He had found his way to this park bench, where he still tried to sort himself out.
He NEEDED her. He hadn't seen her in so long, and she was like a drug, and he was addicted to her...
He needed to see her, smell her, hear her...but he could not be near her. He would completely lose her forever, and lose all hope...there was hope, and it was scarce, but if she rejected him, that hope, though untouched, would be shattered forever.
Could he live on without that small hope?
'This pain must be driving me crazy, I can feel her presence. She feels so near...' He shuddered.
"Mamoru."
Again he heard her voice whisper his name.
No...he can't do this all his life. He shook his head back and forth. His whole life, so cool and collected, smart and articulate. He had gone through pain before, more than most people have in their whole life, and he was still pretty young.
He had lost his parents, lost his memories, was left alone without friends, family, or reason. Until lately, he had had nothing.
He now had Motoki, his best friend, he had a job, was in a high-end college, owned an apartment...and suddenly the fear of rejection from a lighthearted angel crashed all that he had worked to build.
Her voice whispered his name once more, and he felt a soft hand on his shoulder.
He looked up to see her sitting beside him. He stared at her more, in case she was just an image his mind conjured, in case she would vanish.
But he stared at her for the longest time, and still she remained there.
He opened his mouth, and out could only come angry words.
"Leave." He looked away quickly, he didn't want to see her face.
"Mamoru, what's wr-"
"I said leave!" he turned around and yelled into her face.
Quickly her eyes filled with tears.
His heart softened at this sight, and he wanted to apologize, to tell her everything...but it would be better if she would just leave. Or maybe if he left.
He stood up stiffly and was about to take a step when...
"Mamoru, just tell me..." her voice tearful and strained, "Did you mean what you said? Do...do you love me? Or was it a joke?"
He said nothing.
A sob escaped her, and she continued to talk, growing softer and softer with each word, becoming almost inaudible.
"Please don't tell me it was a joke, a lie. Please tell me it was true. I want it to be true." He hadn't heard the last sentence at all. His mind was swimming, and he was drowning, choking.
She got up and reached out to him "Mamoru, is it true?"
He heard the pain in her voice. No. No. No, he couldn't let his bright angel go through all the pain he had. If anyone deserved happiness, it would be Usagi, the golden-haired princess that he had always desired.
"Yes, Usagi, it is true." He admitted, after hurting, after denying.
He spun around, and as she opened her mouth to speak, he placed his hand on her smooth lips. Trying not to get distracted by their silkiness, he continued to talk, so he could leave this place, and leave all this pain behind him.
"Yes. I didn't mean to always tease you. Just somehow, that's how it always came out. I was afraid that you would never like the "insensitive jerk" that I have become to you, but somehow my teasing kept you around. And I needed you. And I still need you. If you hate me, if you never want to ever see me again, please don't say it. I love you, Usako, I really do."
She leapt forward and hugged him tightly, her face snuggled against his chest.
"Mamoru, I love you too."
He stood their in shock before slowly hugging her back. 'She loves me too? she...loves...me...too?'
She sobbed tears of joy, and laughed a little.
His face broke into a smile.
"Usako...really?"
"Yes Mamoru, I really love you."
"You don't hate me?"
"I didn't like it when you teased me, but I never hated you."
He kissed the top of her head. "Usako, that makes me the happiest man alive."
She giggled happily.
He placed a sweet light kiss on her lips.
They walked through the park, just enjoying the presence of one another, and trying to take in all that had happened.
The sun was setting, and Mamoru had lowered his lips down to Usagi's neck, leaving butterfly kisses along her collarbone. She shivered from his gentle touch. He
then brought his lips up to her own, and kissed her with a longing passion. The kiss was gentle, only demanding the taste of her mouth. He crushed her to him, which she was grateful for, because her legs had lost all strength in the passion of their kiss.
The sun setting behind them gave them an angelic glow, looking picture-perfect.
On the ground next to them, the wind turned pages of the very manga that Usagi had been reading. On this page, the pictures showed a strong heroic man strengthened under the love of the sweet blonde protector of innocents. They shared a full page kiss under the setting sun. Captions revealed an unforgettable love, an undying love. A love unstifled.
Ta-da! Thanks for reading! Please review!
