Writing Wednesday | Mamoru Chiba

Hello and welcome to this week’s Writing Wednesday!

Fun fact: Ashley and I actually met on a writing forum a couple of years ago. That’s when we started to talk about books and everything else under the sun!

So here’s something I wrote for a forum several years back. It’s about the character Chiba Mamoru aka Tuxedo Mask from Sailor Moon. 

I would like to state that everything in regards to Sailor Moon is owned by Naoko Takeuchi, Viz Media, Toei Animation, etc. I don’t own it, I just wrote something fun about the character.

Mamoru sat in his swiveling desk chair, rocking slowly from side to side. The chair creaked as he leaned back, his long and lean figure stretching as far as his muscles would allow him. So far, it was a boring Saturday night studying for his university entrance exams. As he gazed out his apartment’s study room window, the view was glorious. The lights of the buildings, signs, and street lamps were breathtaking as Tokyo nightlife went on about below. Even though it was a bit cliché, being the protector of Earth and all, Mamoru couldn’t help but love the planet he was on and wanted to be able to do the people residing there proud. He couldn’t fathom why evil always wanted to destroy such a beautiful sight, but knew that the beauty was in the eye of the beholder – someone who truly understood.

Running his left hand through his hair, Mamoru glanced at the sterling silver picture frame to the upper right hand side of his desk. The frame held a slip of paper from one of those picture booths on the side of the street, with three good-sized vertical rectangles. Inside the white border of each rectangle held a photo of him and Usagi: the top photo was a silly picture, the middle had both of their faces pouty, and the last was, in his opinion, the best. The two of them had on genuine smiles and they both looked as happy as ever.

Mamoru couldn’t help but smile at the fondness of the photo strip. Usagi was away for the weekend. Her family took a trip to the beach as a reward for her studying so hard for her own entrance exams, which in itself was a miracle. But Mamoru had to give it to her, because she buckled down for a week with the rest of her friends and gave it her all. Of course, part of that motivation may have been that he refused to see her until she made passing grades. Still, Mamoru missed her and awaited her return back home.

Ugh, he should really get back to his calculus review, but he just wasn’t in the mood. He rubbed his temples with his forefingers. The tingling in his forehead was an indication of the start of a headache, which meant he needed a well-deserved break. It was time for food then.

He got up, his knees popping as he did so and he sighed. He really wasn’t that old, but sometimes he felt ancient. He headed towards the kitchen and opened the refrigerator. There was nothing that didn’t have to be prepared. He went through a few of the cupboards and found the same result. That only meant that it was destined for him to go out of the house for something to eat.

Upon slipping on his shoes and grabbing his coat, Mamoru headed out the door, making sure to lock it behind him. He decided to take the stairs rather than the elevator, as a result of the knee popping from earlier. Plus, it never hurt to get in some extra exercise. He exited the building and the night breeze struck his face, sending a chill down his spine. The reaction surprised him, as it wasn’t supposed to be so cold out, so he buttoned his coat and shoved his hands in his pockets. He made his way down the sidewalk to a little café that was only open for lunch and dinner called Little Talks.

He entered the building and instantly welcomed the warm atmosphere surrounding him. A little black sign with clip on letters read, ‘Please seat yourself,’ so Mamoru picked a spot in the corner right next to the window. There were a few people passing by and Mamoru did some people watching as he absent-mindedly played with the stud in his left ear. The waitress came by and asked him what he’d like to drink.

“Coke, please,” he replied. She went off and came back as quickly as she left. “Thanks, dear.” He gave her a smile and she blushed. He looked back down at the menu before deciding on a teriyaki chicken salad with a side of homemade bread. The waitress jotted down his order and took his menu, smiling shyly at him before whisking off to the back. Mamoru shook his head. She was a cute thing, and might’ve been tempting if he didn’t already have someone.

He ate in peace, still watching the stray wanderers outside. A little child had dropped her teddy bear. A man lugged what looked to be heavily stuffed brown bags of groceries home. A woman came back moments later looking for the lost toy. A couple of teenagers zoomed past on their skateboards. So much went on that it amazed Mamoru just how many lives he protected. There were so many people, and not just even in the city, but the whole world that he had never seen nor come across that were counting on him. It still boggled his mind sometimes that he was one of the chosen ones, but not a day went by that he regretted it.

Mamoru finished every last bite of his meal and tipped the young waitress generously before heading back to his apartment. His headache was gone and there were still quite a few math problems left to do. He glanced down at his watch. Seven thirty-five. There was still time to do some last minute cramming before bed.

As he opened the front door, he could hear the phone ringing in the living room. He answered it to hear Usagi’s excited, yet sleepy voice. She was on the train home; Shingo had gotten sick on the boat rides and ended up having a high fever. She promised that first thing tomorrow she would pop by to see him. Mamoru told her to get some rest and that he would definitely see her in the morning.

Hanging up the phone, he made his way back to his desk. He scribbled at the paper in front of him, and the silver picture frame shone from the moonlight outside. All was right in the world.