Disclaimer: I DO NOT own anything from Sailor Moon. All credit to the author and its creators.
A/N: Here is the next chapter! Enjoy!
Chapter 4
Show me the Reflection of your Heart
Diamond could tell you the exact day the other sailor scouts learned about him and Sapphire. They were all coincidently at the arcade at the same time without Usagi. In fact, they did this for a week and a half and it was tiring. Constantly having his guard up around them was wearing on him. They never once spoke to him just kept staring at him and whispering to each other, a look of distrust in their eyes. The black-haired girl especially kept giving him fierce glares. He had come to look forward to the end of his shifts more than usual. On the upside, Usagi had increased her will to study and was meeting up with him more often after work. When he finally saw Usagi he breathed a sigh of relief. He rushed out of the arcade as slowly as he could. He could feel the stares making holes in his back.
"You seem stiff lately" Usagi commented as they walked to his apartment.
"Your friends were glaring holes into me for the last week and a half. It has been a bit unsettling and tiresome if I might add. I can't exactly tell them off though."
"Really?" She asked worriedly.
"It's fine. I knew it would happen. They wouldn't trust the enemy so easily."
"But you're not the enemy." Diamond stopped walking and turned to her.
"You've never doubted me? Never thought that I may be lying to you in order to get you to drop you guard. Then kidnap you or something?" he asked her seriously. He didn't betray his actual feelings trying to come off as threatening as possible. She shook her head and smiled at him.
"No. I can tell you were being honest from the heart. I'll talk to the girls." Diamond sighed.
"I appreciate it Usagi but maybe you should have been a little more guarded around me."
They continued their walk to his apartment complex. As they went to turn the corner to the elevators, Diamond spotted Mamoru. Acting on impulse, he grabbed Usagi's arm and moved her against the wall so that he blocked her view of Mamoru passing by. He said nothing, keeping an ear out for when his footsteps faded.
"Diamond?" He focused back on Usagi when he heard her voice and realized how close they were. He flushed a bit and stepped back apologizing.
"What happened? Was it an enemy?"
"Of sorts, for me at least." She gave him a confused look but he didn't comment further. They continued to his place to study. They sat down at the table in his living room and Usagi took her books out. She had gotten to the point where she could work on her assignments on her own without too many questions. Diamond simply pulled out the book he was currently reading while she worked. Apparently working with his guard up while at work had tired him out because he ended up falling asleep with his head on his book. He found himself waking from his nap a while later. Once sleep had stopped fogging up his mind, he realized that his hand was clasped around Usagi's hand, who was also currently asleep. 'When had they fallen asleep?' He couldn't bring himself to pull his hand away and instead stroked her hand with his thumb.
"That feels nice." Diamond was startled to hear Usagi's voice and he looked from her hand to her face. She was looking up at him with heavy lids. She had probably just woken up. He moved to release her hand but Usagi grabbed his hand back. He frowned at her confused.
"What are you doing?" he asked.
"I said it felt nice, I don't know why you stopped." He was rubbing off on her he thought as she gave him a smug look.
"I shouldn't have done it in the first place. It was a bad idea." Usagi stayed quiet as she sat up, not releasing his hand.
"Maybe it wouldn't be as bad of an idea as you think." Diamond frowned.
"Usagi…What—?"
"You make me feel precious. Mamo-chan never made me feel like I was special or precious. He never did small things like this to or for me." Diamond pulled his hand back.
"So you're going to take advantage of the small things I do until you can win him back? Or lead me on until he decides you're worth it?"
"That's not what I meant."
"I think you should go now. It's getting late." Diamond said standing up. He didn't want her to see just how much her comments had hurt him.
"Diamond wait." Diamond froze, finding it hard to ignore her anytime she pleaded with him. Damn his heart that beat for her.
"What is it Usagi?" He asked, not looking at her.
"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to come off as using your feelings for me. I've just been thinking…" This caught his attention and he turned around at her and raised an eyebrow at her. "I've been thinking about my feelings. I still love Mamoru but recently I've been having strange feelings for you." Diamond deflated at that.
"I see. Well even more reason to leave. Don't want strange feelings happening when you're trying to win back the love of your life." Diamond snapped at her. She gave him an angry look and marched up to him.
"Stop making my feelings irrelevant. I've taken a good while thinking about them before I decided to let you know. You're taking what I am trying to tell you out of context."
"What exactly have I taken out of context?" Diamond challenged. He was surprised to see her smirk at him.
"I honestly am starting to have feelings for you and not just because you want me right now and he doesn't."
"You're right. You only got angry with him when you were jealous or upset he wasn't giving you enough attention." Diamond grumbled, refusing to give himself any hope.
"Diamond!"
"What?!" Diamond bit out. Next thing he knew he was falling onto the sofa behind him with a lapful of Usagi who was straddling him. She leant down and kissed him. He was stunned for a full second before he wrapped his arms around her waist and returned the kiss. When Usagi pulled back, her face was bright red. Diamond caressed her face with his right hand.
"You're beautiful you know." He said to her adoringly. Her face got redder and he laughed affectionately at her. He slipped her off his lap and next to him on the couch so he could face her.
"Usagi…what are you trying to do right now? It's hard to hold back with you acting this way. I promised to be your friend, despite how I feel about you. I don't want you messing with my feelings because you feel lonely without Mamoru." She was silent for a while.
"I'm not Diamond. I've honestly been thinking and I can be myself around you. I'm more confortable around you than I've ever been with Mamo-chan. Plus, you've shown me what it's really like to be cared for and respected. Yes I still love him but I'd like to explore these new feelings I have with you."
"I don't want to be your experiment. I don't want to be the rebound while you figure out what you want and how to get him back."
"Diamond…"
"Go home Usagi. I'll see you later this week." She gathered her things and left. As soon as the door closed Sapphire appeared in the room.
"Why are you torturing yourself?" Diamond glared at him.
"I know she loves him. She spoke of how they're destined to be together and what not in the previous time as well. I won't be messed with because she is lonely."
"What if it turns into something more?"
"You honestly think she will pick me over him?" Diamond scoffed.
"If you fought for her."
"The last time I did, I was left alone without her while she ran back to him. He doesn't deserve her anyway."
"Then what are you waiting for?"
"Nothing. I am here to save our family. I didn't come back to see if she might pick me instead."
"You could have both. I see the way you look at her, the way you treat her."
"It's what she deserves."
"And what do you deserve?!" Sapphire yelled frustrated.
"…I have no clue anymore." Diamond whispered and he walked over and locked himself in his room.
…
The next day the sailor scouts were nowhere to be seen. That was odd and Diamond worried something had happened with Rubeus that he hadn't been informed of. He was restless all through his shift and wished he could reach Usagi somehow, but he knew things were still weird between them. He'd go to make sure things were okay after work. He walked out of the arcade with the intention of seeking Rubeus out but found himself face to face with Usagi. He could feel the instant relief when she appeared unharmed.
"Usagi…"
"Diamond." She greeted. He couldn't help himself; he embraced her.
"I'm so glad you're alright. When your friends didn't show up I was worried something had happened to you, that I had messed up the timeline somehow and you were attacked. She returned the embrace, laughing.
"I'm fine. Nothing has happened. I just told the girls to leave you alone. "
"I see." Diamond pulled back and reached his hand up to her neck and concentrated.
"Diamond what are you –oh!" She reached up to touch the necklace that he had conjured around her neck. It was a simple small black chain that was just longer than a chocker with a small pendant hanging form it. "What is this?"
"It's a necklace you can use to communicate with me. The pendant is my other earring that I shrunk and made to hang on the chain. If you're ever in need of my help just rub it or call out for me."
She played with the pendant, a slight blush on her cheeks.
"Thank you."
"You are welcome. I just want you to be safe." She smiled up at him.
"Does that mean we're done fighting?" Diamond blinked at her surprised and smiled.
"Yes. Lets get some ice cream to celebrate us making up." He laughed as she cheered. They walked to the ice cream shop. Along the way he had slipped his hand into hers and she had just smiled at him and continued on with her story about what happened as school. He was glad when she didn't make a big deal out of it. He wasn't sure what he was doing. He knew better but Sapphire's words kept ringing in his mind. Maybe, just maybe he could have both.
…
A few days later a storm hit the city. It was raining pretty hard. Diamond was walking home when he spotted Usagi in a green raincoat. He was about to call out to her when she ran into Mamoru. Thunder sounded loudly and he watched as it scared Usagi and she clung to Mamoru. He felt a pang in his heart at the sight. He knew she still loved him but it was harder on him to see it. He clenched his fist as he watched him push her away. Diamond walked over to them.
"Usagi." She turned to him and a small smile graced her face. He noticed how her hand had been clutching the pendant he gave her through the exchange with Mamoru. 'Interesting', he thought.
"Diamond! Chibi-Usa is missing." He frowned.
"For how long?"
"She wasn't at the school. I've been looking for her since."
"Where does she like to go if she wants to be alone?" Usagi gave him a helpless look. He turned to Mamoru.
"Well do you know?"
"Who are you?" Diamond hid his surprise and looked at Usagi and she subtly shook her head. She hadn't told Mamoru about him. Smirking he turned back to Mamoru, who he was happy to notice was just a bit shorter than him.
"The name's Diamond. I'm a friend of Usagi's. Now do you know where she could be or not? I've heard she spends an odd amount of time with you." Mamoru looked stricken.
"I-I don't."
"Well for someone who spends a lot of time with her, you're useless. Let's split up and look. Usagi you come with me." He didn't give Mamoru another second as he walked in the direction he was sensing her from.
"Diamond, what if she sees you?
"I'll disappear before she can see me. I don't want to risk her recognizing me. I just don't want you looking alone in this storm." He reached for her hand as they walked in search of Chibi-Usa.
"Diamond…I'm sorry you saw that earlier. "
"It can't be helped. It's bound to happen, you still love him but we can talk about it after we find her if you'd like?" Usagi nodded. They finally found the Rabbit at a mall where the other girls were floating. Diamond took the opportunity to disappear and remain hidden on the sidelines. When the battle was over, he remained in the mall watching the group from the shadows. He sensed Sapphire's presence the moment he appeared.
"It's disturbing the kind of attachment they have to one another. Throwing her self at him as if she's a grown women and he doesn't even bat an eye about it." Sapphire said with a look of disgust in their direction.
"It probably has to do with her father's parenting." Diamond said taking a dig at Mamoru.
"I pity Usagi-chan to end up with him."
"It's not our choice Sapphire."
"Diamond you could…"
"No I didn't come back to change her fate."
"Even if it would be a better one?"
"I said no Sapphire. I refuse to change fate when she doesn't even want it." Diamond said clenching his fist. His brother had helped create a hope in him that he didn't want to give into.
"It frustrates me to see you acting like a puppy whenever you're with her. You're just as bad as Emerald."
"Diamond?" Diamond and Sapphire both turned to see Usagi standing a few feet behind them. "Diamond why do you look like you're going to be sick? Are you okay?" Apparently Usagi had snuck back into the mall without either one of them noticing.
"No I'm fine. I just saw something that made me feel sick." She looked toward the general direction he had been staring off into. He hadn't told her that the Rabbit was her future child with Mamoru. He couldn't stomach it but maybe he should tell her but not now. He had to get himself under control first.
"You said we could talk later."
"I did."
"I'll go ahead and take my leave now. See you at home brother." With that Sapphire disappeared.
"I…I know I still have strong feelings for Mamo-chan but Diamond the feelings I have for you have been growing each day." He said nothing for a while and sighed.
"If I asked you to give me a chance would you? Could you drop your pursuit to appease Mamoru and win him back? Would you be able to continue bettering yourself for you and not for him? Risk changing the future and creating a new one with me?" Diamond challenged. It's not like he didn't believe her. She was too honest to mess with his feelings that way. But she was naïve and she probably didn't understand the gravity of the situation. Ever since she had kissed him, he had been lightly affectionate with her but her actions leading up to the kiss had been impulsive. He needed to make her think about things seriously before she made any decisions.
"I…"
"See. Think things through first Usagi. I'm not doing this just for me. I appreciate you respecting how I feel about you but you have a lot of things you need to think about before you jump into something new." She was silent for a bit before smiling up at him.
"I understand." He smiled at her. She had grown and matured since he met her in this time period. He was very proud of her.
…
Several days later Usagi came knocking at Diamond's door. Sapphire was the one to answer though.
"Usagi-chan. Sorry but Diamond isn't here at the moment. He is meeting with some of the members of our clan."
"That's okay. I 'm here to see you anyway." Sapphire frowned at her and he welcomed her into the apartment. Once they were seated in the living room Sapphire turned to her with curiosity.
"What brings you here to see me?"
"Who is Emerald?" Sapphire was surprised. So she had caught the end of their conversation from the other day. He sighed.
"She is a member of our clan who is in love with my brother. She has been for a very long time. She's older than us, even Diamond now that I think of it." He watched as Usagi-chan processed this information. "Why do you ask?" Her cheeks became pink.
"No reason…"
"I see. Well he hasn't shown any interest in her…yet. She would be in line for his future bride seeing how high in the court she is." Sapphire watched for her reaction. The look of relief she wore at the first part of his sentence disappeared and was replaced with fear.
"Oh."
"Usagi-chan I love my brother. He came back from the future to save me and out family. He's an amazing person underneath his sometimes-arrogant exterior but he means well. I don't want you to hurt him. Only pursue him if your feelings are honest and true. If not, don't start anything with him. I'd hate to see him hurt if you ended up back with that useless ex-boyfriend of yours." Usagi-chan looked surprised and nodded her head in understanding.
"I'd better go. I have a meeting with the other girls." Before she walked a few steps from him, he spoke again: "Usagi-chan…Would you like to see whom Emerald is"? She turned her head towards him and nodded.
…
That evening Usagi met up with Sapphire. He hid her behind a mirror in this odd room where she could see the city below. Suddenly she heard noises and she peered around the mirror. She saw Diamond sit on a chair that was like a throne with a glass of red wine in his hand. Sapphire was leaning against a pillar observing Rubeus and a woman who came out of the shadows. She silently gasped looking at her. She was beautiful and had the body of a grown woman. Usagi hugged herself comparing her still developing body to the curves of the green-haired woman who was now sitting on the arm of Diamond's thrown. She was bickering with Rubeus about something. The brothers sat there observing before Diamond said something.
"Enough. Now Rubeus tell me your next plan of action."
"Diamond are you sure you don't want to send me instead?" Emerald asked as she touched his arm. Diamond didn't shove her away and that made Usagi uncomfortable.
"I mean who can't beat a simple teenage girl who hasn't even completely blossomed yet?" Emerald said taking a dig at Rubeus. Usagi glared, she didn't appreciate the dig at her.
"Emerald would you stop insulting her. Your jealousy is making me sick." Sapphire stated with a smirk. Emerald's face changed to a red color in anger.
"I won't stand for this. I'm going home." And she disappeared.
"Finally." Both Sapphire and Rubeus said at the same time.
"Rubeus we need to talk." Diamond said and Rubeus paled.
"I will take my leave then. See you later brother." With that Usagi waited for Sapphire to come around the corner and take her with him. They appeared near her house, in an alley to avoid being seen.
"So what did you think?" Sapphire asked. Usagi hugged herself again feeling self-conscious. Sapphire laughed and she glared at him.
"What?"
"Nothing. Don't worry; my brother is not a pig. He likes you for you, not your body. I'm sure you'll mature into a great woman." He winked at her.
"She's very confident with him. She has a sexy and sultry aura around her. Why hasn't he gone for her?"
"Diamond's had more on his mind than to please himself. He hasn't had time to think about being with anyone."
"I see."
"Like I said, consider everything. Now you know the entire situation. Make the best choice for you but don't you dare hurt Diamond" Usagi nodded and headed back home.
…
knock knock
"Usagi what are you doing here?" Diamond asked surprised. He hadn't seen Usagi in over a week.
"Chibi-Usa has an event at school and needs to bring Curry rice."
"Okay…"
"Can you help me?"
"Usagi you know I was raised as a prince." He laughed. "What I do know how to cook now, I learned by living on my own here."
"No, no. I meant. Could I practice here and have you judge my food honestly?" Diamond was intrigued. "I brought my own ingredients."
"Of course, come on in and you know I'll be honest. You don't have to ask." With that Diamond found himself in the kitchen watching Usagi from the table from time to time when he took a break from his book. He chuckled to himself as she talked to herself while she cooked. She didn't make as big of a mess as he thought she would. In fact, if he didn't know any better, it looked like Usagi researched the recipe before she got here so she looked fairly comfortable in the kitchen. Her first try was too salty and he kept his word and told her so. Her second try was better but the veggies were undercooked by just a bit. She nailed it on the third try though.
"Can I keep the leftovers?" He asked. She laughed as she packed the leftovers for him. From what he heard later Usagi's curry rice was a hit. The Rabbit had apparently asked Mamoru for help but he was busy working. He wished he could have seen the look on the Rabbit's face when Usagi proved her wrong about her cooking skills.
A/N: Please review! Thank you.
