AN: You know, if you guys don't say anything, I don't realize I haven't updated this story on this site in a while. Here I am, posting chapter four when chapter six is up on the other site. All because I forgot! So sorry, guys; if someone had said something sooner, I would have posted updates! Thank you, Anon, for hitting me up on my Tumblr and asking for more! I'm so glad you like this fic. It's not going the way I originally planned, but that happens from time to time. Here's chapter four! Show me some love for another update ASAP!

Chapter Four

"The dead do walk and haunt and crawl into your bed at night. Ghosts sneak into your head when you're not looking. Stars line up, and volcanoes birth out bits of glass that foretell the future. Poison berries make girls stronger, but sometimes kill them. If you howl at the moon and swear on your blood, anything you desire will be yours. Be careful what you wish for. There's always a catch."

-Laurie Halse Anderson

He still hadn't said a word, staring by the door to his balcony as if still blinded by the light. Usagi's head was spinning so much that she overlooked the obvious. It wasn't until Mamoru finally moved, grabbing a blanket off the couch to wrap around Usagi's shoulders, that she realized she was naked.

Now, she gripped the cloth tight and enclosed it securely around herself. Usagi's entire body was tense; not only had she been a bunny for twenty-four hours, but she's also been naked in front of Mamoru for a solid five minutes. It left her body and head wholly dumbfounded in how to feel when Mamoru started laughing -hysterically.

"You… you were… you were the rabbit…. The whole time…." He hastily walked past her, leaving Usagi to stand alone as he fell to the couch. She wasn't sure if she should follow; Mamoru looked like he needed some space. Silence fell over them again as Mamoru calmed, then looked up at her with a brightness to his azure eyes. "Come here."

Carefully, Usagi sat next to him, treating him like a bomb about to go off. "I'm sorry… I would have told you if I could have…."

"Did you… understand?" Usagi didn't/couldn't lie, nodding, and Mamoru huffed. "So you know all my secrets, don't you, Usako?"

Heat billowed up her neck and cheeks. It sealed her mouth shut and forced her eyes down, Usagi having to nod in response again. Her fingers were beginning to hurt from twisting the blanket around them so tight, but she didn't dare loosen her hold on it. It distracted from the erratic and fast beating of her heart. Something that Mamoru picked up on and used as a distraction as well.

"I should… get you some clothes." He got to his feet a second after, disappearing into what Usagi knew was his bedroom. A few moments passed, and she found herself standing silently in his doorway. He did a double-take when he saw her, chuckling softly and without warmth. "So quiet, just like a rabbit."

Mamoru said nothing more, passing her some clothes as he passed by her and out the door, leaving her alone to dress. Her long locks swept the floor as even her hair was naked, the pins she used to put it up gone with her clothes. Usagi hated it when her hair dragged, but she was thankful this time; it had been her hair covering her front that kept her from flashing Mamoru moments ago. The only problem with wearing Mamoru's clothes (other than the poor fit) was getting her long hair through the neck hole. Usagi usually had it up somehow while she dressed to help with that. Plus, she swore it was longer somehow. And not by a little, by a lot!

In a t-shirt that fell mid-thigh and sweats that she rolled up to fit, Usagi trudged back out to the living room where Mamoru paced as he waited. She had her hair split and over her shoulders because one thing Mamoru didn't have for her to wear (other than panties) was a bra. Usagi played with a few strands as she slowly approached. It wasn't that she was scared or nervous of the man before her; Mamoru looked close to passing out. So Usagi took caution with him, tiptoeing to stand before him. His mouth cracked open but only to let more air out, puffing as he panted.

She had no clue what to say. Usagi had been a bunny; what the hell was she supposed to say about that? And she knew things about the man before her now, something she still didn't know how she felt about, like how he was Tuxedo Kamen and also in love with her. Usagi was sure that she didn't want Mamoru to feel any pain or discomfort around her, but it was clear that was all he felt. The silence was deafening and heartbreaking too. And she couldn't take it anymore.

"Thank you, Mamoru-senpai, for taking care of me." He lifted a dark brow, and Usagi's knees went weak. "You were… very kind to me, and I appreciate it. I wouldn't have made it without you… not like…. That."

"Can you explain how you turned into a bunny?"

She couldn't. Usagi had been sure it was the Youma that changed her. But the Youma was still alive and well and hadn't removed the 'curse' for Usagi. "I don't… know." Mamoru slowly nodded and looked away while Usagi wanted to talk. "Senpai… about what you said…."

Calling him Senpai again got his attention, Mamoru's eyes going wide as he stared her down. He ran a hand through his hair and chuckled, ducking his head to the floor. "That's what you want to talk about? Not my…. Nightly activities?"

If she had her brooch, Usagi would show him. She wanted to share everything with him and not just because he had shared it all with her. That had been unintentional, and as much as she liked every bit that Mamoru shared, it wasn't real. Mamoru didn't tell Usagi how he felt; he told Usako. That was the reality, and it made her crumple into herself a little—something Mamoru noticed quickly. "You didn't… you didn't tell me…."

"I wanted to, but… what can I say, Usako? I'm a coward."

She shook her head as he spoke, but he still didn't stop. "No, you're not. You're a brave and kind man, Mamoru. It's not as if… I've been honest with you."

"What do you mean?" He asked, twerking a brow up and stepping closer to her.

The hem of his shirt was clutched tightly in her fists while she forced herself to face Mamoru. "You didn't tell me, Mamo; you told a rabbit. It's unfair to you, and… although I have many things to share with you in return, you didn't really tell me. So, until you're ready to say it to me -to show me- and not the rabbit, I didn't hear or see anything." The frown he wore dropped as his face went blank. "I'm not sure if that… makes it harder or easier for you? Please know that I liked everything you said and… did."

One side of his mouth twitched upward, "you did?"

Usagi nodded hard, "yes, very much. And that's the last thing I'll say about it until you're ready to tell me to my unfurry face."

Mamoru awarded her with a small chuckle. Then, searching her face with a smile, he huffed heavily. "I should get you home."

He was right; her family was worried sick for sure. It was why she let Mamoru rush her home without another word on other subjects or thought to protest. It wasn't until they stood before her front door that Usagi considered the situation clearly. "Wait… what do I tell them?!"

Usagi gestured to her clothes, still in her borrowed ones, down to her shoes. She had to tuck her hair inside the back of the shirt to keep it from dragging the whole way to her house. Mamoru looked with her, both of them frozen before her entrance. "This probably looks pretty bad?"

He had a hand at the back of his neck, something he did when he was uncomfortable. Another detail about Mamoru Chiba that Usagi unconsciously knew. When he took a step back, Usagi knew precisely what he was thinking. It was why she grabbed his hand and yanked him back to her side, pulling him inside her house with her while ignoring his soft protests.

"Mom?!"

It took only a second for lavender hair to come into view. Encompassed by comfort, Usagi was in her mother's arms in a second. Her family welcomed her back with watery smiles—even Shingo. Usagi's father clapped a hand to Mamoru's back, giving him full credit for finding her, and Usagi was okay with that. He did find her, truly, when the question she'd been dreading came.

"Where were you? What happened?!"

"And what happened to your clothes?"

Usagi's glance danced between her parents, ideas bouncing around in her head. Then suddenly, the truth seemed like the only answer. "A monster captured me. Those that keep attacking the city?" Usagi's father knew exactly what she was talking about; he had reported on a few of them. "I was captured by a Youma and escaped. Mamoru found me, and my clothes were in bad shape, so he loaned me his."

She looked to her dark protector, but he was pale. He also wouldn't look at her, worrying Usagi that she had said the wrong thing. Her family went with it, believing her completely, and why wouldn't they? This was the biggest lie Usagi had ever told, and even then, it was only a partial one. Mamoru was getting thanks again while still looking upset. Or confused, it was hard to read him sometimes—most times. Usagi's parents broke him out of it eventually with all their appreciation, but he still wouldn't look at her for longer than a few seconds at a time. Too late to ask for permission or change her story, Mamoru struck her as the type to hate lying. Especially to elders.

"I should go… let you all have Usagi-chan to yourselves," Mamoru murmured.

Protests were made, but Mamoru still made for the door. Usagi followed, whispering once they were a reasonable distance from her family. "Are you okay?" He said nothing as he shoved on his shoes. "I'm sorry, I put you on the spot with that story. But it was the closest to the truth I could manage… I still don't know what happened, and I can't tell my parents I was a bunny…."

Mamoru stopped and grabbed her hands that she'd been twisting in front of her belly. "Usako… it's fine."

It was the longest he had looked at her since she told her 'story', and Usagi relished the attention, stepping closer while Mamoru rubbed the back of her hands with his thumbs. "Are you going to keep calling me that?" When he nodded, she giggled. "Good. I like it, Mamo."

Usagi also liked the red coloring to Mamoru's cheeks when she called him by the nickname she made for him. He ducked his head a little to hide it and his eyes, watching his thumbs on her skin. "I'll… see you tomorrow?"

She nodded, overwhelmed with feelings as her heart thudded just as hard in her chest as it had when she was a rabbit. But Mamoru couldn't see her, so Usagi pushed past her engorged heart to speak. "Yes… I hope so."

Mamoru suddenly pulled her hands up to his mouth and brushed his lips across her knuckles. It stopped as quickly as it started, Mamoru acting like he was surprised by his actions while Usagi's mind worked in slow motion. She liked it because it had Mamoru's mouth on her skin for far longer than reality. But it also had her waking up to an empty genkan, Mamoru leaving while she was still in a haze from his affections. She was still hazy while her family fussed over her. And a bit out of it when Usagi made it to her room, pressing her back to her door to slide to the floor in a huff.

Luna staring at Usagi from the bed woke her up enough to get the goo out of her mouth and speak. "Luna! Boy, am I glad to see you!"

Usagi was crouching before the feline with her arms around the cat in seconds. Luna patted Usagi's shoulder as best as she could as a cat. "And I'm glad to see you! What happened?! Where have you been?!"

"You're not going to believe this," Usagi started, telling Luna from start to finish what happened but leaving out the things said and seen about Mamoru since it wasn't her secrets to tell, "did you guys kill the Youma?!"

Luna looked pensive but then popped her head up with a forced smile. "No. No, we didn't Usagi-chan. Is that really what you thought before you changed?"

"Yeah, I'm sure too. I thought that I didn't want to be me. I didn't really mean it; I was having a bad day…."

"I understand. Well… you must be tired. Get some rest, and we will talk more in the morning."

It was weird, so weird it had Usagi struggling to sleep. The way Luna was so… calm. It didn't make sense; the cat was always overly protective and such; it was a wonder why Luna had been so calm and pleasant. Sure, it wasn't Usagi's fault, and everything turned out alright in the end. But was Luna upset about her thoughts? About wanting to be someone else? Usagi was sure she had whined about that in the past, openly. Did it have something to do with Usagi being an animal for a short time? Did Luna want to be human, or was it some kind of insult to her species, a human turning into an animal? It wasn't like she did it on purpose.

These were the thoughts in Usagi's head as she went to sleep. That, and Mamoru's face and voice as he said he loved her. She may have let him off the hook and pretended it wasn't real, but that didn't mean Usagi wasn't going to forget. A boy loved her, and the best part was that she loved him back. When had she fallen in love with Mamoru? Usagi wasn't sure, but now it was like the elephant in the room. She wasn't sure how to act the next time she saw him, but she couldn't wait to, hoping to get a chance to call him Mamo and make him blush again.

oOo

Usagi was nervous. Giddy with excitement that bubbled over and made her jittery. She was sure that it, coupled with her recent disappearance, was the only reason she hadn't gotten detention today. No matter how many times Usagi was fussed at for not paying attention, the teachers let slide all due to her being 'traumatized'. She felt terrible for the lie, especially when others like Ami had to help her keep it. But she couldn't tell the truth.

Now, the lie had her walking into the Crown earlier than usual, her heart pounding eagerly in her chest. To be fair, her excitement upon seeing Mamoru wasn't anything new. What was new was knowing that he didn't truly find her as annoying as he claimed she was. It was why, when her eyes found his dark ones staring right back at her, Usagi forced herself to approach him slowly.

"Hi." She said meekly.

"Hello, Usako." He whispered back with a flush. Already, she had him blushing, and she hadn't done anything to him yet save for existing. "How are you?"

Usagi ducked her head a little but kept her eyes on him, moving them to his throat to watch his apple dance. "I'm fine. Everyone is nicer than usual to me today, but that's because of my… story."

"I'm assuming you didn't tell tales of you with a tail?"

Usagi giggled, and Mamoru wore a dazzling smile. "No. No, I'm telling people the same story I told my parents. As much of the truth as I can."

He nodded and then got to his feet. "Can you take a walk with me, Usako?"

Usagi had hoped for something like this to happen, but she was sure (even with his proclamation to a bunny) Mamoru wouldn't ask her out so quickly. Yet, here he was, holding out a hand for her to take. Usagi took it, letting Mamoru lead her out the door and away from the Crown. He held her hand for a while until familiar voices came from the corner they were about to turn. Mamoru dropped his touch and put a small distance between them just as they came into view for Ami and Rei.

"Oh, hi guys!" Usagi squeaked and hoped it sounded normal.

They looked between the two of them -confused- and the pair leaned into Usagi. "Everything okay, Usagi-chan?" Ami whispered while Rei eyed Mamoru harshly.

"Of course!" Usagi squeaked again.

"I was just taking Usagi back to the place I found her," Mamoru interrupted, "she seems to have misplaced something and thinks it's there."

His eyes danced around, lingering on her more than anything else. It made Usagi wonder all the more what he was thinking about. Mamoru shoved his hands in his pockets and slowly edged away from Usagi and her friends. They took it as an opportunity to talk in hushed tones. "Are you two finally getting along?"

Usagi gave Rei a shrug, her sights flicking from her to the dark man a few inches away. "He did rescue me. Is it so weird that we get along after something like that?"

"No," Ami cooed, "but you shouldn't feel obligated."

"I don't." They eyed her slanted and suspicious looks. "I don't! I know… Mamoru and I didn't get along, but… you guys were right; I should have listened to him and been nicer to him from the start. But, being around him… as I was opened my eyes to who he is, and he is a good person. Inside and out."

Usagi wasn't sure if Mamoru could hear them, but he probably could. He wasn't that far, and they weren't that quiet. Plus, his hearing might be 'super', what with him being Tuxedo Kamen. It would explain how he was always there when she needed him if he had superhuman hearing that could hear her screams even farther than most people.

When it was clear she wasn't leaving with them, Rei and Ami shot Mamoru one more curious glance and Usagi a cautious one before both couples continued on their original paths. Then, Rei called over her shoulder just as Mamoru retook Usagi's hand, catching the affection. "Don't be late today, Usa! Meeting at the temple in one hour!"

She gave a slight wave while flushing brightly. Mamoru gripped her fingers, soon threading his through hers and pulling her along a little faster. Usagi let him lead as he (in fact) took them to where she had turned into a bunny.

They passed the giant tree she had stooped by to cry, and Mamoru hesitated but didn't stop there. Not until they were in the open field where the battle took place. It was a public park, small but green and lush. And yet, they were alone. It was probably the time of day; school was letting out, and most were still at work.

Mamoru gently dropped her hand and stood a short distance from her. Even with space, he towered over her, and Usagi felt his presence more than she ever had before. She wasn't sure why but it felt so strong that it nearly overwhelmed. It was as if she was aware of Mamoru more, but that didn't make much sense. Usagi had always felt Mamoru, even if the feeling was anger and exasperation. Now it was as if he admitted an aura that she picked up on distinctly. Since she walked into the Crown that day and now, Usagi was attuned to Mamoru.

"I know who you are…." He stated simply after a short pause in their movements and staring.

"Of course, you do, Mamo…."

"I know you're Sailor Moon, Usako."