@TWILIGHT@ 
by: HIKARI 
email: machi_no_tenshi@excite.com
rated: R


Chapter 6: 

  As the sunlight peaked through light-cream curtains inside the bed-
room, Mamoru stirred and slowly opened his eyes.  His vision was blurry, 
the rays from the run where apparently reflecting off of something 
shinny.  As he focused his eyes more, he could tell the long strands 
of shimmering gold came from a certain girl’s head. ‘Usako,’ he thought.  
‘How could a man, as my cousin, have let you go?’  He gently wrapped 
his arms around the sleeping girl, hugging her as if he was not capable 
of understanding that she was really there with him. 

    Just then, Usagi awoke.  She lifted her face from Mamoru’s chest in 
order for her to look at him.  He was smiling at her, and she smiled 
back too.  Moving her body slowly, so that she may come face to face 
with him, she placed a light butterfly kiss on his nose.  "How was your 
night Mamo-chan?" She asked innocently, her actions the bold start of a 
conversation to break the awkwardness of the morning after. 

    Mamoru grinned as he thought of her question, his hands unconscious-
ly sliding up and down her curves.  ‘How was my night?’ He thought. 
‘Well, if she doesn’t remember, or doesn’t know...’  Abruptly, Mamoru 
flipped Usagi over on her backside as he lay on top of her.  "How ‘bout 
I show you how my night was?"  And not waiting for her to answer his 
question, he kissed her honeyed lips and slid himself inside of her 
once again. 


		*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* 


    "Mamo-chan?" Usagi asked, trying her best to catch her breath.  The 
past exertions being a bit too much for her to ‘get going’ again. 

    His lips stopped ravishing her neck at the sound of her soft plea. 
He knew she might not have said it, but three times in a row was more 
than she was ready to handle at the time.  He kissed her lips one last 
time and resigned the night, giving way to the new day.  With a sigh of 
regret, he brought himself to a sitting position on the bed and tried 
not to look at the temptation behind him.  "So... Are you up for break-
fast?"

    Now there was a question he didn’t have to ask twice.  Jumping off 
of the bed, Usagi ran to his closet and searched for a shirt.  Finding 
it, she put it on and then threw a pair of boxers and a t-shirt for 
Mamoru to wear. "Come on!!!  Let’s go eat!!"

    Who could disappoint her? Mamoru got dressed quickly but not with-
out noticing that Usagi had turned around so she would give him privacy. 
‘She’s so adorable, just like-’ his thoughts were interrupted as Usagi 
grabbed him by the hands and led the way towards the kitchen.  She, 
giggling all the way.  Mamoru smiled with her as they arrived at the 
living room and made their way into the kitchen. 

    Suddenly, their little world was stopped and shattered in one 
second.  Usagi’s face became pale as she stood at the kitchen door 
stiffly, disbelief in her eyes.  ‘How?’ She thought.  It was unfair!  
‘We were so happy...’  She just couldn’t understand  ‘Why?’  It was 
beginning to be too hard for her as she fought for control of her hyper-
ventilating. ‘Please tell me I’m still asleep.’ She begged, but hearing 
her name uttered from his lips with such scorn caused her eyes to water. 

    Kaoru gazed at the couple in front of him. His cousin Mamoru was 
dressed in boxers and a simple white t-shirt.  And then, standing in 
front of him at the kitchen door, was the hardest blow to his pride:  
Hanako, *HIS* Hanako wearing nothing more than his cousin’s shirt.  
Kaoru’s thoughts then returned to the night before when he had entered 
Mamoru’s bedroom and seen him with a girl.  ‘Pretty ironic,’ Kaoru 
thought.  ‘I came back to Tokyo looking for Hanako and I didn’t even 
have to leave my home!’  He just couldn’t stand it anymore, he had to 
do something about this silence... he couldn’t let them see how their 
treason had ripped him in two.  Placing a fake smile on his lips, Kaoru 
gathered some self-control.  "Good morning Mamoru-san.  Hanako-san."  
He then turned his face towards the counter and began to stir the coffee 
he had been making himself before the interruption. "How did you guys 
sleep last night?" 

    Mamoru didn’t know what to say... or even, how to react.  He knew 
that some day he would have to confront Kaoru about his relationship 
with Usagi but he had not been prepared for it to be the day after he 
had just established it!!  He had planned to talk things out with Kaoru, 
to make sure that he no longer harvested any feeling towards Usagi.  
‘But this...’ Mamoru thought.  ‘I never even considered *this* possi-
bility.’  "When did you get back?"

    Kaoru gave Mamoru a cold smile in acknowledgement.  It was a ques-
tion asked to find how much he knew.  But Kaoru wasn’t going to tell 
everything he knew.  Or was he?  Knowingly, he held the possibility to 
through in their faces everything he thought of them at this moment.  
He could call Hanako a whore and she would not be able to deny it, she 
might even start hyperventilating.  He could also insult his cousin, 
tell him he was a hypocrite and that no matter how much he thought of 
Kaoru’s dad as his father- that he was merely an orphan.  He could 
savor their guilt and see them on their knees begging for forgiveness: 
something he would never give to traitors such as them!  He considered 
the probabilities now, and with a serious face, he looked Mamoru 
straight in the eyes.  "Early enough to see yo-" but he stopped himself.  
He couldn’t do it!  "Let’s just say I got here in time to find out what 
was really happening behind my back."  And with his head held high, 
Kaoru strode past a silent Hanako and out the apartment’s door. 


		*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* 


    It was eight o’clock now and Kaoru still had not come back to the 
apartment.  Usagi and Mamoru had both taken a shower, separately, and 
were now sitting on opposite ends of the couch.  It was surprising how 
in a matter of seconds their whole relationship could have become so 
awkward. Usagi felt as if she was being punished, she was sick and 
tiered of this silent treatment which she did not deserve! 

    Then, as if reading her mind Mamoru asked her the question he had 
been wondering about ever since Kaoru left that morning.  "Do you still 
have something going on with Kaoru-kun?"

    She knew it was phrased as a question, but he had said it more like 
a fact. "NO!" She answered, angry at the notion that he could think her 
capable of playing around. 

    "Then how come he still thinks you’re his girlfriend?!"

    That was the last straw!! ‘How dare he!!’  She thought.  ‘Does he 
even know what he’s calling me?!’  Usagi stood up, shoulders back as 
she looked down on Mamoru.  "I think I know what you’re implying and I 
do not appreciate it! What ever Kaoru-san thinks that is still going on 
between us is his own imagination.  Before he left, it was made clear 
that we were over."  Her voice softened, "but I can understand why he 
would feel the way he does."

    Mamoru looked at her.  She no longer stood in front of him in a 
proud way. Now, a sadness covered her features. ‘No,’ Mamoru thought. 
‘It’s not sadness... It’s guilt.’  Making his way towards her, he enve-
loped her in his embrace.  He had been quite unfair blaming everything 
on Usagi, especially when he too was responsible for the situation.  
Her arms came around him as she rested her head on his shoulder, the 
tears she had been holding in... finally set free.  "I’m sorry." He 
whispered, "I am so sorry Usako."

    She looked at him with her tear-streaked face.  "Mamo-chan."She 
held him tighter as she cried.  "Please, promise me you’ll never doubt 
me again..." Her body began to shake with the strength of her tears.  
"Promise me!" 

    Placing his hand underneath her chin, he brought her face up to his 
view. "I promise you, Usako, that I shall never doubt your word again."  
Mamoru lowered his head and kissed her lips sealing his promise with a 
kiss. Looking back at Usagi, Mamoru continued, "I’m just worried.  I 
don’t know where Kaoru-kun is and..." he raked his fingers through his 
black ebony hair in despair.  "I don’t like the idea that he thinks 
that I’ve betrayed him."

    "You’ve never betrayed him." Usagi said as she caressed Mamoru’s 
face with tenderness.  ‘It was I.’ She thought in silence as she rested 
her head on the broad expanse of his chest.  ‘And I’ll fix everything... 
just wait and see.  I’ll fix everything.’  "I promise you." Were the 
words he heard her proclaim softly to the wind. 


To be continued... 

==========  ==========  ==========  ==========  ========== 

 Don't you just hate those words? 
(In a deep announcer's voice) So... Where IS Kaoru?  What is Usagi 
planning on doing?  How is Mamoru planning on straightening things out?  
Who is John Galt?  Stayed tooned, the answers to these questions and 
many more will be revealed on the next chapter of... (DA-DA-DA DUM) 
Twilight!!  (Pressure the author into sending the next chapter out 
sooner:  E-MAIL HER CONSTANTLY!!!)