Stars in a New Sky

Chapter 4: Connections

"Usagi Tsukino! Where have you been?! Do you have any idea what time it is?! You had better not have been spending all your time at the arcade!" Ikuko Tsukino yelled, narrowing her eyes at her wayward daughter.

Usagi flinched under her mother's barrage of questions. Getting in an word edgewise was going to be next to impossible. Cheeks burning with embarrassment, Usagi reached behind her for Mamoru's hand. "Well, you see--

"We were worried sick about you!" Her mother chastised.

"No, we weren't!" Shingo shouted from somewhere inside the house.

Resisting the urge to yell back at her brother, Usagi pulled Mamoru out of the shadows on the porch and pushed him forward. She slipped behind him, using him as a shield. At the sight of a strange young man, Usagi's mother stopped mid-sentence. Brows arched, she regarded the young man in front of her critically. "And you are?"

"Uh...Mamoru Chiba, ma'am." He replied nervously. Her mother's scrutiny set his heart racing and his palms sweating. He had never picked a girl up from her home for a date, but he suspected meeting her parents would feel something like this. Usagi's grip on his shirt tightened.

"Go on." She whispered, still hiding behind him.

"Well?" Her mother prompted.

Clearing his throat, Mamoru replied. "I'm her tutor. The reason she's late is because of me. We were going over her English test."

Usagi peeked around Mamoru's shoulder. "See! I had a perfectly legitimate reason to be out late!"

Ikuko folded her arms over her chest. "Really? Is that right? Where were you tutoring my daughter?"

Mamoru's eyes widened, his mouth went dry. Bun-head was going to get him killed. "J-Juban High School. We have an after school tutoring program for the middle school. It's run by Mr. Hayashi. You can contact him if you like." He offered her mother a smile he hoped didn't make him look like a creep.

After a few moments, Ikuko's face spread into a warm smile. He could see where Usagi's easy smile came from. The tension in his shoulders eased. "Well, it's about time you took your studies seriously, Usagi. Please come inside, Mamoru."

"Can he stay for dinner?" Usagi asked eagerly as she hustled him inside.

Her mother paused at the kitchen door. "Of course, but your parents won't mind you being out this late?"

Mamoru stiffened. He could feel the lump form in his throat. "No...they won't mind." He was relieved his voice sounded normal. Before her mother could ask him any more uncomfortable questions, a small boy sauntered out of the kitchen. He took one look at Usagi and stuck out his tongue.

"Mom was ready to send out a search party. Too bad they can't send one out for your brain!"

"Shingo!" Usagi shouted, lunging for him. Shingo ducked and dodged, managing to stay out of her grasp. "Get back here, you little brat!" She had momentarily forgotten they had an audience. The sound of Mamoru's quiet laugh brought the scuffle to a stop. She and Shingo turned to him.

Usagi flushed and released her hold on Shingo's ear. "S-sorry. Shingo can be such a brat sometimes." She darted a glare at her brother.

Mamoru shook his head. "It's alright." It was actually heart-warming to see their bickering. In spite of their fighting, he could see they were close. He missed this. This feeling of home.

Shingo poked Usagi in the ribs. "Wow, Usagi. How did you ever managed to find a boyfriend like him? He's way out of your league."

Usagi felt her face go up in flames. "SHINGO!!!" She shrieked as he ran, cackling maniacally. Heart hammering, she turned back to Mamoru. She didn't dare look him in the eye. "P-please just ignore him. The dining room is this way. I'll get you something to drink." She quickly exited the room not wanting to see the look on his face.