- Almost Lover -
By: dreams-of-mist
Summary: What do you do when the man you love doesn't know you? When the memories of what used to be are but a bitter reminder? Mamoru has no recollection of who Usagi is to him, and she bears the knowledge of their love alone. How much heartache can one take?
Author's Note: Are you surprised there's already a chapter 2 for this fanfic?! I know I am!! Considering my track record, this is one of my fastest 'next releases', so I'm feeling pretty good about myself, haha. Hope you enjoy it!
Disclaimer: I do not own any rights to the song "Almost Lover", Sailor Moon, or any of the characters in the anime/manga. The story below, however, is mine, and please don't use it without my permission.
'…' – thoughts
"…" – spoken
- CHAPTER 2 -
You sang me Spanish lullabies
The sweetest sadness in your eyes
Clever trick
She stirred, waking up to darkness. A familiar warmth was missing, and she could feel the cool emptiness besides her.
Serenity twisted her body around, hoping to catch a glimpse of Enydmion. Finding him missing, she pushed herself up, the rustling of sheets stirring in the stillness of the silent twilight.
"Endymion?"
"Shhh…I'm right here, love. Go back to sleep."
"You're dressed." His shielded crest shone black against the moonlight and was cool against her fingertips. "What's wrong?"
"Nothing you need to worry about."
"I have trouble getting you out of the bed before the guards make their rounds at sunrise. Now you're up in the middle of the night, trying to sneak off, and I have nothing to worry about?"
"You looked so peaceful sleeping; I didn't want to disturb you. In my defense, I was going to leave you a note."
"Tell me what's happening. I can see the concern right on your face."
Endymion leaned into her hand as it caressed his face, reveling in the gentle and soothing touch. He covered it with his own, bringing their joined hands to his lips. He pressed a hard kiss against her fingers and then held her palm against his heart.
"I have to head back to Earth. A war has broken out between rival factions on the southern continent. I need to get there quickly and put a stop to it before more blood is shed."
"Surely the shitennou can handle it. You don't need to go."
"You know I can't do that. Things are so chaotic on Earth as it is. If we let this fight go on for too long, it could be just the thing that starts a full-blown world war. I can't let this be the tipping point for that. You feel it, don't you? The encroaching darkness that's infecting people's hearts. I'm not going to let it get Earth so easily. If the situation were reversed, wouldn't you want to be there?"
"Yes, of course, I would. There's the little matter of four sailor senshi who would never let me anywhere near a fight, however."
"Thank goodness for that," Endymion murmured.
"Endy-"
"Serenity, please. I'll be fine; I've fought in more dangerous situations than this. And I'll go with more peace of mind, knowing that you're here, safe and sound, tucked away where the darkness can't touch you. I want you dreaming of my happy return, not having nightmares about how many different ways I might die."
"How am I supposed to sleep, knowing you're riding off into battle somewhere?"
"I'll sing you to sleep. I know a song, a lullaby I picked up during my travels."
"Endymion, a lullaby is not going to make me close my eyes and forget that you might be heading into certain death. I know I may appear like a pretty simple-minded and scatter-brained princess sometimes, but if you honestly think-"
He stopped her in mid-tirade, sealing her mouth with his own. He didn't let her go till he felt her soften against him, the tension easing out of her shoulders, and a soft sigh escape her lips.
"First of all, I'm not such an incompetent prince that I would be so easily killed. I'm one of the most skilled fighters in all the land, actually," he said, a hint of smugness in his voice. "I've trained just as hard, if not harder, than any soldier under my command, so have a little faith in me, sweetheart. And second of all, just humour me. Please?"
He was giving her the puppy-dog eyes, knowing she wouldn't be able to resist. She glared at him once, just to let him know she was on to him. Regardless, she did as he asked and lay down. The pillow was cool against her face.
Endymion pulled the covers up to her shoulders, his hand lingering a little longer against her skin.
Softly, his voice smoothly sliding along the air, he sang.
"Cierras ya tus ojitos.
Duermete sin temor.
Sueña con angelitos
parecidos a ti.
Y te agarrare tu mano.
Duermete sin temor.
Cuando tu despiertes,
yo estare aqui."
His baritone voice held her enthralled. The words fell effortlessly from his poet's mouth, coaxing her to slumber. Against her will, she could feel her body relax, her eyelids growing heavier. With each passing second, the image of Endymion grew more unfocused, and the intervals between each glimpse grew longer.
"Y te agarrare tu mano.
Dueremete sin temor.
Cuando tu despiertes,
yo estare aqui."
The hand he held fell slack in his grasp, the elegant fingers splayed open against the ivory sheets. Carefully, Endymion tucked it back under the covers, careful not to disturb his sleeping princess. He leaned down and placed a butterfly kiss across her brow; her crescent moon insignia glowed against his warm breath, as if even unconscious, she could feel him near.
He had cheated a little, drawing upon the power of Elysion to help send her into the world of dreams. Silently, he picked up his scabbard and walked towards the open balcony doors. With a last glance towards Serenity, he leaped into the night and prepared for war.
She woke slowly, her eyes adjusting to the dim light of dawn that filtered through her drapes. Her cheeks were damp from tears she didn't even know she shed while dreaming.
Usagi reached over to her bedside table and pulled out a pen from the drawer. She leaned over the side of her bed, reaching for the stack of disorganized school papers. Quickly, she scribbled down some words and slipped the paper inside her knapsack. With a weary scrub of her face, she got out of bed to face the day.
The morning seemed to drag on forever. After another pointed remark from Ms. Haruna-san about her newfound punctuality, the morning ritual of classes, equations, and Japanese literature passed in a hazy blur. Some days it felt like she was just going through the motions of simply being.
The lunch bell couldn't come fast enough. Usagi was the first out the door, racing to find a fellow senshi who was normally enclosed in the library at this hour. Even through the horde of students, she had no trouble spotting her friend between the bodies.
"Ami-chan!"
The blue-haired senshi turned her head around; she thought she heard her name over the din of the crowd.
"Hi, Usagi-chan."
"Are you busy right now?"
"Not particularly. I was just going to finish up another English novel on Mr. Spiegel-san's recommended reading list. It's called "Pride and Prejudice", and it's actually quite good."
"I have a favour to ask. And we might need the Mercury computer."
"Is this a senshi-related matter? Is there something wrong?" Ami asked, alarmed. She scanned the hallways quickly, but could find nothing amiss.
"No, it's nothing like that. I just need you to translate something for me." Arm in arm, they exited the school doors.
"The Mercury computer can translate over 10,000 different languages and dialects, alien or otherwise. Did you come across some old Lunarian texts?" she asked, excited at the prospect of examining the remnants of a lost language.
"Um…no, I don't think it's Lunarian." They had reached the edge of the grassy school grounds, and the two of them settled underneath a large tree. "It's an Earth language. Something I heard in a dream. I tried to sound it out as best I could, but here, see what you can make of it."
Usagi reached into her bag and pulled out the hastily scribbled piece of paper she grabbed that morning. Ami gave it a quick scan, her eyes narrowing in concentration. She pulled out the mini-computer with the Mercury insignia on it, careful to make sure no one was watching. Quickly, she scanned the page, and watched as the machine searched it's nearly infinite memory banks, searching for a match.
A red light began to blink suddenly, signaling the results.
"What does it say?"
"Here, read it for yourself, Usagi-chan. And remember, it's only a rough translation, based on what you wrote down."
Usagi gingerly took the small blue device and scanned the tinted screen.
"And close your eyes.
Sleep without fear.
Dreaming of angels
like you.
And I will hold your hand.
Sleep without fear.
When you wake up,
I would be here.
And I will hold your hand.
Sleep without fear.
When you wake up,
I would be here."
Usagi could feel her heart in her throat, and a crushing wave of sadness fall upon her. For a second, the grief was overwhelming, and it passed, leaving her drained.
"Usagi-chan?"
"He lied to me, Ami-chan." There was a tremour in her voice.
"Who did?"
"Endymion. He sang me this lullaby…he promised to be there when I woke up. And I waited. Everyday I waited."
Ami was quiet. Luna had mentioned that Usagi was having dreams of the past, mostly involving Mamoru-san, or rather Prince Endymion. Seeing her friend suffer, she wished she could do more to ease the pain.
"He came back, didn't he?"
"Yes, he did. More than a week had passed. I watched for him each night before I fell asleep, and woke up disappointed every morning he wasn't there. But in the end, I knew he would come back to me, and he did."
With agonized eyes, Usagi turned to Ami.
"I don't know if Mamoru is going to come back me. Everyday I wake up, praying that this will be the day, this will be the day he recognizes me as more than Odango-Atama. I don't know if he'll ever remember. I…I don't know if I can keep believing. I'm losing my faith, Ami-chan." She swallowed the lump in her throat. "I'm losing my faith."
There were no words that she could say to make things right. Instead, Ami reached out and grasped Usagi's hand. Under the clear sky, beneath the shade of fresh spring leaves, they sat together. Ami's feelings were unspoken, but understood plainly by her princess.
'I'm here for you.'
- end of chapter 2 -
Hello readers! Hope you enjoyed chapter 2. Sorry that Mamoru didn't make an appearance in this chapter – I tried to fit him in, but it just didn't feel right for the flow of the story. He will DEFINITELY make an appearance in chapter 3, however. Thank you for taking the time to read "Almost Lover" and please review – it's always wonderful to hear from you guys!