Author's Note: This was a request from C107galaxytachyon. I decided to turn it into a Halloween story, and it will be my first holiday fanfiction. I really hope you enjoy it. Please review and tell me what you think. I, like many other authors, am motivated by my reviews.
Alrighty... here's the deal... I USE MANGA AGES! Cause the whole 21yo with a 14yo is just (in my personal opinion) a bit eww. Not the age differences themselves because my hubby is ten years older than me, but the whole adult dating a child. Yes, in that instance I consider her a child. Okay... stepping off my soapbox now. I say all of this because near the very end of the story there may be a bit of lemon.
This is a reveal story, with a major twist, and I'd love to hear your ideas on it. What do you think you might do if you found yourself in this situation? I saw something similar on Charmed (another of my favorites) and when it was suggested I completely leaped at it.
Oh, and yes, Halloween is actually celebrated in Japan. It hasn't been for very long, but it has become really popular.
PS. I know in Japan they have six days of school, but I'm changing that for my purposes.

Disclaimer: *sigh* I don't *sigh* own it... More's the pity

Lessons Learned
Chapter One:
Impressions

It never failed to amuse Chiba Mamoru when he saw Usagi stuffing her face like a little chipmunk trying to store food for winter. Except, it seemed to him, she never stopped eating. She was, as usual, surrounded by her friends, sitting in one of the booths along the side of the arcade. The sunlight glinted off her long blonde hair as he watched her in the mirror behind the counter.

It was the reason he always chose this particular seat, and why no one else ever got to sit here at this time of the day. Motoki always saved it for him. It didn't hurt that Motoki suspected Mamoru might have a form of OCD. He wasn't about to disabuse him of that notion either. He wanted his way in this particular instance, though for the life of him he wasn't sure why he was so drawn to the bubbly blonde.

She had everything he ever wanted, and she wasn't even grateful for it. She had a bunch of close friends, and more importantly, a family. Was he jealous? Yeah, a bit. Did it have a little bit to do with why he teased her? Probably. She had no real responsibilities, other than school, and she was forever running late! Usually her lateness caused him pain, right in the chest, where her nose or chin always collided with him in her mad dashes to school.

The girl was a bit of a menace. She was horribly klutzy, often falling over her own feet, throwing shoes in her excitement, or tossing test papers into the faces of unsuspecting pedestrians. She was horrible in school, often getting poor marks, which she whined about at the top of her voice. A voice, he might add, that could bust a person's ear drums if they were too close. She was frustrating lazy, often falling asleep at the counter or in the booth she and her friends always claimed. She would suddenly run off with those girls, not even noticing when people worried about her sudden disappearances.

He looked up as Motoki came back to the counter, his cloth automatically coming out to wipe the already spotless surface. It seemed to Mamoru that perhaps it was a mechanism built in to get people to open up to him. Like a bartender, Motoki tended to help everyone with their problems. He always had a willing ear, an open mind, and non-judgmental advice. Not that Mamoru usually asked for any. He was more content to keep his few problems to himself.

He only had two, really. One was his obsession with the aforementioned blonde. He was getting a handle on it as best he could. He just had to keep insulting her and eventually she would completely avoid him. It had nothing to do with the adorable way her nose scrunched up and her bright blue eyes glowed with an inner fire. Not at all. Not a bit. He gulped at his coffee and forcefully turned his mind to his other problem.

Tuxedo Kamen. He had only recently become the masked hero. And already he had missed classes, forgotten homework, and been seriously injured a few times. Mostly in the process of saving the other blonde klutz in his life. Oh yeah, there were two of them. Well, if he was going to be completely honest, he had a third blonde to deal with, though she seemed more graceful. He wouldn't know though, as she never left that stupid balcony she called to him from in his dreams. She only wanted the Silver Crystal, so he could save her. How on earth was he supposed to save someone in a dream?

He sighed, looking up as he heard the loud obnoxious laughter of the Odangoed one. It was his name for Tsukino Usagi. He called her Odango Atama, and she called him Mamoru-baka. For some reason the name made him smile when he thought about it, though he'd never tell her as much.

"So," Mamoru looked up, a bit startled that he'd forgotten Motoki's presence. "I was wondering if you wanted to go to the Halloween festival with me." He continued to wipe the counter, but Mamoru was aware enough to know Motoki really did want him to go. Normally he would have said no, but since Reika had left for Africa he decided maybe his friend needed him. And Motoki was a friend, his only one unless he counted the Odango.

"Sure, when is it?" Mamoru asked.

"I have this Friday and Saturday off. You?" Motoki looked excited.

"I have a study group Friday night, so I guess Saturday."

"Great." The blonde man was suddenly all smiles. "Meet me here at one?"

"Sure." Mamoru tried a smile and the other man grinned at him.

"Thanks Mamoru!"

Behind him there was an annoyingly loud beeping sound. He and Motoki both looked over to find the three girls, Usagi with her blonde hair swaying from the buns as she gathered her things. Mizuno Ami, her bluenette friend quietly leaping up, and Hino Rei, the raven-haired priestess already standing, as the three of them tearing out of the Crown as though the devil were at their heels. They did this so often most people didn't bother to look up anymore.

Mamoru stood a moment later. "I've got a paper due tomorrow. I need to make sure it's right." He waved to Motoki as he left, looking up and down the street instinctively. He didn't see any sign of Usagi or the others. He let out a small sigh and began the walk home.

Only moments had passed before he began to feel the pull. It started in the pit of his stomach, but quickly raced up to his brain. Sailor Moon needed him again. The second blonde girl in his life was often afraid when she transformed. He wondered why she was so afraid when she was obviously the strongest of the Senshi. It was almost always her attack that destroyed a Youma.

He quickly found an alley and with a wave of his hand, pulled a rose from thin air, nearly instantly transforming into Tuxedo Kamen. He followed the pull in his chest, which seemed linked to the little blonde heroine, and made his way to her as quickly as possible. The quickest path was often over rooftops, so he jumped and ran from one building to the next in light leaps, loving the feeling of the wind ruffling his hair and cape.

He reached the park, where most of the attacks seemed to happen for some unknown reason, and perched on a tree branch, waiting. He did this for every battle. He had one goal, and it wasn't to defeat the Youma. No, his only goal was keeping Sailor Moon safe. Sometimes he helped the others, though that was only if Sailor Moon was in no danger. He had tried to help them all in the beginning, but quickly learned he couldn't take his eyes from the leader. She often had to put herself in harm's way in order to defeat the Youma, and on top of that she tended to klutz out at the worst possible moments.

Unfortunately, she was often reprimanded to the point of tears by Mars and Mercury, and even a little black cat who often appeared at the end of a battle. He'd seen her break into tears many times. That was why he made it his goal to only ever encourage her. He was terribly afraid she would give up the battle, or would lose her concentration at an inopportune moment if there wasn't one person who seemed to be completely on her side. He often had to bite his tongue though, because he wanted to yell at her, even shake her when she was nearly burned or decapitated, or sliced to pieces. It wasn't a pleasant feeling.

He was linked to her somehow, and he was sure that if she died, the world would end. His world at the very least, but possibly the entire world. She was important. He just couldn't figure out why she had suddenly appeared. The strange occurrences she fought had started months before she came into the picture, but her appearance had stopped most of the attacks since then. Even Sailor V, the other Sailor Suited superhero hadn't done as well before she'd mysteriously disappeared.

He settled himself in to watch. The Youma was another scantily clad female, this one a neon blue with dark blue hair, who seemed to enjoy screaming "aquama" over and over. She let out jets of water at the Senshi, mostly missing them. Sailor Mercury stepped forward, not behind her computer for once, and lifted her arms. She screamed her attack, "Shabon Spray," and tried to freeze the water. It didn't work.

Mars screamed "Burning Mandala," a moment later, but the flames were put out by jets of water. She growled and pulled out an ofuda, chanted something he couldn't make out, and threw it at the creature, who blocked it with another spray before turning her jets of water on the fire Senshi. She and Mercury were both thrown back.

Sailor Moon had not been idle however. She'd crept around behind the Youma and pulled off her tiara. Just as the two were thrown back she released her fully charged tiara, which sliced straight through the Youma, creating a small pile of dust where it had stood. She jumped to help her friends, helping them up.

Mars was less than grateful. "Took you long enough," she growled her complaint. "You should have moved faster and..." Tuxedo Kamen stopped listening. He watched as Moon's elation over the defeat of the Youma was drained away like it had never been there. She simply nodded at each of the other Senshi's complaints, not even jumping when Mercury and the cat joined in. She stared at her feet, unable to make eye contact.

None of the others with her noticed how she stumbled, not from clumsiness now, but from exhaustion. They didn't see how she held her right wrist carefully, close to her chest, obviously in pain. They didn't notice the single tear that fell from her cheek, or the small gash on the back of one thigh. They certainly didn't thank her for what she had done. They didn't give her any credit for not klutzing out, or show her any kindness at all.

He sighed and leapt from the branch he had been perched on. "Sailor Moon!" he called, and the blonde turned to him with a half-hearted smile. She took a step forward before Mars pulled on her arm and stepped in front of her.

"What do you want?" The dark-haired Senshi was being extremely rude, but Tuxedo Kamen was used to it. Mercury still hadn't decided, but Mars either didn't trust him, or didn't want him near Moon for another reason. He wasn't about to question her, or answer her.

"You did well Sailor Moon," he said, his voice carrying. "You've improved." He lifted his hat and bowed to her before leaping away. It only took a moment before he was hidden from all but the blonde who followed him with her eyes for several long moments. He turned to see she was staring at him, a real smile on her face finally.

He saw that disappear quickly as the others seemed to interrogate her. They had forgotten that it had been the two of them for a long time. Just him and Moon fighting together. Back in those days he had often fought the Youma right along with her, but had been pushed away quickly when Mars arrived on scene.

He headed over the rooftops, leaping one to another, as he headed toward his silent apartment. He reminded himself yet again that he liked to be alone. He liked the quiet. He liked that no one asked where he had been, or what he had been doing. With a sigh he released his henshin and went to do what he always did in the evenings. Study. Alone.

Usagi knew she was being a crybaby again. She just didn't really care at the moment. She had another failing test in her bag, had been yelled at by Rei and Luna, and even Ami had complained. She'd been working so hard, almost completely by herself, and was really getting no where. Though, she let a brief smile touch her lips, at least Tuxedo Kamen seemed to see it. But there was only so much she could do.

At least Luna wasn't with her tonight. The black cat who called herself Usagi's guardian had claimed to be disgusted with her performance, and had decided to go with Ami. At least the bluenette wasn't so bad about the complaints. She only wanted Usagi to study her enemy more. How on earth that was supposed to be accomplished, she didn't say. But it always stung when she added to the other's arguments.

Usagi had come to the realization that something was different in her. She wasn't like the other Senshi, and she couldn't understand why. They didn't seem exhausted after a fight. Their attacks never left them blistered and bleeding. They never klutzed out and failed repeatedly. It was as if the moment they received their transformation pens they had already been fighting their entire lives. While Usagi, as Sailor Moon, constantly struggled. She was always tired, always afraid, and always messing up something. It was discouraging to say the least.

She reached her door and sighed before opening it, bracing herself for the storm to come. "Usagi? Is that you?" Her mother's voice called out from the kitchen.

"Yes Mom," Usagi answered, pulling out the failed English test and walking to meet her mother. She'd gotten a fifty on the test, and while it wasn't the worst grade she'd received, she knew she would get no dinner. She automatically handed the test to her mother, looking at her feet. Once upon a time she'd had tome for homework and studying. She'd only really failed math tests, and that wasn't due to a lack of trying. Now, she seemed to be failing everything. She couldn't even meet her mother's eyes as she scanned the red mark on the paper.

"Out! Get out!" Ikuko screamed, pointing her finger at the front door. Usagi automatically turned and made her way to the door, hearing the lock click a moment later. She let out one small sob, and covered her face with her hands. She heard a tapping sound and turned to the window where Shingo held up a kabob full of meat and vegetables. She turned away even as he continued tapping, and instead of staying there to endure his teasing, she walked away.

She decided to head for the park. At least she would be close by if there was another attack tonight. They seemed to be coming more often lately, and she wasn't sure why. She looked up at the sky. It was nearly dark, so she wouldn't be able to do her homework, but perhaps she could do some of her tai chi exercises. Hopefully if she kept up with the practice she would eventually learn balance.

With a sigh, she placed her school bag, which was more like a briefcase, down onto one of the benches and stood, looking at the water as she began. "Zhou, peng, cai, ji, kao, lu, lie, an," then started again, "zhou, peng, cai, ji kao, lu, lie, an." She recited each pose as she made her way into it, focusing on one series of movements. It was easier for her than doing the entire routine at once. She had no idea how long she had been working, but when she finally looked up the moon was high in the sky and the park was empty.

She stopped and sat on the bench, pulling her right hand close to her face to examine it in the moonlight. The blisters were mostly healed, but the skin was still red and raw. By morning, if someone looked, they would never be able to tell she had been injured, though the pain would linger for a while. Mars and Mercury tended to heal much more rapidly than she did, and she wished for a moment she was as strong as them.

With a heavy sigh she stood and grabbed her bag, heading back to her house. The door was unlocked, and no one seemed to be awake. She groaned and walked to the fridge for the one thing she was allowed when she failed a test. A single piece of fruit. Tonight it was a tangerine. She sighed and went up the stairs to her bedroom. She wished, just once, that her parents would actually be proud of her.

Before she could sit down her mother knocked on the door. Usagi opened it and moved to sit on her bed. Her mother sat beside her. "Where did you go?" She asked, her voice quiet so she didn't wake anyone.

"To the park. I couldn't do the homework there, but I practiced for a bit." She shrugged.

Ikuko nodded at her explanation. "You know I love you right?"

Usagi nodded. "I do try mom," she tried to explain. "I do try to do my homework, and even remember to turn it in, but..." She wasn't sure how to explain.

"You can do better Usagi," her mother insisted.

She could only nod. Her mother stood and kissed her on the forehead before leaving the room. As soon as the door closed Usagi covered her face with her hands again, letting the tears come. She wished she wasn't always such a disappointment. She wished she could make her mother proud, and Luna. She finally cried herself out and wiped her tears away with her palms.

She eventually settled at her table, getting comfortable on the cushion and pulling out her homework before she peeled the tangerine. She ate slowly, only allowing herself a slice when she had finished five problems. Even so, it was gone long before her homework was completed. It took nearly three hours to finish it all, and she carefully put it back in the bag. She was getting better about that.

She moved to the bathroom and brushed her teeth before crawling into her bed. She pulled out a small bag. She'd run to the store after school, before meeting Ami and Rei. She set up her new purchase on a shelf across her bedroom and stared at it for a moment. She had to set the time, and changed the alarm to the loudest setting. The new alarm was set for one minute after her other one would go off in the morning. Hopefully she wouldn't have to be scratched awake anymore.

She finally crawled under the covers. It was just after midnight, and if there were no more attacks that night she would get to sleep for six hours. She hoped. Her eyes closed slowly. She had fought sleep for a long time after the dreams started, but now she knew it slowed her reflexes, so she just grit her teeth and waited for sleep to take her.

) O (

She raced behind the man holding her hand. She couldn't see his face, just the sway of his cape as he ran through the darkness with her. Her eyes caught on the beaded bracelet on her wrist, then traveled up to the black hair on his head. She saw the glint of his sword, and shuddered. The world was burning. The white surface of the moon had become a battleground. Buildings covered in orange flame. People lay on the streets, dead or dying, killed by the mindless people following Beryl. It was like their thoughts and memories had been erased and replaced with anger and hatred.

She saw a bit of orange and stumbled to her knees next to a girl with long blonde hair tied back with a red ribbon, which was nearly undone. Her white fuku was stained with blood, the orange skirt torn and bloody too. She held one hand over the wound in her belly, though she was cold to the touch. Beside her lay a man with silver-white hair, his own sword piercing his chest. He had fallen beside her. The swordsman with her lifted her back to her feet and half pulled, half carried her away.

Just feet away she saw another Senshi, this one green-skirted, also dead, a brunette man lying half over her. He too had impaled himself with his own sword. Tear tracks stained his white cheeks and he held one of the girl's hands in his own. The caped man pulled at her, tugging at her and yelling, though she couldn't hear his words. She could only hear the flames crackling, and her own screams.

A blue skirted fuku, hidden by the body of a man with long blonde hair came next. She could see the short blue hair of Mercury, also pale in death. The man over her had killed himself as well, and appeared to have tried to give her one last kiss. His blood and hers mingled and pooled on the ground beneath the Senshi.

Finally, a few feet beyond lay Sailor Mars, her long black hair shorn, her wound still pumping blood sluggishly. She threw herself at the other woman, but knew it was too late. The short-haired blonde, dead beside her gave evidence of that, if nothing else did. Mars opened her eyes once, tried to lift her hand, but was too weak. Her eyes slowly closed, her head fell to the side, and she breathed no more.

"Hurry!" she heard the man who was struggling to lift her again while she fought him, kicking and screaming to stay with her friends. She scratched at her face, crying tears and blood. She was pulled away, and up a flight of marble stairs. They followed a long hallway, the lights doused, and he raced with her to another door, hoping to reach safety.

When the door opened they were stopped. A woman with long red hair and hardly any dress stood at the top of another marble staircase. She snarled when she looked at the two of them.

"Come to me Endymion," she spoke, her voice grating. She held out one hand as though to take him, but he backed away.

"Never!"

"We can rule the Solar System together once that moon brat is destroyed," she cajoled. "You are king now after all, and I will be your queen."

"She already is my queen!" the man hissed.

With a scream of rage the red-head threw a ball of black energy. She flinched, closing her eyes, but it never hit. Instead she heard a gasp of pain. In a heartbeat she was screaming. "Endymion!" She spoke his name again and again, as she lowered him to the stones under their feet. "Please don't leave me! Endymion!"

He lifted a hand, able to touch her face. "I love you," it came out as a gurgle, and he breathed his last. His hand fell, his head turned, and his eyes closed. With a scream of pain and hopelessness, she scrabbled the sword out of it's sheath. She was utterly alone now. Her mother was probably already dead, her people were gone. She was so alone. Her only love dead before her eyes. She knelt beside him and placed the hilt on the ground before falling onto the blade. She fell over him, the pain fierce, and she gasped her few last breaths.

"I love you too," she mouthed, unable to actually speak.

) O (

Usagi woke with a gasp, trying to suck air into her lungs. The pain was incredible. Burning, piercing, biting pain that ate away at her for several long minutes before finally beginning to ease. Tears streamed down her cheeks. The sadness and the pain lasted longer and longer after each dream, and the dreams were becoming more frequent. She managed to turn as the bile rose and vomited into her trash can. It was the only option she had. She never would have made it as far as the bathroom.

A quick glance at the clock told her it was nearly five in the morning. There was just no time to go back to sleep. She stared at the ceiling for several long minutes before she made the first attempt to climb out of bed. She groaned and finally managed to sit, almost upright. She looked around. Luna had not come back the night before. She was grateful. She really didn't need her guardian telling her she was making a big deal out of nothing again.

After several long minutes she was able to stand and stumbled into her bathroom. She peeled off her sweat-soaked clothes and sunk onto the floor of the shower. After washing her hair and body she climbed out, the pain feeling less intense finally, and was able to brush her teeth. She made it through the rest of the morning on autopilot. She shut off both alarms, went down the stairs, and packed herself a bento box. At the last minute she made one for Shingo too. He could be a brat, but she loved him.

She finally sat down to have some breakfast as her mother came into the kitchen. She thanked Usagi, seeming a little startled to see her up so early, though, Usagi thought with frustration, it should have seemed a bit more normal now. She ate and then left, still very early, with her school bag in one hand, her lunch in the other.

Slow trudging steps. That was the only way on mornings like these. It was a Friday, which meant there was a chance for a break soon, and she was looking forward to no school or tests for two days in a row. And no run-ins with Mamoru-baka. As cute as he was, and as much as she secretly crushed on him, she just could not handle his teasing. She caught sight of her right hand and frowned. The skin was still red and raw, which made no sense. She'd slept. She should have healed by now.

Transferring her lunch to the hand holding her school bag, she reached down and behind to feel the back of her thigh. The wound there was closed, but it seemed like it was still scabbed over. Very odd. Whatever was happening to her, it was stronger, and she was weaker. She shook her head and continued moving. On mornings like these, even though she left early, she was still lucky if she made it on time, even without her run-in with that Baka.

Honestly, she'd never been able to figure out why he was so mean to her. He was so smart that he had a scholarship to one of the most prestigious high schools in Tokyo, and handsome enough to have been a male model, had plenty of money apparently from an inheritance. He didn't have people constantly telling him he wasn't good enough, or smart enough, or fast enough, or strong enough.

She sighed. She couldn't figure out what he could possibly have to complain about her failings for. She had hit him with a test, sure, but it couldn't have possibly hurt him. Okay, well there was also the shoe. Twice. But that wasn't her fault really. The strap had broken.

She rubbed her free hand over her face. Her hair was almost dry now and it was beginning to blow about in the breeze. It took her a moment to realize she was twirling one long strand around her fingers. She let go and sighed again.

A moment later she fell, hard, onto the ground. She blinked her eyes open to see Mamoru standing over her looking startled. He reached down and grabbed her hand. She cried out as his closed over hers, feeling the remnants of her burn.

"Cut it out Odango! I'm not murdering you." He scowled. It figured. The one day she wasn't running, he had to be. He was wearing his jogging clothes. She wondered just how early it was. Rubbing a hand over her bottom, which was sore enough to match the rest of her, she glared at him.

"My name is- Oh forget it." She sighed and bent down for her bento box and school bag. She moved around him slowly, and continued to walk. She couldn't even get up the energy for an argument this morning, though it might have raised her spirits, if she wasn't so sure he would have insulted her grades, her ability to walk, and just about everything else about her.

A moment later she heard his footsteps behind her. She didn't bother to turn. There was no point.

"Odango?" His voice sounded concerned now. Strange. He'd never sounded concerned about her before. He put a hand on her shoulder to stop her. "What are you doing out here so early?"

"Nothing," she wasn't sure how much she could talk before she broke down into sobs. "Just getting an early start."

Mamoru checked his watch and looked at her. She lowered her eyes. She couldn't deal with this right now. She started walking again. He fell into step beside her, but she didn't speak. She wished, just this once, that he would go away. She knew she was not putting on her normal happy, bubbly show, and she couldn't muster the energy to do it.

"What's wrong Usagi?" That stopped her in her tracks. She turned, glancing up at him, before she looked at the ground again. He'd never said her name before.

"Everything," she mumbled, but she knew he didn't hear her. She sighed again. "Nothing." She tried to put on a smile, and failed miserably. "I'm fine Mamoru." If he could use her name, she would use his. "I just, had a nightmare."

He nodded, but seemed to be waiting for more. She shook her head. She wasn't able to share the rest, even if she wanted to. No reason to add more failures to his list of things to tease her about. She met his eyes again briefly and then turned to walk again. He stayed silent but moved with her. With him no longer asking questions, his company was actually welcome. Her free hand she held over her abdomen, holding the invisible wound that still ached.

He walked all the way to the gates of the middle school with her. Before she could go in, he stopped her one more time, lifted her chin for just a moment and looked into her eyes. "If you need me," he whispered. She could only nod in thanks. She swallowed a lump in her throat as he released her and turned away.

The moment she knew he was gone she let the tears flow, making her way inside and to the bathroom where she cried for several moments before washing her face carefully to hide all traces of tears. And then she put her mask back on. It was as real as the one worn by Tuxedo Kamen, though no one could tell she was wearing it. Not her friends, or her family, or her teachers. She sighed and pretended to smile.

Once she was as ready as she could be, she made her way to the classroom, with less than a minute to spare before the bell rang. Her homework turned in at the front, she made her way to her seat and faced the front of the room.