Author's Note: Without Further Ado and many years of waiting I've finally brought to you Chapter 11. I hope you enjoy it and as always read and review.

Chapter Eleven: The First Step is the Hardest

The arcade was a center of bustling attention; however that was not where Ami's attention had drifted towards. A small shy smile played about her lips as she listened to the argument that Motoki was having on the phone.

"I believe…" He rolled his eyes in frustration, he wasn't going to get anywhere with the way Mamoru was arguing with him. "Mam… Mamoru…"

Her blue eyes twinkled as she could imagine how stubborn Mamoru-san was being with his best friend.

"Mamoru! Listen to what I have to say for once during this damnable conversation."

Ami was in shock she didn't think she had ever heard Motoki-san talk like that.

"I've been trying to tell you that I believe you should be here to witness the gift giving. Stubborn baka, you can complement her and make her believe your starting to change."

Another roll of Motoki's eyes as he ran his free hand through his already tousled hair had her giggling like she had never done so. Mamoru-san was acting like a love-struck middle school student instead of the highly intelligent high school student he was known to be. Oh how love could strike even the most intelligent to convert to babbling scared children. "For crying out loud Mamoru you are the one making it more difficult than it has to be. No one said anything about you claiming the gift as yours to give her. I'm not giving you an option." A sudden banging of Motoki's fist on the arcade counter made her jump as he growled out, "She's in detention, and you have twenty minutes. Which is plenty of time for you to get here, and I suggest you do it or I'm pulling myself out of this whole situation and you can find someone else to help you woo the odangoed one." He hung the phone up into its cradle.

"Who would believe the day that mister intelligent and mysterious would try to back out of his own plans?" Ami said laughingly, as her eyes shone with amusement.

"I think Miss 300 I.Q. is having way too much fun with this situation." Motoki said with a smile as he watched the normally reserved school girl giggle the way Usagi would have approved of.

"Let's just say I'm living vicariously through my best friend. There's no way I would be able to be as happy as Usagi-chan will be when she receives those gifts and letters from Mamoru-san."

"Why not?"

"I'm allergic to love letters. I swear every time I've received one of those horrendous things I've broken into a cold sweat and hives the size of the arcade tokens."

"Speaking of tokens, I'm surprised all of you girls aren't here to witness the show."

"Minako-chan said it would be too obvious if we were all here together, it might make Usagi-chan more suspicious than we should allow her to be."

"Do you think Usagi-chan would notice something was up?"

Ami was silent for a while mulling her answer over when she finally took a breath and said, "Yes. I believe that she would notice. Usagi-chan is very perceptive about things. She may play the fool, but I believe that if she knew we knew whom her secret admirer is or if she found out it was Mamoru too soon she may well believe we set her up." Then she sighed as her eyes saddened, "Then she may very well believe that we betrayed her. Her heart is so trusting but I don't think she could get over something of that magnitude."

"Let's pray to the kami's then that everything we've planned goes without a hitch." Motoki said softly as he eyed the patrons of the arcade he managed bustle about their business. "I don't know why, but I get the feeling that you girls take everything going on between Mamoru and Usagi very seriously."

"You'd be surprised…"

"What is it that you are not telling me?"

"You know Rei is a Shinto priestess right?"

"What of it?"

"She's been known to be prone to premonitions or visions, whatever you call them the result is the same. She says there is a red thread of fate that connects the two…"

"The red thread of fate, I haven't heard of those words being used in quite some time."

"Please don't repeat what I've said to Mamoru-san or to Usagi-chan. I feel as though I've said too much."

"Nonsense Ami, I will not repeat this tidbit. However, I do believe you are trying to tell me that you and the girls believe Mamoru-san and Usagi-chan are soul mates."

"Yes, can't you see it in the way they revolve around one another. Everything they do, from the way they talk to one another to the way they react and move…"

"It's like the moon orbiting the earth." Motoki finished as his eyes turned to look at Ami."

"Precisely, I can tell that you've seen what we see whenever we see them interact with one another."

"I've seen it the whole time and I've been pressuring Mamoru to confess his feeling for Usagi-chan. There's this intense fire that burns within him whenever he picks on her. Kind of like the preschool aged boy that pulls his sweet little classmate's hair to show he likes her and can't understand his feelings."

"Perhaps that was the one thing we could never understand about Mamoru, why didn't he ever…"

"Motoki is right in his analogy. I cannot begin to understand my own emotions because I have nothing to base them on."

"Everyone has something to base their emotions upon, how is it that you say you do not?"

"That is not a conversation I like to have with anyone and much less when Usagi-chan is quickly approaching."

"How can you tell Usagi is on her way?"

"I don't know I can just tell it's her."

"Don't worry about it I've seen him do this before he can accurately predict her location to a certain distance."

Mamoru quickly took a seat leaving a stool between him and Ami hoping that his instinct wouldn't falter and Usagi would take that unclaimed seat between them. "Is everything ready?" He asked the other two.

"Yes. It's ready."

"So Ami, I'm surprised you have no cram classes today."

"Well, I'm kind of skipping it for today. I'm 100 pages ahead of the material that the professor gave us. So I won't really be missing anything."

"Why do you study so hard? You know you are very intelligent, you could be anything you want to be. Take your time and enjoy life. You know you only get this one, right?"

"Finally, someone agrees with me although it's not the person I would have expected." Usagi said glumly as she took the seat between Ami and Mamoru. "A large chocolate shake please, Motoki-onii-san and five dollars of tokens."

"Of course, Usagi-chan, but first someone dropped something off for you earlier."

"Something for me…" Usagi was confused who would have left something for her at the arcade, "Do you know who it was?"

"No I'm sorry I don't. When I opened up the arcade earlier, I found this letter sitting amongst the other mail we normally receive."

"A letter for me?"

"It's addressed to Miss. Tsukino, Usagi. You are the only one I know with that name." Motoki smiled at the nervousness that showed on Usagi's face. "Do you want it?"

"Let me see it." She stammered as she held out a hand shaking with nerves. Who would send me a letter and why at the arcade? Why not at my home? Unless they don't know where I live? But then who would it be? Usagi thought as she slowly turned the letter in her hand. She didn't know who it could be and she didn't recognize the handwriting. Whoever it is they sure have beautiful handwriting.

Mamoru looked at Ami and noticed that she somewhat looked uncomfortable. He was about to ask her if she was okay when Usagi beat him to the punch.

"You're okay with this Ami aren't you? You're not reacting to this are you?"

"I'll be fine Usagi-chan; after all it isn't addressed to me. I won't have an allergy attack."

"Allergy attack?" Mamoru questioned, as he glanced at Usagi opening the letter.

"Ami-chan is allergic to love letters." Usagi replied flippantly.

"Now, Usagi-chan, I'm not allergic to all love letters…"

"I know just the ones addressed to you." Usagi said as she blushed lightly as she read the contents of the letter.

"What does it say that it's made you blush, Usagi chan?" Motoki asked as he looked at Mamoru who was too busy staring at Usagi's reaction with twinkling eyes.

"Umm… nothing…" Usagi said quickly.

"Usagi-chan, what do you mean nothing? Obviously, it means something. Let me see it please, Imouto?" Motoki asked as he looked pleadingly at Usagi.

"Very well." Usagi sighed as she handed him the letter. Damn he knows which buttons to push every time he calls me that and then looks at me with those eyes there is nothing I don't give in to. Especially when he asks me to play nice with Mamoru-kun. Which reminds me why is that baka being so quiet; normally he would be making fun of me by now. She took a peek in his direction and locked eyes with him. She quickly looked back down his gaze was a little too intense for her too keep looking at him. Usagi could feel her cheeks turn red; damn he's going to read it out loud. Mamoru-baka is really going to make fun of me now.

October 28, 2011

"My Beloved Usako,"

"Since the very first day that I've met you, your blue eyes have haunted my every waking moment. Your face is all I see when I sleep. How I wish I could turn your affections towards me. I wish there was a way for me to be closer to you but I dare not. For now fear keeps me enshrouded in shadows but perhaps soon my beloved Usako we will meet. My dearest angel, I have enclosed a haiku I think you will enjoy,

*In the autumn fields

mingled with the pampas grass

flowers are blooming

should my love too, spring forth

or shall we never meet?

Until my next letter, I will continue to dream of your radiant beauty and the loving way that you've touched all those around you. I pray that someday soon you are willing to meet me but until I think you are ready I will continue to try to court you.

Affectionately Yours,

Your Secret Admirer

"Well Imouto, you seem to have one very smitten secret admirer." Motoki said as he refolded the cream colored letter and handed it back to the quiet girl.

"The haiku was very pretty." Ami said softly as she glanced at Motoki.

"Usagi-chan,"

"What baka? What are you going to say to ruin even this for me?"

"Absolutely nothing Usagi-chan, I was just going to say at least he got the part of your radiant beauty right." Mamoru turned his body to face Usagi, and he laid a hand on hers, "It doesn't suit one as beautiful as you to be distressed. Cheer up Usa-chan." Mamoru stood up and giving Motoki a nod and a quick, "See you later," he left the arcade without so much as a backward glance at the stunned girl he had left behind.

"I think hell just froze over." Usagi said stunned as she rubbed the place where Mamoru's hand had come in contact with hers. She was sure her heart had skipped a beat because when he laid his hand on hers a zap of electricity had gone through her body. "Either that or I'm dead."

"Is that your idea of heaven, Imouto?" Motoki asked jokingly. For a while there he had been absolutely sure Mamoru had given himself away as the secret admirer.

"More like my idea of hell. Just what is he plotting?" Usagi questioned out loud.

"Usagi-chan is that all you can think when he was being so kind to you."

"The question is why is he being nice, Ami? That's what I don't understand."

"Does he really need to have an ulterior motive, can't it just be that he's so tired of the fighting and wants to be friends?"

"I don't know Ami-chan, something tells me that boy is plotting something, and that's enough to give me chills." Usagi said slowly, but her mind was in a whirlwind. She had just received her first love letter ever, and the ones she had received from Umino-kun did not count. At least she wouldn't count being compared to something you can only see beneath a microscope as being romantic enough for a love letter. Besides, the writer of this letter had called her Usako, just who would call her their bunny left her mind in a whirlwind. "I think I'm just going to head on home." She grabbed her stuff and left the arcade her thoughts jumbled.

"What do you think, Ami?"

"I think it's all going according to the plan."

"At least something is," Motoki said softly as he stared at the doors closing behind Usagi."

"There's nothing more we can do but wait for the next piece on the chessboard to move." Ami said as she sipped her coke and waited for the other girls to come to the arcade as planned. She didn't have very long to wait. They came together and all of them were excited and had twinkling eyes.

"How did it go?" Makoto asked as she stood behind Ami and as the other three girls two girls sat down.

"From the energy I can see, it feels like it all went according to the plan." Rei said as she flipped her long black hair over her shoulder.

"Yes it did," Ami stated perhaps better than the plan. "Our dear friend Motoki here convinced Mamoru-kun to be here when Usagi received the letter and surprisingly enough he was actually nice to her."

"Was he now?" Makoto asked seriously.

"Yes, he had her thinking twice and I think his compliment may have made her ponder even more about what he feels for her at least." Ami mulled the information over in her head trying to analyze if it really all went to plan.

"He didn't give himself away?" Minako asked as she grabbed the soda Motoki had put down in front of them. Flashing him a bright smile so that he knew she appreciated him remembering her flavor of soda pop.

"I was afraid he had, but Usagi didn't tie the pieces together quite yet." Motoki said as he put two more glassed down for Makoto and Rei.

"Very well, if we keep this up everything might just go off without a hitch." Rei said with a small smile.

"Don't you mean they might be getting hitched?" Minako joked.

"They're a little too young for that." Makoto stated as she grabbed the glass Motoki had put down for her.

"Oh alright but a girl can dream can't she?" Minako questioned with a giggle.

"Oh Minako, I think that's enough soap operas for you." Ami chastised as she saw hearts in her sister's eyes.

"Anyways, what now?" Makoto asked as she placed a hand on Minako's shoulder.

"We move on to the next step." Rei said as she glanced at all the plotters in their own little drama.

"What is the next step?" Minako asked softly.

"Only Mamoru knows." Ami said as she looked to Rei to see her reaction to the whole thing.

"Great he's not here." Makoto said as she flipped her ponytail over her shoulder.

"Not much we can do about spilt poison. We just have to wait it out." Minako said with a chirpy voice as she swirled the straw around in her soda pop.

"Minako that's not how it goes." Makoto said after palming her forehead, her friend could never quite get her sayings in order.

"You know what I meant." Minako said as she rolled her eyes, "I don't like waiting especially when it's something this serious." Just as Rei could sense what had happened before they arrived so could she. Her tie to the Goddess Aphrodite allowed her to view what had happened as though it was a recording. It was the strong emotions that the two had left imprinted behind in the arcade.

"You girls sure are taking this whole thing seriously aren't you?" He said it with a grin, knowing full well exactly why they were taking it so seriously.

"Well, it's just…" Rei stammered looking for an explanation that Motoki would be appeased with.

"I understand Usagi is your best friend and you want only the best for her." Motoki said trying not to give away what Ami had told him earlier. "In fact let me call Mamoru and leave him a message." Motoki picked up the phone and dialed, "Mamoru, we have a meeting tomorrow at the Crown Fruit Parlor at 9am. We will be discussing what the next move from here is." Motoki hung up the phone.

"So until tomorrow." The girls said as they put down their money and walked away from the Crown Arcade. It looked like it was going to be a long night until tomorrow morning and they still needed to report to Luna and Artemis about what had happened today.

Motoki watched the girls walked away and wondered why it seemed like all his friends carried the weight of the world on their shoulders. He couldn't begin to guess why and only hoped that everything turned out for the best Mamoru and Usagi deserved that much at least.

*.edu/~wldciv/world_civ_reader/world_civ_reader_1/japanese_