Usagi's POV

I walked in and immediately knew that this was the place that could help me. There were so many smells in the air and all of them were amazingly delicious and feminine. An elegant and beautiful woman approached me. "Hi! How can we be of service to you today?"

I blushed slightly. "I-I want a makeover. I want to look like the young woman that I am and not a school girl."

The woman smiled warmly. "I think we can achieve that for you. Why don't you follow me?" She started to walk down the hall and into a private room that could've doubled for its own salon. It had its own desk, station to cut and design hair, a hair dryer, a station to do manicures and pedicures, a full length mirror, a changing room and another door that said Boutique. I smiled widely. This is definitely the place that can help me.

Mamoru's POV

I walked the streets for over an hour and couldn't find her.

I'll just find her tomorrow and apologize…but I'll try back at the Arcade before I head home.

Usagi's POV

The woman asked me to sit in the chair in front of the mirror. "My name is Suki and I'll be assisting you today. Now, what type of look were you going for…?"

"Usagi."

"…Usagi."

"I want to look more grown up. I'm sick of my school girl image and people seeing me as childish. Can you help me?"

Suki walked around me while taking out my buns, she lowered herself to my eyelevel and moved my hair to frame my face.

"Well you definitely have a lot to work with, Usagi. You're a beautiful young girl. I don't think it's necessarily a 'makeover' you need, but just a different set of clothes and maybe letting your hair down once in a while."

She winked at me, smiled, and started to walk towards the door that said Boutique.

When we walked through the doors, I was in awe. I've never seen such beautiful pieces of clothing. Suki smiled and brought me over to a section that catered to my size. I started looking through the various items while Suki watched my eagerness with delight. After a few minutes, I stopped and looked at her.

"I don't know which to pick. What do you think?"

Suki had her two index fingers pressed up against her lips as she perused the section. "Hmmm. Well, you're wanting to appear more grown up…like a lady…I think that this…would do."

She pulled out a pastel pink sun dress that had lace at the bottom. It's perfect.

I smiled up at her and bit my lip. "Can I try it on?"

"Of course! Right down that hall."

When I put on the dress, I felt almost transformed…(forgive the expression, haha).

The full length mirror that was provided in the dressing room gave me the full perspective. My hair was out of its regular buns and its loose strands reached down to my ankles. Even though it was a lot of hair, it was light and delicate looking. The dress was form fitting and comfortable at the same time. Like it was worn in. Pink has always been my favorite color. I smiled and walked out to Suki who was waiting outside of the door.

She clapped her hands together in front of her mouth and smiled. "That is exactly it. Whoever you're trying to impress will get his socks knocked off."

My smiled quickly faded and Suki noticed. "Don't worry, Usagi, you're not the only girl in the world who wanted to get gussied up to impress a guy."

I looked down at the floor and twirled my fingers in my hair. "Is it wrong to want his attention SO badly?"

Suki chuckled and brought my chin up with her fingers. "Not at all, Usagi. Everyone has been there. What you need to make sure of, though, is that you're not losing who you really are in the process."

"Oh, I'm better though. Mamoru is exactly the kind of person that everyone should be. I was lazy, klutzy, and ate junk food ALL the time. Since I was putting myself on Mamoru's level, I was on time, efficient, acing tests, and eating healthier. But none of it has worked the way I wanted it to. He's only encouraged me and congratulated me."

"Well have you talked to him at all in the process?"

"…not really…"

"That may be the key, Usagi. Maybe all you really needed to do was just talk to Mamoru."

It was like a light bulb had gone off in my head. I was able to see clearer. A five minute chat with a stranger gave me more clarity than anyone else I had spoken to about Mamoru. TALK to him. Doy, Usagi. Why didn't you think of that?

"So should I take the dress off?"

Suki shook her head. "Nah, it suits you very well, Usagi. I think you should keep it on, go find your Mamoru, and have the honest conversation and relationship that I think you've been wanting."

I thanked Suki with a hug, paid for my dress, and headed to the Arcade to talk to my Mamoru.

Mamoru's POV

When I headed into the Arcade, there was a big commotion over towards the left of the building. I ignored whatever was pulling their attention and headed straight for Motoki behind the counter. Motoki had a dazed look on his face and was drying a glass.

"Hey Toki." No answer.

"TOKI!"

He snapped out of his daze and looked up at me. "Oh, hey Mamoru, what's up?"

"Hey, did Usagi happen to come back in here?"

Motoki smiled a little goofily. "Oh, you haven't seen her?"

A little more annoyed now… "No. That's why I'm asking."

"She's over on the left side of the Arcade. I'm surprised you haven't seen those men drooling over her."

I immediately spun around. "What?!" Men? Drooling over her?

As I was searching the crowd, I saw Usagi push her way through the now noticeably sea of men around her trying to get her attention.

She was wearing a form-fitting dress that complimented her curves very well, but they were curves that I'd always been aware of. What was breathtaking to me was that her hair was down, for the first time. And those sleazy ass men were touching it. I ran up to her and started backing the men away from her.

"Back off! BACK OFF! She's with me!" I have no idea why I said that. But I said it and I meant it.

The men kept crowding her. I put Usagi in a booth and tried to shoo them away. They weren't budging. "Hey Toki, help me out here!"

Motoki stood up on a bar stool and yelled. "Hey guys! If you're not here to eat or play the arcade games you need to leave. Leave the lady alone!"

Various groans filled the Arcade and the guys started to walk slowly towards the exit.

I sat across from her in the booth and saw her shock at the ruckus she created. I couldn't help but laugh.

She started to turn red from my laughing at her. "Oh Usagi…did you hit your head and forget how beautiful you are? You can't go around looking like that and expect nothing to happen."

Now her redness increased. I smirked. "Don't worry. I'll stick around and make sure they don't come back. Do you want Toki or I to walk you home? Why are you dressed like that anyways?"

She was twisting her golden hair with her fingers. She sighed, looked down, and said one word that made my smile and good humor drop like a rock. "Piper."

I leaned on the table towards her. "What did you say?"

She looked up at me with partial shame and partial pride. "I said, Piper."

"Usagi, what does Piper have to do with you dressing a certain way?"

Usagi shrugged. "She got your attention."

I scoffed. "Piper has none of my attention. She's ridiculous."

This seemed to snap Usagi to attention. "Yet she was able to insert herself between us and insult me in passing."

I cringed and ran my hand through my hair. "I've actually wanted to talk to you about that, Usagi. I hated what she said about you. I left moments after you did to try to find you to apologize."

"You did?"

"Yes." I straightened and looked into her eyes sincerely. "Usagi, I am so sorry about Piper. She shouldn't have said that about you and I should not have even allowed her to speak about you, but I honestly thought that you'd defend yourself like you always did. I've never seen you passive."

Usagi crossed her arms and looked away. "I'm normally not, but comparing her to me, I had no grounds to argue."

I scoffed in disbelief. "Usagi, no one compares to you."

She crossed her arms and looked down at the table. "Then why do I feel like she's more suitable to be with you than I am?"

My breath caught. Was that Usagi's way of telling me that she wants to be with me? I need to choose these next few words carefully…

"Usagi, you've influenced me more with your words, actions, and personality than anyone else I've ever known. That alone makes you leagues above any other woman that tries to gain my attention."

Usagi's eyes slowly rose as I spoke and tears filled them causing her blue eyes to become more piercing. I took a deep breath. It's now or never.

"These past two months for me have been torture. Your attentions have been on your studies, which is great, by the way, but I had become accustomed to our arguments, our daily trysts and collisions, that I soon figured after the first week of not having them, influenced my days more than I realized. When you began withholding those daily doses of Usagi that I needed, I began reacting like an addict on withdrawals. Through my stress and pain, I realized that I need you in my life and not just as a daily sparring companion, but as a partner; my other half."

Usagi's silence bore through me. Her mouth parted slightly and then closed abruptly to hold back stifled laughter. Oh great. I've made an ass out of myself.

Usagi's POV

Walking to the Arcade was a bizarre experience. The Salon was only a few blocks walk from the Arcade and in that time I had a mob following me; wolf whistles, 'hey sweethearts', and car honks filled the air behind me and from across the street. I'm not gonna lie, I was freaked out.

Ok, once I get to the Arcade, Motoki and Mamoru will be there. They won't let anything happen to me. I sped up my walking and turned sharply into the Arcade doors.

"Motoki!"

"Hello, miss. How can I help you today?"

I stopped and scrunched up my nose. Miss? What? "Motoki, it's Usagi."

His eyes bulged out of his head and he nearly dropped the glass he was drying. "Usagi? Why are you? Why is your hair down like that? Where's-?"

I shook my head and put up my hands to cut him off. "Never mind all that. Have you seen Ma-"

The mob of men who had been following me corralled into the Arcade. Their chattering had muffled my question and their crowded movements forced me further away from Motoki and towards the left part of the Arcade.

Are you kidding me right now? Ugh! Men! This is ridiculous! I started to push my way through and could only hear glimpses of various men trying to ask me what I was doing later and if I knew how to dance.

"Excuse me! Let me through please." My muffled comments were drowned among their questions. One man brought up my hair in his hands and asked if he could take some of it home with him. "Ew! No!" I pushed him away and was nearing the edge of the crowd. That's when I spotted Mamoru. He was bent over the counter talking to Motoki. That creeper still had a hold of some of my hair and I struggled to push my way out of the crowd.

Mamoru turned around and saw me instantly. He quickly ran over to me and assisted me in getting away from those animals. His cries, unlike mine, were able to cut through the crowd and be heard. Hmm…maybe it's the decibel my voice is at?

"Back off! BACK OFF! She's with me!" My whole body tingled in response to his statement. I looked up at him and felt the blush overwhelm my cheeks.

The men ignored Mamoru's yells, though and as though they were challenged by his claim over me, they pushed towards me with more force. Mamoru put me in an empty booth and used his body to block and push them away. After no avail, he yelled over to Motoki who was safe behind the counter.

"Hey Toki, help me out here!"

Motoki stood up on a bar stool and yelled. "Hey guys! If you're not here to eat or play the arcade games you need to leave. Leave the lady alone!"

Various groans came from the men and filled the Arcade. Finally they're leaving! I can't believe they followed me here! Guys are so weird. I just wanted to look and feel pretty, and I get treated like a common prostitute. But at least Mamoru was there to help…

Just then, as if he played a trigger to pull me out of my thoughts, Mamoru started to laugh.

I could feel the dark shade of red fill my face and my cheeks got hot from the shame. Great. He thinks I look like a floozy too. I was just about to cry until Mamoru started to speak through his chuckles.

"Oh Usagi…did you hit your head and forget how beautiful you are? You can't go around looking like that and expect nothing to happen."

Mamoru thinks I'm beautiful? He smirked in that devastatingly handsome way and reassured me. "Don't worry. I'll stick around and make sure they don't come back. Do you want Toki or I to walk you home? Why are you dressed like that anyways?"

Awh crap. How do I answer that? I started to twirl my hair. Remember what Suki said, Usagi. Honest conversation. Nothing is going to come from a conversation filled with lies. I looked down and sighed. My stomach knotted at my inevitable confession. "Piper."

Mamoru's smile dropped and he leaned closer towards me from across the table. "What did you say?"

No turning back now… I looked up at him and repeated, "I said, Piper."

Concern filled Mamoru's features. "Usagi, what does Piper have to do with you dressing a certain way?"

I shrugged. "She got your attention."

He scoffed incredulously. "Piper has none of my attention. She's ridiculous."

This frustrated me. Obviously she did since she was able to act the way she did and knew she'd get away with it. So I straightened up and defended my pride. "Yet she was able to insert herself between us and insult me in passing."

This made Mamoru cringe and run his hands through his hair. Oh. I've hit a nerve. Mamoru only does that when he's stressed or REALLY bothered by something. He looked at me apologetically. "I've actually wanted to talk to you about that, Usagi. I hated what she said about you. I left moments after you did to try to find you to apologize."

"You did?" Does he really care that much for me?

"Yes." He straightened up and looked at me in a way that made my entire body freeze. "Usagi, I am so sorry about Piper. She shouldn't have said that about you and I should not have even allowed her to speak about you, but I honestly thought that you'd defend yourself like you always did. I've never seen you passive."

Ouch. Score one for Mamoru. It's true. I'm normally always in for a fight. As the Leader of the Senshi, I've become accustomed to defending myself. I crossed her arms and looked away from him to ease my pride. "I'm normally not, but comparing her to me, I had no grounds to argue."

Mamoru scoffed in response. "Usagi, no one compares to you."

Once again that tingling sensation ran through my body like before when he claimed me in front of all those strangers. I'm still not sure where this conversation is going…I need to steer it back to where I want it to go. Here goes nothing…

I crossed my arms and looked down at the table. "Then why do I feel like she's more suitable to be with you than I am?" I held my breath waiting for his response; my entire body was paralyzed.

"Usagi, you've influenced me more with your words, actions, and personality than anyone else I've ever known. That alone makes you leagues above any other woman that tries to gain my attention."

I could only watch his body language to make sure he was sincere. Once I looked into his eyes, I knew he meant every word he said. Tears started to fill my eyes because I knew how Mamoru was. He was such a private person; he never let anyone in. The fact that he was saying these words. To ME. Meant so much. He took a deep breath and continued.

"These past two months for me have been torture. Your attentions have been on your studies, which is great, by the way, but I had become accustomed to our arguments, our daily trysts and collisions, that I soon figured after the first week of not having them, influenced my days more than I realized. When you began withholding those daily doses of Usagi that I needed, I began reacting like an addict on withdrawals. Through my stress and pain, I realized that I need you in my life and not just as a daily sparring companion, but as a partner; my other half."

I couldn't say anything. I was frozen. My physical self was immobile, but my mental clarity was racing. He needs me. He misses our old ways. He misses how I was before. And I went through this whole thing thinking that I needed to change to get his attention. Usagi, you really ARE blonde.

Realizing my inability to see this earlier and thinking about all the trouble I went through when all I needed to do was have a simple conversation with the guy, I started to laugh.

Mamoru's POV

She's laughing. I just poured out my heart, and she's laughing. Good going, Chiba.

I smacked my hand against my forehead and let it drag down my face as I let out a loud groan.

"Let's just forget I said anything."

I got up to leave and I felt Usagi grab my arm and pull me back down onto her side of the booth. "NO! No. Wait."

I looked up at her now very serious expression and waited for a reason on why I should not hide in the corners of the earth for all eternity.

She huffed and tucked her long hair behind her ears. "I'm not laughing at you, Mamo-chan."

My heart tugged at the name. It gave me hope and pleasure in such a small amount of time that all lingering feelings of embarrassment were long forgotten.

She continued. "I'm laughing at myself. You see…I've spent these last two months to get your attention."

My left eyebrow raised in curiosity.

"I thought that if I showed you that I could ace my classes, be on time, and eat better, that I was good enough to be with you."

I was appalled. I shook my head and was about to contradict her thought process but she threw her hand over my mouth to stop me.

"I'm NOT finished, Mamo-chan. Now, my Plan had come to an end with I showed you my report card. I was about to take my next step which was to have a civil conversation with you, but Piper showed up."

I rolled my eyes at the name.

"She was so elegant and beautiful, I realized that I wasn't at your level yet. So I went to a boutique and did this." She motioned to herself. "But in the process, I realized that I won't always look like this or be on time, or even ace my English exam, which I totally did by the way." I chuckled. "So, my conclusion to my 'how to get Mamo-chan to notice me plan' is this…take me or leave me, I'm first and foremost a klutzy, chocolate loving, crybaby who hates studying, but is capable of doing everything you can with the greatest of ease." She winked and giggled after her speech and waited for my response.

I was in awe. Not only did Usagi do exactly everything that I always teased her about with no problems, but she discovered a bigger part of herself in the process; confidence. Something that I believe will grow on her beautifully. I couldn't help but fantasize about the woman she'd be in 5 or 10 years with this little taste of confidence. Once she's out of that school uniform and in regular clothes every day for college…I'm going to need to keep an eye on the men around her. I'll definitely have to make it known that she's mine and mine alone.

"Well?" She was getting impatient and leaned towards me, about to knock on my forehead for an answer. This part of her, I'm glad hasn't changed. Her playfulness eases my serious side. She brings light into my darkness.

I caught her hand as it was about to make its knock and brought it down to entwine with my fingers. I smiled at her and motioned my head towards the counter. "How about a chocolate shake? On me?"

Usagi laughed and hugged me. I let out a deep breath and fell into the comfort of the embrace. I pressed my cheek against hers and whispered, "You're everything to me, Usako, don't ever feel like you have to change." With that I kissed her on the cheek and bought her her second chocolate shake of the day.

When it was set down in front of her she tied her long hair into one knot and took in a comforting sigh. "Thank the gods that that plan is over." She looked up at me. "Well, I mean, it worked, in a way…" She looked back at her shake. "But I have never dreamed so much about chocolate in ALL MY LIFE!"

She went in for the kill and I started to laugh. I kissed her on her temple and turned to order a coffee for me from Motoki. When I turned back, half the shake was gone and she had a pained expression on her face. "Ugh, brain freeze!"

My laughing continued when I spotted bits of chocolate around her mouth. "I've missed you, Usagi."

She smiled at me as I wiped them off with my thumb. "Maybe we won't spend another day without each other then."

I smiled, brought her chin up to mine with my finger, "I think that's the best Plan you've had yet, Usako", and kissed her.

~Fin~

Author's Note: I've been getting a lot of reviews about how Usagi shouldn't have to change herself to get Mamoru's attention and that he should love her the way she is. Let me remind you that this was the purpose of the story. Every young girl has found that one boy that she wants to notice her and so she does things to gain his attention. (I don't even have to mention how excessively men do things of that nature to gain a woman's attention) The point is that the journey is how you find your confidence within yourself and how you find the courage to realize that who you are initially is what really matters. So just enjoy the fanfic and stop being such fuddy duddies! :p

I hope you enjoyed this story. Now that I've finished this one, I'll work more on Unwanted Attention and I have another one in the works. :) Keep checking my profile for more to come! I look forward to your reviews! ~^_^~