Title: Shipwrecked

Author: Lisa

Chapter: 6

Rating: PG

Author's Notes:

Hi everyone – sorry it's been awhile, work really has been ramping up recently. Anyway, here's chapter 6. I'm bumping up the rating a bit since there's more fluff in this chapter. ;) Hope you enjoy, and please do leave a review at the end! Thanks!

Disclaimer: Sailor Moon and the others don't belong to me, but this story does.


"You know, Mamo-chan," she breathed, "that was my first kiss."

It had come out so naturally, so nonchalantly, that any passing observer would've assumed she'd been calling him by that name forever. As soon as her not-so-secret-anymore pet name had slipped out from her traitorous lips, Usagi's face flushed so red that she was sure it now glowed in the dark. Sure, she had called him 'Mamo-chan' a few (closer to countless, but who was keeping count anyway) in her musings since fate had decided to throw them together in this pathetic scramble for survival, but she had vowed never to actually make him privy to her girlish fantasies. Too late for that now, she cringed, not daring to look up in fear of his less-than-pleased reaction.

Not to mention the fact that she had just shared a kiss with Mamoru that had so surpassed her dreams—no easy feat—that made all those fairytale endings she'd devoured over the years seem like child's play. What did it all mean, and how were they going to move forward from this? If it weren't pitch black and pouring rain outside, Usagi would've more than happily taken another trip to replenish supplies. Anything to get away from the 'Mamo-chan' in question and delay the inevitable talk that may very well leave her heartbroken.

Mamoru's mind was doing similar gymnastics at the sudden, intense shift in their dynamic. He licked his lips out of habit and savored the faint taste of Usagi's sweetness that lingered. He'd kissed a few girls before Usagi, and while nice, he had never felt that…well, excited by them. The sheer rush of adrenaline that coursed through his veins like wildfire, the heat that spread through his body from her closeness and the way her hands grabbed and clung to him—it was like nothing he had ever experienced. He had dreamed of kissing her, but here was one of life's rare moments where reality exceeded expectations. To think it was her very first kiss—Mamoru's chest swelled with primal pride from the thought that he had been her first—and what did he call her just now? Mamo-chan? He would gladly be her Mamo-whatever as long as it meant having his tiny angel by his side.

Usagi couldn't take the silence anymore. "Gomen," she mumbled lowly, wishing that her face would stop feeling like it would catch on fire at any moment. "I didn't mean to, you know—" She cursed herself. Why did he have to constantly render her an incoherent mess? "Can we just, you know, pretend it never happened?" She offered him a sheepish smile.

"And if I told you I liked it?" He returned her smile with one so big the corners of his mouth started hurting.

She peeked up at him incredulously. "Which—which part?"

"All of it," he returned smoothly, and in one fluid movement, he secured the shaking yet all-too-willing blonde in his arms again.

"I—" It was all too much for her tired brain to process.

"I have one condition though," he whispered, his warm breath tickling the hairs around her ear as she shivered involuntarily.

"H-hai?" she managed to squeak, still having trouble believing that this man, of all people, could feel the same way about her as she did him.

"I'd like to call you Usako," he said, sounding more confident than he was feeling. "After all, it's only fair that I get an endearment if you do."

"Usako…" She played with the word against her tongue, relishing the way it sounded. It felt so…right. She wouldn't have it any other way. "Deal." She pushed her face into his ragged shirt and smiled widely as his quickening heartbeat.

The pair laid there in silence while the storm continued to wreak havoc outside, enjoying the newfound bliss of their budding closeness. After awhile, though, Usagi pulled away and faced Mamoru. Maybe it was too soon to ask. Maybe she should just enjoy the feel of his arms wrapped decidedly around her. But she couldn't help the next question that slipped out as abruptly as her pet name for Mamoru.

"What are we?"

She felt his muscles tense beneath her immediately, and her stomach sank. "What do you want us to be?" He replied quietly at last, his words barely audible over the shrill whistling wind outside.

Usagi wasn't sure, if she were truly honest with herself. He was everything she had dreamed of, everything that now seemed to be firmly within her grasp. She spoke haltingly yet truthfully. "All I know is…I want you. I want for us to be together." Usagi gave his hand a squeeze and felt reassurance in the way he responded in kind, his fingers matching the strength of her touch.

"That's all I want too," he responded fervently. "Usako, you have no idea."

No more words were needed as his lips closed over hers once more.

They rode out the storm into the wee hours, exchanging touches and whispers as each sought to feel and get to know the other with a hunger that was as insatiable as it was incomprehensible. They talked about their childhood, their parents, school, anything and everything until Usagi thought she might burst (in the best way possible, of course) from Mamoru-overload. Yet still she wanted to learn more.

"Mamo-chan." She raised warm fingers to his cheek. "It's strange, isn't it, how something so horrible could turn into this? Not to say I wouldn't have rather met you under different circumstances, but…is it wrong to say I'm happy?" She sighed, her thoughts scattering. "I'm not making much sense, am I?"

Mamoru grabbed the hand that was caressing his face and planted a soft kiss on each finger, to Usagi's delight. "You make perfect sense," he said simply.

Usagi settled against his shoulder with a soft sigh as the weight of her eyelids gradually became overpowering. "Mamo-chan…I wish…"

He kissed the top of her head. "What, Usako?" But his little rabbit had already fallen fast asleep.


The storm had passed just a little before dawn, and by the time Mamoru woke up, the sunlight had all made the pelting rain and harsh winds a distant memory. Usagi was still asleep, her lips slightly parted and turned upward in a picture of contentment. She was breathtaking, and Mamoru couldn't help but steal a kiss. As his lips moved slowly against hers, he felt her stir and heard her moan softly before feeling the matching pressure of her lips against his. Usagi's lips quickly grew more insistent as she snaked her arms around his neck, pulling him toward her until she felt that she might melt from his kisses.

"Well, that's one way to wake a girl up in the morning." Usagi grinned widely and offered him a hearty thumbs up with her good hand. "I could definitely get used to this."

Mamoru matched her smile and watched with wordless admiration as she pushed herself up and stretched her sore muscles. Usagi tried to some damage control with her hair before giving up with a sigh. If Mamoru still found her desirable enough to kiss awake, then that was good enough for her.

Her gaze shifted to the man in question and down to the bandages on his side that appeared to be coming lose (no doubt she was partially to blame in the way she had thrown herself at him last night). She felt a shiver run down her spine as the reality of their situation sent her crashing back to the ground from her dizzying high.

"How are you feeling?" Usagi asked quickly as her uninjured hand went to inspect his wounded side gently.

"Never better," Mamoru quipped lightly and promptly received a light slap on his shoulder. "Really, the pain isn't bad at all anymore…thanks to you." His ocean-blue eyes bore into hers, and for the thousandth time, she felt herself drowning and unable to breathe.

"Well, I'll be the judge of that," Usagi returned smoothly before lifting up his shirt. She gulped as she surveyed his lean, toned abdomen—not that she hadn't seen him exposed before—but after last night... All of a sudden, she was able to express her attraction to him. And she was utterly, undeniably attracted him. In fact, she was in danger, so much danger, of falling more and more in love with him with each passing minute.

Usagi finished re-bandaging as quickly as she could manage and pulled his shirt down, releasing a breath she hadn't realized she was holding. "All done."

"Arigato…truly." As gently as possible, he reached for her broken hand and cradled it against his own. "I wish I could do more for you," he murmured, his eyes darkening from the intensity of his gaze. "You've given me so much." He kissed her bandaged hand, and she gasped audibly. "For good luck…to help it heal faster." Although Usagi couldn't feel it through the rags, she felt it in her very core, and she couldn't begin to articulate how much his simple gesture moved her. The man was good, she had to give him that.

"I'm going to survey the damage," she choked out and pointed in the general direction of the cave's opening. "Maybe gather some more supplies."

He nodded and gave her arm a reassuring squeeze. "Be careful, Usako."


Usagi was gone for a little over an hour, yet it might as well have been a day to Mamoru. He tapped his nails impatiently against the cave wall, letting the steady rhythm and faint echoes distract him from his paranoia. It wasn't like she hadn't made the trip before. But given everything that had happened last night, he felt more anxious than ever. He couldn't lose her, not now, not when he finally… Mamoru shook his head furiously until his vision blurred and the walls spun before him in dizzying circles. He really needed to get out of this cave if he had any hope of preserving his sanity.

He nearly cried out in relief when he heard faint sounds of movement from the opening, before a mop of gold blessed his sight. Her face was flushed with exertion, her blond tresses slightly tousled and frizzy from the humidity, and for not the first time that day, Mamoru was rendered breathless by her effortless perfection.

Usagi plopped herself next to him with a small sigh before offering him a large leaf filled with berries. "Miss me?" she grinned as she helped herself to a handful.

'More than you know.' To think that they had not known about each other's existence mere weeks ago—now he couldn't imagine a life without her.

Mamoru only smiled before joining her in their meager feast. Having temporarily satiated their hunger, the pair sat in quiet companionship before Usagi pushed herself up with a low grunt.

"Better get our escape beacon set up again," she announced cheerfully and managed to take a single step before the warmth of Mamoru's hand on her wrist stopped her in her tracks.

"Let me go with you," he said, looking up into her sky-blue eyes with thinly veiled desperation. "At least let me be somewhat more useful than dead weight."

She slapped him gently for his unfortunate choice of words before her eyes darkened. "Are you sure you're strong enough?"

"Let's find out." He placed one hand against the wall and began rising slowly, ignoring the various parts of his body that protested the offending movement. Usagi was by his side in an instant as she wrapped her good arm around his waist, her eyes encouraging him to lean into her for support. She could hear his heart pounding beneath the thin fabric of his shirt, could feel his muscles straining as he stood, and she shook her head as her mind wandered. Now was certainly not the time to become distracted…

They took one step together, then two, their bodies moving together in unison until Mamoru was finally able to feel the sunlight on his face again. She helped him sit down on the soft white sand, and he swallowed back a groan. Instead, he focused on the task at hand and began arranging the bark she had gathered in the most optimal arrangement to produce the smoke that was their last chance at returning home.

They sat on the beach for hours, simply talking and listening to the gentle crash of the waves.

"How could something so beautiful cause something so devastating?" Usagi murmured, her eyes glued to the blue waters and her heart jumping with each incoming tide. She nestled deeper into Mamoru's shoulder, basking in the warmth of the setting sun.

"That's life, I suppose," Mamoru mused and placed a quick kiss on her hair. "How could one person cause another unspeakable joy or pain? There's always going to be give and take, good and bad."

"Mamo-chan the philosopher—who would've guessed?" She giggled at the cleverness of her own quip before sneaking a sideways glance at him.

"Come on," he smiled, "we should probably head in before it gets dark."

Usagi pouted girlishly. "You're no fun." Even as she complained, however, she began pulling herself up, busying herself with dusting off the sand that seemed to be everywhere despite her best efforts.

"Usako."

The tone in his voice suddenly changed, drawing her away from a particularly nasty patch of sand on her pants.

"Mamo-chan, what—"

"Shhh," he said abruptly, and Usagi started with shock.

"What—"

"Don't you hear it?" His voice was louder now, filled with an excitement that she had never heard before. Filled with a hope that she didn't dare to have.

It was then that she heard it too, faint as it was—a ship's horn sounding in the distance. The sound of their salvation.


Yes, "Shipwrecked" is finally coming to an end! It's been a long time coming, so I'm excited to get this wrapped up and move on to new stories. I expect one more chapter and a short epilogue after this. Will try to update as soon as I can – please stayed tuned, and leave me a review! I love hearing from you. :)

This story was written and posted March 2016.