Disclaimer: Once again, I do not own Sailor Moon or related characters, but I do own Danielle! Chapter 2 One night, the night of June 7th, Mamoru's birthday to be exact, Usagi returned to her apartment from having dinner with Danielle. [AN: I just finished reading the manga and they say it's Aug. 3rd, but I didn't know that when I actually wrote this, and I like my version better cause I wanted him to be a Gemini. This is why: 1(says with hand over mouth) Mmmahhhmmmm- Danielle- Mmmmhhhh (once again if you know who she is, you should be able to figure it out.) 2 My zodiac sign :) and 3 June 7th makes him a second Decan Gemini, and listen to this description I got out of one of those little checkout line book thingies: "Has the charm and artistic gifts of subruler Venus. A closet romantic, you really believe in fairy tales and happy-ever-after. No matter, how hip you act, you secretly yearn for a traditional courtship and wedding." Perfect, ne?) It wasn't a small apartment either, it had a full kitchen and bathroom, and even an upstairs where the master and guest bedrooms were. She had just plopped down on the couch to calm herself down for the night, when she heard a knock at the door. "Mamoru!" she exclaimed as she opened it. Just seeing her face again caused him to lose it, "Oh, Usako I'm so sorry!" he broke down crying at her feet. "Shh, shh," Usagi was immediately on her knees holding and comforting him. "I missed you so much. I just needed time.....alone....to think," he said through the tears. "I'm so glad you haven't left yet. I just wanted to see you. What would my birthday have been without you?" "It's okay, Mamo-chan, I'm here." "I shouldn't be mad at you for following your dream. I should support what you do, and help you every step of the way. I love you so much Usagi." "I love you too Mamo-chan, I love you too," she whispered. They just sat there holding each other until Mamoru had apologized a million times and finally regained his composure and they stood up. Wherever he had been, he must have been pretty out of touch with reality. It was obvious that he hadn't changed clothes, shaved and maybe even bathed for quite awhile. "Oh, Mamo-chan, you look like hell." He blushed, "Yeah, I probably do." Usagi smiled and began plotting something in her mind, "Look," she showed him to the bathroom, "Why don't you get cleaned up a little, and when you come out, I'll have a surprise for you." "What is it?" "If I told you, then it wouldn't be a surprise, now would it?" she smiled. "I guess not," he entered the bathroom and shut the door. Usagi waited until she heard the shower water running, then bolted to the neighboring apartment. Mikaru, the resident there, was a botanist, and she was always stocked with every kind of plant imaginable. "Oh, hi Usagi. What's up?" "Rose petals." "What?" "Rose petals. I need red, yellow and white rose petals, quick!" "Why?" "I don't have time to explain, and I will pay you back somehow; I promise, but I need rose petals, and I need them NOW!" "All right Usagi, all right, I have them, just give me a sec," she disappeared into her apartment and emerged with one bag of white rose petals, one bag of red rose petals, and one bag of yellow rose petals, "Here, I hope they help." "Thank you soooo much. You don't know what this means to me." "Have a nice night!" "Oh, trust me I will!" Usagi ran back into her apartment and dashed up the stairs. She reached her room and knelt down to open the bottom drawer. She pulled out a gorgeous piece of lingerie. It was modeled after her princess dress, except the gold rings, instead of wrapping around her chest, cut a deep v-neck down to her belly button, and the bottom was only connected to the point where the rings met, leaving the stomach nearly completely showing. This bottom, made of a thin white fabric came all the way down to her feet, but was only held up by a belt-like extension that snapped shut in back, and the snap button was all that needed to be undone to remove the garment. The sleeves, which were nothing but a see through fabric that connected under the arms and just hung there once your arms were through it, also connected to themselves by a silver metallic fabric, which made them look like folded up wings. "Danielle was right, this will come in handy." ****FLASHBACK**** Usagi reached for the rectangular box next. It was obviously clothes, either that or something disguised by having it in a clothes box, but chances are, it was clothes. Usagi opened the card first and read it out loud. "Happy Sweet Sixteen! Have a great day today and all year round! Love, Danni." She was just about to open the gift when Danielle stopped her, "I made this especially for you, well, more like zapped it out of thin air (AN: Made it with her magic.) Anyway, I did it because I highly doubt that anyone else would get you one, or that you would buy one yourself. Open it last. Open it ALONE. I really don't think you'll be using it for quite a while yet, but one day it will come in handy and you'll thank me," she winked. ***END FLASHBACK*** <> <> <> <> <> Mamoru was in the bathroom, clean, shaven and, well, we can cut him some slack on the clothes. I mean, it's not like he had another outfit with him. He looked down to see a note that had been slid under the door. It read: "You know what they mean." "What the?" Mamoru opened the door to see a trail of yellow rose petals scattered across the floor, (AN: In case YOU don't know what they mean, Yellow: Friendship and gratitude, white: True, pure and eternal love, Red: Romantic, Passionate love.) He followed them into the living room where a red ribbon was on the floor.There was another note next to the ribbon, "I need your friendship, because you know me better than anyone else." ***FLASHBACK**** "What's wrong Usagi?" "Go away, Mamoru. I've had a bad day; I don't need this right now." "Whoa! Someone's mad." "Why don't you just call me 'Odango Atma' and get it over with?" "I can't." "Why not?" "Because you're not wearing your odangos today. You totally blew me away!" "Shut up!!" "What's your problem?!" "Jerks like you have been making fun of me all day, because my parents made me wear this stupid ponytail and ribbon for a change." "Oh....I didn't know. I'm sorry." "Yeah, right." "Well why don't you just put your hair back up like you usually have it?" "People will still make fun of me." "So? At least your being yourself. If they don't like it, well, screw what they think. Personally I don't think you're you with out your hair like that. It's part of who you are. There, now that's the Odango Atma I know!" "I never thought I'd be glad to hear you call me that!" ***END FLASHBACK**** He smiled and begin to follow the trail of white petals that led to the other side of the room. There he found an empty cookie tin. He laughed at that memory, Usagi could get so hyper at times. The note read: "I need your love, because there's something special about you that makes every day I'm with you one more reason I want to be with you forever." ***FLASHBACK**** "No, no! Usako don't! Auhhh! Too late." "Oooooops, sorry Mamo-chan." "I told you not to put the mixer on that high! If you don't start listening to me, then I'll never be able to teach you how to bake cookies right." "I'm listening Mamo-chan! Really I am!" "If you were listening, then there wouldn't be cookie dough all over us and the kitchen." "I'll clean it up! I promise!" "Yeah, you bet you will!" "Don't be mad Mamo-chan!" "And why shouldn't I be?!" "Mamo-chaaaaaaaaaan!" "Usagi, calm down. I'm only teasing." "Really?" *sniff* "Oh, Usako, I could never be mad at you. I love you." "....What?" "What do you mean 'what'?" "What did you just say?" "I can't be mad at you?" "AFTER that." ".........*thinking*........*realization* Aww man, after all that practicing for a long romantic speech, and I just let it slip." "Heehee, Mamo-chan loves me! Mamo-chan loves me!" "You hadn't figured that out already?" "Of course, I just never heard you say it before." "Well, I do love you Usagi Tsukino, very much." "I love you too Mamoru Chiba." ***END FLASHBACK*** Now the trail was red rose petals, and led to the bottom of the steps where there was an actual birthday card, "You are someone who makes life a wonderful blend of warm kisses and the perfect romance with the best kind of friend. To my confidant, my heart, my life, my love: Happy birthday! Love always and forever Usagi." Mamoru's heart was pounding as he continued following the trail up the steps where at the top there was one last note. Usagi could hear Mamoru's footsteps getting closer, and let out a quiet giggle. The last note said: "The happiest moments of my life are those I spend with you. The memories that mean most to me are only between us two. My birthday gift to you is simply this: all my love, all my heart, all myself, all for you, because tonight and forever, you are my one and only love." Finally, he turned the corner into the bedroom to see Usagi lying on her side with one leg bent up and her hand on her knee, and her head resting on her other hand, wearing her Sweet Sixteen birthday gift from Danielle and a big red bow around her neck, "Happy Birthday," she smiled. Mamoru was absolutely speechless. As she stood up and glided over to him, she looked just like an old Greek painting of Aphrodite stepping right out from the mural. Both of their hearts raced faster than they ever had before, and as they looked into each others eyes, the beating seemed as if it were in unison. "Mamoru, my love, I was wrong. Our problem was not that we needed to spend time apart. Instead, We needed to become closer than ever before," she put one hand on his waist and ran the other through his raven black hair as he embraced her. "It is time to remove the physical boundaries that have kept us apart time and time again." "I have never felt like this before, Usagi." "Nor I." "I love you with all my heart and soul, my sweet Princess Serenity." "As I do you, dear Prince Endymion." *snap* At last, the Earth and the Moon were truly united as one.