Author's Notes: Hey, sorry for the tardiness, I'm terrible, I know, I know... But since I had the afternoon shift in school this week, there was nothing I could do, I was too tired to write after school... Ah. Well, this is way shorter than it should be, I know and I'm sorry, but it's better than nothing, right? But this is that sensitive time when they're crossing the border, y'know, breaking the iceand becomingvery close.I need it for the rest of the story, and I thought that it'll be best if it's described in only one chapter... but, I doubt you're very interested in that -grin-. So, on with the story!

Oh, and my deepest apologies to Phantasy Star. In Chapter One, I said thanks to Starlit Warrior (who's also very dear to me for great reviews) for leaving me a great review on What Trust Can Do, and it was actually Phantasy Star, but the dumb me wrote Starlit Warrior. GOMENNASAI! So, I'm sorry to both of you, and I thank you, Phantasy Star for leaving me a great review. Gomennasai again!

Oh, yes, I don't know why there are all those damn connected words! If somebody might know, can you tell me how to fix it? Phantasy Star said that something might be wrong with my word processor. I really don't know, so if you do, please tell me! Thanks!

Enjoy!

Title: Love So Far Away - Chapter Two
Rating: K+
Author: Sabreen

Love So Far Away - Chapter Two

'Wow. Really. Wow.'

Mamoru sat on his couch like a sack and buried his head into his hands. Peering through his fingers, he looked at the little girl taking off her shoes. Her hair.. her beautiful hair... The two perfect spheres which lay peacefully and solemnly upon her head...The two ponytails which fell down her shoulders... He closed his eyes.

'Wow.'

She entered the room silently, but still interrupting the unbearable silence with her small feet tapping on the carpeted floor. She sat next to him, sighing and looking around his living room. He leaned against his sofa, his hands in his lap, resting peacefully.

"Waa, your apartment is so big!" she commented. Through all his thoughts, partially troubled, and partially happy, he smiled.

"I'm glad you like it," he replied, and got up. He put his hands on his hips and scratched the back of his head, somehow at a loss.

"Um... would you like something to eat or something? I know you just ate at the arcade, but still.." She looked up at him and shook her head, yawning.

"No... I'm just a little bit tired, though." Mamoru nodded and sat next to her.

One thankful occurence was that she had adjusted to him very easily. They walked to his apartment chattering happily, even when there was nothing much to chatter about. They mainly talked about the things in the Crown arcade - the things she found strange or funny, or such. She obviously wasn't scared so much, but he didn't know why- either she was so confused for just waking up in the middle of nowhere that she didn't know what she was doing, or she attached to people very easily. 'Which wouldn't surprise me a bit,' he thought, remembering his Odango's always cheery and friendly talks with her friends and everybody she knew, even if she met somebody for the first time.

So maybe this isn't so bad after all. Mamoru smiled to himself.

"C'mon, let's tuck you in," he said and moved towards his bedroom. But she didn't move a muscle, but just kept sitting, and stared at her hands in her lap. He heard no steps, and he turned to her, noticing that something wasn't okay at once. As soon as he'd noticed it, the once again heavy silence was interrupted by a small, gentle voice, filled with fear.

"Mamoru-san... What's going to happen to me?" she asked. He sighed and ran his hand through his hair, not knowing the answer himself. Biting his lip, he unsurely walked back to the couch to sit next to her. Once he sat, he covered her small hands with his big one, looking at her softly. She looked up at him, tears glistening in her azure eyes.

"Usagi-chan..." he started unsteadily, not knowing what to say. Finally, he gulped and continued, deciding he'll tell her what he was sure of.

"Honestly, I don't know what's going to happen in the future, where will you end up, how will you grow up... I don't know. But one thing's for sure - you'll be with me as long as you can. I'm not giving you up to anybody or anyone who wants to take you away and doesn't have the right to, I'll protect you and comfort you and give you everything you need as long as you're with me." While he was talking, he started to move the little blonde bangs behind her ear, stroking her temple gently while doing so. Her frightened expression softened, the tension of her body wasn't as strong, and it was obvious that she liked the touch.

"But... how long am I going to be here with you?" she whispered. He squeezed her little hands in her lap more tightly, giving her his reassurances.

"I told you," he replied, his voice a husky whisper too, "I don't know. But as long as I can, I promise you."

"Really promise?" she asked, asking for certainty. He smiled a bit.

"Hai. Really promise." And before he had the time to figure it out, she had launched herself in his arms, squeezing him as tightly as she could around his chest. A little bit surprised, he returned the embrace with equal enthusiasm.

"You won't leave me?" A muffled voice was heard from his black sweater.

"Never."

"You'll be there for me?"

"Always."

"You'll help me when I'm sad?"

"There'll be no time when I won't."

Mamoru -

I was mesmerized at the sudden surge of caring for that little girl at that particular moment. The feeling of ecstasy when Ithought I'll have her by my side, of happiness that she cared for me so much, of endearment when I realized how important I had suddenly become in her life. For the first time, I mattered to someone. Motoki always loved me as his best friend, and my other friends cared for me, but to think that I was my Usako's center of the universe... and nobody's but my Usako's... The thought might have thrown me into a very delirious shock.

Ha, Usako. What a beautiful name for her...

If it had been any other girl, I wouldn't become so intimate so soon. It would've taken weeks, months, years, but I also maybe would never get so close to someone. I wondered why, what was it in this girl that I started to care for her so much? What was it that made her so different from any other girl that would be in the same situation? At first, I had no idea whatsoever. But then...

Maybe it was jealousy.

I remembered when she would barge in the arcade, shining her light on every friend of hers, everyone she knew. She considered every and each one of her friends and family crucial to her life, and she thought her heart would break in two and die in her chest if something happened to either of them. But, I was the only one, the only person in that arcade that she didn't give a damn to what happens to him. I was forced to sit there, drink my coffee and watch her looking at the people shecared about with love, telling Motoki happily everything that was going on in her life, unconsciously reaching out and holding her heart out on her palm, giving it to him for granted. Her beautiful, pure, gentle heart that could be crushed in a moment, but she still persistently continued with giving it out to everybody.

Everybody except me.

But it was different now. Now, I was her center, the only one who existed for her. She cared for me deeply, considering me her saviour, her guardian, her comfort. I could see it in her eyes... How giddy I have felt when I saw her, in my mind's eye, slowly, but trustingly, reaching out and giving her heart to me. Her small, gentle and so vulnerable, child heart. But, I wasn't so strong either. What she did to me in those two hours since I met the miniature version of her, I'll never know. I bet she did it unconsciously, but that didn't lower the effect. Suddenly, the cold ice around my heart melted, and before I knew it, I was reaching out and giving my own, hurt and bleeding heart out to her to mend it...

Shaking my head, I chuckled at myself. God, what am I rambling about? I don't understand half of the stuff myself! I'm starting to believe Motoki that I'm the most complicated person in Tokyo.

Finally, after what seemed a century, we parted from our loving embrace. I smiled and got up, reaching out for her hand, to take her to go to sleep.

I (the author) -

She smiled back and took his hand, following him to his bedroom. Once there, he released her hand and put his on his hips, biting his lip in thought.

"Well, I've got another mattress, but you'd have to sleep on it on the floor until we get you a proper bed... Would that be a problem? Or would you like to sleep in my bed this night?" She shook her head happily, her ponytails swooshing swiftly through the air around her head.

"No, it'll be cool to sleep on the floor! And, it's just one night," she shrugged.

"Okay then. Um, I'll just go get it, and you... Well, you can get ready for bed. Here," he said, opening his closet, "there you have a whole bunch of my short-sleeved tees so pick one, I'm afraid I don't have anything else," he grinned. She returned the smile and dove in his large closet to pick her 'bedtime clothes', if you can call it like that. The T-shirts were placed in the farthest right corner of the closet, and since it was so large, she literally had to crawl a good way to get to it. After a short chuckle, he left to get her mattress.

When he came back and placed the mattress in the left corner of his bedroom (his bed was in the same position, in theright corner), he turned to see her. His lips stretched as far as they could, seeing a beautiful scene.

Usagi had found a pink (!) , long-sleeved T-shirt Mamoru's size, and wore it. It came down do her toes, so it looked like she was wearing a beautiful gown. She was turning around in circles, delightedly watching as her 'gown' spread out around her as she did so. She giggled happily, sometimes even closing her eyes.

"Mamo-chan, look! - giggle - I'm a priiiinceeeess, wooo, ha ha ha! Look at me, Mmao-chan! -giggle -" Mamoru laughed, watching her childish games. He enjoyed them just as she did, if not even more.

Suddenly, he approached her and grabbed her around her waist, dipping her slightly. She was still giggling, now looking unsteadily at him.

"Wow, Mamo-chan, you're turning around with the room... And around... And around..." He laughed again and helped her to sit on his bed, to calm her whirling sight for a bit. She giggled one last time, before sighing and closing her eyes. Mamoru laid her down on his bed completely, before he got up, walking to the closet.

"Don't do that too often, you're gonna be sick, you know," he said, looking in his closet for some sheets and blankets. Only disoriented moaning answered him.

He placed the sheet on the bed, spread it and tucked it neatly under the mattress. He placed a blanket or two under the mattress, so that the dust couldn't get in. Putting a pillow and a couple of blankets on it, he came to his bed again, where Usagi was just yawning, undoing her odangoes. Taking her hand in his, he led her of his bed into hers.

"C'mon, sleepyhead, let's tuck you in," he told her teasingly.

When she was in her bed, covered and everything, he kneeled next to her, stroking her head.

"I'm right up across the room if you need anything,okay? Wake me up if you need to, it won't be the end of the world." She nodded. He smiled, his gaze soft.

"Good night, Usako. Sweet dreams."

"Good night."

The night had been even worse than the day. Not only the large drops continued to fall mercilessly, but the thunder and lightning joined it soon enough. One especially loud thunder woke Usagi up, and she couldn't fall asleep for anything. She felt lonely in her bed, in the blinding darkness, and with menacing sounds and flashes that beat against her ears and eyes, although she tried to go back to sleep with all her might. She simply couldn't. With each flash and thunder following she was more and more scared gulping and trying to hold the tears in their ducts. But they were forcing their way through, either from the frightening sound or the creeping loneliness, and she was slowly losing the battle.

Finally, she couldn't take it anymore. She started to shiver, and without any more hesitation, she threw back her covers, got up and slowly ever so slowly, approached Mamoru's bed.

He was sleeping peacefully, not aware at all of what was happening around him. With a scared look on her face, she stood right next to his bed, with her both hands on her chest.

"Mamo-chan," she whispered, her voice betraying her, "Mamo-chan.." His eyes fluttered gently, and if it weren't for her continuous gentle calls, he would have gotten back to sleep. But, since she kept on calling his name, he woke up from his deep slumber, suddenly very aware of his surroundings, and looked at the scared little girl. He propped himself up on his elbow, and looked at her fully, taking notice of her shivering figure and glassy eyes.

"Usako, what...?" She bowed her head and sniffled.

"A... a thunder woke me up.. and.. and I couldn't go back to sleep..." she raised her head to look up at him, "I'm afraid of thunderstorms..."

The sad and scared look in her eyes made him shiver in an unknown uneasiness, that spread through his body like venom. To see her like this, so scared, shaking, shivering with fear, with tears in her eyes... made him want to cry too.

Quickly, he took the covers with his right hand and rose them upinto the air, so it was clear that she could snuggle in beside him.

"Come," he whispered. She obliged right away and lied down on the warm sheets of his bed. He covered her as soon as she had settled beside him, dragging the covers up to his neck so she could feel warm.

He surrounded her little form with his arm, and she moved closer to him and threw her arm around his waist, gripping him tightly as she would a teddy bear or a dear blanket for protection. He was her protector now, a guardian for a lost child in a middle of a war. He knew that very well, and nothing more or nothing less did he want but to comfort her and give her warmth she needed so much.

But will it be enough in the future, too?

He kept comforting her, stroking her golden hair and saying "Shh" in her ear, until her shivering subsided and she looked half-asleep.

But she wasn't the only one who felt warmer and happier in that bed. She was like a small angel, shining its light on him and regenerating him completely. Her small body gave him such warmth he had never felt. He was bathing in the radiating softness, like somebody had covered him in soft flour, or with a gentle cream with a pearl glow. Listening her small intakes and outtakes of breath, he fell asleep himself.

It was a night with very sweet dreams.

End of Chapter Two -

Again, sorry for the short chapter...

Sabreen