AN: Well, here you are, my darlings! The last chapter of my little baby is here! Thank you all so much for going on this ride with me, and I appreciate your love and feedback SO, SO much!
Also, a huge, huge, HUGE thank you to my sweetest friend, FloraOne for all her help with this. She makes everything I write better with her amazing beta skills! And, she writes amazing fanfic, as well, so you should go check her out 3 Oh! And we're both on Tumblr under these names, too, so stop in and say, "Hi!"
Enjoy!
oOo
Usagi cursed under her breath, hands visibly shaking as she pulled on the door handle to walk into the Juuban High School. She instantly regretted asking Minako to walk her to school when Mina held tightly to Usagi's arm, thwarting any chance of escape back to the safety of her bedroom.
She wasn't ready for this. There was no chance in hell she was ready for this, the mere thought of Mamoru making her knees wobble dangerously. Usagi could hide most of the day, but there was no escaping him during lunch. If he was there, she would see him and those deep ocean colored eyes, his soft ebony hair falling haphazardly into his eyes, lips curving up into a knowing smile…
Even when she was furious at him, Usagi was still caught under his spell. And she wanted to punch him for it.
Usagi usually had trouble paying attention in class, but today, she didn't even bother to try, instead choosing to stare longingly out the window, watching the rain, and praying she might blend in with the wall, so her teachers wouldn't notice her. Either it worked, or she looked too pathetic to bother, as the usual pestering she received was absent that day.
Her heart clenched painfully as she noticed there were only a few minutes left until the lunch bell rang.
That she loved Mamoru was certain. Loved him deeply, and without condition, the latest catastrophe in their relationship not causing her love to lessen in the slightest. But she was hurt, and it was difficult to not blame him for her current predicament.
Yes, she loved him, but Usagi had never received any indication that Mamoru might feel the same way. He had teased her, relentlessly for more than a year, never even bothering to call her by name.
Then, when she had begun to really spend time with him, got to see how sweet and kind he was underneath his gorgeous, cool exterior, Usagi had finally realized the depths of her feelings towards him, but again, Mamoru didn't seem to return them. Sure, he didn't hate her or anything, but love? Yeah, right.
Both times Usagi had allowed herself to be most vulnerable around him, he had hesitated. First when she had kissed him, and then after they had sex…
She had tried to do the mature thing, asking him what it had all meant for them. She had put herself out there, when he didn't seem like he was going to make the move to figure things out. And she had paid the price for it. Mamoru hurt her more deeply than she knew was possible.
Tears rushed to the surface, and Usagi bit her lip to keep them from falling down her cheeks. Stop it, baka. You can't let him see you like this! she yelled at herself mentally.
The bell rang.
Shit, shit, shit, shit, shit.
Usagi had no idea how she'd made it from her class to the cafeteria. All she remembered was that suddenly, he was there. Mamoru. Sitting at a table chatting with friends, as if nothing was wrong in the world. As if he nothing could bother him.
Stopping dead in her tracks, Usagi stared openly at him, not daring to move any closer.
God, she'd missed him. Missed his smile, his clean scent, his long fingers turning the pages of her textbooks, the low tone of his voice as he carefully explained her homework to her...the list was endless. She loved everything about him.
Unwittingly, the corners of her mouth turned slightly upwards in a tiny grin. Until she came crashing back down to Earth, remembering that she was nothing more than a mistake to him. Another girl in what would assuredly be a long list of women.
This thought caused her resolve to not ever allow Mamoru to see her upset to become solid, once again. Holding her head high, Usagi began to walk through the cafeteria, towards the shelter of her friends. But halfway there, she was stopped by the friendly voice of Asanuma.
"Usagi! Over here!"
oOo
Mamoru froze at the sound of Asanuma's voice, terror beginning to seize him. She's here… his mind screamed. Slowly, he turned his head towards the direction of Asanuma's wave, and the sight that greeted him took his breath away.
She was, indeed, there, and despite the countless times he had seen Usagi, he couldn't help but be struck by her beauty. She was the picture of calm as she walked towards them. But Mamoru did notice that, despite her excellent act, her hands were clenched at her sides and her eyes darted around nervously, as if looking for an escape.
He wasn't ready for this. There was no chance in hell he was ready for this. Yes, he had every intention of confessing his feelings and begging Usagi for forgiveness, but this was going to need careful planning! It was a delicate situation at best, and deserved more thought than a chance encounter at lunch time. But before he knew it, she was upon them, sitting down gracefully across from Asanuma.
"Hey, there Usagi! It's nice to see you back at school!"
"Thank you, Asanuma. It's good to be back." Mamoru remained silent as she spoke, noticing the slight quiver in her voice. He prayed his younger friend would continue onto another topic of conversation, but he should have known better.
"Where've you been? Is everything alright?"
Mamoru held his breath, daring for the first time to look at her since she'd sat down. He wasn't surprised to see Usagi looking at him, her eyes darting away when he glanced up.
"Oh, no. I'm perfectly fine. I was just sick, not a big deal at all," she said, punctuating the last words, as she boldly looked at him.
Mamoru held her gaze, unmoving, annoyance beginning to grow inside him at Usagi's obvious attempt to play down what had happened between them.
Oblivious to the exchange, Asanuma kept on, "Man, that's no fun. Was it serious? You were gone for awhile."
He steeled himself for her next answer, as she turned her attention back to Asanuma. "Nope. Nothing serious. Just one of those annoying bugs that hits you out of nowhere, and it takes a few days to shake off," she replied, a sad little smile on her lips.
Mamoru was seething, now. Usagi was trying to get a rise out of him, and it was working all too well. He clenched his teeth as she continued, "But thankfully, I have such wonderful friends who love me and take such great care of me."
Before he knew what he was doing, Mamoru pounded his fist on the table, angrily. She had gone too far with that last comment, and he had no patience left after the last week. Careful planning and delicacy be damned.
"Are you kidding me?" he growled out at her.
"What's the matter, Mamoru-baka? Did I strike a nerve, somehow?" Usagi bit back, glaring, a sadness in her eyes, as she leaned forward slightly, taunting him.
"You know damn well what you're doing, Odango Atama." Mamoru hadn't meant to get so angry, but he needed her to understand, and the only way he could think of reaching her was the shouting match they were about to embark on. "I'm not going to let you sit there, and throw veiled insults at me, while you pretend nothing happened," he said, his voice starting to rise.
Half the cafeteria was staring at them, now, a mixture of shock and excitement on their faces. Asanuma sat frozen to his seat, never having seen his beloved Mamoru-senpai lose his cool, but Mamoru didn't care, his thoughts only focused on one thing. Usagi.
As he waited for her to speak, he noticed the sadness gone from her eyes, replaced now with anger, a deep red beginning to rise on her cheeks. "Don't act like you have no idea why I would do that, you jerk!" she shouted at him, "You led me on! Played with my feelings, made me like you, and then when you had what you wanted you tossed me away!"
When she turned on her heels, and began to storm away, Mamoru followed her, unwilling to let this, to let her, go. "I did no such thing! You didn't even let me explain myself before you just assumed you knew what had happened!" He was yelling, now, as he found himself following her out of the cafeteria and down the narrow hallway that led to the courtyard.
Usagi whirled around on him right before reaching the courtyard doors. "What did you expect me to do? Wait around for you to realize you had something great in front of you? You rejected me, Mamoru! You hurt me!" she ground out, quickly turning back around to head out into the rain.
Movings swiftly after her, barely missing being hit in the face by the door she'd dropped on him, Mamoru countered, incredulously, voice raised to be heard above the rain,"Rejected you?! What on Earth are you talking about? I never rejected you!"
"Bullshit you didn't!" she practically screamed, hair whipping him in the chest as she turned to stomp off, again, completely ignoring the large contingency of students that had followed them, and now were pressed against any window they could find that might offer a glimpse of the fighting couple.
Mindlessly, Mamoru followed her, pleading,"Usagi, stop it!"
"No! No, no, no, no, no!" She turned, marching up to him, and bringing herself up to her full height, as if it could intimidate him.
"God, you're such a child!" he yelled, exasperated, running hands through his now soaked hair.
"And you're an ass! So, I guess we're even!"
"Oh, real mature, Odango! Maybe I should tutor you in how to GROW UP!"
Mamoru didn't miss the hurt that flashed across her features, as a bitter laugh rang out, "And why would that be, Mamoru? Because you care?"
He paused for a moment, letting the rain wash over them, before he softly replied, the fight suddenly leaving him, "No, because I love you."
Usagi's eyes grew impossibly wide, her breathing seemingly stopped in shock at his words. Water streamed down her face, hair drooping from the weight of the rain, her eyes blinking slowly. Her mouth opened, as if to speak, but no sound came out. When she finally found her voice, her words came out in a squeak. "Wh-what did you say?"
Mamoru's mind was racing, his heart beating so loudly, he was certain Usagi could hear it. He was sure, if they hadn't been standing in the rain, his palms would have been sweaty with nervousness. But he couldn't give into that fear. Fear had gotten him in this mess to begin with, and he wasn't about to make the same mistake twice. Reaching his hands up to cup her face gently, running his thumbs across her cheeks, he said, again, "I love you, Usagi."
"N-no. No, you can't. You...you said you cared about me. You still like Rei," Usagi replied, shaking her head in denial, eyes darting away from his as if she were afraid of what she might find there.
"Usako, please, look at me," he pleaded, as she slowly turned her gaze to his. "I love you. I'm so, so sorry. I...I didn't think you felt the same. I know I've messed up. Badly. But I just need you to know."
Usagi was still blinking slowly, confusion still etched on her face, as she practically whispered, "For how long?"
Sheepishly, Mamoru shrugged his shoulders, hands still cupping her face, a small smile on his lips. "How long have I loved you? Practically since I met you. But when I finally admitted it to myself? Well...a year."
She pulled back from him slightly in shock as his words slowly sank in, "A YEAR?! Chiba Mamoru how on-" Usagi began, but was silenced by Mamoru's lips moving sweetly on hers.
He hadn't meant to cut her off like that, but she was so adorable when she got flustered, he had to kiss her in that moment. He, Mamoru, had to kiss her, Usagi. It was the first time he'd had the guts to initiate a kiss with her, and he supposed it was about damn time he did.
This kiss wasn't like the others they had shared, however. Every kiss before had been laced with blind, overwhelming desire, but this one, this one was everything Mamoru had always hoped it would be. Soft and deep, pouring his love for her into every brush of his lips against hers.
He was confused and disappointed when she suddenly pulled back from him, immediately missing her warmth. "Usako, what's wr-" It was his turn to be cut off.
"Seriously, Mamoru? A YEAR? How could you not tell me? Why did you-?"
Mamoru was beginning to enjoy this game of theirs, as his lips were, once again, on hers, attempting to convey just how sorry his was for keeping such a thing from her for so long.
When they finally broke apart, he touched his forehead to hers, needing to remain close to her. And Mamoru was incredibly pleased to find a look of complete contentment and bliss on Usagi's face, a smile creeping its way onto her mouth, as she breathed out, "Mamo-chan," he smiled at the nickname, "I love you."
Kissing her briefly, one last time, Mamoru pulled away, offering his hand to her, and she took it with a giggle. "You know, Usako," he began as they walked back toward the building, that obnoxious smirk on his face, "I think I need to cut you off more often. It definitely has its advantages." He winked at her, and was rewarded with a dramatic roll of her eyes.
"Have I mentioned that you're an ass?"
"Quite a few times, if my memory serves me right," he replied matter of factly.
She leaned up and kissed his cheek, "Well, at least, now, you're my ass."
He gave her a knowing smirk, as they reached the doors back into the school, where they were greeted with raucous cheers and dozens of iPhone cameras.
A brief moment of terror struck Mamoru, as he wondered just how long it would be before Kenji stumbled upon this video in the dark corners of the internet, but as he looked down at a beaming Usagi, he decided he could live with the constant threats of death and castration that would surely be coming his way. There were very few physical maladies he couldn't pay to fix if the need arose, and besides, he finally had the girl. What else could possibly matter?
Awww look, the little babies finally figured it out 3 let me know what you think, and stay tuned for the epilogue!
