Oh man, I'm so sorry for the huge delay, minna-san! This was done back in December, but sadly, my internet was down for over a month! When I finally got it back, it was during the huge pre-exam crunch and I had no time to send it out...and then exams...but now here it is! For your reading pleasure (I hope), the third part of "Heartsick"!! Please send feedback!

Heartsick
By Samantha Gold

Disclaimer: I don't own Usagi, Mamoru, or any of the characters in this story! They belong to Takeuchi-sama, I'm just borrowing them!
Author's Note: This is set in first season. It's somewhere before the episode after the last nizuishou is found, but before Sailormoon loses the senshi's nizuishou. This fic contains Japanese words.
Part: 3

They had reached the Temple much too quickly as far as Usagi was concerned. She guessed that it wasn't so bad being with the girls. They were fussing over her to the point of practically tripping over one another – especially on the new senshi's part.

Still, she missed the tenderness in the way Mamoru had treated her… 'Mamoru can be tender, who would have thought? And – even weirder – I miss that…'

She shifted in the cot the girls had set up for her, trying to block out her thoughts of him. It seemed that he was all she could think about! How had it happened so fast? Was it really only yesterday that she had thought him nothing more than a cold baka who's sole purpose in life seemed to be to annoy her? Or was that even the truth? She _had_ noticed his handsome features before; she couldn't lie.

But it couldn't possibly be true that she had felt something for Mamoru before! Not before she'd known the truth about his identity and seen the kindness he possessed. Or perhaps she had always seen it, yet simply refused to acknowledge it.

"Usagi-chan, let me take your temperature."

The voice of Minako, the new senshi, broke into Usagi's thoughts. She turned to regard the lithe blonde curiously, only somewhat annoyed at having her musings interrupted.

"Didn't you already take it twice?"

"Well, yes, but I have to make sure that it's the right one…and that it hasn't changed. I can't have my new leader getting sick!"

"I already am sick…"

"Staying sick then," she huffed, pushing the thermometer into Usagi's mouth, which had just gaped open to retort something else. Usagi sighed, but didn't argue. Minako was silent while she watched her timer, giving her new friend opportunity to daydream once more.

Usagi's thoughts wandered as she flicked her tongue against the glass rod in boredom and mild annoyance – at least at first. She very quickly forgot these feelings as Mamoru once again filled her thoughts. She was suddenly acutely aware of the thermometer in her mouth, rubbing against her tongue. This realization quickly brought to mind the events of the day, specifically hers and Mamoru's almost-kiss.

She cursed herself mentally for pushing him away…yet even now she would do the same thing. She simply could not repay his kindness by making him sick…that wouldn't be fair to him.

"Okay, let's see!" And the rod was wrenched from her unwilling mouth, where it was held up and analyzed by the senshi of love. "Wow…your temperature's gone down even more!" she exclaimed excitedly. "Why you'll be better in no time!"

Usagi smiled at that proclamation, despite the noise that wasn't doing her head any good. But there was always something that did…

"Minako-chan?"

"Hai?"

"Do you know what _always_ makes me feel better when I'm sick?"

"Nani? Tell me, Usagi-chan, and I'll get it for you!"

She smiled. "Chocolate ice cream!"

* * * * *

"Odango," Mamoru said by way of greeting the following morning. The term was no longer spiteful as it had once been, but an endearing term of friendship. And it made Usagi smile – though not quite as brightly as the nickname 'Usa-chan' had made her.

"Ohayo!" she greeted perkily, her odangoes bouncing as she skipped over to meet him at the door.

"You seem to be feeling better," he commented warmly.

"Hai," she agreed, her cheeks pinking slightly. "Mostly because of you."

He shrugged self-consciously. "I didn't really do that much…" he trailed off, offering her the parcel in his hands, the reason for his return to the temple – or perhaps just his excuse. Within the plastic bag he'd brought was her school uniform – freshly washed for her. "I figured that you might need this."

"Domo arigato!"

"It was the least I could do for my favourite little fighter."

She simply smiled one of her glowing smiles back at him – which was when four heads popped up behind Usagi, grinning madly. She scowled as Ami, Rei, Makoto, and Minako surrounded them, giggling and whispering amongst themselves. The problem was that she knew _exactly_ about what!

"It's not like that," she hissed to Makoto.

"What's not like what?" she asked innocently, though there was no hiding the mischievous glint in her eye.

"MAKO-CHAN!" she screamed.

There was visible wincing at her tone, but the girls nevertheless would not cease their giggles and teasing.

Desperately, she turned to Rei, who had a crush on Mamoru as obvious to all as the one Umino had on her. "Rei-chan," she said pleadingly. "Tell them…tell them that there's nothing between us! Please!"

"All right…" Rei agreed surprisingly easily. She turned to the others. "Girls, there is absolutely no romantic relationship between Usagi-chan…and myself."

Usagi face-faulted, Mamoru arched an eyebrow curiously, and the other three girls dissolved into giggles, while Rei smiled in satisfaction.

"Of course not…Usagi-chan's in love with her dear protector, Mamoru-san!"

'Note to self: kill friends. All friends,' she thought as her face turned bright red.

Mamoru seemed oblivious to her embarrassment, however, as he caught her eyes. 'They know my identity? Did you tell them?' his orbs seemed to question her.

She shook her head, despite her mortification, wishing she could simply sink into the ground and disappear from sight. 'Where's a youma when you need one?'

With no youma-rescuings forthcoming, however, Usagi was forced to listen to her friends' incessant teasing, each girl building on the momentum of the girl who threw a teasing remark before her.

As yet another claim of her love was made, Usagi finally lost it: "I do _not_ love him!! What makes you think I even _like_ him?! We're supposed to hate each other! Just because he did something nice, doesn't mean anything's different!! We're worst enemies…okay??"

The girls all fell silent and their gazes turned to Mamoru swiftly, whose gentle smile had suddenly hardened into an angry – and hurt – scowl. Then he spoke.

"I didn't realize I was still so vile to you," Mamoru said quietly, coldly. "I won't disturb you anymore."

And with that, he turned and left, leaving Usagi with one hell of a guilty conscience. 'Mamo-chan…'

Before she knew what she was doing, she was running after him, ignoring the knowing looks she knew her friends were sending each other behind her back. She didn't care…she just couldn't let him think that she hated him still. Especially now that she suspected that she'd never really hated him in the first place.

Mamoru stopped a few feet shy of his car at the sound of his name. In a slow and deliberate movement, he turned to face her. She caught up to him, but couldn't speak for a moment, breathless with exertion.

He stood patiently, giving her a moment to collect herself. The crushed hopes of only a moment ago receiving new life in light of the revelation that she obviously cared enough about him to chase after him.

At last she had caught her breath and could speak. "Mamoru…" she whispered, her voice catching on his name. "Mamoru, I'm sorry. I didn't mean it like that. I don't hate you. What you did for me yesterday meant a lot to me, I mean that. But even before that I never hated you…I do like you…" She sighed. This was more painful than she had expected. But how to reassure him without opening herself up to be hurt? "Can't we just say it was just a side-effect of being sick and leave it at that?"

He offered her a small smile, showing that he would accept her clumsy apology. "It's okay, Odango." He opened his car door and slipped in, his eyes still keeping hold of hers. "Get better, okay? I'm sure I'll see you soon." And with that he closed the door and drove away.

She watched after him until the vehicle was out of sight. Then she turned back in the direction of the temple. She picked up the mental note she'd left herself and ran back in, intent on acting on it.

'They are SO dead!'

* * * * *

Skipping down the street a week or so later, Usagi's feet worked to carry her to the Crown Arcade in the most cheerful and carefree manner possible. But unsurprisingly, as she rounded the last corner, she skipped straight into a chest that she was starting to know unnervingly well. She bounced off of his firm pectorals and gravity pulled her towards the ground.

But Mamoru would never let the little bunny he had become so fond of fall and hurt herself when he could catch her so easily. So that's what he did. He caught her around the waist, strong arms moving to encircle her and pull her up close against his body where she was safe. He had promised himself that he would always protect her, after all. Even if he hadn't known it was her at the time.

Her body flush against his, Usagi felt her cheeks turn a burning pink. She turned her face up to examine his when he did not release her and the sight of his face caused an unfamiliar urge to stir within her. She wanted to kiss him.

He didn't move to close the small gap between their mouths, though. She supposed that he was not willing to face rejection from her twice…Certainly she wouldn't be prepared to do the same. But a part of her just knew that this, being with him, was right. So it would be up to Usagi to initiate it.

Gathering her courage, she lifted her head higher, preparing to touch her lips to his. Mamoru's breath caught and he stood carefully still, waiting to see what would happen.

What did happen was an interruption in the form of the beeping of her communicator.

'I'm going to burn that thing,' she thought angrily as she pulled herself painfully away from him and pulled out the calculator-shaped item. 'This had better be good!'

"What is it?" she sighed after pressing the button that allowed her to establish a visual with the senshi attempting to reach her.

"The usual," Ami's voice was bored over the link. "Youma attack at the park…we need you."

"Okay, I'm on my way." And the connection was closed.

"Attack at the park," she said with a sigh, turning back to face Mamoru.

"So I heard," he said. He took her by the hand and guided her gently down the street. "Come on, the nearest alley is this way. We can change there."

She nodded and allowed him to pull her. When they reached the covert back street, he dutifully turned his back, allowing her the privacy she needed to transform. One hand touching her brooch delicately, she held the other in the air and, pushing away her nervousness, called out her henshin phrase. She was quickly surrounded in bright light as the lunar magic enveloped her, causing her clothing to dissolve as her nude form danced around the feathers and white light.

Ribbons wrapped around her and formed Sailormoon's costume just as Mamoru's resolve lost the battle with a _different_ part of him and he peeked over his shoulder. She slipped smoothly into the familiar ending pose, feeling the rush of energy that came with the transformation, and turned her eyes to Mamoru, who had been brought to his knees by the need to transform, barely holding himself up with one hand. The other was used to produce a rose, and with that his transformation began.

His was not nearly as elaborate as hers was and, she noticed with distaste, it did not involve him dancing naked. It was over within a matter of seconds anyway, and they wasted little time in hurrying off towards the park.

Sailormoon ran into the center of the grove where Mercury, Jupiter, and Venus were already fighting, and glanced over her shoulder before settling into the beginning pose of her speech. But Tuxedo Kamen wasn't there – he'd already disappeared to the secrecy of a nearby tree, where he could watch the battle until needed.

Trying to push thoughts of the handsome masked man out of her head, she threw her tiara at the youma, effectively getting its attention and distracting it from Jupiter, whom it had been preparing to launch an ice shard at.

"Fighting for love and justice, I am the pretty suited soldier, Sailormoon!" she cried, moving her arms in the appropriate gestures. She ignored the cold gaze the youma had trained on her, which matched the monster's theme. The female – at least she assumed it was a female; they always seemed to be – appeared glass-like, but in actuality was made of ice. "I shall punish you on behalf of the moon! …And does the Dark Kingdom even realize that there are other places in Tokyo than the park?"

Icyclia, the name by which the youma called herself, ignored the superheroine's flippant remark. Instead, she sent a scream of icy breath at her, intent on encasing her in frozen water.

Sailormoon shrieked and threw herself out of the way, landing ungracefully on her face. 'Oww…' she complained mentally. And then, with mortification, 'And of course He probably saw the whole thing!'

She didn't have time for too many other thoughts, however, as yet another glacial breath was sent her way. Unfortunately for the soldier of justice, from her position on the ground she couldn't move out of the way in time, leaving her with no other option but to close her eyes and scream.

But wherever there was Sailormoon screaming in danger, there was always Tuxedo Kamen rushing to rescue her. And this time was no exception.

He wrapped muscular arms around her form, pulling her into his arms bridegroom style as he moved them out of harm's way. A glance was tossed back over his shoulder to make sure that they had cleared the dangerous breath, only to watch his domino mask fly by in horror, a stray yet powerful gust of the youma's catching it off his face.

He landed immediately, his feet hitting the pavement harshly, his hands leaving Sailormoon to fly up to his face. The soldier of the moon, upon noticing the cause of his distress, quickly tackled him down, attempting to shield his face from her fellow senshi with her body.

It was too late nonetheless; the pretty soldiers had already seen.

"M – Mamoru-san?" the whisper escaped Sailormercury's lips as the identity of the masked man registered.

"Hey…isn't that the cute guy that was over the other day?" Venus questioned the other two, trying to peak behind Sailormoon for a better look.

"You knew," Jupiter mumbled, noting the distraught way Moon had flung herself at Tuxedo Kamen. "Sailormoon…why didn't you tell us?"

Sailormoon lowered her head in shame. "I don't know what you're talking about…" she said quietly, her hand slipping behind her back and ripping off one of her bows. She folded it as best she could and bent to tie it over Mamoru's cerulean eyes.

"It's okay," he told Moon softly, feeling warmed that she had tried so hard to protect him. He gently removed her makeshift mask, which was missing two crucial things – holes. He was blind with it. "I guess it's time they knew…" Softer yet, he added to Sailormoon alone, "If you can trust them, then so will I."

She nodded wordlessly, then turned to raise worried eyes to her friends, who were watching her, betrayal etched on their faces.

"Why didn't you tell us?" Jupiter repeated.

"I'm sorry…" she whispered feebly. "It wasn't my secret to tell…"

It was then that they were caught off-guard by Icyclia, who cast an ice-glass dome around the group, shrouding them in a freezing bubble. The battle, after all, would not wait while they sorted out their problems. The youma did not care for their argument.

"Shimatta," Tuxedo Kamen cursed, pressing a gloved hand to the crystallized wall of their prison. "We should have been paying attention…"

"Here's your mask," Mercury said distractedly as she handed him the thin white domino kamen she had picked off of the now frozen ground, concurrently analyzing the dome using her visor.

"Arigato." The mask was replaced on his face.

"It's cold in here," Moon whined. "Mercury, can't you figure it out faster?" She banged a covered fist against the ice holding them captive. "I'm cold!"

"Calm down, Sailormoon, we'll get out…"

"Better be soon… I was just sick a week ago! I don't want to get sick again! If this coldness makes me sick, I swear I'm going to chase down the Dark Kingdom on my own and…"

"Would my cape make you feel any better?"

She broke off her tirade to look at him. He was already reaching to unclasp the elegant cape that hung at his shoulders.

'It does look pretty warm,' she mused. 'But dammit, he looks so dashing with it on! Everyone knows princes and knights in shining armour need capes! It's all about the cape…though that was really sweet of him to offer…'

She was just about to decline politely when an explosion rang out outside of the bubble.

A cry of "FIRE SOUL!" preceded the burst of flames at the side of the ice, melting a rather large hole in the side of it. Another flame attack and the dome was nothing more than water, flooding down the paved path through the center of the park.

"Mars!" Venus cried happily.

"Took you long enough," Sailormoon muttered, sticking her tongue out at the dark-haired senshi.

"Just be glad I saved your sorry butts," Sailormars shot back.

"You wrecked it!" Icyclia yelled angrily, mourning the cell she had created.

Sailormars sweatdropped. "Yeah, well, it happens…"

This only infuriated her further and, screaming in rage, she began sending shards of ice flying in every direction – the senshi's, more often than not. Various screams rang out as the soldiers attempted to avoid the various attacks.

"Mars!" Mercury yelled as she jumped up and behind some bushes to avoid being skewered. "Use a flame attack! Her weakness is fire!"

"I can't!" she cried in response, launching herself into a graceful front roll. "She's going too fast! I'll get killed in the process…I need a distraction!"

"Oh…right!" And with that Sailormercury sent out a spray of bubbles from her cover, filling the park with fog, and providing the distraction Mars needed.

Sailormars brought her hands together and sent a stream of fire at the blinded youma, stunning it. "Now, Sailormoon!"

The pigtailed senshi nodded once and spun her moon wand into the air. "Moon Healing Escalation!" she cried. When she was finished, her body sagged, spent from channeling so much energy. She turned slowly, her eyes searching for her masked protector, but he had already disappeared.

She sighed and instead let her eyes meet her friends'. She regretted it as she saw the hurt they, with the exception of Mars (who still did not know), felt. She lowered her eyes once more.

With no one around, the girls de-transformed, and began the slow walk to their homes.

After a few minutes, Rei spoke up. "Okay, what's going on?" she asked. "You guys are being _way_ too quiet. What did I miss?"

"Tuxedo Kamen is the hot guy that took care of Usagi when she was sick!" Minako blurted before anyone could stop her.

"Mamoru-san," Ami supplied.

"And Usagi-chan knew," Makoto added quietly, turning sad eyes on their leader.

Rei, too, turned towards her. "Usagi?" Usagi remained silent, however, prodding Rei to question again. "Usagi…is that true?" she asked softly, a part of her already knowing the truth.

Slowly, Usagi nodded. "Hai," she whispered just as softly.

Rei stopped walking, and the others followed her lead. Fearing the worst, the odangoed blonde dropped her head, avoiding the priestess' eyes. Rei was notorious for her gigantic explosions and her short-temper, after all. She was sure she was really in for it this time.

"Do you love him?"

The question caught Usagi by surprise, and in reaction she jerked her head up violently. Apparently it had taken the other girls by surprise as well, as their heads had all snapped similarly, and now they were all watching Usagi with extreme curiousity.

"I…l-love…me…l-lo…ve…Mamo…" Usagi stuttered helplessly, completely unprepared for such a question. She liked him, certainly. A great deal at that; but _love_? It was such a strong word…a word she wasn't certain she was ready to use just yet.

"I see," Rei murmured. She mused, "Well, you _did_ call dibs on Tuxie way before I did, so I guess it's only fair."

"Rei-chan, I thought you liked Mamoru-san," Makoto interrupted.

"I did," the raven-haired beauty agreed with a shrug. "But it's obvious those two are totally gone on each other! Besides, now I have one more thing to tease Usagi about being right over." She grinned devilishly.

Usa stuck her tongue out at the other girl childishly, but internally, her head was spinning. Was it true? Did she love Mamoru? Rei had given her the go-ahead… What more did she need to worry about? A relationship with Mamoru might just be feasible… If he wanted one, that was. And that was really all there was to find out…

She came out of her thoughts when Minako bumped her arm. "What?"

"Um…we're at your house, Usagi-chan…"

She blushed in embarrassment. It was then that she noticed that her fiery friend was missing. "Hey, minna, where's Rei-chan?"

"Oh, I think she's still chasing after some sandy-haired hunk she spotted a few blocks back," giggled Makoto. "Where've you been? Dreamland?"

"More like Mamoru-land!" Minako laughed.

"No I wasn't!" Usagi argued, but her blush had deepened, betraying her.

Her friends, naturally, did not believe her.

"Oh, la morte!" Minako sighed happily, clasping her hands together dramatically.

"Um, I think you mean l'amour, Minako-chan," Ami corrected timidly, sweatdropping at the bubbly blonde's poor French. After all, she was fairly certain that Minako had not meant to swoon over death. (AN: Unless you're referring to the God of Death AKA Duo Maxwell ^^)

She dismissed that with a wave of her hand and a nonchalant "whatever!"

Ami and Makoto shook their heads and Usagi used the moment of distraction to slip away from her friends and into her house, unnoticed.

* * * * *

Usagi raised a tentative hand to the door in front of her, her finger touching the tiny buzzer but not daring to press it, then lowered it dejectedly. What in the world would she possibly say to explain her presence there?

'What am I doing here anyway?' she wondered. 'Mamo-chan's going to think I'm some kind of psycho stalker!'

"But it's been a whole week and I really want to see him!!" she whined, before clamping a hand over her mouth, realizing she'd been speaking out loud.

'Baka Usagi!' the blonde cursed herself. 'I hope he didn't hear that!'

She looked at the door nervously and then, taking a deep breath, she steeled herself and pushed the doorbell. 'Well, no backing out now!'

Usagi was just about to change her mind and run and hide, when the door opened. Her breath caught as Mamoru stood before her, looking delicious as usual – and somewhat surprised to see her. She smiled nervously at him without saying a word, for she suddenly couldn't think of a single thing to say.

"Usa," he greeted her.

'Well, he's calling me "Usa" instead of "Odango", that's a good sign, right?'

"Hi Mamoru," she said slowly, very aware of how stupid she felt and how foolish she must look to him. He didn't say anything in response and, assuming he was waiting for her to go on, she added awkwardly, "Haven't seen you in a while."

"Exams," he explained. "I wrote my last of the semester today."

"Oh."

'Great, now what? I'm running out of things to say! I probably look like the biggest idiot standing outside his door like some Girl Scout trying to sell him cookies or something! I need something to say…something good! But what? ARGH! This is so hard! And I can't just say, "Mamo-chan, I haven't seen you in a week and it's been driving me crazy 'cause I've been wanting to kiss you so badly since you took care of me!" He'd…well, okay, so maybe he wouldn't kick me out. He'd probably only laugh at me. Which would be _way_ worse! I hate this!'

While Usagi was cursing herself mentally, Mamoru was watching her with interest – especially the bottom lip that she was chewing on nervously and noting that she looked adorable while doing it. Finally, he interrupted her thoughts, inviting her in.

She smiled at him gratefully and accepted his invitation. He led her into his living room, where she sat on his couch. He sat beside her, but there was a good foot of space separating them.

"So," Mamoru said after a few moments of eerie silence. "What brings you here?"

'Please let her just want to see me…' Mamoru thought, almost surprised at how quickly the quirky blonde had changed from a mere nuisance in his life to a beam of sunshine that he looked forward to seeing more than anything else.

'Oh, he _would_ have to ask that! Kuso, what am I going to tell him?? "Well, Mamo-chan, I just really wanted to see you!" No way! That's probably the last thing he wants to hear from me!' she thought. 'Then again, he _did_ try to kiss me that time when I was sick…But what if I just _thought_ that's what he was doing? What if being sick just made me imagine things?? Why is this so hard?!'

"Um…" she trailed off, still trying to think of a fitting excuse. That was when she conveniently remembered the meeting from a few days ago, and then she had one. "Well, I wanted to talk to you…about the other senshi knowing your identity… Are you okay with that?"

He smiled, touched by her concern, yet disappointed that there was nothing more. "It's okay, Usa-chan," he said. "I already figured out theirs, so it's only fair. And I trust you and you trust them, so I will too."

'He trusts me?'

"Yeah, they're really trustworthy," she agreed, wetting her lips apprehensively. This was too much. All the nerve she'd worked so hard to gather had gotten tangled during her stay, leaving her a mess.

Suddenly, she decided that going over had been a very, very bad idea and she had to get out of his apartment – and away from his sexy cobalt eyes – as soon as possible. Standing up, she offered Mamoru a strained smile and said, "Well, I guess I should get going…"

'Leaving? She's leaving already? But she just got here! How can I get her to stay? Think… I know! Teasing. Never fails.'

"You seem to be in a hurry… Afraid some of my charm might rub off on you?"

She eyed him curiously. He was teasing her, something he hadn't done in a while. But the rhythm was familiar and she fell into it comfortably. "Maybe if you had some to rub off in the first place!"

He made a small noise of disbelief. "I think we both know that you can't get enough of it!"

He'd expected her to respond with something like "Get enough what? Hot air? It's warm enough outside, thankyouverymuch" or "Please! The little bit of your so-called charm that I've gotten is enough to last me lifetimes!" but she didn't. Rather, she did something unexpected – she blushed. And that gave him hope.

'Does she like me the same way that I like her?'

After a moment of painful searching for _something_ to say, she feebly tried, "That's what you think," while willing the pink from her cheeks.

He took pity on her and didn't comment on the rouge stain that would not fade. Instead he said, "What I think? Ha! It's what I _know_!"

"You wish!"

'You have no idea…' he thought, but instead said, "Like I wish to take Beryl as my lover!"

"Ewwww," she made a face. "That was mean!"

He laughed. "Gomen."

She laughed too, almost all of her nervousness gone, comfortable in the old pattern. Mamoru noticed the way her previously tense body had relaxed and smiled to himself, realizing that he had succeeded in putting her at ease. She would stay longer now, he knew, and he was glad.

But then she had to open her mouth and it was his turn to be uncomfortable.

"Mamoru-san, why do you want the nizuishou?"

"I could ask you the same thing," he retorted defensively.

She shrugged. "We're looking for the moon princess," she explained. "The ginzuishou is supposed to be hers and the nizuishou will help us to get it. When we find her, she'll get the moon wand to and take over as leader."

'They're looking for the moon princess too?'

He studied her genuinely unconcerned face. "Doesn't that bother you?"

"What? That she'll take over? Why should it? It'll certainly make my life easier!" She turned back to him. "Now it's your turn to answer."

"I…I'm looking for the moon princess too," he told her quietly. "My parents died in a car accident when I was little. I woke up in the hospital unable to ever remember my own name. I lived in an orphanage while working a few jobs until I was old enough and had enough money to move out on my own. So I've been living on my own ever since."

'Why am I telling her this?' he wondered to himself, unable to comprehend what was compelling himself to share such personal details from his history with her. But he trusted her, he'd admitted that to both of them already. 'Am I trying to warn her away?' Yet one look at her filled him with warmth, for her eyes told him everything – she would not be pushed away by something like this.

Usagi felt tears begin to well in her eyes, moved for the boy who had lost everything and felt compassion for the man he had become – a man she had fallen in love with, whether or not she was ready to admit it.

"But ever since I can remember," he continued, "the moon princess has come to me in my dreams. She's asked me to bring her the crystal… And I think that when I do, I'll finally know who I am." Though a part of Mamoru told him that he might not even need the princess to learn who he was. The more time he spent with the tiny blonde beside him, the more alive he felt, and the less his past seemed to matter.

Usa was quiet for a few moments. "Then we really are on the same side," she said at last. "We even want the nizuishou for the same reason!"

He nodded thoughtfully. It was true and it was something he hadn't realized before. "I guess so."

After another few moments of silence, where they each were lost in their respective thoughts of love and duty, Usagi laughed quietly to herself, piquing Mamoru's attention, and prompting him to ask her what she was thinking.

She giggled a little self-consciously. "I was just thinking how funny this is. I mean, a few weeks ago I had no clue who you were. All I thought was that you were some jerk who loved making fun of me. No offense," she added hastily. "Anyway, you didn't know who I was either. You just thought I was a complete cry-baby brat."

"No I didn't!" She studied him with disbelief in her eyes at his dubious denial. "Well, not a _complete_ cry-baby brat, at any rate," he amended.

She laughed. "I just think it's funny because I used to think I hated you and now I like you so much it's crazy!" Her laughter halted abruptly as her words registered.

'Oh Kami-sama! Tell me I did not just _say_ that! Oh, big mouth! Why must I be such an absolute baka! He's going to laugh at me so bad! I'm never going to be able to live this one down! Kami-sama, no!'
She closed her eyes tightly to shut out any tears and lowered her head so that he couldn't see her face. At least he would not see her pain. She braced herself for his laughter, the mocking laugh she'd known so well before. The laugh she'd hoped to never hear again, but thanks to her stupidity, it would be coming very soon.

Except it never did.

There was no laughter as he placed a finger under her chin gently and lifted it, so that he could see her pretty face and the beautiful eyes she was trying so hard to hide.

Looking into his intense eyes, Usagi felt herself being swept away by the river of emotion they stirred in her, her worries and fears of only moments ago simply washed away. She wet her lips – this was it. She was finally going to be able to kiss him!

Or so she thought, when suddenly the familiar musical beeping of her communicator sounded, stilling all movement.

'Oh no! Not again!' she thought. Then she unexpectedly pushed forward and hurriedly brushed his lips with her soft mouth. 'I don't care! Besides, this way if he rejects me I can always just get killed and not have to be embarrassed!'

She pulled away, leaving Mamoru surprised and stone-still. She pulled out the communicator.

"Let me guess. Attack at the park?" she asked flippantly as Makoto's face appeared in the small circular screen.

"Nani?" she questioned. "Oh no! I must have hit your button by accident! Sorry, Usagi-chan. I wanted to ask Ami-chan a question about the homework. Her button is right next to yours. Ja ne!" And she cut the connection.

'Oh no…this it bad…very, very, very _bad_!' She turned nervous eyes to Mamoru who was still sitting, unmoving, showing no visible signs of any emotion other than surprise. 'And oh Kami-sama, tell me that's not disgust! Please don't let him be grossed out that I kissed him! What was I _thinking_?!'

"You know what? It's _really_ time for me to go…" she mumbled as she made a hasty dash for the door. "Ja!"

'Hope I don't have to talk to you for a very, very long time…' she added mentally.

She struggled to contain her burning cheeks while shoving her foot blindly into a shoe. Usagi finally got the pair on and had just reached for the doorknob when an arm suddenly snaked around her body and around her waist. She found herself pulled back gently and her back came into contact with Mamoru's chest. He bent his head and whispered "Don't go" softly into her ear before pressing a gentle kiss to her cheek.

'Who could resist a sexy voice like that?' she thought absently as she slowly allowed herself to relax back into his embrace, melting into him.

"Okay," she whispered tentatively. "I won't."

* * * * *

The following day found Mamoru and Usagi standing side by side at the Crown Arcade. Motoki, upon noticing the pair, raised an eyebrow.

"What's with the civility?" he joked.

Mamoru smiled, took Usagi's hand in his own and said, "Motoki, I'd like you to meet my new girlfriend."

Motoki's first words when he came to were: "No time for a girlfriend, huh?"

The End! Finally!

Now please let me know what you all thought of it!