Disclaimer: really? must I explain once again that I cannot and do not own one drop of the Sailor Moon rights? If I did, Mamochan would have a larger role in everything and be a little more masculine. Course he's an awesome bishi anyway...

This is the first story in a trilogy I plan on completing called Earth's Court, focusing on Mamoru and the remaking of his kingdom. OCs are to be expected, half villains half heroes, but I hope no Mary Sues. Tell me if they get too much like that. I don't like writing action sequences and I'm trying to be linear with this series in my writing, but so far I'm having a little trouble writing Usagi's parts, so don't expect frequent updates.

Timing wise this is a year post Stars. This is nothing like my past SM stories (most of which aren't here anyway) minus one exception and she's been rewritten for this story. Anyway, enough rambling. Enjoy!

Child of Earth

Prologue

Everything in his life seemed to be perfect. There hadn't been any monster attacks in about a year, he was a semester away from completing his pre-med program, and the woman he loved more than anything was sleeping peacefully beside him.

So why did he still go through that file?

Chiba Mamoru woke earlier than Tsukino Usagi all the time, an early bird who enjoyed waking with the sun instead of sleeping in like his lover. He really should be getting up, taking a shower, then making breakfast before the goddess (and she really was one) next to him attempted to cook again, but his mind was too distracted by other thoughts. Usako was his future, he knew that more than anything. And she was his past, in another life. His heart moved for her and would move mountains for her sweet smile. Yet, even knowing he was in a good place and with the best person for him, there was still that gaping hole in his chest no one could fill. And that was when he opened the file, flipping through its pages.

The file. It was always the file. It was a part of his past he could never get back, no matter how hard he tried.

It started when he was seven years old and woke up in a hospital. The doctors said he was found thrown out of a car that flew off the road, proving what happened with pictures: bodies of his parents, the wreckage, injuries… Police reports and DNA tests proved he was in that car with his parents, and they said he was Chiba Mamoru. He didn't know if any of that was true though; he couldn't remember any of his life prior to the hospital.

Not knowing the people who died helps you not grieve so much, so as a child he didn't cry at his parents' funeral. That disturbed a lot of people, to the point no one wanted to take him in. Mamoru was sent straight to the orphanage and given a file, one that documented his entire life. He kept it with him when he left the orphanage, even if I mostly just gathered dust. Occasionally, when visions of the future and his past life didn't present themselves or overtake his life, Mamoru would flip through it and try to figure out who he was.

He still didn't have those answers.

Usako shifted in her sleep, getting closer to him as he read through the file again on his bed. He smiled over to her, wondering briefly if she was cold or was unconsciously trying to comfort him. Either way, she was a good distraction for his otherwise occupied mind. Most days the now made the questions of his past moot and he could live on. Every now and again though, he just wanted to know who he was, in this life.

Lazily he adjusted the blanket to cover his love a little better, hoping he didn't hurt her too much last night. It'd been a while and he forgot how enthusiastic they could be. They kept their distance whenever exams came up or he had a lot of lab work to do, so this reunion was a little more than their usual nights together. Since the youma stopped attacking, finally, they had less excuses to see each other. He almost wished those days were back just so the senshi didn't give him weird cheeky looks every time they met up after playing Usagi's cover with her parents.

Actually, it didn't really make a difference. They loved teasing him regardless. Their relationship was the senshi's favorite form of entertainment.

Shaking away his thoughts, Mamoru looked back to the file. There really wasn't much in it. His parents' names, dates of birth and death, a copy of their last will and testament, his birth certificate, and a copy of the police report on their death. There were no emergency contacts, no relatives he knew of, no home address, not even an immunization record (which was a royal pain because they had to do tests and gave him shots everywhere due to the lack of information, hence his general distaste of needles). It was like he and his parents fell off a cliff and that was the beginning of everything.

That was why he never quite believed the reports, that and his dreams about Serenity. There were too many holes in the story, and his memory was too good to not get even part of it back. He remembered every day since that frightening morning. Every single day. Crystal clear. Yet not even a second of those first seven years of his life came back.

The mystery of himself was one he wasn't able to completely give up on.

But he took frequent breaks.

Rubbing his eyes, Mamoru set the file back in its place on the shelf of his nightstand and slowly extracted himself from under the covers. He picked out some clothes from his drawers silently, mindful of the golden haired goddess sleeping in his bed. Smiling at her endearingly one last time, he made his way into the bathroom to begin his morning ritual.

He was partway through cooking breakfast when he looked at the stack of mail he was ignoring most days caught his eye. Letting the miso cook for a bit, he picked up the stack and sorted through it. Ad, ad, ad, bill (he put that in a special pile for later), ad, postcard from Motoki from his honeymoon (which went straight onto the fridge), ad, ad, invite to middle school reunion, bill, ad, wedding invite, wedding invite (college friends…), ad, bill, ad…

He stopped at a manila envelope saying it contained time sensitive information and came from a detective agency. He stopped imagining this kind of mail arriving in a long time. Years ago he put out feelers for any information about his past through PIs. They never got back to him, mostly because he didn't put a large reward on it and it wasn't an urgent matter. He was a little obsessed with his dream princess then and didn't think his seven years were as important then as he did now. Apparently his request was actually read by one of the private investigators. The name on the envelope matched one of his propositions.

Heart stopping for a moment, he dropped the rest of the stack and took out one of the knives to cleanly open the envelope. Turning off a burner, he slid out the papers and eagerly started reading. As the words on the page sunk in, Mamoru started having trouble breathing.

"Mamochan?" Usako's groggy voice got his attention, but he was still looking at the page instead of her. "What are you reading?"

Tears in his eyes and disbelief on his face along with awe, he finally looked up at her. "A relative. They found a relative. And he wants to talk to me."

(+)

Arrangements had to be made fast. Mamoru called the detective within an hour of reading the paper and further informed him that his relative, a great uncle on his mother's side, was fading fast and wanted to make amends before he died. He lived in Sapporo though so it was not going to be an easy trip. He arranged for a plane ticket twenty minutes later, and packed a bag, telling his beloved everything he knew as fast as he could, sharing in his excitement. Usako smiled graciously back, happy for him.

Yet she voiced his concerns as well. "But, if this relative wishes to talk to you, why hadn't he years ago? Why wait until now?"

"Maybe Tsubasa-san can explain it to me when I get there." He zipped up the duffle bag and flung it over his shoulders. He looked back to her smiling reassuringly. "This trip shouldn't take any more than two days, three tops. I'll call if I have to stay longer. So stop looking so glum Usako." He gave her a reassuring smile, cupping her cheek tenderly. "It's going to be fine."

"But Kongou-sensei said we really shouldn't trust the word of strangers." Her worried looks made him second guess his actions for a moment, but he really didn't want to listen to whatever 'Kongou-sensei' had to say. She talked about that man a little too much for his comfort, and he never met him. "Have you ever met Detective Tsubasa? Are you sure he can be trusted?"

Taking a deep breath, Mamoru tried to be rational. "Usagi, when it comes to my past, before the accident, everyone's a stranger. I can't get answers unless I take a few risks."

Gently he kissed her forehead, smiling as reassuringly as possible. "Relax. I'll be back in three days, tops. I'll bring you back a souvenir from Sapporo. Which do you prefer: jewelry or food?"

Likely seeing she was being irrational, the beauty before him smiled. He understood why she was so nervous about him leaving, especially by plane. Last time he did, Galaxia 'killed' him, before her eyes. How he hated distressing her like this. It was one reason they spent so many nights together. He never wanted her to feel so lonely again. "Food. Papa will be suspicious if he sees me wearing something from Hokkaido all the sudden."

He snickered. They really needed to find a way to settle things with her father. "Food it is then. I'll be back soon, I promise."

(+)

Promises are made to be broken.

A/N: the (+) is the best I can do to imitate the symbol for Earth astronomy/astrology wise so it's everywhere. I rewrote this scene twice, trying to get it to not sound juvenile and disconnected. Hope it's clear enough. the foreshadowing should be able to keep your attention long enough for the next chapter when things heat up. I'll post it after the second one is done.

I really wish they played more with Mamoru's lost past in the series. And really, even if he has mostly moved on, there should still be that hole in his heart and psyche. It's normal behavior for amnesiacs and orphans. The question is, will he ever get what he's looking for.

If you know Japanese, please take careful note of the OCs names (unless they're Americans. It doesn't matter then). They're major hints to whether they're good guys or bad guys. Ask any questions you want! Comment everywhere! And read any other story I've written for ideas of how I think. Laters.