Falling INTO Love
	Part 3/3
	By Elisabeth James
	squall_no_megami@ameritech.net

	Hello all, I bet you’re all surprised to see me right now! 
you’re thinking, “Wow she just sent out a fic, another one
already!?” yep, exactly.  So I hope you enjoy the conclusion to
Falling INTO Love.  You can all thank Lelu for the wonderful
knock-knock joke idea, I just hope it fit the story all right.  Well
that’s all I have to say, I’ll meet you at the end!

	Disclaimer: I don’t own Sailor Moon or the knock-knock
joke.


	Usagi snuggled closer to the body that surrounded her,
attempting to block out the harsh wind that rushed past her.  She
was completely aware that this was her arch enemy she was
clinging to, but right now things were different.  The situation had
changed, at this moment they were more friends than nemesis’s.
	Besides Mamoru was warm.

	Not that he minded, he could think of a million things more
horrible than holding her while she slept.  Her cheeks were ruddy
and red from the wind and her hair was draped over him like a
blanket.  Her eyelids fluttered softly on her wind burned face as he
watched her sleep.
	He watched the sun rise up over the horizon, lighting the
dark world with rays of cheerful sunshine.  The beams danced
across her features, making her look like an angel.
	“So warm...” she whispered, barely catching his attention. 
He smiled and gently touched her face.  Her eyes snapped open at
the surprise touch and met his navy blue ones gazing intensely
back at her.
	“Morning.” he said softly, a smile spreading across his
face.
	“Morning.” she echoed back, her voice coming to life as
the sun rose higher in the sky.  Shafts of sunlight shone through the
leaves, shining onto both of their faces, casting shadows across
their foreheads and noses.  
	She felt like she was dreaming, lost in a world of pure bliss. 
Never had she ever imagined that she would be in Mamoru’s arms
and actually like it.  With just 12 short hours, everything had
changed.  Life had thrown another curve ball in her direction and
his name was Mamoru.  
	“How are you feeling?” his fingers brushed the gash on her
forehead, causing tingles of awareness to echo through her entire
body.
	She was fine in spirit but she could feel her back aching
under his strong arms, throbbing with pain from her fall.  “My
back hurts.” she grimaced slightly, as he shifted his pressure.
	“Am I hurting you?” his voice was husky, and she had
never noticed how sexy it was when he was concerned.  Her
attention faltered, as she turned away from his delicious navy gaze.
	“I’m fine, you’re actually making me feel better.” he
grinned endearingly and pulled her closer as carefully as he could. 
She latched her arms safely around his neck and buried her face in
his hot neck.  He tensed but only slightly before relaxing under her 
perfect touch.
	He stared at her, drinking her in.  His lips tingled, drawing
closer to hers, forced by a previously unforeseen attractive.  What
was he doing?  This was Odango, the girl he couldn’t stop fighting
with!  But yet something had changed overnight, he had seen the
real her, the one she hid from the outside world.  Perhaps on some
level he had always liked her, and never realized it.
	“Mamoru-san, why are you staring at me like that?” she
broke his reverie with a questioning smile.
	“You’re beautiful.” she blanched at his sudden openness.
	“Thank you, I guess.” she blushed becomingly and glanced
away from him.  
	“You are Usagi-san, I was just too blind to notice it
before.” she narrowed her eyes at him, perplexed by his words and
the new feelings building up in her stomach.
	They lapsed into silence, not sure of what was going on
between them.  She gently struggled out of his arms, not wanting
any contact while she considered what was happening.  The air felt
colder without him holding her, the world seemed darker.  He was
staring upward through the treetops, watching leaves descend
toward the ground.  
	His face looked beautiful in the morning sunlight, it hit his
profile just right, making him look like a Greek God.  She smiled,
in spite of knowing that a relationship between them had no
chance of ever happening.  No matter how much they might have
liked one another.
	With a sudden burst of inspiration Usagi broke the silence,
“Knock- knock.” he looked down at her, a peculiar look crossing
his dark features, trying to decipher her game.
	“Usagi-san, what are you doing?”
	“Knock- knock.” she said again, a mischievous gleam
suddenly decided to show itself in her eyes.
	“Fine.” he said with much reluctance, “Who’s there.”
	“Banana.” she said with a giggle.
	He rolled his eyes, “This has to be the oldest joke in the
entire world.” she shook her head, “Banana who?” he resigned
with a sigh.
	“Knock- knock.” he turned his full attention to her now, a
grin slowly spreading across his face
	“Who’s there?”
	“Banana.”
	“Banana who?” getting into her little game, realizing it was
lightening the semi-dark mood which had settled over them only
moments ago.
	“Knock-knock.” a subtle look of seduction crept into her
saucy smile.  He took notice immediately and leaned in closer to
her.
	“Who’s there.” he touched her hair, letting the silky strands
run through his fingers like water.
	“Orange.” she whispered.  He was getting closer to her and
she could feel her body reacting.  Maybe this joke wasn’t such a
good idea after all.  She gulped audibly as he opened his mouth to
answer
	“Orange who?” already knowing the answer to the
overused joke but wanting to hear it come from her lips
	“Orange you glad I didn’t say banana?” she started to
giggle, breaking the tension.  He pulled away releasing her hair,
not saying a word.  “You didn’t like my joke Mamoru?” blatantly
making fun of him to cover up her own tempestuous feelings.
	“You’re going to get it now.” he wrapped his arms around
her stomach and began to tickle her.  Her eyes immediately began
to water with tears as she hiccuped with laughter.  His touch was
feather light which made her laugh all the more.
	“Stop, stop!  I’m sorry!” the words tumbled from her lips,
her bell like laughter was music to his ears.  “My back!” his hands
instantly fell away from her at the mention of her pain.
	“I’m sorry, I completely forgot-” she shook her head.
	“Don’t apologize, it was just as much my fault as yours.”
she tried to fight back the pained expression that wanted so badly
to reveal itself.  It must have broken through her defenses
somehow because Mamoru’s face turned sullen before her.
	“What have you done to me?” he whispered, not really
meaning for her to hear.  She looked cautiously at him, the lonely
man in front of her.  She was finally able to see Chiba Mamoru for
the man he truly was.  The man that was afraid of love and
friendship, everything that made life worth living.
	“Why are you afraid Mamoru-san?” she asked him softly, 
not sure what answer she was seeking, but she was determined to
find out.
	“Afraid of what?” he replied, his words were sympathetic,
but she wasn’t sure to who.
	“Afraid of your feelings, afraid of love?” he turned his
haunted eyes to hers, curious to why she was asking him this.
	“I am not afraid of my feelings, they are intangible, why
would anyone fear what goes on inside them?” 
	She tilted her head at him, “That’s why I asked you,
because I don’t know.  I’ve never had a problem knowing what I
feel, but you seem to be in constant battle with it.  Why is that?” 
she sounded much older than 15 at that moment, she sounded older
than even him.
	“It’s not important now.”
	“How can you say that?!” Her serene composure was gone,
a mask of slight fury quickly took it’s place.  “Of course it’s
important, don’t you realize the effect you have on people?” she
ignored the shot of pain that exploded through her back as she
grabbed his arm.  “Look at me, don’t fight what you feel
anymore!”
	He looked her, blank eyes reading hers for what seemed
like an eternity, “I never had a family, I never knew love when I
was younger.  I was never like you Usagi-san, never full of life and
smiles.”
	“Oh Mamoru-san.” her whisper cut straight through his
heart, “Is that why it’s so hard for you now?”
	“My heart doesn’t know how to love anymore, it’s a skill
lost to me.” she shook her head, taking his large hand in hers.
	“You can’t forget how to love, it’s not something you lose
as you travel through life.  It’s like riding a bicycle, you never
forget, it just becomes buried within you until time calls on it once
again.” she smiled, gently touching his cheek.  His heart reached
out for her, never wanting to let this golden child of emotion leave
his side.  
	A smile suddenly lit up his sad face, “How do you do it?”
	“Do what?”
	“Have that kind of passion, know these kinds of things and
still flunk all those tests of yours?” her mouth fell open as she
smacked him smartly on the arm.
	“You!” the serious moment had passed, filed away in their
memories as more and more feelings seemed to leak out into the
air.
	“Your back really hurts doesn’t it?” he asked her quietly,
she nodded slightly, not sure of anything he could do to make it
feel better.
	“But I’m fine.  I’m sure someone will find us today, I can
deal with the pain a little while longer.” she wiggled around in her
harness trying to find a slightly more comfortable position.
	He considered his position, he hadn’t thought about using
his powers to save them.  It was out of the question after all
considering Usagi was up in the tree with him.  Tuxedo Kamen
could have easily made the drop to the ground, but he couldn’t
transform in front of her, no matter how much had changed
between them.
	“I wonder if they are looking for us right now, or if they
don’t even care.” she mused, staring down at the ground.  She had
to go to the bathroom, badly.  As time passed things just seemed to
get worse and worse.
	“Of course they’re looking for us, probably right now as we
speak.  That aren’t going to give up after only a few hours of
searching.” she nodded absentmindedly, thoughts drifting
elsewhere.  She could feel her stomach rumbling loudly from lack
of food.  If they weren’t found soon, things would start to get really
ugly.
	*creeeeeaaaaaakkkkkkkk*
	Their heads shot skyward as the sound above their heads
grew louder.  
	“Mamoru-san, what’s that noise?”
	“The tree, the branches must be giving way because of our
weight.” she gasped softly and glanced quickly back down at the
ground.  It swayed wildly under feet as a sudden wind caught
them.
	“Are we going to fall?” her eyes were wide with fear,
glistening with tears on the horizon of spilling over.
	“I think we’re okay for right now, just no more sudden
movements Usagi-san.” looking at her terrified face he added
something to comfort her, “Don’t worry, I won’t let anything
happen to you.”
	Ignoring the pain in her back, she allowed herself to be
swept up into his arms once more.

	“Any sign of them yet Motoki-chan?” Makoto leaned over
his shoulder to get a better view of the ground below the
helicopter.  Rei sat in stony silence in the back, her attention
focused on finding her best friend and the man she was trapped
with.
	“Not yet Mako-chan, but I know we’re getting closer. 
They’ll turn up sooner or later.”
	“Hopefully they’ll still be alive if it’s later.” she mumbled
grimly.  Motoki nodded in agreement.  They had been searching
for three hours now and still there was no sign of their skydiving
buddies.
	“I hope Usagi-chan is all right.” Rei said softly, the other
two people turned to look at her, “I don’t know what I would do
without dumpling brains around to fight with.” 
	“We’ll find them Rei-chan, please don’t worry.  I’m sure
she and Mamoru are doing fine.” Motoki placed an arm around her
shoulder.
	“Excuse me sir, we have movement in a large tree.  I think
we might have found them.” the pilot broke into the intimate
conversation.  Motoki sprang forward to see two brightly colored
parachutes tangled in a tree below them.
	“That has to be them, is their anyway to get a closer look?”
	The pilot shook his head, “I would have to land about a
mile away from here, there’s too many trees around her.  If you’re
sure that’s them I can radio the airport and have them send a car to
these coordinates.  We can probably have them rescued in about an hour.
	Motoki nodded, “Let’s do that then.” he turned to the
window and watched the tree fade into the distance as the flew
back to the airport, “Hang on just a little bit longer guys.”

	They could hear the chopper bladed whirling over their
head, disturbing the leaves over their heads and causing the tree to
sway back and forth.
	“Do you think they can see us?” she asked Mamoru,
shouting over the wind.  His arms tightened unconsciously around
her, trying to keep her safe from harm.
	“Probably, but there’s no place for them to land around
here.  At least they found us though, I bet they rescue us by
nightfall.” she closed her eyes as fear pierced her heart, she could
feel their weight shifting around over her heads.  The branch was
giving way slowly but surely.
	“We’re going to fall Mamoru-san!” she screamed out at
him as the helicopter seemed to get closer to the tree.  Tears ran
down her cheeks in earnest, as she clung to Mamoru as tightly as
she could.
	Suddenly the wind faded away as they watched it pass over
their head, heading back toward the airport.
	She was breathing quickly, her heart was racing.  She
closed her eyes and let her head fall onto Mamoru’s broad
shoulder.  “I’m so scared.”
	“We’re are going to be fine, I swear Usagi-san, I will
protect you with my life.” his eyes blazed with a emotion she had
never seen before, such intensity she had never felt from anyone.
	He brushed a tear from her cheek with his thumb, letting
the gentle touch linger on her face, savoring the soft touch of her
skin against his.  She closed her eyes and felt his warm breath
against her face as he moved in closer to her lips.
	<God, how I want this...> she waited for him, her mouth
slightly open, puffs of air moving in and out of her lungs.
	Without warning the feeling of falling suddenly took over
and her eyes snapped open.  The wind rushed past her ears, her
dirty hair wrapped around her.  She let out an ear piercing scream
and braced herself for impact.

	But there wasn’t one.  She slowly opened one eyes and saw
that she was resting safely in his arms, next to a tuxedo clad male
body.  She inhaled sharply as she glanced up his face.  <I don’t
believe it>  
	“Mamoru-san, you’re Tuxedo Kamen-sama?” there was no
need for a reply.  She turned away from him, wondering how she
could have missed it.  Every touch, every word was the same,
despite what form he took.  He was her protector, her savior.
	His gloved hand turned her face back to his.  His face 
was dead serious, “I trust you Usagi-chan, you can’t tell anyone.”
she broke into a radiant smile.
	“We all have our secrets Mamo-chan.  I won’t spoil yours.”
his composure dropped a notch at the endearment, but he smiled
back.  <I’ll tell him I'm Sailor Moon someday, just not right now.
I want him to love me just for being Usagi right now.>  
	He quickly detransformed, feeling self conscious in his
tuxedo.  “Are you surprised?”
	“Not at all, you’ve always been the man I’ve pictured
behind the mask.” she giggled slightly, “You’re the epitome of a
superhero: sweet, sexy, mysterious...  Should I go on?” she ticked
the points off on her fingers to his dismay.  A seductive grin
crossed over his face.
	“Well I’m all yours.” he pulled her closer, careful not to
hurt her back.  Their faces were inches apart and smile fell from
her face.
	“Do you mean that?” she whispered, afraid this was all a
cruel joke.
	He nodded, unable to speak.  She closed the gap between
them in a second, unable to be patient and wait for him to make
the first move.  He didn’t fight the feelings she brought forth 
from his soul, not questioning anything for once.
	“Aishiteru Usa.” he whispered between her sweet kisses
that went straight to his being.
	“Aishiteru Mamo-chan.” she replied while she wrapped her
slim arms around her neck.  
	Suddenly a pair of headlights pulled up, blinding the young
couple.  Motoki, Makoto and Rei jumped out of the back of the
small jeep and ran toward the base of the tree.
	“Are you guys all right?” Motoki question, startled by the
sight in front of him.  Mamoru stood up slowly, helping up the
blond seated next to him.
	“We’re better than all right Motoki-kun, everything’s
perfect.” he squeezed Usagi’s hand gently and she beamed back at
him.
	“Perfect.” she echoed as they climbed into the back of car,
still holding hands.

	~* Fin. *~

	Well I finished this, I’m on a roll now aren’t I!  Two fics in
three days, I’m really quite proud of myself :)  Now I just need to
get cracking on FH and get that finished :)  Ah well, that might
take me a bit longer...

	Special thanks: Clare-chan, Adrianne, Lelu (once again for
the idea) and Meredith, my dear editor who must be getting mad at
me for not sending her anything anymore...

Liz-chan