Settling In

Usagi rested her chin in her palm and blew her bangs out of her eyes. It was a long day and there were hardly any customers so time was stretching out in slow motion. The heat was stifling and even the cool air of the diner couldn't keep it out. Usagi felt sticky from sweat and shifted slightly in her chair trying in vain to adjust her uncomfortably tight outfit in the heat. Her high clean ponytail had lost its bounce an hour into her shift and her long gold hair was curling at the ends with the humidity. Usagi looked back down to her salad and pushed it around the plate. Despite her infamous bottomless stomach, the heat made her lose her appetite. Settling the fork down she finally pushed the plate away admitting defeat and dropped her shoulders like a wilted flower.

A week had passed already and it seemed like they were starting to really fall into their new life and the routine of it all. It seemed like, despite the overpowering heat, every night one of them just ended up touching the other. Then every morning there would be apologies, sorry I thought you were a pillow, oops I didn't realize I was spooning you, blah, blah. Just thinking about it caused her to blush and her body to heat up. That man was infuriating!

Ever since they had called a truce and revealed their identities she had struggled to come to terms with who he was and how she felt about it. All she was certain about was she was undeniably attracted to the man who tormented her by day and was her protector by night. Absently, she blew her bangs trying to keep them from sticking to her face. As the years started to pass she had many endless nights were she would cry herself to sleep as the notion that she wasn't good enough for him settled deep into her heart. Even though the arguments were about the same meaningless things, with every argument she her belief in that fact settled more resolutely.

Despite having decided that it would never happen, every now and again a sideways glance, an intimate gesture, a quiet understanding had made her question her resolve. He wasn't as cold as he had been before. Ever since he had started meeting with the girls. On one occasion she was having a heated argument with Mamoru, when Rei and a group of friends from school, including a few guys, walked over noisily to where they were sitting on their usual stools. Feeling annoyed that Usagi and Mamoru being so consumed by their argument had completely ignored the firey miko, she shoved Usagi none too gently. Taken completely by surprise, Usagi flew down short skirt flying up revealing a pair of lacey pink underwear. Before she could even straighten her skirt she felt a strong hand yank her up. Her startled watery eyes looked up into her nemesis' dark blue eyes for a second before he sat back down and sent Rei an icy glare. Now it seemed like his own body seemed to be sending her very different messages. Blushing to her roots, Usagi physically tried shaking those dangerous thoughts out of her head.

"This heat sucks!" she said to herself. Hearing shouting out on the street she turned around in her chair and watched as a group of people ran carelessly through the street bumping into people and knocking over crates and angering vendors. Feeling Tael behind the counter, Usagi turned to him to see him expressionless staring at the commotion outside. "What's going on?" Usagi asked, turning back to the street, the people long gone leaving vendors cursing and scurrying about to pick up their wares.

"There was a raid in the orange district," Tael paused and looked down to Usagi, she was nibbling on her fingers in contemplation. "That's the more affluent part of town. Raids always make the thieves nervous. They run even when they're not being pursued."

"Do you think that they'll come here next?" she mumbled to him.

"Maybe but there are so many people in the orange district I doubt they'll be through for at least 3 to 4 days from now." Tael gaze was steady on her face and he could not only see her worry but feel it like waves rolling into him. He felt so drawn to her now the picture of innocence and yet she exuded power and sensuality. He chuckled slightly snapping her out of her thoughts, she was just so unaware of it all. This combination set his curiosity ablaze. Every day she would share tidbits of her life back with her friends, her sisters. There was something to it that tugged at his memory but he couldn't quite pinpoint it so he just let it go for now.

"So Usagi in your world do they share mates?" he smirked knowing full well this would turn her into a spitfire.

Usagi had become almost used to the casual sexual remarks Tael would make on a daily basis but she still couldn't help the rosy color her cheeks would get when he made outright remarks she was still just seventeen. "NO," she said firmly crossing her arms and shaking her head for good measure. "You know that so stop asking me already!"

"Alright, but if you ask me both you and Mamoru seem very tightly wound as of late. I could help with that you know… I've always been more than willing-oof!"

"I said to stop!" Usagi huffed pulling her fist back and settled herself back into a seat position placing her hand down onto the bar once again.

"Alright, alright I will stop… for now," he wiggled his eyebrows at her suggestively and before she had a chance to start in on him he turned and walked around the counter to sit next to her. "So I think that I should take the two of you out somewhere. I think it will be enlightening in more ways than one. What do you say…my treat!" He looked at her expectantly hands grasped together as if in prayer.

He looked hilarious like a little boy begging to go out and she just couldn't stay mad at him for long. "Okay fine when? And this time let me know what the dress code is… I felt ridiculous last time wearing a t-shirt when everyone was clearly in gowns. Not cool."

"Sorry that was just spontaneous! Besides they love me there… they would serve me even if I were wearing trash as a loincloth." He flashed her a radiant smile. "Well how about today since you're off now and today is Mamoru's half day? Oh and dress nice."

"Dress nice?" Knowing that was all that she would get from him, Usagi peeled herself out of her seat and headed towards his office where she kept her things. "Alright you'll come over to our place? What time?"

"Be ready at 7 and don't be late!" Tael shouted as she walked out the back exit. He was sure that she had heard him because he heard the back door slam in response.