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Chapter 2

When he got home a red light was blinking on his answer machine. He pushed the button as he changed back into his human form. "Mamo-chan." The person was his girlfriend and she sounded strained. "I guess your not home, which is actually probably a good thing."

"Why's that a good thing Usako?" Mamoru questioned his machine but he wouldn't get an answer.

"Your probably out having fun. I just remembered that I have something to do and we can't get together." She paused and he heard her take a deep breath. "If you do want to see me tonight at all, I might be heading to the Crown before it closes, I'm not sure though, bye." She hung up quickly without another word.

Mamoru sat down in a chair and ran his hands through his hair in frustration. What was with females tonight? First Sailor Moon and now Usagi. Was the whole female population suffering from mood swings?

Mamoru looked at the clock and noticed that it was an hour before closing. He might as well bother to show up. Something was bugging Usagi and he wanted to find out what it was.

He got to the Crown Arcade and Café and the bells chimed to note his arrival. Motoki, his best friend and owner's son was cleaning up when he entered. Motoki lifted his head from his work and sent him a concerned look. "Hey Motoki, what's up?" Mamoru asked sitting down at the counter.

"I might be mistaken but I think that's your girlfriend over there." He pointed to the blond haired girl with ordangos stirring her drink absentmindedly and staring out in the distance.

"What's the joke man? You know that's Usagi." Mamoru frowned at his friend, the two were really close, he didn't get what Motoki was thinking.

"No, Usagi's usually bubbling over with energy and chatting a mile a minute. This girl here ordered her drink and wouldn't make a peep else wise." Motoki leaned against the counter so he was facing Mamoru. "Did you do anything?"

"No." Mamoru stated dryly, his eyes tracking on Usagi, who didn't even look like she noticed his arrival, which was odd because Usagi had the uncanny knack of being able to sense his presence a block away, just like he did, but he didn't notice her until Motoki pointed her out today, something was extremely off.

"Perhaps then you better do something, it's not right for Usagi to be like that." Motoki shuddered as he sent another glance towards Mamoru s girlfriend.

Usagi knew Mamoru was there, she knew it as soon as he entered, the bell ringing had been the only thing to enter her subconscious mind but she couldn't get her eyes to cooperate and she preferred to stare out at nothing then have to face her boyfriend.

The reason she came here was to get out of the silent house with only her thoughts making any noise. Thinking the arcade would be filled to the brink with noise and teeming sound of children banging on the machines she bolted here as soon as she couldn't stand the quiet any more. But even here the noise was pushed away and filtered out, there weren't even that many people, it was like a ghost town in here. She shivered at what images ghost town brought up.

Mamoru sat down next to her and brought her face towards his. "Usako, what's up?" The words so much like Kamen's. Another reason to be regretting her decision to come here and telling him on top of it. She should have never accepted Kamen's embrace, when they were in battle it was a different story because he was saving her, not comforting her, that was Mamoru's job, and it was only worse because she still had feelings for the mysterious man.

She had told Mamoru where she was going to be because she wanted his comfort, not anybody else's, yet she was now regretting everything she did. "Usako." His gentle voice drew her out of stupor and she forced a smile onto her lips.

"Yes Mamo-chan? Sorry, I was lost in a thought."

"Really?" He ran his thumb over her jaw. "Motoki said that you've been quiet since you've entered. He's worried about you and he's not the only one."

Mamoru had changed greatly from the quiet man who kept to himself and wouldn't let anybody in to the man he was now, one who talked a lot and with many people, laughing with a few but the only time he was really happy was when he was with Usagi. When Usagi and Mamoru met he had been guarded and teased her to keep her out but it had backfired and she made a cozy spot for herself in his heart. Once they started dating it finalized his change into the man he was, with him caring for Usagi greatly and considerate of her feelings, he was even thinking of things to do to include her even more in his life and that also meant inviting her friends to gatherings he would have been alone at otherwise.

"I was?" Usagi blinked innocently at him before turning her attention to Motoki. "Sorry Toki-chan if you thought I was ignoring you!" She plastered on a huge smile for him and he nodded dumbly at the wattage behind it.

She turned back to Mamoru. "See? All good. So no worries."

Mamoru bit his tongue from saying what he wanted to and knew some times it was best to play along with the lie instead of forcing the truth out of a person. "Ok." He sighed. "Do you want to catch a movie or something?"

"Can we just take a booth and sit there for awhile?" Usagi wondered, picking up her drink to take a sip. Just talking to Mamoru was making her feel better.

"Sure." He stood up and waited for her to join him and walked with her to the table with his arm around her waist, his hand resting just above the curve of her backside. He sat down and slid in first and she followed him leaning against him as she drank her concoction. "Do you want to talk about anything?" He probed as she sat there soaking up his warmth and refraining from saying anything again.

"Not really." She sighed against him. "Did I ever tell you how comfy you are?"

Mamoru looked down and sure enough she was falling asleep.

Motoki walked over and broke the mood. "Don't you have a home to do that in?"

Usagi's eyes snapped open and she yawned before looking at Motoki. "I guess, but I never get any time alone with my boy toy here and I definitely wouldn't get that at home." Usagi cuddled into Mamoru some more and Mamoru sent Motoki a smug look.

"Whatever boy toy." Motoki slung back and Mamoru frowned as Motoki walked away laughing.

"Usako…" Mamoru pulled her higher so they were cheek to cheek instead of her resting her head on his chest. "Did you really have to call me that, especially in front of Motoki?"

"I was just teasing." Usagi pouted. "I didn't mean it, you really aren't my toy, just my cute lovely…" Usagi paused deciding what to call him and when he sent her a mock reprieve she popped her last word out quickly. "Mamo-chan!" Then she repeated the sentence to make it sound better. "My cute lovely Mamo-chan!"

His broad shoulders rose and fell over and over again in never ending laughter. "Kami Usako." He managed to get out and almost a minute later finished his thought. "You're too funny sometimes."

She lightly punched his shoulder. "You're one to talk." Her lower lip stuck out further in her attempt at a puppy dogface.

His eyes trained onto the action and his head descended towards her when an annoying beeping noise interrupted them and they knew it didn't come from the games behind them. Mamoru moaned as Usagi took her watch off her wrist. "Doesn't that mean you have to go?"

Usagi looked at her watch fearfully and stuffed it into her pocket. "Not today, it went off by accident, I forgot I set it to the wrong time." She licked her lips and looked into Mamoru's gorgeous dark blue eyes. "Where were we?" She asked desperate to regain her stability that had come back during the course of the time spent in his presence.

He grinned. "Come here you little imp." He slid his hand over the back of her neck and into her hair, pulling her head towards his.

Her watch beeped more frantically just as her lips started to brush his and she groaned, pushing it deeper into her pocket. She wouldn't have it; she wasn't going to face another demon tonight, and whatever might show up because of it. She just wouldn't.

"Usako." Mamoru s breath brushed against her lips. "Are you sure you don t have to go?" He wanted to know, the watch beeping more than once often meant that she did.

"I don t want to." She softly protested.

"But you have to." He concluded and she nodded sadly. "Then go, I'll be here for you, no matter what."

"No you won't." Usagi said her eyes flashing up into his.

"Yes I will." He repeated soundly.

"No you won't." Her voice took an inflection of laughter as she turned her face towards the door where Motoki was turning the sign to closed. "You'll be at home, or anywhere else, but not here, here will be closed to all that are currently occupying it." She shrugged her small shoulders. "Though since you're a friend of Motoki's he might be willing to allow you to stay for a while longer."

Usagi knew she was lingering and that she d have to account for her whereabouts but that didn't matter to her right now. What mattered was hanging onto this moment of peace, moment of freedom without fear.

"If you need me, I'll be where you can reach me." He reached out held her hand before bringing it up to kiss the knuckles. "Go Usako." He released her and she backed out of the booth her jean clad behind in the air as she did so. Mamoru chuckled at her antics. "Go before I change my mind."

Usagi titled her head to the side. "What does that mean?"

Mamoru growled and shot towards her, surprising her off the edge and she ended up on the ground. "Are you ok?" He asked looking down at her.

"Yes." She mumbled pushing herself off the ground and brushing off her backside. "Thank you for helping me up." She grumbled and started to walk out when a whack hit her butt. "Hey!"

Mamoru wagged his finger at her. "Don't talk that way to me, your cute lovely little Mamo-chan!"

She knew she'd eat her words and she was just about to respond to that when her watch beeped again, it wasn't really a watch but a communication device between senshi. "Bye." She leaned down and peaked his lips. "I've really got to go." She complained.

"Then go." He pushed her gently away. "Bye."

"Bye." Then she was gone.

"Jeez Mamoru, she's got you whipped." They were the only two still in the arcade and Motoki was now sitting across from him.

The familiar buzz vibrated through his fingers, telling him Sailor Moon had transformed and was either on her way to a fight or was already in one. When she was in trouble pain would replace the vibration and the more trouble the farther up his arm it would reach, just to spur him on because the vibration was something he could ignore.

"I've got to go Motoki." Mamoru stood up and bolted towards the door.

"But Mamoru-" Motoki called out but it was too late, Mamoru was already out of the door. Motoki sighed and finished picking everything up.