Author's Note: Alright, well, this is my first time writing or posting anything concerning fanfiction but I've had this piece of an idea in my notebook for a while, and I need to get it out. I hope it's not too bad.

Disclaimer: I don't own Sailor Moon or any of its characters.

It wasn't the obvious difference in relational status that bothered me so much, although it did have its own effects. Waking up every day on Makoto's uncomfortable couch instead of in what was previously our apartment was one of them. But dealing with a lumpy sofa wasn't as unbearable as the subtle changes that now held my life in their grips. It was just the simple things.

And it hurt like hell.

Now when working together, there was no room for in-between. The only words given were those concerning the task at hand, and anything else was immediately cut off with a biting remark, a burning look or complete indifference.

Silence became our new best friend, our tag-a-long buddy who we now eagerly welcomed anytime we ended up alone in close proximity of each other for long periods of time. The whispered sweet talk and playful banter were something we just didn't know how to do anymore, and we had both stopped trying to act like we did.

What were previously our spots turned into nothing but that old oak tree on the hill overlooking the park, or just the ice cream shop where we all enjoyed catching up with each other. The life we had begun together, the one we had planned to enjoy with some semblance of normalcy before Crystal Tokyo completely overtook us all, was suddenly…not.

Instead, it was replaced with formalities and structure that had never been a part of our actions or words towards each other. "Hey babe" became "hello." "Reiko" turned back into "Rei-chan" and even "Mars" when the mood was particularly tense. Casual touches were nonexistent. Where once we would have leaned closer and enjoyed the nearness of each other at study sessions, we now sat pointedly on different sides of the room. Much to Ami's delight, we now engrossed ourselves for hours in riveting books like Complete History of Mathematics in Ancient Greece and Understanding the Spirit of Japanese Art, only so our eyes would be glued to something, anything, but the palpable ache of loneliness that would smack us in the face if we dared to let our gazes meet.

While the world continued to spin around us, ours stopped, turned on its side and began to rotate in the opposite direction. Everything we had established between us as friends, senshi, partners, lovers...disappeared, and was instead replaced by the cold distance of acquaintances who knew each other enough to be obligated to help in times of need.

It hurt like hell. And it was just the simple things.

Thanks for reading, and R&R please!