Hey guys! This came out a lot faster than I expected, but it still isn't very long. I haven't been very motivated by this fic, but I'm trying to get it finished as soon as I can. There's going to be about 2-3 more chapters, so get ready for angst in the next one!

Enjoy!

"So, Odango-chan? What did you think?"

Usagi's eyes snapped open as a small "Hmm?" left her lips. Taiki pinched the bridge of his nose and Yaten groaned. "Are you kidding me?" he asked her, nearly dropping his guitar in exasperation. Seiya nudged his bandmates, looking to his betrothed.

"I liked it," Usagi reassured, smiling at her fiance.

"Lies!" Yaten screeched, earning a shove from Seiya. Usagi breathed deeply, guilt flashing in her azure eyes.

"I'm sorry, Seiya. I didn't sleep much last night. It really was great." Next to her, Minako was nearly bouncing out of her seat.

"I, for one, loved it! It captured everything a great Christmas song needs, along with the best things about J-Pop! You guys really outdid yourselves." The band glared at the senshi of Venus.

"Aino-san, you can kiss up all you want. You're not opening for us at our show," Taiki told her. Minako crossed her arms and huffed, slouching in her chair. Seiya looked to Usagi.

"Are you sure it was good?" he asked once more, taking her hand. She grinned and nodded.

"I'm sure Seiya. Come on. Every song you write is amazing." He smirked.

"Well, I can't argue with fact." Usagi giggled, retracting her hand.

"Alright, I better be going. I don't wanna be late for work again," she said as she reached for her coat.

"You had work today?" Yaten asked. Usagi looked at him, confused.

"Um, yeah? It's Tuesday, of course I have work." The Three Lights and Minako looked at each other nervously. Usagi paled. "What?" Taiki gestured to the clock.

"Don't you usually have to be at work by 1?" Usagi's eyes whipped to the ticking circle hanging above the door. The hands read 1:26.

"Shit," the blonde hissed, grabbing her coat, throwing her scarf around her neck and plopping the hat on her head messily. "I need to go. Bye, everyone!" After being stopped by Seiya with a quick peck, she sprinted out the door.

The loud ring of a bell filled the air in the Crown Arcade as Mamoru stepped through the door. He scanned the room. It looked almost the same as it had so many years ago.

Motoki made eye contact with Mamoru over the counter and waved, grinning widely. He returned the gesture and made his way over to his usual seat. The blonde laughed, leaning on the marble.

"Still chose the same seat?" he asked. Mamoru chuckled.

"I'll have a coffee, Motoki," he responded in the same sarcastic tone. Motoki grabbed a mug and twirled it on his finger.

"Black?"

"What else?" Motoki winked and walked over to the espresso machine. Mamoru leaned on the counter. "So, still working at this dump? I thought it was just going to be a high school gig." Motoki whipped his head around, smirking.

"I'll have you know I'm the manager of this 'dump' now, Mamoru. I could ban you from ever coming back right now if I wanted to." He turned off the machine and walked back over to his high school friend. Mamoru took the steaming mug from him and smiled.

"Hey, I'm proud of you. I know how much this place means to you. It's great that you get to make money doing something you love," Mamoru told him, taking a sip of coffee.

Motoki smiled. "Thanks, man. You too! I mean, getting an internship at Juuban at only 23 after attending Harvard? That's incredible!" Mamoru laughed and winked.

"And you always told me to stop spending so much time studying." Motoki shrugged, waving to a group of tennagers walking out the door. Mamoru took a sip of coffee and smiled to himself. He never really noticed how much he missed the Crown.

"So, Mamoru, run into anyone from your past yet?" Motoki asked, leaning his elbow against the countertop. Mamoru stopped drinking and set his mug down. He cleared his throat.

"Well, I saw Saori-san and Kobayashi-kun this morning. They're finally dating." Motoki nodded.

"Anybody else?"

Mamoru looked down. "Um, I ran into Usak..um...Usagi-san yesterday. She seemed… happy." Motoki's eyes softened. He remembered how hard it was on both teenagers when they split up. Mamoru laughed and rocked back in his chair. "I'm sure I won't be running into her much at all, though. I'll be busy at the hospital, and she probably won't be spending much time outside of work either. Hell, this place will probably be the only place I go during my free time."

Motoki bit his lip. "Yeah, about that, Mamoru-"

"I'm so sorry that I'm late again, Motoki! Seiya's band practice ran late and-" Mamoru stiffened at the high pitched voice coming from behind him. "Oh, hello Mamo-ch…" He heard Usagi cut herself off and winced as a strangled noise escaped her throat. "Mamoru-san," she corrected, not sounding sure of herself.

Mamoru turned his head and looked her in the eye, breathing deeply. "Usagi-san…" They looked at each other in silence, blocking out the shrieks of teenagers running around the arcade.

"Usagi-chan, why don't you go in the other room and put your uniform on?" Motoki suggested, breaking the silence. Usagi started before nodding and quickly walked off into the back room. Mamoru released the air in his throat, slamming his elbows onto the counter and covering his eyes with his palms.

"I don't understand why it has to be so awkward between us. It's been six years. Why can't we just have a normal conversation like two normal people?" he asked, more to himself than to Motoki.

"Don't know, maybe because you're still in love with her?"

Mamoru sent a death glare at his blonde companion. "Motoki, of course I'm still in love with her. It's not much of a secret. I always have been and always will be." Motoki rolled his eyes.

"Which makes me even more curious as to why you broke up with her in the first place." Mamoru sipped his coffee, rocking back on his stool and closing his eyes. "Wow. I haven't seen you in four years and you still won't tell me the reasoning behind both of your hearts being shattered?" Motoki groaned, leaning over the counter to get closer to his friend. Mamoru sighed.

"Motoki, I've said it a million times: I can't tell y-"

"Haha, I'm back," a soft voice came from behind Motoki. He stepped aside, giving Mamoru a better view of his ex. Usagi was pulling on her short locks, looking away nervously. As his eyes wandered over her figure, Mamoru's breathing became more and more uneven. This was the third time he had looked at her since his arrival, but the other two, she was wrapped from head to toe in various coats, scarves, and hats. This time, she was wearing a rather fitted dress with an apron tied around her waist.

And she looked good.

The fabric clung to her prominent curves, which had become much, much more pronounced than they were four years ago. Her body had shifted into a perfect hourglass shape, with curves in all the right places. Mamoru had always thought she was beautiful, but she had become fucking sexy.

"Um, I'm going to go work the prize booth, Motoki. Call me if you need anything." She walked away, giving Mamoru one more lingering glance.

He felt an elbow nudge his side as he snapped out of his trance. Motoki stared at him with a raised eyebrow. The arcade manager tapped beneath his bottom lip, causing Mamoru to realize that he had been drooling. "Are you going to tell me why your female employees have such *cough* tight uniforms?" Motoki snickered, glancing at Usagi.

"Hey, I only provide the aprons. Wearing that dress was Usagi's decision."

Mamoru slammed his head on the counter. That girl was going to be the death of him.

As Usagi handed the little girl she was currently attending to a teddy bear, she shifted her gaze to Mamoru. He was chatting with Motoki, sipping away at his coffee. Probably black, she mused, giggling to herself. It was always his favorite. His eyes met her own and they both turned away, blushing. Usagi's nostalgic smile fell as she recalled what she overheard.

"Of course I'm still in love with her. It's not much of a secret. I always have been and always will be."

The declaration made her heart flutter, but she couldn't wrap her head around the concept. If he still loved her, why had he been so adamant about breaking up despite her endless protests? If their separation had been just as hard on him as it was on her, why did he do it?

She had to find out. It didn't matter how much pushing she needed to do. She was going to get an answer out of him, no matter the cost.