Jewel of the Moon

1. The Dream

The foulness in the air made it difficult to see, to breathe. That oppressive aura that had her following him out of the castle, away from the security provided by her mother's wards and the destructive powers of her Guardian protectors, was growing worse. A dull ache made her temples pound, and her chest hurt in that same peculiar way that it had as of late. It was only the warmth and strength of the fingers wrapped around hers that had her stumbling forward. She squeezed his hand in return as she followed him through the palace grounds

He had hardly said a word to her since appearing at her balcony. The impropriety of the situation had brought a startling clarity. She now knew the reasons for her mother's disappearance into the castle's prayer room, the tense, alert way her Guardians had moved.

She had only needed to see the anxiety in his eyes, the tense way he gripped the hilt of his sword to know what her path needed to be.

So she had rushed towards him, allowing him to pull her close and press a desperate kiss to her lips before answering the unspoken question.

'Do you trust me?'

'Of course.'

From the moment she had first laid eyes on him she had known that an impossible fate had been thrust into their keeping. She never felt safer than she did when she was with him. She trusted him with everything that she was.

That was why she stumbled after him, still garbed in her evening finery.

"Damn." The curse was like a hiss that spurred the beating of her heart into a rapid staccato. They stopped, and she gasped, trying to catch her breath even as she still clung to his hand.

Then a rasp of metal against, a gleam of silver as his sword was drawn, and his grip on her hand tightened even more.

"Come." He whispered, tense as he readied his sword for any possible attack that might follow them. "I'll protect you."

And so, they continued to run.

A sound, annoying and jarring-like an alarm clock-pierced through the haze of Usagi's sleep. She opened her eyes, blinking blearily, as she tried to recapture the dream.

It was fading, becoming nothing more than a haze of shadowed images and muffled emotions. The emotions were familiar, somehow, comforting. There was a warmth that had her wanting to burrow even further into the comfort of her blankets. She turned her head wondering, despite the clanging of her alarm, how much more sleep she could squeeze in.

Then Usagi's registered where the hands of clock actually fell and she bolted out of bed, spurred by a sudden surge of panicked adrenaline.

"Mama no baka!" she cried, "Why didn't you wake me sooner?!"

And so, Sailor Moon Crystal marks my not so glamorous return to the world of fanfiction. I'll post a ramble of apologies and what more to expect in the (hopefully) near future.