2/1/06

Title: Gone But Not Forgotten
Author: Raya
Theme: Stars
Genre: Romance / General
Version: Manga (Post StarS)
Rating: G

Disclaimer: All central characters were created by Takeuchi Naoko. I have merely converted them into paper cutouts for a while.

Gone But Not Forgotten

Mamoru smiled as Usagi sank gracefully down into one of his dining room chairs with an appreciative sigh. He watched her examine the table with curious, delighted eyes. The light from the tall white candlesticks reflected gently from the gleaming crystal and cutlery, sending splashes of light across the pristine white table cloth and her high school uniform. As he sat down in his own chair, she turned those shining azure eyes towards him.

"I feel under dressed," she laughed a little nervously as she brushed her left hand down her uniform. The heart shaped engagement ring he had given her months before glittered in the light. "What's the special occasion? Did I forget something?"

He shook his dark head, still smiling. "Can't I spoil you once in a while?" he asked teasingly. Never would he admit that her friends had asked him to do this. In fact, the fancy table setting had been Minako's idea, although Makoto had provided most of the items. They had decided that Usagi needed some distraction from her sadness, and Mamoru agreed with them.

Reading between the lines during the past month, he had been able to learn that she and Princess Kakyuu of Kinmoku had become good friends when they had allied to fight Galaxia. Although he had never met the foreign Princess, from Usagi's description the two young women had had a lot in common, not the least of which was the burden of being the ruler and most powerful warrior of their respective kingdoms. It was so like his fianceé to miss a friend who had returned home, even if they had only been friends for a very short while.

Usagi smiled at his joke. "Of course you can, Mamo-chan, but this..." she replied as she waved a small hand to indicate the table. "This is so unexpected." He merely smiled, and lifted the lid off of one of the covered dishes. Immediately, the smell of sukiyaki began to fill the apartment. Quickly, they served themselves, and began to eat.

Throughout dinner, Mamoru kept the conversation light. He encouraged Usagi to talk about her day, Minako's latest boy hunt, Makoto's latest culinary creation, Rei's upcoming temple festival, and Ami's advice on how to survive history without falling asleep. He asked her about Luna, and learned to his surprise that she was taking on-line college courses for a paralegal degree which Usagi found to be very amusing. Talking about Luna made Usagi think to ask Mamoru about his own day, so he told her a few amusing stories about some of his college friends.

Finally, Usagi sat back with a satiated sigh. "That was so good." She blinked at a sudden thought. "Did you make that?"

Laughing, he shook his head. "No. I thought about it, but I didn't have the time. That came from the little restaurant down the street."

"The one with the bamboo etched glass door?" she asked curiously, and then smiled when he nodded. "I always wondered what their food tasted like. They have such neat decor in there." She stopped in surprise when Mamoru stood up and walked around the table into the living area. "Mamo-chan?"

"Actually, there was a reason I wanted to make this dinner special," he admitted as he pulled a medium sized package off of the book shelf and came back to her. Her eyes widened when she saw that it was wrapped with a moon and stars wrapping paper. She gave him a puzzled look as he handed her the gift.

"My birthday isn't until June," she said uncertainly. She was sure that after two years he knew that. "And Christmas was last month."

He shook his head in amusement. "I know that. Open it."

Still puzzled, she ripped open the paper and drew out a velvet jeweler's box. Her eyes flew up to him and then back to the box. Slowly, she opened it, and then gasped in amazement.

Inside the box lay a jewelry set: necklace, earrings, and bracelet. From each piece, golden starbursts dangled, each surrounded by three tiny stones each dangling from their own thread. The stones were green, blue, and red. Gently, she reached out to touch one of the earrings. "Oh, Mamo-chan," she breathed.

"Do you like them?" he asked a little nervously.

"They're beautiful..." she breathed as she tore her eyes off of the jewelry to look up at him. "Where...? Why...?"

He smiled as he took the box out of her hands and quickly extracted the necklace. "A small reminder," he said gently as he put it around her neck. "Maybe it will make the distance seem a little less."

Her eyes widened as she reached up to touch the starburst, and then they filled with tears. "Oh, Mamo-chan..." She jumped up from her chair and threw her arms around him. "Thank you! Thank you!" And as he wrapped her in his arms and kissed her, he rejoiced in the fact that his star was shining brightly once more.