Mamoru sat there with a sullen expression on his face, eyes focused on his plate of yakitori. He looked at his front door, then turned his head toward the offending dish,a disgruntled look marred his face. Usagi had just left a few minutes ago, only stopping by to say hi and drop off his food. There was nothing wrong with the skewer. In fact it was his favorite; chicken and spring onions seasoned with tare sauce and white rice on the side. Usagi even brought him a double chocolate chunk muffin from their favorite bakery shop they discovered not too long ago.

He let out a deep sigh, lifting his hand towards his dinner. Picking up a skewer he narrowed his eyes at it accusingly and took a bite out of it. A couple minutes later and he shoved the plate away from him, the plate more than half full. Maybe he wasn't that hungry? At that moment his stomach growled. Okay he was definitely hungry. He just wasn't in the mood for yakitori, sushi, nigiri, udon noodles, or rice buns. Mamoru was fed up with takeout, he wanted a home cooked meal.

It had been a month since their weekly tradition dwindled. They still ate together. Occasionally. No more did Yummy Tummy Thursdays exist. After that talk, both he and Usagi got swamped with school work. On top of that, Usagi's next recital was coming up so the dance team decided to add another day of practice, Thursdays to be exact. Since then, they would do their best to fit their "dinner dates" on another day that both weren't so busy, squeezing at least 30 minutes to spend time together. Today being 5 minutes and only because her mom called her last minute to tell her they had an appointment for a spa day.

So here he was on the brink of tears if he had to eat takeout again. He wanted something made from his kitchen. Not just any home cooked meal, no he was in the mood for some cuisine food. Linguine carbonara. His back facing the kitchen he looked back to his kitchen to his stack of books. He knew he had to study, but you can't start a car without fuel right? He convinced himself that he needed the energy to study later on.

" Mangiamo Luingine carbonara stasera Chiba" he said in his "Italianized" accent. Meaning "let's eat luingine carbonara tonight Chiba" or at least that's what google translate told him and Usagi it meant. For all they knew they could have been saying they just committed murder, but nonetheless the day they made luinigine carbonara together was "exquisitely delicious" according to his Usako. Makoto would have been proud of their dish.

Mamoru pushed himself off the floor heading to the kitchen, opening the fridge he realized he was missing some of the ingredients. Closing his fridge door he made way towards his bedroom to change and head out to the supermarket.

Walking into the supermarket Mamoru heard squealing. He turned towards the young school girl hanging off the arm of what he assumed to be her boyfriend. "Yuki-chaaan! Look the Milky's are buy two get one free!!!! Can we take some pleeeease" giving him her best puppy dog eyes. He could see the young man before him go from annoyed to loving eyes in the span of 3 seconds once he caught sight of his girlfriend. He was a goner. "Of course Karu-Chan" Yuki replied softly.

Mamoru shook his head, a lighthearted chuckle escaping his lips. He felt a slight tug on his heart, witnessing the exchange between the young couple reminded him of his Usako. With a tiny smile on his face he made his way around the store getting the groceries he needed.

Fifteen minutes. That's all it took him to gather the things he needed and head out. It was a new record. Even the exchange at the cash register was no more than a minute. Mainly because Usagi was always the one making light conversation.

On his way home, the sun was just starting to set. It was his favorite time of day. Golden sun descending below the horizon, the once blue sky radiating warmth with shades of blues, pinks, and violet. Once again he was reminded of Usagi.

————-Flashback————

Finished buying what they needed to make Mac cheese because Usagi had insisted it was America's number one meal and they just had to try it. Not that he believed it, he scoffed at his girlfriend's statement, NO WAY could a country with such prestigious Universities like Harvard, Yale, or Princeton would be well known for a simple dish as Mac cheese. Especially when Minako was the one to "affirm" it. Apparently during her time as a teen idol, it was all she ate when she went to America for a special meet and greet. Then again this is Minako we're talking about, the girl who couldn't get the right idioms even if her life depended on it.

They were making their way back to his apartment. Mamoru holding the bags in one hand, Usagi looping one of his arms with hers. Head leaning against his shoulder, at least close to his shoulder, she was still more than a good foot shorter than him. Usagi snuggled her way in closer to him. As soon as she was comfortable enough she let out a content sigh.

"Isn't this romantic Mamochan?"

" Mac cheese is romantic now?" snickering.

Usagi lifted her head and punched Mamoru on the arm. "Ouch! What was that for?" trying to rub the sore spot without dropping the plastic bags.

Ignoring his question, Usagi went back to their previous position. Continuing their trek home, they stood silent for a few moments before Mamoru broke the silence.

" The beauty of the setting sun is symbolic of the beauty and mystery of life itself. As the sun sets, light fades, which is symbolic of the forces of darkness. No one wants darkness Usako" her said is a hushed whisper

Usagi shook her head slightly, " You're looking at it the wrong way Mamochan, 'The first stab of love is like a sunset, a blaze of color' it's a quote I read off one of tumblr it's by someone named Anna Godberson. Don't interrupt me, let me explain. So you know how the colors as the sun is setting are warmer tones" he nodded."Okay well the colors that radiate off a sunset sky bring warmth and hope that another day will come, it's a way of nature giving a farewell kiss for the night before they meet again the next day."

Mamoru's heart did a flip, forget a flip, it was doing cartwheels. He wasn't ashamed to admit that his girlfriend just swept him off his feet with her explanation of sunsets being romantic. In that moment he was reminded yet again how much his precious moon goddess had grown. He was more than grateful that this amazingly, loving, pure hearted creature was his.

Letting go of her arm, he entwined their hands together, giving her a tight squeeze. Usagi giggled a wide smile spreading across her face. Sunsets were now his favorite time of day.

——————end of flashback———————-

Mamoru entered his apartment, he took off his shoes in his genkan. He went straight to the kitchen, not bothering to change. The man was hungry. Forty minutes later and Mamoru was adding the last spices to his pasta dish.

"Ben appetito Chiba… or was it buon appetito? ...Ah who cares" rubbing his hands excitedly.

Five minutes later and he had yet to devour the food. He tried savoring it, but it didn't taste right. He used the same ingredients they used last time. Yet something was missing. Or more like someone was missing. Mamoru put his fork down. He looked towards his kitchen, what should have been a sink full of pots and pans, red sauce all over his countertop, parsley and basil thrown all over his floor like confetti, yet his kitchen was spotless. The only dish that needed washing was the pan that held the pasta on the stove top.

Turning around to face his living room area he noticed the place looked dark. The darkness of night had swallowed up the little light that was left. He got up and walked towards the living room balcony. Standing outside the sliding glass door Mamoru looked up at the Moon. He could feel it's light, her light engulfing him.

"Usako". He whispered to the night

He felt his heart tighten at the mention of her name. Now he knew what he was feeling. It wasn't the repeats of takeout or eating a home cooked meal. It was the absence of Usagi's presence. He felt alone.

—————flashback—————————-

Grunting and mumbling "Beat that you flour-y villain. Take that. In the name of the moon and my love for all baked goods, I sailor moon will punish you" she let out a hearty laugh at the end.

Mamoru was standing by fridge, eggs in hand, watching with great amusement the spectacle his girlfriend was putting on. Clearing his throat,"Usako, what are you doing?" he asked with a hint of humor he was trying really hard not burst out laughing.

Usagi stopped what she was doing, turning to face her boyfriend, hands on her hips, raising a blond eyebrow. "What does it look like I'm doing Mamo-chan?"

"If I didn't know any better I'd say you were trying to beat—" dropping the eggs Mamoru doubled over in laughter. He couldn't breath. He had to kneel on the floor before he collapsed. Looking up at Usagi, he burst out in laughter again. This repeated for at least another 3 times.

"You know, it'd be nice if you would clue me in on the joke". Tapping her right foot. Usagi was getting aggravated. She didn't have a clue what could have set his boyfriend off on a laughing spree. One minute he's getting the eggs while she's beating..the.. flour— "That's not how you beat flour is it?" She asked with a deadpanned look on her face.

Mamoru after finally reeling in his funny bone got up off the floor. Wiping the tears from his eyes. "No, that is most definitely not how you beat flour Usako". Usagi turned a bright red.

"I knew it! That son of a—-"

Closing the gap between them, he kissed her. The chaste kiss didn't last long, pushing her against his countertop, bodies pressed against another it was rapidly turning into passion and want. Realizing this he leaned away from her body and went to kissing her slowly again, until they needed to stop both air. Cupping her cheeks, he kissed those beautiful plump lips of hers. "You my little moon senshi are quite the character, and I wouldn't have you any other way". He kissed her again, Usagi forgetting her plot of revenge on one fiery priestess.

——————end of flashback————————

It definitely didn't have anything to do with the food. He missed the time spent cooking together. He missed the way she got excited when they went grocery shopping. He missed the way she would swirl her hips anytime she was on mixing duty saying it was scientifically proven that it made the mixing process better. Even though he couldn't carry a tune in a bucket he missed their karaoke sessions in the kitchen. He even missed cleaning because they did it together. Most of all he missed that he wasn't cooking for himself anymore, he was cooking for two.

——————————————————————————————————————————

Okay I lied… I thought 2 chapters was going to be enough but guess not. So there is still one more chapter to go. I hope you enjoyed this chapter, I know I did while writing it… "beat the flour" haha only Usagi, and that's why we love her. Stay tuned!