When September Ends Chapter 1, a sailor moon fanfic

AN: So, I'm not going to lie, the idea for the fic literally hit me out of nowhere. I'm driving down the road, listening to Nickel Back's 'Savin Me' and thinking it would make a good theme song for some Usa/Mamo moments I know of and BAM! Fic idea. I couldn't wait to get home and get it started! I have read a lot of Sailor Moon fanfiction, and while I'm not saying it isn't possible, I've not come across one yet like this. So here's hoping my idea is original (at least to SM fanfiction).

Time frame: I know I don't do anime based ANYTHING but for this particular fic I'm breaking some of my own rules. This is set up in Season R during the Usa/Mamo break-up. Why? Because it adds to the angst, plain and simple. I played around with other time frames (from before they got together, to AU) but this seemed to have the most potential for angst. And let's face it, I like to make people cry their eyes out at every possible turn. ;)

When September Ends
By: Bethany

Chapter 1

"It's six am on this beautiful last day of September. If you have plans today should be a good day to be outdoors. Tomorrow a cold front will be cutting across the area pushing in the lower temperatures and eff—"

Chiba Mamoru blindly hit buttons on his alarm, finally finding the off switch. The same hand then landed back on his face and shoved ebony hair off his forehead. There was a dream still stirring at the edge of his memory. Mamoru gave a sigh and sat up.

Six am was always worse after his sleep was interrupted by a fight for life and Earth. Sailor Moon and the Sailor Senshi had been victorious again, but that didn't mean Mamoru didn't feel like crap the next day.

It was with a painful twist of longing and a deep soul crushing pain that Mamoru recalled Sailor Moon's pleading stare that had landed on him after the battle. "I love you," she had whispered. Her hands were clasped in front of her as if in prayer.

Determined to keep her safe, Mamoru had fled. Silently he cursed the world and begged Usagi's forgiveness at the same time. Even as exhausted as he had been both physically and emotionally the damned dream had returned.

Mamoru dressed robotically. Same scene, different day. Wake up; curse the dreams. Get dressed; miss Usagi. Eat breakfast; hate life. Go to school, come home, eat – exist. But never live. Life wasn't more than going through the motions without her in it.

Rubbing his face with his palms, Mamoru stood to start another day.

Across town Tsukino Usagi carefully put her hair up in the same fashion as usual. Some days she wondered why she bothered. Staring at her reflection it occurred to her that maybe it was just an old habit. A thousand year old habit. Maybe she did it to remind herself of happier times. Of a time when Endymion had loved her so much that he had moved worlds to be with her. That he had defended her against all odds. Loved her enough to die for her.

But Usagi wasn't Serenity. Not enough to deserve the love of her Prince, apparently.

Usagi pulled the pins out of her hair, letting waves of golden locks fall around her shoulders. A tear slipped down her face. Maybe she should tie it back different. Stop trying to be someone she wasn't. Or was. Or should be. Regardless everything just hurt so much.

"Usagi! You'll be late!"

With quick, sure fingers Usagi pulled her hair back up in its customary style. The time to decide life changing hair styles was not now. "Coming Mama!"

With a routine Usagi had long ago mastered, the petite blond grabbed her bag, jogged down the steps, nipped the toast from her mother's out-stretched hand and ran out the door. Just have to make it through one more day without him.

Today had, over all, been a pretty rotten day. Mamoru had spotted Usagi on his way to school. She hadn't seen him. It was both a blessing and a curse. He was thankful because every time she cried his name his resolve cracked. It was a curse because seeing her so sad equally made him want to drop to his knees and beg her to take him back.

It really was a no win.

After practically stalking her to school, he had been late for school himself. He had snapped at his Professor which had gotten him kicked out of the lecture, he had then snapped at Motoki, had forgotten both his lunch and his bank card this morning so that by the time classes was over he was angry at life and hungry. He paused in front of the arcade. He really did need to apologize to Motoki, but then again Usagi was due to be here anytime. In the fifteen seconds he stopped to think about it there was a terrible rush of panic come over him. The feeling nearly brought him to his knees. Gasping, he wanted for the familiar whoosh of power that usually signaled Usagi was transforming into Sailor Moon.

After several long minutes it never came. Mamoru tried to stifle the panic that over took him now. Why wasn't she transforming? Had she already been rendered unconscious? Surely that would be the only thing that would keep her from fighting!

There was a few seconds that Mamoru let the panic over take him, completely fill his mind. He followed the soul bond he shared with Usagi, allowing her surge of emotions to give him a direction. It wasn't moving, it wasn't giving him a path… it was… Mamoru's eyes snapped open. The arcade. Without a thought he went through the doors that were already in front of him.

The arcade games lined the middle of the floor, the restaurant to the back of the building. Mamoru's eyes darted around, searching for the familiar hair style. Please let her be all right… please let her—

Mamoru's legs quietly carried him towards the back of the arcade where he could see people standing and sitting, all watching one person. Motoki was at the counter nervously putting all the currency in a plastic bag. His eyes darted to Mamoru's in panic, then back at the person in front of him. Mamoru's eyes followed his friend's gaze. Standing in the middle of the aisle was a man. His appearance didn't stand out for Mamoru, he didn't care how tall, the color hair, all he could focus on was the blonde girl that the man had in his grip. Her eyes was squeezed shut, tears falling silently down her face. His tattooed arm was around her neck in a strangle hold. A gun held to her temple.

"Hurry up!" the man roared. Usagi's eyes squeezed tighter together.

Mamoru had never wanted to actually kill someone before. There was times anger washed over him so hard that he wanted to punch something. Times he had thrown things, even. But never before had Mamoru wanted to end someone's life more than he did right now. Swallowing hard, he looked around for a weapon of some kind.

Finding nothing he did the only thing he could think of, he rushed the man from behind, tackling him to the ground. There was instant chaos. Usagi fell, the man pinned on top of her for a split second before Mamoru yanked him up, his fist landing on the man's face over and over. Blindly he swung, hitting jaw, nose, eye, over and over. He could hear Usagi crying, could hear Motoki phoning the police, some people were rushing out of the arcade. Blind rage fueled another punch just as the man in front of him managed to find the gun again.

"That's enough," the man spat. The cold metal of the gun was between them. Mamoru stopped, his other fist still clinging to the man's shirt. Blood dripped from the man's nose and onto his lips. His dark eyes pinned Mamoru with a glare of hatred. He released the safety, still aiming the barrel at Mamoru.

Suddenly Usagi cried out, reaching forward. "Please! Don't!"

Everything slowed. Mamoru looked at Usagi for a split second, his eyes begging her to just run. God, please, get her out of harms way. The man in front of him pulled on the trigger at the same time Mamoru grabbed his arm. The gun swung around, a loud 'pop' echoed in the room. Mamoru waited for the pain; it came but not where he expected. It was his head, his heart, his whole body... There was a blood curling scream. He assumed it was Usagi.

It wasn't.

It was Minako, standing off to the side where he hadn't seen her. Beside her Rei rushed forward, panic evident in every feature. Mamoru had one hand on the man's throat, his eyes darted behind him. Pain exploded in his head again. Crying, someone calling Usagi's name. Mamoru managed to pull the gun from the man's hand; he used it to knock him out cold. Swinging around he propelled himself across the floor where Minako was holding Usagi's head in her lap. Tears poured down the Senshi of Love's face. "Usagi-chan, please hold on. The ambulance is on the way. Hold on!"

Mamoru slid to a stop, his eyes darting around. There was blood. Everywhere. Usagi's eyes were closed; her body limp in Minako's arms. He reached out, his body humming with power, a golden glow building in his hands. He didn't care who all watched, he didn't care about anything but trying to heal her. Fix her. He had to save her.

"Mamoru-san." Rei's voice was quiet and full of pain. He ignored her, pulling Usagi's body against him. The glowing grew brighter. He shut his eyes. "Mamoru, it's too—it's—" Rei burst into tears and buried her face in Ami's shoulder.

Around him the inner Senshi sobbed, already knowing what he refused to accept. She wasn't dead. She wasn't. He had stayed away; had done what the dream said. This wasn't supposed to happen. She was supposed to be safe. His love wasn't supposed to kill her. But she died anyway. Died because of him. It didn't matter what he did, he couldn't protect her in the end.

A sob wracked his body. He shuddered, gathering her in his arms lovingly, pressing her still cold body close to his. "Usako… please don't leave me… please, please."

The ambulance pulled up outside, the police, a fire truck. Men rushed into the arcade, pulled Usagi's lifeless body from Mamoru's arms. It only took a few minutes for them to realize what everyone else already knew. Usagi was dead.

Mamoru rose to his feet, not looking at the other girls that cried openly around him. He didn't look to where the ambulance drivers loaded Usagi on a gurney, covering her petite body with a white sheet. His hands balled into fists and he turned, numbly walking out of the arcade.

"Excuse me! Sir! You can't leave yet! We need to-" The policeman's voice cut off sharply when Mamoru turned to face him. The two stared at each other. They said nothing. Mamoru turned and walked away again, the policemen did not stop him this time.

Mamoru didn't know where he spent the next two hours, just that when he walked into his apartment two hours had passed. His answering machine light flickered over and over. He ignored it and walked into the bathroom. Staring out of the mirror at him was a disheveled man with dead eyes, blood still spotting his blue school blazer. Angrily he yanked the jacket off, untucked his shirt and walked to his bedroom where he fell onto the bed and sobbed.

Mamoru blindly hit buttons on his alarm, finally finding the off switch. The same hand then landed back on his face and shoved ebony hair off his forehead. There was a dream still stirring at the edge of his memory. Mamoru gave a sigh and sat up.

It wasn't until the last tendrils of sleep slipped away that Mamoru grabbed his chest, giving a puzzled glance around the room. The Earth shattering pain was… gone? He mentally tugged at the soul bond to Usagi. He had been trying his best to ignore that soul bond for the past month and then yesterday… Mamoru grabbed his alarm, turned the volume back up. A popular pop song played. He turned it off and put his head in his hands. The radio host had said it was the last day of September. But that couldn't be right. Today was October first.

Dressing as quickly as possible, Mamoru practically ran out of his apartment.

There was little traffic out this early, only the people who had to be somewhere far earlier than the majority of the city. Regardless Mamoru still didn't drive; he transformed into Tuxedo Kamen and leapt from roof top to roof top. His mind screamed at him the impossibility of yesterday being nothing more than a dream. A dream could never hurt that bad.

He knew the way to Usagi's house without thinking. The giant tree outside her window gave him the perfect angle to leap onto her window sill. The window was open, as usual. When it was warm she liked the smell of the grass and flowers to drift into her room. Mamoru gracefully landed, eyes hungrily, urgently, looking in the room. His heart nearly stopped in his chest.

Lying on the bed, sleeping curled in a fetal position, was Usagi.

-End Chapter 1.

I know this chapter was short, but the next one should be longer. I hope you all enjoy this story, I'm crazy excited about it. Please let me know your thoughts by reviewing! Thank you!

God Bless,
Beth
08.20.15