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Here we go, another (somewhat longer and better) chapter. I hope you guys enjoyed the last one. Thanks again for the reviews! They're always really nice to read. Remember to give me more, even if you've already reviewed. I like the feedback. Well, not much else to say. I'll get the next chapter out soon. Bye!

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Chapter Three— Usagi?

Minako held me in her arms for nearly a full ten minutes before finally letting me go. I breathed in deeply, feeling like my lungs could give out any second at the affection she was showing.

"You sure you don't wanna hang out with us for a bit more? We could scope out the guys, or fling paper wads at people's heads at the movies," she suggested.

"No, really, it's okay. I'm really tired from the trip. Anyway, I need to see my parents. It's been way too long and I miss them a lot."

Minako smiled. "Yeah, I know. Your mom's gonna be so happy when she sees you."

"Yeah…"

She noticed the slight sadness in my voice. "Are you okay?"

Smiling reassuringly, I told her, "Yeah, of course! I'm back home and happier than ever."

"All right… If you say so."

"I promise we'll hang out tomorrow, okay?" I asked as she handed me the last of my pink-colored luggage, weighing nearly ten pounds each. I guess I really didn't need to buy all those clothes in America. Some of it was just too hard to resist!

"Sure! Call me and we'll figure it all out," she said finally. Giving me a short hug, she waved as she dashed off to an impatient Rei sitting at the driver's wheel. I could hear a, "Geeze, you took long enough!" from her, while Minako retorted with something of her own. I couldn't hear since I was already making my way up to the house.

Setting a piece of my luggage down for a second, I opened the door without knocking, poking my head through the crack. I smiled when I saw my dad and Shingo watching some dramatic soap opera. Both seemed to be bored out of their minds, while my mom, who sat next to both of them, almost looked like she was going to cry. Well, looks like mom still is getting her way with everything. That's what's so great about her.

Pushing the door with my free hand forcefully, I quickly yelled, "I'M BAAACK!"

Shingo jumped in surprise, dad nearly spilled the popcorn on his lap onto the floor (which would've been a tragedy since popcorn is so yummy), and mom blinked in surprise as she turned her attention away from the television.

Before I knew what hit me, my mother had her arms wrapped around me, while my father did the same, once again making me lose air.

"Oh, Usagi-chan! We missed you so much! How have you been? Was the plane trip all right? Are you tired?" Mom dribbled on with her questions. That's my mother for you, always worrying about her children. I guess I can't blame her. It's hard not seeing your family for so long.

I laughed a bit at her questions. "I'm okay, really! Can I breathe now?"

They both let go of their vice grip. Dad gave me a once-over, blinking his eyes, he said, "Usa… You've… grown."

"Yeah, I grew three whole inches. Isn't it great? I'm not a midget anymore!"

He raised his eyebrows toward me, shaking his head, he directed his eyes down past my chin for a second, gesturing with his head. "No, I meant… those."

"DAAAAD!" I wailed, not believing he was actually saying something like that to me. So what if my chest got bigger? Is there a law against it? I don't think so!

"Have any boys been staring? Because I still have my shot gun…"

"NO! Don't even mention that thing. You've scared enough guys with that. Even Motoki was scared… And he's only my friend."

"You mean that older blonde boy? I saw the way he looked at you. Nobody gets away with looking at my baby girl like that…" he trailed off, looking nearly psychotic.

"Dad, he was a friend. Get over it, already."

"Still, I don't like the way he looked at you, and now that you have… those… he might just try something."

I shook my head. I can't believe he still thought Motoki would actually do anything. He's one of the nicest guys I know. Even if I did still like him that way, there's no possible way he would try something, ever. The idea of it is just… weird. It'd be like dating my big brother… Eww.

"They're called breasts! And, yeah, I have them. It doesn't mean I'll suddenly get molested!"

"Usagi Tsukino, you do not use that kind of language around your father!"

"Sorry," I mumbled, already embarrassed enough. I hope he'll drop this already.

"Besides, I don't trust any boy these days. You shouldn't, either."

"Here we go again…" my mother and I exchanged glances, both knowing exactly what was coming next.

"In my day, we were respectful to our girlfriend's parents. The first, yes, the first date I went out with your mother, I walked up to her door and met her parents. I even talked with them for a long time before the date started. Then, you know what I did?"

"Asked for her hand in marriage?" I asked, trying my best to be serious, though I've heard this story a million times before.

"No! That wasn't until later on. Anyway, I told them exactly where we would be and told them we would be back no later than nine. That's the kind of respect boys these days should show."

"You do remember how that night ended, Kenji?" my mother questioned. "We got home past eleven. And you know very well that every second you talked to my parents, you hated it. You were ranting about it for hours about how meddlesome they were instead of paying an ounce of attention to me."

"Yes, well…" My father cleared his throat. "At least I showed them respect."

"Behind their backs you didn't."

"As long as they didn't know about it, it didn't matter."

My mother put her hands on her hips, while I continued watching them argue. "So you'd want some boy to ring the doorbell, pretend to like you, and say otherwise behind your back?"

"No, because I would be able to tell he was no good the moment he'd step foot in this house. I have an intuition about these things."

"Good thing my father didn't have that gift, or else he'd be able to smell your stench a mile away," my mother commented, while my brother scoffed in the background, who had turned some of his attention to their conversation instead of the soap opera.

"This isn't about me, Ikuko. This is about keeping our daughter safe from harm."

"She'll be fine."

"Not if she goes out with any boys."

She let out a loud sigh, rubbing her temples as if she had a pounding migraine, which could happen easily by just listening to my dad's arguments. "I give up."

"My intuition is always right, Usagi. I never trusted that one boy you went out with… What was his name? Myuki…? Miko…?"

"Mamoru," I finished quietly. I wanted to forget him ever since I saw him passing by the arcade window, but of course he still brought it up. I hung my head down a bit at the mention of his name. It's not his fault, I never told him we broke up. He thought I was just depressed about school. If I told him, he would try to set me up with some stupid guy from his company that made me believe that there was a stick plowed right up their ass. I had to go through with it once; I wouldn't again.

He nodded, exclaiming, "Right! I never trusted that one. Why, he didn't even introduce himself to us after you two went out for a month! What kind of respectable young man does that? I'll tell you, not that one."

I'm guessing my mother noticed how my face fell at his name, and stepped in, "Now, Kenji, calm down. She looks great, with or without… those. And she's back here in one piece, so leave the poor girl alone…"

My father finally gave up and strolled away from us, plopping on the couch next to my brother, whose eyes were permanently glued to the television screen. It was still playing the soap opera.

"Shingo! Say hello to your sister!" my mother commanded.

Shingo was now wrapped up in the soap opera, for some reason, and waved his hand behind his head as some kind of weird greeting. You could just feel the love he showed toward his own big sister to even give me a wave.

"Come on, sweetie, let's go get you unpacked," my mother smiled sadly, knowing exactly what I was thinking at the moment, as she always did. We picked up my bags and walked up the winding staircase.

"Don't think I'm finished with this conversation, missy!" I heard my dad shout just before we disappeared up into the second floor.

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"I can't it's been two whole years since I've seen my baby girl…" my mother said happily as she helped me put away everything I packed away into my suitcases. My room looked so weird. It was nearly empty since I had taken a lot with me, with exception of the furniture. It would take awhile to settle back in and get used to living here again. It took three months in America. Hopefully it wouldn't take as long now.

I placed my furry stuffed bunny against my pillow as I replied, "Yeah, two years is definitely a long time."

"I wish I could've called you more. It's too bad long distance costs so much these days."

"I know. Minako had no problem with it, having all that money, and all. I envy her so much."

She nodded, smiling gently. "She's certainly done well for herself. Being a model is a tough thing to do. Having to pose all day, wear those odd clothes, and have the media tracking you down. It's a hard life, but I know she can handle it."

"I'm sure she doesn't mind any of that. Especially the part about the media," I laughed, flopping down onto the soft blue comforter on my bed, yellow stars and moons scattered along it. My mother also stopped unpacking, taking a seat beside me on the bed, she let her eyes trail around the room for awhile.

"You know, I've been in here many times since you left," she said after a pause.

I tilted my head to the side. "Really?"

"Yes… It was really tough to part with you. Every once and awhile, I would sit on your bed and wonder what you were doing while I was sitting there. I even caught your brother in here once. He was sitting on the windowsill, and when I asked him what he was doing here, he said 'To watch the birds.' It was obvious he missed you, though. We all did."

"It was hard for me, too. I mean, I didn't know anybody there. Not to mention I barely spoke any English at first. The family I stayed with helped me a lot. I really enjoyed being there, but… I still would wake up sometimes and think I was in my own bedroom, then realize I was still in America."

She placed her arm around my shoulders, rubbing the side of my arm with her hand comfortingly. A smile lit up my face, remembering when she used to do this after I had gotten hurt somehow. It felt good.

"You're here now, and that's all that matters, right?" she questioned me in her optimistic way.

"Right."

She bit on the side of her lip, which usually signaled that there was something she wanted to say, but was afraid to say it. I watched her for a second, waiting for whatever it was.

"Usagi-chan… Have you seen Mamoru yet?"

I let out a defeated sigh. "Yeah. He was with some girl."

"Oh, dear… That's what I was afraid of. He's… well, he's been dating that girl for some time. I saw them walking down the street a couple of weeks ago. I just hoped you wouldn't have seen them. I know it must hurt."

Leaning into her embrace, I buried my head into her shirt, while she began to stroke the blonde stray hairs out of my face. "Mom… He looked so happy. I… I don't want it to hurt this much. It shouldn't hurt this much."

"You don't deserve to go through this, Usagi. No one does. You still love him. Seeing him with another woman will hurt no matter what."

"A prettier, probably smarter women," I added, my voice muffled by the material of her shirt. I could feel the tears well up in my eyes, but I held them back, taking in a deep breath to keep them inside.

"Usagi…" She said, stroking the side of my cheek gently with her finger. "You're a beautiful, intelligent young woman. You're eighteen-years-old and vibrant as ever. If he can't see what a wonderful person you are, then he never deserved you in the first place."

"I wish I could believe that…"

"I wish the same thing. I know this hurts to say, but maybe, since he's moved on… You should move on, too. I know you love him, but sometimes it's better to love and lost than never to love at all." I laughed sadly at the old proverb, lifting my head up a bit to wipe the tears out of my eyes. She gently brushed at the sides of my eyes, smiling down softly. "You have no idea how proud I am to be your mother."

I returned her smile with one of my own, and sat fully up onto my bed, sniffling. "You're right, mom. I should move on. I haven't dated ever since we broke up. Maybe if I move on, it'll get my mind off him."

I said the words, but I knew in my heart that they couldn't be true. I would never forget him; his caresses, his sweet kisses, his warm hugs. Everything about him I loved. I just wish he felt the same about me. Every time I would express my feelings, he would say 'Thank you', and that's it. Sometimes 'I love you', but only if I said it first. Come to think of it, he hadn't said he loved me before I said it to him once in our relationship. Maybe… he didn't feel that way and only said it to make me feel better. Just thinking about it made my stomach churn.

"I hope so. No boy is worth your tears."

I nodded. Though I was really thinking, 'He is.'

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I woke up around seven in the morning, in my own bed, for once. I wanted so badly to fall back asleep, but my thoughts got in the way. I love Mamoru with all my heart. I don't think anything is going to change that. Is mom right, though? Could I really love someone else as much as I love him? Well, maybe not as much, but close to it.

She was right. I needed to get out of this slump. It's been long overdue, and soon I'll be past my expiration date. I mean, I can't mope around until I'm some thirty-year-old, waiting for him to come back, could I? What kind of life would that be? Not one I thought I'd ever live. I figured we would get married, have children, and I would be a housewife. That was my dream for the longest time. Now, things aren't the same anymore. I actually had decent grades, which is much more than I ever thought I could have, and sometimes I even wonder what it would be like to go to a nice college. Maybe become a career woman. I don't know…

Sighing in frustration, I threw the comforter off me, all the heat leaving my body. Knowing I wouldn't get any more sleep anytime soon, I pulled on a pair of loose, hip-hugging jeans and a plain tank top, slipping my light pink jacket to cover my arms. Soon I was out the front door without any kind of notice to my parents. Not that they would believe that I was up this early. I needed to walk around for a bit and get used to living here again.

The sun was just barely over the horizon, the sky as clear as ever, a glow shined from the streets. It spread through the buildings, and soon, the whole area shined with a soft yellow light. Stores were beginning to open up, turning the "closed" signs in the window back to "open" for new loads of customers. Then I thought that maybe the arcade was open. Motoki opened up around six-thirty, for the young business people roaming around that needed an early morning cup of coffee. Besides, I could use a good video game right now. I'll never grow out of playing them.

Speeding up my pace, I arrive there, and sure enough, it was open. The big windows against each booth showed it was empty at the moment, except for Motoki, who was wiping down the booths with an old rag. Smiling, I sped inside the door, hearing the jangle of the bells. He looked up to see who it was, a smile showing on his face as soon as he saw me.

"Usagi-chan! Wait a minute… You're up this early?" he questioned me, throwing the rag onto his shoulder.

I walked up to him, giving him a short hug, and said, "Yeah, shocking, isn't it?"

"Sure is."

"Truth is, I couldn't really sleep. Thinking too much. You know."

"Do I! Sometimes I'd lay in my bed at night, thinking about anything from lima beans to if I'd left money in my pocket from earlier and accidentally washed them."

A laugh escaped me, and I walked past him, taking a seat at the counter. I almost never sat here, but since I was alone, it didn't matter. Booths are more for socializing, anyway.

He followed behind me, standing behind the counter. "Anything I can get you?"

"Coffee would be nice."

He blinked a bit. "Coffee? I didn't know you drank coffee."

"Well, I don't, really. I just figure that's what everyone has in the morning, so why not?"

He strolled over to the coffee maker, saying, "All right, one coffee coming up! I'll put extra sugar and cream in it."

"Thanks! It's really gross without anything in it. I don't know how people can actually swallow it plain."

He chuckled. "I know what you mean… Oh, I didn't even notice! Your hair is shorter!"

"Yeah," I said, fiddling with a lock of my blonde hair, now coming to the middle of my back. "The family I stayed with suggested I get it cut, so I thought, why not? They took me to this salon, and the guy layered it and everything. I think that's what it's called, anyway. All the girls in America seem to have it."

He smiled gently and commented, "It looks really nice on you. I sometimes wish Minako would cut her hair… It gets in the way."

"Of what?"

A light blushed formed along the bridge of his nose, and as he was pouring the coffee into a small mug, he stuttered, "Oh… N… nothing."

For a moment, I couldn't see why he suddenly became so nervous. Then it came to me. "It gets in the way of making out, doesn't it?" He continued to blush, adding all the crème and sugar into my coffee and stirring it.

"I knew it! So… How is she?" I asked, trying my best not to giggle. He nearly dropped the coffee as he set it in front of me.

"Usagi-chan!"

"What, I just want to know!"

He leaned his elbows onto his side of the counter, a dreamy look held in his eyes. "She's… incredible."

"Well, don't tell her that. Her ego doesn't need another boost."

"Tell me about it. She always hits for me to give her some kind of compliment, and when I don't, she'll run off and won't talk to me for a couple days. Then she'll call me and everything will be better."

I blew on top of the coffee, the steam disappearing for a moment, then reappearing over the cup again. "Yeah, well, that's Minako for you. You either love her or you hate her."

He still had a dreamy look in his eyes as he said, "Fortunately I chose to love her."

"And she chose to love you back."

He grinned slightly. "Yep, a poor, old slob like me, working minimum wage at a café slash arcade."

"Come on, Motoki-chan," I told him, continuing to blow across the rim of my cup once and awhile. "You don't give yourself enough credit."

"Yeah, well, I can't help it. I'm a modest kinda guy," he pushed himself up from the counter top and wiped the slick surface with the dirty rag that was sitting across his shoulder.

"So, Usagi-chan… What were you thinking about?"

I took the coffee into my hands, cradling the hot mug in my hands, then repeated, "Thinking about?"

"Yeah, you said earlier that you couldn't sleep because you were thinking too much."

I frowned at the mention of it, hiding it behind my mug. I shrugged my shoulders. "Nothing too special. Random things, I guess."

"You sure?"

Blinking, I wondered if he was trying to read my thoughts. Could he tell I was thinking about Mamoru? I hoped not. After all, they were best friends. If he told him, Mamoru would know I was still in love with him, and he couldn't know. I had to make him think I was strong now.

"Sure I'm sure! Now let me drink my coffee in peace, you baka," I said playfully, even throwing out a reassuring smile.

I took a sip of the coffee, biting back the sour taste that the sugar didn't mask, and swallowed it. Another customer walked inside, which was signaled by the upbeat chime from the bell on the door. He busied himself with a short, thirty-something-year-old man, who groggily demanded coffee. Motoki took his order in all his cheerfulness, but the man snapped at him, telling him to get it faster or else he would take his business elsewhere. Geeze, someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed this morning.

Another chime sounded as I took a sip of my coffee, staring out blankly into space. I was very good at this after daydreaming so much in school, especially in any boring classes. And to me, all classes in some way or another are boring. Well, except for art. That class was fun since we didn't have to do any actual writing work.

While I was carelessly daydreaming, someone stepped up onto the seat a few stools away from me, a deep voice saying, "Coffee, Motoki."

I nearly choked on the coffee I was about to swallow. Wiping the dribble up from the corner of my mouth, I glanced over at the person. There was Mamoru, his face buried in a large newspaper. I could barely make out his face from the newspaper blocking my view, but I saw enough to make my insides shrivel up. There he was, two seats away from me, reading the newspaper like he would on any normal day of the week. And there I was, staring at him for a long time, my blue eyes wide at the very presence of him. Had he seen me? Was he trying to ignore me?

He might've not noticed me, since all he really saw was probably the back of my head, which had no odangoes like he was used to so long ago. If I had worn those, he would've recognized me in an instant. Desperately, I searched silently for Motoki, but all he could give me was a sympathetic glance as he gave Mamoru his order. Not knowing what to do, I turned my head in the opposite direction, pretending to be very interested in something out the window. Hunching up over my coffee, I swirled my finger along the top of the liquid nervously, not caring about the burning against the tip of my finger.

I froze when I heard his voice directed toward me, saying, "Miss, could you hand me the sugar?"

Inwardly sighing in relief, I glanced up toward the sugar packets lying out of his reach, and extended my hand out, pushing them along the counter toward him without a glance. As soon as they were within reach, he picked the container up, his fingers brushing up against mine. For a split second, I felt a spark of energy rush from my fingers and run through my whole body, making me visibly shiver. What the hell was that? Butterflies?

"Thank you…" he said very slowly, almost accusingly. Had he felt something, too? Keeping my head completely turned away from him, I once again pretended to be engrossed in something happening outside the window. Then the worst happened. Minako walked past the window and entered the arcade, yelling, "Motoki-chan! It's your favorite girlfriend! Oh, hi, Usagi-chan! You're up early."

Shit. She had to say something, didn't she? Didn't she see Mamoru sitting there? I averted my eyes toward her for a second, as I saw her standing near the front door, guilt written all over her face. Oh, now you realize he's here.

"Usa… gi?" I heard Mamoru choke out. I turned my gaze to him, his face completely white, almost as if he'd seen a ghost. Well, to him, I guess I am a ghost. My heart ached at the sight of his eyes looking into mine. He blinked, probably trying to process that I was actually here, sitting next to him. Rubbing the back of my neck with my hand, I turned my eyes away from him. I couldn't bear to stare at him anymore. Every moment I looked at him, I wanted to throw myself into his arms and hug the dear life out of him… But he doesn't feel that way anymore, and he has a girlfriend. I couldn't.

"Hi… Mamoru," I said after a few, long seconds of silence. My gaze was held on the tiling of the floor, anywhere but directly into his eyes.

"I didn't know you were back…" his voice was very soft as he said this.

"Yeah," was my short response.

"So, how are you?" he questioned. Yeah, like you really cared how I was. You couldn't give a crap how I felt right now, how much I wanted to touch you, how much loss I felt just by hearing your voice just knowing I could never have you again.

A lump seeming to be permanently lodged in my throat, I told him, "I'm all right." I took a quick glance at Minako, who bit her lip and took small strides toward me. She then stood next to me, seeing the shock across Mamoru's face, and the despair in mine. The silence between Mamoru and I was beginning to become unbearable.

"Usagi-chan, let's go out for breakfast, my treat," she told me, though I didn't really have a say in the matter since she grabbed onto my arm and practically dragged my out of the arcade. I didn't look back as we exited through the front door. Letting go of my arm after we had been walking for a bit, suddenly we stopped. Wearily, I dropped into her welcoming arms, my frame shaking from the tears draining out of my eyes. She placed her arms comfortingly around my waist, burying her own head into the crook of my neck. I felt like my body could collapse at any moment. Mamoru was there, talking to me… I couldn't believe how awful that made me feel to stare into the same eyes that broke my heart two years ago. I guess it still hasn't mended. Even after all this time…

So there I was, pouring my eyes out to my best friend in the whole world, right in the middle of a busy sidewalk, not caring who saw me.

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