Title:  Something Special
Author: The Hoyden
Email:  dulcinea42@yahoo.com
Part 1
Rating: PG


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"Something Special" Part 1
by the Hoyden

Author's Notes:  This is my first fanfic, so constructive criticism
and/or encouragement are exceedingly welcome.  Tell me what you
think!  My email is dulcinea42@yahoo.com.
Sailor Moon is the property of Naoko Takeuchi and many other
people who aren't me.  Likewise, the song lyrics interspersed
throughout this fanfic are from Shania Twain's "That Don't Impress
Me Much" and are not my property by any definition of the word.
And now, for something completely different:  the actual story.

"You think you're something special,
 You think you're something else."

     I hated him the very instant he walked into the arcade.  First
of all, at his arrival, Motoki jumped up from helping me with my
Sailor V game and went to greet him.  The next thing I knew, every
girl in the arcade was making ridiculous cooing noises over him and
fluttering their eyelashes.
     From behind me, I heard Motoki talking to the stranger.
"When did you get into town, Mamoru-kun?"
     A deep, resonant voice answered,  "Just this morning."  I
resolutely tuned out the rest of their conversation and concentrated
on beating the new Sailor V game.  I was utterly determined to pay
absolutely no mind to this intruder, even though every pair of eyes
in the arcade except for mine were riveted on him.  Unfortunately,
all my good intentions fell through when the stranger, this Mamoru,
uttered the fateful sentence:
     "Her hair makes her look like a bunny."
That's it, I thought.  I HATE it when people make fun of my unique
hairstyle.  I spun around to see Motoki and a dark-haired young
man grinning at me.  "I do NOT look like a bunny,"  I told them in
slow, furious tones.
     Mamoru smirked.  "No, of course not.  How silly of me.  You
look like an Odango Atama."
     "ODANGO ATAMA?!!!"  I shrieked.
     Both covered their ears.  "Tune it down from supersonic,
Odango,"  Mamoru admonished me.
    "Listen here, you...you..."  I sputtered, searching my mind for his
full name or alternatively, a good epithet.
     "Chiba Mamoru,"  he supplied, sketching a performer's bow.
     "I don't know who you think you are, Chiba-san, but I think
you are incredibly rude and you owe me an apology."
     Mamoru looked like he was considering it.  He stroked his
chin and closed his azure eyes.  "Hmmm...I'm thinking...no way."
      "What do you mean, no way?"  I demanded.
     His eyes opened again and he stepped forward, toe-to-toe
with me.  He was so tall that I had to crane my neck upwards
to keep eye contact.  Then he surprised me by brushing a
long finger over one of my odangos and leaning down so that
his lips were close to my ear.  In a soft, sexy drawl, he
whispered,  "Because you'll always be Odango Atama to me."
     Then he exited the arcade swiftly, whistling a sunny tune,
even as I stood in the same place fuming silently.

     I spent the next day attempting to keep my homicidal instincts
under control.  During lunch outside in the school's courtyard,
however, my best friend Naru had the exceptionally bad taste
to bring up yesterday afternoon in the arcade.
     "Oh, he was so handsome, Usagi-chan!"  she gushed, twiddling
one lock of her red hair.
     I rolled my eyes and stuffed more rice in my mouth.  "Not to
mention arrogant, obnoxious, and rude."
     Naru sighed and looked at me with utter despair.  "You'll
never get a date for the Spring Dance if you keep this up."
I was shocked, and I could tell she regretted her words even
as she said them.  Against my will I felt tears welling up in my
eyes.
     "Naru-chan,"  I began, trying to keep any tremors out of
my voice,  "we're only in ninth grade.  So I don't have a date
yet.  So what?  It's not the end of the world.  It doesn't really
matter."  False words, those.  It did matter, and it was a bitter
source of pain that no one had asked me out yet.  Naru and
I had been planning for this all winter.  We went shopping
and bought shoes, jewelry, and my dress.  My princess
dress, I thought with a lump in my throat.  Now I won't get
to wear my gorgeous, fluffy white dress.
     In the middle of my misery, I distantly heard the dreaded
bell clang.  Naru slowly stood up and walked off to class,
not really knowing what to say to me.  I, for my part, remained
in my seat next to a tree as I recalled that I had a biology
test that I was certain to fail this afternoon.
     *Splat.*
     Wonderful, I thought sourly, brushing the harbinger of doom
off my nose.  It was starting to rain.

"You drive me up the wall,
 You're a regular original know-it-all."

     I hadn't remembered to bring an umbrella or a raincoat that
day.  Out of sheer spite, the cold rain started to pound harder
as I started to walk home from school.  I must have made a
pathetic sight with my clothes drenched and my soggy
ponytails plastered to my back.  Out of self-pity I began
to sniffle a little, and then I broke out into full-fledged
sobs as I looked at the wadded-up failed biology test in
my hand.  I hate this day, I thought.  All I want to do is
pretend that this day never really happened.  I want to
pretend that there was no test, no rain -
     And on that thought, the rain stopped.  Or to be more
precise, it stopped falling on me.  For a moment I stood
there, dumbfounded, and then I looked up to see a shiny,
black umbrella.  Usagi, you baka, I told myself, umbrellas
do NOT hold themselves up.  I turned around slowly to
come face to face with Chiba Mamoru.
     "Mamoru-san!"  I squeaked, even as I was thinking,
not him, anyone but him.
     His azure eyes seemed to be filled with concern as he
asked,  "Are you okay, Odango Atama?"
     I was tempted to scream, "Don't call me that!"  but I
thought better of it.  "Arigato, Mamoru-san, I'm just
fine."
     "You're all wet,"  he observed, touching the sleeve
of my school uniform.
     "Thanks for stating the obvious,"  I muttered.
After a while I noticed that he hadn't removed his hand
from its resting spot on my uniform.  A little spooked,
I began to mumble some excuse about having to go
to a friend's house.
     Mamoru gripped my elbow.  "Odango Atama,"  he said,
with just a hint of worry in his voice,  "you're going
to catch a cold.  My apartment is three doors down
from here.  You can come up and wait out the storm."
     I would have said no, but I made the mistake of
looking into his eyes again.  Kami-sama, I thought.
He had the most gorgeous sea-blue eyes I had ever
seen in my whole life.  Somehow I felt myself nodding
and then, miraculously enough, one foot moved in front
of the other until I was up in Chiba Mamoru's apartment.
     It was a nice apartment, I judged as I stood
dripping in the doorway.  Much cleaner than the doom pit
I called my bedroom.  Mamoru had already moved into
the tiny kitchen area and was messing around with something.
"Odango Atama,"  he called, not even looking up,  "the bathroom is
straight ahead of you.  Go take a shower and I'll bring you
some dry clothes."
     I felt my face burn with mortification.  "NANI?!"
     He looked up impatiently, and then his lips spread into a
devilish grin.  "Go on, I promise I won't peek.  You really
will catch a cold if you don't get out of those cold, wet
clothes though."
     I stood there, clenching my teeth for a moment, and then
with muttered choice comments about psycho guys who
call me "dumpling head,"  I stalked towards the bathroom.
     "What was that, Odango Atama?"
     I slammed the door in response.

To be continued in part 2...

Please email me!
dulcinea42@yahoo.com