Disclaimers:
I do not own Sailor Moon. Not that I expected anyone to think I do, but I'm making it clear just in case.
Author's note:
This is supposed to be just a silly love story for purposes of entertainment. Don't take it too seriously.
CHAPTER 01
"Have you listened to anything I said?" Mamoru asked rolling his eyes at the girl before him for the thousandth time.
The moon princess was sitting on the other side of the table, which Mamoru had considered extremely weird. Usagi used to sit *beside* him, always taking every opportunity to cuddle with her beloved prince.
But that was before.
Mamoru sadly recalled that she's changed and he had begun to notice it weeks ago. Yes, destiny was at his side, guaranteeing they would marry each other someday, but he'd decided he wouldn't just let it go. He would do his best to have his loving Usako back.
In the past weeks, he was trying really hard to please her and get her attention; but the more he tried, the more he failed. Usagi seemed to be more interested in doing anything but being with him. She always had time for studying with Rei, going shopping with Rei, sweeping the freaking shrine with Rei... And the rare times she had agreed on going out with him, she was always tired or bored... or both. In fact, there was this one time when she even fell asleep in the middle of a conversation with him. To make things worse, all this took place in one of the fanciest restaurants in Tokyo, right after she finished her meal. Usagi was even snoring loudly, drawing everyone's attention and embarrassing him really badly.
Even though Usagi was known for her sleeping skills, Mamoru knew there was something different about her... She didn't seem to enjoy his company anymore. And that wasn't a good sign.
"Usako?" He tried again.
"Yeah, yeah... college... working hard... nightmares..." Usagi replied absently, focusing on a point beyond his head.
The prince sweat dropped. "No. You've spaced out again! I just asked if you would like to go see a movie with m-"
"Shhhh, Mamo-chan!" Usagi interrupted him. "I'm trying to eavesdrop and you're making it harder talking so loud."
Mamoru gawked at her. "What?!"
So he looked over his shoulders only to see Rei and a boy talking cheerfully to each other, sitting a couple of tables away.
He turned his face back to his girlfriend, who was still looking intently at the duo. "Why do you want to hear what they are talking about, anyway?"
Usagi answered without taking her eyes off the 'couple'. "I've noticed how close they are and I want to find out what's happening between them."
"So why don't you just ask her about it? Isn't she your best friend?" Mamoru frowned.
"And do you really think she is going to tell me about her love life?! It was really hard to find out where this 'date' would take place, because she refused to tell me!" Usagi replied with a little annoyance; Rei could be really frustrating sometimes.
Mamoru widened his eyes. "Is that the reason you insisted on coming to *this* place in particular? You just wanted to spy on her all the time?!"
"Well... I just thought I could do both things at the same time: spy on her and have lunch with you." The princess smiled sheepishly at him, who was with his jaw dropped.
Suddenly Rei's laughter filled the place and Mamoru saw Usagi gritting her teeth. "Oh, I hate that guy!"
The prince took another look back to check who it was.
"That guy is Motoki! Since when do you hate Motoki?!" Mamoru gawked again. "He's one of your best friends too. Actually since when do *you* hate any living being?"
"How could I not hate him?! Look at him, shamelessly flirting with her! And I've never seen Rei laugh that way... In fact, I think I've never seen Rei laugh before today!" Usagi widened her eyes. "Oh, no, I think she really likes him!"
And then the penny dropped. Mamoru had just realized what was happening before his eyes... Usagi was jealous.
So he took some time to reflect on that thought.
At first, when they all met, he noticed Usagi had a little crush on Rei or something, but that never really bothered him; actually, he thought it was hot, I mean, cute. But now that he was putting two and two together, he was starting to get worried.
He shook his head, not wanting to believe his instincts.
"Mamo-chan, stop moving! Your head is covering my position and I don't want Rei to see me here! She would kill me!" Usagi whined.
Well... he didn't want to believe it. But it was way too obvious and he just couldn't ignore it anymore. Usagi had already given him many signs.
So Mamoru went through the evidences...
The first time Mamoru suspected something was when he was alone with Usagi at the cinema. He had suggested a horror movie in hopes to have his girlfriend clinging to him during the scary scenes. But the princess vehemently dismissed the idea and said she wanted to watch a movie called "Imagine Me and You". Mamoru didn't know what it was about, but for the title, he supposed it would be a romantic girly movie.
He was right, indeed.
But he never thought it would be about a girl who dumps her husband for a hot chick.
At first, he imagined Usagi had been misled by the movie title, the poor and innocent girl probably thinking it would be a heterosexual romantic comedy. But, strangely, she got her blue eyes stuck on the screen all the time. She didn't look away once, not even to reach for the popcorn... let alone to kiss and hug him. He did try to make some advances, but she had shut him down every single time to the point he just gave in and decided to watch that lame movie.
Finally, when the credits were flashing on the screen announcing the end of his sacrifice, he saw Usagi sobbing, probably moved by the happy ending. Well, it was not a secret some of her senshi were openly lesbians or bisexuals, so Usagi was used to be around gay couples. She always dealt with her friends' sexual diversity beautifully and Mamoru was proud to have an open-minded girlfriend.
So... Usagi getting so thrilled by a lesbian movie wasn't that odd, right?
The lights went on and the princess was trying hard to pull herself together after crying her heart out, when suddenly an idea crossed Mamoru's mind. His girlfriend was vulnerable and now would be the perfect time to approach her.
And so he did.
Slowly, Mamoru got closer to her and pressed their lips together. Usagi did try to avoid him at the beginning, reminding him they were in public and she didn't feel comfortable about it, but then she gave in and started to enjoy the kiss.
Much for his surprise, and happiness, Usagi wrapped her arms around his neck; she was hungry for his lips like never before. She moaned under her breath, which emboldened him to do something more... intimate. So Mamoru decided to give her neck special attention with wet kisses.
She moaned again in appreciation and he was feeling the luckiest man on Earth, until...
"Mmmmmm, Rei... this feels so good..."
Mamoru immediately stopped what he was doing and gawked at Usagi.
"What did you just call me?!" He frowned at her, not wanting to believe his ears.
"I called you Mamoru." Usagi answered quickly, but with a subtle hint of uncertainty.
The prince shook his head negatively. "No! You called me... 'Rei'... I heard it perfectly!"
Usagi giggled nervously. "Oh, that?! It's just that I... I..." She stammered at the words and paused briefly, placing a finger on her lips, her mind working desperately to find a way out. "I am learning Portuguese! That's it!"
"Portuguese?!" Mamoru's jaw dropped. "Why on earth you are learning Portuguese?!"
"Well, I... I will be a queen, right? So I should speak a lot of languages to, uh... to communicate properly with foreign countries." She stated tentatively.
Mamoru seemed thoughtful for a moment, then he considered that Usagi did have a point. "Anyway, what does it have to do with you calling me 'Rei'?!"
"Oh, Mamo-chan, you should start studying too, you know?!" Usagi chided, poking him on the chest. "'Rei' means 'King' in Portuguese. And you'll be a king, right? So it's only natural that I call you that." The princess answered with a proud expression, silently hoping Mamoru wouldn't ask her how to say 'queen', 'princess' or any other word in Portuguese. She also thanked herself for reminding Ami's remarks about the meaning of their names in other languages.
So Mamoru considered Usagi's explanation fair enough and decided to let it go, adding a mental note to follow her advice and start getting fluent in other languages himself.
But the most significant time Mamoru noticed Usagi had different *interests* was a couple of weeks ago, when she used his computer... and forgot to logout of a certain fanfiction website.
Well, he was not prying into her profile, no! But... he *accidentally* clicked the 'Favorites' button when he was obviously trying to click to log out.
And since he was there anyway, he thought it would be nice to know what kind of reading his precious Usako was into. Probably it would be those fluffy fairy tales about princes and princesses living happily ever after. Just like they would live their own story.
Indeed, Usagi's profile was full of love stories... but they were not the type Mamoru thought he would find there. Actually, he noticed there were like a thousand fanfics there, but all of them pairing Sailor Moon and... Sailor Mars!
His jaw dropped to the ground.
He ran the cursor down, desperately trying to find anything about *him* and his princess being together... but apparently there was nothing.
So Mamoru decided he wouldn't give up! There had to be at least *ONE* story of Endymion and Serenity, Tuxedo Kamen and Sailor Moon, Usagi and Mamoru!
Willing to find it as soon as possible, he decided to use the searching tool and quickly typed "Endymion".
Nothing.
Then "Tuxedo".
Nothing again.
So he inhaled deeply, wiping the sweat off his forehead, before he typed his own name. He knew that was his last chance.
ONE MATCH!
"YEEES!" Mamoru cried out loud, waving a clenched fist in the air, thrilled for finding his name among a sea of "Usagi/Rei" fanfics.
But, unfortunately, his joy didn't last long.
"Mamoru... must die?!" He repeated weakly. "Why would someone want me to... die?! Better yet... why would Usagi read an absurdity like this one?!"
So he proceeded to read the description.
"There are a lot of fans out there of the Rei and Usagi pairing. There's just one problem... Mamoru."
He gawked at the screen. He wasn't *a problem*! He was Usagi's *boyfriend* and soon to be *husband*! Why were those crazy people shipping his princess and one of her honored senshi?!
But... giving in to his increasing curiosity, he decided to check the reviews. There should have people standing for him there, protesting against his death... against Rei and Usagi being together! It was him and Usagi who were meant to each other, for God's sake! Where the hell did people get these twisted ideas from?
But if he was looking for support, he went to the wrong place. Every single soul was cheering for Rei and Usagi while enjoying every death of him. Quickly, he closed the story tab and Usagi's favorites were again on the screen. He noticed lots of stories rated "M" and once he found out what that meant, he shut his notebook close with a loud thud and a terrified expression on his face.
Okay, there was no need to panic. Maybe that was just a phase. Usagi was a teenager, she was probably just... curious.
So again, he decided to let it go.
However... Usagi's jealousy made he realize it wasn't just a phase. For the past weeks, she has been giving him all kinds of signs that she is in love with the senshi of fire, but he had vehemently ignored each one of them.
Besides, there were so many people shipping Usagi and Rei that he had begun to question himself if Naoko, I mean, Destiny hadn't made a huge mistake by destining *him* to marry the Moon Princess.
Fate was at his side, indeed, but he knew his girlfriend was having second thoughts about their relationship. But who could blame Usagi? He himself had always thought it would be better if he dated a girl his own age.
And suddenly a light smile graced Mamoru's lips when he recalled Setsuna was about his age and she was very hot, I mean, very lovely. He added a mental note to call her and ask her out, if his suspicious about Usagi were right.
"Usako... I need to ask you a question." He said slowly, watching as Usagi finally looked away from Rei and stared him in the eyes. "Are you... in love with Rei?"
The young princess parted her lips, clearly taken aback by the straight question. She had never thought about what she would say if he ever suspected a thing... but though she didn't know how to admit her feelings for the beautiful senshi of fire, she could never lie to him.
"I am..." She muttered at last, lowering her head. "I've tried hard not to love her and I even forced myself to be with you, just like I'm supposed to, but my feelings for her are too deep and strong. I'm... sorry. I guess I can't hide it anymore."
Though he was already expecting that answer, Mamoru had to admit it: it hurt.
"Is there anything going on between you two?" His voice was above a whisper.
"Oh, God, no! I would never cheat on you, Mamo-chan!" Usagi replied quickly. "She doesn't even know how I feel about her... And now it seems she's dating Motoki..." She added sadly, her blue eyes contorting in pain.
Mamoru noticed Usagi was in the edge of tears, so he took a deep breath and said the words he knew he had to say. "You should tell her. Even if she's with him... you should take your chance."
"But... What about us? Our future? Our daughter?" Usagi widened her big blue eyes.
"I'll never be happy knowing we are together just out of obligation. I wanted you to love me, but since you love Rei, you should try and be with her. As for the future, who knows?" Mamoru shrugged. "Maybe your Silver Crystal will get you pregnant or I can make a sperm donation and-"
"Ewww." Usagi grimaced, then she noticed she had just voiced her disgust out loud. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to be rude. I'm sure your sperm is... fine."
"Anyway..." Mamoru rolled his eyes. "What I am trying to say is: there are other ways, other possibilities. We don't need to be stuck together."
"I guess you're right... Thanks for being so supportive, Mamo-chan!" Usagi smiled warmly at the prince, but even though he was smiling back, she knew he was devastated. "Can I do anything to make you feel better?"
"Actually there's this one thing..." Mamoru began to speak after clearing his throat. "Could you, uh... delete that ridiculous fanfic called Mamoru must die from your 'Favorite Stories'?"
"Whyyy?" Usagi whined. "Have you read it? It's really funny and-"
"I don't think I'll find *funny* a series of omakes that keep on killing me so you can be with Rei!" Mamoru said through his teeth. "I don't need to die for you to be with her."
Usagi giggled nervously, wondering how he had found out about that, but she had a feeling it had something to do with her using his computer. She just silently hoped he hadn't read any of her reviews for that story. "You know it's not personal, right? Obviously I never wanted you to die... You will always have a soft spot in my heart, you know that."
"Yeah..." He muttered then he sighed heavily. "Well, I better go now. Do you want me to drop you at your place?"
"No, actually, I think I'll stay here and follow your advice. I will tell Rei about my feelings." Usagi nodded to emphasize her resolve. "I just need to do a little more investigation first."
"Okay, then I see you." Mamoru shrugged. "Good luck, I guess."
"Thanks." The moon princess replied with a bright smile. She never meant to hurt him, but she knew it was inevitable. Even if they got married and all, she would never be able to make him happy properly since her heart belonged to another. And Mamoru definitely deserved to be happy.
Alright, Rei! Usagi said to herself, narrowing her eyes at the fiery senshi of fire. Let's see what's going on between you and Motoki...
Author's note:
1) "Imagine Me and You" is a sweet movie staring the gorgeous Lena Headey and the lovely Piper Perabo. If you haven't seen it yet, here's a suggestion for you.
2) "Rei" does mean "king" in Portuguese. I wasn't making that up.
3) I think all of you have already read (or at least heard of) the fanfic I've mentioned: Mamoru Must Die by Baka Gaijin30 (if you haven't, you can find it in this very website). My favorite omake is nº 8, in which Rei dedicates a song to Usagi. LOL!
4) Since this is a short story, next chapter will be the last one. Thanks for reading!