Already Met You

Author: Maetel

Rating: M 15+

Summary: Sequel to A Simple Knock. This time it's Mamoru's turn to deal with the merging of his past and present. It doesn't help that he's the only one left with memories of the senshi battling the Dark Kingdom.

AN1: I've decided to go through and start over from chapter two with this fic. I've currently merged what was chapter three with chapter two, and edited a bit so that the merging with Endymion will take place throughout the piece. I hope everyone enjoys this revamped chapter two. I'll have the next chapter out soon. I promise!

Mamoru's head ached as he sat on the stool in the arcade. It had been a week since the merging with his former self had begun, and Endymion was fighting him tooth and nail. He could feel Serenity's presence upon the planet more precisely than Mamoru could detect Usagi's, and as a result, the prince wanted to be in control so that he could find her.

The nurses must have been questioning his sanity, but Dr. Mizuno hadn't seemed to notice the way he'd been arguing with himself. He still wondered how he'd been allowed to leave the hospital considering the state he had been in physically. It didn't help that the latest addition to his personality had a thing against fluorescent lights and automobiles which included a sensitivity that led to headaches abundant. Mamoru could understand the sensitivity though. Especially after he had been inundated by the memories of the Moon Kingdom. This world was harsh where the Earth and Moon had been glorious. Where they'd glowed, modern Earth glared.

He groaned and rested his head on the smooth countertop. He shouldn't be focusing so much on the negative aspects of life now. That much he admitted. It was habit, unfortunately. He was just hoping that he'd be able to break it before it left him in deeper trouble than he cared to think about.

"Are you all right, Mamoru-kun? I don't think I expected to see you in here so soon after what happened to your motorcycle," Motoki stated, placing a cup of coffee next to his friend's elbow.

He'd not seen the dark haired college student since the day before the accident that left him in the hospital, and was wondering just how he was fairing. He'd gone to visit, but each time he'd been told that Mamoru had been refusing visitors.

Mamoru lifted his head to quirk an eyebrow at the blonde before shrugging slightly.

"The doctor did a good job, though after having met her daughter, I'm not surprised. Mizuno-san takes a lot after her mother." 'Maybe that's why she'd been chosen to bear Sailor Mercury's reincarnation.'

Motoki shot him a curious look. "Mamoru-kun, you know Mizuno-san? Have you run into her at the hospital?"

Mamoru quirked an eyebrow and shook his head. "No, I met her through Usako—" He was quickly cut off by the sound of stifled laughter coming from the blonde arcade attendant.

"Mamoru-kun, are you sure that you weren't released too early? I could have sworn you just called Usagi-chan, Usako? I mean, I don't think I've even heard you call her Usagi-chan before. What made you take the leap from Odango Atama to Usako?"

The raven haired youth blinked in confusion, a somewhat lost expression playing on his features. He'd called her Usagi-chan before around Motoki. Granted, that was during the time that he didn't know what he felt for the petite blonde in any of her three forms. A thought raced through his mind as he tried to figure out what happened.

'What exactly had Usako done when she reverted the world to its pre-sailor senshi days?' he pondered quietly. Was he the only one who even remembered what they'd been like outside of the bickering of their earliest meetings?

"Oi, Mamoru-kun," Motoki said, worry thick in his voice. "I didn't mean to cause you any sort of confusion. That must have been some hit you took. Maybe you should go home and get some rest."

Mamoru groaned and shook his head, deciding that it might not be a good time to go into what exactly Motoki was missing from his knowledge of just what was going on. Besides, explaining everything would most likely wind up giving him an even worse headache as he tried to figure out what he needed to edit out and what he needed to leave in.

He wasn't there for Motoki in the first place, even though he had heard about his visiting and felt a certain obligation to keep his friend from worrying too much. He was at the arcade for another blonde, because the first thing he had planned was kissing her senseless, if he could be Endymion to it, and then, asking her just what was going on. If she would only show up, things would go so much easier.

As if on cue, the sound of door sliding open caught in Mamoru's ears, drawing his attention to the sight of a blonde with a small cat resting on her shoulder. Unfortunately, it wasn't the blonde that he'd been hoping for, though this one could be just as useful. The leader of the royal guard may not have completely trusted him in their past life, but now was a different story.

She looked around, eyes taking in the arcade before falling on Mamoru, a look of faint recognition on her face, followed by confusion before she let her gaze slip to the game machines a short distance behind him.

"Excuse me, miss, but I'm afraid that animals aren't allowed in here," Motoki informed Minako as she looked over at him before frowning softly at her cat.

She nodded once before lifting the white cat from her shoulder and kneeling down in front of him. Mamoru watched as she spoke to the feline as though it were just a standard cat. Surely, she knew that her pet wasn't so simple. He watched as she stalked up to a racing game, as though getting ready to face down some enemy. It was almost amusing if it wasn't so worrisome.

It took him almost a moment before he walked up to the blonde and lightly tapped her on the shoulder.

"Aino-san?" he said quickly, earning himself a weird look from the blonde. In her eyes, there was no longer a sense of familiarity but of curiosity. She seemed taken aback by something, though Mamoru wasn't sure what.

"Um… How did you know my name?" she asked softly, looking up at the man who'd walked up to her. She looked nervous, and he couldn't figure out why. Had whatever affected Motoki affected Venus? And if it affected her, had it- No. He wasn't going to go down that route.

"Aino-san, don't you remember me?" he said quickly, feeling a small twinge of hope rise up in him as a look of confusion crossed her features, but it was quickly beaten down when she shook her head.

"Should I? I'm sorry, but I thought you looked like someone I knew," she told him with a small sad smile crossing her face. "I don't understand how you know my name though."

"I used to know someone with the surname Aino…" he said after a moment of arguing with himself over whether or not he should tell her the truth. "You look a lot like her."

Minako looked down before frowning softly. "I'm sorry. I wish I could help you." Her attention turned back to the games before her. She quickly took a seat as the last player finished the game.

Meanwhile, Mamoru frowned and turned away before heading towards the sliding doors that led outside. "I'll see you later, Motoki-kun. I think resting might be a good idea right now."

Motoki nodded and waved to his friend before going to help with a young customer as they walked up to the counter.

Mamoru looked to the spot where Minako had left Artemis sitting, only to find the cat gone. He wasn't sure where the white furred feline might have gone considering how things were turning out. He wasn't even sure if the cat even remembered that it could talk, with the way his luck was turning out.

He couldn't seem to figure out just what was going on. He knew that Sereni- No, Usagi. He had to keep telling himself that she was Usagi in this life. Usagi had done something during the last battle, but surely, if she'd wiped everyone's memories, she would have wiped his as well.

Nothing was making sense.

Before he even had a chance to turn and start walking towards his apartment, Mamoru felt something, or rather someone, slam into him with the force of a small car. His arms instinctively wrapped around the colliding force, stopping her descent, even as it did nothing to halt his own.

Okay, now this made sense.

"I'm so sorry," she quickly apologized as she climbed to her feet. "I didn't mean to run into you. I was just in a hurry."

Mamoru rose, taking less time to get to his feet than the blonde he'd been hoping to see. He never thought that odango could look so beautiful. He carefully placed a hand on her shoulder and one on the side of her face. "It's all right. You didn't get hurt did you?"

Usagi was effectively frozen by the feel of his hand on her face. Hadn't she beaned him on the head with a test paper a couple of weeks ago and then taken to teasing her a few seconds later about her far from stellar grade? She backed away from him a short distance, though it was enough to remove her from arms reach.

"Usagi-chan?" he said softly, trying to draw her from her confusion.

He'd bitten back the urge to call her odango. He'd not called her that since before the night she'd been released from the Dark Kingdom's control, and wasn't going to bring up any sort of bad memories. He'd not been allowed to touch her in such a manner since then, and he couldn't help but feel a pain in his chest as she pulled away from him.

Even Endymion had been taken aback by her reaction to him. She looked at him like she was waiting for him to try to crush her like a bug. Was that the impression he'd left on her? Where was the fire that she'd had when they'd met before.

After a moment, she'd nodded slowly, the timid look on her face fading into one of cautiousness. She was waiting for the missing insult. "I-I'm fine," she managed to get out. "Um… How did you know my name?"

His heart seemed to be crushed by the words she spoke. She'd managed to affect herself in the end as well. This was almost too much. The idea of Motoki, and even Minako, forgetting was a fairly believable concept, but Usagi? No… This was going too far.

She looked down at her watch and seemed to shriek. "Oh, never mind! I'm going to be late. I was supposed to be home ten minutes ago!"

Before Mamoru could even comprehend what she'd just said, Usagi was racing down the sidewalk. This was going to be harder than he though. He noticed that Luna hadn't been with the blonde. Perhaps, if he could find the feline, he might be able to get an answer. She or Artemis, if he could ever find either one of them, had to have some sort of explanation.

After about three hours of searching for the guardian felines, Mamoru was starting to wonder if the whole skinning a cat idea. He'd walked throughout the Juuban district, ranging from the Hikawa Jinja to Makoto's now empty apartment. He wondered if she'd be turning up soon. She'd arrived well into the battle with the Dark Kingdom. If she wasn't here, then what of Ami? Her mother was here, and from what Motoki said, Ami was around. Maybe she was just in the process of moving? Or maybe Usagi had done something to make her live elsewhere. He'd have to keep an eye open for the brunette. If anything were to happen, he'd want the amazon in battle.

So he headed to the last possible place the cat could be, other than Minako's since he didn't know where the other blonde lived. She attended the Shibakouen Chuugakkou over in Minato-ku thanks to her uniform, but she was still a mystery to him. At least, Usagi was easy enough to locate.

He'd forgotten how hard it was to keep from being noticed when climbing up a tree that conveniently grew just a meter or so away from the roof of a toned down pink house.

After peeking into the various windows of the house, he looked into her room, taking a moment to watch as the blonde had been lounging on her bed, reading a manga, and laughing hysterically until she seemed to have noticed something odd outside her window. Whether it was him or not, Mamoru wasn't sure. If it was, had she seen him, or had she sensed him? He just knew that he'd never been so grateful for long leafy branches that shielded him from view.

Usagi's attention was grabbed when she was told that dinner was ready by a boy he could vaguely remember as being named Shingo. She then proceeded to chase him downstairs when he compared her to some mutated hyena, not that Mamoru could blame her. Or him.

"Her laughter does tend to resemble rabid dogs more than the soft sound that Serenity used to make," Endymion observed within Mamoru's mind. "Has she not been taught proper behavior?"

"I like her better when she's not forcing herself. She's happier when she's allowed to be boisterous," Mamoru commented aloud, though it wasn't needed.

"Your behavior isn't much better, so I'm not surprised," the prince commented. "Just go find out if the guardian is here so we can restore Serenity's memories."

Mamoru didn't allow himself to retort to his counterpart's commentary. If given half a chance, he could probably argue with his past self all day. There were better things to do than waste that sort of time.

He took the opportunity to make the leap from the tree to her roof, landing lightly. Breathing a sigh of relief that his grace that he had as Tuxedo Kamen held out even now, he carefully made his way over to her balcony, dropping down silently before entering through the window.

The raven haired intruder smiled softly as he looked around at the plush rabbit infested room. The room was far too fitting for Usagi as he let himself take in everything. He'd never had the chance before, considering how her father hadn't exactly known of his relationship to her simply because the Dark Kingdom regrouped too quickly and he'd been forced to join their ranks.

He walked over to her dresser and smiled at the picture of her and Naru grinning at the camera while a third, Umino if he recalled correctly, seemed to be nursing an abused head with one hand and readjusting his glasses with the other. He almost felt sorry for the auburn haired girl when he thought of just how distanced her and Usagi must have grown. He'd mostly only seen the blonde hanging around with the senshi, only noticing Naru resuming her place in the blonde's life when her blonde had been using her in a plot.

For a moment, he wondered if she was happier this way. In the life she'd lived before the role as Sailor Moon ever became a factor. In the life she'd lived when he was the jerk and she the "Odango Atama." He'd never had much chance to find out. He'd been captured by Kunzite before he could really learn. And even then, she'd been affected to an extent by Serenity's memories.

Part of him rebelled as he cursed that fact, and Endymion remained silent. Mamoru could feel that part of himself contemplating silently, though the thoughts were out of his reach.

He turned his eyes away from the picture and looked down, chuckling softly as his eyes found themselves drawn to pink ribbons and a small container of potpourri. He'd never consider her a potpourri person. But then again, Serenity had always enjoyed various scents either combined or separate. It was almost sweet to see that something had carried over. Mamoru shook his head as that bit of information slipped from Endymion's memories to his own.

So lost in his thoughts, Mamoru never noticed the soft patter of feet against the roof of the house. In fact, he didn't notice anything until a soft voice cleared behind him.

"Mew?" she sounded questioningly. She couldn't think of any reason as to why the young man would be standing in her young charge's room. In fact, not a one of the senshi had shown any signs of remembering who they were, so why would someone who otherwise would have had no connection to Usagi be standing in the middle of the blond girl's room?

Mamoru jumped and turned to look at the dark furred feline with a soft laugh. "Luna, you've no idea how glad I am to see you. I was starting to think that maybe I was going absolutely crazy. Well, crazier."

Luna looked at him, head tilted to the side. This was something she never would have expected to hear. Mamoru, who as far as she knew didn't remember the past, was talking to her as though he knew she could speak. She mewed softly once again, backing away slowly.

He eyed the cat curiously, wondering why she wasn't talking. He knew she was the right cat. There was no mistaking the crescent moon that rested on her brow. Had Usagi managed to get to her memories as well? Had Luna forgotten as well? Was fate capable of mocking him that much?

"How far has she gone?" Endymion questioned as he slipped through Mamoru's defenses and into the mental driver's seat. He kept his voice soft, as he knelt down in front of the cat. His eyes went distant as he held out a hand to show the cat that he meant no harm. If she was acting like a normal feline, it might be best to treat her like one, meaning, he might want to avoid getting clawed. "The senshi are one thing, but the guardians? What happens if there is ever trouble? Who will protect Serenity?"

"The Dark Kingdom is the only trouble ever expected to arise," he heard her say after a moment. Luna stepped forward slightly to nuzzle his hand. The scent change triggered immediate recognition in Luna's mind. Even his aura had grown even more pronounced. "If they're ever needed, the senshi can be revived, but there shouldn't be any need." Mamoru's eyes focused on the cat, taking in her saddened appearance as she watched him. "Artemis and I thought that everyone's memories had been erased by Usagi-chan's wish upon the ginzuishou. She wanted them to all lead normal lives."

"So Usagi wished for this all to happen," Endymion muttered. "Can't be normal with the memories of being a princess and a senshi clouding your mind."

Luna listened as he spoke, one question looming in her mind. "Mamoru-san… Endymion-sama, how exactly is it that you were not repressed along with the princess' and the senshi's? I thought you would have been affected as well."

The young royal frowned. "I don't quite know. Perhaps it was something that happened during the final battle. I know that Beryl believed the other senshi dead by the time Sailor Moon reached us. I don't know anything for certain about them though." There was a bitter sort of guilt tinting his words, painting them with the sadness that he felt for the way things had worked out.

"Artemis and I know what happened. When Usagi-chan wished for everyone to lead normal lives, the memories were placed within the minds of Artemis and myself so that should they ever need to fight again, we'd be able to fully activate them with the memories of everything that happened," Luna explained as she sat on the edge of the mattress, eyes trained on the raven haired youth as he rested on his haunches. "They died, but their spirits were called forth to aid their princess in the final battle. None of you deserved to have your lives ripped from you." She paused and frowned with a quirked eyebrow. "That still doesn't explain how you managed to remain free. It doesn't seem as though either aspect of you was affected, as it was Mamoru-san who initially entered this room."

"I don't know. I can tell you what I remember happening last," he said, lifting a hand to push through his hair. "I wound up dying there as well. Beryl attacked Sailor Moon and I did what I could to protect her. The next thing I know, I'm in the hospital after the accident I'd gotten into shortly before I first met Usagi with Mamoru quickly gaining control when I opened my eyes only to be blinded by the harsh lights."

"It might just be the fact that I don't remember you being with her when Beryl and Metallia fell. Maybe it was the fact that Endymion wasn't actually there. The senshi went to her as spirits while you... I don't know. Perhaps the power had weakened enough for it not to affect you as strongly."

Thank goodness for small favors. It didn't make sense to him though since he'd been reborn with the girls. Was Serenity not as strong as her mother? Well, he supposed that she wasn't, but still, she'd been strong enough to destroy Metallia where as the former queen had failed. Why-

Luna heard the young man before her groan in frustration as a look of confusion crossed his features. There were things that she couldn't explain, and she'd at least had some explanation as to the workings of the Ginzuishou, if only to be able to guide the princess. She had a feeling what Mamoru knew from his memories could fit on half of sheet of paper and still have space for more.

"Is there any way to give her back her memories?" he asked, a quiet sigh carrying his words.

"Yes, but… I can't do that to her, Endymion-sama," Luna admitted sadly. "As much as I would love to have Usagi-chan back to the way she was before, I am not going to force that sort of sadness upon her without reason."

Mamoru shook his head. "What are you talking about, Luna?"

The cat sat there silently, thinking of the best way to explain why she refused to awaken the princess who lay dormant within the spirit of the klutzy blonde.

"Tell me, Endymion-sama, from what you can see of Mamoru-san's memories, if you can see them, how happy do you think Usagi-chan was after she became Sailor Moon? Do you honestly think she wanted to fight the Dark Kingdom? Wanted to see her friends and loved ones put in danger? She wasn't born to the life as the senshi were. The scars that are left by being a senshi are more than physical, prince," she explained softly. "You should know that as well as I do, if not more so."

Mamoru frowned, while Endymion tapped into the most recent memories, the ones Mamoru himself was recalling as Luna spoke, and saw that the cat was right. As he thought back, he recalled Mamoru's first meeting with the blonde, and how much she seemed to have changed over the course of the war with the Dark Kingdom. For even Mamoru, it wasn't until he'd been able to put two and two together. His knowledge of her wasn't enough for him to pick out the way her eyes seemed to always be hiding something behind the fire he so often sparked in them during their arguments.

And she was right about another thing. The way she looked during the final battle… The look in her eyes would have been heartbreaking if he'd been able to feel anything other than complete contempt for her while he'd been under Beryl's control.

Luna wondered if her words had gotten to him. She could figure out why he wanted her memories revived, but hoped that he would understand her desire not to. Peace had finally reigned. Why ruin it for the Princess?

"I can understand how you came to be the Queen's advisor, Luna. I guess… Just seeing her earlier today made me realize how much I-" He chuckled softly to himself and shook his head.

Luna quirked an eyebrow and wondered the young man was thinking. He was always an enigma, whether as Endymion or Mamoru. Tuxedo Kamen had always been proof of that fact.

"He sounds like he's giving up, doesn't he?" Mamoru asked as Endymion slipped into contemplation. "There's more to Usagi than just the princess, though. She's Usagi. We'd been… Well, acquaintances before. She'd risked her life for me. The least I can do is try to prove that there's something there aside from a past together. Even if I do have to put up with Endymion complaining about manners, or a distinct lack thereof."

Luna blinked and laughed softly at his words. That was something that she wouldn't have expected, though she was glad that he had accepted that she wasn't going to revive Usagi's memories of the year she fought the Dark Kingdom.

"So now, along with getting Endymion's persona merged with my own, I've just got to make her realize that-"Mamoru stiffened when he heard a quiet shuffling outside of the room and looked towards the closed door. The knob began to turn slowly, and Mamoru knew that he didn't have time to make it to the window. Well, quietly at least.

So he did the only thing he could think of: dove under the bed, snatching his feet under as Usagi walked into the room. She seemed to pause for a minute. "Was that you making all that noise, Luna? Didn't think a cat could make so much noise."

She laughed softly before heading over to her desk and tossing her brief case onto it. She then headed back to the bed and sat on the edge, lightly scratching Luna behind the ear.

Normally, if there was anything normal about the situation, Mamoru wouldn't have minded being in Usagi's room, but, the fact that Usagi's bed was so low to the ground wasn't exactly working in his favor. Especially, when he noticed the mattress dip a bit as she fell back on the mattress. Minutes later, Mamoru heard a few softly spoken words followed by a gentle snore escape the blonde. He would have tried to climb out from under the bed if the thing hadn't been pressing into his chest.

This was going to be a while.