by Stormlight

"Itai! Watch it!" Rei yelped as she slid completely off the bench and onto the floor. "Odango-baka, why don’t you ever watch what you’re doing?! You’re a walking disaster!" she growled, hauling herself back onto the bench.

"Yeah, whatever," Usagi replied distractedly. "Anyhow, minna-chan, Okaa-san was telling me about this tradition she used to do when she was a kid. She said she used to make kites…"

"So what?" Rei interrupted, still miffed at Usagi’s rude behavior. "What’s the big deal about that? Anyone can make a kite!"

"I’m getting to that!" Usagi huffed, glaring at her friend. "Next, she’d write secret wishes on pieces of paper, and tie them onto the tail of the kite. Then, on a windy day she would fly it, and she said if the wind took the wishes from the kite’s tail, then they’d come true!"

"Wai!" Makoto exclaimed. "What a cute idea!"

"Hai, that’s what I thought, too," Usagi replied, her eyes sparkling. She giggled, and whispered behind her hand, "Wouldn’t it be fun to make our own kites and write wishes on them for the wind to take? Maybe you could wish for a new sempai, ne, Mako-chan?"

Makoto blushed a little and scratched her head, ready to make a retort, but her eyes were drawn upward at that moment, to somebody who had walked up to stand just behind Usagi. She shot her friend a concerned look, and opened her mouth to warn her, but before she could get a word in edgewise, a sudden, somewhat patronizing voice cut in, "Well I, for one, think that’s about the silliest thing I’ve ever heard!"

Usagi stiffened at the sound of Chiba Mamoru’s voice, and her cheeks turned pink as she scowled, her hands clenching into fists. "Who asked you anyhow, Mamoru-baka?" she snapped, not bothering to turn around. "Go mug some little old ladies or something, and leave me alone!"

There came a wry chuckle, and then Mamoru leaned over the bench, resting his arms on the back of it as he tilted his head down for a better look at Usagi. The result of this was that his face was only inches from her own, and she ended up looking right into his deep, blue eyes whilst turning her head to glare at him. Her breath caught in her throat, and her heart started hammering at their close proximity, but before she had time to become embarrassed, or flustered, he continued smugly, "I’m only pointing out the truth. It was probably just a story. There’s no way you can make wishes come true just by writing them out and letting them hang off a kite. It simply isn’t logical."

"Of course it isn’t logical, baka!" she snapped. "And they do so come true! Okaa-san told me it was how she met Otou-san! She wished to meet him, and the very next day, she did!" Mamoru still looked skeptical, but Usagi held up a hand to stop him. "I don’t care what you say! Nobody invited you in on the conversation, anyhow, so just go away!"

Mamoru quirked a smile. "Wakatta. I bet the reason you want to try this so badly is so you can wish for a boyfriend, ne, Odango?" he teased. "You can’t get one any other way."

Usagi’s face flushed even more, and her eyes snapped blue fire at him. But even as she opened her mouth to retort, she heard Motoki calling to him from the counter, and Mamoru stood up again and turned to leave. "Gambatte ne, Odango," he tossed back over his shoulder as he strolled away. "You’re probably gonna need it."

"Drop dead, baka!" she yelled back, before turning around in her seat and slouching down with a scowl. Three pairs of eyes fixed intently on her. "Nani?!" she snapped.

"You like him, don’t you?" Makoto asked curiously.

Her reply was a resounding thunk as Usagi hit the floor, twitching slightly.

Makoto blinked down at her. "Did I say something wrong?" she inquired innocently.

It didn’t escape her notice, however, that Usagi hadn’t actually bothered to deny her accusation, and she exchanged amused smiles with Rei and Ami. This was going to be interesting, indeed.

"Somebody explain to my why it was such a good idea to try and make these baka things out here in the wind?!" Rei growled as she struggled to hold her kite down and tie the tail onto it at the same time. "Whose stupid idea was this, anyhow?!"

"Quit whining! You’re starting to sound like me!" Usagi teased as she attached string onto her kite’s rods. The paper she used was a beautiful royal purple with a pale scroll pattern. She had finished her kite the quickest, but she had to admit that it didn’t look quite how she’d expected it to. The sticks holding the shape together were somewhat lopsided, and the form wasn’t quite like a diamond so much as a box, but she hoped it would still fly. That it would still carry her wishes into the sky so that the wind would take them and make them come true.

She fingered the four little slips of pink tissue paper in her pocket, each with a wish written on it. It was the same wish, on each slip. She didn’t think it was cheating to wish for the same thing four times over. It was really all she wanted, after all. Well…besides getting good grades in school, but that wasn’t nearly as important as getting a certain handsome college guy to like her. He doesn’t even have to really like me like me, she thought hopefully. Although it’d be nice. But…if it could just be that Mamoru-san would be just a little nicer to me. If he’d be just my friend…

Of course "being just friends" was far from what she really wanted, but if that’s all the wish could give her, that was what she’d take. For now.

"Oi! Odango-baka, are you just gonna sit there all day, or are you gonna fly your kite? This was your idea, you know!" Rei suddenly interrupted, giving her friend a jab in the side with her elbow. Usagi yelped and snapped out of her daydreams, glaring briefly at the miko.

"I’m coming! Don’t get your panties in a bunch," she sniffed. "Just…turn around or something. I don’t want you to see my wishes!"

"Naze?" Makoto asked teasingly. "Don’t you want us to see the name of the guy you wrote? Although I can take three guesses as to who it is, and get it right on the first try! His name begins with ‘Mamo’ and ends with ‘Ru’!"

"N-nani?" Usagi squeaked. "I don’t know what you’re talking about!"

"Of course you don’t," Ami added teasingly, her aqua eyes twinkling with mischief. "We’ll just be over here flying our kites while you tie the name that isn’t Mamoru-san’s onto yours."

"Ami-chan!" Usagi squeaked as the blue-haired Senshi skipped away, giggling to herself. Rei and Makoto followed her, grinning evilly. Usagi sighed and shook her head as she took out the slips of paper and tied them carefully to the kite’s tail. Then she joined her friends and let it loose.

To her relief, the kite flew, even if it did spin rather crazily as it ascended into the sky. The wind took it immediately, pulling it higher as she let out more string, and she laughed in delight as it joined the other three kites already flying there; a red one, a green one, and a blue one. The girls exclaimed and laughed as, one by one, the wishes came loose from the tails of the kites and floated away on the wind, each one wondering if it would come true or not. But Usagi was frowning slightly as she watched her own wishes, none of which had been taken yet.

Ami noticed this, and gave Usagi a cheerful smile. "Shikkarishite," she exclaimed encouragingly. "They’ll come loose eventually."

"Hai," Usagi agreed softly, her eyes still fixed on the little slips of fluttering paper. Her excitement was fading, somewhat. It faded even more when the last scrap of paper flitted from Rei’s tail, to be borne away on the wind. Now all of their wishes had been taken, but for hers.

"Maybe you tied them on too tight," Rei suggested gruffly, in that way of hers that meant she was being concerned only she was trying not to show it. "Just bring it down and loosen the knots a little."

"Iie," Usagi replied in a soft voice, her head hanging a little. "It doesn’t work that way. If I bring it down now, the wishes won’t come true. Once the kite’s up, it has to stay there until the wishes are taken. If they aren’t…they won’t be granted."

The Senshi exchanged uneasy looks. Usagi sounded on the verge of tears. This was really important to her; they were only now realizing just how important it was. Makoto brought down her kite and threw a comforting arm over Usagi’s shoulders. "Ano, maybe if you shake the string a little, it’ll jar something loose?" she suggested. "Here, like this." And she reached out to give the string a sharp yank.

The kite immediately spun out of control, hurling crazily down to earth as the girls looked on in horror-stricken silence. When the kite hit the hard ground with a loud crack, Usagi shuddered. "Sumanu!" Makoto gasped, her face paling as she looked down at the other girl. "Oh, Usagi-chan, gomen nasai! I was only trying to help! I didn’t mean…"

"It’s okay, Mako-chan," Usagi hastily interrupted. "I know you didn’t mean to." She swallowed as she walked over to her kite, picking up the pieces. The rods holding it had broken in the middle, and now it hung limply in her hands. The wishes were still firmly affixed to the tail. Her face darkened slightly and she abruptly tossed the kite into a nearby garbage can. Then, with a bright smile that was obviously forced, she turned to her silent friends and added cheerfully, "It was a dumb idea, anyhow. I just thought it would be fun to try. No big deal!"

"Sou!" Makoto replied firmly. "You’re right, Usagi-chan! I mean, where would I get the money to buy my own restaurant, anyway? And if I want a guy I can meet Mr. Right on my own! I don’t need divine intervention for that!"

"Hai," Ami added shyly. "And I know the only way for me to afford that new computer is to save up and buy it. It won’t simply drop into my lap."

All eyes turned to Rei, who blinked back at them owlishly. "Nani?" she asked defensively. "No way am I giving away my wishes by…itai!" Makoto glared as she retracted her elbow. "Eh…that is…" the miko mumbled, her cheeks turning faintly red. "Yuuchirou is kind of a baka, anyway. I’d be better off without him…"

"Yatta!" Usagi suddenly squealed, turning on Rei excitedly. "Ah-ha! I knew it! You do have a thing for Yuuchirou! Admit it! What did you wish for? Did you wish for him to hold your hand and ask you on a date?"

"Usagi…" Rei growled warningly.

"I know! I bet you wished for him to take you into his arms and kiss the living breath out of you!" Usagi continued on delightedly, oblivious to the miko’s growing temper. She threw her arms around herself and proceeded to make loud kissing noises to the air—accompanied by several rather hilarious faces. Then, as she heard a low growl from directly behind her, and realized belatedly that her life was in jeopardy, she squealed with laughter and took off running for dear life toward the arcade, with Rei roaring at her heels.

Makoto and Ami grinned at each other, glad to see that their friend was back to normal—as it were—and quickly gathered up the supplies and the remaining kites, heading after the other two and giggling together all the way.

Unnoticed by either of them, a dark-haired young man who had been passing by—and had overheard much of the conversation—paused by the garbage can and picked up the broken kite from within it. Brow scrunching curiously, he unfastened one of the slips of paper from the tail and unfolded it, reading it silently as blue eyes slowly grew wide in astonishment.

"Tsukino Usagi wishes for Chiba Mamoru to love her."

Clutching the crumpled paper tightly in his hand, Mamoru gazed after the fleeing girls, feeling a small smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. Sighing softly, he let his gaze travel upward, watching the clouds race by on the back of the wind.

Suddenly…he had the strangest urge to go fly a kite.

Briefly, her thoughts returned to yesterday’s failed kite-flying experiment, and the wishes that would never get granted, and her lips pulled into a sad little frown. But Usagi wasn’t one to stay melancholy for long. When a little sparrow suddenly blew past her ear, almost flying backwards as it fought against the strong wind current and chirping loudly just as though it was cursing said wind out, she let her sadness go and released a loud, joyful laugh at the sight. "Poor little bird," she said pityingly as the sparrow, frightened by her laugh, was abruptly caught in the current and borne up out of sight with a startled squawk.

Usagi shrugged and continued on her way to the arcade, reaching it in record time and stepping gratefully into the heated building. "What a windy day!" she exclaimed, slipping onto a stool at the counter where Motoki was busy mixing fruit drinks. "I thought for a moment I was gonna end up flying!"

Motoki chuckled as he took in Usagi’s flushed cheeks and windblown hair. "How about a cup of hot chocolate?" he suggested. "Something tells me you can use it."

"Hai! That sounds great," Usagi agreed enthusiastically. She busied herself with finger-combing the tangles out of her long hair while he poured the drink for her into a tall latte mug, adding two fat marshmallows, a dollop of whipped creme, and some chocolate sprinkles to top it off. "Arigatou!" the girl squealed when he set it in front of her, immediately taking a cautious sip. When she set the mug down again, she had a dab of whipped creme on her nose.

"It’s a good thing Mamoru-kun isn’t here, or he’d be having something to say about that right now," Motoki teased as Usagi blushed and wiped it off with a napkin.

"So where is the old fart, anyhow?" she sniffed, taking a bite out of the whipped creme.

Motoki raised an eyebrow at that, but his grin was sly. "He called earlier and said something about the park, a kite, and that he wouldn’t be able to make it in so to forget about the study break we were gonna take."

Usagi nearly choked on her cocoa when she heard this, and she looked up at Motoki with wide eyes. "Did you say he’s flying a kite at the park?" she wheezed.

"Hai, I did," Motoki replied. Then he shot her a sly glance. "This wouldn’t have anything to do with what you and the girls were talking about on Friday, would it?"

"I don’t know, but I’m gonna go find out!" she replied firmly, finishing the drink off in two large swallows. "Imagine, teasing me that its a silly idea, and then going and stealing it from me! The nerve!" she huffed as she threw some money on the counter. Then she slid off the stool and headed out the door with a big grin on her face that was completely at odds with her complaint.

Motoki watched her go, smiling slightly, and then picked up Usagi’s mug to wash it. Life was certainly interesting where those two were concerned.

"Oi!" she yelled when she was directly behind him, poking him in the sides with her fingers and making him yelp and jump in surprise. "Caught you red-handed!" she crowed gleefully, jumping around to the front to grin smugly into his surprised face. "Thought you’d get away with stealing my ‘silly’ idea, ne? Guess it isn’t so silly, after all! So…what’re you wishing for? A new personality, perhaps?"

She expected Mamoru to scowl and look annoyed with her, and was therefore greatly surprised when he merely smiled. "I was wondering if you’d show up," he told her casually. "Motoki never could keep a secret. Not that I told him to keep this one. Have a seat."

Usagi blinked at him, wondering if he hadn’t hit his head or something. Then, deciding that maybe he just needed some more goading, she grinned and teased, "See? I told you this worked! You didn’t even put your wish up yet, and you’re already showing signs of a better personality!"

Mamoru chuckled. "It wasn’t a personality I wished for, Odango," he replied dryly. Then, seeing her bristle, he added, "How did your wishing go, anyway? Did they come true yet?"

She fought hard to keep the blush down, but it rose to her cheeks anyway, and she could only hope he mistook the flush for wind chill. Her brow furrowed as she looked away, having no clue how to answer that question. Finally, she settled for a shrug, not meeting his gaze. In not meeting it, she missed the flash of tenderness in the blue depths of his eyes as he regarded her. He knew very well, of course, the reason behind her hesitation. "Ne, Odango, maybe you can help me with something," he said gently, making her jerk her gaze back to his own in surprise.

"N-nani?" she asked, a little breathlessly, it seemed.

He took a deep breath and released it slowly. "Ano…I’m not certain how to go about fastening these things onto the tail," he told her, holding up one of the fluttering scraps. "Any suggestions? How tightly do I tie them?" When she still hesitated, he added softly, "I really want this wish to come true, Odango. Will you help me?"

Slowly, she nodded. "Don’t tie them too tightly," she advised in a small voice. "The wind won’t be able to take them, and they won’t come true then." Her voice sounded incredibly sad, and his gaze gentled.

"Sa," he replied softly, and then reached over and took one of her hands into his own. She looked at him through startled eyes as he lay one of the slips into her hand and closed her fingers over it. "Tie one on for me, so I can see how it’s done."

She blinked, then looked down at the paper in her hand. "First you fold it, like this," she instructed, laying the thin slip out flat…and it was then that her eyes fell upon the few words written on the paper.

"Chiba Mamoru wishes for Tsukino Usagi to love him."

Her heart slammed into her throat, cutting off all breath, and in her complete shock, the paper fluttered from beneath her hand and was swept away by the wind. "Iie…" she gasped softly, starting after it instinctively, but a warm hand covering her own stilled her in her tracks.

"It doesn’t matter," his voice echoed softly. "It was only one wish. I have many more." And he held out three more slips of white tissue paper, each one with the same words written on it as that first slip. Usagi stared at them, tempted to either start screaming or start crying or to simply start running. She was almost convinced that he was playing some cruel joke on her…but how could she deny the warmth of his gaze as it rested on her, the tenderness behind the deep blue eyes? "Go on, Usa-chan," he urged her softly, patiently. "You were saying…?"

She blinked and attempted to gather her wits. He had finally spoken her name…and had done so gently and…so intimately… "Uh…I was saying…um…to fold it…" she mumbled, feeling like her head was going to explode, so hard was she blushing. She took another one of his wishes with nerveless fingers and clumsily managed to fold it into a small fan. "And then you…uh…tie it onto the string, in the middle." She swallowed. "Loosely," she reminded him hoarsely. "You tie it loosely so the wind can take it…" She managed to tie it onto the tail without too much hassle, although she didn’t think her brain was participating much in the job. It was still back there reading the words over and over again.

Mamoru was smiling as he watched Usagi attempting to tie his wish onto the tail of his kite. She looked so adorably confused, and yet hopeful, as she focused on the task at hand. He knew she had to be suspecting some kind of joke. He helped her tie the last two wishes onto the tail, but when she would have picked the kite up, his hand on her own stilled her. "Matte," he said softly. "There are still some secret wishes left to tie on."

"M-more?" she squeaked.

He smiled and nodded, and from his jacket pocket he withdrew four crumpled slips of pink tissue paper. He heard her soft gasp as she recognized them, but he didn’t look at her as he began to tie them onto his kite’s tail. "I always thought that everyone deserves a second chance," he began quietly as he tied on the last wish. "It doesn’t seem fair that such beautiful wishes don’t have a chance to come true, because the wisher held onto them too tightly before. So I think that we should ask the wind to give your wishes another chance. And, for added luck…" He pulled a pen from his pocket and carefully wrote on the kite’s surface a final wish.

"Tsukino Usagi and Chiba Mamoru wish to spend their lives together…for all eternity."

She made a little sound in her throat as he picked up the large kite. It was made of immaculate white tissue paper, marred only by the lines of red ink, and one couldn’t help but notice that the rods of the kite were all straight and exacting, the string was attached at just the right places, and it was in the shape of a perfect diamond. Obviously the creator of this kite had spent many long, loving hours planning its construction. Usagi stared at it, comparing it to her own poor little kite, and might have continued to do so if a warm hand hadn’t once again distracted her from her thoughts as Mamoru pulled her gently out to the field. There, he moved to stand behind her, his chest touching her back in a rather unnerving manner, as his arms came about her to hold the kite in front of them both, so that the final wish could clearly be read. "This is our kite, Usa," he murmured in her ear, his warm breath causing a tremble to run through her body. "It contains both our wishes. So we should release it together."

Her hands came up to gingerly grasp the edge of the kite, as though afraid to touch it, and without a word from either of them they simultaneously tossed it into the air. The wind immediately took it, bearing it upwards with powerful gusts as Mamoru quickly released the string. He took Usagi’s hand and placed it over his own on the string, covering it in turn with his, and together they watched the kite soar into the sky. Or rather, she watched, unmoving—almost unbreathing—as the kite dipped and swayed gracefully. Mamoru simply watched her, relishing in the way the sunlight played off her soft hair and highlighted her beautiful features.

And then she gasped, her eyes widening, and his gaze jerked skyward in time to see a pale flutter as one of the seven wishes on the tail suddenly freed itself and floated on the strong breeze into the atmosphere. A small grin tugged at his lips. From that distance, he couldn’t tell what color it was, but it certainly didn’t matter. "That was one," he whispered in her ear, nuzzling it softly and making her jump in surprise. He heard he swallow noisily and grinned. And then another wish slipped free of its bonds and was borne away. "And that’s two," he added teasingly. "One for each of us, ne?"

She nodded slowly, her eyes still fixed on the kite. Apparently she wouldn’t be satisfied until all the wishes were gone. But that was okay, because neither would he. And then, two more wishes were taken by the wind, and as they vanished into the blue of the sky, a faint smile appeared on Usagi’s lips, and her eyes seemed to brighten a little more. She had not spoken a single word, and still she did not speak. But her eyes alone spoke volumes.

Another wish was swept away, and Mamoru was hard pressed to keep from laughing with joy. And there went yet another one. His face split into a wide grin when he heard Usagi giggle a little, and he wrapped his free arm around her in a loose hug. "One more left," he whispered in her ear, making her squirm against him, like a three-year-old who is simply bursting to get up and run around when she knows she needs to sit still for only another moment.

Breathlessly, they watched the final wish fluttering on the end of the kite’s tail, stubbornly refusing to let go. Usagi raised her hands to clasp at her breast, as though praying, but Mamoru was calm as he watched the wish. He knew without a doubt how this was going to turn out.

And then…the wind picked up with a mighty shriek and tore the remaining wish from the kite’s tail, bearing it triumphantly away into the clouds as kite danced crazily in its wake. Usagi’s mouth dropped open, and then she gave a little sob before her folded hands came sharply up to cover her mouth. Her wide eyes slowly traveled upwards until they met a deep, cerulean gaze, and a single tear streaked down her cheek as she turned to face him, trembling.

It was the moment of truth.

Slowly, two warm hands came up to clasp Usagi’s cold little fingers and lower them from her mouth. Mamoru smiled at her warmly as he gazed through lidded eyes down at the half-delighted, half-terrified face of his love. "You’re trembling," he whispered, reaching up to let his thumb caress down her reddened cheek, tracing the line of her tear.

"I…" she began, then stopped, not certain what to say next. She felt like she was in a dream, where everything moved in slow motion and time seemed to have no hold over anything. She watched in a daze as he stepped closer to her, his arms coming around her to embrace her gently, pulling her even closer. And she watched as his head lowered, her eyes falling to his lips, which were only inches away from hers. They looked soft and warm and inviting, and she wondered what it would be like to kiss them. In another moment, she found herself doing exactly that as he pressed them to her own in a tender kiss that made her whole body feel like it was melting. His lips, she quickly discovered, were indeed soft. Exquisitely soft, in fact, and very, very warm, and they caressed her own with such tender passion that she felt she might die from the feelings his touch invoked.

Slowly, he raised his head enough so that he could gaze once more into her dazed eyes. "Usako," he whispered huskily, seeing her eyes widen in surprise and delight at the name. "Aishiteru, Usako. You never needed to wish for my love, because you’ve always had it. But still, I’m glad you did."

"Mamo-chan," she breathed, a hand coming up to shyly trace the contour of his face. "D-do you really love me?"

"More than anything else in this entire world," he replied solemnly, regarding her with utmost tenderness. "Tell me, Koishii…how you feel."

"Yatta!" she squealed, throwing her arms around his neck and holding on tight. "Aishiteru, Mamo-chan! Aishiteru!" His arms came about her tightly, and she felt his lips caressing her hair, her neck, her closed eyes, as all the while he whispered sweet promises in her ear, making her smile with delight. Finally, his lips settled tenderly over hers again in a kiss meant to bind him to her, to make her his own and nobody else’s, for the rest of eternity. It was a kiss which she eagerly took, and returned to him wholeheartedly.

And as the two young lovers embraced, neither of them noticed a white, glowing diamond, bearing the final wish, soaring into the sky, carried away on the wind until it vanished from sight.