Chapter 4
Discoveries

Day 3

Zoicite walked down the moonlit street, uncertain why he had been drawn to this location. A stirring breeze lifted his long blonde hair, briefly covering his sad hazel eyes. He sighed and tossed his head to clear his vision. When he could see again, he lifted his head and stared into the darkness. Occasional street lights blocked his night vision, but he glimpsed a figure coming toward him.

A figure he recognized within the deepest parts of his soul. It was a girl, still quite young, no more than a teenager. She was about average height, and in the glow of the light as she passed under a streetlamp he saw a glint of blue. It was HER! The girl from his vision. She looked exhausted, and she was shivering slightly. He looked closer and noticed she was wearing nightclothes, a short gown with lace fringe over her shins and under her neck.

He gasped, pulling further into the darkness to watch her. She was the most captivating girl (almost woman) that he had ever seen, and memories of her seemed to flow into his brain. He knew her! There was a disconnect. The woman he had known was older, her hair longer… and… had she been pregnant perhaps? He remembered a gentle swell of belly when he had plunged his sword into her.

NO! No, no, no, no, no, no! He had murdered her. His love. The mother of his child. The darkness, that evil miasma that had taken over him in the past had twisted his love, turning it into hate for her. With that knowledge he recognized the evil. Metallia. He had never entered the chamber where Beryl met with their hidden leader, but he knew. And with that knowledge came hate, a blinding rage that nearly caused him to lash out on the world.

Carefully now, he followed the girl, trying to tamp down his anger. This girl was his past, and his future. Memories of her laughter filled him, calming his rage. She had been brilliant, beautiful, and loving. Her smile had made him worship her.

More memories crashed into him and he stumbled. Endymion! He had betrayed the prince. How had he been turned from him? He and his brothers had been overtaken by… something. He couldn't remember how it had happened. The thoughts jumbled, cascading over one another and he groaned loudly, falling to his knees.

The girl heard him and turned. Her eyes widened in surprise, but there was no recognition in them. He groaned again, unsure if he should stay close or hide away. What if he was forced to kill her again? How could he ever bear that pain? But the thought of never seeing her… it was as though the air had been sucked out of him.

A gentle hand touched his shoulder and he flinched. Calmly, the girl knelt in front of him. "Hey, are you alright? Do you need a doctor?"

Zoicite shook his head. She was kind in this life too. And beautiful, though still very young. He guessed his own age to be eighteen, and hers three or four years younger. Too young for him, though he wanted to reach out and hug her.

Two sides fought within him. The evil of Metallia still held him within its grasp, but his love and past life wanted nothing more than to gather up this girl and take her where nothing could harm her. He had to find his prince. His prince would save him. A face, calm and light, with deep blue eyes and raven hair flashed in his memory. Endymion. He had to find Endymion. Or at least, the reincarnation of him. Would his prince have the memories needed to stop Metallia from digging evil deeper into his soul?

He stood, calm now, with purpose. He had to find his prince and protect his love. Though his thoughts still raced, he knew what needed to be done, and he had plans to make. Gently he reached out and helped the girl stand. When she was in front of him he calmly brushed her hair away from her intense blue eyes. And with a whispered, "thank you," he faded into the shadows.

Ami stared after the man feeling confused and worried. For a moment, a very brief moment, she had almost recognized him. But his face had been different, smiling. And then it was gone. The memory faded. She thought back to Luna's instructions and wondered if he was one of the Shittenou, or perhaps the prince they were searching for. She sighed and turned back towards home.

She was tired. All of them were. She was glad they had found another Senshi but couldn't help worrying about the new addition to the team. The girl was large, and seemed capable, but there was no easy way to change into something new. She remembered her first few weeks after discovering her powers. They had been difficult to adjust to.

Rei had had an easier time, probably because she was raised as a priestess, she mused. But Makoto was different, more like Ami. The powers, including the speed and stamina, and the knowledge to use them were instinctive. She knew that her human knowledge had helped her transition. Often in those first few days she had simply researched every form of magic she could get her hands on.

They were under a form of glamour when in their Senshi form. People could see their faces, but they could not connect them to the faces of girls they already knew. And things appeared when needed, like a form of telekinesis. Perhaps a subspace pocket of some sort. She wrinkled her nose and pulled out her Mercury computer, inputting questions. It would take time to analyze the answers, so she put the minicomputer away and walked home.

She didn't see her new shadow following her until she safely reached her apartment building. She didn't see the man back up and disappear silently to search for his prince.

Across the district, Rei was walking up the steps to the shrine. She watched a shooting star streak across the sky and wondered if it was significant to the new Senshi, who was on her mind. The girl was powerful, both physically and mentally. She would adapt quickly, Rei was sure. Calling lighting was impressive. It required control.

Rei considered going straight to sleep, but instead walked to the Fire. She needed clarity, and the Fire could enable her to See. She knelt and bowed her head before staring into the flames in the large pit. She had questions that needed answering.

An image of a man with wavy blonde hair and light blue eyes appeared. Then an image of Usagi came, wrapped in the arms of a man with silky raven hair. She couldn't see the man's face. Another image flashed, this time one of Ami being held by a man whose long blonde hair fluttered in the wind, and whose hazel eyes were filled with devotion. Ami was struggling in his grasp, but the image was replaced quickly by one of her kissing him. An image of Luna superimposed over that of a tall woman with pale skin and inky black hair in Usagi's style. A flash of bright light filled with tears. A Youma, in the guise of a woman with fire leaching out her fingertips, trailing though a warehouse. A young blonde, dressed in a Fuka with an orange skirt, holding a chain with a crescent moon, flinging it out to hit the demon.

The images flickered faster and faster until she only had impressions, danger, hope, love, pain, safety, destruction. And then with a cry, she saw a red-haired woman reaching out towards the flames. She threw herself away from the outstretched arm, away from the firepit, and lay panting and sobbing on the floor.

Immediately she stood and ran from the room. She gathered writing materials and quickly listed as much as she could remember of the visions. She knew it was somehow important, though she did not understand why.

Makoto looked over at Usagi and shook her head. The girl was nothing like she had imagined that morning. She was very sweet and kind, though not a perfect person by any means. It was difficult to imagine the klutzy talkative girl from school with the hero she had been fawning over from afar.

"Is it always that scary?"

The girl nodded, though she didn't answer immediately. She opened her mouth, closed it again, stopped walking, and turned towards Makoto. "The first was the hardest. Naru was in danger though, and it made me strong enough to see me through. And Tuxedo Kamen appeared that night. He shouted encouragement and helped a few times. But I was shaking like a leaf and I honestly thought I would pass out. I had been hoping it was a dream. Then, the next day Naru was talking about it in class and I couldn't ignore it anymore."

"Well I was scared tonight." Makoto agreed. She reached out and tugged on one of Usagi's long strands of blonde hair and smiled. "It was like I was in a trance when he grabbed me. He kept saying he loved me, and even though I knew it wasn't true I couldn't help getting closer and closer to him. And then I felt so weak and tired. I thought I was going to die." She sighed.

"Well, when it counted that you fought back," Usagi reassured her. "That's all you have to remember. I know in a way it will be worse for Motoki. After people wake up they sometimes remember certain images, but it comes like a flashback or a nightmare. And it could take days before he gets full strength back. I've learned to share some of my energy, enough for people to function the day after an attack, but I can't do too much. I wish I could."

Makoto was shocked. She hadn't seen any lights or obvious spells. "How?" she breathed.

"Oh, um,' Usagi giggled. "It was an accident at first. I touched Naru and prayed she would wake up. I felt the energy go into her, and I felt weak for just a second, and then it was fine. About an hour later she woke up. Now I do that whenever someone is bad off. Especially kids." She blushed. "Don't tell Luna, okay?"

"Sure." Makoto looked up and saw a shooting star flash across the sky. "It's good we live so close together. For some reason I feel like you shouldn't walk alone tonight." Usagi nodded and let Makoto walk her to her house. Makoto giggled a bit when she watched her klutzy friend leap nimbly to the branch of a tree, walk along it and jump straight through her window. It was kind of amazing. She waved and turned towards her apartment, still lost in thought.

Makoto was young enough to believe in magic. Probably a good thing, she thought. But she was old enough to have seen tragedy as well. And for some reason, she feared for her friend, the tiniest of the Senshi. She knew that if that petite little blonde were to disappear then the light of the world would be gone. She shook her head, trying to rid herself of morbid thoughts.

A whole new world had opened before her. She had friends, and a purpose. Life was looking up. Now, she thought, I just need to find the right guy.

Usagi was not a paragon of goodness. She was not the smartest in her class, or the wisest, the strongest, or the most imaginative. She tended to have klutz attacks, loose her concentration, forget her homework (or even forget to do it), and she was learning she actually had a temper. She was, in most respects, a normal teenager. One who, through no fault of her own, had been thrust into a world of magic and monsters that was difficult to comprehend.

She knew she wasn't very pretty, or very smart, but she didn't really care about that anymore. Becoming Sailor Moon had given her an idea of just how strong she really was. It could be insanely frightening, but the thought that she could help people had made it all worthwhile.

One of her secret dreams before the change had been to become a nurse. Now she wondered if that would ever be possible. Will I live long enough to go to college? she wondered. Even if she did, it would be difficult to work as a nurse with Youma attacks coming several times a day.

But being a normal girl, one who had just received her first kisses, she was easily distracted by thoughts of Mamoru. He was cute, even if he drove her nearly insane. He had been teasing and taunting her from almost the moment they met, and she wondered at the sudden change in him. Was it simply a reaction to seeing her nearly run down? Would he be back to his old ways the next day, or would he want more kisses? She giggled, thinking about the kisses in the arcade. Those had been sweet and lovely. She touched her lips, hoping there would be more.

No, he had changed before she was almost run down, she remembered. He had apologized, and walked her to school. Maybe he had cared all along.

The incident tonight worried her. She felt strange around Tuxedo Kamen now. She always knew when he was there, usually hidden in the shadows of a tree or on a balcony. He was usually very encouraging too, though there had been a few times when he had been obviously frustrated with her lack of ability. She could sense him still, though she was sure he had changed forms again. He reminded her of Mamoru now.

As she thought about Mamoru she noticed she could sense him. Briefly she lifted her hand, one finger outstretched, and pointed to where he was at that moment. 'Oh my God!' She remembered what Luna had said. The princess might be hidden among them. And Mamoru looked so much like the prince in her dreams, and that meant... she superimposed a mask over his face. The man she loved was also her hero, and her prince.

She followed the link with her mind and feelings that were not her own washed over her. Hunger, worry, love, and desire. Irritation now, and confusion. She lifted her hand again and stared at her fingers in the moonlight. She could point right to him. That was a shock. He wasn't Tuxedo Kamen right now. How was it possible that she could sense him so strongly?

She settled deeper into her covers, pulling them up so they covered her arms and snuggled them under her chin. "Why doesn't he trust me?" she wondered aloud. He had only wanted to talk to Luna. Did he think she was too young to keep a secret? Did he think she was weak and immature?

Her mind slowed as sleep began to overtake her. Is he the prince?

A golden-haired young girl in a sailor fuka moved quickly in the shadows. She raced over the rooftops, a white cat held tight in her arms. A crescent moon glowed on her forehead. Time was running out.

Luna sat quietly for a long time, digesting this new information. Her little charge was the princess, and she, Luna, had turned her into a warrior. It made a strange sort of sense now that she realized none of the other girls had the brooch she had felt compelled to give Usagi. It was time to give the girl the moon wand and make her the official leader of the Senshi.

She felt a pang of fear and regret for the fate of the girl she looked on as a daughter. It wasn't fair to the child that so much responsibility would be forced on her so young. Luna glanced up at Mamoru, who was sitting quietly, and staring at the wall, back toward Usagi's house.

"She's becoming aware of the bond," he murmured. "Luna, you have to help me." His voice was stronger. "If she doesn't know yet, she will soon. And with that knowledge will come more danger. I fear that if we don't make the bond quickly all will be lost. If I tell her, she'll feel pressured, maybe forced. If I don't… She'll feel betrayed and wonder if I don't trust her. I have days at most to not only change her opinion of me, but to forge the bond." He heaved a sigh. "I just don't know what to do."

Luna looked at him in silence for a long time, wondering at his motivation. Finally, she was satisfied that he really did love Usagi. She smiled to herself, thinking suddenly about what cute babies the couple would make, then shook her head in shock. Usagi was fourteen for crying out loud. Way too soon to be thinking about children. She blushed in embarrassment.

"Well," she began, face still flaming. "I think you should go for the middle ground. You said she's becoming aware of the bond?"

Mamoru nodded. "Yeah. I felt her reaching out to me a minute ago. She was reading my feelings the way I do hers."

"Then you need to spend as much time with her as possible over the next few days. Let small hints drop, and so will I. She has dreams…" The black cat trailed off. She didn't know how she had missed all the clues. The nightmares when the girl called out Endymion, the hair in the traditional style of the royal family, the girls' sweet nature. And then there was the glaringly obvious fact that Usagi, out of all the girls, had uncovered no immediate instinct for fighting. It was true she was getting better, but it wasn't natural like it had been for the others.

"We will make this work." She finally said. But Mamoru was looking internally and did not hear her. She wondered what the man was thinking. After a few minutes she hopped off the chair and went to him, butting her head against his hand to get his attention. "I promise, we will find a way to tell her." Mamoru smiled down at her and she curled up next to him and fell asleep.

Mamoru let the cat sleep and went to bed. He lay awake for a long while, picturing Usagi, and how he could help her fall in love with him. He pictured holding her close, pulling her tight against his body, and gently kissing her. He would rub his tongue along her bottom lip and when she responded by opening her mouth he would explore. He would kiss along her jaw, and down to her neck, and hold her tightly…. Dreams took him (AN: Not PG rated) and he sighed and moaned in his sleep. As he dreamed, across town Usagi followed him into his imagination. (AN: And woke up blushing crimson like a rose!)

When dawn crept into his room, he quickly got up, showered and dressed, and carried the sleeping cat with him when he left. He walked to Usagi's house, letting the cat down so she could hop into the tree and into Usagi's bedroom. Then he waited around the corner for the love of his life.