Well, I got a few replies, which is actually pretty good. I figure once I get going and doing a post more often, things will change. Though finals are next week, so don't think they'll be too often ;p. To make matters short, I won't bore you with too much talk. Enjoy.

Oh, one off the subject comment, someone mentioned that Kenji was pretty out of character. I know that he wasn't really himself, but it was basically just something to help me develop conflict, so forgive me. All right, really, that's the last comment.

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Title: Never Thought it Would Happen, Chapter 2

Author: ILuvMamo-chan

Email: ILuvMamochan, sailor moon server (won't let me do it otherwise)

Rating: PG-13

/break/

As Mamoru slowly returned to consciousness, he unthinkingly pulled his wife closer. Sometime during the night, habit took over and he felt the need to hold Usagi. As he opened his eyes, he tried to focus only on that calming feeling.

And then the world became clear.

"Ahhh!" Mamoru jumped ten feet and threw Usagi away from him as he realized his father-in-law had been hovering right next to the couch bed. As Usagi's jumbled brain tried to conceive why she was startled awake, Mamoru tired his best to cover his naked chest.

"Papa, what are you doing?" Usagi asked sleepily, rubbing her eyes.

"I made breakfast. I thought you two may want some." Kenji nodded towards the kitchen. "I'll go finish up while you two dress."

As Kenji left the room and Mamoru threw the covers from himself, Usagi knew that her day wouldn't go well. She couldn't blame Mamoru. After all, her father was being intrusive. But there wasn't much she could do.

Usagi wasn't surprised to find her husband angrily thrusting his legs into his pants as she entered the bedroom. As soon as she closed the door, she wasn't any more surprised as he opened his mouth.

"I can't believe him! What the hell was I supposed to do with him hovering over me like that? So I was hugging you in my sleep. You're my wife! I want him gone."

"Mamo-chan, I know how you feel. But what can I do? He's my father." Usagi calmly dressed as Mamoru stewed. What they need was an excuse to get Kenji out.

The knock on the door was redemption.

"If that is the girls, I'm going back to bed." Mamoru mumbled as he left his wife to dress.

He had half expected Kenji to answer the door before him. Only one more grievance to add to his list of annoying father-in-law quirks.

When he opened the door, he found his luck to actually be changing for the better. Ikuko came in with quick steps, and grabbed his face with two hands.

"He's here isn't he? Oh you poor boy. I'm sorry Mamoru." Mamoru willingly gave his mother-in-law a big hug. He knew Ikuko would make everything all right. What they said about mother-in-laws was totally untrue.

"Don't worry. I'll fix this." Ikuko placed a kiss on his cheek and made her way through the house. He heard some discussion in the kitchen as Usagi emerged from the bedroom.

"Who is it?"

"Ikuko." He tried to hide his grin.

"Thank kami-sama. I thought I was going to have to restrain you from doing bodily harm to Papa." They smiled at each other and went into the kitchen where Ikuko was placing two plates of pancakes on the table.

"Since your father already ate," the look on his face proved otherwise, "we're just going to leave you two to eat."

"Here Mama, I'll walk you out."

"It's all right Usagi. We know the way out." She hugged her daughter, than her son-in-law a second time. "Come on dear."

Kenji took his time hugging his daughter goodbye before shooting Mamoru a departing glare and leaving. When the couple heard the door finally close, a collective sigh passed between them.

"I suppose we should eat." Usagi sat down and looked expectantly at Mamoru to follow suite.

"Since he didn't specify which plate to eat from, he probably didn't poison my food."

"Come on Mamo-chan, Papa doesn't hate you that much." She received a look from him as she stuffed a whole half of a pancake in her mouth. "Ogay, not enoub do kiii ou." (Just in case you couldn't tell what she said, it was "Okay, not enough to kill you.")

When Mamoru still didn't sit down, Usagi stopped eating long enough to question him. "What's the matter? Aren't you hungry?"

"Not for food per say…" Mamoru hefted his wife over his shoulder who was still trying to get one last bite into her mouth.

"Mamo-chan, I didn't finish yet!"

"Neither did we last night. I think it's about time we did." He headed toward the bedroom as they laughed, Usagi clutching a fork with a third of a pancake in her hand.

/break/

Kira sighed as she gazed at another storefront. She'd finished all the chores for the day and once again was faced with the problem of having absolutely nothing to do. With Rei working two jobs and herself having nothi9ng, after her housework was done there wasn't anything she could do. How women of leisure survived she'd never know.

As she started to pass an arcade entitled "Crown" she spotted a familiar face. Afraid to call out or seem too forward, she waited until Usagi noticed her.

"Aso-san!" Kira gave a silent sigh of relief as Usagi came racing towards her. So fast, in fact, she was positive Usagi would run her down.

"I'm so glad to see you again! I kept telling Mamo-chan that we'd have to run into each other again eventually." Kira offered a smile in return, which got Usagi to ask, "Oh, you're not busy are you? If I'm holding you up you can go."

"Not at all Tsukino-san! I was just, well, I'm glad that we ran into each other again too."

"Hontou? Good! IF you're not busy then, why don't you go into Crown with me? There's a parlour upstairs, and I'm supposed to meet my friends soon. They'll be so surprised I'm on time today."

"But…I don't want to intrude on your time with you friends Tsukino-san."

"Not at all! The more the merrier is my motto. Oh, and please just call me Usagi. Mamo-chan's already given me the talk again about giving you my maiden name."

"I'm not sure I understand Usagi-san."

"Usagi-CHAN. Well, me and Mamo-chan just got married. So technically now I'm Chiba Usagi."

As they walked through the door Kira gave a little shocked look as Usagi waved at a blonde man behind the counter. "You and Chiba-san are married? If you don't mind me asking, how old are you?"

Usagi grinned at her. "Just turned seventeen. I know I'm young, but Mamo-chan's twenty two and we've been together a long time. It got to the point where we knew it was no use waiting anymore." Usagi turned as Motoki approached them, and gestured towards him with an outstretched hand.

"How's the newlywed today?" Motoki bent in her direction and gave her a big hug as Kira watched silently from the side.

"Same as usual." Motoki, I want you to meet my new friend Aso Kira. Kira-chan, this is Mamo-chan's best friend Motoki-kun." When Usagi saw Kira blush, she realized what she had said. "Oh, is it all right if I call you Kira-chan?"

"Yes, of course!" Kira blushed harder. Motoki took her hand to shake it, smiling all the while. "It's always good to meet Usagi-chan's friends. There're always so cute!"

"Oh!"

"You'll have to excuse him Kira-chan. I'm sure you can see why he was my first crush." Usagi and Motoki laughed together.

"You better stop or Mamoru's going to show up and beat me senseless." Motoki glanced over and saw a few teenage boys waiting less than patiently at the counter. "Anyways I better go. It was nice meeting you."

"Hai, nice meeting you too." Kira responded with a slight wave.

"Well Kira-chan, we better head upstairs. The girls should be waiting."

They went up the stairs to the parlour Usagi had told her about, and everything was fairly quiet. Only about a fourth of the tables were seated, and a red-headed girl with a pony-tail was witnessing for every table.

"That girl over there is Motoki's sister. She works here too. She's also a friend. Oh, and there are the girls. Minna!" Usagi waved at the girls sitting at a table in the corner. The three girls waved back, one with short blue hair, one with long black hair, and the last with reddish brown hair pulled back in a pony-tail.

"Minna, sorry if I'm a few minutes late. I ran into someone I'd like you to meet. This is Aso Kira."

"Hello." Kira said timidly.

"Hi. I'm Kino Makoto. But everyone calls me Mako-chan so feel free."

"I'm Mizuno Ami."

"Hino Rei."

That brought out a response quickly enough from Kira. "My boyfriend's name is Rei." She had said it without even thinking.

The girls moved over so Kira and Usagi could sit down. "You all should see Kira-chan's boyfriend. He's so gorgeous he could be a model."

"Geez Usagi-chan, what would Mamoru-san say?" Rei teased, elbowing her friend.

Usagi stuck her tongue out at her friend. "Sorry if I made you uncomfortable Kira-chan."

"No. I mean, he is handsome." Kira let herself blush again, folding her hands nervously in her lap.

"Well look at you! He must be something!" Makoto said, her smile wide.

"Ignore them. They love to get into people's love-lives." Ami put a comforting hand on Kira's shoulder.

"It's totally fine. I got used to him having adoring fans at school, so nothing really phases me about it."

"So do you have a picture of this incredibly gorgeous boyfriend that I share a name with?" Rei leaned forward expectantly along with Makoto and Ami.

Kira thought for a moment, then remembered the picture Harumi had given her from the Suzuka 500. It was Rei in his uniform, holding his helmet to his side and giving the victory sign. Rummaging around her purse, she managed to find it at the bottom and placed it on the table.

"So Rei races motorcycles too? No wonder he managed to not hit me." Usagi and Kira exchanged a giggle that escaped the other three girls.

"This is your boyfriend? Usagi-chan was right. He IS gorgeous!" Mako-chan exclaimed as she pulled it toward herself.

"If I ever get a boyfriend I want him to look like that!" Rei said trying to get a better look at the picture Makoto was hogging.

"Me too." Ami said under her breath, but the others heard her and laughed. She blushed darker than Kira had.

"Have you two been together long?" Rei asked.

"A year or so." Kira left it at that. She didn't exactly feel comfortable telling them that she was living with him because of family problems or that she was living with him at all.

"I wonder where she is…" Usagi trailed off as she spoke, looking at the door.

"Are you expecting another friend?"

"Yes. But she's always late like Usagi-chan."

"Thanks Rei."

The girls began with small talk about their week as Kira glanced at the door Usagi had been staring at a moment before. She froze up as she saw a girl walk in. "Look. Isn't that the idol Aino Minako? I can't believe she's coming in here."

The girls exchanged glances around the table and burst out laughing. Usagi calmed down enough to say, "That's the friend we've been waiting for."

"You know Aino Minako?"

"Yes. Long before she was an idol. We try not to let her popularity get to her head too much. It was swollen enough before."

Minako approached the table with a quick jog. "Gomen minna! The recording took longer than usual."

"Sure Minako-chan. It always takes longer than usual." Makoto indicated with a wave for everyone to move over as she spoke.

"By the way, this is my friend Aso Kira." Usagi continued to speak as the two acknowledged each other. "She's heard of you. In fact, she was surprised we knew you."

"Don't believe anything they said. I'm not stuck up at all about being an idol. You know what they say; treat others as you would have them treat your dog."

"That's treat yourself Minako." Ami corrected her.

"Right."

"Anyways, check out Aso-san's boyfriend. Isn't he cute?" Rei handed Minako the picture.

"Oh kami-sama! He's perfect! Hey, he could definitely be a model. Do you want me to talk to my agent about him?"

"Thanks, but Rei doesn't want to model. He doesn't like posing, and he hates taking orders."

"A bad boy huh?"

"Well, I guess he used to be."

"I bet you set him straight, right Kira-chan?" Usagi handed the picture back to the red-cheeked Kira.

The girls all set to small talk again as they ordered sodas and ice cream. Kira found herself enjoying the company, and grateful that her normally tedious day was being filled with her new friends.

As they began to finish up their drinks and food, Minako burst out with her latest news. "Hey you guys, I have a photo shoot tomorrow, and my manager asked me to bring you guys in. He thinks you all would be perfect for the extra slots. Aso-san, you should come too."

"Me? I couldn't. I mean, I'm not even that pretty."

"What? You're so pretty Kira-chan! Why would you think otherwise? You HAVE to come!" Usagi had a way with persuasion.

"Well, I'd have to ask Rei."

"Why?"

"He doesn't really want me to work. He's afraid for me since I've never done it before."

"It's just a one-time thing so don't worry. And since my manager arranged it I know it's legit." Minako looked at her for a moment before she spoke again. "Kashino-san sure seems protective over you. Shouldn't your parents be the ones to tell you not to work?"

Kira knew that she didn't have much of a choice in keeping her secret at that point. "Since I started living with Rei, I guess he has been more protective."

"Are your parents okay with that?" Ami asked with a concerned voice.

"I'd rather not talk about it."

Usagi looked nervously between old friends and new. "It's okay Kira-chan. Everyone has things they don't want to talk about. But hey! Why don't I go with you to talk to Kashino-san about you coming with us tomorrow?"

"Rei doesn't get home until really late. He's working two jobs right now."

"what do you do all day while he's gone?" Minako asked, proceeding to take a sip of her soda.

"Cook, clean, do laundry. I watch TV sometimes. If my friend Harumi-chan isn't working for the day, I'll hang out with her."

"Sounds a little boring." Makoto said.

"It can be. But Rei works hard so I can stay there with him, so I don't complain."

Usagi could tell the conversation was again making Kira uncomfortable. Knowing only one way to end it, Usagi stood up. "Well you guys, I have to get going. Mamo-chan is expecting me. Would you like to walk with me Kira-chan?"

"Ha…hai." The question had caught her off guard, but she stood to follow Usagi. "It was very nice to meet you all."

"You too!" They chimed together, waving.

"And next time you'll have to let us meet your boyfriend!" Makoto added with a grin.

"Yes! Oh, and I hope you can come tomorrow Aso-san!" Minako pulled a card from her purse and handed it to Kira. "The address to the building is there. I'll be there at two, so if you can't go with Usagi, you'll at least know how to get there."

"Thanks. I'll try." Waves were given again, as Usagi and Kira left the group.

Once outside, Usagi gave Kira an apologetic glance. "Sorry about that. They don't mean to be nosy. You're my friend, so they were worried."

Kira was startled for a moment, then smiled. She couldn't believe Usagi accepted her as a friend so easily. "It's really okay. Anybody would be curious about it. My friends were worried too, at first. But Rei cares about me, and there was just no way I could stay at home anymore."

Usagi didn't push for an answer, as much as she wanted to. "So do you want me to with you to talk to Rei about coming with us tomorrow? I don't mind staying out late. As long as I call Mamoru, it should be okay."

Kira shook her head. "You don't want to be out late in our neighborhood. It's pretty sketchy."

"What about you then?"

"Oh, usually I'm with Rei. And even if I'm not, people begin to realize I live with him, and they won't mess with me. And Kenny's there."

"Kenny?"

Kira laughed at Usagi's puzzled look. "A friend. He lives in our building."

"That's all too much for me." Usagi gave a smile and they laughed together. "How about this. Mamo-chan's going to be late tonight too, so why don't you come to our apartment for dinner?"

"Oh, I couldn't possibly have you make dinner for me! It's too much."

"You won't say that once you taste it. I'm sure I'll put an end to my poor husband's stomach one day."

"Oh, I can help you know…"

"Good! It may even be edible if you help!"

The girls laughed again and made their way to Usagi's home.

/break/

That's it for this installment. I don't know how long this story's gonna run, but it's probably not going to be short. So bare with me if I take forever. Thanks again for reading!