Usako_mamoru 3rd anniversary challenge 2009

Day 13: Stars

By Natsudori Lina

The first time he'd met her, Mamoru saw red.

To be precise, it was a red 'F,' followed by a stain of red on her cheeks. He, who was usually so calm, so collected, had somehow found himself red in the cheeks as well, shouting at this girl who was only a stranger. When she'd finally stormed away, he'd been left shaking his head in wonder, glad to see her go. She had only upset his control. He'd walked away, the haze of red fading from his vision. He'd never anticipated that the encounter would become so commonplace over the next few weeks, every time he went to see Motoki in fact, but that was fine. The important thing was he was still ultimately in control.

Another time they'd met on the street, Mamoru had sworn he'd seen canaries.

The little yellow birds had flitted about his head, the direct after-effects of a shoe to the forehead. Worried blue eyes had popped in his field of vision as he lay on the sidewalk, only for him to be dismissed. "Oh, it's just you."

And he welcomed back that red, the red that clouded his vision and his judgment and his sense of time. Usagi had no way of knowing that that was what she did to him. His eyes swam with anger, he couldn't see straight, and he just wanted to grab her and wipe that little smirk off.

And before he was quite sure of what he was doing, he had her gripped by the shoulders and hauled up against him. The smirk was gone now and all traces of amusement had left her face. Her eyes searched his and he watched, fascinated, as her pulse beat a frantic tattoo in her neck.

Her voice was hushed, an inquisitive whisper. "Mamoru-s--"

She got no further. Her voice was silenced abruptly by his mouth on hers. His hand kneaded the small of her back. The other tugged at her hair. His arms around her were like steel bands and his lips moved over hers with fervor, the pressure such that Usagi was certain her lips were bruising, but she just couldn't seem to care. Her hand knotted in his hair and his arms around her were no longer necessary as she pressed her body to his, urgent—

He broke away, panting.

Usagi stared at him. Her face was flushed; not red, but a delicate pink. She was breathless and her hair was mussed and she was blinking like an owl and she looked beautiful.

"Mamoru—what--"

His lips descended on hers again, a gentle caress this time. She sighed and languidly wound her arms around his neck, eyes closed, relaxing into it.

The first time he'd kissed her, Mamoru saw stars.