AN: Yes, I'm finally starting to post the sequel to Time Travel Trouble. So far, it's only in Usagi's point of view, though I may change it later. I hope everyone likes it.

Disclaimer: Nope, still don't own Sailor Moon. Anyone surprised?

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*Usagi's POV*

Something must have gone dreadfully, horribly wrong. I wasn't supposed to remember. How did I remember?

The day after the Shitennou had left, it seemed to have worked. I was blissfully unaware of my past as a Senshi or on the Moon. For that one day, I had been a normal girl. It had seemed that Saturn and Pluto's plan had worked.

Wrong. In the middle of the night, I began having vicious nightmares. My friends dying, Mamoru… It was a miracle my parents weren't home from their vacation yet, because I had screamed so loudly a neighbor called the house, worried. My poor Luna just stared at me worriedly.

I sighed. It had been three days since then, and the nightmares just kept repeating in endless cycles. I was barely sleeping for a few hours a night, and not even that tonight. I picked the cat up and hugged her tightly. "Can we talk, Luna? Please, I know you can answer me. You don't have to worry about it."

"Usagi-chan?" she mewled in shock. "How?!"

I shook my head. "I don't know. Whatever was supposed to happen didn't. For some reason, my memories were only gone for a day. I don't have the Ginzuishou, so how is this possible?"

"I don't know," she replied, troubled. "From what you told me, you were never supposed to remember what had happened unless something came up that required the Sailor Senshi, and even then your memories were supposed to have changed so you remembered only what was supposed to have happened."

I stared out the window at the Moon. "I don't know why this is happening. Can't I be normal, just for a little while? I even still have my henshin broach. The other girls don't have their wands."

Luna leapt to the floor and began pacing, her tail swishing rapidly. "Maybe something will happen soon, and sensing it is what brought you back so quickly."

"Again?!" I asked, aghast. "Luna, I only barely defeated Beryl! Without the Ginzuishou, there's no way I can beat another enemy!"

She rubbed her head against my ankle in an attempt to comfort me. "Calm down, Usagi, I only meant it as a possibility. There could be other reasons for this. Did you make a wish at any point?"

"No, I…" I paused, considering. "Maybe. When Mamo-chan was bringing me home, I thought of how I didn't want to forget us. I told him I didn't want to forget us. But, Luna, I didn't have the Ginzuishou. I couldn't have made it happen!"

Luna frowned. "Usagi, your powers are primarily for protecting mind and spirit. I couldn't say for sure, but I think it would have been too much strain on your heart to lose him again so soon, so your magic protected you as well as it could. You couldn't let go."

"I've still lost him, though. Without his memories, he'll just hate me and tease me again. What good are my powers if I still can't be happy?!"

"Hey," Luna murmured, jumping back to the girl's lap, "don't cry. Usagi-chan, just because things don't look good now doesn't mean that you'll be unhappy. You can make friends with your Senshi again without pushing Naru-chan away. You can reach out to Mamoru-san and become close without worrying he only cares for who you used to be. This may seem hard now, but remembering might give you some new opportunities. You can't just assume you'll be sad."

My expression softened. "Thanks, Luna. I think I needed that."

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I decided to visit with Naru for a change. We really hadn't talked much since I had become a Senshi, and once she had known who I was we weren't talking because I had put her on house arrest to keep her safe. I really hadn't had a choice, since she had drawn the Dark Kingdom's attention effortlessly. Just being my friend had put her in danger, and had revealed my identity to Nephrite as well.

"Naru-chan, good morning," I greeted. "What should we do?"

"How about the arcade? We haven't played the Sailor V game recently," she offered enthusiastically.

I wasn't so sure. Could I really risk seeing Mamo-chan so soon? "Maybe we should go shopping!" I declared instead. "There's a sale at the mall and I still have most of the money my parents left me for while they were gone."

"Great!" Naru exclaimed. "I really want some new manga, and maybe clothes."

I laughed. It felt so nice to be friends with someone that didn't expect me to save the world again.

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I guess Naru was just the medicine I had needed. Spending time with her was a balm to my soul, really, and I don't think I had realized just how much I needed it. It reminded me of why we had been best friends forever. She understood me, and never expected more of me than I was willing to share with her. Typically, that would be anything, since there had been no need for secrets before.

We talked endlessly about everything. She told me that the Senshi had vanished from the news lately, and that there hadn't been any more monster attacks, which hardly surprised me, but I was enthusiastic on the topic just the same. She asked if there was a boy I liked, which was harder to answer honestly. I just told her there was, but that he didn't know. She decided to pester me about who it was, but I wasn't telling. The months as a Senshi had made me aces at keeping things to myself.

I actually saw two of the Senshi, at different times and places. Mako-chan was in the cookware shop, which was so characteristic for her I grinned. She seemed to be all right, but there was an air of "keep away" that was unsettling. I knew that I had really been the first friend Mako-chan had trusted, and that it had pushed away a lot of her tough past. I was sorry she had gone back to it.

It really didn't shock me to see Minako-chan. Some of her fan base was following her at a discreet distance. Even though my friend had given up her work as an idol after the situation with Danburite/Ace in China, she still had a few loyal to her. She seemed to be doing about the same thing as Naru-chan and I, flitting to different shops and buying tons of things she really didn't need.

It was normal for Rei-chan or Ami-chan not to patronize a mall, so I didn't have any hope of running into them, but I missed them just the same. I wanted the group to be whole again. Maybe normal lives were an improvement, but we were an excellent unit, balancing each other out in personalities and strengths even against my assumed flakiness.

I considered for a moment. What was the problem, really? So we weren't friends at the moment. That could be remedied easily enough. Once school started again, I'd work on Ami-chan and Mako-chan, and figure out the other two later on. Mamo-chan was easy, I ran into him all the time. I'd just have to take a different approach.

Naru tugged on my arm. "Usagi-chan, are you in there? It's like you were on the Moon or something."

I laughed a little hesitantly. "Sorry, Naru-chan, I was just thi- daydreaming. Do you want to get something to eat? There's a great new restaurant in the food court. We could try it."

"That sounds great," Naru-chan agreed. "Let's go!"

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After what Luna and I had discussed, it really didn't surprise me when there was a harsh impact some ways away one night, with a brilliant flash that couldn't help but draw my attention. It had only been three weeks since Beryl. Silently, I slipped out my window after henshining and moved quickly to the source, hoping I would be able to respond quickly enough to avoid coming into contact with others. As far as anyone was aware, the Senshi had vanished.

Once I arrived, there was nothing to see but a gaping hole in the pavement. It was absolutely massive, large enough for several dozen to stand around in a ring before a second formed. Luckily, no one else had appeared yet, perhaps still assuming it had only been a large earthquake. Of course, once the first police patrol stumbled across it that would change.

As though summoned by my thoughts, a squad car appeared. I ducked under the cover of a nearby tree before shinning up it to watch in case anything happened. I hadn't seen anything during my examinations, but there was always the possibility that a youma or something of that variety would appear. In that situation I would have to be as close to the scene as possible given the lack of other Senshi to help contain it.

It was lucky nothing happened, though a crowd began to form, even at such a late hour, given it was something like one in the morning. I began making my way home, sticking to rooftops and trees in an effort to remain unseen.

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After quickly briefing Luna, I headed out, automatically trailing to the site. I knew that there would be plenty of other people, and it was likely that the rest of the Senshi and Mamo-chan would be there as well, drawn instinctively to the dangers it hinted at.

They were there, as expected, watching from various points. Maybe it was some sort of idiocy on my part, but I instantly positioned myself near Mamo-chan, hoping for… I don't know, something.

Whatever it was though, I got, when the crowd's surging knocked me straight into him.

"Can't stand on your own two feet, Odango Atama?" he drawled. "Really, and at your age, too."

"Shut up, jerk," I answered huffily. "My age? At least I'm not the one insulting people for being pushed. You should work on your maturity levels."

He just snorted before stalking off. I rolled my eyes. He hadn't expected an intelligent-sounding retort. Poor guy was in for a rude awakening, I mused. Just because I didn't really want to argue with him didn't mean I couldn't give as good as I got.

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Naru and I were talking on the phone when it happened. Of course, I have to admit that I hadn't been the slightest bit surprised when she shrieked and suddenly stopped talking. If anyone would attract attention from an enemy, it would be her. I just hadn't expected it so quickly- after all, I had only gone to investigate the crash last night. I sighed, hanging up the phone and running out. Luna followed me in response to my signal.

I had to play up the act once I arrived though. Both Naru-chan and her mother couldn't suspect me right now, so I had to be cautious. Once Naru's mom and I opened the door, the poor woman fainted dead away when she saw the monster crouched over her daughter. Well, that at least made things easy.

"Ahh!" I fake-shrieked. "A monster! Oh, I know! This must be a dream! Well, if it's a dream, then I can control it."

The monster snorted at me. Really, don't any enemies at least have the courtesy to attack with somewhat polite monsters?

That bit of inane thought put me in trouble. The thing let go of Naru-chan and pounced on me instead, taking my energy. Past experience had taught me that my energy was particularly attractive to their kind due to the sheer power it provided, so something had to be done. Quickly.

Luna seemed to read my mind. Artemis was there as well, saying something, but whatever it was, Luna ignored. She leapt into the vine-like plant creature and clawed at it until I was released. Drained, the ground seemed to leap up at me. My knees hit with a deep thud that seemed to shake my entire body. I gritted my teeth, pushing the exhaustion back.

Once I gained my feet again, I pulled out my broach, chanting the much too familiar line. "MOON PRISM POWER, MAKE-UP!"

Sailor Moon rushed to meet me again, offering that extra bit of energy that would be able to sustain me long enough to fight. Unfortunately, the time that had taken had allowed the monster to go out the window, chasing after Artemis. It would only go after other victims, so I would have to corner it and get rid of it quickly.

I dashed out after it without thinking, I guess. Without the Crescent Moon Wand, my only weapons were my tiara and my wits. The combo didn't do much for my confidence, knowing how weak my tiara could be. Since I didn't know the actual strength of this enemy, I might be volunteering myself for the next slot in the Galaxy Cauldron. I really wasn't aiming to die a second time in three weeks.

Luckily or not, it had found another prey quickly, poor Artemis, so it hadn't gone far. I shot the cat a glance of concern even as I shouted to get the thing's attention. It glared up at me.

I wasn't really in the mood for the full speech tonight, so I cut it a bit short. "Let him go right now or you are soooooo moon-dust!" Not that it strictly mattered, since I would take the thing down regardless. It would just be easier without catching innocents in the cross-fire.

It tossed Artemis away, more interested in the stronger energy I possessed. Curse or blessing? I couldn't say at the moment, dodging its stupid vine tentacles, hoping I wouldn't get myself killed. Luna and Artemis both jumped at it, scratching viciously at its face to give me a moment. Poor Artemis was still shaky. My hand flew to my tiara.

The vicious thing knocked away both cats, and Artemis and Luna didn't stand up again, though they tried. My eyes narrowed at the nasty monster.

"It's unwise to hurt my friends," I said in a low voice. "Naru-chan, and Luna and Artemis? You've signed your own death warrant." The golden metal flashed at my touch. "MOON TIARA ACTION!"

I held my breath as I released my weapon, unsure of if I would succeed. It seemed Lady Luck had chosen to take my side once more, since the monster screamed. A card fell to the pavement, actually slicing in to the rock. It had an image on it for a moment, but it quickly blackened. I stared at it.

"Sailor Moon!"

"What?" I turned, and jolted in shock. There was what appeared to be a large projection image of two beings, with green skin and oddly colored hair. The faint piece of Serenity's mind that remained without the Ginzuishou to sustain her whispered that it was an alien species of some kind, but one she had not encountered before.

"I didn't know there was someone like you on this planet." The male was speaking.

"Who are you two?!" I demanded.

"A member of the wandering nobility of the universe, Ali."

"Likewise, En."

"So you're the ones that were controlling that monster!" I accused, more than a little angry. I had been enjoying my "retirement".

The one that had called herself En laughed. "What we did today was just the beginning,"

"That's right," Ali agreed. I was already finding the pair incredibly annoying. They both laughed as the image vanished. I growled.

"Sailor Moon, those guys…" Luna began. I didn't really pay attention. "Sailor Moon?"

"Good-bye to the ordinary Usagi-chan," I sighed, staring up at the moon. Luna and Artemis watched over me, giving me space to think.

Monsters, again. Odd ones at that. I had only been able to stop being a Sailor Senshi for a few short weeks, and now I was the only one there to fight against a new enemy. I had already decided that Luna wouldn't be allowed to awaken the others unless there was no other option. My friends deserved their peace after fighting so bravely before and giving their lives for our cause.

And Mamo-chan… our encounter earlier that day had been just like before. He had insulted me like usual, but now it stung more. I wasn't entirely sure why. I brushed it aside as best I could before picking up both cats and heading home.

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Things stayed relatively quiet for a while, with the monsters being weak enough that I could destroy them with my tiara. It was a relief, really, but that didn't mean I got off that easily. I took blows, nasty ones, from being completely isolated with no help.

This particular night, I was still trying to baby a number of rather painful curved slash wounds across my back and sides. There was even one on my neck that had just barely avoided being fatal, curving around from the back of my neck and coming only an inch from my jugular. I was wearing high-neck shirts and scarves to avoid having it be seen. The others were at least concealed easily. I knew I would be in trouble in the case of another attack. My reaction times were down from the pain.

I was trying to re-bandage them carefully in my room when I heard the tell-tale shrieks coming from the park. I sighed. What was it with the park and monsters? I quickly henshined and forced myself to not think of the pain I was already in. At least being Sailor Moon would increase my healing rate, so I might recover before I ran into the monster.

Wrong. I had barely set foot in the park when it came at me like a ton of bricks. I barely dove to the side in time, and the damned thing managed to catch me in the arm, leaving yet another stream of blood behind, staining my fuku. I cursed.

My injuries protested viciously when I tried to pull off some gymnastics maneuvers to dodge the next few attacks. I could already feel my strength draining off. Another attack was aimed straight at me, and I couldn't possibly evade it in time. I just closed my eyes and braced myself, hoping against hope it wouldn't be too bad.

A glowing sword flashed forward and intercepted the energy, deflecting it to its source. The light emitted was so bright that I could see it even through my eyelids. I glanced around wildly.

Kunzite was battling the ugly thing. I was used to hideous creatures, but this one seemed especially bad. For starters, it appeared to be partially melted, giving it a lopsided evil sneer. I grimaced. It just got worse from there. It was humanoid, sort of, but seemed scaled, or something that gave it a pebbled skin under the melt. This sucker was big, too. It was easily twice Kunzite's height, and he wasn't short. The most disturbing point was the gaping mouth that created the sneer. The thing had a lot of teeth. I'm not talking a couple dozen, like normal. I'm saying more along the lines of a few hundred, and all of them were closer to fangs than actual teeth.

The Shitennou seemed to be wearing the thing down well, and I gave a sigh of relief. My tiara came instantly to my hand as he presented me with a good target. Catching the flare, he immediately moved out of the line of fire to give me an open field. Pouring as much power as I could spare into the metal, I flung it with pinpoint precision, causing the monster to turn to another of those mysterious sharp cards and blacken.

I slid to the ground, too tired to keep standing. He knelt by my side, concerned.

"Are you all right, Princess?" he asked cautiously as he wrapped a strip of fabric from his cape around the gash on my arm.

"Don't call me that," I told him absently. "I'll be fine in a few moments. I just need to get some energy back."

"Did it drain you before I arrived?"

I shook my head. "There's been too many of them recently. I'm still healing from the last one, so I'm very tired already."

His eyes darkened. "This is not a good sign, Pr- Sailor Moon. You should alert your Senshi."

"No," I countered firmly. "They haven't been awakened. I want them to have a chance at normal lives, which is why I've left everyone alone so far. You shouldn't know either. How did you?"

"Your magic is what saved me," he explained carefully. "As best as I understand it, I now have much the same obligation to you as I would to Endymion. Since your true defenders seem to be unavailable, that bond brought me to your aid."

I muttered a few choice curses under my breath. "I didn't want you to be caught up in this any more than I wanted them to. Go home, Kunzite. Live a normal life for a while."

He frowned. Knowing him as I did from my memories of the past, I knew he was going to be stubborn on this one. "Absolutely not. You are my Princess, and I owe you a great debt. It is not simply an obligation through that debt, though. Venus and I renewed our bond, Sailor Moon. Her duty is mine. Since she cannot help you, I will take her place."

"Kunzite, it's just a few monsters. I'll be fine on my own."

"Which is why you were about to get hit when I arrived? Sailor Moon, that would have been a fatal blast if you are already injured. You simply could not continue to fight alone if they occur as frequently as you say."

I barely resisted the urge to growl at him. Now, don't get me wrong, I'm glad Kunzite cares, but he can be so stubborn. Here I am letting monsters kick the crap out of me night after night, and he won't even accept the sacrifice I'm making by living the normal life I wanted for them. I had grown accustomed to this behavior of his toward Minako-chan or Mamo-chan, but he had never directed this particular infuriating habit of his toward me before.

He must have seen my expression, since he adopted a kinder tone than the hard one he typically used. "I'm not calling you incapable. The gods know you are the strongest, kindest girl I've ever seen. Usagi." I looked up at him, shocked to hear my name actually being used. "I'm not only doing this out of a sense of duty. I'm protecting you because I care about your well-being, as much as I would Minako or E- Mamoru. Do you understand what I'm trying to say?"

I was really flattered at this point, honestly. Kunzite doesn't like to show emotion much, and he'll typically only do so around Minako-chan unless he's really upset. He was a quiet, stoic man by nature. I sighed. "I know. I'm sorry if I seemed harsh, but I really do want you and the others to be able to have a normal life. I didn't want to drag any of you into battle again."

"Why isn't Mamoru-kun helping you? From what Minako has told me, I know he typically senses your danger and comes to you even without his memories."

I shrugged, trying to make it seem like I didn't care. "Don't know." I had wondered about that many times already.

He watched me for a moment, but nodded. "You should return home before the press arrives, Sailor Moon. Be careful of those injuries." He passed me a small chuck of what appeared to be a gem. My assumption automatically was that it was a piece of kunzite. "This will help us communicate between distances. It enhances psychic capabilities between us, so you can call me if you are in need of assistance."

I smiled. "Thank you, Kunzite. I really appreciate what you're doing for me. Just- just don't tell Minako-chan when she comes to see you this month. I don't want them involved."

He hesitated. "It really is the sort of thing that I should inform my mate of, especially given that she is the leader of your guard."

"Please. She'll only worry. She can't fight anyway; she doesn't have her henshin wand."

He sighed. "Very well. I will keep your secret, at least for the time being." I began to thank him again, but he raised a hand to stop me. "For the time being. If I begin to believe that you are in too much danger, I will alert your Senshi personally. I will not see you placed at risk any more than necessary."

Now I heaved a sigh. "Fine. That's the best I'll get from you, I guess. Still, thanks. I'm glad you're here since the others aren't."

He smiled. Just the faintest hint of one, really, but it was a smile, which made it an absolute rarity in his case. He vanished easily.

I began the trek home, muttering for a good while about the irritating qualities of the people I surrounded myself with. Once satisfied with that train of thought, I progressed to more important issues. Kunzite should not have been able to remember- this I knew absolutely. In a desperate situation, it would have been Mamo-chan that would have sensed my need. There had to be some sort of issue where Mamo-chan was incapable of coming to my aid that another would have assumed his role.

I was almost home when I decided abruptly that I needed to check on him, badly. At this time of night, he would most likely be asleep. I immediately turned and leapt to the roof of the nearest building, cutting across town while paying no mind to my own poor physical state. I needed to see him.

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AN: That's the end of the first part. I'm really not sure how long this story will go though. For the most part, it will continue to roughly follow the events of the Doom Tree arc of the second season, though there will be some pretty big changes made. However, Kunzite will be the only Shitennou to make an appearance, sorry. Please, please, let me know what you think so far! Till next time!