Love me for who I am
Written by: Neeko
(tanpopo_nyo@hotmail.com)

Notes: Waah, 10 months, and I've finally added the next chapter. Whee! I think one more will be after this, and you finally get your conclusion! (That is, if I can figure out how I'm going to end it...) This chapter is basically an Alternate Reality kind of chapter, so some scenes are original, and some I've added in for pure fluff. ^^ It's a long one! Gotta make up for 10 months... Enjoy!

***
Chapter 7
***

buzz, buzz, buzz

"Mph..."

buzz, buzz, buzz

"..."

buzz, buzz, bu--

A firm hand slammed down on the ringing alarm clock, silencing the alarm. The owner of the hand, however, continued to sleep.

Little did he know, the hand had slammed itself onto the snooze button.

10 minutes later...

Buzz, buzz, buzz

"Damnit..." One lazy eye propped open, as he stared lazilly at the clock, that read 7:30am. Why did he have to wake up so early?

'Oh, right, school.'

Muttering a few curses, Chiba Mamoru got up from his warm bed, to start the new day.

***

Sitting in the bus, Mamoru brought a muffin to his mouth, and began to eat while reading a book. 'Ore wa, Chiba Mamoru desu. I'm 17 years old and currently attend Moto Abazu High School, junior year.' He looked up to see a girl looking at him, and quickly turned away with a blush on his face. He smiled. 'I currently live in an appartment by myself. My parents died in a car crash when I was 6. I have no memory of them, or anything before the crash.'

The girl shyly smiled at him, and he smiled back. 'I want to be a doctor. I hope to attend Harvard in the U.S.'

The bus stopped in front of his school, and Mamoru got up to get off. He stepped off the bus, and looked up at his school. 'Moto Abazu is one of the most elite schools in Japan, and very hard to get into. I had to work very hard to get into this school, considering the past that I had. I had to put it aside, to move on with my future.'

After school, Mamoru made his way towards the place he always went after school. 'One of my good friends, Furuhata Motoki, owns a place called The Crown Arcade. I come here often, to visit, and for the coffee.' Stepping through the automatic doors, he looked up at his friend who was at the counter, taking orders. "Yo, Motoki-kun!"

The golden haired man looked up, and smiled. "Mamoru-kun! Black Coffee, ne?"

Mamoru chuckled, as he took a seat. "You know me too well. Could you pass the paper?"

"Well, it's not that hard when you order the same thing everytime." Motoki joked, as he passed him the newspaper. "Anything interesting? Haven't been able to look at it today."

Pretending that he didn't hear that previous comment, Mamoru scanned through the front page. 'Nothing much has been happening in Juuban, except for the occasional burglaries.' "Huh. Look at that. Another burglar attack at OSA-P. What is that, the 10th one this month?"

Motoki shrugged. "Feel sorry for those people who own it, that's for sure."

"Huh."

"So how was school?"

"Good. Not too bad, a little on the boring side."

"So... doing anything today?"

Mamoru looked up from the paper, and noticed Motoki had a somewhat of a mischievous smile on his face. "What's with that grin? You didn't..." Motoki looked away, knowing he had been caught. "You did! Damnit Motoki, I told you, I'm not interested!"

"No, you're misunderstanding. I just want to introduce you two. She's one of my frequent customers, and a great person that I want you to meet! Just to be friends, of course." He added. Mamoru rolled his eyes and shook his head. "She'll be coming sometime after school time ends. She's just like you! Comes in here after school, all the time."

"Maybe she's got a crush on you." Mamoru teased. "But, as much as I'd love to stay and meet this Wonderwoman, I have to go to the library." He lied. 'For the longest time, Motoki's been trying to set me up with all these girls. Wasn't interested in any of them, and I eventually got sick of being paired up with random people, that I told him to stop, but the guy just doesn't know when to give up.' "See you later, Motoki."

"You're hopeless, Mamoru."

Mamoru rolled his eyes, and turned around to leave. Exiting through the automatic doors, he turned to the left and began to walk home. 'Great, now I gotta find something to do...'

Suddenly, a piece of paper landed on his head. "Itai!" Mumbling a few curses, he picked up the crumbled paper from his head, and rubbed it. Who could have thrown a paper ball so hard? He opened it, and his eyes widened. A big fat red mark of 30%. Mamoru grimaced greatly. He turned around, to see the person who threw the paper.

A girl, looked around 14 or 15, long golden hair hanging from two buns, in her school uniform, with the most embaressed look on her face.

He smiled. This girl was cute, but a 30%?! On such a basic exam?

Placing on his best poker face, "That hurt, you lumphead. Were you trying to give me a lump head like you?"

The look on her face was priceless. All the blood rushed to her face, as she turned red as a tomato. Eyes narrowing, she tugged on her pigtails. "They're not lumps! They're called 'Odango!' O-Dan-Go!"

Ignoring that, he shook his head, as he tossed the paper ball at her. "30 points. Study harder, odango atama."

The girl pulled down an eyelid and stuck her tongue out. "Beeedah! Mind your own business, jerk!" And with that, she turned on her heals and walked towards the direction he was leaving from.

A smile formed on his face. He kept walking the other way, while chuckling to himself. 'She's cute. Not so bright, though.'

***
A few days later...
***

Shwhoom.

The automatic doors to the Crown Arcade opened, as Mamoru stepped through. He looked at the counter, and frowned when he didn't see Motoki there. Walking towards the counter, he was a bit relieved to see his younger sister, Unazuki. "Oi, Unazuki-chan!"

The red haired girl turned around, and smiled. "Mamoru-san! Black Coffee, ne?"

His eyes fell. "Am I that predictable?"

She giggled, and began to prepare his coffee. "I can read you like a book."

"Is Motoki-kun comin' in yet?"

"Hai, hai. He had an exam earlier so he should be coming in in a few minutes. I'm sure you can survive a few minutes without him!" She went up close to him, and smirked. Mamoru, who was highly amused, brought his hand up and flicked her on the nose. "Ita! Mou, hidoi ne!" She began to pat her nose. "You're so mean to girls, Mamoru-san..."

"Just you, Unazuki-chan, just you."

She stuck her tongue out. "Why you!"

"Ahem!"

Just as she was about to attack, they both turned their heads towards a young girl, waiting for her order. Unazuki flushed red, and bowed. "Gomen nasai! I didn't mean to keep you waiting. What would you like?"

The girl smiled. "Chocolate Sundae, please!"

"Coming right up!" Unazuki left in a flash, as the girl sat on the seat at the counter.

Mamoru looked at the girl, and raised an eyebrow. "Ne.. you look familiar to me. Have we met?" He looked at her from top to bottom. He studied her face, which showed she recognized him, and was hoping he didn't remember.

"No, sorry, haven't met." She quickly replied, avoiding eye contact.

Mamoru rested his cheek in his hand, as he looked at her. "Are you sure? You REALLY look familiar. Say, is your name Odango Atama?"

Oh, that got her.

The girl flushed red as well, and glared at him. "I am NOT Odango Atama. My name is Usagi. U-SA-GI!"

"Bunny? Naw, that doesn't fit you. I like Odango Atama a lot better." With that, he turned around and began to drink his coffee. He could feel the ice cold glare Usagi was giving him, and he chuckled inside.

"Jerk." She muttered.

Moments later, Unazuki came in, sundae in hand, and handed it to Usagi. "Here you go. Sorry about the wait. Had to deal with some riff raff."

Mamoru raised an eyebrow. "Riff raff?"

Usagi and Unazuki nodded their heads at the same time. "Riff raff."

Mamoru flicked Usagi's ear, without turning around. "I wasn't asking YOU, Odango Atama."

"Well it's true!!!"

Unazuki placed a finger on her chin. "You guys know each other?"

Usagi began to shake her head violently and pointed at him. "Him?! No way! Just some jerk who I ran into a few days ago."

"Ahh, sou? Mamoru-san can be such a jerk sometimes. But y'know..." Unazuki leaned in towards Usagi, and began whispering something into her ear.

Mamoru grimaced. "Oi, I'm right here..."

Suddenly, Usagi began to burst out laughing, almost knocking over her milkshake. This made Mamoru very uneasy. What did Unazuki tell him?! "Oi, baka, what did you tell her?"

Unazuki, recovered from her laughing as well, held out her finger and shook it. "Nope, I answer only to Unazuki."

"Unazuki, what'd you tell her!"

She glanced towards Usagi's direction, and smiled. Usagi develishly grinned, and turned away from Mamoru. "Snoopy boxers, eh?"

Now it was Mamoru's turn to flush red. He didn't comment to that, but his expression was good enough for them. Usagi and Unazuki gave each other a high five, and began to giggle like innocent girls. He scoffed. "Women."

Usagi held out her hand towards Unazuki. "I'm Tsukino Usagi. You?"

Unazuki held out her hand and shook it. "Furuhara Unazuki. My brother owns this place!"

"Masaka!!! You're the sister of Motoki-oniisan?"

"Hai!"

"Kyaaaa!" Usagi squealed. "He's SOOO cute!! So lucky!"

Unazuki laughed, and patted Usagi on the head. "Kawaii! So, is that why you come in here all the time?"

"Of course!" She giggled. "And, the new video games, of course!" She added in.

'So, this girl had a crush on Motoki? Hm.' He wasn't jealous. No, not at all. There wasn't a bit of jealousy rumbling at the bottom of his stomach. Nope, none. Nadda. Badoom. Nope. None. Nadda.

"Aww, Mamoru-san is all silent. Are you jealous that Usagi-chan likes Motoki-niichan and not you?" Unazuki teased, surprised to see both of them turn red.

"Jealous? Why would I be jealous?!! Like I'd want that Odango Atama to like me."

"Like this Odango Atama would like YOU!"

Mamoru laughed. "You just called yourself Odango Atama! So you ARE an Odango Atama!"

"Mouu, you're so mean, Mamoru no BAKA!"

"Motoki-niichan!" Unazuki called. Both Usagi and Mamoru turned around, to see Motoki, standing there behind them, in his school uniform. Usagi blushed, and whispered Kakoii...

"Sorry about being late. The exam took longer than I thought." Motoki sighed and patted his head. "Ol' Motoki did so bad on that test!"

Usagi smiled. "I'm sure you did great, Motoki-oniisan!"

Mamoru chuckled. "Well, THAT wasn't obvious--Ita!!" Usagi glared, and smacked him on the head.

"Hey, you two know each other already?"

"No!" They both exclaimed.

"Mamoru-kun, this is the girl I wanted to introduce you to."

"Ehhhh?!" THIS was the girl Motoki wanted to introduce him to so badly?! "Sorry to burst your bubble, but I already met Odango Atama."

"U-SA-GI!"

"O-dan-Go."

"U-SA-GI!"

Motoki sighed. "Chiba Mamoru, this is Tsukino Usagi. Tsukino Usagi, this is Chiba Mamoru." He said, but he knew that neither of them heard him at all. Maybe it wasn't a good idea to introduce these two...

***
Two weeks Later...
***

Mamoru glanced outside the Crown Arcade, and frowned. It was getting dark already.

Motoki had asked him to fill in for him that night, because he had an important date with his girlfriend, and Unazuki had to study for an exam, so that left him to take care of the arcade. It was already 9PM, half an hour before closing time, and it was completely dead. No one walked in for an hour. 'Probably had important exams to do, as well. Or the games here suck. Wish they'd bring in some fun games..'

He was surprised not to see Odango Atama come in. All day. At all.

That didn't upset him at all. Nope. Nadda.

He rested his head in his hand. For the past two weeks, they had met everyday here, and bickered like there was no tomorrow. He didn't know why he like teasing her. She was a little annoying, and very childish, but she was also really cute, and seeing that flushed and embaressed face was worth all the mean comments she said. He smiled, remembering the time where she got so embaressed she turned SO red. So adorable! He just wanted to hug her, right there.

Scratch that last one. "What am I thinking? Hugging her? Yeah right." He shook his head. Get back to cleaning. Clean clean clean...

Shwoom.

He went to the back to pick up some cleaning supplies, when the doors of the arcade opened, and Mamoru immediately turned his head. 'A customer! Finally!'

"Motoki-niisan?" Shhniff.

He recognized that voice. Usagi?

Usagi walked slowly up to the counter. The lights were on, the games were on, but no one was here? "Motoki-niisan?" Sniff sniff. "Are you here? Unazuki-chan?" She turned around, when she heard someone come from the back. "Niisan?"

Mamoru stepped out of the back, and shook his head. "Sorry, it's only me." He grimaced at the disappointment on her face. Did she really like Motoki THAT much? He watched as she began to rub her eyes, but before she turned away, something caught his eye, and made him get filled with concern.

It had been raining hard outside, and she was soaked to the bone. Her face was covered with water, but he knew it wasn't from the rain. Her eyes had been puffy and red, and he knew she had to be crying.

His heart broke. Why was she crying? Who made her cry?

She turned around, and placed on the fakest smile she could do. "Ahh, I was looking for Motoki or Unazuki, but guess they're not here..." Mamoru walked past the counter, and walked towards her. Her face filled with alarm, and she turned around. "Guess I'll go now! Ja, Mamoru-baka." But before she could go any furthur, Mamoru grabbed her wrist.

"What happened, Usagi?"

Her eyes widened. "You called me by my first name..." She sniffed.

"What happened, Usagi?" He repeated himself.

She took a few seconds to let the sound of her name sink in. Sniffling, she rubbed her eyes again. "N-nothing.. I'm gonna go home now, okay?" She pulled out of his grasp, and began to leave, but he grabbed her wrist again.

"Usagi, you're soaked. I'm not letting you go out there. You'll get sick. Come on, there's a dryer in the back."

"Why... are you being so nice?"

He sighed. "I don't like seeing girls cry. Now come on."

Usagi's eyes widened. 'Damn.. he could tell I was crying. So why isn't he making fun of me?'

Instead of wondering why, she turned around and followed him.

**

He lead her towards the back, and towards the laundry room. Taking off his apron, he set it aside, and bent down to open the dryer door. "Just put your clothes in here, and press start. Should be dry in about half an hour." He looked up at Usagi, who was looking down, hands behind her back. "Umm, until then you can wear my uniform shirt." He got up, and walked towards the chair with his uniform layed out. He had to change into the Crown Arcade, so he left his uniform in the back. He picked up the white button up shirt, and handed it to her. "Might be a little big. Oh!" He picked up the grey trousers, and handed it to her. "Sorry if they don't fit, but they're better than nothing, ne?"

She didn't reply. Instead she nodded. Mamoru placed the pieces of clothing on the chair, and smiled. "I'll be outside if you need me."

Usagi nodded again. He stepped past her, and walked outside.

Closing the door behind him, he sighed. What happened to her? Never had he seen her so sad. It hurt him a lot, for some reason. Everytime he had seen her, she'd always been happy, until he spoke to her, which was when she'd become angered and annoyed. Never was she sad, not like this. Her eyes looked like she had been crying, a lot.

Why had she come to Motoki? Didn't she have any closer friends she could run to?

He took a seat at a nearby couch, and sighed. He wished there was something he could do, but if she wasn't willing to talk, then there was nothing he could do, but be here for her, right now.

Minutes later, the door in the back opened, and Usagi stepped outside. The white blouse was large enough to cover her neck to the middle of her knees. She also wore the grey jacket, which hung very loosely on her body. She had taken her hair down, as it trailed behind her, like a wet blanket. Her eyes were still red and puffy. "The.. um.. pants were too big..." She spoke.

He smiled. "That's okay. At least the shirt was big enough."

She nodded, and stood there, leaning against the wall. Mamoru sat there, looking away.

Minutes passed of complete silence.

"You can sit here, if you want. I'm not gonna bite." Mamoru finally spoke. He could see her mentally deciding whether it was a good idea or not. Finally, she gave in, and nodded. Walking towards him, she took the seat closest to the other side. "So, what were you doing outside so late? Especially in this weather?"

She remained silent. He frowned. She couldn't even look at him?

"So, how close are you and Motoki? He's a great guy. One of the greatest people that I know." 'He'd be doing a lot better than I am right now.' He stole a glance at her. She was still looking away.

Mamoru gave up. If she didn't want to speak, there was no point forcing her to.

"Well, I'm going to go into the back and check on some stuff before I close down. If you need me, I'll be in there." He looked at her, and she nodded. Mamoru got up from his seat, and walked towards the back room, and began to tidy up random things. Curiosity clawed at him from the inside. What had happened to her? How he wish he knew. He could cheer her up, and finally put a smile on that sad face. He'd hold her, and tell her--

'Hold her? What are you thinking?!'

"There was this guy." Mamoru turned around at the voice, and was surprised to see Usagi in the doorway. She stepped in, and closed the door behind her. "I thought he was so cool. Gorgeous, great guy, and every girl in the school liked him."

He frowned. Guy troubles? Is that what this was about?

Usagi took a seat in a nearby couch, and Mamoru soon followed. He looked at her, but she stared down at her hands. "He asked me out. He asked me out. Usagi. Tsukino Usagi. Ditzy, clumsy, Tsukino Usagi. I thought it was too good to be true, but no, I had to believe that he liked me. That someone so wonderful had a place in his heart for ME. I felt so special.

"Then, we went out for a while. Just a few dates. Just when I thought things were going great, he breaks up with me. I was so heart broken. But, if it had to happen, it happened. I walked away with a smile."

She could feel the tears coming. "Then, after the game, I went to look for him, and congradulate him on a great game, I saw him, with another girl." A tear escaped her, and fell onto her hand. Mamoru noticed this and grabbed a tissue. He handed it to her, and she declined. "I listened to him speak to her. She asked, 'What happened to that Tsukino girl you were going out with?' And he said, 'Oh, that girl. I dumped her a few days ago. Boring.' The girl asked, 'Why did you go out with her, then?' And he replied, 'The guys told me she had a crush on me, so the guys made a bet to see if I could get her to put out. She didn't for a while, so I thought, pfft, forget that.'"

Mamoru suddenly filled with anger. The nerve of that guy. To play with her emotions like that! All of them. Horrible. If they could see her now, the damage they'd done. They'd take one last glance at her, before he would kick the crap out of them.

"I'm so stupid. Thinking that a great guy like him would like me. I was just a contest. A game. And he lost, so he threw me away, like a used toy." Usagi was trying her hardest not to break down. But it wasn't working. "Why am I telling you this? You'll probably just make fun of me, like all the girls did..." She covered her face with her hands. "I'm sorry, I didn't want to.. break down like this... I'm so weak... No wonder.. no wonder he just got rid of me like that... I'm worthless." She stood up and began to walk away.

That did it. He didn't care what it meant when he would do it, or what would happen after, but he did it. He got up and pulled Usagi towards him, and wrapped his arms around her. He could her her gasp, from shock, from excitement, as he held her close. "Listen, you're NOT worthless. This guy was a jerk. He was an idiot. He had you, and let you go. He's the most stupid person I've ever heard of. To have such a wonderful person in their life, and throw it all away over a stupid reason. He didn't deserve you at all."

He stopped. Why was he saying things like this? He didn't care. All he wanted to do was make her smile again.

"There'll be a guy out there, who will treat you like you deserve. Who will be sweet to you. He'll listen to you cry, he'll hold you close, until you can smile again. He'll be there for you when you're down, and make you feel better when you're sick, and he'll be the greatest guy to you, and make you feel like a princess. You're not weak, Usagi. I've only known you for a while, and even I noticed how much of a strong, beautiful, and wonderful girl you are.

"So don't cry. Don't waste your tears on that jerk. He doesn't deserve a single one of them. You don't deserve a person like that. You deserve a guy who'll treat you like you're everything to him. You deserve all the happiness you can get. So don't cry."

Usagi slowly wrapped her arms around him, and pulled herself closer to him. She still cried, into his shirt. Everything he said was so sweet. Every single word replayed in her mind. Why was he saying this? Was he going to make fun of her right after? Why didn't he make fun of her? 'Why is my heart beating so fast?' She could hear his through his chest. His heart was beating as fast as hers was.

He frowned, as he felt her still cry. "He really meant that much to you?"

"No. I'm not crying because of that anymore. They're tears of joy."

Mamoru smiled, and held her tighter. "Then cry, all you want."

***

Mamoru pressed the stop button on the dryer. Opening the door, he reached in and touched her skirt. "Your clothes are dry now."

She smiled. "Arigato, Mamoru-san.."

His heart almost stopped at her smile. "Just because you called me Mamoru-san, doesn't mean I won't stop calling you Odango Atama." He teased. Usagi folded her arms, and glared at him.

"But you were calling me Usagi back there. Call me Usagi!"

He looked up at her. "You really want me to call you Usagi?"

She nodded.

"Well, that's not gonna happen. I'm going to call you Odango Atama forever!"

"Hidoi!" She cried, sticking her tongue out. Mamoru laughed. It was great to see her smile again. To see her laugh, and get annoyed at his daily teasings. He loved seeing it, hearing it, and knowing she was feeling better.

Then it hit him.

He found out the answer.

The answer to why he teased her, why he held her, and why he spoke those words to her.

He had fallen in love with Tsukino Usagi.

***

Usagi hung up the phone, and turned around to face him. "My mom's coming to pick me up. Normally I'd just walk home, but I think it's still raining."

Mamoru nodded, drinking his coffee. "I could have given you a ride."

She shook her head. "You've done enough for me, Mamoru-san." She smiled.

"No problem." He replied.

There was complete silent for a while. Mamoru didn't know what he should say to her. What could he say to her now? Right after he realized his feelings for her. The way he looked at her was completely different.

Usagi raised an eyebrow. "What?"

"Hmm?" He shook out of his trance.

"You were looking at me.. differently. Like you realized something."

He didn't reply to that. Instead, he took a sip of his coffee.

"Mamoru-san..." Usagi asked. "Why.. why did you say those things to me? I thought you would just make fun of me, but instead, you made me feel so much better. Why?" She looked up at him, her eyes searching for the truth in his. He looked back at her, and sighed. Could he really tell her the truth? He didn't even know how she felt... would it scare her if she told her? Would it make her happy? Would it..

"Usagi," He saw the surprised look in her face. "The reason why was..."

Suddenly, a ring tone rang through the room. Usagi jumped, and shook her head. "Sorry..." Picking up the phone, she replied, "Moshi moshi? ...oh, Mama? Okay, I'll come out now." Closing her phone, she looked at him. "Ahh, what were you going to say?"

He hesitated. He wanted to tell her. But he couldn't. Not now. "Nothing. Hurry, don't keep your mom waiting."

She nodded. "I'll return these to you tomorrow. They're pretty wet from my hair," She blushed. "So I'll give it to you tomorrow, or before you have to go to school."

He nodded back. "Sure."

"Ja, Mamoru-san! Thanks, for everything..." She smiled again, and turned around, and walked out the door. Mamoru waved and sighed.

"Bye, Usa..."

***
A week later...
***

"Huh, would you look at that."

"What, niichan?"

Motoki pointed. "That."

"Oh, that? Yeah, what about it?"

"Never thought they'd get a long like that."

Unazuki and Motoki watched from the counter, as Usagi and Mamoru played against each other on the arcade games. He watched as Usagi tried her best to beat him, as well as Mamoru. When Mamoru would lose, Usagi would squeal with happiness, and tease him that she beat him. It had been like this for a while.

Ever since a week ago, Usagi and Mamoru had been getting closer and closer. Just 6 days ago, she was returning his school uniform to him. What happened that week ago? Was it when he left Mamoru to take care of the shop? Why did they become friends all of a sudden? How come Mamoru never spoke of anything that happened?

He frowned. He really wanted to know.

He looked up at the couple, and frowned when he saw Mamoru get up to leave. He watched as Usagi stared after him, until he was completely out of sight. Disappointment showed all over her face, as she sat back down, with a large pout on her lips. He raised an eyebrow. Was Usagi... in love with Mamoru?

He was going to find out.

"Usagi-chan!"

Usagi's head perked up, as she heard her name called. Motoki motioned for her to come over, and she skipped over to him. "Hai, Motoki-niisan?"

"So, you and Mamoru-kun are becoming really good friends now?"

Usagi nodded. "Yep! He still calls me Odango Atama, but I've gotten use to it." She giggled. "Why?"

"Oh, nothing. It's just strange, because a week ago you hated his guts."

Her face flushed, when she remembered what happened a week ago. "Yes.. I did. But it changed. He's a great guy. An awesome person."

Motoki raised an eyebrow. 'What happened?! I thought they hated each other...' He knew he had to get it out of her, but he couldn't just ask, Hey, what happened that week ago? "Ooo, I think Usagi-chan's in looooveee!" He teased, poking her.

Usagi turned bright red. Her eyes widened, as she bapped Motoki on the head with her fist. "Baka! I don't like Mamoru-san! He's just a friend."

He rubbed his head. "Ooh, Mamoru-san now, is it? What happened to Mamoru no baka? 'Mamoru-san, I love the way you look. Mamoru-san you're so cool! Ma-mo-ru-chaaaann!!'"

BAP.

Motoki rubbed his head again.

"I do NOT sound like that. And I don't like him. He's just.. a friend..."

..right?

Sure, there were some tingly feelings when he held her. Sure, she loved it when he spoke those words to her. Sure, she loved being held by his strong, arms. Sure, she loved spending time with him, love being with him, loved getting to know him, but it's not like she LOVED him.

Right?

"Come on, tell me, tell me what happened. Something happened to you and Mamoru a week ago." He tried looking into Usagi's eyes, who was trying her best not to look at him. The red blush on her face, and the fact that she couldn't even look at him, told him the truth. Finally, Usagi caught a glance at him, and sighed.

"Okay, but try to be quiet about it!"

So she told him.

Motoki's eyes widened with surprised. Mamoru? Acting nice towards Usagi? Holding her? What ever happened to the guy who was too busy to be with girls? Piff, he was a hypocrite, a flamin' hypocrite.

"So what are you going to do about it?" He asked.

"Do about what?" Usagi asked.

Motoki flinched. "You're kidding right?"

Usagi thought about it. "No, why?"

She couldn't have been THIS slow! "Usagi-chan... Mamoru-kun likes you! There's no way anyone would do that type of thing if they didn't like the other person!"

All the other times she had turned red paled in comparison to what just happened now. Her face was completely red, even her ears! She reached over and grabbed him by the lapels of his shirt, and brought his face towards her. "Did he tell you that?! Did he tell you that he liked me? Did he?!"

"No no no! It's just, blatantly obvious!"

She frowned. "So he didn't say that he did?"

He blinked a few times. "Are you disappointed?"

She rougly let go of him, and looked at the ground. "No."

"Usagi-chan.. is it possible that.. you like Mamoru-kun?"

She thought about it. Could she like him? It had only been a week since they had become friends. But there was that feeling there, at the bottom of her stomach. Ever since she met him. Her heart would beat faster everytime she saw or thought of him. But could she really like him? Could she really?

Suddenly, the automatic doors opened, and Mamoru came running in. Out of breath, it took him a few minutes to say something. "My... text.. book.. forgot.. it..." He bent over, trying to catch his breath. Motoki shook his head, and ran over towards the machines they were at before, and retreived his textbook.

Usagi studied Mamoru. His face, his hair, his eyes, his lips, his cheeks, his skin, his clothes, his fingers, his toes, his shoes, his pants.. everything about it. Everything she remembered that had happened in the past while. The fights, the teasings, the holding, the words he said to her, hanging out with him, playing the arcade games with him.

It hit her.

Mamoru raised an eyebrow at her. "What's wrong?"

"Why?"

"You were looking at me.. differently. Like you realized something."

She smiled. "I did."

"Huh?" Usagi didn't have a chance to reply, because Motoki came in and gave the book. "Thanks, Motoki."

"Yeesh Mamoru-kun, you never forget anything. What made it different this time?"

He smiled, grabbed the book, and ran out. Motoki shook his head, and looked back at Usagi.

"Yes." Usagi replied.

Motoki looked at her. "Huh? Yes what?"

But could she really like him? Could she really?

"Yes. I do like Mamoru-san."

***
Two Weeks Later
***

Mamoru muttered a few curses, as he entered the Crown Arcade. Motoki called him up to take over his shift again. Mamoru was in the middle of studying, but he knew Motoki had no one else, so he accepted. Besides, he already studied earlier in the day. He would just have to review in the morning.

It was around 9PM, close to closing time, but someone had to close up, and clean up. 'Just like last time.' He flushed when he remembered what had happened three weeks ago. Ever since then nothing has been the same.

'Why don't you tell her, Mamoru? Tell her you love her.' Motoki pleaded.

'I can't. I don't even know if she feels the same way! I can't face rejection, not with her...'

Suddenly, the automatic doors opened. He turned his head towards the direction, and gasped. "Odango?"

Usagi twirled her head around, eyes widening. "Mamoru-san? What are you doing here?"

"Motoki-kun asked me to take care of the arcade tonight."

"Weird, he asked me the exact same thing."

"He said he had no one else to ask..." They both said at the same time. It became clear what had happened. Motoki was trying to set them up! "Argh, stupid Motoki!" They both exclaimed. Usagi quickly turned away and headed towards the door.

"Guess I should go then, since we already got you!"

"No!" He quickly pleaded. "Stay. It's kinda lonely here, since no one comes at this time."

Usagi clenched her fist. Could she really stay here with him? "Are you sure?"

"Quite. Come on, you're here already, right?"

"Yeah... okay, Mamoru-san."

***

Both too afraid to face each other, they had went to their respective corners to clean. Mamoru took care of the arcades, while Usagi took care of the counter. Neither spoke for the longest time, since neither knew what to say. Motoki had clearly set them up, and he would clearly DIE the next day by either one of them.

They would secretly steal glances at one another. Sometimes they'd catch each other, and then quickly look away.

Mamoru shivered. This type of thing never happened to him before. He'd never been nervous around a girl. Not like this.

Usagi gulped. She had never been this nervous around a guy before. This silence was too hard to take. She had to break it. But what could she say? "Mamoru-san?" She called.

"Yeah?"

"Umm... how was.. school?" Good save, Usagi.

"Great. You?"

She shrugged. "It was okay. Kind of lonely. My best friend had to move schools because her mom's shop kept getting robbed, so they moved. I've got some other friends, but it's still really lonely without her."

Mamoru nodded. "I know what it's like to be surrounded by tons of people and still feel alone."

Usagi stopped cleaning. "What happened?"

"My parents died when I was six. Car crash. I was the only one who survivied. I couldn't remember a thing before the accident. Couldn't remember them at all. People would always surround me, trying to be friends, and I'd befriend them, but I'd always feel alone. No matter how many people surrounded me, I felt like I was the only one there."

Usagi looked at him in awe. His parents died in a car crash? And here she was complaining that her best friend left. "I'm sorry."

"Don't be. You didn't do anything." He smiled back at her. "So yeah, I understand what you're going through."

Usagi nodded. "If you don't mind talking about it, where did you grow up?"

"Here, in Juuban. I grew up in an orphanage until I was old enough to live on my own. It's a great place. I'll show you one day."

Usagi blushed, and ducked behind the counter to hide it. In Mamoru's house? That'd be so... crazy... she smiled. "Mamoru-san?"

"Yeah?" Usagi almost jumped. His voice sounded so close! She looked up, and saw Mamoru leaning over the counter.

She smiled. He looked so cute. "Nothing. Come on, lets go get some ice cream. I'm craving for it!" She got up from her seat, and Mamoru chuckled. "What?"

"Like that's any news to me."

"Mouu!" She whined, punching him in the arm. "No ice cream for you, then!"

"Come on Odango, don't be greedy!"

***

Usagi took a seat in the lounge at the back. Legs propped up on a table, she sat back and began to eat her ice cream. Mamoru took a seat next to her, same fashion. "Mmm, ice cream, gotta love it!"

"Yeah."

"So tell me about your school! I heard it's really elite, and only super smart people get in. Mustn't be too hard since you got in." She teased. Mamoru flicked her cheek, and returned back to his ice cream.

"It's okay, I guess. Nice people, great classes."

"The uniforms are really nice!"

He smiled. "Yeah, since you got up close and personal with one." Usagi turned red, and quickly looked away. Mamoru turned red as well, and shook his head. "No no, I didn't mean that, I meant because you wore one! Not because I--agh..." It was too late. He had made it awkward. Shaking his head, placed the ice cream down on the table.

Usagi began to eat her ice cream at an alarming fast rate. Mamoru looked at her with concern. "You're gonna get a stomache ache because of that." But it was too late. She had finished it already, and placed the bowel on the table. Wiping her mouth with her hand, she looked around for the clock.

"What time is it?"

He sighed. "9:30."

"We should close up soon."

"Yes, we should."

"Hold on, there's some stuff Motoki-kun told me to do. I'll be a few minutes." Usagi nodded, as Mamoru got up and left. She let out the biggest breath.

'This is so nerve wrecking! Why did I have to think of that moment? I must have turned SO red... oh, he probably thinks I'm an idiot!' She smacked her head with her hand. "Baka baka baka baka..."

***

15 minutes had passed, and Mamoru had not yet returned. Usagi got worried, and decided to go look for him. She turned the light on in the front, no one was there. Shutting it off, She walked down the hallway into the back, where she saw a door open with the light on. "Mamoru-san?" She called, while entering. On her way inside, she accidentally kicked something aside, and the door slammed shut behind her.

"Don't move the--" Mamoru called.

"Eh?" She blinked, as Mamoru ran past her, hoping he'd catch the door before it closed. He jiggled the knob, and tried to open it. "Why is it locked?"

"It locks from the outside. So, we're stuck in here."

"Locked?! Nooo!" Usagi whined and began to try to open the door. "I can't be stuck in here!"

"Am I that bad?" He asked, half joking.

"Of course not! But, I'm going to be in DEAD meat if I don't come home! My parents will be so worried! But then they should come looking for me, right?" 'And find me here alone with Mamoru?! My dad will kill me!' "What is this place, anyways?"

"Inventory. Motoki wanted me to check up on a lot of things, so it took a while. Sorry if I worried you."

"I'm sorry that I got us stuck in here." She sniffed. Mamoru smiled. He slid to the floor, and took a seat, leaning against the wall.

"It's not that bad."

Usagi smiled. "Yeah, I guess so." She said, while sliding and sitting next to him. "I just got worried, because you didn't come back, so I thought..."

Mamoru laughed. "Odango, it was only 15 minutes."

"Still!" She looked at him. "I was worried..." She looked away, and shivered. It was cold in here. She brought her hands to her arms and began to rub it. Mamoru saw this, and quickly took off his jacket.

"Sorry it's cold, there's no heater in this room." He wrapped his uniform jacket around her, and made sure it fit snugly around her. "There, better?" She nodded, and smiled. "We'll be okay. We locked everything, lights are all off except this one, right? Motoki will come in the morning, and he'll open this room."

That's when Usagi skid away from Mamoru.

'A WHOLE NIGHT?! With Mamoru?!!' She blushed to her toes. 'This is not good, not good, not good... Who knows what will happen?!'

***

snore....

Usagi looked at the sleeping form next to her. They had decided to huddle next to each other, since it was getting rather cold. 3 hours had passed, and Mamoru had fallen asleep. They had turned the lights off earlier, but Usagi couldn't fall asleep. She looked at his sleeping face and smiled. He looked so innocent, so peaceful. His bangs had fallen onto his eyes, as he drifted off. Usagi reached out and brushed his bangs out of his way.

She wished she could tell him how she felt. How she wanted to let him know. How she wished to yell, Suki desu!! to him. But she couldn't. She was too scared. Scared he didn't feel the same.

A tear escaped her eye. She wanted to tell him. She wanted to be with him. But she was scared, too scared...

More tears were escaping. Why was she crying? She sniffed, and rubbed her eyes. 'Don't cry now... You might...'

It was too late. Mamoru's eyes slowly opened, as he looked up at Usagi. It was too dark to see, but he could tell something was wrong. "Usa..?"

She gasped. "You're awake?" She quickly tried to cover her eyes, and wipe the tears away. "I didn't know, I'm sorry, did I wake you up?"

He frowned. "You're crying."

Busted. "I am? Guess so.. sorry, something got caught in my eye--" She stopped when Mamoru grabbed her wrist. She looked into his eyes, and saw he wasn't gonna buy any of her lies. She bit her lip and sniffed.

"Tell me the truth. What's wrong?"

She gulped. She couldn't tell him. "Mamoru-san, I-" She stopped. He called her 'Usa'. Mamoru reached out, and began to wipe her tears away. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to cry. I was just thinking about some sad things..."

"Well, as long as you've stopped, right?" He held open his arms, as he motioned for her to come in. Usagi blushed, and hesitated, but decided to go do it. She sat back, and leaned into him. Mamoru raised his knees up on either side of her, and wrapped his arms around her shoulders. "What were you thinking of?"

She inhaled his scent. Roses. Roses and spices. "Nothing." She lied.

"Liar."

"It's just... what if you had a chance to tell someone something... but you were too scared that maybe they wouldn't like what you were going to say? And you're scared that they'd never talk to you again and--" She stopped when Mamoru tightened the grip around her shoulders, and rested his head on hers. "I'm talking nonsense... I'm sorry..."

"Don't be. I know exactly what you're talking about. There's something I want to tell someone.. but I'm scared, scared that they won't care about what I have to say."

Usagi's heart broke. 'He feels that way towards.. someone else?' That's when the tears started to fall even more.

"Oh.. I'm sure whoever the lucky person is will cherish what you have to say." 'I know I would..' She tried to get away from his grasp, but he held on tight.

"Usagi... No, Usa.." She gasped again. The name, Usa... "I've been scared for a while. Scared of rejection, scared of it all. What if the person just laughed in my face? Or what if they didn't even feel the same way, and I just screwed myself over. I thought maybe it wasn't worth it. That one moment wasn't worth the possible pain."

He held on a bit tighter. "Then I realized, it would be."

Usagi's tears began to increase. Why is he teling her this? Does he want to hurt her even more?! "Mamoru-san..."

"Usa... you mean a lot to me. I care a lot about you. I hate seeing you cry. It hurts me to hear you cry, and to see you sad. Everytime I see it, I want to make you feel happier. I want to hold you until you stop crying, and smile. I..."

I thought maybe it wasn't worth it. That one moment wasn't worth the possible pain.

He let go of her, and turned her around to face him. He held her face in his hands, and smiled. "I love you."

Usagi's eyes widened, as more tears began to fall. He loved her? The person he was talking about was.. her? More tears began to fall, which made Mamoru frowned. "Is it that horrible?"

"No, of course not. They're tears of joy." She smiled, and sniffed. She threw herself into his arms, and held him close. "I love you too, Mamoru..." She looked up at him, and smiled again.

Mamoru felt his heart jump out of his chest. She loved him back? She loved him.. he loved her... it was too good to be true. He placed his hand under her chin, and lifted her head up. "Then cry all you want..." He whispered, before leaning in and placing a kiss on her lips.

***
Back to normal time...
***

Mamoru closed his eyes, as he finished watching his alternate reality. Minako-Guide stood beside him, as the gates disappeared, and all that was left was the darkness. "Did you find your answer?" She asked.

"Yeah. I did."

"That's great... I'm glad you know."

"But there's something I need for you to do."

"What?"

"Send me back. I need to see her. I need to see Usako." He pleaded. Minako-Guide looked at him with the most sympathetic eyes. "I don't care what price I have to pay, please, let me see her. Let me tell her what I have to tell.. she has to know. She deserves to know more than I do."

Minako-Guide sighed. "This will cost me a lot, Mamoru... you'll owe me big time."

He nodded. "Please."

Minako-Guide took another sigh in and nodded. "Fine. I'll send you back. For 20 minutes. Now go."

Mamoru smiled at her. "Arigato." He whispered, before disappearing.