AN: I had no idea where I was going with this chapter, but I'm 
hoping I got myself on track...
Anyways, enjoy, I'm too lazy to write any more AN *audience cheers*.
^^; Maybe at the end... *audience groans* ^^; Heh...

A BIG THANK YOU to Sakura, who is absolutely amazing at helping me 
with my writing- I appreciate her help soooo much! ^_^

Disclaimer: Who can't give credit to Naoko Takeuchi for creating our
lovable Mamo-chan? Erm, and Sailor Moon too, of course...^^;

******************************
The Game Is the Mystery
Chapter 3
Day 3- Clue
by April Rayne
Startear42@aol.com
******************************

	"What did I get myself in-OUCH!" Usagi winced as she pulled 
a brush through another knot in her normally tangle free hair. 
Placing the brush on her dresser, she sighed as she looked at her 
reflection in the mirror. Her eyes were slightly red from 
irritation, her lips put in what felt like a perpetual frown. Her 
hair, even after trying to tame it, was still in uncompromising 
disarray. She ran a hand through her hair again, wincing as another 
evil knot showed up. "Ugh..."
	The fact that it was only six in the morning didn't help to 
brighten her mood much, either.
	Officially, her plans were ruined. After finally getting to 
sleep in the early morning hours, she was supposed to relax and 
sleep in until nine, get ready, and then take on an impromptu 
approach with a *slightly* peeved Mamoru when she reached HQ.
	Instead, a nightmare had haunted her...

	The locket hung around her neck, as usual, but it felt like 
more of a burden, weighing her down. She was in a room, talking with
 each of her best friends, when, one by one, instantly they would 
disappear with a deafening scream. In their place, their crystals 
hung in the air. In time, those too would disappear, and she'd be 
alone, in the dark. The void she was in would suddenly drop to 
freezing temperatures, a wind beginning to blow. It was slowly 
getting darker, and she clutched her locket to her chest, trying to 
find comfort. Opening the clasp, she cried out and let go, the chain 
breaking. It landed on the floor with a dull thud. It was empty.
There was a sudden warmth by her side, and a hand on her arm to 
reassure her. Usagi was so apprehensive that she swerved around 
quickly, eyes wide. There, she came face to face with the source of 
the warmth.
	Face to face with a mask.

	Usagi awoke multiple times, only able to take in deep 
breaths for air and stare at the ceiling. After sleep would claim 
her again, the same events would replay themselves in her mind... 
Time and time again, she'd find herself scared and alone, eyes shot 
wide open in fear and apprehension. When this happened for a third 
time, Usagi gave up on trying to get that much needed rest, and 
begrudgingly moved out of bed. 
	The positive side to all of this was that she could avoid 
the nightmare, and hope that it was just for tonight. But for every
good thing, there came something bad, and that came in the form of 
having too much time to think about things.
	And thinking about an upset Mamoru, no matter how annoyingly
handsome, was not on the top of her 'Things that make me feel 
better' list.

	Rei had come to pick her up, and the day began the way it 
had for the past two days, where they would turn on the radio and 
just talk about stuff. Of course, nothing that came up had anything 
to do with yesterday...

	RING! RING! RING! 

	"Eh? Who would call me now?" Reaching into her purse, Usagi 
found her cell phone, and before it got the chance to ring again, 
she clicked the button, and brought it to her ear. "Moshi moshi?" 
	"Usagi-chan?"
	"Luna!"

*****

	Usagi walked down the hallway with pure dread settling in 
pit of her stomach. She froze as Mamoru walked out of his office, 
and her heart jumped when he stopped in mid step, noticing her. 
	"O...Ohayo, Chiba..."
	"Ohayo..."
	Usagi's wrung her hands behind her, biting her lip and 
searching for something to break the wretched silence. "So...I'll 
talk to you later!" she said as fast as she could before 
disappearing into her room. Thank goodness there was always an easy 
way out.
	She soon realized that the easiest way was not the best way. 
	The blond heard the sound of his door closing as well, and 
she sat down on the edge of her desk, swinging her legs back and 
forth agitatedly. Groaning to herself about how suckers never learn 
anything from taking the easy way out, she made her way to the door 
connected to Mamoru's room. Looking down at her shoes, she mumbled, 
"Okay, Chiba, I know I made a mistake yesterday-Ooh! Forget this!" 
she hissed, sick of playing chicken too long. She quickly brought 
her hand to the knob, ready to make a strong grasp on it when the 
door opened, and Mamoru stood in front of her. Usagi's throat 
suddenly became dry, and she couldn't find the right words to say. 
	"We need to talk."
	She nodded silently. She took a step to the side and he 
moved past her. Closing the door behind her, she went to take a seat
across from Mamoru. 
	"So..."
	"What happened?"
	"Who knows?"
	He didn't like wasting time and he didn't want to start 
anything, knowing what he had learned from her last night, but... 
"You can't just go about working things behind my back."
	She sat straight up. "We decide that we need to talk, and 
you do it so that we can argue about this again?"
	"This is important to the case!"
	"Why can't we just trust each other and get over it?!" she 
cried. 
	Mamoru paused, and began to get up out of his chair. "Maybe 
we should just stop working on this together..."he mumbled. 
	Her eyes widened, and she reached out her hand, as if to 
touch him and stop him. She froze before she could reach him. 
"Wait!" He stopped, and stared down at her, watching her hand stray 
to her side. "If we really want to work together, I think that 
we...should start over."
	He raised and eyebrow. "Tsukino...Start over, huh?"
	"Yup." Usagi stood up, and stuck out her hand, waiting for 
him to take it in a handshake. Staring at her as if she needed to 
get her head checked, he took her hand in his, and shook it up and 
down slowly. "Tsukino Usagi. Nice to meet you."
	He laughed, not letting go. "Chiba Mamoru... I *think* I can
say the same."
	Pouting, she stopped the handshake and put her hands on her 
hips. She smiled, glad to her his wonderful laugh ringing in her 
ears. She turned around to look out the window. "I really am sorry 
about yesterday..."
	"I know...I am too."
	Usagi turned around. "I'm really-"
	"I know, Tsukino. We're starting over, remember?"
	"Right..." They sat down and sat silently for a few moments.
"So...what do we do now?"
	"Time to talk to Aino-san."

	The partners said nothing during the ensuing car ride, past 
a short discussion on weather. Mamoru informed Usagi that Minako had
given him a separate address to that of her original mansion as he 
maneuvered his way around the winding paths of the forests outside 
Tokyo, near the other mansion. When they reached it, it was fairly 
similar in structure and size to Makoto's, and tiger lilies graced 
the outer garden. In silence, they walked up the large marble steps,
only to find the front door opened. Sharing a look of confusion and 
dread, they slowly opened the door and, ignoring the scenery, 
followed the arguing voices that traveled to them from down the 
hall. Pausing at an open door to the den, they decided to listen to 
what was going on...

	"Kamui, stop!" 
	The tall man paused in the doorway connecting to the other 
room, and Minako was unable to read his expression without seeing 
his face. She could feel the tension in the room, and her heart bang 
with a dull thud as she noticed his clenched fists hanging at his 
sides. Minako froze, eyes widening in horror in realizing what she 
had just done. With deliberately slow steps, he played further into 
her request, closing the gap between them. 
	"And who do you think you are, telling *me* what to do?"
	A mixture of surprise and confusion added to the slight 
frown on Minako's lips. "I'm a princess- I'd like to think I can do 
what I please."
	"A princess of a fraud is what you are..." the man growled, 
his shoulder length platinum blond hair swaying back and forth as he
shook his head, scoffing at her with a small laugh. His fingers 
wrapped their way around their wrist, and soon she was shaking, not
only from his intimidating presence, but from the electrifying 
contact that they shared. 
	"I'm... I'm..." a million and one snappy comments ran 
through her mind, and yet she could find not one to combat the blow 
he had dealt with the truth. "How dare you confuse me like this?" 
came out in a shaky whisper.
	"You tell me..." Pulling her closer to him, his head leaned 
over, the spectators at the door knowing full well what he intended 
to do. 
	"Let go of her!" a stern male voice commanded from the 
doorway, surprising all to the point where 'Kamui' abruptly let go 
of Minako's wrist and took a step back, head swerving so that eyes 
of ice blue met eyes of midnight blue. The tall, dark haired man 
emerged from his spot outside the door, his partner meekly following
behind him. "What gives you the right to treat a woman like this? 
How dare you?"
	Minako's eyes swerved to the clock. "Oh no! I lost track of 
time!"
	"I'm sorry, but I think you're mistaken..." The man 
interjected, giving the detective as fierce a glance as he was 
receiving.
	Mamoru approached the stranger with brisk steps, eyes 
narrowing in anger.
	Usagi jumped in between them to block his path. "Tsukino, 
butt out," he muttered, moving to his right. Usagi moved right in 
front of him, a serious look on her face. He sidestepped again, but 
was still blocked by the blond with the odangos. Always quick as a 
rabbit... Mamoru sighed, and, glaring sternly at her, mumbled, 
"Tsukino, what's wrong with you?" Looking up again, he noticed that 
'Kamui' was sitting down in a chair, Minako standing at his side, 
hands folded in front of her with a pink tinge covering her cheeks.
	The odangoed blond noticed the confused look on Mamoru's 
face and brought her hands down to her sides, then moving to stand 
next to him. "What's going on?" they asked at the same time. 
	"Chiba-san, Tsukino-san. Meet Yuuno Kunzite-kun."
	Mamoru blinked, confused. Kunzite. Where had he heard that 
name before?
	Meanwhile, Usagi's eyes widened. "*The* Yuuno Kunzite? 
Kunzite as in the *actor*, Kunzite?" 
	'Oh yeah...'
	Minako nodded, adding, "Hai, you see minna...". Usagi jumped
to their sides, and whipping out a pad of paper and a pen, grinned 
brightly at him. "Can I have your autograph?"
	Mamoru and the others sweatdropped. Looking at the blond 
detective with a "What the heck is wrong with you?" look, he took 
the pen with a careless gesture, scribbling it on the pad while 
Usagi smiled deliriously at him as she took it back. Mamoru's 
eyebrows raised quizzically, then narrowed with a strange dimmed 
glint in his eyes. Shaking his head, the expression disappeared, and
he approached the two gathered around the man with the chilling ice 
blue eyes. "As you were saying, Minako-san?" he asked, giving Usagi 
a gentle nudge with his elbow. 
	"Hai...As you see, minna, I didn't tell you everything about 
myself...I'm not just some heiress...I'm also known as Kokorono 
Mina."
	"You mean, the one coming up in that new movie, 'Unmei*'?"
	"I only do movies where I wear some sort of wig, or 
disguise, like I did when I worked on Sailor V when I was younger. I
 do it for my protection right now, of course."
	'She certainly likes to hide things,' The older detective 
thought to himself. "Now about the..." he took a hesitant look 
towards Kunzite, who still regarded him with a callous stare, unsure 
of whether or not to continue. 
	"It's all right," Minako mused. "He knows." Mamoru nodded, 
giving himself a mental note to ask her just why Kunzite knew. Right
now, his main concern was to see the crystal. Noticing that he 
didn't make a move, she hesitantly led the way, through the 
building. 
	Walking past the rooms in the large home, he noticed that, 
unlike the other mansion, this home was bathed in yellow and yellow 
furnishings, quite a difference from the silver and white decor. 
Aino-san kept her crystal not in her bedroom, but in a separate, 
distinctive display room, with the crystal bathed in a spotlight in 
the center of the dimmed room. It was a golden garnet crystal, in 
the shape of a heart. The Heart of Aphrodite... As Mamoru approached
it, he paused and looked back at Minako, who stood next to Kunzite,
his arms crossed protectively in front of him. "Now that we've seen 
this for ourselves, can you explain just why you didn't disclose 
this information to us earlier?" 
	Inhaling slowly, Minako nodded. She saw Kunzite look at her 
from the corner of her eye, and tried to mentally tell him to back 
off. "I wanted to make sure that you would do a good job."
	"But why introduce yourself as just the heiress of the 
Illusion Silver Crystal?"
	"To see how you dealt with it. It was important that we work
on the protection of that crystal first, seeing as it's more 
important. What was the use of having you two focus on more than one 
crystal?"
	Kunzite coughed, and looked at Mamoru, ice blending with an 
unknown fire in his eyes.
	Usagi subconsciously began to trace the heart pattern of her
locket. Watching her figure out of the corner of his eyes, after 
looking at Kunz, he turned to her and said, "Something wrong, 
Tsukino?"
	Pausing, she looked at him idly, the realization that he had
noticed her behavior gradually showing in the depths of her blue 
eyes. Dropping the locket quickly, she smiled and shook her head. 
"No...I'm fine." Focusing on Minako, she urged her to continue with 
her eyes. 
	Minako coughed, drawing Mamoru's attention back to her, but 
not before he gave Usagi a look that sent a slight shock of pleasure
and discomfort down her spine. "Will that be all?"
	Usagi spoke up. "Actually, I'd like to know how you and 
Mizuno-san, Hino-san, and Kino-san met. It just seemed to 
coincidental that all of you were there, when I was supposed to be 
only meeting with Kino-san," she trailed off as the incidents of the 
meeting came back to her. "I was going to ask yesterday, but 
considering that it was so sudden, and that I became involved in 
everything too quickly...I didn't get the chance to..."
	"We met in high school. That's all. Really, just old school 
friends, nothing to get harried about, Tsukino-san." Usagi's eyes 
narrowed. "I suppose so..."
	Mamoru took a glance at his watch. "We're late, Tsukino. 
We'd better leave." Bowing towards the other couple, Mamoru said, 
"This isn't finished yet, Minako-san. Expect more than this." With 
that, he walked out of the door and down the hallway, Usagi looking 
apologetic as she followed him.

	Kunzite walked towards the door, watching them leave as 
Minako came up next to him. The anger in his eyes was still there, 
but was beginning to die out. "I still think it's a bit dangerous, 
leaving everything hanging like this. Why would they just take off 
like that, without trying to And keeping Serenity out in the 
open..."
	Minako unknowingly put a finger to his lips to silence him. 
His blue eyes met hers, and she blushed becomingly, her eyelids 
drooping to avoid his gaze. "Trust the plan...," she whispered. 
"Trust the both of them." Scared and frozen to her spot, she visibly
started when his hand moved over hers, his lips giving her the 
slightest hint of a butterfly kiss. Holding her shaking hand, 
Kunzite brought it down to her side. Without so much as a hint to 
her, he turned around and began to walk back to the other room. 
"Let's get back to the scene."
	Minako stood, still facing the door, eyes widened, and 
unable to breathe.

******

	They pulled into the parking lot of the brick red building, 
Usagi noting that Neph's and Zoicite's cars were already there. 
Knowing too well what the results of this test could bring about, 
the atmosphere sparked with a serious air, each of them stiffly 
getting out of the car without any spoken words to each other.
	When they opened the doors, they found themselves in yet 
another scrupulously sterile area, the whitewash walls illuminated 
by bright fluorescent lighting. Makoto and Neph were already sitting
in the entrance waiting room. Usagi quickly moved to the two and 
greeted them, Mamoru hanging back and giving them polite nods. The 
receptionist, on giving the entering duo one look, didn't dare to 
question their presence. 
	Looking though a window similar to that of the hospital, 
they found Ami and Zoicite already in the lab, asking the 
technicians exactly what they were doing. Satisfied with the 
results, they walked out of the laboratory, bowing as they came 
across the two newcomers. "Now we're only waiting for-"
	"Rei-chan! Phobos-chan! Deimos-chan!" 
	"Sorry we're late," Rei mumbled, holding the door open for 
the two ladies behind her. 
	"This is Phobos-chan, and this is Deimos-chan." Each twin 
bowed as their respective names were called, each one looked up with
a coy look in their eyes. They looked very similar to Rei, but their
eyes were a lighter purple, and their hair was down except for oval 
odangos over their ears, each trailing out to a pigtail. "Hello, 
minna-san... Mamoru-san..." They said simultaneously, eyelashes 
fluttering. (AN: Erm...they take after Rei-chan in the anime? 
heh...^^;) 
	Usagi sent Mamoru a slight sideways glance, inner laughter 
adding a sparkle to her eyes. "More members of your fan club, 
Chiba?" she whispered jokingly, unable to resist the urge to nudge 
his side. Mamoru sighed, trying to hide his annoyance. He wasn't 
very fond of the idea, but he couldn't help but grin at her chagrin.
"Hysterical, Tsukino," he mumbled. "Now that everyone's here," he 
called out authoritatively, changing gears, "We can all proceed into
the lab..."
	One by one, each of them moved past the large metal doors 
and into the sterile setting of bottles, vials, and strange 
machinery. All three detectives were left outside, and before Rei 
entered the doorway, she said, "Mamoru-kun, I hope dealing with the 
twins today won't be too much?"
	"It won't be a problem," he muttered, following her into the
room. Usagi stood outside the door for a second, a quizzical look 
following the two. "Hmmm..."

	"Chiba-san and I are only here to make sure that this is 
done properly." Usagi called out once everyone was seated. Phobos 
and Deimos sat to one far side, one of the lab technicians pulling 
up their sleeves and preparing the hypodermic needles. Neph was 
nearby, another worker attending to him while Makoto stayed 
diligently at his side. Usagi stood next to Mamoru, and he nodded. 
"If this goes as planned, all of this should be done fairly quickly, 
and we can proceed onto the Round Robin questioning.'  

*********
	This 'round robin' idea would make sure that not one of the 
questioned would be able to communicate with each other, so that 
answers would not be muddled or planned before questioning. After 
returning to HQ from the lab, Usagi would be in her office, and 
Mamoru in his, while the other two people being questioned would 
wait in the hallway and in Rei's office. 

<3:45 P.M.>

	"Zoicite-kun... I know that this isn't the best thing to 
bring up right now, but you know that we have to do this...go along 
with protocol..." Usagi's eyes were downcast, and she took in a 
sigh. 
	Zoicite nodded, seemingly unaffected by the turn of events, 
always in a nonchalant manner. "But Ser-"
	"Call me Usagi, please," she interjected quickly.
	"Gomen..."
	"So tell me, where were you up to three days before the 
incident?"
	
	"We were starting our new jobs at the Azabu Medical 
Affiliates..." Phobos said, putting her elbow on his desk and 
leaning on her hand. 
	"And what do you work there as?" Mamoru asked, tapping his 
pen on the table, and sitting back farther to avoid Phobos' look...
	"We're interns for Dr. Kawazaki, in the pediatric ward."
	"Is there anywhere else that you went? It doesn't matter how
insignificant it may seem..."
	
	"Well, I went in for a visit to a former colleague, Dr. 
Houji Fuu*." Zoi answered, yawning as the questioning became more 
tedious and boring.
	"Where?"
	"Azabu Medical Affiliates Center. She's a cardiologist."
	Usagi's eyebrows raised, puzzled. "She?"
	"Yes...Oh...Just a friend, I swear..." he replied in the 
same nonchalant tone he always had. 
	"Mmmhmm... So what exactly were you doing there?"
	
	"Thanks for your time, Phobos-san. I'll be sure to keep in 
touch with you on the details." Mamoru got up and moved to the door, 
opening it for her as she moved up out of her seat *slowly*. 
	"Of course..." she stopped in front of him, looked up and 
continued to speak without a second thought. "Mamoru-san...I don't 
mean to be rude, but are you and Usagi-san...?" Phobos took one look 
at his expression and stepped out of the doorway. A disappointed 
look was exchanged for one of pure embarrassment. She waved her 
hands fervently. "Eh...Deimos-chan, hurry and get in here!"

	"And about your relationship with Rei? Were there every any 
family feuds or anything like that?" Mamoru asked, making a slight 
note to himself on his paper before gesturing for her to continue.
	"Never!" Deimos called out indignantly. Mamoru gave her a 
strange look at her excitement, and she sat back. "Okay, so there 
were the occasional spats, but nothing serious, I swear. Rei-chan 
has always been like a big sister to us, and I guess that you can 
say that we wanted to return the favor..." her tone became serious. 
"We've always been close knit, and sometimes she says that us twins 
are overprotective of her, and sometimes I think that she hates 
that, being that we're younger. She always wants to protect us... 
Rei-chan has this big sense of pride, as you probably already know. 
But she never complained."
	He nodded, making another mark on his paper. Practically the
same answer as the one Phobos had given him... "So nothing was out 
of the ordinary?"
	
	"Well, you already know about my relationship with 
Mako-chan. That therapy I had told you about... I went to see this 
fairly new doctor, she's been rumored to be really good at her 
work." Neph replied, taking a sip out of the cup of coffee that 
Usagi had prepared for him.
	She looked out her window at the quickly darkening night 
that began to bring the shadows to life outside. "And who were you 
seeing at the time?" 
	"A psychologist, Yamino Beryl-san."

********
	After long, grueling hours of questioning, the procedure was 
finally over, and after thanking all of them, Neph and Zoi left in 
their own cars. Since Rei had given the twins a ride to HQ, she had 
asked Mamoru to give them a ride home in case her work delayed her. 
	Needless to say, the twins were not too disappointed to hear
that.

	Usagi gave Mamoru an impish grin as he escorted the girls 
out of the building. "Have fun, Chiba," she whispered as he walked 
out the door. He turned around, and replied with a quick, "Eat 
something, Tsukino, your thinking is getting muddled. You need brain
food." With that, he was out the door, leading the twins to the car. 

	Smiling, she walked back up to the research room to take a 
closer look at her results.

<8:16 P.M.>	

	Mamoru walked down the hallway, and seeing the lights off in
Usagi's office, made a right up the stairs. He paused halfway up, 
and inhaled slowly. 'What in the world?' He continued up the steps, 
and reaching the second floor, went into the research room doors. 
	The question that he was about to ask died in his throat. 
Looking to the back, he found Usagi, sitting at the table, reading a 
book on chemicals that he had left out earlier. A dinner setting for
two had been placed on the back tables, the smell of the food 
traveling to him. She had ordered take out.
	Usagi grinned, putting down her book and placing another 
drinking glass on the table in the back. "Welcome back, Chiba." 
Noticing his dumbfounded look, she added, "Eat something Chiba, your
thinking is muddled. You need brain food."

<8:46 P.M.> 
	Halfway through their small talk about the round robin 
during dinner, they began to talk about the final results they had 
received. 
	"About Azabu Medical Affiliates..."
	"I know, Chiba. I took a look at both our notes. There's 
something wrong with that place."
	"Now the only problem. Trying to figure out just *who* our 
real culprit is. And it's not going to be easy."
	"What's our first option? Talking to each of them 
individually?"
	"We can risk that right now. We don't want to arouse any 
suspicion, or give them the chance to tell someone else about what 
was going on, or get away."
	"So where does that leave us?"
	"There's only one solution right now, and it's not going to 
be as easy as you think..." Caught up in the mysterious atmosphere 
that had been arranged for them, he whispered the answer in her ear.
Usagi blushed as she felt his warm breath on her ear, only to have 
her eyes grow larger as he explained what they were doing.
	
<10:01 P.M.>

	"Ne, Chiba..."
	"Hmm?"
	Usagi stood up and took the book she had been reading and 
placed it on a nearby shelf. Facing him, she stumbled over her 
words. "We've been working together for only two days now...I know 
this is going to sound strange, but...I feel as though we still 
barely know anything about each other..."
	"This is a temporary job, Tsukino."
	Her face fell, and she quickly turned to the window, trying 
to hide her disappointment. "I know that. Taking her precious locket
into her hands, she moved to open the clasp but caught herself 
before doing so. "But I think... for the time being...we'd work best
together if we knew more about each other." She turned to face him, 
face oddly serious. Her eyes strayed to the side, her eyelids 
lowering. "That way, I wouldn't jump to conclusions about you...like
I did last night."
	The grasp on his pen became strained, but then he gently 
placed it on his desktop. 
	Her lips forming a grateful smile, she swiftly sat across 
from him at the desk. Her eyes shining with wordless gratitude, her 
mouth began to form a question, but quickly closed again. 
	"We've done so much in the past few days alone that I really
don't think we're gonna get much of a lead today. At least, until 
the results from the lab come in. And since we already came up with 
our plans for tomorrow..."
	"Oh...Okay..." Calmly placing her hands in her lap, her eyes 
trailed upwards to meet his. "What made you want to become a private 
investigator? You said before that it was your destiny...your 
past..."
	So she had remembered what he had said the other day...
	"I've always wanted to, since I was younger. I was always 
the kid who corrected everyone else, noticed small things. And 
besides, the whole mystery part of this job can really get a kid 
hooked when they're younger."
	"I guess that your parents loved that you decided to do 
this."
	"Actually, they never knew... They died when we were in a 
car accident when I was young..."
	Usagi's hand flew to her mouth. "Oh...I'm so sorry, 
Ma...Mamoru-kun...I didn't know-"
	"I lived in an orphanage after that. It wasn't easy... I 
could barely remember anything from before the accident as is. My 
amnesia was highly selective."
	"So you don't remember..." Usagi took his hand in hers, eyes
shining with unshed tears. 
	They were tears for him, he realized. His heart beat 
erratically in his chest, trying to combat the urge he had to just 
stare into those eyes...He had already forgotten about what they 
were talking about as her hands slowly massaged his. 'Remember-' he 
told himself, 'You don't want anyone's pity. You don't want them to 
know about *you*.'
	He shook his head, but was unable to wrench his hand from 
hers. "Some memories are as clear as day...others..." He focused on 
a point past her shoulder. "I remember that the night when I first 
woke up after the accident..." His eyes strayed over her face, 
coming to stop on her teary eyes. "...There was this beautiful lady 
standing beside my bed, crying. I asked her why she was crying, and 
she just knelt down and put my hand in hers. 'Don't cry, honey,' she
whispered. 'I promise that everything will work out for you.' And 
like a ghost, she vanished into the night."
	"Who..who was she?" 
	"I actually thought that she was a ghost, but as more of my 
memories came back, I realized that I *did* know her from 
somewhere...But I couldn't put a name to her face, but she was as 
much a part of my life as my parents..."
	Usagi nodded, bringing her hand to her face to wipe away a 
tear. "I'm sorry...I-" Mamoru brought a finger slowly to her face, 
and collected her tears. "I've learned to live..." he whispered 
quietly. She froze, and realizing he was doing, Mamoru looked inside
of his desk drawer and found a box of tissues, quickly handing one 
to her and sitting far back in his seat. He took his hand from out 
of hers just as fast.
	Usagi felt the loss of warmth as the contact was broken, and
sat back dejectedly as well. A blanket of silence enveloped the two,
but neither were able to muster the right words to say to lift it. 
So they sat quietly for a timeless minute, Usagi trying to meet his 
eyes, unsuccessfully. She was sure that she had just made a complete
fool of herself...
	"And what about you, your family, your past?" Mamoru asked, 
finally meeting with her.
	"Me?" She sat up, falling into his change of subject, glad 
that the awkwardness was behind them, if not gone. She smiled shyly.
"I was a ditzy, klutzy kid, schoolgirl and college student."
	"So basically, you haven't changed."
	Narrowing her eyes, she playfully stuck her tongue out at 
him. 
	"And your family?"
	Usagi was a little hesitant about this, but continued. "I 
had the normal loving family...My mother was always 'mothering' 
me, my father was way too overprotective, and my brother was a 
greedy little spore, but I wouldn't have it any other way." She 
began to rethink what she had said, and added quietly, "And then 
there was my nanny."
	"You had a nanny?"
	"Well...She was a close family friend, and was there a lot 
of the time, especially when my father was out at a business meeting 
and my mother had a lot of things to do outside of home. I guess you
could say...she was like my real mother in a way."
	'Real mother? What does she mean?'
	She looked down into her lap for a second, and then brought 
her eyes up to his. "I...loved her that much. But as I got older, 
things happened, and she had to leave... I had to learn to face the 
real world on my own for a bit."
	"And how did the real world treat a rabbit like you?"
	Her eyes widened, and a little blush made her cheeks warm. 
"Pretty good...There were a lot of people that helped, like 
Rei-chan."
	"Where did you meet Rei?"
	"In college," Rei called out from the open research room 
door. Her head was tilted to the side, surveying the situation. The 
raven-haired lady simply smiled.
	"Rei-chan! It's early!"
	"I know, but I finished up work early, and I thought I'd 
stop by and see how things were going. And they're going well, I 
see..."
	"You could say that..."
	"Usagi, do you want to go now?"
	"Well, we weren't really umm...working, so...I guess we 
should go then." 

	For the first time in a long time of their working together,
Mamoru looked very strangely at Rei, his mouth set in a straight 
line from the smile he had shared with Usagi earlier. Rei gulped. 

	Not noticing the interaction between Mamoru and Rei, she got
up from the desk and began to move towards the door. "I'll just get 
my stuff first." She walked to her room, Rei right at her heels. 
"Usagi-chan, were you crying?" she asked, noticing a very slight red 
in her eyes. Usagi shook her head quickly, murmuring denials. While 
she did so, Usagi noticed the vase of pink and white roses on her 
desk, and paused. She realized where most of them had come from... 
"Rei, can you wait here for a second? There's something I need to 
do." Her friend nodded.
	"Chiba!" Usagi called from the bottom of the stairs. 
	"Yeah?"
	"I think there's somewhere we should go..."

	The duo entered the large iron wrought gates and moved 
deeper into the tree lined path until they reached their 
destination. The glistening lake loomed before them, and the mixed 
blend of roses and night air wafted with the slight breeze. The 
reflection of the moon rippled on the lakes surface, the little 
waves and ripples trying to carry it's light to the shore, where 
Usagi silently stood. 
	"I'm surprised you thought about this place..." Mamoru said, 
lingering farther inland towards more of the rose bushes. He watched
as Usagi craned her neck upwards and closed her eyes, taking in a 
forlorn sigh. Drawn like a moth to a flame, he hesitantly took a 
step towards her, paused, and continued, soon finding him at arm's 
length with her. 
	"I was hoping that we'd find somebody that could give us a 
clue...but this place seems so undisturbed and peaceful..." she 
murmured to herself, both disappointed and yet content with her 
surroundings. Sensing his presence with the chill that ran through 
her spine and the staccato beat of her heart, Usagi lowered her gaze 
to the other side of the lake, where the trees merged together 
in a collage of shadows. She tried to focus, but there was something 
in her that told her to look at him, so see his face, to feel... 
Usagi slowly drew her eyes upwards again to meet his, now that he 
was at her side.
	He watched her eyes travel to his, and they entered a lock 
in which neither dared to break. Usagi was sure that something was 
wrong with her... It was impossible that his eyes, in the darkness 
of the sheath of night, could share a warmth that she could not find 
in the light of day, or that the smile on his face wasn't from her 
crazy idea to go to the rose garden, but from... Meanwhile, a 
knowing thought transferred itself from him to her, and Usagi 
averted her gaze back to the gardens in which he had been looming 
behind her. "Tuxedo Mask...could come here to get his roses..." she 
murmured with a child like innocence, a slight blush covering her 
cheeks.
	"You really want to solve this case, don't you?" he said in 
barely a whisper.
	"I just want to find out who he is..."
	"But why?"
	She looked down, confused. Glancing upwards, she again 
focused on the shadows of the opposite side, brows furrowed in 
concentration. "I...I don't know..." They stood in silence, as the 
ripples continued to carry the light on the lake to the couple. Just 
then, a large, dark bird cawed and emerged from the shadows, 
swooping onto the water, and flying away. The ripples broke, 
shattering the calm. "Maybe we should go." Usagi turned around, 
beginning on her way back towards the gate.
	"Tsukino."
	"Hmm?"
	"Here. To keep you focused on the case." With a quick shift 
of his arm, Usagi's eyes widened a bit as a thornless rose seemed to
float to her. An unreadable medley of confusion, surprise and 
happiness was etched on her face. Smiling shyly, she nodded. With a 
few steps, he was back at her side. "Shall we?"
	"Let's," she said, taking the first step back to HQ. The 
normal breeze came back into control, and the ripples of the water 
continued to carry the moon's reflection towards the shore. 
	
	Back at HQ in the research room, Rei noticed the rose in 
Usagi's hand and an impish smile graced her lips. "Have fun?" she 
asked. 
	Without answering, Usagi blushed more than enough to tell 
the truth. "Ne, Chiba... You go home early tonight. Rei-chan and I 
will clear up for you."
	"Are you sure?"
	"Yeah, are you sure?" Rei added.
	"Yeah...So Oyasumi, Chiba."
	He nodded, and walked out of the door, and down the stairs, 
never looking back. Rei meanwhile, remembered that she didn't check 
her messages, so went to her office. Usagi lulled around the room, 
picking up stray papers when she noticed a pile standing on the 
tabletop.
	"Can't he be like any other normal person and just carry his
keys around with him?"
	Usagi moved from her desk to retrieve the keys for him, but 
not before she took another second glance at the same small key she 
had found herself worrying about yesterday. Tentatively picking up 
the jingling set, she began to remember just what had happened that 
morning...

	'Usagi-chan, you have to find out more about him... Right 
now, he's too much of a shady character for us to fully accept him 
yet.'
	'But-'
	'You have to do it. Usagi-chan, this is for your own good.'

	'But how is it for my own good if it means I can't even 
trust him?'
	'Curiosity killed the *cat*, not the *rabbit*...'
	Throwing a glance over her shoulder to make sure no one was 
approaching, she tiptoed to the cabinet, and knelt down on her hands
and knees. Slowly, she slipped the key into the keyhole. 'This can't
be the key. He said himself that the drawer was broken and the key 
was-'
	Click.
	It was a perfect fit. "What's going on...?" Holding her 
breath, she slowly turned the key to her right.
	"Tsukino..."
	She gasped, and fumbling with the key, managed to turn it 
back to its upright position. Practically yanking it out of the 
keyhole, she scrambled to get up and ran to the research room door, 
heart jumping when she realized that he was already there, watching 
her. "You've been forgetful lately, Chiba," she said with a nervous 
laugh undermining her speech. 
	"Why are you so out of breath, Tsukino?"
	"I was on the other side of the room."
	"But that doesn't mean that you have to run to the door."
	"Well *excuse* me for trying to be efficient."
	They stood silently, each waiting for the other to say 
something, but there was just something that told them to listen to 
something other than the silence, the beating that pounded fervently 
in their chests...Mamoru ignored the conviction, and whispered. "Oyasumi, Tsukino."
	"Sayonara, Chiba."

	She waited until she saw his car go down the street, and 
walked to the drawer again. Going back down on her knees, she took 
the cold metal handle in her hand. This was the moment of truth.
	After a small tug, the sound of sliding metal could be 
heard, and Usagi's breath caught again as it slowly opened to 
reveal...
	Nothing.
	'Wait a sec...' A sliver of a deep blue color was towards 
the bottom right side, and glinted as she moved to lose the drawer. 
Her hands moving to investigate, her fingers found the object. 
Pulling hard, she pulled out a black board, which she guessed had 
been placed there to give the illusion that the drawer was empty. 
Placing the board gently onto the floor next to her, she reached 
inside the drawer with shaky fingers. 
	A small wooden box, about the size of a video box, with 
intricate designs at the top lay there, practically calling her to 
take it from it's place in the darkness. Gingerly picking it up, her 
fingers strayed to the lid. 
	"Usagi!" Rei's voice called from the first floor. "Are you 
done yet?"
	"Almost! Just wait down there!"
	Not heeding Usagi's words, Rei marched up the stairs, her 
footsteps clearly heard by a panicking Usagi. With record speed, she 
replaced the black board, shut the drawer, and ran to her desk. 
Gently putting the box into her bag, she put the strap over her 
shoulder and ran to Rei.
	"What's wrong?"
	"Nothing. Let's go." With that, they made their way to 
Usagi's apartment. During the ride, Usagi kept on peeking back into 
her purse, pretending to look for her tube of lipstick. When she 
finally reached home, she moved without a second passing, into her 
bedroom.
	Taking the box, Usagi moved the lid slowly...carefully... It
opened without a sound to reveal a manila envelope, perfectly suited
to fit inside the box's space. With shaky fingers she attempted to 
open the clasp, and after a few failed attempts, it came apart. 
Sliding the contents out, her eyes widened in surprise, and the 
breath that she had been pensively holding came out in a single, 
muffled laugh. In her hand were a pile of pictures, the first one of
which drew a smile on her face. A handsome father and beautiful 
mother stood outdoors beneath a large cherry blossom tree, their 
arms wrapped in a loving and protective embrace around their young 
son. Usagi traced the smile on the boys face as tears sprang to her 
eyes. His midnight blue eyes shone with pure childhood happiness, 
and his unruly deep black hair fell over his eyes as his head cocked 
to the side for a wide smile to the camera. 
	"So he *does* know how to smile..." she whispered to 
herself. Usagi filtered through the other ten or so pictures, all of
the Chiba family posing at a different outing. Her smile widened as 
she came across one of Mamoru, holding up a fishing rod with a fish 
as tall as him staring at the camera from the end of the line. There 
were other images, of Mamoru opening a birthday present, one of his 
mother and father embracing, the warmth and love that they shared 
encompassed in their shining eyes. 
	The pile of discarded pictures was left in an unruly pile 
next to her on her bed, which she carefully organized to put back 
into the manila envelope. When she pulled apart the flaps to return 
them, another picture escaped from its encasement and flew with 
deliberate slowness to her bed. Surprised, Usagi placed the pile to 
her side and gingerly picked up the picture, waiting for another 
glimpse into Mamoru's past.
	Her heart came to a complete stop, her hand flying to her 
mouth to smother the gasp that threatened to turn into a small 
scream. "Dear God..."
	On this photograph, a young Mamoru stood in front of a lady 
seated at a bench in a garden. His arms were outstretched, as were 
hers, both brilliantly smiling in anticipation of a big, loving bear
hug. 
	That woman...was her mother.

	He watched silently, making sure not to move to attract her 
attention to his anxious presence among the shadows. Watching her 
reaction, a sly grin expressed triumph, but kept his storm of 
confusion hidden behind the protection of the mask. 
	So...the rabbit had taken the bait.

**End Day 3**

****IMPORTANT*******: I've gone through feedback deprivation for 
almost a month now! Spare me the torture and send me feedback! 
PLEEEEEEEZE!!!!! And if you didn't like this, or thought this was 
too long, or that I needed to split it up into chapters,. PLEEEEEEZE
tell me! I'd really appreciate answers to those

AN: 	Unmei= destiny
       	Houji Fuu- Remember her from Magic Knight Rayearth? She 
reminds me of Ami-chan a 
	lot...(past the blue hair, of course)

I'm so glad I got this chapter *finally* done... I'm going insane 
waiting to get to work on chapter 4...that is, if I'd get FEEDBACK 
*coughs*. Nothing I'm forcing you to do or anything *coughs* Hee 
hee...