My Best Friend's Brother
Written by: Jill Annette

CHAPTER SIX – FALLING

It was one of the few times Usagi was at home, by herself, when she heard from Diamond again. Rei and Yuuichirou decided to spend the day together exploring the city. In the meantime, Usagi thought it best to try to study for her upcoming tests, besides, after the midterms next week, it would be Spring break and after that, Graduation. However, after an hour and a half of moving things around in her room, applying lotion to her dry hands and skimming the latest issue of Vogue – with a gorgeous blond model on the front cover – Usagi had probably studied for a total of ten minutes. Then her phone rang and Diamond's voice sounded on the other end of the line.

Okay, she could handle this. At least that's what she told herself and before Usagi could blink it seemed that she was standing in front of Diamond. They met in front of a café they were both familiar with and ordered coffee to go. Bundled up in jackets and scarves the two made their way down the busy sidewalks of Tokyo.

"Where's your other half?" Diamond asked.

Usagi shrugged as she took a sip from her hot Chai Tea. "She's with her boyfriend."

"And you're not with them?" he chuckled but it grated on Usagi's nerves a bit.

"We aren't joined at the hip, you know."

Diamond's cool gray gaze swept over her, "I can tell."

Usagi all but rolled her eyes at her ex-boyfriend. They walked in silence for a while and like always, no matter whom you were with or where you were headed to in the Juuban District, ended up in the park. The rolling green was in the middle of the district and it was very hard to take a walk and avoid it all together. Somehow during their walk and talk, Diamond reached out for Usagi's hand. He grasped her gloved fingers in his and pulled her to him.

"What do you want?" Usagi asked. She leaned back from his embrace to keep from getting too close to him.

"I want you back," Diamond said. "This is ridiculous!"

"No it isn't." She struggled to get out of his grasp but he held firm. His arms tightened around her keeping her from being able to move as easily.

"Yes it is," he demanded. "I've apologized. I've called myself stupid, careless. I let you get away. I'm taking you back."

"I don't trust you!" Usagi exclaimed as if this would make him stop. She could not remember how he talked her into hanging out with him. How he had convinced her that they could just be friends after everything they had been through in the past. He had cheated on her when they were a couple. She would be damned if he found a way to hurt her as a friend. Yet here he was, clutching her to him as if he would break her if she didn't comply with everything he wanted from her.

Diamond growled at her, his gray eyes darkening to coal. His eyebrows narrowed and he shoved her to the ground. Usagi let out a yelp as her feet crumbled beneath her and she landed on her bottom. Her elbows were on the ground at her sides which kept her from hitting her head on the cold gravel. "You don't have to," he said, his voice calm.

His expression had changed from anger to impassive. Diamond bent down to Usagi's level and shoved a piece of her hair behind her ear. He stared into her blue eyes, widened with fear. She flinched when he grabbed her shoulder and brought her back to her feet. Again he pulled her close, their lips were inches apart. At that moment, Usagi spotted a familiar head of hair crossing the park and yelled for him.

Taking the split second she had to get out of Diamond's arms, Usagi bolted to her friend's brother. Diamond turned to watch Usagi run from him, confused by how quick she had disappeared from his hold. Anger seeped from his pores.

---

"Hi," Usagi said with a breath of relief as she stopped in front of Mamoru.

She glanced over her shoulder to see a fuming Diamond shove hands in his pockets and walk of in the other direction. For now her troubles would leave her.

"Who was that?" Mamoru asked, his gaze returning to her from Diamond.

Usagi shrugged, shook her head, "No one worth talking about."

"He seems pretty mad that you left him for another man." Mamoru chuckled.

She would prefer to talk about anything else at this moment. Just getting away from Diamond was not enough at this point. She wanted to forget him completely. The last few moments with him, Usagi wanted them erased from her head. "That's not the reason he's mad," she said, missing the humorous tone in Mamoru's voice.

"Why is he?"

Usagi sighed. She started walking from the park back in the direction of her house but Mamoru had followed her, waiting for an answer. "When's your sister supposed to get back?"

"Sometime soon."

At the corner of the park, instead of taking a right to go to her house, Usagi took a left and headed to the Chiba's. "How about we hang out until she gets back."

When Mamoru nodded, Usagi smiled. This would be for the best anyway. Especially since Diamond knew where to find Usagi if she went home. Right now, Usagi didn't feel like she would be safe without someone else she trusted around. Besides, even if Diamond had enough brains to search for her at the Chiba's residence, at least Mamoru would be there to protect her, even if he didn't know the whole story.

She grinned up at Mamoru, who smiled back and rested an arm around her shoulders as they continued to make their way to their destination.

---

If you were to ask her, Usagi would not admit that she had been avoiding Mamoru for the most part since the night she ended up falling asleep in his arms. She wanted to keep her word to Rei about not developing emotions with Mamoru. Usagi could not deny the feeling that overwhelmed her when she was near him. Now that she promised Rei that she would not put their relationship through the strain, Usagi was even more aware of the pull she felt from Mamoru.

Usagi nonchalantly slipped from Mamoru's arm on her shoulder. She turned around, walking backwards, so she could look at him as they walked. "You know, we're going to have to find something entertaining to do until Rei gets back home."

Mamoru shoved his hands deep in his pockets, "I'm sure we can find something."

The heel of Usagi's shoe hit a crack in the sidewalk, almost sending her flat on her back but Mamoru caught her wrist and pulled her upright. She landed hard against his chest, which was still much softer than the concrete. Her other hand had landed on his bicep in it's flailing around, his muscles tensed under the pressure of her touch. Usagi backed from him, just a slight step to put some space between them.

"But first let's get you home safe, okay?" Mamoru laughed.

"Yeah, fine." Usagi mumbled as she tried to ignore the fast beating of her heart.

He grabbed her hand, intertwining their fingers together. When Usagi looked up at him with questioning eyes, he just smiled and, as if he could read her questioning eyes, said, "Don't want you to fall again."

---

Rei came home shortly after five to find Usagi and Mamoru in the living room. They were watching something on the TV. Mamoru was sitting on the couch and Usagi was sitting in one of the chairs opposite the room that Rei knew for a fact did not have a good view of the television. She would have laughed at the scene if she didn't know any better. However, Rei had a suspicion and she wasn't about to let go of it.

When Rei entered the room, Usagi's head snapped up from her lap and the blond ran over to her. "Ohmigod! I have some news!"

"Okay?" Rei asked.

Usagi looked to Mamoru then back at Rei, "Some private news."

"Gotcha!" Rei smiled. "Later, Mamoru."

The two girls ran upstairs. Once in Rei's room, Usagi plopped herself on the bed, exhausted with today's drama and spilled her story. About Diamond, that is. Rei sat across from Usagi, her mouth open in shock

"I can't believe him!" she exclaimed once Usagi was finished.

She had held in her emotions for a good part of the day but now in front of the person who knew her the best, tears started to spill from her eyes. "If I hadn't seen your brother I don't know what I would have done." Usagi admitted.

"Well, in that case, we should be thankful for small favors." Rei patted Usagi's knee. "I mean, who would have guessed that he'd be walking through the park at just the right moment." Rei reached across the space between them and hugged Usagi. "I'm just so grateful nothing happened to you. If so I would have had to kill him!"

"I just feel so stupid, you know." Usagi wiped at her face, shoving her tears from her skin. "I mean, he has hurt me once before, I should have known not to trust him!"

Rei shrugged her shoulders. "You learn from it you know. I mean, at least there will definitely not be a next time because you know better, for sure."

"I guess you're right." Usagi sniffed, the last of her tears dried on her cheeks. "I just wish I knew what to do now."

"Move on." Rei said simply and lay back on the bed.

Usagi looked away from her friend. With her last statement, she was not exactly talking about her thoughts of Diamond but rather her feelings for Mamoru. He was starting to creep in to ever shadow of her mind. This was something she could not even tell Rae, the one person she told everything to. Of course, she would have to stop these feelings for Mamoru somehow. No matter what it took to calm her nerves when she was around him.

----

I'm trying to find a way to bring them together. It'll come to me eventually. GOOD NEWS, finals are done. And I'm one of those sick people who have to make 100s on all of her tests. ugh. And then BRAG about it. BUT IT IS SUCH A RELIEF. Okay.

Now we'll get more story... faster... hopefully. ;-)