Home Again

Disclaimer: I do not own any part of Sailor Moon. It is not mine in the least. But this story sure is!

Summary: Mamoru has been away at school for 3 years. He's back and is looking for the one person he's been missing.

(Also, I realize becoming a doctor takes WAY longer than 3 years. Just go with it for the story's sake, will ya?)

Mamoru looked at the Crown Arcade doors with a smile as he stood on the sidewalk. It had been three years; three long years since he had stepped through those doors. He had been away in America at school, studying to become a doctor, which he now was. Well, in degree-form anyway. He hadn't quite gotten a job yet. But hey, he just graduated!

He had to admit he was a bit nervous. It had been quite a while since he had seen any of his friends, particularly a certain Odango Atama. He did keep in contact with Motoki. He couldn't not talk to his best friend for three years. And he had talked to Usagi once in the whole three years.

"Well I'm glad you're doing well, man!" Motoki said into the phone with a smile.

"As much as I study, I better be doing well," he replied with a chuckle. Motoki laughed in response.

"Hey, Motoki! Who ya talking to?" Came a certain upbeat voice. Motoki smiled.

"Usagi?" Mamoru asked his friend, hearing the voice on the other end. Usagi blinked as Motoki handed her the phone with a grin.

"Hello?" She asked carefully.

"What's up, Odango?" He asked with a grin upon hearing her voice. He hadn't heard it in over a year and a half.

"Mamoru?" She squealed in surprise. She hopped up from her seat at the counter and paced excitedly around the front of the arcade. Motoki smiled knowingly. "Hey, baka! How are the states treating you?"

Mamoru grinned at his old nickname. "They are great. How are your grades treating you?" He teased.

She rolled her eyes as she popped down into a booth with a huge smile taking over her features. "I see America hasn't taught you any manners." She sniped back.

"No amount of studying could bring your grades up either," he shot through the phone. She huffed in response, crossing her arms even though he couldn't see her.

"Ugh! Why do you have to be such a big, dumb jerk?!" She screeched into the receiver.

"Why do you have to be such an Odango Atama?" He answered back matter-of-factly.

She sighed in an exasperated tone. "You really are not a nice person," she replied calmly. Mamoru laughed into the phone.

"Man, Usagi. You have no idea how much I miss you," he said without thinking. The line went quite as Usagi tried to concentrate on what he just said. Not only had he told her he missed her, he called her by her actual name. Mamoru held his breath as he rolled his eyes at himself.

"I miss you too, Mamoru." She finally said softly. "When are you coming home?"

"As soon as I can, Odango. I promise." The nickname this time was used as a term of endearment, not in jest. And they both knew it. The line was quite as neither of them knew what to say next. It was Usagi who responded first.

"I have to go, Mamoru," she said in the most forced chipper voice he had ever heard. It broke his heart. She stood from the booth and rushed to the bar. "Got a lot of studying to do and stuff. So…I'll talk to you later. Bye!" He didn't even get to respond before she shoved the phone back in Motoki's hand and ran back out of the arcade.

He took a deep breath as the last conversation he had with Usagi played in his head. Well, it was now or never. He didn't come all the way home from the U.S. just to stand on the sidewalk.

Shoving his hands in his pockets, he walked in through the doors. A few kids were strewed about the arcade and most greeted him with a wave, a smile, or a "hey!" He didn't know any of them by name, but he remembered their faces. Three years had certainly changed all of them.

He made his way to the counter and took a seat. Motoki was bent down, moving things around under the counter. He muttered a "be right with you" without bothering to see who it was. After a moment, Mamoru rolled his eyes.

"How long does it take to get a decent damn cup of coffee here?" he barked out playfully. Motoki stood to glare at the rude customer.

"Hey, I just said…Mamoru?!" His eyes widened as Mamoru's smile did. "Dude, what are you doing here?" He jumped over the counter and pulled his friend into a long overdue hug, which Mamoru greatly returned.

"I'm done! School is over!" He replied joyously.

"That's amazing, man. I'm so proud of you." Motoki clapped the other man on the back before returning to his post behind the counter. "Why didn't you tell me you were coming home?" He reached behind him to grab a coffee cup and the pot of coffee, pouring his friend a cup of black coffee, just like he liked it.

"Well that wouldn't have made for a very good surprise, now would it?" Mamoru joked and took a sip from his cup.

"Well this is most definitely a surprise," Motoki grinned. Mamoru set down his coffee cup.

"So how is everyone? How is Reika?"

Motoki blushed slightly. "She's good. We're…we're good. Really good." He looked down to the counter in embarrassment as he smiled.

"That's awesome, 'Toki. I'm really happy for you guys." Mamoru tipped his cup to his blonde friend.

"Thanks, man. So how are you doing? You officially a doctor now?" He teased slightly. Mamoru grinned.

"I suppose so. Got the degree and everything. Now I just have to find a job."

"I thought you had a job offer?" Motoki asked confused. "Actually, I thought you had a few job offers in the states? That's what you told me last time we talked on the phone. What happened with those?"

Mamoru looked down into his cup of coffee as if a bit nervous. "I would just prefer something closer to home," he replied in a completely unbelieving tone. Motoki raised an eyebrow as his friend refused to meet his eye.

"Closer to home? Dude, when you left here you were psyched to get out of this town. Now you want to come back to stay? What changed?"

Mamoru paused before answering, as if considering which excuse he wanted to give. Finally, he looked at Motoki with a small smile. "Maybe I just missed all of my friends here." Motoki watched Mamoru for a moment, judging just how much of that was true. He could tell it was, but Mamoru was definitely leaving something out. Before he could ask about it though, Mamoru continued. "So how is everyone else? How are the girls?"

"They are doing just fine," Motoki answered with a smile. "They've all grown a great deal since you left." Mamoru nodded.

"Usagi still dating that ass?" He asked into his coffee as he took a sip. Motoki's smile dropped.

"Yes," he said with a sigh. "I really don't like him at all. He's such a jackass and he treats her like shit," he said in a disgusted tone as he shook his head and looked down at the counter.

Mamoru set down his coffee cup and looked at his friend. "Motoki, I don't think I've ever heard you cuss that much in one sentence!"

"I can't help it. He smooth talked his way into her life and as soon as they got together, he starts treating her like garbage!" Motoki was getting heated and Mamoru's eyes narrowed.

"How so?" He asked slowly, almost afraid to know the answer.

Motoki sighed and dropped his hand towel on the counter. "I don't know, man. He's just always talking down to her. Always calling her names and making fun of her. Always making her cry for some reason or another."

"Um, that kind of sounds like the relationship we had," Mamoru said guiltily. Motoki's eyes shot to him.

"No. He is not like you at all. You were a jerk but for both of you, it was all fun and games. You did it to each other and had fun with it, even if you did piss each other off." His eyes darkened. "This ass is cruel. He goes out of his way to see her hurting. She's worked really hard to better herself since you left, and he has just kept bringing her down." There was silence between them as Mamoru considered his next question.

"Has he ever laid a hand on her?" He asked softly through gritted teeth. The rage behind his eyes gave Motoki pause for a moment.

"I don't think so, but I honestly don't know. I've never seen any bruises on her or anything and he has never done anything physical in front of me. I think it could lead to that though if she doesn't leave him soon."

"Why doesn't she leave him if he treats her so bad and she isn't happy?"

Motoki sighed and shook his head. "I really don't know. I've asked her the same thing. She just shrugs her shoulders and says, "at least he cares about me". As if that makes it all better." He shrugged. "I don't know what to do about it. Maybe you can talk some sense into her." He voiced in a defeated tone. Mamoru said nothing, instead taking a sip of his coffee.

How could Usagi let someone treat her like that? Sure, he hadn't been the nicest guy to her. But she had always given it right back. It had been their thing. To hear that someone was treating her like this just to actually be mean made his blood boil. Why would she take this guy's shit so much? What about him made her stay around him? Even as bad as he treated her? It didn't make sense and it made Mamoru mad.

"On a lighter note," Motoki chirped. Mamoru looked up to see a smile crossing his features. He was attempting to lighten the mood. "All of the girls should be in any minute! You'll be able to surprise them with your homecoming like you did to me. That should be fun to watch."

Mamoru couldn't help the small smile that overtook him at seeing Motoki's excitement at the girls' shock. It would be quite a scene to behold when all five of those girls walked in through the door and saw him sitting at the counter.

"You're not going to tease her, are you?" Motoki asked sincerely. Mamoru smiled at his friend's sudden question and took a sip of his coffee.

"Whatever do you mean?" He feigned innocents. Motoki sighed in slight frustration.

"You've been gone for 3 years, Mamoru. She has changed a lot since then."

"Is that so?" Mamoru asked with a playful smile on his lips.

"Yes! She has grown and matured, and she doesn't deserve to be picked on like before you left." Motoki replied in an exasperated tone. Mamoru put his coffee cup down and gazed at his friend playfully.

"'Toki! Does someone harbor a little crush?" He teased. Motoki's eyes widened.

"What? No! She's my best friend!" He replied defensively. Mamoru raised an eyebrow at his friend's outburst. Motoki took a deep breath to settle himself. "Usagi and I have gotten very close in the last few years. I love her like my sister and I don't want you making her cry again like you used to." He said calmly.

"You know, she used to dish it out to me just as much as I dished it out to her." Mamoru reminded. Motoki sighed and rolled his eyes.

"Just be nice to her, okay? Start off on the right foot? Who knows? Maybe you guys could actually be friends." The blond suggested. His tall friend chuckled as he picked up his coffee cup once again.

"Right. We will just have to see about that." He answered as he rose the cup to his lips for another swig. Motoki glanced to the door as it opened.

"Well here's your chance to see," he said with a smile as he tipped his head. Mamoru turned in his seat to see a woman with long blond hair that reached her knees and was pulled back in a long braid, hanging her jacket on the coat rack just inside the door of the arcade. She wore a short, white flair mini skirt with a tight pink, short sleeve shirt.

His heart stopped when the woman turn to face the bar, a beautiful smile donning her features. There she was; the girl who had haunted his dreams for the last three years. Only this was no girl. Standing before him was a grown woman who had completely filled out in all of the right places.

She took two steps toward them before stopping in her tracks when her eyes moved to the tall, dark and handsome man who sat upon the bar stool. Her smile disappeared, to be replaced by a shocked expression. "Mamoru?" She breathed unbelievingly.

Mamoru couldn't speak. He couldn't blink. He couldn't breathe. All he could do was stand slowly and place his coffee back on the counter without ever taking his eyes off her. He felt more than heard the whole arcade go quite as they all watched to see this reunion of the two enemies take place.

He began the slow trek towards her, his strides picking up speed as he got closer. She stood stock still, surprise on her face and her mouth slightly agape. As he finally reached to stand in front of her, he brought his hands up to clasp the back of her neck lightly and crashed his lips upon hers. After a moment's hesitation, she immediately responded, pushing closer to him and grasping his shirt in her fists, clinging to him as if she couldn't get close enough. And she couldn't. She pulled him as tight as she could against her and it still wasn't enough.

Her reaction excited him, and he ran his tongue across her bottom lip, praying for access. She readily accepted it, opening her mouth to feel his tongue slip inside and play with hers. His head tilted slightly to deepen the kiss they had so feverishly started. A soft moan that only he could hear escaped her throat and he grinned against her mouth in pride.

Behind the bar, Motoki watched the spectacle with a huge smile, as did the rest of the arcade. The entire establishment recognized the sexual tension between the two since the day they met. Sure, it was fun to watch them fight constantly but their audience always wondered when they would finally give in to their feelings. When Mamoru had left for school, the crowd watched Usagi do her best to move on and grow. But they all knew Mamoru would be back. Some slyly passed money to each other as they called their bets.

Motoki's smile vanished when he saw a black-haired man through the front window walking toward the doors of the arcade with his friends, laughing and joking around. He quickly moved to beside them and cleared his throat loudly to gather the attention of the two locked in a passionate embrace. "Mamoru!" Motoki barked out softly, as if to not draw the attention of the man still outside.

Reluctantly, Mamoru pulled away just enough to look into her eyes. Her breathing was ragged, and her lips were swollen from their activity. "Do you want to go somewhere and …talk?" he asked breathlessly. She swallowed and nodded in response. He immediately dropped his hands from her neck. With one, he grabbed her jacket from the coat rack and with the other, he grabbed her hand, pulling her toward the front door without ever looking to his tall blond friend.

Just as they were exiting, the black-haired man was entering. His smile dropped when he saw the two rushing out, the girl's hand in the tall man's. "Usagi?" He asked but was promptly ignored by both. "Usagi!" he yelled after her out of the door. "Where are you going? Who the hell is that?!" But he received no answer.

He just watched as the man opened his car door and Usagi climbed in without hesitation. The man closed the door and hurried to the driver's side, where he jumped in and the car immediately took off. He turned on Motoki smiling a cocky smile behind the bar as he dried a glass with a towel.

"Seiya," Motoki greeted with a slight nod of his head.

"Who the fuck was that?" Seiya asked angrily.

"Why, whoever do you mean?" Motoki asked innocently, cocking his head slightly to the side.

Seiya growled and stomped toward the bar. He pointed to the front door as he growled out, "The dick who just left with my girlfriend!"

"Oh! Right. Him. Yeah." He grinned. Behind Seiya, the whole arcade full of people grinned with him. "That's Mamoru."

So…yeah. I made Seiya a complete ass in this one. Sorry. Someone had to be the bad guy!