*Disclaimer: If I told you that I owned Bishoujo Senshi
Sailor Moon, how many people would believe me? _ZERO_
That's right, I don't hold any rights to Takeuchi-san's
BSSM.

BTW, just to clarify. When Mamoru argues with the voices
in his head, the voice's dialogue is in single quotations.
Mamoru's replies are in double quotations. But when a
character is just thinking, their thoughts are in single
quotes. (At least, usually...I kinda forget things as I
write each chapter, things such as verb tenses and how I
differentiate these things. Please bear with me ^_^! )

Medical Miracle
Chapter 2: A New Friend?
By: The Rose Society
Rating: PG-13
email: EtrlSlrMn@aol.com

	"Mamoru-baka" Usagi exclaimed. "You're the baka
doctor?!"
	"Hai. Odango-atama. I should have known that you
were her Usagi," Mamoru replied with a smirk. "And here I
was wasting my time, looking all over the place for a
stuffed animal."
	"You know, I thought medical school was a place for
people to be educated. Evidently I was wrong because -YOU-"
Usagi jumped out of Nanami's bed and poked her delicate
index finger into Mamoru's chest, "STILL CAN'T GET MY
NAME RIGHT!"
	Nanami slowly made her way to Usagi's side.
"Usagi-onee-chan, are you ok? Your face is all red." Nanami
asked as she gently tugged at Usagi's hand.
	Taking a deep breath then flashing Nanami a
comforting smile, Usagi knelt so that she was eye level with
the small child. "Nanami-chan, I'll be ok. I just want to
have a few words with your baka doctor. You can go ahead and
rest in bed. I'll be back soon in order to take you to the
chemo room."
	Nanami jumped back on her hospital bed and Usagi
gently tucked her in. Mamoru couldn't help but notice how
Usagi had changed since he had last seen her four years ago.
Mamoru was 22 years old and had just graduated from the
university. Usagi couldn't have been more than 19. Mamoru had
been accepted to Harvard Medical School and he was soon going
to leave for the United States. Furuhata Motoki, Mamoru's best
and only friend, had thrown Mamoru a surprise going away party
at the arcade.

*Flashback*
	
	"Ne, Motoki-kun, what's with all this cloak and dagger
stuff? Why can't you just tell me where we are going?" Mamoru
grumbled while tugging on his blindfold.
	"Hmph. Mamoru-kun, will you just be patient? You'll
like the surprise, just trust me." Motoki replied, frustrated
with Mamoru's impatient questions.
	"Motoki-kun, you're my friend and all but you know
that I have never  liked any of your surprises. Last time you
gave me a surprise, you set me up on a blind date with that
obsessive Hino Rei. After that one date, she thought that we
were practically engaged. She was like a some sort of
infection that just wouldn't go away. I had to dye my hair and
change my wardrobe in order to ditch her. It took me a whole
month before she started to chase Yuuichirou. Lucky for me, he
liked her back and now they're a couple or else I never could
have gotten rid of that horrible blond hair," Mamoru said with
a sigh.
	"And just what's wrong with blond hair," Motoki asked
angrily, complete with eyebrow twitch.
	"Nuh...Nothing, Motoki-kun. Ne, have we arrived at our
destination?" Mamoru asked nervously. Grinning once more, Motoki
opened the door to the darkened arcade. "Motoki-kun, this better
not be a surprise party or I'll ki--" Mamoru warned.
	"SURPRISE!!!" Mamoru heard.
	"Nani?!" Mamoru ripped the blindfold off and was greeted
by a colorful sight. The usually clean arcade was now covered
with balloons and streamers. Mamoru's acquaintances from the
university were standing around the relatively empty arcade,
smiling at the bewildered look on usually stoic Mamoru's face.
	*SMACK* Someone playfully (or at least, she intended it
to be playful, not painful) hit Mamoru's back. "Hahaha...
Mamoru-baka. Daijobu? You look like you are about to faint. If
you are, don't expect me to help you, even though I am
volunteering at the hospital. The very idea..."
	Mamoru turned to face his attacker and froze. She was
a sight to behold. Her golden hair was up in her usual odangos,
glistening from the arcade lights. Usually clothed in her school
uniform, Usagi wore a short jean skirt and a form fitting top.
But Mamoru's attention didn't linger on Usagi's change of wardrobe
(although his eyes did stay slightly glued to her wonderfully long
and beautiful legs =). Instead, he was put into a trance by the
smile that lit up Usagi's face. Usually, Mamoru only got to see
her face grow red with anger and her blue eyes narrow dangerously.
But when his little Odango smiled (usually at everyone except
Mamoru), she truly lit up a room. And now, finally, after all
this time, Mamoru had the honor of being the recipient of one of
Usagi's dazzling grins.
	"The horror of having to endure a surprise party and
Motoki's scheming is worth the pain if I get to see Odango."
Mamoru mentally sighed.
	'Muah hahahahahaha! Admit your feelings. Hug her! Tell
her you love her.' screamed the Voice, maniacally.
	"Odango? What are you doing here?" questioned the slowly
recovering Mamoru.
	"Eh? To say goodbye, Mamoru-baka," Usagi replied with a
sly grin. "You've pestered and teased me for five years and now
I'm here to finally get rid of you. Besides, Motoki-onii-chan
asked me to help plan and organize the party. I had to come and
see my work. Plus I get to enjoy the good food Mako-chan made."
	"Oh." Mamoru felt surprisingly disappointed, so much so
that he didn't even insult Usagi. 'Why should I be disappointed?
So I won't bump into Odango everyday, big deal. She's only been
a nuisance to me these past five years. I must have received a
hundred bumps on my head from her flying shoes and test papers.'
	'That's right. WHY should you begin to miss your little
Odango. She's only been your daily source of joy these past five
years. Admit it, you love the girl.'
	"SHUT UP! I DO NOT!"
	Amidst the mocking laughter in his head, Mamoru heard
the sweet voice of HIS Odango. 'YOURS? HAHAHAHA...I TOLD YOU
SO!!!' the Voice interrupted before being promptly squished by
Mamoru's Self-Control. "Mamoru-baka, daijobu? I was just teasing
you." Concerned by his lack of movement, Usagi waved her hand in
front of Mamoru's face as she peered into his glazed eyes. "Ne,
Motoki-onii-chan, I think Mamoru-baka went into shock. You
better come take a look at him."
	Grinning slyly, Motoki stood next to Usagi and peered
into Mamoru's face. "No, it's not shock Usagi-chan. He's in lo--"
	Shaking himself out of his stupor, Mamoru clamped a strong
hand over Motoki's mouth. "I'm _FINE_ Motoki-kun. Let's enjoy
this party that you worked so hard in planning," Mamoru growled
as he clamped his other hand on Motoki's shoulder and led him
away from Usagi. Usagi, completely confused, shook her head in
disbelief and headed toward the food table where Minako-chan,
Rei-chan and Ami-chan were trying out Mako-chan's delicious
creations for the party.

*End Flashback*

	The past four years had altered Usagi a great deal.
She seemed more serious. Her figure was something other women
would turn pea-green with envy when they saw her and leaving men
utterly astounded. Her hair, as long as it was before, was even
longer now and, if possible, even more golden and silky. She was
clad in a simple and plain volunteer uniform but it did not
detract from her beauty. If anything, it enhanced her charm,
allowing Usagi's natural grace and elegance to shine through, a
vast improvement from the clumsy and accident-prone 14 year-old
he had first met, Mamoru noted with a smile.
	'BAKA! She was just as gorgeous and elegant four years
ago. But NNNNOOO, YOU had to be stubborn and deny your feelings.
You said that she didn't mean anything to you. But how come every
time some girl wanted to go out with you at Harvard, your
thoughts kept wandering back to a certain Odango goddess that was
back at home, hmmm?'
	"Urusai" Mamoru replied to the mutinous Voice in his head.
	'And how come you turn down every girl that crosses your
path, not even giving them so much as a chance before you write
them off? Why do you continue to compare every girl to Tsukino
Usagi? How come you're still a virgin?'
	"ENOUGH" bellowed Mamoru and trusty Self-Control
forcefully shut up the Voice. Mamoru's mind quieted enough to
return to his previous train of thought.
	However, despite her breathtaking appearance, Mamoru
couldn't help but sense some sort of deep sorrow in Odango. Her
sparkling blue eyes that once were filled with only happiness
had dulled and they lost some of their innocence. It was as if
Usagi's very soul had aged beyond her years. Mamoru, no stranger
to tragedy, knew that look in Usagi's eyes. Something bad had
happened to her and it had scarred the young carefree woman that
he remembered and made her the melancholy Usagi in front of him.
	Softly closing the door, Usagi closed her eyes before she
turned to face Mamoru. "Chiba-san."
	Snapping from his reverie at Usagi's unexpected use of
the honorific, Mamoru turned his full attention to Usagi.
"Odango? Why are you calling me Chiba-san? What happened to
Mamoru-baka?"
	"Iie, Chiba-san," replied Usagi, shaking her head.
"This is a hospital and there are certain rules of conduct. I'm
a volunteer and you're an intern. Despite the fact that you have
already made the entire population of young, single females here
at that hospital swoon," Mamoru groaned but Usagi continued as
if he hadn't interrupted, "I have to treat you with the utmost
respect. It's been four years, Mamoru-san," Usagi's tone
softened. "Welcome back to Tokyo."
	Bewildered at Usagi's business-like manner, Mamoru
acted in the only manner he could. "Arigato Usagi-san. It's
good to be back."
	With a smile that never quite reached her eyes, Usagi
stuck out her hand. "If we are going to work together to help
these people, we need to grow up and get along. So, let's
become friends. Nice to meet you, Chiba-san. My name is Tsukino
Usagi, age 23, volunteer at Tokyo Hospital."
	Taking Usagi's hand, Mamoru followed Usagi's example.
"Hajimemashite, Usagi-san. My name is Chiba Mamoru, age 26,
intern at Tokyo Hospital. If we're going to begin again, I need
to say this." Dropping her hand, Mamoru grinned. "I never would
have believed it. You were a horrible student when we first met."
Usagi cringed at the memory of the balled up test with a "30%"
brazenly written on it's wrinkled top. Mamoru continued, "But I
heard in your third year of secondary school, you changed. You
studied so much, your grades even rivaled Mizuno Ami's, Juuban's
own Einstein." Sadly, Usagi recalled those days when she turned
down shopping trips with minna, Michiru-san's violin concerts,
Haruka's races and other activities, in order to study more. Her
eyes began to water but Mamoru did not notice and continued to
talk. "You even got into Azabu University with a scholarship.
Demo, even though we were now schoolmates attending the same
campus, you still careened into me. Usagi-san," Mamoru took a
deep breath, "I really wanted to say thank you. You proved
everyone wrong and showed us the studious side to Tsukino Usagi
we never knew existed. But you never stopped being a caring
person. You even helped Motoki plan the going away party for me,
even though I teased you mercilessly. He told me, afterwards,
that it was your influence that got everyone to come to the
arcade. If it wasn't for you, no one would have come. I really
am grateful to you."
	'There, I finally said what I should have said years ago.'
thought Mamoru.
	'MMMMMHHHHHMMMMM. YEW HOOD OFF ED EYE OV YEW.' The
Voice said as best it could through the gag that Self-Control had
placed on it.
(Translation: *&$#@! You should have said 'I Love You'.)
	Suddenly, her tears of sadness became tears of joy. Giving
Mamoru a tremulous smile, Usagi whispered, "You're welcome."
Wiping her eyes dry on her handkerchief, Usagi re-entered Nanami's
room to help the young girl prepare for her chemotherapy treatment.
	Scratching his head, Mamoru wondered at his recent actions.
'Why was I so open with her? I never show my emotions to anyone.
But I see Usagi for ten minutes and all the walls that I've built
over the years crumble in no time. What's wrong with me today?
How do I know that I can trust her?' Shaking his head, Mamoru
corrected his own thoughts. 'Iie. Usagi might have been hurt in
some way during these last four years, but I'm sure she still values
her friendships. And now I've become her friend. She'd never betray
me.'
	Suddenly, Mamoru's worst nightmare came true, shocking him
out of his deep contemplation of the situation. Mamoru's heart began
to beat wildly as Dr. Hongo rounded the corner of the hallway and
rapidly approached Nanami's hospital room.

Translations:
	hajimemashite-I believe that it means "Nice to meet you.

Author Notes:

	For Rei fans: If I have offended you, please forgive me.
She was created that way only for comedic purposes. Besides, I
think that she deserves a good guy and Yuuichirou really likes her.
	Gomen for not posting last week but spring break kept me
away from the computer. I'm back at the university now so I hope I
won't miss any more deadlines.
Until the next chapter...

~The moonlight carries the message of love.~
~Tsuki no hikari wa ai no message.~