Author's Note: I promised I would finish this and I will! I really love this story and a lot of recent reviews have pushed me into continuing. I must admit, after recently moving, I've had a lot on my plate to juggle. I just started my own graphic design studio. I've been sick. I've just had a lot but I never forgot this story once! I'm glad I've gotten to write such a long chapter. It's definitely new to me. I hope you all enjoy it. This chapter is really confusing but it will be explained in due time.

Disclaimer: I do not own Sailor Moon or any of its themes, concepts, characters, and etc.

Bruises and Chocolate
Chapter 6

Usagi and Ami sat in Ami's dorm room working on their Microbiology thesis research. Unlike Rei and Minako, Ami and Usagi were very studious. Usagi was never the scholarly type throughout her primary and middle school years. However, in high school Usagi changed. Nobody really understood what had made Usagi become studious, quiet, and less outgoing. She became quite focused on her college lifestyle and her future career.

Ami, on the other hand, was always a bookworm. She was well advanced in her studies at a young age. She spent a lot of time alone, focusing on her future career of a neurologist. Ami was always the top of the class, even at the end of their high school career. It shocked Ami and everyone when Usagi graduated second of the class. However, it made Ami feel less lonely. Usagi was a wonderful friend and now she could discuss assignments with her. Ami often reflected on how happy Usagi's parents were at graduation. Their death seemed so sudden and unexpected. They were gone forever. It was hard to watch her friend deal with such a heavy burden; but deep down Ami knew Usagi become stronger than ever. There was never any replacement for lost parents, but Usagi had a love like no other. She had a good soul and loved everyone. Good people like Usagi always got through hard times.

"Did Makoto talk to you about Motoki?" Usagi finally asked Ami. Ami looked up at her blonde friend through her thick-rimmed black Dior glasses.

"She sent me a text earlier. I didn't have time to check my phone before class. I'm guessing it was about that situation." Ami stated simply, her voice light and firm as usual. Usagi gave her friend a faint smile. That's one thing she loved about Ami, she was never caught up in gossip.

"There was a fight the other day. Motoki and some guy were fighting outside of the restaurant. I know Motoki's our friend. I trust him the same way I trust Shingo. However, something was wrong, Ami. That guy, he just seemed…lost. I know many people don't understand it. I know Rei and Minako probably think I'm crazy. Hell, at times I think I'm crazy. I saw something though. I saw something in his eyes. He seemed so guilty." Ami noticed the tears forming in Usagi's eyes. Usagi was serious.

"I don't think you're crazy, Usagi. I think you're being quite thoughtful and courageous. Sure, Motoki is our friend, but we shouldn't blindly assume he was right. It takes courage to look at such a situation from two perspectives. Perhaps the young gentleman is dealing with a situation similar to yours. I know Motoki probably doesn't want anything to do with the person, but you should ask about him. If you feel this passionately towards something, you should pursue looking further into it." Ami said reassuringly. Surely Makoto would have her head for this later on down the road. She gulped at the thought of Makoto chasing her around with a burning spatula.

"You really think so Ami?" Usagi asked closing her notebook. Ami smiled and nodded. Usagi quickly stood up and collected her things. "Thank you for understanding." With that, the blonde was on her way.

Makoto, Rei, and Minako sat at a back booth of Motoki's family's restaurant, The Orange Blossom. They had been watching Motoki work and avoid them for most of the afternoon. He was not in the mood to be questioned by his friends. They were not in the mood to be ignored. However, they had their hearts set on solving the mystery between Motoki and this mystery guy. There wasn't much to be said between the three girls. They watched as Motoki sent his co-workers to wait their table and the ones surrounding them. He would occasionally glance at them and gesture for them to leave. The three girls would then take turns on ordering more food. He knew they were racking up a pretty hefty bill that he'd end up paying for. He hated being the nice friend.

If it weren't for Usagi, he was sure he'd be rid of the three by now. Somehow Usagi rooted some type of deep compassion for people inside of him. He really didn't need that compassionate side. He needed the side that made him friends with Mamoru. Just the thought of seeing Mamoru the other day made him ill. How could he? After just leaving him behind, to venture off into American pop superstardom. What type of friend was that? He admitted to himself that he did worry about the situation Mamoru had gotten himself into. Nevertheless, anger still wondered aimlessly throughout his veins. There was no denying the fact that Mamoru had created a mess, as always, being the center of some scandal.

"When do you think he's going to stop ignoring us? It's been two hours now." Makoto stated groaning as another plate of fries was brought to the table. The waitress snubbed them after placing the plate on the table. She was exhausted from delivering plates to and from the table.

"He'll have to come over here soon. He hasn't taken a break in a while. Is it so wrong to wonder what the hell is going on in your friends' lives? There's drama and nobody wants to give us details. We've been there for Motoki and we are looking out for Usagi. We deserve to know." Rei said slamming a palm down on the table. Makoto shrank in her seat as the people eating next to them looked over at the trio.

"Not so loud, Rei." Makoto hissed. "I knew this would be a terrible idea. I don't know how you two talked me into it. I should have studied with Ami and Usa."

"Nonsense, my brunette friend! We are here for the safety and well being of Usagi. Even if we do things a bit more radically than the average friends. We're her family now, and that technically makes us sort of Motoki's family. In a way. Erm, somebody justify my reasoning please." Minako pleaded. Makoto laid her head on the table. Somehow she had to get through this day with her two friends for Usagi's sake. She wondered what Usagi was up to.

Mamoru stood outside of the Tsukino residence, holding a striped black and white scarf in his hand. He hadn't seen the house in years. He was surprised that he remembered the address. The home in front of him was definitely not the home he remembered. It seemed lifeless and dull. There was no smell of baked goods coming from the kitchen window. The garden was dead, covered in weeds. It didn't seem that anyone lived there at all. The fall air felt bitter around him as he walked closer to the front gate. Perhaps they did not live there anymore. Knowing the Tsukino's, Mamoru figured that they moved to a larger house towards the country while Usagi was in school. There were still too many unanswered questions.

Mamoru looked over his shoulders to see if anyone was around. There didn't seem to be anyone in the neighborhood. He climbed over the little white gate and slowly treaded the path towards the door. What would he do if they were home? Would they react the same way Motoki did? Did they even know about him and his reckless path? He secretly prayed they didn't. Approaching the front door, Mamoru noticed a few flowers and letters left on the doorstep. "They are probably out of town." He figured as he bent down to look at the notes left on the ground. "We are sorry for your loss. Here are our condolences Miss Usagi. Your parents were wonderful. Please contact us if you need any help." Mamoru slowly rose to his feet, trying to swallow the large lump that formed in his throat. This couldn't be. His only foster parents were dead.

Motoki sighed. His mind was made up. Somewhere amongst the five plates of fries, Makoto, Minako, and Rei intimidated him. He made his way towards their table, mumbling a prayer of regret to repeat afterwards. "Hello ladies, you're taking up valuable table space." Motoki smiled.

"We are valued customers. We're having a very intense discussion." Minako smirked before taking a short sip of her Coke.

"Mhmm." Motoki mumbled. "So are you going to tell me what you're really here for?" Makoto sat up in her chair and straightened her tee.

"You know what we're here for, Toks. So spill. Tell us what the fuck happened." Makoto stated plainly, her green eyes resting on Motoki's. Motoki figured Makoto would take control of the situation. She always was the hostile type, in a seductive way. "Motoki." Makoto said, clearing her throat, interrupting his fantasy.

"Oh erm yeah right. I just had a bit of a brawl with an old, ex friend of mines. It's nothing for you guys to be camping out here and gossiping about it. Don't you have classes? I mean really, guys, you're wasting so much time." Motoki started.

"What friend, Motoki? Stop giving us this anti-climatic bullshit. I've been here eating your family's food all day and I want to know what the fuck happened. Go." Rei said flatly, crossing her legs and her arms at the same time. Her lip gloss covered lips were pursed and her arched eyebrows, pointing downwards. She was definitely not pleased with his behavior. Motoki sighed, running a hand through his blonde hair.

"I grew up with this kid, Mamoru. He moved off to America with some singing deal. He was a complete asshole about it, never talked to me, and never wrote me. So he showed up here and I just got pissed and went off. I couldn't control my emotions okay. I'm not guilty of anything so could you lay off the jury act?" Minako exchanged glances with Makoto.

"So that's it? That's completely boring! I thought he was like sleeping with your ex-girlfriend or something. Oh Motoki you're so overdramatic." The blonde sighed, slumping in her chair. Motoki felt his eye twitching.

"Me? Overdramatic! Oh come on, you three just sat here for two and a half hours stalking me in my restaurant and you're calling me overdramatic? For the life of me I do not understand you three at all! Fuck it; I'm going back to work." Motoki ranted before storming off.

"He's such a drama queen." Minako sighed, rolling her blue eyes.

Usagi dreaded this time of day. She dreaded coming home to this empty house. There was no life there. She felt lonely, and it hurt. As much as she pretended that she was okay, she was dying inside. She spent the entire day looking for her "mystery man" and came up with nothing. She wanted to ask Motoki but she was sure he wouldn't tell her. As she walked closer towards her home, she spotted a lone figure sitting on her doorstep holding her scarf in his hands. Her heart skipped a beat. It was him! He was here! How in the hell did he find her? She took a deep breath before approaching her front gate. The man had his head buried in his hands, grasping her scarf tightly. He appeared to be weeping, but she wasn't so sure.

"Um, excuse me. Excuse me, sir." Usagi gently stated. Her voice sounded light as a feather. It was the same way he remembered it, after all these years. Sure she sounded a bit more mature and stern, but soft as an angel. He blinked away tears and looked up at her. He didn't notice while fighting with Motoki, but she was beautiful. She stood at a mere 5'5, with long light blonde hair flowing down her shoulders. Her bangs framed her heart-shaped face well. Her cheeks were glowing pink, illuminating her pale skin. As beautiful as she was, her blue eyes did not shine. They were full of pain and loneliness. He could not imagine how she felt. Sure he had lost his parents, but not at such an age. How does one heal from such pain with so many years of memories?

"I'm sorry. I came to return your scarf." Mamoru said quietly standing up. Usagi admired his physique. He was definitely not your run of the mill Juuban citizen. He had a bit of a rough edge to him. His hair was long, roughly covering his masculine facial features. He wore a black hoodie underneath a gray blazer with dark washed jeans. He had to be at least six feet tall. His skin was thoroughly tanned. With a bit of a goatee covering his chin and a faint hint of a mustache, she figured him to be around the same age as Motoki. He had a bit of an accent in his voice. She wondered if he was mixed with American or British. He walked towards her and she felt her heart rate increase with every step. Was she going completely insane now? "I didn't mean to be a stalker. I'm sorry. I just found you in the school directory." Usagi smiled. That made a bit of sense.

"Oh you're a student at Juuban?" She asked immediately.

"Yeah, graduate school actually." He said looking down at his bowling sneakers. "I um well I am sorry about what happened to your parents." "Smooth move moron." Usagi's smile quickly faded. Her eyes looked over at the neighbor's gifts on her doorstep. She should have thrown those out a long time ago.

"It's okay, really. It happens." She said, her voice barely above a whisper. The wind danced between the two of them and Usagi rubbed her bare shoulders. She should have worn a jacket. Mamoru noticed the chill bumps on her arm and wrapped her scarf around her neck. He quickly removed his blazer and placed it around her. "You really shouldn't. I'll be okay."

"It's pretty cold out here. As a future doctor, I can't really see myself being responsible for you getting sick. You should wear a jacket you know." He started. Usagi felt tears in her eyes. "Oh no, please don't cry. I'm sorry." Mamoru started, not knowing how to respond. Usagi simply shook her head.

"No, no, I'm sorry. It's just, you don't know me. For the past few weeks, I haven't been able to differentiate what's genuine care and what's sympathy for me. You're being genuine. I don't know how to respond to this." Usagi stated, wiping her eyes.

"I don't know myself." Mamoru mumbled.