AN: This idea has been in my head for a long time. Ever since I saw X/1999 three years ago I've wanted to write a crossover story, but it's one of the most difficult series (along with Angel Sanctuary) to cross with, at least to me ^^;; I know it sounds lame but I'm so happy that I have finally accomplished this goal ^^;; The story is a little twisted and it deals with a little religion so I want to apologize in advance in case anyone is offended. If you haven't seen X/1999 but is interested. I put up the links to a few sites regarding the series on my author's page. It's one of the earlier series by CLAMP.

Thanks as usual to the wonderful Themoonmaiden-chan for fixing up all my mistakes! I'm so happy that I got you interested on the series! I can lend you the series if you like and you can be properly addicted =P

Disclaimer: Don't own anything.

The Sins of the Innocent

Forgive me, Father, for I have sinned again.

Soft footsteps made their way down the candlelit path towards the back of the church where she knew the priest was waiting in that tiny confession booth.

It had been five years since her last confession. The weight of her sins had been dragging at her heart the since day she walked down the aisle towards her marriage with Mamo-chan. Five years of accumulated guilt and forbidden desires had finally led her astray from her rigid self-control.

The dry heavy scent of the incense combined with the eerie glow of the candle flame in the ancient church heightened the excitement and eager longing that for so long had been chained inside of her sub consciousness like a dangerous beast.

She shouldn't even be here. Not like this, not right now. What would Chibi-Usa think when she was old enough to know that her mother was running away to take refuge in a church from a perfect husband and a baby daughter in the middle of the night? But she probably wouldn't be told the truth. Mamo-chan and the others would probably make up a fancy story about how her mother, Chiba Usagi, was killed in a heroic fight saving the Earth from evils once again.

The snow from the storm outside turned into tiny crystal droplets in her hair and coat. Looking through the drops resting on her eyelashes, the light turned into a rainbow of colors warming the ice that had been forming for the past five years. Shrugging out of her mink coat that had gotten heavy from the melted snow, the young woman reached out and touched the pews as she continued to walk towards her destination. How funny that under her frozen touch, the hard wood seemed softer than the silk of her lingerie. How comforting the austere faces of saints were to her than the loving smiles of her husband and daughter.

"What are you doing here?"

Usagi spun around in fear when she heard the harsh yet familiar voice. "I came here for my confession, Father." The sapphire eyes widened as they took in the plain black clothes and the stark white collar around his neck. Maybe she didn't want to believe his letter even after five years, but now that she had seen him in person, there was no way that she could deny it now. Everything about him… even the look in his eyes… had changed.

He didn't reply; he just stood there looking at her. Finally with a little shake of his head, the priest turned to close the doors that let in snow and wind that woke him from his slumber Afterwards, he took the expensive mink coat from her grasp and wrapped it around her petite body, the violet eyes avoided looking at her. "I never thought that I would be seeing you again." Before she could respond, he added, "You haven't changed much Usagi. Still childish, irresponsible, and whimsical like always."

"I didn't come here to be judged by you," the young blonde said stiffly and turned to go. His offhanded comment had stung her. Although she tried to look unaffected, she couldn't help the way her voice trembled. Maybe she was a fool to think that she could just waltz in here and take comfort in his arms. If it was five years ago, maybe it might have happened, but a lot of things changed in five years.

"Forgive me. I didn't mean to insensitive. I guess seeing you again so unexpectedly made me forget who I am now," the priest apologized with a smile. "You always had that power, you know. You bringing out the worst in me no matter the circumstances."

"Is that why you left? Is that why you decided to take up the order?" Usagi whispered, but the hollow dome of the church magnified her question until the whole roomed seemed to be filled with it.

"Come with me, my daughter. The confession booth is at the back."

She watched him led the way in silence. Was this what she was suppose to expect? She didn't know when she left what his reactions would be, but it seems like everything between them was lost. "Kamui."

~*~*~*~

"Is anyone here?" Though the words were spoken softly, they seemed to reverberate throughout the building. Usagi was never one to go to churches; the grim atmosphere was too condescending no matter how she looked at it. It was hard to imagine that God loved you when he was always glaring at your though those unforgiving eyes.

Carefully closing the doors behind her, the blonde gathered he wet book bag close to her chest and bravely walked down the narrow path between the pews. Why was she here anyways? She was already late for her senshi meeting at Rei's temple. But it wasn't as if she had no valid excuse. How could she go there when the sudden flashes of lightning and the roaring sounds of thunder frightened her so?

"What are you doing here?" A firm hand landed on her shoulder that sent a wave of shiver down her spine.

Usagi whirled. In doing so, her wet pigtails whipped the person standing behind her and splashed the surroundings with cold rainwater. Sapphire eyes widened unconsciously when she saw a boy around her age. She took a small step back to look at him even though he wasn't much taller than she was. (It was a small habit of hers since Mamo-chan was almost two heads taller.) The young man raised an eyebrow when she let out a giggle. "I'm sorry. You look so much like my boyfriend that I'm starting to wonder if you're his long lost little brother or something."

"I'm sorry to inform you that I am an only child," he replied with a dry tone.

Usagi blushed when his serious violet eyes swept over her figure. She was suddenly very aware how indecent she looked with her white school uniform plastered against her body like a second skin. Hugging her bag even closer to her chest, she backed away even more from him and squealed when she slipped on the marble floor and landed on her bum. Immediately, Usagi felt the familiar presence of the tears gathering, but before the first cry spilled from her lips, a dry chuckle interrupted her self-pity. She glared up at the young boy who dared to laugh at her expense.

"I apologize. It's just that you looked like an angel one second with all the water droplets in your hair and the way your eyes shinned in the dark. Then you turn into this complete klutz with that fall," he explained as he held out his hand.

Too astonished to say anything, she wondered whether he complimented or insulted her with that comment. O maybe he did both. Who knew? Blushing slightly, she took his hand, a little in awe by the way his short black hair fell into his eyes when he bent over. Now this was what she would imagine a young god would look like… even though he was slightly on the short side. 1

"I didn't mean to be rude. Let me introduce myself," Usagi mumbled unclearly, her eyes still had that dreamy look from looking at him. "I'm Tsukino Usagi. I'm sixteen and single." When she realized what she said, she turned as red as a tomato. Of all the things to say…

The dark solemn look returned to the young man's face. "Shiro Kamui," was the only thing he offered before his slim form was wracked by coughs. The hand that was previously holding his side covered his mouth. Usagi stared in shock when she saw the thick red liquid ooze from the large wound on his waist. He glared at her until his violet orbs fluttered close and he fell forward.

Usagi squeaked as she quickly reached out to break his fall. Even though she knew that he wasn't that big, it still surprised her how light he felt. He couldn't possibly weigh more than she was. She felt… rather than saw…that the blood from his wound was quickly staining through her uniform too as she managed to support his slightly taller body with her own. "What do I do now?" The blonde panicked. In a situation like this, she would normally call any of the senshi for assistance. Too bad she forgot her communicator at home. She glanced around It didn't' seem like the old church might have a payphone that she could use. If only Ami or Mamo-chan was here to help her…

"Why do these things always happen to me?" Usagi whined to herself. She took deep claming breaths; she found that they helped her think rationally. "Can you walk Kamui-kun?" she asked, but the only response she received was a small grimace. "Okay… what do I do, what do I do?" Something told her that there was no one to help her in the church. She decided right then that she would have to rely on herself. There was no other choice. She couldn't possibly just leave him right there. Taking a deep breath and counting to ten, she dragged the fainted young man with her to the back of the church where alter was and gently laid Kamui down on the velvet cloth that spilled from the table onto the marble step. The young man winced unconsciously and Usagi nearly screamed when more blood dripped onto her hand, the thick liquid was still warm from his body.

With trembling hands, she tried unbuttoned his school uniform. She cursed under her breath when her fingers slipped several times. It seemed the blood was making such a simple task so difficult. When she was done and she was finally able to examine the wound, she sighed in relief. It wasn't as bad as she expected. It was a deep cut made by the sharp edge of a glass that was still half embedded in his side. As far as eh could tell, it didn't seem to have caused any internal damage. Taking out her soaked pink handkerchief she tried to wipe away as much blood as possible without tearing the cut even more. "Maybe I should go and call an ambulance," Usagi murmured to herself even though the thought of stepping one foot out into the storm made her cringe. She shook her head. How could she be so selfish at a time like this? She was going to let her childhood fear get in the way of saving Kamui's life?

"Don't leave me, Mother," The pained whisper from the unconscious boy stopped Usagi before she could leave. A pale hand covered in blood reached out pulled her down with surprising strength for an unconscious person. "Come back to me, Mother."

Usagi blushed hotly when she felt his face pressed into her bosom. Not even Mamo-chan dared to get close to her like this. Instead of pushing Kamui away, however, she gently lowered his head down. "Shh. Don't worry Kamui-kun. I'm not going to leave you here. I need you to lie still while I get the rest of the glass out of you, okay?" She spoke to him in a soft calming voice even though she knew he couldn't really hear or understand her in his state. She then started to hum a lullaby that used to calm her when she was small, one …one that still worked when she was scared out of her wits during a thunderstorm. It wasn't clear if the lullaby was to pacify her or Kamui, but it soothed both of them. Usagi noticed the death grip on her uniform loosened enough for her to move him into a comfortable position.

"This is going to hurt a little, Kamui-kun," she continued to whisper more to herself than to him. Her hands shook when they used the now red handkerchief to have a firm hold on the glass. Closing her eyes tightly she pulled the large piece out She screamed when something hot from his wound splashed onto her face and started to drip onto the front of her white shirt, staining everything red.

~*~*~*~

Blurry images were the only thing he saw when he slowly opened his eyes. Everything was spinning even though he was as still as a log. And when he tried to site up, pain shot throughout his body. How long had he been like this? The last thing he remembered was running towards the church after another useless battle with Fuuma. The church where they used to come when they were little to play hid an' seek, running away from the old cranky priest and falling asleep in the little cells in the basement; before he moved away to prepare for this future.

How was it possible that his Gemini… his counter star… was Fuuma? Not only that, but how was it possible that Fuuma, his childhood friend, was a Dragon of Earth, his sworn enemy. How? The tears gathered in his eyes and bile rose to his mouth as the memory that he tried so hard to bury resurfaced. The look on Fumma's face as he drove the sword into his own sister. There was no way to deny it now; he tried to pretend that it couldn't have been his childhood friend, but now…

A snore by his side made the young man turn his head painfully. He winced when he felt the bones crack. Every joint felt like the bones were grounding into sand paper. Kneeling next to him, using his body as a pillow, was a girl. Quiet snores and giggles left her pink mouth as he watched her.

"Haha. Luna, stop tickling my foot. Just let me sleep for five minutes more."

Kamui almost smiled when the blonde girl shivered in her sleep from the imaginary furry attack. This was what Kotori could've been if she was still alive: innocent and carefree. Instead, she was dragged into this whole mess that took away her life at such a young age… And it was all because of him and the stupid prophecies of the end of the world.

"Luna!" Usagi suddenly yelped fell backwards as she struggled in her sleep. The hard landing finally made the bunny wake up as she rubbed her sore bum. How could she have fallen asleep on the cold, hard floor? Oh how her whole body ached! Wait a minute! Where was her big, comfortable bed?

"Are you okay?" When she heard the hoarse voice, it dawned to her that she was still in the church and that she wasn't alone. Looking up, she found herself face to face with the boy from before. All the desire to whine and cry left as she lost herself in his eyes. It was the first time she had seen eyes that were such a clear and untainted violet, not the deep mysterious purple like Rei's eyes, but more like the violet crystals that she saw once in the museum with Ami; sparkling clear and hard like a diamond but deep like the universe at the same time.

Kamui looked away first. It wasn't the first time that people stared at him like that. But something in the girl's eyes made him even more uncomfortable and confused than normal. Perhaps it was the adoration that was plain to see on her face. Or perhaps it was because the sheen of tears in her eyes made the blue more pure and innocent. She reminded him of Kotori too much. From the corner of his eyes, he saw a faint blush covered her cheeks when she finally realized what she was doing.

"I'm sorry," Usagi whispered, horrified not only for staring but staring at another man other than Mamo-chan and having other inappropriate thoughts for a girl who already had a boyfriend. "How are you feeling Kamui-kun?"

She just had to remind him didn't she? For a second there when she was staring into his eyes, he lost all thoughts of pain. Now that she brought up the subject, it felt like a dam had suddenly been broken down and his body was assaulted by a barrage of pain and memories of the battle. Gritting his teeth together from crying out, he felt is wound and was surprised to find it bandaged tightly. "Did you do this?"

Usagi giggled nervously. "Yeah. I took a first aid class last semester. I didn't do very well, but at least I remembered how to stop a bleeding."

"You used your skirt."

The blonde fingered her tattered blue skirt that had become several inches shorter. It was the only material she had. It just didn't feel right to use the velvet from the church. After all, it was sacrileges. Not that she believed in Christianity or anything related to it; being Sailormoon kind of made you question all kinds of things normal people believed in. "Don't worry about that. I'm so clumsy that my mom bought so many uniforms just in case something happened. Just don't peek okay?" Usagi babbled without thinking and blushed when she realized how she was making a fool out of herself. 

The young man didn't say anything but nodded.

"I hope you don't mind me asking Kamui-kun," the blonde girl  cringed as the storm thundered simultaneously with the ominous look Kamui gave her. She swallowed but continued bravely. After all, she did save him. Didn't she at least deserve to know what kind of person he was? If he turned out to be a serial killer, then she'd know what to do. "How did you get that wound Kamui-kun?"

He didn't mean it to happen, honestly after all that passed, the last thing he wanted was the blood of another innocent on his hands. It just happened, he couldn't control the sudden anger that swelled inside of him. The anger that she provoked in him triggered the enormous amount of power that was loosely confined in him. The next thing he knew, the huge oak beam from the church's ceiling was failing on top of her.

Usagi stared up at the beam that was coming closer to her by the second. She was still in a trance over what happened. One minute she was asking Kamui a question, and in the next, she was about to be squished into a bloody pulp. What a crummy way to die for a sailor senshi like herself! For at that very second, it seemed like she lost all control of her body; she was totally paralyzed by shock and fear. It was true what they say about seeing your whole life flashing before your own eyes when death was imminent. When she was battling youma, she knew that she might lose her life during a fight, but this was so spontaneous.

Shutting her eyes, the blonde girl mentally waited for the wooden beam to crash onto her skull. However it wasn't the solid wood that hit her. A shower of splinters rained down on Usagi, the sharp needle-like wood piercing the tender skin of her bare arms and legs. Crying out in pain she was surprised to feel a jacket thrown over her to protect her from any more harm.

When the danger passed, Kamui removed his jacket off of Usagi, a slight guilty tone in his otherwise cold voice. He inhaled sharply when he saw little trickles of blood from the numerous cuts made by the little wood splinters.

"Thank you," Usagi sniffed out, her eyes glittering with tears. She still had no idea what had happened. "You shouldn't have moved. You might've torn your wound open again."

"Don't worry about it," he replied as he looked away. The last thing he needed was to feel guiltier. "Are you hurt?"

"Not much. I only got hit by a bit of splinters, your jacket saved my life," Usagi joked, doing a very good job at holding the tears back. "So I guess we're even now. I saved your life and you saved mine even though I still don't know how that beam could just fall like that."

"Maybe because it's such an old church and no one has been taking good care of the place."

"It's such a shame. Although this church is a bit creepy, it's still quiet and beautiful. I hate seeing things being neglected like this. And to think years ago so many people might've gone here to worship God. It make you wonder about their sincerity," Usagi murmured, slowly taking out the splinters on her legs. If it was possible, it hurt even more taking them out. "What about you Kamui-kun? Are you a Christian?"

A hallow laugh turned into a racking cough echoed in the empty church. "I lost all faith a long time ago," the dark haired you man stared into Usagi's eyes. The blonde shivered at the blankness she saw in his. How was it possible that someone as young as Kamui could be so lifeless, so empty? It was as if his soul has been sucked out. "There's no point in believing in something that doesn't give a damn to what happens to us. Most people are too damn stupid and naïve to see the truth. We're nothing but puppets on strings. One day, sooner or later, God will decide that he's bored playing with us and we'll just be destroyed to make way for his new creations."

Curious eyes stared at Kamui in fascination. "Why do you say that Kamui-kun? I'm not a Christian myself but I still believe that whoever is up there is always looking after us. Sure some of us my have to make sacrifices, but it's always for a greater good. We might be stupid and naïve but isn't that the whole point of living? To live and learn?"

"You're too innocent, Usagi-san," Kamui sighed. How could he tell her the truth that in just a couple months, maybe even weeks, the end of the world would come, and he, along with the rest of the Dragons of Heaven and of Earth, would be the ones to bring it? No one else could understand God's will because no one else carried the heavy burden that he carried. No one could hate God like he did. "I wish that there could be more people like you in this world."

The bunny giggled. "Oh no, you don't. If there were more of me in the world, then nothing will be done on time, everyone will tripe and fall every five steps, and no one will make it pass the high school exam." Usagi beamed when she saw the haunted look disappear a little from Kamui's face. "Oh look! The storm stopped," she whispered as a ray of afternoon sunshine fell onto Kamui. The stained glass of the church filtered the sunlight and the result was a mirage of deep colors against Kamui's pale skin. The whole effect made Usagi choke on her own breath. Just looking at him at that moment made her forget how to breathe. Now she understood what falling in love at first sight meant. It was a feeling that was incomparable to what she felt when she took a first glance at Tuxedo Kaman. The melancholy yet mystic scene made her want to hug the dark haired god and never let go, yet the other part of her wanted to shy away as far as possible as if she would burn just from watching him.

"Usagi-san?"

The blonde girl blinked and blushed deeply at having been caught staring. "I'm sorry." Clearing her throat, she had to get out of here. All of a sudden, the atmosphere seemed so heavy and thick. What was she doing? She already had Mamo-chan! She shouldn't be looking at other boys in that way, Usagi thought guiltily. Yet something told her that she wanted to know him better so that she could save him from falling into that pit of emptiness she saw in his eyes. "It's not raining anymore. How about you rest here a little, while I'll go find some help?" Usagi got up grimaced; her legs were totally numb from sitting on them for so long. "I'll be back soon so don't move, okay?" With a cheerful grin the blonde walked out of the church.

~*~*~*~

"I'm telling you, Rei-chan, I spent over two hours in there with him!" Usagi sighed tiredly.

"I still think that you should've let us take care of those splinter cuts first," the dark haired girl said but Usagi waved it away. "For some reason, I still find it hard to believe that you can just meet the most gorgeous guy inside a church and have the luck of touching him all over while he's knocked out cold from a huge wound." The miko replied sarcastically. She believed her princess, of course. She just envied the girl a little for getting all the luck when it came to meeting cute guys. It was just that why did Usagi have to get all the luck when it came to meeting cute guys.

"Just walk faster. We're almost there," the bunny answered impatiently, for once not in the mood to argue with Rei. "Ami-chan, are you sure that you can take care of him?"

"Usagi-chan, I never said that I can cure him. You're always assuming that I can do everything," the blue haired genius corrected.

The blonde grinned in apology. "I'm sorry Ami-chan. It's not our fault that you're too smart for your own good and the rest of us just come to depend on you for every little thing." She stuck out her tongue at the quiet girl. "But I'm really worried about Kamui-kun."

"Don't worry. I'll try my best Usagi-chan."

"Thank you, guys!" The bunny cried out and hugged her friends. What would she do without them? Pushing open the heavy wooden doors of the church, she shouted out happily. "Kamui-kun! I'm back!"

Silence greeted her. Usagi looked around bewildered. There were no signs of the dark haired young man. A wave of panic seized her, and dropping all the medical supplies that she was helping Ami to carry, she ran to the alter where she left him barely twenty minutes ago. There was nothing left, not even the bloodstains or the broken wooden beam.

"Usagi-chan!" The other two girls walked up to their friend.

"I don't understand. I left him here just minutes ago. He could barely move by himself. How did he just disappear like that?" Usagi choked out, tears coming out of her eyes.

"Don't worry Usagi-chan. I'm sure he'll be fine if he can get out of here." Rei took the blonde into her arms awkwardly. She didn't know what to say. It wasn't the first time that Usagi cried over a total stranger, but something about the way her princess was acting told her that this young man meant more to Usagi than the normal people Usagi worried over. Stroking the pale blonde hair gently, the miko sighed and looked up. "Usagi-chan! look!"

The blonde lifted her head and the swollen sapphire eyes looked in the direction Rei was pointing at and gasped. On the heavy wooden cross erected behind the alter two words were written in blood: 'Thank you.'

1. Kamui was always made fun of because of his height in X/1999.

AN: If you have questions or comments please write it in the review or email me. For some reason all I write are one-shots now ^^; I think they're better than a chaptered story, no worrying about updating ^_~ Hehe this isn't a one-shot just in case you're wondering, there's a few more chapters to it I think ^^;; In the mean time let's see if I can update a few more stories before I start studying for the finals .