Usagi sipped on her chocolate milkshake as she let a small tear fall from her face. The images of what happened just a day ago kept playing in her mind. It haunted her dreams and just wouldn't leave her alone. She truly felt that worthless as not only a scout of justice, but also a best friend.

Flashback-

"Mercury! No Amy-chan!" Sailor moon screamed as her friend disappeared in mid-air. She couldn't believe her eyes. Their enemy, Nephrite, had not only managed to escape with a great amount of energy, but also their friend and fellow scout, Amy. She just sat there on the cold hard ground letting tears stream down from her eyes. Was this for real?

"She's gone. They really took her." Raye, Sailor Mars was just as surprised as Usagi and Makoto. The scout of fire just glared hard into the dark night. They really weren't strong enough and now..

"Luna, we'll get her back, won't we? You don't think he would actually hurt her, right. I mean just keep her as a hostage. That's it." Makoto, Sailor Jupiter, asked their furry cat friend. It all happened so fast none of the trio would actually think this could be the out come. None of the girl's liked their advisors answer.

"I don't know Makoto. I just don't know."

End Flashback

More tears quickly fell as she sipped harder on her sweet milk. She didn't even notice an annoyance who had just walked into the arcade and plopped right beside her on the booth.

"Ohayou Odango!" Mamoru asked happily. He was waiting for Usagi's famous outburst which would cause the two to be tangled in a immature argument. He actually started to get used to it and excepted it as a daily ritual between him and the ditzy blonde. It was just natural.

"I'm not in the mood. Please go away." That was it. No yelling, no malice filled words, nothing. Mamoru just tilted his head to the side about to insult the young teenager again. Well about to until he seen the watery crystals that was spilling from the girls clear blue eyes and felt worry course through him like a jolt of lightening. His playful intentions slowly degenerating and replaced with only serious.

"Ok Usagi, tell me now, what's wrong? I never seen you like this before. You didn't even insult me. You always insult me!" Usagi just sighed heavily as she whipped the wetness from her eyes. She turned to stare at the raven haired man with a frown on her delicate features.

"I'm sorry Mamoru, but as you can see, I'm just not in the mood. Ja'ne" She grabbed her two text books from the counter and left the stool. Mamoru just watched her retreating form. He didn't understand it but a strong pain shot through him just thinking about the young woman who was drowning in tears. Against his better judgment he decided to follow the girl and find out just what happened. As he left the arcade and traced down her foot steps, he wasn't aware of a pair of blue eyes that had been watching him behind the counter. Motoki, his best friend, couldn't believe what he just saw.

"Mamoru, do you actually care for her feelings?"

--

" I have to be strong. I just have to be. Luna is right. I'm not taking any of this scout stuff seriously. If I was then just maybe Amy-chan would still be.."

"Usagi! Why did you run off like that? I wasn't done talking to you odango." Usagi let out another sigh as the tall man walked toward where she was on the bench. She thought if she came to the park, maybe its scenery would calm her down. Help her think some stuff through. She never thought that the stupid baka, Mamoru would actually follow her. She looked straight up from where she sat to meet Mamoru's crystal blue gaze. For some reason every time they locked eyes an overwhelming feeling washed over her. Although she wasn't to clear on just what that feeling was.

"Mamoru, why did you follow me? It's none of your business and I'm none of your concern. So why should you care?" Mamoru didn't really know how to answer her questions so he just ignored them all together. He sat down beside the depressed girl and turned his sights to the flowers that surrounded them.

"I know we don't get along very much, but I'm not used to you being so down. It's best when people talk about what's wrong then just keeping stuff to themselves. So tell me, what happened?" Serena just sat firm on the bench as she looked at the ground under them. She couldn't tell him what was wrong. That would just be crazy. He obviously was not going to leave her be though, so she might as well try to give him some explanation.

"A friend of mine maybe in serous trouble. She's really important to me and I feel like there is nothing I can do to help her. I just feel so useless." Mamoru stared at her in shock at her last statement. Useless? Was all this really coming from the Usagi? He was about to disagree when she continued to speak softly. So softly he had to strain to hear.

"You know something, your right. I am a ditz and I'm not that smart. I'm just a useless cry baby that can't be depended on to do anything. Not even be a good friend." Usagi felt her eyes water up some more and would have let them fall freely if it weren't for Mamoru's quick outburst. She looked at him amazed as he said his words carefully.

"Are you kidding me? Odango that's what we do! I don't really mean any of the stuff I say, I just to it to get a reaction from you. Your one of the most people I actually respect as not only a person, but a friend. Don't you ever think differently." Mamoru was a little surprised by his outburst as well but it was all true. He did say a lot to Usagi and honestly he really didn't know where it all came from, just a feeling that made him act out for her. A feeling that he just couldn't clarify enough to comprehend what it really was and what caused it. He sit back more in his seat and closed his eyes to feel the wind's breeze. Trying to calm down enough to not startle the woman again. "Stop blaming yourself Usagi. Bad things happen and sometimes there isn't anything you can really do to stop them. All you can do is to try and help fix it. That's it. Do you understand what I am saying Odango?"

"I think I do." Was all the little blond said back. It seemed like time had just stood still as the two continued to sit there quietly. Nether really knew what to say after Usagi's answer and somehow even in the silence, they felt peace. Usagi slowly began to feel a bit better about her situation and Mamoru seemed to feel more relaxed then he has been all week. They enjoyed each others company a little longer before Usagi's watch began to beep uncontrollably. She looked her wrist and then back at the man that sat next to her. Her eyes asking for forgiveness before she even had a chance to speak.

"I'm sorry, but I have to go. It was nice talking to you like this Mamoru. We need to do it again, only next time, I need to be in a more chipper mood. Thank you, you really helped." Mamoru just nodded in response and watched her run away into the now setting sun. The peaceful atmosphere fading with every step she took away from him. Not knowing that very soon, he would be seeing her again.

--

"Mars fire surround!" Raye yelled out in fiery at the slimy creature before them. They have been fighting the creep for almost an hour now and was getting no where. Her and Jupiter was beginning to feel exhausted waiting for their help to arrive.

"Gomen Minna! You really should have called me earlier." The two scouts and demon turned around to see a tired leader standing beside them. Her blond pig tails falling over her shoulders as she hutched over to catch her breath. Hearing the hiss from their enemy, she straightened her poster and pointed her finger right at the being. Her fellow scouts just happy she arrived.

"Hey creep who told you the fair accepts monsters like you anyway? Places like this should be a time for joy and happiness, not having them run for their lives! I am Sailor Moon, the champion of justice. And on behalf of the moon, I will punish you!" The purple slob just stared at her as he changed his form into a massive gun. His mouth as the barrel with two black eyes on top.

"Sailor Moon, huh? Well I'm getting tired of pests like you and thought you might like these presents. Trust me there more fun this this whole fair will ever be!" With that he shot out purple sticky balls of slime at Usagi. She screamed in fear as she managed to dodge everyone of them. She kept running like a maniac until she finally stood by her friends, who were already in attack mode.

"Hey you nega-trash, what gives you the right to shoot gunk at us? Maybe some of my bolts will change your mind!" Sailor Jupiter went straight at him with her attack. Lightening shrikes flying right towards him and he didn't even budge. The girls watched as the cocky man took all the power Makoto had to give him and came out of it with not even a scratch. The match seemed to be hopeless.

"Face it, without Amy-chan, we can't fight it. She's the one who always found our enemies weakness. We're nothing without Sailor Mercury!" Usagi felt the stinging tears again trying to take form until a red rose flew in front of her and landed at her feet. The girls looked up and seen a tall man in a tux standing on a long branch. A small smile grazing his smooth face.

"Sailor Moon if you doubt yourself then you will never win a battle. Remember even if your friend is not with you physically, she is with you spiritually. Think to yourself, what would Mercury do?" Usagi tried to register all that the man had said, but became more interested in another ball of slime that was now heading straight for him.

"Tuxedo Mask, watch out!" The girls gasped in horror but was quickly calmed back down as the young man dodged the flying dirt ball and landed softly to the ground beside them. Sailor Moon whipped the sweat from her forehead as a smirk came across her face. The words of Tuxedo Mask danced in her mind and she knew exactly what she had to do. Find its weakness. She scanned over the demon until she spotted an oddly shaped blemish looking dot on its handle. She wasn't to sure what it was, but most of the time their enemies always had some odd looking mark that happened to be a weak point on the monster. She figured might as well give it a shot.

"Hey guys you see that ugly looking mark on the monster's handle? Let's try to concentrate our power to that one point, Ok?" She waited for their approval and when they gave it to her, the trio went again into their fighting stances. They each raised their hands and pointed all their energy right at the slim ball.

"Mars First Surround!"

"Jupiter Thunder Crash!"

"Moon Tiara Action!"

The monster didn't even know where they were shooting at until it was to late. He fell face first into the ground, turning into a massive puddle of slime and then evaporating into nothing in seconds. The girls just stood there in awe at what just happened. They won a fight and by the command of their ditzy friend, their usually inactive leader, Sailor Moon.

"Wow." Was all the flame soldier had to say at the sight that played before them. Jupiter just nodded at her friends statement. Usagi just turned to walk away from the two girls. Jupiter being the first to notice her retreat.

"Usagi that was amassing! Just how did you know? Usagi, where are you going?" Raye turned around as their friend stopped looking up into the sky. It was starting to get late and the moon had already risen.

"Just then, I thought about how Mercury always fought. I was thinking how she picked out the places she would first attack instead of just hitting them blindly. It's scary though. That was my first order as a leader. My first real attempt of being the girl, the scout, I am supposedly suppose to be. It was weird, ne?" The girls just stood their taking in all Usagi had said. None of them realizing the small droplets of water falling off of their leaders chin, soaking the dirt covered ground.

'I appear to be growing up, it seems. Amy-chan will you now be with us to grow along our side as well?'

--

"She just seemed out of it and so I wanted to help. That's all! Shesh will you get off my back about it Motoki?" Mamoru hit his hand to his head as his best friend continued to bother him on the 'Usagi' subject. The guy decides to be nice to the girl just once and still ends up getting hammered for it. Just what did people want from him anyways? He just can't win!

"I get that Mamoru, but I don't know. I mean its just odd for me I guess. You and Usagi usually can't stay in one place for a minute without yelling at each other in anger and annoyance and yet you managed to sit for almost an hour with her, quietly on a bench? This is just to much for me. Don't tell me you two are the best of friends now?" Motoki was pulling Mamoru's leg and he knew it. You can't get that close to one person out of just an hour of being around each other. Forming bonds with people just isn't that easy, especially for him.

"Look, nothing has happened! I mean, I don't believe so anyway. I just helped her out a little and she awarded me by now screeching in my ears, got it?" Motoki didn't look to convinced but dropped the subject anyway. Very reluctantly of course.

"So I guess we should get started on this project then, hm?" Mamoru sighed but agreed as he took out his pen and jotted down some ideas for their paper. His concentration was not all that well though since a familiar blond kept flashing in his mind. He just shut his eyes closed trying to rid the intruder from his thoughts.

'Somehow or another you always have some pull on me, Usagi. I guess that's just something that will never change.'

--

"So tell me my highness, will we be able to take control over her?" Nephrite asked as he bowed low at his queen. The woman with long red hair and dark red eyes just looked at the Scout in blue amusingly. This would be too easy.

"I do believe I could make this work, Nephrite. It all seems to easy really. Mercury is a powerful young girl, but not to powerful for me. She's smart and that will be of great use to us." Nephrite grinned at the answer he received as he straightened himself back up. He glanced at the female he had captured just days before. She just laid there motionless on the cold castle's ground.

" Then I give you my word, I will use her to her best ability. She will help us to the Sailor Scouts down fall and maybe even to help us get even closer to finding their princess." Berl agreed as she too stared at the young soldier of water, with a grin of her own forcing its way across her face.

--

"Usagi are you sure your fine?" Her black cat asked in concern. Usagi just laid on her bed gazing at her white ceiling. Was she fine? She didn't even know.

"Luna, do you think I'm strong? Do you actually think I will be able to fight the Negaforce and actually make a difference?" Luna just stared at her in shock. Was she actually asking her a question about her Scout duty? There was defiantly something wrong with charge.

"Usagi, what's on your mind? Are you finally taking this Scout stuff seriously? Is it because of Amy?" Usagi sat back up on her bed and pushed her legs to her chest. She nodded in response to her fury friend, thinking there wasn't no other reason for her behavior. Amy was the only person who has been able to accompany her mind all day, nothing else.

'Ohayou Odango!'

Usagi fell backwards off the bed in a quick speed and glared at her blue carpet. Just where the heck did he come from? Luna just stared at her in disbelief, shaking her head.

"Usagi, you need to be more careful!" Usagi just grumbled in response as she tried to shake the image of Mamoru from her mind. She didn't have time to think about him right now. It was bed time and she needed rest.

'Not only that but he always gives me an emotion I'm not to familiar with and yet I am. I can't explain how he makes me feel. Today thought it was very calming. Is that wrong though? Amy-chan is in danger, I shouldn't be thinking about anything else. Still…'

Usagi climbed into her bed, turning over to one side. A smile forming on her soft lips.

'At least now I know that baka is actually capable of having a nice conversation without being able to get on my total bad side. That's a nice thought.'