28. Motoki
The first time Mamoru introduced Motoki to the shitennou, he was not exactly sure what to expect.
For instance, his friendship with the former shitennous was still somewhat new and tender as they were still getting to know each other. Also, even though they felt like they knew each other from before, they were not aware of the life that bound them together in the past.
However, Motoki did.
Motoki in a way was Mamoru's version of Usagi's Naru. He met him at the elementary school the orphanage arranged him to attend several years ago. Motoki was a really outgoing child and took an almost instant liking to the quiet and shy Mamoru.
They had a rocky start… but once Motoki managed to get Mamoru to lower his barriers, they hit it off marvellously.
They had been inseparable since, in Mamoru's words, Motoki was the bother he wished he had. As such, the both of them helped each other with the struggles and problems life threw at them and sharing the blessings they were able to obtain.
It was Motoki who first knew of Mamoru's crush on Usagi.
It was Mamoru who kept Motoki Company when things didn't work out with Reika.
And it was Motoki, after Usagi of course, who first learnt about the return of the Shitennou.
(In fact, the whole reunion idea was Motoki's as well)
Fortunately for Mamoru, the reunion went great.
At first it was kind of awkward, mostly because not all of them knew of Motoki's existence. However, a joint effort between Yuusaku and Motoki managed to get things to run smoothly.
(There were comments about the kind of menace they unleashed to the world when they were introduced, but that's a story for another moment.)
But in the end, everything was alright