A/N: Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon (Sailor Moon Live Action Fic written for the October Challenge over on pgsmfanfiction dot net.

Prologue:

12 August 2005

Painstakingly she worked, her hands trembling under the candlelight as she held up the segment of shattered glass between her slender fingertips, allowing it to dangle for a few moments before setting it down upon the table again.

The light of the naked flame shone down onto this particular piece. The frosted coating that covered its exterior illuminated an almost snowflake pattern upon the opposite wall and tears formed in her eyes as she turned to the rest of her treasure that lay, in similar pieces, on the mahogany desk in front of her. For nearly a year now, they had remained wrapped up as though a secret gift, buried, or so she thought, for all time.

Perhaps she had been afraid to touch it again? To handle the painful memories that had shattered, as had her gift. Upon throwing this away, she had desecrated all that she had believed in. All that she held dear to her in the world. As always she had been afraid and why shouldn't she have been? Her situation at the time had not been an easy one.

Neither had her decision to remove her treasure from its grave. Concealed deep in her wardrobe, she had often allowed her gaze to linger upon the silken cloth that held the source of her agony. Tonight, with o-bon looming, she had felt unable to resist the allure of her pain any longer and thus it was set out before her, almost taunting her as she worked, under dying candlelight to resurrect all that had once been. As though by repairing the damage she could assuage her guilty heart.

O-bon was supposed to return ones ancestors from beyond the grave and she had never truly believed in this… then why did her heart pound so fiercely in her chest as she forced her shaking hand to steady as two more pieces of the treasure were glued into place.

Why did she cling to this promise as though it was all that she had left? Hope was for fools… especially hope founded on the beliefs of a dying era.

She had everything to live for, so why did she feel as though she had nothing. The emptiness in the core of her soul had been slowly devouring her for a long time and now, now all could change. Her decision had been made. She could have the chance to obtain her deliverance. To be free of all that was consuming her.

Was that so selfish? She was not a terrible person. All she had wanted was a chance to be free and now that time had been thrust upon her. Even if the old ways were nothing but myths of a time that no longer existed in this new modern world. If she could achieve some form of release then her heart, at least, would be lessened of this burden that it carried for a year now.

With this wish in her heart, the final piece of the treasure was now set into place.

Still shaking, her hands set the object of her pain back down and she stared silently, still under the candlelight. The hot wax trickling forth accentuated her tears and it was not long before she felt herself joining in its silent cries.

With its completion came liberation. Now… after a year of suffering she could finally lay her inner demons to rest and begin to truly live once more.

"There" Tsukino Usagi declared with a certain amount of satisfaction as she deftly placed the pink and white Chouchin on the table in front of them.

Her boyfriend, Chiba Mamoru, raised an eyebrow in amusement at her behaviour, especially as the paper was crumbled in places that it shouldn't have been. Definitely a novice, he thought in amusement as he cast his eye around the Tsukino front lounge, which was littered with discarded attempts to make the lanterns.

On the windowsill sat the ones that Ikuko had made earlier that day and Usagi's bottom lip jutted out in a displeased pout when she saw the direction of Mamoru's gaze as though she suddenly blamed the neat looking Chouchin for her ownmisfortune.

A smile playing on his lips, Mamoru sought to reassure her and thus setting his own lantern down to embrace her gently. Seated in a chair in the furthest corner of the room, Shingo looked up from his Game Boy to utter a disgruntled snort before commenting on his sister's lack of success where the Chouchin were concerned.

Usagi, not taking failure well, snatched one of Ikuko's patchwork cushions from the sofa and hurled it in her brother's direction. Shingo, guessing her intentions, easily batted this onslaught aside and muttered an incoherent insult under his breath before exiting the room.

"You shouldn't be so hard on yourself" Mamoru commented softly once her brother had gone.

Usagi nodded, a little tearfully and answered: "I just wanted us to spend our first o-bon together. I wanted it all to be perfect… like Mama's Chouchin"

Mamoru shook his head, and ran a hand through Usagi's hair, which was let down from its normal pigtail style, "As long as I'm with you" he murmured, before cupping her chin in his hand and pressing a delicate kiss to her lips.

He felt Usagi tense a little against him and he pulled back before giving her another reassuring smile. Although they had been officially together for nearly a year, embraces were always a little awkward for her, being a little younger, especially in her family home and usually under the watchful eye of Tsukino Kenji who had yet to fully approve the match. Of course, Ikuko and Kenji had long since retired to their bedroom, the former convincing her husband that it was safe to leave the two of them alone, provided that Shingo kept an eye on them. This had caused Usagi to blush at having her younger brother act as chaperon, but now that he had also gone to his room, she felt a little more relaxed around her boyfriend.

"With you" she repeated softly and Mamoru's gaze darted to the cuckoo clock hanging on the wall in the adjourning kitchen. It was but a minute to midnight. After then o-bon had officially begun.

Usagi stood up, declaring that she was going to get a drink of water, before scampering from his side and into the aforementioned kitchen.

With her departure, Mamoru became restless. Keeping an eye on the partially closed kitchen door and the beam of light coming from underneath it as Usagi turned on the tap, he shifted his position on the floor slightly. His back cracked loudly as he moved, making him aware of just how long he had spent in that position.

To this Mamoru couldn't help but smile. Time seemed to fly by when he was with Usagi. Her joyful and carefree nature was such that now, after all that they had to endure to be together, Mamoru couldn't imagine what his life would be without her.

He stood up, his restlessness increasing slightly as the tap was turned off. Again Mamoru's gaze lingered on the clock, watching the second hand slowly work its way passed the seven and on towards midnight.

He could hear rustling in the kitchen now and smiled. Usagi was always hungry. She had gotten through a huge bucket of ice cream that evening as well as having room for the meal that Ikuko had prepared and still she had room for more. She didn't even gain a pound in weight, remaining as slim and perfect as when he had first met her.

The hand was reaching the nine now and, for a moment, Mamoru was certain that it had somehow become stuck there as it began to quiver ever so slightly, as though afraid to move forward and on towards the ten.

As it reached it, Mamoru began his own silent countdown; his gaze now fixated on the clock and, for some reason, his heart now hammered loudly in his chest and sweat beaded on his brow.

Ten… nine… eight… seven… six… five … four … three… two… one…

As the hand struck midnight and the clock chimed, Mamoru jumped slightly as though he wasn't expecting it. As he did so, he heard a shriek from the kitchen and the sound of glass shattering.

Lunging forwards, he flung open the door. Usagi stood in the middle of the room, her face appearing rather startled as she glanced up from the water that was rapidly soaking through her socks. There was glass all around her, too, and Mamoru gestured for her to stay still whilst he gathered up the shards nearest her, lest she cut herself.

All the while, Usagi regarded him silently, obviously a little embarrassed at her fright.

"It's okay" Mamoru said at last, as he set the shards down on the counter and hunted around for an old newspaper to wrap them in, "It was an accident. Ikuko won't mind."

Usagi nodded, still mute and wrapped her arms around herself, shivering slightly.

Mamoru paused and looked up at her. "Usagi? What's wrong?"

"Nothing" she shook her head quickly, before adding, "You'll think I'm being childish."

"No" Mamoru answered, a little intrigued now, "Tell me."

"Well" she chewed apprehensively on her lower lip, locked in thought before continuing, "I put the glass down here" she indicated the counter where its remains now laid. "It fell off on its own accord."

Mamoru nodded, considering her words as he felt the counter beneath his palm. It was dry so there was no way that something had been spilt on its surface thus making it slippery.

"Right here?" he gestured to the spot that she had pointed out and Usagi again nodded. It was a good inch or so away from the edge. By the laws of science there was no possible explanation as to why it should fall…

A chill passed through the room, this time causing Mamoru to shiver, but his eye caught the edge of a curtain flapping in the breeze.

Pulling them both back he discovered that the window was wide open. "There's your answer," he said as he reached up to close it. "The breeze must have blown the glass over."

"But the glass was half full" Usagi said, not convinced.

Mamoru, being completely honest with himself, was just as unconvinced by this theory but what else could it have been? Dismissing her concerns, he cleared up the remainder of the glass and water before suggesting that he should get going and that Usagi should get some sleep.

Still troubled, Usagi was in agreement and they went back into the lounge. Again, Mamoru looked up at the clock as he pulled on his jacket. The minute hand moved quietly around as normal, yet a chill still passed through him as he thought of the glass and the second where the hand had become frozen, as though fine fingers had captured it and forced it still.

Shaking his head to rid himself of these thoughts, Mamoru leaned down to say goodbye to Usagi properly, but his heart was still beating faster than it should and one phrase came to the forefront of his mind…

An omen…