~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*                         The Longest Day Ever                          by Lady Aishiteru                              Chapter 4                            Honda Hijinks ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* Disclaimer: It's a known fact that the worst smell in the world is that of a wet dog. REAL Disclaimer: I don't own Sailor Moon. Just this story. Now relax. Have a pickle. ^_- ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* February 14th was beginning to get better for me. Maybe it's not the worst day of the year after all. Even if, the way things are going, it may be the *only* day of the year. I had lived my whole life under rigid, self-imposed restraints, but now I felt freer, lighter somehow. I was starting to like that I could do anything I wanted, and nobody would remember it the next day. I'd even been skipping school...what's the point of going when every day they teach you the same thing? Without school, several hours of my time were freed up. As long as I didn't commit suicide or go back to sleep, the day would continue. If I fell asleep or died, the day would simply restart itself at A.M., with that annoyingly perky deejay and a song by a certain set of twins that was getting old fast. Those were the rules, as I understood them anyways. It took me five Valentine's Days to find out where Usagi lives and to record in my mind exactly when she bursts out of the door like a bat out of Hell. I'd been tailing her for a month's worth of Valentine's Days, finding out what her favorite ice cream is, her favorite color, favorite flower, etc. I also found out that she was Sailor Moon after I saw her transform before the battle with that ridiculous youma. I wasn't too worried about getting caught spying. As Tuxedo Mask, I was very good at remaining concealed and blending in with the shadows. Even if I was discovered by Usagi, she'd forget about it the next day anyways. I know stalking girls three years your junior is creepy, especially when it's the girl you love, but I wasn't trying to hurt her. It was the only way I could think of to get to know her better. After all, she thought I hated her, so the traditional method of conversation would look suspicious to her. So I knew that at exactly 7:45:32 A.M., Usagi storms out of the front door, toast in hand. At 7:44, I parked my black Ferrari, and walked over to the front door, my hands in my pocket, whistling a nameless tune I knew from a long, long time ago, almost like a memory. (AN: The tune is not really nameless. It's Moonlight Dentesu, but in Mamoru's world, it's just that haunting melody that the Star Locket plays.) "Mom, I've got to go, I'm majorly late!" I heard her yell from the other side of the door. If I wasn't so intent on being a gentleman, I would have doubled over laughing at the shocked expression on Usagi's face when she saw none other than Chiba Mamoru, arch nemesis, at the door. "MAMORU!" she exclaimed, scaring away wintering birds from several nearby trees. "Ohayo. Would you like a ride to school?" A look of suspicion crossed her face. "What's the catch? So you can rub it in my face?" "No catch. I promise. I just want to help you, Usagi." "U-Usagi? Did I hear you right?" I resisted the urge to roll my eyes. After all, she didn't know that she had said the same thing before. Instead, I smiled my best megawatt charmer. "Would you rather I call you Odango?" I asked. "Ie, Ie," she replied, relaxing a bit. "Would you like a ride or not? I promise not to tease you." She looked at her watch, then at me, and back at her watch again. "Okay." 'YESSS!' I thought. I walked her over to the passenger's side of the Ferrari and opened the door for Usagi, which earned me a raised eyebrow. I could tell she was impressed by the spotless leather interior by the way her eyes bugged out, even though she didn't say a word. "So, why are you being so nice to me all of a sudden?" she asked. I sighed. I should have expected my motives to come under question. "I....don't want you to hate me anymore, Usagi." She looked at me with big, questioning eyes. "Doushite?" After a pause, I said, "I don't have many friends, Usagi. In many ways I am alone...." "Alone? Don't you at least have your mom or your dad to talk to?" "Nain. They died in a car crash when I was very little," I said. "Kami, gomen ne," she said, a single tear rolling down her cheek. "I had no idea." At this point, we had arrived at Juuban Middle School. I wiped the tear from her cheek as she turned a curious face towards me. The moment I withdrew my finger from her silken cheek, I felt deprived of the warmth of Usagi. She looked at her watch and smiled. "Arigatou, Mamoru-sama. I'm actually going to be early for a change." On impulse, I caught her hand in mine, holding it gently but firmly. "Meet me after school at the park," I said, looking straight into her eyes. "H...hai," she stammered, blushing profusely. I smiled. "Sugoi! Ja ne, then." "Ja," she said, walking slowly, as if in a trance. Unknown to her was the fact that my enthusiasm was due not only to her saying yes, but that she was blushing when I held her hand in mine. Maybe there was a chance for me after all. ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* After that, I sauntered into the Arcade, where Motoki was whistling a tune. "Ohayo, Motoki." "Ohayo. You're early today, Mamoru." I smiled. "I drove here today." "In the Ferrari or the Harley?" "Ferrari." "Kami, I LOVE that car! It's like riding on a cloud," he said, sighing. "Not like my stupid Honda." I laughed. "Aw, come on. It's not your fault the Arcade pays jack." "I know, I know. Still, it might be...fun to see how fast it can go." "Well, the odometer says it can go up to 200 mph." "Yeah, like you'd ever GO that fast. You drive like a little old lady!" "Pfft. I just don't want to get it scratched up, that's all." He laughed. "Yeah, like a model can't afford repairs for a few dings." I raised my eyebrow. "That sounded like a challenge, Furuhata." "Maybe it was!" he said. "OK then, how about a drag race?" He gulped the air nervously, but stammered a yes. ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* "You ready to lose?" I asked, as my car sat, poised and ready, in front of a long, empty road, at a spot we had deemed the starting point. "Never!" he cried, his voice full of male bravado. I revved up my engine, and he did the same in turn. "Ready, set, GO!" I said, then we both took off. I smiled as I pulled down my goggles, putting the top down of my Ferrari, letting the wind whip through my hair. (AN: Yes, it's a convertible.) For moment, it looked like Motoki was gaining on me, but the numbers on my odometer climbed steadily, and I attained a seemingly insurmountable lead. I kept smiling as the numbers climbed to 80, then 90, then 100 and still rising, Motoki's old jalopy becoming a green speck in my rearview mirror. "Ha ha ha, eat my dust, slowpoke!" I cried, even though I knew very well that he couldn't hear me. Suddenly, the road stopped. I had passed a sign that said "Caution: bridge out" but I was going too fast to read it. But it was too late to stop, and I tumbled over the bridge. "Well, at least I won!" I thought as the car careened towards the ground. I watched the ground rise up to meet me. Everything was red, then I saw nothing at all. ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* "Ohayo, minna! Happy Valentine's Day! Hope you have someone to snuggle up against, because it's going to be cold outside!" I groaned as I sat up in my bed. "Man, that hurt like hell!" I thought. 'Well, at least I wasn't *trying* to kill myself this time. That counts as progress, right?' I thought as I splashed cold water on myself and shaved my undamaged face. I put on some aftershave, my favorite scent, that smelled like spice and roses. I drove in front of Usagi's house, then looked at my watch. 'Just in time,' I thought as I walked up to her door. "MAMORU!" she exclaimed. Even though I was expecting that, I still winced. 'Man, that girl's lungs pack a wallop.' "Ohayo. Would you like a ride to school?" The same look of suspicion crossed her face. "What's the catch? So you can rub it in my face?" "No catch. I promise. I just want to help you, Usagi." "U-Usagi? Did I hear you right?" I once again resisted the urge to roll my eyes. After all, she didn't know that she had said the same thing yesterday...or today...or whatever. These damn time paradoxes are starting to give me a headache. "Would you rather I call you Odango?" I asked. "Ie, Ie," she replied, relaxing a bit. "Would you like a ride or not? I promise not to tease you." She looked at her watch, then at me, and back at her watch again, her face screwing up in that adorable way it does when she's concentrating. I love it when she does that. "Okay." I walked her over to the passenger's side of the Ferrari and opened the door for Usagi, which earned me another raised eyebrow. "So, why are you being so nice to me all of a sudden?" she asked. 'Okay, here comes my line.' I thought. Even though I was repeating myself, I was still sincere. "I....don't want you to hate me anymore, Usagi." "Doushite?" "I don't have many friends, Usagi. In many ways I am alone...." "Alone? Don't you at least have your mom or your dad to talk to?" "Nain. They died in a car crash when I was very little." "Kami, gomen ne," she said, a single tear rolling down her cheek. "I had no idea." This was the cue for us to arrive at Juuban Middle school, and sure enough, there we were. I wiped the tear down her cheek, and it wasn't any easier to take my hand away from her soft skin. She looked at her watch and smiled. "Arigatou, Mamoru-san. I'm actually going to be early for a change." Again, I took her hand in mine. "Meet me after school at the park," I said, looking straight into her eyes. "H...hai," she stammered, blushing profusely. I smiled. "Sugoi! Ja ne, then." "Ja," she said, walking slowly, as if in a trance. 'This time, I'll keep my promise,' I thought, driving off. ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* After that, I went to the Arcade, where Motoki was whistling the same tune as the day before. Come to think of it, I know that tune. I think it's "Every Little Thing She Does is Magic," by Sting. Yes, that's it. "Ohayo, Motoki," I said, all smiles. "Ohayo. You're early today, Mamoru." "Yep," I said, not wanting to do anything foolish with my car again, still remembering that awful feeling when my bones split into my organs. "Cool." "Hey, Motoki-kun," I said, having wanted to use this information for days, but not having had the chance. "Pick a number, onegai?" "From what to what?" "Any number." "OK." "The number was 1,456, ne?" "How..how did you know that?" he stammered. "How? I asked you on Valentine's Day." "That can't be true. You've never asked me to pick a number, not in all the years I've known you." "But it is true," I said. "Have you ever seen the movie Groundhog's Day?" "Hai, Reika made me rent it." "Heh heh heh...you are SO whipped." "Yeah, so what's your point?" "I'm living that movie, except it's Valentine's Day that repeats itself," I said. "Prove it," he said. "OK. That couple over there is having a fight over where they will spend their honeymoon. She wants to go to the Bahamas, but he wants to go to Cancun. Eventually, they will decide they can't afford either and opt for China." "Yeah, that does sound like a good idea," said the man, looking up at me from his fight. "And that kid is working up the courage to ask Sakuya to the big dance at Poisuki tonight, but he'll find out that she's already going with Tenchi."(AN: Shameless anime crossover.) The boy sighed as if a weight had been lifted of his shoulders and contentedly sipped his milkshake. "And in about five seconds a lady with cropped red hair and a powder blue business suit will come up to the counter and order a cup of coffee, two creams, two sugars." At that moment, a tall, slender woman with short, fiery hair came up to the counter. "Hi, I'd like a cup of coffee, two creams, two sugars, onegai," she said, slapping down seventy-five yen. Motoki brought the coffee to the businesswoman then stood in front of me, his jaw agape. I put seventy-five yen on the counter, then walked away, leaving him in his confusion. ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* Another tidbit I had gleaned from following Usagi around was that she gets out of school at 4:00, one hour later than the other students because Ms. Haruna is especially cranky on Valentine's Day, her boyfriend having broken up with her over the phone a night prior. But I knew that Ms. Haruna would probably be so shocked at Usagi's timeliness that she would let Usagi be dismissed with the other students of the last period class. My hunch proved correct as Usagi skipped over to the car at 3:00, swinging a basket full of Valentine's Day cards and stuffed bunnies. "Hi, Mamoru!" she sang cheerfully. "Wow, you sure are popular this year," I said, helping her unload her booty into the car. "Me too! I mean, this is the first year ever that the guys paid any attention to me. I don't know why," she said, buckling up. "I do," she said. "Lemme guess, some weird spaghetti and meatball fetish?" I laughed. "Nope." "Then tell me, oh great wise one," she said, more out of humor than sarcasm. "Nope. I can't tell you 'till we get to the park," I said, smiling. "Come on! Tell meeeee!" she squealed. "No way!" "Pleease?" "Nope." "Pretty please with a cherry on top?" "Nope." Out of the corner of my eye, I watched her twirl a strand of her hair around her index finger. I was so enraptured by her, I nearly forgot to look at the road. She just got cuter every time I was with her. Soon, we arrived at the park, and I opened the door for Usagi. As soon as we were both walking, a stray snowball hit Usagi squarely on her stomach. "I'll protect you, fair lady!" I said, scooping up snow and hurling it at her would be assailant. "Thank you, brave sir!" she said, giggling. "Now kneel, brave sir." "Hai," I said, grinning. She scooped up some show and deposited it squarely on my head. "I dub thee Sir Mud," she said, laughing. "Grrr!" I said. "You'll pay for that!" She took off and I was close on her heels. But she was no match for the mighty Tuxedo Kamen. Soon, I came up from behind and tackled her to the ground. Having Usagi pinned to the ground, I tickled her where she was most ticklish, under her arms. "Do you surrender?" "Never!" she said between peals of laughter. "Say uncle! Say uncle!" "All right! Uncle, uncle!" she said, still laughing hilariously. My logical mind warned me not to look into her eyes, but it was too late as I stayed over her, transfixed, held spellbound. "Now will you tell me?" "Demo, I forgot" I breathed. "Tell me why I'm so popular with the guys this year," she said, breathing hard. Right then, I almost lost my powers of speech as she looked into my eyes, reading the emotion contained in them to tell if I was sincere or not. 'God, the things she does to me,' I thought. "I can think of a million reasons. The look on your face when you're bashing monsters in that Sailor V game. The smile you get when you're talking with your friends. The way the light catches just so in your hair and makes it sparkle like liquid gold. The way you put your heart and soul into everything you do and never pretend. The way you say exactly what's on your mind. You're even cute when you're angry. It's because you're beautiful, Usagi, both inside and in." "That...has to be the nicest thing anyone has ever said to me," she said, a tear making a salty trail down her face. I leaned over and kissed the tears from her face. "And I meant every word of it. Would you like to go out tonight?" "After all that, how can I say no?" "Great! I'll pick you up at seven?" "That would be good," she said. "Well, it's getting dark now," I said. "I'll drive you home." So I did, and we talked about everything and nothing at all. After I dropped her off, a tear ran down my own face. As much as I was thrilled to have her friendship, and even the promise of something more, it hurt like a dagger in my chest knowing that she would remember none of this in the morning and we would be enemies again. So I resolved to make this a night she would not soon forget. ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* I picked her up at seven on the dot. She somehow managed to look even more beautiful, wearing a long, powder blue skirt and a pink cashmere sweater. She smelled like lilacs, and I found it somewhat difficult to drive; the scent was intoxicating. I took her to a pizza place, the best one in Tokyo. I ordered us both a Hawaiian pizza, knowing it was her favorite. We talked about everything going on in our lives, from her sadistic teachers to my job as a model. The date was going fine until it was time to order dessert. "Two rocky roads, please," I said. The waitress nodded and hurried off to get our ice cream. "This is perfect," Usagi said, sighing. I nodded in agreement. I was about to say that I was really enjoying spending the evening with her when, without warning, her face became clouded with rage. 'Uh oh,' I thought. "You...JERK!" she said. "You've been spying on me, like some creepy stalker!" "Of course not!" "Yes, you have! How else would you have known where I live, when I get out of school, even without detention? How else would you know that I my favorite flowers are roses, that I love sitting by the lake in the park, that my favorite pizza is Hawaiian, and that my favorite ice cream is rocky road?!" For the first time in my life, I, Chiba Mamoru, was unable to come up with a witty retort. ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* "Ohayo, minna! Happy Valentine's Day! Hope you have someone to snuggle up against, because it's going to be cold outside!" Groaning, I sat up in bed, my cheek still stinging from where Usagi had slapped my face in lieu of a goodnight kiss, not so much with physical pain, but by memory. "Dammit, that girl is impossible!" I exclaimed. "So are you, but you don't hear me yelling about it at 6 in the morning!" "SHUT UP! Mind your own business!" I yelled back to my cranky neighbor. "That's hard to do when you're BROADCASTING IT TO THE WHOLE GODDAMN CITY!" "A little louder," said another angry tenant. "I don't think they heard you in America." "Shut up, shut UP!" said a third. I listened to the sounds of an angry apartment complex as I got ready for the day. Even if I did have eternity to make things right with Usagi, would that even be enough? I sure hoped so, and I was determined to find a way how.