A/N: Right, I forgot to mention this last time, but this fic will (hopefully) be updated once a month between the thirteenth and the fifteenth. This month is just late.

The Night Sky

Chapter 1

Her sleep had never been so peaceful. As always after a long and bone-wearing battle, her body ached from exhaustion while her mind jumped at every twitch of shadow. She had watched the pale moonlight stream through the curtains as they danced hand in hand with the breeze tricking through the window's narrow opening till she had fallen asleep, golden locks curled lightly around Luna's form as the cat protectively burrowed into the mane. It was difficult, as it always was, to believe that a war that had gone on for centuries had been resolved – resolved, not ended, because those battles between Hope and Chaos could never truly be ended. Galaxia was right about that, but they had to trust in the strength of humans and their hearts to never let the darkness grow so fierce and uncontrollable. To trust that there'll always be someone whose spirit is beautiful and pure, who's not ready to slash down the source of the problem and instead carry the chalice of healing to their womb.

She wasn't sure quite when she finally managed to close her eyes to sleep; she knew only that she had eventually succumbed to it, because the next thing she remembered after the gentle silver light of the moon was the harsher replica of the sun, burning through her eyelids, and a sharp voice in the ear not squashed against the pillow.

'Usagi. It's time to wake up for school.'

School? The word sounded so foreign with sleep and fatigue still pulling at her. The voice sounded foreign too, after silence after an eternity had filled her ears following tears and pleas and cries of pain, death…and determination.

She opened her eyes.

''ka-kaa-san?'

'Well, this is unusual,' her mother responded, opening the curtains. The room suddenly lit up as all remaining shadows were banished, and Luna arched her back as the light from the sun scratched her fur. 'I normally have to wake you four times, and even then you only get up in time to sprint out the door with half your things.'

Usagi blinked tiredly. Part of her mind was still trapped within the mind-numbing aftermath and the heart-felt reunion that followed. So reluctant had they all been to part that night had fallen before they left the rooftop. Together, they'd walked back to the Hikawa shrine, their self-proclaimed meeting place and where Haruka had left her car. They'd lingered long enough for Grandpa Hino to offer them an excuse to prolong their visit: dinner.

To his utter surprise though, the meal was a rather subdued affair. The group had shaken their heads when the old man wondered as to their group dynamics. The truth was that the events of that day simply needed time to sink in. For Usagi, all that mattered at that point were that her precious friends were alive and in her sight. Mamoru kept his arm around her; she leaned into his chest. As the hours dragged on, they walked back to her home together, departing on the front doorstep as the warmth of that final embrace lingered. Haruka had taken Michiru, Setsuna and Hotaru as per usual, and had offered Minako and Artemis a ride (there had only been one more seat in the car). Makoto had, in lieu of the empty apartment awaiting her, chosen to spend the night, and Ami had accompanied Usagi and Mamoru partway before heading home to her mother.

Usagi's parents had been home…and rather upset (a healthy balance between worried and angry) at her late arrival. She, however, had suddenly found herself too tired to muster up an explanation, so the emotions had turned to concern following her up to bed.

That concern still laced her mother's tone as she sat at the edge of the bed and put a hand to her forehead.

'You're not feverish,' Ikuko murmured, touching her free palm to her own forehead.

'I'm not sick 'kaa-san,' Usagi replied. 'Just a little tired is all.'

Her mother pursed her lips. 'Well, I suppose it isn't a wonder, staying out with your friends so late when you had school the next day.'

'An emergency came up.' That was all the explanation she had given the previous day as well. She knew she would have to elaborate eventually, but the lateness yesterday and the time-constraint today would hopefully save her from that.

'You've said as much already.' There was a hint of reprimand in Ikuko's tone. 'And yet you've failed to explain exactly what this "emergency" was.'

'It's a long story,' the blonde mumbled, sitting up and rubbing at her eyes.

'Well, I do hope you're planning on explaining at some point young lady.' There was still a bit of worry in the mother's tone, but her voice had crispened. 'In the meantime, you'd better shower – goodness knows what this emergency was to get your hair in that state –'

Usagi blinked at her reflection in the mirror at that comment, seeing the long strands spotted with flecks of grey and brown. She immediately grimaced.

Uurgh…and I slept like that…

It must have been from the TV station. Speaking of –

'Shinji! Were you playing video games last night again? How many times have I told you –'

Her little brother's voice cut through their father's.

'I did no such thing 'tou-san!'

'Shinji, don't yell at your father,' Ikuko scolded, exiting her daughter's room before poking her head in again as an afterthought. 'And Usagi, please, don't get back to bed.'

'I won't 'kaa-san.' If she tried, the sudden and rather stubborn itchiness in her hair would stop that.

'Usagi-chan was very tired last night,' Luna commented, once Ikuko's footsteps were heard going down the stairs.

'I can't believe I didn't notice,' Usagi sighed, scratching away.

'Ah, don't do that, Usagi-chan.' Luna leapt onto her lap, pawing the hands away.

Usagi let a smile, albeit a tired one, slip onto her face. 'You're right Luna,' she said. 'I'll just shampoo it.' The smile grew more tender. 'Good old 'kaa-san, always trying to get me up on time.'

She lifted her hands to her neck, unlatching the chain that hung there, before setting both it and the ring it carried beside a picture frame. Mamoru smiled gently back at her from its image.

Mamoru slept the night away like a log, and felt about the same when he awoke: stiff and sore. A hot shower soon put that right however, and he emerged, towelling his hair, to the smell of his morning coffee.

Apparently, he had went through his usual rituals with little attention. Luckily, his body remembered what to do when his mind did not. And so, ten minutes later, he sat with the steaming mug and two slices of toast in front him: his usual hasty meal before lectures began.

Except…he was supposed to be in America. And America was fourteen hours behind Tokyo time. What he should have done, he realised, the aroma of grounded beans wafting through his nose, was called the campus when he had arrived the night before. Although, six in the afternoon wasn't exactly "bad" per say for an emergency call of sorts.

He'd already dialled the number before it occurred to him to think of any sort of reasonable explanation.

'University of Chicago.'

'Ah…Professor-' Mamoru paused, before repeating the statement in English.

'Who is speaking?' The Professor's tone was simply harried; he had apparently dealt with more than his fair share of problems that day.

'This is Mamoru Chiba.'

There was a bit of an awkward pause.

'Mr Chiba?' Now, it sounded a little baffled.

'Yes sir.'

Another wait.

'You're…' There was the sound of papers shuffling. 'I must admit, this is quite unexpected –' More shuffling. 'I don't suppose, Mr Chiba, that you could explain your disappearance? It was quite baffling that you did not disembark in Chicago after your itinerary was checked in Tokyo International Airport.'

'Uhh…'

'I suppose that was too much to ask for,' the Professor pressed on. 'There are several things that will need to be sorted out.' His tone changed towards a more professional manner. 'Come into my office tomorrow at eight. I'll call the necessary delegations. Where are you at?'

'Ah…my apartment.' The conversation wasn't exactly going as expected…but he hadn't known what to expect either. It was too much to hope for that things would be easily solved after such an unexplainable disappearance.

'Apartment?' The tone had returned to bafflement.

'In Tokyo, sir,' the other said by means of explanation.

'Tokyo.' The Professor said the word as if it were foreign. 'This does pose a problem.' More scraping sounds followed. 'We tried contacting your apartment, you understand? We also called your local university, but they had no idea of your whereabouts. You had no family, and the young girl whose contact details you'd left on your emergency list –'

There was an additional something in his tone that caused Mamoru to interrupt: 'She's my fiancé.'

'Ah…yes-' The Professor coughed, before ploughing on. 'She sent numerous letters to your dorm address.'

'I have already spoken with her.' That seemed all he could say, even if it wouldn't be enough. A part of him ached at the thought of the hours, and the tears, that had gone into those letters. The same ache as when she had lost all restraint and sobbed into his chest, after a victory that then had been both the most fulfilling and the most hollow.

'Those can be arranged to be sent to your current address.' After a pause, the Professor's tone returned to its crisp state. 'The term you've missed however – unless you chose not to return.'

Apparently, he'd caught the pain in the other's turn.

Mamoru leaned against the cool wall of his apartment, not yet warm from the heat the sun emitted outside.

'I don't know yet,' he admitted truthfully. 'I think though…for now at least…the most important things to me are here.'

'Then your enrolment here will be deferred. You will need to speak to your local university as to what path you will take. Of course, there are smaller matters to be sorted, but they can be done electronically.' There was a pause. 'Your disappearance was classed as international, however that can also be changed to a local case as the exact point of your disappearance is unknown.' There was another awkward pause following. 'I take it there was no…ah, harm –'

'I am fine sir.'

The Professor coughed. 'That is good to hear. In any case, if you chose to remain in Japan, you have no further business with us until you either take up your deferred course or cancel it.'

'Understood sir.'

There was the sound of something being scribbled. 'Very well then. Our short acquaintance was an interesting one, Mr Chiba.'

That was an unusual departure, but under the circumstances, the only farewell that made sense.

So he wouldn't be going to America after all. Not for at least another eight months. Somehow, be couldn't help but feel relieved about that.

A part of him wondered though. Wondered if he would regret that decision in the coming months. After all, it had not been made lightly.

But then again, the dream hadn't really been a dream. Just a channel he had floundered into in search of the river's current. No doubt he would regret, at times – it was inevitably a part of human nature after all. With Chaos now living in the hearts of mankind along with hope, new battles rose to the surface. Smaller ones, perhaps, than the famed Sailor Wars that had wracked the galaxy, but no less important.

But-, he thought to himself, shaking his head. All that came after the healing process. For that moment, it was simply rest.