Chapter Text
Time ran by a lot faster amidst the peace after the battle against Galaxia, taking the girls all by surprise. Within the blink of an eye, they became third years and graduated from their schools, going on to pursue their dreams.
Usagi sat at her vanity and finished combing through her hair, the morning light of the window blanketing her bed, hitting her long blonde hair that spilled far past her waist. Luna, her long-time companion and family pet, slept peacefully on the bed, not a single messy fold to be found in the blanket. Her room may be small, but after cleaning out the white shelves of school books and old trinkets, it never felt more spacious. As far as she knew, those things all have a cozy place to call home up in the attic of the house.
It never took long for her to separate her hair to set it up into her usual bun-head style, and after picking out clothes that would keep her warm for the day, she looked to the mirror. She would say she looked rather cute. Then again, she was aiming more for a mature look for the errands her mother was about to give her.
“Usagi! Wake up!” Ikuko’s voice called from downstairs, “You need to be ready to go out to the shops today! Dress warm too, it’ll be cold out!”
Sounds like her mother thinks she’s still asleep. Usagi always woke up late in the past, and she still tends to oversleep, but she swore to herself to get up on time. It makes her grumpy and her family has to deal with a cranky Usagi, but she is more productive in a single day by waking up earlier.
Usagi stood, pushing her vanity’s chair back into place, and grabbed the ring Mamoru gifted her. She easily slid it on her ring finger. The light from her window hit the silver band in a way that made her pause to admire the ring for a moment longer.
“I’m up and ready, Mama!” Usagi called, leaving her room. She joined her family for breakfast in the dining area. Her mother and father, Ikuko and Kenji Tsukino, noticed their daughter’s change in schedule. They each rewarded her for the improvement with Ikuko cooking Usagi’s favorite breakfast items and Kenji spoiling his daughter with an increase in allowance.
“Are you ready for our cooking lesson today, Usagi?” Ikuko asked, waving a paper with a list of places and items. “I have all the stores and what you need to buy from each of them.”
“This is… a lot from each store… Mama, what are you teaching me today?” Usagi read the list, feeling the phantom burn of how many bags she will need to carry on her arms.
“Oh, the dishes themselves are relatively sizable for a family dinner. It’s your cooking technique I’m concerned about…” Ikuko shrugged, leaving the list beside her daughter’s plate. “Remember our last cooking session?”
“It wasn’t that bad…”
Her brother, always one to state his unasked opinion, spoke up. “Almost burning your hair off? Yeah, that was totally not a big deal when you cried about it.”
“Shut up! I only burned a few strands of my hair!”
They bickered for a moment before Ikuko silenced the two by slamming her hand down on the table and snapped, “Shingo, if you don’t finish your breakfast soon, you’ll be late for your classes.” Their mother pointed to a clock. “Do not start being late like your sister.”
At the mere idea of being like Usagi, Shingo scarfed down his food before rushing to put on his shoes and bolt out the front door as fast as he could. Usagi watched him run, pouting at her mother’s light laughing.
“Now then,” Ikuko gently nudged her daughter by the shoulder. “You finish up your breakfast and go get the ingredients so we can start working on our cooking lesson. You have to go meet with a friend after, right?”
“Ah, yes, Mama. We still plan to meet, I just hope Setsuna doesn’t mind if I arrive covered in the smell of food…” Usagi recalled a time she had been told she smelled like curry. It was not flattering then and she did not want a repeat of that situation.
The clock soon hit eight and Usagi had finished devouring most of the food off of the rest of the plates. She helped her mother clear the table of dishes, her mother cleaned the plates while Usagi worked on scrubbing the silverware clean.
“News says it’s going to be a chilly day, and it will get even colder tonight.” Her father mentioned, unknowingly parroting his wife’s earlier words. “Make sure you take a jacket to wear.”
“Thanks, Papa. I will.” Usagi hugged her father as he got up from the table. He got his shoes on to leave for work and wished his daughter luck with making dinner as he went out the door.
The clean dishes were left to dry beside the sink, and once Usagi dried her hands, she grabbed the list, memorizing the first three stores she needed to visit.
“I’ll be going, Mama!” She yelled from the hallway, heading upstairs to grab her old school bag before going right back down to slide her shoes on, grab her hanging coat, and place the bag by the door as she would need it after she was done with cooking. It contained books and paperwork that her friend Setsuna had gone over with her so far, as well as necessary texts and assignments that she had been assigned.
Over the past few years since her graduation, the only tiring thing on Usagi’s schedule was Setsuna’s lessons. With the oncoming future of Crystal Tokyo getting ever closer, Luna had to insist that Usagi should receive lessons on etiquette and politics. That part of the day was the longest, but it was at least bearable when her friends were in attendance.
“One moment - Don’t forget your wallet!” Ikuko rushed to give Usagi the small pink object full of enough money to pay for the groceries. Usagi could only wish her allowance was this big.
“Thanks, Mama! I definitely need that!” She laughed as her mother placed it in her coat pocket. “I’ll try to be quick! I love you! Bye!” Usagi left her home, ready to begin buying food to drag back for her cooking lesson.
Ikuko was glad to see her daughter become more responsible as she got older. Who Usagi is today was a far cry from who she was just five years ago when she would constantly wake up late. It did make her sad to think her daughter would be leaving sometime in the near future, but this was what she and Keji had wanted for their children. For them to eventually grow and live their own lives happily.
She had her concerns during Usagi’s first year in high school, especially when leaving her eldest home alone for brief periods, but there was never a mess and Usagi was nothing but smiles each time they returned. However, even now, her daughter just seemed… different. As if she was more focused somehow…but Ikuko just couldn’t place her finger on what it was…
“Mama!” Usagi called after slamming the front door open, making the older woman jump and yell out of fright. She recognized her daughter immediately, but her grip on her apron would not loosen. Maybe it was something about Usagi’s appearance, but she looked… older? Tired? Nothing at all like how she just left the house.
“Usagi! Why did you slam the door like that? Did you forget to grab something?” Ikuko asked, surprise turning to concern as she processed what just happened. Even if she had turned back to grab something, she would not have had to worry so much to burst back in like that.
“I… Sort of? I just…” The blonde looked like she was trying to remember something. “I just… left… too quickly! I wanted to hug you before leaving! That’s… that’s all…”
Nothing too strange, as Usagi had begun giving her family hugs more frequently after her first year in high school. Ikuko would have found it strange, but her daughter has always been prone to spontaneous displays of affection.
Still confused and worried, she gave in to her daughter’s request. Usagi had the time, after all, as long as she still gets home by noon they had time to start the prep for dinner.
“Alright, but next time you don’t need to be so panicked about it. You have enough time in the day without school to worry about now.” Ikuko assuredly pat her daughter’s back and took note of her daughter’s unnecessarily strong grip on their hug. She tried not to think about the oddities of the past few minutes as the blonde left again, supposedly leaving off to the shops.
Usagi felt a cold shiver run up her spine - her hair stood up on end in a strange sense of alarm as she turned the corner of her street. Something felt wrong, but she had no clue what it could be. The feeling disappeared once she reached the city, so she brushed it off as a reaction to the cold air around her.
The brief passing of the weird feeling was easier to ignore once she spotted Ami in the crowd. Of course, the blue-haired girl’s focus was buried in a book as she weaved through the masses of people rushing about the streets of Tokyo.
“Ami! Hey, Ami!” Usagi shouted, startling the woman and almost making her drop her books in surprise at the loud voice from behind. It felt like it had been too long since they had last talked.
“Oh, hello… Usagi...” She was not expecting, nor hoping, to run into the bubbly blonde.
Toning down her excitement, Usagi continued to try to strike up a conversation with her old friend.
“Sorry, was I too loud? I’ll try to not do that next time.” Her friends always complained about her being loud… “If you don’t mind, can I join you on a short walk? We’re going the same way, at least for a little while.”
“... Sure. Where are you heading?” Ami could not help but give in. It would not last that long, so she should at least make small talk.
“The market. Mama is teaching me how to cook a few new dishes for dinner, as long as I don’t mess them up, that is.” Usagi laughed nervously, knowing Ami was one of many who knew her history with the kitchen setting.
“Oh, I heard a bit about that from Michiru actually. Last time you showed up at their place, they could all tell what was for the Tsukino family dinner by smell alone.” Ami could only think, really, would Usagi ever change?
“At least that one was not a mess… My mom was worried they would need to go out to eat again, not that Shingo complained. He hopes for my messes now…” He often ‘asks’ that she mess up so he can suggest a new place to go for dinner.
“That sounds… advantageous, of him. He has never been one to miss an opportunity.” Ami giggled as she could imagine the younger Tsukino family member jumping to offer places to eat, even to the annoyance of his mother.
“That’s Shingo alright…” Usagi sighed but jumped to change the subject. “Enough on that though, how have you and the others been? I know you all have been busy… pursuing your dreams…” Ignoring Usagi’s messages…
“Oh… Well… We’re all doing fine enough…” The shy woman refused to elaborate.
“Okay…” Usagi could sense the distance at which Ami held her. “If you get a chance, when you see the others, just… tell them I said good luck! I hope they see success soon!” Usagi had come to a halt in her steps and Ami had to turn back to look at her.
“Have we reached the market already?” Ami asked while peering at the store as they stood at the doors.
“Yep… I gotta go get a lot of things from here… I guess I’ll see you later then!” Usagi waved at the other woman before darting into the store to search for the items on the list she was given. She also needed a fast distraction from her growing anxiety.
Ami was never good at being subtle when it came to her emotions, so it was no surprise Usagi picked up on her perturbed attitude at having to talk for such a brief period. While she felt guilty, she had to keep her distance from Usagi, if only for Ami’s benefit.
“The girls will get concerned if I’m late…” Ami mumbled, shaking her head and making her way to Crown Parlor, the usual meeting spot for their group.
She arrived at the table, the rowdy behavior of Minako drawing attention to the group, but only because Ami walked through the door. They all had to be there to begin their serious conversation after all.
“Good morning.” Ami took her seat by Rei, setting her books by her side and watching as the others waved at her, Minako the most enthusiastic. “So, we should start to address the point of–”
Minako interjected, “Come on, Ami, can we catch up first before discussing… that? We’ve only talked over our communicators and by phone, and even that was just about our issue. We have the time, so let us just relax a bit…”
It left the group in a brief moment of silence, unsure of what to talk about. Taking the chance to take Minako up on the idea, Rei spoke up.
“Say, Mina, how is the whole ‘pop star’ thing working out so far?” A sigh of relief came from the other three girls with the ice being broken.
“It’s going great!” Minako loudly proclaimed, glad Rei leaned into her suggestion. “Of course, most of what I do is practicing with my voice and getting some solid moves down to go with the lyrics, but I’m close to closing a deal on getting an official manager!”
“An official manager?” Makoto asked.
“Yeah, they get me deals on places to perform and make public appearances and stuff… I think. Getting one is a good first step to prep for when I'm ready to go around worldwide!! At least, when I’ve made a big enough name for myself…” Minako sighed dreamily at the idea of giving out autographs and leaving Japan to see the world, even if just to perform.
“That’s great, Mina! So will we have to buy some show tickets in advance for when you leave or are you gonna use some influence to get us free spots?” Rei asked, leaning toward her friend and pushing Minako further into the booth.
“Come on, Rei, I’m not going to be that famous yet. It will take a few years.”
“Yeah, but we want to be able to see all your shows.” Rei explained, giving her friend a wink.
“Okay, okay, I’ll do my best to secure tickets for you guys when I can, but that’s all on my end. Aside from that, what about you Mako? We don’t meet as often to enjoy your sweets anymore.” Minako turned to their taller friend, lamenting the memories of tasting Makoto’s cupcakes or cookies. Makoto was not ready for all the attention to suddenly divert to her, but she was ready to answer.
“I’ve just been looking around at open places to find where I want to set up my shop. None I like so far, but I have a good idea of a price range now. The restaurant I bake desserts for is getting a lot of customers, so I'm sure I’ll have enough yen saved up when I do eventually find a place I like.” She proudly announced, getting congratulations from all around the table.
“Your sweets must be bringing in a lot of business. Not surprising, but they sure will be sad to lose you when you finally get your own building.” Rei joked, giving Makoto a laugh. “Speaking of your sweets, you need to bring some when we can all meet up again,” Rei pestered often that she missed her friend’s food and the idea of tasting Makoto’s cooking or baking had her in a daydream of deliciousness.
“Yeah… we really should drop by your place for dinner sometime. It’s been a lot longer than I anticipated since we all got busier with our personal goals. Even Rei is working hard at the shrine since she is due to take over for her grandfather soon.” Ami looked up from the book she opened up on the table, observing the other three discussing their plans.
“Oh, that won’t be for a while. Grandpa may be getting up there in age, but he’s still as active as ever…” Rei waved off Ami’s statement, as she was not as concerned about anything to do with Hikawa Shrine.
“Ami, how has your internship at the hospital been? Any news on that front?” Makoto switched to talking to their quiet friend.
“Nothing much, I’m afraid. At least nothing you girls would find interesting. If anything, it might gross you out.” Ami laughed, her friends were concerned about what work her internship entailed but also did not want details right now.
“With that out of the way,” Closing the book and placing it on the pile of other books, Ami sighed. “Onto the reason for our meeting today.” The other girls were visibly deflated, not being able to put it off any longer.
“Yeah… so… I guess we should all tell Setsuna we aren’t going to take her classes anymore?” Minako asked nervously. It was not Setsuna that they were worried about…
“Minako… She wouldn’t be the only one we have to tell…” Makoto’s hands fidgeted with the end of her shirt. Things were quiet at the table once more, none of the girls were able to say much.
“It’s not… too selfish… is it?” Ami asked quietly, but they all heard.
“It shouldn’t have to be, but… Usagi will understand, right? It wouldn’t be the end of the world if we no longer wanted to live like this.” Rei placed her transformation device on the table. “A life dedicated to saving the world… Maybe when we were younger, and it felt set in place, but now…”
“The idea isn’t as nice as we probably thought.” Makoto finished for her friend. “I love Usagi, I’m sure we all do, but… I’m not sure how to put it. A life dictated on being pulled along to live in the palace and be guardians forever…”
“We all never had that plan before we met her and saw what the future held.”
“I ran into her before I got here.” Ami blurted out, surprising the other girls. “I think she has an idea about us ignoring her… We should talk to her soon at least. The guilt is kind of eating at me…”
“True. We can’t keep avoiding her forever. She’ll be even more upset if we take too long to reach out.” Minako was the least enthusiastic, as she would prefer to push it off as far as she could, but hurting Usagi was the only way they would get their point across to her.
As their meeting winded down, Usagi exited her last store of the morning.
It was approaching eleven as Usagi carried all the bags of food items she bought for the day. She had taken off her jacket halfway through the third store due to how warm she got and the chilly air was a welcome counter to her sweating. It remained tied at her waist as she moved the straps of the bags to her bare arms.
“These bags are all so heavy…” She needed something to distract herself from the burden as she walked the streets home, which seemed like a long ways away with all the bags hanging from her.
Her mind jumped to her friends. Ami, and how avoidant she was being with her answers. The others and how they never responded to her communicator or phone calls. She had even asked Luna to check on them with how long they had not answered. She reported they were fine, but it was also late at night when she returned, so it was safe to assume they each got an earful from the cat.
A drawn-out sigh escaped her lips. A normal and positive day all around, but Usagi missed old times with her friends. Their interactions lately have been strange. It was but a lone and quiet thought, but she kind of hoped it was not that they were avoiding her.
“Morning, Usa.”
She paused, turning to the familiar nickname. “Mamo!” Usagi could never ignore the presence of her boyfriend(fiance?) who could easily distract her from her depressing thoughts.
“Need some help?” Mamoru asked, walking over and taking several of the bags before she even answered, red marks left behind from where they originally rested.
“Yes, please, and thank you…” She was relieved to have the load lightened to just the few she was holding in her hands. He was always there to save her when she needed it.
“You made it quite far from the shops. Must be all that strength training Haruka has you girls working on at your lessons.” Mamoru chuckled, remembering hearing his girlfriend complain about all the work Haruka has them doing.
“I’ll have to thank her if that’s the case. I was gonna die if I had to carry all of these to my home alone.” Usagi looked in horror at the red marks lining her arms. Shaking her head of those thoughts otherwise, she looked up at her boyfriend. “I thought you had a long shift tonight at the hospital. Were you able to get a few hours off?”
“It was an offer I took from a colleague. He said I worked too much.” Mamoru did often work a lot more than he should, but not a detriment to himself. He’s just concerningly passionate when it comes to helping patients. “I took his day off as he had plans that fell through with friends.”
“Who would want to take someone else’s shift? It was an opportunity to sleep, knowing how you doctors operate.” Usagi poked at the fact that they did not meet much, and even with their late-night visits he always seemed tired.
Ignoring the jab at his poor sleep schedule, “Thanks to my morning off, I was able to talk with Setsuna.”
“Why? I think you’ll be fine enough and don’t need classes about etiquette and being a king…”
“I negotiated an evening off for you.” It took a moment for his words to process. “I just have to watch over Hotaru for a weekend while Setsuna, Haruka, and Michiru go on a brief vacation…”
“Hotaru isn’t all that bad! I’ll be there to help you...” She loved Hotaru and the Outer Guardians have been taking great care while raising her over the past few years. “Wait… You said you got me an evening off…? Off… from lessons??”
“I thought you’d be more excited for a day off from studying.” He teased, seeing as she glossed over the mention of a break from the boring ‘future-queen’ work. “Just seemed like we both needed some kind of break.”
Excited at the prospect of not having to look at statistics and matters of delegations and keywords to ‘keep the peace.’ Usagi cheered, grabbing the attention of any nearby bystanders. Not that it was a rare sight, but all the energy she could exert, even after tiredly carrying the bags earlier, would always surprise Mamoru.
“Are we heading back to your house? This is a lot for you to have to carry. Is your mom cooking for a gathering?” Mamoru asked, holding up his portion of heavy items.
Blushing, Usagi looked away before answering him.
“No… They’re in case I mess up cooking. She wants extra for me to try again…” Mamoru never had anything negative to say, even with incidents at his apartment of her cooking in any capacity. It did not make it any less embarrassing to admit to, unfortunately.
“Still a learning curve with cooking, huh?”
“I’m getting used to it, but it can be so frustrating sometimes. But I’ll keep up the work. I can’t be a good wife if I can’t cook a dinner for my tired, self-overworked husband.” She gently nudged his arm.
“A good point. Can’t have me going back to the hospital because of food poisoning…” He looked off to the distance, thinking wistfully of the possibility.
“Mamo!” She pouted while kicking a rock on the sidewalk.
“I’m joking, Usako.” He laughed.
“Well, you can stay and be an on-site doctor since you’re free today.” He noticed she stopped walking. “Or replace my mother as the main taste tester.” Mamoru then noticed that they reached the gate of the Tsukino home.
“No need to be scared, though. Papa won’t be home until three.” Usagi opened the door to her childhood home and kicked off her shoes, wandering into the kitchen with her bags. Mamoru followed behind, relieved to not have to face the fierce enigma that is his future father-in-law.
“Mama! I brought another victim!” A joke, Mamoru hoped.
Ikuko made her way down the stairs and into the kitchen after hearing her daughter call out.
“Oh, hello Mamoru. Did you come voluntarily, or did my daughter sweet-talk you into coming along to try her food?”
“I volunteered my free time. I got a day off from work and spotted her struggle with the groceries.”
“You’re too soft on her. You can’t keep making things easier for her forever.” Ikuko chided him lightly, only knowing that she would expect nothing less of the man.
“If that is a challenge, I will rise to the occasion.”
Ikuko knew after meeting him the first time, but it was cemented for her, in this small moment, that she felt she could leave her daughter with him and know she would be safe.
“I cannot wait to see you live up to that claim.”
“You two, stop! I need to concentrate!” It was good to hear them get along, but Usagi could not focus when listening to them talk about her like that. If she thought the heat from the stove was warm, her red face could compete to see what could cook dinner the fastest.
For the next few hours, Mamoru was ordered to stay at their dining table, his back to the chaos that took place in the Tsukino kitchen. He’s heard bits and pieces of Usagi cussing before, however, the storm that was the current cooking session was something he never expected to hear. Her mother did not even bother to correct or divert her daughter’s language. She had quite the patience for the situation despite the struggles of what sounded like Usagi tripping and hitting pans with other pots.
He almost got up at one point, but both women ordered him to sit down.
Things soon settled in the kitchen, and it got eerily quiet, but that only set Mamoru’s nervous system aflame with worry. All he could hear was what sounded like light cleaning and washing of used utensils.
Soon, Usagi brought out several plates of dishes he would see when he was invited over for dinner. As per standard with Usagi’s cooking, some were burnt by the edges or on top, but overall, all of it looked rather good.
“That’s… the surviving dishes…” Usagi’s voice was a whisper, low enough for him to hear.
“They look fine… enough.” She appreciated his attempt at being supportive, but even she was scared for him to attempt eating from the individual dishes.
The two women stood aside in silence, silently watching Mamoru try everything. It was deafening for those long few minutes. It did not help that he seemed to be processing like a computer in between each bite, and once he finished, he took even more time to think about what to say.
“Well…” Ikuko took her daughter's hand, fearing for Usagi’s future with Mamoru. Usagi was not as worried about that as she was about his stomach and if it could actually lead to a hospital visit.
“Not bad. It was all pretty good.” The two women relaxed with a big sigh.
“That’s good, and we still have time, so making dinner should be a lot easier since I have a better grasp on these dishes.” Usagi proclaimed, happily walking back into the kitchen, but her mother grabbed her arm.
“That’s alright, Usagi. I lied this morning.” Her mother’s words confused her. “I just had you do some advance shopping for me.”
“Mama! You don’t have to lie to me! I would have done it regardless!”
“Yes, but I feel like the light jab at how our cooking sessions usually go would be a good motivator. Had I known you would run into Mamoru today, I probably would not have had to resort to teasing to get you to do your best.”
Usagi could never really be mad at her mother, but her parents’ antics sometimes got on her nerves.
“So, you guys will go out?” She asked, a little exasperated.
“We will. Shingo has made some interesting suggestions lately.”
“Oh, so you’re enabling him.”
“That sounds so negative…”
“It’s what it IS, Mama.”
“Alright, alright, I am…” Ikuko looked at a clock hanging in their dining room. “By the way, your father will be home soon. You and Mamoru might want to get going before he arrives.”
At the mention of Kenji, Mamoru was immediately out of his seat.
“We’ll be going then. Come along, Usako, we’ll just walk as rapidly as we can.” The level of fear Mamoru had for her father would always be the most amusing expression of emotion Usagi thought she would ever see.
Usagi removed her apron, handing it to her mother. “I’ll see you guys later, then?”
“If you return home tonight.” Her mother winked at her daughter.
“Mama… Please… Whatever! I love you,” She hugged her mother. “Bye! Don’t tell Papa that Mamoru sat in his regular seat at the table!”
“Why would you let me sit there–”
“Oh, you’re being ridiculous, you’ll be fine–”
Ikuko laughed at hearing the young couple’s banter as they fumbled by the door, getting their shoes and jackets.
Leaving the Tsukino household, they had to make their way back to town. Mamoru had been on a stroll through town when he had initially spotted Usagi, so they had a bit of a walk to take to get to his apartment building.
The walk was pleasant, Usagi talking the most about the past few days at home and her chores or errands. Mamoru, however, was only concerned when it came to bringing up the girls, whom Usagi would talk about ad nauseam, but he had noticed they do not come up in conversation as much as they did almost a year ago.
“No interesting antics with the girls lately?” He would inquire now and again, always phrasing the question differently. It always made her go silent, but she would answer after a few seconds.
“Nothing that comes to mind.” It is always a curt answer. While he has his communications with the girls and knows how far they are getting career-wise, it surprises him when he does not hear about their achievements from Usagi.
That was the only briefly awkward moment on the walk to his place. She soon went back to talking about her family or a new game system at Crown Arcade.
Reaching the apartment complex, the blonde maintained a comfortable silence to not disturb the other tenants on their way to his front door. She soon started back up once it was shut and her chatter continued until they settled into the bliss of quiet tranquility, basking in their time together. They worked separately for their own purposes, but they enjoyed the others' presence enough that the silence was not awkward.
They often switch between date ideas, today being Mamoru’s turn, and his preference is always spending quality time at home with Usagi. She may end up sharing the space with him eventually, after all.
This quality time included her sitting in his living room watching some of the news to make a plan for the next day while he works on cooking dinner. Despite Usagi’s attempts to beg to show her ‘honed cooking skills her mama gave her,’ he had to decline on account of wanting to keep his apartment in one piece. While he has faith in Ikuko’s abilities to whip Usagi into a good cook, he was not ready to chance a fire tonight. The debacle he overheard earlier was enough to give him a fright.
Listening to the news too long for her liking, and learning about the intense drop in temperatures for the night, Usagi turned it off and moved to the kitchen to observe Mamoru and his culinary skill. Basic enough to cook meals that are filling, but quick enough so that if he gets a call, he can rush out and not be working on an empty stomach. She would poke fun at him for this but swore she would become a good (temporary) housewife and cook him more hearty meals. Maybe even bake for his coworkers… The thought alone made her giggle.
He soon finished cooking, and Usagi took a majority of the available food, unsurprisingly. Mamoru did not eat big though, so he was not bothered.
Now was his turn to discuss and rant, much to Usagi’s pleasure. Hearing Mamoru talk for long periods about his work would never get boring, even if it was all confusing doctor jargon she did not fully understand. He has always been passionate about helping others, including children like himself. It was admirable that he could be so willing to give back to a world that had not done much as to be kind to him.
From the sounds of it, he had nice coworkers that he can get along with well, and there was no workplace drama to be spoken of. They are far more open to teamwork and even drag him into working on solutions together when they as a collective unit are facing a problem. Usagi would never say it out loud, but he needs socialization.
“Sounds like they’re getting you to open up without my help. You do need more friends than just mine or Motoki.” Mamoru would laugh if it were not true.
“I don’t need a horde of friends. I’m fine with the small amount that graces, and subsequently destroys my home once in a blue moon.”
“Aw, don’t say that! That doesn’t happen… too often…”
Nothing could ever ruin the bliss of the moments they shared with their light conversations.
Finishing their dinner, they settled on ice cream for dessert while they watched a movie. As it was Mamoru’s night, he had every right to pick the movie, but he had nothing in mind. It fell to Usagi, who chose a movie she knew was of the horror genre. She thought it would be funny to surprise him with something she would not normally pick. Besides, it also kind of fits her mood. She could not find any reason why.
“Oh, wait!” Usagi stopped her boyfriend before he could press play. “Let me call home.” It had gotten rather late and Usagi did not want her father to worry.
Going to his phone, she dialed her home number, waiting for someone to pick up the other end, but oddly enough, no one came to the phone.
“Weird… I’ll just leave a message, then.” She waited for the message to play out. “Hey, Mama, Papa, or Shingo, whoever listens to this. I think I will stay at Mamo’s place tonight. I’ll be over in the morning, so no need to panic. He’ll make sure I’m up bright and early!” She ended the message with a nervous laugh, a small creeping sensation running up her back.
Hanging up the phone, she returned to the living room where Mamoru was sat upon the couch and waiting for her with a smile.
Taking her spot closely cuddled into him, they waited as the screen came to life, beginning the tale of horror. Mamoru could tell she switched things up with the death grip she currently had on his arm. The movie had barely even started before he could feel her nails digging into the skin. Her plan to surprise her boyfriend ended up back-firing on her, as she was already on edge, waiting for the jumpscares to occur.
It progressed to the rising action, the characters discussing the situation in which they had found themselves. Usagi was constantly jumping or covering her eyes to hide from the gory details. It made Mamoru laugh, his attention more focused on his spooked girlfriend than anything taking place on the TV.
If only the peace of that time could have lasted longer.
A loud knocking that sounded from the apartment's front door startled the two. Mamoru got up to answer the door, and Usagi sat up to pause the movie. Her boyfriend would never invite someone over this late into the night. If anyone showed up this late, it would be either her or Motoki.
The two were not being loud as Usagi had done her best to not scream her head off, and the TV was at a decent volume, so there is no way someone could have made a complaint.
Whoever it was, they were prepared for someone to complain, not for the incoming discussion.
Opening the door, Mamoru came face to face with an officer. Not too strange, he could have been part of building security. Only, Mamoru knew security was never called for a minuscule reason like a noise complaint. Most neighbors usually just drop by and ask them to be quiet politely.
“Hello. Sorry to bother you this evening, but is there a Miss Tsukino present in this apartment?” For Usagi? As far as she knew, no one else in the building knew her name… Not that it stopped the sweaty hands she rubbed into the couch. “Asking around, some of her neighbors said that she comes to this building. A description of a young girl with long blonde hair got us sent to your apartment, sir.”
Her heart raced as she got up from the couch and took her place beside Mamoru at the open door. “Yes, that would be me… Why?” Usagi could only regret being honest.
“Nice to have found you, Miss Tsukino. Unfortunately,” Her heartbeat echoed loudly in her ears, there was no way the two men could hear it, right? “I am sorry to inform you about your family situation…”
Usagi heard less and less of the officer's voice after those words, feeling Mamoru shift behind her, his hand on her shoulder. The air was still, no noise coming from anywhere as her thoughts began to spiral out of control over what was just told to her. Her boyfriend's grip grew strong as he squeezed, a reflex of having also heard what she did.
Something happened. She did not want to think about it. However, she also could not avoid it.
Whenever did she have a choice in avoiding the tragic and inevitable?
Her mother.
Her father.
Her brother.
And today was supposed to be a good day.