Title: A Kiss In The Dark
Author:Princess Destiny
Email: In Profile
Author's Homepage: destinysgateway DOT com
Rating: M 15+
Summary: 'One Hour Challenge' #1 and 657 Combined: Response Fanfic. Eleven years ago, Mamoru's father married Usagi's mother. It's now almost Usagi's sixteenth birthday and she has to juggle her secret life as Sailor Moon, on top of school and a job at Motoki's shop. Her life is turned even more upside down when she begins to suspect the masked hero she is falling in love with is actually her awful step-brother!
Genre:Romance/UST/Comedy/Adventure/Action/Angst
Couple:Usagi/Mamoru
Category:SMTK
Chapters:20/?
Status:Unfinished
Year Completed: N/A
Size:498 KB

Comments: Hi everyone! Sorry for the delay in posting, but I was working on a new look for my website, plus unloading a backlog of Fanfic Submissions. LOL. I'll try not to let it go so long between Chapters till the end of this Fanfic. This is also a longer Chapter than usual.

I will be finishing off this Fanfic before I do anything else, baring some oneshots. And then I will be finishing Spin The Bottle 3, which will most likely have it's own Sequel. This will be done over the next month and a bit. Starting in January, I will be going back and completing anything that is near to an ending, such asSending Over The Edge, Mine and a number of Sailor Moon Fanfics. The Sequel for AKITD will started next year to give me a break from it and look at it in fresh perspective, as it will be much more romance and will contain a lemon. Yes, Usagi and Mamoru will finally get really intimate. :) I can hear the cheers from here.

For those few who didn't like the idea of Mamoru being in a gang...please just give it a chance you guys. LOL. It's not going to go the direction you're thinking. The gang-without giving too much of the future plot away-is going to be a pivotal, but minor plot diversion. As I mentioned, Hideki is planned, and not a last minute additon to the storyline.

Got a Sailor Moon Fanfic? Come on over to destinysgateway DOT com,
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A KISS IN THE DARK

By Princess Destiny

Chapter Twenty

A few days later, Mamoru was sitting in class when a woman from the front office came into the room. She glanced in his direction, then held out a note for Miss Haruna. He looked at them with raised brows, knowing something was up, and it had to do with him. A moment later, the teacher called him up to her desk.

"Mamoru, the Councillor would like a talk with you," The red-haired teacher said firmly, an almost-angry look on her face as she gave him a once-over. Mamoru was one of her favourite students, even if he had seemed distracted lately, and she hated to see him in trouble. "I'm sure it's nothing serious." She told him with a slight smile.

Mamoru really understood why his other teachers were concerned with his well-being. He had not exactly been the model student he had always been. His homework had more mistakes than corrections, or his notes in class were sloppy, and he tended to stare out of the window a lot of the day and ignored the lessons. He also had frustration and irritation underneath his usual cool expression. Even if others couldn't see it, they could sense it.

Usagi was still barely talking to him, was avoiding him, and every day his temper got worse. They needed to have a good conversation, but he was respecting her wishes to avoid all contact.

It didn't help that he was also dreaming of her, and that the dreams of the Moon Princess were starting to merge into his sister. That is, he was getting more and more confused as to what was real and what was not, due to the Princess talking with him-or the other guy Endymion-every night, the visions he was getting of the past, and Usagi's accusing face would generally pop into the mix some time during the night.

He was weary, angry, headachy and really wanted to punch something.

In contrast, despite her attitude towards himself, Usagi seemed to have recovered from the trauma of their kiss some-what. She was just not willing to forgive him. She smiled at her friends, laughed as per usual and went shopping after school. But her interactions with her brother had dribbled down to almost nothing. Breakfast and dinner. And the occasional bump into each other at school, in which she proceeded to act like he was a part of the wall.

He was haunted by his deed and she was not making it any easier to forget!

"The councillor?" He said with a frown, leaning against Miss Haruna's desk. He crossed his arms and gave her his usual arrogant look, previously reserved exclusively for one Odango Atama. "I don't need to see one."

"She isn't asking, and neither is the principal." The red-haired woman said, with a deep frown. She pointed at the door. "Jenny will take you to her." She made a shooing motion. "Go now." Whatever his problem was, she was sure the councillor would help. Mamoru was not a bad guy, he was just a very troubled one right now.

Great, now he was being treated like a dog, and in front of a dead-silent class no less? No, that wasn't fair to Miss Haruna. He could tell she was worried for him. Throwing the class in general a rather strained smile, he nodded at Jenny and then stalked from the room.

The woman trotted along beside him through the school to the front offices, where she left him outside a door that merely said 'Councillor'.

"Am I a basket case yet?" Mamoru muttered, unimpressed with their school's inept way of trying to get rid of his bad mood. Had any of them asked him before sending him to a child quack? Nope. "Here goes nothing," He raised his fist and knocked politely on the door.

"Come in Mamoru," A low feminine voice called out calmly from the other side.

The dark-haired man turned the knob and opened the door. Immediately, he was struck with a sense of...something. It was familiar and it tingled along his very senses. His eyes went to the woman behind the desk and he stared at her for a long moment. "You're familiar." Mamoru said in surprise, entering the room and closing the door behind him.

Setsuna's green brows rose above her beautiful red eyes. He knew her? Well, well, this was astonishing. Perhaps it would be Mamoru to remember his past before Usagi... "Is that so? We've never met, that I can recall, Mr Chiba." The councillor replied in amusement. She gestured for him to take a chair in front of her desk, and waited till he was seated. "I'm Meiou Setsuna, this school's councillor."

Once her future King was ready to find out her real identity, they could have a more serious talk. For now, she had to act like a stranger.

"Pleased to meet you, Mrs Meiou," He replied politely, looking at her beautiful wealth of green hair. It was a really amazing colour! She was a beautiful woman too. Mamoru wondered how a woman that good looking went into the councillor vocation. He could see her more readily as a model or an actress.

"It's Miss Meiou, but you can call me Setsuna." She smiled at him warmly, then clasped her hands neatly in front of her on the desk. "I'm here to help you talk over your problems and try and find a resolution." If he would talk to her, that was. From what she had learnt of the teen, he kept to himself quite a lot. Only around his sister was he truly himself.

His sister that was his true love and future wife, not that either of them had a clue.

"So kind," Mamoru drawled, looking about the room. It was like any other office, except for the framed certificates of her brilliance on the walls. So, she was very qualified. Interesting. "What did they say?" He asked her next, finally meeting her red eyes. He didn't feel in a giving mood, and wasn't about to tell this woman anything about his personal problems. It wasn't like he could really open up and blurt out his secret identity. A kiss between siblings would be taken entirely the wrong way too. It would get back to his parents and cause even more trouble.

"You're a straight A student, who until a few days ago was known as a nice, quiet, caring boy. Great with other students, a close relationship with your sister, Usagi, and never even a detention," She leant forward and gave him a penetrating look. "I think that you do need someone to talk to, Mamoru."

"I already talked with one of my sisters friend's, Rei, but she made me even angrier." He admitted quietly, running a hand over his eyes. He wanted so badly to talk it over again, but Rei was not a good idea. She had been way too close to the mark when she had asked if he had enjoyed the kiss. As Mamoru, he had been horrified, but as Tuxedo Kamen...he had been kissing the girl he liked. And it had been an amazing first kiss.

A green eyebrow rose in curiosity. "That must have been a bad conversation then. What was it regarding?"

Mamoru's face became stony. He leant back into his chair and crossed his legs. "I would rather not discuss it." He said coolly. This was as much as he was telling this stranger and she could make what she would of it.

"Then how can I help you?" She replied softly, looking genuinely concerned.

"It's just something that needs to solve itself. It's a problem between Usagi and I and no one else." The upperclassman informed her, eyes glacial. He didn't need some outsider finding out about his shame! People would take it even worse than he and his sister, siblings sharing a passionate kiss. And he certainly couldn't mention that he was Tuxedo Kamen and she Sailor Moon.

"Ah, I see," The councillor nodded thoughtfully. "So it has to do with your sister? I don't mean to pry, but you're a brilliant student and a gentle boy, by all accounts. I really hate seeing you brought down like this." There was more to it, of course, but she couldn't be any more pointed or he would be suspicious.

"Thank you for trying to help me," Mamoru smiled genuinely at her. She was probing, but she would not force him to talk and he appreciated that. "Next week, we'll be back to the same old pranks and joking we've always enjoyed." He hoped.

No matter how much she probed the young man sitting across from her, he wouldn't open up. Setsuna was eventually made to give up her helping hand and let him go. She watched her future king leave the room, and then sank back into her chair with a sigh. Things were happening rather too fast for her liking, and Usagi and Mamoru hadn't even realised that the two in their dreams were their past selves.

"What a mess," She said, reaching for her tea cup. A nice hot cup of Earl Grey would sooth her nerves.

If Mamoru and Usagi kept this petty fight up, then the Timeline would be even more damaged. She was all-knowing, usually... And the two were supposed to find out all their past secrets in the Starlight Tower a few months from now. They also were not meant to be siblings. And Serenity and Endymion were certainly not supposed to be let loose in dreams!

Someone had been messing around with the proper flow of time, and Sailor Pluto was not impressed.

"He got sent to the councillor!" Ami reported, eyes huge. She and Usagi stared at Makoto, the bearer of the stunning news, with flabeghasted looks on their faces.

"Mamoru?" The blonde said disbelieving after a moment. Her brother, the perfect student, the most popular and charming guy in school, and the person that had never had one day of detention? She couldn't get the thought around her head that he was in trouble. Usagi felt a rush of regret fill her, and she bit her lip to stop the flood of questions dieing to break loose. This was-her fault.

Ami took one look at her best friend's face and knew what she was thinking. "Usagi, it isn't your fault this happened. It's Mamoru's for taking it so hard."

Makoto's mouth fell open at that callous observation of 'the fight'. "How can you say that? He didn't know that she was Usagi. She went as Sailor Moon." She shook her sandwich at them to emphasis her words. Not that she was on Mamoru's side, but really, that was putting it too harshly. The poor guy had only kissed his crush.

"If it had been some other girl, who was Sailor Moon, then everything would be fine right now. They most likely would be dating or something." She pointed out. Not that she was on his side, but the guy didn't deserve the bad attention he was getting.

Usagi's teeth sank deeper into her lip and she gasped at the pain. Dating? Sailor Moon and Tuxedo Kamen? Oh my.Her mind went wild over that one and she quickly slammed the door on whatever thoughts were surfacing.

Makoto was right though, Mamoru had considered that he was smooching the girl he constantly rescued, but had never really had a decent conversation with. She happened to know for a fact, that her brother didn't go around kissing just anyone. Affectionate pecks on the cheek or the forehead were commonplace from him to her, but it was the kiss on the lips that had messed up their relationship.

"Maybe, I should make up with him," She whispered, head lowering in shame. She had blown it all way out of proportion. "If it had been a kiss from a sibling by mistake, would anyone else have forgotten it or made up by now?" Usagi asked her two friends.

The question had been plaguing her. Like the constant memory in her mind of her actually enjoying it. She was sick in the head, and there was no more doubting it. But a huge point was that he was Tuxedo Kamen and the blonde had always wanted to be taken in his arms and had a kiss by moonlight. She had gotten part of that wish, but at what cost?

"Honestly, I would be stunned if I had a brother who kissed me like that, but..." Ami looked thoughtful. "You two are close, so maybe you're viewing this differently. After a day or two of shock, I would say that we both would be acting like it never happened."

"I agree," Makoto said immediately. She ate the remainder of her sandwich and studied the other two girls in the silence that descended.

"It's-embarrassing." Usagi admitted, fingers twisting together in her lap. How was she going to look him in the eyes? And after the fuss she had made, perhaps he didn't even want to talk to her either.

The blonde sighed deeply as the bell rang to signal the end of lunch. "Alright." She said simply. She would make up with Mamoru and things would go back to normal. But it wasn't as easily as saying 'sorry'. She would have to find the right moment.

Chiba Mamoru had considered that he had been made Tuxedo Kamen by the all-knowing universe, and who knew what gods or supernatural beings, for a reason. Find the Moon Princess, act as Sailor Moon's bodyguard, rescue the hapless citizens of Japan.

But cat rescuer had never come into that equation.

Nevertheless, that's exactly how it turned out on friday afternoon, as he was making his way to Motoki's place after school. One minute, he had been lost in contemplation of the terrible turn his life had taken, and the next, he had spotted a small black cat in the middle of the street, with a car bearing down on her. Either the driver didn't see her, or they didn't care, because they never slowed down, even though the feline had turned it's head with an amazingly shocked look on it's furry face.

The cat tried to run, but it's legs were too short.

The dark-haired man dumped his backpack and rushed across the street with the speed only Tuxedo Kamen could have mustered. He heard the cat squeak as it was scooped up under it's belly and then they went flying into the sidewalk just in time. He lay there on his back, with the cat on his chest and watched with dazed blue eyes as a crowd gathered about them. The driver of the car didn't even stop!

"Hey buddy, you okay?" A man asked him, peering down with concerned eyes.

A little girl knelt behind down and patted his head. "You're okay!" She said, smiling. She then did exactly the same thing to the black feline on his chest. So, Mamoru was being put into the same class as a frazzled pet? Wonderful. But yeah, he did feel as if he'd come close to death. A heart attack at the least. Usagi would have been proud of him for risking his life for a cat, but the rest of the world would have named him a moron.

As it did these days, thinking of his step-sister brought a sharp pang into the region of his heart. He tried to block out her negative reaction towards him, but it still somehow hurt. They had argued over the years and did sometimes give the silent treatment, but this was very different. She couldn't even stand to brush against him accidentally.

"Is he dead?" Someone from the back of the crowd demanded, unable to see anything but his prone form.

"I'm fine, thank you." The upperclassman muttered. He was helped to his feet by a few hands, and stood there clutching the cat to his chest like an idiot. So much for his legendary cool composure; he had been laying on the sidewalk, completely lost in thought. "The cat is fine too." Mamoru said, after a quick perusal of the furry body in his arms.

His eyes fell upon the golden crescent moon on her forehead and it suddenly clicked. "It's my sister's cat." He said in some surprise, lifting her up to his face. "Luna?" He asked, as if she would answer. Obviously, she didn't meow in response, but the look in her eyes was remarkably like human annoyance.

Luna glared at his balefully. She was excessively grateful for the rescue, but it had been undignified to act like a normal cat and lay sprawled over his chest like some plush toy. Her charge's brother hadn't moved after the heroic rescue, and seemed to be lost in melancholy thoughts despite the embarrassing position he had been laying in.

After a few more words of praise and more back-patting, the crowd wandered away, leaving Mamoru and his furry companion alone.

"Thank you for the rescue, Mamoru," Luna said, with as much dignity as she possibly could being dangled in front of his face by his hands under her armpits. The teenager had given her a thorough look-over to either assess just who she was, or check for injury. Maybe both. "I was not thinking, as I should have been."

Mamoru froze, a comical look crossing his face. The cat...had just spoken. He wondered briefly if he had hit his head on the sidewalk, and just not recalled. Felines didn't just talk to people. "You just talked." He said incredulously, unable to help gawking at her annoyed face. Maybe he had hit his head after all?

"Put me down, for heaven's sake! Or at least hold me correctly!" The cat yowled back at him, tail swishing back and forth in irritation. She was immediately lowered into his arms, which curved about her supportively. Obviously Usagi's brother had been watching how she was usually held. At least he didn't put her onto his shoulder, which the blonde sometimes did. Mamoru was alarmingly tall, unlike his sister.

"I'm sorry," The dark-haired man said, turning and continuing on towards the Crown Arcade. Perhaps he should take his sister's cat back first? "Umm..." He murmured, brows drawn together. How did one open a conversation about a talking cat?

The feline huffed and rolled her eyes. "I may be Usagi's cat, and look like a normal feline, but please recall that I am also Sailor Moon's." Luna said in a quiet tone. His shoulders stiffened and then he nodded, the only indication that he had acknowledged her words. Mamoru's deep blue eyes were lost in thought.

"This wasn't how I intended us to be formally introduced." She went on, a little pleased that he was taking this so calmly. Usagi had freaked and thought she was dreaming the first time her cat had spoken to her.

"How the hell have you managed to hide this from us for the last year?" The dark-haired man demanded incredulously. He had always thought that Luna was somewhat intelligent and the expression she sometimes wore very human...but this? "I need some coffee." He sighed deeply.

She was Sailor Moon's cat, as she had explained. So, he supposed that it wasn't out of the realm of possibility. Once he thought of it that way, a talking cat wasn't that surprising, given that he and his sister had super powers from who knew where, and aliens were invading the world.

"Where were you headed?" Mamoru asked Luna politely, ready to put her down. Was there anything else that was being hidden from him in this family?

The black cat considered carefully before answering. If she told the truth and said that she was headed to Rei's Temple, Mamoru would immediately be suspicious. He did not know the identities of the other three Senshi, after all. "To find Usagi," She improved quickly. "I know that she goes to Motoki's after school."

Mamoru stopped dead. "Usagi is going there too?" He said warily. His sister had pointedly advised him, in one of her rare moments of actually speaking to him since the fight, that he was not to go anywhere at the same time as her. If she went to Motoki's place, he wasn't to show his face. If she went to the Mall, her brother had better be somewhere on the other side of town.

She was acting like a little kid, but he couldn't really blame her. No, all the blame was on his shoulders squarely. So Mamoru would just wait for it all to blow over. He owed her that much.

"I-saw her heading this way earlier," Luna said, telling a white lie. Usagi had been going this way, but she was also on her way to the temple.

"My coffee!" The dark-haired man almost groaned, closing his eyes. So much for the relaxing hot beverage and a talk with Motoki.

Seeing how pained Usagi's brother was looking, the cat reconsidered her words. "Usagi told me not to talk to you at all, but since you found out, I suppose it will be fine," She said carefully. "She is going to talk to Rei at the Temple, but was stopping briefly in at the Arcade. If you look inside and don't see her, it should be alright to go in."

Whew. Mamoru's shoulders slumped in relief. This was just all so stupid! But he could go and have that coffee after all. "Thanks Luna," He took a quick detour over to a bus seat along side the road and put her gently down on it. Luna was obviously on a mission-or something, so he could let her go on her way. "Don't cross the street unless it's a crossing at the lights." He told her seriously. Usagi would never forgive him if her cat was squashed under the wheels of a car.

"I was distracted!" She protested being treated like a child by this man who hadn't even passed his seventeenth year. Of course, they were real men and warriors by that age back in the Silver Millennium. "Very well," Luna said graciously, nodding her head.

Mamoru waved a hand at her, then turned back to the sidewalk and went another two blocks to Motoki's shop. A quick look in the wide glass windows confirmed that his step-sister wasn't inside. He happily walked in the sliding doors and sat at a quiet table in the corner. His friend spotted him and after a few minutes, came bearing coffee.

"You look like you've had a bad day." Motoki said bluntly, leaning against the wall beside Mamoru's chair. His friend was sporting some impressive-looking bags under his eyes from lack of sleep. This argument with Usagi must be taking it's toll on them both. And here he couldn't say a thing about knowing about Tuxedo Kamen or the Senshi until the dark-haired man brought it up himself. It was entirely possible that Mamoru hadn't even figured out who the other Senshi were.

"You wouldn't believe the week I've had." The upperclassman groaned and took a few grateful mouthfuls of the bitter beverage. Coffee solved a lot of problems! "Cat rescue, silent treatment by my sister, and would you believe I was made to go and visit the school councillor?"

"No kidding!" The blonde man was very surprised. Mamoru was a straight-A student, had never had detention, and generally the teachers and students liked him a lot. His friend shrugged and mumbled something about being grumpy for the last few days, and not paying attention in classes. "You rebel, you." Motoki drawled.

"I just have a really bad feeling..." The dark-haired man said softly, eyes distant. Something was coming and it wasn't going to be good. He was getting the same sort of uneasy feeling that he had when Sailor Moon was in danger. Hopefully, it was just his negative emotions from the incident with Usagi, spilling into his senses.

Because if the Dark Kingdom was about to pull something evil, and Sailor Moon and Tuxedo Kamen were fighting, the world would go to hell in a hand-basket!

It was only then that Mamoru recalled the backpack he had thrown down to rescue Luna. Swearing like a pirate, he leapt to his feet and rushed out the door.

Motoki stared. "Huh?" He said, frowning. But it was nothing new. Maybe there was a battle?

The next morning, on Saturday, the two siblings met in the bathroom doorway and their chests almost collided. Usagi, as per usual these days, didn't meet his eyes. She stared at his throat and saw him swallow. Was he nervous? Then she remembered that she was going to patch things up and she flushed.

"Sorry." She muttered, eyes reluctantly sliding up for a split second. His blue eyes looked very surprised, and to her regret, the dark circles under his eyes proclaimed that he hadn't been sleeping well. She was sure that her bags were just as horrible.

"I accept your apology, little sister." Mamoru replied magnanimously, eyeing her bent head with relief. She was talking to him, and had even met his eyes for a split second. To his surprise, she was even blushing. But that was to be expected, considering what had happed between them.

Usagi mumbled something and tried to step around him. Before he thought about it, he stepped that way also and blocked her. It wasn't a new game, but it was uncomfortable for his sister because they hadn't played it since-

Damn it, they just had to forget it all. This wasn't healthy!

Unfortunately for Usagi, Mamoru was very persistent. Her eyes went wide as she somehow collided with his muscled chest for a second time. As she went to walk around him, he dodged that way. She groaned at their matched steps and went the other way. He also stepped that direction and their chests collided. A third time for this to happen, and the blonde finally got a clue that it wasn't by accident.

She looked up at him with a glare to find him smirking at her, face far too close. They both jerked back a little, startled by their proximity. Somewhere inside, the tension began to drain away. Her step-brother was playing! For the first time in a week, he was opening up to her and being teasing. Thank god.

"Finally made you look," Mamoru drawled, looking smug.

Okay, that was his usual jerky self. She would have to respond in kind. His sister gave him a dark look, then raised her knee and kicked his leg hard. He yelped and fell back. "Made you screech like a little girl." She taunted back.

Using her smooth speed as Sailor Moon, she got behind him, then gave him a solid shove to the back. Mamoru gasped and went tumbling out the door. It was closed firmly against his backside. He winced and then grinned, knowing he'd won that argument. At least she had looked at him this time.

When she came downstairs, Usagi was dressed up to go out. She was wearing a pink shirt with bows and a skirt which he now found to be rather indecent. He scowled at her long slender legs, then made himself look up to her face. She was staring at him with a flush and had obviously seen where he was looking.

They glared balefully at each other and then he snorted and looked away.

"Where are you going, Odango?" He demanded, staring down at his magazine, but not really seeing anything. Would she ignore him, get angry or be teasing? He really didn't know what to expect after their taunting each other upstairs like it was the old days. He was pleased that they were finally making some sort of effort towards each other. His little sister was regretting their estrangement as much as he was.

The blonde threw her long hair over one shoulder and looked at their mother. "I'm going shopping with the girls, mom." She rather pointedly didn't look at Mamoru, or answer him. Unfortunately, their initial reluctance to see each other, or speak, had somehow deteriorated into something rather...childish. And even if they were trying to smooth it over, their attitudes were still rubbing each other the wrong way.

Usagi threw him a scowl, which he answered with a grin. But she didn't reply to anything he said in that 'tone'. Authoritative. Jerky. Smug. Okay, that fit almost all of his tones, so that didn't leave much for them to say to each other.

What was worse, the jerk was doing everything in his power to break her sulk towards him. It was sort of sweet, really... But his attitude was worse than ever. And he seemed somehow hiding something. She knew it, and he knew that she knew it. But whatever he was really thinking about when he looked at her sometimes with an intent expression, he was concealing it well.

Was it...the kiss? Her mind shied away from thinking too long on that one.

"Have fun, dear," Ikuko smiled and then looked towards Mamoru. "Say goodbye to your brother." She chided. This fight of their's had gone on for long enough, hadn't it? It was not like their old arguments either; it was strained, and sometimes angry. But Mamoru was trying, so why wasn't Usagi?

"Goodbye, jerk," Usagi said sweetly, then she walked right past him and headed for the door. Okay, not the apologetic tone she had been meaning to take with him that morning, but he was acting so arrogant.

She turned and eyed him hard for a moment, and somewhere in the depths of his eyes, she saw a glimmer of happiness. That just made her bad mood go right out the door, and she half-smiled at him before turning towards the front hall again.

"Usagi-" He began. He saw her stiffen, but she didn't stop. The door slammed behind her.

Mamoru cursed under his breath, and then fished out his cell phone. If only he had considered this a way to communicate with her earlier. At least she wasn't totally ignoring him, and she had smiled, which had frankly made his day.

'Where are you really going, Odango?' He sent her a text message. After five minutes, in which he got more uncertain about their renewed relationship, she finally answered.

'Shopping, are you deaf?'

"How charming." Mamoru chuckled at the message, eyes bright. 'Don't make me come out there!' He sent back.

'I'll sic Makoto on you. What are you, some stalker? Get a clue!'

A stalker? He sank down onto the couch as their mother left the room to give him privacy. Okay, so at least she was answering him. The dark-haired man wished that he'd thought of this alternative to speaking aloud before. She still wasn't totally willing to talk face to face, but she seemed okay by cell messages. 'Odango Atama, I know when you're lying.'

... 'Alright idiot. I'm meeting the girls for a Senshi meeting. Satisfied?'

Her brother blinked at the screen, then he swallowed hard. "Oh yeah," He managed to gasp out, totally flummoxed. She had actually talked about the Senshi to him. Told him that they were having a meeting. He felt so...humbled. And here Mamoru was hiding his secret identity from Usagi. "Damn it." He whispered, clenching the cell tightly.

'Okay.' He sent the simple reply. There was no answer.

The question then was, just where was this meeting? He was curious enough to follow her and see what they talked about. Instead, he went into the kitchen. "Mom, can I get you a coffee?" He asked cheerfully, heart feeling more light than it had in a week.

Usagi...trusted him still. That had to count for something.

To Be Continued...

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Hugs,
Princess Destiny