The weekend passed, and the following day, in school, Usagi tried her best to ignore her friends. She was still hurt that they couldn't accept her choices and her feelings. She wanted so badly for them to understand. She was hoping they would share her joy with her. Instead, here they were, keeping a cold distance as if they had never been friends.

When the final bell rang, Usagi jumped out of her seat and made her way to the door. Makoto grabbed her arm before she could get too far. "Usagi-chan, may we talk to you?"

"If this is about how wrong Mamo-chan is for me, I don't want to hear it," Usagi said coldly, her face turned away from the girls.

"But, Usagi-chan, what if he's just using you? You love him, but what if –"

'He doesn't really love you?' is what Minako was going to say, but Usagi burst out before she could finish.

"NO! I won't listen to you treating him like the enemy! I love him and he loves me! That's all that really matters! Why can't you guys accept that!?" With that, Usagi tore her arm away from Makoto's grasp and ran out of the school.

"Usagi-chan!" The girls refused to let their blonde friend get hurt as she surely would be if her relationship with that man continued. They chased after her outside the school, but they were suddenly stopped by a group of six men.

"Are these the girls?" one man asked as the group encircled the high schoolers.

"What do you want with us!? Let us pass!" Makoto growled angrily.

"Hah! Yeah right. We hear that hotshot Chiba Mamoru sent an order that you weren't to be touched. We wanted to see why. I didn't take him for a pedophile though." The man laughed.

"Hey Boss, there are only four of them." one of the cronies pointed out.

"Hm, you're right. I hear that man's 'girlfriend' is a pig-tailed blonde. I don't see her among the group. How sad. She's the one I most wanted to see too. Just imagine what that man would do if I had her with me," the leader smirked.

The four teens realized they were talking about Usagi. Just as they were about to be glad they hadn't caught up with her, they heard a familiar voice shout to them. "Rei-chan! Ami-chan! Mina-chan! Mako-chan!"

The four looked in muted horror as their friend came back for them, close enough for their captors to grab her.

"Well, well, well, lookie here. Guess we got to meet the infamous girlfriend, after all," the leader murmured sadistically.

"Let my friends go," Usagi said sternly.

"Haha, are you sure you're supposed to be making such demands, little girl? I believe we're the ones who are in control here."

"You want me, don't you? Because I'm Mamoru's girlfriend? So, you don't need them. Let them go," Usagi stated fearlessly.

"Ah, ah, ah. You're a smart one, aren't you? But not smart enough, I suppose. After all, you came to us so willingly. Still, I have the better odds here. More hostages are much harder to rescue than just one, after all. And that idiot Mamoru will try and rescue you all. He's too softhearted to be a gang leader, what with saving the citizens and all. What a joke!" the leader cackled.

"You're just insulting him because you know he's much better than any of you! You have to resort to using cheap tactics like taking hostages because you're too afraid to take him on one-on-one. And besides that, only stupid gangs like yours recklessly attack innocent people for no reason whatsoever."

The man growled, "I see we've got a little spitfire here, don't we? Maybe that's why Mamoru likes you. Haha, no worries. I'm gonna make sure you'll have nothing more to say once I'm through with you."

He took out a blade and advanced on Usagi while her friends could only watch helplessly behind her.

A member of another gang allied with the Midnight Rose had seen what was happening and immediately went to report to Mamoru. Upon hearing the news, it didn't take him long to get to the scene, his trusted friends with him.

"Didn't I warn you all not to go near them?" Mamoru had growled by way of greeting.

Seeing the Midnight Rose leader, the man immediately grabbed Usagi and held the blade to her neck, while his gang members crowded around the four other girls. They were prepared for a fight.

"Haha, you're so naïve. Do you think we'd actually stay away when we hear there's a weakness we can so easily exploit?" The man moved the blade even closer to Usagi's throat.

Her friends gasped in worry, and Mamoru's eyes flashed dangerously. "You think she's a weakness, do you?"

"Of course!" the man gleefully explained, "See how you can't so much as make a move while I have her in my grasp?"

Mamoru ignored him and, instead, focused his eyes on Usagi's. In her eyes, he could see her complete trust and faith in him. He could feel her love shining so blatantly at him from her clear blue orbs. With one look from her, he felt like he could take on the world.

Before the man even knew what was happening, a knife flew by, forcing him to drop the knife he was holding as blood poured out of a large gash on his arm. Usagi immediately turned around and kicked the man in the groin, so that he released her, and she quickly ran to Mamoru's waiting arms.

The moment the knife left Mamoru's hand, his loyal entourage had already started on the members of that man's gang. It took less than a few moments to disarm each person and leave him unconscious on the ground, freeing the girls from their entrapment. As for Mamoru, once ascertaining Usagi's safety, he turned to the still bleeding man.

"Let me repeat myself. Do you really think she's my weakness? I warned you all to stay away from her. If you need proof that I mean business, perhaps we should start with you," Mamoru coldly stated.

The girls turned away as Mamoru wasted no time in killing the man who had threatened his love's safety. Once sure that no life was left in the criminal, the dark-haired leader turned to Usagi.

"Usako," he began.

She quickly grabbed him in a hug, not quite different from what happened a few days prior, "I knew you'd save me."

He tightened his hold around her, "Let's get you home, love."

Usagi had no qualms to this. Mamoru signaled to his friends, sparing an almost pitying glance at the girls, before he walked away, Usagi in his arms.

The girls could only watch mutedly, until the group of men and Usagi had vanished from their sight. They made to move away from the unconscious and bleeding bodies as they discussed what happened.

"He loves her," Minako spoke up, not in a question, but a statement.

Ami nodded, and Makoto couldn't help but agree, "Yeah, and she really does love him."

"And he'll make sure she's safe, won't he?" Rei asked quietly.

The four girls didn't say anything for a while. "I guess, we were sort of jealous. I mean, the fact that Usagi-chan was so happy with him, and that he really does protect her," Rei said.

"Yeah, she's always been the most innocent among us. We were the ones who used to protect her. Now, she's got someone else who can do that job," Makoto grinned humorlessly.

"But that doesn't mean we aren't still her friends. She loves us too, you know, and I think it's time we love her just as much," Ami explained.

"Yeah. Let's talk to her tomorrow," Minako said with a smile.

The next day found the four girls apologizing profusely to Usagi. She forgave them instantly, glad that they could finally understand how happy she was with Mamoru.

"But, you guys know I love you too, right?" Usagi had asked.

They smiled and said, "Of course, Usagi-chan."