Hey all! This is the first fic I have ever written and bothered to put up so go easy please! It's a little…eh…so I don't know whether I'll continue.

Standard disclaimer: Don't own Sailor Moon or that hottee Chiba Mamoru (heartbroken sigh).

Serena/Usagi Tsukino-16

Darien/Chiba Mamoru-20

So, on with the show! Ja ne!

The bright rays of the sun peered down from the shelter of the clouds into an open bedroom window where a peaceful girl slept on her bed. Her shimmering golden hair, that reached down to her ankles, was done up in two buns at the top of her head while the rest loosely covered her thin, maturing frame. Her wide, sea blue eyes were closed and a soft smile played on her pink lips.

Her grin grew wider as a trickle of drool oozed out of her mouth and she murmured, "Mmm…chocolate chip triple layer strawberry cheesecake with ice-cream…you shouldn't have mum…"

Abruptly, Usagi was brought out of her slumber by a loud thumping on her door. In her shock, she rolled out of bed and crashed onto the floor in a tangle of sheets. "Wake up Usagi! It's 8:30!" Mrs. Tsukino yelled from outside the room then retreated down the hallway. "8:30???" Usagi took a few seconds to register. "8:30??? OH MY GOD!!! IT'S 8:30!!!!! I'M LATE FOR SCHOOL AGAIN!!!"

She changed into her more than slightly crinkled uniform that was carelessly dumped on the floor, shoved a piece of toast in her mouth and was out of the house in record time. "Can't be…late…again!!!!" She squealed as she rocketed down the path to school secretly hoping that she didn't run into a certain raven-hared hottie (^_^) on the way.

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"Now listen class, today in math we'll be learning the formula for Pythagoras's theorem. Just as soon as I hand out the results…." Haruna-sensai's sentence was cut short when the door to the classroom creaked open and a VERY tired Usagi staggered through holding onto the doorframe for support. "Am I…(pant)on time…(pant)for class?" she puffed. The teacher smiled sweetly. "Yes you are…" Usagi sighed with relief. "…just in time to earn yourself an after school detention." A few sniggers erupted from a few people from the class.

Usagi groaned and slumped into her seat as the sensai started handing out the results to last week's history test. "WHA!!! 56%!!!!!" Usagi groaned and slumped back even further into her chair willing the lunch bell to ring.

* * * * *

Several more agonising hours of school and an after school detention later, Usagi slumped into the Crown arcade, her head bowed not looking at anyone or anything and over to her usual stool at the bar. Then she murmured the usual greeting to Motoki and ordered the most sugary, fat-filled chocolate milkshake possible. She drank it in one gulp then laid her forehead on the coolness of the bench and moaned.

"Something up Usagi?" Motoki asked noting her dejected expression, to say the least. Usagi slowly lifted her head to the speaker and replied, "I've just had a REALLY bad day." She moaned emphasising the really.

The doors of the arcade slid open and Mamoru waltzed in and casually walked up to the pair. Usagi turned her head and winced. Mamoru, unfazed by her expression, retorted, "Hey Odango Atama! How many people have kissed the sidewalk because of your clumsiness today?" He slapped her rather roughly on the back, receiving a dark look from Usagi, and sat down on the stool next to her.

She banged her head back down onto the bench and moaned, "I think my day just got a WHOLE lot worse!" Mamoru was about to open his mouth and say something else rather insulting when he was stopped by Motoki's warning glare as he shoved a cup of coffee into his hands.

"So…Odango…" He took a sip of his coffee. "…why so glum? Are you angry at someone?" Usagi laughed bitterly. "Why would you care jerk?" Mamoru raised the coffee cup up to his lips muffling his reply, "In case I need to issue a warning to the Juuban district that Cyclone Usagi is on the war path…again…" He sniggered and cracked another one of his award-winning smiles at her. So many girls had swooned over that smile but obviously it didn't work on Usagi. It actually had quite the opposite effect.

Usagi stood up abruptly knocking her stool over and fixed Mamoru with a death stare. "Do you really want to know why I'm sad?" she yelled. Several people turned to look at the screaming teenager. "Do you really want to know what kind of day I've had?" Mamoru looked stunned. "Er…Usagi?" Motoki asked cautiously, "People are…well…staring and…" "I don't care!" she snapped back still maintaining eye contact with Mamoru.

"I'll tell you what my day was like! I woke up late, had to run like mad to school, got a detention for being late, failed my history test, forgot my lunch, had to sit by myself at break because Minako and Makoto were at band practice and Ami was studying for her computer test, I tripped on my way to class, banging my head, which I got a severe headache from and scraping my knee…" She lifted up her skirt slightly to reveal a bandaged knee. "…we had a surprise test which I totally bombed out on then I had to do after school detention with Haruna-sensai and she made me lick stamp which left this horrible taste in my mouth and then on my way here I ran into…" She looked down as bad memories flooded in.

Mamoru couldn't keep a straight face any more. "Oh…this…is…precious!" he exclaimed through peals of laughter. He almost fell off his seat. "Have you considered becoming a stand-up comedian? And that look on your face! If I didn't know you better, I would've thought you were actually serious!"

Mamoru abruptly stopped laughing when he looked up into her face. She had an extremely hurt expression on her face and tears were threatening to spill over. "Y…you think that this is just a joke?" she whispered astonished. A tear trickled down her cheek. "You really are just a cold heartless shell of a human if you can sit there and abuse and mock a young girl's feelings." She walked up to him and placed her hand on his shoulders. She looked into his eyes, searching for something that lies behind that cold front. Mamoru actually started to feel quite uncomfortable and shifted in his seat. Suddenly Usagi's eyes widened when she found what she was looking for.

"Y…you don't believe in love?" she whispered and looked as though she was turning the concept over in her mind. "You have given up hope of ever finding your soul mate?" She tilted her head and moved closer to him until their noses nearly touched. Her hot breath brushed over Mamoru's lips making them tingle, though he had no idea why. Then Usagi whispered so softly that it sounded like the passing wind. "We are alike." She kissed him tenderly on the cheek then with one more searching look into his eyes, she straightened up and walked out of the arcade, tears now flowing freely.

Mamoru was extremely stunned, so much so that for a few minutes he just sat there, like in a trance, staring at the arcade exit. His cheek still tingled from the kiss and her perfume still lingered in the air, vanilla and strawberries.

"What was that about? I have never seen Usagi so…distressed before! And I had to put my foot into my mouth again! I can't believe I didn't see it!" He sighed. "She's right! All I am is an insensitive jerk! How come I couldn't, just once, say something nice to her instead of tease her all the time! God knows I've tried. It's just something about her. Her cheerful spirit, her gentle nature…why do I feel the need to break it? Am I just jealous because her smile can light up the room or do I do it to get her attention? Then that would mean…no…that couldn't be it! I don't have feelings towards her! She is an annoying pest and is always running into me in the morning because she can't haul herself out of bed. Still, she looked really shook up. I get the feeling that there's something else bothering her. But what do I do now? Do I go and apologise for making her cry? Are you kidding! I'm the last person she wants to see at the moment. Nevertheless…"

He was suddenly brought out of his thoughts by a cough behind him. The sight that met him was more frightening than any Negaforce youma could be. Motoki was glaring at him with pure venom in his eyes. If looks could kill, Mamoru would be a pile of dust on the stool. "I cannot believe one person could be so cruel. OUT!" He pointed a finger at the door. "If you don't apologise to her at once, I'll never talk to you again!" Mamoru got up and hurried out before cups started to fly.

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Like? Don't like? Please tell me! I don't even mind the flames as long as you tell me why you didn't like it!