan
Usagi@tuxedomask.com
I don't own Sailormoon or anything pertaining to
E-mail me!

~~~

Usagi looked out the balcony doors of her apartment.  The normally blue
sky was clouded over heavily, and rain was beginning to fall.  She shivered,
pulling her cardigan tighter around herself.

"I'm not afraid...  There's nothing to fear..." She chanted softly.  "I know!
I'll just watch some tv!"

Usagi settled into her couch with a blanket and the remote control.  She
flicked on her tv and began channel surfing.  Usagi came across a music
channel and turned the volume up, to drown out the pitter patter of rain.

"This isn't so bad." She told herself.  Usagi was really getting into the
song, singing it outloud, when everything in her apartment went dark.  

Usagi whimpered softly at the power loss, but was able to keep the wailing
to a minimum.  

"It's okay, Usagi-chan." She told herself, trying to calm herself down.  
"Nothing else is going to happen.  Just go get the flashlight Daddy bought
you, curl up with the book Ami-chan lent you and everything will be fine."

Of course nothing was going to be fine when Usagi was by herself in a dark
apartment.  A bright flash of ligtening struck across the sky, accompanied
by the loud rumble of thunder.

Usagi oculdn't help it.  She screamed.

The sound seemed to echo through her empty apartment.  Usagi was frozen with
fear, whimpering.  Another bolt of lightening flashed, and Usagi clamped
her hands over her ears in a feeble attempt not to hear the thunder.  

Tears were streaming down her cheeks like the torrents of rain falling from
the sky.  The lightening flashed in her large windows, causing Usagi to fall
to her knees in sheer fright.

A knock was heard, causing Usagi to look at her door.  Shaking, she got to 
her feet and started towards the door.  Before she could get there, thunder
sounded, shaking her to her bones.  Serena cried out again.

The door to her apartment opened slowly, revealing a tall figure.  Serena 
was terrified, until her apartment was flooded with the light of a 
flashlight.  

"Are you alright, miss?" A deep voice asked.

Serena threw herself at the man, grateful that someone, anyone, was there to
protect her from the storm.  The man caught her, and held her tightly as she
sobbed into his chest.

"It's okay, miss.  Really." he whispered into ear.  Serena slowly began to 
calm down, and wonder who exactly this man was.  She lifted her head and 
looked up at him.  Startling blue met startling blue.  Serena felt like she
was being swept away in his stormy eyes.  She heard a small gasp, and 
realized that it was herself.

"Who are you?" She whispered softly.

"I live in the apartment above yours." He replied, just as softly.  "I heard 
you crying..."

"Oh..."

"I wanted to make sure you were okay..."

"Just frightened."  Usagi told him.  "I don't like thunder storms."

The man chuckled softly.

"I love storms." He told her.  "So refreshing..."

"Hmm...  When I have someone to protect me..." Usagi replied, then blushed as
she realized what she said.  The man chuckled again.  Slowly he released her
and shut her apartment door.

"Do you have any candles?" He asked her.  Usagi nodded.

"I think so..  In my bedroom." She told him. 

"Lead the way." The man gestured.  

"You know, I still don't know your name." Usagi mentioned as she lead him 
towards her bedroom.

"Mamoru.  Chiba Mamoru.  And yours?" He told her.  

"Tsukino Usagi."

Mamoru looked around her room as she rumaged through the top drawer of her 
dresser looking for candles.  The walls were pale pink with little white 
bunnies painted on them.  Her bedspread was lavender with little white moons 
and pink bunnies.  All in all, he thought it was quite cute.

"I don't have any matches..." She told him, holding a few white taper candles
in their holders.  He wasn't surprised in the least, to see that the candle
holders were moons and stars.  Somehow, it just seemed fitting.

"That's okay." Mamoru pulled a lighter out of his pocket.

"You spoke?" Usagi asked dubiously.

"Nope." Mamoru laughed at her expression.  "I had a few candles burning in 
my apartment."

"They are out now though, right?" Usagi asked, concerned that he might leave
her alone again.

"Yes." He told her with a smile.  Usagi sighed with relief and they made 
their way back into her living room.  Usagi set the candles down on the table
and Mamoru lit them.

"What do you want to do, for the duration of the storm?" Mamoru asked her.
Usagi shrugged and sank into the corner of the couch, curling up a bit.

"I dunno."

Mamoru sat down at the other end of the couch and looked at her.

"What do you do for a living?" He asked her.

"I'm a kindergarten teacher.  You?" She asked back.

"I'm a doctor." Mamoru replied.  "Have you lived her long?"

"No, I just moved in a few months ago.  I finished university and moved here.
My friend, Mako-chan, lives in the building across the street." Usagi told
him.

"I've lived here since I was seventeen." 

The two sat quietly for a few minutes just gazing at each other.  

"So..." Usagi broke the silence, blushing slightly.  "What do you do at the
hospital?"

"I'm a neurosurgeon." Mamoru told her.

"Wow...  It must have been a lot of hard work."

"Yeah, but it was worth it."

A high pitched beeping sliced through air, causing Usagi to jump.  Mamoru
reached down to his waist and pulled up a dark coloured pager.

"Damn." He muttered.  "It's an emergency.  I have to go." He told her.

"Okay..." Usagi replied shakily.  Mamoru sighed as he looked at her.  

"Why don't you come with me?  I might not be able to stay with you, but at
least you won't be alone." He told her.  Usagi leapt at the idea.

"Just let me put on my shoes." She told him.  Mamoru laughed at her 
eagerness.

"I have to go upstairs and grab a few things.  I'll be right back.  You'll
be okay, right?"

Usagi nodded and Mamoru left quickly.  While she waited for him to come back,
Usagi blew out the candles and slipped on her shoes.  She pulled a warm 
jacket on and grabbed her keys.

When Mamoru got back, she was waiting outside of her apartment, ready to go.

"We'll have to take the stairs." Mamoru told her, so Usagi followed him to
the stairwell.  Instantly Usagi regretted having moved onto the eleventh 
floor.  

By the time they reached the underground parking garage, Usagi was slightly
out of breath and had vowed to start doing those aerobic tapes Minako had 
given her as a house warming present.  

"My car is this way." Mamoru led her round the parking garage to a red sports
car.

"It's nice!" Usagi exclaimed.  

"Thanks." Mamoru smiled.  He unlocked the door for her and Usagi climbed in.
Within seconds they were on their way towards the hospital.  

The streets were empty, due to the bad weather and late hour.  Usagi was 
grateful that there were almost no cars on the streets.  They reached the
hospital in record time and Mamoru parked as close to the hospital as 
possible.

"We're gonna get wet." He told her.  

"That's okay." Usagi threw open her door and made a mad dash for the entrance
of the hospital, Mamoru right behind her.  

"There you are Chiba-sensei!" A nurse called.  "We were getting worried."

"Where is she?" He asked, turning professional.  Usagi was surprised to see
his demeanor change so quickly.

"In room 305.  No one else can deal with her!" The nurse replied.

"Take this woman to my office, alright?" He said before walking swiftly down
a hallway.

"This way, please." The nurse spoke to Usagi.  

"Thank you." Usagi smiled as the nurse led her down a series of corridors.

"This is Chiba-sensei's office." The nurse pointed to a pair of large oak
doors.  Usagi opened one and stepped inside.  The office as big, dark and 
scary.  Usagi didn't like it at all.  She switched on the lights and looked
around.  

Certificates decorated the wall behind his mahogany desk.  Usagi saw that he
had graduated wth highest honours and was impressed with the number of awards
he had received.

Once she was finished looking around, she sat down in his chair and twirled 
around in it.  She looked outside the large bay windows and shuttered at the
ferocity of the wind.  Trees were whipping back and forth in the violent 
wind.

Usagi decided to look around the hospital.  She didn't like being alone 
during the storm, even though she knew there were tons of other people in the
building.  

She stood up and left his office, turning off the lights as she left.  Usagi
turned down one hallway, and then another.  She passed orderlies and nurses
who were all too busy to notice her.  

Usagi found herself in the childrens wing of the hospital.  She smiled at the
sleeping faces of the children in their rooms, and wished she could sleep
so peacefully throughout a storm.  

She came across a room where a little boy was sitting up in his bed, huge 
tears sliding down his cheeks.

"What's wrong?" Usagi asked as she made her way into his room.  The little
boy looked up at her with frightened eyes.  

"The storm..." He whispered, still crying.  It was enough to make Usagi's
heart break.  She gathered the little boy in her arms and rocked him gently.

"I understand.  I'm scared too." She told him.  The little boy giggled.

"Your scared?  But your a big person!" He exclaimed.

"So?  That doesn't mean I can't be afraid." She smiled down at him.  "Does 
it?"

"No, I guess not."  He smiled back at her.

"What's your name?"

"Robbie."

"When I was little, Robbie, and I was scared, sometimes my mother would sing 
to me.  It always made me feel better.  Do you want me to sing to you?" She 
asked him.

"Yes!" He exclaimed.  

"Okay, you lie down and shut your eyes." Usagi tucked the blankets in around
him.  She smiled at him and began to sing softly.  The little boy's breathing
began to slow to the steady pace of sleep.  She smiled at his relaxed face
and let the song drift off.

She glanced at her watch and saw that it was late, well past midnight.  
Mamoru had been called in around eleven, and she wondered if he was finished.
Maybe he was looking for her?

Usagi decided to head back to his office, but as soon as she stepped into the
plain white hallway, she couldn't remember which way to go.  Usagi began
wandering around the hallways, getting more confused by the minute.  Finally,
she stopped one of the orderlies and asked which way she was supposed to go.

"Excuse me, can you tell me how to get to Chiba Mamoru's office?" She asked
the white clad male.

"Sure thing." He smiled at the pretty young woman.  "Keep going straight 
along this hallway and turn left just up there.  You should see the wooden
doors."

"Thank you!" Usagi smiled and followed his directions.  Once she got to the
doors, she knocked lightly before going in.  The office was still dark and
empty.  Usagi sighed and flicked on the lights again.  She headed towards the
large, plush chair and sat down, again facing the storm.

The events of the night and the late hour were catching up with her.  Slowly
her eyes fell shut and she drifted off to sleep.

"Usagi?  Usagi-san?" A voice called softly.  Usagi's eyes fluttered open and
she found herself drowning in a pair of deep blue eyes.

"Hmmm?" She asked, before fully awake.

"We can go home now." Mamoru told her gently.

"Okay..." Usagi replied before shutting her eyes again.  Mamoru chuckled,
realizing that she had gone back to sleep.  He reached over and picked her up
from his chair.  It was tempting to leave her there to sleep, but he knew she
would regret it in the morning when she felt stiff.

Mamoru left his office with the petite blonde in his arms.  He made his way
through the sterile hallways of the hospital, ignoring all the strange looks
he was getting.  When he reached the front doors, he looked outside and saw 
that the storm was still going strong.  He began to wonder when it would let
up, if it would let up.  Hoping the rain wouldn't wake her, Mamoru dashed to
his car with Usagi in his arms.

"Wha..?" She mumbled against his chest as the cold rain hit her face.   

"It's okay.  Go back to sleep." He whispered into her ear.  Usagi snuggled
against him as he unlocked his car door then set her inside. 

Mamoru was glad that she lived in the same apartment building as him.  It 
certainly facilitated getting her home.  As he stopped at a red light, Mamoru
glanced over at the sleeping Usagi.  

She was gorgeous, with her long wet hair plastered on her face.  Mamoru 
reached over to brush it away, before the light turned green.  He continued
to drive towards their apartment complex, occasionally glancing at his 
passenger.

When he pulled into the underground parking, Usagi stirred slighty, but 
remained asleep.  Mamoru smiled at her and parked his car.  He got out and
walked around his car to pick Usagi up.  He carried her to the elevator and 
hit the button marked eleven.  He wasn't about to walk up eleven flights of 
stairs with a sleeping girl in his arms.  If the elevator shut down...  Well,
at least she was sleep, right?

Luckily, he reached the eleventh floor without any misfortune.  He went to
Usagi's apartment, fumbled for the keys in the pocket of her jeans and let 
himself in.  

Mamoru dropped her keys on a small table next to the door, which he shut with
his foot.  He lay Usagi on her couch and covered her up with the blanket she
had been snuggling with earlier.  He smiled at the pretty picture she made 
as he sat in the chair watching her.

Usagi slept peacefully, unaware of her surroundings.  Mamoru almost envied
the way she so willingly trusted him, a complete stranger who had just walked
in on a stormy night.  She hadn't questioned anything he had said to her.  
She hadn't demanded that he leave her apartment and she had gotten into his
car, willing to follow him where ever, just so she didn't have to be alone. 

Sighing, Mamoru leaned back against the chair and fell asleep, exhausted from
the long night.

When he woke up the next morning, Mamoru could hear someone banging around
in the kitchen.  Slowly he opened his eyes and found himself in a cheery
room flooded with sunshine.  He realized that he wasn't in his own apartment
and memories of the previous night rushed in on him.

"Mamoru-san?  Are you awake?" Usagi peered into the living room.  She had
changed from her jeans and sweater from the previous night into a pale blue
skirt and a white tank top.  

"Yes." Mamoru told her as he slowly got to his feet and stretched.  

"Are you stiff from sleeping there?" Usagi asked as Mamoru rolled his head
to stretch his neck.

"A little." Mamoru told her.

"Sit down then, and let me help you." Usagi pushed him back into the chair
he had been sleeping in and climbed up behind him.  She began to knead the
muscles and tissue, attempting to loosen and relax his back.

"Feel better?" She asked him.  

"Much." Mamoru replied with a smile.  Usagi slid off the chair and headed
back into the kitchen.

"I don't want anything to burn!" She called over her shoulder.  Mamoru 
followed her.

"What are you making?" He asked.

"Muffins and toast and fruit." She told him.  Mamoru glanced at the amount of
food she was making and then at her slim figure.  He raised an eyebrow and
was about to make a comment when the timer on her oven went off.

"Done!" Usagi commented cheerily as she pulled out a tray of chocolate chip
muffins.  Mamoru reached over to grab one, but Usagi swatted his hand away.

"Be careful!  There hot!" She scolded him.  Mamoru chuckled.

"I'm gonna run upstairs and get changed, okay?" He told her.

"Alright, but come back for breakfast!" 

"I will."

Mamoru dashed up the stairs and into his own apartment.  He had a quick 
shower and changed into a pair of tan slacks and a blue shirt.  He began
to wonder when things between himself and Usagi had become so relaxed and
normal.  They had known each other for less than twenty four hours, but he
had slept over at her place and was now eating breakfast there?  Shaking 
his head slightly, Mamoru headed back down to her apartment.

Usagi wondered what was taking him so long.  She had set the table on her 
balcony for breakfast and was just waiting for him to come back.

'Hmm...' She mused.  'This seems so normal and right!  I feel so relaxed 
around him, unlike with other guys...  I don't get it...  I wonder how he
feels?  Goodness knows he's awfully cute!'

Usagi blushed slightly at her thoughts.  The door to her apartment opened
and she saw Mamoru walk in.  He didn't know she was out on the balcony so
she took the chance to watch him.

He was wearing slacks and a dress shirt, but still looked casual.  He glanced
around her apartment looking for her and headed towards the kitchen.  His 
dark hair was damp, but still fell across his forhead in a way that made 
Usagi's hand itch to brush it away.

"Out here." She called as he came out of the kitchen.  Mamoru looked at her
and smiled.

"I was wondering where you had scurried off to." He stayed in the doorway,
watching Usagi lounge in one of the chairs.  

"Are you going to stand there all day or are you going to help me eat this?"
She asked him, taking a cherry and popping it into her mouth.  Mamoru
laughed.

"I'll help, I'll help." He smiled at her again and Usagi smiled back.

"Thanks for rescuing me last night." Usagi glanced at Mamoru from a lowered
gaze.  

"No problem.  Rescuing maidens in distress is my forte." He joked.  Usagi
giggled.

"I never would have guessed."

The pair spent the better portion of the morning talking and eating.  Mamoru
felt he couldn't drink enough of Usagi's company, but he had to go to work
soon.  Sighing, he ran a hand through his now dry hair.

"I have to get to work." Mamoru told her.  Usagi pouted slightly.

"Okay..." She sighed.  Mamoru got up and Usagi followed him to the door.  
Without thinking, Mamoru pulled Usagi close to him and kissed her on the lips
before releasing her.  Without a word, he left her apartment and headed
towards the elevator at the end of the hallway.

Usagi brought a hand to her lips.  Everything had seemed so natural and 
perfect.  The kiss went right along with it.  But where did that leave her 
and her knight in shining armor now?

~~~