Trapped Together Till Haloween

The next morning Mamoru woke up early like he usually did and found out two interesting facts. First clothes made of leaves fall apart when they’re slept in. Second, Usagi had rolled over during the night and was now pressed up against the full length of his back and butt with her leg draped over his thigh. Her arm was curled around him and her hand rested on his chest.

Mamoru silently chucked to himself, [And she told *me* to keep my hands to myself!] He of course didn’t mind the arrangement. Mamoru could feel the chilly morning air on his nose and ears and Usagi’s comfortable warmth enveloping his body. He easily decided to do something he’d never done before. He closed his eyes and soon drifted back to sleep.

Quite a while later Usagi partially woke up and tried to roll over. Her arm wouldn’t cooperate and it seemed to be stuck. Usagi fully woke up and realized she was draped all over Mamoru and he was hugging her arm to his chest in his sleep. Totally mortified, Usagi tried to carefully disentangle her arm from his without waking him.

Mamoru of course had woken up as soon as she had tried to move but he wasn’t about to let her know that. He continued to hold her arm against his chest and kept still with his eyes closed. He heard Usagi sigh with exasperation then gently rest her cheek against his back in defeat. He knew not to chuckle at her dilemma or he’d give himself away. As Usagi relaxed against his back she began to absently stroke his chest with her fingertips and play with the hairs that curled under her hand. Quickly deciding he liked her doing that, he continued to feign sleep.

Mamoru gradually relaxed his hold a little bit and Usagi continued her caresses. They both must have started to fall back asleep because Usagi’s hand gradually slid across Mamoru’s chest. When her fingers brushed over his nipple, Mamoru and Usagi both startled. Usagi gasped, snatched her arm away from Mamoru and quickly turned over. Mamoru also turned over and tried to sound innocent as he asked, “What was that about?”

Usagi with her back to him snapped, “Nothing!”

Mamoru decided to drop it, for now. Instead he asked, “Did your exclusive island designer wear fall apart like mine did?” Mamoru saw Usagi move her arms around under the cover.

Sighing, Usagi answered, “Yes. I guess I should get up and make some more.”

Usagi returned a little while later with newly made clothes. They busied themselves by organizing the camp. It was getting pretty warm and after lunch Mamoru said he wanted to go swimming. Usagi told him to go ahead and she’d pass on it this time. She realized she was starting to feel crampy and figured she needed a little privacy to dig out some of Minako’s gifts and make use of them.

Mamoru shrugged and said, “Okay,” as he stood to leave.

“Wait a minute,” Usagi said as she jumped up and went to get something from the lean-to. She came back out with a large bottle and admonished, “Put lots of sunscreen on or you’ll burn to a crisp.”

“Yes, mother,” Mamoru mocked as he reached for the bottle. Usagi stuck out her tongue at him then turned back to cleaning up her meal.

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Mamoru returned to the lean-to about an hour later. He looked around for Usagi and found her curled up in the sleeping bag trying to sleep. Touching her shoulder, Mamoru asked, “Usagi? Are you okay? You’re not sick are you?”

Usagi glared at his concerned face and growled, “Nothing’s wrong and I’m *not* sick so go away and leave me alone!” She then turned her back to him.

Mamoru walked back outside scratching his head in confusion. He decided, [Someone must have dropped in with a helicopter, taken Usagi and replaced her with a demon look-alike!] Usagi refused dinner and except for two times when he assumed she left to go to the bathroom, Usagi didn’t leave the lean-to.

Later that night, Mamoru crawled into the sleeping bag next to Usagi and noticed she was whimpering in her sleep and rocking her body. He woke her to ask if she was okay and again got growled and snapped at for his concern. The next morning Mamoru didn’t dare wake Usagi and she slept until lunchtime. Mamoru sat down to eat an MRE and Usagi came walking around the corner of the lean-to. Mamoru looked up at her with surprise and she smiled wanly at him. Mamoru asked, “Are you doing better now?”

Usagi pulled a face at him and answered, “Not one hundred percent but getting better.” As she grabbed a meal and sat down to eat.

After a moment of silence between them, Mamoru asked, “So Usagi, why were you so grouchy? Were you sick to your stomach? You didn’t eat some berries off the island’s plants, did you?”

Looking up at Mamoru with an odd expression, Usagi hesitated then answered, “No, I didn’t eat any berries! Give me a *little* credit, please!” She blushed and looked down at her food as she finished, “It’s just a…a woman’s thing.”

“Oh,” Mamoru responded. He was still pretty much clueless as he asked, “Why were you so crabby then?”

An exasperated sigh exploded from Usagi as she yelled, “I had *cramps*! Nasty, gut-wrenching, nausea producing, stab-a-knife through the back cramps! They make me a little crabby! Especially since Minako didn’t leave strong enough pain pills for it. I have prescription painkillers at home! I think that entitles me to be grouchy for twenty-four hours! Sheesh Mamoru, didn’t your mom or sister tell you not to annoy a girl when she has her period and feels like that?”

Mamoru was staring at her wide-eyed then looked down. “Sorry,” he mumbled then stood and left camp.

Usagi was kind of surprised by his reaction. She thought, [Gee, I did yell at him and I’m still a bit grouchy I know, but…he looked really upset, like he wanted to cry.] Without another thought, Usagi put her food down and went after him.

Mamoru was quickly walking the perimeter of the island again when Usagi caught up. She almost had to run to match his strides. “Hey,” she said, “Why’d you run off like that? Are you angry? Did my grouching really bother you that much? Usually you could care less if I yell at you!” Mamoru didn’t respond and she insisted, “Wait!” as she grabbed his arm.

Suddenly Mamoru stopped and pulled his arm from her grasp. He rasped, “Look, I’m sorry I asked! Okay!”

He turned to go and Usagi probed, “What’s wrong? Why are you so upset?”

Mamoru ran his fingers through his hair then added, “I don’t have a mother or sister to warn me about stuff like that. I’ve never lived with women before. I wasn’t trying to be a pain, I just didn’t know. Okay!”

Usagi was stunned silent. After a moment, she whispered, “You don’t have a mom?” He turned away and continued walking quickly. Usagi refused to let him get away from her though. She kept up with him and waited for an answer.

Finally, Mamoru bitterly revealed, “I’m an orphan. I don’t remember my parents. I was raised in an orphanage and it wasn’t co-ed.”

“I’m sorry,” Usagi whispered, “I…didn’t realize. I guess you wouldn’t have known. I’m sorry I yelled at you.”

Mamoru had slowed his walking but stayed silent. Usagi threaded her arm through his and leaned her head on his arm. As they walked, Usagi thought, [That explains a whole lot about Mamoru. About why he pushes people away and why he can be pretty mean sometimes.] They silently walked together like that until they again reached their camp.

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Usagi and Mamoru now had an unspoken friendly truce. They still got on each other’s nerves sometimes but they really tried to get along. It made things much more pleasant for them.

One morning they were eating breakfast and Mamoru kept scratching at his face. His beard had started to fill in quite a bit and he grumbled, “I wish Motoki had remembered to include a shaver. This really itches!”

She hadn’t said anything, but Usagi wasn’t really thrilled with his beard either. She much preferred him clean-shaven. [He doesn’t look bad,] she decided, [the beard just makes him too dark and scary looking. He’s intimidating enough without the beard.]

Mamoru pulled a shopping bag of supplies toward him and started searching through it. He happily exclaimed, “Got it!” when he came up with a sharp knife.

Looking doubtful, Usagi asked, “What do you plan to do with that?”

“Shave,” Mamoru confidently informed her.

Usagi considered the idea then questioned, “Isn’t that dangerous with a knife?”

Nodding, Mamoru answered, “Probably, but I’m desperate.”

With the knife in his hand, he walked over to the small spring. He wet his face then attempted to scrape some of the hair from the bottom of his neck up to his chin. At home, Mamoru used an electric shaver and he didn’t really know what he was doing. The knife had skipped over most of the hair he attempted to remove. Mamoru hissed with pain as he felt the knife nick him. Blood quickly covered his fingers, the knife and ran down his neck. “Damn!” he cursed.

Usagi had watched her father shave many times as a little girl. He was one of the few men who preferred to use an old-fashioned straight razor. Usagi had held her breath anxiously as she watched her father expertly wield the razor over the curves of his face and neck. Each time she had watched, she was amazed he hadn’t slit his throat. It had been one of the innocent thrills of her day as a child.

Now as she watched blood run down Mamoru’s neck as he searched for a paper towel, she realized he didn’t know what he was doing. If he continued like this, she might actually have to watch him slit his own throat and die. That thought did not sit well with Usagi.

“Mamoru! You have no idea what you’re doing and you’re going to kill yourself!” Usagi admonished.

“I’ll figure it out!” Mamoru snapped, as he held the paper towel firmly against the wound.

Sighing, Usagi stood up. She walked over to the shopping bag and informed him she was going to help.

Mamoru looked up horrified. “You’re not getting within three feet of my neck with a knife!” he exclaimed.

Usagi pulled a bottle of shampoo out of the bag and patiently explained that she knew what she was doing because of her father. She also grabbed a band-aid from the first aid kit and the paper towels. Turning toward the spring, she commanded in a voice that would brook no argument, “Follow me.”

Nervously complying, Mamoru wondered what he was getting himself into and if he’d survive it.

The cut was small and Usagi put the band-aid on it as soon as it stopped bleeding. She then told Mamoru to wet the rest of his face. Pouring some shampoo into her hands, Usagi reached up to scrub the soap into his beard. She was leaning up against him to do so and Mamoru admitted to himself that he really liked this part.

Realizing he was too tall, Usagi made Mamoru sit on a rock. She picked up the knife and considered it. She remembered how her father had lathered well and told her he always shaved with the hair growth at first then touched it up where needed afterwards. He had also told her how important it was to hold the blade at the correct angle and to have a steady hand. Usagi looked a lot more confident than she really felt as she lifted the knife up to Mamoru’s chin.

Closing his eyes, Mamoru held perfectly still and prayed she didn’t cut him any worse than he had already cut himself. When he felt her first firm, smooth stroke with the blade, he opened his eyes in surprise. [That didn’t even hurt or scrape!] he thought.

Usagi smiled, “See, I told you I know what I’m doing.” Mamoru again closed his eyes and let her continue.

When she was finished she ran her hands over his face and neck to check for strays. Happy with the results, Usagi leaned over and kissed his cheek. “All done!” she proudly proclaimed.

Mamoru reached up to feel his face and smiled with amazement. This was the smoothest he had ever felt his face and she didn’t cut him even once. “Thank you, Usagi. You did a great job!” he said.

As she cleaned up the knife and picked up the other stuff, Usagi explained, “It’s almost impossible to do on yourself without a mirror. If you’d like I can give you a shave each morning.”

“Yes,” Mamoru said, “I’d like that.”

Chapter 5 - All Around the Mulberry Bush…Pop Goes the Weasel! will be posted soon. ^_^


Thank you for reading my story. If you\'re enjoying it, or if you have any (politely worded) suggestions/comments about my story, please let me know via review. I truly appreciate all feedback. ^_^

Sincerely,


Luna Hope ^_^