Usagi had been surprised when Mamoru coldly shrugged her off one day after all their talks. She couldn't understand what it was she did wrong. She thought they had become close and that they understood each other. She wanted so badly to tell Mamoru how much he meant to her. Even with his reputation, she didn't know how, but she managed to fall in love with the dark-haired man. She knew her family and friends would never approve, but she couldn't help the way she felt. She knew that, even on the first moment they met, she had fallen for him. She fought with him then, not because he had insulted her, but because she couldn't stay away. She looked forward to afternoons they'd meet in the arcade because she couldn't wait to see him and hear his deep voice that sent shivers up her spine. She wanted to hold him and have him hold her. She wanted to kiss him. But, most of all, she wanted to tell him she loved him. And now, she didn't even see him anymore.

The days that followed their "break-up", if you could even call it that seeing as they were never actually "together", Usagi's friends had noticed her melancholic demeanor. They didn't know about Mamoru, but they had noticed how cheerful their blue-eyed friend was on certain afternoons, and how she'd immediately rush off after school to a place they didn't know. They never bothered to follow her, just happy that she was happy. But, as the days crawled on and her mood wasn't lifting, they had to wonder if it had something to do with those mysterious afternoons.

"Usagi-chan?" Ami had called the blonde who had her head buried in her arms on the desk. Makoto, Minako and Rei looked on worriedly beside their blue-haired friend.

"Usagi-chan?" Ami called again.

Finally, Usagi lifted her head, "Hai, Ami-chan?"

"Daijoubu desu ka?" Rei butted in.

As much as Usagi wanted to tell them what was bothering her, a part of her was worried they wouldn't understand. Besides, it's not like it was such a big problem, after all. She didn't even know why she was so sad. It's not like they were together to begin with, right? Oh, but she wanted them to be.

"Hai, daijoubu. I'm just tired," was Usagi's meek reply before once more burying her head in her hands.

Her friends looked at each other worriedly, but they didn't press. Surely Usagi would tell them when she was ready. After classes had let out, Usagi bade farewell to her friends and made her way to Motoki's arcade.

Although Motoki could understand why Mamoru needed to stay away from Usagi – and really, he wanted to keep the girl safe as well – nothing could have prepared him for the sight of the depressed blonde almost three weeks after Mamoru had told her in no kind words to "get away from him". Not only was her hair seemingly limping, her once sparkling blue eyes now held only a dull shine. It seemed as if all life left her, and Motoki's heart went out to his self-appointed younger sister.

"Usagi-chan, how about a chocolate milkshake?" he offered kindly as she took a seat at the counter.

"That would be nice. Arigatou, Motoki-niisan," Usagi answered in a tired voice. When he placed the drink in front of her, she didn't gulp it down as she normally would. Instead, she played around with the straw a bit before taking a slow sip.

Motoki had seen Usagi both in her cheerful and depressed states, but nothing was quite like this. She had never reacted in such a manner before. She was often loud, wailing instead of quiet tears – that was what he was used to. Seeing her like this scared him more than he let on. As much as he wanted to keep her safe, he knew that he would do anything to make sure she was happy. That's what older brothers did, after all.

He took a seat beside her and, once he got her attention, he said, "Usagi-chan, how do you feel about Mamoru?"

The high schooler's eyes widened in surprise at his question before they returned to their dull state. "The truth, Motoki-niisan? I love him."

The way she said it without any hesitation surprised the sandy-haired man. Never had he heard her say it that way before. He had known her throughout her high school years, and he heard her speak of her many crushes. That was all they were, they both knew – crushes. Now, here she was, telling him in the simplest words that she loved the leader of the most notorious gang in Tokyo. He had an inkling, really it was hard to miss, but to hear her state it just like that… it blew his mind away. Who knew she had such strong feelings for that man?

"Are you sure, Usagi-chan? You know how dangerous his life is. You could get hurt," Motoki really didn't want to have to say what he did, but he felt it his duty to keep the young girl safe.

Usagi gave him a watery smile, "Sure, Motoki-niisan? I'm not sure at all. But, I need him. Ever since I met him, I was drawn to him. The moment I found out who he was, of course I was a bit scared. I was unsure if I should keep talking to him, much less meeting up with him. But, I couldn't go away. When I'm with him, I feel safe, protected, and like nothing else in this world matters except him. I've never felt this way before, and frankly, I don't care how dangerous it is. I love him. I really do. I just wish I knew why he no longer wants to see me at all." With this, the tears burst forth, and though Usagi tried to muffle her sobs – the first time Motoki's ever seen her do so – she couldn't stop the sound from reaching Motoki's ears and tearing at his heart.

His little sister was all mature and grown up now, he could see, and it hurt him immensely to have to see the pain she was so obviously going through. He immediately gathered her in a hug and patted her back, doing his best to soothe her tears.

It took around an hour – rather short a time for all the tears she had to bottle up inside for three weeks – but Usagi finally calmed down long enough for Motoki to face her and tell her what she needed to hear.

"Usagi-chan, Mamoru has never had anyone, I'm sure you know – no one to take care of him, no one to worry about him, no one to talk with him about the things you two talked about. The first time you two met here, I was surprised to hear you arguing. If Mamoru didn't want to talk, he definitely wouldn't, no matter how much anyone bothered him or the like. He's always been calm and cool, and he never let anything get to him. The fact that he bantered with you at all shows how special you are to him. It's probably because no one has ever stood up to him the way you have. It's either people respect him (his gang members or other gangs), try to kill him (rival gangs), or stay away from him (other women and citizens). He has a few friends, I'm sure, but other than that, he's mostly alone.

"But you, Usagi-chan, you're different. You have a loving family and friends who care about you. You're graduating high school in a few more months, and you've got an entire future waiting for you. A lot of people care about you, and you care about a lot of people. No one wants to see you get hurt, and Mamoru knows that people will miss you. As much as he probably wants to keep you by his side too, he would never forgive himself if anything were to happen to you, and that may very well happen given his reputation. So, you have to understand, Usagi-chan, why Mamoru did what he had to do."

"But, Motoki-niisan –" Motoki put a finger to her lips; he wasn't done yet.

"And although I want nothing more than for you to be safe as well, Usagi-chan, I understand how much you need him. More than your safety – although I know I shouldn't – I want to see you happy. You're my imouto, after all," at this, he smiled at her, "So, I'm going to tell you how you can meet up with him, BUT you have to promise me you'll be careful, Usagi-chan. I really don't want anything to happen to you."

Usagi couldn't help but smile. She quickly hugged Motoki and said into his shirt, "Arigatou, 'niisan."

Motoki just knew this was a bad idea somehow, but seeing her smile after three weeks was a relief. And, deep inside, Motoki knew that Mamoru would never let anything hurt the blonde angel.