All day at school on Monday, with the rumors of the deliquent school girl and people's mean suspicions that it's Makoto still running rampant, the taller girl and Usagi tended to avoid each other. (Well, Usagi's idea of avoiding someone is sending large, doeful eyes their way that clearly (hopefully) said 'I think you're mad at me but I wanna hug you lots.)
Before Monday, Usagi had very much let her disbelief and displeasure at people being stupid faces. 'Mako-chan would never do that!' and the sorts had been heard several hallways away.
Monday, she had the smug pride of rubbing people's faces in the fact that they were WRONG.
'HAH! I told you guys it wasn't her! I was WITH Mako-cha when we ran into the deliquent! And even though she's very pretty, she is NO Mako-chan!'
This, of course, was met by either disbelief or quiet awe of 'how did you survive!'
So of course, even though she couldn't tell people exactly what happened, she just blinked at them in surprise. 'I was with Mako-chan. Duh. If anything happened, do you really think she'd let anyone hurt me?'
This was Monday. Today is Tuesday.
Either people believed her and started gossiping about something else, or people just unanimously decided to not talk about it in front of Usagi and gossiped about something else.
So this left a lot of time to send more doeful eyes at Makoto, more time to think that they were in a fight, and fewer distractions.
So, finally, it's lunchtime.
And either people are avoiding the creeping chill of October or still avoiding Makoto, the area is relatively empty. There's a few gaggles of girls and boys enjoying their lunch nearby, but other than that?
There's plenty of room to be Ninjasagi. All stealth! Ignore the odango poking over bushes, around trees and building corners! And especialy ignore the odango poking up over the back of the bench where Makoto is sitting.
And especially ignore the grumbling stomach of a girl near food made by one of the best cooks ever.
Monday was not a good day at school.
Not that school has been a lot of fun for Makoto since the rumors about a tall girl delinquent started taking hold, but as frustrating and hurtful as that's been, it pales in comparison to the thought that things are not right between her and Usagi. She'd held onto enough of her mad to get her through Sunday night, but by Monday evening she was twisting with guilt.
Today, something has felt different. At least in the class that she shares with Usagi and Ami and Naru, the pressure of sidelong looks has been less. Too bad Mako's been too distracted to properly appreciate it.
By lunchtime she's so absorbed in fretting and wondering how to apologize that she barely tastes the lunch she's eating, let alone notices the stealthily-approaching odango. That rumbling stomach, though - that finally snags her attention.
Something in Mako's chest squeezes a little when she looks up and sees those golden buns poking up over the back of the bench, but she smiles lopsidedly.
"...Is your lunch gone already?" It only takes a moment of hesitation before Makoto lifts her bento, a wordless offer to share.
Yesterday at lunch, after defending Makoto's honor, she'd gobbled up her lunch in a sleepy haze and napped with Ami on the roof. Like a pile of kittens.
Well, a pile of a bunny and a kitten.
Today?
"Some of it?" Okay, most of it, but what she'd managed to eat tasted like slightly flavorful sawdust!
And then the food is offered, and Makoto only gets the warning of watery eyes and a wail before she's clung to from over the bench.
"I'm sorry, Mako-chan!" SNIFF, SNIFF! "I know you're angry but it's not like other times honest!" SNIFF, SNIFF! "Even as I said it I knew what I was gonna do to be carefuuuuuul!"
The last word trails more or less into a wail as she cries so hard waterfalls may as well be sprouting from her eyes. And she's not quiet about it.
(Fortunately for Makoto, Usagi Crying is not a rare sight. Also fortunately, it's happened enough over the years means that most people know that a crying Usagi clinging to someone means there's an apology. Those that don't get filled in. 'Nah, Kino-san isn't trying to kill her. Usagi's apologizing for being Usagi, I guess.')
It's not even the first time that their classmates have seen Usagi wailing and clinging to Makoto specifically. But honestly, even if this was likely to give anyone the wrong idea, Makoto wouldn't care.
Some things are more important.
"Usagi-chan..." She can feel her own eyes filling up as she reaches over the back of the bench to somewhat awkwardly pat Usagi's shoulder, only because the position makes it impossible to properly hug back. "I'm sorry too," Makoto tells her earnestly. "I shouldn't have said that to you and Mamoru-niisan. That girl just made me so mad, but that doesn't mean it was okay to take it out on you and I'm really sorry--"
She might be babbling just a little bit.
There are rare occasions when Usagi shows a measure of nimbleness. Usually food is involved, or hugs, and in this case, both. One second, she's behind the bench, the next, she's sitting next to (and maybe a bit on) Makoto.
"Ug me too what said about you guys being traitors and how mean she was to Mamo-chan I wanted to slap her! But wait!" With a gasp, she looks up at Makoto, all hopeful bunny doe eyes. "Does this mean you aren't mad at me?"
"Of course I'm not mad at you!" As soon as the back of the bench is no longer an obstacle between them, Makoto's arm loops around Usagi and squeezes. "I'm worried, but I'm not mad at you. Promise."
Another squeeze, and then Makoto offers the bento again. "C'mon, have some lunch. I know you're starving." She picks up a sausage cut like an octopus, nibbles with renewed appetite. "...We should really talk about what we're gonna do about that girl, though. I mean, as a team. I know there's something there, but I still don't think it's a good idea to just offer her your energy like that."
Usagi's own appetite returned, she's quick to polish off the rets of her own lunch before lowly 'helping' Makoto with her.
Well, slow for Usagi, at any rate.
Chew, chew, SWALLOW! Chew, chew, SWALLOW!
"Ahhh, my taste buds are so happy!"
Chew, chew!
She nods, and when she swallows, answers. "Yeah, I know. That's why I plan on putting on my communicator so you guys know, and maybe there's a way to track my heart thumps, and I don't actually trust her, you know."
She pauses eating, halfway through a rice ball, and she sighs. "There is a sort of bond, thing. But it's like a staticy echo. And I don't like that someone put it there."
"I still don't like it." Mako's looking down into her bento now, frowning a little at the half-nibbled octopus sausage. "Once you let her stick a tap in you, there's no way to be sure we can stop her if she tries to take too much. Or mess with your head to try to make you see things like she does or something."
Starting to feel uncomfortable again, she nomfs down the rest of the sausage, chews, swallows. "Even if she plays nice and only takes some energy, you heard how she was talking, right? She wants to take Mamoru-niisan's place, and take over our team. What are we going to do if you give her your energy and she uses it to try to do something to him? While you're still tried out from having your energy drained?"
Usagi nods. "I know." A soft sulk. "I think Mamo-chan has an idea of something or other, too."
And then she jerks and freezes, staring at Makoto with large eyes. For some reason, that idea hadn't really crossed her mind. Whatwould they do? What would she do?
"Um..."
Okay, the plan wasn't exactly perfect.
"...so, that's why we need to talk about it, the whole team." Makoto's mouth twists wryly as she looks up to meet those big blue eyes. "'Cause I don't have any ideas for a solution, either. Maybe Mamoru-niisan is thinking something, like you said."
Although she's still a little annoyed with him for jumping in when he did, an annoyance that flickers momentarily over her face before she looks down again. She selects a rice ball, offers it over. "Personally I wanna punch her in the face until she loses the attitude, but that's not really a plan."
Usagi sees the look and pats Makoto's shoulder. "It's okay. I wanted to poke him for that, too. And you."
She hums. "Face punching...can lead to broken hands if she ducks."
There is, of course, a grumbling about a Taka-baka, but it's gone in favor of a happy hum for a raiceball! Yummy!
Mako can't quite keep a fond smile from her face at the comments about facepunching. "Pretty sure I'm willing to take the risk," she says, but then shakes her head. "Still, we need a better plan than that. One that doesn't involve her going around mugging people for their energy or giving her yours to do whatever with."
She breathes out quietly, looking up and out across the school grounds. "Maybe Neph can figure out something from the stars."
Usagi sighs. "Yeah. I...think I'd rather avoid being a human juice box if possible."
Usagi leans forward a bit, giving Makoto sly looks out of the corner of her eye. "And maaaaybe he can, you know, give you hugs and cuddles in the meantime~!"
Huehuehue very much implied.
Predictably, Makoto's cheeks flush pink at the sly look and implied huehuehue-ing. "That'd be nice," she agrees, smiling foolishly. "I don't want to distract him too much, but... we'll see, I guess."
She leans back against the back of the bench, eyeborws lifting as she looks toward Usagi again. "Have you gotten the chance to talk to Mamoru-niisan about things yet? This whole thing has got to be weird for him."
"Mweeheehee. I'm sure he wouldn't mind the distraction~!"
She sighs then and leans back against the bench, sprawling out wth the woe of a teenager. "Not really. I went over and hugged on him a bit yesterday, but he's just been so busy studying." She hums. "Maybe he's just gonna study until she goes away."
The explanation gets a sympathetic wince from Mako. "Sorry. Well, I guess it would kinda suck if we sort out all this 'Sailor Earth' stuff only for him to tank his exams because he was too distracted to study, huh?"
She still gives Usagi a gentle pat on the shoulder, though. "We'll just have to make sure it gets taken care of for him."
Usagi nods rather quite emphatically. "Oh yes. And then he'll be all sad and think it's his fault because he should have studied harder and you know his idea of tanking a test would be to get like an A-."
She rolls her eyes at this, though there's affection there.
After all, she's very happy with her solid C average!
She leans against Makoto and sighs. Woe woe woe. "I could probably also see if I could get him some good chocolate. Good, tasty chocolate tends to cheer him up."
"That's a good idea," Makoto agrees. "If you want, I could help. We could make him something. I still have a bunch of rose honey and everything."
Usagi perks right up and clings to Makoto's arm! "Ohhhhh I think he'd like that lots!"
And then her eyes grow large and wide with innocence! "...we'd get more chocolate than we'd technically need for him, right?"
Makoto's brows lift at that oh-so-innocent face, and she can't quite hold back a giggle. "Sure," she agrees, without missing a beat. "You always want to have some extra, in case something goes wrong. And, you know, we have to taste what we're making, to make sure that it's good before we go giving it to anybody else."
She grins, gives Usagi a playful wink. "Right?"
"Mweeheehee!" But wait, serious face that's a horrible serious face as she nods. "Oh yes. Gotta make sure it's all good and yummy. And if the batch isn't just right," fat chance this is Makoto, "Well then we gotta dispose of it somehow!"
And then she's giggling and hugging on Mako's arm some more. Devious girls, they are!