My Best Friend's Brother
Written by: Jill Annette

CHAPTER ELEVEN - Not So Much A Date

A word was not spoken between the two. To tell you the truth, Mamoru was keeping the silence prolonged. When they finally made it to the house – the longest four minute drive either of them had to endure – Mamoru was out of the car first. Rei met them at the door, surprised to see both of them getting out of the same vehicle. She smiled brightly at Mamoru and greeted him but his expression never changed; a male version of pouting perhaps? He obviously ignored Rei as he passed her to get into the house.

Rei frowned for a moment before she turned to her friend. "What's that all about?"

Usagi shrugged and because she did not want to talk about it she said, "What did you call me over here for? It better be good."

Rei gushed, smiling greatly.

Under the safety of the porch awning, the rain wasn't bothersome. Rei's somewhat uncharacteristic actions were, however. Usagi braced herself for the worst… even though Rei was about to pop with excitement.

"Look!" she squealed. Her left hand flung itself right in front of Usagi's face.

Usagi herself had to take a step back to focus on what her friend was trying to show her: a ring. That's what all this excitement was about? A simple, gold ring studded with rubies. The band was wrapped snugly around Rei's ring finger. All of a sudden it hit Usagi like a ton of bricks.

"No!" Usagi exclaimed, grabbing her friend's hand for better examination.

Rei laughed, "It's not what you think it is."

The blond furrowed her eyebrows, "It isn't?"

Rei shook her head, "No, it's just a promise ring."

Usagi smiled, "Same difference."

Laughing, the dark headed girl held the ring in front of her face. "I don't think a wedding is in the works… that is the difference, at least not for a few more years."

A door slammed inside the house, sounding louder than the pouring rain and clapping thunder. Rei's eyes narrowed. She watched as Usagi cringed slightly – possibly unknowingly – and looked away from the house. The downpour became much more interesting to the blonde than her friend's newly acquired ring.

"So what happened between you and my brother?" Rei asked, her head tilted to the side.

"Nothing," Usagi mumbled.

Rei reached for Usagi's arm, "You know, I can't keep you from being with him."

The blonde took a deep breath, refusing to look her friend in the eye. Had she not been the one to tell Usagi that her brother was off limits? Usagi fought her emotions. Anger tried to force its way to her eyes but Usagi choked it down the best she could.

"I mean," Rei continued trying to reach out to her friend, "I know what I said. If the two of you didn't make it, I wouldn't be able to choose between the two of you. Selfish, I am." The dark headed girl laughed. "Usagi, I said 'if' but who am I to know that you guys won't make it?"

Usagi shook her head, "What are you talking about?"

Rei groaned. She turned from Usagi and walked across the porch. "I can see it in the way you guys look at each other. I see it in the way the two of you deal with each other when you think no one – namely me – watching. There is something between you two."

"Whatever," Usagi sighed.

"You have my permission to be with my brother, if that's what you want."

The blonde narrowed her eyes. "Your permission!" she scoffed. "Thank you Rei, now I'm just going to go inside and jump your brother because I have your permission!"

Tears sprang in the girl's bright blue eyes, highlighting them aqua. Rei opened and closed her mouth trying to find the words to say, knowing that she screwed up in her wording.

"I didn't mean it like that, I swear!"

Usagi sighed, "It doesn't matter. Even if I needed your permission to see your brother, I couldn't be with him anyway. Minako is kind of in the picture."

"You know she doesn't mean anything to him anymore," Rei exclaimed.

"I will not be put between them." Usagi stated. She stepped down the steps, out into the rain. She turned back to finally look at Rei, "Happy Valentine's day by the way, I probably will not be seeing you."

"Usagi," Rei called but her words fell upon deaf ears. Either that or the rain washed out her desperation to get her friend's attention.

- - -

Six days later, when Valentine's Day finally arrived, Usagi still had not said anything to Rei. In sad truth, it was a lot easier to avoid them both, than being friends with Rei and trying like hell to ignore Mamoru. Although, there was a slight chance he would come whisk her away to apologize to Rei and have them get their troubles fixed, much like he did with Rei when Usagi told Yuuichirou Rei's feelings. Rei had taken everything out of proportion and stopped talking to Usagi for about three hours. Of course, three hours was a much shorter period than six days. Maybe Mamoru was glad for the gap as well.

She wanted to kick herself. Usagi was taking her mixed emotions out on her friend. Even if Rei had given her permission for Usagi to date her brother, the whole relationship should not be up to her. Whatever it was going on between Usagi and Mamoru should have been left between them. Things would have turned out completely different if it were not for Rei's interference.

Usagi sighed. This will all blow over; at least, that's what she kept telling herself. Maybe it would all just blow over. She and Mamoru would get over each other and would be able to become some sort of friends to each other. To top it off, she would forgive Rei and Rei would forgive her. Things would be better later; right now she could not afford to think about it.

As if on cue, there was a light tap on the door. Slipping on a pair of red heels that matched her dress, Usagi left her room to answer the door. Just as she had expected, Seiya stood in front of her. She pushed a strand of golden hair behind her ear and smiled her hello. As she followed him to his car, let him open the door for her, the only word floating through her head was awkward. That's what this whole thing was. Awkward.

"Taiki found us a singer." Seiya said as he pulled his compact car on the highway.

Usagi scrunched her face in confusion, "I thought you needed a drummer."

"Well, he changed his mind, I guess." Seiya shrugged. "He said he'd come back and play again for her."

"Oh?"

"Yeah," he laughed. "Apparently she's a real knock out. Taiki is totally taken by her."

"Then you'd have to change your name to The Four Lights."

Shrug. "I think we'll keep the name with as three."

"Hmm.." Usagi trailed off, glanced out the window. "Wait, what about you? Don't you sing?"

"A band is even better with female vocals as lead. I play the guitar," he reminded. "I wouldn't be useless if I wasn't the lead."

When they arrived at the café, Usagi felt slightly overdressed. Soon, however, she pushed the feeling aside as she noticed other couples around and other young women like her were dressed much like she was, despite the casual feel of the place. Thank God for Valentine's Day and a woman's need to dress up. The two sat down at a table, all the booths along the window were all taken, and faced each other.

Seiya was handsome, light blue eyes that were seemingly transparent, and dark black hair graced his features. He had a slim build, his chin and nose both narrow. He was nice to look at – slightly feminine. Usagi couldn't help herself as a smile crept across her lips. This man had stayed true to his promise and here they were at a hip restaurant. Though she had a pleasing-to-the-eye specimen, is still did not feel right. She realized this and the smile that grew only seconds before fell.

"What's wro-" Seiya started to ask, but instead was interrupted by a slam on his shoulder.

"There you are!" A short, brown headed man greeted. He was equally gorgeous as Seiya. They had the same eyes, Usagi noticed. "God, do you know how hard it is to find you in this damn town?!"

"Taiki." Just the way Seiya said his name, the stranger straightened his posture and immediately glanced to Usagi.

"Oh, sorry," he stuttered as he realized his brother was on a date. "But this is important. Kakyuu has time to audition."

Seiya sighed, "You made it seem like she was a shoe in."

"She is. I swear." Taiki held his hands up in defense. "It's just she doesn't feel right just automatically be considered part of the band. She says she wants us all to hear her first."

"Have you heard her?"

"At her school choir concert."

Seiya slammed his head on the table and laughed. "You're kidding? You found her at a high school concert?"

"College," Taiki corrected. "She's been singing all her life, in school. Never for a band. She wants to make sure she's what we all want."

"Schedule it for another day, I'm on a date."

Usagi straightened up, "No, it's fine. I want to meet this apparent phenomenon of a woman."

Seiya shook his head, "Are you sure?"

"We're just friends, eating out." Usagi shrugged, "Remember? So technically, this isn't a date. And I can't get upset."

"Who said that?" Seiya asked.

Usagi shrugged, "I assumed?"

"Fine, let's go."

- - -

Taiki led Seiya to Neptune. Usagi slowly got out of the car and followed the boys to the door of the building. To her surprise, Taiki had a key and opened the door. As Usagi stepped over the threshold of the building, she noted how different the space looked with the regular white lights on, in the middle of the day, instead of the colored florescent lights that made it come to life at night.

Her heels echoed as she followed them to the back room she never noticed all the other times she had come. This room was big enough for a small set-up of equipment – not much bigger than the living room at her house. The drums were in the back corner, encased in its own plexi-glass booth.

A silver headed, green eyed fairy of a man was already in the room. He was shorter than Taiki, if that were possible – completely eyelevel with Usagi at 5'4. Usagi immediately tagged him to be Yaten, Seiya's other brother and the bassist for The Three Lights. The tall girl, with red hair and brown eyes standing beside Yaten, with a nervous expression on her face, had to be Kakyuu.

Yaten had a surprisingly deep voice when he spoke, "You made it!"

Usagi found a chair near the door and sat down in it to watch the group. Seiya took control and set up the microphone in the front of their getup. He took Kakyuu by the shoulders and gently guided her to the spot in front of the mic. He then motioned with his hands to the others and they took their places with their instruments.

Seiya picked up his own guitar. "Do you know any of our songs, or should we play a cover?"

"Hmm?" Kakyuu glanced back at Seiya. "Oh, I know, um, Goodbye."

The music started up and Kakyuu – nervous at first but slowly grew more comfortable – sang. "Should I fight back / or cower at your feet/ Should I speak up / or accept the defeat/ Must I listen / to every word you say / or can I leave/ Is there another way / to escape you?"

Usagi sat up straight and listened to the music that surrounded her. Of course, she was no expert but she knew this was what the band needed. Kakyuu was the ingredient they needed to make it. Her clear yet sultry voice took the hardness out of the music Seiya had let Usagi sample before. When the song finished, Usagi gave them a standing ovation.

"I think this is the beginning of something," she said. "Honestly, she's amazing, in my one hundred percent tone deaf opinion."

To her surprise, the three brothers agreed with her and decided that Kakyuu was just what they were looking for.

- - -

So, I'm back. I've had an extremely hard semester. A lot of personal stuff went on after I took my "hiatus" and I haven't written a damn word until tonight. So I'm back ... and nothing is finished like I said it would be. However, I know what I'm doing with this. This has only a few chapters left. I'd say two or three... because that's what I thought when I started to write this chapter. HOWEVER, I keep starting sub-plots. However, I hope to wrap them up in the next few chapters.

Anyway, if you don't know about pandora dot com... you should go to ... it's amazing.

And, Good-bye, is mine. Yes it is... Here's the entire poem:

GOOD-BYE

Should I fight back
or cower at your feet?
Should I speak up
or accept the defeat?
Must I listen
to every word you say
or can I leave?
Is there another way
to escape you?
Hope can save me now
that love has failed.
I cannot be taught how
to play your games:
to find the words to lie –
no, not like you.
I guess this is good-bye.

That's all for now. Hope you enjoyed the chapter. After I fail (hopefully pass) my Chemistry test tomorrow, I'm done with school. SUMMER IS HERE!