AN: Allo, minna-chan! First fic, please be kind! Members of the LJ community usakomamoru are already familiar with this fic, and while I do welcome comments on my post there, reviews here would be highly appreciated as well! Enjoy!

Disclaimer: College student. No money. No own Sailor Moon.

Mamoru was perplexed. He had been sitting perfectly serenely at the counter of the Crown Arcade for the past three hours, incidentally the three busiest hours of the day, as most of Juuban's teens had just left school, but he had still to spot a familiar head of golden buns. It wasn't like her to be late for their daily afternoon argument, and if she didn't hurry up and arrive in the next 15 minutes, he would have to leave for home without seeing her. And that just simply wouldn't do!

The logical part of him delivered a resounding smack to his brain at that point and he recoiled as though he had spoken those thoughts aloud.

"Anything on your mind, Mamoru?" Motoki hadn't missed the worried looks the dark-haired man had been shooting at his watch for the past hour-and-a-half and fancied that he knew the reason why his friend was looking so annoyed.

The ebony-haired man whirled about on his stool to face the blond. "Wrong? Nothing's wrong. Why would anything be wrong?" Mamoru silently cursed the slightly frantic and desperate tone his voice had taken, when he realized that Motoki had probably been watching him for quite some time.

Motoki had to stifle a chuckle. In his attempts to be nonchalant, Mamoru was being completely obvious. Motoki, too, had noticed that Usagi and her friends hadn't arrived yet and was a bit surprised himself.

As though the two men's thoughts were heard, the chimes above the arcade doors sounded, announcing the arrival of patrons and giggles preceded the lively group of girls into the arcade. Hino Rei sauntered in, closely followed by Mizuno Ami, and Kino Makoto and Aino Minako brought up the rear, pointing at the various good-looking boys in the vicinity. Before they reached the counter, however, Ami tapped Rei's shoulder and the two girls waved at a blonde girl outside of the arcade, who smiled and began to walk away.

Mamoru continued to watch as the four girls began walking towards the counter, with growing curiosity. As Motoki started to take their orders, he quietly slid off the stool and made his way towards the girls, fully intending to ask why the blonde bunny wasn't with them.

Minako was the first to notice him and acknowledged his presence in her usual manner: loudly.

"Mamoru-san! What brings you over to our spot?" She asked exuberantly, bringing a smile to those nearest. Minako might be loud, but she was like Usagi in many ways; both had a tendency to be rather unnaturally cheery. Minako's question not only brought smiles, though, but also the inquisitive looks of her three companions.

Now that he was here, Mamoru was having second thoughts about asking where Usagi was. There had never been a reason for him to ask after her before and vice versa, and if Mamoru were to be honest with himself, he was a bit nervous about what her closest friends would take it as. If he were to be completely honest, though, he was also afraid of what his concern really meant.

Motoki noticed his friend's silence and watched as he opened his mouth as if to speak, then closed it hurriedly when the other three girls swiveled around to face him. Taking pity, he stepped closer and casually asked, "Mako-chan, where's Usagi-chan? Why isn't she with you today?" He saw Mamoru shoot him a grateful look out of the corner of his eye and forced back his grin.

The tall brunette's eyes lit up at being addressed by her crush and immediately inched over to Motoki, earning a scathing glare from Rei, whom she had jostled rather roughly. "Did you know that Usagi-chan paints? She went off somewhere to do a new painting."

Mamoru's eyebrows rose. His little bunny was an artist? Somehow it didn't seem so far-fetched, as he had heard her gushing about her art class at school a few times. Still, it was a bit surprising to him that Usagi was into art and that she herself painted. His incredulity found its escape in his words.

"Odango knows how to paint? Like on an actual canvas? Maybe you have it wrong, Mako-chan. She probably paints on a color-the-numbers pad. God knows that's the only way she would actually be able to paint decently." The words flew out of his mouth before he could stop them and he watched helplessly as the four girls' faces shifted from intrigued surprise to dark glares. Glancing at Motoki, he was stunned to find an angry stare tinged with…disappointment? The blond slowly backed away a few steps, walking to a painting hung over the right wall behind the counter. It was a landscape with incredibly vibrant colors, bright blues lacing the sky and rosy pinks filling most of the painting, illustrating a sunset. Mamoru recognized it as something probably done while in the rose gardens at Juuban Park, as that was the only place where one could find a view like that.

"Mamoru…what do you think of this painting?" Motoki spoke softly.

"I…" Mamoru was vaguely confused by the question, but then stepped over to view the painting more closely. It was incredibly beautiful, the painter's light strokes only highlighting the loveliness of the glowing sun as it descended slowly beneath the hills of the park. Squinting his eyes, he could make out the faint outline of two figures near the left of the frame. There were no faces, only the silhouettes of two people embracing one another, heads turned to face the sun. The only detail he could make out was that their arms were clasped tightly around one another.

"It…it's beautiful. Exceptionally," he breathed.

"Usagi-chan painted that."

The words sucker-punched Mamoru in the gut. He had insulted such a talented artist! He, Mamoru of the cultured books and music, expert on the arts, had never noticed the presence of such a gifted person? "Wha-?"

Motoki nodded slowly. "It's true, Mamoru-kun. Usagi-chan came in here one day with a wrapped package in her arms and said that it was a gift for me. When I opened it, I found that. My reaction was probably the same as yours, only I didn't say such a stupid thing before I saw it." He glared at Mamoru before continuing. "Anyway, when I asked her how she'd done it, she told me that she'd been painting for a while and after a few professional lessons in the summer, she'd gone to the park and painted that. She wanted to give the painting to someone and decided on me, after she'd heard that Reika was going to be leaving. She thought that I might want something to remind me of how much we love each other."

The shame already simmering in Mamoru's heart only intensified as Motoki told him of how his little bunny had used her talents and jealousy wormed its way in when he heard of how Usagi had given her first painting to Motoki. Then warmth crept in at the mention of the reason Usagi had given it and was followed by longing. Would he ever be that important to her?

"Why didn't she tell me?" Mamoru couldn't help but ask.

"Because she was afraid you'd say exactly what you said two minutes ago. And she was right, wasn't she?" Rei's cold voice cut into the two men's conversation and Mamoru had to look away. He knew that the miko's eyes had to be burning violet by this point, not to mention her friends'.

"I…I didn't realize." He muttered, fully ashamed of himself.

"Obviously. Why don't you just go away, Mamoru-san? It isn't any of your business anyway where Usa-chan is, and even if it was, why would we tell you? You find out one little thing about her that she doesn't tell many people and you still insult her, even if she isn't here. Get out of our sight now before I make you." Makoto was ready for a fight. No one insulted her best friend in such a cruel way without paying for it, even if said best friend was in love with said insulter.

Mamoru chanced a glance at the two silent girls and was startled when he was met by Ami's glower and Minako's saddened façade. He nodded curtly at his best friend before picking up his jacket and bag and walking out of the arcade, five pairs of eyes following him on the street before he disappeared.

Usagi skipped happily as she went up the hill leading to the secluded rose gardens, a small bag and canvas in her arms. Today was a lovely day to paint and she could hardly wait until school was over to come here. The girls had wanted her to come with them to the arcade, but the lure of the sunshine and delicious blue sky was irresistible and she had declined, telling them that she wanted to paint in the park. Only Minako knew that she was planning to give this next painting to Mamoru.

"I wonder what he'll say when I give it to him?" A picture of Mamoru laughing hysterically as she told him that she'd painted something for him flew into her mind and she closed her eyes immediately in protest. "He wouldn't."

As Mamoru wandered aimlessly through the quickly-emptying streets of Tokyo, his mind struggled to process his newest discovery about Usagi. She had done that painting? And what a painting it was; it didn't call much attention to itself, but when you looked at it, it was as if you couldn't look away. It was emotionally powerful and though the two figures seemed to only be a small part of the canvas physically, they commanded the painting with an illustration of compelling love. And that's when Mamoru's heart gave a jerk. He couldn't help but wish that he could hold Usagi that way.

His eyes lifted to the sky and he watched wistfully as they soared overhead, wisps of white set against vivid blue. He heard a soft sigh and his eyes descended to view his surroundings. He was on the hill leading to the rose gardens.

Usagi had set up her canvas and posts and was now painting slowly. She gently touched her brush to the dark blue on the palette and then to the white, swirling the paint around to create a perfect twilight blue. Carefully, she brushed it in a curved line atop the already-present indigo and purples. Seeing only the canvas before her, she was blind and deaf to anything and anyone around her, including the silent young man standing only a few feet from her.

Mamoru had walked up the hill, feeling an undeniable pull and unable to do anything but follow it to wherever it led. His heart already knew what he would find, though.

He neared the top and began to find his way through the thick gathering of trees shielding the gardens in the middle. He could smell the heady scent of the roses and unconsciously, he relaxed. For some reason unknown to him, roses had always been able to comfort him. They had been his only comfort for years and coming here to the gardens was like coming home, to a real home.

He finally found himself at the edge of the clearing and he pushed through the last few bushes before coming up behind a small figure. Mamoru sucked in a breath when he realized who he had found.

He yearned to move closer, to touch the ethereal creature standing before him, and he might very well have, but stopped when he noticed what she was doing. She was painting…and from the looks of it, she had been for a while. It was another landscape, from what he could see, bits and pieces, and this one also had a couple standing on the hill. But in this painting, the two figures seemed to be taking center stage. He could make out dashes of color, golden yellow on the smaller figure's hair, midnight blue in the gaze of the taller. Mamoru watched still, in awe of how the colors of the day and twilight flowed from the paintbrush held daintily in Usagi's hand.

After a few more minutes, he could feel himself relenting, giving into the overwhelming desire to wrap his arms around her and his mind rebelled at the thought. This wasn't the time, it reminded him, it isn't the place. He couldn't think of a better time or place though, but instead of following through, he began to back away. In his dithering, however, Mamoru didn't see where he was stepping and his foot came down on a small pile of twigs, which cracked and crumpled under his step. His eyes widened at the noise and his head snapped up to meet two equally wide eyes.

Their gazes met and Usagi found that she couldn't tear her eyes away from his. They were watching her so intensely, emotions that she didn't dare to name so painfully obvious, shining in their depths. He was looking at her the way she'd always wanted him to look at her, she realized. And now that he had, she didn't think she ever wanted to see him any other way.

He was caught. He was trapped in her eyes and he wasn't sure that he ever wanted to be freed. There was something about those eyes, innocence radiating from them so strongly, yet there was also a simple maturity, compassion unlike anything he had ever seen. She was beautiful.

After a few more moments, that both could feel stretching tentatively to an eternity, Usagi's eyes fell from his and she inhaled slowly.

The spell broken, Mamoru instinctively took a step forward. "Mamoru-san? What are you doing here?" Usagi bravely spoke, ignoring her racing heart. How had he found her? She'd thought that no one knew about this place.

Usagi's question had stopped Mamoru in his tracks and he pondered how to answer it. Finally, he settled on the truth.

"I don't know. I was walking around and found myself at the base of the hill. I decided to come up here and do some thinking." He glanced at the girl after speaking softly, watching as she contemplated his words.

"You…you know about this place?" she asked timidly.

He had to smile at that. "Usagi-chan," He took another step forward. "I made this place."

"What?" Usagi breathed, eyes widening as she absorbed what he had said. "How…?"

The small smile on his face gently grew as he approached her, careful not to scare her. "I…made this place. I planted these roses. I cleared the trees."

Usagi was struck speechless. Mamoru, cold, heartless Mamoru, had created this beautiful place?

Grinning at the astonishment on her lovely face, Mamoru began to explain. "It was a few years ago. I came here after a particularly bad day at school and found this clearing. It was pretty run down, brambles and vines everywhere. But it had the potential to be beautiful. So I began to clean it up. I cut down the plants that were damaging the clearing and started planting rose bushes. After a while, they began to grow and I tended to them. No one knew about this place, it was pretty well-hidden from anyone who didn't know how to find a path through the trees. I made it into what it is now and no one's ever found it…except for you."

Usagi's eyes had widened once more as she listened to him tell her about the gardens. He must have worked incredibly hard to accomplish all this. She could feel the love she had for him growing at this account.

He observed her as he told his story. The shock in her baby blues had slowly given way to amazement and…was that love? He mentally shook his head, feeling stupid for entertaining the idea for even a moment, but once it had been planted in his mind, it was like he couldn't let it go. He wanted too much for it to be true.

A final step brought him the closest he had ever been to Usagi in all the months they had known each other. He smiled gently and carefully slid his eyes over to the painting beside them. A gasp made its way to his lips but he pulled out all his self-control to keep it in, to keep from breaking the spell that had set over the glade. The glances he had been able to sneak from the edge of the clearing were nothing to the actual painting in front of him.

Usagi had created a tableau of that magical time before the moon rose, twilight's allure present in every brushstroke. He was right; the figures took center stage in this painting, set against the curving swirls of colors, pinks and oranges, blues and violets, while the silhouette of the moon was emerging. The taller figure, a tall man, he realized, held a delicate young woman close to him. She was wrapped in his arms, one tied about her shoulders, the other around the waist of her sundress, his head tilted into the slender curve of her neck. It simply took his breath away.

"Usa…" he breathed, unable to take his eyes away from the painting, afraid that if he looked away for a moment, it would disappear. His hands unconsciously found hers and Usagi gave a small gasp at the touch. The sound tore him away from the dream-world he had been inhabiting since seeing the painting, where they were the couple in the painting, and he gazed down at her, to find that her fingers were entwined with his, palms tenderly set against one another and her beautiful eyes watching him with fear and longing and…

He did the only thing he could do at that moment. He kissed her.

It was indescribable. Never had he allowed himself to dream about this, fearing that if he did, it would jinx any chance he had with her. But now that it was here, it was actually happening, he could do nothing but surrender. The feel of her hands against his, the scent of her golden hair overwhelming him…and the sensation of her lips pressing gently upon his…his senses were filled with her. He could feel the desire and love he had for her start to block out his logic, his self-control and though it pained him to do so, Mamoru began to pull away. Opening his eyes little by little, he was met once again by the sight of glittering blue eyes.

"M-Mamo-chan…?" A part of Usagi cringed as the name escaped her lips. She quickly averted her eyes and looked away, but soon found her chin being tilted in his direction by a single finger.

He moved his own head in order to capture her attention before speaking. "Usako." The name stunned her enough to make her look up at him and before she could turn away again-

"Aishiteru."

As the moon rose, it quietly lay a trace of its light on a single canvas in the clearing full of roses. Perched in the sky as it was a few moments later, it saw the mirror image of the figures in the painting standing silently at the edge and smiled to see its daughter happy.