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"GAH!" A petrified scream echoed throughout the Tsukino household, jolting three humans and a black cat from their sleep. It was almost six o'clock in the morning, the first light of dawn creeping through the window. The occupants of the Tsukino household were scared and curious, not because Tsukino Usagi had screamed bloody murder, but because said Tsukino Usagi was never awake before dawn on any given day.
Luna, being the closest to the fourteen year old girl, scrambled to her feet and searched the room with blazing red eyes for any sign of the Negaverse. The last light of the full moon glinted slightly on the crescent marking on her forehead, but otherwise she blended in with the shadows almost perfectly. "Usagi-chan," she hissed. "What's the matter? Was it a youma? A nightmare? Should I contact the other Senshi?" The moon-cat rambled off suggestions, not noticing that her charge was ignoring her. Usagi had perfected the art of tuning Luna's sometimes annoying voice out of her thoughts.
A moment later, two adults and an adolescent boy stumbled into the room. Tsukino Kenji held a baseball bat at ready, sure that his daughter had screamed because a boy was invading her personal space. Ikuko only looked worriedly at her daughter, trying to figure out what could have upset her so much.
Usagi's younger brother, Shingo, blinked a bit before his eyes zeroed in on his sister's forehead. Promptly, he burst out laughing like a hyena. "Hahahahaha! Baka Odango Atama has a pimple! And it's the hugest, most disgusting thing I've ever seen! I'd never thought my sister could get any uglier, but this proves it...Haha!"
Immediately, Usagi glared at her brother, sky-blue eyes flashing angrily. "You little dweeb! Don't comment on my pimple! It's...it's not that bad. Right, Mom?" She turned pleading eyes to her mother, begging for reassurance.
Ikuko took a quick glance at her daughter's forehead and couldn't help but stare. Despite Shingo's cruel words, the insults had been made justly. There was just nothing that could compare to the hideous zit on Usagi's face. "Um, well...it will go away in a few days," she offered, not daring to confirm Shingo's words. Kenji lowered his baseball bat and grabbed Shingo from the room, and lectured him on how he had to behave and not insult his sister.
Shingo's protests of, "But it was priceless! Didn't you see her face?" died down the farther he got from Usagi's room.
Warily, the blue-haired woman eyed her daughter again. The black cat sitting on the edge of the bed looked like it was trying to hold back laughter, but Ikuko dismissed that thought as cats weren't that perceptive. The blonde's hands had clenched around her bed sheets in anger. "How did he learn that name? I swear...he must have heard it from Rei or that annoying BAKA..." she left the rest hanging before relaxing slightly and putting her hair up in its familiar 'odangoes.'
Her mother chose wisely not to respond, but instead followed her husband and son to give Usa some time to herself.
When her mother had gone, the super-hero in civilian form flinched and looked at her cat. "Luna! This is hideous!" she wailed. "There is nothing more disgusting than this pimple on my forehead! ...Except for maybe Mamoru-baka's green jacket. Ugh, how can he stand to wear that thing? Does he have no fashion sense?" she ranted, momentarily forgetting the problem sitting on her face.
Without Ikuko around, Luna freely chuckled. "That pimple looks...oh, I can't wait to see the girls' reaction," she uncharacteristically commented.
Her charge swirled around to glare at her. "Just whose side are you on anyways, Luna?" The black moon-cat sat quietly, not daring to answer. "Oh...why do bad things always happen to me? I didn't want to be Sailor Moon...I don't want this pimple...wait a minute! Luna! This pimple! It's a devious plot by the Negaverse; they infected me with this hideous skin deformity!" Usagi exclaimed.
Luna rolled her eyes. "Right, Usagi-chan. Say, where did you learn such big words?" Her remark earned her a pillow in the face. With the argument over, the blonde teenager swiftly left the room and returned moments later with her mother's make-up case.
"I have to try to hide this," she explained before dabbing some blush on her forehead. The result was not pretty. Instead of making her face look normal, the added color only drew attention to the pimple. "This isn't working!" she whined, throwing her hands up in frustration. Luna raised an eyebrow.
Tsukino Usagi glanced at her kitty and grinned. "Hey, Luna...I can use the Luna Pen to disguise myself as normal Usagi without a pimple! At least until the disgusting thing goes away!" Happy that she found a solution, the blonde twirled about her room and dressed herself in her Juuban Crossroads Junior High school uniform.
Expression stern, the lunarian feline protested angrily. "NO Usagi-chan! The Luna Pen is only to be used for Senshi business or extreme emergencies. I'm sorry, but a pimple does NOT qualify as an emergency. Even if you were not Sailor Moon, you'd still have this problem," Luna admonished.
"But Luna!"
"No buts!"
-+-
A short time later, a young man strolled to his favorite street corner, intent on purposefully crashing into the blonde hurricane that whirled her way to school every morning. Of course, he had perfected his routine to include seeing his arch-nemesis aka Tsukino Usagi every day, every chance he could get. And Chiba Mamoru was very determined, especially where his Odango Atama was concerned.
He had only met her a few precious months prior, but he felt as if he'd known his angel all his life. Despite his feelings, Mamoru guessed that Usagi hated him, and would continue to hate him for all eternity. He couldn't really blame her...all he did was insult her and make her feel bad about herself. Yet, even knowing she hated him, the dark-haired college student couldn't help but continue to crash into her daily; it was almost like an addiction. Usagi was the light to his darkness, and he needed her or his entire life would fade to nothing. Or at least, that's how powerful the emotions coursing through his body seemed to be whenever she was nearby. He couldn't help but fall in love with her, but he was damned if she ever found out his true feelings! Their entire relationship was based on insults, and he couldn't bear to lose the somewhat tiny relationship he had with her over something as trivial as love.
Smiling to himself, he prepared himself for the impact. He knew when Usagi would zoom around their corner...and he was always ready for her. What he wasn't prepared for was the gigantic and gruesome pimple sitting in the middle of her forehead. He barely got a chance to look at it before the blonde teenager plowed him over, smashing her forehead against his equally gruesome green jacket.
"Ew, you Odango Atama! What is that thing on your face? And did it just leak some pus on my jacket? I'll have you know that this jacket-"
"Doesn't need anything to make it worse than it already is! Why, I bet my pimple pus actually helped your jacket, fashion-wise...Mamoru-baka!" Usagi finished shouting at him, glad that she could actually come up with something clever for once.
Mamoru winced visibly in mock hurt. "Ouch, Odango..."
"USAGI!" screamed the girl, jabbing her finger at his chest in anger. "Learn my name!"
"Your name is Odango Atama," replied Mamoru smoothly, wiping his jacket clean. "Seriously though, Odango...that pimple is repulsive."
Usagi blinked, clearly confused. "What's that mean?"
Mamoru sighed and dramatically slapped his hand to his own, unblemished, forehead. "Ah, Odango...never mind. Your puny brain wouldn't understand even if I explained it to you." He glanced at his watch, and then back to Usagi. "Aren't you late for school?"
The blonde shook her head. "I'm not going! Are you crazy? Go into school with this...this thing on my forehead? No way, I'm on my way to the arcade!" she shouted triumphantly, grinning.
"Ah." Mamoru raised an eyebrow. "Going to show off your lovely pimple to Motoki, ne, Odango? I bet he'd get down on his hands and knees to propose to you once he sees it...just think. That pimple bringing you everlasting love," he sighed dramatically, clasping his hands over his heart. Inside, his heart hurt to think of the blonde girl's crush on his best friend, but at least he could hide his own feelings behind the insults.
Growing red with rage, Usagi clenched her fists together. How dare Mamoru-baka remind her of Motoki seeing her with this blemish on her face! "How dare you, Baka? At least I have a heart! But you're so cold and unfeeling...I would rather spend time with a youma than with you!" She swung at him, missing by a mile in her anger. Of course, her experiences as Sailor Moon kept her in constant situations involving youma, but to any normal citizen, it would seem like a great insult. And in a bizarre way, it was true. Usagi did feel more comfortable on the battlefield than arguing with Mamoru.
When she was around him, her feelings seemed to coil inside her, confusing her to no end. If she thought about it, she would admit she had some deep feelings for the older boy, but her pride was in the way. At least during battle, her objective was clear: vanquish the youma. But with Mamoru, everything was puzzling.
Mamoru sighed, hiding the pain in his heart. Her words had struck a nerve, but he hadn't spent his entire life learning to close off his emotions for nothing. "Well, Odango, you can't miss school. Your already horrible grades would plummet and then where would you be? Besides living in a box on the side of the road because you dropped out of Junior High?" he snorted, not mentioning that he would never let her live on the side of the road.
As Usagi was about to lash out at him again, he raised his hand to prevent the outburst. "I'll help you, Odango Atama. Why don't I try to pop that thing for you?" He genuinely smiled at her when she looked at him doubtfully.
"Why should I trust you, Mamoru-baka? All you've ever done is hurt me..."
This stung worst of all, as it was not an insult but Usagi's heartfelt words towards him. "Trust me on this, Odango!" he half-pleaded. "Would you rather your friends view you as some freak because of this thing?" Finally considering the possibility, Usagi slowly nodded and led the way to the park.
-+-
Once there, the pair took a seat on a park bench overlooking the lake. Nobody was around to comment about a teenager ditching school, so they could try to get rid of that devastating pimple without any interruptions.
A bit cautious, Usagi raised her head slightly. "If you hurt me, Mamoru-baka..." she growled, leaving the threat hanging in the air between them.
Mamoru shook his head. "I won't...Usagi." Ignoring the girl's shocked face, Mamoru carefully lifted his palms to cup her face. When his skin touched hers, both of them reeled back as if struck, ignoring the electricity coursing through their bodies from the simple contact. Shaking slightly, the dark-haired young man again held her head in his hands. Usagi stared at him with wide eyes, her confusion obvious by the look on her face. Mamoru ignored it, focusing on the task at hand. His thumbs carefully brushed the sides of her face, trailing electrifying tingles wherever his skin touched hers.
Sighing in bliss, without either of them realizing it, Mamoru forgot about the pimple and thought only of the girl who held his heart. She was so close, and yet so far. He knew she would never let him touch her so intimately again, so he chose to savor the moment. Procrastinating, his cobalt-blue eyes swept over her face, burning every feature into his memory. Usagi actually looked relaxed and comfortable, now that she had gotten over the shock his touch induced.
Usagi, too, was experiencing similar emotions that the man across from her was dealing with. She blinked slightly, wondering why he wasn't moving anymore to pop the horrendous pimple disturbing her forehead. Her eyes locked onto his at last, a questioning look reflected in their depths.
Shaking himself out of his stupor, Mamoru knew he had to get started on popping that pimple or else risk looking suspicious and revealing his feelings to the blonde odango sitting so close to him. He knew if their relationship turned even a tad bit towards friendship, his feelings would overload and he would spill his secret desire and love for her to hear. And then, he knew she would just laugh at him. So he had to pop that pimple.
The pimple refused to pop.
The simple mission to make a pimple burst was turning out to be long, tedious, and impossible. No matter how hard Mamoru squeezed, it was all in vain. The pimple just did not want to go away.
'Not that I blame it, of course,' Mamoru thought to himself. 'If I was that pimple, I'd rather be stuck to Usako's face for eternity...am I jealous of a pus-infected pimple?' Slumping in defeat, he unwillingly tore his hands from Usagi's face. "I'm sorry...it just won't pop," he explained glumly.
Usagi, who had been uncharacteristically quiet for a change, followed suit. "Ugh! Why won't it go away? My life is ruined...make-up doesn't cover it, I can't disguise it, and it won't pop! Nothing good ever comes of pimples!" she complained loudly, getting up and stomping away in rage.
Mamoru tilted his head after her. 'You're wrong, Usako...that pimple gave me an excuse to touch your beautiful face, if only for an instant.' Yet, in another corner of his mind, he was ashamed. He, Tuxedo Kamen, was thwarted by a simple pimple stuck to the love of his life's face. Sighing, he knew going down that road would only lead to heartbreak...well, Sailor Moon was in love with his alter-ego. Mamoru smiled slightly, deciding to ask her out next battle. After all, if they got on friendlier terms, maybe the Senshi would help him find his Princess...
-+-
The city of Tokyo was bustling away, even without children rushing to school and adults rushing to work. The sidewalk was still filled with all kinds of people; not one person noticed Usagi skipping class.
Sometime later, Usagi calmed down enough to think about her situation. She had the ugliest pimple marring her face. Nothing she tried could get rid of it. She couldn't go anywhere where anybody could recognize her...she had to get rid of that pimple! But how?
An interesting magazine article caught her eye: Recent Studies on Heat and Pimples.
Walking closer to the magazine and newspaper cart, Usagi snatched the article, eyes zipping across the words. A wide smile spreading across her face, the odangoed-girl set off at a run towards home. Now she had something new to try to get rid of that horrible pimple...
Bursting through her front door, Usagi quickly scanned the living room and kitchen for any sign of her family. Her dad was at work by now, and Shingo at school. And Tuesday was her mother's shopping day, so the young girl had the house all to herself.
She ran to the kitchen, eager to try something she learned about in the article. The piece of writing had explained that heat made the pus in pimples rise...so all she had to do was apply heat to her forehead and then the pimple would be pop-able!
Even though Usagi wasn't an expert in the kitchen, she knew enough to boil water. She turned the stove on high enough to burn something and waited for the water to be ready. When she was satisfied with the bubbling, she dropped a spoon into the pot and waited five minutes, letting the spoon absorb the burning heat. She knew from the article that metal conducted heat, so a spoon was the perfect tool to use.
Usagi turned off the stove and quickly pulled the spoon out of the boiling water, screeching in pain as the burning sensation swept through her nerves. "OW OW OW OW OW! IT BURNS!" It didn't help that she was still holding a smoking piece of metal in her hand. Before it cooled, Usagi smacked the spoon to her forehead and ducked her forehead into the fire-hot water sitting on the stove.
"AH!" she shrieked, her scream echoing throughout the house much like it had only hours before, only much louder. Her skin was burned, her entire forehead was blackened and red and some blood was rushing down her face. Horrid scabs were forming around her eyes...and the worst thing was that the pimple was still in perfect shape.
"NOOOOOOOOOO!" she yelled again, causing the windows to rattle from the force of her screams.
Luna, who was on her way down the stairs from the first scream, bolted down the rest of the way and into the kitchen. Her red eyes widened upon seeing her charge, in great pain, with vile burns and scabs in addition to that awful pimple. "USAGI-CHAN!" she yowled. "Why aren't you at school? And...what did you do to yourself?"
"Not now, Luna..." Usagi whimpered and lay down on the tiled floor. Curling up into a fetal position, she sniffled and stared at her cat with forlorn eyes. "Nothing I do gets rid of it...I even sunk so low as to ask Mamoru-baka to help and pop it for me!" she whined. "So I lost my dignity for nothing, and..."
"Wait, you asked Mamoru for help with that thing?" asked Luna, bewildered. She knew Usagi would never ask Mamoru for help unless she was in dire need.
Before Usagi could answer, a loud beeping filled the room. Fishing out her communicator, Usagi answered the call. "Moon here, what's up?" Luna listened in.
"Youma at the mall parking lot!" came Mercury's voice across the device. "Hurry...we need to dust it and get back soon. I have an Advanced Biology test to take later today, and I'm only twelve chapters ahead!"
"Yeah, ok...wait, how do you know about the youma attack? You're still in school!" Usagi asked, wide-eyed. Did Ami skip school?
"Some people were running in the street, shouting about the monster. There was an ever bigger mob than usual, so the commotion was easy to hear. I asked for a bathroom pass...so let's go!" Ami explained hurriedly, not bothering to ask why Usagi wasn't in school. Luckily, Ami was so involved in explaining about the youma attack that she didn't notice Usagi's condition.
When the connection ended, Usagi turned to Luna. "Luna! I can't use the tiara if my forehead is burning like this...and the other girls will ask questions for sure, and Mars will laugh at me!"
The lunar cat pondered this for awhile. "Since this is Senshi business, and since your face does look pretty bad...you can use the Luna Pen to hide to your pimple and scars. But only for the fight," she warned, staring at the blonde super-hero pointedly.
"Oh, alright..." Usagi mumbled and held up her broach. "Moon Prism Power!" Amidst a sensational lightshow, Usagi transformed into Sailor Moon. Striking a pose, she ran from the house and jumped across town to the mall parking lot. When the battle was in view, she stopped and held the Luna Pen above her head. "Disguise Power! Change my face to its normal, unblemished state!" The magical lunar device worked its magic, and when it was done, Sailor Moon looked like she always had. The burns, scabs, and most importantly, the pimple, had all disappeared from view. She still felt the pain, but at least nothing would attract her friends' attention.
-+-
"Ugh! This is pointless! Who ever thought to send youmas to attack a mall parking lot? I mean, if you're going to attack, attack somewhere useful!" ranted the Senshi of fire.
"Queen Beryl, apparently," stated Mercury, too involved in her Mercury Computer to realize it was meant to be sarcasm.
It was about this time that the Senshi of the Moon arrived at the scene. Immediately, she gawked at the youma, smacking a hand to her forehead, before realizing that the simple action would bring further pain. "Ow!" she exclaimed silently to herself, wincing at the sudden burning ache on her head. This youma looked like a gigantic pimple, so similar to the one that adorned her own forehead. Silently, Sailor Moon shook her head and prepared to make her entrance speech.
"Hey you!" she shouted, striking her trademark pose. The Pimple-Youma quickly turned to face her, giving Mars and Mercury a time to boost their energy. "How dare you attack this mall parking lot! This is where...um..." Sailor Moon blinked and looked around the parking lot, realizing as Mars had, that this attack was pointless. There was nothing special about a parking lot! The youma blinked, waiting for the Moon Senshi to continue. "This is where people park their expensive cars before they go inside to waste their money inside the mall! This is almost as bad as attacking the actual mall! And more importantly, how dare you look like a pimple? So in the name of the Moon...and merchandise, I will punish you! I am Sailor Moon!"
Mars rolled her eyes, placing her hands on her hips. "That was the lamest speech I've ever heard, Odango..."
Sailor Moon nodded. "I can't think properly-"
"Since when do you ever?"
The odangoed-super hero scowled at the Fire Senshi before throwing her tiara at the Pimple Youma. Only to realize that the Pimple Youma had moved.
Sailor Mars was about to start a tongue war, but she stared, horrified, as the youma crept up behind her leader. Even if they fought a lot, they were best friends... "Sailor Moon! Watch it!" she warned her leader harshly before beginning to dash over.
Just as Moon was turning around to see what had Mars so upset, the youma attacked. As usual, a millisecond before the Moon warrior would have been seriously injured or dead, a red steel-tipped rose saved her from disaster.
With stars in her eyes, Sailor Moon turned to face her hero. "Tuxedo Kamen-sama! You saved me again! Thank you!"
Tuxedo Kamen nodded curtly, gesturing to the Pimple Youma with one hand. "Let's say we finish this youma, Sailor Moon?"
"Sure!" Nodding, the blonde readied her tiara attack again, making sure the golden discus hit its target this time. She squealed as the Pimple Youma was dusted. "Yeah! Moon-dusted! How dare the Negaverse mess with pimples?"
Raising an eyebrow, the only male super hero in the vicinity shot her a questioning look. 'Odd,' he thought to himself. 'Funny Sailor Moon should get so worked up over a pimple...kind of like how Usako was this morning...'
The Moon Senshi giggled nervously to cover up the awkwardness. "Long story, you don't want to know...Hehe..."
"I GOT IT!" Mercury shouted. "Its weakness is in the..." the blue-haired Senshi stared at the remaining Senshi and the Moon warrior's protector. They were all openly gaping at her. Slowly, Mercury scanned the area with her visor, searching for any sign of the youma. "Oh..." Nodding, Sailor Mercury left the battle scene, intent on cramming in a last minute study session for her Advanced Biology test.
Mars shook her head. "Well...I don't see the point. Nor do I see why so many people were complaining about a mall parking lot being attacked..." Tuxedo Kamen agreed with her, pondering the same questions. "But, we have school." She gave a pointed look to Usagi and she, too, left the battle scene.
"Right..." Moon agreed reluctantly. Yet she didn't leave, knowing that she'd go home instead of school anyways.
Again, Tuxedo Kamen raised an eyebrow at her actions. "I thought you had class?"
"I do," she stated. "But I'm not going to school...I kind of had an emergency to deal with before this, so..." she trailed off, not elaborating on her situation.
Stiffening his resolve, Kamen tilted Sailor Moon's head up to look her in the eye. "Sailor Moon?" His hand twitched slightly. 'Why do I feel like I'm betraying Odango? She could never have the same feelings for me as I have for her...and I feel something for Sailor Moon, too.'
The girl stared up at her savior, eyes wide with excitement and a tad bit of fear. "Tux-Tuxedo Kamen?" she gulped.
Snapping back to attention, Kamen nodded. "I was wondering...Sailor Moon, if you'd like to give 'us' a chance. At least for a little while."
"What do you mean?" Usagi's heart beat faster in her chest, much like it did when she was around Mamoru. She had never been so close to Tuxedo Kamen before outside of battle...usually he was gone as soon as the youma was moon-dusted.
He sighed, not knowing how to explain. He grinned in spite of himself though. His moon warrior could certainly be naive... "I mean, Sailor Moon, would you like to go out with me sometime?"
Eyes even wider than before, Usagi clung to him and squealed. "Really? Omigosh! Wait 'til the others find out Tuxedo Kamen asked me out on a date! Oh, Luna's gonna be so mad! Yes! I'd love to! When, where?"
"Um..." Mamoru shut his eyes, thinking. Her answer, despite being what he wanted it to be, caused a whole new set of problems. "Well...I'm not sure if we should know each other's secret identities. At least, I don't want to give you my real name in case of an emergency, or something. So...maybe we should meet somewhere public already transformed?" he suggested, smiling down at the girl.
"Yeah, that would probably be best," the Moon Senshi nodded her approval. "Luna and the others would get mad if I told you my real name, anyways...so how about tomorrow evening?" She asked, eyes shining yet again at the prospect off a date with her long-time crush.
"That will work." He thought for a moment, head resting on his chin. Suddenly, an idea struck him. "Do you know of the Crown Arcade?" he asked after awhile, hoping she did.
"YEAH!" Sailor Moon shrieked and jumped up and down. "I go there all the time..."
Grinning, Mamoru tugged on one of the girl's streamers of hair. 'Golden hair,' he noted to himself, 'like Usagi's...' "So, how about tomorrow around six-ish at the Crown?"
Usagi nodded. "Sounds fine to me!" With a much lighter heart now, she winked at him and left for home, intent on curling up on her bed and daydreaming...and getting rid of that pimple!
-+-
"Why are you back here?" demanded Luna as Sailor Moon slipped in through her window and detransformed into Usagi.
"Um...because I can't go to school with this thing on my forehead?" Usagi pointed out the obvious. "And besides...I need to think about something important."
"What's so important you need to think about?" the black lunar cat questioned her charge.
"Oh...nothing important," Usagi giggled slightly.
"But...but you just said it was important!" spluttered Luna.
"You actually listened to me?" Usagi asked, eyes wide. "That's a first!"
Luna huffed and stalked out of the room, knowing her patience was wearing thin. The girl watched her cat's tail whip around the corner before she flopped down on her bed with a dreamy smile adorning her face. Her thoughts were so full of Tuxedo Kamen and their upcoming date that she forgot about the revolting pimple on her forehead and the burnt scars surrounding it.
A few hours later, the blonde awoke to her cat leaping onto her stomach. "Usagi!" Luna hissed, scanning the area with her red orbs nervously. "Your mother's going to be home any moment now! She'll find you here! Why don't you go to the Hikawa Shrine and talk to the girls? Maybe Ami could give you the work you missed today..."
Usagi groaned, smacking her hand to her forehead in annoyance. "OW!" she shrieked again, just remembering that her forehead hurt for certain reasons.
"Oh alright," the teenager grumbled. She got up and slipped out of the house, heading to Rei's Temple. Honestly, she didn't want to make up her school work...but Luna was already disappointed in her for skipping class, and no doubt her mother would be furious when she found out...and besides, she didn't want to be punished tomorrow night and miss her date!
Sprinting along, Usagi noticed many pedestrians giving her odd stares. She didn't pay them any attention. And as per usual, the blonde smashed into her arch-nemesis. Together, they tumbled to the sidewalk with her on top.
"Um..." Usagi stiffened, preparing herself for the barrage of insults she knew was to follow. Even if he had been sweet earlier...he was still Mamoru, and she was still Usagi.
"Odang-" Mamoru started to say, but stopped when he got a good look at her face. "USAGI? What happened to your forehead?" His hands automatically flew to cradle her face, his blood boiling...something had hurt his Usako!
Usagi's mouth formed an 'O' in surprise, understanding now why she was receiving so many weird stares. She had totally forgotten about the state her forehead was in! She was sure it looked bad...like someone had hurt her or something. "I'm fine, Mamoru-baka!" she spit, hoisting herself to her feet and jerking her head away from his soothing hands.
"You're obviously not fine, Usagi! Who did this to you?" Mamoru shot back, preparing to defend his Odango if need be.
"I made a mistake. You know me, Baka. I'm always klutzing out...remember? I just managed to fall into a pot of boiling water. With a metal spoon in it," she paused waiting for his reaction.
Mamoru raised an eyebrow incredulously, "Odango? Did you purposely try to burn off that disgusting pimple on your forehead?"
"Um...yes?" Usagi nodded shakily and refused to look him in the eye.
Rolling his eyes, Mamoru sighed. "Look, Odango, I know it seems like the end of the world to you...but if you go to such great lengths to get rid of a tiny, insignificant pimple, then you're going to hurt yourself."
Usagi's face brightened. 'Is he trying to be sweet again?'
"Oh wait..." the dark-haired young man got a mocking look on his face. "It's too late for that, you already did!" He laughed outright and moved past her, patting her on the head between her odangoes as he went. "Play carefully, Odango Atama!" he called back over his shoulder.
"Ugh!" the teenage girl screamed in frustration. "Why can't he ever be nice to me?" she exclaimed, forgetting about the tenderness he showed just earlier that day. She brightened as a thought flew through her head. 'Oh well...why am I thinking about Mamoru? I don't care whether he's nice to me or not...I have Tuxedo Kamen! When I can have him, who cares about Mamoru?'
Resolving to think this way, Usagi continued on her way to the Shrine. All the way there, she purposefully ignored the ache in her heart, begging her to reconsider her words regarding her tormenter/crush.
Mamoru slumped against the wall once he had turned the corner and was out of Usagi's sight. "Why am I always so mean to her?" he mumbled to himself. "I know I have to hide my true feelings from her...but I shouldn't over-do it. I don't want to hurt her, after all...and besides, I have a date with Sailor Moon tomorrow. I should focus on her!" He instructed himself and set off again.
But none the less, his thoughts continued to revolve around the certain odangoed klutz that he crashed into everyday.
"USAGI!" screamed Rei and Ami upon seeing their friend. "What happened to your face? Did the youma do that to you?"
"No..." Usagi let her sentence hang, not wanting to admit why her face looked so burnt. She had already been laughed at by Mamoru, she didn't need Rei to tease her as well. Of course, Ami was always so polite and friendly...Usagi didn't worry about hearing any snide comments from the blue-haired genius.
"Well?" Rei put her hands on her hips, demanding an explanation.
"I tried to burn this pimple off my forehead..." the blonde muttered, careful to keep her eyes downcast and her tone sorrowful. "It didn't work."
Both her friends searched her forehead to locate the pimple. Almost at once, they gasped in horror.
Ami shook her head. "Usagi-chan! You should never try to burn pimples off, you could hurt yourself! And apparently, you already did...oh, what am I going to do with you?" she asked, shaking her head in hopelessness.
Rei's gasp was for an entirely different reason. "Odango no baka! That was stupid of you! Why would you want to burn off your over-sized pimple? I can make fun of you for so much longer if you had just left it alone...yet, I can make fun of how you almost burned your face off, too!" she cackled, her purple eyes glinting.
Usagi sighed and turned to leave. "I don't need to hear this. I have more important things to think about..." She left to go home, forgetting that her whole motivation to visit the Shrine in the first place was to get her homework from Ami.
Her fellow Senshi gaped at her in shock.
-+-
"I can't believe you skipped school over a measly pimple!" Ikuko scolded her daughter. Her rage was so great that she was blinded to the state of Usagi's forehead. "Your education is far more important than your popularity, young lady! You are grounded!"
"But Mom," whined Usagi. "They always say it's not what you know, but who you know...and that totally contradicts what you just said!"
"Who said that?" the blue-haired woman raised an eyebrow at her daughter.
"Um...I don't know..." Usagi mumbled. "But never mind!" Avoiding another argument, she ran upstairs to the safety of her room. "Phew! Safe to daydream at last!" Again, she snuggled under her covers to dream of a certain caped super hero.
The next morning dawned too quickly for Usagi's taste. Her pimple had not yet returned to wherever it had come from, so she was forced to endure another day with it stuck to her forehead. Not to mention her scars obtained from her experience with the burning metal spoon and boiling water.
Trudging to school, she was surprised when she didn't meet up with Mamoru. Her excitement faded when she realized he wasn't going to show up. 'Why am I upset? He's just Mamoru, remember?' she mentally berated herself, convincing herself again that Mamoru meant nothing to her.
When she arrived at school, Usagi shivered. "I can't go in like this! No matter what Luna tells me, I have got to disguise my face!" So saying, she raised the Luna Pen above her head and shouted, "Disguise Power! Change my face to normal again!" After the pen's magic had faded, her face had no pimple and no scars.
"It worked!" the blonde exclaimed and practically skipped inside. She waved at Ami happily and plunked herself in her seat.
Ami took a double-glance at her friend. 'Why is her face so normal? It would take weeks to heal from the scars she inflicted upon herself...' stated her rational mind. Just then, she felt the tingle of lunar magic and guessed that her friend had used the Luna Pen. 'Oh no! I have an essay to write for extra credit!' Hurriedly, she began to scribble, putting thoughts of Usagi out of her mind.
Besides getting detention and extra homework, Usagi's day went pretty well. She was optimistic because of her date later, so nothing could get her spirits down for long. After school, she rushed home.
"Oh, Usa-chan!" said her mother from the kitchen. "I'm glad you remembered you're grounded. I'm proud that you didn't try to sneak off to the arcade..."
"Yeah right..." Usagi murmured.
"What was that?"
"Um, I said, 'Right!'" she exclaimed in a false happy tone. Usagi scuttled to her room to escape from her mother's soon-to-be interrogation. "Why must she question me so much? Ah well...it's almost time to go meet Tuxedo Kamen! Oh, I can't wait!" She jumped up and down for a short while.
Noting the time as five thirty, she transformed and crept out her window. "What are the odds Mom will look in on me? She knows I came home, after all..." So reassuring herself, she ran to the Crown Arcade as fast as she could via rooftops.
-+-
Mamoru groaned as he sat on a stool in the Crown, idly playing with his cup of coffee. He knew he had a date with the famous super heroine of Tokyo, but he'd rather go out with his Odango Atama. He was also mad at himself for missing their encounter on Usagi's mad dash to school...What were the odds he would ever sleep late?
His day had gone smoothly so far, but he knew once Sailor Moon entered the picture that his life would become chaos. 'It's your own fault,' taunted his mind. 'You were the one who asked her out on a date...' Banging his head on the counter, Mamoru was reluctant to agree.
"Hey Mamoru, what's up?" Mamoru's best friend and manager of the Crown Arcade came up from behind the counter, holding a dishtowel.
"Hi Motoki," Mamoru mumbled quietly, still staring into his coffee.
Motoki raised an eyebrow questioningly. "Why so glum?"
"Would you believe girl trouble?"
"No...you never date. So what's really going on?" Motoki persisted. When it became apparent that Mamoru wouldn't divulge any information, he changed the topic. "It's almost six and Usagi-chan and her friends aren't here yet. Come to think of it, they didn't come in yesterday, either..."
With that statement, Mamoru lunged at Motoki's throat. Almost desperately, he croaked out, "What time did you say it was?"
"Um...five forty-five?" stuttered Motoki, clearly confused.
"Darn! I have that date I have to get to! Catch you later, Motoki!" Mamoru exclaimed and rushed into the alleyway beside the Crown to transform into his alter-ego. "At least I won't be totally late," he assured himself, checking the street for any sign of the Moon Senshi. Seeing none, he sighed in relief and waited, his eyes alert and searching the crowds for any sign of his date.
-+-
Sailor Moon grinned, spotting her date hiding in the alleyway beside the Crown. 'Of course he'd stay hidden, so as to not cause such a huge commotion until necessary,' she thought to herself. Giggling to herself, she leapt off the roof of the Crown into the alleyway, right behind Tuxedo Kamen.
Hearing a slight noise, Tuxedo Kamen whirled around in a defensive position. "Who goes there? ...Oh, Sailor Moon!" he acknowledged his date, inclining his head slightly.
Sailor Moon, who had stepped back when it seemed like her date was going to take a swing at her, stepped close to him again. "Yeah...are we going to spend our date in this alleyway or are we going inside the arcade?" she asked, eyebrow raised.
He blinked. "Well, I hadn't thought of it that way...but I must admit I like the possibility." He smirked at her and winked slyly before grabbing her hand and plunging out into the crowd.
Shocked, the super heroine could only manage to keep up as he plowed his way through the mass of people. Dimly, her mind registered the 'ding' of the bell as the couple walked into the Crown Arcade through the sliding glass doors.
Almost immediately, every head in the arcade was turned in their direction.
"Um..." Tuxedo Kamen stuttered. It seemed that he had forgotten that, while keeping his identity secret from the Sailor Senshi, the appearance of two famous super heroes attending a date in a common arcade would cause a major ruckus.
"Wook Mommy! There's Saiwor Moon an' her boyfwiend!" shouted a toddler, pointing excitedly. Teenagers and adults were already dialing the news station, hoping to get the event on camera and on national television.
Motoki, recovering his wits, walked out from behind the counter and approached them. "Welcome to the Crown Arcade...may I help you?" he asked smoothly, realizing the position there were in. He couldn't imagine being in Tuxedo Kamen's shoes.
"Erm...yeah, could you show us to a private booth in the back?" Sailor Moon requested, wrapping her arms around one of Tuxedo Kamen's and leaning against his side.
Mamoru winced inside, wishing Usagi would act like that towards him. 'Idiot!' his mind screeched at him. 'You are on a DATE with ANOTHER GIRL!' He brought himself back to reality in time to hear his best friend replying to Sailor Moon's request.
"...but I don't think you'd get any privacy in a public place. People are already calling for camera shots and such as it is. Why don't you go back to one of your houses for a date?" The sandy-haired guy suggested. Even if the appearance of two super heroes at his arcade promoted business, he wanted the couple to have a nice date. He knew he couldn't enjoy quality time with Reika if strangers were ogling them the entire time.
"My parents would kill me," Sailor Moon replied, glancing around at the crowd. 'And the Senshi and Luna will kill me too, when they see me and Tuxedo Kamen on the news together!'
"We're here together like this because it's not safe to tell each other our secret identities," Mamoru explained, making sure he spoke in a deep voice so as to not give himself away to his best friend.
Motoki nodded in understanding. "Well, if you're sure you want to stay...go around that bend and there's a booth tucked away in the corner."
The pair nodded their thanks and set out for the booth, trying not to make eye contact with any other people in the arcade. When they were finally seated, Motoki came up after them with a notepad.
"Do you know what you want?" he asked, pencil in hand.
Mamoru had to stop himself from saying his traditional 'Coffee, black.' "Um...I think we'll just sit and talk for right now."
Sailor Moon looked a bit disappointed at that, but went along with it anyways. Again, Motoki understood. He nodded at them and gave them the thumbs-up sign before walking away, shouting at random people to leave the lovebirds alone. The couple sighed in relief, sinking back into the cushions of their booth.
"That was...interesting," Tuxedo Kamen offered awkwardly.
"No kidding," Sailor Moon responded, nodding her agreement. "So..." she trailed off, not knowing what to do. She'd dreamt of this moment for so long, but now that it was really happening to her, she was speechless. Surprisingly, she didn't feel as comfortable with her masked savior as she would have with another guy...say, Mamoru.
'Stop that!' she scolded herself, sucking in a deep breath to calm her nerves.
"What's wrong?" Mamoru asked, noticing her nervousness.
"Um, nothing...hehe...I was just thinking about this guy..." At once, she blushed and shut her mouth. 'You baka! You're here on a DATE with him and you let slip you're thinking about someone else...' she thought to herself, staring at the tabletop to hide her blush.
Tuxedo Kamen smiled in relief. "Really? Good...because I have another girl on my mind, too..."
The girl snapped her head up to stare at him. "You...you do? I mean, um...it's not like I like this guy or anything..." she stated. 'No, you're just head-over-heels in love with him' supplied her mind. She chose to ignore that comment her brain was repeating.
"Right," the guy across from her nodded. "I don't like this girl either...she's a total airhead!" He flinched inside, knowing that though it was the truth, he loved his Usako with every fiber of his being.
"And this guy is always teasing me," Usagi went on, getting frustrated.
"And this girl is suck a klutz!" continued Tuxedo Kamen.
"And he has such awful fashion sense..."
"And she's a total crybaby!"
"And he's a total jerk!" Sailor Moon ranted. "He just doesn't get that I'm in love with him! He'll always hate me...no matter what! He'll always be a baka to me and I'll always be 'Odango Atama' to him...and Kami why does it hurt so much?" She cried, not even realizing the words that spilled out of her mouth.
The male across from her blinked in astonishment, letting her cry for the moment. His mind raced across everything his date had just confessed...his thoughts centered on the 'Odango Atama' part of her tirade. Surely, his Usako couldn't be...
Just then, a pink light surrounded the teenage girl. When it faded, Sailor Moon's forehead and some of her face were covered in scabs and scars. A pimple pulsed slightly at the edge of her tiara, half covered by it. "IT HURTS!" wailed the girl, clutching at her forehead in agony.
The news crew turned up at this moment, cameras already rolling. The camera-man pointed the lens at the Sailor Senshi, in time to catch her scream.
"Why did the pen's magic stop?" She wailed. "It was supposed to disguise the hideousness!"
Tuxedo Kamen raised an eyebrow at her display. When something finally clicked in his brain, he snatched his date up and fled through the employer's back room and out the back door. He could hear the angry shouts of the reporters and Senshi fans bellowing their disapproval at the heroes' abrupt exit.
-+-
He ran to the park with the Moon Senshi over his shoulder, finally stopping to drop her under a tree. "Sailor Moon?" he asked her, shaking her shoulder slightly to get her attention. No response. "Sailor Moon? ...Usagi!"
That got her attention. Ceasing her crying, she stared at him, wide-eyed. "What did you just call me?"
"I called you...Usagi," Tuxedo Kamen repeated slowly. "That's your name."
"How did you figure it out?" she asked, not thinking to deny the accusation.
"Um, well..." He shifted his weight a bit, clearly embarrassed. "Your tirade about that one guy...and the pimple on your forehead...and, did you really mean it when you said you loved me?" he asked her, looking at her hopefully.
Usagi tilted her head, confused. "I never said I loved you, Tuxedo Kamen-sama...I was talking about Mamo-"
"Chiba Mamoru," Tuxedo Kamen interrupted her. "Yes, I know you were...Odango Atama." He flashed her a grin, taking his mask off to show her his eyes.
"I was going to say 'Mamo-chan,'" Usagi started to say, but gasped when she saw Tuxedo Kamen without the mask on. She simply stared, not knowing what to do. Remembering her confession, she blushed deep red and buried her head in her hands.
"None of that now," Mamoru ordered, pulling her hands away from her face. He detransformed so as to not arouse any more suspicions...things would look bad if the news station caught the two super heroes in the park. Following his example, Usagi detransformed into her true self.
"I, um..." she stuttered, looking anywhere but him.
"I love you, too, Usako."
"HUH?" The girl blinked, shocked, and stared at Mamoru. Had he gotten closer?
He chuckled a bit, holding on to her hands. "I said...I love you too. Always."
"Who said I loved you in the first place?" Usagi protested against his implications that she loved him.
He raised an eyebrow at her. "You did. At the arcade, remember, Usako?"
"Oh..." She nodded glumly. "Mamoru-baka," she started to say something but was again cut off.
"What happened to 'Mamo-chan'? I kinda liked that name..." Mamoru pouted slightly.
The blonde dared to look into her eyes, searching for any sign of mockery. Finding only the love he proclaimed, she threw herself into his arms and sobbed. "You do mean it, Mamo-chan? Really, truly?"
"Of course, Usako," He smiled and held her close, relishing the feeling of embracing his Odango Atama after so long.
Usagi smiled and buried her face into his chest, inhaling his scent. 'He smells of roses...why hadn't I noticed before?' "I do love you, Mamo-chan. I just always thought you hated me..."
"I could never hate you. But...I don't blame you for thinking that way. I was pretty horrible to you, wasn't I?" he laughed a bit, making sure she was still within the safety of his arms.
"You were pretty bad," she agreed. "But I think you can make it up to me." She looked up into his cobalt eyes, grinning mischievously.
"Oh? How?" he asked, playing innocent.
For an answer, she leaned up to kiss him full on the lips. Mamoru blinked, surprised at her boldness. Then he let his eyes drift shut while he leaned down to have better access to her lips. Their first kiss, which was innocent enough at the beginning, was quickly turning more passionate as the minutes went by.
Finally breaking away to gasp for air, the newly officiated couple held each other as they stood.
"That was...wow," Usagi remarked, glancing up at Mamoru, sky-blue eyes glazed and lips swollen.
"Care for a repeat performance?" Her boyfriend chuckled and lowered his head once more. She met him half way, standing on tip-toes, clearly giving her answer. This kiss escalated much faster than their previous one. Her arms slid up around his neck, her hands clutching at the hairs at the base of his neck. Mamoru had one hand splayed across her neck, his fingers curled into the hair between her odangoes. His other arm was wrapped around her waist, holding her to him.
Both of them moaned at the feelings they were invoking in the other. Unable to resist temptation, Mamoru traced the outline of his Usako's lip with his tongue. When she didn't protest, he nudged her lips open and plunged his tongue inside to explore every crevice in her mouth. Usagi responded to his ministrations, wrapping her own tongue around his, causing him to groan in desire.
Feeling weak in the knees, Usagi couldn't support herself any further. She would have collapsed had her boyfriend not been holding her to him so protectively. The problem came when Mamoru, too, had trouble holding them up. He lowered them to the ground, kneeling, not breaking their kiss. He was enjoying drowning in the ecstasy of his beloved Usako. When even kneeling became a struggle, the pair tumbled back into the grass, Mamoru on top. He pushed his mouth further onto hers, keeping her head pinned to the ground. Not that Usagi minded though, as she could only focus on the kiss and man on top of her.
Almost too soon, the need for oxygen once again interrupted their session. Pulling away only slightly, Mamoru blinked, thinking back to what had just transpired. He had, undoubtedly, just made-out with a fourteen-year old girl.
'But I love her,' he reminded himself. 'And my Usako loves me too.'
Both of them breathed heavily, shaken by their second kiss. Not daring to speak, but only spending a comfortable silence together, Usagi and Mamoru didn't move from their position on the grass. He moved to bury his face into her neck, kissing it softly. She gasped at the contact and relaxed, enjoying the feelings of love she felt for him.
"I love you, Mamo-chan," she whispered.
"And I you, my Usako," he declared back to her, moving a hand to cup her face lovingly. His fingers felt around her forehead. Frowning, he hoisted himself over her to stare down at her head. "Usako, your face is clear," he remarked, confused.
"What do you mean?" Usagi asked, having forgotten all about her pimple.
"I mean...your pimple is gone. And so are your burnt scars...it's like nothing happened at all..." he trailed off, sliding his hand across her smooth skin. "You're beautiful, though, with or without pimples."
She giggled. "Well, the important part is that it's gone."
He smiled down at her and again lowered himself so he was lying atop her. "You remember what I said to you yesterday morning? About your pimple helping you find everlasting love?"
"Yup!" she laughed but then grew serious, searching his eyes. "But is our love everlasting, Mamo-chan?"
"Always, Usako. Always," he affirmed, leaning down to kiss her once more.