My Best Friend's Brother
Written by: Jill Annette

CHAPTER TWO – SO SWEET

Usagi was contemplating how she would approach Yuuichirou. It was Friday afternoon and the blond had an hour and a half before school let out and she would have to wait two whole days before she would be able to get the chance to speak with him again, unless of course she happened to run into him over the weekend and unless she happened to steal his phone number from Rei. She was searching her head trying to remember if she had even seen him today when the devil himself walked passed her locker.

"Yuuichirou!" Usagi called, slammed the door to her locker shut and ran over to him. He stopped in the middle of the hall, a sea of students divided around him, and turned around to face her. "I have to talk to you."

"'Bout what babe?" He asked. Yuuichirou was a senior like the girls. Although, unlike the girls, this was his second time around.

Yuuichirou was more or less a slacker. He wasn't stupid, far from it in fact, he just didn't care to do his work. Plus it seemed he was always getting into trouble with some higher authority. When asked why he didn't care about school, he'd reply, "It's not that I don't care, it's just not my main focus." No one had to ask what his main focus was. Especially when headphones seem to be glued inside of his ears and his I-pod was never off. He was always writing some form of lyrics along with notes splayed across a page.

"A mutual friend," Usagi responded once he took his aforementioned headphones out of his ears.

His form changed dramatically. Yuuichirou hunched over a little bit, took a couple steps closer to Usagi, "Rei?" he asked although there was no need.

Usagi nodded.

Yuuichirou threw his hands up as if in defense, as if he knew what Usagi was going to ask, "I'm just trying to figure some things out, okay?"

"So you're going to throw her emotions into a blender just so you can figure out if you really care for her or not? Because I know you do!"

Yuuichirou bowed his head. "Look, Usagi," he started, lifting his head to face the blond, "I do. I care for her a lot." He ran a hand through his shaggy brown hair, "I just don't want to bring her down."

"What do you mean?"

"You know what I mean." He said sternly. "I have to straighten my life out."

Usagi shook her head. "She likes you just the way you are."

"She may like me, Usagi, but she doesn't know everything I bring."

"I don't understand."

Yuuichirou's brown eyes met her blues, "I'm not exactly single."

"Not exactly?"

"It's complicated." He stated; then walked off before Usagi could keep the conversation going.

Usagi stood in the middle of the hall watching Yuuichirou's form. Here was a man who claimed he cared for Rei and yet there was still another woman in his life. Usagi did not understand why people stayed together with someone they didn't want if the person they wanted more than anything was standing right in front of them. The bell rang loudly, interrupting Usagi's thoughts and told her she was late for class.

---

Rei walked ahead of Usagi, fuming. Usagi knew to stay a few feet behind her friend while she was sifting through her anger. They walked in silence until they got to the corner of the main street than ran past the park. Rei then turned on Usagi her dark blue eyes shining violet with anger, burning bright.

"You know he wouldn't even look at me!" Rei yelled. "Much less speak to me!"

Usagi jumped back, shocked, her hands coming to her mouth, "I'm sorry."

"You should be!" Rei threw her hands in the air. "I mean, you've probably ruined every chance I had with him."

"I was trying to push him closer to you," Usagi tried to explain. "I thought if I gave him a little extra help, he'd know that you felt the same way and he'd approach you."

"Well, it did just the opposite, Usagi."

"I'm sorry for that."

"Whatever." Rei flipped a piece of her hair behind her ear then stated sharply, "You know, you can go home. Don't bother coming over today."

Shocked that Rei took it so hard, Usagi bowed her head. "I was just trying to help," she murmured.

Rei shook her head, turning on her heels, with her back to Usagi she said, "Don't try anymore." Then she stormed off.

Usagi turned the opposite way of Rei to head to her own home. The blond didn't even bother to take the shortcut through the park; instead she took the path around it to pass the time that would move painstakingly slow with out the company of her friend. She kept her tears in until she got home and walked passed her mom who questioned why Usagi was home so early instead of at Rei's. Ikuko Tsukino furrowed her eyebrows when her daughter just shook her head in response and then went upstairs.

Dropping to her bed, Usagi let the tears fall. All she wanted was the best for her friend and now the worst has happened. Rei wasn't even speaking to her anymore. Of course, the spat could be short-lived – hopefully – but that knowledge didn't make it hurt any less. She curled up into a ball and after a few minutes, she fell asleep with the weariness that crying brings.

---

Mamoru was in the kitchen when his sister stormed into the house and started slamming doors around. He waited two beats longer than he thought he should have for Usagi to walk through the front door behind his sister. When Usagi did not show up, Mamoru took the initiative to figure out what was bothering Rei. He knocked on the door once before swinging the door open. Rei was sitting Indian-style in the middle of her bed, arms crossed and a ferocious look on her face. Her black hair tumbled down her shoulders and spilled into her lap.

"What'd you guys fight about?" Mamoru asked as he leaned on her door frame.

"What makes you think I'm fighting anyone?"

"Usagi didn't come over today and you're acting pissed, I just put two and two together."

Rei uncrossed her legs and fell back on the bed. She let a groan escape her lips, "Go away!"

"I'm not going anywhere until you tell me what's going on," Mamoru crossed his arms and took a step further into her room.

For minutes Rei just lay on her bed and tried to ignore the fact that her brother was standing five feet away from her waiting for an answer. Sometimes she wished they were kids again because then, they never really got along. Instead they fought like cats and dogs and couldn't stand each other. It wasn't until the last couple years in high school for Mamoru that they started to become friends instead of enemies. Fifteen minutes later, Rei looked up from her bed to find Mamoru still in her room patiently looking at her; then she sighed greatly.

"Fine!" she said exasperatedly. "Usagi's a blabber mouth." She crossed her arms again and looked away from Mamoru and at her window, wishing immediately that she had pulled the blinds up from time to time.

"She's spreading rumors about you?" Mamoru asked. "That doesn't sound like her at all."

Rei shook her head. "She didn't say anything that wasn't true. She just blurted out some things that I wish she would not have!"

Mamoru bowed his head. Staring at his sister's dark red carpet, Mamoru tried to find the right words to say to her. However, nothing came to him.

All of a sudden Rei sat up in her bed, swung her legs over the side and stared at Mamoru. "You know she found out that he already has a girlfriend?"

Mamoru lifted his eyes from the floor to his sister's blue-violet eyes. "I would say that was good investigation."

Rei growled, "You wouldn't understand."

"I could try but you aren't helping me out any." Mamoru shoved a hand through his hair, frustrated at how evasive his sister could be at times. He turned to leave his sister with her thoughts when she started to speak again.

"She broke my heart." Rei confided in her brother. "I expected her to keep my feelings for this guy a secret but she had so much hope for us that she started to tell me that I should tell him how I felt. Usagi said she could see the way he looked at me and that it was the same look I gave him. She swore by this and whenever I didn't make my own move – and when he never did anything either – she took matters into her own hands. Now, Yuuichirou won't even look at me."

Mamoru had turned around to look at his sister while she spoke, as he faced her, he could see the hurt that emitted from her soul. He walked to the bed and sat down next to Rei, enveloped her in a brotherly hug, comfort like an old quilt and supportive like a crutch. "Do you think you're overreacting, maybe, just a little?"

Rei burrowed her head into her brother's shoulder but didn't answer.

"Rei, he might not be talking to you now but maybe he is thinking seriously about it. Maybe he was holding onto his girlfriend just because he didn't want to be alone and now that he knows he can have what he wants, he'll let her go and come to you."

His sister sat up, looked into Mamoru's eyes, hope filling her own once again. "You think?"

Mamoru shrugged. "We'll have to wait and find out, of course, but it is a good possibility."

Narrowing her eyes, Rei asked, "What makes you so sure?"

"Take it from a guy who has been in the same situation as Yoshiro before."

"Yuuichirou!" Rei screeched, laughing slightly.

"Whatever his name is." Mamoru scratched the back of his head. "Just make sure I approve first. I don't want to have to be wary of my sister's boyfriend whenever they go out."

Rei balled her fist and hit her brother. "I don't need you to choose who I date." She stated smugly. "I did a pretty good job of it myself while you were gone."

"You might think that but I never interviewed them, so we'll never know."

Rei hmphed as she attempted to push her bother off her bed. He didn't budge.

Instead he asked his sister, "So what are you going to do about Usagi?"

Once again, Rei crossed her arms, a pout formed on her lips. "I'll talk to her Monday."

"Rei, that's three days away."

The girl shrugged. "She'll have that time to think about what upset me. She won't ever do it again." She said matter-of-factly.

Mamoru sighed, running an aggravated hand through his thick black hair. "It'll only cut the wound deeper and it'll take a longer time to heal."

---

Ikuko opened the door when the doorbell rang and her eyes fell on a tall, dark headed, very handsome man. "Can I help you?" She asked, not recognizing him, wondered who he had come to visit.

"I'm Chiba Mamoru, Rei's brother."

Ikuko stepped aside, "Come on in."

He took a step inside the house and immediately got down to business. "Rei's in the car, I made her come. She doesn't know it yet, but she wants to apologize to Usagi for reacting the way she did about something."

"Ah," Ikuko said nodding. "They did get in a fight."

"Something like that."

"She hasn't left her room since she's been home." Ikuko ushered Mamoru to Usagi's room, then left him standing outside of her daughter's door so that she could finish the supper she had been cooking.

Mamoru felt awkward as he knocked on her door. He had only met the girl yesterday and now here he was in her home, knocking on her door. The knob turned, the door creaked open slowly before it revealed Usagi; beautiful in all her disheveled glory. He watched as she quickly straightened her hair out and tried to smooth her rumpled clothing once she realized it was he at her door. Mamoru stifled a laugh.

"What?" She asked as she tucked one last strand of hair behind her ear.

"You look like hell," Mamoru said and let the smile he was choking on grace his features.

Usagi narrowed her eyes, "Whatever." She allowed herself to roll her eyes. "Why are you here?" She bit.

Mamoru grabbed Usagi's wrist and started to pull her down the stairs. "My sister seems to think that she can ignore you for absolutely no reason whatsoever."

"She has a reason," Usagi defended.

With a laugh, Mamoru replied, "She might have a reason but it isn't a good one." Once they reached the front door, Mamoru stopped and let Usagi's arm drop back to her side. "Point is, you were trying to help and you weren't putting out in the open what the two other parties involved didn't know already. Frankly, you just opened some eyes. For some people it's like hitting a brick wall; it hurts, but after a while the pain subsides, you get over it and life goes on. I also bet you'll never run into the brick wall again."

Usagi stared at Mamoru with a blank look. Confusion was evident.

Mamoru sighed. "You are the brick wall that stunned them into realizing that either I deal with this now or I never deal with it. I can go for what I want or I can let it pass and regret it the rest of my life."

Usagi watched Mamoru as he spoke. He had this whole situation figured out before even she did. Still, there was one thing she didn't know for sure. "So, why are you here?"

"I brought Rei. She's out in the car."

Usagi laughed, tears caught in the corners of her eyes. He was so sweet and she had never met anyone like him who would try to keep two friends together over a silly little fight. "Thank you," she said through her laughter, reached up and grabbed him in a quick hug and then walked out the door to talk to Rei.

Mamoru stood there, baffled. He couldn't for the life of him figure out what was so damn funny.

---

Thanks to those of you who have reviewed. I appreciate it greatly.

I did take From One Broken Heart to Another down. I'm re-writing it because I feel it could be so much better and, well, I need to change a few things about it to make it work out the way I want it to. So once I fix everything in it, I'll post it back up. I've had quite a few people ask about me updating it before I took it down. Don't worry those of you who are wanting to read it. It'll be back up... and probably under a new name.