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Chapter One - Strangers in the Night

Konnichi-wa, minna-chan! Here's the first chapter to YGM. I know I made 
poor Usagi a little ditzy, being scared of Ami's modem and all, but, hey, we 
were all computer illiterate at one point or another, ne? I didn't picture Usagi 
as the sort who would spend her time in front of a monitor. When I think of 
Usagi, I see her playing video games, drinking chocolate milkshakes, talking
to her friends, strolling through the mall......and dreaming of her Mamo-chan. 
Basically being her bubbly self. 

I'm not all that familiar with the manga, having 
owned only one Pocket Mixx and 4 SM manga, - is Azabu supposed to be a 
prestigious high school? Gomen, minna-chan. I'm more familiar with the 
anime. So don't be too surprised if Usagi is a little more ditzy and Mamo-
chan a bit more rude. 

Besides, aren't fanfics basically the author's interpretation of the original 
work? I did make one change from the anime: Mamoru is a high school 
student, not a college guy. I know standards are different in Japan(the legal 
age of consent is 14, for God's sake) but over here in the US a 14 year old 
going out with a 19 year old is kind of fishy, and if they ever *ahem* 
consummated their relationship before Usagi turned 18, in many states it's 
considered statutory rape, consensual or not. 

Ironically, poor Usagi's assignment is similar to something I had to do for a 
college project. 

Anyways, I hope you enjoy the fic. I use a sprinkling of Japanese in this fic, so 
go here if you're having problems understanding what the characters are saying. 
Don't worry about any Japanese I use here not being there, all the Japanese I 
know is on that site(and trust me, it's not much.)

Send all comments to lady_aisheteru@hotmail.com, but no flames, please. 
This little spitfire flames right back! And she's got a kick-ass flame-thrower! 
WHOOOOSH! 

Disclaimer: Gomen, do I HAVE to do this again? *sees the Copyright Police 
coming and sweatdrops* Very well. I don't own Sailor Moon, nor did I write 
the original manga. Don't sue me; I am poor.

~*~Usagi~*~

"Well, what do I do now, Ames?" I said after typing in Ms. Haruna's practice 
link, which went to her own personal website.

"Hmmm....let's see what the handout says." Ami took the sheet of paper Ms. 
Haruna had given Usagi and speed-read through it. "According to this, you 
have to make contact with someone you would probably never meet in real
life."

I thought real hard about this. The Azabu posters that tormented my under-
achieving self came to mind. "Azabu," I said. "I'd never speak to one of 
THOSE creeps. Not for a million years." I finished, making a face.

"Wait, doesn't Mamoru-san go to Azabu?" inquired Ami.

"That baka?" I asked, chuckling nervously. "I'll bet his folks bribed the school 
board or something."

"Actually, he's the top student."

"Hmph," I said.

"Anyways, Azabu has a website where some of their students help tutor other 
students who need help with things. All of the Honor Society members 
volunteer there."

"How would you know about a tutoring site? You're so smart, Ames."

Ami blushed modestly. "Well, it never hurts to get a fresh perspective on
things."

"I guess," I said. "How do I get in there?"

"Well," said Ami, "all you have to do is send an email to this address," Ami 
said, writing some more gibberish on my sheet of paper. "Write a short note 
explaining why you need their help."

I did what she said. "Okay, now what?"

"Type your name in and click the 'send' button."

"My NAME? I don't think so. What if that baka Mamoru sees this? You said he
was the top student, right?"

Ami nodded.

"Then he's probably the head of the Honor Society or something. If he found 
out about this, there's no WAY I could ever live this down!"

Ami shook her head, smiling slightly. "OK, just use your screen name. That's 
a perfectly acceptable way to sign emails."

So I signed the letter, "Moon_bunny" and clicked the "Send" button.

~*~Mamoru~*~ 
I was sitting in front of my computer inside my apartment. As head of the 
Azabu honor society, I oversaw the online tutoring program. I loved my job 
as a tutor. I loved helping students to excel and reach their best. We help 
people all over Japan, from all grade levels up to college. All of the Honor 
Society members had to report each case to me, so I could make sure that 
they were making the students feel good about themselves and not like some 
baka who was incapable of lucid thought, and to make sure that the "clients" 
were benefiting from the tutors. Online, we only use our screen names, for 
privacy's sake. There ARE a lot of ecchis out there.

I was just about to sign off for the night, when one of the other tutors sent 
me an instant message.

Wing_Zero: I just received a case from Moon_bunny. She said she needed help 
on an Internet assignment. I'm sending you her email now.
Earth_protector:Thanks, Wing_Zero. I'll give you further instructions after I've
read the email.
Wing_Zero: Thanks. I'll wait.

In a few seconds, my computer alerted me that I had mail. (I'm blessed with a 
very speedy modem.) I opened my mailbox and read the email:


Hello,
I'm an eighth grade student, and my evil teacher gave me a 12 page paper to do on the Internet, due in a week. I'm supposed to write about how the Internet, as a new form of communication, has changed the way I communicate. I know basically nothing about the Internet. I jumped at the sound of the modem. 
Please help!

=:) Moon_Bunny 

I smiled. Something told me that I should take this assignment myself. I 
relished the challenge of teaching the poor, Internet illiterate student who was 
cursed with a sadist of a teacher and a monster of a project.

Earth_protector: I'll take this one on myself, Wing_Zero.
Wing_Zero: Are you sure? It sounds like she needs some serious help.
Earth_protector: Positive. 
Wing_Zero: OK, I leave it in your hands. I'll give her your screen name so she 
can IM you. Ja ne!

With that, Wing_Zero signed off. I smiled and typed a response to 
Moon_bunny;

Moon_bunny,
12 pages, huh? Ouch. I think I can help you with this assignment. 
-----}@ Earth_protector

Soon, I got a reply on my IM:

Moon_bunny: Really? Well, part of the assignment is to contact someone who I 
would never contact in real life, and you Azabu people were at the top of my 
list. No offense. I hate school, and you Azabu kids live and breathe it.

I chuckled. She must think us Azabu kids are a bunch of stuffed shirts. We get 
that a lot, actually. Mainly from Juuban kids.

Earth_protector: Well, that's not *entirely* true. You can't judge a book by its 
cover, Bunny.
Moon_bunny: *sigh* I guess you're right, Prot. There's this guy I know from 
Azabu. He's a total jerk! Every time I see him, he torments me for no reason. 
I think he gets some kind of sick pleasure out of it. Tell me all Azabu kids 
aren't like him.
Earth_protector: No, not all of us are like that. I'm guessing that this guy
simply doesn't know how to talk to people.
Moon_bunny: My friend said the same thing. She really believes in this old 
wives' tale, that if a guy teases you, it means he likes you.
Earth_protector: She may not be too far off. Some guys are more closed off 
than others, and they don't know how to convey their feelings. So those 
guys push people away, secretly hoping that they'll feel the same way about
him that he does about them.

I winced a bit. This was coming a bit too close to home. There's this girl I 
know, Tsukino Usagi. She's petite, beautiful and full of energy. She manages 
to make friends with everyone she meets because she has a way of making 
each person she comes into contact with feel special. Even though we did 
nothing but argue, she always made a loner like me feel special, who grew 
up in an orphanage, never learning how to communicate, the other children 
being as cold and distant towards me as I was towards them. 

The only person I could actually communicate with was Furuhata Motoki, my
best friend since I moved out of the orphanage. And even he doesn't know 
the secret to why I'm so introverted, and why I choose to spend most of my 
time behind the walls of my apartment. 

There was one girl that I could relate to. The princess in my dreams. By the 
look in her sad, blue eyes, I could tell that she knew about the real me, the me 
behind the walls I built to keep other people out. She could stare into my very 
soul, making me feel safe and vulnerable at the same time. We would dance 
under the moonlight, her face against my chest, her platinum blonde hair 
blowing in the wind, never revealing the face to me fully. It was like we had 
known each other a long time ago, and had danced like that often, as secret 
lovers in the night. The dreams felt that real. 

Moon_bunny: Prot, r u there?
Earth_protector: Yes, I'm here. 
Moon_bunny: What does that mean, exactly?
Earth_protector: He probably has a crush on you, but he doesn't know how to 
tell you.
Moon_bunny: That actually makes sense. Thanks, prot. Will you be here 
tomorrow?
Earth_protector: Yes. I'll be here from 7pm on, when I get home from work.
Moon_bunny: Work? What do you do for a living?
Earth_protector: I'm a model. I got into Azabu on an academic scholarship, but 
I save up for my college tuition and pay the rent by modeling.
Moon_bunny: Wow, that is so cool! Well, I'll see you tomorrow!

Moon_bunny signed off and I smiled, signing off myself.

~*~Usagi~*~
"You see? There might be a good reason why Mamoru acts the way he does
towards you," said Ami, who had been looking over my shoulder the whole 
time.

"Yeah," I said. "I never thought about it that way before."

"Even when Minako said it?"

"Well, she IS the Senshi of Love. Of course she would see things that way. She 
thinks that Cupid's Arrows belong to her," I said.

Ami laughed. "Yes, she is *quite* the matchmaker."

"Matchmaker, matchmaker, make me a match," I sang.

Ami joined in, smiling. "Fish me a fish! Catch me a catch!"

We both doubled over laughing. "Well, I'll see what Motoki has to say about 
this tomorrow." I said after recovering.


* * * * *
I walked into the Crown Arcade at noon smiling. "Hi, Motoki!" I said cheerfully.

"Hi, Usagi," Motoki said from behind the counter. "What can I get you today?"

I smiled. What can I say, I love food! "I'll have a double cheeseburger, a 
chocolate milkshake and a double order of fries!"

Motoki smiled. "I'll have Unazuki make that for you ASAP."

"Ooh!" I clapped my hands. Besides being the most friendly waitress at the 
Crown Arcade, she was also an excellent cook.

"Motoki-chan, can I ask you something?" I said.

"Sure, Usagi. Ask away."

"My friends think that if a guy teases you a lot, that means he likes you." I said.

"Hmmm. This wouldn't have anything to do with Mamoru, now would it?" he 
asked.

I grinned sheepishly. Boy, he was pretty smart for an arcade guy. "Hai."

"Well," Motoki began, "Mamoru's a special case."

"How so?" asked Usagi.

"Well, I can't say why, exactly. You know, after all the years I've known him,
I've never met his parents. I don't think he even knows them."

"Wow," said Usagi. "That's so sad."

"Don't tell Mamoru I said anything. He's a very proud person, Usagi-chan. 
He wouldn't want your pity."

I nodded, understanding completely. At that moment, Unazuki came to the 
counter with my food. "Here you go, Usagi. That'll be ** yen" (AN: I know 
nothing about Japanese economics, or how much things really cost. Gomen!)

I reached into my wallet and forked over what was left of last week's allowance. 
Then I happily dug into my meal.

The bells rang that were attached to the double doors of the Crown Arcade, 
indicating that someone was coming in. I was too interested in my lunch, and 
I didn't know who it was until I heard, "Whoa, slow down, Meatball head. Are 
you storing fat for the winter?"

I paused between bites just long enough to stick my tongue out at him. 
"Ie, Mamoru-baka," I said, determined not to treat him any differently.

"Motoki, the usual please," said Mamoru.

"Right. One cappuccino coming up," said Motoki, winking at me.

"What was that about, Meatball Head?" Mamoru asked.

"Nothing to concern your snooty self with," I said. Past or no past, this guy 
still gets on my nerves.

"Snooty? Why do you think I'm snooty?" he asked, his eyebrow arched.

"Because you go to Azabu," I said. "Isn't that the school where the children of 
the ultra-rich go?" I asked.

Mamoru looked as if I'd slapped him. "You know nothing about my parents. 
For all you know, I might not even have any."

So it was true what Motoki said. 

"Gomen, Mamoru." I muttered, looking at my empty plate. 

"That's okay." he said. Finishing his cappuccino, he stood up and wiped my 
face with a napkin. Electricity shot from his hand. 'Whoa' I thought. 'Did he 
feel that too?'

"Well, it was either that or you were saving some of that hamburger for later," 
he said, smiling. "See you around, Meatball Head."

I weakly nodded, too stupefied to make a witty retort.

~*~Mamoru~*~
I walked out of the Crown Arcade center, still holding the napkin I had used to 
wipe Usagi's face. 'What compelled me to do that?' I wondered. I recalled the 
moment my hand touched her soft, albeit ketchup stained, cheek. The moment 
I touched her face, I felt this jolt, not at all unpleasant, and this feeling that I 
had touched her like that before, a long time ago.

I was still reeling by the time I had driven to my apartment, and even though 
I'm obsessively neat, I didn't throw the napkin away, even after I had arrived 
home.

* * * * *
Lady Aisheteru: So, did you like that? I hope so. I have no clue what I'm going
to write for the second chapter, but rest assured that as soon as it is completed
and proofread, I'll post it. Email me with all of your comments. Email email 
email! I love email!