Hello everyone! Here I am again, with the next chapter. I was planning on posting it a bit earlier than this, but I got some troubles with the future chapters, and I wanted to clear it up before I posted again. I haven't managed to fix the problems completely yet, but since it's my birthday tomorrow…well, let's just make this my celebration. :P And no, you may not ask how old I am. Let's just say I'm turning…thirteen. Yeah. Thirteen sounds good.

Ahem! Now that I've ventilated my age-crisis I better bid you a good read. I hope you enjoy this chapter since it's probably the least exciting one in the whole story. But it had to be done. A warning, though, this chapter is the reason why you might want to read Understanding – you don't have to, you'll understand the chapter anyway, but it might be good to do so.

Now, enjoy and please review.

-Cherry

A special thank-you goes to Luna a.k.a Temptation Angel (check her out here at ff. net) for listening to all of my ramblings, reading through this and even commenting it. If it wasn't for you this fic still would have been half baked.

Angels and Demons

Chapter two – Knowledge Retold

Usagi balanced the breakfast tray carefully in her right hand as she raised her, now free, left hand to knock. "Ohayo!" she called happily.

Silence was her only reply and her smile faltered slightly. She opened the door carefully and peeked inside. He seemed to be asleep and she nudged the door as wide open as she could. She tiptoed inside, carefully placing the tray on the bedside table.

She smiled and placed a gentle hand on his brow, not able to resist the temptation. She gasped, jerking her hand back. He was burning up!

She dashed down the stairs and into the kitchen. "Mama!" she called. "Tuxedo Kamen-sama…he has a fever."

Ikuko's eyes widened. "Oh, no… I tried to get that wound as clean as possible. An infection could be lethal… Shimatta!"

Usagi gasped. Whether it was because of the news of an infection being lethal or the fact that she had cursed, Ikuko didn't know.

"If the fever doesn't break soon…" she trailed off.

Usagi bit her lip and her brows furrowed. "Mama… Motoki-onii-san's studying to become a doctor. He might be able to help. I know we can trust him."

Ikuko nodded, signing for her to go and find him. Usagi dashed off, basically leaving a trail of smoke after her.

Ikuko shook her head, an amused smile playing at her lips. "And yet she can't get to school in time…"

Usagi arrived at the Crown Arcade some few moments later. She burst through the automatic doors completely out of breath.

"Ohayo, Usagi-chan! Your usual?" Motoki called from the counter, his usual cheery smile apparent on his face.

"Iie." She gasped, rushing up to the counter. She gripped his hand tightly. "I need your help," she whispered, her eyes begging him to understand.

He blinked, utterly confused with her antics. "Usagi-chan?"

She glanced around, making sure that no one was close enough to listen. "Anou… A friend of mine is hurt," she whispered, her voice low. "He needs medical attention and-"

"Usagi-chan, bring him to a doctor I'm-"

She shushed him. "No, you don't understand!" she hissed. "I found Tuxedo Kamen-sama hurt yesterday. Something had pierced right through his left shoulder and now he's running a fever… We can't bring him to the hospital, it's just too dangerous. Onegai, Motoki-onii-san! Onegai!"

He nodded. "I'll help," he whispered. "I'll meet you at your place in an hour, okay?"

She smiled gratefully, grabbing a napkin and pencil before jolting down her address. "Here." She handed him the napkin. "Arigatou. You have no idea what this means to me," she whispered, leaning up and planting a quick peck on his cheek before rushing out, her long hair streaming after her.

Motoki stared after her for a moment before untying his apron. "Unazuki!" he called. "I need to leave for an hour or two. Look after this place while I'm gone, onegai?" He didn't wait for a reply and dashed off.

Unazuki smiled knowingly. "Have fun with Usagi-chan," she called after him, winking slyly.

Motoki arrived at their door an hour later - on the dot – just as he'd promised. He knocked, nervously clutching a bag in his arms.

Ikuko opened the door slowly, a small smile on her lips. "Motoki-san?"

He nodded. "Hai."

She opened the door, smiling warmly as she let him inside. She reached out with her hand, signing that she could take his jacket, and he handed in to her silently. "Arigatou," she whispered and he was quite certain she wasn't talking about the jacket.

"Oh, there you are, Motoki-onii-san. He's up in the attic. Come, follow me." Usagi smiled, breaking the tension in the room immediately.

Motoki nodded mutely, following her as she scurried up the stairs.

"I've been trying to lower his temperature with cold towels, but I'm not sure it's working. But, he woke up a moment ago, at least." She smiled, opening the small door before peeking inside. "Tuxedo Kamen-sama? The guy I told you about, Motoki-onii-san, he's here." She stepped aside, allowing him entrance.

Motoki smiled. "Konnichi wa." He bobbed his head. "Usagi-chan, gomen ne, but I think you should leave."

She pouted. "Demo-"

He raised his hand. "Iie, Usagi-chan. It's not like that. I just don't think that you should see this. Injuries like these can be rather painful to see. Trust me, I'm a medical student. And," he smiled, "I'm about to take off his shirt…"

A blush graced her cheeks. "I'll, anou, be waiting in the kitchen." She bounced off, closing the door behind her carefully.

Motoki laughed softly. "Oh, Usagi-chan…" He opened his bag, rummaging through it. "Can you take off your shirt by yourself or do you need some help?"

Tuxedo Kamen shook his head. "Iie, I can manage." He moved his hands to unbutton his dress shirt, gritting his teeth from the pain of the movement.

Motoki shook his head, but let him do it on his own, knowing that he wouldn't be satisfied otherwise. "I know you," he stated softly, slipping on a pair of rubber gloves as he talked. "I know that you don't know who I am, but I know you."

Tuxedo Kamen jerked his head upwards, staring at him through his mask. "You know me?" An air of seriousness fell over them.

Motoki tugged the dress shirt off the hero's injured shoulder. "Hai." He signed for him to lie down. "I've known for a while… You accidentally transformed in front of me, do you remember?"

He frowned as he rested against the pillow, thinking back as hard as he could. A memory flashed through his mind. "I remember. You called me the protector."

Motoki laughed. "No, I called you Mamoru," he grinned at Tuxedo Kamen's confused face. "It's a difference. You see, your name is Mamoru. Chiba Mamoru." He prodded the injured area softly.

Tuxedo Kamen gaped as it dawned on him. "How…how well do we know each other?"

Motoki smiled. "We're best friends. You're a bit of a loner." He shrugged. "You're very popular at school - girls swarm you wherever you go - but you keep to yourself, mostly. I'm one of the few people you've opened up to."

"How old am I? What am I studying to? Do I have a girlfriend?" The last question came out more as a croak than anything else.

"You're nineteen and you're studying to become a doctor. And you live alone, no girlfriend or family. Your parents died in an accident when you were six."

"I'm always alone, huh?" He sighed.

"Well, you've got me and Reika, my girlfriend. Gomen," he stated sheepishly as Tuxedo Kamen growled in pain when he accidentally prodded an extra sensitive area of the injury.

"What about Ten—Usagi-san? You seem to know her. Do I know her?"

Motoki nodded. "You know her and you tease her a lot."

Tuxedo Kamen could feel his heart drop to his knees. "I tease her? Why?"

Motoki shrugged. "I don't know. You just do… You keep calling her 'Odango Atama' because of her hair and mock her because of her grades."

He groaned. "She must hate me. I think I hate me."

A small smile tugged at Motoki's lips. "That's the nice thing with Usagi-chan – she never hates."

Seeing her radiant smile and sparkling eyes in his mind, Tuxedo Kamen didn't doubt that for a second.

"Hmm…" Motoki said, stopping his prodding. "It's healing just fine, but it's infected, all right. It's nothing antibiotics won't help with, however…" he paused, rummaging through his bag for a moment, "I only have a few pills left…" He handed him three small pills. "Take one now, one later tonight and one for tomorrow. I'll try to acquire more until then."

Tuxedo Kamen nodded, popping one of the small pills into his mouth with a grimace. He drowned the glass of water, which had been standing on the bedside table beside him, quickly.

Motoki laughed. "I'll see you tomorrow, then, Tuxedo Kamen-sama." He walked out, closing the door behind him. He walked down the stairs and was nearly attacked by the two awaiting females.

"Well?" They cried at the same time.

He couldn't help a small laugh. "Like mother, like daughter. Well, he's healing just fine except for the infection. I've given him all the antibiotics I have. It's barely enough for tomorrow, but I think I might be able to get some more if I claim that I need them for my studies." He shrugged. "He's actually healing very rapidly. I think it might have something to do with his transformation, but it's just a theory."

Usagi frowned, remembering Tuxedo Kamen's passing comment. "In fact, I should have de-transformed by now…" Could this be the reason for him still being transformed?

Motoki glanced at his watch before giving out a loud yelp. "I have to get back to the Arcade; I told Unazuki I'd be back within the hour…" He rushed to the front door, gripping his jacket as he passed. He opened the door hastily, letting a small black cat inside. "Bye," he called, giving them a short wave.

The small black cat leaped into Usagi's arms, settling her protégé under an angry glare.

Ikuko smiled, clearly relieved by Motoki's good news. "I'm going to get some groceries, Usagi. I'll be back in a while."

Usagi squeaked, her eyes flickering nervously between her mother and Luna's piercing gaze. Judging by Luna's angry expression, Usagi sensed that she the time spent alone with the feline probably wouldn't be a very pleasant experience.

"Usagi-chan, I can't believe you brought Tuxedo Kamen here of all the places!" the feline's voice was higher than normal, and Usagi could tell that she wasn't very pleased. "We don't know whether or not he's on our side, if we can-"

Usagi sighed, stroking her cat's head softly. "Demo, Luna, what should I have done? Left him to die on the street? And it wasn't my idea, either. I wanted to bring him to a hospital, but mama and papa told me it wasn't a very good idea, considering who he is."

Luna's eyes softened. Usagi's kind heart never creased to amaze her. "I know, Usagi-chan. I just…I suppose I'm a bit upset that you didn't tell me." She sighed, leaning against Usagi's hand. "Demo, we still don't know whether or not Tuxedo Kamen can be trusted. We need to keep a close eye on him. Are you certain he doesn't know who you are?"

Usagi nodded. "Hai."

"Good." She nodded. "I'm going to discuss this with the rest of the girls. In the meantime, I want you to keep him under a close watch." She leapt down from her protégés arms, turning her back at her in an attempt to hide the smile that graced her lips.

Should anyone have asked her about it, she would have denied it until she turned blue, but Usagi was - by far - her favorite of the three senshi. Calm, intelligent and collected Ami-chan might be the one who she understood and sympathized with the most, but it was still Usagi she liked the most.

It was something simply enchanting with the bubbly teen. Perhaps it was her big heart or her usual sunny mood. Either way, Luna knew she wanted Usagi to be happy at all costs. And she also knew about Usagi's not-so-subtle crush on the masked hero, she was neither blind nor deaf, after all. So, if this was what it took to let Usagi be happy, then, by all means, she would make sure that none of the other senshi disturbed! But, should the young man do anything to hurt her young protégé, then it would be hell to pay for him. And she would make it her personal mission to make sure he paid. With interest.

"Hai," Usagi replied solemnly, breaking Luna from her reverie.

Luna nodded before padding outside, her tail slowly swinging from one side to another. "I'll be back tomorrow. I'll sleep at Ami-chan's." She glanced back briefly, and afterwards, Usagi could have sworn she had winked.

To be continued

Japanese translations:
Tenshi – Angel
Ohayo – Good morning
Gomen/Gomen nasai/Gomen ne – Sorry/Excuse me
Konnichi wa – Hello/Hi/Good day
Nani – What
Demo – But
Shimatta – Damn/Oh no
Onegai – Please
Hai – Yes
Iie – No
Onii – Big brother
Arigatou – Thank you
Anou/Eto – Um/Err