Is This Love? By Bonnie-Chan Webpage: http://www.sailormoonrose.mirrorz.com Email: hunniebunny@aol.com Completed: October 31, 2001 Hey everybody! Happy Halloween!!! By the time you read this, it’ll be November because I finished typing so late, but I DID finish on Halloween!!! Yay! I know, I know…A Place To Call Home…Like I said, I ran into a MAJOR problem, I hope to have it fixed soon! “Where are the archives? You promised to have them by today!” Two reasons they aren’t up: 1) I need to put the archives on a different server, which will take a bit (anyone know how to use SpacePorts who can help me?) 2) I just got a few new authors to put into the archive, so I have to format their stuff! Sorry guys! This month for sure, no excuses! Well, that’s it for now. Wish this had been out sooner, but I had the CRAZIEST schedule this week... I’d also like to thank Sere-Chan!!!!! She was with me until the wee hours of the morning perfect this thing, and she came up with my title!! Thanks soooooo much, I couldn’t have finished without ya! This story is dedicated to you! This story is also dedicated to my sweetest bud Siggy (again), because she’s moving away. Sigs, this is your going-away present, since I won’t have another before you leave. I luv ya to death, girlie! And remember:
"You will soon find your prince. Mine just took a wrong turn, got lost, and is too stubborn to ask for directions!" Oh, stop your pouting, you'll find your MamoChan!   Yummy Tami-Kins!!!   "Ahh!  You've spoiled me for life!  Now I only want Mr. Wonderful...I won't settle for anything less... So why am I surrounded by all these frogs?" But, don't cry, we'll one day kiss those two frogs that really ARE princes!   After all, .·:*No GuY iS wOrTh YoUr TeArS AnD ThE oNe ThAt Is WoN't MaKe YoU CrY*:·.
((sound familiar?)) I’m gonna miss you!!!!!!!!! DISCLAIMER: Halloween? Not mine, but I wish it was! Same deal with Sailor Moon! I got this movie from a vision about whipped cream), a bunny suit, and a descending Aphrodite. Doesn’t make sense? It soon will! Read on and enjoy! Mail can be sent to me, Bonnie-Chan, at hunniebunny@aol.com Happy Halloween! ************** Is This Love? ************** As the doors jingled and a lady began to shriek in agony, Tsukino Usagi happily entered the Crown Fruit Parlor, lightly humming "The Monster Mash." She plopped down onto a stool near the counter and grinned sardonically at the sandy-haired young man who came over to serve her. "Hey Motoki! You went all out for Halloween, didn't you?" He flashed her a lopsided smile and chuckled. "Of course I did, it's my favorite holiday!" "And your dad didn't care?" "He loves Halloween even more than I do! He's the one who wired the door to make it scream whenever it opens!" Usagi giggled and leaned closer to Motoki. "Want to know a secret?" "Sure." "I love Halloween, too!" “I already knew that, silly!" Usagi leaned back in her chair and rested her chin into the palm of her hand. "So, Motoki, are you going to dress up for Halloween?" "Of course! What fun is having a Halloween Party if you yourself don't dress up?" Usagi crinkled her nose in thought. "I would think that it wouldn't be as much fun!" "You and the girls are still coming, right?" "Definitely! We wouldn't miss it for all the world!" "Good." He smiled warmly down at her. "So, what's your costume going to be?" "Well, I was thinking of dressing like a skeleton-" "No way, Motoki! You can't do that!" "Why not?" "Because it is sooo cliché! You've gotta be…I dunno, something dashing and romantic, not something lame and macho!" "Dashing and romantic, hmm? And you have no ulterior motive for saying that, Odango?" Usagi rolled her eyes and turned around to face the ebony-haired young man standing behind her. "Always a pleasure running into you, Chiba. Why do you feel the constant need to torment me with idiocies on this otherwise wonderful afternoon? "Wow, that actually sounded smart." "Thank you." "That wasn't a compliment, that was sarcasm." "It's a compliment when it comes out of your mouth." "You never answered my question, Odango." "Which was?" "Are you finally ready to tell Motoki you have a crush on him, or would you rather just keep flirting with him?" Usagi frowned and shot him a dirty look. "I wasn't flirting with him…besides, Motoki is like my brother, it would be wrong to have a crush on him." "And yet you do." "No, Mamoru. You have no clue what you're talking about." "Sure I do. You-" "No, Mamoru. This time it is you who is wrong." She glared at him as he opened his mouth to speak. "No." "You can't talk to me like that, little girl." "Little girl? Oh, please! You're only a couple of years older than I am." "I'm three years older than you, Odango. You're fourteen. I'm seventeen. Ifyou were twenty-four and I was twenty-seven, it wouldn't be so big of a gap, but right now we are light years apart. You'll begin to understand what I mean when you're in high school." Usagi rolled her eyes. "Oh, please. You just turned seventeen two months ago, you're not that much more worldly than me." Mamoru arched an eyebrow. "There's still quite a difference right now." "You'd be surprised, Mamoru. You'd be surprised." "What's that supposed to mean?" "Usagi! I am so disappointed in you!" A girl with long buttery blond hair and bright aqua eyes came up behind her friend and lightly hit the back of her head." "Ow, Minako! That HURT!" "Good! You couldn't even last six hours! Twenty-four hours, Usagi, that's ALL we asked for!" "But, Minako, I-" "Save it, Usagi. I've been standing here for a while now, you can't fool me. Now, you know what you have to do." "But I-" "Usagi!" Usagi rolled her eyes and sighed reluctantly. "I hate you, Minako." "No you don't, you love me." Usagi crinkled her nose and stuck her tongue out at her friend before pouting petulantly. "This isn't fair." "Life never is, is it?" "You can say that again." Usagi frowned again. "I really hate life." "No you don't, you love it." Usagi looked up into her friend's eyes. "No, Minako, I don't. I hate the harsh realities of life, I hate the weight it can put upon someone's shoulders, I hate how it can make you grow up too fast! Life is cruel, and it always will be…but without life, I would be nothing. No matter how much I may hate it, I love the few bones that Life occasionally tosses my way, even though they are too few and far apart." Usagi frowned in thought as she reflected on her secret life as Sailor Moon, a life that she never wanted in the first place, before placing the thought to the back of her mind. She tossed her head and gave a small half-smile. "But why are we sitting around contemplating the meaning of life? We're too young and naïve to have to worry about that, right Mamoru?" She grinned at him impishly before turning back to her friend. "Now, don't you have a date to get back to? Go have fun, stop worrying about me!" "Are you okay, Usagi?" "I'm fine! Now go, stop being such a mother hen, you're not that much older than me!" She grinned and made a shooing motion until Minako reluctantly turned around and headed to a nearby booth where a boy with auburn hair sat, than turned back to Motoki and Mamoru with a smile. "So, anyway! Halloween is great, isn't it?" Mamoru frowned at the small girl standing beside him. "What was that all about, Usagi?" "Wow, you remembered my name! I'm so proud of you! You deserve a cookie!" "Stop changing the subject." Usagi tilted her head towards Motoki. "Okay, a milkshake then! Motoki, don't you agree that Mamoru deserves a yummy treat for finally remembering my name?" "Are you alright, Usagi?" "Yeah, I'm fine! Why wouldn't I be? I mean, it's almost Halloween, and I have the perfect costume! We're actually doing fun stuff in school, so I don't have to worry about failing anything, and Baka Mamoru finally acknowledged the fact that I actually have a name! Could life be any better?" Motoki furrowed his eyebrows. "Well, according to a comment you made only minutes ago, life could be a whole lot worse." "So it can, but today it's good, and that's all that matters!" "Usagi!" Usagi turned back to Mamoru and happily chirped, "Yes, Mamoru?" "Stop it." "Stop what?" "Stop acting. I don't know what's wrong, but don't pretend to be happy when you're not. It's okay to be sad every once in a while, no one can always be happy." "I don't know what you're talking about, Mamoru. I'm perfectly happy. So, do you love Halloween as much as Motoki and I do?" "No." "Oh." "Why do you love Halloween so much?" "Why do you not?" "You answer me and I'll answer you, how's that? But you go first." Usagi sighed in exasperation. "Fine, whatever. I'm not going to argue with you today, Mamoru. I haven't, not really…and I don't intend to, especially not over something as stupid as this." She tossed her head and crinkled her nose before continuing. "I love Halloween because it allows you to be someone entirely different from who you normally are. It allows you to forget everything and live in a world of fantasy, if only for one night. I can stop being me, and be a…a medieval princess, a beautiful fairy, a character straight out of a fairytale! I know I'm not making sense, but…I never do, so it's okay!" She shrugged and smiled whimsically. "So, your turn. Why do you hate Halloween so much?" "I just do. I don't know, I just have really bad memories about the holiday, I don't have any good ones." "Oh. Like what?" Mamoru stared solemnly at the golden-haired girl standing before him before finally replying, his voice faint and faraway. "Memories that no child should ever have to have, memories that should never be repeated." "It's not good to keep yourself locked away from the world, in it, but not of it. That's going to be your downfall, Mamoru." "Okay, now it's my turn to change the subject." "What do you want to talk about? This is a first, talking instead of arguing." "Think it will last?" "Only if you don't call me Odango." "Only if you stop bashing into me all the time." Usagi crinkled her nose at him before giggling softly. "Somehow, I doubt any of that will ever happen." She grinned lightly, steering them away from any possible arguments. "So, what are you going to be for Halloween, anyway? Yourself? That's pretty scary on a daily basis!" "Cute, Odango. What about you? I'm sure you aren't going to go around in an Odango costume." Usagi giggled again. "No, I'm a bit more original than that…but not by much." "What do you mean?" She grinned wickedly and imperceptibly moved closer to Mamoru, giggling softly. "Well, I decided to be a bunny. I'm going to wear this skintight white body suit and a tiny little white skirt-about as short as the skirts the Sailor Senshi wear. The bodysuit is kind of like theirs too, but it has a tiny v-neck and there's no collar. I'm going to wear these sheer-white stockings, and thin white ballet slippers. I'll wear long white gloves that cover most of my arms, and I'll let my hair down, so that my fluffy white bunny ears will fit better on my head. Oh, I'll also have a fluffy white tail on my butt that I sewed to the skirt, and I'll paint the remaining skin you can see on my arms along with my face and neck white, then I'll paint thin black whiskers and paint my nose a cotton candy pink." She smiled innocently up at Mamoru. "Well, what do you think?" Mamoru blinked. "Well, I, uh…" Usagi giggled softly and leaned towards Mamoru's ear. "After all, my name does mean Rabbit, doesn't it?" She pulled back with a giggle and winked at Mamoru, than turned and sauntered out of the arcade, leaving behind a stunned Mamoru, the only coherent thought in his mind being, Wh-What just happened? ***** "I can't believe you did that, Usagi!" Mina exclaimed as she flopped down onto Usagi's neatly made bed, mussing up the covers. Usagi scowled at her friend in annoyance. "Well, you made me! I wasn't even being mean to that baka, and you came up to me and started lecturing me, so what other choice did I have?" "Still…I have never seen Mamoru so speechless! Never! His jaw was still on the ground even after you left, his eyes were glazed over, and he was staring blankly at the seat you had vacated as though you were still there! He couldn't even speak a coherent sentence! It was pretty funny, actually! You actually got through to him, shocked the great Chiba Mamoru!" "Well isn't that what you girls dared me to do?" "Still! I didn't think you would do that good of a job! I mean, it was like you froze him to his seat, he didn't even blink!" Usagi giggled and rolled her eyes. "I'm sure you're exaggerating, V-Chan. I mean, how could I have caused such a reaction?" Minako smiled mysteriously. "If you only knew, Usagi. If you only knew." Usagi narrowed her cerulean eyes at her friend. "What's that supposed to mean?" "Oh, nothing." "Minako…" "If you want to know so badly, ask Mamoru." Minako tossed her head before frowning at her friend. "Now Usagi…about your costume…why did you tell Mamoru what I was going to wear?" "Because it's sexier than what I'm wearing, and I wanted to shock him." "Your costume is plenty sexy, Usagi!" "No it's not, it's just a dress. A long dress that doesn't show all that flesh!" "But, you're going to be beautiful, Usagi! The goddess Aphrodite!" "You would look better, since you are the senshi of love and beauty!" "Then what would be the point of being each other, hmm? Besides…would you really be comfortable showing so much skin?" "Well, no, but-" "Well then! Stop being petulant, okay? It's Halloween in two days, let's have some fun!" "What do you have in mind?" "I want to decorate!" Minako reached for the duffle bag lying at the foot of the bed that she had brought over, and pulled out a roll of crepe paper and a handful of cobwebs, and the two girls quickly got to work. ***** "Hey Mamoru, what's up?" Mamoru absently looked up from the piece of paper he had been staring at and smiled at his best friend Motoki. "Hey Motoki, what are you doing here?" "Shopping for the party tomorrow night. It is a food store." "I just didn't expect to run into you, that's all." Motoki peered down into Mamoru's shopping basket and raised an eyebrow. "Mamoru, I'm surprised with you. I thought you ate more than that…just because food is healthy doesn't mean it's all you should consume 24/7." "I have most of what I have at home already, Motoki. I'm just getting what I'm starting to run low on." "Still! Eat something fun from time to time, something that's bad for you!" "Like what?" Motoki shifted through his shopping cart before pulling out a thin red spray bottle and tossing it into Mamoru's cart. "Like whipped cream!" "What would I do with that, Motoki? I don't-" "You'll figure something out, you always have before." He ignored the bottle in Mamoru's outstretched hands. "Get some cherries and ice cream, make a sundae. Get some pie and spray it on top. Something interesting for if you ever have company." "This is why I never ask you to come with me when I shop, Motoki." "Which is why your food is always so boring. Live vicariously, try something new. Don't be afraid to cut loose and have fun occasionally." "Why do I get the feeling that we're not talking about food anymore?" Motoki winked and began to walk down the aisle. "Try it out and see what happens, Mamoru. I'll see you tomorrow." He steered his cart around the stack of cereal boxes and disappeared around the corner, humming softly under his breath. Mamoru turned the can over in his hands and frowned before slowly dropping it back into his basket and continuing on his way. ***** Mamoru idly thumbed the remote control, flipping aimlessly between the stations, but not really watching the screen. He paused as he came across a commercial of a girl bathing under a waterfall using Kismet Shampoo, her golden blond hair cascading down her back and reminding him of Usagi. The words Kismet Shampoo flashed across the screen and the girl reappeared in a flowing lilac gown that hung off her shoulders, with a crowd of wild animals staring up at her in awe. The girl stared down at a fluffy white rabbit that she cuddled in her arms and softly stroked its fur as the slogan slowly formed on the screen: Making your hair as soft as nature. Mamoru groaned in frustration and quickly switched the channel as his thoughts traveled once more to the blond-haired girl who had been invading his thoughts since the day before. This shouldn't be driving me insane, I always think about Usagi…but…why should now be any different? Mamoru switched off the TV and walked into the kitchen, opening his refrigerator and peering inside. Could it be that she likes me as much as I like her? Was she flirting with me yesterday? But, if she was...that means she likes me…and, when Minako came up to her, she didn't seem all that thrilled… But…what if she DOES like me? Should I tell her how I feel? No, I shouldn't, I could scare her off, especially if she doesn't like me back! She could rip my heart out of my chest so easily…is this love I'm feeling? It's such a strong feeling, whenever I think of her my mind seems to melt, and I get this warm tingly feeling inside…if I'm in a bad mood and I see her, it just dissipates, and I feel like I'm floating on Cloud Nine. Is this love? Or is it just a crush? I've never truly experienced either… His eyes landed on the can of whipped cream Motoki had forced him to buy and he pulled it out, weighing it in his hands and staring at it thoughtfully. Should I tell her? Tonight is All Hallows Eve…I can do something inadvertently, and she'll never know it was me. A slow smile spread across Mamoru's face, and he slowly closed the refrigerator door. ***** "Usagi, time to get up!" Tsukino Ikuko chirped as she walked into her daughter's bedroom. "It's Halloween!" Usagi blearily opened and eye then closed it again, rolling over and mumbling, "Just one more minute, Mom, promise…" A moment later, her eye sprang open again, quickly followed by the other one, and she quickly sat up. "Halloween? Today? Alright!" Her mouth opened in a huge yawn and she groggily rubbed her eyes, then swung her feet out from under the covers and quickly jumped out of bed, running around and throwing on her school uniform, pulling on a pair of white knit socks with orange pumpkins on them, and dangling ghost earrings. She hopped in front of her mirror, quickly styled her hair into two streaming balls atop her head, and flew down the steps and into the kitchen. "Wow, Usagi! You're up early! You can actually eat for once!" Usagi stuck her tongue out at her brother as she headed to where her father sat reading the paper and plopped a kiss on his head. "Morning, Daddy!" "Morning, Usa! You're awfully chipper today!" "Yup! It's Halloween!" She hurriedly grabbed a couple pieces of toast and stuffed them in her mouth, then took the lunch her mom handed her, waved goodbye, and quickly headed for the front door, slipping on her shoes and grabbing her book bag, then heading outside. As she stepped onto the porch, Usagi froze in shock and her eyes widened. Spread across the lawn were white scripty letters saying I Love You. Sitting on either side of the stoop were two perfectly round jack-o-lanterns. Each one had a crudely drawn circle in the middle, with two smaller circles atop it, and two lines coming down from the baby circles. The second pumpkin had a piece of paper jutting out of it, which Usagi shakily pulled out and opened. Usako~ This is the only way I could think of to display my feelings. I love you. Usagi stared inquisitively at the simple note she held in her hands, and stared around her front lawn again before slowly folding it and slipping it into her pocket as she headed off to school. ***** "Usagi, you look so pretty!" Minako grinned at her friend as she swiveled her around in her flowery vanity chair to face the mirror. "You look just like the goddess you are!" "Minako!" Usagi blushed and ducked her head before peeking back up at her friend. "You look nice, too!" "Thanks!" She preened and fluffed her long hair. "So, are you ready to go? Our chariot awaits!" "Yeah…though I dread what my father's gonna say when he sees us!" "Nothing, your mom's going to drive us." "How'd you pull that one off?" "Secret!" "Minako…!" Usagi gave a mock growl and playfully swatted her friends arm, than the two girls quickly exited the room and headed downstairs. ***** Mamoru leaned lazily against the refreshment table, his azure eyes aimlessly flitting around the room until they rested on the doorway. He unconsciously straightened up as a blond haired girl in a bunny costume entered the room. He frowned as he took in her appearance, right down to her slippered feet. This girl sure looks like Usagi, but…different. She doesn't make me tingle like Usagi normally does. He frowned absently as he watched her gracefully descend the stairs and head over to a nearby pillar, where she greeted a devil and a pumpkin. He tilted his head, recognizing the raven-haired girl in the flaming red body suit and short skirt as Hino Rei, and the aqua-haired girl in the fuzzy pumpkin suit as Mizuno Ami. He watched the group as they waved at a girl on the steps, and his head swiveled to see a girl dressed as Xena descending the steps and heading towards them, her curly, chestnut-brown hair cascading just past her shoulders. Kino Makoto, he thought absently. That must make the blond-haired girl Aino Minako…so where's Usagi, and why did she lie about her costume? He stared unconsciously at the spot Makoto had just vacated as he lost himself in thought. His mind came tumbling back to reality when a vision from his dreams entered his line of view. His eyes snapped open, loosing their dreamy glaze, and he drew in a quick breath. Standing in the spot that her friend had recently vacated stood Tsukino Usagi, more beautiful than Mamoru remembered her ever being. He hungrily took in her appearance: the way her hair tumbled freely to the ground, shining like spun-gold. The way her eyes shone sapphire in the muted light. The way her strapless gold dress clung to her body in all the right places, flaring out at the bodice and flowing elegantly to the ground. Gold sparkles shimmered iridescently on her face, reflecting the light, and a dazzling smile graced her face. Mamoru slowly let out the breath he had been holding, his eyes never wandering from the beautiful vision before him. He watched her glance around the room as though looking for someone, before her gaze landed on where her friends stood, waving and calling her name. She smiled happily and quickly descended the last of the steps, heading over to her friends. She's gorgeous! He thought, unable to take his eyes away from her. "Whatcha up to, Mamoru?" Mamoru turned to see a guy dressed in the elegant red robes of an Emperor, with a small red hat perched upon his head. "Motoki, you look ridiculous." "Not 'dashing and romantic?'" "You should have stuck to the skeleton idea, not catered to the whims of a fourteen-year old." "The same fourteen-year old you can't keep your eyes off of?" "Shut up." "Don't let Reika hear you trashing my outfit, she'll trash you." Mamoru shook his head in disgust. "Man, you are so whipped." "Better to be whipped than alone." He eyed Mamoru's dark outfit. "That cape must be sweltering! And you're actually wearing makeup!" "It's face paint, Motoki. And the cape is cotton, so it's not so bad." "Still, Dracula…never thought you had it in you, dude….thought you're definitely mysterious enough to pull it off. You're dashing and romantic without even trying! Do you see all the girls fawning all over you?" "Whatever, Motoki. I'm going to go get a breath of air, it's a bit stuffy in here." He brushed past his smirking friend and walked out onto the balcony, leaning on the edge and staring up into the night sky. "It's beautiful out tonight, isn't it?" Mamoru started at the lilting voice, and he tilted his head to see Usagi standing beside him. "It is. The moon actually looks orange tonight." Usagi sighed whimsically and propped her shoulders on the railing. "I love the moon." "It's very relaxing." "Yeah…" "What are you doing out here all alone?" She shrugged absently. "I don't know…it was boring inside." "You didn't want to dance?" "Nah…I could have, I had some guys come up to me, but I'm just not in a dancing mood. Besides, I'm such a klutz that I would probably kill my partner!" "I'm sure you wouldn't." "You've never seen me dance." She sighed longing and tilted her head up towards the sky. "My friends, on the other hand…they're so graceful and elegant. I would love to be like them." "Where are they?" "Dancing." "While you're out here with me." She shrugged again. "I just needed some air, it was so stuff in there." "I agree." He turned to face her. "What happened to the bunny suit? Did you switch costumes with Minako?" "Hmmm?" Usagi's frowned, puzzled, before she realized what he was talking about. A blush stained her cheeks and she ducked her head. "No, I was never going to be a bunny. From the start, I was going to be Minako, and she was going to be me." "Oh?" "I'm a bunny, so she would be a bunny, and…the girls and I like to tease her sometimes by calling her Aphrodite...it's an inside joke…so, here I am, pretending to be the goddess of love and beauty." "You're doing a good job, you look really pretty tonight." She blushed again. "Thanks…you're being really nice tonight, Mamoru." "Well, it is Halloween." "Then may it stay tonight forever. It's so much easier to get along than it is to fight." "That it is." "And yet we'll be right back at square one tomorrow." "Why, Tsukino Usagi, are you implying that you want to be my friend?" "No, of course not! That would be dumb!" He smiled softly. "I never said I would mind being your friend, Usagi." "You wouldn't?" "Of course not." "That's really nice of you." "Hey, Usagi?" "Yeah?" "Can I ask you a question?" "Sure." "Why did you lie about your costume? Were you embarrassed?" "No…it is kind of an embarrassing story though." "I won't laugh, I promise." "Well…the girls dared me to shock you, and that's the only way I knew how. It was a gamble, but it paid off. Minako said that you were still stunned even after I left the arcade!" "So, you just did it to trick me, to get a reaction from me?" "I guess so. When you put it that way, it makes me sound really bad, I'm sorry." "It's okay, Usagi. I don't mind. Did you at least win your dare?" "Yeah…." Usagi turned so she was facing Mamoru and looked up at him thoughtfully. "Hey, Mamoru?" "Yes?" "Thank you." "For what?" "For being so nice to me tonight. You've listened to me, talked to me…you've even called me by my name! I just…thank you." He smiled down at her softly. "You're welcome." "Do you still want to be my friend?" "Of course. I will always be your friend, Usako." "Usako?" "Erhm…" "Mamoru?" "Y..Yes?" "It was you who messed up my lawn last night?" "Ummm…what?" "Why did you do it?" "Do what?" "Mamoru…" Mamoru sighed in frustration, mentally slamming his head into an invisible wall. His cheeks burned as he stared down at the curious blond girl standing before him, and quietly said, "Okay, so maybe I did." "Why?" "Because I didn't think you would ever find out it was me." "Because it was just a big, elaborate joke?" "No." "Then why?" "I can't tell you." "Why not?" "You'll laugh." "You didn't laugh at me when I told you about my dare, so why would I laugh at you? Is that what it was? A dare?" "No…" "Then what?" "I don't know…Motoki made me buy the whipped cream, and he also gave me the pumpkins. I saw them and just…decided to anonymously tell you what I could never find the words to say. Obviously, it backfired on me." "Chiba Mamoru, are you trying to tell me that you love me?" "Ummm…" "I thought you hated me!" "No, never." "Then why did you always tease me?" "To bring a smile to your face. You always looked so sad when I saw you…normally, when someone is teased, they find it amusing. You always found it insulting." "Oh. I..I don't know what to say." "Then don't say anything." He shrugged nonchalantly, turned around, and headed back towards the ballroom. "Mamoru, wait!" He turned his head back towards her slowly, allowing the stark emotions cluttering his face to fade once more under his calm mask. "You're serious, aren't you?" "Aren't I always?" "Mamoru, I…I'm too young to know what love is. I've never experienced it before." "Neither had I." "What's it like?" "Usagi…" "Please tell me?" "It's like…whenever I think of you I float on air. If I'm in a bad mood, all I have to do is think of you, and it just…dissipates. It feels me with a warm, fuzzy feeling inside, and it's kind of scary, but at the same time, it's exhilarating." "It sounds wonderful." "It can be. It can also be painful." "Painful?" "To know that you hate me, that you don't feel the same way I do?" It's not a good feeling, Usagi." "I don't hate you, Mamoru. And I'm only fourteen, I've never even had a boyfriend! How am I to know what love is?" She sighed wistfully. "But, Mamoru? Whenever I think of you, my pulse becomes erratic and my breath quickens. Sometimes, it feels as though fire is coursing through my body, making me all warm and tingly. It's not unpleasant, but…it scares me. Is that love?" "I don't know, Usagi." "Even if it's not love, it's like, right? A crush I've kept hidden, even from myself?" "That's not something I can answer for you." "Mamoru…will you do me a favor?" "What?" "Will you?" "Tell me what you want first." "No, promise me." "Usagi…" "Promise." "Fine. What do you want?" "Will you give me my first kiss?" "What?" "Don't make me repeat myself, please." "Usagi, I can't." "Why not?" "Your first kiss…it's special. It's not something you ever forget." "I know." "But-" "I want it to be with you, Mamoru. Please? Besides, you promised!" He sighed softly. "Fine." "Good!" She stared up at him trustfully, staring into her eyes, before tilting her head upwards and allowing her lashes to flutter down over her eyes. A moment later, she felt his warm breath wafting over her lips before they touched her own, lingering briefly, yet sweetly, before pulling away. She slowly opened her eyes to see him looking steadily at her. "That was nice. A kiss to remember." She smiled shyly. "Even if I'm really inexperienced, if you're willing to teach me, than I'm willing to learn. I do like you, Mamoru, and I would be honoured to be your girlfriend…or the girl you date…or…whatever." He smiled softly. "I think you had it right the first time, Usako. I would love for you to be my girlfriend." "And I would love for you to be my boyfriend….even if you are a dangerous vampire who can kill me at anytime, especially now when we're all alone!" She grinned sweetly, unwittingly causing his heart to melt all over again. He beamed down at her, his joy plainly spread across his face. "You have a beautiful smile…Mamo-Chan. You should smile more!" "I will if you'll continue to hang around, always by my side." "Of course!" "What's with the Mamo-Chan?" "I don't know…I figured, if you have a nickname for me, than shouldn't I have one for you? But, if you don't like it….I mean, it's really dumb, I don't know what I was thinking, and-" "No, I love it, really. I think it's cute." "Really?" "Mmm-hmm." He smiled down at her and held out his hand. "So, would a beautiful goddess like yourself deem herself worthy enough to dance with a lowlife like me?" "I thought you'd never ask." She smiled dazzlingly, taking his proffered hand and gazing up at him in adoration. "After all, we immortals have to band together, do we not?" "But of course, milady." He smiled as he heard her bell-like laughter, and together they headed back into the ballroom, finally united as one. ***** Happy Halloween!!! I have a few elements for P.D.’s challenge, but not enough. Too bad! Oh well, maybe next time, ne!