A Time to Love

Chapter 4

By the way, and contrary to 'popular belief', I don't own Sailor Moon. Damn.

Oh, well, thank you Naoko Takeuchi, for unwittingly allowing me and everyone else to use your people in stories. Tchau.

"Please, do sit down," Ikuko's crisp voice broke the awkward silence that had greeted Mamoru and Usagi when they entered the Tsukino living room where Tsukino Kenji, Usagi's father, sat with a grim set to his face.

"And to what do we owe this pleasure, Chiba Mamoru?" Kenji turned to face Mamoru as he spoke.

"I'm sorry, sir – may we sit, or at least, may I, while Usagi goes to collect some of her things?" Mamoru carefully phrased what he said to give Usagi some time to herself to figure out her feelings about what she could now guess Mamoru had planned.

"So it begins. Sure, have a seat, fill me in, and talk to me while Usagi collects what she can. We'll send the rest along later," Kenji said the last with an air of finality.

Usagi ran up to her room after she realized what was going on. Mamoru was going to be taking care of her – she was going to live with Mamo-chan! Where did that come from? (a.n: from a lovesick author, that's where) She motioned to her mother as she climbed the stairs, needing some time with her before Usagi would leave her parents' house.

"I knew that this was coming. At least he will be a doctor, eventually. He'll be able to give you all you will ever need and could ever want in a few years – are you sure you don't want to wait till he is working full time?" Ikuko asked her daughter, her voice full of sadness and regrets, "We tried to give you what we could… but your father could only work so much, and he never could let me work. We just love you so much."

"Oh, Mama! This is nothing to do with money – even though he has inherited a lot, from what I know of him. What it comes down to is that you guys don't even care about where I go or who I am with so long as I get to school and you don't get called to the police box. I know that you love me, and I love you, but the time is right for me to go with him. I love him, and he'll love me – once he realizes the fact," Usagi held her mother, who had crumpled into tears as the two reached Usagi's childhood bedroom.

The two women went into the room and sat on Usagi's bed. Usagi got up and began to pack clothes into suitcases and belongings into some old backpacks and duffel bags that she hadn't used in years. Ikuko was silent as she watched her daughter decide what she would take with her now and what she and Kenji would pack later, to be dropped off or picked up at everyone's convenience.

Her precious baby girl, whom they had tried to be the best for, was all grown up. And the damn family cat wasn't even there to say good-bye.

"Tsukino-san, I want to tell you first –"

"Save it. Is she pregnant? Is that why she feels the need to leave all of a sudden?" Kenji asked, but his voice lacked the heat it once had when interrogating males of an age with Usagi.

"No, she isn't pregnant, sir. She just wants to live somewhere with someone who cares about where she is, how school is, and can basically give her the emotional support she needs," Mamoru tried to rein in his anger at the lack of concern Kenji was showing, and he wasn't making a good show of it.

"Let me guess: she isn't getting that support here. I will tell you something, boy, and you better listen real close to me, Chiba. She is a handful. She goes out all the time. Ikuko and I tried to give her more attention, but it aggravated the situation; we ignored it, it stayed the same. We had to give up – it was tearing us apart, and we still have Shingo to worry about. To tell the truth, it is kind of a relief to know that someone will take care of her; at least she won't be here to lead Shingo astray," Kenji spoke harshly, but his voice had gotten gruff by the end of his statement.

"So long as Shingo – Jesus Christ, man. She is your daughter. Aren't you afraid that I'll take advantage of her, use her up, toss her aside!" Mamoru had finally lost his tenuous hold on his fury. He stood up grabbed Kenji by the collar, and shook the smaller man.

"No. I know that you are a better man than that. You'll treat her right, take care of her. And if she ever wants to, she can come back to us."

"You bet your ass I'll take damn good care of her! I'll treat her with more love and respect than you ever did! And when she's ready, I'm adding her to my family register. That's right, Kenji, I'm taking your daughter, and I'm gonna marry her, too!"

"Bravo and good show. But shouldn't we date a little first?" Usagi clapped as she entered the room, "I appreciate the sentiment, but I wish that I'd been the first to know. Papa, Mama is in my room, and I will call the end of the week to see how to arrange for my belongings. Mamo-chan, I've got what I will need for a little while, but we need to go shopping for a few things, so we should leave. I love you Papa, and I will see you around."

Usagi unwrapped Mamoru's fingers from her father's collar and led him out of the house, the two of them pausing to grab what things Usagi had packed to take with them.

As the two stepped out the door, the neighborhood resounded with a strangely soft voice.

So mote it be.

Usagi piled her stuff into the back of Mamoru's sports car. "Not very practical, is it? When we do get married, we'll need one a little less flashy, don't you think?"

"Usagi, I want you to know that I didn't say that to put any pressure on you, and I also don't want any ultimatums from you about a wedding. You are still young, and I think that I should at least be in my residency by the time we get married," Mamoru explained gently, as he was expecting a loud wail and much hitting.

"Fine by me. Wanted to give ya a test run, anyways. What'll you do if I don't want to marry you?"

"What do you mean what'll I do? There's no way you wouldn't want to marry me. I'm handsome, damn smart, I can cook, and above all, you'll never meet anyone as modest as I am," Mamoru was trying to regain his lighthearted banter with the little blonde, but his nerves were shot. I really am going to marry her, aren't I? Christ… and I'm not even the one who had the head injury.