Hi! I'm Ashley and this is my second fanfic! I do not own Sailor Moon or any of the beautiful characters in it :(

Please enjoy and please review!

Chapter One

Mamoru Chiba woke on the morning of May Twenty-seventh panting, sweaty and shaking. This is the same way Mamoru wakes up on this day every year, having dreams of his parents' death.

Mamoru sits up adjusting to the filtering sunlight and wipes away the tears that were staining his handsome face. He absentmindedly runs his hand through his jet black hair, trying to bring his breathing back to a normal pace. The night before his birthday is always rough, but thats usually the worst. "Get a grip on yourself, Chiba" Mamoru whispered to himself as he pulls his pale green covers off of him.

Slowly, Mamoru took a shower and got dressed, not looking forward to the day ahead of him.

When Mamoru entered the Crown that day, he had no interest in saying anything to the obnoxious blonde that always failed at insulting him. All he wanted was a newspaper and some coffee and perhaps he could have a somewhat decent day.

Usagi Tsukino, like always, was sitting in a booth talking excitedly with her four best friends, that is until Mamoru showed up. Usagi could never resist saying something menacing to her worst enemy, especially since she heard that today was his birthday.

Walking up behind Mamoru, Usagi decided to make her move. "So baka, I heard its your birthday today. I didn't realize you had one, for I thought you were a cold and heartless alien that was hatched from an evil egg" Usagi said with a smirk on her face, thinking that her comment was extremely clever. She planned this birthday remark for at least thirty minutes.

Mamoru merely laughed to himself at her attempt of an insult. "Hey Usagi-chan" Mamoru said, turning to her with a smile, then returning to his coffee and newspaper.

Stunned at his passive response, Usagi just blankly stared at Mamoru. 'He called me Usagi...' she thought. Looking at him closely, Usagi thought that Mamoru did look extremely pale and even a little tired. 'Is he okay?' Usagi thought.

As Mamoru started to notice Usagi's stare, his annoyance began to grow. 'Why can't she just leave me alone for one day?' Mamoru thought.

Mamoru folded his paper, finally giving up on avoiding confrontation with the blonde, "Interested in something you see, Odango? Is that why you're staring at me like some deranged monkey?"

"UGH! You! I would never go out with you, even if you begged! I was just surprised because you actually made a civilized comment! I thought maybe something changed and you became somewhat chivalrous! But I should have known that you were just the same stupid baka that I've always known!"

Mamoru sighed. 'Ugh I am not arguing with her today.' Mamoru thought.
"You're right, Usagi. I'm Sorry. I'll see you later, okay?" And with that, Mamoru turned and walked out of the arcade, abandoning his coffee and newspaper article.

If Usagi wasn't shocked before, she was now completely dumbfounded. 'Never has the baka apologized for anything! He would never offend his pride by doing so!' Usagi thought.

However, Usagi was now curious and fascinated by his behavior. Why was he acting so strange? Why did he look so ill? 'Why do you care?' a little voice asked. At the moment, she decided she would tackle that answer later and pay no attention to that problem now. All she wanted was to find out what was bothering Mamoru.

Usagi, giving her friends a lame excuse, walked out of the arcade in search for her worst enemy. Finally, after wandering around the block, she saw him come out of a flower shop with a bouquet of roses in his hands.

Afraid of Mamoru noticing her, Usagi dodged headfirst into a nearby bush. 'I can't believe I'm actually chasing this jerk!' Usagi shouted to herself as she realized she scratched herself for nothing.

Usagi then began to pay attention to his flower purchase. 'Hmmm' Usagi thought. Now she was really confused. 'Could Mamoru really be fretting over a girl?' Usagi asked herself.

Usagi then ran to get to a comfortable distance behind him. Even though Usagi knew Mamoru was a handsome guy and assumed he had girlfriends, she never really saw him with a girl before and therefore couldn't picture it. 'But I can so use this as bait to torture him' Usagi thought with a smile.

However, Usagi was shocked to find Mamoru approaching a cemetary. After walking for ten minutes, Mamoru finally stopped at a grave site and set the flowers by a stone.

Mamoru merely knelt by the grave for a few seconds, occasionally grazing over the letters impacted into the stone. Suddenly, Mamoru was overcome with emotion and started to feel the sting of tears threatening to drop. "You're an embarrassment of a man, Chiba" Mamoru yelled to himself.

Mamoru couldn't stand the tears. He absolutely hated crying, for he knew he was vulnerable at that moment and couldn't bear that truth. However, his sadness and loneliness became overpowering and his tears escaped, silently glided down his cheeks.

Usagi couldn't believe her eyes. Mamoru's strong frame now appeared frail and his shoulders slightly shook and he began to wipe his eyes. Mamoru was actually crying! Her worst enemy who always appeared so confident and stoic now appeared almost like a child. Right before her eyes, Mamoru was completely broken and her immediate response was to comfort and hold him in her arms. Usagi didn't understand why, but she knew she had to take care of him.

Usagi walked and knelt behind Mamoru, being careful not to make a sound. Softly, Usagi wrapped her arms around his waist and placed her head against his back. "Mamoru..." Usagi whispered. "I'm here"

Mamoru froze. He already knew who was behind him. He could never doubt that voice. No one, not even Motoki has seen Mamoru cry before and yet he felt so safe in her arms. Mamoru was desperate for comfort. He needed to let go of his usual front. So he let himself fall back into her warm embrace, forgetting the protective wall he usually places around himself.

Eventually, Usagi moved so she was seated next to Mamoru and kept her arm around his waist. It was then that Usagi got her first look at the gravestone. "To Alicia and David Chiba, Loving Couple and Parents. You will forever be loved and missed"

As Usagi began to realize the meaning behind those words, she gasped.

"Mamoru...those are-

"Yes, They are my parents, Usagi. They died in a car crash many years ago."

Usagi had no idea what to say. What words of comfort could she give to something so devastating? After all, weren't they enemies?

"How old were you?" She asked.

"I was eight years old" Mamoru closed his eyes, not wanting to welcome the memory back in. Yet, Mamoru wanted Usagi to know. For once, Mamoru wanted to share some of his grief, for maybe he could relieve some of his pain in talking. Besides, he felt so relaxed in her embrace.

"I woke up in the hospital with no memory of ever having a family or a past of anything. I traveled from orphanage to orphanage until I could finally get a job. Eventually, when I was eighteen, I received the money I inherited from my parents and I was able to go to college and afford a car" He managed to say with a slight smile.

Usagi had never seen this look on Mamoru's face before. It was a look of want, desire, and sadness all at once.

"Do you always visit them on your birthday?" Usagi asked.

"Yes. When I woke up out of the hospital, I had no memory. But as I grow older, I have dreams of the incident the night before my birthday and more of my memories come back each year. So because I'm reminded of them on this day, I always visit them."

Usagi never knew that Mamoru ever went through this kind of trauma. Sure, Mamoru wasn't happy all the time, but he was so independant and confident that no one would ever guess this type of thing ever happened. The entire idea of him buying a house, car, and college on his own was simply amazing and almost unbelievable.

'How lonely it all must have been...' Usagi thought. Suddenly, she began to understand more about Mamoru. He was always distancing himself from people and being a loner. He never let anyone in. Yet here they were together. Usagi couldn't help but feel honored and happy to have such important secrets shared with her.

Feeling an urge to look into his eyes, Usagi softly raised her hand to lock Mamoru's eyes with hers. Usagi looked into his deep midnight blue eyes and could feel his fear with what he shared. Usagi began to feel the soft skin on his face, his strong jaw, and his smooth lips.

Wanting to feel his lips, Usagi gently closed her eyes and leaned into Mamoru's face until her lips contacted his for a soft, beautiful kiss.

"Thank you" Usagi said.

Although the kiss was small, Mamoru could feel its meaning and it meant the world to him. Then, Mamoru kissed Usagi, his tongue eagerly begging for an entrance into her mouth.

Mamoru couldn't get enough of Usagi's taste. She tasted sweet like honey as her luscious lips melted his worries away. Mamoru instinctively wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her to the ground on top of him, needing her to be closer.

Usagi couldn't believe she was kissing Mamoru. Not only was her worst enemy an amazing kisser, but his warmth and tenderness was the biggest shock of all. She never dreamed that kissing could feel as amazing as this. It just felt perfect.

Interrupting their heated moment, the dark clouds above them broke apart as a heavy rain cascaded around them. Breaking their kiss, Mamoru laughed and grabbed Usagi's hand and ran with her to his car.

They both felt exasperated and excited as they ran for cover together. Neither had any idea how much chemistry they shared. Whatever it was, neither of them wanted it to stop. It felt like a dream.

Once inside his car, Mamoru immediately turned to Usagi and kissed her passionately and hungrily, needing to feel her lips again.

"Mamoru, I don't want you to spend your birthday alone. Please let me stay with you" Usagi pleaded.

How could he refuse? Her being with him has already made this day the best birthday of his life.

Thanks for reading! Please let me know what you think! xoxo