Hey bebes! New fic! I’ll be using [[]] for thoughts and (()) for
flashbacks.. All standard disclaimers apply, so don’t have a cow..
Yada Yada Yada.. More ANs at the bottom.. Umm.. There’s some lisping
in here.. Sound out the words.. Okays, on with the fic!


Title: “Second Glance”
Author: Hummie
Prologue
Rating: PG

**********

	“You got it all wrong, Demando! I am *not* going out with
Katsumi!” cried Chiba Mamoru.

	Chiba Mamoru was walking down the street and talking with his
first cousin on his mother’s side, Kageno Demando. They hung out all
the time and were practically inseparable. They were known as the
‘Wonder Boys’ by the people who knew them. Both Mamoru and Demando
were incredibly handsome, athletic, and increasingly popular. Girls
fell into their laps by the dozen, but only a few were so called
‘privileged’ to go out with them.
	Demando raised a brow. “Gimme a break, Mamoru. I *saw* you two
with my own eyes.”
	Mamoru shrugged. “You may have seen us together, but that
doesn’t mean that we’re going out.” Mamoru gave his cousin a sly
grin.
	Demando grinned and slapped him on the back. “You dog, you!”
	Mamoru laughed and sat on a park bench. “Hey, what can I say,
Demo? The girlies love me.”
	Demando grinned at the use of his nickname. “Well cousin,
you’re not the only one who’s popular with the ‘girlies’.”

	Usagi was shocked. [[So it’s true]] she thought to herself
[[They *are* sick and perverted! How could I have ever liked
Mamoru?]] Usagi sat in the bushes just behind the bench where Mamoru
and Demando sat.
	It wasn’t hard not to like Chiba Mamoru. He was only fifteen,
but he was already at the height of 5’10, and so was his cousin.
Mamoru had sexy jet-black hair that fell over his eyes and a
muscular body. His eyes were the most sought after part of his
physique. They were what she called ‘a midnight blue’ and they were
fringed with dark, thick lashes. Kageno Demando wasn’t far off from
Mamoru in the looks department. Demando had black hair that had been
died white. His hair reached to his shoulders. The combination of
the hair and brawny body completed the look of a skater or a surfer
from the states that the girls just went gaga over. His light blue
eyes were perfect, but not as nice as Mamoru’s. Usagi had seen their
lithe figures pass by her house on the street. She couldn’t believe
her eyes. It was finally her chance to get close and personal with
them. She made an excuse to her dad about having to take out the
family dog and ran after them. She had then carefully hid in the
bush.
	[[How could I have been so stupid as to fall in love with
Mamoru?]]
	Usagi bit her lip. Love. Love was a strong word. Her mother
had warned her against using it so hastily. Usagi licked her lips.
Did she love Mamoru? She nodded inwardly as she continued to pet her
dog, Ren Ren. Yes, she did love Mamoru, but how could she continue
to when he was so.. so.. so disgusting? That was the hardest
question. Mamoru was very very handsome. How could he be so ugly
inside? Usagi’s ears suddenly perked up. They were speaking again.

	“Man, did you get a load of that little girl the other day?”
	Mamoru shook his head. “What little girl?”
	Demando rolled his eyes. “You know, that little girl with the
blue eyes and short curly blonde hair?” Mamoru nodded. “Well, she
was following you again.”
	Mamoru made a sound between his teeth. “That there is no
little girl. Her name is Tsukino Usagi. The kind of girl you
wouldn’t give a second glance. She’s about eleven or twelve years
old.”

	Usagi’s delicate brows furrowed together in anger. [[The kind
of girl you wouldn’t give a second glance? How dare he!! My mother
thought I was beautiful!! And eleven years old? I am *not* eleven!
I’m twelve! He should know! He was at my birthday party!]]

	Demando chuckled. “You gotta be kiddin’ me, Mamo!! She’s so
small and flat!! She looks about eight!! I thought she had lost her
parents or something!” Demando stopped chuckling as he saw Mamoru’s
face harden.
	“Actually, Demo, she did lose a parent. Her mother died last
year.”

	Usagi trembled. Her mother. Her beautiful mother with her
violet hair and eyes had died of cancer the year before. Exactly a
month before her birthday, May 30. That’s why Mamoru had been there.
He was there because he had pitied her. Usagi’s father had called
everyone in the neighborhood to come to the party. She still
remembered what her father had said over the telephone.

	((Usagi hid in her favorite hiding place, inside one of the
bottom cabinets. She watched as her father went through the phone
book and called every single kid in the neighborhood.
	“Hello. Is this the Chiba residence?”
	Usagi had bit her lip. Chiba? As in Chiba Mamoru? Her face
brightened up for the first time in three weeks. She listened on.
	“Yes? Hello, Mrs. Chiba. Hi. I was wondering if your son would
be interested in coming to my daughter’s birthday party next week?”
Usagi’s father paused. “Oh, he can’t make it? Are you sure?”
	Usagi’s face fell as her father paused again. “Oh, hello there
Mamoru.”
	Usagi’s eyes widened. Her father was actually talking with
*her* Mamoru?!?! She had to listen carefully.
	“Well Mamoru, I was wondering if you would like to come to my
daughter’s birthday party.”
	Usagi crossed her fingers. [[Oh gods, please let him be able
to come.]]
	“Well, I just wanted to ask you to come because--”
	Usagi held a perplexed expression on her face. Just *what* was
going on?
	“Well, it would be nice if you could come,” her father
continued, “I mean, this is a hard time for us right now and it
would probably mean a lot if--”
	Her father nodded. “Yes, she’s feeling down because of her
mother. Please. Please say you’ll come.”
	Her father suddenly smiled and Usagi frowned. “That’s great,
if only for a little while. Thank you, son.”
	Usagi sat with her knees against her flat chest. [[My father
had to beg for Mamoru to come?]] Tears came to her eyes. [[Mamoru
probably only said ‘yes’ because papa put that part about mama in.]]
Usa bit down on her lip to keep from crying out. She held the sobs
in. She didn’t want to her father to know that she was under the
cabinets again. She cried and cried for a long time. Something
dripped on her hand. Wetness. Usagi brushed the back of her hand
against her bottom lip. Even in the darkness she could see what it
was. She had bitten her lip excruciatingly hard and it was now
bleeding.))

	“Oh, sorry Mamo,” Demando said, bringing Usagi back to
reality, “I didn’t know that her mother had died.”
	Mamoru shrugged. “It’s cool. Wow. Her mother was a real
knock-out and her father is good-looking, too. I wonder why Usagi
came out so homely looking.”
	Usagi’s eyes flared and then instantly filled with tears.
[[Why?? Why would he say such things??]]
	Demando just laughed. “You are too evil for your own good,
Mamo. Isn’t it true that she lisps, too?”
	Mamoru gave him a withering stare and then threw back his head
in laughter. “Yah! It is true!” Mamoru laughed again. “You should
hear her when she says anything that begins with an ‘s’!! She sounds
like a complete moron!!”
	Demando slapped Mamoru against the head. “Hey, don’t be so
mean. I used to lisp!”
	Mamoru grinned. “I know.”

	All the while tears flowed down Usagi’s face. She couldn’t
believe this. How could Mamoru be so cruel? Even Demando was being
nicer than him.
	Unbeknownst to her, her little pooch, Ren Ren, was getting
very annoyed. He hated taking baths and he was certainly receiving
one from his master’s tears. His white curly hair was matted and he
was feeling itchy. He pulled out of Usagi’s grasp and ran out of the
bush. Usagi was flabbergasted.
	“Ren Ren! Come back here!” she cried loudly. She got out of
her sitting position and ran full speed after her dog.


	“Ren Ren! Come back here!”
	Mamoru and Demando turned around to face the direction where
the shout had come from. They saw a little girl with a flat chest
and short curly blonde hair fly out of a bush.
	Demando slapped Mamoru on the shoulder. “Hey man! She’s
following you *AGAIN*!”
	Both Mamoru and Demando watched as Usagi chased the little
white dog around the park.


	[[Oh gods, this is so humiliating!]] Usagi thought. “Ren Ren!
COME BACK HERE!”
	Mamoru and Demando watched in amusement as the girl chased the
little dog around the park. The dog was now headed for the boys.
Usagi ran after it.

	[[Lord oh Lord!! Please, just come back Ren Ren!!]]
	Usagi ran full speed towards Ren Ren who was quickly getting
closer and closer to Mamoru and Demo. It was too bad. Usagi had seen
it too late. She tripped on a minuscule root from a nearby tree and
fell flat on her face. The boys whooped with laughter.
	“Oh gods, she can’t even run on her two own feet!” cried
Mamoru, his face covered with tears from too much laughing.
	The boys didn’t know that she had tripped on a root, they
thought that she had just fallen down.
	Mamoru continued to ridicule her. “Oh man, what a loser!”
	Usagi’s face turned red. Not with humiliation, but with anger.
She marched up to Mamoru.
	“I am *not* a lother! You are thuch a thupid dork! I thought
you were a good guy, but you’re not! You’re horrible!”
	Mamoru stood up, towering over the five foot tall Usagi.
	“Uthagi,” he began, mocking her lisp, “I do believe that you
*are* a dork. Now thtop following me and get lotht!”
	Usagi’s crystalline eyes filled with tears. Demando just stood
there shocked. He held her dog in his hands. [[Ren Ren? Yah, I think
that’s what she called him…]] Demo had never known Mamoru to be so
mean to poor defenseless little girls. He saw the little girl’s eyes
fill with tears. [[Her eyes are so pretty when they are sad]] he
thought unconsciously. He had caught Ren Ren and then returned to
find Mamoru being severely sinister to Usagi. He watched as the girl
walked over to him and took back her dog. She slowly walked away.
	Demando glared at Mamoru. “How could you? She’s just a little
girl! Why were you so mean to her?”
	Mamoru shrugged. “She’s annoying! And she was following me
again like you said!”
	Demando shook his head. “Mamoru, I think you should be nicer
to people, even if they are annoying.”
	Mamoru stood there dumfounded as Demando left and ran after
Usagi.

	“Hey! Hey!”
	Usagi paused and looked behind her. [[Demando? What does he
want?]]
	She stopped and turned around to face Demando. “Look, I don’t
know why you came after me, but go away!”
	Demando held up a hand. “Look, I didn’t come here to make fun
of you or whatever you’re thinking. I came to apologize about
Mamoru’s behavior.”
	Usagi stood there with her mouth open. [[He came to..
apologize?]] Demando continued to speak.
	“Well, I’m sorry about Mamoru. He can be a real jerk at
times.” He paused and looked at her. “Are you okay? Did you hurt
yourself?”
	Usagi grinned and shook her head. “Nopeth. I’m okay. That root
came outta nowhere, but thankth for athking.”
	Demando smiled down at the little girl. “Okay then. Maybe I’ll
see you around. Bye.”
	Usagi watched with large eyes as he walked away. [[He’s much
nicer than Mamoru had ever been to me. Demando is decent at least. I
hate Mamoru so much. I hope I never see him again, even if I have to
go far far away.]]


	“Hi papa!” she cried when she got home.
	Mr. Tsukino grinned sadly. “Hey pumpkin.”
	Usagi put on a confused expression. “What’th wrong, papa?”
Usagi looked around the house. It was practically bare and there
were boxes everywhere.
	“What’th going on?”
	Mr. Tsukino sat Usagi down. “Usagi, I’ve gotten a new job. It
will help us out very much. It might even launch my career!”
	Usagi beamed. “That’th great! But why with all the boxeth?”
	Mr. Tsukino cleared his throat. “Usagi, I know that this is
very sudden. I know that you might hate me for this, but I know that
it will prove a better life for us. My new job is in the states.
	Usagi’s eyes flew wide. “The thtateth?! Ath in the United
Thtateth of America?! Papa!”
	Her father held a blank expression as he observed his
daughter. Usagi looked utterly happy. [[Good! A fresh start. No more
Mamoru. No more humiliation. This is great!]]
	“Usagi, how do you feel about this?” he father asked.
	“It’th great! It could launch your career ath a dethigner?
Let’th go for it, papa! Thith will mean a new life for uth, a new
future!”
	Her father beamed. “I’m glad that you like the idea so much. I
like it, too! I knew you would understand.”
	She walked over and gave him a hug. Mr. Tsukino smoothed down
her hair.
	“Good-bye Japan, hello thateth.”

**********

	Hey bebes!! Eek!! I tried to make her lisp as little as
possible, but it couldn’t be helped with the United States of
America part. Sorry! Oh well, I liked it. It’s only the prologue.
It’ll get better. To clear things up, when I mention Katsumi, I
don’t mean Catsy from the show.. I just saw the Japanese name
‘Katsumi’ on ChannelOne the other day at school and I thought that
it was really pretty. All right, more disclaimers. I once again,
have gone and borrowed Tapestry’s name for Demando which would be
Kageno Demando.. Geez, I just can’t seem to find any names for these
people!! ::Alas:: I hope that this prologue didn’t suck, but it
probably did.. ::grrrr:: Email me and speak your mind!!
oo1hummie1oo@yahoo.com or XxMoNKeeCooKeexX@aol.com.. Please tell me
what you thought about this fic so far!! No flames about Mamo-chan
being mean. He’s supposed to be mean for the time being. All things
shall rectify itself. ^_^ Well, I guess I’ll see ya later
minna-chan!! Happy trails and happy faces! ^_~